Chapter 24 - Build Me Up From Bones
7 months later
Nora sat along the rocky shoreline outside of Sanctuary Hills with a pile of hubflowers in her lap. She popped the heads off like dandelions and tossed the buds into the swift stream. The action was meditative and the act of peeling back the thick green leaves along its stem helped Nora get more physical therapy in. The fingers along her right hand were stiffer on account of the burns, and it was Dr. Amari's orders that she do as many tasks that required fine motor precision. Crocheting. Knitting. Remedial guitar playing. Flower decapitation. Nora was a versatile woman.
The clear water glittered in the September sunlight. Tiny minnows swam in schools and shiny oyster shells stuck out of the sand. Life was starting to come back, slowly but surely, and Nora found herself thinking about these past seven months.
She thought about how the pain of losing Nick came to her like a slow IV drip. Small things would remind her of him. She'd catch the scent of tobacco on the air as a trader passed her by or she'd hear one of Magnolia's songs on Diamond City Radio and yearn to feel his touch again. Life was harder without him.
When Nora went back to Diamond City after Dr. Amari had deemed her healthy enough to travel, her first stop was the Valentine Detective Agency. She went inside almost expecting Nick to be sitting at the desk scratching notes down on a yellow memo pad. Instead Ellie sat there tearfully drunk on some of Vadim's moonshine. Travis had told her in private that Nick was listed among the dead. Both women got drunk that night, but no amount of alcohol could fully numb the pain.
After the hangover faded, the two women still kept in touch. Ellie turned the keys over to Nora and moved in with Travis. Apparently they had started dating while Nora was working at the Institute. Ellie spent the majority of her young adult life working with Nick. Now that he was gone, there wasn't anything left for her to do except move on, and thanks to Travis and Piper, the demand to hear Diamond City Radio in far away settlements like Outpost Zimonja meant that Travis needed her extra pair of hands to run the switchboard. Ellie also catalogued and prepared the music line up while Travis was broadcasting advertisements and the news.
Piper took the news about Nick with an unexpected grace and a wry sense of humor.
"Nicky would've hated me if he knew this but I had his obituary written as soon as I met him." Piper told Nora. "He was always running headlong into trouble. That's why he and I got along so well. We're pretty much the same person, except that I'm a woman and … well … a human, but you get what I mean right, Blue?"
Nora nodded, "I sprang him from a damn vault. Apparently he had been there for weeks. I sometimes wonder if he'd still be there if I hadn't rescued him."
Piper smiled, "Hey now. You rescued each other. He told me stories of some of the crazy shit you both got up to at Fort Hagen. You both made a great team. I just hope that Hancock treats you with the same respect. It ain't a ghoul thing but I don't like the looks of him."
"He's good people." Nora replied firmly. "He's rough around the edges but he has a good heart."
"But how d'you know? I didn't trust MacDonough any farther than I could throw him. The same can be said even more about his brother."
Nora drank some Nuka Cola and looked into the abyss as another memory overtook her. "I trust him because Nick does. Nick told me that Hancock is a good person, and he hasn't made Nick into a liar yet."
Truthfully, Nora would've been lost without John. More times than not, one would search the other out and comfort them through their grief. Half of the time, their bedroom activities didn't include sex. Instead, they'd lounge around together, share some good booze, Nora would get stoned with him, and they'd reminisce about Nick. Hancock had stories upon stories to share. Most of them involved the countless times that Nick had to drag Hancock back to Diamond City while the kid was high on one substance or another.
"He never criticized me for usin' chems." Hancock recalled. "And he fuckin' hated chems, but he didn't hate me. I appreciated that. And once I got kicked out of Diamond City and turned myself ghoul, Nick still came by to shoot the shit or play some cards. That's how I knew we were friends."
Eventually, Nora's grief pushed her back home again. Back to Sanctuary Hills. She insisted on doing her fair share around the settlement in exchange for a place to call home. In fact, Nora almost felt content with the quiet farming life. She did her work and kept to herself, but staying in her old house was just too difficult. Too much had happened to her. The house wasn't her home anymore; it was a painful reminder of her past life. So she put the place up for sale.
The housing market in the post-apocalypse worked more on a barter and trade program. Sturges took up Nora's offer to buy the house, and in return, he offered to help her build a new dwelling. Within a month, Nora had her own place tucked off to the side near the large oak tree in the cul-de-sac. Her new place was small, just one room, but it had working electricity and running water.
Hancock visited Sanctuary every fortnight while on his patrols to collect taxes from the settlements that chose to align with Goodneighbor. Nora teased that it was about time that he did actual mayoral work, but truthfully, Hancock was good at it. He was gregarious to those who were loyal and gracious to people who had fallen on hard times, but he held a reputation that carried respect - and a small amount of fear - in the wasteland. No. Hancock wasn't a robber baron, but many former Institute settlers were still getting used to wasteland life and looked at him as such. Nevertheless, the ghoul mayor's visits tended to draw attention, and his visits to Sanctuary were no different.
Nora heard the double barn doors squeak on the front gate. She smiled and threw the last purple bulb into the stream. Today was the day that Hancock was scheduled to come through town. He usually stayed the night and then he continued on towards Abernathy Farm and Sunshine Tidings Co-Op before cutting back through Boston and on towards home. Sometimes Nora would travel with him to quench the wanderlust that occasionally popped up, but she hadn't seen Hancock in nearly two weeks, and she was looking forward to their reunion.
She brushed her hands off on her jeans, stood up, and rolled the tight muscles in her back and shoulders feeling like a lazy cat who was getting up after a long nap. The weather was unseasonably warm for September, and Nora briefly considered that a nap with Hancock might not be a bad idea after all. He would probably be tired from traveling.
She heard footsteps coming down the hillside behind her. Nora turned around expecting to see Hancock's rakish grin, but instead she saw a stranger coming towards her. He was dressed in traveling clothes: dirty slacks, road leathers, and a denim jacket lined with faux fur. He wore a black fedora that looked completely out of place with his hobo-chic aesthetic, but something about the man struck Nora as familiar.
The man was tall, over six feet, and his hands were tucked away in his coat pockets. He had brown hair with a hint of grey peaking out at his temples. His hair was neatly parted on one side and combed. His brow was prominent and his eyes were green with a starburst of yellow around the pupils. He had a strong, square jaw, a long face, and a wide mouth. Nora wasn't sure if she'd call the man conventionally attractive, but there was something about him that was familiar and comforting - and that put her on edge.
He stopped a foot shy of her. His lips pursed and his Adam's apple bobbed in his throat when he swallowed.
"Can I help you?" Nora asked.
"That depends, doll." The man replied in a smooth baritone. "Would you be willing to give an ol' synth a moment of your time to grovel at your feet and apologize for the heap of pain that I've caused you?"
Nora's heart stopped. She felt weak but she remained standing. This couldn't be …. No. Nick died. This couldn't be him. This guy didn't look anything like him!
"Who are you?" She snapped.
The man faltered and he looked taken aback. "Uh - it's Nick. Nick Valentine."
No. This wasn't right, she thought.
"Stay back!" Nora snapped.
She moved to the edge of the creek and unholstered her weapon.
"Woah! It's okay, doll. Nora, it's me!" The man exclaimed. "It's Nick. I'm Nick! I'm not gonna hurt ya."
Nora didn't raise her gun but she did keep it trained down and ready just in case.
"Prove it."
"W-what d'you mean prove it? I know this is a lot to take in, but —"
"Stop!" She ordered.
He ignored her and stepped closer, so Nora raised her gun. She walked backward and the swift, cold stream soaked through her boots.
"If you take one more step, I will fucking kill you." She snarled.
The man who claimed he was Nick Valentine took a deliberate step backwards and raised his hands in surrender. Nora narrowed her eyes and watched him warily. The other assassins hadn't done that before. They didn't just show up and announce that they were Nick. They usually just dressed in a laughably bad detective's outfit and waited for Nora to approach them.
"Put the gun down, doll." He said. "I'm not here to hurt you. I just want to talk. That's all."
She shook her head and stepped farther into the stream. The water wasn't that deep but that meant it wouldn't be too much of a barrier for him to get to her either.
"Prove to me that you're Nick Valentine."
"Jesus, doll. I don't know! What d'you want me to say? I know I look different. I know that I'm springin' this all on you without warning. I can explain everything if you'll just come out of the damn river and talk to me."
"You are the seventh person that they've sent!" Nora yelled. "After what I did to the last one, I expected that they'd send someone a little more impressive this time. Instead they send you."
"The seventh person? Nora, what are you —"
— "Nora!"
Hancock saw the scene that was about to unfold and raced towards them. The alleged Nick Valentine looked visibly relieved and was about to drop his hands, but Hancock tackled him to the ground.
"Wh-ARGH. Ge'off me you damn fool." He shouted as Hancock roughly forced the man's hands behind his back and handcuffed him.
"Damn it Hancock. What the fuck are you doing? Uncuff me you sonofabitch"
"Shut up." The ghoul hissed. He dug his knee into the man's back and pushed the man's face into the ground. Then he looked over at Nora. She was trembling and pale, but her face was set in a cold, steely stare as she walked out of the stream.
"You okay, sunshine?"
Nora nodded. "He just scared me, that's all. I — I wasn't expecting one of these assassins to come this far North."
Nora squatted down next to the man and glared at him. He looked pitiful.
"Doll, please…"
"Who sent you?"
"Jesus Christ! Nobody sent me! I swear!" His voice became a little shrill and his face was turning pink. "I came here on my own. I just want to talk to you. That's all. Please just let me up."
Hancock roughly patted the man down. He found a .44 pistol at the man's left hip, took it, and handed it to Nora. She looked at the weapon and she nearly dropped the damn thing in shock.
"Where did you get this gun?"
The man tried to turn his face to look at her, but Hancock's large hand kept his face pressed into the sand.
"My agency." He gritted through his teeth. "I keep a spare pistol in the back file cabinet, and I'm the only one who knows where the key is hidden."
"How did you get in?"
The man tried to roll his eyes but it didn't quite work when half his face was submerged in sand.
"I know where the spare key is. I figured that you have the set that I gave to Ellie. When I went in there, it looked like the place hadn't been touched in months which means that you hadn't moved my key to the cabinet where I kept my extra piece."
"This is Nick's gun." She said, mostly to herself.
"Of course it's Nick's gun!" The man exclaimed. "I'm Nick! It's my gun! Nora, I know you're probably pissed at me for droppin' in like this, but I —"
"— Shut the fuck up, will ya." Hancock said sharply and he pressed his knee harder into the man's back. He let out a rattling wheeze and squeezed his eyes shut in pain. He couldn't take a breath and that meant that he couldn't talk.
Nora ignored the commotion and just stared at the gun. Nick, her Nick, fought at her side with Institute issued weapons. Every fake and every assassin who came up to her had carried the wrong weapon: laser pistols, combat shotguns, hell, one even came carrying a goddamned machete. Nobody had come at her with a gun like this, nor had they told her the exact right place where the real Nick Valentine would keep spare weapons. She wasn't even sure how many people even knew that Nick started using a .44 pistol after the debacle at Ft. Hagen when Nora's poorly thrown grenade nearly exploded them both.
Holy shit.
This man was Nick.
Nick was alive, and he was in a Gen-3 body.
"Let him up John."
"Sunshine…"
Nora gave the ghoul a sharp look and he obeyed. He helped Nick up, uncuffed him, and he even brushed the sand off his coat.
Nora gave the gun back to him and their eyes met. Nick saw the recognition in her eyes. She believed him. Thank God. But he also noted the wariness, disbelief, and distrust.
"Oh…doll." He breathed. "You really were afraid of me. D-do I look that bad compared to before?"
Tears welled up in Nora's eyes. She ignored his question and posed one of her own instead.
"Prove to me that you are Nick." She croaked. "What was the first thing you said to me when met."
He frowned and then he shrugged, "I dunno, doll. We were in Skinny's vault. You came in all knight in shining armor after I had played my 18,000th game of Solitaire. I think I said somethin' about this being a reverse damsel-in-distress scenario."
No. That wasn't good enough. There were some of Skinny's men in that Vault who could've told the Brotherhood that fact.
She shook her head and dismissed his answer with a curt wave. "One more question. When I attempted suicide, what was the first thing that you said to me when I awoke?"
He swallowed and he bowed his head slightly at the memory.
"I said that seeing you alive and back here was the most beautiful miracle that I had ever seen." He looked at her and Nora saw the sureness and the love in his eyes. "And I'd say that exact same damn thing now. You are a sight for sore eyes, doll."
Nora's breath hitched. It was him. This man was Nick — her Nick. The cadence and tone of his voice was slightly different; more deep and reflective of a slight midwestern lilt, but the words were Nick's words. He wasn't dead. He was just different now.
"Nick?"
Tears pricked his eyes and he nodded, "Yeah it's me. I'm back."
He closed the distance and let his fingers gently run along her arms. His eyes pleaded with her to understand. She did understand. And that was the problem. Nora understood exactly what Nick had done, and cracks were forming in the mental damn that she had built to contain her grief and anger.
"You're alive." Nora rasped.
"Yeah." He said huskily. "Sorry that this mug startled you, doll. I just thought it was time for a full tune up. That other body was a century out of warranty, and traders don't frequent Acadia as often as they do here. And well … DiMA doesn't really understand human fashion. The guy doesn't even wear a shirt."
Nora shook her head. She took a step away from Nick. Tears burned her eyes and she was drawing in on herself. Hancock noticed and he went to her.
"Breathe sunshine. Just breathe."
Nora's breathing quickened and she grabbed onto Hancock's forearm as he pulled her into a side hug.
"Is this real John? Tell me this is real and that I'm not dreaming or just really fucking high for some reason."
"It's real." Hancock said. "And you ain't high. Do that exercise that Amari taught you, okay? Tell me what you see."
Nora buried her face into the ghoul's chest. "I see a homeless man who says he's Nick Valentine. I feel like I'm losing my mind."
She tried to pull herself together, but she was losing ground to her anxiety and to the darker thoughts. "Not real. Not real. This isn't real. Wake up Nora. Shit."
Nora started pinching herself so hard that she was leaving red welts on the skin near her left thumb. Nick was horrified, but he didn't know what to do. He didn't know how he could help her, or if he should even try.
Hancock hugged her from behind and placed his hands on her shoulders. He whispered something to her and Nora nodded her head. Then he withdrew a Jet canister and passed it to her. Nora brought it to her mouth, inhaled, and then exhaled a fine white vapor. Her eyes were half-lidded and she sank against Hanccok's body.
"Nora's doin' Jet?" Nick asked sharply.
Hancock shot him a baleful look. "No Nicky. This shit's medicinal and it helps with her anxiety. She's havin' a mild panic attack right now. Probably on account that her assumed-to-be-dead boyfriend showed up outta the blue."
"I didn't exactly think she'd react like this!" Nick exclaimed.
"Yeah, well ain't that fuckin' convienent for you." Hancock snarled. "The real Nick Valentine would fuckin' notice that his girlfriend is losin' her shit and he'd do something to help out."
"What d'you want me to do!" Nick shouted. "She's afraid of me! She thinks I'm here to kill her or something."
Nora got her feet back under her and she lightly tapped on Hancock's arm.
"I'm okay, John." Nora whispered. "I think the worst of it has passed."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
Hancock gave Nick a disgusted look but gently steered her towards the man once more. Nora's eyes were slightly glassy but she scrutinized Nick's new appearance and shook her head.
"What the hell happened to you Nick?" Nora asked. "The last time that I saw you, we were getting gunned down by Brotherhood soldiers. You've been missing for seven months. Everyone else counted you as among the dead. What took you so damn long to find us? To find me?"
Nick swallowed down his own grief. Nora was heartbroken and it was all his damn fault.
"You're right, doll. It's time that I come clean. I owe you a lot of explanations. So just bare with me, okay?"
Nick took out a small pocket notebook with trembling hands. He opened up the cardboard cover and Nora saw that half the book was filled with notes written in small and chicken scratch handwriting.
"My brain's been havin' a hard time ordering the events right. Piper helped me with some o'the details when I stopped by Diamond City before coming here."
He cleared his throat and read aloud, "The last thing I remember was seeing you teleporting out of the Institute. I remember going to Dr. Binet. He put me in this machine, it was like a steel canister or something, and he told me to put myself into diagnostic mode and to run a playback of my memories starting with the most recent. I think I got through maybe thirty or forty years of memories before I lost consciousness. When I came to, I was in this body, and I was in Acadia. DiMA explained to me that Dr. Binet had given him a copy of my memories and that he had uploaded them into this Gen-3 body. A Gen-3 brain can only handle about a lifetime's worth of memories, so some of the earlier stuff in my history is a bit foggy now."
He closed his notebook and looked at Nora. "But I don't care about all of that. I'd happily give up a whole century's worth of memories to never forget you."
"So you remember everything?" Nora asked. "Everything we experienced together? Everything that we dealt with together?"
Nick nodded, "Everything, doll. Skinny's Vault. The night in the Red Rocket Gas station when you had that nightmare about the Brotherhood. I remember Ft. Hagen and killing Kellogg. I remember going through that shit with Amari and the mnemonic impressions. I remember our first night together as a couple and all of those nights afterwards. I remember when you were taken by that Courser and brought to the Institute. I remember how Hancock and I tore Boston apart tryin' to find you. I remember the dark days that followed when you made it out. I remember the pain you've had to handle on your own, and I'm so sorry for contributing to some of that pain. I never meant to hurt you, doll. But I didn't tell you that I was planning to do this because I didn't want you to think that I was changing for you, or that you were pushing me into it because some damn prophecy foretold it."
Nora heard Mama Murphy's voice echo in her mind: Of the three who love you, one will forget you, one will cease to exist, and one will perish with your name last on his lips.
"So then why did you do it?" Nora asked.
Nick shifted his weight and he looked down at the ground in shame. "You had lost so much already Nora. Your husband, your son, Synth Nate…I didn't want to add to that grief. I knew that if I fought by your side, there was no guarantee that I'd make it out alive. I wanted that guarantee. This all was Plan B."
Nora's expression was unreadable. She looked up into Nick's face and the synth thought he saw hope flash in her eyes. Like a falling star, the hope was brief but it had been there.
"So you lied to me." Nora stated coldly.
"I know. I'm sorry, doll. I —"
"Fuck your appology Nick!" Nora yelled. "You don't get to apologize this away! John and I have spent the past seven months thinking you were dead. I cannot think of one single reason why cluing me in on this plan would've made things worse. You chose to keep me in the dark. You lied by omission. Again! I just…FUCK!"
"Doll, I know. I just —"
Nick wasn't expecting the strike. Nora's fist slammed into his nose and something cracked. Blood exploded out and he toppled over backward. When he was down, Nora advanced on him with a second strike ready.
"Oh FUCK! Woah, there Sunshine!" Hancock rasped. He grabbed Nora around the waist and pulled her away from the fallen man.
"Let me go John." She snarled.
"Sorry, sister. Look, I know you wanna unleash holy hell on Nick. He scared ya. Fuck, he scared the both of us, and lyin' to you ain't right. So you got a shot in. A good one too — I think you broke his nose. But you'll regret doin' anything else right now. This ain't you, remember?"
Nora sank to her knees and Hancock went down with her. He pulled her against him and hugged her from behind. Nick saw just how broken they were. They clung to each other and Hancock kept whispering in Nora's ear.
"This is real." Nora said tonelessly.
"Yeah it is, love. You ain't dreaming." Hancock rasped.
Nora nodded vaguely, "I am not dreaming."
"Nick is alive."
"Nick is … alive." Nora's eyes flicked over to Nick who was sitting up holding a handkerchief to his nose.
"Son of a bitch…" Nick wheezed pitifully.
Hancock looked at the two of them. They were heartbroken fools, the pair of them. He loved them both but between Nick's tendency to self-sabotage and Nora's impulsivity and simmering rage, he'd probably find Nick nailed to the wall with throwing knives if he left them both alone.
"Alright lovebirds. Why don't we all just sit down and have some stiff drinks. And talk this shit out Hm? You know, like couples counseling and all that shit."
Nora thought about Hancock's proposition and then shook her head. "Counsel Nick without me. I can't be near him right now. I might … do something I'll regret later."
Nora got up and shook out her hand. "Keep an eye on him John. I gotta get a second opinion. I need to get all of this corroborated by Binet first. If he helped Nick do this and didn't tell me, while I was his direct superior, then he bears part of the responsibility too."
Hancock was less than thrilled about leaving Nora unattended when she was this upset but he admired her self-control. Truth be told, if they all went back together, he might let Nora get a couple extra shots in if Nick started running his mouth. He sighed. God he loved her.
He got to his feet and walked to Nick's side and offered the man his hand. Nick accepted the gesture and was hauled to his feet.
"Then why don't all three of us go and have a chat with the egghead Doc." Hancock suggested. "You can get your second opinion and Nick can get a doctor to look at his nose."
"No. I need to go alone, John. I need to hear this from Binet's lips and he might not be as transparent with me if you're looming over my shoulder as my bodyguard."
"Hey, I just don't like his weasel face. That's all" Hancock said.
"I know you don't." Nora smiled, although it was small and a little sad. "So stay with Nick and fill him in on what he's missed. He's got a fancy new Gen-3 body that needs to eat and sleep and all of that. I'm sure he'd appreciate hearing about his changing body from another man. You know, you can have your 'guy talk' and all of that."
"You both don't need to talk about me as though I'm not here." Nick complained, but with his injured nose, his ire came out more nasally than he wanted.
Nora ignored Nick's complaint. "Can you do that John?"
Hancock flicked his fingers off the brim of his hat in a mock salute, "You're the boss, sunshine."
She smiled and lightly kissed him. "Thank you. I'll meet you back at my place before eight. Then all three of us will talk."
Nick nodded but Nora didn't look his way as she climbed the embankment back to town. Hancock went to his side and squeezed the man's shoulder.
"Well that didn't go so bad." He rasped. "Sorry about bein' Mr. Rough Stuff with ya. These past few months have kept the both of us on edge."
"I fucked up John." Nick sighed.
"Yeah ya did."
With the way he was looking at him, Nick thought that Hancock was gonna punch him next, but instead, the ghoul pulled Nick into a spine-cracking hug. A half-snarl and half-sob tore from his throat and Hancock buried his face into the crook of Nick's neck.
"Don't you ever fuckin' scare us like that ever again." Hancock rasped. "God damn it Nicky. Fuck you."
Nick hugged the smaller man back. It felt strange but kind of good to hug Hancock. The ghoul's skin was blistering warm and the texture of his mottled and pockmarked scars tickled against Nick's smooth skin.
"I'm sorry." Nick said. "I just don't know how to make it right with you both."
When they broke apart, both men discreetly wiped away tears. Hancock coughed and fished some Jet out of his pocket.
"You and me, we're cool. Just seeing you back here is enough for me. But Nora…" Hancock sighed and shook his head.
"So … uh … Nora's looking good though. Rested, I mean. She looks healthy, too."
"She's gettin' there." Hancock remarked. "She still don't sleep enough, but it's gotten better. After the first month, she'd get maybe three hours sleep on a good day. Took to pinchin' herself to stay awake until one day she just dropped off mid-sentence while we were talkin' and damn near brained herself when she collapsed. Doc. Amari's got her on on a strict sleeping pill dosage but she says she hasn't needed them in a couple of weeks."
"What happened John?"
"You really don't remember?"
Nick shook his head. "Dr. Binet scanned my memory the day I went to him to get my hand repaired. That was the day before everything happened. I have no memory of what happened afterwards."
Hancock looked like he was going to be ill. He shook his head, "I can't tell you all this shit sober. Let's go back to the house and I'll fill you in while Nora talks to Binet."
They both climbed the steep embankment and made their way past the small shacks and larger, repurposed houses that lined the settlement. Families and friends sat around fire pits and metal pails full of good-smelling food. A young boy with Asian features ran squealing past as a tired but happy rail thin man ran after him.
"Rhett wait for daddy!" Jun called to his son.
Life in Sanctuary Hills looked vibrant, almost idyllic, or as perfect as life could get for a post-apocalyptic world. Sturges was welding something over at a workbench. Goggles covered his eyes as he ignited a torch and held it to the metal. Diamond City Radio tunes drifted to them from the other end of the town.
"What's the kid doin' now?"
"What kid?" Hancock asked.
Nick frowned, "Liam. I don't see him around here."
The look on Hancock's face told him everything he needed to know.
"Oh shit…"
The ghoul shook his head and gestured to the large oak tree in the center of the cul-de-sac. Five more grave markers stood beneath it. A rusted microscope and an assortment of plucked wasteland flowers were placed next to a large rock. The name 'Liam' was burned into the stone in neat block lettering.
"When you said Binet, I guess I assumed that Liam would've …" Nick cleared the lump from his throat. "So Liam's father lives nearby?"
"Binet and the rest of the Institute survivors took up livin' in Nora's old vault. She gave it to them after the battle. Apparently Vault Tec and the Institute had worked together in some capacity before the bombs fell. The ice boxes that they kept folks in were hooked up to the Institute's system. Sunshine said something about using the vault dwellers' memories as the blueprints for most Gen-3 personalities and artificial memories. I dunno. I'm not thrilled that they're living up the hill, and I ain't gonna start bein' friends with them cuz we're neighbors, but doing this makes Nora happy. So it makes me happy too."
"That's … awfully big of ya John."
Hancock fished a set of keys from his pocket and unlocked the door to a small concrete dwelling. He pushed the door open and flicked the amber faerie lights that were hanging across the ceiling.
"Yeah well, if I got to bury some hatchets with folks to keep Nora in my life, then I'll man up and do it. She don't ask that I'm friends with them, and I don't openly antagonize or threaten them. We all got a mutual understanding here."
Nick stepped into the one-room dwelling. The place was surprisingly large, clean, and cozy. A full bed was tucked into the far left corner. A yellow steamer trunk sat at the foot of the bed. In the far right corner, an upright shower was tucked away behind a large dressing patrician. Someone must've installed running water, Nick thought. There was no toilet so he assumed that there had to be outhouses or outdoor privies somewhere. Off to Nick's right was a metal shelving unit filled with rusted out parts of junk, assorted medical supplies and nonperishable food, and over twenty holotags hanging from a hook.
He went over to the shelf and picked up the top one. He let the tag rest in his palm. One side of the dog tag had the Brotherhood of Steel emblem embossed in black. The other side of the dog tag read Proctor Quinlan, BOS ID PSR3943.
"How did Nora get all of these?"
"They're her trophies." Hancock said quietly.
"Her what?"
Nick looked back at the ghoul. Hancock looked sad but that emotion quickly gave way to indignation. "Don't fucking judge her Nick."
"I'm not trying to judge her John. I'm trying to understand what's happened to her. Did she get all of these in the battle?"
Hancock sat heavily in a yellow armchair that was nestled up next to a dresser where a radio and a small collection of books sat.
He sighed, "Nick, after the battle and after Nora healed physically, she still dealt with a lot of trauma. Hell, she's still dealin' with some of it. But about two months after the battle, word got out to the surviving Brotherhood members that she was still alive. One tried to take her out in Goodneighbor right in the middle of the day and in front of everyone. Mac took care of him but that was the last straw for Nora. She asked Mac to teach her how to use a gun again. The burns on her right hand make firing a weapon with any sort of accuracy a crapshoot, so the kid taught her how to shoot a rifle with her left hand. I think it gave her somethin' to focus on that was productive in some way. Then one day, she and Mac came back to Goodneighbor lookin like they had fought through hell and back. Apparently, they ambushed an entire Brotherhood camp and laid waste to them all. Sunshine's been goin' out hunting at least once or twice a month. It brings her peace, I think."
"How could killing bring her peace?"
"HEY!" Hancock barked. "It's not for you to judge. Doing this helps Nora feel useful. It gives her something to work towards. The leftover Brotherhood are zealous fucks and Nora gives each one of them a chance to surrender and join a settlement. She only kills them if they don't renounce their ties to the Brotherhood."
"And how many people have actually given up their connection to the Brotherhood?"
"None so far"
"Hm…"
"Besides, they've taken to psychological warfare now. I ain't got good things to say about any of them. That's half the reason why Nora reacted the way she did when you showed up. The Brotherhood have used other people to say that they are you in order to kill her."
"Jesus!" Nick exclaimed. "That's … fucked up."
Hancock scoffed, "Ya think? So don't be too hard on Nora. I'm not sayin' that she shoulda punched ya, but I am sayin' that sometimes you gotta take a knock on the chin once in a while."
"Or on your nose." Nick grumbled. He gently poked the florid flesh and winced.
Hancock rolled his eyes and then he opened a dresser drawer and took out a mortar and pestle, a stimpak, and a syringe of Med-X.
"It'll only hurt more if ya go pokin' at it." He chastised. Have a seat on the bed and I'll get ya cleaned up. There's also some fresh clothes in the steamer trunk at the foot of the bed. And there's a working shower. No offense but you smell of hard travel and you're all full of sand, whoopsies."
Nick ignored Hancock's light jeer and opened the steamer trunk. Amid a stack of blankets was a tan trench coat, dress slacks, shoes, suspenders, a white undershirt, and a grey fedora. They looked as weathered and clean as the rest of his old clothes that he kept at the agency. He stopped breathing for a second and he stared at the threads as memories washed over him.
He didn't know how long he was standing there, mouth agape, staring into the trunk, but Hancock's hand on his shoulder broke him from the trance.
"The first place Nora wanted to go once she was cleared to travel was to your agency. Your secretary took the news pretty damn hard, but I think Nora's hope that you were still out there somewhere gave everyone hope — including me."
"John…this — it's —"
Hancock grinned. "I know, brother. Clothes make the man and all that. Now go on. And I'm gonna burn that jacket while you shower. It looks like you got it off the back of a half-drunk vagrant."
"If that was true, then it would look as gaudy as yours."
"Heh heh heh." Hancock laughed humorously before flipping him the finger. "Now get your ass in that shower. We still got a lotta shit to discuss before Nora gets back."
The grinding of metal on metal made Nora's stomach turn as the Vault platform descended into the ground. The worst part about visiting the Patriots was the unavoidable and uncomfortable journey down memory lane. Each and every time, she'd recall some sort of sensory detail about the worst day of her life. Sometimes she'd feel the cold from the cryochamber crawl down the back of her neck. Other times she'd smell chlorine and ozone as though the bomb was detonating all over again. Sometimes she'd just silently cry. Today, she heard voices.
Almost there! Is Shaun going to be okay?
He's fine. We're going to be okay. I love you.
Oh my God!
Hold on!
Can't this thing go faster?
Oh God!
"Nora?"
She jumped at the sound of her voice. Dr. Binet's wife, Eve, was gently holding her arm to keep her upright. The woman's dark hair was cut short and starting to turn grey. Her brown eyes looked directly into Nora's as though she was trying to see into the woman's mind and pull her out of her trauma.
"Nora. Focus on my voice, okay? You are fine."
Nora nodded and she chuckled weakly. "Yes, I'm fine Eve. I - uh - lost myself there for a minute. Sorry. Is your husband available? I'd like to talk to him."
Eve smiled and she checked her watch. "Him and Shaun are sitting down for supper. I'll let him know that you're here. You're welcome to join us if you'd like. It's been weeks since we've seen you."
Nora blushed at the offer. She was hungry, and it would ease some of Hancock's concerns if she actually ate something that wasn't just Nuka Cola.
"I mean...if you have the room. I don't want to be a bother."
Eve beamed. "Nonsense Nora! We have plenty of room."
Nora let Eve lead her through the Vault entryway. A couple of people were sitting in the security booth, but Nora didn't recognize them from the Institute. It's possible that they were recruits from neighboring settlements.
"Shaun will be excited to see you." Eve commented. "He's finished all of the books that you've given him. I've never seen anyone read so much in my entire life. That boy will skip meals if that means he can read more."
"Well I'll keep an eye out for books that he doesn't already have the next time that I'm in Boston. There's a library in Boston just full of books. I have a group of people clearing the place out so we can establish a base there. Once it is safe, I'd like to take him there. With your permission, of course."
Eve pursed her lips in consideration. "Maybe when he's a little older."
Nora caught the slight chill in her tone, but she didn't take offense. She understood the desire to be overly cautious. Liam's death was still fresh. They were still grieving, and far be it for Nora to push them on the issue now.
Eve smiled, "Sorry Nora. I know that we're overprotective."
She shook her head, "No need to apologize. Keep him close, Eve. He's a unique young man."
They both cut through the Overseer's quarters, which was now repurposed into a makeshift laboratory. The huge circular desk in the center of the room was gone and the place looked vaguely like Dr. Binet's old lab in the Robotics department.
The Binets' private quarters were off to the side, but the lights were off and the door was closed. Nora heard the chaotic murmurs of idle chatter and laughter coming down the hall from the Dining Hall, and when they walked into the long room, Nora noticed that the place was nearly full. People walked around to the stoves along the back wall and helped themselves to a huge pot of something that smelled amazing. Men and women laughed, some smoked and drank and played cards, while others ate in companionable silence. Dr. Binet and Shaun were eating bowls of stew. Both were reading and both looked completely oblivious to the world around them.
Eve sighed, "My boys. They're quite the picture aren't they?"
Dr. Binet looked up when he heard Eve's voice. His expression automatically brightened when he noticed both women.
"Nora!" He cleared his throat and patted his mouth with a handkerchief. "It's lovely to see you. Please sit down. I'll get you some stew. Our hunters took down one of those deer and put the meat into the stew. It's delicious!"
Nora chuckled and sat next to Shaun on the metal cafeteria table. The boy briefly looked up at her, smiled politely, and he lifted the book he was reading to show her the spine.
"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." Nora read aloud. "Can't say that I've read that one. Do you like it?"
Shaun wrinkled his nose. "I don't know yet. It's kinda hard to read. There's a lot of things I don't understand about the Old World. And they talk funny. Is the Mississippi a real river? Is it as big as the Charles River?"
"Yes and it is even bigger." Nora replied.
"Have you ever been there?"
"No. But I learned about it in school."
Shaun sighed wistfully, "I want to go to school. Someone said there's a school in Diamond City but Dad won't let me go there."
Dr. Binet came back with a plastic blue bowl filled with stew and a can of purified water. Nora thanked him and dug in. The broth was hearty and the carrots, tatos, and corn were tender. Thick strips of radstag venison sat, lightly salted, at the top. He was right. It was delicious.
"I think you are perfectly capable of learning here." Dr. Binet told Shaun. "Diamond City is too far away and your Mom and I would miss you too much."
Shaun sighed, "I know. May I be excused please?"
"Yes. But wash your bowl and thank Collin and Amie for cooking."
Shaun nodded, slid off the bench, and tucked his book under his arm.
"You're a great father." Nora said. "Thank you for taking such good care of him."
Dr. Binet smiled but there was sadness there too. "There are many things that I've done wrong in my life and as a father, but I'm hoping that I can redeem myself a little by giving Shaun a happy, safe, and loving home."
"There's nothing to redeem Alan." Nora said. "You're a good person."
"Thank you." He cleared his throat and ate another spoonful of stew. They ate in silence for a while and then he asked, "So what brings you all the way down here? Are you well? If it's a social visit, I can see if we can get some people together for a card game."
Nora sighed and Dr. Binet grimaced. "I'll take that as a 'no'"
"Nick is alive." Nora said.
Dr. Binet's reaction was neutral if not understated. "Oh?"
"Yeah. So start from the beginning and tell me what happened. What did you do to him?"
"He didn't tell you? Does he not remember? Uh oh. That's not a good sign."
"Oh he remembers." Nora said, "See, the problem is that I don't know if I believe him. He told me a bunch of stuff when I confronted him today, but I want to hear it from your lips too."
Dr. Binet nodded. "I documented the entire process. They were among the notes that I took with me before we escaped the Institute. Let me go and get them and I'll explain everything."
Nora nodded and Dr. Binet scurried away. She ate more stew while she waited. He came back minutes later with a manilla folder stuffed thick with papers, torn yellow memo sheets, and pictures. He sat back down at the table, pushed his empty bowl to the side, and opened the folder.
"Before we start, Nick told me to give you this first."
He handed Nora a half sheet of paper. Nick had written her a note. His chicken scratch scrawl was legible but it was clearly written in a hurry. It was dated the day before the battle.
Doll -
The good Doc here is going to put me into one of those cryo pod things to scan my brain and turn my memories into data. DiMA has hacked into the system (sorry) and he's assured me that if things go wrong, I'll still be me - well, mostly me. I ain't doin' this because of some damn prophecy or because of vanity, I'm doing this because I love you. I don't want to leave you, but I'd sooner take a bullet than see you get hurt. I guess I'm a greedy bastard and I want to have my cake and eat it too. See you on the other side of the war.
- Nick
Dr. Binet pushed the folder towards Nora. He gestured to it and then grabbed their empty bowls.
"Read as much as you want. Everything is there. I'll answer any questions that you have."
The anger that had rolled in her stomach all this time had cooled. She understood why Nick did what he did. She also understood how Dr. Binet could rationalize helping Nick while keeping her in the dark. Neither of them did this out of malice. She knew that. Now she had to decide whether she could forgive them.
He took their bowls to the dump sink and washed them. By now, the room had emptied and two people - whom Nora presumed were Collin and Amie - were laughing together as they cleaned up the empty soup pot. They were clearly a couple and their light-hearted flirtations made Nora think of Nick's wit and wry humor. She thought about how he was so nervous to act on his feelings for her when she came back from The Glowing Sea. She even relished in the slight domesticity of wearing his clothes after her shower, and their first tonight together sleeping in his bed.
She closed the folder and pushed it back across the table just as Dr. Binet came back. He looked worried when he saw her flushed face.
"Alan." She murmured. "Never do something like this to me ever again. Okay?"
He nodded earnestly, "No. Never. I'm so sorry Nora. I know I should've told you sooner."
She brushed away his apology. After hearing so many of them today, they were starting to lose their meaning.
Nora stood up, she went around the table, and hugged the older man. He stiffened at first but then he relaxed and hugged her back.
"Thank you for saving Nick." She said, her voice husky and low.
Dr. Binet audibly swallowed and he replied, "No Nora. Thank you for saving us all."
When Nora returned from Vault 111, she found Hancock and Nick asleep next to a smoldering campfire. Hancock was softly snoring. A bottle of half-consumed liquor of some kind sat in his lap. The brim of his tricorn hat dipped low over his forehead which obscured his face. Nick, on the other hand, was leaning up against a fallen tree that had been stripped down to be nothing more than a makeshift bench. The lines on his face were soft when he was asleep. Nora had never actually seen Nick sleep before. In his Gen-2 body, the best he could do was go into a diagnostic scan, but he always said that it wasn't anywhere close to the full-body restfulness that sleep gave people. Nora almost felt bad about waking him up now. Almost.
She shook Nick's shoulder and he jolted up with a startled snort.
"Huh? What? Uh…" He blinked several times, squinted at the dim embers in the fire, and winced as the alcohol he had shared with Hancock started pounding behind his temples.
"Come with me. We need to talk." Nora said.
She didn't wait for him to respond. Nora started walking back towards her house and Nick scrambled to his feet to follow her.
"Uh … sorry, doll." He said. "I didn't know when you'd be back, and Hancock and I got to talking, catching up and stuff, and …"
Nora opened the door to her place and looked at him blankly. His words died on his lips. Nora looked exhausted. Her face was blotchy and her eyes were red. She had been crying. Whatever Dr. Binet told her had made her cry, and that was Nick's fault. He walked into Nora's house feeling like a criminal who was about to plead guilty and hope that the judge was lenient with her sentence.
The door shut behind them and Nora walked over to the radio. She turned it on and then she turned the volume down so it was soft background noise. "Crazy He Calls Me" crooned out and Nora clenched the dresser so hard that her knuckles turned white.
"Doll?" Nick murmured.
"You don't remember this night do you?" Nora murmured. "You don't remember our last night together."
"No. Sorry I —"
Nora sobbed and she hugged herself. She looked so small, so unsure, just now. Nick wanted to go to her, but he was afraid that anything he did just made things worse.
"I think you thought I was asleep." She croaked. "This song came on and you held me in your arms. I think I suspected that you were up to something then but I didn't want to ruin the moment, so I kept it to myself. I kept replaying that night in my head after you were gone. I kept telling myself that if I had said something that night, then maybe I could've protected you — stopped you from dying."
"What happened to me wasn't your fault Nora." Nick said. "If I survived the fight, I would get to be with you. If I died, then I knew I'd come back to you at some point. Different, yes, but still me."
"Don't you understand? Your death haunted me Nick!" Nora yelled. "I tried to hold onto the hope that you weren't gone. I thought that you'd come back to me, so I waited for you. Even when everyone else around me told me to give up hope, I still held onto the fact that one day you'd come back to me."
"And I did, doll."
Nora nodded. "I know. And I'm so fucking happy. But I'm also so damn pissed at you. I told you that this couldn't work if you kept lying to me. Why didn't you clue me in on the plan? Why didn't you just tell me what you were doing with Dr. Binet and that DiMA only came to the Institute because you asked him to. You needed him to connect something to the mainframe so he could work remotely from Acadia. Why was I kept out of all of this?"
"I — I don't know, doll. I don't have a good answer for you."
"That's not good enough Nick!" Nora's voice cracked as she yelled. "Damn it!"
Nora paced the room muttering under her breath. Nick just stood near the door with his head bowed in shame. He deserved this, he thought. He deserved every bit of criticism that Nora had to level at him. He fucked up. She was right. He should've told her. He should've been transparent with her from the start, but he didn't want to worry her. She was running herself into the ground trying to lead the Institute and balance a dozen other things at once. Adding this onto her plate felt cruel.
"You're right. I should've told you what I was thinking of doing. You once told me that lying by omission is still lying, and I lied to you. I'm so sorry. I want to make it right. I want to prove to you that I will never do something like this ever again. But I also know that you don't owe me anything. You and Hancock seem really happy together." Nick smiled despite himself. "I'm happy for you. I want you to be happy, Nora. And if that ain't with me, then that's fine. I can accept that. If you want me to go, then I'll —"
"— No!"
"No?"
"Don't you dare leave me."
"I'm not going anywhere Nora. Never again. I promise."
Nora stepped towards him. She stepped into his arms like it was something they had choreographed. She wrapped her arms around his back and buried her face in his chest.
"Nick Valentine. Why is it that I can be so angry with you and still love you?"
"Uh — I — you still love me?"
"Nick. If I didn't love you, I wouldn't be this angry."
He blushed at that, both in embarrassment and in gratitude. "I appreciate that, doll."
Nora nodded sagely, "I know."
As "Crazy He Calls Me" ended, Travis's smooth voice came back on over the radio. "This is Travis 'Lonely' Miles wishing everyone a fun-filled and happy Friday night out in the wasteland. You might be happy to learn that Travis 'Lonely' Miles is lonely no more. Yes, I have in fact proposed to the love of my life, Ms. Ellie Perkins, and —"
"Travis, just get back to the music." Ellie giggled.
Nick's eyebrows rose up to his hairline and he looked at the radio in disbelief.
"Alright then folks. You heard the lady. Next up is one of Magnolia's best, "I'm The One You're Looking For," and let me just say that I hope we all find that special someone that we're all looking for. I know I sure have."
Magnolia's song faded in and Nick sighed. "I've missed so damn much."
"You'll have time to catch up with her when we go to their engagement party next weekend. They're having it at the Dugout Inn." Nora smiled.
"You aren't taking John?"
Nora smirked but she didn't move her head off Nick's chest. "No. He's working. He runs a pretty tight rotation through the settlements and Goodneighbor. And he doesn't really know those two like you and I do. I think he'd feel a bit out of place."
"Hancock with a stable, full-time job." Nick mused. "My God, what will happen next?"
"You'd be proud of him, I think." She replied. "After Fahrenheit's death, I think he saw just how dangerous pure anarchy can get when people are left without good leadership. More and more people are voluntarily moving to Goodneighbor, you know. It's still rough around the edges, but Virgil's become the town's resident doctor and Dr. Amari's moved more into doing rehab and mental health therapy."
"A rehab clinic?" Nick asked. "How in the hell did Hancock agree to that."
Nora looked smug. "Because I asked him to do it. And wouldn't you know it, but offering folks hope and a chance to work through their pain instead of numbing it with chems actually helped make people feel happy?"
"And how has that been going for you? Hancock mentioned that you were still talking with Dr. Amari on occasion."
"We're friends." Nora shrugged. "But it's still hard. The depression comes and goes. The anxiety too. Sometimes it gets overwhelming, like today, and sometimes I need a little help refocusing."
"Hancock takes pretty good care of ya, it seems."
A thoughtful expression flashed across Nora's face. "Yeah. He does."
"And I ain't tryin' to step on toes here or push anyone out. If you and him have settled into something a bit more … monogamous … I can take the hint and …" Nick trailed off. He licked his lips feeling foolish. He was a damn sap.
"Oh Nick. I want both of you. My feelings about us three haven't changed." Nora sighed.
She reached up and stroked his jaw with her fingertips. His skin was warm and pliant, a little rough from new-growth stubble, and she felt a pang in her gut when she saw the yellowing blue bruise around his nose.
"I'm sorry I punched you." She murmured.
He shrugged, "I deserved it."
"No. You didn't." Nora said firmly. "And me being angry with you isn't a good enough excuse. I shouldn't have done it."
"I shouldn't have lied to you."
"No you shouldn't have." Nora agreed. "But we need to think about a better way to communicate."
Nick's knuckles stroked along Nora's cheek. She leaned into his touch and sighed. Her lips pursed and she pressed his hand to her cheek and closed her eyes.
"I love you Nick." She whispered. "I've never stopped loving you."
"Nora…"
He could've filled a book with all of the ways that he loved this woman. He could've shouted them off of the top of the Mass Fusion building. After seven months filled with confusion, fear, and worry that Nora wouldn't accept him, changed as he was, Nick was starting to lose hope that they could ever rekindle what they had together. But after tonight, all of his fears were put to rest.
Nora pulled his face down to her and kissed him. She tasted better than anything he could've imagined. His memories of their earlier kisses were mere echoes compared to kissing her for real. Her lips were soft and she tasted of spiced cloves, pepper, and something savory. Nick curled his fingers in her long hair. He felt the jagged scar at her temple and ran the pad of his thumb along it. She shivered and he cupped her cheek. Her breath was hot against his upper lip.
His hands slid down over her chest mapping out the curves of her body as Nora unzipped her jacket. The grey t-shirt that she wore beneath it was a bit too large on her frame. Her soft breasts moved unrestrained beneath the shirt and she fingered the hem on the bottom as though she was uncertain or afraid.
"Nick…I'm not — I've got some bad scars from the fight. I don't know if you want to see this."
"I want to see all of you, doll." He replied. "Don't hide from me. I don't care what you look like now, just as you didn't care what I looked like back then. I love you Nora."
She smiled and nodded. With a fluid movement, Nora pulled off her t-shirt and stood in front of Nick bare-breasted and vulnerable. His eyes caught the burn scars right away. Her forearms had taken the worst of it as had certain areas along her sides and her shoulders. It seemed that whichever skin was covered by armor was spared the worst of the damage — all except the eight inch band on her right forearm. The skin was still pink and bubbled. Her fingers were thick with scar tissue and callouses and the skin around her knuckles stretched around her hand forever molding her fingers into a half-closed fist.
"This is the worst of it." Nora murmured. "I know it's a mess but —"
Nick took her right hand and brought her forearm up to his lips. His eyes never wavered from hers as he kissed the blistered and scarred skin.
"You're perfect, doll."
Nora shivered at the praise and kissed him, hungrily this time. There was an urgency now and Nora tore at Nick's clothes. The trenchcoat, the suspenders, and the shirt all fell to the floor within seconds.
Nora looked at Nick's chest. Light brown hair covered his pectoral muscles and dipped down towards his naval. His skin was flawless. There wasn't a scar on him. He had a healthy physique and a body that didn't lean in extremes either way. He carried most of his muscle definition in his shoulders and arms. His stomach was soft and Nora briefly wondered if he was ticklish now.
"I know this is different for you. I'm still getting used to it myself."
"You are gorgeous."
Nick snorted, "Can't say I've ever heard that one before."
Nora ran her hand down his chest. She pressed her palm over his left breast and felt his heart beating. God, she'd never tire of that sound. Nick did the same to her. His hand was large and warm. Tendrils of pleasure radiated out from where Nick was touching her. Their touches weren't wholly sexual, they were more tender and appreciative - in the same way that an artist touches a marble sculpture to appreciate its craft - but Nora still had never felt more attracted to Nick than she had in that moment.
She covered his hand with hers and guided it to her hip. Then she stepped back into him and rose up onto her toes and kissed him. This kiss was tender and slow. His tongue caressed hers, sweeping and plundering in broad and increasingly hungry strokes. Nick groaned as her hands worked at his fly. Nora slipped his pants off his hips and ran her hand down his public bone and felt wiry hair. She gasped and then smiled through his kiss.
"Yeah…" he murmured. "I ain't used to having hair...anywhere. D'you hate it?"
Nora giggled. "God no. I think you look quite handsome with hair. And this hair -" She gently ran her fingers along his testicles and up his velvet, hard length. "Is perfectly natural."
Nick's eyelids fluttered and he unconsciously thrusted into Nora's hand when she touched him.
"I'm not sure how long I'm gonna last if you keep that up. I've wanted you for so damn long."
"Then have me." She replied. "I'm yours Nick."
He didn't hesitate. Nick picked Nora up and took her to the bed. He laid her down on the mattress, almost reverently. Her dark hair spilled across the blankets and she spread her legs. Nick knelt and crawled up her body kissing his way up to her lips. When he got there, he took her mouth with ravenous passion and slid himself through her wet folds.
"Don't make me wait any longer Nick." Nora said. "Show me how much you missed me."
And he so did.
Nick awoke the next morning to a gorgeous and naked angel curled up against his side. Her hair was mussed from sex and sleep, and her eyes fluttered behind her closed eyelids as she dreamed. He hoped she was dreaming about something good.
He gently stroked her cheek with his thumb. Her mouth parted slightly and she exhaled in a long sigh.
"Is it morning yet?" she murmured and nuzzled against his chest.
"Afternoon actually." He said. "John came by but I said that you were sleeping and he told me not to wake you."
Nora opened one eye and scrutinized him. "How long have you been awake?"
Nick smiled, "A few hours. Apparently this Gen-3 body thinks that I'm a morning person."
"Well, are you?"
"If this is the sight that I get to see each and every morning, then I'd say so."
Nick kissed her forehead and she sighed contentedly.
"Flattery will get you everywhere Valentine." She said sleepily. "But you wore me out. Wake me up in another hour. I'm feeling a bit of wanderlust comin' on."
"Oh?"
Nora opened her eyes. She looked well-rested and content. Her cheeks were flushed from their love-making, and her lips were slightly swollen from Nick's eager attention, but for the first time in a long time, Nora looked happy.
She smiled. The expression lit up her entire face and Nick couldn't help but smile too.
"What d'you say Nick? Wanna take a little road trip?"
"With you, doll. There's nothing I'd like more."