The door to his room flew open, crashing back into the wall. Danse jolted from his shallow slumber, his instincts screaming for him to arm himself. The world spun sickeningly as he sat bolt upright, one hand groping blindly in the dark for a weapon.

His fingers brushed against something cool and smooth but then it was gone. Glass shattered on the floor beside the bed and the air was suddenly permeated with a strong smell of whiskey.

"Wakey wakey!"

The room was flooded in dirty yellow light as a bulb ignited over his bed and Danse groaned, squeezing his eyes shut and covering his face with his hands. Pain spiked at the back of his eyeballs and his head felt like it was being struck by a super sledge from the inside.

"It is time to rise and shine, my friend!" Vadim Bobrov half shouted, glass crunching beneath his boots as he swaggered into the room, bearing a laden tray in his arms. "You have big day ahead of you!"

"What are you doing?" Danse scowled, his voice hoarse. His throat was raw with thirst and his mouth dry as the wasteland in summer.

Vadim dropped the tray onto the bed, upsetting the grubby glass pitcher he'd been carrying and spilling water all over the sheets.

"Oops!" Grinning, Vadim quickly righted it, leaving a large wet patch on the thin sheets perilously close to Danse's legs. "I am getting you ready for the day, my friend! Today feels like good day, eh? Like day where many good things might happen!"

As he spoke, Vadim raised the pitcher and poured a generous amount of water into a stained pint glass.

Today is already starting off badly. Danse thought darkly, lowering his hands to glower at the barkeep with bleary, bloodshot eyes.

Vadim just grinned in response, thrusting the glass at him and spilling some of its contents in the process. Danse sighed, shooting him a dark look before taking a tentative sip of the water.

It was warm and tasted faintly of Nuka-Cola.

I suppose I should just be grateful he thought to empty out the alcohol first.

He swilled the water around his mouth, trying to wash away the remnants of last night's whiskey. Vadim sat down on the bed beside him, the mattress sinking under his weight.

As Danse pointedly ignored him, chugging down the rest of the water with a grimace, the barkeep began to speak again.

"You look like you've had rough night, eh? Busy drowning your sorrows in liquor?"

Danse winced at the volume of his voice, sighing heavily through his nose as he placed the now empty glass back on the tray. When he didn't reply, Vadim frowned thoughtfully, raising a hand to rub at his chin.

"Hmmm… Okay. I'm working with a quiet guy here."

Danse raised an eyebrow as he turned to glare at him.

"It's okay." Vadim smirked, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "Women love broody men. Well, when they are tall, dark and handsome. Lucky for you, eh? Although, and no offence, my friend, you could do with some… work."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Danse sighed, resigning himself to the fact that Vadim wasn't leaving anytime soon.

"Oooohhh you'll see!" Vadim winked. "But for now we must sober you up!" With that he grabbed a triangle of razor grain toast from a plate and jabbed it at Danse's lips. "Eat! We have much to accomplish!"

Danse turned his head away sharply, the toast scraping against his beard and raining crumbs down his chest and onto the sheets. He couldn't remember the last time someone had dared invade his space so brazenly, not since before the Brotherhood when Cutler had practically forced his friendship upon him…

His stomach clenched at the memory and he threw the covers off his legs, planting his feet on the floor and turning his back to Vadim. The room spun sickeningly and he groaned, closing his eyes and waiting for the sensation to subside.

"Okay… so we skip breakfast!" Vadim shrugged, taking a bite out of the toast himself and chewing with his mouth wide open. "Moof onto dreshing inshtead!"

"VADIM!"

Warily Danse turned to peer over his shoulder and watched as Yefim stalked into the room, his arms in the air.

"How many times have I told you, Vadim?! You can't just let yourself into people's rooms!"

"Why not? Dan is my friend and that," he added, pointing at the ceiling, "is my roof!"

"I am so sorry about this." Yefim sighed, glancing at Danse as he seized Vadim by the scruff of his jacket. "Vadim! You have to clean up the bar!"

"Hey! I'm already working in here!" Vadim protested, but when Yefim gave him a particularly stern look he sighed, rising from the bed in a shower of crumbs. "Fine! But Dan! Be up and ready in an hour, or I will return!"

Danse waited until he heard the door close before slowly sitting upright. Had it not been for the fact that the bed was now wet and dusted in crumbs, he might have attempted to return to sleep.

Instead he dragged himself to his feet and staggered towards his pack.

The radio was playing in the bar when Danse emerged from his room, donning jeans and a black shirt, the sleeves rolled back to his elbows and collar open. He was feeling hot, his head pounding and throat parched despite the fact that he had drained the pitcher dry.

As he left the guest area and headed into the bar, Vadim glanced up from where he had been arranging bottles of bourbon and flashed him a grin.

"Dan! It is about time you got up!"

"Danse." He ground out, striding past Yefim who was sat in his usual spot by the doorway, shaking his head slightly as he flicked through the pages of Publick Occurrences.

"That is what I said. Dan." Vadim shrugged, wiping his hands on his jacket as he walked around the counter towards him.

"What was the meaning of your breaking into my room?" Danse demanded, passing the tray back to the barkeep. The pitcher was empty but the toast was untouched.

"Because you have big day ahead of you!" Vadim reiterated, disappearing towards the kitchen. "Just you wait and I will explain!"

Danse heaved his shoulders in a silent sigh, retreating towards one of the battered couches in the centre of the room. Aside from the Bobrovs, the Dugout's bar area was deserted. A single glance at the clock on the wall revealed why.

It had only just turned seven a.m.

He had always been an early riser, but today he severely resented Vadim for denying him a lie in.

He sank down onto a couch, pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes. He could hear the quiet fwip of Yefim's newspaper, the dull roar of heavy rain on the ceiling and the tinny music of Diamond City Radio playing in the background.

As the last notes of the song faded away, Travis' smooth voice began to speak, filling the morning quiet.

"Good morning Diamond City! It's a rainy day across the Commonwealth, so I recommend that you keep warm and cosy indoors, listening to some soothing tunes.

"Now then folks, I have something a little different for you this morning! Now, I know that 'Lonely' is my middle name, but I happen to have a friend here with me today who will be acting as my co-host.

"Folks, please give a warm Diamond City welcome to my little buddy, Burke!"

Danse turned to face the radio with a frown, his eyes opened into narrow slits. It couldn't be…

"Good morning Travis!"

It was.

"Now then folks, although my friend Burke here might sound like an ordinary kid, he is actually a member of the Brotherhood of Steel and has kindly agreed to an exclusive interview, right here on Diamond City Radio!

"But before we begin, I believe you wanted to ask our listeners something, Burke?"

"Well, I just wanted to say that my cat's gone missing." Burke announced, his voice growing in volume. "He's ginger and white with a crooked tail and his name's Grogcat."

"There you have it, folks. If any of you happen to spot 'Grogcat' in Diamond City, you come and let your old pal Travis know." The DJ said smoothly. "Now then Burke, are you ready to give the people of the Commonwealth a unique insight into the Brotherhood of Steel?"

Vadim emerged from the kitchen a few minutes later, carrying a box of Fancy Lads snack cakes, a bouquet of carrot flowers and a glass of water. He frowned, slowing to a halt as he peered about the bar area.

"Yefim, where is Dan?" He asked, turning to frown at his brother.

"He left." Yefim shrugged, his eyes glued to his paper. "I don't know where to, but he seemed to be in a hurry."

"So then Burke, I understand that you are what's known as a 'squire' within the Brotherhood of Steel. Now, I don't know about our listeners out there, but I haven't heard of a squire before. Mind telling me what that means?"

Lancer-Captain Kells stood behind the scribe in silence, his nostrils flaring as he fixed his piercing glare on the radio. Proctor Quinlan was stood beside him, his head tilted slightly to one side as he listened, idly stroking the large tabby cat that was purring noisily in his arms.

"Well, Travis, a squire's basically someone who is born into the Brotherhood, or joins it before they turn sixteen."

At the sound of Squire Burke's voice, the Captain cringed internally, though he maintained his stoic façade. He had put his standing with the Elder on the line for this boy, hoping that he would take this opportunity in the field to prove himself an asset, to make the Brotherhood – and him, by extension – proud.

But now he was giving an unsanctioned interview on the Commonwealth's most popular radio station and humiliating them all.

Where the hell are Danse and Hart? He wondered furiously, carefully keeping his stony mask in place. Surely they are not permitting this?

"So what happens when you turn sixteen, Burke?" The DJ continued, his voice honey smooth. "Do they give you power armour as a birthday present?"

"No!" The boy snorted in response. "You get made into an initiate. It's like being a squire, but more specialised and you learn on the job. Plus you pick which path you want to follow in the Order, like you can be an initiate, lancer-initiate or scribe-initiate. Then when you've proven yourself as an initiate, you can go on to become a knight, lancer or scribe."

"Sounds like a pretty big decision to make." The DJ commented. "Any idea which path you're going to follow?"

"Hmmm…"

There was a moments silence on the radio as the boy mulled over the question, which was when Kells heard the purposeful stride of heavy boots crossing the floor behind him. He didn't need to look to know that the Elder had joined them.

"If I had to choose, I suppose I'd rather be a knight." Squire Burke said at length, his tone somewhat hesitant.

"You don't really sound too convinced about that, if you don't mind my saying so."

Elder Maxson was now at his side, his back straight and hands clasped behind his back, his blue glare fixed intently upon the radio.

"I don't know." The boy sighed. "I want to make people proud, but –"

There came a sudden bang from the radio, causing the scribe to jump slightly in her chair whilst the three men standing behind her narrowed their eyes. Even Emmett turned his head to look for the noise.

"This interview is terminated." An all too familiar voice barked from the radio. "It is unsanctioned and whatever has been said is not a true reflection upon the Brotherhood of Steel! Squire, move out!"

"But sir…"

"Whoah! Sorry about this, folks! We'll be right back after this song!" The DJ announced abruptly, sounding somewhat flustered whilst footsteps echoed in the background, followed by an audible slam.

As a piano began to play an upbeat tune, Maxson turned to face Kells, his eyes boring into the Captain's head.

"Captain. Upon their arrival, you will send Paladin Danse and Knight Hart to report to me. You will also begin preparations for Squire Burke's departure to the Citadel." He added firmly, his tone brooking no argument.

"Yes, sir." Kells bowed his head and raised his fist to his heart in salute.

Without another word Maxson turned heel and swept from the room, his soldiers saluting him with awed expressions as he passed.

"Well," Quinlan commented when the Elder was gone from sight. "I for one will be very anxious to read Paladin Danse's report upon his return. I'm sure it will prove a most interesting read."

Emmett mewed in agreement, earning a soft smile from the Proctor.

"I am certain it will." Kells replied dryly, turning crisply on his heel to return to the helm.

Nora jolted awake, her heart beating wildly in her chest. She could hear the dull roar of heavy rain thundering against the roof, but all else was quiet. She squeezed her eyes shut and swallowed, raising her hand to grasp at the chain around her throat.

She was still shaking, her skin cold and clammy with sweat.

Images from the nightmare crowded her thoughts and she shivered, recalling the frozen suits of power armour holding her fellow Brotherhood soldiers captive whilst they suffocated inside, meeting the same grim fate as her neighbours in Vault 111.

Danse had been among them and she had fought desperately to free him, trying to wrench away his helmet, beating her fists uselessly against the frozen steel…

There was a violently hammering on the door downstairs and she jumped, recalling the sound from her dream.

Maybe that's what woke me up…

She threw back her blankets and slipped from her bed, her feet landing on the small rug beside it. The house was a little chilly, a cool breeze whistling down the staircase from Burke's room.

Must be a hole that needs patching up there…

She heard more insistent hammering on the door and scowled before turning towards the end table next to her bed. She scanned the surface for her keys, only to find that they were missing.

I must have knocked them off last night. She thought wearily, wiping her hands down her face with a sigh.

The knocking increased in volume, prompting her into action. Sweeping a thin bathrobe over her nightdress she rose and padded quickly towards the stairs, running a hand through her tousled hair.

By the time she reached the front door, the knocking had become continuous, ceasing only when she began to snap the bolts back, swiping a spare set of keys from a hook on the wall.

She wrenched the door open, ready to give the visitor a piece of her mind only to find her mouth dropping open in disbelief.

"Burke?"

She stepped aside, dumbfounded as the sodden Paladin ushered the boy inside.

They were both drenched, Burke shivering with chattering teeth whilst Danse dripped rainwater over the carpet, his expression as dark as the sky outside. For a few moments Nora just stared at them in shock.

How did Burke get outside? What did he do to make Danse so mad and… SHIT!

"Wait here. I'll get you some blankets." She said quickly before hurrying out of the room.

When she returned with heavy blankets in her arms, it was to find Burke sat slumped on the couch, his eyes fixed on his boots whilst Danse remained standing, his jaw squared and expression livid.

"Do I even want to know what happened?" She asked, handing them a blanket each before focusing her blue glare on Burke. "What were you doing outside, Burke? Why weren't you in bed?"

"Because he was busy giving unsanctioned interviews on the radio." Danse grunted, running the blanket over his hair.

"That's not… I didn't… it just sort of happened!" Burke cried, raising his eyes to meet theirs. "I just wanted to find Grogcat, but I got lost and this guy started following me then Travis came over and –"

"Slow down!" Nora cut him off, raising her hands. "Look. I'm going to sort out something hot for you both to drink. In the meantime, dry off and get your story straight."

As she began to walk back towards the kitchen, her door came under assault for the second time that morning.

"Blue! You better have a good reason DCR got the exclusive with Burke!" Piper shouted through the door as Nora sighed.

"I just wanted to find Grogcat." Burke began, his copper hair ruffled and fluffy from his attempts to dry it. "Nora's keys were next to her bed so… I took them. I didn't want to go out the front because I thought she might hear me, so I tried the keys for the roof."

He at least had the grace to look ashamed of himself.

"How did you get down?" Nora frowned, her fingers tapping slowly against the arm of the couch.

"I climbed down the drainpipe." Burke mumbled into his tarberry tea, avoiding her gaze.

"Huh. Resourceful little guy, ain't ya?" Piper commented from her armchair, ignoring the disapproving looks the Knight and Paladin fired her way.

"Reckless and disobedient is more like it." Danse scowled, nursing his own steaming mug of tea between his hands before nodding at Burke. "Continue, Squire."

"I got down and went looking for Grogcat, but I couldn't find him." Burke sighed gloomily. "I was near some watery place when this weird guy started following me. I think he was drunk, or something but he started babbling at me and wouldn't leave me alone.

"Then Travis came along and told him to go away. He said he knew you guys and that if I gave him an interview, I could see if anyone had seen Grogcat! He also said you guys would hear it and come find me!" He added quickly, as though his final point might justify his entire outing.

"Burke. I told you yesterday that we would look for Grogcat this morning!" Nora sighed, wiping her hand down her face. "Why couldn't you just listen for once?"

Burke didn't reply. He just sat there with a sheepish expression on his face, staring at the carpet beneath his boots like it was the most fascinating thing in the world. For a while silence lingered in the room, disrupted only by the insistent drumming of heavy rain on the roof.

Burke could feel the weight of Danse's and Nora's disappointment settling upon his shoulders.

"…I'm sorry." He mumbled, the words little more than a whisper.

"You will be." Nora replied, abruptly rising to her feet. "Squire Burke. You are going to spend the rest of our time in Diamond City scrubbing up the power armour."

"But what about Grogcat?" He protested immediately, raising his eyes to hers. "We're going to look for him first, right?"

"Wrong." She replied, her voice firm and face serious. "You need to learn to face up to the consequences of your actions, Squire and so far you just haven't been doing that."

"But it's not affecting me, it's affecting Grogcat!" His voice began to rise as anger reared its ugly head.

"All of our actions impact upon somebody else, Burke!" This time Nora's voice cut through the room like a whip. "How you feel about Grogcat now is exactly how I and Danse feel every single time you get yourself into trouble!"

Burke scowled furiously, but lowered his eyes back to the floor.

"Look…" She sighed, relenting slightly. "Get the armour clean and we'll talk about looking for Grogcat, alright?"

Burke's answer was to slam his mug down on the coffee table and stalk towards the stairs, seizing the rag and bucket stowed beneath them. He shot her a venomous look before disappearing into the other side of the house, the blanket billowing from his hunched shoulders like a beggar's cloak.

Danse and Piper watched after him, but Nora simply returned to her seat, her back facing the direction he had gone.

"I'm sorry, Danse." She said at length, raising her eyes to meet his. "I should have kept a closer eye on him, or hidden the keys... I knew what he was like."

"You're not the one who needs to apologise." Danse replied firmly, before downing the rest of his tea. "You placed your trust in him and he betrayed it. It's clear to me that he's the guilty party."

"Guys, do I really have to remind you that he's also a kid who's lost his cat?" Piper sighed, folding her arms and glancing between them. "He's not one of your knights, scribes or even one of your squires right now. He's just a kid who wants his pet back, so try seeing him as one."

Nora sighed in exasperation, closing her eyes and running her hands through her hair.

"They used to have a saying in my time; never work with animals or children. I guess some things never change." With that, she rose from her seat, pulling the bathrobe more snugly against her. "Well, seeing as everyone else is dressed I may as well get ready."

"Well, I'll take that as my cue to head for home then!" Piper yawned with a stretch. "But seriously Blue, Burke owes me an interview now."

"That is not going to happen, Piper." Danse said firmly, fixing her in an intense glare.

"Well, it's either that or I can get real creative, writing about what I could construe from meeting one of the Brotherhood's child soldiers." Piper threatened, turning to glare at back him, her eyes flickering at the challenge.

"Why don't you save that until after you've written Marcus' story?" Nora interjected quickly, moving to open the door in yet another display of old-world manners.

As she pulled it open, there was a splash and she frowned, watching as a hooded figure rushed away across the marketplace, leaving her mailbox wide open.

Ignoring her bare feet and attire, she stepped out into the rain and pulled an assortment of items from the box.

"Oooohhh whatcha got there, Blue?" Piper asked curiously, stepping away from the door to let Nora back inside.

In her arms she was balancing a bottle of red wine, a battered and damp box of snack cakes and a wilted bouquet of carrot flowers, the petals spilling onto the table as she set them down.

"Well, this is a first." Nora stated, cocking her head. "Why would someone stash these in my mailbox? Think they got the wrong address?"

"It is unusual." Danse frowned, picking up the box of snack cakes and studying the cardboard intently before he removed the lid. A sheaf of lined paper stained with greasy fingerprints fluttered from atop the cakes, settling upon the floor at his feet.

"What's that?" Nora asked, cocking her head as he set the cakes back on the table and plucked the paper from the floor.

His brow furrowed as he studied it, squinting and turning the paper over.

"You need glasses or something, Tin Man?" Piper smirked, leaning across the back of his arm chair to take a peek.

"It's some kind of letter, but I can't make out the writing. Either they're writing in code or have no concept of handwriting." He sighed at length, offering the paper to Nora as she moved to his other side.

"Well… I can make out 'Nora'?" She frowned, sitting on the arm of the chair as she squinted at the near unintelligible scribbles that somehow seemed to escape the dotted lines.

"Here. Let me try." Piper insisted, finally securing the paper from Nora's hand. For a few moments she studied it intently. Then she snorted, her hazel eyes growing wide as a toothy grin split her face.

"Well?" Nora prompted impatiently. "What is it?"

Piper cleared her throat and rose to her feet, moving so that she was in front of them.

"'Nora,

For you my heart bleeds,

Come back to me please,

I'm down on my knees,

You're better than cheese…'

"Seriously, who writes like that?" Piper cackled, her composure failing at the word 'cheese'.

"You're kidding, right?" Nora grinned, folding her arms. "You're making that up, aren't you?"

"I wish I could write this badly!" Piper gasped, wiping tears from her eyes. "It'd make for one hell of a joke section! But wait! It gets better!"

As she composed herself, clearing her throat to recite the second verse, Danse's frown deepened.

"'You have pretty blue eyes,

You draw in the guys,

And some of their wives,

You're very good with knives.

You're hair is so thick,

You're a real hot chick,

You're the one that I pick,

You can ride on my…'"

Piper turned the paper over and spluttered, raising an eyebrow incredulously.

"Brahmin? That is not how I thought that was going to end!"

As Piper dissolved into another fit of laughter, Nora chuckled uncertainly, caught somewhere between being amused and offended. Danse rose abruptly and grabbed the items off the table, dumping them in the nearest bin with a thunderous expression.

"What was that for?" Nora asked incredulously, watching as he swept the remaining petals on the table to the floor.

"That ridiculous poem was clearly the ravings of a frustrated lunatic." He replied sourly. "For all we know, he might have drugged those cakes or that wine!"

"Well, I suppose I wouldn't have touched them anyway after that recital." Nora agreed, watching as a red flush began climbing his neck and ears.

He must think it's a serious threat if he threw away snack cakes.

"Piper? Does the note say who this is all from?" She asked, turning back to face her.

"Ha… Yeah." Piper panted, wiping away the last of her tears. "It's signed by a 'Dan'."

"Dan?" Nora frowned thoughtfully. "I don't suppose you know of a Dan in town, do you Piper?"

"Nope." She replied, handing the paper back to Nora. "Closest name I can think of is that Danny Sullivan… But nah. Couldn't be him. Anyway, I'd better head back and make sure Marcus hasn't burned the place down. He took over making breakfast when I left."

"Already house training him, eh?" Nora couldn't help but wink as she followed her to the door.

"Shut up, Blue!" Piper snorted, glancing back at her as she opened the door on the rainy market. "Focus on your own love life first!"

Nora's smile faltered for a moment, her eyes darting to where Danse was rising from the chair before she seemed to catch herself, focusing her attention back on her friend.

Then she caught sight of someone over Piper's shoulder and frowned slightly, tilting her head.

"What is it, Blue?" Piper asked, turning around to see Danny Sullivan standing beneath the tarpaulin of Power Noodles, the hood of his coat down as he waited for the rain to pass.

As though sensing them watching him, he turned to face them, giving a smile that could be described as bashful and a tentative wave.

"You absolutely sure it couldn't be Danny?" Nora asked in a low voice as they hesitantly waved back, watching him draw his hood up before setting off towards the city entrance.

"Well, I was." Piper frowned, shaking her head. "Either way, you can do a lot better than Danny, Blue. He's so far up McDonough's ass I can smell him from over here. Anyway, I'll stop by later, see if I can't find Grogcat when I go for my afternoon walk. See ya!" With that she began to jog through the rain, one hand holding her cap in place.

"I should probably get going too." Danse said from behind her. "I need to change into something dry."

"Oh. Sure." Nora nodded, stepping back to let him through. "Sorry again about Burke. I swear I'll keep a closer eye on him today."

"No need to apologise." He shrugged, pausing in the doorway to glance down at her. "Though keeping a closer watch on him would be the sensible thing to do."

She nodded her head, watching as he stepped back into the rain.

"Hey! Um… Don't forget to bring your uniform around later." She called out after him, prompting him to pause, the rain already plastering his hair down to his forehead. "I'm thinking today's going to be spent on power armour repairs, so just stop by whenever you want. If you want to, of course."

"I will." He nodded curtly. "See you later, soldier."

He was almost at the Dugout when he heard it.

A pathetic, drawn out mewling. He halted, ignoring the icy rain as he glanced around. The sound came again, somewhere near the Dugout's entrance and when he glanced towards it, he caught sight of wide golden eyes staring at him from the tarpaulin over the entry.

Grogcat cried out to him again, clinging to the edge of the tarp with his paws, his fur sodden and ears flat.

"How did you even get up there?" Danse frowned, to which Grogcat meowed unhappily in response.

"Alright. Hang in there." He sighed, looking around for something to stand on. "I'll get you to safety."

When there was knocking at the front door a few hours later, Nora was more than a little grateful for the distraction. Burke was giving her the cold shoulder, occasionally shooting venomous glances in her direction as he scrubbed Danse's power armour clean. She had spent her time trying to fix up her own armour, though there was little she could really do.

She didn't have all of the necessary tools there and she was quite certain that some of the plating was beyond even an armour scribe's aid.

Sighing, she wiped her hands on her mechanic's jumpsuit, leaving grimy stripes on the green material as she walked towards the extension's market door. It was still drizzling outside, the neon shop signs haloed in rainbow hues through the fine mist of rain.

At the sound of the door opening, Danse turned to face her and quickly crossed the short distance, stepping inside and out of the rain.

He had cleaned himself up from earlier that morning, now donning a heavy bomber jacket that fit his broad shoulders snugly and accentuated his muscular form, although she couldn't help but notice a small bulge concealed at his stomach, one of his arms cradling it carefully with his uniform folded over the sleeve.

"What's that?" She asked with a raised eyebrow, her blue eyes flickering to his in question.

Danse's face flushed a little beneath his beard as he cleared his throat, his expression as grave as ever.

"Where's Burke?"

"He's cleaning your armour." She said, nodding towards the workshop corner as she locked the door behind him. Together they walked inside, Burke glancing up from his work at their approach, his lips set in a grim, unhappy line.

"Squire." Danse greeted him formally. "I believe I found something that belongs to you."

Burke cocked his head as he rose from the boot he'd been scrubbing, watching as the Paladin carefully unzipped his jacket. A ginger and white whiskered face poked out of the gap, a pair of wide golden eyes almost immediately locking onto the Squire.

Grogcat mewed as Danse carefully scooped him from the warm confines of the jacket, holding him out to the boy.

Burke's eyes were suddenly alight with relief and happiness, a wide infectious grin breaking across his face as he held out his arms to receive the cat.

"I was so worried about you!" He scolded Grogcat gently, clutching him to his chest as the cat began to purr loudly. "Thank you so much sir!" He added sincerely, meeting Danse's gaze with a beaming grin.

Danse cleared his throat, clasping his hands at his back as he nodded.

"You're welcome, Squire."

He wasn't quite able to stifle a warm smile of his own.

It had taken half a box of industrial grade abraxo cleaner, but Nora was finally satisfied with the result. The eye-watering stench was gone from Danse's uniform, as were the mucky handprints staining the chest and shoulder and the orange of the jumpsuit was vivid again, the steel buckles shining.

It had been nice to turn her hands to a domestic task for once she reflected, pegging it to a clothes line strung across the hollowed out trailer on her roof.

It was still drizzling steadily, the market below largely deserted aside from the occasional security officer out on patrol.

I wonder if Deacon's patrolling, or if he's blagged his way into a cushy post for the day?

She watched the rain fall for a while, savouring her rare moment of solitude before moving back towards the hatch and climbing down into the house. As she moved downstairs, she could hear the radio playing the familiar tune of 'Civilization' from where Danse and Burke were working.

It was as she entered the kitchen that she overheard them talking, their voices low and quiet. Frowning slightly, she crept towards the other side, stopping when she came within earshot of their conversation.

"… Bunker Hill?"

Nora frowned slightly, catching the inflection of the Paladin's words.

What is he asking about…?

"…I took the vertibird grenade." Burke began reluctantly, only for Danse to cut him off.

"No, Burke. I mean before that, when you disappeared from Haylen's side. What really happened?"

She felt the blood drain from her face. Burke didn't reply straight away and all Nora could hear was the upbeat tune from the radio.

"Burke, it's important that you tell me." Danse coaxed him gently. "I promise, I won't be angry with you so long as you're honest with me."

"Didn't Deacon tell you about it?" Burke asked evasively.

"I want to hear it from you." Came the firm reply.

There was another pause, during which Nora considered interrupting them when Burke began to speak.

"It was raiders, sir. One of them caught me sneaking out of a storeroom and grabbed me. I don't… I don't really remember much after that. They dragged me out through a backdoor or something and covered my head with a sack." As he spoke, Burke's voice began to tremble as though the memories upset him. "I don't know where they took me but they shoved me in a crate until Nora and Deacon saved me."

As Danse cleared his throat, sounding somewhat uncomfortable, Nora sagged against the counter in relief. Considering Burke's earlier mood with her, she had thought that he might opt to turn her in…

Before she could hear Danse's reply, there came a flurry of knocks at the front door. She turned quickly, striding towards it before they could catch her eavesdropping.

"I've got it!" She called over her shoulder as she passed the stairs, willing her heartbeat to calm.

When she opened the door, it was to find Deacon on her doorstep, still donning his sunglasses despite the rain.

Speak of the devil and he shall appear.

"Hi, Lance. Great weather for a patrol!" She greeted, stepping back to allow him inside.

"Yeah! I won't even need to bathe tonight when I get back. I'm thinking of picking up some shampoo from Myrna and cleaning my hair as I travel." He joked as he entered, though there was something strained about his smile.

"Are you hitting the road again?" She frowned, closing the door and turning to face him.

"Yeah. My holiday's been cut short." He sighed, lightly swinging the blue swatter in his hand back and forth. "Some packages haven't made it home, so I need to see who intercepted them. I don't know how long I'll be gone for, so I wanted to leave a present for my little buddy Burke, first."

"You're leaving?"

They glanced up to see that Burke and Danse had entered, Grogcat draped happily around Burke's neck like a scarf.

"Yup! Gotta go and see my ol' grand-Mama Murphy up in Sanctuary!" Deacon grinned, brightening at the sight of him. "I wanted to stop by and give you something first, though."

As he spoke, Deacon expertly spun the swatter in his hand so that he was grasping the barrel of the bat, proffering the handle to Burke.

The Squire's eyes widened and his mouth hung agape, his hands reaching up uncertainly.

"It's really for me?" He asked, staring.

"Yup! Happy Birthday, or something." Deacon shrugged, watching as Burke eagerly grasped the handle with both hands. When Deacon released it, Burke gave it a test swing and Nora cringed when it smacked one of the wooden dining chairs into the table.

"Thanks, Deacon!" He grinned widely, his eyes practically shining with happiness as Deacon smiled wryly back at him.

"No problem, kiddo. You just take care of yourself and whack some mirelurks for me!"

"Yes sir!" Burke saluted him.

"I'll see you soon, Nora." Deacon smiled, turning to nod at her, before glancing towards Danse. "You too, Danse. Take care of yourselves."

Danse nodded to him as Nora opened the door to let him back outside. He paused for a moment on the threshold, a sly smile tugging his lips.

"Good luck with Vadim's bet, by the way! Though my money's on Taka for this one!"

Before Nora could even ask him what he meant, Deacon turned and disappeared into the rain.

Something clattered behind her and she turned, closing the door in time to see Danse righting a table lamp while Burke grinned sheepishly. Grogcat just glared at her.

"So." She smiled, deciding to overlook the Squire's almost-vandalism. "Lunch break?"

A/N: Okay! So, this is actually the first half of a mega chapter that I am not even exaggerating when I say it went over the 10k word mark. I'm actually still writing it in the background haha! There was a lot to fit into this chapter so I made the decision to break it into two.

As I'm already a good way into the next chapter, I will be posting it later this week, so long as I have wifi as I'll also be on holiday. I won't give away too much, but there will be a big focus on Danse/Nora next chapter and then after that we will be rolling away from the fluff and onto more action!

...There must be enough fluff in these chapters to make a synthetic cotton-candy rabbit by now.

Anyway! Hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you as always for taking the time to read and huge thanks especially to reviewers! I really appreciate you taking the time!