Authors Note:

Finally our star-crossed lovers meet... and it is NOT love at first sight.

Gotta admit, when I first met Hancock I was not impressed. I mean, he definitely made a lasting impression, but I did not think I'd ever give up Dogmeat for any companions. It took getting back to Goodneighbor the third time, after a few odd jobs and Bobbi No-Nose, for me to really be like "Damn this dude is cool."

So I'm going with that. No love at first sight, no 'somehow meant to be'. Just eventually growing to realize they like one another.

Dogmeat growled, his fur standing in a line down his back.

"What is it boy?" My voice was hushed, a whisper in the dark house.

I had been doing really good on making progress on finding Shaun... until I decided to travel alone again. As soon as I made that decision I found myself stopped by a minute man, who sent me back to Sanctuary where Preston had sent me to another settlement, where I had then been sent on a job to find some old scrap parts, then I got sidetracked trying to find supplies for the damn settlement. Now I was endlessly lost in this mansion. I heard the familiar groan above me, behind was the scoffing taunt:

"Fucking coward."

Trapped between a rock and a hard place. I raised my sword and began creeping up the stairs, grimacing at every creak and moan from the aged wood. Dogmeat ran ahead, silently dispatching one of the ghouls. As they swarmed him I rushed in, machete brandished, slicing throats and arms. Without hesitation I patted the corpses down. Mostly garbage, but a couple caps. One had some ammo on him, which was awesome useful when I needed to use my gun.

"Now to get the other baddies."

Dogmeat growled in response. I smiled without mirth, humans were so much harder to kill than ghouls. I could justify the actions with vigilante justice, but it didn't excuse the fact that I was taking life. And getting better at it every day. Nimbly I leapt from the banister, wincing as I landed on the first floor, narrowly avoiding the hole that led to the dark below. For a moment chills crept across my skin at the thought of plunging into whatever was beneath me.

"There you are, girl!"

I felt a wicked grin cross my face as I pulled out my 10 mm, a second to aim and BLAM! His partner gasped as I leveled my gun on her.

"Oh no you do-" The bullet splitting her mouth apart interrupted.

"Well!" I grinned, pulling off my armor and trading it for the better pieces on the raider, "I think I just found the door!"

Dogmeat yipped his excitement, swirling around my legs. I took a deep breath once we were outside. For some reason all the houses with ghouls smelled like rotting meat, and Raiders didn't smell a whole lot better. I pulled out my PipBoy, curious for directions.

In my old life I had been hopelessly lost, in this new world I wasn't in a much better state despite three months living on and off the road. I started walking, looking between the map and the road, looking up only when an irritating pink glow caught my eyes.

"What the..." A relic from my time glowed harsh in the dull wastes. "A neon sign?"

Intrigued I followed the path until a huge gateway stood before me. Inside loomed the old state house, I could hear people chatting and metal bits clinking around beyond. Were the people here friends or foe? I'd been deceived before by the sounds of thriving civilization – mostly in the form of Raider camps and Children of Atom.

"Goodneighbor?" I hesitated for a minute.

Valentine never said it'd be this obvious... then pulled open the doors.

For a moment I was dazed. A community. A non-hostile community. I had seen them before here and there, some of them were damn straight up crazy... Covenant took that cake, Diamond City not much better though I had to admit I loved the Russian brothers and that Piper was a trip and a half. What I wouldn't give to just chill and get drunk with them on a Friday night. Best friends a girl could ask for.

But this community was different. An assaultron and a ghoul were in side-by-side shop fronts. The overall air was damp, smells of people and food and chems hung over everything. Aside from the state house and the shop fronts there wasn't much else to see. A darkened narrow street led to the other side of the large, imposing building to my left. Judging by the sounds drifting over I'd bet the rest of the town was hidden from direct view. A clever design. I looked around at the people, trying to get my bearings. If I'd learned anything about the new America, it was that your attitude had to match those around you.

What was the attitude of the people here in Goodneighbor? My hand dropped to Dogmeat's head, his wet nose bumping my fingers. Bored he sat beside me.

A man in the shadows leaned against the pillar in the entryway, his cigarette glowed a hazy yellow in the dark. The assaultron kept talking to people about her murder sticks and boom discs. The ghoul was generally pretty quiet, though everyone in the city had a type of confidence that was rare, a sense of belonging which was even less common. A flash of red caught my eye for a minute before fading into the darkness of the alley. Curious, fascinated, I began walking in.

"Hold up there."

Immediately I felt irritation flood me. I did not like being told what to do. The man with the cigarette approached me, his eyes glittered in his scarred face. The feeling oozing out of this man was malice and superiority. I could feel my teeth sitting on edge. We stood there, in the entrance, sizing one another up for a second.

"First time in Goodneighbor?" He winked moving closer, I didn't bother to reply. He took a long drag from his cigarette. "Can't go walking around without insurance."

I took a breath, confused and flustered, totally aware of not only the crowd watching but that this guy was trying to play me. I looked him up and down again. Sure he was big, but between Dogmeat and my newly acquired weaponry skills I knew I could down him in seconds. And that wasn't bragging; life on the road hardened a person quick. Between Yao Guai, Deathclaws, Feral Ghouls, Radbugs, and the other wasteland baddies in general, one little city soft man wasn't much to worry about. Anger and amusement tickled my response.

"Insurance?" I crossed my arms, Dogmeat growled low, hackles raised.

"That's right. Insurance." He mimicked my pose, his tone thick; threatening. "Personal protection, like. You hand over everything you got in them pockets, or accidents start happenin' to ya. Big, bloody, accidents." His eyes grew dark, his grin widened becoming sinister.

I rolled my eyes. This wasn't the housewife he was talking to. Not anymore.

I took a step forward, "You better back off, or you're the one who's going to need insurance." I growled, jabbing a finger into his chest, forcing him to stumble back a little.

He opened his mouth to argue, violence shadowing his every move, when a voice cut in.

"Whoa, whoa!" The red I saw earlier, turning out to be a huge vintage coat, came swirling up from the darkened alleyway. "Time out."

A ghoul, adorned by an old fashioned hat strode up, the fierce woman he had been talking to earlier posed against a store front, obviously amused. Immediately I could tell this was a man who demanded attention. He had a way to his walk, more of a swagger that said 'look at me' even if he hadn't been adorned in such a frivolous outfit. And hell did people look. As the two men chatted, rather as the man in red scorned the heckler, I saw how everyone was riveted to the ghoul.

"No love for your mayor, Finn?" The ghoul brandished his arms wide, his grin was mischievous as he leaned closer to the man, suddenly intimidating. "I said let 'em go." His voice ground out the words, his eyes glinted from the shadows cast by his hat.

The tension was so thick you could taste it.

"What d'you care? She ain't one of us." Finn's voice had turned whiney and defensive, I held back a snort. "You're soft, Hancock." You could almost hear the crowd gathering gasp collectively at Finn's words, "You keep letting outsiders walk all over us." Everyone watching shared their investment in the situation, silently I was willing Finn to just shut up. "One day there'll be a new mayor."

You could hear a pin drop as the strain reached a high point, everyone held their breath. Even the noises beyond the market seemed to have faded.

"Come on, man." Hancock reached over, the situation suddenly diffused. He grinned, putting an arm around Finn's shoulder. "This is me we're talking about. Let me tell you something." Aside from the quick glint of metal in the fading sunlight, there was no warning. Hancock stabbed quickly, letting Finn fall to the ground as he bled out on the street. "Now why'd you have to go and say that, huh? Breaking my heart over here."

For a minute everything around me went dark. This man just stabbed someone.

I snapped to awareness pretty quickly, looking at the people around me noticing with alarm that the ghoul was looking at me; sizing me up. Desperately I tried to catch someone's eye, only to find everyone had turned back to their business, just like that. Dead body in the street and all. No one even whispering about the drama that just unfolded.

Because of me. Guilt washed over me as Hancock caught my eye. Is he going to kill me too?

The ghoul strode over, confident as he wiped his blade on his pants. "I know you had him handled," he explained, his black eyes boring into me. "But a mayors gotta make a point sometimes." The joke left his tone and he became more serious, "You all right?"

I could feel the blush rising up my face. It had been a long time since anyone had looked at me like that. So completely. He held my gaze, as though he were measuring me up from the inside out. Most people of the commonwealth looked down, their gaze skittering around; cowed by the hardships and aggressions around them. Not this ghoul. He was as in your face as a man could get.

I dropped my gaze after a moment, unable to maintain the eye contact. "You're fine. I'm fine- It's fine!" I felt heat rising up my body. What is wrong with me?! "I'm sorry you lost a guy though."

He bent down and pet Dogmeat.

"Yeah," Hancock sighed, his voice languid, his body posture relaxed as he stood and yet... ready to strike.

Something about him was magnetic. I found myself wanting to like him, which was odd as I generally attempted to keep everyone at arms distance. I shook my head and took a small step away. The cocky grin on the ghoul's face faded a little. He straightened and cleared his throat.

"We'll miss him next time supers come on by. But we'll manage, we always do." He turned away, "Enjoy Goodneighbor. I'm late for a speech. Try the Third Rail, it's good for a drink. And you look like you could use one. Just stay cool and you'll be part of the neighborhood." He leaned in a little, posturing himself, "just remember who's in charge."

I couldn't find words to respond, though he didn't wait for me to find them. I was flabbergasted, watching him make his way into the crowd down the alley. That whole exchange had been a roller coaster from start to finish. It took me a minute to snap back to reality.

Valentine said the Memory Den? I looked around.

"This place is insane." I muttered to Dogmeat, stepping over the still warm body and into the store fronts.