So this chapter is terribly late. I hit a wall hard with my writing and had to step back for a little while and gather my thoughts. I re-wrote this chapter several times and am finally pleased with the result. As always, leave a comment with suggestions or input of any kind. Thanx for sticking with it!
Margot slept deliciously that night thanks in part to the Jet-and in part to the half empty bottle of Borbov's Best sitting beside her bed. She rolled sleepily to her side and checked the time on her Pip-Boy laying on her low dresser. Ugh...nine AM... It was the first full night's sleep she'd had in over a month-and she wanted desperately to crawl back under the covers and block out the world. A slight tapping on her door quickly destroyed that little fantasy however; and she stashed her bottle of liquor before calling out to come in. The door slid open and Codsworth came floating through holding a steaming cup of coffee in his pinscer hand.
"Good Morning mum!" He began cheerfully. "Another beautiful day in the Commonwealth! I've brought you some coffee and Mr. Garvey asked me to remind you of the meeting in one hour." Margot groaned and rubbed at her eyes sleepily.
"Thank you Codsworth. I'll be out shortly." She gratefully took the hot coffee from him and sipped happily. She glanced over at her ruined vault suit in the corner of her room and grimaced. She'd have to get that hole sewn up before she went out again. Margot showered and dressed quickly in a wrinkled Red Rocket t-shirt and some worn Army fatigues. She laced up her boots hastily and bundled her long hair into a messy bun before heading out the door. She sprinted down a few hallways and through the mess hall to the conference room where Preston was waiting for her. He took in her haphazard appearance and shook his head.
"Don't judge." She shot at him as she hurried through the door to take her place at the head of the table. Preston followed, laughing softly and sat down beside her. The room began to slowly fill up with her small council. Preston sat to her right, with Marcy and Jun Long next to him. Piper positioned herself on Margot's left. The seat next to hers belonged to Nick Valentine who was currently working in Diamond City on a few unsolved cases. Across from her sat Sturges, Mama Murphy, and Curie in her new synth body.
"Good Morning everyone. Thank you for joining me today. Let's begin with a report on the recent construction projects in Sanctuary Hills." The meeting progressed quickly, with the first hour discussing the bridge repairs Sturges' idea for a new water filtration system. She told them of her trip to Diamond City and how she had stumbled across Goodneighbor. The remainder of the time was spent going over the status of various settlements in the area and their efforts to support the Minutemen cause.
"Finch Farm was more than eager to join the Minutemen-but their numbers are low and their defenses are basic at best. I recommend a small party of volunteers be sent to help defend from attack until permanent defenses can be implemented. All in favor?" A unanimous agreement was reached and Margot looked around the room to all of her friends with a smile.
"Unless anyone else has some input this meeting is adjourned." She stood slowly and winced slightly as she felt her back pop from immobility. Stretching left and right led to more cracks and felt surprisingly good. The room slowly began to empty leaving just her and Preston. He sorted some papers on the table and glanced in her direction.
"So...how long do you plan on hanging around?" Margot winced inwardly at the question. She knew how much Preston hated the time she spent away. She had told him it was because they needed to increase their presence in the Commonwealth, and it made sense for her to act as liaison. She couldn't tell him the real reason. She couldn't tell him that being in this place was torture. She saw her friends and neighbors everywhere. Hell-she couldn't even go near her old home; and hadn't set foot in the place since the day she'd been thawed out. She spent most of her time on the road keeping herself occupied. She was frustrated...lost. The search for her son had gone nowhere. Thanks to Nick's assistance they had found the man who took Shaun and had learned that he was definitely in the Institute. That was how she ended up in Goodneighbor in the first place. But the memories they had extracted from Kellogg's brain had did little to ease her pain. Margot just felt that every time she thought she was closer to the truth; she was left with just more questions. She felt tired and empty inside every day and she just needed to get away from this place and find something to keep herself occupied. She knew Preston worried about her. Aside from Piper and Mama Murphy he was the only other person she had really opened up to about her past.
"I found out about Shaun..." she began, not really looking up at him but continuing to fiddle with some documents in front of her. She felt Preston edge closer to her and she took a deep breath. He didn't say anything, he just waited for her patiently.
"So ummm...the Institute definitely has him...he's uh...apparently a lot older than I thought..." Margot still didn't look up-she felt the tears prick at the backs of her eyes and she tried desperately to keep them at bay. Since Kellogg, she had been able to push all this shit to the side; concentrate on helping the settlers and such. After her and Nick parted ways in Goodneighbor she admittedly spent a good deal of time down in the Third Rail getting black-out drunk. When she heard Kent on the radio and his proposition it had offered a welcome distraction from the turmoil inside her head. She was never really good at expressing how she felt. She just soldiered on and buried it deep. Talking about it just made the harsh reality all the more real.
"And the man who took Shaun? Did you find him?" Preston asked quietly. Margot finally looked up at him when he spoke. Her gaze was icy and hard.
"We found him...he won't be a problem anymore." She was quiet a moment as she let her words sink in. Preston's expression softened and he moved closer to her. Margot backed away a little and cleared her throat. No no no...that's just gonna make it harder.
"So..." she looked away quickly, changing the subject. "I just thought I would take a quick break here and re-supply. Nick went back to Diamond City to follow up on some leads. I heard about a few settlements who may be interested in joining the Minutemen..." she trailed off and cautiously watched his face out of the corner of her eye.
"Margot-if you ever need to talk-" he started but she stopped him abruptly.
"I know. I just-can't right now...ok? Can we just-talk about something else?" His expression was a mixture of disappointment and polite resignation. She felt a pang of guilt at shutting him out and reached awkwardly for the stack of papers he was holding. She tugged at them gently but he didn't immediately let go.
"I could come with you then?" He asked her hopefully. Preston was kind and patient and she saw how it hurt him when she pushed him away. She felt like an ass for not letting him in but what could she do? If she let anyone else get that close to her she would just be more afraid of losing them.
She stood there silently debating, nervously chewing on her bottom lip. Suddenly a tap on the doorframe broke her concentration and they both turned towards the noise. Hancock lounged against the open door smiling at them and toying with his dagger.
"Am I interrupting?" He asked casually. "I could come back later?" Preston released the stack of papers he had been holding and took a step back.
"No! You're fine! How are you Hancock?" Margot was grateful for the distraction as she turned away from Preston. He looked deflated and she inwardly kicked herself.
"Well I've been wonderin' on a thing or two. Couldn't help but overhear ya-are you thinking on heading out again?" He twirled his blade around in his fingers and balanced the hilt before tossing and catching it deftly. "Because if you are I would advise against it. You're not fully recovered yet. Until you heal you're gonna be useless in the field." Preston looked her way and gave her a once over, she had neglected to tell him that part...she knew he would worry.
"Why didn't you tell me you were injured?" Margot sighed and tried to act nonchalant.
"It's nothing really. One of the ferals on our last adventure scratched me but I'm fine really! Hancock took care of patching me up already." She gave him a bright smile but she could see he was not going to let her off that easy.
"General-I would like you to visit the infirmary. Just to get a check-up." He added as she looked like she was about to protest. He stepped closer again and stared her down, but his eyes were soft and gentle.
"Margot-please. You're pushing yourself too hard." He spoke quietly so that only she could hear. She saw Hancock retreat to a respectful distance near the end of the room as he admired a flag on the wall.
"I know how difficult this is for you and I understand why you feel the need to keep yourself busy-but you need to stop and rest. You're going to burn out." He looked at her intently for a few long moments before she felt herself giving in. He was right-of course he was. Maybe she had been running herself a little ragged lately. The Minutemen were growing rapidly and already had a strong foothold in the Commonwealth. Nick had promised to contact her as soon as he had something for her on her case. Honestly-this might be her last chance for a break for quite some time. Margot sighed as she realized this and held up her hands in defeat.
"Ok Preston-you win. I'll rest up for a bit. But as soon as I'm better I'm heading back out there. And no-I do not need a trip to the infirmary. I'm fine." He nodded and seemed somewhat satisfied with her answer. As she headed back along the halls to her rooms she figured this might do her some good; or at least take her mind off things for a while.
Preston walked along the streets of Sanctuary deep in thought; the conversation with Margot regarding her son still playing in his head. He didn't want to push her into divulging more information than she was ready to; but that didn't stop him from wanting to know all the same. He cared deeply for her and wanted to do everything in his power to help her with her problems. When he had been at his lowest after Quincy, and had been thinking about just ending it all; suddenly she had come along. She had been like the light that had shone him the way out of the darkness. She never judged, never found fault in him for what had happened. He was a long way from forgiving himself-but her kindness and understanding had made living with his mistakes easier.
It hurt him that she wouldn't let him in all the way. He wanted to help her the way she had helped him. He knew he had to give her time, eventually she would come around. But it worried him to think she was shouldering this heavy burden on her own. Preston knew what that kind of thing could do to a person all too well.
While he was glad Margot had decided to stay in Sanctuary longer than two minutes-he should have known she wasn't going to really rest up. True she had spent most of the first day sleeping; but by the next afternoon she was out in one of the open backyards of the neighborhood grappling with Hancock. Preston walked down to where they were to join Sturges and a small group on the sidelines who had gathered to watch the show.
"She's not bad." His friend was saying. "Her reaction time needs some work-but she's holding her own pretty well." Preston watched as Margot lunged for her opponent and Hancock sidestepped her easily. She was knocked off balance and tumbled into the dirt. He shifted uneasily with concern but remained where he was.
"She needs to learn." Sturges was saying. "We can't treat her with kid gloves. She'll be fine." Margot pushed herself up off the ground and dusted the dirt from her clothes. She had a few scrapes and bruises visible but otherwise seemed to be ok.
"You see the mistake you make is in charging forwards." Hancock was telling her. "Sometimes it's best to let your opponent come to you. Let's try that again." He advanced on her quickly-and she parried his first two blows with ease, but was caught off guard when he hooked his leg behind her calf and dropped her down onto her back. Margot coughed roughly as her breath was knocked out of her. Preston watched as Hancock quickly knelt down over her and placed a dagger to her throat.
"Shoulda been watching my feet sister. Try and remember that for next time." Margot scowled at him and pushed his hand away. "I think we're done for today-don't want to wear you out too much." He reached out a hand and helped her up to her feet. She smiled at him weakly and rubbed at her sore muscles.
"Well-I did tell you not to go easy on me didn't I?" Hancock grinned at her and laughed.
"Baby-you ain't seen nothing yet."