"Does he know we're comin'?" Hancock asked, the top of the Red Rocket truck stop coming into view. They had made good time coming from Goodneighbor, the sun was only beginning to set.

Nora shook her head but smiled. He knew coming back to Sanctuary always made her nervous. Everything would be better once she saw Shaun.

The boy was where he usually was, fiddling at the workshop. Hancock didn't understand how that kid built half of the shit he did, but he figured having a hobby was good for him. He had his head down, toiling over some new something for his mother. Nora stopped a few feet from the building. She waited until he spotted her out of the corner of his eye.

"Mom!" He dropped the parts and pieces in his hands and ran up to her. Nora caught her baby in her arms, pulling him close. Hancock watched them with a wide grin. It had been almost a month since their last visit, but those two always acted like it had been lifetimes. Not that he hadn't been eager to return.

As soon as Nora put him down, Shaun was sprinting for him.

"Hancock!" He said with excitement, his arms wrapping around the ghoul's waist. Hancock ruffled his hair and bent down to the boy's level. "How's it goin' buddy?"

Those big baby blues, his mama's eyes, lit up. A huge grin splitting his face, "Great! I'm glad you guys are here."

Hancock chuckled, "Good," He looked him over, "You gettin' taller?"

"Really? You think so?"

Hancock nodded, "Soon you'll be catchin' up with me."

Shaun looked back at his mother, "See! Mr. Hancock thinks so too."

Nora rolled her eyes. Hancock knew he wasn't supposed to indulge the kid. After all, he couldn't grow. But Shaun didn't know that. Despite how wrong he knew it was, the smile on the kid's face made it worth it.

"Come on boys," Nora called, heading back towards the workshop, "I'm starving."

Shaun caught up with her, taking his mothers hand. Hancock hung back a bit. When they were in Sanctuary he no longer had Nora all to himself. Her son trumped any claim the ghoul had on her, and he was happy to let Shaun take up the majority of her attention. Plus he always felt a little nervous around the two of them. What they had was so perfect and pure, the unwavering love between mother and son. The whole thing made Hancock strangely uneasy.

The three ate under the stars. A nice squirrel stew brewed in a big pot. The rest of Sanctuary's inhabitants left them alone as usual. They knew Nora and Shaun wanted time to catch up. The boy talked non-stop through dinner. He told them about his mini-adventures with Dogmeat and about all the new things he and Sturges had built together. Nora told him about their recent encounter with a Deathclaw. She talked the whole thing up, conveniently leaving out the part where Hancock had to get her to the nearest settlement as fast as he could before she bled out. He stayed mostly quiet during dinner, speaking only when prompted.

Before long Shaun could barely hold his eyes open. He fell asleep with his head rested in his mother's lap. Hancock pulled out some Jet only after he was sure the boy was asleep.

"You shouldn't tell him he's getting taller." Nora smirked, her hands running through her baby's hair.

Hancock chuckled, "Really? Refresh my memory darlin', did we beat that Deathclaw with our bare hands or by the skin of our teeth?."

Nora sighed, her eyes still on Shaun "I don't want him to think I won't come back one day."

"I'm not sayin' your doin' anything wrong. Kid thinks you can't be killed, it should stay that way." Hancock took another hit, "But a lie is a lie sweetheart."

"Touché." She whispered, her arms pulling the boy closer.

After a minute she looked up at him, her eyes soft. "He looks up to you," She said simply.

Hancock smirked and tried to cover up his nervous laugh, "I'm tryin' to be a good influence." He shook the empty Jet canister before dropping it to the ground. Nora had requested he didn't use around Shaun, which Hancock had considered more than reasonable. At first he had tried to go cold turkey any time they were in Sanctuary, but that had only caused more problems. Now he resolved to sneaking off while Shaun was occupied, or waiting until he was asleep. As proud as it made him that the kid looked up to him, the feeling of imminent failure that loomed over him made it hard to bask in. He knew he'd slip up somehow someday.

"I wish we could visit him more." Nora mumbled.

Hancock shook his head in agreement. They tried to stop by at least once a month, but that didn't always work out. He had assumed that the downfall of the Institute would bring a time of peace and relaxation. In reality everyone seemed to need Nora even more. The Railroad always had a new synth to save, The Minutemen more settlements to recruit. Hancock didn't mind helping, he loved it, but things had changed since the C.I.T. added a nice crater to College Square.

"He could come with us to Goodneighbor." Hancock suggested, although he knew she'd never allow it. Not that he was that crazy about the idea either. As much as he loved his town, it was too dangerous of a place for a kid.

Nora bit her lip, averting her eyes. Hancock knew she was trying to come up with the nicest response possible. "I...I don't know John."

Before, everything had been about finding Shaun. So much so that Hancock hadn't thought about what would happen once they did unravel the greatest mystery in the Commonwealth. It had been one hell of an adventure, and one that he felt proud to have been apart of. But to him, the ending didn't make a lot of sense. To Hancock, Nora should have settled down in Sanctuary with her son. The only thing that stood in the way of that was him.

"I'm sorry if that made you upset. You know I love it there...I just don't think he would. Plus, he really likes living here." Nora picked nervously at the sleeve of Shaun's shirt.

Hancock hadn't realized he had been quiet for so long. He shook his head, pulling a cigarette out of his coat pocket. "Nah...its just..."

Because of him she still travelled, still called Goodneighbor her home and visited Shaun when she could. He didn't think Nora was purposefully skipping out on her son. Instead, he felt like a giant wall built between them. A road block that kept two people that loved each other more than life at arms length. Once again, Hancock felt like the outsider.

"You ever thought of settlin' down here?" He asked, lighting the cigarette between his teeth.

Nora gave him a confused look, "I know you trust Fahrenheit to watch over things...but you can't leave the city John. Not for good."

He sighed, she wasn't going to make this any easier.

"Maybe I should go back to Goodneighbor then," Hancock whispered.

It was something he had considered from time to time. Part of him knew the these kinds of thoughts were irrational, while the other wondered if Nora and Shaun really would be happier without him. At least life in Goodneighbor was familiar. This whole thing with them scared the shit out of Hancock. He had been apart of a family before, and that hadn't gone well. His own had been torn apart by more than just his brother. His chem use and lack of respect had been heavy burdens on his parents far before the election. But even this didn't feel like his time as a McDonough. The three of them didn't fit together as a family. As much as he cared about Nora and Shaun both, Hancock knew he wasn't father material. He didn't even know if Nora expected that of him. They had never talked about any of this.

"What?" Nora's voice rang loud in his ears. Hancock pulled himself out of his head to find her panicked eyes staring him down. "You can't be serious." She said, almost laughing the whole thing off.

Hancock wished it was a joke.

"I'm just sayin'...you belong here Nora. You belong with him." Hancock gestured to the sleeping boy in her arms, "He's your family. I don't know if I can..."

He wondered if this didn't start with Shaun. What if he had never belonged with Nora in the first place?

"You've gotta be his mother, I'm standing in the way of that. I got no place here, shoulda known that from the start. Besides Nora, do you really want me to play pretend with you? I ain't ever gonna come close to being what that boy needs."

"Why are you doing this?" He could hear the hurt in her voice, knew she was starting to cry, but Hancock couldn't bring himself to look up from his boots.

Why am I doin' this? Hancock felt like he had everything in the world. A good woman that loved him, a home that he could always rely on and a possible family. But everything that he'd been given could always be taken away. He was too careless to handle something so precious.

"I don't belong here Nora, why can't you understand that?" His tone was a little harsher than he meant. He stubbed the cigarette out, his hands no longer able to hold it steady.

He opened his mouth to speak but Nora was already talking, "Don't you dare do this to me John McDonough, not after everything we've been through," She hissed. He had no choice but to look at her. Her eyes were red and Hancock could hear a slight shake in her voice. Despite that, she seemed to be full of rage and ready to explode at any second.

"No more running," Nora growled,"you promised."

Hancock's chest tightened and he picked at a button on his coat nervously.

"I-I-" He tried to speak but nothing came out.

"Do you want to be here?" Nora breathed, a tear running down her cheek.

Once again his mouth couldn't form words. After a moment of silence she smirked and bit her bottom lip. "I was really that stupid," She muttered to herself. Hancock felt like he was going to be sick.

"Nora-" His voice kicked back in just a little too late. Nora was already on her feet, Shaun in her arms.

"I'll tell you what John, when you decide where you want to run to next you let me know. But I can't play games with you anymore. I can't risk it for Shaun's sake."

He watched the two disappear into their old home, the door closed behind them. Hancock's heart sunk deep in his chest, his head full of worries and questions. He felt like a complete asshole. He'd told one of the only good things that had ever happened to him. Hancock pulled out a tin of Mentats and ran his fingers over the front. He could get high, really high and forget this whole thing had ever happened. He could go back to the days of drinking, using and sleeping around. Those had been simpler times. But Hancock felt cold when thought of waking up every morning without Nora by his side. He dreaded not being able to reach out and pull her into his arms, nuzzling his face in her hair. He'd never be able to see Shaun smile again. Hancock knew that if he left he'd lay awake every night wondering if they were okay.

Hancock tossed the tin as far as he could, the metal clashing with the pavement. This had to end, now.