Two days had gone by since the mission. Tatum had started her job as the mole rat caretaker. She'd wake up early and feed them, chopping up vegetables or bugs and putting it in a dogfood bowl for them. Then half way through her day she would use the handle of a broom to encourage the mole rats in to a smaller, holding cage while she cleaned the large cage. Several hours after that, she gave them their last feeding. The first day she cleaned their cage she wanted to vomit. There wasn't anything that smelled worse than mole rat droppings. The second day was only a little better, she had found a bandana with a monkey in a space suit on it that one of the young squires had dropped. She tied it around her nose and mouth, it only blocked out the smell a tiny bit but it made her feel better that she had some kind of filter.

As she walked through the ship no one spoke to her. The only looks she received were ones of disappointment or anger. Even Senior Scribe Neriah seemed colder. Tatum had to keep telling herself that none of this was her fault, if she didn't she knew she'd go mad. The Mess Officer stilled seemed friendly enough, although it was different than before. The only person that didn't seem to feel any kind of resentment towards her was Scribe Haylen. She had found Tatum and told her that Maxson was going to be OK. The look in her eyes was a mixture of relief and pity towards Tatum. But Tatum didn't need her pity, she would be fine. At least, that's what she told herself.

Tatum had just finished with the last feeding of the day and retired to her bed, where she spent the majority of her days. A man stood at the foot of her bed, he was wearing the Brotherhood Scribe uniform. Tatum approached cautiously.

"Hello." She said, catching the man's attention.

"You are to report to medical immediately. Elder Maxson would have a word with you." He delivered his message and left. Elder Maxson wants to talk to me? She felt like butterflies had taken up residence in her stomach. Is he mad at me? She wondered as she headed to the medical room.

She turned the corner and stood in the entrance way of the medical room. Elder Maxson was on the bed, it was tilted up so that he was in a relaxed sitting position. He was still really pale, but definitely better than the last time he saw her.

"You have your orders." He said to an initiate that was standing a few feet from him. The initiate saluted him and quickly left the room, giving Tatum a bad look on the way out. She ignored it.

"Elder Maxson?" She approached him slowly. "You're still working?" She asked amazed.

"Of course. Wounded or not I am still the Elder of this ship." His voice was soft and he looked exhausted. "How are you feeling?" He asked her and Tatum's eyes widened in surprise.

"You're asking me how I feel?" She questioned.

"Yes. I did kind of body slam you." The corner of his mouth raised in an apologetic smirk.

"I'm fine." She replied hastily, coming closer to him. "How are you?"

"I'll live." He told her.

"Good." She looked at her feet. "If you died…" A mix of emotions swirled around her head.

"What? Would you miss me?" He teased causing Tatum to look at him in surprise.

She made an indignant sound. "No." She answered with more attitude than she had intended. "It's just if you died, everyone here would be after my head. They all think it's my fault that you got hurt." She blurted out an excuse, trying to hide the strange feelings that longed to show themselves.

"I'm sorry." He apologized, surprising her once again.

"For what?"

"For putting you in that situation. I admit that one of the reasons I had brought you along was to prove that the commonwealth isn't safe and that you need our protection. If I had known there were Deathclaws however, I would have never let you go. And I'm also sorry that everyone is most likely giving you the cold shoulder. It's only out of respect for me. They don't mean it."

"Paladin Danse does. He hates me." She pouted and Maxson chuckled before grimacing and clutching his stomach with his uninjured arm. He took slow, deep breaths.

"Yes well, Danse has always been one of the most loyal members of the Brotherhood." He swallowed hard before continuing. "He has a difficult time relating to anyone that's not Brotherhood."

"Maybe you…" Tatum's brow furrowed in concern. "Shouldn't you be resting?"

"I'm fine." He said with as much conviction as he could. "Now." He tried to adjust his position slightly but gave up when his movements tugged on the IV that was attached to his arm. "The reason I called you here was to offer you a position."

"A position?"

"Yes. I've already spoken with Knight Captain Cade." He nodded his head in Cade's direction, Tatum hadn't noticed him standing there. Cade gave Tatum a small smile. "Scribe Haylen told me that you assisted her in treating my wounds." Tatum nodded. "She said she was very impressed with you. That you, even though you were crying, listened and followed her every order." Tatum blushed, annoyed that Haylen had told him she cried the whole time. "That is why we decided that you will study medicine and become Cade's apprentice."

Tatum snapped her head in Knight Captain Cade's direction and he smiled at her. "But... I…" Tatum couldn't get the words out.

"Welcome to the Brotherhood, initiate." Maxson had just assigned her a rank within the Brotherhood and she didn't know what to say. On one hand she was angry that once again he had just assumed that this was what she wanted. But on the other hand, he was right. "You will report to Knight Captain Cade first thing tomorrow morning to begin your training." She nodded feeling overwhelmed and numb. "Lucky for you, I'll be your first patient."

She stared at Elder Maxson with an expression similar to a fish out of water. Her eyes open wide and her mouth rapidly opening and closing as she kept trying to say something but couldn't get the words to come out.

"You'll start at 0700. Come in your uniform and be prepared to work." Cade was talking to her now and she focused her attention on him. "Do whatever you have to before you get here to wake yourself up. I don't want any slacking off." His words were firm but had a gentleness behind them. She nodded to show that she understood and would do what she could to come prepared for duty. Cade nodded back to her, letting her know that he was done speaking with her. She looked back at Maxson.

"Cade will let Neriah know that you won't be reporting to her for duty anymore." He told Tatum. "Do you have any questions?"

"Yes." She answered immediately, not even thinking. "I uh…" She had to take a deep breath to slow her brain down so that she could think properly. "I guess it's not a question, but I just wanted to say thank you." She bowed her head in embarrassment and gratitude. "You saved my life."

"I will always protect my own." His fingers lightly brushed the top of her hand as he reached out to her. Her eyes met his and she felt the tears stinging, eager to be let out. She dropped her gaze, thanked him and ran off quickly so he wouldn't see her cry again.

Why does everything he say make me cry? She wiped the tears away as she climbed the stairs to her bed. He's so stupid. She decided to get angry instead of acknowledging the fact that he genuinely cared for her well-being. Stupid Elder, stupid Brotherhood, and stupid ship! She felt frustrated and confused. Why does he have to be like that? His rapidly shifting attitude made her head spin. Some days she was truly afraid that he would hurt her, then others he was literally saving her life.

She laid down on her bed and stared at the curved ceiling. Her life had taken a strange turn and she suddenly didn't feel like fighting it anymore. Can I really do this? Be part of the Brotherhood of Steel? They killed my family. Rachelle and Derrell are dead because of these people and now I'm just supposed to become one of them? Her heart felt heavy because she longed for her family but also felt a small desire to stay at Maxson's side. She let out a heavy sigh and rolled over on to her stomach, she pushed her shoes off with her feet and buried her face in her pillow.

Thinking about everything was too exhausting and all she wanted to do was drift off to sleep and not have to think about anything anymore. She grabbed her new alarm clock and set it before pulling the sheet over herself and getting comfortable.

She couldn't see anything but she could feel the warmth of someone next to her. Gently she reached her hand out, seeking her companion. Strong fingers wrapped around her hand. Tatum knew before looking that it was Maxson. Their hands glowed with a greenish tint, like a computer terminal was shining on them. The large hand holding her hand was covered in a leather glove that had the fingers cut out. Her gaze followed the hand up to the arm, which was wearing a brown coat.

She tried to look him in the face but it was shrouded in darkness. He gently tugged on her hand and they continued walking along their dark path. The darkness around the pair felt cold and distant, but Maxson felt warm and present. Tatum gently squeezed his hand, feeling that everything would be alright as long as he stayed by her side.

They walked for what felt like an eternity, neither one speaking. Several times Tatum tried to look at his face, to see his expression. But the darkness shrouded it. She wondered if her face was concealed as well. Her hand released Maxson's and they both stopped walking. She reached up to touch her face. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. She let her hands drop to the side and searched for Maxson's hand. She groped the air, not finding him. The warmth from his body was now gone, he had left her.

She called out his name but he didn't reply. A sense of dread filled her up and she ran through the darkness in search of her lost companion. It didn't matter which way she turned or how fast she ran, in this darkness she couldn't tell if she had gone anywhere at all. She begged and pleaded with the darkness.

"Please. Please bring him back!" Her voice echoed as though she was in a cave. She stood, frozen to the spot, afraid to advance. Suddenly she could feel warmth again, approaching her right side. She smiled to herself. Maxson's hand found her own and their fingers intertwined. She didn't look at her companion because she knew she wouldn't be able to see him anyway.

His hand was warm and inviting, but steadily got hotter and hotter until it felt like a nuke had detonated in her palm. Her hand quickly pulled out of his as she turned towards him. When she faced Maxson the room lit up, she was back inside the vault and a blood soaked Maxson smiled at her before the Deathclaw's jaws clamped closed over his head.

"Maxson!" Tatum screamed as she sat upright in bed. Her whole body shook as she slowly came to her senses. The women around her glared at her from their beds, angry to be woken. She bolted out of bed and ran through the ship towards the medical room, she had to make sure he was alright.

The late night crew watched her as she sprinted past them, unsure of what to make of the girl who was running around at 3 AM. When she arrived at medical her heart leapt out of her chest in relief. There, still hooked up to IV's and a heart monitor, was Elder Maxson. He blinked his eyes a couple times, trying to wake up.

The relief Tatum felt bubbled out of her as she covered her face and cried. A scribe was sitting in Knight Captain Cade's chair at his desk. He looked up from the computer and at the sobbing girl.

"What happened?" He asked getting to his feet and hurrying over to her. "Are you hurt? Sick?" He offered suggestions but Tatum just shook her head.

"Crying again?" Maxson's voice was raspy from sleep. Tatum wanted to tell him to shut up but her body propelled her forward. Before she realized what was happening she found herself clinging to his body in an embrace. Maxson and the scribe both looked at each other with raised eyebrows. "Give us a moment." Maxson told the scribe who saluted and left.

"I'm sorry." Tatum said through her tears. "I didn't mean to wake you up… I just had a bad dream."

"You have those often, don't you?" His voice was soft. She nodded her head, still resting on his chest. She was pressed against his wounds but he didn't have the heart to push her away. "Tell me about it."

"Really?" She sniffled and raised herself. "Um…" She wiped her eyes with her sleeve and took a deep, shaky breath. "You died." Her face was already red from crying but it grew a couple shades darker when she spoke. "We were in the vault and the Deathclaw killed you. He ate you."

"Well," Maxson gently pushed himself up to readjust his position. "As you can see, I'm still alive." She nodded and wiped her face again. She felt foolish for running to him like a small child would their parents.

"I'm sorry." She said again.

"It's alright." He spoke kindly. "That was your first time seeing a Deathclaw?"

"Yes." She answered in a small voice.

"I had nightmares too when I saw my first Deathclaw." He admitted.

"You did?" Tatum was surprised. "I didn't think anything scared you. The way you went after it, it was like you had no fear at all."

"I've fought them before. Lots of times actually." He pointed to the desk chair and Tatum went and got it, bringing it over to the bed. She sat and looked up at Maxson. "The first time I had seen a Deathclaw was when I was nine, almost ten years old. I had just recently joined the Brotherhood and an injured one stumbled in to our base. It was the most terrifying thing I had ever seen. I had heard about them before, of course, but seeing one was completely different."

"Yeah." Tatum agreed. She had heard about them too, but had never seen one until recently.

"Even though it was injured it was still a formidable foe and we were unprepared. The Brotherhood in the Capital Wasteland was still trying to get their base together and we didn't have many defenses up. Several initiates were out in the courtyard training, a lot of them were seriously wounded when it attacked." He cleared his throat. "The damn thing had scaled a wall and dropped in on us. Scared the hell out of me."

Tatum watched silently as Maxson recalled his past. He looked so different now than he had when she first met him. He looked almost… fragile.

"It was lucky that he showed up." Maxson spoke again with a little smile. "Everyone called him the Lone Wanderer. He showed up with a flaming sword and attacked the Deathclaw like it was just a mole rat. I had never seen someone so brave." He exhaled a small laugh. "Brave but also kind of strange."

"Really?"

"Yeah… he uh…" Maxson tried to gather his thoughts. "He didn't talk much, and he always wore these biker goggles. He was really pale and never showed his skin. The only part of him I could see was his face, but the goggles hid most of it. If he passed me on the street without all that, I wouldn't be able to recognize him."

"But he killed the Deathclaw all by himself?" Tatum asked, getting the story back on track.

"Yes, he did. Knights offered to help but he held up a hand and said: "I got it."" Maxson smirked at the thought. "I kind of idolized him after that. It really seemed that he was truly unafraid. Never once did I see him fearful. And the way he killed that Deathclaw, it was awe-inspiring. I started to study them the best I could, learning their weaknesses."

"So that you could kill one like he did." Tatum said to show that she was following along.

"Yes. Their skin is tough, hard to penetrate, but their mouths and eyes are vulnerable." He unconsciously rubbed his arm where the tooth had impaled him. "That's why, unless you have the ammo to spare, it's best to go for the inside of its mouth. If you can sever the spine or damage the brain, you can kill it easily." Tatum grimaced at the graphic description.

"Should I come back later?" The scribe had returned with a bottle of purified water in his hand.

"No, we're done." Maxson said as he looked at Tatum. She nodded her head and stood up, letting the scribe take the chair back to the desk.

"Goodnight Elder Maxson." She said pleasantly, feeling much better than when she had first arrived.

"Goodnight, Initiate." He replied and she left the medical room.

Her alarm clock went off and she clicked the button to shut it up. She groaned as she sat up in bed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Tatum felt exhausted. A couple hours had gone by since she talked with Elder Maxson, but she felt like it was only minutes ago that she had laid back down to sleep. Nuka Cola. She thought as she forced herself out of bed. Knight Captain Cade told her to come fully awake, she needed a pick-me-up.

After drinking a whole bottle of Nuka Cola and eating some sweet Fancy Lad Snack Cakes she was feeling much better. Using a spoon as a mirror she looked herself over, her hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail and she didn't have any food pieces stuck to her face or teeth. It's now or never. She said to herself as she put the spoon down on the table.

When she arrived at the medical room, right on time, Cade was switching Maxson's IV bags. He noticed her and stopped.

"Good, you're here. Come and switch these." He showed her how to unattach the bag from the line and put a new one in its place. Her first task wasn't very hard and she was starting to feel good about her new job. "Now we'll need to check what that blood is from." He looked down at Maxson's wrapped chest where a bit of blood had soaked through the bandages. He carefully cut the soiled bandages and threw them away while Tatum watched closely.

"He tore a stitch?" Tatum asked and Cade nodded in agreement.

"I'll have to fix that. Pay close attention to what I do." He threaded the needle after soaking it in some kind of disinfectant, then he swabbed the bloody area where the stitches had been torn. Tatum held her breath as he plunged the needle in to Maxson chest. Her eyes shot up to look at his face. Maxson looked relaxed for the most part, only a small twitch showed that he felt anything. She regretfully looked back at Cade's hands as they sewed. It was one of the grossest things she had ever seen, but it wasn't the first time.

She had watched Scribe Haylen stitch him up in the vault. She had also had stitches herself when she was younger. They hurt going in and itched like crazy afterwards. Maybe he scratched them? She thought as Cade finished up. He tied the last stitch by looping the thread through itself and pulling it tight. Then he cut it short and went to clean everything up, starting with Maxson's chest. He handed Tatum a cotton ball with disinfectant on it.

"Wipe all around the area and make sure to get all the blood. I'll be right back." He left to wash his hands and Tatum stared at Maxson's chest, terrified of hurting him.

"What's the matter?" He asked her and she flinched, startled.

"I just don't want to hurt you."

"After what Cade just did, you couldn't possibly do any more damage." He said to reassure her, but she knew that wasn't true. She could accidently pull out one of his stitches or press too hard or… Just do it! She scolded herself and touched the cotton ball to his chest. She carefully rubbed, making sure to watch as his chest rose and fell steadily with each breath. She would stop if he showed any sign of discomfort.

By the time Cade returned she was finished cleaning the blood off. He praised her work and showed her how to properly bandage someone. He taught her about how tight the bandage should be and what direction to wrap in. She silently took everything in as he spoke to her. By the time Maxson had been re-stitched, cleaned, and rewrapped, she was feeling really good about her new job. Until she heard a deep voice behind her.

"What is she doing here?" Paladin Danse had just entered the medical room and was scowling at Tatum. Her mood dropped several levels.

"She is my new apprentice." Knight Captain Cade said brightly. Danse looked to Maxson bewildered. He nodded to show that it was the truth.

"Her? And you're letting her work on the Elder?" He was floored by what he was hearing.

"Yes, and she's doing very well." Cade shot her a smile and she smiled back. Cade, she liked. Danse glared at her.

"That's enough Paladin." Maxson's voice was commanding as he locked eyes with Danse. "If you've come here for a reason, speak."

"Yes sir." He said with a frown. "We are holding a small memorial for the fallen. I thought I would inform you. Lancer Captain Kells set it up."

"Thank you." Maxson said and dismissed Danse. He beckoned Cade over. "Unhook me. I'm going to attend."

"But, sir…" Cade shook his head. "You should rest."

"I'm not going to fight the institute, I'm just attending a memorial." He looked Cade in the eyes and the two held each other's gaze. Finally Cade relented and called Tatum over. He showed her how to shut off the IV drip and remove the needle from Maxson's arm. At the sight of the needle being pulled from him, she felt dizzy. Maxson noticed and reached for her arm. He grabbed hold of her, trying to steady her.

"I'm OK." She said as she gently placed a hand on his. "Thanks."

"Still not one for needles, huh?" Cade said with a half-smile. "We'll work on that." Tatum nodded, she really did want to continue being his apprentice. It sure beat being the mole rat girl.

The doctor helped Maxson off the bed. "Tatum." Maxson was pale as he stood, holding the bed and Knight Captain Cade for support. "Go to my room and get me a new uniform. It will be in the top drawer of the dresser at the end of my bed." He instructed and Tatum nodded before leaving.

She walked through the ship to Maxson's personal quarters. The room looked just like it had the first time she was in here. The uniform was exactly where he had said it was, she grabbed it and made her way back to the medical room.

Maxson was completely naked except for his boxers and Tatum covered her eyes quickly as she turned her back to him. Cade chuckled and took the uniform from her.

"Naked men is something you're going to have to get used to if you want to be a medic." Cade teased. Tatum couldn't say anything, her face was redder than a tato. Maxson had an excellent body, heavy but muscular, and covered in scars. She had seen her father without a shirt, and several raiders, but none of them looked like Maxson. She felt the heat rising in her face as she saw the mental image of him.

He wasn't wearing a shirt when he got stitches… She tried to tell herself to stop the flames from igniting in her stomach. But this was different, he had pants on before. Her breathing was heavy and she tried to calm her heart. What is happening to me? She wondered as the butterflies danced with the flames in her stomach.

Maxson, with assistance from Cade, put on his uniform and ran his hand through his hair to push it back in place. He sat on the edge of the bed and slipped his feet in to his boots. His coat, which had been washed, was folded on a shelf under the bed. He carefully bent over to get it and slipped it on. Feeling more like himself than he had in the past couple days, he took a deep breath and walked over to Tatum.

"Initiate." He said as he placed a hand on her shoulder. A small squeak escaped her lips and Maxson smirked. "Come. We have a memorial to attend." The three of them left the medical room and went to the meeting room where several other members were gathered. Maxson left Tatum in the back of the crowd as he made his way forward. Cade stayed with Tatum.

Maxson reached the front of the assembly and stood next to Lancer Captain Kells and Paladin Danse. They both looked surprised to see him. He held out his hand and Kells dropped the holotags of the fallen in to it. Maxson read the names, his brow furrowed. He felt every single death that came to his ship.

The room had fallen silent, all eyes on their Elder. He stepped forward.

"Brothers and sisters." He began. "We have gathered to remember our fallen comrades." Tatum heard a sniffle and saw two women holding each other, one crying and the other comforting. Maxson gave a speech about losing family, because that's what the Brotherhood was. Despite his injuries he stood tall and strong, remembering the fallen that had died when the Deathclaws attacked.

His words were spoken loudly and clearly. Each one resonating inside of Tatum. It was as if a new light had been shown on the Brotherhood. She could see that everyone in the room had felt the loss, like it really had been their siblings that died. As his speech ended, everyone in the room snapped to attention and saluted him. He saluted back, meeting all their eyes.