The grenade exploded in a white hot light. Tatum's eyes involuntarily squeezed shut and she prayed that death would come quickly. Her body felt like a Supermutant had tackled her, and for all she knew, maybe one had. Despite the pressure in front of her, her body felt weightless as the heat engulfed the room. She wrapped her arms around herself, only to find that something else was there. She opened her eyes hoping it really wasn't a mutant but she couldn't see through the blinding light of the grenade.

The heat of the explosion was lessening as she was moved away from it. The ground beneath her had started to collapse and the ceiling, losing its base, followed. I'm not dead. She thought as she flew through the air. Suddenly everything went dark and she landed on the ground, hard. A heavy weight on top of her crushed her down as the ceiling fell.

The piercing sound in her ears was still ringing but she heard the faint sound of a man cry out in pain from above her. She gasped at the voice, it was one she had heard before and knew well despite it being muffled. Warm blood trickled out of her ears and down her cheeks. The dust and dirt from the collapsed building caused her vision to be obscured and her lungs to spasm wildly as she gasped for air. She was being crushed from the ceiling and the man on top of her; slight relief came when he pushed himself up a little to let her breathe.

Both of them coughed, their eyes closed to protect them from the dirt that still swirled in the air around them. Tatum wanted to see him. She knew it was Elder Maxson but until she could see him with her own two eyes there was a small trace of doubt in her mind, it didn't make sense that he would be here. The body on top of hers tried to move again but didn't get far before collapsing.

"Fuck!" He growled as he tried to move his legs. A large wooden beam was lying across them, pinning him to the spot. He tried to wiggle his legs free but couldn't. He was still gasping for air but the dust cloud was finally starting to settle.

"Arthur…" Tatum breathed, barely above a whisper. A ray of sunlight shone through the broken building that allowed her to see only one side of him, the other was shrouded in shadows.

"Tatum, I'm sorry." He pushed his torso up and off of hers. "I'm sorry for everything." The words spilled from his mouth but she didn't care about his stupid apology.

"What are you doing here?" Her words were a mix of confusion and panic. Her whole body hurt and there was liquid pooling under her head. "How did you find me?"

"I'm going to get you out of here." He said seriously as her blood reached his fingertips. He pushed himself up as hard as he could causing debris to fall off of his body. More dust filled the air but he didn't stop. He turned as much as he could and tried to push the beam off of his legs. He yelled in frustration and pain as he shoved it away, his jeans tearing as a nail in the wood dragged through his leg.

Tatum was crying under him, her vision blurred and her lungs full of dirt. Her body was broken, bloody, burned and bruised. Maxson hastily pushed away the remaining debris that was trapping him to her.

"Arthur—" She sobbed and he gently pulled her limp body to his. He held her and stroked her blood soaked hair.

"It's going to be alright." He told her, his words were confident but soft. "I'm going to get you out." He promised as he carefully lifted her. She cried out in pain as he stood with her and limped through the room. Adrenaline and willpower propelled him forward. He was a man of his word, and he was going to get her out of this building.

He carried her through the debris and climbed out of the basement where they had fallen and to the ground floor. The whole building was in shambles and could come down at any moment. There was no sign of the Supermutants that had been chasing Tatum. Maxson hoped they had been crushed by the cement walls that had toppled over but he wasn't letting his guard down.

Maxson set Tatum on the cement fence just outside of the building. She was barely conscious and covered in blood. He looked her over quickly as she fell forward, back in to his arms. He lifted her and made his way to the nearest town, Goodneighbor.

Tatum slowly opened her eyes, blinking to adjust to the light that shined in from the window. She was in her room in the Memory Den. Her body ached and her mind was fuzzy. How did I get here? She couldn't remember leaving the broken building. Her eyes widened suddenly when she remembered that Elder Maxson had been there with her. She turned her head and saw him hunched over in a chair, fast asleep.

His arms were crossed over his chest and his head was down and to the side, she couldn't see his face. He was wearing a flannel button up shirt and a pair of old, torn blue jeans. He had one black combat boot on and the other leg was wrapped in a large cast. The crutches Hancock had loaned her were leaning against the wall next to Maxson.

She slowly sat up, her head spinning. Tatum rested a minute before trying to move more. She felt the back of her head with his fingers, stitches closed a gash under her hair. Both arms were bandaged from the bullet wounds and burns that covered her body. Her leg was bandaged as well and her clothes had been changed, her old ones were ruined.

Once she was sitting, with her legs over the side of the bed she gently called out to him. He inhaled deeply as he woke, raising his head to look at her.

"Tatum." He said as his eyebrows raised. "You're awake!" He sounded relieved and she wondered how long she had been unconscious.

"What happened? Why am I alive?"

"You don't remember?" He asked and she gently shook her head. "I grabbed you just before the grenade went off. I used the mutant as cover."

"You… saved me?" She stared at him, amazed. "But why were you even there?"

"I was looking for you. I figured you would go to Goodneighbor and just by luck I found you running from mutants." He sat very still, not making any attempts to get closer to her.

"You thought I would go to Goodneighbor?"

"You have a strange taste for genetic abominations. It just made sense." He said with as little malice as he could.

"I thought you never wanted to see my face again." She tried to sound angry but she couldn't help being relieved to see him.

"I saw your face every time I closed my eyes." He admitted and she could barely believe she had heard him right. "I couldn't stop thinking about you, about how I had treated you. I've never been close to anyone the way I wanted to be with you. I…" He thought about his next words. "I'm sorry I hurt you. That's not how you should treat people you care about." He lowered his eyes to the floor and Tatum stared at him, shocked.

"You—" The emotions swirling around inside fought against each other. Eventually, anger won. "You're just realizing that now!?" She hollered and he looked back up at her, his eyes wide and mouth slightly open. "You fucking idiot! If you had just been nice to me in the beginning, we wouldn't be in this mess!" She wanted to march over to him and punch him with all her strength but her body wouldn't allow it. Her sudden outburst had made her head spin and she clenched the bed below her tightly to keep herself steady.

"Tatum, I—" He tried to speak but she cut him off.

"I wanted to trust you! To be with you! But you kept pushing me away… why?" Tears poured down her cheeks as she waited for him to answer. He remained silent and she exploded in anger again. "If you're not even going to talk to me you might as well just leave. How can I forget you, if you keep showing up? Leave me alone!" She was shaking so hard that could barely stay sitting.

"I love you, Tatum!" Maxson yelled, letting his emotions get the better of him. "I know I hurt you in more ways than one but that's why I'm here. I needed to apologize. I was stupid, I made a terrible mistake. Please forgive me. Please." For the first time, Tatum heard desperation in his voice as it cracked at the last word. He breathed deeply, fighting against the tears that threatened to reveal themselves. "You're all I have now, and even then, I don't have you."

"What do you mean? Why don't you just go back to your ship?" The anger was rapidly leaving her body, only pain and sorrow remained.

"Because I can't." He whispered, looking to the floor. "It was taken from me."

"What?"

"I… I'm no longer Elder Maxson. I'm just… Arthur." He kept his eyes to the floor and Tatum watched him closely.

"You quit?" She asked in disbelief.

"I was overthrown. Sentinel Nina is now the new Elder. They—" He buried his face in his hands as he tried to calm himself. Tatum waited patiently for him to speak again. "I failed as their Elder." He shook his head. "They overthrew me." He repeated like he couldn't believe it had happened.

"How could they do that?"

"After the Institute was destroyed, I promoted Nina to Sentinel… She was well respected and admired by everyone on the ship. Danse's little recruit." The words burned bitterly as he spoke. "Apparently several members thought she would make a better Elder than I did." He laughed without humor as he finally met Tatum's eyes. "So here I am, in Goodneighbor of all places." The scowl was so deep on his face that Tatum thought it might stay there forever.

"There's nothing wrong with this place. Just misfits looking for a home. Like me, and now, like you." She explained and his scowl didn't lessen. "Did they try to kill you?"

"No. Not at first, not until I attacked her. She defended herself, in power armor. My fists did nothing to her and she easily subdued me." He looked away from Tatum. "I might have also been a little drunk at the time." He didn't remember all the details but he knew enough to know that he was pissed.

"I bet that's how Danse felt." Tatum knew she shouldn't say that but he needed to know.

"He's probably jumping for joy now." He growled. "The two of them were… close. I'm sure she's allowed him to come back." He bit his lower lip angrily. "She is going to ruin everything I worked for."

"Maybe this is a good thing." Tatum said and Maxson almost choked. "What I mean is that you have a chance to make a new life for yourself."

"What makes you think I want a new life? I liked my old one." He sounded like he was getting ready to kill someone, and Tatum figured he would have if his leg wasn't injured.

"You don't really believe that, do you?" She asked as she watched him closely, hoping he wouldn't limp over to her and beat her to death. "You were miserable. I could see it in your eyes."

"Miserable?!" He repeated, his voice raised and his fists clenched. "I was the Brotherhood! It was my entire life for the past ten years. I devoted everything to them and now…" He was shaking. "This is how they repay me. For leading them to victory against the Institute, I get cast out." He wasn't yelling anymore, in fact his voice was deadly calm. "They've betrayed me and the Brotherhood of Steel. As far as I'm concerned, they are traitors and need dealt with immediately."

"By who?" Tatum challenged. "You?"

"Maybe I can find another chapter and tell them."

"Or," she suggested, "you could just forget about it and move on."

"You don't know me at all, do you?" He said angrily.

"Yes, I do actually." She folded her arms over her chest and straightened her back. "You're going to think about this until you die. Your death will be sooner rather than later because you're going to be thinking about it so much and end up making yourself sick."

"That's stupid." He said, his face a blank slate, the same face he used to always show her when she was on the Prydwen.

"Yes, it is. So you shouldn't stew over it. Just move on!" She said cheerily and he frowned. "I, for one, am glad that you're here. I missed you, a lot." He stared at her, not saying anything. She continued, "I thought about you all the time."

"Even after how I treated you?"

"Yup. Stupid, right?" She laughed and Maxson raised an eyebrow. "I guess your heroic side really left an impression."

"Wasn't that all the time?" He asked cockily.

"No." She replied flatly, his ego falling. "I first noticed it when you saved me from the Deathclaw. And then I saw it when you gave that eulogy at the memorial service. It happened again when I had that nightmare and you let me stay with you."

"A whole three times. Wow." He said completely unimpressed. Tatum sighed.

"Yes, a whole three times." She repeated. "But they really meant a lot to me. So much so that I overlooked all the times you were an ass."

"And how many times was that?" He questioned but Tatum ignored him.

"In the Brotherhood, you weren't able to be yourself." She held up her hands when he tried to speak and he closed his mouth to let her finish. "Yes, that was a part of you but not the whole thing. I know that you are a good person, you just had too much weight on your shoulders. Anyone would get crabby with the world on their shoulders. Think of Atlas."

"What?"

"Never mind." She sighed and carefully got to her feet. Maxson watched her with concern. "I know that the Brotherhood was a big part of your life, but it wasn't all of it." She limped over to him and sat sideways on his lap. A light blush spread across his face when she wrapped her arms around his neck. "You and I could never be together if you were still with them. I know you don't want to hear this but I hated the Brotherhood. I don't agree with what they believe and I never will."

"I do. I believe it with all my heart." He said seriously.

"And what did that get you?" She frowned. "They didn't believe in you with all their hearts, did they?" She could see the hurt in his eyes before he looked away from her. "I'm sorry." She whispered and lightly turned his face back towards hers.

Their lips pressed together softly. They kissed slowly at first, each one not wanting to hurt the other one. Maxson's arms wrapped around her body and held her tightly against himself despite his broken ribs. Tatum ran her hand through the long hair on top of his head and let her hand run down the back of his head and to his neck before imitating her other hand and cupping his face. They kissed slowly and passionately, exploring each other's mouths until they couldn't breathe.

"Arthur," Tatum's warm breath puffed against his lips as they slowly pulled apart. "Please stay with me."

"Yes." He said just as breathless as she was. Maxson knew that if he had any chance of surviving without the Brotherhood and finding happiness, he needed Tatum.

They kissed again, holding each other with all their strength. Tatum knew that no matter what came her way, Maxson would always protect her. And when trouble came his way she wanted to be there to help him through it. She felt that despite their differences, the two of them were meant to be together. Maxson was strong when she was weak, and Tatum was compassionate when he was cold. They held each other all day, talking about their pasts, the present, and their future. Together.

Epilogue:

Children played with a ball in the street as Tatum sat in an old lawn chair. She watched as they kicked the ball back and forth. A strong hand slid its way on to her shoulder and she looked up at Arthur. His hair was still the way it had always been, long on top and shaved below. She gave him a smile as she gently took his hand in hers. His arms were darker than before they had met, having spent more time in the sun. His dirty white t-shirt hugged his body tightly, showing off his firm muscles. Tatum looked him over greedily, her man was the envy of all the ladies.

Arthur leaned forward and placed a kiss on top of Tatum's head, her long wavy hair was much shorter now; most of it had been burned in the fire from the grenade. She had been upset about it for a long time but Arthur didn't care, to him the length of her hair was just an added bonus; Tatum was all he really needed. She grabbed on to his arm and used it to help herself up and he wrapped an arm around her as she steadied herself.

"Thanks." She said as they kissed. A chorus of: "Ew's!" echoed from the children. Tatum smiled sweetly at Arthur as she rubbed her belly which was just about as big around as the rubber ball the children were playing with was. "I can't wait." She smiled.

"I can." He chuckled as he scooped her off her feet and in to his arms. She squealed as he did so and he smiled broadly. "Let's go inside, you've been out here long enough."

"I can walk, you know." She teased as she traced shapes on his chest. He just kissed her in response, earning more disgusted comments from the children nearby.

Arthur carefully carried Tatum in to their home and set her down on their bed. He climbed on top of her, careful not to put any pressure on her belly and kissed her tenderly. She sighed in to the kiss and ran her hands up his strong arms. He trailed kisses down her neck and on to her exposed shoulder, kissing the bullet scar there. He suggestively tugged at her bra and tank top straps, looking in to her eyes.

"What do you think you're doing?" She scolded playfully. "You know we're expecting a visitor." She reminded him and he frowned. "Now, now." She booped his nose playfully with one of her fingers and his frown deepened.

"Why do you like that thing?" He sat back on his knees that were straddling her legs. His romantic mood was completely ruined.

"He is not a thing, Arthur." She corrected as she reached out for his arm. He held it out and helped her up so that she was sitting on the bed. "He's my friend."

"He's a machine, Tatum." He said with a look like he had just eaten something sour. Tatum laughed and shook her head at him.

"You're still so Brotherhood."

"I was with them for the majority of my life."

"Half." She corrected holding up her finger. "Half of your life, which is not the majority. If anything, it's less than half now because you've been with me."

"The point is, it's how I was raised. I can't think differently." He said stubbornly and Tatum sighed.

"Whatever, just try to keep it to a minimum when she's around." Tatum rubbed her belly lovingly. Maxson backed up so that he could lean down and kiss her stomach.

"I'll try… and it's a boy." He gave Tatum a playful wink and she shook her head with a smirk.

"So not a boy. She's my little girl."

"He's my little soldier."

The two stared at each other in an unspoken battle of wills, until there was a knock at their door. Tatum's face broke in to a huge smile and Maxson let out an exasperated sigh and rolled his eyes. He got off the bed and helped her to her feet. She quickly ran out of the bedroom, her arm around her stomach, and through the hall to the front door.

"Nick!" She squealed as she hugged her synth friend. "Come in! Come in!" She moved so that he could step inside.

"Nice place you got here." He commented as he took a look around. "You say that Brotherhood man of yours built it?"

"Yes, we both did. Our neighbors helped too." Tatum was positively beaming with pride and Nick gave her a smile.

"Good, good." He pat her on the arm. "Looks like you've finally found a place to call your own." Tatum's eyes teared up but she blinked them away. It had been a long and difficult journey to get where she was and she would never forget everything that had happened, the good and the bad.

"Mr. Valentine." Maxson's gruff voice greeted as he came around the corner.

"I finally meet the man behind all the mystery." Nick joked.

"I think you're the one that's a mystery…" Maxson said trying to keep a light attitude. Tatum gently slid her arm through his and pressed herself close to him.

"Nick, I'd like you to meet Arthur Maxson. Arthur, this is Detective Nick Valentine." Maxson held out his hand and Nick shook it with his right hand, the one where the metal was exposed. Maxson found himself frowning and tried to quickly wipe the expression from his face.

"And who is this?" Nick said with a smile as he patted Tatum's belly.

"My daughter." She said coyly and Nick removed his hat, placing it to his chest and giving her stomach a bow.

"It's a pleasure to meet you little lady." He said as formally as he could and Tatum giggled.

"Liar." Maxson said and both of them looked at him with confused expressions. Nick placed his hat back on his head and opened his mouth to speak but Maxson cut him off. "That's not her daughter, it's my son."

"No way!" Tatum argued, stamping her foot on the ground. Nick chuckled.

"You'll see. I can feel it." Maxson said confidently.

"Well I can literally feel it!" Tatum lightly slapped Maxson's arm that she was holding and he gave her a smile. "Anyway," she said as she turned her attention back to Nick. "Let me give you a tour."

"Sure." He said and she removed herself from Maxson's arm and reattached herself to Nick's.

"Don't overdo it." Maxson advised and Tatum waved his suggestion off casually.

"Don't worry, she's in good hands." Nick said over his shoulder and Maxson bit back his disbelief. He watched as the two of them left the house and closed the door behind them. He sighed and slouched slightly. Tatum had told him everything that had happened since she left the Brotherhood and he knew that Nick had helped her, but there would always be a part of him that wouldn't like Nick, no matter how hard he tried.

Arthur plopped down on the couch and let his head fall back and rest against it. A little over a year had passed since he had found her in that mutant infested apartment and they were still dealing with the damage it had caused. Tatum's hearing had never fully recovered, she heard well enough but it wasn't what it used to be. Maxson's back had been burned badly that day and he had plenty of scars to show for it; in fact, they both had plenty of scars from that day.

Besides the physical injuries that day had caused, there were also the emotional ones that still lingered. When the Brotherhood had abandoned him, it left him feeling broken and alone. He often thought of finding a few bottles of whiskey and drowning himself in them. Having Tatum around was the only thing that kept him sane, and even then, sometimes, it was difficult.

The two of them had shared similar heartache in their lives but their upbringing was completely opposite. Tatum was extremely accepting and Maxson was not. She welcomed everyone in to her life like they had been long lost friends and Arthur tried to turn everyone away. Between the two of them, they were left with only a handful of friends.

They had remained in Goodneighbor while their wounds healed and Maxson hated every second of it. He rarely left Tatum's room in the Memory Den; he despised the majority of the inhabitants of the town. Ghouls, drug dealers, murderers, and thieves littered the streets and it made every hair on his body stand on end. Tatum, however, enjoyed the riff-raff of the town. She even befriended several of the ghouls that Maxson avoided like the plague.

Their relationship was stretched paper thin, but at the end of the day the only person Tatum wanted, was him. They would both cuddle up on her small twin-sized bed and hold each other, keeping the nightmares and painful memories away.

When their wounds had healed enough that they could move out of Goodneighbor, they did. Maxson couldn't get out of there fast enough, he didn't care where they went as long as it was far from there. They ended up moving in to a Minutemen settlement to the north. It was a cozy little community with several couples and about five children. Tatum quickly befriended the locals and convinced them to let the two of them live there.

Tatum would help with the gardening and livestock, occasionally she would watch over the children. Maxson immediately set to work getting better defenses in place. After securing the land with more turrets and guard posts, he started building a house for Tatum and himself. The neighbors were happy to help and before they knew it they had a lovely wooden home.

They met the General of the Minutemen, the man in power armor. He was a kind man, young, and had delicate features. Sarai was his name and he was extremely intelligent. He had built most of the armor himself which Maxson was happy to hear he hadn't stolen it from the Brotherhood. Maxson couldn't help but thinking what an asset he would have been for the Brotherhood, but those days were over and he never mentioned his thoughts to anyone.

Maxson ran his hand through his hair and sighed. Tatum and Maxson were always arguing. It seemed like the two of them couldn't agree on anything, but despite that they still held each other every night as if they were afraid the other would disappear. No matter how much they argued and fought, they always let their differences go by bedtime. It was almost like their bodies knew that they needed one another, even if their minds didn't. When they were together Tatum didn't have nightmares and Maxson didn't find solace in the bottom of a bottle.

Tatum and Nick walked through the settlement as she told him about their neighbors and Sarai. She was surprised to hear that the Minutemen's General lived in Diamond City. Nick told her that he was rarely home because he was always defending the people. She thought that one day, maybe, just maybe, Maxson would join the Minutemen. She knew he was bored 'playing house', and that he secretly longed for the military lifestyle he had grown up knowing. The Minutemen seemed like the most logical choice.

"Are you scared?" Nick asked suddenly and Tatum stopped in her tracks.

"Of what?" She asked and he pointed to her stomach. "Oh. No." She smiled and rubbed her baby. "I'm really not, strange huh?"

"Is there a doctor that's going to help you deliver?" He asked seriously, concerned for her wellbeing.

"No." She tucked her hair behind her ear. "Some of our neighbors said they would help as much as they could."

"That doesn't sound very safe." Nick watched as Tatum fumbled with her hands, nervously.

"Yeah, but it's all we can do, you know?" She tried to give him a confident smile.

"What about Sarai?" He suggested. "He's handy with machines but I think he knows quite a bit about people too."

"Really?" Her eyes widened at the thought of someone that might actually be able to help her. "Do you think he would help?"

"I'm sure of it." Nick said with a smile. "I'll get a hold of him, don't you worry about a thing. I'll even try to convince Doc Sun to make the trip out here. That should help too."

"Thank you Nick!" She hugged him and he gently hugged her back.

"Of course. Anything for my goddaughter." He teased as he patted Tatum's belly.

"You got that right!" She beamed at her friend and took his hand. "Let's head back." He nodded and the two made their way home. A smile spread across her face because in her heart she knew that no matter what happened she had found her permanent home. It wasn't the settlement they lived in, her home was in the hearts of the people she cared about and that cared about her. As she approached her house, Maxson stood just outside the door, waiting for her with a smile on his face.

Author's Note:

Thank you for reading my story! I hope you all enjoyed it. I also hope that the ending wasn't too terrible. I've always had problems when it comes to endings. Leave me a review or a PM and tell me what you thought! Thanks again!