The Red Rocket Station was nowhere near the most interesting thing that Madelyn had ever seen. Little had been done to it, and it didn't look like anyone called it home. That was until the three came around to the garage and a German Shepard leapt up, tackling Nate to the ground.
"Dogmeat!" the Sentinel exclaimed happily rubbing the dog's face roughly as it licked him.
"Wow," Madelyn whispered, she hadn't seen a dog so clean before. Sure there were a few that had most of their hair, but those still had patches of it missing, but this dog looked so… pure.
"Maddy, this is Dogmeat, Dogmeat, say hi to Maddy."
The dog barked and then wondered over to here where he started to lick at her hand until she started petting him. His fur was soft and felt nice between her fingers. "Hi there," she said.
"Blue!" a voice called and Nate spun around just in time to catch a flying woman in a red trench coat. "Where the hell have you been? We expected you back days ago!"
"Sorry, Piper," Nate released the woman and she stepped back and then turned her gaze to Hancock.
"It was you, wasn't it? Stopping at every chems dealer between here and the Castle," she chided and Hancock laughed, waving his hands.
"Oh no, I've been clean most of the trip, actually."
"Most?" Nate raised an eyebrow at the ghoul who smirked and gave a shrug.
Madelyn felt awkward as they spoke. She wondered who this lady was, and remembered a Piper being mentioned. Just briefly, something about Diamond City? And pointing Nate to a 'Nick' that Madelyn was apparently not going to like based on her initial reaction to Hancock. She couldn't think of a reason she wouldn't like Nick unless he was a ghoul too, but she thought she was over that now….
"Mama's got everyone ready," she realized the woman was whispering to Nate now with a sideways glance at Maddy.
"Uh…" she wanted to ask what they were talking about but she didn't feel like it was her place.
"I'm Piper," the woman said, smiling and sticking her hand out.
"Madelyn," came the squire's reply and she shook the woman's hand firmly.
"Got quite the grip there, don'tcha." She was nice enough, but it almost felt like she was hiding something.
"Thanks."
"So you're Blue's squire, right?"
"Um, yeah," she blinked. How could she know that? Madelyn tried to hide her frown and remembered she didn't have a hat on now.
"So we're just stopping here drop off a couple things," Nate said, a hand resting on the girl's shoulder. "Piper, can you take her up to Sanctuary? We'll meet you there in a moment," he promised. Madelyn wasn't sure why, but she had a bad feeling.
"Sure thing, come on, Madelyn," the woman urged her with a hand on her shoulder. Hancock was headed into the Red Rocket out of sight and Nate was going into the garage where she could see a fine Brotherhood of Steel power armor suit.
"No offense, but I have a bad feeling about this," Madelyn confessed as she and the woman approached a bridge that led to an impressive concrete wall that towered high enough to block out anything that was on the inside.
Piper laughed a little, "Oh, no need to worry about anything." She was too chipper. She was defiantly hiding something.
"Sure," Madelyn frowned, her heart hammering in her chest as they came up on the gate. She took a deep breath as it open and was surprised to see that it looked rather… normal for a settlement, but there were no people. Shops and buildings line the streets, but no one was there. "Okay, you're going to kill me aren't you?"
"Oh, stop it," she waved a hand. "Everyone's at the clubhouse," she said and led the way.
Yeah, totally, she was leading her to the slaughterhouse where Madelyn was going to be lined up with the others and fed to a Deathclaw for sport or something. She frowned and followed the woman to a large house built three stories tall and was brightly lit even during the day. She opened the door and Madelyn stepped inside as a chorus of voices shouted, "Happy Birthday!"
"Wha…?" she looked around at the faces she'd never met. All ages smiled at her, making cheering noises, some singing while others asked if they could eat some of the pie now. "What is this?" she looked up at Piper who was grinning widely.
"Oh, happy 18th birthday, kid," an old woman's voice came from behind her. Madelyn turned from Piper to an old woman dressed in blue with a turban around her head. She was smiling at her like she knew her.
"I–uh, how did you know it's my birthday?" Madelyn asked, and then stopped, "Oh, no, I'm only 16…"
"Oh, kid, we're gonna have to talk about that later," she patted Madelyn on the shoulder and smiled happily.
Confusion filled Madelyn as she was guided to a chair and people came up to wish her happy birthday and give her small gifts like treats and ammo, and someone even handed her an inhaler of Jet. She couldn't think of anything to do but thank all the strangers.
Finally Nate and Hancock showed back up. The ghoul leaned in and gave her a hug. It wasn't the first hug he'd give her, but it was the first one she returned. He was so skinny, thin in every part of his being, with the corners of his hat nearly the width of his shoulders. "Here, Maddy," Hancock slipped something into her pocket and whispered, "Don't tell Nate." She would have to look at that later because he stood up and turned so that Nate could come up, not seeming to notice what the ghoul had done. He rubbed her head like he seemed to do as often as he breathed.
"I've had this for a while and never used it, but I thought since you liked that little switchblade of yours that this might be something you would like," Nate pulled a sword out from behind his back. It was long, the length of his forearm and had a weave to the blade.
"Oh my God…" she whispered taking it carefully. "It's amazing," she looked up at Nate who smiled proudly.
"I'm happy you like it, I've taken to just calling it Tooth. Watch the edge, it has poison in the blade…" he rand a finger along the flat of the short sword. There was no way one could call this a knife.
"It's perfect, Nate," she smiled up at the Sentinel. He was the last person in line to her, and when he stepped off to the side
"Time to party!" Hancock yelled, throwing his arms into the air and they whole clubhouse cheered.
Madelyn looked at the things that she'd been given. There was so much stuff, it was piled around the chair she was sitting in like a little wall. She couldn't think of anything to say or do, but tears burned her eyes. Nate noticed while everyone started to dance, loud music came from a source she couldn't point out. "Are you okay?" he asked, having to yell over the volume despite his being so close.
She rubbed her eyes, "Yeah, I–I'm fine! I just…" she shook her head and looked at the blade in her lap. "I've never had a birthday like this!"
"Things on the Prydwen are very different!" Nate agreed, nodding.
"Not just the Prydwen!" she rubbed her eyes and demanded herself stop getting so emotional. "I never really had friends! So… no one threw me parties," she explained and Nate's eyebrows arched in surprise.
"Well, Sanctuary loves to party," he said and offered her a hand to get her out of the chair. "Come on, dance a little, eat something," he said and then smirked, "Have fun, that's an order."
"Yes, sir," she said, saluting her Sentinel with her fist over her heart and her feet together. He saluted her back and she looked around to find something to eat.
It took a long time for people to start to settle down, but that was mostly because alcohol had been added to the mix, which had only livened up the party when it had start to settle. It was well passed sun down when people started to leave either for watch or for bed. The clubhouse remained very full of people.
Madelyn had a lot of fun. Everyone was so nice. Despite what she first thought, no one seemed to be there only for the food and drink, everyone came to meet her, at least just to say hi, and that meant more to her than nearly everything else about the party. Sanctuary seemed to accept all kinds, as no one here looked alike in any way. There was even a pair that looked like raiders in the armor they wore.
Some hours later she found herself relaxing in a chair on the second level where she could look down at the festivities. She'd expelled far too much energy on the dance floor trying to one-up Hancock's drunken spasms. Somehow he became far more coordinated after several bottles of liquor. She'd seen Initiates play drinking games before, normally that ended in them falling over themselves.
To her surprise Nate was drinking rather heavily. Liquor affected him strangely, at first he was just happier, but now he stood in a lone, dark corner watching the party with a single beer between his fingers. He looked… sad. Madelyn frowned and felt the need to go to him, but something wet touched her hand and she jumped away before noticing it was Dogmeat.
"Oh, hey there, boy," she rubbed the space between his ears and he sat down next to her, closing his eyes in pleasure.
"He likes you." Madelyn looked up to see the old woman from earlier.
"You're Mama Murphy, right?" she'd guessed this based off of context clues and several people actually referring to her as 'Mama'.
"Oh yes, kid," she sighed and sat down slowly in the chair next to Madelyn. "And you're Nate's squire, Madelyn Dangerfield."
"Yeah… how–?" the girl started, leaning forward to better position herself, facing the old woman. Dogmeat shimmied forward and rubbed his head against Madelyn's hand until she started petting him again.
"I've seen you, kid. I saw your birth, and the Brotherhood save you from that horrible place…" the woman frowned at her. Madelyn's heart picked up.
"'Seen'?" she asked, her brows coming together.
"It's the chems, kid, they give 'ol Mama Muphy the Sight," she explained. Madelyn frowned.
"I don't understand."
"I can see some of what was, what will be, and even what is," she sighed, looking tired as she leaned into the chair, frowning.
"And you saw… me?"
"Yeah," Mama Murphy looked over at her, resting her head on the backrest. "You weren't born in that horrible place like you thought you were, kid. You had a happy life," she looked sad, "I saw your parents, they loved you. But those slavers came and they killed them and stole you away."
Madelyn's eyes burned and before she could stop them tears fell over her eyelids. Dogmeat licked at them as the streamed down her cheek. "Why don't I remember?"
"You were told you were born there, kid, and when those Brothers came and saved you, they couldn't know how old you were. You're so small, they just made a guess," she said and reached out to touch Madelyn's hand.
"I…"
"I'm sorry that this has happened to you, kid, but I've seen what comes next, and it'll all be good in the end. You just have so many lies you're tellin', kid, you need to start tellin' the truth." Mama Murphy stood up slowly and started to leave.
"Wait, what did you see?" Madelyn also stood up, taking hold of the woman's soft, fragile hand.
"Oh, kid, you're gonna have to give me some chems if you wanna know more, I told you all I know." The woman turned back to look at her.
Madelyn remembered the thing in her pocket that Hancock had given her. She looked at it to see what it was; it was a Daddy-O. "I have this."
"Oh no, kid, that's for you, I couldn't," she shook her head.
"Oh, the Jet, someone gave me Jet," she said and reached into her back pocket where she'd stuffed it when Nate was looking at her gifts with her, before he got so drunk.
"Ah, that's good," Mama Murphy smiled and Madelyn handed it to her. "Just let me ride the high, the Sight will come…"
"Okay," Madelyn whispered watching as the old woman took the inhaler and sucked in a breath as the Jet tainted the air.
"Oh… kid…" Mama dropped the inhaler and stumbled back into the chair.
"Oh no," Madelyn gasped and knelt in front of her, but the old woman's eyes were wide and far away.
"I see… you, you're so confused. You know what you have to do but you don't think you should. You… you should tell him, but you fear he doesn't want to hear the words, that he would resent you. Oh no, child, he would only love you more…" she gasped, her back arching. "You think it's the end, but it's only the beginning. Your life is going to be a great one, but you have to make a choice. Stay in the Commonwealth, or leave…"
"I… I don't understand," Madelyn frowned. "Who is 'him'?"
"That's all I have, kid." Mama Murphy relaxed in the couch. "It doesn't wanna tell you how to live your life, and you shouldn't focus too hard on it." She nodded to the squire. "You got so many secrets, kid, it's gonna keep hurtin' you… but you're on the right path, Madelyn, just make sure you don't second guess yourself so much."
"Okay," Madelyn whispered, looking into the woman's hazy eyes. She knew all the secrets she was keeping, and it scared her.
"I'm going to rest now, that took more out of me than I thought…" she stood and started to shuffle away.
"I'll help you," Madelyn offered.
"Oh no, Dogmeat is all I need," she said, waving her hand to the girl. "You just enjoy your birthday." The German Shepard stood up and walked beside Mama Murphy, allowing her to grab the bandana around his neck for support.
"I hope we're not interrupting," a voice came from behind her.
Madelyn spun around and paused. It was the sniper, MacCready, holding a very tired looking four year old. "Oh, who's this?" she asked, smiling as she stepped up to the little guy who rubbed his eye with a tiny fist.
"His name's Duncan, can you say 'hi,' pup?" MacCready asked, looking at the boy's face. Duncan looked through his lashes at her and then turned to hide his face in the sniper's neck. "Yeah, playing shy won't work on this one," he smirked, returning his gaze to Madelyn who was looking at Duncan with bright grey eyes.
"He's so precious," she whispered, her hand absently brushing some of his thick auburn hair away from his ear.
"Oh, don't say that, he already thinks he can do whatever he wants," MacCready smiled, twisting so that the boy's face was shown to Madelyn over his shoulder. "Isn't that right, pup?"
"Mmm," he protested and Madelyn smiled.
"There it is," the sniper said, "My present to you, smiles and laughter."
"Oh? Where's the laughter?" she asked, meeting his blue eyes, they were much lighter now, even in the sketchy lighting. He smirked.
"Wanna hold him? I'll show you," he knelt down so that she could take the boy. He lightly protested, but then looked at Madelyn's face and his face lit up. He smiled widely and she could see his eyes were the same color as MacCready's.
"Is he your–?" she raised an eyebrow, the mercenary's quick movements catching her attention.
"Son? Yeah, hard to believe, I know, guy like me with a kid that stinky," he was climbing over the railing of the balcony overlooking the dance floor.
"Hey!" Duncan protested the insult, and MacCready feigned shock, pretending he didn't think the boy could hear him.
"Oop, now I've done it," the sniper said and stood with only one foot on the floor and a hand on the rail.
"What're you doing?" Madelyn took a step forward, suddenly worried that the man would do something to get himself killed.
MacCready lifted a hand to keep her from coming closer, his expression twisting to the same one he'd given her when he showed off his assembly of his sniper rifle. "Ah, just sit back and watch the show," he said and then stepped off the balcony.
"Oh my God!" she leaned over the edge, holding Duncan so that he couldn't see his dad be a complete idiot. But she was surprised to see that he'd landed on his feet perfectly intact. "That was reckless," she called down.
"Nah, it was calculated," he promised her, and then smirked. "This on the other hand…." He weaved through the crowd to where Hancock was dancing in the middle. He asked him something that Madelyn couldn't hear over the music and the ghoul laughed, shaking his head. Then MacCready nodded, his eyes flickering across the room to a man that Madelyn didn't know.
The man was nearly as big as Nate, thick through the shoulders and in the chest and wore workman's clothing, looking to be a mechanic of some sort as he had welding goggles around his neck. His black hair was done up in a pompadour way and he seemed to be heavily flirting with Piper at this moment. MacCready appeared next to him, Madelyn had missed him making the trip there.
The sniper said something to him and both Piper and the man looked confused before the ex-gunner pulled his hand back and fired a swift slap against the mechanic's left ass cheek. Before Madelyn realized what had happened MacCready had bolted from the building and who she now realized was Sturges was right on his coat tails. She broke out laughing and turned around to sit down.
Duncan was nuzzling against her shoulder and she smiled. After getting comfortable in the chair the boy sat up and rubbed his eye. "You sleepy, precious?" she asked, her voice soft.
"Yeah," he whispered and peaked at her through his lashes. "Happy birthday," he said, but his tongue and teeth prevented him from pronouncing it correctly and the result only warmed her heart more.
"Thank you, Duncan," she said. "Your daddy is silly."
"Yeah…. He is weird," the boy agreed and Madelyn thought she was going to cry from how hard she had to try to keep from laughing.
"Yeah, he likes to show off, doesn't he?"
"I dunno," the boy said, looking around, his eyes showing just how tired he was. "He don't do funny things much."
"What do you mean?"
"Not with people, just me and you," he explained and then looked at her with a sleepy grin. "I'm tired, mommy," he said and rested his head back against her shoulder. Her heart skipped. Mommy?
"Oh, Duncan, I'm not your mommy…" she whispered, but the boy shook his head, denying her words.
"We match," he said simply, his words muffled by her shirt, but he reached around her head and played with her ponytail.
Oh God… now she understood. She reminded MacCready of Duncan's mom…. Her heart pounded in her chest and she looked around, trying to figure out what to do. Then she saw MacCready sneaking up the stairs, checking over his shoulder for Sturges she assumed. Madelyn stood up, having to readjust her grip on Duncan before she could walk over to the sniper.
"Oh, hey, guess what," the man smiled proudly at her and then lifted a tin labeled CAPS in crude handwriting, "Got you a birthday gift after all." But when she didn't smile back his expression dropped, "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, I just–" she tried to hand Duncan back over to him. He reached for the boy, but the four year old clung to her.
"No, mommy," he grunted.
Madelyn watched MacCready's face as it twisted from worry to shock, then went stoic, only his brow furrowing. "No, Duncan, this is Maddy, come here, please." He stepped close enough to take his son back gently and Madelyn backed away the moment she was free of the child.
"I'm sorry," she whispered and passed him, having to leave the building. She needed air.
Outside she stood around the side of the building. What was that? What had happened? She'd started to develop feelings for the merc, she realized now to her horror. That was why things between them were so easy, because he saw Duncan's mom when he looked at her. That was just great. She barely knew the guy but the light bickering had had a positive effect, she thought that maybe after some time they might…
Might what? Grow into something? He had a kid…
But that didn't bother her like she thought it should. Duncan, from what she saw, was a pretty good seeming kid. And the time she'd spent with MacCready in Hangman's Ally was by far the best she'd had when compared to the other times the Sentinel wasn't around. Other squiring missions and the little bit of time she'd spent on the Prydwen didn't even come close to this.
"Shhh, pup, please." Madelyn stiffened and held her breath, turning around the corner to see MacCready leaving the clubhouse, holding a crying Duncan. "Crying won't help…" he whispered, his voice sounding thick. Her chest hurt as she watched him walk down the street toward the front gate where a bunkhouse had been built.
Madelyn rested her head against the wall she leaned against. What the hell was happening to her? Tears filled her eyes and then streamed down her cheeks. "Crying won't help," she agreed with the sniper.
After Madelyn had regained her composure she went back inside and found Nate and Hancock who were trying to talk to each other, but neither made too much sense. "Hey, I'm going to go to sleep," she said, her hand resting on the Sentinel's shoulder.
The man jumped, and then looked back at her, "Maddy–you can't sleep up on a guy like this. It's unsanitary."
"Um, I think you should go to bed, too," she said and then looked at Hancock whose head was bobbing, then jerking back up. "Both of you."
"Oh, all work and no fun makes–squires… little… kids," the Sentinel thought for a moment and then nodded, deciding what he said was exactly what he meant.
"Yeah, okay, come on, I don't know where to sleep."
"Oh, you can just, go anywhere, someone will clean it up," Hancock spun around in the stool and Nate nodded, whole heartily agreeing while he slowly lowered his head onto the bar counter they sat in front of. Jesus, she should have mentioned something to them sooner, she never expected it to get this bad.
The ghoul went down first, hitting the ground like a sack of tatos, and the Sentinel's face was plastered to the bar. "Well then," she frowned at the two of them, surprisingly not as disappointed as she thought she aught to be. She could just go to the bunkhouse, but MacCready was there, and the last thing she wanted to do was look at him. So she had to go somewhere else….
Madelyn went back outside and looked at the sky. It was beautiful here. The city was so far away, and other than the hum of generators and the music inside, it was quiet. She loved being outside, so she went up the street, circled a massive tree, and then went back in the other direction.
She didn't really do much of anything but look at the sky and listen to the sound of Sanctuary. It was perfect here. The settlement was really coming together, all but one house. She stopped in front of it and tilted her head. All the other houses had been cleaned up and converted into new living spaces, but this one looked like a ruined house she'd see out in the Commonwealth abandoned with a blown open door and tipped furniture.
She wondered if they were just waiting to get to this one. So she went inside. Looking around, Madelyn noted the red couch and chair facing a TV, stools sitting by a kitchen island and a table with four broken chairs. She turned down a hall; a laundry room to her right and a bathroom to her left, then two more rooms passed these. She stepped up, looking into the one on the left first. A destroyed bed and two dressers were all that stood out to her here. She stepped into the room and looked around it. There was a floor safe under the bed but it was open and empty, and one of the dressers had been pushed away from the wall to show a precisely cut rectangle, long enough for a medium sized gun to fit inside.
When she turned around her heart stopped. "Oh…" she frowned, sadness taking her.
The room across from this one was a nursery with blue wallpaper and red rocket ships. A crib sat with a red chair close by facing it as if someone sat in it and looked at the crib. Her heart ached. She could feel the pain that was connected with this room. Next to the crib was a table with a Pipboy resting on top of a neatly folded Vault suit. This was Nate's house, and this was his kidnapped son's room.
Madelyn crossed the room, and looked at the items sitting on the table. Next to the Vault suit and Pipboy was a holotape that looked heavily worn from use and a pair of Brotherhood of Steel holotags. A burnt piece of paper in an old frame was sitting up behind them, a laser rifle behind that. She looked closer at the paper, it read what she thought said School of Law….
On the floor between the crib and table was a Mr. Handy. The scorched hole going through its dome along with the fact it only had one of its three eyes remaining told her that it hadn't just shut down, but had basically been killed.
She remembered Nate mentioning that his Mr. Handy had pointed him to Concord. He'd even said the words 'faithful until the end.' How had she missed that? Nate had lost his wife, son, Paladin Danse, and his Mr. Handy. Those were just the ones she knew about. Not to mention the world and life he had had before being frozen for two hundred years.
"What're you doing here?"
Madelyn turned around to see a little boy standing in the doorway. He had to be about ten, but even so she could see Nate's face in his. His blue eyes, pale like the sky, and hair black like cool coals. Her mouth dropped, she thought he was kidnapped? He said that he had killed the guy who took him, but he never said anything about getting him back.
"I asked you a question," the boy frowned, his hands balling up into fists.
"I–I, uh, I'm friends with your dad. Nate is your dad, right?"
He narrowed his eyes at her. "Why are you here?"
"I was just looking, I didn't know whose house this was."
"Leave," he barked and Madelyn nodded, and tried to get through the doorway without getting to close to him. There was something odd about him.
"I'm sorry."
"Get out!" he shouted and then went into the room out of sight. Her heart pounded as she left the house, running right into a hard chest.
"Oh, I'm so sorry," she bounced off and caught herself, looking up into a synth's glowing yellow eyes. "Oh god," she scrambled to grab something to defend herself.
"Whoa there, kiddo, it's okay," it raised its hands at her, talking in a much too normal voice for the state of its face. She looked at its hands, pausing. One was covered in white skin while the other was just metal bones. Her eyes flickered to its face. Parts of the skin were missing, showing the mechanics underneath. "I'm Nick Valentine."
"You–you're Nick?" her eyebrows shot up. Of course, now it makes sense why she'd hate him more than Hancock.
"Yes, so someone's told you about me?" He wore a dirty trench coat and a worn fedora, which for some reason, didn't look too bad on him. Her heart started to slow down.
"I–uh, sorta," she frowned and tried to relax. He was a friend of Nate's, which means he's okay. "Just… in passing, no one said you were a…"
"You can say it, synth," he said, seeming to relax as well.
"I'm sorry, I just…" she looked away from him. Next Nate would tell her about him being besties with a Super Mutant….
"It's okay, I'm not a stranger to this treatment."
She didn't know what to say, and he just stood, waiting. "I'm sorry," she said again and left.
"Did Shaun go in there? I was supposed to be watching him and he just kinda–"
"Nate's son is in there, yeah," she answered, pausing long enough to inform him and then started walking away quicker. She needed to go to sleep. She felt so overwhelmed and exhausted she could feel new tears welling up in her eyes.
She decided to go to the bunkhouse anyway, and tried to find a bed. The place had beds scattered about for anyone and everyone who wasn't a permanent resident. It wasn't hard for her to find MacCready. He was lying in the corner with his back to the wall and his hat hanging from a nail above his bed. She wandered over and noticed Duncan fast asleep in his arms. The sniper's breathing was too quick for him to be asleep, though. She could see his eyes squeezed tight through the darkness, and a wet stream drawing a line from his eye over his nose onto the pillow.
Her own breathing picked up and ascended the stairs as quietly as she could. There were no open beds up stairs, so she left. Madelyn didn't know what to do so she sat down on the ground outside the bunkhouse and looked at the sky. "Crying won't help," she whispered.