Sanctuary. My house. The fight is over, the price paid, the enemies put to rest. Piper and I laid on the couch without speaking, Count Basie's "Brand New Wagon" playing softly in the background. Her head rested on my chest, both of us almost asleep but too charged to actually drift off. It had been three days since the fall of the Institute. It still had not quite sunk in to me that it was really over. I had been fighting this war so long, dragged myself through so much muck and grime and blood I felt barely human.

The song ended and the mournful violin of Bing Crosby's "Sparrow In The Treetop" began. Piper stirred and I clutched her a little tighter.

"Are you keeping me here?" she murmured.

"Yes. Forever. We're never getting up."

"S'fine with me…" she lifted her head. "Blue…"

"Hmm."

"What are you thinking about?"

"I don't rightly know. Nothing. Everything. I've been working towards this day, barely scraped by so many fights. Seen people, good people, die on my orders. My son. And now...now that it's finally done...I feel like I've finished."

"Finished what?"

"My purpose." I said what had been ringing in my head for weeks. "I did not expect to survive the final battle. That Shaun and I would have battled to the death. I'd take his body in my arms and that's how you'd find me."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."

"Who would carry on your work? What you've started?"

"Maxson. Kells. Preston. Madison. Valerie. You."

"I'm serious, Blue."

"So am I." I rubbed her head with my chin. "You were to have a critical position afterwards."

"Position?" she rolled up to look at me. "What are you talking about?"

"There will be a post war tribunal that will consist of the Minutemen general, Institute Director and as yet unnamed Brotherhood liaison. I wanted a special committee empowered to investigate abuses, crimes, corruption, graft, wherever it lay in the new order."

Piper sat all the way up, knees on either side of my legs. "Have you…"

"It was to be called the Wright Committee. You were to be what you were born to be. Not my right hand, not a Minutemen major, not my dearest companion I would rather die a dozen times over for. A feared, well financed, well protected investigator, cutting costs and saving lives wherever you can."

"Were?"

"I planned on releasing the documents post mortem. My death would have been all the impetus needed to get you to agree."

"You recorded a holotape didn't you?"

"I already destroyed it, if that was your next question."

"Damn." she pursed her lips. "And now?"

"Now I have to convince you to say yes myself."

"You say that like it's going to be an uphill battle. Why wouldn't I want to do that?"

"You and I would hardly see each other."

"Oh." she laid back down on my chest. "Nevermind."

"C'mon. We're apart fairly often anyhow."

"Not because you want to." she said what we both knew to be true. "We end this great threat, put the Commonwealth back on track for the first time maybe since the bombs fell. Maxson is busy hunting every Super Mutant and raider he can get his hands on for sport, Preston is learning how to build a Vault and operating without you babysitting him. Everything is going so well. And you want to up and ruin it?"

"Ruin's a strong word."

"I don't care. I want to stay here with you forever. Haven't I earned it?"

I went quiet a moment. This had been building for a while and I hadn't noticed. "You have investigations ongoing anyway. And Nat-"

"Nat is getting older. Tougher. She won't need me as much. And the differences between that and this are many. My absences from the war effort are voluntary because I need the case to end quickly. Not because I want to go anywhere. I hate being away from you."

"I know."

"Well?" she looked up at me again. Her eyes were gorgeous.

"Your eyes are so pretty I get lost in them sometimes." I said truthfully.

"Nice try. Answer me."

"This is for the good of everyone." I insisted.

"Except you and me. Have I not been at your side from the start?"

"Ever since I walked into Diamond City."

"Has anyone fought alongside you more than me?"

"Maybe Danse, but it's close."

"Do you love me?"

"Yeah." I answered without thinking. "I mean...yes. Yes. I love you, Piper."

She stared at me hard like she didn't believe it at first. Then I realized she wasn't trying to see if I was lying, she was waiting for me to come to the conclusion that I had answered my own question.

"I don't want us to be apart." I clarified. "I don't. But you have special skills. Things no one else I know has."

"If you're going to say something about my tush-"

"Absolute, undiluted, unshakable fearlessness. The person in charge of this committee must be skilled, dogged, noble to the point of fault. They must leave no stone unturned, no matter the personal danger."

"I'm not the only person that fits that description."

"Who?"

"Nick Valentine."

I shook my head. "Nick is the finest detective I know, true-"

"He taught me half of everything I know."

"He is not a leader of men." I finished. "You're human, for one. You hold the rank of major for two. You have literally been my XO before you knew what it was. Your name is respected across the Commonwealth. Nicky might be a bloodhound but you have another thing he doesn't."

"What?"

"A way with words. Shaping public opinion. A gift for a good story. Sometimes just raising an issue in your paper is enough to save lives. Your fulminations against the enemies of the Commonwealth carry great weight. If Piper Wright walks into a troubled settlement, people know to seek you out discreetly to bring you the truth. I've heard arguments ended because someone threatened to take the matter to you personally. Your name is as good as gold, Pipes. If you demand answers, the people will listen."

"Because of you." she brushed hair out of my face. "Because they know who I speak for. They know if something happens to me, you and Three-Eight will lead a small army of Minutemen to wipe an entire raider colony off the map."

"If you accept this commission, you'll be speaking for yourself. Backed by not one but three of the most powerful factions in the country."

"Hmph." she grumbled but I knew she liked the idea at least. "What if I say no?"

"I'll convince you."

"And if I keep saying no?"

"I suppose I'll give up eventually." I sighed. "Then we really will stay here forever. Wouldn't be so bad. Every day I wake up next to you is a gift. I wouldn't complain."

"They'll come for you." she laid her head back down. "They always do. Always something they need to ask you, something they need your opinion on. Then it's 'oh it would be better if you saw it' and then you're off for a week on some crazy problem or new settlement. You're too restless. It's easy to lure you away."

"I suppose. If I had a good enough reason to stay, maybe I wouldn't go anywhere. Tell you what. Why don't we take a vacation."

"Vacation?" her voice rumbled into my chest.

"Three months. Right here, you and me, the dog, the robot. I will love you every day until you run off to head the committee."

"Oh? Then what will you do?"

"Hopefully nothing." I mused. "But like you said. Someone will come for me eventually. I am a Sentinel after all."

She made disagreeable throat growls and I laughed. "What are you thinking then?" I asked.

"I'm thinking three months will be a minimum. You are not to leave Sanctuary Hills, unless you're picking flowers for me or something. No vertibirds, no guests."

"All right, Ms. Wright. As you say."

Her head stayed down. That was a surefire sign that she was thinking. The more she thought, the more trouble I was in. I had to do something.

"Sure are taking your time. Do you want to talk about it later?"

"Codsworth." she sat up suddenly. "Get me a tea and a muffin."

He came powering in from the other room, no doubt busily cleaning something. "Yes ma'am!" he practically saluted. Piper waited patiently, ignoring my incredulity. He served her the items on the coffee table and the reporter daintily sipped her tea.

"This one of the new ones?" she asked.

"Yes." I narrowed my eyes.

She slowly ate the muffin, dunking it in the tea. This was bad. This was her paper writing, big brain mode.

"So uh-"

"First thing." she interrupted and then went to sip after cutting me off, taking her time before continuing. "I want Nicky on the payroll full time as my lead investigator."

"He's never going to leave his little file den permanently."

"Well, you'd better go down there and convince him because I won't even consider it without him."

"Didn't you just tell me I can't leave this place for three months?"

"I'll make exceptions."

"Ugh. Fine. What else?"

"I want weekends off. I want you to show up in a vertibird every Friday to take me home no matter where I am."

"That's- fine, I'll get it done."

"I want a Sunshine Farms blend named after me."

I sat up. This was serious. "You're kidding."

"I am not, in fact, kidding." she sipped the tea.

"Dammit woman, you know that's my baby!"

"Call it the Wright Stuff Blend."

"Oh my god, no, no way, that's terrible."

"Put my picture on the front."

"You're sick."

"Find someone else to run your committee then." she turned up her nose. "I'm happy where I am."

"I'm not calling it that."

"We can brainstorm ideas. But it's catchy."

"Damn you. Fine."

"One more thing."

"Oh god, great. What now."

She fiddled with her hands. Piper only did it when she was nervous. That, I did not expect.

"I want you to do something for me. And for you."

"Anything." I drew closer to her.

"I want you to tell everyone that you're the Ghost."

I went quiet. She was one of very few people that knew about my alter ego. The work that I did. I could not hide my shock.

"It's time you put it away." she looked at me. "Let Maxson handle the raiders. Let your Minutemen. You've done all you can."

"Have I?" I asked, looking down.

"I know it still bothers you. Sarah. You're worried you failed her. You're worried you didn't give her a pleasant enough resting place."

"How do you see through me so easily?" I furrowed my brow. "S'not fair. Was the tree not grandiose enough? Was the view not good enough? Why do I still feel this emptiness?"

"She wasn't handing out candy, Nate." Piper took my hand. "You know what she had done."

"It wasn't her fault." I looked her in the eye. "They made her that way. I should've...I don't know. I should have done something else."

"It's all right. Tell them. Tell them why you did it. Tell them what's in your soul."

"Why?"

"If we are to be honest about everything moving forward, it has to start with you and me. No skeletons, no dark shadows. You have to come clean with the Commonwealth about who you really are. All of you."

I thought of Curie and felt a pang of guilt. "You drive a hard bargain. All right. But I do need your help though."

"Oh?"

"I'm going to address the city in about a week, telling everyone what happened. I need help with the speech."

Piper bolted upright. "Are you serious!? You're just telling me now!? We only have a week! I could have a working draft by now!"

"It's not-"

"I need a pen!" she jumped off the couch. "Codsworth! Paper! More tea!"

"Ma'am!" he answered happily.

"I knew this was going to happen." I sighed to myself.