Chapter Sixteen

"First Day of My Life"

This is the first day of my life

Swear I was born right in the doorway

I went out in the rain suddenly everything changed

They're spreading blankets on the beach

Yours is the first face that I saw

I think I was blind before I met you

Now I don't know where I am

I don't know where I've been

But I know where I want to go

And so I thought I'd let you know

That these things take forever

I especially am slow

But I realize that I need you

And I wondered if I could come home

Jude

Jude had to admit, it wasn't a bad way to start the day. Sure, he felt like his head had been used as a Super Mutant's punching bag and he'd drank away much more of his caps than he'd intended to last night, but sitting on the flat roof of the Gift Shop entrance with Posey and a thermos full of crappy but at least piping hot coffee was decent enough compensation.

"Sunrises or sunsets?" Asked Posey, drawing her sleeves over her fingers and still looking up at the sky, entranced by the colors that would be gone as soon as the sun rose. They sat shoulder to shoulder, Posey's knees drawn up to her chest and tucked under her nightshirt, her bare feet just peeking out from the hem of it.

"Is there a difference?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I think so."

"Well sunsets I guess, so I don't have to wake up absurdly early."

Posey dropped her gaze long enough to stick her tongue out at him before her eyes flitted back up to the clouds.

She was quiet for so long, Jude thought perhaps she'd given up on her questions but, finally she asked, her voice low:

"What would you do, if things were different?" She looked down at him and in the odd half light of the sunrise, her eyes looked almost purple.

"Different how?" He asked warily, drawing one knee up and wrapping an arm around it while he cocked his head to the side. He didn't know if he wanted this question game to head this direction. If's generally haunted him more than he cared to think about.

"Like, different as in the war never happened." Explained Posey, tucking her tangled hair behind her ears. "Or if we were living in Pre-War times. What's something you've always wanted to do, but can't because of how the world is now?"

Jude pursed his lips in a slight frown and looked up at the clouds, "What would I do, Pre-War." He mused, slowly drumming his fingers against his leg. "Well, for starters I'd take a shower, a real long, real hot one."

"Ha ha ha." Said Posey, elbowing him. "I mean like, life wise. What would you do for a career? Or for fun you know, something that's pretty much impossible now."

"I think that's pretty much impossible now, but..." He trailed off, looking up at the color show above them, which was already starting to fade, the brilliant pastels muting as they sat and the sun began to rise. "I think I'd like to go to the beach." He said at length, "Yeah, I'd want to go to the beach if we were Pre-War. I've seen ads for them, old travel agency brochures and postcards and stuff like that. They look, nice I guess."

"The beach, huh?" Asked Posey, grinning over at him. "You want to try surfing maybe? Catch some rays?"

"I don't know what any of those words mean, blondie. I just like pictures of the beach." He said, letting his legs fall forward and hang off the edge.

"Because your favorite color is blue? Ocean blue?"

"Sure."

Posey laughed and Jude felt his lips twitch in a smile as they always seemed to do whenever he heard her laugh.

"What about you?" He asked, looking from the fading clouds to her. The collar on her night shirt was crooked, and Jude could see a hint of her scars from the Deathclaw, the angry puckered red skin barely visible. She'd been in the Wasteland a fraction of the time that he'd lived here, and already they had an almost even amount of scars. "What would you want to do?"

"I think I'd want a bookstore." Said Posey, resting her chin on her knees. "Or a bakery. Maybe both."

"What's a bakery?" Asked Jude with a frown.

"It's a place where people made bread and cakes and rolls and stuff. I had a book down in the vault, The Art of Baking, that was full of recipes I wished I could have tried. I also wish...I'd want to go to a dance."

Jude smiled and shook his head, looking out over the Wasteland, taking in the distant outline of Rivet City and other ruins, all cloaked in purple mist.

"You dance all over now," He said, "why would you need an excuse?"

"Well yeah but Pre-War dances," Posey smiled, soft and slow, almost nostalgic. "they were something else. The whole town would show up. People would get dressed up in their best, suits and dresses, gloves and pearls. And there would be live music! It was just... different. You'd get asked to the dance by someone, someone you liked preferably. And they might bring you flowers. Can you imagine? Real flowers?"

Jude smiled out at the Wastes before turning back to her, taking in her mussed hair, crooked collar and slow smile, the dimple he'd only just recently noticed flashing in her cheek.

"The Wasteland could use more flowers." He said, and Posey's grin widened.

"You think?" She asked, and Jude nodded.

"Yeah, I do." He murmured, letting his eyes rove her face, taking in every sun soaked detail.

"I've got another question for you." She said quietly, and Jude waited. Posey looked up at him, a small smile curling up half of her mouth. "What's one thing that can always make you smile, no matter what?"

The obvious answer to that question sat mere inches away, but he refrained from voicing that opinion. Whatever this was that was cropping up between them, however it had started, he wasn't really sure, he didn't want to risk or rush it. So Jude thought for a moment, leaning back slightly and staring out over the horizon with a frown. He'd never really paid attention to how much he'd smiled before. He thought it couldn't have been very much. Seldom did he have things to smile about, until recently, anyway.

"Simple things." He said at last, "Quick and easy fixes to complicated problems. Or finding out what exactly is wrong with something."

"What about motorcycles?" Asked Posey, and Jude looked down at her in surprise.

"What about motorcycles?" He asked.

"I know you like them." Said Posey with a shrug. "I saw the way you eyed that one in Rivet City, and the two back at Smith Casey's garage."

"Well yeah, I think they're cool looking but so what? There's nothing to smile about a piece of broken down, centuries old junk."

"Sure there is." Said Posey bracingly. "It's not junk it's...vintage."

Jude snorted, "Alright, my turn for a question." He said, raising a challenging eyebrow down at her. Posey grinned, mimicking his posture and expression.

"Do your worst." She taunted.

"Did you mean what you said, back at the Muddy Rudder? Are you happy?" He asked.

"I am." Said Posey without missing a beat. "I don't think I've ever been this happy before, actually. I'm ridiculously happy."

"You weren't happy down in the Vault?" He asked, making a show of looking incredulous. "Down with that dream boat Freddie and weekly dances?"

Posey rolled her eyes and gave his shoulder a shove, which made him smirk.

"Are you happy?" She challenged, looking up at him.

"Dunno." Said Jude honestly, with a shrug. "At the moment? Yeah, I'm pretty happy."

Posey smiled, "Good." She said simply.

May slipped past in a blur as Jude and Posey dove back into the work of Project Purity with renewed vigor. It was something Jude had never really experienced, being part of a team like this. When he was a Wasteland Warrior there had never really been a sense of comradery, at least one that extended to him. It was watch your back, fulfill your contracts, and leave everyone else alone. Now, despite hitting a new blockade at every turn, the team would bounce back again, even Daniel and Anna, who were the notorious 'grouches' as Posey called them, they would all rally together. Jude hesitated to say it but truly, he did think he might have finally have found that elusive thing, happiness. Which honestly scared him out of his wits. Being happy was one of the most terrifying things in the Wasteland. Once you're happy, somebody just has to come along and prove you wrong. Strike you down for daring to have some semblance of normalcy or peacefulness,

And yet, he couldn't help it. Every morning, he and Posey would sit together in the pillared room, and eventually James would actually take a break from pouring over old notes to join them, and seeing the way that Posey would light up when he did, it was a challenge to keep the grin off his face. Comparing the Posey he'd met in Megaton to the one seated across from him now was like looking at a photo-negative and it's fully colored copy. She laughed easily, danced along to Galaxy News Radio, which she rarely had turned off on her Pip-Boy and worked tirelessly. Three Dog it seemed couldn't get enough of Posey either, because every time Jude turned around he was spouting off some sort of praise or story about her and her father. A fact that Posey seemed somehow oblivious to and one that irritated Daniel beyond belief.

Jude could hear him now, huffing impatiently at the radio Jude had fixed in the pillared room while the two of them tried to rebuild fuses. Posey had left with her father and it was just Daniel, Alex and Jude, seated at the scrubbed wooden table, each with their own meager materials spread out in front of them, tinkering and experimenting with what scraps they had.

Jude looked over at Daniel who was scowling at the radio as Three Dog's voice cackled out of it's tinny speakers:

"People of the Capital Wasteland, you can HEAR MEEEE! Yeeeaa haaaa! You can't stop the signal, baby! That's right, from Megaton to Girdershade, Paradise Falls to the Republic of Dave, we are coming to you loud and proud, in a special live report!" Jude reached over and turned the volume dial up, ever so slightly, reigning in a smirk as Daniel glared at him. Jude didn't particularly care for Three Dog's showy act himself, but anything that pissed Daniel off was worth it in Jude's book.

"But Three Dog!" Continued the radio. "You're in that cool radio studio in D.C. How do YOU know I can hear you, all the way out here in the ass end of nowhere? Because of the kid from Vault 101, that's how! That gal actually managed to repair our antenna relay. How's that for ingenuity, folks? From here on in, it's bye-bye stupid static, hello magnificent music. So sit back, relax, and absorb these classic tunes. And kid, you get your ass back to GNR, you hear me? We've got some stuff to talk about!"

"Oh please," Said Daniel, throwing down the wires he'd been fiddling with. "Do we have to listen to this shit? It's bad enough that bimbo's wandering around with it blasting from her wrist all the time."

Alex shot Jude a nervous look as he slowly looked up from his own half baked fuse.

"You got a problem, pal?" Asked Jude, putting down the screwdriver he'd been working with and glaring over at him, carefully clenching his hands into loose but unmistakable fists.

"So what if I do?" Challenged Daniel, though his eyes darted nervously around.

"Keep it to yourself, hot shot." Growled Jude, "Unless you don't like the way your teeth sit in your mouth."

"You really expect me to believe all this crap this, this Three Dog spouts about that girl?" Demanded Daniel, "That she fixed the bomb in Megaton? That she fixed the broadcast relay in D.C. which is swarming with Mutants? If she's so damn handy how come she's not here, helping us fix these fuses?"

"The real question is why aren't you shutting the hell up after what I just told you." Said Jude, his shoulders tensing up and jaw clenching while Alex sat, his eyes flitting from Jude to Daniel and back again, as if he were watching a tennis match.

"Since when are you in charge, tough guy?" Sneered Daniel, "I don't know what Doctor Li is thinking, letting someone like you try and help with a project like this. I don't know why we're helping on some half assed crack pot project like this!"

"You're either really brave or really stupid." Snarled Jude with a scowl, "Because if you had half a brain you would've shut your mouth about twenty seconds ago."

"What, you gonna fight me?" He taunted, "Doctor Li will kick your ass out on the curb, Merc. Then who's gonna watch over that little Vaultie all hours of the day? You're the shittiest gun for hire I've ever met, all you care about is that bitch from the-"

But the rest of his sentence was cut off as Jude practically dived over the table, scattering wires and casings every which way as he tackled Daniel out of his seat.

"Guys!" Called Alex helplessly as Jude and Daniel rolled across the floor. "Guys cut it out!"

Jude had the clear upper hand but Daniel was a lot squirmier than he thought, and all the while Three Dog's gravely voice called: "Grab your hankies, children, cause I've got a heart-warming tale to tell. It's about a little girl's search for her… for her daddy. Waaaahh!"

"What the hell is going on here?" Asked a new voice, which Jude ignored completely, the radio drowning out Alex's meak explanation.

"You see, the kid from Vault 101 has been looking for her dad, a very nice man named James, who left his daughter behind in the Vault when he took off. What kind of dad leaves his kid in an underground bunker? Children, I just don't know. It ain't for Three Dog to judge, and you shouldn't either. But none of that matters now! Father and daughter were spotted walkin' and talkin' together out there in the Wastes. Here's hoping they can hold onto each other this time around."

Jude felt someone pull him back and Daniel scrambled away from him, nose bleeding copiously and one eye already blackening.

"Mr. Dargon, please turn that radio off."

The radio switched off and Jude saw James come around from where he'd been holding Jude back and help a shaking Daniel to his feet.

"Now," Said James scowling fiercely and looking from Jude to Daniel with a stormy expression. "I don't know what's gotten into the pair of you, you're grown men for heaven's sake! Mr. Hiller, I do believe there is a medical kit behind the counter in the gift shop, if you would be so kind as to fetch it for Mr. Agincourt here."

Jude would not be so kind as to do that asshole any favors, but one more look from James and Jude stomped away from the room, giving Daniel a fierce glare while James instructed him as to where to pinch his nose to stop the blood from flowing.

Jude crouched down behind the counter, still glowering as he angrily pawed through the detritus that had sat for centuries on the dusty shelves that Posey had somehow missed in her original scrub down. He found the med kit stashed beside a large crumbling cardboard box labeled 'Lost and Found' which fell to pieces as Jude roughly yanked the med kit free. He was about to get to his feet when he paused, looking at the remains of the box, and its contents. There was a pair of thick framed black glasses, a rusty set of keys and a leather wallet, but what interested him was something he could barely see peeking from the mouth of a backpack.

The book felt solid in his hands as he gently tugged it free from its canvas prison and looked it over, brushing off a thick layer of dust. He sat back on his heels and ran his fingers over the slightly raised title, To Kill a Mockingbird. Surely, Posey couldn't have known this was here, or she'd have snapped it up in a heartbeat.

"Jude?"

Hastily, Jude shoved the book back into the pack and straightened up, seeing Posey, dressed in her armored Vault Suit, looking at him with raised eyebrows. "What are you doing back there?" She asked.

"N-nothing!" Said Jude quickly, "I mean, I'm getting a Med kit, for your dad."

"Is something wrong?" Asked Posey, hastily stepping forward, "Is he-"

"He's alright," Interrupted Jude, "it's for that Agincourt guy."

"Oh," Said Posey, her shoulders visibly relaxing with relief. "what's wrong with him?"

"Um," Jude scrubbed at the back of his neck, feeling his cheeks grow warm. "He uh, he's got a bloody nose."

"Oh?" Drawled Posey, crossing her arms and arching a brow. "And how did he come down with that?"

"Completely spontaneous." Said Jude hastily, "You know how this dry, Wasteland air is. Really shrivels you up."

Posey looked unconvinced and Jude surreptitiously pushed the backpack further back onto the shelf with his foot.

"What's up with you?" He asked, "Why do you have your armored suit on?"

"I've got to head into Rivet City," She said, looking at him with narrowed eyes. "Supply run. I was just wondering if you wanted to come. You're better at bartering than me."

"Sure," Said Jude, "I'll come...Just give me a sec."

"You find any good loot back there?" She asked, stepping closer, "I didn't even think to check."

"No!" Cried Jude, hurrying around the counter to block her progress. "Just junk!"

"What's gotten into you?" Asked Posey incredulously, looking up at him in surprise and folding her arms across her chest.

"What're you talking about?" He said gruffly. "Nothing's gotten into me. Let's go."

"But-"

"Do you want my help or not?"

"Yes!" Exclaimed Posey, exasperated. "Jeez, you're really one one today." She muttered with a scowl.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Said Jude, looking the picture of innocence, or at least he hoped so. "Let me go give this to your dad and I'll meet you outside."

"Alright, alright." Grumbled Posey, turning and heading towards the exit. "Bossypants."

Once she was gone, Jude hurried back to the pillared room, holding aloft the medical kit, which James accepted, pulling it open and retrieving the cold pack that was activated by cracking it and mixing two no doubt highly toxic chemicals together inside of its thin plastic casing, which then he held out to Daniel who pressed it against his eye, glaring balefully at Jude, who scowled right back. He hoped the stupid pack leaked onto his stupid face.

"Now," Said James, still looking angry. "I don't know what stirred you to such ridiculous actions, but-"

"Gotta run, Doc." Said Jude, turning on his heel. "I'll catch you later."

"Mr. Hiller!" Protested James but Jude slipped out of the pillared room, and hurried to collect his shotgun and meet Posey outside. She was standing with her arms still crossed looking suspiciously up at him as he approached, hefting his shotgun up into his arms.

"Ready?" He asked, brushing back his hair that had flopped into his eyes. Really, it was probably time to buzz it all off again.

"Whenever you are." She said, still frowning.

"Let's get a move on, then. Shall we?" He asked, gesturing for her to go first, and Posey did so, still with narrowed eyes. "What stuff do we need in Rivet City?" He asked, following after her.

"Food and water mostly." She said, "I've got a list of odds and ends from my dad, and he gave me some caps for that. I've got some of my own caps that I want to see if I can't find something else to wear besides this filthy armored suit and Vault 101 suits."

"Well Bannon's gonna charge you an arm and a leg. Just so you know." Said Jude and Posey smirked,

"So you think," She said, tossing back her hair, which now that Jude noticed, it did look much smoother today. "but we'll see."

"Oh no." Said Jude shaking his head. "Please, Blondie, please tell me you did not do your hair so Bannon will give you a discount on, what was it? A lovely satin...something?"

"It was chiffon, just so you know." Said Posey haughtily. "And I don't want a chiffon...whatever he had in mind. I just want something different than what I've been wearing for the past nineteen years."

"This isn't going to end well." Said Jude shaking his head.

The Rivet City market was crowded today, and while Jude haggled and heckled his way through Posey's list, Posey stood in front of Bannon, shamelessly flirting up a storm and it was all Jude could do to keep himself from punching the nearest passerby as he heard a completely ridiculous giggle slip from Posey's lips for the third time in two minutes. Bannon had his best wares spread out, and as Jude approached, he was holding up a sky blue fluffy looking thing with a rather plunging neckline and saying in his smarmy way. "I do think you would look ravishing in this, my dear. Would you like to try it on?"

Oh you'd like that, wouldn't you? Thought Jude, scowling darkly.

"I think that's a bit formal for my taste." Said Posey, smiling delicately. "I just need something, simple. Something like," She brightened and stepped past Bannon into his shop, reaching behind a rack of threadbare and faded dresses, "this!" She said brightly, holding up a simple, sleeveless dress. Jude didn't know a thing about dresses, other than the fact they were not pants and had to be ridiculously impractical to run in, but Posey was looking at it like it was the Holy Grail. The only thing that stood out to him was the fact that it was the exact shade of pink that the clouds had been the day he'd woken her up after their fight.

"Oh, that old thing?" Said Bannon with a frown. "It's barely holding together, I was going to have it cut up and refashioned."

"Then you won't want much for it then, will you." Said Posey with a charming smile. "I'll give you twenty caps."

"I-" Protested Bannon.

"Perfect." Said Posey brightly, tossing over a small sack of caps, which Bannon fumbled to catch.

"But-" He called but Posey hurried out of his shop, folding the dress over her shoulder and saying cheerily over her shoulder.

"Pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Bannon!"

She hurried away before Bannon could respond and Jude followed after her, shaking his head and smiling.

"That was excellently handled, Blondie." Said Jude with a smirk. "I'll have to try that tactic sometime, run off before they can charge you anything else."

Posey tucked her dress into the mouth of the canvas sack full of the supplies they'd gotten, struggling to hold back a smile.

"I don't think I'll be welcomed back to Potomac attire anytime soon." Said Posey, "But that's no loss."

"Definitely not." Agreed Jude as they stepped out of Rivet City and onto the metal walkway. "You sure you don't want to give that fluffy, frilly thing a try?"

"Not exactly my style." Said Posey, "I think the neckline would've gone down to my belly button."

"That's probably why Bannon wanted you to try it on." Said Jude with a scowl. "You really should have just shot him the second you saw him."

"That might have slightly tarnished the reputation of my dad's project." Said Posey lightly. "We can't really advocate that we're trying to better the Wasteland if we shoot whatever annoys us."

"So you really think this idea of your dad's will work?" Asked Jude, looking down at her, "I mean, it's a great idea and everything, but it seems almost too incredible."

Posey didn't speak for a moment, she simply looked out over the Wasteland, pursing her lips slightly, thinking.

"Yeah, I think it will work." Said Posey at last, looking up at him. "I think he thinks it will work, so...yeah. My dad will make it work."

"But-"

"He's just about as stubborn as you are, he wouldn't have left the Vault if he didn't think he could make this work."

"The whole Potomac though? I dunno Blondie, I'm no Egghead but it seems too good to be true."

"Lots of things start out like that," Said Posey with a smile. "There are plenty of miraculous, seemingly impossible things that never would have happened if someone didn't find them and stick to their guns no matter what. A project is only as powerful as its people are dedicated. And Project Purity has some seriously dedicated people."

Jude looked down at her, shaking his head in disbelief and a small smile twisting his lips.

"What?" She demanded, scowling up at him. "Why are you shaking your head at me like that?"

"Nothing," Said Jude, shaking his head again, still smiling. "it's just, you really are something, Blondie. That's all."

"You've said that before." She said, arching a brow. "But you never seem to decide if it's a good something or a bad something."

"I guess you'll just have to-"

"Well, well, well, what have we here?"

Jude and Posey froze. They'd just made it to the road, and started passing the ruins when a man, dressed in a black suit with a ridiculous hat resting on his greasy hair stepped around from a rusted car and into the path ahead of them.

"If it isn't the kid from the Vault." Drawled the man, tucking his hands into his suit pockets. "The Lone Wanderer, isn't that what they call you these days, sweetheart?"

Jude looked quickly over his shoulder and saw three more suited men emerging from the ruins around them, forming a loose circle around the two of them. His grip tightened on the sack in his hands, his shotgun slung over his shoulder out of reach.

"This doesn't have to get ugly, doll." Said the man in front of them, "Just come along with us, and nobody needs to get hurt."

Jude looked back at the three behind them and saw the largest man slip a pair of brass knuckles over his meaty fingers. The other two smacked their palms with Police Batons and Jude smirked. They were going to try and go old school?

Good luck, fellas. He thought, looking down at Posey, but she had her eyes trained on the man in front of them, a scowl set on her lips and her eyes narrowed and calculating.

"And where would we be going?" Asked Posey.

"For a little walk," Said the man with a smirk, "a little walk on over to Tenpenny Tower."

Jude felt Posey stiffen next to him, and her knuckles turned white on the handle of her pistol.

"Oh I wouldn't try that." Said the man lightly, nodding at her gun. "Don't want things to end bloody, now do we? We've been told to mind that pretty face of yours."

"Oh, how thoughtful." Said Posey tightly, not moving her hand. "Well, I'm afraid you're going to have to take that little walk alone, because I'm not going anywhere with you. Take a hike, pal."

The man glowered, "Watch it, doll." He said, his voice low. "I don't take sass, especially from little bitches like you."

"And I don't take half baked threats from misogynistic assholes like you." Snarled Posey. "So you can walk away now as you are now, or with a couple more holes in you than you'd like."

Jude had been glancing back at the three behind them while Posey and the front man had been bickering, specifically the one beefy one in the middle. There was something about him, his large crooked nose with a thick gnarled scar across the bridge that was horribly familiar. These were obviously Mister Burke's men, but they couldn't be the same ones he'd run into almost a decade ago, back in the Muddy Rudder, the ones who'd taken Sal Hiller away, never to be seen again. Could they?

"Keep staring, bucko and see where it gets you." Growled the man, running his thumb over his brass knuckles.

Jude's blood ran cold, and he suddenly felt seventeen years old again, hearing that voice grumble,

"Finish the kid, we don't have time for this."

He pounced before he really had thought through what he was doing, for the second time that day, tackling the man flat sending them both rolling flat to the ground over the gravel. Ignoring the shotgun banging against his back, Jude drove his fist into the man's face, his mind a blank expanse of pure rage, but the man was stronger than Jude anticipated and he threw him off before he could get another hit in. Jude's back crashed into the rusted car the first man had come out behind, knocking the wind out of him while he heard Posey's anguished cry of:

"Jude!"

Jude felt himself being lifted by the collar of his armor, pulling him up and slamming his head back down on the edge of the car's fender. His head swam, his vision blurred and he struggled to haul himself up to his elbows, and scramble to his feet as he felt more hands wrench him up. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Posey trying to dive forward, but the front man caught her tight, yanking her back.

"Hold it, sugar." He said, his lips twisting in a smirk. "I wanna see how long your boyfriend lasts against the three stooges."

She fought back, viciously driving elbows into ribs and knees into guts, but Jude didn't have time to see what happened next, as he ducked a swinging baton, and turned back to the three in front of him. He hadn't been able to do anything all those years ago. He'd been a scrawny teenager with not enough mileage and not enough muscle, but now...Now he was gonna give these bastards a run for their money.

It was ugly. Jude fought dirtier than he had in a long time, his blood roaring in his ears, and some streaming into his eye from his temple, where it had been split open, barely drowning out the sounds of Posey and the others fighting and he didn't notice or care who was in front of him, receiving his blows, and he hardly felt the ones he got in return. Blood obscured his vision and he heard a sharp cry and the first man called out angrily,

"Damnit girlie, the boss didn't want anything happening to your face!"

Jude tried to turn back to Posey, but he froze as the beefy man leered down at him, twirling a knife between his fingers. Jude's gun had fallen into the dirt, and was no doubt damaged from being both dropped and kicked aside, and his own knife was back at the memorial, as opposed to strapped to the back of his belt like usual. This was supposed to be a simple supply run. He hadn't counted on getting into a brawl with the man who'd taken his father from him seven years ago.

"Game's up, pretty boy." He growled, spitting out a mouthful of blood at Jude's face. Jude stepped back, his head reeling, blinded by blood and the numerous injuries he'd received from the three stooges as the man had called them, pulsing. He cursed himself for his rashness. If he died and these bastards took Posey to Mister Burke... No, he wouldn't let that happen. He refused to even accept that as an option. He stooped down and picked up the closest thing he had to a weapon. A rock, about the size of his fist, and he gripped it tight. He heard a slight scuffle behind him and there was a sudden crack of gunfire. Jude felt his heart leap into his throat and he whirled around. Posey stood with her feet planted firmly, her pistol raised, blood pouring from her nose. He turned back around just in time to see the beefy man fall thunderously forward, his hulking mass crumpling forward, a round bullet hole in his forehead, and much of the back of his skull missing.

"Hands where I can see them." Snarled Posey blood flowing over her lips and teeth, and the remaining two goons slowly put their hands up. The man in the hat lay flat on his back behind her, but he started to stir, and Jude saw a bright flash of silver before he leapt forward, shoving Posey aside and for the second time that afternoon tackling someone without pausing to think. Jude's head was pounding and he felt that perhaps this time, he really had been concussed, as he wrestled for the man's obscenely bright pistol. He heard two more gunshots and looked over his shoulder, panic building in his throat but once again, Posey was unscathed, and the two men dropped, their own firearms still held in their lifeless fingers.

Jude felt a blindingly painful crack, and let out an involuntary cry. For the second time, felt like his head had been split open. He was hoisted to his feet, and felt something cold and metal under his chin.

"Drop the gun, girlie, or I'll shoot."

Through streaming eyes, Jude saw Posey slowly hold up her hands and drop her pistol into the dirt next to her, glowering the whole time at the thug behind him. Jude felt the gun removed from under his chin and the man spat out, now pointing his gun at her,

"Bad move, Blondie. You've made a mess out of what was supposed to be a clean deal, and when you do something like that-"

Jude threw his shoulder into the man's chest and with all his might, hurled him over his shoulder. The man slammed into the ground, his hat crumpling beneath his head and Jude quickly stomped hard down on his gun arm.

"Only he gets to call me that." Said Posey, strolling forward and picking up his gun, looking over it appreciatively before pointing it right between the man's eyes. "Now, just so we're both on the same page, who sent you?"

The man spat up at Posey, but she didn't flinch. Instead she just gave Jude a knowing look. Jude shrugged, reached down and yanked the man's arm up while simultaneously pushing down hard and all three of them heard the sharp snap of his bone cracking while the man howled.

"Are you feeling talkative yet?" Asked Posey, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Go to hell." Seethed the man, his eyes wild with rage, slicked back hair rumpled and covered in dust.

"I'm sure I will eventually," Said Posey with a shrug, "especially after this."

She placed the man's own gun against his forehead, pulled back the hammer and rested her finger on the trigger before the man called,

"Wait! Wait a minute!"

"Get chatting." Said Posey, not removing the gun, or her finger from the trigger.

"You have to know who sent me, you have to have guessed already." Said the man, wetting his lips nervously.

"Why don't you enlighten me, just to be sure." Said Posey coldly. "I'd hate to send a strongly worded letter to the wrong person."

"Burke." Spluttered out the man. "Burke, from Tenpenny Tower."

Though Jude had already known who the culprit was, it didn't stop the rush of anger at the sight of Posey's eyes growing slightly wider, and the grip on the gun tightening so that her knuckles turned white.

"That wasn't so bad, was it." Said Posey lightly, though she looked shaken. "Come on," She said, addressing Jude. "we'd better let this guy go and tell his boss that we're dead. You be sure to include how much of a fight we put up."

"You think I'm going to be the end of this?" Asked the man with a laugh. "Oh honey, Mister Burke gets what he wants, and nothing stands in his way."

"Sorry to disappoint." Said Posey snidely, and she kicked her foot out so quickly and so fiercely the man's head snapped to the right, and he didn't stir. Jude could see his chest rising and falling but he'd been knocked out cold. Posey reached down and searched his pockets, finding a sizable bag of caps and fancy engraved lighter. She took both and Jude searched the others, and picked up both his sack and his shotgun, which was in need of some repair after the spill it took.

The two of them walked in silence back to the memorial, Posey looked drawn and pale. Jude's head ached and his vision spun, causing him to stumble and Posey steadied him, pausing in her stride as he swayed unsteadily on the spot. He could feel the places where the batons had struck him ache, and his ribs felt splintered, every breath labored and painful. He'd received a thorough beating, his first in a while.

"We shouldn't have let him go, Blondie." He said, wincing at a stab of pain through his skull. "He's right, there's bound to be more where he came from."

"You shouldn't have tried to take on three thugs like that." Chided Posey. "Or at least you could have warned me about some sort of plan. I can't fight hand to hand like that Jude, I have no idea how, and I couldn't get to my pistol. What were you thinking? You could have been killed!"

"I was thinking about how that bastard was the one who drug my dad off after they beat him senseless." Said Jude, trying to sound indignant, but flinching at the stabbing pain in his chest. Posey's nose was still trickling blood, and her lip looked split and swollen. Her face was a mess of blood, but she didn't seem to care that it dribbled off her chin and soaked the front of her jumpsuit as she looked up at him, her eyes still bright and sharp.

"And you getting beat senseless, how was that suppose to help?" She asked quietly, her teeth stained red.

"I didn't think," Said Jude, "I just... jumped." In truth, Jude didn't know why he'd did what he'd did. Sal Hiller had been a bastard. He wanted nothing to do with Jude, he'd never shown much fatherly affection, never. Even before he'd left. So why he'd flung himself at his worthless excuse for a father's attacker was a mystery even to him.

Posey sighed and let her head fall forward, resting her forehead against his chest, clearly spent.

"Even if we'd killed him." She said dully, her arms hanging limply at her side, "Burke will still send more, like he said. What am I supposed to do? March into Tenpenny Tower and kill Burke myself?"

"If you do, wait till my head stops spinning." Said Jude, looking down at her and placing a tentative hand against his head. "I want to come too. Burke never paid me after he lost that poker game."

Posey laughed, lifting her head and smiling up at him, though the usually charming effect was somewhat diminished by the gore smeared across her teeth.

"Come on," Said Posey, slipping her arm around his waist. "we'd better get you back to my dad. I think you're-"

"Concussed." Finished Jude wearily, allowing her to steady him as they walked. "Yeah, me too."

"Just try not to throw up on me." She said, drawing his arm up around her shoulder.

"Hey, what's the date today?" He asked as they walked.

"June seventeenth. Why? You got someplace to be that I don't know about?" She teased,

"Maybe." Said Jude with a scowl, bringing up his hand and prodding his own swollen lip tentatively. "Maybe I'm gonna go find me some other dame to hang around, one who doesn't have a bunch of thugs after her."

"So I'm a dame now, huh?" She asked, grinning up at him as the memorial building came into view.

"Yeah, a troublesome one." Said Jude, scowling as the ache in his head peaked,

"Come on," Said Posey worriedly, "my dad can check on your head, see if you're really concussed."

"Well it hurts like a bitch, I'll tell you that." Groaned Jude as Posey kicked open the door with her foot.

Luckily, James was coming up the corridor, looking down at a clipboard and calling:

"Ah, perfect timing you two, we just need-" He looked up, smiling. His smile quickly turned into an expression of horror and he rushed forward, dropping his clipboard which clattered against the tile. "What happened?! Posey, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Said Posey brightly, although with her face smeared in blood contradicted that statement. "We just ran into some, um..."

"Contracted killers." Said Jude flatly. "Your daughter has a bounty on her head. I'm not fine, thanks for asking."

"A bounty!" Cried James aghast, ignoring Jude. "But, Posey, why-" He seemed utterly at a loss for words. "What on earth could you have done to... How do you always manage to get yourself into trouble!"

""It's not my fault!" Protested Posey with a scowl, a truly horrific sight considering her condition. "I disarmed the bomb in Megaton instead of blowing it up, sue me."

James gaped at her, looking in disbelief at his daughter. "You, you what?" He croaked.

"Haven't you been listening to that radio that's always blaring in this place?" Asked Jude, wishing this conversation would hurry along so he could get his splitting head sorted out. "Three Dog's mentioned it before."

"He has?" Asked both Posey and James in shock, and Jude rolled his eyes,

"Oh, for crying out loud!" he growled in exasperation. "Yes! He has!"

James turned back to Posey with wide eyes, and this time, he could see them shining with admiration.

"Really?" He asked, "You really disarmed that bomb?"

Jude gently disentangled himself from Posey and started off down the hall.

"Once your touching moment is over, come patch up my head will you, Doc?" Called Jude grumpily, but James either did not hear or chose to ignore him, and Jude cast a look over his shoulder before ducking into the giftshop and reaching back to where he'd stashed the backpack with the book inside. Once he had it, despite his pounding head, he straightened up, glancing around at the gift shop, his eyes alighting on an old stand with stacks of newspapers. He pulled one free, and after making sure no one was around, hastily wrapped the book up in the newspaper, tucking the ends into each other since he had no other means of securing it.

June seventeenth, he thought. That was a little under a month until Posey's birthday. He smiled to himself as he dropped the canvas sack full of supplies onto the table in the pillared room and continued down to the bunk room, carefully tucking the newspaper wrapped package into his pack that was stuffed into a foot locker at the end of his bed. He couldn't wait to see the look on her face when he gave it to her. If she got excited about a bomb manual, what would she think about an actual novel? To Kill a Mockingbird. At least he assumed it was a novel, and not an instructional on how to kill birds. But, either way, he was sure Posey would like it.

Posey

Posey watched Jude go nervously, hoping he wouldn't stumble and smack his head again for the third time that day. That couldn't be good for his mental state.

"You really disarmed the bomb?" Asked her father, and Posey looked back at him and nodded, flushing at the unabashed adoration on his face. "But, how-"

"That book, Jonas had," Said Posey, "Duck and Cover Extended Edition. I found a copy in the Museum of Technology, and it taught me how. Really it wasn't that big of a deal." She insisted.

"Wasn't a big deal?" Exclaimed James in bewilderment, "Posey! You saved an entire town! That's amazing!"

"I just read the directions." Mumbled Posey, blushing and looking down. "It's what you would have done, if you'd had the time."

"Posey," he said warmly, placing his hands on her shoulders. "I could have made time to help Megaton. But I was so caught up in Project Purity that I never even thought about it."

"Well Project Purity is important, and-"

"You had your own aims, Posey." Insisted her father, looking down at her with a firm gaze. "I'm not saying that finding me was anywhere near as important as Project Purity, but you put that aside to help a town full of people you barely knew. Even if it was dangerous for you, you did it. Even if it put you behind on your own goals. That's something I've never done, Posey. That's amazing." He tilted her chin up, forcing her to look at him. "You're a good person, and it shows. " he murmured, "You're mother would have been so proud at the woman you've become, sweetie. I can't begin to tell you."

Posey dropped her gaze, biting the inside of her blushing cheek.

"Thanks, Dad." She said at last, looking up at him with a smile. "Although I don't know if Mom would have been proud of the fact that I've got a maniac on my trail now."

"Great deeds come with great sacrifices." Said James, "Don't worry, Posey. We can handle whatever comes our way. Come on, let's go get you cleaned up."

"We should find Jude first, he's the one who's really taken a beating." Said Posey nervously. "We got jumped on our way back from Rivet City. Luckily for us, I guess, they seemed a lot more interested giving Jude an old fashioned beating rather than just a straight up bullet to the brain."

"And what about you? Are you hurt?" Asked her father, eyeing her nose critically. "It doesn't look broken, but you can't be sure..."

"I'm fine." Said Posey shaking her head. "They were trying to take me alive, back to Tenpenny Tower."

"What business would you have at Tenpenny Tower?" Asked James with a frown. Posey raised an eyebrow,

"Remember how I disarmed the bomb in Megaton? That made me a few enemies. Mostly Burke."

"He's still around stirring up trouble?" Bristled James, scowling. "Truly a despicable man. Well, I won't pretend that's not troublesome news, darling. He's a very powerful man."

"I know. Jude has told me. Many times." Posey blew a lock of hair, matted with blood and dirt, out of her face. Really, she'd just washed it that morning. What an untimely attack by ruthless thugs. Couldn't they have waited till tomorrow? "You're taking this awfully well." She continued as she and her father entered the pillared room and saw Jude, free of his usual leather armor, wearing his dingy white tee shirt and worn jeans, seated on a chair and looking exhausted.

"I thought you'd be giving me a lecture or possibly having a heart attack at the fact that I have Mister Burke on my tail."

"Oh I'm sure the news will sink in more fully in time." Said James, retrieving his medical kit and laying out his supplies on the table. "I'll probably have a panic attack about it later, but for right now we'll see about Mr. Hiller."

Posey cleaned herself up as best as she could while her father administered a stimpack or two, proclaiming that he had actually not been concussed but had severe bruising to his ribs but luckily nothing was broken, and the best thing he could do for himself would be to get some rest.

"I'm going to go inform Madison of this latest development." Said James. "The whole team is going to be staying here for dinner tonight. We're having a bit of a celebration." He said with a small smile.

"What for?" Asked Posey, frowning slightly. "'You've been officially marked by the Wasteland Mafia, congratulations!'"

"No," Said James, giving Posey a withering look. "Today marks the day that Project Purity first began, all those years ago. It's not much, but we can all have dinner as a team."

"Fair enough." Agreed Posey. "I'll finish patching Jude up, you can go tell Doctor Li what's up."

"I'll be right back." Promised her father, getting to his feet. While he disappeared into the Rotunda, Posey sat up on the table in front of Jude, one of the few times she had actually seen the top of Jude's head as he leaned back in his chair, his eyelids already drooping.

"Just a second." Said Posey, grabbing a clean rag and wetting it, carefully dabbing at the many areas marred by dried blood on his face. "Stay awake for just a second, then you can go down and go to sleep."

"You might have to carry me down there, Stimpacks always knock me out." He said wearily, sitting up laboriously. "Or else let me crash here at the table."

"How about on the couch?" Offered Posey with a smile, watching as his freckles slowly came back into view under the crusted blood and dirt. "I sincerely doubt I could carry you. Especially if you pass out and it's dead weight."

"Is that a fat joke?" He asked, his eyelids fluttering slightly as he forced them to remain open and trained on her as she set aside the now filthy cloth and started cleaning the myriad of small scrapes and bruises, and carefully applying butterfly bandages to his forehead, where he'd split it open on the car.

"It's a 'You-are-seven-inches-taller-than-me' joke." She said. "Maybe more than seven. I don't exactly have an accurate way to measure. How tall are you exactly?"

"How would I know?" He asked, raising his eyebrows slightly, then wincing.

"We should measure you." Said Posey, wadding up the spent bandages and looking down at him critically. "For scientific purposes. And because I'm curious."

"You're always curious." He murmured, leaning back against the chair and letting his eyes drift shut. He was quiet for so long that Posey thought perhaps he really had passed out but he finally asked:

"Did you mean it?"

"Mean what?" She asked, lobbing the used medical supplies into the trash bin near the door.

"That only I get to call you Blondie?"

Posey smiled and looked down at her hands clasped in her lap, "Well," She said slowly, "I certainly didn't want that jerk calling me that. It was degrading."

"But what about when I call you that? Is it degrading then?"

"Depends." Said Posey, moving her gaze to Jude, who still had his eyes closed. "It seems to be getting less and less so lately."

"Hmmmm." Hummed Jude sleepily. "Hey, when did you say your birthday was?"

"July thirteenth. Why?"

"It's coming up pretty quick." He finally opened his eyes a fraction and Posey had to force herself not to blush. Sleepy Jude was a sort of Jude that she should not be trusted around, when his jaw went slack and blended into his neck and his lips looked soft and his eyelashes fluttered, thick and dark.

"Yep." She said, looking down at him. "The big Two Oh, as it were. What were you doing when you were twenty?"

"Scavenging." He said, "And working for Walter in Megaton. You know what I'd like to do right now?"

"What?" She asked as he sat up with a groan, looking up at her with narrowed eyes.

"Go to sleep." He said with an enormous yawn. "Where's that couch?"

"The same place it's always been." Said Posey with a smile, hopping down off the table and helping Jude to his feet. She took his hand and guided him over to the dusty couch which he sank onto with a grateful sigh. Posey turned to leave but Jude caught her wrist, murmuring "Hey, wait a minute."

Posey paused, looking down at him, feeling her heart begin to pound and her toes curl in her boots.

"What is it?" She asked as Jude struggled to keep her in focus.

"You kind of saved my skin back there." He said, "Really. You kicked ass back there."

"Not really." She said, turning to face him completely and tucking her hair behind her ear. "That guy in the fedora had me pretty well pinned. He had a really beautiful gun though." She said, "Very bright, ivory grip, lots of embellishments. I'll show it to you when you're not a danger to yourself or others."

"You sayin' I'm dangerous, Blondie?" He asked with a lopsided smile, and Posey felt goosebumps pepper her skin as he slid his fingers from her wrist to her hand, his calloused fingers brushing over her crescent shaped scars and gently running his thumb over the back of her hand. "You've got nice hands." He murmured, letting his slightly unfocused gaze drift down to their interlocked fingers. "Kinda small though, aren't they?"

"Only compared to some." She said, "You should get to sleep."

"'Kay."

But he didn't let go of her hand, just kept staring at it, blinking languidly. "'Ya know," he said slowly. "I really like you, Blondie."

"I like you too, Jude." She said with a smile. "Now go to sleep."

"I like you when you're wearing that silly jacket, and when your hair is messy, and even those Vault suits look good on you." He murmured, still running his thumb methodically over the back of her hand. "You don't need a fancy dress from Bannon. You look nice, all the time. Even when you're covered in blood and have a fat lip."

"Thank you." She said, feeling decidedly flushed. "But I like the dress I picked out."

"I'm just sayin'." He said blearily. "Twenty caps, Blondie? Think what that could've bought."

"A nice dress." Said Posey with a slight frown. "Now go to sleep."

"Do you remember that Cinderella story you told me?" He asked, and Posey nodded.

"Of course I remember that story. I told you it was my favorite as a kid."

"Do you think that it really happened? Not with fairy godmothers and pumpkins turning into cars but a prince marrying a girl in rags?"

"I don't know." Said Posey, "I don't know much about monarchies, but it doesn't seem very likely. It's a nice story though, isn't it?"

"It's a silly story." He muttered, frowning deeply.

"It's a story about love conquering all." She countered. "I think it's nice. It's a lie, but it's a pretty damn beautiful one." She gently tugged her hand free. "Now, you go to sleep. You'll feel better when you wake up."

She turned and started to walk back towards the Rotunda when Jude called,

"How do you know it's a lie?"

She paused, looking back at him over her shoulder. His eyes were glossed over and his hand sat limply on the couch next to him, palm up, fingers still curled like they were still holding her own.

"Sleep well, Jude." She said, flashing a smile at him before she turned and hurried down the stairs to the bunk room.

Jude

Jude did feel better when he woke up. His memories of the time right before he'd fallen asleep were a bit muddled, but he did feel miraculously better. He remembered fighting unconsciousness, and how nice it had felt to hold Posey's hand. He also remembered talking quite a bit about Cinderella, but the specifics of that were blurry. He lay for a moment, struggling to blink sleep from his eyes, waiting for them to focus. There was a rustle of activity around the table, at the other end of the room and Jude eventually pushed himself up into a sitting position, squinting over at the blurry shapes darting about the table.

He must have been asleep for several hours, because the pain in his chest and head had diminished significantly to a dull ache. He sat up and made his clumsy way to the buildings bathroom, splashing his itchy eyes with cold water, heedless of the minimal amounts of radiation sinking into his skin. That woke him up considerably, and he ran his fingers through his hair, attempting to at least tame in part the wild waves his hair was prone to when it was longer. Feeling at least a little better suited to face the world, he left the bathroom, entering the pillared room in a much more conscious state than when he'd left it.

James and Janice were setting the table, the repaired radio filling the room with its soft music while they laid out mismatched and often cracked crockery around two different pots, one of which had Blamco Mac and Cheese, and the other seemed to have a batch of Squirrel Stew from Gary's Galley.

"Oh, I'm glad to see you're among the living again, Mr. Hiller." Called James brightly, "How are you feeling?"

"Better." Said Jude, stepping closer. "Not a bad set up. Where's everyone else?"

"They're coming." Said Janice, brushing down her skirt. She'd abandoned her usual lab coat, as had James and Doctor Li Jude noted, as she entered, followed by the rest of her team, who were all dressed in what constituted as nice by Wasteland standards. Which was just to say no lab coats, and no fresh bloodstains. Jude felt positively grubby in comparison. He should have retrieved his only spare shirt before everyone had come in.

"You are alive." Called a chipper voice, and Jude turned and saw Posey emerging from the door to the basement. "You had me worried there for a moment, you are a very deep sleeper." Jude stared at her while his brain frantically tried to form coherent thought, but all he managed was a weak,

"Uh huh."

Posey smiled up at him and her skirt rustled as she stepped past him, heading towards the table. Jude watched her pass with a slack jaw. He didn't know what Bannon had been thinking, saying that fluffy blue thing would have suited her. He couldn't imagine anything being as fit for Posey as the dress she'd chosen. The top was form fitting with a high neck, though her scars were still visible, and the waist gathered and the full skirt fell gracefully to Posey's knees. Her hair was partially held back with a faded blue ribbon, the ends of which flowed into the rest of her blonde waves. She still wore her black Vault boots and her legs were significantly paler than her arms, and even her arms weren't as tan as her face and neck, as well as her hands but Jude hardly noticed.

"I've got some pretty funky tan lines, huh?" She said, looking down at her hands with a smile. "Maybe I should go sunning in this. I'll have to wear gloves though, so my hands don't get any darker. But, what do you think?" She spun and her skirt swished around her legs. "It's amazing what twenty caps will do for a girl, huh?" She asked with a smile.

"I still think you overpaid." He said at last and Posey rolled her eyes.

"You're such a cheapskate." She said, sticking her tongue out and flouncing past him, taking a seat between Janice and her father. Jude sat opposite her, between Garza and Doctor Li. He noted Daniel's blackened eye and petulant look with a slight smirk, although he himself sported much darker and unflattering discoloration he was sure.

"Thank you, James, for planning this." Said Doctor Li while everyone served up their choice between dishes. "It really is nice to have a chance to look back on how far we've come."

"I agree." Said James, "Thank you for attending. It isn't much, but it beats the party of '37. Do you remember-"

"Oh don't remind me." Groaned Doctor Li, and Posey looked up at her father with a twinkle in her eye.

"What happened?" She asked, looking from her father back to Doctor Li.

"Well, you're father had planned a little 'cocktail' party." Said Doctor Li witheringly, "It was mostly a few dusty bottles of awful wine, and some potentially hazardous Moonshine but it was all we had. He and Catherine had planned it to announce their engagement, but everyone was so drunk, no one believed them."

"We were young," Said James waving an airy hand. "And there was much too much booze around, I don't know what we thought was going to happen."

"It culminated with an all out brawl between two Brotherhood of Steel Paladins who were there to aid us in the event of a Super Mutant attack." Continued Doctor Li, shaking her head. "And a competition of who could do the best Dick Richardson impression."

"Dick Richardson?" Asked Posey, tilting her head. "Who's that?"

"President Dick Richardson," Elaborated James, "The president of the Enclave at the time."

"What's the Enclave?"

"A bunch of whack jobs in Power Armor." Said Jude, "They're even crazier than those Brotherhood bozos."

"You've called them that before," Said Posey narrowing her eyes, "Are you aware that you're a fan of alliteration?"

"Seeing as I don't know what alliteration is, I'm going to say no." Said Jude, taking a generous spoonful of stew into his mouth.

"Anyway," Said James with a smile, "it was a bad idea, everyone was too hungover to work the next day, and the memorial building was in a state of disaster, honestly not much better than when we first arrived here back in April."

"Not to mention," Said Doctor Li, arching a brow and smiling almost mischievously at James. "Your father and mother had disappeared half way through the party."

"Now now, Madison." Said James, and Jude was shocked to see the man blushing. "No need to delve into that part of the story too deeply."

Posey looked both mortified and amused, stifling a laugh behind her hand, though her own cheeks were pinker than her dress.

"That's a lovely dress, Posey." Said Janice, quickly changing the subject, though she wore a small smile herself. "Where did you find it?"

"Oh this old thing," Said Posey raising a cocky eyebrow at Jude. "I got a strong armed discount from Bannon. Twenty caps."

"Oo," Said Janice appreciatively, "that's quite a bargain."

Posey shot Jude a triumphant look, and Jude rolled his eyes.

As dinner progressed, and the room was filled with the sounds of clinking cutlery and laughter, Jude found himself smiling and laughing along with the conversation much more than he would have thought. Every so often Posey's eyes would flicker towards his, and her smile would deepen and her eyes brighten, and he couldn't help but grin back.

Suddenly James got to his feet, and called in his usual quiet yet commanding way:

"Excuse me, if you don't mind, I think I'd like to propose a toast."

Everyone fell silent, looking expectantly up at the doctor, Jude doing so with slightly raised eyebrows. He always found toasts rather pretentious. Then again, most toasts he was accustomed to were usually performed by the heavily intoxicated.

"200 years ago," Began James, looking around at the small group seated around the table, "The world was changed forever, and along with it all of humanity underwent its own transformation. It's been said that the worst of times bring out the best in people, and I can think of no better example of that phrase than those gathered here."

Everyone except Posey and Jude looked down modestly, with pleased smiles on thier faces. Posey watched her father bright eyes and a slight smile, and even Daniel looked a little less pissy than usual.

"Everyone seated here has made sacrifices," Continued James, "all for the sake of the greater good. This Project... God knows it hasn't had an easy track. But it will all be worth it. And it's all thanks to you , it's dedicated members. I'd like to thank you all, and in particular, I'd like to thank my daughter, Posey."

Posey flushed bright pink, right up to the tips of her ears as everyone in the table looked towards her.

"Without whom none of us would be here," Said James with a fond smile, "and I for one, would still be stuck in a homicidal maniac's delusional alternate reality, and Megaton would still be living under the threat of atomic annihilation. So, to Project Purity, and to Posey."

All the diners raised their glasses, repeating James' words. Posey's gaze fell on Jude, still flushing and he felt half his mouth lift in a smile as he returned her look and silently raised his own glass. She smiled and bit her lip, letting her eyes drop.

"I really didn't do much," Protested a still blushing Posey. "Really, if it weren't for Jude-"

"I didn't have anything to do with the bomb or those Tranquility Loungers, Blondie." He said, shaking his head. "That was all you, Blondie."

She looked back up at him and Jude felt that dangerous stir in his chest again, that fierce spark that hovered between exhilarating and painful as Posey's lips curled up in a slow smile, despite having been split open mere hours before.

James had taken his seat again and there was more chatter filling the room again but it was meaningless to him, and his interest in the half finished stew in front of him vanished. Suddenly, if it were even possible, Posey perked up and brightened further, finally tearing her gaze away from him and looking towards the radio that had been playing quietly the whole evening, which was now spouting out one of Three Dog's instrumental tracks.

"I love this song!" Cried Posey. She abandoned her own dinner and lept to her feet, running around the table to where he sat and pulling on his arm. "Come on, Jude!"

"Come on, what?" He asked, laughing slightly at her fruitless attempts to move him.

"Well we gotta see if you're a better than Freddie Gomez, don't' we?" Asked Posey, raising an eyebrow and giving him a wicked little smile. "You said I could pick the time and the place. Well, I pick right here and right now."

Jude felt a sudden rush of heat towards his neck and head as a slight titter rippled through the table. He could practically feel Daniel rolling his eyes.

"Right now?" He asked under his breath, and Posey's eyes positively danced with mirth.

"No time like the present, Colorado." She said smoothly, and her eyes were so blue, no other colors present there, only different shades, and the dimple in her cheek seemed to wink at him as she gave him that maddeningly slow smile.

Jude found himself on his feet before he really realized what was going on, his knee jostling the table top slightly in his haste and Posey was dragging him to the open area beyond the long table, in front of the door to the basement and the Rotunda, closer to the radio resting on the floor. Jude's heart pounded in his chest and he realized something with horrible, sudden clarity.

He had no idea how to dance.

"Blondie," He said nervously, "I-I-I really,"

"Shush." Said Posey with a smile and Jude swallowed hard. She must have showered while he was out, because her hair was smooth and tangle free, devoid of the dirt and blood that had been matting it before, and the smell of the soap she'd snagged from the Vault was heady in his nose. Light, sweet and completely foreign.

"I don't know how to dance!" He said, his voice low and frantic and his eyes wide.

"It's okay, I can show you. You just do what feels good. Come on."

She took his hand and Jude felt goose bumps erupt up his arm. She guided his other hand to her waist and left it there, right on the curve of where her ribs ended. He could feel the fabric of her dress bunching under his rough hand, the soft fabric catching at his calluses, and he blinked hard, taking a steadying breath.

"And my hand goes here." She said, placing it on his shoulder. It felt so solid, so warm and so utterly alive that it sent a shiver down his spine.

"Now," She said, arching a brow and smiling up at him. "We dance."

Jude had been closer to Posey before, physically. When he'd tackled her on the way to Vault 112, (not one of his finer moments, but he'd had to take quick action.) and on that same journey, while he'd been about to fall asleep in the back of that old truck, he'd felt her curl into him, seeking warmth. Not to mention those two almost moments they'd had. But this...this was something he'd never experienced before. Posey took the lead, telling him where to place his feet and on what counts, and though he stumbled along, trying desperately not to step on her toes, he could feel his lips tugging into a smile as he looked down at his feet, and his previous nerves dissipated slightly. He hardly noticed when James pulled a protesting Doctor Li to the floor, and Garza lead a blushing Janice out moments later.

"Wow," Said Posey with a laugh as Jude stumbled again. "You are not better than Freddie Gomez."

"I told you!" Cried Jude, exasperated, "I don't know how to dance."

"Well for one, stop looking at your feet." Chided Posey. "You're suppose to look at your partner."

Jude looked up with a scowl that instantly faded when he saw the lightness of Posey's teasing smile and flash of her blue eyes.

"Don't think about it too much." She said, squeezing his hand. "You're not being graded." She teased.

"I'm not very good at not thinking about things." He said a little breathlessly, and Posey shook her head, looking up at him with a smile.

"Just listen." She insisted, nodding at the radio. "Listen, and let go."

And so, he did.

He let himself go, possibly for the first time in his life. The only thing grounding him, the only thing that made anything else seem real was the feeling of Posey's hand in his and her laugh in his ear as she leaned forward, resting her forehead on his shoulder. Someone had turned the music up, and he could feel the beat of it thumping along like a second heartbeat and he couldn't help the grin slowly sidling up onto his face. His steps grew lighter, less forced as he bobbed along to the rhythm. He released one of Posey's hands and she spun away from him, laughing in delight as her hair and skirt fanned out around her. She spun back into him, stumbling over the uneven tile with a little gasp, but he managed to catch her before she fell.

He could feel her laughter resonating through her entire frame as he carefully set her back on her feet.

"Look at that." She said quietly. "Seems like you're always around to catch me, every time I fall." She reached up and brushed back a hank of hair he hadn't even realized had fallen onto his forehead. He felt lightheaded, a better sort of buzz than he could ever get from any booze or drug he could ever try.

"You better hope I stick around then," He managed, smirking slightly. "Or else you better learn to stop falling."

"Sometimes you gotta fall before you fly." She said with a shrug.

"You plan on flying anytime soon?" He asked, his voice low, keeping his eyes fixed on her.

Posey smiled up at him again, and Jude wanted to memorize every little detail of her face, and he wanted to know how her dimple would feel under his lips. His whole body seemed suddenly composed entirely of nerve endings, electricity dancing up his spine and Jude wondered how long he'd been living without ever having felt alive.

Posey smiled again, and brought her hand up from his shoulder to the back of his neck. "Only if you're there to catch me if I fall."

Mister Burke didn't like waiting. He hated lines and red tape. He hated having to 'take turns'. And right now, he hated having to wait for this imbecile in front of him to gather his wits about him. The man was stuttering and trembling so bad, it was a miracle he hadn't wet his cheap suit. Which Burke was at least thankful for. That was the last thing his office needed.

"I-I-I," Blubbered the man, "what I mean to say, sir is, I know that you, um, that you must-"

"You don't have the girl." Said Burke flatly, and the man in front of him winced, kneading the rim of his flattened hat in his hands.

"N-n-no sir, b-b-but I do know where she is!"

Burke sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose between his forefinger and thumb and resting his elbow on the arm of his desk chair.

"I don't give a damn about where she is, idiot!" He snapped, "What I wanted was her to be here. I sent three, three, men after one slip of a girl and a surly scavenger from a cess pit and all I get in return is you. I didn't ask for you, Stevens."

"I know that sir, and I'm real sorry. I underestimated her, but she's gonna be in Rivet City for awhile! She's there workin' on some kind of project. I heard her and the scavenger talkin' about it."

"Project?" Said Burke irritably. "What project?"

Really, this girl was turning about to be much more trouble than she was worth. If it weren't a matter of pride now, he might have just let her go. To hell with it. But, no one got to cross him and get away with it. Especially after the stunt she pulled.

"Couldn't really tell." Said Stevens, still obsessively kneading his hat's brim. "She and her old man are working on it. Some kind of Potomac purifying thing."

Burke froze, slowly lifting his head from his hands and looking at the stooge in front of him with a suddenly much keener interest.

"Where did you say she was?" Asked Burke, leaning forward.

"Rivet City, sir." Said Stevens, his adam's apple bobbing nervously as he swallowed hard.

"But they were leaving the city?" Confirmed Burke, and Stevens nodded hurriedly.

"They kept comin' and goin' out of some old Memorial building on the bank of the Potomac. It's where the lab was set up for their Project, I think." The man brightened suddenly, "I remember the name now! Yeah, it was Project-"

"Project Purity." Finished Burke, settling back against his chair, drumming his fingers against his desk and feeling his lips twitch up in a slow smile. "Bennett...Of course. Why didn't I connect the two earlier?"

"Uh, sir?" Asked Stevens nervously, but Burke ignored him.

"So they're at it again, are they?" He murmured with a chuckle. "Oh, this is so much better than I realized."

"Am I dismissed, sir?"

Without looking up, Burke pulled his silenced pistol from a drawer in his desk and shot the faulty hitman directly through the heart.

"Yes, Stevens." He said thoughtfully as the man crumpled, his other staff members quickly jumping forward and dragging the gurgling man away before he could bleed onto his rug. "You're dismissed."

Once he was alone in his office, he reached for his phone. Really, it was more like a radio or a walkie talkie, considering there were only three people it could connect to, but no matter. Three was plenty. He listened to the static into the receiver, reclining back in his chair and drumming his fingers against his knee. When his call finally connected, Burke cried:

"Ah, Colonel! So glad to get a hold of you. I have some news." He paused, listening to the other man while picking at a loose thread on his otherwise impeccable suit.

"Oh yes, Colonel." He said, smiling to himself. "I promise it will be worth the visit. I have a little proposition for you."

An:/ So, also some total fluff because I am a fluff addict. I don't need help though, I can stop any time I want. *nervous twitch* But hey, I hope there is sufficient action to balance it out! Two fist fights and a mysterious phone call. I'd say that qualifies!

Thanks to my reviewers, you guys are the best! This chapter's song is by Bright Eyes and you guys should look up the music video because it's super adorable. Much cuter and less scarring than the last music video I suggested. But let's be honest, who doesn't love a little bit of creepy? I mean, you're reading a Fallout story. You have to love a little (or a lottle) bit of creepy.

Farewell!

xoxoxo

Living Pretty