At some point during the night, I wake up. My back is stiff, and I fell asleep sitting against the wall. It's almost pitch black when I open my eyes, and sleepily, I rub them.

"…Dizzy?"

I say, still half asleep. Blinking, I try to force my eyes to focus on my surroundings. When my eyes do finally adjust to the dim light, I stand up and rub my head. Yawning, I stretch and walk over to the mattress.

"…Diz, you awake?"

I look down to see my duster, but no Dizzy. At first I don't believe my eyes, and blink again. When she's not there still, I touch the mattress. It's warm. Inside, my heart begins to pound as my adrenaline rises. Her gun lays on the side of the mattress. As oblivious as she is, I know deep down, she wouldn't leave me here. Especially without her weapon. She may have run out here blindly, but she wanted me to follow her.

"Dizzy?"

I shout, louder, my voice echoing. Then I realize, I probably shouldn't be shouting. That wherever she is, I could probably hear. This place amplifies sound, I just have to listen. Listen, and carefully follow whatever I hear. Bending down, I grab my gun and quietly walk over to the edge of the platform. My heart races so loudly, I can hardly hear anything, but I try anyways. Below me, I hear a stifled voice. Someone, below me, is talking and trying to stay quiet. I don't care who they are, but they better have some sort of clue as to where my sister went. The bed was still warm, which means she hasn't been gone long. I have to find her before it all runs cold. I refuse to return to Megaton empty handed.

Walking down the steps, I'm careful where I put my feet. I don't know if there's any passages under them, and the last thing I want is to scare away the mysterious person. As I get closer to the ground, the voice gets louder. I realize, this person isn't alone. There's more than one, and they're not talking to each other. They're talking to someone, but not one another. It could be Dizzy. My hands shake with adrenaline, and worry, as I come to the base of the steps. Turning my head, I see the glow of a small fire, and a figure standing in front of it. Driven by impulse rather than planning, I hurriedly walk towards the group.

"…didn't know a goddamned thing!"

I hear someone say, as I come to the open entrance of the small corner they're hiding under. It's the same group from earlier. One of them kicks something, and a muffled cry of pain hardly audible, tells me it's Dizzy. Without thinking, without listening to my father's advice, I jump into the situation.

"Hey!"

The three Raiders turn around. They're blocking my view of what's on the ground, but there's no doubt in my mind it's Dizzy.

"Why, hello there."

I'm supposing the leader of this small gang says. He looks familiar, especially when he tosses me a smirk.

"What in the hell are you doing?"

I say, grabbing my gun and holding it both hands. The leader looks at my gun, and then back at me. He takes a step forward, and suddenly any feelings of fear vanish. It's like I'm working outside my body, with the only thought being to get Dizzy to a safe place.

"Ain't none of your business, pretty boy. Why not scamper on back to the sewer you done crawled from and leave us be, say?"

"Where is she?"

"Who?"

I aim my gun at him, and he laughs. Walking up to it, he opens his arm. There's a crazy look in his eye, and I know it from…from somewhere.

"You gonna shoot your old buddy now? Let's be men and talk this out."

Old buddy? I stare at him, at the smirk he gives. I try to recall, where in the world I've seen him before. Searching my memories, I realize I can't remember an instance where I've met a Raider like him.

"I don't associate with Raiders."

I tell him, poking him with my gun. I should have very well shot him by now, but with the other two watching me, and Dizzy supposedly on the ground behind them, I can't take any chances.

"I wasn't a Raider back then, buddy. Come on, you don't remember me?"

And then…I do. The person I'm staring at, the person messing with my sister, was one of the older boys I shared a room with. One of the ones, who would come back bloodied and angry from punishment. He would offer to go in my place, if I was up for punishment or lessons. In shock, I drop my weapon, as his maniacal laughter echoes and surrounds me.

"See? That's better."

"How…did you recognize me?"

"Hard to forget the most specialist person in the whole wide world now. Because of you, all of us had to suffer!"

"Us?"

He waves his hand behind him, at the two men who block my view.

"Us. We're all from the same exact place. Pity, you don't remember us."

I realize that Dizzy is hearing this, that she can hear everything loud and clear. I hope, and god I know it's wrong, but I hope she's unconscious.

"It was a long time ago. None of us had names."

"No! But you have a name now, don't you? You have a name, a home, a family and a pretty, pretty little sister, don't you?"

I say nothing, but stare at him.

"You have everything, don't you? At least, almost everything. We knew you looked familiar when we saw you. We were lucky to find you, and your little connection."

"You don't have any idea who you're messing with. Leave us alone."

There's no name I know of to call him by. Back then, we were so young, we had no numbers.

"Why should I? What pain have you got in your perfect life? Taken in by a warm family, you left the rest of us to fend for ourselves!"

"I had no choice in the matter!"

"No, but your 'father' did. Wait…he's…he's not your father is he, Cain?"

"How do you know my name?"

He points behind him, the sick smirk permanently imposed on his face.

"She called for you first. Cried for you. But you didn't show."

It's the last bit I can take. Thinking of that, of Dizzy calling for me out of pain than joy, I lose my mind. Grabbing the front of his tattered outfit, I charge him. Lifting him inches off the ground, I slam him against the concrete wall. He laughs in response. Laughs, as if he's mocking me. Again, I slam him against it.

"I see you have a weakness, Cain."

"Shut up! Shut up!"

"Where were you, 'big brother'?"

"I said shut up!"

With more power than I ever knew I had, I tear him from the wall and fling him across the concrete. His buddies, the comrades from my past, circle around me. I'm ready, as I hear inside my mind, the child that Dizzy was, crying out for me. I wasn't there. I wasn't there again.

"Stop!"

Their leader yells, and in the glow of the fire I see his shadow stand up. His friends stop their advancement, and I wish they didn't. I want to hurt them, and let them know exactly how it feels. The rage I feel, this rage, is beyond normal. It's comparable to nothing, and it pulses and rages in my veins.

"You were so special, Cain. So very special. While you were happy with your fake family, we were trying to survive! We were the ones, fighting for our very lives!"

"I had no idea! I didn't know! You can't blame me for your lives! Blame the people who did it to you!"

"We can't. They're dead."

He says, stepping into the light. Blood trickles down the side of his mouth, and carelessly he wipes it with the back of his hand. On the walls, the shadows of flames lick the walls. They dance behind us, and it makes me think of the fires of hell. I look at the men around me, and I know I can do this. I know I can.

"We can only blame you, Cain. You, for having the perfect life in the safest place. You."

"…ow…ahhh."

I hear her. I hear her. Behind me, Dizzy comes to. She raises her head, I can only see her shadow on the wall. My heart melts, as relief washes over me like a tidal wave. One of the men goes over to him, and before I can stop him, he kicks her square in the stomach.

"No!"

I scream, lunging, anger fueling every last bit of me. Grabbing him, I don't listen or hear anything else around me. All I see, all I feel, all I hear, is myself hitting him over, and over again. Bones crack under my fist, blood spurts but I don't stop. I don't stop, as the image of him kicking her flashes over and over in my mind. Hand wrap around my arms, and I fight them off for a bit before they succeed in pulling me off of him. It's useless by then. He's dead in all but name. I'll finish the job when I get free. I'll finish each and every one of them.

"Let go of me!"

I yell as two pairs of hands and arms entangle around me. As they tear me from my victim, and as they pin me against the wall. Easily, I can break from this. My size and strength doesn't compare to both of them combined. Unlike them, I didn't spend years in anger and hate. I spent time, honing my skills, and working the body I was created to have.

"You're a freak!"

The leader yells, and I quiet myself. I let my body slowly repair and rejuvenate, for the plan I'm making in my mind.

"You heard me, you bastard. You're nothing and yet you get the gifts? Special treatment inside, and out. You're not even human."

"She has nothing to do with this! She has no idea! Let her go!"

Dizzy is on my mind. She's always on my mind. I realize then, the deep love I feel for her. Only she, could create this blind rage. Only she, can make a man do these things.

"Of course you wouldn't tell her! We know all about her, about how you kept her stupid. About all the little dirty things you won't tell her. Amazing, what you find out, when you're in the same group of people."

They let me go, knowing for the moment I want to hear what they have to say. Seething, I keep my temper, and glance at Dizzy. In pain, she lies in a curled-up ball. Wisely, she gives no notion to anyone if she's conscious or not.

"I don't care what you know. If you know anything, you'll know she has nothing to do with us."

"You're wrong, Cain. She has everything to do with this. She's the only thing close to you, isn't she? That little girlfriend you had, even she didn't compare. You've never felt the feeling of loss, have you? Have you ever felt what it was like, to watch your friends around you die? No. You were taken into a warm home, with hot meals, while we were left to starve."

"It wasn't my fault. It wasn't my parents."

In anger, he punches the wall beside my arm. He's smaller than me, but his anger is greater than anything I've seen before. Perhaps, even, greater than mine.

"They're not your parents!"

My mind slowly snaps. I don't care if he's right. I don't care, if he's telling the truth to the whole goddamned world. All I care about is Dizzy. That she hears this, and finds out everything is a lie. All she ever thought I was, is a lie. And I'm the biggest liar of them all. Not mom, not dad, not anyone else who knows, but me. Because I got close to her. I made her feel safe, warm, I protected her. It was me she felt all these things with. And now, she could find out that it was all a lie. My emotions, my intentions, everything I felt for her was pure, but it doesn't change the fact that I'm not the person she believed me to be. That I lied. That I never told her the truth, when time and time again I assured her how safe it was to talk to me. That…she could trust me. I just got her back. I don't want to lose her again.

Wrapping my hands around his neck, I squeeze tightly. I squeeze until I hear bones cracking, and his face turns blue. Against the cries and violent punches his cohort gives, I hold tight. I can't feel anything. I can't feel my body, as I watch the second man I've killed in my life, die before my eyes. His body goes limp, the thrashing stops, and I turn my attention to the last one.

Cowering as I turn to him, I make a decision split second to let him live. Although I can't even imagine letting him run freely, I do. Somehow, my body restrains itself, and I hold back. He falls to the ground, and I position myself over him, looming, and letting him know I'm in charge.

"You tell them, whoever they are, to leave her alone. If anyone comes around my family, or my town, they'll have me to deal with. You got that?"

He nods, and I wave my hand at him.

"Get the fuck out of here. I don't want to see your face again."

Scurrying away, the guy leaves. I hear his footsteps echoing and fading away deep into the tunnels. It's all I hear for a moment, and then…nothing. Instead, I hear silence, and the sound of drums from inside the back of my mind.

"…C…Cain…"

Dizzy. Dizzy. I turn to see her, on the floor. Her torso rises up and down, and blood stains her shirt. I can't see her face, as she lays curled up on the ground. Not wasting time, I run over to her.

"Dizzy, it's alright…it's alright I'm here."

She opens her eyes and looks at me. It…it breaks my head. The words of their pitiful leader rings in my head. It was me, she cried out for. Me, she begged to save her. And I didn't come. Water rises in my eyes, for the first time in my life. Staring back at me, are the lost and vacant eyes of Dizzy. I've never seen them that empty before. Blood runs down the side of her face, and the corners of her mouth. What did they do to her? With the palm of my hand, I wipe the blood from her mouth, and feel her hot breath against my skin.

"Ahh…"

She groans, and I sniff my nose.

"It's alright. It's alright, I'm here. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

Without thinking, I pull her body into mine and bury my face into the nape of her neck. I'm supposed to protect her. I'm supposed to keep her safe. Make sure, that no one and nothing hurts her. It's what she's always believed. That if she was with me, than nothing in the world could hurt her. And I wasn't there. I let them hurt her. I let the tears run free, as I hold her, and hide my face in shame. She doesn't move in my arms, but feeling her breathing is enough for me.

"…Don't…take me…home…"

Surprised, I pull away from her, and look at her.

"What?"

I ask in disbelief and confusion.

"You'll…tell…"

Shocked, I just stare at her. Even now, she still fears our parents finding out. She's still scared, of the repercussions that'll come with running out here.

"Dizzy…"

Taking a deep breath in, Dizzy wraps her hand around my arm, and tightly.

"It's…better for you. Go without me."

"I'm not leaving you here, Diz. Come on, pull it together."

A bruise is forming on her stomach. A big one. I'm careful, as I cradle her in my arms, letting her get her strength back. At least, by the fire blazing in a barrel, it's warm here. I'll sit with her like this, until she can move. I'll sit here forever if I have to.

"Just go, Cain. It'll…it'll be better."

"Better for who? For me?"

Her answer is in the lost expression on her face. Without her, I won't have to worry. I won't have to think of someone else when planning my life, I won't have to worry about her opinion or even her approval. I can do, whatever I want, whenever I want. But, I don't want that. Maybe, maybe at some point I did. But not now, no. In these short two days, seeing the person she's become, only makes me want her to be around me even more. Only…makes me want to stay by her.

"No, it isn't. It won't be. Stop being stupid."

"I won't…die if you go. I'm just sore…you can go…just…let me deal with them."

"Whatever you have to deal with, I do too. If they hurt you, they hurt me remember?"

Her eyes shift as she looks away. Her silence, just tells me she needs me.

"I love you, Diz. You know that, and I wouldn't feel right if you left."

"Because mom and dad…"

"It has nothing to do with mom and dad!"

I don't realize the angry tears running down my face. I don't even realize all the truth there is in my words. I stare at her, as if I'm offended she thinks I did all of this because of mom and dad. If it was only that, I wouldn't have chased her. I wouldn't have forgiven her. I'm everything in her world, and I hold that renewed title proudly.

"It…is has nothing, to do with them. Dizzy, stop it. Stop…thinking I care about you, because of them."

It feels like I can't breathe. It feels, like someone stabbed my throat, and no matter how much I try, I can't get the air I need. In my arms, Dizzy shifts, and I pull her closer to me. I don't want to see her like this again. I don't want to see her in so much pain, so alone, with no one to save her. I have to be, want to be, that one pillar of strength she can lean on.

"But…"

She starts, as her face hides in the nape of my neck. I don't know what hits me, at that moment. Every day I ignored her, ever day I didn't try to talk to her, floods my mind with shame and regret. I realize then, at that very moment, there's no other being I want to care about in the world. That there's no one who can come close to the connection we share. I've never…felt this way about anyone. I don't care, how much time Dizzy and I wasted, the fact is, we can rebuild it. We can fix it.

"It'll be alright. I promise."

"I…don't want to be your burden."

"You're not!"

I yell, not at her, but just yell. Lifting her bleeding head, Dizzy stares at me, her eyes still vacant.

"You're not a burden. You're not…you're not anything bad to me, Dizzy. It's got nothing to do with anything but you and me. Not mom and dad, not the world, not the Raiders or anything. Just you and me."

The bottom of her lip quivers, and I squeeze her small body.

"I…don't know what to do to show you, that I'm not lying."

Dizzy lifts her hand, and places it on my cheek. Her thumb grazes my lips, and for some reason I kiss it. Feeling her nails against my stubble face, I close my eyes.

"I do…really care about you."

It takes a lot for me to say it right now, even though the words come easy, and it's true. Opening my eyes, I stare down at her, and again am hit with a wave of uncontrollable feelings. Urges, emotions, everything lunges at me at once and I can't help myself. Bending down, I give her a kiss not meant to be shared between siblings. I taste blood, and iron in her mouth, but that doesn't surprise me. What surprises me, is that in the middle of all this chaos, she kisses me back. I expected her, truly did, to pull away. But she doesn't. She kisses me back, and it's the most wonderful feeling in the entire world. Even if, it's the most wrong I've ever been, I can't seem to care.