Lupus7, I read your review on a different Dezbe story, but I'm addressing it here. Hopefully you stumble across this, because I would love to read whatever you have to publish on here. Just let me know when you do, and I'll be the first to click on it :)! I appreciate your review as well, and am very happy you've enjoyed the series so far! I hope you enjoy this one just as much!

We arrive in Megaton just as the morning sun starts to warm everything. The night before, Dizzy and I spoke little, ate even less, and slept none. For a while, I stared at the dying fire last night, wondering what the months ahead will bring. It's sort of lame, but I always mark days where I think of the future, and then when the future comes, I think back to those days. I don't know why I do that, it's something I've just started doing. Maybe it's because of all that's happened to me, in this short time, that makes me think of the future.

As we get closer to our home, I know that our parents will be there. Dad doesn't usually leave until noon, and mom only leaves when she has something to do. Most of the time, she stays home. Unless she goes out with dad. Either way, an impending shadow of doom looms over me, with each step we take. I think maybe it's because Dizzy will tell them all that happened, and I'm not sure of what our parents will do. They're not the screaming type, but I know the events we have to tell them about are definitely worth screaming over. The thought of my father raising his voice sends shudders up my spine.

"Cain?"

Dizzy's voice is weighted down, exhausted. She didn't sleep last night. I know because when I went to wake her, she didn't fight me or argue. Instead she stood up and silently we started walking. I look down at her, the front door to our home getting closer and closer.

"Yeah?"

Her big, almond eyes stare up at me like I have all the answers to all the questions she could ever ask. I hate this feeling in the pit of my stomach. I'm not sure if it's from her soon telling mom and dad of what happened, or that I may soon have to say goodbye to her.

"They're gonna be mad, aren't they?"

"Yeah. They're gonna be pissed."

We get to the front door, and Dizzy hesitates. For good reason, too, so I don't hold it against her. Instead of wasting more time, and having either mom or dad open the door to see us stupidly standing in front of it, I reach out and push it open. In the kitchen, mom turns around to see us. Dad is on his way down the steps, and Dizzy and I are greeted with looks of confusion and surprise. They didn't expect us back so soon. They know instantly, something is wrong. Because neither one of them act out in happiness.

"Dizzy? Cain?"

My mother says as she turns around, he pre-war dress dirty from the past I wasn't alive to see. Dad makes his way down the steps, his eyes watching us, suspicious, as we step inside. Dizzy closes the door, and the silence between the four of us is near killing me.

"…We have…we have something to tell you. And maybe, you guys should sit down for it."

Dizzy wastes no time in getting to the point. Mom, dad and myself all sit down, while Dizzy stands at the end of the table. She wants to tell her story, she wants to own up to her mistakes, and it's hard for her. I get shifty gazes from both our parents, and against my better judgment I say nothing. Dizzy has to do this on her own. I can't always be there to save her, or to clean up her messes. There's certain things, people must do on their own. This is one of them.

"Don't be mad. At any of this."

She tells everyone, and this worries mom, and makes dad light a cigarette. No one says anything, Dizzy has center stage. I hold my breath while she takes in air, to begin her story.

Mom and dad don't react like I thought they would. Instead of jumping to conclusions, getting angry, or even trying to interrupt, both of them sit there silently, listening intently. Dizzy slurs her words and sentences together, into one big slew of a paragraph. She tries to expel as much as she can in one breath, without leaving any details out. I notice, really, the only details she leaves out are the more intimate ones that her and I share together. My eyes focus on mom and dad, their faces set in stone and concentration. Dizzy talks until she's blue in the face, and even more after that. My palms sweat with nerves, as I run them over my pant legs.

As her tale comes to an end, she's shaking visibly. Again, I have to push back the urge to comfort her and offer support. I regret not helping Dizzy more in the past, and letting our relationship fall apart again, but I know I won't regret letting her grow up. Letting her do this, admit her mistakes, all on her own. She has to grow, she has to learn, and I can't always be there for her. Even if, when she leaves me for the adventures she'll have alone in the Wasteland, the stars won't shine as bright.

"And…that's all."

Dizzy says, summing up the entire ordeal as if it meant nothing. I know that's just her pitiful attempt at hoping our parents don't blow their heads off at her. Surprisingly, though, they don't. Instead of saying something, mom and dad leave the silence stale, and look at one another. Mom raises and eyebrow, and dad nods. Without another word, without any word, mom gets up and heads upstairs while dad lights his fourth cigarette, and leans forward, elbows on the table.

"…Well."

He begins, looking at me and then to Dizzy, who still stands.

"Sit down, Dizzy."

Dizzy obeys, and sits so fast for a second I think she's putting out a fire. Dad takes a deep inhale of his cigarette, his eyes narrowing behind the smoke.

"You got yourselves into a lot of trouble out there, but I think you know that."

We hang our heads, saying nothing as we prepare ourselves to be scorned.

"But you're also not children anymore. Mistakes now, are handled in very different ways."

"Dad?"

Dizzy says, almost childish and begging. Our father glances at her, as water forms in her eyes, but he doesn't show much sympathy.

"As I was saying. Mistakes are dealt with differently. There will be no punishments. From this, I hope you can learn a valuable lesson. What that lesson is, I'm not going to tell you, since you should know it on your own."

"What're we going to do?"

Dizzy asks him, and he sighs.

"You and Cain will accompany your mother and I into the Wasteland. We will deal with this how we see fit, and ensure that this Raider tribe will no longer bother my town, or my children, again."

"That's it?"

It's almost as if Dizzy wants dad to yell and scream and ground her. I guess the way adults treat things is going to take her some getting use to.

"After that, you will continue to travel the Wasteland, and hopefully have a wiser head about things."

"Why do you want me out there? Don't you worry?"

"Dizzy your mother and I worried a lot. However, we both feel time away from home is exactly what you, and you, Cain, need. Without it, neither one of you will be able to grow. This is just a minor mistake, and there are many more and possibly more severe ones, to come. This is also the last time, your mother and I will help either one of you in this sort of situation. If anything like this happens again, I expect both of you to deal with it accordingly."

"Dad?"

Dizzy says, as he stands up.

"I did not raise cowards."

There's disappointment in my father's voice, as he turns and heads up the stairs. I'm not sure what it's from, or why it's even there, but Dizzy and I both hear it. Mom and dad are disappointed in us, even though they're willing to help us. It would have been better, I think, if they simply yelled. Yelling is a lot more easier to handle, than hearing that disappointing tone.

"Well that turned out better than expected!"

Dizzy's sickeningly happy tone confuses me, and I look at her as I hear my father slam his bedroom door.

"What? Are you nuts, they're pissed. Worse than that, they're disappointed…"

"Cain, look. Mom and dad may be pissed or disappointed, or whatever, but the fact is they're going to help us."

"We should be old enough to handle it on our own, like dad said."

"Well, we should be, and we are, but Cain we're not experienced enough."

She gets up and grabs some bobby pins off the counter. I put my hand on the table, as she begins to pick the lock on the cuff around my wrist. Feeling it release off of me makes me feel freer than I have since escaping the Citadel Ruins. As if it really is behind us, and we can focus on fixing whatever problems lie ahead.

"I'm not sure I can share in your cheeriness."

I tell her, as I rub my reddened and sore wrist. Dizzy smiles at me, but I can tell it's an empty smile. She goes back around to the other side of the table, and sits down. Resting her head in her hands, Dizzy puts her elbows on the table and sighs at me. Looking at me like that, I see the hidden innocence on her face that was lost to age and maturity.

"You're not the least bit excited to go out into the Wasteland with mom and dad?"

I shake my head at her, yawning. Even though neither one of us got sleep, Dizzy's energy level skyrockets and is fairly contagious. I want to smile, and even feel the corners of my mouth twitching, but I hold it back.

"Not really, no. I…would have rather handled it on my own. On our own. Like dad said we should."

Dizzy shrugs and yawns, her long fingers covering her mouth before she replaces her hand on her cheek.

"You're too mature sometimes."

Her comment makes me raise an eyebrow, but I know she's just doing it because she has nothing better to do. When she's bored, her favorite pastime is to annoy the hell out of me. Usually, it works. She gets a rise out of me, and I feed into her stupid game, and she leaves laughing. That or we end up in an argument. Today, this morning, I don't have the energy to do either.

"Yeah."

It's all I say back to her, and she's obviously upset by this. Instead of fighting it, or pushing the issue, Dizzy drops it. Upstairs, we hear mom and dad's bedroom door open. As my gaze shifts to the top of the second floor, Dizzy's head turns, and both of us are shocked at what we see.

Usually mom wears pre-war garb. She doesn't bother to put on armor, because rarely she leaves. Even if she does leave with dad, she still wears some dress or something, claiming her survival skills are so great, she doesn't need protection. This time, it's different. Both me and Dizzy stare with mouths agape as mom comes down the steps, in front of dad, clad in her Vault 101 suit. Her Pip-Boy is on her left arm, glowing green with life. Brown fingerless gloves adorn her hands, and black high-laced boots protect her feet from wear and tear. Mom's completely covered, from neck down in her outfit. But it's not just her outfit, or how her Pip-Boy glows, or even how her sawed-off shotgun rests on her hip that makes Dizzy and I so entranced. Instead, it's the air around both of them.

They're angry, but somehow, that doesn't phase us. We know they're angry, and acknowledge that, but it's overshadowed by the life. The air of excitement, suspense, the thrill of a new adventure that engulfs us. I've never seen mom's face so calm, and yet in her eyes so unmistakably excited. Dad stands behind her as they reach the bottom of the steps, and his face is monotone and unexpressive as it always has been, but he too shares the same air and lust for adventure that mom has. Behind their empty expressions, are two people thrilled to have another whirlwind event enter their lives, as if they've missed it.

For a few minutes, I let this shock me. Let the image of them being so happy to leave Megaton surprise me. Then, I remember, that it's the one thing they loved most. The one thing they always did. Fight the bad guys, in the name of family, love, or the land they both came to claim as their own. When they met me, when they took me in, a newer and more tame adventure unfolded for them. Now that both myself and Dizzy are grown, mom and dad are simply bored. A part of me, feels proud to have brought all this trouble upon them. Because if you could see them right now, ready and willing to leave Megaton in a blaze of glory, after seventeen years of staying put, you'd feel a bit proud, too.

"So, you two accidents ready?"

Mom says, her sarcasm dripping from her words as she lifts her arm and looks at her Pip-Boy. Dizzy doesn't ask what it is, supposing that it's just another object from their past. Instead, both Dizzy and I stand up. We're a bit shocked to be moving so quickly, but it's not really much of a surprise. Since we were kids, dad and mom have always been kind of 'do it now and get it over with' parents. Their outlook is you do it, and do it right the first time, and you won't have to go back and do it again. I'm sure dad's thinking of that right now, and how he should have just attacked the Raiders with a mini-nuke first chance he got. Or maybe, that's mom thinking that.

"Are you guys sure you want to leave this fast?"

I say to them, already knowing the answer. I'm not sure why I even asked, but I guess I felt I should say something.

"Positive. We'll fix your mistake, show you two how it's done. Then, you won't have an excuse for doing it again and not finishing the job yourselves."

"You really think we're gonna be alright without you two?"

Dizzy asks as mom and dad lead us towards the front door. Mom looks back at Dizzy, shooting her a stern and serious look, topping it all off with a slight nod.

"Yes. I have full confidence in both of you."

"Why?"

Dizzy needs to learn to accept things as they are, and not question them.

"Because you're my daughter, and you are his son. There's very little you can't do, if you stop being so stupid about things. Hey, Charon?"

"Hm?"

"Wanna make a bet on who gets hurt first?"

"No. Not particularly."

"I say Dizzy."

Mom and dad look at us as we leave the house, and Dizzy feels trapped. I can't help but smile.

"I would have to agree with that, Dezbe."

Mom chuckles as Dizzy begins to proclaim how wrong the two of them are. Really, I'm on their side. Dad would say mom used to get hurt all the time in the Wasteland. Dizzy and mom are a lot alike, even if a lot of Dizzy's personality is dad's. I know it doesn't seem that way just yet, but when Dizzy gets serious, and really notices things, her and my father share the same facial ticks and thought process. It's one of those things, I suppose you have to see to understand.

"It won't take us long to get to the Citadel Ruins. We can be there in under a day."

Mom says, as Dizzy and I stay a good distance behind her and dad. I don't know why we do this, perhaps it's a pack mentality?

"Wait, mom, did you say under a day?"

Mom looks back at me, confused.

"Yeah, I did. Your father and I have made this trip so many times, we hardly stop to rest."

"Yeah but…"

I don't finish my sentence. I let my guard down, and for a slight moment let myself worry about Dizzy. Mom catches this, catches my sideways glance at Dizzy as she lights a cigarette and cranes her neck to see the white fluffy clouds of the morning. There's a stale silence, and I don't like it, because I can feel mom's eyes burning into me.

"But we'll rest for a night. I'll make sure to walk slow. Just make sure you two keep up."

"What?"

Dizzy pipes in, realizing mom is addressing both of us. But instead of answering, mom just turns around and keeps walking. I look at her, only to catch a glimpse of dad staring at me over his shoulder. I feel like he wants to talk to me, and as his walk slows down, I know he does.

"Hey, Diz, why not go talk to mom? I have to talk to dad for a bit?"

Dizzy looks at me like I'm an alien, but doesn't bother to argue. She picks up her pace, as dad slows his, and soon their places switch. For a moment, it's awkward and stale between my father and I. A voice inside my mind, tells me to tell him the truth about myself. Even if, I don't really want to. Taking a deep breath in, I prepare myself by lighting a cigarette.

"Dad…there's…a lot more to Dizzy's story than what she told…"

The words all taste bad, as if I've eaten stale Squirrel Stew. I want to spit them out, and stomp them into the dirt but I can't. Taking a drag off of my cigarette, I can only hope the taste of the stale nicotine can chase away the lip-smacking feel of disgust in my mouth.

"I figured there was something on your mind."

He says it so carelessly, even though there's no tone in his voice.

"How'd you figure that?"

"Because you have the same worried look in your eyes as I do, when something is troubling me."

"…Yeah…"

Hearing him say that, hearing him compare himself to me…makes me feel disgusting inside. I haven't even had time myself, to fully digest the information I recently learned. Maybe that plays a role in this whole thing. You know, it being difficult to say.

"What's on your mind, son?"

I used to love when he called me that, because when he did, I felt like I was really his son. Now…I'm not sure how it feels.

"…Dizzy…while she was with the Raiders…found out information on me. On…on how I was created."

"You know how you came to be, Cain. And now, your sister does. How did she take it?"

"Dad it isn't that simple."

His head turns to me, and his eyes meet mine. We're the exact same height, and I can't help but look down at my feet. We even walk the same.

"Oh?"

"Dad…I was…I am…alright. I was grown, you know this. But all my organs, all my veins, they were grown for me. Like those androids that run around Rivet City. Dad, the only reason we look alike is because they wanted us to. Everything…everything else…was just coincidence."

"Do you dream of electric sheep, then?"

"What?"

"Nothing. A pre-war joke. It wasn't good, and quite dry."

I blink, disbelieving his calmness about this. My father has never been an emotional person, but this information…it isn't something one can brush off lightly.

"Dad, are you getting what I'm saying? I was never a baby, dad. I was made. You know? I'm like, a new-age model of android. I'm…I'm a human but…but nothing about me is really organic…and…"

"And how is this important?"

"What?"

We look at one another, as laughter from my mother and Dizzy fills our ears. They're lost in their own world, speaking the secret language of women that us men will never learn. In return, us men are speaking our own secret language of understanding.

"You are my son, as far as I can see. How you came to be that way, does not matter to me. I understand its importance to you, but it is makes no difference in my eyes."

"…Dad…"

"Deal with it however you wish. Do with it what you will. However, don't think you can simply resign from your role as my son, and your mother's. It simply does not work that way."

I'm warmed by my father's words. He's lived a long life, and probably seen things I even still think impossible. I know there's nothing left that can bother him, but I want to know, where he learned such acceptance.

"How can you…look at me the same? Did I not explain it right? Dad?"

"You explained it fine, Cain. I simply do not care, because of something your mother taught me."

"Mom?"

"Yes. Over the years I have been around her, I have learned that family ties are just that. Just as your uncle Gob has no relation to you, and yet you refer to him as 'uncle'. Perhaps it is me, who did not properly explain things to you, if you feared that by knowing this, I or your mother, would disown you."

No, no…he…he didn't do anything wrong in raising me. I guess, when you hear something like this about yourself, you get tunnel vision. You really only see what you want to see, and nothing more. Or instead, you see what you fear most, and don't accept any other outlooks or viewpoints even if they are more possible than the vision you have.

"…No, dad. I…understand. It's just…I haven't had time, I guess, to really think about all of this."

"Well, there is time now, if you wish to have it."

Looking up at mom and Dizzy, I see them laughing together. I watch them, taking mental notes on their similarities. Then, I look to my right and see my father, and note our similarities. Even though I am only created to look at him, to have his size and strength, I am not his exact copy. And yet, I share his traits. I share certain personality aspects, similar outlooks, mannerisms, and I realize…all of these things, are learned. I spent more time with him, than most anyone else. It's only natural, that I would come to mirror him. Dizzy, once again, was right. I can't help it. I look at her, and smile to myself.

"You know what I am curious about, Cain?"

I glance back at my father, as his eyes are set straight ahead. In his vision, he can see my mother, Dizzy, and any enemies that try to get near them. Since as far back as I can remember, he's always watched them with those eyes. That protective and overbearing sense that bad guys can feel for miles, and in turn stay away.

"What?"

"…What was it…that made Dizzy mature and see the error of her ways? Someone like her, would not do such a thing without…some sort of push."

Shrugging, I jam my hands into my pockets and look where my dad is looking.

"I don't know. I yelled at her. Talked to her. After that, she kind of…I don't know, changed? Maybe she's more of you than you give her credit for, you know? She can really solve things and think clearly when she has to. I think…anyways."

"Hm. Perhaps. Her mother is a different person, than she was when she began out here. It may be the same for Dizzy. Once she gets outside experience, she will not be so spoiled."

"It's your fault for spoiling her."

"She is my daughter. I had no choice."

"Yeah…"

As the conversation between my father and I settles, mom and Dizzy's just begins. Howls of laugher grow louder, and Dizzy stops to hold her stomach from laughter. My father and I catch up to the two maniac women, wondering what's so funny. Neither one of us ask, though. We both figure, it's something in their secret language and they wouldn't tell us anyways.

I watch, as dad calmly slides an arm around my mother's waist. She stops her laughter, and looks at him, still smiling. But out here, there's a sparkle in her eye. One I haven't ever really seen before. They look at one another, as if nothing else exists or matters. My mother smiling, and my father smiling back, and behind them the boulders, mountains, ruins and off-green colorings of the Capital Wasteland. Dizzy stops her own fit, and stands next to me, watching them with me.

"…They really love one another, don't they?"

She whispers, as mom reaches up and hugs dad, her eyes closed, and smiling wider than ever. Dad puts his arms on the small of her back, and lifts her into the air a bit. It makes her laugh, and it's a laugh I've never heard before.

"Yeah…they really, really do."

Dad sets mom down, and kisses her forehead. I wonder, how long its been since their storyline began. For them, I hope it never ends, and goes that way forever. Because I can't imagine, mom or dad, loving anyone else as much as they love each other.

"Come on, let's let them be."

I don't want to stand here, gawking at them like they're some sort of sideshow freak. Grabbing Dizzy's arm, I give her a light pull and we start to walk in the direction of the Citadel Ruins. After a few short steps, I hear mom and dad behind us, speaking softly to one another.

"What's with you two?"

Dizzy asks, rather rudely, as she turns to face them and lights a cigarette. I turn my head to see the reactions on my parents' faces, expecting anger, but instead both of them are smiling. Well, my father smiles as much as he can, and to anyone else it isn't much, but to him it's a lot.

"It's been a long time, since your father and I had an adventure like this. So it's sort of…refreshing."

Mom explains it to Dizzy, in the way mothers explain things to children. Dizzy notices this and crinkles her nose.

"Aren't you guys sick of adventure already?"

"Not one bit, Diz. Not one bit…"

Mom has a whimsical and airy tone to her voice. Maybe this is the reason why neither one of them exploded on Dizzy and I. Because now they have a chance to leave Megaton and do what they do best. Which in my opinion, is protecting the land and fucking with everyone's plans.

"Hey, dad, aren't you going to like, make sure nothing happens to us? Like keep watch up ahead?"

Dizzy doesn't know how mom and dad are out here. Then again, neither do I. But I've had a lot more time to think about their stories than she has. However mom and dad act out here, is how they act, and nothing can really stop that.

"Don't worry Dizzy. Everything is fine. No one will bring you, or your mother, harm."

"What about Cain?"

Dizzy points to me, and I shake my head.

"Cain can manage on his own. I'm sure of that."

My father has confidence in me. He shows that a lot, especially recently. I'm not sure why, really. It's more than just the training, and the lessons and the advice he's given me. He sees something inside of me, I think, that I have yet to discover on my own.

"Whatever you say, dad…"

"Dizzy it is you I am worried about. You have proven to be too trusting, and brazen, as well as impulsive. Out here, you cannot do those things. Anyone can kill you, and some will without hesitation."

Dizzy smirks at dad as she walks backwards. Mom still has the whimsical look plastered on her face, as if she knows something secret and isn't going to tell anyone about it.

"So, I'm just like mom, aren't I?"

Dad isn't sure what to say to this, and the look on his face causes both mom and me to chuckle. After all, what can he say? Dizzy is right, and she knows it. She turns around and looks to me for approval. I don't necessarily give it to her, but I don't really deny it, either. I let her see the smile on my face, as I look away and towards the horizon. She steps closer to me, still smiling, as if she's won some great prize. She's the flower that's gonna be placed on my grave, I swear.

"One day, someone will love me as much as dad loves mom."

She whispers, and I look down at her. My hair falls in front of my eyes a bit, and I brush it away.

"I don't doubt that one bit."

Someone already does love her, as much as dad loves mom. Only, it's not the kind of love I can show her. It's not the kind I can give to her. We both made a mutual agreement, a silent agreement, to forget any feelings we have outside of sibling for one another. Even though that's the case, it doesn't mean I wouldn't do anything for her. It doesn't mean she's not the brightest star in my sky.