It isn't long, before the first rainfall hits my face. A small droplet, but one I'm quickly aware of.

"Dizzy?"

I say, trying to rouse her from her sleep. The two of us have been drifting in and out of sleep for an unknown amount of time. I'm not sure how long it's been in between naps and waking up, we're both exhausted from the recent events. Waking her was never easy, but this time she opens her eyes slowly. They find me instantly.

"What is it?"

She asks, her hand squeezing mine. For a minute, she seems scared.

"It's going to rain. We have to get up."

The sun is gone behind a mean cloud. A cloud that covers the sky for as far as I can see. Standing up, I let Dizzy's hand fall from mine, as I try to scope out my surroundings and get a bearing on everything. It's warm still, but not as warm as you'd expect for the Capital Wasteland.

"Cain, it's just a bit of rain."

I turn around and face Dizzy. She stands up, dusting her pants off and reaching for her gun, only to realize, it isn't there. Luckily I still have mine.

"You and I both know what rain can do out here, Dizzy."

"But what about mom and dad? What're we going to do?"

The trip from here to Rivet City isn't an easy one. It's long, and probably has a bit of enemies along the way. I didn't think Charon and Dezbe would be back before nightfall, or even tomorrow morning. Sure enough, they're not. Looking around, I try to figure out the best plan. It'd be easiest to track down to Rivet City, and run into them on the way, so they'd know we were safe. We can let them deal with their issues here with Littlehorn, while Dizzy and I double back to Megaton and see what we can do there. Problem being, we have to cross in front of the shack to get on the path towards Rivet City. The same path I'm sure Dezbe would be taking. By now, I'm sure, they've noticed Dizzy's absence. The fact that nobody's gone looking is both a relief and suspicious.

"…We're in trouble."

I say, as I pull her close to me and draw my weapon. We can't see over the pile of steel, but we can see behind us.

"What? What do you mean?"

"They've noticed you've gone by now, Diz. Nothing woke us up from napping. They know where we're hiding."
"How do you know? They could think I ran off or something. They don't know about you."

What? They don't know about me?

"What do you mean?"

I ask her, while she rubs her eyes. Sometimes she takes things a bit too nonchalantly. It's quite annoying.

"I mean, they didn't know mom and dad had me, for starters. You're just a big whole kink in their plans. They have no idea you even exist."

"How stupid are these people? Should we even be afraid of them?"

Dizzy yawns and shakes her head. She shrugs, and looks around some more.

"Nope, probably not. I mean, a little old man and his grandson isn't much of a threat to us. Or to mom and dad. And I have their genes. You're just a freako and we know that. If mom and dad can take down military operations, two people aren't much of a hassle."

"You're right on that one."

"The old guy knows dad, though. So if he sees you he'll probably run the other way."

I raise an eyebrow at her as the droplets of rain turn to a light drizzle. Grabbing her hand I start to pull her from behind the scrap metal.

"How would he know Charon and I are one in the same? The family resemblance is hardly noticeable."

"How many six-foot-seven two-hundred something pound men are there in the Capital Wasteland, Cain?"

I shrug, looking around. So far, everything is clear. The shack stands a handful of yards away, looking desolate and lonely. The gray sky looms overhead, and it sends a shudder down my spine. The entire atmosphere right now is far too overbearing, and foreboding.

"Exactly, two. Meaning, that the only two out here have to have some sort of family thing going on. At least some sharing of genes. So, he's going to be scared."

"Your logic terrifies me sometimes."

"I do what I can. Hey, where're we going?"

Dizzy walks closer to me, and I wrap my arm around her waist as I let my hand drop from hers.

"Rivet City. With the rains coming we need shelter, and we can't miss Dezbe and Charon. We have to take the path they'd take to get here."

"Oh. Makes sense, I guess. Hey think there's a real pretty place out somewhere? Like with grass like Megaton has? And mountains? And that white shit dad used to tell us about?"

"Snow?"

"Yeah, that."

"I don't know, Dizzy. Now really isn't the time to talk about it."

It isn't, either. Keeping one eye on the shack, and another around us, I'm trying to make sure we're safe. Dizzy looks around as the rain starts to wet our clothing, which will make travel that much more uncomfortable. Out here, a light rain isn't bad. A warm rain, that is. But when it gets cold, and warm, and starts to rain, things tend to get messy. Landslides are common, and river flooding, as well as mass hysteria. I'm not sure why, but everyone seems to act a bit crazier as the rains come.

I stare at her as we walk, silently, creeping past the shack that holds unknown enemies. Behind her curious face, I know she's scared. Dizzy can pretend all she wants. She can lie, fake it, and laugh it all of as if nothing phases her, but, that's not the truth. She's terrified right now, and unarmed. I don't know what happened in the time she was in there, but I know it wasn't anything severe. It was enough, to scare her, though. I can see it in her eyes. Dizzy can pretend all she wants, but she isn't Dezbe. She's nowhere near Dezbe. And likewise, I'm nothing like Charon. We're our own people, and we need to stop walking in their shadows.

To my amazement, getting past the shed and out of the Scrapyard is easy. It's almost too easy. I figure by now, they've realized Dizzy's absence. But they're probably smart enough to not chase after her. Whomever took her, or took Dezbe, must have decided it was in their best interest to keep back. With both Charon and myself, confronting these two women is near impossible. All we can do now, is continue on the long route to Rivet City. From there, we'll regroup, and head back home to Megaton. Or, what's left of it. After that, though…I'm not sure.

Dizzy, wants to go to New Vegas. And I sort of do, too. But, what about Megaton? And am I really ready to swallow my upbringing and stand beside Dizzy, not as her bodyguard, but as something more? The thought of us together gives me hope, but it scares me back into submission. As much as I want it, as much as I think I'm ready for it, I don't know if I can do it. I don't know if I can bring myself to move past what we were raised as, and to be something more to her. I want to be, though. More than I can show, or ever say. Absentmindedly as we walk, I feel her hand slip into my own. I'm always bending her. I'm always toying with her mind, her emotions, by doing simple things like this. Like letting her hold my hand. I don't know how much longer it'll be until she finally breaks. I don't know how far I can continue to push her. My commitment to her, is more than just willing to bleed for her, it's survival. It's physical, and emotional. It's every aspect a human form can take. A human mind. And in the back of my mind, I'm reminded, that I am more machine than man. But by now, that shouldn't matter. Dizzy, cares for me, regardless. Yet how can I care for someone else, when I cannot think of even caring for my own being? Or seeing myself as something more than just a machine?

"Cain?"

Dizzy says, as the rain lightens up a bit on our backs. It isn't more than a light drizzle, and I'm hoping the storm is just passing through. Looking down at her icy blue eyes, I feel my insides warm and melt. She squeezes my hand, as fear shines in her eyes for a second. I squeeze back, trying to offer comfort, while my own thoughts race.

"Is everything alright?"

She asks me, when I don't say anything to her.

"Yeah. Just thinking, is all."

"About what?"

About everything. About how it might not be the right time. Or that I might not be the right one, but how there's something between us. Something neither one of us can deny. Something that's there, deep inside, pulling and straining at the both of us. It tells me, I need her more than anything else in my life, and that I love her more than anyone.

"Nothing, really."

I say to her, looking ahead at the fog and mist that spreads across the Capital Wasteland on this early afternoon .

"Mom and dad are safe, right?"

Dezbe probably isn't even in Rivet City yet. She's probably just a few miles ahead of us, trying to get there as fast as she can. Then again, she knows a lot more shortcuts than we do.

"Yeah, they're alright."

"I'm worried about dad…"

"Diz, it takes a lot more, than a bump on the head to due him in. You know that."

"No, not about that. About…I don't know. Don't you think they want a quiet life now? After all they've been through?"

I shrug, letting her hand go, I light a cigarette. She motions for one, and I give in.

"…I think they'll be fine. You're worrying too much. Dez and Charon are perfectly capable of handling themselves."

"And what about you? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking."

"Do you want to come to New Vegas with me?"

"I really don't have a choice."

Dizzy gets quiet. We smoke cigarettes in silence as we walk, neither one of us knowing what to say next.

"You do, though. Dr. Barrows has all the information on you. You could…probably find a way to get away from me. Then, you could live on your own."

Her idea makes sense. They would have created some sort of failsafe, if anything. But, thinking of not being around her, bothers me. And it's not just because that I have to be for survival, either. It bothers me on an entirely different level. Thinking of no longer being needed by her, hurts. I look down at her, her small body walking and soaked in the rain. All I can think of, is how much I just want to take her away somewhere, where she'll always be happy. Where there's no sadness, no fear, and together we can live peacefully. A place, where she can have her adventures, but still stay safe. A place, with me, and nobody else.

"I want to stay with you, Dizzy."

I tell her, determined.

"…If you stay with me, then how am I supposed to be with anyone else?"

I almost break my neck from turning it so quickly. I stare at her, but she stares at the ground. Stopping, I let my cigarette fall from my hands, and it hisses in the mud.

"Do you want to be with anyone else?"

I ask her, and she stops walking. Turning to face me, Dizzy shrugs. Her hair is dark from the rain, and matted down to her head. The slight rain drips down her oval face, and falls from her chin. If she was crying right now, I wouldn't be able to tell.

"…Someday. Someday, I want to fall in love. And I want that person, to love me too. But, with you around, I won't be able to do that. Don't you think, we deserve to love someone? To live somewhat freely?"

"I never thought of it that way."

"I did. I think about it all the time. I think about…what it would be like…to have someone love me as much as dad loves mom."

She tosses her cigarette down, and suddenly, I feel like I've failed her. That I've failed in showing her I can love her, and that I want to love her. I think, I did.

"If there's a way for me to leave, I don't think I'd be happy with it. Not being around you, when we've been together since birth, is hard to imagine."

"But it'd be something new, wouldn't it?"

New, and unwelcome.

"If it's what you want, I can't stop you. But don't be disappointed, if there isn't a way to get what you're asking."

"No…no I won't be. But it wouldn't hurt to try."

I was supposed to tell her. Before all this crap happened, I was going to. I was ready. I wanted nothing more than to tell her. Tell her everything that was in my mind, and everything that was in my heart. Everything that was there, and that still is. What happened, between now and then? What changed in me? Why can't I muster up the courage to let her know now? I don't know. I don't know why I can't. It might not be the right time. I might not even be the right one, but there's something there. There's something between us. Something, you can't deny.

We continue walking in the rain, in the silence. Inside, my stomach churns. The thought of being away from her, makes shakes and tremors all throughout my body. How did Charon do this? How did he admit to Dezbe his care and love? I don't have any of the brainwashing he did, and I still can't share my secret. I still, can't tell Dizzy, that I need her more than anything in my life. That I want her more than anything in my life, and that I'd miss her more than anyone in my life, and I love her most. I love only her. Knowing…knowing Charon and Dez, though, it was probably Dez who initiated everything. Dez, who started it, and let Charon be free. I wish Dizzy would. Just one more time, and that way, all this pressure would be done with. But she won't. I know her, and I know when she's given up. Just like I know when she's scared, and when she's sad. I know her, better than anyone else.

"…If you find someone, they won't know you like I do."

I say, a bit louder than I had wanted. Dizzy hears me, and from the corner of my eye, I see her turn her head.

"They'll get to know me."

"Yeah. But you won't share old memories with them."

"We can make old memories."

"That's not the same."

"Cain, what the hell is your problem?"

I stare at her as we walk, my hair getting in the way of my eyes. Her blue eyes focus on me, and not on where she's walking. Shaking my head, droplets of rainwater spray everywhere, mixing with the drizzle coming down on us.

"Nothing."

"Well that's a lie and a half because you're being all butthurt."

"Butthurt?"

"My new word."

Right. I say nothing to her, and we keep walking. I have nothing else to say to her. I don't want to talk, anyways.