Maverick let out a sigh of relief when he saw the Chevy Chase entrance up ahead. Leyah did better than he expected after seeing her so hesitant before. She even saved his ass when a feral ghoul managed to get the jump on them.

Even now, he was impressed with her impeccable aim.

He looked over his shoulder at her, frowning at what he saw. Her fingers were trembling and he saw that she had bitten her lip hard enough to draw blood. She looked pale even though she was a little sunburnt.

Without saying anything, he gently grabbed her elbow and tugged her toward the ticket booth nearby. After checking for traps, he stepped in and gestured to an old chair near the window. "Sit. What time is it?"

Leyah sat down and propped her rifle up against the wall of the booth. The faint green light of her Pip-Boy cast everything in its eerie glow. "It's a little past 5."

He looked out toward the metro tunnel with a nod, scanning the darkness for any movement.

"Say it."

Maverick glanced at her before looking back out at the tunnel. "Say what?"

"That I'm being silly for being scared."

Maverick looked up at the ceiling. He remembered his first time in a metro tunnel as an Initiate. It was the worst fucking day of his life. And he was with a whole squad and he wasn't that much younger than she was now. Leyah went in all on her own.

He decided to throw her a bone.

"Wanna know what scares the shit out of me, Vaultie?"

All he got in response was a heavy sigh and a sarcastic, "Nothing?"

Talk about fucking impressions, Maverick laughed in his head.

"I'm scared of Deathclaws. Those things are fucking unnatural. I saw them rip apart a man in power armor once. Oh, I'm also scared of heights. Thank Christ the Pride stayed on the ground where we damn belong. And the last thing…I'm going to let you take a stab at that one."

He looked over his shoulder to see her staring at him as if he grew a third arm. The light from her Pip-Boy cast a heavy shadow on her face. "Heights? Seriously?"

"Yeah, heights. They're fucking scary. Now take a guess or I'm just going to let the last one be a mystery."

Leyah shrugged. "Will you answer even if I don't?"

"That's a chance you're going to have to take now is it?"

He held her gaze for many moments.

"Fine, what's your last one?"

"I'm scared of losing people…that was my worst fear whenever I went out on a patrol or mission," he paused and looked out at the tunnel again. "I would look at the members of the squad or the Pride and wonder 'Who will make it back?' and it was terrifying."

"Why is that? Because you care about them?"

Maverick crossed his arms, leaning his shoulder against the entryway of the booth. "Yes…and the fact that people's lives were up to chance on those missions. Anything could have happened and I didn't like not knowing what would happen."

He heard the creak of the chair and her footsteps as she walked up to him. A soft touch on his arm caused him to look down at her. He glanced at her small hand on his arm before looking at her face again.

She didn't have the sympathetic look that he was expecting. Instead, he saw understanding and…admiration?

"I know where you're going with this. And thank you for caring in the first place."

"Where am I going with this, Leyah?" Her name felt foreign in his mouth, he still had to get used to saying it, but he liked it.

"You were going to say something along the lines of 'Everyone has their damn fears, and you have to fucking face them and blah blah blah'," she lowered the pitch of her voice to mimic his toward the end and Maverick couldn't hold back a grin. Ah, she knew him so well.

"Something like that…and that it's okay to be scared. I almost shit myself my first time in the metros."

Leyah gave him an unconvinced look. "Don't lie to me."

"I'm not. I was 15 and with a squad too. I used to be scared of feral ghouls."

For some reason, he was okay with telling her this shit. He hadn't been able to open up like this since he last saw his sister.

"Now you're blatantly lying."

Maverick shrugged. "Oh, so now you won't believe me when I'm spilling out the life secrets? I'm okay with that."

Their eyes met again and Maverick felt his heart start to thud in a way that he hadn't felt in years when she smiled up at him, gently curling her fingers into the fabric of his shirt. "Thanks, Mav. For telling me that stuff."

She thumped his shoulder before walking back to pick up her rifle. "Now, let's get out of here so we don't see what I'm scared of again."

Maverick barked out a laugh. "Oh honey, you haven't seen anything yet."

He didn't want to run into Super Mutants and Centaurs, but it was unavoidable at this part of the city. As slow as he could, he opened the entrance to Chevy Chase and he immediately felt tense. He knew the muties were nearby, he could hear their rumbling voices from where he and Leyah stood.

"Are those-"

Maverick quickly held up his hand, giving her a warning look with a nod. He cocked his shotgun and slowly crept up the stairs, staying as low as he could. Peering around the edge of the stairway entrance, Maverick cursed. Two Super Mutants were standing near a safety chamber not too far from the metro and they didn't look like they were going to move anytime soon.

"Fuck, there are two of them over there. And that usually means there's more around."

"So what do we do?"

Maverick opened his mouth to answer, but the distinct hiss of a laser rifle stopped the words in his mouth. The guttural shouts of the mutants and the sound of rifles immediately started after the lasers.

Peering around the corner again, Maverick narrowed his eyes, trying to find the source of the laser rifles. The muties were dead by then, but Maverick didn't want to take his chances. The last thing they needed was the Talon Company or Raiders jumping them.

"Stay close and watch my back. And for God's sake, don't be trigger happy and shoot my damn foot on accident."

"Since when have I been trigger happy, you jerk?!"

Maverick smirked. He was just happy that Leyah's spunk was slowly coming back.

He gestured forward and slowly crept out into the open. They silently made their way toward the jagged, concrete remains of a building. Taking a deep breath, Maverick listened closely, closing his eyes for a moment. He could hear the sound of metal hitting metal and what seemed to be four pairs of footsteps.

Leaning up against the corner, he glanced down at Leyah and held up two fingers. She nodded and quietly cocked her rifle.

The footsteps were coming closer to their corner and Maverick waited for the opportune moment. Finally, the steps were where he wanted them and he quickly whipped around the corner, pointing the barrel of his shotgun at the unlucky person who happened to be on the other end of it.

His eyes immediately saw the barrel of a laser rifle.

Flashing blue eyes widened and Maverick stiffened. Of all the fucking people we had to run into…

"Sentinel Lyons, we are secure," the tinny voice of another Knight said.

Sarah Lyons was exactly as Maverick remembered her. Fierce, angry, and to the point. She was only a Paladin when he was in charge of the Pride, and she was among the Pride's ranks when he was 'dismissed'. He knew she would be a good leader and he was honestly thrilled when he heard she had become the new leader of the Pride.

Now, though, she was the last person he wanted to run into.

"Maverick? What are you doing here?" she hissed, lowering her rifle.

"Gee, Sarah, good to see you too. I was going to say you were a fucking sight for sore eyes but I'm going to hold that in now," Maverick growled, lowering his shotgun.

Sarah huffed and stepped forward and Maverick stiffened as she gave him a huge hug. She stepped back again with a wry smirk. "That was for Rachel. She doesn't go outside the Citadel much anymore and she knew you were alive."

Maverick snorted. "Wow, you didn't think I could live on my own this long? Thanks for the vote of confidence, brat."

Sarah's mouth instantly turned down into a deep frown. "See, that's your problem, I almost think I can stand you for a second and then you say some shit like that."

"That's part of my charm, Sarah. I thought you knew this." Maverick paused and looked at Leyah, who was snickering as she leaned up against the wall. He frowned at her. "What's so funny, Vaultie?"

Leyah shrugged and stepped from behind the corner, resting her rifle on her shoulder. "I don't know. Maybe it's the fact that she doesn't put up with your shit either."

Sarah's brows furrowed. "Who is this?"

"I'm Leyah Hunter. Mav and I are trying to get to the GNR station."

Maverick elbowed Leyah. "What have I told you about calling me that?"

"We've discussed this. I can call you whatever I please."

Their gazes met and Maverick didn't feel the familiar irritation form from the nickname. Leyah smirked and Maverick rolled his eyes.

"As much as I would love to watch you and your girlfriend fight, Maverick. We have to get to GNR ourselves. Our men there need backup and we need to go now," Sarah snapped, turning on her heel.

Maverick felt his neck heat up. "She's not my girlfriend, brat!"

Sarah waved his outburst off. "Whatever. You coming or what?"

Grumbling, Maverick looked down at Leyah again. "Want to go with them? They're honestly our best allies against the muties."

"I'm okay with it. Is Rachel your sister?"

Maverick's eyes met hers again and he didn't see anything prying or demanding in her gaze. He saw an innocent curiosity he had not seen in years and he found it oddly endearing. "Yeah, she is," he answered softly.

He gestured his head toward where Sarah was walking and they slowly made their way along.

Maverick immediately saw many familiar faces as they approached the rest of the soldiers. Vargas was talking to what looked like an Initiate and the others, Glade and Kodiak, were waiting for orders.

"Holy shit, Maverick?! You're a sight for sore eyes," Kodiak laughed.

Maverick couldn't hold back a grin as he and Kodiak embraced. "Likewise," he chuckled.

Kodiak gestured toward Leyah. "Wow, you finally found a girl who's willing to put up with your cranky ass?"

"Why do you people assume she's my girlfriend?!" he snapped.

Leyah was covering her mouth and trying to hold back her snickers. Maverick could see tears pooling in her eyes from the effort.

Despite the irritation, Maverick felt lighter than he had in years.

It felt good to be with the Pride again.

Leyah was impressed with how the Lyon's Pride worked. Maverick had easily fit in with them and he knew all of their slang and Lyons even let him make some calls along the way. She felt a little irritated to see him working with the other woman so well, but that irritation was immediately swamped by the irritation she felt from being around Reddin.

That girl was an idiot.

Leyah had to help her Paladin teacher cover her ass multiple times on their way toward the GNR station. The girl was capable, but she was what Maverick called, 'an ammo wasting dumb-fuck'.

Many members of the Pride had clapped their hands on Maverick's shoulders and she immediately knew that these people were his old friends. It was strange to see the caustic, boorish loner fit in among them so easily.

"Shit, they have control of the school," one of the soldiers grumbled, reloading his rifle.

"We need to split up, that way we can take them out from all angles."

"No! We need to stay together. Or they will pick us off," Lyons argued firmly.

Leyah glanced up at Maverick and saw him roll his eyes with a sigh. "Sarah, Vaultie and I will take to the second floor and we'll take out as many as we can there. She has the accuracy and we'll help more up there so you guys can carry out your formations."

Everyone stared at him for a moment before Lyons nodded. "Alright, but don't get killed. I would hate to be the one telling Rach that you died here."

Maverick scoffed and cocked his shotgun. "Please," he grumbled, gesturing to Leyah.

Leyah jogged to catch up to him and followed him toward the outer edge of the elementary school. A set of stairs was revealed as they walked around a corner and Leyah stiffened when she heard a Super Mutant on the floor above start to shoot his rifle.

"Alright Vaultie, don't embarrass me. I'll shoot first and you cover me as I reload."

For some reason, his comment pissed her off. Why couldn't she go first? If he vouched for her so damn much, he should let her do that at least. "No, I'll go first. I can cause more damage at a distance with this more than your shotgun can."

Maverick frowned down at her. "Excuse me? I modified this shotgun myself. It'll be fine."

"At least admit that I'm a better shot than you. Let me go first."

"Fine! Whatever, go!"

Leyah smirked at the small victory and she slowly crawled up the stairs. A mutant was not even 20 feet away and she couldn't help but feel satisfied when she easily took it out with two shots to the head.

She leapt up onto the second floor and shot toward the next mutant she saw immediately. A bullet to the neck was all it took.

Maverick's shotgun blasted behind her and she quickly reloaded, getting ready to cover him. She squatted down and aimed toward the mutant that was behind the one Maverick was focused on. A heavy thud and a deep breath was her only warning that a mutant was behind her.

Leyah looked over her shoulder and gasped. A super mutant was heaving a sledge hammer above its head. Without thinking, Leyah somersaulted forward to dodge the swing. She quickly brought her rifle around and shot toward its head.

It groaned and Leyah squeaked when it started to fall backwards. She quickly scrambled away and got on her feet again. She didn't see any more on the second floor so she quickly took care of as many as she could on the first. They reached the opposite edge of the school and Leyah's breath caught in her throat. There were at least five Super Mutant Brutes down in the GNR Plaza and the Brotherhood of Steel members already there were outmatched.

The Pride finally made it to the Plaza and Leyah quickly hid behind a broken piece of wall to reload. Maverick hid beside her and reloaded his shotgun. "That wasn't so bad. Now let's show them how accurate we are."

We. Leyah liked the sound of 'we'.

After about 10 minutes of them switching on and off, the area was finally secure. Leyah felt winded, hungry, and now, exhausted. She felt proud of herself though. She made up for her cowardice in the Metro. The muties actually weren't as bad as she thought they would be.

She leaned up against the wall again with a deep breath, holding her rifle close. She could feel her hair stick to her neck from the sweat and the discomfort made her inwardly squirm.

Maverick gently nudged her. "Come on, they should be opening the doors when they make sure everything is clear. We can eat and catch a breather inside." He paused at the top of the stairs and looked back at her. "And…good job, Leyah. You were right earlier."

Leyah blinked in shock, dumbfounded that he even admitted it. He was surprising her way too much in one day. First with the Brotherhood of Steel news and then with calling her Leyah and being nice to her, it was more than she could process. That didn't mean she didn't like it though.

He gave her a small grin before walking down the stairs.

Shaking her head, Leyah sluggishly followed behind him and slung her rifle over her shoulder. They walked side by side through the plaza, eventually passing by Reddin and Paladin Vargas right as Reddin fired three shots into the air with a whoop.

Maverick halted in his tracks and Leyah stiffened. Oh no…

"What the fuck are you doing?" Maverick seethed, glaring at the Initiate.

"Celebrating," Reddin replied in a cocky tone.

Leyah didn't even try to stop Maverick from getting in her face and Paladin Vargas looked almost relieved.

"You. Fuckwit. You just wasted ammo and let every surviving mutie in the area know that we're. Now they're going to come here right away instead of finding this place by chance like they were supposed to." He shoved the girl hard enough to make her almost stumble in her power armor. "You're lucky I'm not in charge anymore or your life would have just become hell," he spat, walking away.

Leyah gave an apologetic glance toward Paladin Vargas before catching up to her angry friend. "That was a waste of ammo and Behemoths love loud noises. I can't even-" his words trailed off into a deep grumble as he stomped toward the GNR entrance.

"Speaking of ammo," Leyah said, hoping to get his mind off dumb Initiates, "want to see if we can find anything on these mutants? We could sell some of the shells later." She jerked her thumb toward the dead mutants, arching a brow.

Maverick halted in his tracks and turned around without a word and started to check the closest Super Mutant body.

Leyah held back the urge to smirk at him before checking the pockets of the nearest mutant. Right as she squatted down next to a body, a shadow loomed over her. She looked up and was surprised to see a Brotherhood soldier standing next to her.

He took off his helmet and a middle aged man with greying dark hair and smiling brown eyes greeted her. "I'm Paladin Glade," he greeted, holding out a hand.

Leyah tentatively took it. "Leyah Hunter."

Glade grinned and squatted down next to her, checking the pack on the mutant's back. "So how did you convince Maverick to let you travel with him?"

"That's funny, because it was the other way around."

"What?"

Leyah stood up, inspecting the bullets she found before moving on to the next body. "He showed me the ropes in Springvale and then I went on my own. He eventually found me and convinced me to let him come with me. I was happy he did."

"Holy shit, there's a first for everything."

Leyah couldn't help but laugh at the Paladin's disbelief. "I guess." She squatted down next to another mutant and bit her lip, glancing over at Maverick, who was on the other side of the plaza now. "Were you good friends with him?"

Glade perked up as if he was waiting for her to ask that question. "I've known him ever since we were Initiates. Hell, he and I helped Sarah found the Pride. It was all her idea you know, she was just too young and inexperienced to lead it at the time so Maverick took the job."

Leyah was now super curious and she couldn't resist the opportunity in front of her. "So you know how much of a pain he can be?"

Glade scoffed. "He's the biggest pain in the ass I've ever met."

"So," Leyah mused, standing up again. Forget scavenging, this was more interesting. "You probably have a lot of dirt on him that a poor girl like me can use eventually, right?"

Glade smirked. "Do I ever! What do you want to know?"

Leyah jerked a thumb in her friend's direction. "What's with everyone asking if I'm his girlfriend or not?"

Glade snickered. "Oh, that? Well, let's just say that the few girls that dated him were known to be seen fighting or arguing with him constantly. So, naturally when we saw you giving him shit…"

Leyah tried to ignore how hot her cheeks were getting. Her and Maverick? That was a funny concept. A little voice in her brain told her she was lying to herself and that she didn't think it was funny. She shook it away and tried to not think about it.

"Rachel used to tell him to be nicer and she was the only other person besides their mother that didn't take shit from him. If anyone can control Maverick, it's her."

"Tell me more about her," Leyah said, glancing toward Maverick again. He was talking to Lyons now.

"Rachel? She's the nicest person I know, but don't piss her off. That's the only similarity between the two knuckleheads, their tempers are legendary," Glade laughed. "She's one of the smartest people in the Brotherhood too. They were surprised she didn't become a scribe. She went for the Paladin route instead."

"Were they close? Maverick and Rachel? She was the only thing he would mention when I asked about his past."

"Were they close? They were the definition of close. When Maverick had to- ya know- leave, she was devastated. He was really protective of her too. You'll never meet anyone who cares about other people's safety as much as him."

Unfortunately, Maverick happened to walk up right as Glade finished talking.

"Gossiping again Glade?" Maverick teased, crossing his arms.

Leyah suddenly realized how close he was standing to her and could see what Glade meant about him being protective.

She tuned out Maverick and Glade's conversation and studied Maverick the whole time. He looked ten years younger as he talked to his friend. The lines in his brow were almost nonexistent and a small grin was now always present on his face. She blushed when she realized she was staring and got back to scavenging anything she could from nearby mutant corpses.

Maverick eventually said goodbye to his friend and joined her.

They ended up near the fountain about 10 minutes later and Leyah halted in her tracks at the sight of the Brotherhood knight.

The body was sprawled awkwardly over the edge of the fountain and Leyah's stomach squirmed at the sight. She glanced up at Maverick and bit her lip when she saw his blank stare. He was stock still and his hands were clenched at his side and Leyah could see the muscles in his jaw tighten.

He suddenly looked much older than he probably was.

Not knowing what else to do, she gently grabbed his hand and managed to work her fingers in-between his before giving them a light squeeze. She let go and started to look for more ammo and other supplies, avoiding the body at all costs.

"You've been doing that a lot, Vaultie."

Leyah squatted down next to a hunting rifle and started to inspect it. "Doing what?" she asked, giving him a quick glance over her shoulder before picking up the gun.

He squatted down next to her and her heart leapt up into her throat when he put a finger under her chin and made her look at him. "Be nice to me," he said, lowering his finger.

Leyah shrugged. "You looked upset. Why wouldn't I be nice?"

His even, greenish-blue stare held hers for many moments and Leyah found herself noticing a lot of things she didn't notice before. Like, for example, the light, thin scar that ran through is left brow, and how long his eyelashes were. Her neck and cheeks suddenly felt warm with the realizations as well.

A loud booming noise broke the moment and Leyah looked toward where the noise came from. Maverick was looking as well and Leyah literally saw the color drain from his face.

"Vargas! Get the Initiate out of there!" he suddenly bellowed, bringing out his bag of grenades.

Before Leyah or, apparently, anyone could react, the pile of cars that was blocking the street was blown apart by the biggest arm Leyah had ever seen. The giant mutant let out a big bellow when his huge arm swung toward Initiate Reddin. Leyah watched in horror as Reddin flew through the air and landed on the steps of the GNR studio.

Maverick and the other Brotherhood soldiers had already reacted, but Leyah could tell that their grenades and bullets weren't going to get them anywhere.

She remembered what Maverick told her about Behemoths, and that the only way to get rid of them was to nuke 'em. She dove away from a flying car door and looked around frantically for something- anything- that could give them a chance.

"Get the fatman!" Lyons yelled, firing her weapon toward the monster.

Leyah looked and her heart started to thud when she saw the fatman in the arms of the dead Brotherhood soldier. She scrambled toward the fountain and ripped the weapon from the dead man's arms, mentally saying an apology.

Leyah realized two big problems when she faced the mutant. 1; she had no idea how to work this gun, and 2; it was impossibly heavy.

"Maverick! Get them away!" she screamed, hoping that she was pulling the trigger.

Luckily, the other soldiers and Maverick were a good distance away when the mini nuke slammed into the mutant's chest.

A large wave of heat rushed into Leyah and she felt the nausea that came with radiation right after it left. That feeling with the combined weight of the fatman forced her to her knees and she clung to the edge of the fountain to keep upright.

The Behemoth let out a gurgled roar before falling forward on its face.

The square was eerily quiet for a few moments before the scattered cheers of the Brotherhood soldiers rang out through the air.

A heavy hand on her shoulder caused Leyah to look up at the sad, yet smiling face of Sarah Lyons. "You did well, much better than the usual rookie. Remind me not to doubt you next time."

Leyah gave her a weak smile before trying to push herself to her feet. She stumbled a little and yelped when she almost toppled over. Luckily, Maverick was there to help her up. "Easy there," he said softly, helping her sit on the edge of the fountain.

"Thanks," she mumbled. Her stomach churned as the gross feeling of radiation just got stronger.

"Need some RadAway?" Maverick asked, setting his pack down.

Leyah didn't open her mouth and she managed to nod. She didn't want to see what she ate for lunch and she didn't want to barf in front of Maverick and the Sentinel.

She scrunched up her face and looked away as Maverick lifted her jumpsuit sleeve and injected the medicine. A small hiss got by her teeth as the needle pinched her arm. The nausea slowly went away and Leyah let out a heavy sigh of relief.

"How the hell did you do that?" Maverick snorted, gesturing toward the fatman.

"What was it you said once? 'Just pull the damn trigger.'"

Maverick barked out a laugh. "Well, now I know you're feeling better. You're giving me shit."

Leyah grinned and took his hand, squeaking a little when he easily pulled her to her feet.

"Thanks, Maverick. It was good to see you again," Lyons said, holding out her hand to the formal soldier.

Maverick stared at her hand for a second before finally giving it a firm shake. "You're doing a good job, Sarah. I think you'll be better than me soon enough."

Lyons shook her head. "How did you do it?"

Both Maverick and Leyah gave her confused looks. "Do what?" Maverick asked, tilting his head.

Lyons looked over at Reddin's body and Leyah's heart almost broke when she saw the weariness and the woman's face. "Move on," she whispered, looking back at Maverick.

Leyah looked up at Maverick too and was shocked to see his eyes glazing over.

He shook his head with a shaky sigh. "You don't."

With that, he turned on his heel, picked up his pack, and walked toward the GNR entrance.

Three Dog was still the cowardly asshole Maverick remembered him being.

Leyah did him proud though. She gave the asshat a run for his money and didn't stop giving him shit until Maverick finally cut in and just decided to tell Three Dog that they would help.

Now, they were hanging out in one of Three Dog's spare rooms and Leyah was still grumbling angrily as she sorted out all they scavenged. "I can't believe it. All he has to do answer a damn question! Now he's exploiting a kid and wasting everyone's time. I can't even-"

"Leyah."

"I mean. Doesn't he know that there are super mutants everywhere out here?! And why aren't you mad?! Here I was thinking you would be kicking his ass! I-"

"Leyah!"

"What?!" she snapped, setting down the supplies they got from the mutants.

"Sometimes you have to play by other people's rules out here. Three Dog will be eternally grateful and willing to cooperate more in the future if you do this," he said wearily. "And I'm sorry I didn't help you chew his ass out I was…preoccupied."

Leyah stared at him and Maverick stared right back from his spot on the floor. He had immediately sat down and leaned against the wall when they entered the room and he didn't even bother unpacking.

Leyah stood up and walked across the room and took a seat beside him. She rested her head back against the wall as she looked up at him. Maverick looked back and he almost laughed. She really was tiny compared to him and it was funny because it wasn't like she was a stick or anything.

"Do you want to talk? Or is that against the rules still?" she asked quietly, giving him a soft grin. She gently nudged him before looking away.

Some locks of her hair had fallen forward into her eyes and Maverick had to hold back the urge to push them away. He gulped and looked forward, wondering whether he wanted her to know or not.

"How are you so damn cheerful?" he asked instead.

She looked up at him again and shrugged. "Well, if I become a grump like you, I'm letting everything else win. At least that's how I see it. My dad taught me that and it's the only thing I have of him at the moment."

"Is that so?" he asked, looking up at the ceiling.

"Yeah. So I try to stay positive and keep going while doing so."

They sat in silence for many moments before Leyah pushed herself to her feet. "I'm going to get some of that food and beer Three Dog promised. Want anything in particular?"

Maverick waved her off. "Just get whatever, Vaultie."

Leyah grinned at him again before stepping out of the room.

Wiping a hand down his face, Maverick considered his options and the situation he was in. He had never told anyone about the Brotherhood and why he was dismissed. He also didn't tell anyone about the immense debt he owed to Doctor James Hunter. Because of this fact, he wondered why in the hell he would want to tell a tiny girl he had only known for three weeks.

Oh fuck, I can't be doing this right now, he thought, reevaluating why he left Springvale to go find her.

Leyah reminded him of his sister, yes, but she also had something about her that just made him curious. Three Dog wasn't lying when he said that there was something in her that screamed, 'I'm going to get shit done.' If Leyah had proved one thing, it was the fact that she was tenacious and smart, and she used those qualities to help others before even helping herself.

She had told him that the only reason she had come to Springvale was to warn Silver about Moriarty, nothing else. The damn girl risked her life to save someone she didn't even know.

But, seeing her fight with Three Dog made him realize that she wasn't stupid and was at least a little realistic when helping others. Three Dog's request was over both of their heads and Leyah didn't hesitate to say so.

Maverick was never going to admit this to the vault girl's face, but she was the splash of color he needed in his life. He would have been lying if he said he was happy living alone in Springvale. Leyah was the only one who tried to get under his skin and find out more about him and not about what he could do for her.

Would it be so bad to have someone know? he asked himself. Leyah at least deserved an explanation after having to deal with some of the Brotherhood members. And he knew that she would never use that information against him, even though it was against his better judgment. A heavy weight settled in his chest as he sighed. He was going to have to tell her eventually, so he might as well do it now.

Leyah finally returned with two plates of Brahmin steak and two beers. "This was all he had," she said apologetically, sitting down beside him.

Maverick took the plate, fork, and bottle from her and just stared at it. He looked back at her and set them to the side. "Leyah."

Her fork paused in front of her mouth and she glanced over at him. "Yeah?"

"I'm going to tell you some stories, so set your shit down for a second."

Leyah's brow arched incredulously, but she did as he asked.

"I'm going to tell you what your dad did, and why I was dismissed from the Brotherhood," Maverick paused and took a deep breath before continuing, "It happened 20 years ago. I was 14 years old and Rachel was 10…"