James Hunter never imagined seeing his daughter here of all places.

He woke to the sound of her voice and a deeper one.

"So what should we do? Should we wait until he's fully back to fighting shape or do you think we can make it if he's in a weakened state?" Leyah was saying.

"That's a big chance. Yao Guai love this area and we ran into a Deathclaw on the way here. Chances are that another one would like to play tag on the way back."

"Damn."

James managed to turn his head and he saw his daughter sitting in a chair nearby, most likely so she could keep an eye on him. The man he saw before he passed out was sitting in another chair, cleaning what looked to be a shotgun. An unlit cigarette was hanging out of his mouth as he worked.

"It's already been three days though, we only brought enough food for a week and we're going to be short."

The man cursed softly and lit his cigarette. "We still have the meat from the mole rats. And I found a little more food in the vault."

Leyah nodded and hummed in thought. "I think we should try to get him back to Megaton first. Or your house, either way, it would be better than here."

"I agree that this place is shit but it's safe for now. I think we should wait until he's able to walk and help us fight if need be."

"I can help just fine," James managed to croak.

Leyah head whipped around to look at him and basically leaped out of her chair. "Dad!"

James reached up and ran his knuckles across his daughter's cheek when she reached his side. God, she looked so much like Katherine it hurt. James missed her so much and seeing her here was like being in a dream. "Honey…you saved me. I was afraid I'd be trapped in there forever," James said, hoping she could see how grateful and happy he was to see her. "But what are you doing here?"

Leyah's brows pinched and pressed her lips in a thin line and James immediately knew he was in trouble.

"What am I doing here?!" she hissed. She shoved on his arm. "What am I doing here?! Did you think that Almodavar would have just let you go and leave me alone?! He hated us! Did you even think about what would have happened?" She started to pace and James knew he was in a deeper pit than he thought.

"Amata woke me up in the middle of the night so I could escape! They killed Jonas, Dad! I was next!"

James stared at his daughter in shock. Jonas is dead? He knew Almodavar wouldn't be happy that he left, but he never imagined the man would turn on his residents that quickly.

"And do you want to know what I've been through after that?! It took dealing with a sleazy bartender to tell me that I wasn't even born in the Vault and that you've been LYING to me my whole life! And then I got chased by raiders, almost killed by God knows what, get snatched by Super Mutants, blown up, and who knows what else LOOKING FOR YOU!" She waved her arms wildly toward the pods in the other room. "And then you jump into one of those damn things with no one to back you up! What the hell were you thinking?!"

Leyah was almost vibrating she was so angry and all James could do was stare in utter shock.

She pointed over at the man. "If it wasn't for him I would be dead by now!"

James slowly sat up, feeling a little dizzy as he moved to sit on the edge of the makeshift bed. He looked over at the man. "May I have a moment alone with my daughter, please?"

The man nodded and stood. He stopped by Leyah and rested a hand on her shoulder and they shared a look before stepping out of the room.

The door slid shut with a hiss, leaving James and his daughter in a tense silence.

"I am glad to see you, Sweetie, but I just didn't expect to ever-"

"See me again? After you left without saying a word and just leaving a damn holotape?" Leyah hissed, crossing her arms and turning away.

James could see her lip quiver and his heart clenched and his stomach tumbled, just like it did whenever he saw his baby girl cry.

"Leyah, Sweetie, I love you. I love you so much, but Project Purity has been my responsibility since before you were born. When I discovered there was a way to make it work, I had to see this through. So many people have sacrificed for this, your mother included."

Leyah bit her lip and looked up at the ceiling, blinking rapidly. "Why didn't you just tell me then? Did you not trust me? Did you think I would have a fit and tell the Overseer? Do you know how shitty I felt when I learned you've been lying to me all this time?"

"To protect you!"

Leyah whipped around, glaring at him. "How could you leave me like that? What the hell were you thinking?"

James gestured to the two dirty packs on the floor and the guns next to them. "I wanted you to be safe! I didn't want this for you—a life out here in this godforsaken warzone. And I know you. I couldn't tell you what I was doing because I didn't want you following me."

He knew his daughter's anger was justified, and he knew they needed to have this talk, but he wished she would just understand.

Leyah opened her mouth but shut it quickly and she looked away.

"A plan, which was clearly not as successful as I imagined it would be," he continued.

Leyah scoffed. "Not by choice! I was run out. Almodavar put the whole damn vault on a lockdown."

James scowled at that. "I truly believed he wouldn't react that way. I'm sorry you had to go through that, Sweetie."

With a tired sigh, his daughter stepped over and hopped up on the table, sitting next to him.

"For what it's worth, it's so good to see you again," James added on quietly.

Leyah leaned her head against his shoulder. "It's good to see you too, Daddy."

James lifted up his arm and rested it on her shoulders, pulling her closer. "I thought I was done for in there."

Leyah peeked up at him. "What? You didn't like being a dog?"

A bark of laughter escaped him. There was the sense of humor he loved. "While it had its perks, I prefer apposable thumbs."

James glanced out the window of the storage room, watching as the man walked around the main chamber, acting like he was on patrol.

"Now, are you going to tell me who your friend is?"

Leyah pulled away slightly and she gave him a big smile. "You've…actually met him before. He was way younger then."

James wracked his brain, trying to think of the face. Suddenly, the face of a young Brotherhood of Steel Initiate came to mind.

"Is he the Barrington kid?"

Leyah's smile grew and she nodded. "Yep! You helped save his sister a long time ago. That's why he first agreed to help me. He kept helping me because we became friends though."

James couldn't believe it. The Barrington kids were all grown up now. "Why is he here and not with the Brotherhood?"

His daughter went quiet and she opened and closed her mouth many times, as if she couldn't make up her mind to tell him or not. "I'll let him tell you," she finally said, getting down from the table.

She set a bottle of water beside him along with a pack of Dandy Boy Apples before jogging over to the door. It slid open with a hiss and she cupped her hands around her mouth.

"Mav!" she called out.

"What have I told you about calling me that?!" a deep voice snapped.

"Don't I get special privileges now?"

"No."

James arched a brow as he listened to the exchange. Was there more than what he was seeing? He decided to wait until he saw more before he would ask about it. The man finally stepped in and Leyah closed the door after him.

Maverick Barrington was a perfect mixture of his parents. James could see Johnathan in his face, but everything else was Eleanor. Even the bright blue-green eyes were the same. And James couldn't believe that the tall and lanky 14 year old he remembered turned into the lumbering soldier in front of him.

"I was told that you helped my daughter because of something I did for you?" he stated, looking at Maverick expectantly.

Maverick set his shotgun aside and he stepped closer to the table. "Yes, sir."

"While I appreciate it, I feel like I owe you the debt now," James said, taking a sip of water.

"To be frank, you don't owe me shi—anything. You saved my sister's life and I didn't get to properly thank you then. Thank you, sir."

James held back a chuckle at Maverick's attempt to not curse. "And you are most welcome. Now, how about you both tell me how you came to get here?"

James listened about Maverick rescuing Leyah in Springvale and how he took her under his wing for a few weeks. Then about Maverick setting her on her way and eventually following her. The story was full of ghouls, raiders, and everything in-between. But, one question remained.

"Maverick, why aren't you with the Brotherhood of Steel now? I would think that Johnathan and Eleanor would have tried to keep you there."

Maverick's jaw clenched and he leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "I didn't leave by choice. Let's just say my father and the others didn't agree with Lyons and I got exiled trying to stop them when Lyons was gone on a field op."

James stared in shock. Johnathan Barrington was many things, but a traitor was one thing he never would have labeled him with.

"Well, that definitely explains things."

He arched a brow at how his daughter rested a hand on Maverick's shoulder and Maverick glanced at her with a tiny grin.

Ah, so his assumptions were correct.

"So, when were you going to tell me you were in a relationship, Leyah?" he asked.

It was almost comical when Leyah's eyes almost bulged out of her skull. Maverick didn't look fazed in the least. "Shit, we never talked about breaking it to your dad did we?" he said, pulling a cigarette out of his pocket.

Leyah gave Maverick 'the look'. God, she looked so much like Katherine when she did that.

James waited patiently while his daughter fidgeted in her seat and wrung her hands together. "Well, yeah, Maverick and I are together."

While James trusted his daughter's judgement, he was a little hesitant about this. "I see."

Deciding to not open that can of cram at the moment, he let out a fake yawn. "Well, all of us are tired, I think. Let's talk about this another time."

Leyah gave him a suspicious look and he knew she was onto him.

James gave her a small smirk before laying down on his 'bed' and falling asleep again.