The Fallout of War

Chapter 14, Lexington

"Come on MacCready. Step it up." Cait called over her shoulder for the third time since they had left Gray Garden settlement. "I'm coming Cait, but you try walking from Hagen to Gray Garden in a power suit. Every muscle in my body is aching."

They were still on Kellogg and Danse's trail, but luckily it led close enough to the settlement, that they decided to detour and leave the Red Demon power armor there for a later pickup. They were now nearing the outskirts of Lexington and approached an old Bus station. MacCready headed for one of it's benches and sat down letting his head fall back and closing his eyes. Cait plopped down beside him.

"Sometimes I wonder why I left the Capitol Wasteland." MacCready reached down to pull off a shoe and dump out some dirt giving his toes a wriggle while he was at it. "So why did you leave?" Cait asked. He glanced over at Cait's inquiring green eyes trying to determine if she was just making chit chat or was genuinely interested.

MacCready inhaled a deep breath and let it out, "Well I had a wife and kid there..." Cait's head jerked toward him as she interrupted. "You had a family?" "Yeah, but..." "And you left them there?" MacCready's eyes lifted from his shoe to Cait at her gruff accusing tone, "Yeah, but...I mean, no, but..." "You abandoned them!" "What?"

"It's time to go!" Cait huffed as she jumped up from the bench and headed down the street. MacCready knew that stiff walk. It said, I'm pissed and looking for a fight. What the...? "Cait wait!" He was instantly on his feet hopping after her as he tried to get his shoe back on.

With his shoe in place once more he finally caught up to her and not daring to grab her arm he got in front of her and stopped. Her green eyes were flashing like a rad storm he'd never seen the likes of before. "Cait, what is the problem? Why are you so dam... darn angry?"

Hands on her hips Cait practically spit at him, "The problem is you have a family you just left. Left em to fend for themselves. Forget about caring or love. You're just the big bad mercenary. Did ya give em a good thrashin before ya left em too?"

MacCready was horrified at her words and his anger set in, not caring that she could toss him on his ass. "Is that what you think of me Cait?" His green eyes and tone were furious as he spat back at her, "My wife is dead from ferals! My son then caught a disease! I came here for the cure which I sent home for him!"

He stomped away a few steps then turned and stomped back to her, "Further more, my son is with good people. What kind of fuc... life would he have with me? I killed a man for a dam... a drink!" His fury was waning thinking of Duncan. He stomped over to a rusted out car, leaned against it and crossed his arms tightly across his chest as he gave Cait a hard stare. "Duncan deserves better. I'm just a... a hired gun. A big bad mercenary." He threw Cait's words back at her.

Cait was horrified now. Not at him, but at herself. She'd let her past creep in and take control of her. She took a couple steps toward him, her voice stern, but it was at herself again. "When I'm wrong, I know it. I'm apologizin..."

MacCready lifted one hand briefly to wave her off. "Forget it Cait. No need." He straightened and made to start off. "Wait." Cait's tone was still a bit commanding, but this wasn't easy for her. She knew she'd be choking on what she had to say, but he deserved an explanation.

"My past just reared its ugly head on me." There was a bitterness in her voice that made MacCready pause. Cait never talked about her past, never. "I had a family, as a child. They tended to enjoy abuse... of every kind. When that finally bored them... they sold me." Cait was studying her glove spikes non-nonchalantly, but her voice and body told him how hard it was to speak of it. "I just assumed you left yours without care. I'm sorry."

It was a natural reaction for him to step forward and wrap his arms around her. He felt her stiffen, then relax, but he was angry again. Angry for her and what she must have gone through. "The bas... ass.. son of..." He inhaled and exhaled, "I'm... I'm sorry Cait." He said softly.

They just stood there a moment like that and he knew the second the old Cait reasserted herself. Her body went hard and she pushed him away from her, though not roughly. "Don't be..." Her voice was calm and controlled again. "..cause they paid for it. I went back one day and killed em." MacCready's only thoughts were, I'd have done the same.

Cait started down the street again heading into Lexington with MacCready following as she tossed over her shoulder at him. "An it's not your muscle aches been slowin ye down, if you'd watch the road instead of me arse, we'd make better time." MacCready grinned.

They were starting across an empty intersection when they both froze hearing the familiar bleep, click and clang of a turret starting up. They both leaped for cover behind the shell of a car in the street. "Damn it. We walked right into that." Cait cursed. "I got this." MacCready brought his rifle up and when the turret stopped firing, he popped up shooting through the empty window and took the turret out with 3 quick shots.

He grinned over at Cait only to hear another bang and his hat went flying from his head before they both ducked down again. A couple more bullets slammed into the car's rusted metal sides. They peeked up again and more bullets flew at them. "I counted two." Cait said. "Same here, 2nd floor of that building where the turret was."

MacCready lifted his rifle quickly and took a shot at the raider closest to them, missing when he ducked behind a crumbled wall, but the second raider located further toward the middle of the building started firing forcing MacCready to take cover again. Cait fired at him with her .44 all three bullets completely missing. "Remind me to teach you how to shoot that thing one day." MacCready grinned at her and got a frown in response. "I'm best fightin with my hands and you know it."

They both snapped up again and fired a few shots meeting a barrage of bullets slamming into the car cover. "I think they have us pinned down." "Like hell! Just keep me covered." Cait said huffily as she moved toward the far end of the automobile. "No! Cait! Come back."

She turned and gave him a look that said, do it now cause I'm going anyway. "Dam... grrr." He rose up and fired a shot at each of the two raiders forcing them both to take cover as Cait ran for the next vehicle. He dropped and saw Cait already set to move again. He rose repeating his action switching between them til they figured out his timing and he had to duck or eat a bullet.

Cait was no where in sight. He took another quick pop shot and thought he spied a shadow moving on the 2nd floor. Cait! Dang it! I've got to keep their attention. He saw his hat still on the ground and grabbed it then hung it on the end of his rifle barrel. "Hey you bunch of radstag dung. Best give up now!" he shouted and raised his hat slowly upwards. Bullets riddled the car and his hat spun on its barrel post.

He heard someone yell and couldn't keep himself from peeking. A raider's body went flying out from the second story to hit the hard street below. Go Cait! He sent several more shots off at the last raider, trying to keep him pinned as Cait maneuvered through the building. The raider returned fire and he almost forgot to duck. Then another cry filled the air and he jumped up to see the last raider fly over his crumbled wall into the road below.

Cait appeared where the man had been and waved. MacCready grinned and waved back. She emerged from the building a couple minutes later striding toward him dusting her hands off and giving him a cheeky smile. He walked around to the front of the car to meet her. He removed his hat, now sporting two bullet holes, and bowed acknowledging her skill respectfully, causing her to laugh. As he straightened though his eyes caught movement behind her. One raider was painfully lifting his gun where he lay and it was pointing at Cait's back.

"Cait!" She saw the look on his face, the direction his eyes had gone and was turning even as he raised his rifle and fired. Two shots rang out, only one was from MacCready's gun bursting the man's head open. MacCready spun toward Cait and saw the streak of red crimson across her forehead form and begin to flow down her face. Her emerald eyes had gone wide as she stared back at him before collapsing forward into his arms.