"Hello, beautiful."

Ruby had her eyes closed to the world, to everything around her. It wasn't worth it, to get up, to have to deal with all these people... people who needed her. Needed her to be strong. But she couldn't. Because she wasn't.

She could barely open her eyes and see who was talking to her.

MacCready was sitting on the floor next to her, looking down at her, smiling. "Hey."

"Go away," she whispered, and closed her eyes again.

"I can't," he said, sighing through his nose. "That murderous Paladin of yours is going to hurt me if I don't make you feel better." He rubbed his nose. "Think he might, anyway."

Ruby opened her eyes and stared at him, tiredly. " 'Snot my Paladin," she mumbled. Her fingers went to her wedding ring again, twirling it around her finger.

"I dunno," he said, rubbing the back of his head. "I figured you two were real close, acting like he does."

"Not that close," she said, staring at the gold band, watching the light catch it.

"Guess I need to re-tune my radar, then." MacCready sat back and put his elbow on an upraised knee, leaning onto it. "You're in the dumps right now, huh?"

Ruby groaned, weakly. "Go away, MacCready."

"Nope." He laughed a little, nervously. "C'mon. Least you could do is talk to me."

"Why?" she asked, her voice tortured. "I just―I want to be alone."

MacCready patted her shoulder with one hand, leaning forward over her. "I know how bad it hurts," he said, seriously. "And I know you can pull through. Losing someone... hurts like hell. It's not fatal. Won't kill you. I promise."

"It hurts too much," she mumbled. "I might die."

"Yeah, I know that feeling, too," he said, his voice strained. "C'mon. Sit up and talk with me. It'll be okay."

"I don't―" she groaned, feeling the chill of the floor.

"You're not gonna get anything other than cold, like this. Catch your death just from this place. Not from grief."

She sighed, barely able to draw a breath to do so. "I miss them," she mumbled. "I lost Nate, I lost Shaun―" she choked up and started crying again. "I lost Shaun on purpose―"

MacCready rubbed her shoulder, then reached out and pulled her to an upright position on the floor. He held her up in the air, her knees brushing the cool metal, and lowered her, gently. Leaned forward and stared at her under the Minuteman hat, tilting his head to meet her eyes.

"I told you about Duncan, yeah?" he said, softly. "My son?"

Ruby raised a head to wipe her face. "Yeah," she said, still crying. "But you―" She sniffled, pressing the palm of her hands into her eyes. MacCready hadn't lost his son like she had―Duncan was safe, and he'd gotten that cure, and he would grow up and MacCready could go back to him anytime he wanted―

"You―" she sputtered, through the tears. "You were there for him―"

"I had to leave him, though. Somewhere safe, to go after his cure," MacCready said, removing his hands from her. "After... after you helped me get that..." he shook his head. "I coulda bailed on you. Gone home, been with him. I didn't."

"You sh-should," she moaned. MacCready scoffed, and ran a hand along her hair. "You should go home," Ruby said, more strongly. "You don't need to b-be here―"

"I think I do," he said, quietly. "I think you need me, more than Duncan does, right now."

"N-no," she sobbed out, wiping her eyes and blearily looking up at him. "I'm―I'm okay. You can g-go."

"You're not okay," he replied, sighing. "This is not okay. You're a da―You're a mess, Ruby."

"I'm f-f-fine," she insisted, shuddering with held sobs.

"Heh," he said, moving a little closer and wrapping his arm around her. "You're a liar, too."

Ruby swallowed over the lump in her throat, pushing past the pain and tears. "Let me go," she said, pushing against his armor. "Ow! Ow―let me go―"

MacCready loosed his grip, but didn't take his hand from her shoulders. "I lost Lucy, you know. My wife."

She swallowed again, harder this time. The lump wouldn't go away―

"I lost her because I was stupid."

Ruby looked up at him and wiped her nose, turning her hands over and wiping the snot off onto MacCready's coat. He didn't say a word, just kept looking her right in the eyes. His were sad, tears in the corners.

"I lost her because I led her and Duncan where I shouldn't have," he said, intensely. "Down into a Metro full of ferals―and... before I knew it, we were overrun―and..." he sighed, looking away. "I grabbed Duncan and I ran. I... left her."

Ruby sniffled a little, blinking slowly. He must... he would feel like shit after that. She knew how that felt. She was shit after what she'd done... after letting her emotions get the better of her, and losing Shaun―

She was jarred out of the thought by how vulnerable MacCready sounded, next. "I know what you want to say," he muttered. "How could I do that. How could I―"

"But... you saved him," she interrupted, looking down. "That's... good. The right thing to do. And he's alive."

"Some days I wish I wasn't," MacCready said, lowering his arm. He looked miserable.

Ruby breathed out, calming herself. Still―her heart still wrenched in her chest, for Nate, for Shaun―she still hurt. But... it was fading, now.

Which is what it would have done, if no one had bothered her. She would have come back down and been back to normal. For a time. MacCready... distracted her, made her stop focusing on the pain. She wished he would leave her alone―but... he was here, and he was right, talking about it was helping. She tried to push her thoughts into a more coherent order.

"Everyone needs me to be strong," she said, slowly. "...I don't know if I can."

"You can be a blubbery mess if you want," he replied, sounding more like himself. "I know I'd like to be, sometimes."

"Why a-aren't you?" she said, her voice catching in her throat. "You d-deserve to be, after that―" She stared up at him, feeling the coldness on her face from the tears. So cold.

"Doesn't look as nice, a guy crying," he said, one side of his mouth curling up. Moved a hand to her cheek then dropped it, hesitating. He sighed, and his smile faded. "I can't cry like that, is all. No one wants to see that."

Ruby ran a hand over her eye and moved her hair out of her face, and dropped her hands onto her thighs, staring into the room. She was so tired... worn out. Being a blubbery mess, like he'd put it, drained the life out of her. And it was... it was so cold in the cryo-pod room. She shivered a little, looking away from Nate's body.

Nate. Who went to sleep and woke up to being shot and Shaun being stolen from him.

Ruby blinked and swallowed, a lump in her throat rising up and trying to pop out. Another sob rocketed through her.

"He's very handsome," MacCready said, leaning back a little. "Lucky guy, to have you for as long as he did. Wish I were that lucky."

The floodgate broke and her hands flew to her face, curling in on herself. She bawled like a baby, uncontrollably. MacCready's arm moved around her shoulder and held her tightly, his other hand sneaking up under her and prying a hand off of her face. He wrapped long fingers around hers and held her without letting go, until―

Ruby threw herself onto his shoulder and cried, rubbing her face into the coarse fabric and gasping for breath. MacCready held her hand against his opposite shoulder and tucked his chin around the back of her head, breathing out onto her neck.

It was too much―she couldn't―she couldn't do it. She'd promised she would find Shaun―and she did, but she'd―

Felt like she was going to fall apart, like she would just break into a thousand pieces and roll under the cryo-pods and never be found. Her hand scrabbled for purchase against his shoulder, slipping and causing her to slide backward a little. His free hand found and clasped over her fingers, pulling her closer―

"I got you," he said. "It's alright. I got you, Ruby."

She didn't know what to do―

Where was the smooth-talking prosecutor from way back when? The woman who never let anything get her down, who'd gone to school and finished it, who'd missed Nate so badly, while he was out on the front lines, who worried for him every moment of every day but could not―would not―give up on her own dreams?

And when he came home and she started talking family―she was the one who talked him into it―she was the confident one. All he had to do was be there, for her and for the baby, and he had.

And now... he wasn't, anymore. He wasn't there.

That was it. Nate was gone and he was her backbone. Without her backbone she was jelly, melting into her shoes―

"It's just a little paperwork, hon. It's worth it for the peace of mind, isn't it?"

"Anything's worth it, for you and Shaun."

MacCready adjusted his legs under her, moving a knee out and kicking out a leg. Ruby was pretty heavy, and she'd passed out or something. Didn't blame her, the way she was carrying on. But she'd pretty much attached herself to his shoulder and he couldn't get her fingers to uncurl from his.

Locked and entwined into his hand, and her wedding ring was digging into his fingers, reminding him of Lucy and her funny ways. How she'd held him. She'd given him... the soldier... He still had it, wrapped up real careful, like. And Ruby had her wedding ring.

MacCready looked up at the man in the pod, squinting through the strands of blond hair attached to his nose. Dark-haired guy, wearing the Vault 111 suit. He'd never seen Ruby in hers. Was willing to bet she pulled it off almost as good as this guy did. As Nate did.

He didn't have a ring on. Maybe Ruby took it off of him, for some reason. To remember him by, or something... it was why he'd never been able to part with Lucy's soldier.

He'd told so many lies. Lucy never found out. He should have told her.

Too many lies. Not anymore, though. Not after Lucy died, not after he'd promised to do better. Promised Duncan he'd make himself a better person, for him.

He felt how warm Ruby's hands were, on his own. She said she'd lost Shaun on purpose. He wondered what that meant, why she would put it that way. From what he'd found out, she'd been frozen up in the pod and watched Nate die and her son was ripped from his hands. She'd watched someone kill the person she loved most in the world―

He sighed. Yeah, he knew that feeling.

And she'd watched her child, a helpless baby, taken away by a real boogeyman. When she'd gotten into the Institute... she came back to Sanctuary Hills, after that, he remembered seeing how dazed she looked. Seemed like all this had gotten so much worse, since then.

Ruby didn't drink or do chems. She didn't have a way to ignore the pain. She'd worked hard down in the settlement and put up house after house, and taken him out to go collect more scrap for the place.

He didn't complain. No one wanted to hear him whining, anyway. He liked being out in the wastes with Ruby, even if she barely talked to him. He was better out there, than in town. Better on the move. Didn't have to think when he was on his feet.

Hell―Heck, he didn't even know if she'd managed to find Shaun in the Institute. She'd never said a word about it. ...Maybe something real horrible happened to her in there, and she couldn't tell anyone. Maybe she couldn't tell, because she would die inside all over again. He felt that way, sometimes.

MacCready moved her away from his chest, a little. She jerked and clutched at his hands tighter, her face mashed sideways into his grimy coat. Wet strands of hair stuck to her face, her cheek squished into him.

It felt great to hold someone again, but Ruby wasn't letting him hold her. She was holding onto him, for dear life. And she wasn't gonna let go for a long, long time.

Well, he hoped.

MacCready smiled and closed his eyes.

Danse returned to the Vault after a while, and found the impertinent civilian wrapped up in an embarrassing display with Ruiz. He approached without caution, intending for them to understand they were no longer alone, but nothing came of it. Ruiz had her face pressed against MacCready's shoulder and he was leaning his cheek onto her hair, breathing evenly.

"I know, I know," MacCready said, when Danse got closer. "Man, she's got a heck of a grip."

"Has her manner improved?" Danse asked, looking down onto their heads.

"Not sure, but I think my leg is going to sleep. Help me out, she's like a dam―like a dang deathclaw over here," MacCready breathed, laughing a little. "Razor sharp claws and all. I'm not getting away easy."

Danse waited for the man to stand up, awkwardly, and grabbed out at Ruiz as she nearly fell from his grip. MacCready stumbled away, hopping on one leg and muttering about needles. Danse held Ruiz in both arms, her prone figure limp across his armor. Looked down at her for a moment, concerned.

"Is she asleep, or unconscious?" he asked, frowning.

MacCready limped back over and rolled his shoulders around. "I thought she was asleep, but she hasn't woken up." He went to touch her, but Danse pushed past him, carrying her toward the Vault door.

"I think you've done plenty, for now," he said, pointedly, as the young man trailed after him. "I will handle it from here."

"Sheesh, don't act like I'm the bad guy or something," MacCready whined. Danse shook his head at the man.

"I don't know you well enough, civilian," he said, his voice cold, "to assume you mean no harm."

"Don't trust me, that's fine," MacCready muttered.

"As a matter of fact―" Danse stopped short, turning to the man. Ruiz hadn't moved the entire time he was walking through the Vault, and her arm twitched a little as he adjusted her for better grip. "I don't trust you. I don't make it a habit to trust people who won't take important matters seriously."

"Well, that's not fair," the man protested. "I just had a very serious conversation with Ruby―"

Danse turned and walked across the grate to the door of the Vault. "That remains to be seen," he said, calmly.

MacCready rode the elevator up to the surface with him but left his side at the top, taking off toward the settlement, over the rocks. Danse looked down at Ruiz again, adjusted his grip, and slowly walked down through the path. He had time. Ruiz needed to come to before they reached the settlement. Wouldn't do to have to carry her in, and having all the settlers seeing her in a faint.

Needed to be more firm than that. If she showed weakness―like that of the breakdown in the Vault―she would be discredited in the eyes of these people. If they thought she wasn't strong enough to mind their problems on top of her own, the Minutemen would fail.

And she would not make a very good soldier, if she weren't mentally stable. He had seen her with such strength, before. Dealing with Paladin Brandis, talking him into rejoining the Brotherhood. Where the man belonged, and where he would be treated with dignity and respect, despite his isolation and the grief that caused him such imbalance.

Where had all that strength gone? He sighed, and looked down at her. She was stirring to wakefulness. He stopped on the path, and waited for her to come around.

"Wha?" she said, and grabbed ahold of his armor at the seam, blinking in confusion.

"You passed out," Danse said, lowering her gently. "MacCready left, and I was taking you to Sanctuary Hills."

"He―He left?" she asked, sounding hurt.

"He passed you to me, so that I could convey you home," Danse clarified.

"Oh," Ruiz said, rubbing her eyes. "Oh. I... God, I'm sorry, Danse," she added, frowning and looking up at him. "I shouldn't have acted like that..."

"You appear no worse for it," he replied, staring at her. "However... if you are going to continue to have problems such as that, I will have to report you to Elder Maxson."

Ruiz stared at him for a brief second before turning about and starting down the path. "It almost feels like you have no heart, Danse," she said, very quietly. "If I hadn't spoken with you about Scribe Haylen, I might believe it."

"That's not fair," he said, moving to keep pace with her. The very same sentiment that MacCready had voiced. Perhaps his judgement of the man was in error; at least pertaining to this particular incident. "I attempted to... make amends, before MacCready stepped in. He explained he would be able to perform your consolation better."

"Because you aren't that good at talking to people," Ruiz said, turning slightly. She sighed. "I know that, Danse. Don't get jealous, or something."

"I am not jealous. That's―" he blinked and breathed out through his nose, stopping himself from saying something that would probably only be more embarrassing. "A good officer knows which soldier is best for the job," he said, trying not to sound annoyed. At himself. He was terrible at this... hemming and hawing.

Ruiz actually smiled and stopped on the path, turning and placing a hand on his gloves. "That is a very nice way to put it," she said, looking relieved. "Thank you, Danse. For letting MacCready talk to me."

"You are welcome, Knight." He turned his head and looked at the settlement, away from her. "You are well, then? Not feeling as depressed as before?"

"I feel a little better." She dropped her hand to the side. "It's... it's not an easy fix." Her face grew sorrowful. He wished he had not brought the matter to light.

"If you need to speak to anyone, be it known that I will be there," he said, quickly. "I am your sponsor, and it would be well for us to develop a rapport."

"I appreciate that," she murmured, turning back to the path and taking a few steps. "Thank you."

"And... I feel that we've had valued conversation before," he ventured, trying a idea.

Ruiz stopped and lowered her foot onto the ground. She turned back to him slowly, her face set into a funny smile with her eyebrows drawn together. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?" she asked, smiling wider but drawing her brows further in.

"I enjoy being able to speak you in a manner other than a superior to his soldiers," Danse said. Hoped he had not put his foot into his mouth, again. "As... a friend."

"I do, too," she said, and she sighed. "I promise I'll try to do better, okay? No more... freak outs."

"Good," he said, nodding. "Good." Didn't know what else to say. I hope that is adequate―

"You have to do better, too," she said, pointedly, moving down the path again. "People will start thinking you're a synth, or something."

"That is not something to make light of," he said, disapprovingly.

Ruiz laughed, under her breath. "Yeah, I know," she said, painfully.

Danse followed her to the settlement in silence, wondering. About Ruiz and her breakdown... and her apparent recovery. About his own feelings on the matter, and how he could negate the issue, if it were to happen again.

He felt it would be better if he were the one to deal with her problems. Even if he were not her sponsor. Why, he could not say. Perhaps he felt something other than Brotherhood kinship with her.

That... would not be so terrible, would it?

Danse smiled to himself, walking behind her toward Sanctuary Hills.