The Tradewind ll had drawn anchor and was quietly moving upstream to the Citadel, her engines mysteriously repaired. They didn't usually move at night when on the river but Calli needed to get to the Citadel to find out what had happened. Also Tyrone was behind schedule and he could make up some of the time. It would only take part of the night and he could get a couple hours sleep before taking up his trading duties in the morning.

The morning dawned without its usual brightness. Dark clouds hung over the sky, obscuring the sun. Calli observed them wryly. It would have been nice if it had rained when they were struggling through the stinking hot wasteland with no water, she thought. Oh, well, since when had nature cared about her problems?

Calli had Nathan and Hawk with her as she approached the Citadel. She wasn't hiding now. The news of her and Hawk's close escape had swept through the area like a wildfire. Everyone was now aware of her condition and her relationship with the physician. Dressed only in her Arhome armor, as was Nathan and Hawk, with helmet off, she felt oddly exposed. It had been so many years. She held herself proudly, hiding her nervousness, glad for the support of her men. It wasn't going to be an easy interview with the Elder.

The guards eyed Calli with open curiosity as they approached the gate.

"I wouldn't have recognized you without your helmet, Ma'am," the young guard said.

Calli smiled at him. "I believe the Elder is expecting us."

"Oh, yes, Ma'am, sirs, go on in", he said hastily, opening the gates. They strolled through the courtyard and into the building, aware of the many eyes following them avidly as they made their way to the Elder's office. Calli knocked lightly then swung open the door at the Elder's bid to enter. He was alone in his office.

"Well, Calli, I guess your secret's out now," the Elder said. They were seated around his desk with glasses of wine, except Hawk who had a Nuka Cola. No one who knew him ever offered him alcohol.

"Yes, it is, and I think we need to talk about the circumstances, don't you? You know we were set up. We walked into a trap", she said coldly.

The Elder nodded. "Of course we figured that out. It was Corporal Emmons that told me about the Captain. He was in the group that was scouting that area, and told me how he got separated from the others. There were five of them went out. He brought back dog tags on 3 of them, said they were killed outright, but the captain was captured and taken alive."

"So why wouldn't you tell me? Oh, wait a minute, Emmons, wasn't he a friend of Scott Halliday?", Calli asked. Nathan's face remained expressionless at the mention of his brother.

"Yes, that was why I didn't want to tell you who the informant was. I was afraid you'd refuse the assignment, and if there was any way Captain Desmond was alive, I wanted him rescued. I was wrong.", the Elder admitted.

"So, where is Emmons now?", Nathan asked stonily.

The Elder looked at him. "No idea. He disappeared right after you," he nodded at Hawk and Calli, "left for the North. I had a guard watching him but he managed to slip away."

Calli, Hawk and Nathan glanced at each other in silent communication. Calli had other business to take up with the Elder, but this wasn't over. Corporal Emmons had made some serious enemies.

"We have to finish this, Elder Tristan.", Calli said. "We can't let the remnants of the Enclave go to ground somewhere else."

"Calli, they were desperate to take Arhome because they needed her resources. Yes, they have built back up over the years, but they know they've reached their limit. What's left of them has scattered. I don't think they can recoup again", he said.

"I have to make sure if it takes the rest of my life to hunt down every single survivor. They attacked my home, Elder", Calli said hotly. "They threatened my children. They know enough about me now they'll use any means to get to me. No, I have to go after them while they're weak."

"No."

Calli looked over at Nathan, surprised at his interjection.

"No?", she queried.

"No.", he said firmly. "You have to rest and build yourself back up. Besides you don't have to. The Arhome guard is taking care of it. They've joined forces with the Rangers and the Brotherhood. While you out they were mobilizing and organizing. Between them they'll cover the wasteland. We have their last vertibird too. Believe me, no one will escape. They should never have come after Arhome."

"That's right", Elder Tristan agreed. "Go home, Calli. Rest for once. Let someone else take care of the wasteland."

Calli looked at them, blinking to keep back the tears. She really was tired and weak.

"Okay", she smiled wanly.

It would take several days, and a lot of food, for the partners to rebuild their reserves. They rested aboard the Tradewind ll, enjoying the company of the crew, going ashore to help with trading or enjoy a meal in a bar. Now that Calli was no longer hiding, and the location of Arhome was becoming common knowledge, the wasteland was very interested in her and her once hidden city, and she drew a big crowd wherever she went. People even came to the shore just in hopes of getting a glimpse of her aboard the ship. It was very good for business.

Nathan and Calli were preparing for bed in their room. It had been six days since the partners had staggered aboard and they were almost entirely healed. The Tradewind ll needed to sail the next day for the southern stops. As they were now behind schedule it was agreed they would bypass Arhome this trip to make up the time and give Arhome time to recover from the attack.

Nathan sat on the edge of the bed to remove his boots.

"I'm thinking about coming back out into the wasteland. Jewel's doing a good job in Arhome. She's fully qualified now. She knows how to treat most kinds of wounds and illnesses and has shown good skill as a surgeon. Now that Arhome's open I'm sure we can find another doctor to help her out, Calli."

"Will you go back to the clinic then?", she asked.

"I don't think so. Steve has it well in hand and has a couple of good apprentices. I want to go back to being a travelling physician and teacher. I wanted to discuss it with you first though," he added.

Calli sat down beside him. She didn't say anything for a while. Nathan waited. He knew this would be hard for her, the fear she would have that he would die in the wasteland. The same fear he had every time she went out, except he knew she could withstand any injuries not immediately fatal. She didn't even have that assurance.

"I never doubted your courage. You know that don't you?", she asked quietly. "I know my desire to keep you in Arhome was more for me than for you. I won't do that. If you want to go out, then you should. I'm not going to keep you from what you love to do. Just, let's try to see each other as much as we can, okay? I really miss you when we're apart."

"Me too", he said. "We're going to Arhome tomorrow. We have a lot of arrangements to make. Come here."

He held out his arms and Calli slid into them.