A/N:
This is what I've thought of as a transitional chapter. While nothing terribly dramatic happens, it does bring the characters to the next scene in the upcoming chapter without too much to leave you, dear reader, to sort out as time goes on in this little tale. Have a great weekend, and enjoy!
As we were being siphoned from the police station, I wondered what would happen to us once we made it to the Prydwyn. Each of us had our very own Brotherhood bully in power armor "escorting" us. Both Oliver and Melissa refused to be separated, and neither would Dan and I. While the people guarding us allowed it, they made many snide remarks about Dan, and the affection we showed each other. Ultimately we were all split apart except for Melissa and Oliver.
It looked like this Scribe Haylen woman was also a medic. We didn't realize how blood soaked Ollie was until we were out in the light of day. Before we had gone into the police station, I had removed parts of my armor that were chafing against my arms. I should've thought ahead about breaking the new padding in a bit before fleeing Sanctuary. On the other hand, at least that made it easier to give Oliver the makeshift tourniquet. Thankfully, we were allowed to grab our packs before being unceremoniously dragged from the building. I had spare clothes in mine, and needed a new shirt after using the one I'd been wearing to patch up Ollie's arm.
Haylen had both Strykers with her while she removed the bullet and stitched up Oliver. Sandra and Dan had been pulled aside for questioning about why we were at the station in the first place. I didn't know why, but I was given free rein to wander where ever I chose within the perimeter that had been set by the Brotherhood of Steel. I wanted to make sure Ollie was okay before going back to Dan and Sandra. He waved me off, saying that his shoulder would be all better once his wife "kissed his boo-boo". I just shook my head. That was Ollie in a nutshell.
Before donning a clean shirt, I stretched and twisted to better see the bruise that I knew was forming on my left side after my crash into the desk. I glanced over at the other two members of my team, and saw Dan watching me. His eyes took in my abdomen, and slowly moved up to my breasts. It was then that I truly remembered that I was topless and standing there in my bra and jeans with my armor heaped in a pile at my feet. When our eyes finally met, I saw something in his that I'd never seen before. The darkness of his gaze held a hunger for me that sent waves of delicious heat through my body. I fully expected him to look away in embarrassment, but his eyes remained locked with mine.
Mel noticed this whole…I dunno, exchange…between Dan and I. Her laughter turned into a snort, and Ollie took a playful swat at her behind.
"Looks like our little talk with him sank in. Things might be a lot easier for you from now on, Brenna." Mel said with a smirk.
"We do good work." Ollie agreed with his wife.
"You both are absolutely incorrigible. What the hell did you say to him?" I asked while yanking a blue blouse over my head.
They just grinned in reply.
"I give up." I said, walking away.
Dan had been cornered by some Brotherhood woman in regular military looking armor. She kept asking him about why he felt the need to protect me, and if it was borne out of any information we had discovered. Finally his frustration at the woman exploded just as I was reaching his side.
"Because I love her! Is that enough for you?" he shouted.
She made a noise of disgust, and said "Of course you do. It's fitting that two freaks would fall for each other. If you have no further information, I have no use for you."
"Dan? Did you mean that?" I asked quietly.
He looked down at me with an expression of anticipation, and nodded his affirmation. I'm sure he worried about what my reaction would be.
"I love you too." I simply said.
Dan reached out for me, and I gladly went to him. He ran his fingers through my hair while he kissed me deeply. I keenly felt the barely restrained desire in his touch. We held tightly to each other, just waiting to be pulled apart by some jackass from the Brotherhood. Thankfully, that moment never came.
What a crazy day this had turned out to be. A shootout with these assholes, being captured, and now Dan's profession of his love. I'd take the good along with the bad in this case.
The clank of power armor that somehow managed to sound angry came from behind us. I didn't bother turning around. It was no doubt Danse. We braced ourselves for his further orders, and some show of bigotry regarding our relationship. Dan had warned me about this from the beginning but seeing it in action still turned my stomach.
"Morley. Nate has said that you believe you are from some other world. Is that truly what you think has happened to you?" came Danse's voice.
"Yeah. I know I ended up here against my will. Exactly how or by whom I still don't understand." I said.
"But we're working on it." Dan added.
Sandra joined us, giving brief hugs to both Dan and I. Once the Strykers were able to leave their guard, we'd all be back together. Then we'd be able to leave and continue our search for answers.
A guy who couldn't have been more than 20 years old marched up to Danse. He was obviously the messenger of the bunch.
"Paladin Danse, I've had word from Elder Maxson. Vertibird support will arrive shortly." said a young man who looked like the military version of an unpaid intern.
Danse nodded and dismissed the intern-soldier.
"What on earth is a vertibird?" I asked as I looked at Sandra and Dan.
"You'll see shortly." Danse said, his voice full of pride.
The three of us were sent over to join Melissa and Oliver. For the first time since arriving in this world, I felt like I was part of it instead of simply a bystander. Having friends I cared for, and a man I loved had become an anchor. Now I was truly split between two worlds. It took nearly five months to get to this point, and in some ways, I was afraid. This is what I had dreaded. Finding reasons to stay instead of remembering all the reasons I needed to leave. My husband and our children sometimes felt like a far off dream, or an old picture from an earlier age. For all the fear that my heart harbored in that moment, the love I'd found in this world sang over it.
As these thoughts flew through my mind, a distant rumble that reminded me of home sounded. Back in Connecticut, we had lived under the flight path to Bradley International Airport. Not a day went by without some sort of air travel noise in the background of our lives. There was a helicopter approaching. I just knew it.
The five of us looked up to watch the three "vertibirds" begin to land at the far edge of the destroyed parking lot. So much for making good on our escape. It was safe to assume that Danse had every intention of flying us to the Prydwyn.
Scribe Haylen approached us as the rest of the Brotherhood soldiers packed up into the first two odd helicopters. She and Danse spoke privately while keeping a close eye on us. After a few minutes, Haylen nodded briefly and went to board the final vertibird. Danse clanked over to our little band of prisoners.
"I expect that none of you will cause any trouble. Elder Maxson wants to speak to each of you about any findings you've discovered about Ms. Morley. We have our own information to share if you cooperate. Only if you cooperate." he directed us.
"Why can we never just have a quiet night out?" whined Sandra.
"This is exactly why we can't have nice things." Mel said with a grin.
"Please don't cause trouble, guys. This looks bad enough as it is." I asked of the group.
The final remaining Brotherhood soldier other than Danse and Haylen looked us over as he herded us towards the idling vertibird.
"And keep your pet ghoul on a tight leash." he said flippantly.
I broke from my friends, and ran to try my best at punching this asshole. Ollie and Dan restrained me.
"You fucking fuck! Pet ghoul my ass." I shrieked, letting the obscenities flow.
Dan firmly wrapped his arms around me, and pressed his lips to my ear.
"I warned you, love. Just let it go. This smallminded bastard will never understand." he urged.
"How dare he! What we have is…" I couldn't finish my thoughts, at least not without some privacy.
Once we were all boarded on the aircraft, Danse got on the radio to alert Elder Maxson of our departure from the police station. The greasy waves of nausea that hit my stomach at liftoff left me sitting firmly where I had been put. I closed my eyes, rested my head on Dan's shoulder, and ignored the Commonwealth far below us. This is why I never flew anywhere back in Connecticut. Airsickness is a real bitch.
It wasn't long before I felt a poke to my arm. I cracked an eye open, and quickly closed it.
"You've got to see this! What a view!" Sandra said, obviously awestruck.
Dan kissed me softly, easing the way I startled in his arms as the vertibird banked to our right. Finally giving in to curiosity, I joined my friends in peering out the windows and open entry to the vertibird.
We were clearly headed for the docking area of the Prydwyn. Despite my conflicting feelings over what loomed ahead of us, I found myself feeling some of Sandra's excitement. The zeppelin before us was indeed impressive by any standard, but more so by the Commonwealth's. Our vertibird was secured in the hangar, and our escort detail began exiting onto the Prydwyn. Ollie hopped down first, then laughed as Mel shouted "Catch me!" and jumped into his arms. Sandra lowered herself off the vertibird on her butt, complaining about the sudden fear of heights she had developed. Dan was next, and reached up to help me down. His hands on my waist, and mine on his shoulders made the leap from the vertibird easy. Danse and Scribe Haylen jumped down with the carelessness built from long habit.
Danse took the lead, and we were marched up the nearby flight of stairs.
"Into the belly of the beast." I thought as the door clanged shut behind us.