Note from the Author: …wow. Okay, so it's been a few months since I've even messed with writing. There's no real excuse for it except for 'the Internet is one hell of a drug', but that would be a cheap way to go about it. Real life has been a bit of a problem recently, but it's afforded me plenty of time to write, so I can't blame that either. Well, I don't know if anyone's still interested in this after all this time, but I'm gonna try to keep working on this anyway. And if anybody IS still reading this… thanks.

*Chapter Nine: Tender Moments*

The sun was setting on the deolate wastes of the DC warzone as Kim and I were leaving GNR. Kim did her best to be nice to the Brotherhood soldiers and ignore their jeering at our good fortune, but the whole situation with Three-Dog and Kim's father just pissed me off too much, and I didn't even bother. I had a good idea of how Kim was by then, and I couldn't help but feel like Three-Dog was taking advantage of her, nevermind the fact that he was trying to get her killed by sending her on this suicide mission. Made me want to ring his neck.

I kept my mouth shut as we entered the tunnels headed toward the Mall District, venting my anger out on the Ferals and Raiders that dared cross our path. I didn't think Kim had caught on to my malcontent, but that girl was smarter than most people gave her credit for, myself included. We were near the end of one tunnel where we found a Raider chilling out in a cozy little alcove off to the side of the tunnel we were marching through. Once the Raider was dealt with, Kim busied herself by unhooking all the dead bodies and tidying up the place.

"What are you up to?" I asked , leaning up against the corner and watching her work.

"It's getting late," Kim explained. "Going out there tired is just going to get us killed, and being mad at everybody and everything isn't going to help you, either."

And there I stood, caught with my hand in the cookie jar by a teenager. Role reversal, much?

"Fair enough," I said begrudgingly. Just because she was right, didn't mean I had to be happy about it.

Taking the logical route, I turned aside to watch the tunnel, so Kim didn't get jumped while she was playing house. Once the sounds of her movement stopped, I waited a good ten minutes to make sure nobody was coming before turning my head to check on her.

…I couldn't believe what I saw. I simply could not believe it. She had taken off her leathers and was curled up on a mattress wearing the lingere Jaden gave her. It was shocking enough that she had even kept it, let alone let herself be naked underneath it. Jaden would have gone completely ape-shit if he could see her like this.

I probably would have killed him if he had.

"Don't get any ideas," Kim muttered, her arms curling over her chest while her legs folded up. "I just can't sleep with that Leather Armor on. I boil up."

In other words, she saw me gawking at her and got creeped out over it. I could take a hint.

"There's a turret terminal just over there. I've already programmed the turret to protect us, so there's no need for you to keep watch. Get some sleep. I know you need it."

I took her up on her offer and stripped down to my Mercenary Grunt Outfit, which I was wearing under my Combat Armor the whole time. There were two mattresses in the alcove, so I took the empty one and laid there. But while Kim passed out right away, or seemed to, it took me a while to follow suit. Too much on my mind.

I thought about the T-51b I left behind in Megaton. Not wearing it in front of the Brotherhood was a smart move on my part, but I couldn't help but feel that if I knew we'd be gavalanting around the Mall, that I would have at least risked it enough to keep it on me. I'd like to see a bunch of Muties try to rip through auto-repairing Power Armor. Hell, I would have risked wearing it in FRONT of the Brotherhood were I expecting that Behemoth.

Of course, the question of the Behemoth itself demanded mental examining. How the Muties snuck it into DC, how it broke into GNR (except for that last bit, I was there for that), and the number-one question: How Kim and I would have fared if it was just the two of us. Not that the Brotherhood was much of a help by themselves, but if that Fat Boy wasn't there…

Jaden found his way into my mind, too. I couldn't help but wonder what kind of trouble that idiot would pick up in Rivet City. The security was so tight there that there was no question as to why it was Mutie-free despite its vicinity to Amarita Crossing, which led into DC.

And somewhere through it all, Sarah broke through. I didn't dare say anything to Kim about it, but I used to have a thing for her. Never got to find out if it was mutual, but even if it was, I still would have expected the greeting we had. Brotherhood honor and all. I'm pretty sure I said this already, but I didn't leave the Brotherhood on the best of terms.

That's not the best thought to have before you fall asleep, but that's about where my mind was at when I did pass out. I don't remember what I was dreaming about, but I remember feeling like I was dreaming when I woke up, because Kim was nested up to me in her lingere. I distinctly remember thinking that I was still dreaming.

I wouldn't have been able to guess the time were it not for Kim's Pipboy. 4:45 am. I should have still been asleep, but having Kim this close to me didn't make it easy. So, instead of drifting back to sleep, I found myself piddling around with the device, thankful that the noises it made didn't wake her up. It seemed quite the useful device. It kept watch of her physical condition, the condition of her limbs, her radiation count, the items she had on her (which weren't much, what with her being almost naked at the moment), even a map of the Capitol Wasteland. That didn't make much sense, considering where she got it from, but damn if it wasn't handy.

It also had a radio, which I didn't touch given that she was asleep, as well as a list of notes. While she had a couple that were written out, there was one that had nothing but a weird symbol on it. It had a 'play' button, so like an idiot, I pressed it.

"Hold on Jonas, I need to record this first," the first voice, deep and firm, with an almost scholarly twist, said at max volume. I hastily turned the volume on the Pipboy down as the recording continued. "I… I don't …really know how to tell you this. I hope you'll understand, but I know you might be angry. I thought about it for a long time, and in the end, I decided it was best for you not to know. So many things could have gone wrong, and there's really no telling how the Overseer will react when he finds out. It's best if he can blame everything on me. Obviously, you already know that I'm gone. It was something I needed to do. You're an adult now. You're ready to be out on your own. Maybe, someday, things will change, and we can see each other again. I can't tell you why I left, or where I'm going. I don't want you to follow me. God knows life in the vault isn't perfect, but at least you'll be safe. Just knowing that will be enough to keep me going."

"Don't mean to rush you, Doc, but I'd feel better if we got this over with," the second voice, not quite as deep but definitely male voice spoke out.

"Okay," the first voice continued, "go ahead. Good bye… I love you."

What a perfect asshole, I couldn't help thinking. I heard a noise from Kim, so I set the Pipboy back to the setting she left it at, and leaned back. Somehow, my wrist brushed up against her cheek. It felt wet. I reached out to feel her cheek again, but she turned her head in my direction and opened her eyes.

"Oh… I'm sorry," she said weakly before rubbing her eyes. "I… it was kinda cold, so…"

"It's alright," I told her, ignoring the sarcastic comments my brain was making. "…are you okay?"

"It's just," she started to say, trying to find some strength for her voice. "…bad dream."

"What was it about?" I asked, quickly adding, "It might help if you talk about it."

"Thank you," she smiled weakly. "It was about… you know. Dad."

Now boarding on Guilt Train #01. One passenger, name of Derp.

"That's… kind of my fault, I guess," I said, telling her about the note.

"Oh," she said calmly, to my surprise. "I was… kind of avoiding listening to it. I knew I 'd cry if I did, and… haven't had much time for that, y'know."

"Yeah," I sighed, feeling like a first-class retard. "Sorry."

"You were curious," she said matter-of-factly, which must've been hard to do in her condition. "I understand… what did it say?"

I should have told her to just listen to it instead of turning it back on, but in my defense, she didn't try to stop me. The note played on, and the closer it got to the end, the more she looked like she was fighting back tears.

"I knew it," she sniffled. I listened to instinct and wrapped my arms around her belly, in an attempt to comfort her. Thankfully, she took it for what it was and held onto my arms, returning the gesture. Then, she laid it on me.

"My earliest memory is being a year old," she started. "Dad telling me not to look into the light, asking me to walk toward him, and then going off to his office, leaving me in the room 'for just a moment'. My dream started out that way. As Dad was leaving, Jonas came through the door, which is not how I remember it. He had blood on his coat, and a hole, where he was shot. Just like I found him, the day I left the vault. He closed the door behind him, and told my Dad it 'was time'. That's when I started hearing that note in my dream, starting with 'Hold on Jonas'. "

I cursed my timing mentally as she went on to explain what went on in her dream while she heard the note.

"When Jonas told my dad he'd rather get this over with, he opened the door again, but I couldn't see the room behind it. All I could see was fire, like the gates of Hell or something. Dad said goodbye, said he loved me, then started walking away, into the fire. I screamed, begging him to stop, but I was still just a baby. He couldn't tell what I was saying, and no matter how loud I got, I couldn't scream over the roar of the fire."

She was crying again, and for damn good reason. I felt like my eyes would start up if I let them.

"I've got to find him," she said finally, pushing her tears away just so she could talk straight. "I can't just… I've at least got to say goodbye, if nothing else."

I was feeling all kinds of shit at that moment, so I just shut my brain off. "I'll help you find him," I said, not even trying to stop myself, let alone think of what that would mean. "No matter what it takes."

Kim shifted her weight and wrapped her arms around me. Mind you, she was damn near naked at the time, and I wasn't too far from it myself. I wrapped my arms around her and did the best I could to ignore my dick entirely.

We both slept pretty good after that.