Maxson couldn't be angry with Nora. Not when she'd technically brought Shiloh back. Granted, she brought her back half-dead, but technicalities didn't matter here. Through miracle work done by Knight-Captain Cade and more stimpaks than he'd normally recommend for anybody, Shiloh was alive.

Both Nora and Maxson sat facing each other in his quarters. The silence was deafening, but both of them were far too exhausted to break it. In the past weeks, Maxson spent more nights drinking and smoking than sleeping. Nora was still slowly recovery from the radiation sickness. She was already anxious to get off the Prydwen, but couldn't until she was cleared by Cade. Something told Maxson that Nora didn't want to leave until Shiloh woke up, anyways.

In a slightly drunken haze, Maxson had visited Shiloh. She was put up in Danse's old room by Nora's request. Nora refused to sleep in the room since it had been assigned to her. The older woman took Shiloh's old room happily. Facing Shiloh for the first time since the trip, Maxson felt sick. He couldn't bring himself to say anything; he wasn't sure where to even begin. It was almost harder to speak to her now when she wasn't awake to judge him.

Cade had given him some semblance of mercy and didn't comment on his visit, but Nora was ruthless, "You finally saw her."

He wanted to ignore her, but her stare was deafening, "Yes, Sentinel, I did."

Nora tucked a lock of brown hair behind her ear, "Are you going to torture Ripson?"

"Quinlan is interrogating him. The man isn't capable of torture, not that I would allow it. He's a Brotherhood soldier until solid information tells us otherwise. Besides, torture has proven to be an ineffective interrogation practice." Ripson was down in a back warehouse, flown in from the Capital Wasteland as soon as Nora was able to relay Mother Isolde's information to Maxson.

"The information we got was pretty solid. Shiloh nearly killed herself over it," the bitterness was evident in Nora's tone as she sipped from her whiskey.

Maxson sat back, "You really think I should step in?"

"God, Arthur," Nora looked exhausted, "she threw herself in front of a deathclaw after telling me nobody loves her. She needs someone and I can't be that for her."

Maybe Maxson was a little inebriated again, because his mouth moved before he thought better of it, "And you think I can?"

Nora looked slightly surprised, "I don't know. I don't think she even knows. Cade said she's going to recover thanks to the power armor. Maybe some sensitivity in her ribs and shoulder. If I were the type to do a little too much jet, I would say the wasteland won't let that girl die. I'm sticking around for the time being. I want answers from Ripson as much as she will when she wakes up. But after this," Nora stood and placed her hand on the table, "I'm done with the Brotherhood."

Maxson sighed, craving a cigarette but not willing to smoke in his room with the poor ventilation, "You stayed longer than I had expected, I suppose."

"She and I will have a long conversation when she wakes up, but I'm doing this for her," Nora turned back to him before opening the door, "you should visit her again. As her Elder or not, that's your choice."

He was glad she left then, because he didn't have a reply to that.

-0-

Shiloh dreamed of her father again. His voice was the first thing she ever remembered. So many aspects, good and bad, in her life, were because of her father. She crawled across the wasteland to find him. Then she crawled back to finish his work. Then Sarah came to her in her dream, all toughness with gentle undertones. Something clenched in Shiloh's stomach when she saw her old friend. Sarah was disappointed in her. She watched as Sarah's face faded when she woke up.

Letting out a cough that stung her ribs, Shiloh struggled to turn over in the bed. She didn't see Nora in the room until the other woman was at her bedside, pressing her back onto the mattress, "Shh, don't move. You're still recovering."

"From the deathclaw," Shiloh rasped, staring up at the ceiling.

Nora placed a cool hand on her arm, sitting at her bedside, "We need to talk."

Shiloh swallowed thickly, "The things I said-"

"I'm not dwelling on things you said when you were heavily irradiated. I know you were scared. I was scared, too," Nora grabbed Shiloh's hands in hers, "I promised Arthur I would get you out of there alive and you nearly got yourself killed. That's what I'm dwelling on."

Shiloh sat up shakily, "You're a Child of Atom."

"I'm a lot of things, and I've joined quite a few factions in the name of peace. And so far, I've achieved it. Without my intervention, there would have been another nuclear detonation up north. And it was my ace in the hole with Mother Isolde and you know what? It worked. Without that she wouldn't have spoken to us at all. We might have been shot on sight. I want you to know one thing," Nora leaned closer to her, "I am not loyal to factions. I'm loyal to people."

Shiloh held her gaze, "I'm sorry I disobeyed your order. But I won't apologize for removing my power armor and I won't apologize for taking that deathclaw. You shouldn't be risking your life for me. And I learned that when I saw all the people that look up to you, all the people that love you. You came out of that vault and you became a hero. You thrived in the wasteland. You're the champion on the Commonwealth. You saved Danse. If it was you or me, I would do it again." Her eyes were teary and she wiped at them angrily. "I'm so tired of crying."

"We don't have to play by this world's rules, Shiloh. It doesn't have to be you or me. We've survived this far and we will continue to do so. I have some information for you, but I don't know if I can trust you with it. I can't be responsible for you endangering yourself again. I refuse to ever be a part of you throwing your life away."

Shiloh stared at the wall in what she realized was Danse's old room, "Running into danger has always been my style. I can't change who I am."

"This is the problem, I'm not asking you to change who you are. I'm asking you to realize that you have value. That you mean something to people."

"Maybe the Lone Wanderer does…" Shiloh didn't avert her gaze from the wall, even when the door was opened to reveal Cade and, to everyone's surprise, Elder Maxson. Maxson approached her, ignoring the tense atmosphere.

"Paladin, we've had Knight Ripson apprehended at the Boston Airport for some time. He's revealed quite a wealth of information to us. When you are able, I am giving you the opportunity to see him."

Shiloh held his gaze silently, even as Nora and Cade openly protested Shiloh getting out of bed. Neither Maxson nor Shiloh acknowledged the noise in the room, still staring at each other. She nodded, understanding what he was giving to her. A strange stirring in her stomach overwhelmed her as Maxson turned and left without a word. Cade frowned, crossing his arms before administering another stimpak into Shiloh's ribs and leaving. Nora scowled at the closed door, only relaxing when she saw Shiloh staring almost longingly at it.

"Will you help me to the flight deck?" Shiloh asked quietly.

Nora frowned, but helped her stand from the bed, "I don't approve of this. And my words still stand. I won't be responsible for you endangering your own life. But Maxson's willing to give you this by taking that risk. Don't let either of us down." Shiloh didn't reply as she clung to Nora's arm. They boarded the vertibird to a back warehouse in the Boston airport.

Ripson, physically, looked fine, but he was especially tense upon seeing Shiloh. Nora stood in the corner while Shiloh slowly sat across from him, still slightly cringing at her bruised ribs. Ripson visibly paled the longer the two women stared at him, "I already told Maxson everything."

"Now you get to tell me everything." Shiloh snarled. Nora tensed slightly, prepared to intervene if the exchange got physical.

"I needed the money. The Brotherhood takes everything from people like me in exchange for what? Food and board? That isn't enough to get by in this world. I was offered a way out and I took it. It wasn't exactly an easy choice for me and I got punished in the end, too. I may have screwed up, but I'm on your side now."

"You knew where the supplies were in the facility. You took us right to them."

"Because I was the one who put them there. It didn't go down like you think it did. You- we weren't supposed to be frozen like that for years. I didn't know the Children of Atom were involved until they ambushed us. I thought it was just going to be the Institute. They knocked us out with some kind of gas and Davies was shot down like a dog for fighting back. When they put you all in the pods, the rules were clear; you were only supposed to be frozen for a couple of months and transported to the Institute as soon as Father gave the order. That crazy bastard wanted to continue Vault-Tec's cryogenic research and you ," he pointed at Nora, "weren't enough of a test subject for him. He was intrigued by the Lone Wanderer and the scientists in the facility were looking for a way to match the Childrens' ability to withstand radiation. So he hired me to grab you and freeze you for his pet experiments. All because you survived activating the purifier."

"I nearly killed me, he had to have known I wasn't radiation resistant."

"Maybe, but you survived more rads than anyone the Brotherhood's ever known besides Sarah. It was easier to get you to come up north with misinformation than the actual Elder of the Brotherhood. Father could have answered your questions better, but the Brotherhood blew him sky high before we woke up. Listen," he leaned forward in his seat, making Shiloh lean away from him in disgust, "I gave Maxson all the information I knew about the Institute scientists operating above ground. Names and all. Most of them are probably dead. But I didn't do it for you. I did what I had to do to survive and my only regret is trusting those fucks not to throw me in for experimentation. To keep quiet or something, I don't know, but revenge is all I got now and I'll be damned if the Brotherhood executes me before taking out all those fuckers that wronged me. Just like you feel about me. I see that look in your eyes. Anderson would feel it too if she wasn't too busy sobbing over the kid she didn't get to see grow up in her little settlement. I told her not to come, but she couldn't pass up the opportunity to travel with a hero."

Ripson jolted back when Shiloh jumped out of her seat at him, swiftly punching him in the face. Nora grabbed at her before she could get another punch in. With her free hand, Nora banged her fist on the door and two Brotherhood soldiers in combat armor held Ripson down as Nora escorted Shiloh out of the room.

"That rotten bastard," Shiloh cursed, kicking at the sand. They stood on the beach near the airport, watched carefully by guards and a roaming Liberty Prime, "that rotten bastard!"

"Even when he's dead, he's still causing misery I can't fix." Nora ran a hand through her hair, sitting on the beach as Shiloh continued pacing.

"No," Shiloh stopped directly at Nora, "what Father did has no bearing on you and don't you ever forget that. We were both just experiments gone wrong. I let my anger at Sarah and my need to get away guide me directly into a trap. I should have known how much I pissed off the Children after Megaton and the purifier. I should have known."

"Children aside, how could you have known he was looking to cure radiation sickness? The Institute was such a distant threat to the Capital Wasteland a decade ago. We still have thousands of files from the Institute alone that we haven't analyzed yet. Finding details on the research could take years." Nora grew weary, emotionally strained from the mention of Father. Shiloh wasn't completely sure why Father had such an effect on her.

"I don't know where we go from here," Shiloh gestured to Liberty Prime as it trudged along, "we don't have an enemy to point him at."

"It's not our job to know what to do next," Nora stood up to look at the Prydwen, "it's Maxson's."

-0-

Maxson was in full Elder mode when they arrived on the command deck. Shiloh and Nora watched from afar as he ordered team leaders on where to take their squads. All hands were on deck, crowding the usually open space. Quinlan was holding a map, presumably one with all the old locations of Institute scientists. Shiloh wasn't sure how valuable information from nine years ago really was, but Maxson was treating it seriously.

Cade's jaw clenched in disapproval when he saw Shiloh out of bed, but he didn't speak as Maxson began handing out orders to different knights. Nora sighed, smiling a little as she shrugged at Cade. She turned to Shiloh, "It's a lot to really see him as a tactician, hm?"

"He's certainly brilliant," Shiloh blinked, not even balking at Nora's surprised smile.

Finally, Maxson motioned the two women over when the room was cleared, "Paladin Carver, Sentinel James and I have something to propose to you." Shiloh looked between the two suspiciously, "We have discussed the decision to shift Sentinel James to a more passive role in the Brotherhood. She feels her duties as General of the Minutemen interferes her ability to represent the Brotherhood in the Commonwealth. She is willing to assist the Brotherhood as the General and provide Minutemen resources for our search for the scientists. However, this leaves me in the position to find a Sentinel to help head this project from the Brotherhood side."

Shiloh paled, eyes immediately on Maxson. She had so many questions. Had this been the plan all along? She felt maybe Nora would have told her if that was the case. Perhaps it was the plan since the Glowing Sea. Nora on her part didn't look surprised. Shioh looked at Maxson again. His face gave nothing away, a skill he was excellent at. She wondered what it would mean if she said yes. Briefly, she thought about what Nora and Danse had argued over in Sanctuary Hills. Was this a formality? Was he offering this to her because she was the Lone Wanderer? Or was this a peace offering, an olive branch?

She thought about how she'd chosen the Brotherhood over leaving with MacCready. She thought about how Owyn Lyons had sentinel and Sarah never got the chance to have one. Maxson didn't have anyone on this airship with that kind of camaraderie. He was choosing her.

Despite her reservations, she wanted to give Maxson this. He was willing to pour every resource he had into finding out who kidnapped her. With a finality, she gave him the Brotherhood salute, "I accept, Elder Maxson."

-0-

When Maxson retreated to his quarters, he was exhausted. He hadn't had to order all his teams at once since the sacking of the Institute two years ago. Usually he left the managing to the proctors and only the paladins and star paladins reported directly to him. He needed a cigarette again and considered retreating to the open deck to smoke when his terminal indicated a communication coming in.

Knowing exactly who it was, Maxson sighed. He signaled for the call to come through the terminal. Before he could get a word in, Giovanna Moretti was yelling at him again.

"It's been weeks, Arthur. The western elders have been hounding me for information. You said you would take care of this."

"I am," he rubbed his eyes in frustration, "I've hardly had the time to sleep, let alone give them your news."

"It's just as much your news. My parents sent me to this dilapidated old building for you, so you should be the one to tell them the marriage is off."

"I understand, Giovanna, though I don't understand why you won't bother trying to make it work."

Giovanna sighed through the crackling connection, "I'm not in love with you, Arthur. I don't care if they think I'd be perfect for your bloodline or something equally as disgusting as that. I've been trapped here for years and as soon as you return, I'm going to Chicago."

Maxson sighed. His relationship with Giovanna Moretti had always been rocky at best. They worked well on a physical level, enough that the thought of continuing the Maxson bloodline with her wasn't too deplorable, but they couldn't find it in themselves to have a deeper connection than that. Arthur was willing to make it work, but Giovanna was always a freer spirit than him. She'd fallen in love, had her heart broken, and vowed to move west all while Arthur had been in the Commonwealth. He couldn't very well stop her. Though they wouldn't really consider each other friends, he cared about her happiness and had long accepted that it wouldn't be with him. Still, breaking the news to the western elders was an ordeal he wasn't ready to deal with at the moment.

"I promise I'll tell them soon."

"I'm trusting you. And I won't keep you. God knows there was never much talking between us." Maxson smiled bitterly at her implication.

"Of course, goodnight."

"Bye, Arthur," it sounded more final than it should have. He noted to himself that he would honor his promise to her. Her life had been turned upside down all for his cause, after all. Even if he hadn't wanted it in the first place.

He turned off the terminal and removed his jacket, laying it across a chair. As he began to unzip his flightsuit, a knock was heard at the door. Expecting Cade or Quinlan, he didn't bother getting re-dressed and simply kept the upper portion of the fatigues down around his waist below his white shirt.

He was about to dismiss whatever news they had for him till the morning when, to his surprise, he was face to face with a flustered-looking Shiloh. "Can I come in?"

He considered his options. He considered the implications. But she was his Sentinel and they could make this work. He could try to make this work.

He held the door open for her.