Nat looked over as Alex opened the door separating the two halves of the house. At first, she was a bit surprised, it was early, and Alex was still injured. She wasn't expecting either her sister or Alex to be awake yet. But Alex was fully dressed in jeans, combat boots, and wearing a sleeveless, button-down, gray shirt.

"Should I go?" Joanna whispered to Nat, scratching the cat's ears that was sitting in her lap.

Nat looked back at her in surprise, shuffling the cards in her hands, "No. Why would you ask that?" The notion of her leaving made Nat's chest hurt. She lingered on her face, not wanting Joanna to leave at all. She was trying hard not to show how upset she was.

They spent the last five days together, with the only time they'd spent apart, was when they were sleeping. Nat wasn't even sure the synth slept the previous night. Every time Nat had woken, the synth had been stroking her hair affectionately.

Alex smiled at them both as she crossed the room walking toward the couch where they sat.

"So that you can spend time with Alex and Piper," Joanna turned to watch Alex walk to the side of the couch Nat was sitting on. The brown, tiger-stripped cat was purring in her arms contently.

"Good morning, may I join you?"

"Sure," Nat sat up slightly.

Alex smiled and sat in the chair across from them. She looked up at the lights, "Purple, huh?"

Joanna smiled at Nat, while she petted Bandit. Nat leaned back onto the couch, she was sitting with her legs over Joanna's knees, "Jay liked the color, so I switched them. Why are you up so early? Didn't Curie say you had to stay in bed?"

A smile toyed with Alex's lips before she said anything. "Because I don't need a lot of sleep and I told her I get my life back starting today." Alex smiled brightly at her, and Nat's eyebrow ticked up. "I'm going to make some coffee. Would you mind giving me a hand in the kitchen, Bug?"

Nat eyed her suspiciously, "You need help making coffee?"

Alex winked at her, "No, I'm making coffee, fruit bowls, and coffee cake. And I need a lovely assistant that will help… meaning you. Or we can just wait for Piper to make breakfast. Up to you." Alex's smile became devious.

Nat practically jumped off the couch, she couldn't get up fast enough. She dropped the cards on the table. There was no way she was going to let Piper make anything for her that wasn't already pre-cooked. Until Alex had come into their life, they'd survived off pre-war food, Diamond City vendors, and candy. Piper could turn water into smoke and Nat learned at a young age not to ask for anything that didn't require anything harder than opening a can or milk being poured over something.

"Have you two eaten anything? Or am I feeding two teenagers and a cat a second breakfast?"

Joanna laughed, "I'm not a teenager. My biological age is twenty and I was created three years, eleven months, and twenty-nine days ago."

Alex grinned in amusement waving her hand dismissively, "Whatever. Close enough."

Nat smirked, brushing down the front of her black skirt over her black jeans, "No, we were about to grab a bowl of cereal. I was going to give Bandit something after we ate. You know Piper has rules for him, not that he listens." The way Alex was smiling Nat knew she was going to ask about Joanna. Alex didn't let anything go any more than Piper or Cait did. "Did you want a coffee, Jay?"

Joanna sat up, moving Bandit from her lap to the couch, "Yes. Could I have it like you made it yesterday, please?" Joanna sighed and added more quietly, "I should get everything else brought up before Curie arrives."

Nat tried to not show the disappointment on her face when Alex threw her a questioning look. When she glanced down at Joanna, she saw her sadness reflected. "Yeah, okay. I'll be back in a few minutes with coffee and fruit," Nat mumbled.

Nat walked to the other side of the house with Alex right behind her. She heard the door shut and Alex chuckled. "Jay?" She dragged the word out, singing it with teasing glee.

Nat blushed, "Oh my god, what? You're as bad as Cait, you know that?" Nat could ignore Piper, but she couldn't escape Alex's or Cait's teasing or interrogation. Not that she wanted to, because Cait was right. It had taken the last five days of thinking and talking about it with Joanna and Cait for her to finally realize that they had a pretty incredible family. Alex was a stabilizing figure in their lives. She went from an interesting adult to an amazing friend, to a mother figure in Nat's life. Alex grounded them with her calm charisma in stark contrast to Piper's chaotic energy, rounding out their family in a way that never existed in the past. She did something for them no one had ever done before, she made them both feel safe and cared for. And Nat loved the way Alex took care of her sister even if it was gross to watch. She didn't worry as much about Piper when they were on the road together.

The kitchen area was small and neatly tucked into the alcove that was formed by the concrete division between the two sections of the house. Alex had the stainless-steel stove and refrigerator, along with storage shelves. Against the adjacent divider wall, Alex had placed a long, stainless steel, countertop, sink, and cabinets below the counter. The long wall that joined the living room and the small kitchen area was lined with wall shelves.

Alex pulled coffee from the shelf along with a polished Luxobrew pot that rested on the far wall. "You owe me an explanation still, mija."

Nat could feel her blush deepen and she looked up the stairs, "Is Piper sleeping?"

"No, she's working on a special edition that needs to go out today. She won't hear you spilling your guts about that cute doctor sitting in the other room."

Nat chuckled, "I told you yesterday I like her a lot." She kept her voice low, still casting glances at the stairs leading up into the bright loft area.

Alex clicked the burner on and checked the oven before preheating it. "Yeah, I got that when you thought you were being slick, little miss roaming hands." Alex turned around with a big smile, "She's not sleeping downstairs, is she?" Alex filled the lower section of the pot with water, then spooned coffee into the metal filter.

Nat glanced nervously up the stairs, "Would you lower your voice? Piper will kill me if she hears you!"

Alex set the Luxobrew on the burner. "I'll only let her kill you if you fib… and I will rat you out in a heartbeat if I so much as think you're lying to me. So, tell me everything and I might not clue your sister in faster. Although if she missed how the two of you were acting upstairs yesterday, I'd truly be surprised."

"Oh my god, Blue." Nat looked up the stairs again before turning on Alex, "No, she not sleeping downstairs. She slept in my room last night."

"That's way more than 'like', Nat. Was there actual sleeping involved?"

"Blue! Jesus Christ, yes." Nat whispered fiercely, "We only kissed a little bit. We like talking."

"Yuh huh. Talking? You expect me to believe that you're just talking to her and not having sex? Bug, come on. When I was fifteen and had a girlfriend, we had sex whenever we could." Alex dropped the ingredients from the shelf on the counter and walked to the fridge.

"Uh, duh. It's what I said." Nat started measuring out the dry ingredients while hiding her face behind her hair.

Alex set the wet ingredients on the counter, but she didn't move.

Nat took a deep breath and glanced at her out of the corner of her eye. "You really are persistent, aren't you?"

Alex gave her a wicked grin, "If you think I'm persistent, wait until your sister grills you. She's relentless. So, you can talk to me or Piper. Pick." Alex gave her a large, evil smile.

"You wouldn't."

Alex laughed, "Oh, would I ever, kid. Try me. I'll yell so loud, she'll come armed."

"No!" Nat grabbed her arm to stop her, "Oh my god, you are the worst."

"And you should know better by now!" Alex wagged her finger at Nat, "If you told Jezebel anything you're not telling me… I'll disown you. Cait and I tell each other everything, so I'll still know. Are you having sex or not?"

Chuckling, Nat stirred the contents of the bowl, "Define sex for me."

Alex glared at her in disbelief, "Oh god damn, are you really going to make me… fine. Anything resulting in an orgasm from any individual actively or inactively engaged in a sensual act."

Nat turned to her, "No. Just touching and kissing. But there are words in between, so I'm counting that as talking."

"If you make me work that hard again, I'll yell for Piper. Don't you try and play me, 'cause I'll own you." Alex opened the fridge she took a quick inventory of the contents. "Keep mixing everything, I'll get the pan ready." She pulled a cake pan from the next shelf over and set it on the unused burners of the stove. She also grabbed two different-sized smaller pots partially filled the larger one with water and clicked the burner on. "Does this mean she's your girlfriend or what? What do people call each now… like how do they even date?" Alex set the smaller pot into the pot with water making a double boiler, then filled the smaller pot with milk and dashed in cinnamon. She quickly stirred in the spice and then moved on to the cake pan.

Nat mixed the eggs and other wet ingredients in a separate bowl, "No. I don't know. We really aren't sure what's going to happen. She's leaving when Curie gets here in a bit, so I don't know."

"Leaving? To do what?" Alex looked over her shoulder at Nat while she greased the pan.

"They're taking all their equipment to Hangman's Alley and she's picking out her apartment today." Nat tapped the wooden spoon on the bowl. "The stupid part is she's going to be interning here in Diamond City with Doctor Sun to become a surgeon. She'll have to walk every day back and forth and that doesn't leave a lot of time for us to hang out."

Alex set the pan on the counter in front of Nat and leaned against the counter. "Being a doctor is as important to Jo as the newspaper is to you and Piper. Give yourselves time to figure things out."

"I know that, and we are. It's just…" Nat sighed, pouring the flour mixture in with the eggs and milk in the other bowl. "Curie doesn't want anyone out after dark because of raiders. I'm stuck inside because of the Gunners and that stupid bounty. So, we'll only get to see each other for a few minutes. And that's if she's not in surgery in the evening."

"What about the Minutemen bunk space in the guard shack?" Alex went to the stove to check the pot and the oven. Then she stirred the milk, reducing the heat to make sure it didn't boil.

"Cait said it was full and Curie doesn't want her staying at the Dugout because she says it's gross in there." Nat whipped the spoon around the bowl angrily.

Alex stepped over to the fridge and took out two melons. She set it on the counter next to Nat and started to cut them up. "The Dugout is gross, and with some of the people that frequent it. I don't think a cute, young doctor would be very safe; synth or not." Alex smirked watching her take out her frustrations on the cake batter. "She could stay here. We have the space… That batter is going to be a liquid if you mix it anymore, kiddo."

Nat looked up at her from the bowl. "Are you being facetious?"

"About the batter? Yes. About her staying here? No." Alex smiled at her. "But I'll say this. You need to understand that her duties as a doctor take precedence over everything else, including you. Your friendship can't become possessive. That's why I leave you and Piper alone to do your jobs when we're home." Alex put a piece of melon in Nat's mouth. "That's how I worked on this place while you two were oblivious to it. I'm not possessive of Piper or her time. Do you understand what I'm telling you? Because if you don't, I won't ask Piper or Curie if she can stay here. More importantly, I won't ask Jo."

Nat rolled her eyes in annoyance, "I'm not dumb, Blue, I get it. She's excited, and I am happy for her. Even if we both think Sun is an ass."

"He is an ass, but she'll learn a lot from him." Pulling the fridge open again, Alex grabbed the containers with berries in them. "Have these been washed?"

"Yes, I washed them yesterday when Cait bought them."

Alex gave her an exasperated look, "You let Jezebel buy our produce? That's like letting Piper cook. Have I taught you nothing about basic survival?"

"I didn't have a choice. Besides, nothing is worse than Piper's cooking," Nat laughed, spreading the cake batter in the pan. "Cait won't let us out of the house and threatened to break our legs to stop us from leaving. She'll probably be here soon, come to think of it."

"Since when is she a morning person?" Alex started separating the melon pieces into four small bowls. When she'd finished, she put the rest into a larger bowl. "I can't get her out of bed before noon without waving a whiskey bottle under her nose when we're home."

Nat set the pan in the oven and looked at the clock. "Since the Gunners showed up in Diamond City to kidnap me and murder you." Nat turned around, facing Alex. "Did Piper tell you anything yet?"

Alex poured tartberries into each of the five bowls until the cardboard box was empty. "No. She's been busy. I didn't want to push it after I got angry with her yesterday." She looked up hopefully at Nat. "You want to clue me in?" She added wild blackberries over the top of each bowl.

"Those look awesome." Nat started wiping down the counter where she'd been. She threw Alex a questioning look, "Will they kill me if I do?"

Alex set three bowls of fruit on a large wooden cutting board, "No, Bug. They won't. What's the bounty?"

Nat sighed, looking up the stairs. "Five thousand caps for me alive…" Alex almost knocked the bowls of fruit to the floor in her shock. "Or one thousand dead."

Alex swallowed uneasily, "Is that the entire bounty?"

Nat shook her head, "Four thousand for Piper or a thousand dead. And a thousand for you dead or alive."

Alex had to hold onto the counter to stay steady. "Ten thousand caps? Holy fuck!" She took a couple of steadying breaths before looking up the stairs. "All of us? They want all of us?" She took a deep breath and let it out, "Ok, we'll figure this out… we always do."

"Are you ok?" Nat reached for her and took her hand.

Alex swallowed hard, "Are you?"

"Yeah. I guess," Nat held her hand, wondering when the last time was, it was just them on their own, not with other adults or even Piper around. She tried thinking back, and it had been a while. She'd sold out of papers before the last time they'd left to go on the road. After, she'd gone to find Alex in the market. They'd sat together in the upper stands walkway in the abandoned section eating fruit and watching people in Diamond City. Just them, talking for hours, watching the day go by. "I'm better knowing you're going to live. There were like five days that really sucked ass and I'm not even going to talk about the last three months again."

Alex gave her a small grin, "Piper told me there might have been some crying."

Nat held up her thumb and forefinger, "Just a little. Mostly, Piper. Yeah, and Cait did a little too."

Alex gave a nod, sucking in her lips for a second. "They kind of are big softies. Especially that Cait chick, don't you ever let her tell you that she's tough. She cried for a week over Dogmeat. Hell, we all did. She got mad anytime someone mentioned how good of a dog he was. We went through a lot of whisky that week." Alex took another breath, "It's going to be okay, Nat. We'll get our lives back." Alex cleared her throat, "But I can see why Cait said she'd break your legs for trying to go outside. That's a lot of scratch."

Nat laughed; it struck her as funny even though it wasn't. Their whole family being in danger was the least funny thing ever, but somehow it seemed like it was going to be okay.

"Bug," Alex looked into her eyes with an easy smile, "We're still getting used to the fact you're becoming an adult." Alex's tone became more reassuring, "It's hard to go from having a cute little kid to a wonderful young woman. It seems like you were just eleven and now you're fifteen with a… a friend of your own."

Alex leaned against the counter looking over at the stove, crossing her arms she heaved a sigh. "We all need to start giving you the same leeway we give each other. Somehow, I think Cait's way ahead of Piper and me on this. Probably, because you're our little girl, so it's harder for us. We both struggle with it when we're away." Alex pushed herself from the counter and walked to the shelves on the far wall.

Nat's eyes went wide, "What did you call me?"

Alex grabbed four cups from the shelf along with the sugar. She set three cups on the cutting board with a frown, "I, um, did I overstep again?"

"No," Nat slowly shook her head. The first time Alex had said she loved her was yesterday. Cait had told her that Alex struggled to be open with her emotions, but Nat didn't understand why. It was clear to her that Alex and Piper loved each other. And she never doubted Alex cared about her, in fact, she thought Alex cared more about her than Piper did until a few days ago. "What did you mean by that?"

For a minute Alex and Nat just looked at one another. Nat could see that she was weighing what to say next. "Blue, what did you mean? I want to know."

With a nod, Alex took a breath, "I think of you as my daughter. I have for a long time." Alex didn't move as she watched Nat and waited. "But you're Piper's sister, so I always defer to her and… and I restrained myself emotionally so that I wouldn't cross any boundaries. That's why I tried hard to show that I love you without saying it. I thought you both would find that acceptable. I also thought it was for the best because of… well… you know."

The pot next to them started to percolate.

Nat thought Alex looked tired all of the sudden. Alex looked away, "You can be honest with me and tell me that I've…"

"What does 'mija' mean? I thought it was a nickname like Bug or McNugget."

Alex studied her, "It's a contraction in Spanish of 'mi hija', it means 'my daughter'. It's a term of endearment for a child. That's why I called you that. My mother loved the sweet way it sounded when my Lita called her 'mija'; my mother called me that as well. But if you don't want me to call you that anymore…"

Nat bobbed her head one time thinking, "And you speak Spanish? Like fluently?"

"I speak four languages fluently, not that it matters anymore. But, yeah, Spanish is one of them. Arturo and Yariel's families aren't fluent in the Spanish I know, they speak a bastardized version of the language, and I haven't learned well enough yet. So, I only speak English to them because I don't understand their version. Only the ghouls are fluent in the older version of Spanish, and they don't live in Diamond City. In Goodneighbor and the Slog, there are a lot of people that speak Spanish, so I don't speak English unless the person speaks English to me." Alex turned the burner off. "It's really five if you count signing, but I learned that in college. I thought it would help me communicate with deaf people."

"Five? You only taught us French."

"No, I taught you and Piper two languages. The signs we use are called American Sign Language, we use them in the field and all the Minutemen learn it now. I taught you French because you and Piper wanted to understand what Curie and I were saying to each other. But you're my family so I wanted something that reminded me of my home, which is why I taught you both French. I've been teaching Cait too, but she barely speaks English." Alex laughed at her own joke.

Nat felt the smile on her lips remembering all the times she was supposed to be in bed but was signing to Alex from around the corner where she had hidden from Piper. Alex played along every time and never ratted her out. It was just theirs in a way and she'd loved it as a kid. "How do you know all this stuff?" Nat looked at the coffee pot on the stove as the noises it made became higher pitched.

"Speaking multiple languages was fairly common for immigrant families like mine."

Nat brushed her hair over her shoulder and leaned against the counter. "You were an immigrant? From where?"

"I wasn't, I was born an American. My dad and mother's parents were." Alex checked the pot on the stove, "My mother's family, my grandparents, were from Toulouse in France before they moved to Montreal, then later Boston where my mom was born. My dad was from Groningen in the Netherlands. My mother's sisters were from a Puerto Rican family. So, we spoke French, Dutch, and Spanish at home. I spoke English in school, with friends, or out in public."

"Will you teach me the other languages you know?"

Alex lifted the coffee pot with an oven mitt, "Is that what you want? It won't be easy." She poured the coffee into the four cups and then set the pot back on the stove.

Nat rolled her eyes at the ridiculous question, "Yeah, it is. I said I did." Alex turned around from the stove, and Nat hugged her. "You and Piper both suck at talking about things and I don't get why. You're both my sisters. Jesus, I wish you guys would just spend the caps and buy a clue. I want you to talk to me. I hate being kept in the dark. It makes me feel like you don't care."

"I do care, both of us do. We never stop loving you or thinking about you." Alex took a breath, relieved that Nat wasn't angry with her. "I'm not good at emotional vulnerability, Bug. I've spent a lifetime suppressing my feelings and that's not something I can just stop doing."

"Why?" Nat took a small step back from her to see her face.

"How about we talk about this, just the three of us, tonight? It will give you and Piper a chance to ask questions I'm going to have a difficult time answering." Alex took the off the stove, stirring it one last time, "Fix your coffee. I'll take Piper up her breakfast and ask her about Jo staying here."

Alex spooned three teaspoons of sugar into Piper's cup and turned it white with the warm milk. She grabbed four forks from a basket on the shelf next to the counter. She put one in Piper's bowl and picked up the cup, "I'll be right down. You can head in and hang out with Jo. I'll be there in a minute."

The stairs behind Piper creaked. Partially turning, while still trying to read, Piper smelled the scent of delicious, hot coffee.

"Alright, here's your sugary milk, with a splash of coffee." Alex set the cup down next to Piper's right hand.

Piper smirked at the sarcastic remark, tearing her eyes away from the screen to look up at the woman leaning over her. "Thank you… oh, what's that?"

"Fruit. I tricked Nat into making a coffee cake. It'll be done in about forty-ish minutes. I'll bring it to you if you haven't come down by the time it's ready."

Piper took the bowl from her and stuffed a piece of melon into her mouth. "Ith delithiouth thank you." She laughed at how dumb she sounded knowing better than to talk with her mouth full.

"Mmhmm, first almost getting vomited on now being sweet talked with a mouth full of fruit… you, Piper Jansen, are my dream come true." Alex gave her an amused grin.

Piper choked while laughing. Alex took the bowl away and handed her a clean rag from her pocket. "Please don't die on me, I haven't made you a ring yet." She set the bowl on the desk next to Piper.

Wiping her mouth, Piper threw Alex a fake glare, "Stop being wonderful for five minutes and I'll tone down being the vision of perfection that I am."

Alex busted up laughing, "Is that what you call it?"

"That had better be what you call me," Piper narrowed her eyes at her playfully, picking up the bowl again.

Alex lifted her hands in defense, "Oh, that's totally what I call you, mon amour."

Piper popped another piece of melon in her mouth and started to chew happily.

"According to Nat, Cait will be here soon. How goes the article?"

Piper smiled as she stabbed a couple of berries, "Good, I'm pretty much written about yesterday. Once I'm done, I'll proof it and save it to a holotape. Then we can head over to Publick and get it on the presses."

Alex nodded with her thoughts and sat down on the edge of the desk. "Ok, I'll talk to the guys outside and get an escort on standby. But how are we going to get the papers out once they're off the press?"

"I don't know, I'm still thinking about that part. I'll figure something out," Piper enjoyed the sweet juice from the berries as she crushed them between her teeth.

Alex leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss. "I'm certain you will too." She folded her arms across her chest, "Nat told me Joanna is leaving today."

Piper dug around in her bowl for another tartberry, "Curie said they were taking everything over to Hangman's Alley."

"Did she tell you that Joanna is interning with Sun?"

Piper studied Alex, before waving her fork in the air dismissively. "She might have mentioned it, but I'll be honest with you. My head has been elsewhere for the last few days."

Alex unfolded her arms and held on to the edge of Piper's desk where she sat. "Piper, I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"

Pointing her fork at Alex, Piper thrust it forward at her menacingly, "No! Don't you apologize. I stayed up here with you because I wanted to be here for you. Cait and Curie took care of everything else, and I really didn't pay attention because all I could think about was you." Piper stabbed a piece of melon a little too vigorously and put it in her mouth with a humph.

Alex cleared her throat, "Ok, I won't then."

She moved the melon to her cheek, "Damn right you won't." She softened her tone knowing that her own emotions were getting the better of her and she had no intention of mistreating Alex, "You don't owe me an apology. You've done so much and…" Piper watched Alex shift to stare at her feet. "I know you and I don't want you to feel like you've done or said something wrong. I've been focused on you because you were my priority. You're the only thing I've cared about for the last week." Piper stabbed another piece of fruit with her fork to keep her hands from shaking. She was mentally and physically exhausted from too many nights without sleep. The few hours that Curie gave her the night before and the couple from this morning weren't enough.

"I understand that. I just feel like shit because I know how much you worry." The sound of Alex's voice made Piper regret the tone she took with her, "Listen, I promised Nat we'd talk tonight if that's okay with you. She's got things to talk about and I think we all do. And then you need to get some sleep." Piper nodded as she swallowed, and Alex exhaled a long breath, "Before I go downstairs, I want to talk to you about Joanna."

Piper waved a piece of melon around on her fork, "What about her?"

"She's going to be walking from the alley to Diamond City every day." Alex was studying her, and Piper was trying to figure out why. "And I'm guessing you've noticed how close she's getting with Bug."

Piper threaded her eyebrows together trying to figure out where Alex was going with everything. "Yeah, a little, why? Is there something I should know?"

"Maybe, but if there is, she will tell you."

She looked up at Alex, "Blue, just tell me. Nat and I haven't had the best relationship for the past few months. And I don't know that she will."

"That's why I shouldn't. You both need to learn to trust each other and talk to one another. She's growing up to be a brilliant young woman. You need to learn how to talk to her like she's your sister and your equal. That's why you're not getting along."

Piper set the empty bowl on the desk. "I don't know how to do that." She picked up the cup of coffee, savoring the warmth and the smell.

Alex gave her a reassuring smile, "You didn't know how to be a mother either. You learned and you can learn how to listen to what she needs as she becomes an adult."

Piper stared down at the cup in her hands, "I really don't know how…"

"I don't expect you to automatically know how while drinking a cup of coffee, Piper. This will take time and both of you to work on your relationship. She's old enough to understand herself and what she needs from you. You need to be willing to let her guide you."

Piper enjoyed the warmth from the cup as she gazed into the space under her desk. "I-I don't know." Piper shook her head, "I look at Nat and I still see the sweet, innocent, little girl that chugged milk way too fast and could talk anyone into buying a paper. She's grown up so fast, Blue. Now she's this silver-tongued young woman who can charm anyone and write as well as I can. I don't even know when the hell it was that she grew an inch taller than I am."

"Looks like you're starting to figure it out." Alex blew a stray hair from her face.

Piper shook her head wishing Alex wasn't right. "Did she send you up here to talk with me about this?"

"No, I wanted to talk about Joanna. That walk with raiders attacking is going to be dangerous."

Piper looked up at Alex with a worried face, "Oh, yeah, no. She should stay here. Besides, the Dugout is gross and there's no way I'm letting her stay there. I didn't want you or Cait staying there… not that you or Cait can't take care of yourselves." Piper sighed at Alex's expression, the twinkle of amusement and devilish misbehavior rolled into one smartass look was almost too much at the moment. "You know what I mean, and don't you dare tell Cait I said anything sweet about her. But Curie did tell me the other day that Sun isn't moving unless the city accepts the expansion plan."

Alex chuckled, "Well looks like I'll be talking to Curie. I'm going back downstairs. You finish up, I'll leave you alone... for now." Alex flashed her a mischievous grin, before kissing her. "And I wouldn't dream of telling Cait you adore her as much as you do. Her head will be too big to make it through the door."

Piper chuckled watching Alex disappear through the doorway. She thought a bit more about Nat as she stared off into space through the doorway. Another thought struck her. Was Alex's hair down to the middle of her back? Why did it suddenly seem so long?

Nat laughed as Joanna brushed her hair from her face, still giggling at the joke. "That's not fair, Natalie. I don't know any good jokes to tell you. How am I supposed to compete?" Nat waved a single card in the air in front of Joanna teasingly.

Joanna pulled a black barrette from her pocket and pulled her hair out of her face, clipping it behind her head.

Nat gave her a winning smile, watching her. "You aren't. Just declare me the victor and I'll collect my prize." She held the card farther out of reach of the shorter woman.

Joanna narrowed her eyes, "Now, you are in so much trouble." Shifting her position so that she was kneeling and started to climb on Nat to get the card she held away from her. She pulled at Nat's black t-shirt, pressed down on her left shoulder, and grabbed her right arm.

Nat jumped to her feet dragging Joanna with her, "You still won't get it, Tiny!" Her voice rang with teasing delight. Nat was amused by their four-inch height difference, teasing her mercilessly as they struggled. Nat gave the older woman a light push and wiggled free of her grasp.

Finally, Joanna pushed Nat back into the couch, knocking her onto it. Nat laughed as Joanna straddled her, pinning Nat's arms against the wall, while Nat laughed hysterically. "I don't even care about winning, Jay, I just want my prize."

Giving Nat a playful shove into the couch's backrest, Joanna pressed their noses together, "You should not get a prize if you can't play fair."

The heated whisper made Nat stop squirming, "Now who's not playing fair."

She pulled back from Nat, her dark brown eyes, flashed as heatedly as her words did. Nat could feel her inside catching fire under Joanna's gaze.

"Seriously, it's totally unfair when you do that," Nat watched the corner of her mouth curl up. Following her lips up and over the light brown freckles that resided Joanna's cheeks, she looked back into her still smoldering dark brown eyes.

Joanna's hands traveled down Nat's bare arms and over her sides. "I believe this is where you like to say, 'sorry about your luck'." She smiled at Nat and Nat tried to kiss her. "Oh, no you don't, Natalie. That's against the rules." She plucked the card from Nat's lowered hand, "You didn't play fair; therefore, you do not get a prize." Joanna playfully bopped Nat's nose with her finger and then rolled off her back onto the couch holding the card in her hand like a trophy.

"That was…"

"Unfair? You're right." Joanna smiled at her.

Nat regarded her, appreciating how fast Joanna was learning to be as devious as she was. The synth's sweetness was captivating, but when she was underhanded, it was riveting. Nat couldn't get enough of her. She mentally crossed her fingers that Alex was able to convince Piper to let her stay. "Stop or I'll like you more than I do already."

Joanna blushed, the rose color highlighting every one of her freckles. "Maybe that's what I'm hoping for."

They both turned when the door across the room clicked. Alex pushed open the door, this time holding a piping hot cup of black coffee in her hand. She looked between the two while she crossed the room. "What's the game?" Alex sat down and looked at the three bowls on the table and backed up into Nat's devilish grin. "Did you really pick out all the blackberries out of my bowl?"

Joanna nodded in affirmation to her question, "Natalie did after I told her not to."

Nat gave her a horrified look, "I can't believe you just told her without even considering lying about it."

"She can see you ate them." Joanna sat back against the couch, her playful face filled with mischief, "Are you asking me to lie to the General of the Minutemen?"

Nat scoffed in full appreciation of how much Joanna had learned from her in a short amount of time. She had to cover her surprise as the mischievous grin on Joanna's face grew, "No, she can see they're missing, not that I ate them. It could have been you who did it. And I didn't ask you to lie, I said you didn't even consider it." Nat crossed her arms and cocked an eyebrow at her.

Joanna stared in fake shock at Nat, "But I didn't eat them, you did. Nor would I lie to Alex so I would not consider it." She let the corner of her mouth turn up and Nat's breath caught in her chest. The slight sound made Joanna's smile grow.

"Yeah, Bug. I have eyes and my bowl is missing fruit. Plus, I know you're a deceitful little monster that eats blackberries out of other people's bowls." Alex shook her head and stuck a fork into a piece of melon. "So, what's the game? Besides the two of you trying to outfox the other with me." She smiled at Joanna, "It's cute, but it doesn't work on me. I'm the Queen of Fuckery, ask Piper or Cait."

Joanna laughed in appreciation. "I'll remember that, Alex." She looked at Nat, "It is not much of a game. Natalie is telling me jokes while showing me card tricks and I do not know jokes to tell her."

"Bug is the joke," Alex smiled as she chewed.

Nat's jaw dropped open and Joanna giggled. "That's just messed up, Blue." She could feel the heat in her cheeks with the gibe, "I thought you loved me?" She needed an in to get back at the older woman.

The smile Alex wore became evil, "Who doesn't love a good joke?"

Joanna started to shake she was laughing so hard. "You are turning so red, Natalie."

"Oh my god, I don't like either of you right now," Nat covered her cheeks with both hands, feeling them tingle. The barb was so good, that she needed a moment of silence to appreciate how fast she had set herself up to be destroyed. Normally, she and Alex were razzing Cait or Piper.

"You ate my berries… paybacks are bitch, kiddo." Alex crunched down on her fruit grinning as she chewed. "So, Jo… The berry thief tells me you're interning with Doctor Sun. Tell me about it while Nat scrounges around for burn cream."

Nat glared at her playfully. "Keep runnin' your lip, Blue. I'm going to get you back."

Alex waved her off and looked expectantly at Joanna.

Joanna patted Nat's leg, still grinning. "Doctor Sun needs assistance after Doctor Crocker died," Joanna made the statement without any emotion, just stating the facts.

"Crocker died?" Alex looked between Nat and Joanna, "How?"

Nat inhaled a big breath; her cheeks were still a bright red color. "Oh, that's right you weren't here for all that. Holy shit… story time!"

Alex set her empty bowl down and exchanged it for her black coffee, "Tell me everything."

"Earl Sterling went missing, and one of the Bobrovs filed a missing person's report with the guards, but they were too busy to do anything about it. Danny gave the file to Miss Ellie and asked her to have Mister Valentine look into it. But Mister Valentine was on another case and not even in the Commonwealth. So, Miss Ellie gave the case file to Piper and asked her for help. Piper figured out that Doc Crocker botched an operation on Mister Sterling and killed him." Nat took a drink of her coffee.

"Holy shit," Alex mumbled.

"That's not even the craziest part," Nat said setting the cup down. She knew the next part was more gruesome and it really had bothered Piper.

"Well?" Alex threw her hands out in question, "What happened?"

"Piper found his body all chopped up in a freezer underground."

Alex was silent for a second. "You're pulling my leg." She looked at Joanna for confirmation.

Joanna slowly shook her head, "She's not. Doctor Garrett told me that Doctor Sun said the same thing to her when they spoke of the internship. He had spoken to Curie and Doctor Garrett about Piper needing something to help her deal with her stress trauma this week. He had to give her a sedative because she had become so agitated and recommended that Curie do the same when she mentioned Piper wasn't sleeping."

"Huh." Alex looked at the cup before taking another drink. "Ok, but how did Crocker die? Was he executed?"

Nat waved her hand excitedly, "No! That's the crazy part so let me finish the story. Piper came out yelling for the guards," Nat added, finishing her coffee. "I heard her all the way over at Publick. I went to see what she was yelling for. But she wouldn't tell me what was happening and made me go home. So, I snuck around the market when Danny showed up and she told him everything. Piper, Doc Sun, and Danny went to Doc Crocker's house to confront him."

"That's crazy. She didn't tell me any of that." Alex looked at her coffee then took a drink, "Then again, we haven't talked that much."

Nat's eyebrows popped up, "You guys went upstairs right after dinner yesterday." Joanna elbowed her. "Oh," Nat's face turned pink, "Oh, never mind. I don't want to know."

Alex chuckled, "It seems your… do people say girlfriend still? You didn't answer me before."

Nat shrugged and looked at Joanna, "Well? What do you think? I'd just call us friends."

Joanna's dark eyebrows pinched together, "But Natalie, we're not just friends. I am just friends with Curie. I am not just friends with you, because I really like you. I feel differently about you than others."

Alex sat forward in her chair watching the amusing exchange, drinking her coffee.

Nat leaned back into the couch, pulling up her stripped-sock-clad feet and tucked them under herself. "Is that more than or less than best friends? Like I need a gauge here."

"You want me to give you a scale?" Joanna asked slowly.

Nat rolled her eyes, "Uh, duh, yeah. I told you, if there's something you're not sure of, we'll give it a one to ten scale."

"But I am sure that I like you more than just friends," Joanna's matter-of-fact answer made Alex snicker.

"I'm not sure how much you like me, so you have to tell me." Nat pursed her lips, "Am I like a seven, a three, a six… or what?"

Joanna giggled; she sat back as Bandit jumped back up on the couch next to her. The cat climbed into her lap and settled down. "You're more like a high-energy eleven. You weren't as low as a three even the first time I saw you. Seven is still 'just friends' but better friends just not quite best friends."

"Wow, Nat, a high-energy eleven is off the charts. I'd say that's out of the 'just friends' category and into girlfriends." Alex smirked at them.

Nat gave Alex a smug smile, "You can say that… just not around Piper."

Alex sat back against the chair, "Nat, she's not blind. You just told me how she found out Crocker was a murderer and that she found the body."

Nat set the cup down on the table. "Yeah, the crazy part is that Crocker went insane, Piper said he was screaming at her, and she couldn't get him to calm down. Then he gave himself an injection to commit suicide before Danny or Doctor Sun could stop him. He died right there in front of Piper and everyone. Piper wrote an article about the whole thing, and it sold out! People wrote her and told her about their stories with Crocker. Nuts, right?"

"Jesus Christ." Alex looked across the house to the door, almost like she could see Piper somehow through it. "Has she talked to anyone about this?"

Joanna sat forward and took Alex's hand, "Curie and Cait have talked to her quite extensively about both you and Doctor Crocker. Curie has proscribed chems to help her rest at night. She's trying to help Piper, but her knowledge of human physiatry is limited. She has requested another doctor join us from the Castle, but she has not mentioned who that would be to me."

"That'd be Woody, sorry Doctor Woodrow Ellis. He's a brilliant ghoul doctor, and very philosophical. I think you'll enjoy talking to him, Jo. I asked him to lead a group to define medical ethics for the scientists to follow under the Minutemen and Railroad." Alex patted her hand missing the quick look Nat and Joanna had shared, "Piper didn't sleep at all last night and told me a little bit about how things have been bothering her. Thanks for telling me all this. I want to help her, but I think I need to wait for Woody to provide direction." Alex sat back down and decided to change the subject. "Listen, I wanted to ask you more about the internship. Am I correct in understanding you'll be walking from the alley to Diamond City every day?"

"Yes." Joanna frowned, "I'm not very happy about it, but I don't want to sound ungrateful. I appreciate the opportunity Doctor Sun is giving me to become a surgeon. Curie had been exceptionally kind in allowing me to do this as well. My internship will mean Curie cannot spend as much time on her research as she'd like, however, she's said that she anticipates more than one surgeon to be vital. Therefore, I'm going today to pick put my new apartment. Tomorrow the internship begins. Hopefully, my performance will exceed Doctor Sun's expectations."

"I'm sure you'll do great." Alex leaned forward and clasped her hands together. "Listen, I talked to Piper, and we'd like it if you'd stayed here with us while you intern. She told me that Sun isn't moving unless the city council goes along with the Minutemen plan. I'm fine with that, but right now, I want to focus on your needs. It will spare you the walk and us the worry of something happening to you on the trips back and forth."

Joanna's grew wide and she looked between Alex and Nat. "The internship will last at least a year, are you positive about your offer?"

Alex nodded, smiling at her, "Yes."

Joanna's smile blazed to life across her face, "Then I accept, Alex."

"Good," Alex stood, setting her cup on the coffee table in front of her. "You know thinking about it. All three of you are going to be out of the house most days. I could turn that basement into a one-bedroom apartment."

"You mean like it be its own house?"

Nat's inquiry made Alex smirk again. "Yes, so long as Jo doesn't mind me being down there." Alex stared at the wall behind them. "That wall could be where I put a staircase down into the apartment rather than a ladder. It wouldn't be that hard, and Jo you'd get a private entrance to the city while you intern," She gave Nat and Joanna a smile. "I'll start moving the shelves and supplies tomorrow."

"It will not bother me in the least. Will it be difficult to do?"

"Difficult, no, not really. The stairs are the hardest part, but I think Nat's friends in public works can help us there. They have construction bots that'll make things easier." Alex stared at the wall, thinking. "I'll have to ask Piper if she is okay with a bit of mess before I start, but it would give that downstairs apartment total privacy."

"You know she's not going to want to lose the laundry." Nat picked up her cards and started to shuffle.

"Nah, she wouldn't lose anything. I'll just move them. Let me think about it a bit more." Alex walked to the jukebox. "Jo, what kind of music do you like?"

"I'm not really particular, I do not know the different styles yet."

Alex slowly turned around to stare at her. "Nat? You haven't taught her about music yet?"

Nat shrugged, "No, we kinda haven't gotten around to it. We've only been hanging out for a week."

Alex rubbed her forehead like she was in pain, "Then how did you forget the rules already?"

Joanna shifted on the couch, "What rules?"

Nat rolled her eyes, "I didn't forget, Blue. I just haven't turned the jukebox on yet today."

"I don't understand why it's off to begin with. We'd better tell her if she's going to live here." Alex pressed a few buttons and the jukebox whirled to life. "The rules, Joanna, are simple. Rule number one…"

"Never let Piper cook," Nat finished the sentence for Alex, "She's terrible at it. She helps, but she's not allowed to do anything by herself."

"Noted," Joanna chuckled.

Alex leaned with her back against the jukebox and her elbows were firmly planted on it. "Rule number two…"

Nat laid down on the couch and let her legs drape over Joanna's. "We always play music."

"Why is that a rule?"

"Great question, Jo. Nat, why do we always play music?" Alex's hips were moving with the beat, but her eyes were closed.

"Because no matter what's going on in the world, we deserve happiness and music is the conduit for that." Nat tucked her arm behind her head as she stared at the card in her hand.

"Rule number three…"

"Never leave Cait unattended inside the house under any circumstance," Nat answered with a smirk.

Joanna laughed, "That can't possibly be a rule."

Alex opened her eyes and looked directly at her. Nat was doing the same thing. "It totally is a rule."

"Why?" Joanna was still laughing.

"She almost blew up Publick by accident and Piper was beyond pissed," Nat sat back up and picked up the rest of the deck.

"Oh wow. Also noted." Joanna was still laughing. "I know I shouldn't laugh but it sounds funny."

"Just don't tell Piper you think it is. She'll get hot about it all over again." Nat let her eyes get wide, "She almost killed Cait. If Blue hadn't stopped her, Piper was going to strangle Cait with her bare hands." Nat shuffled the cards and held out the deck for Joanna, "Here, pick one."

Alex watched from the jukebox as Joanna picked a card. Nat set the rest of the deck on the table. "I haven't shown you this trick yet."

Joanna held up the eight of hearts. "Is this one, okay?"

Nat shifted positions on the couch, kneeling, she rocked back and sat on her heels. "That's fine." She took the card and held it between her hands. "I need you to focus on the card and concentrate on it floating."

Joanna looked from the card between Nat's hands to Nat's face. "Floating? Do you mean in water?"

"No, like levitation. You have to help me by concentrating to make it levitate between my hands."

"Natalie. That's ridiculous. It can't levitate."

Alex smiled at Joanna as the tune on the jukebox switched. "Just focus on the card, Jo. I want to see this." Alex walked over and sat in the chair.

Nat tossed her a grin, holding her hands together one on top of the other with the card trapped in between them. Slowly she lifted her left hand up into the air, wiggling her fingers over it, but the card remained firmly planted on her right hand. "You're not concentrating. I can feel the card telling me you aren't."

Joanna gave her a crooked smirk and rolled her eyes.

Nat lowered her hand by an inch when the card began to float upward. "Keep focusing on it!" Nat chuckled as the card lifted into the air, moving from horizontal to vertical, between her hands. "I told you we could do it!"

Alex sat stunned watching the card float between Nat's hands. "You little shit."

"But how is that possible?" Joanna reached for the card and took it from the air.

Nat held out her hands and gave them a shake, "Magic!"

Alex held out her hand, "Let me see that card."

Joanna dutifully handed it over.

"Top that, Blue!"

"Watch and learn, kiddo." Alex pressed the card between both her hands, completely obscuring it. She held her arms out straight, pointing her fingers directly between Nat and Joanna. Her thumbs were pressed tight together and facing upward. "Jo, which hand is the card in?"

Joanna gave her an odd look, pinching her eyebrows together in question, "It's a trick question, it's between both your hands."

Alex pulled her hands apart, still joined at the pinkies. The eight of hearts was seated firmly in her right hand. "Wrong."

She closed her hands, "Try again."

"Okay, I will say… left this time."

Alex opened her hands this time the card was gone. "Wrong again." She opened her fingers and turned her hands around so they could see she wasn't hiding it.

Nat glared at Alex, "What. The. Hell. Blue." Alex started laughing. Nat grabbed Alex's hands to look at them. Jo stared hard at Alex. She watched Nat climb off the couch to feel around in the cushion where Alex was sitting.

"Where did it go?" Joanna wore a concerned look watching Nat.

Alex stood so that Nat could pull the cushion from the chair, "It's behind your barrette, Jo."

Nat spun around to watch Joanna lift her hand to the back of her head and retrieve the card. "How did you do that?" Nat asked staring at the card.

"Aren't you supposed to figure it out and tell me?" Alex's grin was ten miles wide, "Or else you don't win."

Nat hit Alex with the chair cushion. Alex laughed, snatching the cushion from her hands and dropping it and herself back onto the chair. She threw her legs over the side of the armrest, "Got any more?"

"That depends." Nat put her hands on her hips and stood with an air of defiance in front of Alex. "What are we playing for?"

Alex chuckled, "There's only one prize worth playing for. And right now, you're still down by one, Bug. So, it's still, mine."

Nat shook her head slowly, working her jaw. She was silently cursing Alex backward in time. She narrowed her eyes, "The hat?"

"What's the 'hat'?" Joanna was completely lost in their conversation.

"My hat you mean," Alex looked at her nails, feigning disinterest. "So, you got more or not?"

"I always have more, Blue."

Alex jumped out of the chair, "Good. I'll grab some stuff from downstairs and the hat. Jo, you'll see what we're talking about." She walked over to the hatch and pulled it open, "Go check on the coffee cake, I'll be right back." She slid down the ladder and swept out of sight.

"Oh, I so need to kick her ass," She plopped down next to Joanna, then leaned over and kissed Joanna, making her blush.

Joanna touched her lips, "What was that for?"

"Luck," Nat smiled at her, shuffling her cards. She enjoyed the wide-eyed surprised look on her face.

"I thought you said we shouldn't kiss where your sister could see us."

Nat shrugged, noticing that Joanna's use of contractions was increasing, "Blue says I should tell her." She felt a lot more confident after talking with Alex. Never mind the fact she didn't want to end up like her sister that couldn't talk about things. It bothered her, and it made her think Alex was right. Maybe talking about it was a good idea.

"Are you going to?"

Nat let a smile settle on her face, watching her. "What are you ok with me saying?" Shuffling the deck again, she popped the stack on the table.

"Natalie, I told you already, you should be honest with her. You can tell her the truth."

Nat set the cards down and stood up, "Alright, I'll tell her." She brushed her skirt down, "I need to check the coffee cake, I'll be right back." Nat skipped off toward the kitchen, pushing open the door. She flicked on the oven light, just as the door behind her closed.

"Is it ready yet?"

Nat jumped with the question, not expecting Piper to appear out of thin air next to her. "How'd you do that?" Nat didn't mean to yell, it just happened.

Piper covered her mouth as she snickered, "Sorry. I came down for more coffee." She held up her empty cup.

Nat cracked open the oven door, "There should still be some in the pot." She spent a few seconds scrutinizing her masterpiece until she was satisfied that it needed a few more minutes to finish cooking, then she closed the door.

Piper wondered if she should say something to Nat or let her talk first. "It smells heavenly," She decided to start with a compliment.

"It does, doesn't it?" Nat surveyed her sister, realizing Piper looked exhausted. "You look like shit. You haven't slept, have you?"

"Thanks, Nat. And no, I haven't." Piper tried to keep the worry out of her voice. She'd been thinking quite a bit about the article she'd written and what could happen when they distributed it.

Nat looked at the door, on the other side, she heard Cait calling to Alex. "Why not?" Nat walked to the fridge and took out the milk. For a second, she listened to the jukebox get louder in the other room. Then she heard Alex and Cait laughing. "They're getting crazy in there."

"Curie was right. They really are like kids when they're in the same room together."

"More like assholes," Nat laughed, pouring the milk into the double boiler to heat it. She poured in cinnamon and gave it a mix. "Milk will be warm in a minute."

"You don't have to do all that," Piper set her cup on the counter still chuckling at Nat's word choice.

"It'll be cold coffee, and I know you hate it that way." Nat opened the coffee pot and looked inside. "If Cait's here, we should make more." Nat pushed her sister, "Spill. Why aren't you sleeping?"

Leaning against the wall, the dark circles under Piper's eyes made her look frail. Nat watched her rub her face, then run her hands through her hair.

"Things aren't making sense and I'm worried," Piper shifted against the wall, playing nervously with the buttons on the gray and blue checkered shirt she was wearing over her tee.

"With… Blue?" Nat dumped coffee into Piper's cup.

"Heh, no. Things with Blue are… I'm on cloud nine, Nat. Things are great between us… better than I ever imagined they could be." She pulled the checkered shirt tighter around herself. "I'm really happy for the first time in a long time."

"Then why aren't you sleeping?" Nat stirred the milk as it warmed.

"It's everything that's happening… the mayor, the bounty, the Gunners, the raids…" She looked at Nat while ticking off things on her fingers. "Then there's everything that's happened between us. And of course, Blue was nearly killed three times. I just can't sleep."

Pouring the last of the coffee into Piper's cup, she set it on the stove near the warming milk to keep it hot. Nat cracked open the coffee pot and busied herself with making more coffee.

"Thing is, none of the stuff with the Gunners makes sense. I can't make heads or tails of everything happening with the mayor. There's an angle with it I'm not getting. I'm worried because I can't see how these threads coming together. And I know somehow all of them will. My gut is telling me that it's going to be all at once."

"Blue asked me about the bounty." Nat set the pot on the stove and clicked the burner on.

Piper looked over her cup at her, "Please tell me you didn't…"

"I did. She almost fell over when I told her."

Piper scratched the corner of her eyebrow and set her cup down, "God damnit, Natalie. I was planning on telling her tonight."

"What did you want me to do, Piper? Lie to her? I'm not going to do that. She said you wouldn't be mad about it, so I told her."

Piper shook her head, angrily. "I didn't want to dump everything on her all at once. She just woke up. There's so much…" She picked up her cup and took a drink. She made a disgusted face, "Needs more milk." Nat stirred the milk one last time and added it to her coffee. "I wanted her to have one day that no one was asking anything from her. Nat, this is big. This is the biggest thing we've ever faced, and we need to be at our best to get through it."

"Then you should have told me that because I can't read your mind." The coffee pot started to percolate.

"I'm not asking you to read…" Piper exhaled. "You're right. I should have told you." She took her cup and looked across the room to the couch. She wondered if she should sit with as much as she was shaking. Then Piper dismissed the idea. If she sat, she might just go to sleep. "Blue won't stop if she thinks we're in danger, and we are in so much danger right now." She took a drink, then set her cup back on the stove, "What do you know about the Gunners?"

"Just what you've written. You don't tell me stuff, remember?" Nat poured more milk and cinnamon into the boiler and started to heat it.

"Christ, okay," Piper rubbed her forehead slightly irritated. "Whoever put this bounty out on us… they have resources, and they also know our whole family. That bounty on Blue, they see her as a threat. A thousand caps for one less obstacle to get to us. They don't want her alive, they want her out of the way. But us? They want us alive and that scares the hell out of me. We've pissed someone off so much, they're willing to pay nine thousand caps to do God-knows-what to us and that's terrifying. Nat this bounty is very personal, and I'm scared."

Piper took a drink before continuing. "The Gunners will take any contract if the caps are good enough." She paused, glancing at the coffee pot as it started to make a higher-pitched sound. "They waltzed into Diamond City without a care in the world just to find us. You heard Danny, they were ready for Blue. Those guys they sent were known to be some of the best combat fighters out this way. They came here looking to fight and my guess is they figured if they found Blue, they might find Cait too. They know too much about us. They don't have any intention of letting her live and they'll go through anyone to get to us."

"Wait so does this mean that Jay's in danger too?"

"Who?" Piper took another drink of her coffee.

"My girlfriend."

"Well, yeah if they found her… wait, hold on. Wha-Your what?"

Nat rolled her eyes, "You heard me just fine. Jay. My girlfriend."

"Who's Jay?"

Nat hitched her thumb over her shoulder, "Joanna. My girlfriend."

"The Joanna… the one that's sleeping here at night?"

"Yeah, Piper. That Joanna." Nat opened the oven and took the coffee cake out. When she turned to set it on the counter, Piper was rubbing her eyes.

"Well, at least everything makes sense now. The hands, how close you were standing…" Piper sat up and picked up her cup. "I'm curious about something."

Nat clicked the burner off for the milk and the coffee pot. "What?"

"Where exactly is she sleeping, Natalie? Because I like Joanna. She's very sweet… innocent… and trusting."

"Piper, really?" Nat huffed at her, "Here I was worried you'd be mad I had a girlfriend. Do you think I'm going to be a jerk to her?"

"No. Why would I be mad if you want to see a girl? But she's real naïve… and you can talk people into things they might not... well in her case, understand. Does she know that you're calling her that or what it means?

"Christ, I hope so after last nigh… shit."

"Well. I guess that explains where she's sleeping." Piper stood up and stretched her back. "Okay, Nat. You want me to treat you like an adult. Here goes…" Piper picked up her cup and walked to the sink and put it inside. "Joanna is going to be living here, in our home while she does this internship. What happens if she becomes your ex-girlfriend? Have you thought about what's going to happen?"

"You do think I'm going to be a jerk to her!"

Piper walked over to her, "That's just it, I don't. I think you're an amazing young woman." Piper hugged her sister, "But this is reality. Joanna is a good person, and so are you. I don't want to see either of you getting hurt. I just want you to think about things if they don't end up working out."

The door separating the two different sides of the house opened. Cait and Alex blew through the door laughing.

"Oh, that smells phenomenal," Alex walked to the shelf and pulled down another cup. "Coffee?" She waved the cup at Cait.

"Ya, go on then."

"We set up the escort, Piper." Alex poured coffee into their cups, "Cait, you want me to splash in some love?"

"Always." Cait looked over at Nat, "You shag her yet?"

Piper rolled her eyes, "Cait, knock it off. Don't be gross."

Alex shoved the coffee cup into Cait's hands, grinning at Cait, "I asked her the same thing." Piper glanced at Alex, and she shrugged back at her, "What? I was fifteen once."

"No, we haven't," Nat grumbled.

"Oh, thank god," Piper mumbled rubbing her forehead, and Nat looked at her. "You're right. It's gross, sorry Nat."

"Now you get it?" Nat shook her head when Piper nodded at her, "Unbelievable."

"Piper, are you finished with the article?" Alex took a drink from her cup. "Do you want another coffee?"

"I'll wait until we have the coffee cake to have another." Piper walked to the couch and sat down. "And yeah, I'm finished. It's ready to go."

Alex walked to the couch and sat next to her, "Did you figure out how to get it on the streets?"

Cait walked to the couch sitting down next to Alex, on the opposite side from Piper.

Piper ran her fingers through her hair. The exhaustion was catching up with her. "No, I haven't…"

Nat leaned against the wall, planting her foot against it. "What about Richard? He could do it."

"Who's Richard?" All three women asked in unison, and all of them were looking at her confused.

"The paperboy." Nat put her hands on the small of her back and got comfortable.

Piper gawked at her, lost as to what she was talking about, "Uh, Nat, what paperboy?"

"Oh, come on, Piper. I've told you about Richard. He's the guy that runs stacks out to the Slog and some of the other places out that way."

Piper slowly shook her head back and forth, "I don't remember you ever telling me about someone named Richard."

"Yeah, I did. He's the guy that runs the fan club."

Alex gaped at Nat, "The what now?"

"Fan. Club." Nat sniffed, trying to keep a straight face.

"Bloody hell, Piper has a fan club?" Cait started to chuckle.

"Why am I not the President?" Alex laughed excitedly as Piper started to turn maroon in color.

"Why am I not the Treasure?" Cait added, still snickering.

"Neither of you is funny," Piper bit her lip, trying not to turn purple.

"Anyway," Nat waved off Alex and Cait, amused with their shenanigans. "Richard could do it for us. Besides, he's a little late on his loan payment so I'll just make it part of the forgiveness."

"Natalie! You gave someone a loan? We run a newspaper, not a bank!"

"No, not like that, Piper." Nat couldn't believe she was getting angry. "This is why I don't tell you stuff and just do it."

"Then explain it to me so that I understand. And I mean, right now, Natalie Willow!"

Alex and Cait tried to hide their faces to keep from laughing. They could even look at each other.

Nat could almost see the smoke rolling off her sister. "He wanted to sell papers but didn't have the scratch for it. I needed someone to take papers out to the places where you and Blue weren't going. So, I cut him a deal like I do the small-time traders. He got papers to sell, and I gave him a compounding interest rate. I do it with anyone that doesn't have the caps for a stack. They sell them for six or seven caps, and we make our five."

"My sister the mobster." Piper looked at Alex, "Did you teach her that?"

Alex gave her a sweet smile, "Maybe. Bug, what's the principle?"

"The initial loan was one thousand caps, but he's expanded his route, so it bumped to one thousand and five hundred. I gave him a five percent rate throughout the loan, including the extension. So far, he's still in for a thousand caps."

Alex looked impressed, "Nice."

"Hold on, Blue, you approve of this?" Piper looked like she wasn't sure if she was going to get angry. She wasn't very good at arithmetic.

"We're making a huge profit offering stacks upfront and the paper has increased sales over thirty-five percent in the last year," Nat stepped away from the wall. "And we're the only paper, that's moving outside of the Commonwealth. Traders are taking our newspaper as far as New Hampshire and Maine now. We're being read everywhere, Piper. Which is why we need more presses and supplies."

"Oh." Piper was stunned.

"Yeah, I approve. Nat's a hustler." Alex took Piper's hand. "There's nothing unethical about what she's doing. He needed the caps to get started and Nat gave him options. It makes good business sense, plus you're earning an amazing profit. I think you two are finding a groove for what you're both capable of doing and what you're damn good at. Nat's handling business like any good partner would. Even if she didn't talk to you first like I suggested." Alex gave Nat a meaningful look.

She shrugged, "I didn't want Piper to say no. I've paid our taxes, and everything for the next five years cause I just did it and it worked out." Nat looked at the clock on the bookshelf, "He'll be here in like two and a half hours. Well at Publick, I mean. He's one of the people that checks in a couple of times a week."

Piper looked surprised, "You paid our taxes for how long?"

"The next five years…"

"What's everything? What did you mean by that?" Piper scrutinized her sister.

"Well, the guys at public works run maintenance on pipes, electric, and all that. So, I paid for our stuff so that we'd be first in line for everything. That asshole Sheng didn't want to let me pay water upfront, so I punched him and made him take the caps. That way I don't need to deal with him for a while. I keep everything in my notebook if you want to see it. But we're paid through, that way if anything comes up, we're good."

Piper nodded slowly, finally realizing what her sister had done, "You taught her how to do all that?"

"Compounding interest rates and basic business finance, yes." Alex gave Nat a proud smile, "But I didn't teach her how to hustle traders or how to plan that far ahead. She did that herself and impressively so."

"Nat, that's… really something. I'd never would have thought of any of that. It's just… wow, kiddo." Piper bit her lip thinking, "Sales are up thirty-five percent?"

"Yup, and I have a shipment of paper coming in from Connecticut. If we could get local paper, we'd decrease costs, right now we're spending about two caps per newspaper. He's a week late, so let's hope he actually shows up today or tomorrow."

Alex tipped her cup toward Nat, "Amazing job, Bug."

"I'll say," Cait added, drinking her coffee.

Piper walked over and hugged Nat, "You're doing a great job. But I do want you to talk to me about what you're doing."

"Um, does that mean you're going to do the same?"

"How about we add this to the things we talk about tonight?" Alex suggested.

Nat gave her a small smirk, "Ok, but you're not off the hook either, Blue."

Alex chuckled as Piper sat down next to her again. "I don't expect you to let me off the hook."

"So… Richard?" Nat looked at her sister, "You want to use him?"

Piper nodded silently, thinking. Finally, she looked up from where she stared at the table. "It would solve our problem…" Piper leaned into Alex as she sat back against the backrest.

"Yeah, uh, but just as a warning, he might want to talk to you this time." Nat cleared her throat, "I told him I'd try and arrange it if you weren't busy. Might be a good selling point to get him to do local distributions since I'm trapped inside for now."

Alex looked over her cup at Nat, "What do you mean 'this time'?"

Nat cleared her throat, "Well, um… I only let him see Piper through the door usually."

Cait and Alex shared a look before they both started laughing.

"You what?" Alex barely choked out the question.

"You do what?!" Piper shouted at the same time.

"Not like anything creepy. Jesus, Piper! Just through the front door."

"How is that not creepy?" Piper yelled back at her.

"I don't let everyone just walk in, Piper. I make them talk to me, so they won't bother you with their stupid shit. I just let him peek inside so that he can update the fan club."

Alex and Cait were laughing so hard they were choking.

Piper got off the couch and started to pace, "Seriously, Nat?"

"I'm not the one with an entire fucking fan club, Piper. I don't even know how you don't know at this point. The entire Commonwealth knows about it."

"Stop, yer killin' us." Cait slid onto the floor holding her sides laughing. Tears were rolling down both Alex's and Cait's faces.

Nat laughed, mostly because Cait and Alex were changing colors and barely able to breathe, "Piper Wright, Voice of the Commonwealth… there are posters even, Piper."

Cait doubled over, holding her sides. Alex was laughing so hard she spilled her coffee.

"You guys want to see one?" Nat started laughing harder.

Piper spun on her toes horrified, "No! Don't you dare!"

"Yes!" Cait shouted, and Alex slid off the couch onto the floor laughing.

"I can't breathe," Alex cried into Cait's back, holding onto her shoulders tightly.

Piper was starting to lose her battle against their humor, "I'm so glad both of you find this so damn funny." Laughing, she waved Nat out the door.