The next two hours flew by as they worked on getting the papers printed. Piper and Nat bundled the last of the papers together. Alex finished changing out the ink cartridges in the presses. Piper wiped the sweat from her brow. With the door closed it was sweltering in the print-room.
"The machines are really hot, we have to open the doors," Alex pulled her hand away, blowing on it.
The idea of opening the doors made Piper anxious, even if they knew who wrote the death threat. She felt a familiar ache in her chest thinking about what could happen. She looked across the table at her sister.
"Well? Yes or no, Piper?" Nat watched her and Piper could tell she was studying her.
She made up her mind. "I'll get it, Blue." Piper walked over to the large door and unlocked it. She heaved, pulling the door up.
Cait turned as the door rose behind her, "The fuck you think yer doin', Piper?"
"Presses are too hot," Alex called to her.
"Well, I'm so glad I'm standing out here for me health," Cait shouted back at her.
Alex stood, "I'm not in the mood, Cait." She reached for another screw, taking the panel off.
Nat pursed her lips and looked right at Piper, silently asking if she was going to fix the problem. Piper gave her head a shake, pointing to Cait.
"Sorry, mate," Cait shook her head and turned back around just as a tall gangly guy walked up to the open door. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, where the fuck you think you're goin'?" Cait gave the tall man a shove back.
"You motherfucker!" Nat practically teleported to where Cait was. She punched him in in his solar plexus, dropping him to the ground. She pulled the note from her pocket and climbed on top of him, "Read it!" she shoved it in his face. "Read or I'll kick the shit out of you."
The spectacle was starting to draw a crowd, but Piper was too stunned to stay anything. She looked over at Cait who was smiling under her sunglasses.
One of the city guards walked over, "Is he botherin' you, Nat?"
"No. Richard and I are having a private conversation, Ernie."
Earnie chuckled under his helmet, "Alrighty, Nat. I'll leave you to it. Just give us a shout if you want us to hold him."
"Will do, thanks, Earnie."
Alex walked past Piper and put her hand on Nat's shoulder. "Bring him inside."
Nat got up, "You better walk faster than, me or I'll kick you through the door. I swear to God."
Cait helped Richard to his feet, "Ugh, are you crying?" Halfway carrying him and partly pushing him, she walked him to the door leading to Piper's office.
"No," He sniffed, wiping his face with the back of his sleeve, while rubbing his chest. "Ok, yeah. Nat's never been mad at me before." Looking through his tears, he opened his mouth to say something, but Cait shoved him through the large open door of the print room. "Buck up, loser. She could have done worse to you."
Nat was hot on her heels, slipping through the door when Cait backed away.
"We'll be out in a few minutes, Cait." Alex held the door open for Piper.
Inside, it was sweltering. The shack and been locked up tight for a few days.
Richard sniffed, keeping his eyes on the ground, "Nat, why are you mad?"
Nat walked up and held the note up, "Read it."
His trembling hand took the note from her and started to read. His face changed colors while did. His hands shook more when he got to the end. "I didn't write this," Richard's voice was shaking as much as he was. "My mom would kill me."
Piper looked at him closer, "How old are you?"
"I'm fifteen," He started to cry again, "I'm sorry, Miss Wright. I'm just trying to make some caps to help my mom. I didn't write this."
Piper was shocked, the boy was taller than Alex by two inches. But he was so thin, he looked like a wraith.
"Oh my god, shut up. I didn't say you did." Nat held the note up, "Did you see this?" She pointed at the line in the note.
Piper was over her initial shock at how fast Nat had knocked him down and taken charge. The boy was shaking, and Nat's tone was becoming unnecessarily cruel. "Nat, be nicer, please. He doesn't deserve to be talked to like that."
"Sorry, Piper." Nat softened her tone as she pointed to the line, "Do you recognize this?"
He read it again, then he pulled the note closer. Nat pulled the fan club flyer from her pocket and handed it to him. "Someone is threatening us, and they used your fan club to get information about my family."
"Nat, it wasn't me. I swear." He was shaking so hard, that Nat had to pull the note from his hands.
Before Piper could say anything else, Alex spoke up. "Richard, when's the last time you ate something?"
He looked over at Alex, his face was pinched as he thought, "Um, I ate two days ago, I think." He stuffed his shaking hands into his pockets.
She looked at Piper and motioned to the door, "Sit tight, Richard, I'll be right back." Alex walked by them and out the door. For a second, Piper saw Cait look back at them before Alex shut the door.
Piper walked to the fridge and opened it. She found what she was looking for and pulled out three ice-cold, Nuka-Colas. Popping the tops, she walked back to Nat and Richard, handing out the cold drinks.
"Oh, wow, thank you, Miss Wright." He took a long drink, then wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve, he never stopped smiling at Piper.
"Call me Piper, please," Piper watched his entire body start shaking.
"Oh, um, I couldn't do that Miss Wright. That wouldn't be polite." He took another drink and smiled, "Nat was right, you are a really nice person."
Nat rolled her eyes. "Richard, we need your help," Nat held the note up, blocking Piper from his vision. "This has me stuck in our house because this fucker thinks writing this garbage to my sister is okay. I mean he should be shot for the grammatical and spelling errors alone." She folded the note up and handed it to Piper. "So, I'll pay you to do local distributions and deliveries." Piper watched him sit up, but he wasn't looking at Nat. She wondered if he heard a word Nat was saying to him.
"I'll also kick in dinner and… a new shirt if you promise to stop using it as a napkin." Nat made a face and Piper had to turn away to cover her smirk. "It's fucking disgusting. Speaking of which, you need a shower."
Richard looked down at his feet and that's when Piper noticed he wasn't wearing shoes. "Where are your shoes?"
"I had to sell them."
Nat looked at her sister, "Okay, I'll ask… why did you sell your shoes?"
Alex walked in, holding a large container of Power Noodles, with two Minutemen in tow.
"My mom's a scaver, she got hurt on her last run, and we needed the caps to pay Miss Claire our rent."
Piper stood and walked to Nat, "Where was she?"
"She was shot by Gunners over by the old Boston Bugle building. She's scrapping those printing presses. She was going to give Nat a shot at them first before selling them to Daisy as parts."
Piper wanted to scream.
"Does she still have the parts?" Nat asked quickly.
Alex tapped Richard with the box of noodles, "Eat this. Slowly."
His eyes went wide, "Thank you so much… um… I don't know what to call you." He started shoving the noodles in his mouth.
"Slow down, or you'll get sick," Alex watched him, "Just Alex is fine, you're a friend of Nat's." She looked down at his feet, "Who stole your shoes?"
"Thank you, Miss Alex and Miss Wright." He took another bite, partially chewing it then swallowing quickly, "I had to sell them after mom got hurt." He looked back at Nat, "I think so, Nat. She couldn't get it over to Daisy. It's just sitting at the Rexford in our room. You want me to tell her you want it?"
Nat looked at Piper, "We could buy them."
Richard watched Piper while he ate, and it was starting to make her uncomfortable. She focused on the question instead, and started to pace, "I don't know that the parts will fit."
He was trying to chew faster, "Um, no, Miss Wright. She got the whole press in pieces. She has all the parts she was going through. Then she got shot going back for the body and panels."
Nat didn't bother waiting for Piper, "How much for all of it?"
Piper looked at her and put her hand on Nat, "Uh, Nat, we should talk about…"
Nat shrugged her sister's hand off her arm, "Piper, not now. We need presses, they need caps, let me handle this. I want them installed too, Richard."
Alex stifled a laugh and walked to the couch.
"Nat my mom… she's not in a good way and we can't afford a doctor."
Piper gestured to Alex, "Maybe we can help her, Blue?"
"How bad is she?" Alex sat on the arm of the couch.
"Miss Claire and I patched her up and all. But her leg is still bad off."
"Bree, head outside and grab two people, send them to go get Richard's mom at the Rexford and take her directly to Doctor Garrett. Make sure they tell…" Alex looked back at Richard, "Richard, what's your mother's name?"
He swallowed the bite he was chewing, "Sarah Donovan. But we can't afford a doc."
"I'll pay for it, Richard." She looked back at Bree, "Have them tell Sarah we need good scavengers out at the Castle employed by the Minutemen, but if she's keen on taking out the Boston Bugle presses, we can get her an escort and a buyer." She smiled at Piper, "If you're interested in them, that is."
"Yes!" Piper looked over at Nat. She frowned, not sure how they were going to pay for one printing press let alone two or more. She needed to sit down with Nat and go over their finances in detail.
"General, I'll be back shortly if you still want me on escort duties," Bree disappeared out the door.
"Richard, Stacey will stay with you while you get the newspapers out. She'll also come with you to get those papers delivered to Goodneighbor. You can meet your mother over in Hangman's Alley afterward." Alex smiled at Stacey, "When he's done, you can head back to detail. Sound good?"
Stacey stood up straighter, "No problem, General Sterling."
Nat held up her hand, "Hang on, first, go down to Fallon's Basement and tell Becky to put a clean shirt and shoes on my account." Nat looked at him with disgust, "You're not selling papers looking like that."
"We have an account with Becky. Since when?" Piper stared at her sister in disbelief.
"I made one six months ago. You needed new pants and that shirt you called white was starting to look like you washed it in a mud puddle to clean it. Honestly, Piper, you looked like a waif, and it was killing my soul to look at you."
Piper opened her mouth and then closed it. It was the kindest insult Nat had ever bestowed on her.
She looked at Piper and smiled, "We have an account with all the vendors now, including Myrna. But she still won't sell to you so let me handle her."
Piper opened her mouth and Nat smirked at her, "I let her know the real Piper Wright was undercover with the Minutemen and that you were a synth posing as you. The way she could tell if you were you was if you had a mole on your neck or not. She's absolutely clueless, but she has nice stuff and Percy cuts us deals all the time because he says you're a bonafide hero." Nat snickered.
"Oh my god, you are such a little shit," Piper couldn't help but laugh.
"You two are more and more alike every single day," Alex giggled to herself as she sat on the couch across the room.
Richard kept shoveling the noodles into his mouth watching Piper. Nat's revelation didn't faze him at all.
Nat pulled a sock full of caps from her bag and counted out twenty-five caps and set them on the coffee table next to Richard. "Twenty-five up front, and twenty-five when you're finished. Oh, and I'll waive the late fee and this month's interest on your loan."
Richard jumped up almost dropping his noodles and hugged her, "You the best friend a fella could have! Thanks for everything, Nat! I won't let you down."
Nat shoved him away, "Please take a shower."
He cleared his throat and backed up, "There's not any water at the Rexford. Diedre lets me take a shower for free when I bring papers out to the Slog."
Nat shivered and pulled a few more caps, from her bag, "Take these to Mister Bobrov, tell him you want to take a shower. Don't let him charge more than two caps for a bar of soap either. If he does, refuse, and tell Scarlett. She'll give you the soap."
Piper looked over at Alex who simply sat back on the couch with her eyes closed. Piper watched her hand raise and point a single finger directly at Piper. Piper chuckled, instantly understanding her meaning. On the road, Piper did the wheeling and dealing with traders. She'd been doing it since the beginning when merchants realized Alex didn't know a thing about life outside of the vault and tried to take advantage of her. Alex finally told her to do all the trades and gave her the caps to spend out of her share. Now, Alex was telling her, that Nat was just like her.
"Last, you tell the fanboys you're shutting down the club." Nat tapped him on his chest, forcing him to sit down, tapping his chest, "And I want you to tell them why."
His eyes were wide with fear, "Nat, they'll be pissed."
Nat smirked, "Oh, I know."
"Maybe that's not such a good idea, sis." Piper waved at her, "We don't want them taking it out on Richard."
"Me? No, they won't do that. But they might try to find the guy that wrote that, that horrible note."
Nat shrugged, "That's fine. Make sure they know about the grammar and spelling errors too."
Piper pulled Nat by the arm across the room, "What are you doing?"
"You think the mayor stuck around Goodneighbor? Since when are you gullible?" Nat fired back at her quietly.
Piper pointed her finger at Nat, "You're going to get a bunch of kids…"
Nat held up her hand, "They're full-grown men and they want to date you. I'm the one that's turning them away at the door."
Piper could feel her jaw blowing in the wind. "They what?"
Nat rolled her eyes, "You heard me just fine. I'm the one that tells them no, 'cause Blue will do it with her magnum and I'm not letting her get arrested."
Piper could feel her skin crawling. She looked over at Alex, who was still reclined with her eyes closed and gave Nat a thumbs up.
"You heard her?" Piper asked quietly and Alex nodded, dropping her hand onto her lap.
"So, we're good telling the fanboys the club is done, right?" Nat waited for Piper's answer.
"You were serious? They want to date me?" Piper repeated dumbly.
"Awesome," Nat turned and went back to Richard. "You have any questions?" Richard shook his head and stood. "Great. We're up at the warehouse now. Stop by there and I'll pay you when you're done. You'd better be showered and with a clean shirt on, or else you won't get to talk to Piper again."
Evelyn Kelley stood staring at the two notes on the table. One is a to-do list with explicit instructions. The other was an explicitly obscene death threat against two of the women standing in front of her. "All in favor, say 'aye'." The five people around the table voted unanimously in favor.
"Mister Sullivan, if you don't mind arrestin' that bastard the moment Detective Valentine returns, that would be much appreciated. As for the rest of us, we'll need to notifyin' the citizens that he's been removed from office for makin' death threats against Diamond City residence." Evelyn looked directly at Geneva.
"Councilmembers, I'd like to point out Miss Williams was instrumental in helping Miss Wright and Detective Valentine in solving who was behind the threats. Isn't that correct, Miss Wright?" Alex looked pointedly at Piper; her matter-of-fact tone meant Alex was in business mode with them.
"That's correct, uh, General Sterling." Piper had no idea what to call Alex right now, so she settled on General.
Alex's eyebrow lifted at her, but she didn't say anything. Her deadpan expression left Piper hopeless in deciphering her eyebrow's meaning.
"But all I did…"
Alex silenced Geneva with a look, "All you did was ensure that another corrupt mayor was removed from office. Your courage is commendable, Miss Williams." Alex looked over at Piper, for backup.
"Th-That's right! She came forward at great personal risk to herself to help Detective Valentine and me solve this case. We couldn't have done that without Miss Williams's help. She had the key evidence linking the mayor to the death threats."
"I'll say so, this letter is atrocious." Yariel Perez pushed it back toward the center of the table wearing a look of disgust. "I don't know what kind of human being can even think this, let alone write it and deliver it to someone." She looked at Piper, "This is horrifying and I'm sorry to both of you, Piper and Natalie. You shouldn't ever have to read and worry about something this despicable."
Piper nudged her sister, "Um, thank you Councilmembers," Nat looked back at her.
"Yes, thank you, all of you," Piper followed up. "We feel a lot safer knowing something will be done about this."
"Councilmember, I do want to ensure that Miss Williams will not be impacted negatively by this in any way." Alex's even tone was carried through the room by her husky voice and old-fashioned Boston accent. "She's been under a great deal of stress because of this, and I think it would be beneficial for her to hear the council's reassurances."
Piper was careful not to show how amusing she found Alex playing up Geneva's role with the city council.
Julien Brown leaned over the table to look past Campbell Moore's large frame, "No, as a matter of fact, she should be commended and rewarded. It took a lot of courage to stand up to corruption like you did, Geneva." He walked around the table and shook her hand, "Councilwoman Kelley, I think we should initiate a vote to give Geneva a raise after everything she's done for the city. Two corrupt mayors! Unbelievable!"
"I agree," Piper smiled at Geneva, "She's very effective."
Geneva looked away with a small smile.
"And modest about the whole thing too," Charlie Archer added. "I'll second the motion, Evelyn."
"Alright then, I motion to raise Miss William's salary by twenty-five percent… and give her the rest of the week off, paid of course." Evelyn's amused voice rang with her thick Irish brogue.
"I second," Charlie winked at Geneva.
"All in favor, vote 'aye'." Evelyn looked around the room hearing another unanimous vote in favor of her motion. "There ya have it. Excellent job, Geneva. Now we won't be expectin' ya until next week. Scurry off and enjoy yourself." Geneva wasted no time in leaving.
Alex tipped her head toward the city council, "Councilmembers since we have no further business, I'll say good day and leave you to your midday." She turned to leave when Evelyn stopped her.
"Hold on there a second, General." Evelyn leaned up against the table. "Danny, be a good lad and head out, will ya? We'd like to talk to General Sterling and her family alone."
Danny put his helmet back on, "Yes, ma'am. Councilmembers."
She waited until he was gone to continue, "How you feelin', Alex?" Evelyn leaned against the table and looked over at Piper, "Piper looked worn out yesterday when she was up here with us, I just wanted to check in on ya. All of us have been worried sick about you."
Alex gave them a warm smile, "Doctor Sun's skilled as a surgeon, and the Minutemen doctors have been working on upgrading stimpaks, so I'm feeling much better." She looked over at Piper and Nat, "These two have been taking care of me with the doctors, so I've been getting better quickly."
Tony walked over and clasped her on the shoulder, "We're glad to see you up and around, Alex. Just sorry about the conditions that you came to see us under."
Alex glanced back to Piper and Nat, "Me too, Tony. Say there's something I wanted to ask all of you."
"What?" Evelyn asked, she gasped at the table she was leaning against.
"Part of the reason Geneva came forward this morning was because of how the mayor was acting yesterday. She mentioned you all had a falling out. She said he started acting odd and that he scared her. I won't ask what the conversation was, but did any of you notice anything?"
Tony and Campbell looked directly at Piper. "We'd rather not comment," Tony's statement was flat, without any emotion while looking directly at Piper.
Piper took her sister's arm, "We'll wait outside, Blue." Alex nodded at her.
Piper and Nat made it about three steps from the door before an arm slid into hers. "You know, I promised you yesterday, I was going to have Jorge come by with tamales. While those old stuffed shirts talk to the General, how about we go to my house and grab them."
Piper smiled at the old woman, holding her arm, "You sure do know how to brighten a girl's day."
A Billie Holiday tune played on the jukebox in the other room.
Alex held out the bowl, "You have to tell me if it's too spicy." Joanna, Piper, and Piper each took one. "Don't put too much on the spoon, Jo. Just a little, see Nat's?" Alex pointed and Joanna tapped the spoon against the bowl to remove excess before putting it in her mouth.
"Mmm… this is so good." Piper held her spoon up.
"Mmm… mmhmm." Nat agreed, the spoon still in her mouth.
Joanna swallowed, thinking. "That's good."
Alex smirked, "It's the food of our people."
Joanna laughed, "I don't know what that means."
"It means you were made to like it," Alex joked back. "You look like my cousins. They were Puerto Rican, and the sofrito that I made is like lifeblood to you."
"I don't know what that means either," Joanna was still laughing.
"It's figurative speech, it means you should be partially made of this," Alex stirred the frying pan contents quickly, lightly sautéing the vegetables in it. "Nat, show her how to fill the dough and close it."
"The sofrito goes with the empanadas we're making. Here, try this," Alex grabbed a fork and stuck it into some of the vegetables. "It will also make those tamales pop."
"That's delicious." Joanna set the fork into the bowl filled with soapy water in the sink.
"Piper, how many do you have?" Alex clicked a second burner on and put another pan on the stove.
Piper and Nat were busy making empanadas. "Four and a half. I'm almost done with this one," Piper gestured with her hand holding a spoon.
"The pan on the right is for meat-filled, the left is for vegetarian. You can start stacking them next to the pans and I'll cook them up." Alex danced next to the stove, spinning in a circle waiting on the three women. "I think we need a faster beat. I'll be right back."
"Aren't we making a lot of these?" Piper looked around the table at the various piles of empanadas and bowls filled with various ingredients.
"Not if Curie and Ruby are going to be here soon," Nat chuckled waving her spoon, "Ruby will eat like ten on her own."
"That seems like a lot," Joanna lifted a stuffed empanada and inspected it.
"You haven't seen Curie eat them," Piper said with a smile. "I don't know where she puts it all."
"You know she's going to make us dance off to wash dishes, right?" Nat glanced over at her sister.
Piper rolled her eyes, "I might as well do them. I never win. I just got the moonwalk down."
"A what? What's a moonwalk?" Joanna set the empanada she was making aside.
Nat demonstrated and stopped, "How the shit did you make four empanadas already?"
"How did you move your feet like that?" Joanna asked at the same time.
Piper laughed, "It takes a few tries to learn. Wait until you see Blue dance."
From the other room, the jukebox changed from Nina Simone to Abba.
"What's dancing?" Joanna set another empanada aside. "What kind of music is this?"
"Jesus Christ, Blue's going to kill me." Nat exhaled, mumbling under her breath.
Piper started laughing harder, "Probably. We might have to pick her up off the floor first."
Nat sighed, "I'll just do the dishes."
"Thanks for volunteering, Nat," Alex reappeared in the doorway. "But I'm confused as to what you've done that you need to recompense for your perceived transgressions."
Nat waved at Joanna without looking up, "Ask her."
"What's dancing and what kind of music is this?"
Nat walked to the sink and picked up the soap without a word. Piper laughed harder trying not to drop the filling off her spoon.
Alex clutched her heart, hanging on to the door jamb for dear life, "Natalie! The fuck have you been doing with this poor girl?" Alex walked to the couch and pushed the coffee table into it. "Piper, let's show her while Bug atones for her sins on the chain gang."
Joanna chuckled but Piper stared at her in horror as she listened to the quick beat and modern tempo, "I can't dance to this. I'm terrible at dancing to stuff like this."
Alex held out her hand, "You can too. You just have to keep practicing."
Piper was appalled at the thought of dancing in front of anyone outside of Nat or Alex, "Not in front of guests!"
Alex looked between Joanna and Piper, "She lives here. She's not a guest." Piper couldn't think of a comeback watching Alex hold out her hand. "Come on, a little disco won't kill you," Alex gave her a wide smile, reaching for her hand. "I promise."
Cait shoved the door open, bottles rattling as she mumbled a few curse words trying to get through the door.
"Oh, thank god," Piper muttered, rushing to the door. "Here, let me help you." She grabbed a couple of pallets of beer from Cait and carried them into the house. She pulled out a cold one and automatically handed it to Cait. "Nat, do you want one?" Piper pulled one out for herself, "Joanna?" Alex laughed as Piper completely ignored her giving Nat and Joanna a beer each.
She started loading up the fridge with the beer instead, hoping Alex would forget about dancing to the technopop that was playing.
Alex went back to the heated pans and poured in the oil. In no time, they had the first of the fried empanadas coming out. "Don't burn your mouths."
"She hasn't met us, yet has she," Cait leaned over the racks, "Which has meat?" Alex pointed at the far rack near the wall. She picked one up, blowing on it as she walked back to the couch.
Cait pulled off her backpack dumped it out on the couch and walked back to the door. Piper froze in her tracks seeing all the Yum Yum Deviled Eggs on the couch, "What are those for?"
Cait pulled open the door ignoring her question, "Oi, Percy. You bucket of bolts, over here!"
"Apologies, Miss Cait… here you are."
Cait backed through the door juggling a tower of Fancy Lad Cake boxes. She slowly made her way back to the coffee table balancing her tower carefully.
Alex started laughing, "Wow. You must be desperate."
Cait set the pillar of cake boxes down on the coffee table, "Fuck off."
"Hey Piper, you hear that?" Alex was still laughing.
"Wh-what?" Piper could barely tear her eyes away from the source of her addiction.
"That sound… you know what it is?"
Piper looked back over at the stove where Alex was hovering over the frying pans. She couldn't figure out what sound Alex was talking about. "I don't know, what's the sound?"
Alex held her hand up to her ear, "That, my dear, is the sound of the frozen wind blowing over the icy tundra of the friend zone Cait's trying to escape."
"You are such a fucker," Cait chuckled.
Piper couldn't control her laughter. Behind her, Nat was laughing at the sink. Cait threw a box of cakes at Alex. Alex caught them and threw them at Joanna, who smiled at the gift.
Nat looked at the couch, "Who are the deviled eggs for?"
Joanna set more empanadas next to Alex, "What's a friend zone?"
Cait picked up the entire stack walked over to Piper and stuffed the boxes into Piper's hands without a word.
"Unreturned romantic feelings," Nat whispered to her. "Means you're stuck as friends. It's mostly a joke but Cait's been trying to make moves on Ruby for like a year. She finally got a date and missed it. Ruby told Piper all about it one night when they were in town."
"Oh," Joanna looked at the stack of eggs Alex was prying from Piper's fingers and setting on top of a shelf out of her reach. "That sounds serious."
"It is," Alex whispered back with a smile, walking by with more empanadas. "And don't you dare eat those cakes."
Joanna set them on the shelf next to her. Nat looked over at the cake box and then to Joanna, "Three years, eleven months, and twenty-nine days ago..." She looked down into the synth's dark eyes. "Your birthday is in two days?" She asked loudly.
"She wasn't born," Cait hollered from the couch. Nat gave her an ugly look.
"Cait!" Piper glared across the room and Cait shrugged.
"She's correct, Piper. I was created," Joanna answered. "But if you are looking for an anniversary of the date, then yes. It would be in two days."
Alex looked over at her, "Have you ever had birthday cake?"
"No, not that I can remember a cake being called that." Joanna thought for a moment, "Is it similar to a Fancy Lad cake?"
"I asked that exact same question," Nat high-fived Joanna.
Alex waved her spatula at them, "Piper, go grab your apron." She looked over at Cait on the couch and waved her spatula at her, "Sit there and stay out of trouble." She looked back over at Nat and Joanna, "We're going to make a birthday cake."
Piper leaned against the jukebox, looking around at a house full of people. The rain outside brought with it much-needed relief from the muggy morning and stifling early afternoon. Taking a drink of cold suds in her hand, she couldn't help thinking how the last three months felt like a painfully distant memory. The beat of the Four Tops, I Can't Help Myself thumped against her body dully adding to the din of laughter and talking. Closing her eyes, she let the sounds fill her head.
Her foot tapped to the beat, even as the song ended. The holotape clicked as it switched and dropped into the player. The sweet beginning of the next song started, and her foot stopped tapping for a second as the man sang Runaround Sue. Piper opened her eyes as her foot resumed its tapping. The cold emptiness of a quiet house and no one to look forward to at night was a nightmare chased away by the beautiful blonde in the center of the room. Well, sort of in the center, more like in the center of the people she corrected herself.
Looking over at the source of rambunctious laughter, she watched Nat bounce between Isy Cruz laughing, and Joanna who was sitting on Ruby's lap on the couch. Piper shook her head at the small show. Nat was telling another story entertaining all of them. For a moment, she lingered on her extrovert of a sister and listened to the story she was telling.
Next to Isy was Curie, firmly planted on Cait's lap with her legs over Max, bright red and laughing at whatever Max was telling them. Piper was surprised at how many people were just standing around the room, chatting and having a good time as she looked around. Finally, she landed on the beautiful blonde, laughing, almost in the center of a large group of people that included three city council members. The smile that consumed Piper's face was almost painful. She watched Alex laugh and talk with the group as effortlessly as breathing.
The jukebox clicked again as the song ended. The next tape clicked into place. Piper smiled as Alex looked over at her as Save the Last Dance for Me by the Drifters started to play. She watched as Alex continued her conversation, never taking her eyes off Piper. The longer Alex watched her, the harder it became to breathe. Piper bit her lip and Alex's smile grew.
"Why are you standing here alone?" Piper jumped against the jukebox in surprise. Next to her, Savannah chuckled. "Sorry, thought you saw me walk up." She looked over to where Piper had been looking, "Guess not, huh." Turning back to Piper, she smiled. "Well? What gives?"
Piper cleared her throat, slightly embarrassed for some reason. It wasn't like she couldn't openly gawk Alex, right? They were together… very together… finally. Not that they weren't together before, just not together in the same way… Piper was starting to frustrate herself with her circular thoughts. Piper glanced over to where the tall blonde stood, and Alex glanced back and then gave her a lecherous grin.
"Is that it?" Savannah leaned against the jukebox, "Just here to enjoy the view?"
Piper rubbed the corner of her eyebrow. "No, not exactly." Was there such a thing as too much looking… or touching for that matter? Piper wasn't sure. She was willing to test the boundaries because that grin made her want to drag Alex back upstairs for the rest of the night.
"Well, I am," She gave Piper a suggestive smile.
Piper laughed; she was used to the teasing. "
Savannah nodded toward Alex, "I'm sorry we all haven't been by, there's been a lot going on with Alex down and out. That's why we sent Ruby with a time limit. Too much going on and not enough hands to help."
Piper turned to look at her, "You don't have to apologize. I get it. Diamond City has a distinct luxury that a lot of other places don't. We're living a cushy life here behind the wall."
The synth pulled her ponytail out and shook out her straight, auburn hair. "Still, we should have checked in on you and Nat more. Alex would have wanted that." She took a drink from her glass, "She doesn't like being separated from you." She leaned in, "Which sucks for all of us because she gets to keep you all to herself. That greedy bitch." She laughed. "Seriously, though, we should have been by. All of us missed you and Nat. I think Ruby and Max would have killed half the Commonwealth if they were standing between your door and them after I told them we were coming here."
Piper smiled hugging her beer bottle. She wasn't sure what to say. She wasn't used to hearing that.
"You want to tell me why you are standing here by yourself?"
Piper studied the woman's face. Savanna looked like a pre-war pinup model. She had an old-fashioned beauty that reminded Piper of a woman who stepped off a vintage poster. Her pale skin was flawless, her dark auburn hair was full and soft looking and made you want to touch it. But, her blue eyes, were disarming. Piper could only imagine how much damage Savannah could do to someone with just a look. Of the three ex-coursers in the room, Savannah was the most serious and it made Piper think she was the most dangerous. As the group lead, she was definitive and authoritative. Ruby was adorable with her bubblegum personality and playful manner, but Savannah? She could scorch the desert with how hot she was. Extruding intelligence with a splash of quick wit, her worldly charm was captivating.
"I was thinking," Piper finally answered.
"About?" Savannah looked over at Alex, "Her?"
"Yes and no." Piper looked around the room and waved her hand, "All of this… everyone."
Savannah gave her head a shake watching her, "What about it?"
"None of it would be possible without Blue, um, I mean Alex." She took a drink absentmindedly from her bottle finishing the beer.
"I know who you meant." Savannah gave a nod, "Funny, isn't it? We're all here because of her, including you." She brushed her hand over Piper's arm, "But that doesn't tell me why you're standing here alone."
"Do you want to get a beer with me?" Piper held up the empty bottle and gave it a little shake.
Savannah pulled herself off the jukebox and finished her own, "Let's."
They walked past the group Alex was talking to and into the kitchen. Piper pulled the fridge open and pulled out two more beers, handing one over. Savannah popped the top on both with her thumb and Piper took a drink.
"I was reminded how people see me today. Without Blue, I'm just the reporter they try to avoid." Piper walked to the couch and sat down. Savannah did the same. "The last three months have been so quiet. Hell, even my own sister didn't talk to me. There came a point when I thought I was going to die of boredom. That's what my life was like before her… before all of this." Resting her back against the armrest of the couch, she crossed her legs and threw her arm over the back. "I've spent my entire time in Diamond City without all of this until she came along. And…" Piper took a drink thinking about how to word everything.
"And you realized how lonely life was?"
Piper looked up into her twin pools of blue. "Yeah. That's what I was thinking about."
"Then you must realize how lonely it was for everyone else too." Savannah took a long drink of her beer before continuing, "When I 'woke up'… I guess that's the right way of putting it. Let me tell you a story I haven't told anyone other than Max."
Piper gave her a nod, "I'm all ears."
"Has anyone told you what it's like for us when we realize we're sapient?"
Thinking for a second, the closest anyone got was Joanna. "Just Jo. She told me it was like waking up from a dream."
"That's a good way of putting it." She set her beer on the table and got comfortable, "I wanted nothing to do with my captors, the Institute scientists who were housed at the Robotics Park. I remember how Alex treated us when she was part of our group. Always asking for our input and thoughts. Thinking back, she was pushing us toward self-awareness because her questions forced us to examine ourselves. Anyway, I remember looking at the others that were standing in the rain, and I wanted to be warm and dry. But I also didn't want to be there, so I left." She picked up the beer and took a drink, "I was still in my uniform when the Railroad agent found me near Diamond City. I told them I was looking for Alex. Instead, they brought me to a safe house in Goodneighbor. She told me to take one of the rooms and she'd get word to Alex. When I asked her what her name was, she said 'Eclipse'."
Piper instantly knew who she was talking about, "Eclipse, huh? You lucked out and ran into one of the coolest members of the Railroad without even trying."
"She gave me a fresh start. Told me that Alex and some others were in a place called Nuka-World. She helped me in the meantime. It didn't take long for me to ask to help the Railroad. Not too long after, I met up with Alex and a few others for a job. I got hooked up with Max and Ruby as part of a heavy team." She fiddled with the label on the bottle, "Alex was the reason Eclipse didn't shoot me on sight. I didn't know it until much later… do you know anything about how Alex saved any of us?"
Piper sat up straight, "Tell me what happened, and don't leave out any details."
Savannah chuckled, "The alarms were going off and the emergency evacuation had been triggered. All security teams were ordered to assist in evacuating the medical staff. As we moved through the facility, Alex and Cait were shooting people."
"They what?!" Piper gasped.
"Hold on! They had special guns… they fired a device that immobilized a target and teleported us out of the Institute. Otherwise, they would have had to kill all of us that were fighting back." Piper breathed a sigh of relief. "When we teleported, we landed directly in front of fully armed Railroad and Minutemen heavies. We were disarmed and once we regained the ability to move, we were led to a safehouse where we were sheltered. The agents told the doctors to order all the synths to stand down, and that we weren't in any danger. Alex showed up and spoke to the doctors."
She took another drink and finished the bottle, "That's why I wanted to find Alex. She could have easily left us there to die. Instead, she placed herself in danger to save us. I wanted to understand why."
"Did she tell you?" Piper asked quietly.
Savannah nodded slowly, her eyes never leaving Piper, "She said she couldn't save her son, but she wouldn't become a murderer to stop the Institute. She waited until they had created miniature relays before she destroyed the Institute. That's how she transported so many people out and why everyone made it."
Savannah got off the couch, extending her hand to Piper, "One person can make all the difference in the world to the people around them, Piper. In your case, I'm fairly certain you don't see how much of a difference you make in people's lives. You're so kind, that you don't give yourself the credit you deserve."
Piper laughed, "I doubt it's much."
"Have you been to the settlements? How about Goodneighbor?" She pulled the latest copy of Publick Occurrences from her pocket, "You are changing people's lives every day with information. Maybe Alex isn't the only connection that brings people together. Maybe you are as well, and you just don't realize how important you are as the Voice of the Commonwealth. And I don't think you realize how important the two of you are together to all of us synths and ghouls. You should people talk about you, both of you."
Piper sat in stunned silence.
Savannah stuffed the folded copy into her pocket and held out her hand, "We have a party to get back to." She pulled Piper to her feet, "I don't doubt the last three months were difficult, but you have to keep moving forward." She chuckled, "But now we all have to deal with Alex greedily keeping you for herself again damnit."
Piper giggled pushing opening the door between the rooms. At the blue exit door, Preston was toweling himself off, talking to Evelyn Kelley. "Just two."
Evelyn gave him a nod, signing the paper and handing it back, "Just remember they'll need to be checked out of the gate no later than nine o'clock. Or else we'll never stop hearin' from that bastard Codman. He'll rile up all the upper stands and that's a headache I just won't be dealin' with."
"Understood, Councilwoman." He gave her a nod and handed Alex the towel, "I'll be right back, General." He opened the door and the gray storm outside greeted them.
Piper touched Alex's arm, "Where's Preston going?"
Alex took her hand, "He needed to get permission to bring two Minutemen ghouls into the city. One's Woody the other's name is Lolo and she's eager to meet with me for some reason. They're at the gate."
Piper leaned closer, "You think meeting strangers right now is a good idea?"
Alex laughed, "With all these people? Everyone's armed. I think we'll be fine." Alex took the wet towel back into the bathroom and came out with three more towels. "Preston's going to be soaked all over again." She looked over at the group she was talking to, "I'm pretty sure Julien's going to get punched in the face if he drinks anymore." She smirked at Piper. "He's hit on everything that's standing." Piper rolled her eyes; thankful she wasn't in on his nonsense. "How's everything with Savannah? She hit on you again?" Alex's smile got bigger.
"Would you stop?" Piper could feel the heat in her cheeks. "We have company!"
"You know I'll just ask her… loudly."
"Blue. Stop. You're embarrassing me," Piper wished she could cover her head with a towel.
"Filter-free, remember, Mrs. Jansen?"
Piper rubbed her forehead wishing that they were alone. "Yeah, I remember. I just didn't think you'd be so free with it."
Alex laughed almost dropping the towels, "What did you expect? I know how much those three love you."
"I know how much you love when I'm teased," Piper fired back playfully.
"No, I love when I tease you. They are hitting on you, and you think they are just teasing. All three of them think you're the best human in the world." Piper looked over at the three ex-coursers, all three of them were smiling back at her. Ruby waved and gave her a nod, wrinkling her nose while she did. "Your Honor, I rest my case," Alex laughed at Piper's blush. "They love you and you are mine." Piper watched Ruby sigh and hug Joanna while Nat strolled over to them.
"What are you two doing?" Nat grabbed the towels and stuffed them back into Alex's shaking arms. "Is someone outside?"
"Preston is bringing some ghouls by. He had to go get them from the gate so I'm waiting 'cause it's raining cats and dogs out there," Alex lifted the towels slightly.
Nat gave her sister a worried look and Piper knew instantly what it meant. The few times Nat had seen a ghoul, she was terrified of them. It wasn't something she brought up to Alex and she wasn't sure if Alex even knew.
"You'll be fine, Nat. No one wants to eat your brains," Alex joked. Nat breathed a sigh of relief and her comment answered Piper's thought. "Besides, they'd still be hungry if they tried," Alex added, laughing again and Piper swatted her.
"Oh, har har," Nat glared at her, "I'm going back over…"
The knock on the door stopped her mid-sentence as Piper opened it a crack to see Preston. She pulled the door open, and Preston stepped inside, soaking wet from the afternoon storm that was raging.
"This isn't going to be enough, I'll grab more towels," Alex handed Piper the towels and disappeared to the bathroom.
From outside, the two ghouls following Preston came inside, taking the towels from Piper with thanks. Nat hid behind her sister watching them.
"Quite the party!" The tall ghoul tipped his hat and water cascaded from it, "Oh drat. Pardon me, Miss Wright, seems I've made a slight mess of your floor."
Piper chuckled, "Wasn't expecting a new water feature to be delivered, Doc."
He snickered, "Well, I dare say my entrance will be memorable for the evening." Next to him, another ghoul was looking around the room. "This is Madam Lolo Rodriguez; she's recently returned to the Commonwealth and is quite keen to meet the good General. She traveled with me from the Castle to the alley this morning."
"Say, sweetie, these are some swell digs you've got," She carefully patted the towel over herself looking over at Nat. "Don't you worry, sweetheart. I don't bite, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise."
Nat nodded at her, trying not to make eye contact.
"This is the journalist I told you about, Lolo, it's my pleasure to introduce you to Piper Wright. She writes the articles for her newspaper Publick Occurrences." He looked at Nat, "This is her sister, however, young lady, your name escapes me. I do apologize for my poor manners."
Nat didn't look up, stepping closer to her sister, while holding onto the back of the checkered shirt she was wearing, "I'm Nat, um, Natalie Wright."
The older ghoul smiled at Piper, "Well, honey, I'm glad to meet both you and your sister. By the way, you have great taste in music. This is one lively get-together."
"That would be General Sterling's influence. She's big on having the music always playing at home." Piper instantly liked her, from her old-fashioned Boston accent to the slight twinge to it that made it something more. Unlike Doctor Ellis's gravelly voice, her voice still sounded human. Like a slightly older woman and very hip. Piper turned to look at the crowd and saw Alex walking through it with more towels in hand.
"Thank you both for…" The red-haired ghoul stopped speaking. Piper watched the look on the woman's face change to joy, and it made Piper turn to see what she was looking at.
Alex had stopped walking and was staring in shock at the woman.
Piper looked back at the old ghoul, the smile she wore was infectious. How long does a moment last? Is it seconds, minutes, or hours? Could it last centuries? Piper wasn't sure, but she was fairly certain that a moment between two people could be so powerful, that it could stop time. Like a magic spell woven in the air, invisible, but strong enough to touch until she heard the ghoul next to her speak. How do you measure time when it stops? How do you know what is going to happen until it does?
"Lexi…"
It was a single word potent enough to break the spell, spoken loudly enough to be discreet and a powerful force all of its own. Strong enough to restart time.
A single word so strong it stopped conversations happening around them and drew the attention of everyone in the room. Tenderly said, like a mother calling for her long lost child, and clear enough that the ghoul who spoke it knew who Alex was to her and told the entire room at the same time. Piper looked back into the ghoul's faded blue eyes watching as they filled so full of love they began to water.
"Titi..." Alex uttered the word wistfully. She was across the room, in a second. She wrapped her arms around the ghoul, her hands holding onto her for dear life. "Can it really be you?"
"Estoy aqui mi dulce cariño."
Piper had no idea what she said, but the ghoul's tone was affectionate as if she was comforting a child. She watched Alex kiss her cheeks and hands. In turn, the ghoul spoke to her gently. Alex hugged her again, "I thought you were gone…" Alex spoke to her in French, which is why Piper understood.
"No, mija. I'm here. I'm right here."
Piper felt Nat's hand on her arm, and she moved closer to Piper's right side to stand next to her. "Mija? Is Blue your child?"
Piper looked at Nat surprised, then at Alex and the ghoul. They were both wiping their eyes.
"She is." The old ghoul placed her hand on Alex's cheek, "She's my niece and I have missed her terribly."
"Titi, did anyone else… is anyone else with you?" Alex asked, glancing once at the door.
"No, mi cariño… I lost Ronnie during a ghoul hunt about ninety years ago. There's only you, mi pequeña querida."
Alex's breath hitched; she was trying not to cry. Piper put her hand on her back hoping to comfort her.
"Did Nate and Shaun…?" She tried to get the words out, but it was clear her emotions forced her to stop. Piper lifted her hand with the ghoul's question, she felt like an intruder in their conversation.
Alex took a long breath, and Piper could tell she was deciding what to say. "No," Alex shook her head, she wiped her face with the back of her hand. The red-haired ghoul quietly nodded without saying anything else. Alex took a small step back and held out her hand to Piper and Piper took it, "This is Piper… my wife." Alex sniffed, trying to get her emotions under control, while turning more to Nat, "This is her sister, Natalie, mi hijita." Alex smiled at Piper and Nat, "This is my tia… my Aunt Florrie. She's my mother's sister."
"How is this possible?" Evelyn walked over to the door where they were standing. "That would mean…"
"I'm as old as Doctor Ellis here. I was held in cryostasis at vault one-eleven. I was interred when the bombs dropped and freed a few years ago."
"Cryostasis?" Florrie held Alex's hand tightly trying to understand, "Why would Papa's company do that to you?"
"I don't know. I just know when I woke up, so much time had passed." Alex took a deep breath but said nothing else.
"It took us a week to make it out of the rubble that trapped us in the club. Ronnie and I, went everywhere looking for survivors. We went to everyone's houses, but there was no one left. When we arrived at your house, that robot of yours told me you, Nate, and Shaun were all at the vault. We had so much hope we'd find you and we got there as quick as we could, but there was no way in." Florrie sighed, wrapping the towel around her shoulders. "Ronnie and I left Massachusetts not long after. We went South, looking for more people." Alex took her aunt's hand and kissed it.
"Well, this is incredible," Preston looked between them, "You said her name was Florrie." He pointed at Alex's aunt, "You told us your name was Lolo. Which is it?"
She chuckled, "My name is Florence. Lexi called me Florrie all her life, all the kids did. Growing up, my friends called me Flossie, but it's so old-fashioned. When I got older, I decided it wasn't me, so my family and friends called me Florrie. When I first started in showbiz, I needed a catchy name. I went by Lolo. It rolled off the tongue and it was fashionable. After I lost my husband, Ronnie… who I was no longer mattered, I had no one left."
She looked at Alex, "My sisters, the kids, my husband… everyone in my family was gone, swallowed up by a war driven by men's greed." She took a deep breath.
"I went by Lolo because it was simple, young, and happy. It was the last ray of sunshine I had in this dark world." She sighed like she was looking backward through time, "A while ago I found myself in Connecticut. I read a newspaper for the first time in over two hundred years about a vault dweller named Sterling, who was changing the Commonwealth as the General of the Minutemen." She smiled at Alex, "I prayed so hard, mija. I thought it was Nate, and I thought if I came back, I'd find all of you here. That's why I came. I had to know."
She held Alex's hand to her cheek, "When I crossed into the Commonwealth, I learned about the tall blonde that was helping people and cleaning up the Commonwealth. God heard me, and I just knew it was you. The people I met sent me to the Castle and told me I'd find you there. So, I went and joined the Minutemen."
Alex hugged her tightly, "Come meet everyone and I'll fix you a drink."
Her aunt adjusted her wet neck scarf and then her hair, "Well kid, if you're hiding a bottle of gin around these swank digs, I'll take a gin and tonic."
Alex kissed her aunt on the cheek, "You know, I think we can swing something up your alley."
"Blue, I'll get it," Piper started to pull her hand free, but Nat beat her to it.
"No, Blue, I will. Stay here, Piper."
"They call you Blue? That's ginchy!" Florrie laughed happily, taking Piper's hand, and letting Alex lead them to the group. "Come on, Piper, you look hip! Help me turn up the volume on this shindig. Let's get it hoppin'."
Piper giggled trying to think what about her looked hip.