Diamond City Home Run

by colourfastred

Piper hasn't seen Alex since the night of the attack at the Starlight Drive-In. She didn't expect her to show up in Diamond City, and certainly not be standing on her doorstep. Now Piper wonders if they can pick up where they left off months ago. FemSoleSurvivor/Piper Wright couple.

18. Chapter 18

The next morning…

Nat lifted her head slightly, all of her was sore. She hadn't slept much, so the soreness added to the mounting headache she had. Fingers brushed her hair from her face and Nat caught the hand they belonged to.

"It's about time you woke up," Joanna smiled at her.

Nat sat up, almost falling out of the chair she was in. "You're awake!" Nat hugged the synth tightly. "I was so worried about you," She breathed the words heavily into Joanna's ear and kissed her cheek.

"Why were you sleeping like that?" Joanna sat up, and the blanket fell away from her. She didn't realize she wasn't wearing anything.

Nat grabbed the covers and pulled them up over her, trying to cover her eyes and kick her door shut at the same time. "Because you're naked and a bed hog. I didn't want you to think I was a weirdo."

Joanna looked down, taking the covers, and opening them to look, "Did you take my clothes off?"

Nat rolled her eyes at her, "No, the doctors did. They had to patch up your wounds from the explosion." She watched Joanna lean back against the wall, "Do you remember what happened?"

Joanna thought for a moment, "Yes." Then she smiled, "Did you see me without my clothes on?" Her cheeks were dusted in the palest pink, yet the look she wore was confusing Nat. She was searching for the answer and something else…

Nat relaxed into her chair, trying to figure out why she was asking. "No, I'm not some kind of creep! I was outside with Blue and the others, standing guard while the doctors were with you. Ruby might have, she's the one that found you and carried you here. She stayed here guarding you and the others while we were out. So, you're safe, I was the perfect… um, I'm not sure what the right word is here. Gentlemen. Lady. Whatever. I wasn't rude or gross or anything." Nat felt the heat in her cheeks, feeling embarrassed and slightly panicked. Maybe Joanna thought she'd taken advantage of the situation? She wasn't sure, but she wanted her to know she wasn't a jerk in any case.

A knock on the door interrupted them and Nat answered it. "Oh, hi. I'll leave." Nat pushed open the door, and looked over her shoulder, "I'll bring you something to drink, ok?"

Joanna made a face, but agreed, "Yes. Please." Nat wasn't sure what that face was supposed to mean.

Nat left the room letting Doctor Edna Garrett in, "Do you want anything, Edna?"

"Water, please. Thank you, Natalie." Edna closed the door behind her.

Nat walked to the fridge, looking at the people in the big room. So many people were injured, and the people here weren't the badly injured ones. Nat walked into the kitchen, trying to be quiet as the Minutemen in the room were sleeping. Looking over at the couch she saw curly red hair peeking out from under the blanket. "Ruby?" Nat whispered as quietly as possible.

The blanket shifted, and more red hair appeared. Then a hand and an eye, "What?" She sat up, "What's happened?" She was still whispering.

"Um, you want something to drink? Jay is awake. Where's Ada?" Nat watched the woman stand.

"Is she okay?" Ruby walked to the fridge, where Nat was. "I guess we should be quiet, huh?"

Nat chuckled, "We are quiet. Just not to you."

"Oh my god, would you two hush?" A dark-skinned hand appeared from under a sleeping bag, then a lot of dark, curly hair. Finally, the owner of the hair showed her face. Nat gasped and ran over jumping on the woman in her sleeping bag, giving her a giant hug. The dark-skinned synth's emerald, green eyes danced with mirth as she quietly laughed, hugging Nat back.

"Damn, you two can flap those gums. We sent Ada to dig through the Dugout and try to find more survivors with some of the construction bots. They've pulled a lot of people out alive, thankfully."

Nat sat up, "When did you get here? How many people have they found."

The woman rolled her eyes, "Girl, I am trying to sleep." She sat up, then pulled Nat in for another hug. "About fifteen so far this morning. There are only seven still missing."

"That's good news, at least." Nat looked over at Ruby and smiled deviously. She was relieved to finally hear something positive. "You're a synth, you don't need to sleep, Jasmine," Nat grinned at her, still whispering.

"Would you hush? It don't mean I don't like to do the shit, Bug." Jasmine pushed her back. "I thought you were getting us drinks?" She unzipped her sleeping bag and stood. "Damn, now I got to do that too?" She gave Nat a wry smile.

"Jesus, drama queen. I'll get it." Nat jumped up and went and took down five glasses, filling them with cold water from the bottle in the fridge.

Ruby investigated the other room, "Humans take a long time to heal…" Then she looked up the stairs, worried.

Nat knew exactly who she was worried about. She handed a glass to Ruby and Jasmine. "Have they said anything about the others in the party room?"

"No," Ruby took a drink.

Nat took a drink of her own water watching Ruby and Jasmine. They were both looking up the stairs. For a second, she wondered, then she just decided to ask, "You guys worried about Piper and Curie?" They both looked at her and nodded. She noticed how sad they both looked.

Ruby shook her head sadly, "Lex is up there now. She looked half-dead when we got back. She's not doing too good without Piper and Cait."

Nat nodded, picking up the water glasses for Edna and Joanna, "I'll be right back." She took the glasses into the other room and knocked on her own bedroom door.

Edna pulled the door open, "Oh, thank you. If you don't mind. I need a few more minutes to complete my exam of Joanna."

"Sure," Nat handed over the glasses and left. Going back into the kitchen, "Edna said she needs a few more minutes with Jay, then she'll be out. Has she been upstairs, has she seen Piper or Curie?"

Ruby shrugged, "Not that I know of, but I only just got here with Lex. We got in about half an hour ago."

"And we'd be sleeping too if your narrow butt hadn't made so much damn noise." Jasmine gave Nat a playful smile. "How have you been?"

"Well," Nat looked up the stairs, "The last three months have been pretty shit. Then Gunners blew up Diamond City and tried to murder everyone yesterday. So, you know, today is just another news day."

"Yeah, okay, Bug." Jasmine took a long drink from her glass, "Anyone tell you that you are a lot like Piper?"

Nat laughed, "Blue does all the time. So does Cait."

Jasmine and Ruby both laughed at her. "Probs because you are," Ruby answered, wrinkling her nose, "It's cute though. I love it."

"I'm going to go upstairs; I'll be quiet when I come down." Nat opened the fridge and poured more water into her glass, "Get some sleep."

"Bug, you aren't ever quiet." Jasmine laughed walking back to her sleeping bag. 'You're like Piper that way… loud, colorful, and always animated."

Ruby hugged her, "If you need me, you can wake me up." She looked back up the stairs, "Tell Cait if she's awake, I'm down here and I'll stay close. If she's sleeping, I'll wait." Ruby sighed, "I really hope Piper's going to be okay."

"Me too, Ruby," Jasmine said quietly, sinking into the warmth of the bag. "I don't want to live in a world without that human. It hurts to think about."

Nat looked at the water in her hand and quietly climbed the steps. All the synths had been through the house, checking on them. Each step up made her chest tighten. She held out a small amount of hope her sister would be awake this time. When she crested the opening, she heard Alex and Cait talking. Nat stood on the top step looking at Curie and Piper, still unconscious in the bed.

"I hate being on this side of things," Alex sat on the edge of the bed, next to Cait, quietly, smoking. "I can't do this without her. I can't."

"She'll wake up, mate. Right now, she's just slackin' is all. Look at 'er, she can hear every word we're sayin' and is just waitin' to use it against us later. Like the annoying twat she is."

Alex laughed, brushing the tears from her eyes. Nat bit her lip trying to stay quiet. She didn't want to interrupt.

"I don't know how she did this for three months. I don't know how I'm going to make it three more hours. I'm not as strong as her," Alex put her head on Cait's shoulder. "I can't lose her. I won't last without her."

"Swear to god, Al, you ever tell her this I'll call you a liar. But it doesn't feel right bein' here without Piper yellin' at me for somethin'."

Alex laughed quietly and Nat covered her mouth.

Cait hugged Alex, "You know it was her I was talkin' 'bout in the vault, right?"

Alex looked over at Cait when she let go, "I guessed that after you two so coyly told all of us that you were together." Alex took a deep breath, "I've known for a while you had a thing for each other. But it was a bit murky with all the fighting. I figured you'd eventually fuck and get it out of your systems." Nat's jaw fell. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

Cait chuckled, "Nah. I don't think we'll ever stop fightin'. We do that best. We weren't ever together, not the way you two are. She never looked at me like she does you. Ain't nothin' else in the world when she looks at you. 'Sides, we'd have killed each other by now."

"What did you do to her?" Alex pulled Cait close.

It was Cait's turn to go quiet, "I hurt her on purpose until she hated me. She scared me by doin' the one thing I ain't never had anyone do before."

Alex put her arm over Cait's shoulder, "She still loves you, dumbass. That's fucking obvious." This time Nat's jaw hit the floor. Alex knew!

"I've tried to understand the tension between the two of you. I never got it... never understood it. Why push her? You do it all the time. You push her away for no reason. Why?"

"I don't deserve her love… Never did," Cait leaned against Alex. "She's… don't know how to put it. She's too much for me and it drives me crazy."

"That's your problem! You never feel like anyone should care or that you don't deserve it. Cait you do deserve it, everyone deserves to be loved. When she pulls through this, it's up to you to make things right. That's why she gets so damn mad at you. Because you don't see you the way she does. Now you need to show her who you really are and that you do care about her. You're her best friend and I can't believe I'm admitting this, but I might sort of like you. Not as much as Curie though. She's totally cuter."

Cait laughed, sniffing, "That's why she never let me 'round junior. Didn't want me bein' a bad influence."

Alex cleared her throat, "To be fair, you dying in front of the kid of an overdose was probably a bigger concern for a while. Now, you're a bad influence and Nat adores you." Nat smiled and nodded, silently agreeing with Alex.

"Alright, ya cunt, that's fair." Cait thought for a moment, "Why'd she let me 'round the kid, anyways?"

Alex shook her head, "You'll have to ask her. After you spend time kissing her ass for being a dick for years."

"I still love her, Al."

Nat palmed her face. She'd thought Cait was the smart one of the three of them when it came to emotions and their friendship, but Nat was clearly wrong.

Alex laughed, "No shit, Sherlock. Get in line. You and all the coursers are in love with her." Alex covered her mouth laughing, "You should set up a mailbox in the friend zone. It's like your cold, dusty, second home of nope." Nat bit her lip trying not to laugh.

Cait was thinking and not really paying attention to her. "God, can you imagine… what if a courser saw her and became… what's the word?" Cait suddenly realized what Alex had said and punched her in the shoulder lightly, "You are such a fucker."

"Yeah, but you love me," Alex laughed a little harder, "What are you thinking? If a courser would have looked at her and suddenly realized they were sapient? Oh my god, I'd have to kill the poor sod to keep them away from her. She's courser Kryptonite. They all love her, except Syd, but she's never met Piper."

"Yeah," Cait looked at her like she'd read her mind. "Yours too."

"You are surprisingly insightful sometimes," Alex chuckled.

"Oi, fuck you. I just meant they all practically fall over themselves for her. I don't get it."

"Might be her smell, it's fucking amazing." Alex inhaled deeply, "I know I've made myself look like an idiot around her more than once."

"Remember the one idiot that fell? The big blonde one…"

Alex gave her a look in the low light, "Who Adam?"

"No, you, ya dunce. You tripped over yourself and fell next to her in the mud like a twat when she handed you that flower." Cait laughed.

Alex gave her a playful shove, "Fucking, bitch. I can't believe you remember that."

"Right on your bum…" Cait was shaking she was laughing so hard mimicking Alex's fall.

"It was icy!" Alex wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Mud ain't icy, liar. You looked like you had to shite your pants for two whole days." Cait could barely breathe.

Nat laughed. She couldn't help it. They were hysterical.

Cait and Alex looked over at her in surprise. Nat held up the glass of water, "I didn't know if Cait was up."

Alex waved her over and Nat crossed the room quickly.

"You should be sleeping," Alex took the water from her and handed it to Cait.

"Tried, wasn't comfortable sleeping in a chair. Besides, Jay's awake, and Edna is with her right now." Nat watched Cait wipe her eyes, trying to control her giggles, "Ruby and Jazzy are downstairs." Cait gave her a nod and then took a drink of water.

Alex pulled her down onto the bed to sit between herself and Cait. "You can sleep here, with your sister if you want."

"I'm not tired," Nat looked at the white, soft, compress over Piper's face, then to the matching one over Curie's face. "Are they going to be, okay?"

"We don't know," Alex said softly. "We're waiting on Edna. She has more experience as a physician than Sun. We're waiting for her to evaluate them. But there are a lot of injured people downstairs."

"She's with Jay now."

Alex chortled, "I should have figured. She loves that kid."

Nat quietly nodded, "Jay loves her too. It's why Jay told you, to protect her…"

Alex looked down at her and for a second, when Nat looked into her sad eyes, she wished she hadn't said anything. "Blue. You know Jay loves you too, right?"

Cait looked between them, "She told you what happened?"

Nat looked at Alex, "Yeah. Said I'd understand but she didn't think Piper would." Alex looked away and Nat took her hand, "I do understand. You wanted to save them, didn't you? The synths, I mean."

"I couldn't let them become what Shaun had." Alex shook her head, the loose hair falling from her French braid. "My son, the prisoner, had become the jailer they hated and feared. I had to, Nat. I couldn't live with myself if I didn't." She gave Nat's hand a squeeze but stayed silent.

"I'm starting to think they all love you, Blue. I heard what you said about them loving Piper, but they love you too, just different. You gave them something no one else could. You gave them what you give to Piper."

Alex gave her a confused look, "What do I give Piper?"

Nat gave her a look like she should already know, "She told me you give her hope for a better life." Alex pulled Nat into a hug.

---

"Okay, I need volunteers. Who here can breathe underwater?" Alex studied the large group of people she was standing in the middle of. She looked to her aunt, but Florrie shook her head no. Alex nodded and waited for others to volunteer.

"Oh, haha, boss. That's a good one."

Alex grinned hearing the laughter in the group, "Bobby, I was asking the ghouls."

He shifted awkwardly next to the stacked gear, "You're serious?"

"Yeah, De Luca, I am. Ghouls, you're up." She turned in a slow circle and looked at the sixty or so people standing around her. "Look, I know some of you can do this… No one is going to look down on anyone here for what they can or can't do. But ghouls, we need you right now. So, if anyone can breathe underwater, please be honest. Lives are on the line. We can't do this without you."

"Ah, well, you know it does come in handy," Isaac started to remove his armor, and the doctor on his left just stared at him.

Alex chuckled, "Yeah, until a 'lurk sees you in your underpants. Then that lone wanderer in your tightie-whities might get a snip!" Alex started to strip her armor off, and people started whispering and laughing.

Her aunt gave her a surprised look but remained silent. Not that she should be all that surprised, Alex had shared she was a ghoul with her. Joanna had helped explain everything before dinner. All her aunt could do was hug her, Joanna, Piper, and Nat.

Isaac laughed, "That's why I wear my lucky vault suit in. No bad touches that way." Alex threw him a playful glance while she laughed. Then it struck her. If Isaac could breathe underwater, he wasn't human either. She looked over at him as he pulled off his knee pads. The guy was a real hero to so many people… Alex looked back at him remembering what Curie had told her. If he was a ghoul, he needed to know. He was quickly becoming another wasteland wanderer that she could count on. She needed more people like him in her life.

"Humans can't breathe underwater," Tina stared in shock at Alex.

Alex ignored her, pulling off her shoulder pads and leather belts.

A ghoul walked over to where Isaac was and took off his radio and boots.

More ghouls started to do the same, either walking to Alex or Isaac and stripping off armor, boots, socks, hats, and weapons.

"Lex, ok, stop, you got the volunteers you wanted. You and Doc Chase can't do this." Tina grabbed Alex's arm before she walked into the water.

"I can breathe and see underwater just fine, Tina. Don't worry."

"Same here," Isaac called. "Be jealous, De Lucas!" He laughed, walking to the water's edge and pulling off his gas mask, "Meeting in the middle, Lex? God, it stinks without a mask."

"That's right, we'll walk down with the concrete blocks as weight. Bobby, give everyone a float. If you find something, let us know with the float. Tie it off to the block and come up. We'll go down and disarm it." Alex pointed toward the middle of the lake, "Gets to be about fifteen feet deep toward the middle. So go slow and watch out for explosives, use your light, and do a full sweep before you take a step." Alex picked up her cinderblock, "We don't need anyone getting hurt. If you find something suspicious, release your float. Be thorough, anything out of the ordinary, mark it. I don't care if you're wrong. It's better we get eyes on everything." Alex waded in, pulled off her gas mask tossing it on shore, then slipped under the surface until the blue of her suit disappeared. Following her were ten other ghouls that did the same from different points on the beach.

Evelyn Kelley stood on the shore, watching the doctor who had turned red, staring at the water. She'd been talking to Isaac quietly about Diamond City's pumps and filtration system. "Doctor Li, you have something you want to say?" She knew exactly what that doctor was thinking, she was thinking it too.

The woman glanced out of the corner of her eye at the councilwoman. "No, ma'am."

Evelyn gave her a nod, crossing her arms, "Probably for the best, lass, if you let that thought go then." Doctor Madison Li looked back at the water, quietly.

---

Nat looked up through the smoke when she felt the hand on her shoulder. The rotor noise drew her attention up and to the right.

"You see the symbol on the bottom?" Alex asked her, pushing her toward the open field.

"The lantern, yeah, why?"

Alex held her to stop her from walking into the fencing. Alex stepped in front of her, opening the gate, "That's the symbol of the Railroad. They're good guys, don't shoot them."

"They have vertibirds?"

"Yeah, they have three of them," Alex grabbed her hand and pulled her along.

Nat listened to the radio crackle to life, "Pilot, your vertibird is cleared to land, look for the red smoke, that's your LZ."

"Roger. We'll give it another pass then land."

"Blue, why'd you bring me with you?" Looked up at the smoky, evening sky, the entire sky burned a deep orange. She was wondering if they'd ever be able to take off their gas masks again. There were so many things still smoking around the city. Large tire piles were still burning. The Colonial Taphouse and the mayor's office were still burning.

"Because this is important." Alex sighed and looked down at her. The sound of the vertibird approaching was getting louder, "Piper is almost always with me and it's time you find out why. You need to know who these people are because I need your help." Alex turned Nat making her face Alex. "I can't do this alone, Nat. I'm struggling without Piper."

Nat took her hand and held it, "I'm right here." Alex gave her a quick hug.

Through the smoke, the vertibird was suddenly much lower and coming down fast. Nat tried to move, but Alex held her in place. "Squat down," Alex yelled over the rotor noise.

The vertibird landed. Seven people quickly exited the vehicle and ran toward Alex. As soon as they were clear, the vertibird, lifted back into the sky. Nat didn't bother to watch it; she was practically running trying to keep up with Alex and the group.

"Which way is your home? I never see it from this side."

Alex pointed, taking the lead, "This is Nat, Piper's sister."

Someone patted Nat on the shoulder, "Stay strong, Nat. She's going to be ok." Nat looked over at the older red-haired woman. She couldn't see much with her gas mask as they ran. Nat focused on getting to the house where Aunt Florrie and Cait were standing guard inside.

It only took them a few minutes to get there.

Alex pushed open the red door, "Doctor Carrington, Doctors Garrett, and Sun are expecting you upstairs here. Joanna is also available." Alex looked at the Minutemen in the room, "I need this room now, if you're not a Liberator, please move over to the other room or find another space." Alex nodded to Savannah and Jasmine. The other Minutemen dutifully left.

"Who is Joanna and why do I care?" He dropped one of the straps of his bag off his shoulder.

Nat did a double take hearing his attitude. "She's a synth physician interning with Doctor Sun as a surgeon," Alex answered, trying to keep the irritation from her voice.

"Fine, that's fine. My priority, to be clear, is getting Curie back on her feet. Sorry, I'm just being honest. We need her expertise right now. There are simply too many injured people and not enough of me to go around."

Nat could see Alex struggling with her anger. "Fine." Was the only word Alex could muster.

"Stanley, tone down your coarseness. It's not necessary right now and she's armed. Do you really want to piss Lex off?"

"No," He cleared his throat, "Sorry, Lex." He turned to the short woman standing next to Alex, "Yuki, can I get your assistance to set up?"

The woman pulled her gas mask off, "Of course, Doctor." She glanced at Nat, then turned toward her fully, "My, you and Piper are very similar looking. It's striking." She held out her hand, "Your sister saved my life. I'm here to return the favor."

Nat took it, "How?"

"Later, please. We need to move. Time is of the essence," Carrington snapped at them.

Yuki let go of Nat's hand and climbed the steps with her gear and the boxes she held.

"Blue, who was that? What's going on?"

The red-haired woman sat down on the couch and pulled off her gas mask. Nat studied her as Ruby and Jasmine moved off the couch when she walked over. She was older, in her forties. She looked between the people who walked with her and who came in with her. They had waited to remove their masks until she did. It was clear she was in charge.

Alex took a deep breath, but the crackling radio cut her off before she could speak. "General Sterling, do you copy?"

"Sterling, go ahead," Alex answered. Nat liked the fact that the mics in the vault suits and jumpsuits were voice-activated and controlled by the Pip-Boys.

"It's Lieutenant Callahan, ma'am. The radio tower is working. Is Travis clear to broadcast?"

Alex and Nat exchanged a long look, "Tell Travis to record the message I gave him and put it on repeat. No music just yet. I'll be there shortly."

"Will co. Out."

The last person to remove their mask was a dark-haired girl about Nat's age. Nat's breath hitched in her chest when the girl smiled at Alex; she was gorgeous. She didn't see either Ruby or Jasmine look at her and then exchange a smile as her heart leaped into her chest. The girl's dark brown hair was curly, long in the front, and short in the back. Her black t-shirt and torn jeans made Nat's heart thump for a reason she didn't understand. Her amber eyes looked directly at Nat and the smile she wore grew.

The girl quickly looked back at Alex, walking over and hugging her, "We came as quick as we could when you called."

"Kitten…" Alex pulled the girl into a hug. "God, I've missed you. You keeping Sydney out of trouble?"

The red-haired woman laughed lightly, "About as much as Cait keeps you out of it. They are like two peas in a pod those two. She's on her way, Lex. I tried to tell her to wait… but she listens as well as you do."

Alex ran her hands over the dark-haired girl's hair, "I know we have to talk, but for now it has to wait." Nat watched Alex, noticing how the girl and Alex stood together. "I promise we'll talk though, ok? I have a lot to tell you."

The girl smiled brightly and hugged Alex again, "I've missed you and Cait so much. Syd keeps telling me 'bout your adventures. But it's not the same, Al. I've missed you guys like crazy. I told Dez I was coming even if I had to walk. I just had to see you both."

Joanna came storming down the stairs, "Why are male human doctors so infuriating?"

Cait was right behind her, "He's a cunt, but he knows what he's doin'."

"I am not a servant," Joanna snapped back. Then she stopped so quickly, that Cait crashed into her. "I didn't realize there were others here. I apologize for my outburst."

Alex and the red-haired woman shared an amused look. The red-haired woman stood, "Don't apologize, Stanley can be a right bastard to anyone. Come down, dear. Let Edna handle him."

"Bastard is an understatement," Joanna was looking past her at the dark-haired girl standing next to Alex. She walked down to Nat and took Nat's hand while still on the stairs.

Alex smirked, "I think we should introduce everyone."

The dark-haired girl looked between Nat and Joanna. "I'm Monica but everyone calls me Nikki." She smiled directly at Joanna and Nat.

Nat pointed at herself, "I'm Natalie, this is Jay… um, I mean Joanna."

"Hey," Nikki waved to Joanna.

Joanna gave her a smile and waved back, "Hello."

Cait snickered, "I'd like to be off the stairs, Casanova."

Nat pulled Joanna down the last couple of steps.

"Where's me hug, kitten?" Cait pushed past the pair, limping over to Alex and Nikki.

Nat and Joanna looked at each other and Joanna mouthed the word 'kitten' at Nat. Nat just shrugged. She had no idea who the person was. But Cait and Alex seemed close to her watching Cait hug the girl.

Cait let her go and walked to the red-haired woman, "Couldn't stay away, huh, gorgeous? The sound of gunfire is like a matin' call for ya."

She laughed, hugging Cait back, "I knew I had to come bail you two idiots out of trouble."

"I see ya brought all the troublemakers. Might as well call it a party," Cait tipped her head to the short woman with white hair.

"Blue!" Nat wanted an answer. "What is going on, what's wrong with Piper?"

"You didn't tell her yet?" Cait threw Alex a dirty look. "The fuck are you waitin' for?"

Alex walked to Nat and took her hand, "Piper's brain has swollen. The normal treatment isn't working. Yuki is an engineer and has made a special device with some of Dez's scientists a while back. Edna thinks it might help her."

Nat pulled her hand out of Alex's, "Why would you hide that from me?"

Alex grabbed her hand and pulled her close, "I didn't Nat… I swear, I didn't know until a little bit ago. I've been doing everything I can to get her the help she needs."

"I'm not a fucking kid, Blue. She's my sister! Don't hide shit from me when it comes to her."

"I'm not, I swear! But Edna wasn't sure. I'm doing the best I can, Nat. It's not just Piper… Curie too… The head trauma is one thing, but something else is doing this. All the people that survived the blasts… all show the same signs that Piper and Curie do." Alex pointed to the next room, "All of them in there. Everyone is in the same condition. The Gunners did something to them and if the swelling doesn't go down, they'll die."

Nat looked at Joanna, "Did you know this?"

Joanna shook her head, "No. Doctor Garrett said she was investigating something, but lacked resources to come to a conclusion. This is the first I've heard of this."

Nat studied Alex, "That guy… the one in the basement. He's one of them?" She pointed at the red-haired woman.

Alex nodded, "I sent him with the samples Edna took, by foot."

Nat looked at the red-haired woman again, "Who are you? And don't bullshit me."

"My name is Desdemona, and I lead the Railroad. You can call me Dez, Natalie." She gave Nat a small smile, "We'll do everything we can to help Piper and Curie. They're dear to all of us too."

Nat hugged Alex, "Don't you ever, ever, keep anything from me again when it comes to Piper."

"I didn't and I won't. I promise," Alex held her tightly.

Ruby walked over and hugged Nat from behind and pulled Joanna into the hug, "We're all here for you guys, Lovebug."

Nat pushed herself away from them and looked at Joanna, "Why isn't your brain swollen?"

"I wasn't inside a building, Ruby found me outside."

"Piper was outside too… You said something did this?" Nat watched Alex's eyes, "Piper was between Publick and the school." Nat thought more looking at her blue-gray eyes, "She was next to the salon, and it has… Chemicals. Was that it?"

Alex took Nat's hands into her own, "Not everyone was there though. We know it was some kind of poison or chemical. Yuki thinks the heat of the explosions activated the chemicals… like their reaction or whatever."

"If you had the chemicals, could you fix Piper?" Nat searched Joanna for an answer.

"Possibly, but it would need to be a specific chemical and we'd need a sample."

Nat started pulling Alex to the door. "I saw the guards dump bottles in the abandoned section of town. I'd finished delivering papers and Theo was being goofy on our walk. He wanted to scare Sheng, so we cut through the stands. That's when we saw them, but they didn't see us. We thought it was weird because the bottles were black and had HalluciGen on them. It was the new guys that had them and none of the regular people." Looking back to Alex, "But she was…" Nat stopped. "Was anyone found with a swollen brain in the security office?"

"No, Nat, why?" Alex looked at Cait who shrugged.

"Then it was the salon or Fallon's."

Alex gave Nat a shake, "What was?"

"When the salon blew up, Fallon's blew up too. So, they had to put chemicals either at the salon or…"

"Or on the clothes at Fallon's." Alex's eyes went wide, "Sterling to Garvey, come in."

"Jesus fucking Christ. They poisoned everyone," Dez lit a cigarette.

"Go for Garvey, General."

"Preston, the Gunners put poisons around Diamond City, including Fallon's. Everyone needs to come to my house for testing. Their brains might be swelling. This is our top priority, nothing else matters right now. Get everyone here now!"

"Jo, get Edna. Tell her what's happening."

"What about the bottles?" Joanna asked.

Alex looked at Joanna, "This is your expertise, doctor. What should we do?"

"I'd need to take samples and analyze what was in them. Can you show me where the bottles were?"

Nat nodded.

"No, first we need to have Edna check you, Nat." Alex pointed, "Go quickly, Jo. Tell her."

---

Alex handed him a beer and sat down, "Want to talk, ghoul to ghoul?"

The smallest smile curled up the corner of his mouth, "I should have guessed that explosion did something to me… I never really thought about the changes. Figured I picked it up wandering the wasteland… never thought about what it might mean. I've spent so much time alone with Dogmeat that…"

"You had a dog named Dogmeat?" Alex laughed, "It's a small world."

"It's kind of common name in the Wasteland. I thought it was cute and he wouldn't answer to anything else. He ran away when I called him Dave. That damn dog didn't come near me for a whole week. It took a deathclaw to get him to come back. Then the little fucker ran back, with the deathclaw chasing him the whole way."

Alex smiled, flipping the cap off with her thumb for him, "I can't talk about mine without crying. God damn dog. Cait becomes a hot mess you even say the word dog around her."

Isaac nodded, "Me too, it's embarrassing. I cry like I'm ten over a fucking dog." He took a drink of his beer, "I miss that goddamned dog every day."

Alex took a drink from her bourbon bottle and looked over the edge of the wall. "You okay?"

"No," He laughed. "I miss my dog and I'm a weird-looking ghoul." He looked at his Pip-Boy before he took a long drink from the bottle.

"How much longer do we have?" Alex stared off into the distance, sitting down at the base of the old light.

"At least an hour… Can you see in the dark?" He looked over at her.

Alex chuckled, "Not without my Pip-Boy." She pulled out a cigarette and lit it, "You know until I went to the Institute, I never smoked a day in my life. Drank, fucked, raced motorcycles, fought in competitions, but I never smoked…"

"Heh. You fought in competitions? That was a thing?"

Alex chuckled, "We had dancing competitions too."

He looked at her confused, "I don't get it."

"My uncle was a sailor in the Navy. When he found out he was having a girl, he got scared she'd end up in a bad situation. Papa had plenty of cases involving female victims and he'd vent to my uncles. So, he, my papa, and my Uncle Ronnie decided that the girls would learn how to fight like the boys would. Drunk, they all turn up back at Uncle Chuck's house where my maman and aunts Alice and Florrie are planning my cousin Betty's entire future before she's born. Uncle Chuck, drunk as hell, tells my Aunt Alice 'I don't care if you want her to dance and sing, but my little girl is going to learn how to fight and take care of herself.' He then immediately passed out on the kitchen floor." Alex took a swig out of the whisky bottle, "That's how all of us ended up taking Jujitsu from the age of five and Krav Maga since we were ten."

She held out the packet of cigarettes to him. He leaned over and took one from her pack, "Dad always said these would kill me. Looks like nothing will now."

Alex rubbed her hands over her arms. She felt cold. It was a cold she couldn't shake, even on a night as warm as this one. "I'm not outliving Piper for long. It's too painful to think about outliving my spouse a second time."

"Who was your first spouse?" He coughed trying to smoke.

"His name was Nate."

"Tell me about him."

"We grew up in the same neighborhood. Had the same friends in school. Ran in the same circles. I ignored him until I was eighteen." Alex leaned back taking another drink, "My dad and sister died when I was seventeen. My mom got diagnosed with cancer six months after we buried them. He was the only person I felt like I could talk to. He didn't automatically break down in tears or try to tell me everything was going to be okay. I poured out my heart to him and he listened." Alex leaned back getting comfortable, "We never stopped talking or laughing after that. God, he could make me laugh. We got into so much trouble together."

Isaac nodded, he sat down on the concrete next to her, "Can I ask what happened?"

It took a minute for Alex to answer him. "The war… we ended up in the vault. We were frozen, and then I woke up to Nate struggling with Institute doctors. He was murdered trying to protect our son and I had to watch, trapped in a cryo-pod. He was too disoriented and sick to do anything to them other than make some noise. They could have just taken our boy and left. He could barely move. But they didn't just shove him into the cryo-pod and leave. They shot him and refroze me." Alex pulled the .44 from her holster and the ten-millimeter and set them down between them. "The pistol was Nate's from the Army. I shot his murderer with it. The .44 was the gun that killed Nate. I use it to kill people I don't give a shit about."

Isaac set the bottle on his thigh and pointed to the ten-millimeter, "Personal kills." Then he pointed to the .44, "Impersonal kills."

Alex kicked one ankle over the other, "With the magnum, I don't give a fuck where they go. But with Nate's gun, I like to think I'm sending them straight to Hell. And because I'm salty as fuck, I'd like to think he's there fucking them up while he's waiting for me."

Alex took another drink and then looked at the bottle, "I spent close to eight months hunting down his killer." She looked over at Isaac, "Piper helped me find him. Along the way, I realized she was this amazingly selfless person, and I couldn't help it. I fell in love with her. I fought like hell not to, but I couldn't stop myself. Everything she did pulled at my heart. She doesn't know how much she helped me heal and I don't even know how to tell her." Alex took another drink from her bottle, "I'm lucky I think, they're two very different people… both incredible. I can't be without her. That kind of pain… I can't do it, not again. I'm barely holding it together now. If she dies…" Alex stopped talking.

Isaac pulled his ten-millimeter out and set it between them, "It was mom's." He picked up his rifle, "It was my dad's. Dad had them. Even named the rifle Chatty Cathy after my mom Catherine. 'Just point her, son, and pull the trigger, the old girl will do all the work.' I can hear his voice saying it even now."

They sat in the quiet, drinking and smoking for almost fifteen minutes.

"I don't have those kinds of connections to people that you do." He crossed his legs, "No wife. No husband. No kids. Just that fucking dog. Then he took a bullet for me," He wiped his face with his hand after his voice broke. "Bled out before I could get to him. I could hear his whine until…"

Alex looked over at him but stayed quiet.

It took a few minutes before he could talk again. "I've tried to help people everywhere I go. Then I leave… Something about staying gnaws at me. I don't want to feel trapped again. Not like I was trapped in the vault." He finished his beer and set the bottle down. "I guess I'm afraid too. After I lost Dad and everything… I don't want to hurt like that. Hurt like I've seen other people hurt when they lose someone. It scares the hell out of me. Christ, I cry over a dog… but a person? I just can't do it." He took a drink, "I want to be the Johnny Appleseed of water. Travel from place to place and help people get clean water for their settlements."

He let his head rest against the concrete, "There are things I noticed about being a ghoul, without knowing I was one. Needing to shave in the morning and at night got old pretty quick." He laughed running his hand over his sprouting beard. "Then again beards and the wasteland are not a good mix. I whine about it, but I still shave every few days."

Alex laughed, "I won't show you my legs then."

"Did people from your time shave their body hair?"

Alex laughed, "Oh, now I feel old. Thanks."

He laughed harder, "That's not what I meant, Grandma."

"Yeah, Junior, we did. That's how I looked so good in a dress. Less leg hair."

"Huh." He glanced at her leg then back at the sky, "I can see in the dark without my Pip-Boy. I don't need any light. You know about the underwater thing. Radiation heals me like other ghouls and so does sunlight. I can eat weird stuff and not get sick if I can get past the smell and taste."

"Do you get weird cravings?"

He looked over, "Define 'weird'. There's a lot weird right now and I need more information on what you're calling 'weird'."

"Ok, mine is the fresh, raw, liver. I have to have it. I can smell it in Brahmin and Radstag when they're close. It drives me crazy until I eat it. I have to hunt them down…" Alex could see the look on his face.

"Uh, does that mean you eat it right out of the animal like some kind of horror show?"

"Ugh, God." Alex rubbed her temples, "Yeah. I told you, it kind of makes me crazy. I usually butcher the animal right there. The rest is for the team, a settlement, or my family. But that liver, that's all mine."

"No… weirdo." He smiled at her, "Can you smell people? I can even… God this sounds wrong… taste them through smell from far away. Like it's to the point where I can tell who is who with my eyes closed. It's crazy… I can hear them too from far away. Whispers and shit… it's nuts. It's like all of my senses are off the charts, but especially at night."

"Yeah, I can. Some people smell really good; almost too good. Their sounds give me a headache sometimes. The synths too… it's weird. Are your senses better at night? Mine aren't."

"Yeah, weird, right?"

Alex shrugged, "Not weirder than craving liver from a still-breathing animal."

"Well, looks like we're the terrifying twins."

Alex laughed and stood up, "I can't see at night, but…" She walked over to a stack of cinder blocks and picked one up. In the darkness, she crushed it between her hands. Grinding the bits to dust with her fingers.

Isaac sat up, "Holy shit."

"I think seeing in the dark is a little cooler," She laughed. "Piper is a little woman and I have to be really careful when I go near her. I'm afraid of hurting her when I touch her. I'm just thankful she isn't a fragile human."

He nodded watching her brush her hands on vault suit, "If you tell me, you can fly next, I'm going to be jealous. Just tellin' you to expect a lot of selfish, ten-year-old level whining."

"I can't fly, and I get motion sickness in vertibirds." She took a drag from her smoke before crushing it out, "I'm not even that strong. At least I don't think so. But I am the group pack mule if that is any consolation. 'Got heavy shit, give it to Lex!' Can't tell you how many times Piper is like, 'See anything that looks valuable, grab it!' and I end up carrying another typewriter or twelve."

He laughed sitting back and watching her walk over, "Have you looked in a mirror, Grognak? I feel like less of a man looking at your thighs alone. It's emasculating just standing next to you. You're what six-one? I'm only slightly taller than you at six-two. We're not discussing your biceps either. I can't, I'll cry again."

Alex started laughing, "If you tell Cait, you called me Grognak, I'll shoot you." She gave him a bright smile, "My husband was six-three. He told me wearing heels taller than two inches was grounds for divorce."

Isaac chuckled. "I'm guessing you didn't listen."

Alex put her tongue to her teeth and shook her head, "Never. He loved it. He had a great sense of humor. He had to. He had to put up with me."

He looked at his arms then hers and shook his head. He flexed for good measure making her laugh. "The Grognak thing is our secret, I swear." He chuckled, "Thanks for the chat and the booze, Lex. I feel better. I was really starting to feel lonely."

Alex took another long pull off the bottle, "Piper keeps telling me that this won't help. I should tell her she's right. I can't even get drunk for longer than a few minutes."

"Do you still follow traditions from your time?" He took the bottle from her, taking a drink.

"You mean like Christmas and all that?"

"Yeah, it's been a while, but growing up in the vault we did weddings, funerals, baptisms, holidays… everything. Do you still do all that?"

Alex took the bottle back, "You know, on the surface, people don't do Easter or birthday cakes or weddings? They lost so much…" Taking a drink, she thought about it. "I had to teach them about Easter egg hunts, and Piper ended up telling the kids where all the eggs were." Alex chuckled, "We only just had birthday cake the other day for the first time. I still do Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving with Nat, Cait, and Piper. Then our little family grew so now we're including Curie, Joanna, my aunt, and a whole bunch of synths. Birthdays are hard because we might be gone, but I was hoping that would change but it hasn't yet." She thought about everything, "Never seen a wedding or a real funeral in the Commonwealth."

"You should do a wedding with Piper."

The thought made Alex smile, "She thinks they're like fairytales."

"Give your girl the fairytale then… she's important to you. Give her that memory." He paused for a second, "Give yourselves that happiness. Even if it's just a day."

Alex hugged the bottle, thinking quietly. "You think so?"

"Yes, I think so. Might even come if you invite me." He smiled at her taking another drink, "I'll wear something other than a vault suit too. You should definitely wear something other than a vault suit."

"Oh wow, you all dressed up? Might have to now just for that!"

"Yup, I think I'd look great in a suit." He smirked at her, "Just have to find one."

"So long as you don't wear white and steal Piper's thunder," Alex chuckled, "Oh god, I'm going to have to teach Piper how to walk in heels."

"What if she wants to wear a suit? Am I safe to wear white then?"

"No, there are rules." Alex rolled her eyes with a sigh, "Great, someone needs to wear a dress. I'd have to find size twelve heels in a post-apocalyptic hellscape that goes with a white dress that fits me. No pressure or anything." Alex laughed, "I can't even borrow a dress and heels from a drag queen. Fuck it, I'll wear a tux. I'll let you wear a white dress." She looked over at his feet. "You can find the heels too." He started laughing.

"My uncles walked me down the aisle the first time. My Uncle Ronnie was so nervous he kept giggling. It made my Uncle Chuck laugh. I couldn't get either of them to shut up while we walked. End up all three of us barely made the walk we were laughing so hard." Alex smiled at the memory, "I'll ask my aunt to do it this time."

"God, I wish we could get drunk for the rest of the night," He took one more drink and then handed the bottle back to Alex.

"I know the feeling. I miss getting drunk…"

They shared a look.

"Chems don't affect me." He added, sitting up.

"Me either, not for long anyway." Alex looked down into the city in the darkness. Then she realized what he was saying. "Holy fuck, Isaac you're a genius! We need to go talk to Edna."

---

Alex stood on the abandoned path in the darkness, "I'm ready when you are."

She looked over at the three people in hazmat suits and the one man in a vault suit.

Edna Garrett ignited the chemical in the metal container, "The reaction should be immediate and last only a few minutes. However, if I'm wrong…" Her hazmat suit swished as she moved.

"Which you are not, I calculate a ninety-eight point seven percent probability that you are correct, Doctor."

Alex glanced at Yuki, "Thanks for the boost in confidence, Snow. Hit me, Doc." Alex thought the sounds of their voices through the suit speakers sounded amusing.

Edna discharged the container directly into Alex's face. Almost immediately, Alex collapsed on the ground. Her skin became bright red, and her eyes rolled to the back of her head.

Edna started the stopwatch on the white, medical Pip-Boy she was wearing.

"How long do we need to wait?" Isaac was watching Alex looking at his own timer counting.

"Approximately five to ten minutes. If I'm right, which Yuki is confident in, then we can test a different kind of ghoul to see if they are also immune."

They waited for a few moments. The warm air of the night was surprisingly stagnant, allowing the smoke from the still-burning fires to waft lazily into the air.

"Ghouls' ability to process chemicals at an accelerated rate would…" Madison Li stared as Alex started to stand. The white light from Cait's borrowed Pip-Boy on Alex's already pink skin.

"That was a weird rush," Alex brushed herself off.

Isaac stopped his timer, "Two minutes and thirteen seconds. How does that change the calculations, Yuki?"

Alex held out her arm for Edna to see her Pip-Boy.

"That was incredible, Lex." Yuki stammered.

Alex flipped her a quick smile, "I love it when you flirt with me, Snow. It's hot."

Isaac laughed and Edna chuckled. "I see I don't need to ask any questions, you're fine. Isaac, are you certain you want to be tested?"

He flashed a grin to Alex, "I have a record to beat."

Alex rolled her eyes, "Great, I've created a monster."

He laughed, "Ouch. I'm a ghoul, not a monster…" He growled for effect making Alex and Edna chuckle.

"He's always been this way. Even before you met him," Doctor Li took a few steps back.

Alex walked to Li, "You sure you're okay with things?"

"No. But we can't change what's happened. My friendship with Isaac isn't in jeopardy. It's not like I'll abandon him for being different," The last sentence she delivered coldly.

Alex's nostrils flared in anger as she crushed her fingers tightly into a fist on both hands. "And I can always fix a mistake, bitch." Alex reached for her ten-millimeter, popping the button on the retention strap. She started to draw the gun.

Yuki grabbed her, "I'm not sure what's happening, but killing this human in cold blood is not something you'll want to explain to anyone. Please send out the next ghoul, Lex."

Alex pushed her gun back into its holster. For one, very long breath, Alex inhaled. The look on her face and her near-feral growl made Madison Li regret her comment from the depths of her soul. Alex walked off toward her house without a single word, still growling.

"That was bullshit, Madison. That was personal." Isaac pulled back clearly confused, "What's she talking about? What mistake?"

"This isn't a discussion point, Isaac. Doctor Garrett, please continue testing." She was shaking and that tremble carried through to her voice.

Edna glared at her, "Doctor Li was involved with the child synth program. The child was Alex's son, specifically. It was part of a long-running experiment on Alex. The synth was used to test Alex psychologically after she entered the Institute and two hundred and ten years of cryostasis. Alex rejected the synth child after finding out that she was being used emotionally as an unwilling test subject." Edna turned her back on Madison, "If you are going to risk your life, Doctor Chase, you should have honest answers."

Isaac stood slack-jawed watching Alex walk down the road. It took him a second to recover. "What happened to her synth kid?"

Doctor Garrett looked down at the canister in her hand, "Alex sent him to live in an escaped synth colony where he will be happy and cared for."

"Will he grow up remembering her?"

Edna looked up slowly, "Synths do not grow. He will remain a child forever. She had his memories reassigned. He will never know her, nor does he falsely think she is his mother."

"You knew." Isaac took a step toward Madison growling quietly, "You knew that he was her son, didn't you?"

"Yes. I was also very vocal about my disapproval of the project."

He looked in the direction Alex walked, but she was gone, "You knew my parents. You helped my mother when she was giving birth to me. You were there when she died! Do you know what it's like to grow up without a mom? Why would you do that to either of them?"

She looked away from him, "I didn't have a choice, Isaac."

"There's always a choice, Madison. Always."

"I don't expect you to understand," She looked away again. "Please continue the experiment, Doctor Garrett."

He walked away from her without another word, "I'm ready, Edna." He watched Madison as the chemicals hit his face.

---

Alex looked at all the wires attached to Curie and Piper. They had been moved on the bed to separate them further to accommodate all the equipment. She sat quietly in the corner watching Joanna check the terminal. She was supposed to be sleeping, but she was terrified she'd wake up and Piper would be gone. Alex stared at Piper, wanting to will the chemicals from her body.

The burn pads were fresh, Joanna had just changed them. Alex had listened to the doctors discuss the ghoul testing outcome. None of the ghouls had taken longer than five minutes to process the chemicals. The ghouls had returned to the abandoned district to retrieve the bottles for testing. They'd been working in shifts to neutralize chemicals across Diamond City. Humans and synths were currently trapped indoors, housed in people's homes. The ghouls had quietly become the unspoken heroes of a city they couldn't be a part of.

"What are you looking at?" Joanna walked around the bed and sat down next to Alex.

Alex blinked, turning her head toward Joanna, "I was trying to figure out how she did it."

"Did what?" Joanna looked down at Piper, "She hasn't moved."

"How she spent five days lying in bed next to me, alone, without going insane," Alex turned back to look at Piper.

"She wasn't alone."

Alex blinked again. This time she focused on the young doctor. "Cait and Curie?"

"Mostly. But we each took turns with her, including myself and Natalie."

"She didn't have all of you for three months while I was at the Starlight," Alex looked down at her. "She has the patience of a saint." Alex grew quiet again, watching Piper. "I don't know how she did it. I hate being alone."

Joanna put her hand over Alex's, "You aren't alone, Alex."

---

Nat held Alex's hand, huddled up next to her in the cool morning air. Sitting on the top of the wall, at this early hour she felt like a zombie. The sun wouldn't be up for another two hours. Looking around at the people in the group, she wasn't sure what to expect. The leader of the Railroad sat quietly chain smoking. Dez seemed nice enough to Nat, even if she didn't talk much. Dez spent a lot of time with Alex and almost all of it she'd completely ignored Preston.

The woman next to her was Joanna's height, but there was something about her that seemed cold. Her white hair was shaved on the sides. Her flannel had burn marks and grease all over it. Like she was some kind of mechanic. The woman noticed Nat looking at her and smiled warmly. Nat returned the smile, wondering what Glory was really like.

The tall blonde man sitting next to Dez was obviously a synth. His shoulder-length, wavy blonde hair gave him an old-fashioned cool look. Like the kind of guy you'd see in an Atom Cats leather jacket like Alex's. His green eyes also landed on Nat, and he gave her a dazzling smile. He was tall, muscular, and had perfect teeth. "I'm Adam. I'm sorry we haven't talked yet. Everyone was excited for us to finally meet. I do a lot of runs with Piper, Cait, and Lex. I just don't get to Diamond City."

Nat returned his smile, "I'm Nat." Joanna took Nat's left hand. "This is Joanna." Nat smiled at her, and Joanna returned her smile. Nat wondered if anyone at the Institute had ever seen a normal person before as she studied Adam. If they wanted the synths to pass as human, they'd have never made them with perfect teeth. It was a dead giveaway they weren't human. Even for as much as she brushed her teeth, they weren't that white or straight. Neither were Piper's. Alex had nice teeth. She'd even taught them how to floss years ago. Not that it made their teeth straighter, but Doctor Alex brought them to whiten their teeth and inspect them.

Then she looked over at the dark-haired girl, sitting next to Glory. Nikki.

She had been so busy with guard duty and everything else she had to do in the morning to help feed people that she hadn't had the chance to talk to her. Nat looked at Joanna to see she was watching the girl also. Nat leaned over into Joanna's ear, "She's human, right?"

Joanna looked up at her, "Yes. Why?"

"Because she's really pretty like the rest of you and I wasn't sure." Nat looked around at the synths. All of the synths were smiling at her. Nat covered her mouth with her hand, "It also sucks all of you can hear me. Stop being so pretty. It's not fair."

Joanna sat up closer to her ear, "You've seen yourself in a mirror, right?"

"Yeah, why?" Nat furrowed her brow.

Alex chuckled and looked down at Nat, "She's telling you you're pretty too, goofball."

"Oh god damn, all of you can hear me?" Nat rolled her eyes.

"Hear what?" Cait stretched her legs, giving Nat a look.

"Nothing," Nat looked at Nikki and flashed her a grin. She blushed and Nat gave Joanna's hand a playful tug. Joanna also gave Nikki a playful smile and the girl's blush deepened. Finally, Nat looked over at Alex, "What are we waiting for?"

"Preston. He'll be here in a few minutes." Alex lit a cigarette and handed it to Nat. Then she lit one for herself and Cait reached over, taking it. "Fucking, mucker."

Cait laughed watching her light another cigarette, "Not sure why you don't just light three. Pipers got it figured out." Cait looked down at her hands, "Sorry, mate."

Alex didn't say anything as she lit another cigarette.

Nat decided she was tired of whispering, "So if you're in charge, what do all of you do?"

"We don't talk about it with people outside of our organization," Dez answered her in a matter of fact way. It wasn't cold or harsh, just a simple matter she addressed with finality.

"What if I want to join?"

Alex looked at her, "Um, Nat… Now's not the time. Listen, maybe after Piper wakes…"

"Oh no, we're not doing this again. You said you and Piper help them, why can't I?" She pointed at the synths, "You and Cait helped all of them. I bet Piper did too." Nat looked from Alex to Cait, "Oh you're kidding me, is that where you go when you two disappear?"

Savannah sat back and kicked her legs out, "Well, at least we get to watch Lex fight for her life in a death match against Bug. It'll be entertaining even if it doesn't last long."

Jasmine stuffed her hand in her pocket and pulled out five caps, "Five caps on Bug. There's not going to be anything left of Lex when she's done."

Nat narrowed her eyes at Alex, "Well?" She leaned forward and looked directly at Cait. Cait looked away.

"Alright, Jazz." Savannah pulled out five caps of her own, "Five caps say Cait gets Lex murdered in under five minutes. Bug takes all."

Alex looked over at Savannah. She shrugged, "I've seen that kid take her sister down in under a minute. You aren't winning this, you're too soft. Like a pillow on Cait's bed… soft." Cait winked at her.

Joanna fished five caps from her pocket, "I give it five minutes until she talks her way into this group with that human there." She pointed at Dez.

Glory laughed, "You've never met Dez, have you?"

"You've never heard Natalie talk, have you?" said Joanna just as quickly with her retort. "The only person who has beaten her in an argument is Piper. That human doesn't stand a chance."

Adam laughed, "Piper can out-talk anyone, including Lex and Cait. You know Piper has taught her all her tricks." He pointed a Nat, watching Alex shake her head. He pulled out his five caps and added them to the pool, "I've just met her and I'm putting my money on her." He looked at Nat and smiled again, "But Dez isn't soft like Lex, you'll need to work for it."

"I can see I'm outvoted. Good luck, Dez." Alex sat back and crossed one foot over the other with an amused grin.

"You'll need it," Cait snickered.

Dez looked between the synths, Cait and Alex, "Alright, kid, I'm interested. Why do you want to help? Why join us?"

Nat just looked at her, "Because they're my friends."

"No, I mean synths in general," Dez lit another cigarette off her last one.

"Why wouldn't you help someone that needs help? Besides, it's not just synths, is it?" Nat crossed her legs, sitting up straighter.

Dez smiled, "While I admire your idealism, there's more to it than just that."

"Why are you here in Diamond City then?"

Dez stopped smiling, "This isn't a logic game."

"Yes, it is. And they're right, you aren't going to win if that's your argument. You're here because people need help."

"That's not the only reason," Dez answered dismissively.

Nat watched her for a few seconds, then she pointed at Adam, "You are a heavy like Jasmine, Max, and Ruby. Tall, muscular, and really pretty means you were a courser." She looked at Nikki, "You're pretty, quiet, and you're a human. You've done almost nothing except observe." Nat watched Nikki turn a bright shade of red while she talked. "You talk to Blue and Cait like you know them. I'm going to guess you gather intel and work with the heavies." She looked at Glory, "You're different. You weren't a courser, you're not tall and you don't move like they do. But you walk with confidence. You also have a warm smile, but cold eyes. You haven't left Dez's side yet. My guess is you're her Cait. But you aren't Cait." Nat grinned at Cait, "There's only one Cait."

"That's right." Cait pointed at her, "The one and only."

"You're trying to do what Cait does. That's why you're warm-hearted, not cold-hearted. You're trying hard to be a better person." She looked at Cait, "Cait and Piper don't always get along, but Cait still backs down every time they fight. I bet you do too." Nat pulled her cards from her pocket and started shuffling them, still watching Glory, "I watch people all day. I know who is going to buy a paper and why. There aren't many people I can't sell a paper to; I know when they won't buy it for any reason. I talk to everyone that comes into Diamond City." She looked right at Glory, "I know why you help her." She tipped her head to Dez.

"Cait loves Blue and Curie. She loves Piper too, even though she never says it out loud." Nat shuffled the deck, letting the cards flow into her hand, "You love her and I'm not judging. You'll admit it. She's your human, that's why you're next to her. But you're doing this for you."

Everyone in the group looked at Dez.

Nat held out the stack to Glory, "Pick a card." She fanned them in her hand.

Glory hesitated, looking at Dez.

Dez watched Nat with interest, "Take a card, Glory."

Glory dutifully chose a card. "Do you want me to show you?"

"Yes," Nat set the deck down on the ground and stood.

Glory flipped the card around.

"Five of Clubs," Nat held out her hand and Glory gave her the card. "Blue, give me your lighter."

Alex handed over the lighter watching the trick carefully. Nat lit the card on fire, and let the card burn for a few seconds before throwing it over the wall. Everyone watched the burning card fall over the edge. She sat down and picked up the deck. She held it out to Glory again, "Tap the top five times and call your card."

"What?"

"You have perfect teeth. Only synths have perfect teeth in the Commonwealth. So, I know you can hear me just fine."

Glory tapped the top of the deck five times, "Five of clubs."

Nat pulled the five of clubs from the top of the deck and showed everyone the card.

Alex chuckled, "That was good, mija."

Nat scrutinized Dez, "You help people because it's the right thing to do, but for you it's personal. Personal in a way that it is for Blue or Cait or Piper. You're here because Diamond City is a hub. It's easy for people to appear like the five of clubs or disappear into the wind like the card I threw. It's an illusion for you. That's why your people can slip in and out. You're here to protect that illusion. You just don't count on someone like me to figure out your illusion or to see through it."

Dez crushed out the cigarette, "Ok kid, you're in." Looking up, she cleared her throat, "The first rule is no publishing anything about the Railroad without my approval. Your sister follows that rule because it keeps people alive. The second rule is you don't talk about us with anyone. We work on a need-to-know basis. The third rule is you work as part of the team or you're out. Cait, Lex, and Piper all follow rules. You got it?"

Nat grinned, "Yeah, I got it. I figured out Piper wasn't writing so much after certain trips a while ago."

"Good, then we'll talk later," Dez sat back and went quiet again.

"Four minutes and thirty-three seconds." Joanna held out her hand to collect all the caps.

"Well, damnit all to Hell." Jasmine shoved her caps at Joanna.

"How did you do that?" Nikki held out her hand toward the cards and Nat gave her the card to look at.

Nat waved her hands in the air, "Magic."

"She won't tell you kitten, you'll have to figure it out." Alex sat back with a proud smile.

Down below, Preston appeared with Ruby, Evelyn Kelley, and another synth Nat didn't recognize. "Blue. Look."

Alex looked to where Nat was pointing. "They're coming," Alex was looking directly at Dez.

Nat stuffed her cards back into her jumpsuit pocket, noticing both Nikki and Glory were watching her carefully.

It only took a couple of minutes for Preston's group to climb the steps to the top of the wall. "Sorry, everyone, we needed to get the assultrons outside and expand the parameter."

Evelyn sat down next to Nat, "How's Piper doin'?"

Nat took a breath before answering, "The same. Joanna's running tests on the chemicals. Right?"

Joanna gave her a curt nod, "It should be completed within the hour. From there we'll know how to treat everyone."

"Grace has developed a bit of a mouth." Ruby pulled off her gas mask, "She called me an idiot human." She sighed, "If I could have stopped laughing… I might have proved her wrong." She looked over at Cait, "Shut it."

Cait held up her hands helplessly, "I didn't say a thing, love."

Ruby sat down behind Joanna, wrapping herself around her, and pulled Nat into them. "I've missed you two. I need my cuddle bugs, there's way too much sadness right now. I can't handle it like everyone else can."

Nat noticed Nikki's smile disappear as Joanna gave Ruby a hug.

"You said we needed to hear something?" Preston sat down next to Jasmine.

The blonde synth pulled off his gas mask sitting down next to Dez and Nikki. Nat watched her lean into him. His short blond hair was messy and spiky. His jeans and white tee were dusty like he'd been traveling. He put his arm around Nikki and gave her a smile. Then he turned his smile on Alex and Cait, "Syd should be here tonight. She's in the last group."

"Gabriel, this is Nat, Piper's sister and my kid." Alex put her hand on Nat's shoulder. "And this is Joanna," She pointed at Joanna since Ruby was holding onto her shoulders. "My other kid."

His smile bloomed into something akin to sunshine. "Hi, girls!"

His light voice made Nat's smile to the point where her cheeks hurt. "Hi." They both waved at him.

Alex pulled the holotape out of the pouch and put it in her Pip-Boy and hit play. "I apologize ahead of time. None of you are going to enjoy this, but you all need to hear it."

ALEX:

"Mister Henderson, you're a Gunner is that correct?"

HENDERSON:

"Yup, sure am."

ALEX:

"Thank you, now, you know why we're here. I want to talk about today's attack on Diamond City. Mostly though, sir, I'd like to get as much information from you as I can about the Gunners' plans for Diamond City, along with the mayor, Roy Thomas, and any information you have on Mister Alister Riley."

HENDERSON:

"I can do that."

ALEX:

"Let's start with Goodneighbor."

Pause.

"Mister Henderson, can you tell me in as much detail as possible, about Gunner interactions with Misters Aldo Garibaldi and Enzo Mancini in Goodneighbor. You called them Gunner go-betweens. Can you tell me about them?"

Nat took out her notepad and pen and wrote down the names and locations of the two men. She also wrote down the name Alister Riley and underlined it. She thought it sounded familiar.

HENDERSON:

Laughter.

"You sound like one of those old-timey cop radio shows."

Nat looked to her left at Preston, the sound he'd made was inadvertent. But it was clear how angry he already was.

ALEX:

"I've had some practice."

Pause.

"So, is that a yes, sir? I'd love to hear all about it."

HENDERSON:

Laughter.

"Yeah, yeah, sure. God, that's good stuff."

ALEX:

"Well, Mister Henderson?"

Nat leaned over to Alex and whispered, "You're really good at this." Alex smiled at her and gave a nod. She gave her the sign for 'thank you'. Nat signed back to her, 'Do they know how to sign?' Alex gave her head a single shake, 'Not all of them.'

HENDERSON:

"Yeah, so those guys act as go-betweens for the Gunners. They aren't gunners themselves, but they are doing the work where Gunners can't. They get paid well for it, plus they get Gunner protections."

"Fuckin' Goodneighbor." Evelyn hissed between her gritted teeth.

ALEX:

"So, what you're telling me is that they're moles."

HENDERSON:

Laughter.

"You're funny. 'Moles'. Yeah, thinking about it, that's what the old gangster shows would call them. So sure, we can call them moles."

Nat rolled her eyes. She signed to Alex 'Imagine being so dumb you don't know what moles are.' Alex covered her mouth when she laughed trying to muffle it.

ALEX:

"Now is it the sort of stuff that Skinny Malone or John Hancock would be… upset about? Seems to me any moles in a neighborhood would be a cause for concern for two fellas like them."

Nat wrote down the two names on her notepad.

HENDERSON:

Laughter.

"You know, you're real good at this old-timey cop thing? Yeah, I'll say they'd both be pissed. Capt'n Wes has been runnin' ghouls through Goodneighbor as part of Gunner trade they worked out with that Riley character."

ALEX:

"You mean taking slaves, right? How's that work? How do you take ghouls from a ghoul city and no one notice?"

HENDERSON:

"Well, those ghouls, they're just over there getting hopped up on chems. No one really gives a shit 'bout them. The capt'n has them undercutting Marowski, with stolen chems. Then they get them ghouls to a safehouse for pick up, and they are out of the Commonwealth in no time flat."

ALEX:

"Sorry, who's them? You mean Aldo Garibaldi and Enzo Mancini?"

HENDERSON:

"Yeah, that's right. Those boys. The capt'n has them running things down on the count of the Triggermen. Marowski is one of the gang. But he's up to his tits in the hole. Capt'n Wes was making sure he was there. Got some deal cut with ghoul mobster named Bobbi No Nose or some shit like that. Marowski owes her for his own chems. Crazy, huh?"

Nat wrote down Bobbi No Nose's name.

ALEX:

Pause.

"Sounds pretty genius, rip off the biggest chem dealer in the Commonwealth and then sell his chems in his own backyard, without anyone getting their cut, except I assume this Bobbi person. That'd put anyone in a hole they can't come out of."

HENDERSON:

"Right?"

Laughter.

"But I do gotta tell you, the captain's got people everywhere. Even Diamond City. How you think those chems are getting ripped off? Here it was two fellas named Latimer and Cooke."

Nat looked right at Alex, 'Really?' Alex nodded again.

"I'm going to put a bullet in them, meself," Evelyn started to stand but Preston grabbed her.

Alex hit pause on the tape.

"No, not yet," Preston jerked her back down. "We need to know everything before we make a move."

Evelyn cursed under her breath, sitting back down. She gave Alex a nod to continue.

Alex hit play.

Nat wrote their names down.

ALEX:

"Wow, really? Diamond City's own Upper Stands residents? You do mean Misters Nelson Latimer and Henry Cooke, correct?"

HENDERSON:

"Yeah, they get paid out by that ghoul Bobbi No Nose. Capt'n Wes doesn't deal with them personally as far as I know."

Pause.

"To be honest, that's not even the most impressive part."

Nat glanced over at the councilwoman; she was twisting her pant leg in her rage.

ALEX:

"Well, don't leave a girl hanging. What's the most impressive part?"

HENDERSON:

"You know that blowhard, Hancock? He's a dumb fucking ghoul thinks he's got that town on lockdown and he's king. He doesn't even know we've been taking ghouls right under that ugly hole in his face. And get this, that small time crook, Skinny Malone? He runs most of the gamblin' dens with the girls and chems, right? The chems are the ones Marowski cooks up and all that. But Malone doesn't know that the capt'n has people in the Triggermen and in the dens. Malone's getting bent 'cause the capt'n has his guys cookin' the books. Caps, chems, you name it, they are robbin' him blind."

Pause.

"Garibaldi and Mancini are just the two I know in Goodneighbor, of course. But the capt'n got guys that run friendly tables to some bigshots the capt'n knows, help them win big, then our guys walkin' with Malone's caps."

Laughter.

"That moron's been getting' soaked for the better part of two years now."

Nat and Alex shared a look.

"Pause it," Preston grabbed her hand.

Alex hit pause again, looking at Preston.

"Can you replay that?"

Alex rewound the tape and hit play.

Preston held up his hand and Alex hit pause. "They've been gathering caps this entire time… from the deepest pockets in the Commonwealth."

Alex looked over at Dez before she spoke, "They've amassed a fortune for someone else from one kingpin and for another."

"There's going to be a bloodbath," Evelyn rubbed her head. "Diamond City is caught in a bloody turf war."

Nat exhaled, taking Alex's hand again. She was scared.

Alex hit play on the Pip-boy.

ALEX:

"Wow, that's… That's pretty deep stuff. Is that why Mister Malone has never been able to get into the big time?"

HENDERSON:

"Pretty much. If he went through his own books, he'd see he been getting' robbed blind."

Laughter.

"He's too fuckin' dumb to see it. Like them ghouls he fuckin' loves… just dumb."

Nat held Alex's hand tighter, looking into her face. Alex looked down at her but didn't smile.

ALEX:

"Ok, so is it ghouls or humans that are screwing Skinny Malone?"

HENDERSON:

"Oh, humans without a doubt. Those dumb fucking ghouls, they're loyal to that asshole. The captain tried to shake 'em up, but no dice. Had to bribe the humans to do it. Worked out in the end, because they're loyal as the day is long to the captain."

"It's always fucking humans," Glory whispered.

Nat watched Dez put her hand on Glory's thigh and whisper something to her. Pulling her hand free of Alex, she signed to her, 'She doesn't like humans?'

'Not after what humans did to them or her.'

"I'm human and I'll never hurt you," Nat whispered as quietly as she could.

The synths looked at Nat, including Glory. Alex took her hand again.

ALEX:

"So let me get this straight, in my own head, because we've talked about a lot of things. But, the Diamond City mayor, Roy Thomas, he does a lot of business in Goodneighbor. He takes trips there quite often. Now, you told me before that he wanted the Publick Occurrences reporter, Piper Wright, as his personal… toy? Is that the correct term? Was that it?"

Nat stared in horror at Alex's Pip-Boy. She felt Joanna grab her hand and her grip tighten on Joanna's smaller hand. Alex tugged her right hand closer and held it between both of hers. Nat was thankful for them. She was starting to feel sick.

"That sick mother fucker," Evelyn hissed between her gritted teeth.

HENDERSON:

"Yeah, from what I overheard the captain sayin', the mayor has a vendetta against her. Hates her guts and all that. You know if he was going that often… nah. Couldn't be."

Nat furrowed her brow. How many times had she seen the mayor leave the city? It had been plenty of times. But it wasn't something she actively tracked. She looked over at the city councilwoman who was gritting her teeth.

ALEX:

"What, Henderson? Talk to me."

HENDERSON:

"Well, okay. This is just a thought. Remember I said Capt'n Wes left out his notes and papers, right? Well, he doesn't know I can read. So, one day he tells me to tidy up that big desk of his at the plaza…"

ALEX:

"This plaza is where, please?"

HENDERSON:

"Oh, Gunner's Plaza is that old GNN Plaza. You know it's still got all that old television junk in there?"

ALEX:

"You don't say, how nifty! What did you find on his desk?"

HENDERSON:

"It was a letter from Roy Thomas, but the way it read… I got the feeling that Roy Thomas was Alister Riley. They were always in Goodneighbor at the same time. But here's the thing, they were both doing the same thing and they both want the reporter gal for the same reasons."

Nat stared at the Pip-Boy. She knew the name Alister Riley. She was certain of it, but she needed to focus on the tapes.

UNKNOWN MAN:

"What makes you say that?"

HENDERSON:

"He wrote in the letter he didn't want to keep going to Goodneighbor, because he'd eventually get found out. In another letter, he'd written to the capt'n a lot about Piper Wright."

ALEX:

"What did he write, can you be more specific?"

HENDERSON:

"He was real clear he wanted her, and her sister kept separate from the boys. Didn't want anyone messin' with them. Kept sayin' he wanted his pound of flesh, specifically from Piper. Said she cost him more caps than the Gunners ever seen. Once he got her, Wes was going to be big time here in the Commonwealth. He'd be running as one of Riley's chosen boys. He'd get his chance at the little sister once Riley had what he wanted from Piper. That's why I think they're the same. Because in one of the letters, the handwriting looked the same and it was from Riley who said the same thing."

Nat felt her face go red. She could feel people looking at her and she couldn't look up or at any of them. She felt sick. It was the kind of sickness that made her head spin.

ALEX:

"So, Roy Thomas is Alister Riley? And he wanted the Gunners to take over Diamond City and the Commonwealth for his own gain? Interesting. Now, if Roy Thomas is Alister Riley, then Mister Riley essentially has fucked over all the ghouls, the Triggermen, Skinny Malone, Mayor John Hancock, Diamond City, and any merchants in the Commonwealth, all to try to line his own pockets… Did I miss anything?"

The silence of the group was painful to Nat's ears. The breeze switched, blowing gently across the top of the wall. The loose strands of her hair tickled her face.

HENDERSON:

"Yeah, he wants that reporter and her little sister too. You forgot them. That's why he had their place burned down. No more newspapers."

Nat wished he'd stop talking about her and her sister. Every time he did, she could feel everyone looking at her. Piper was going to die knowing Publick was gone, and it was hurting Nat to the point to where she thought she was going to cry. She couldn't imagine how Piper was going to feel. She started running through their books mentally. What would they need to get back up and running?

ALEX:

"And to be clear, the reason he wanted them was because Piper had exposed him through her paper? His corruption, I mean."

Alister Riley's name clicked in her head. She remembered reading Piper's notes and the article Piper had written. Now more than anything she wished her sister was here. Piper would know what to do... what to say.

ALEX:

"Mister Henderson, please say your answer for me."

HENDERSON:

"Yeah, yeah, sure. Sorry. Yes. He hates that Piper person so much that one part of the deal for Diamond City was burning Publick Occurrences to the ground. Riley wrote that into a letter to Captain Wes. He even wrote what he was going to do to them…"

Nat felt like puking. She didn't want to hear anymore.

ALEX:

"Let me guess, it involved raping both of the Wright sisters?"

Gritting her teeth, Nat looked away from Alex. The pressure the woman put on her hand was hurting. But not as badly as the fact, Alex had figured out how they planned to hurt them. It made Nat feel dirty and gross.

HENDERSON:

"That's putting it mildly. He planned to torture Piper's kid sister in front of her. Sorry, I can't remember the kid's name. It was some pretty gruesome stuff. Not like the captain cared, he's just interested in the caps and the Commonwealth being Gunners' turf."

Nat pulled both her hands free, 'Fuck this Riley guy.' Alex caught her hand, holding them. The look she wore made Nat want to hug Alex and not let go.

ALEX:

"Tell me something. What makes a man attack a town he lived in?"

HENDERSON:

"You said you were going to let me walk out of here."

Nat looked from the Pip-Boy to Alex's face. She didn't see the anger that she was expecting, she saw satisfaction.

ALEX:

"That doctor just called the captain of the city guard down to say goodbye to his girl, who you murdered. Her son is my kid's best friend. My wife is lying in our bed and the doctors can't tell me or her sister if she's going to wake up. My two best friends are lying next to her, trying to recover. One of them took a bullet to the leg and got stabbed saving my life twice inside of ten minutes. A Gunner tried to knock her teeth out because she saved my wife's life. My other best friend was trying to save people's lives because she's a doctor.

Gunshot.

What the fuck makes you think I'm going to let any Gunner walk out of Diamond City or the Commonwealth like nothing happened today?"

Nat ripped her hands free, when the tape clicked off, and smacked Alex, "What the fuck, Blue? You shot him? He wasn't done talking yet!"

Alex rubbed her arm, "He was very done, Nat."

Nat got to her feet, "No, he wasn't! Didn't you hear his voice? He was relaxed. He was buddy-buddy with you!" She was furious with Alex. Her sister was wounded and needed them on the top of their game and Alex had blown it.

Alex got up, "He was done, Nat."

"He wasn't done, you were!" She glared at Alex for breaking the rules. "Is there more shooting or less shooting when Piper is with you?" Nat put her hands on her hips and stared up at her.

"Definitely less," Ruby offered.

"Agreed." Savannah shrugged at Alex. "Jazz?"

"Oh god, you're pulling me into a family argument?"

"For Piper…" Savannah offered.

"Oh girl, Piper talks. Def less shooting," Jasmine shrugged helplessly at Alex.

Alex looked past Nat to Ruby and Ruby shrugged too. "It's true, Piper talks more than you do. You're all pew pew then search the body. You let her do all the talking. Well, most of the talking. She balances out you two, trigger-happy, gun nuts."

"You didn't even finish asking him questions," Nat pointed at the Pip-Boy.

"No, Nat, I did finish. I was done questioning him."

"Oh, you were? Ok, where's Skinny Malone then?"

"Vault one-fourteen," Alex crossed her arms.

Nat leaned forward, "Where are the books for his clubs kept? Where are all the clubs?" She waited only a second until the next question, "Where's the proof Cooke and Latimer are stealing chems?"

"I don't need proof." Evelyn stood, checking her revolver. "They're both holed up in the city. Alive. And I'm about to go fix that."

"No, you're not." Dez answered her, "We need them alive to get more information out of them."

"Yeah, Blue." Nat took a deep breath, "Like where's the communication drops? How do they know something's there? Who picks it up? How do they get the chems? How many caps we talking about over the last two years?"

Her hip jut out as she stood her ground, "What's the next step of the plan? Do all the settlements have moles? How about the Minutemen? That's all I can think of, and Piper would have at least ten more questions."

"God damn," Preston stood up, "Gunners in the Minutemen? We need to go through the ranks. We have already given them our plan for expanding the city. We've handed them everything they need to take over the Commonwealth."

"Keep your shirt on, Garvey." Cait looked at Alex. "Juniors like Piper, but that don't mean she's right. Piper isn't always right."

"No, but Natalie has a point," Dez answered, still sitting calmly. "We need a lot more information." She looked Alex in the eyes.

"Fuck sakes," Evelyn toed the concrete with a huff.

Alex tapped her foot, impatiently.

Cait sighed, but Nat ignored her. "Dead people spill their guts on the ground, Blue. That's not where it counts. Piper says it all the time." Nat started to walk down the steps, "Did you even think to ask about the raiders? No, you just got mad and shot him. You broke the rules, damnit. You said you can't let your feelings get in the way when questioning someone and that's exactly what you did."

"Jesus Christ," Cait shook her head, "There are two of them." Cait patted Alex on the thigh, "You're so fucked."

"I'll get the trade caravan paper out, it's in my room. But that wasn't okay, Blue. No more shooting people that talk!" Nat yelled.

"Nat, come back here," Alex called to her.

"No! I'm mad at you." Nat answered, waving her arm and continuing to walk down.

"Natalie! Willow! Wright!" Alex shouted at her. "I said come back here right now! We aren't done talking."

Nat turned angrily, "What?! Yes, we are, and you aren't Piper!" She marched back up the stairs. "The names thing doesn't work for you like it does for her. You screwed up! You should have let that guy talk your ear off." She poked Alex in the chest, "But no, you shot him."

Alex dropped her arms, putting her hands on her hips instead, "You're right."

Nat stopped and just looked at her, "I know that." She waved her hand dismissively. Giving Alex an impatient glare, Nat tapped her foot and put her hands on her hips, "This is why my sister smokes so much, isn't it?"

"I really like this kid," Dez lit a cigarette. "Well, Lex? I know this is why I smoke so much."

Nat pointed at her, "See!"

"Nat?" Ruby called her name breathlessly. Nat and Alex looked over at Ruby. "Can we all cuddle you now? You are so cute when you act just like Piper." Ruby held her hands to her chest, then tapped Joanna, "Tell her, Jay. Tell her she's adorable."

Joanna nodded smiling, "You are definitely adorable right now."

"All of you, yes." Nat swirled her finger through the air. "Blue no. I'm still mad at you." Nat stomped her foot, "God, and you were doing so good until you got mad." She threw her hands in the air and started back down the stairs with a huff.

Cait shook her head, "Great, now when Piper wakes up there'll be two of 'em angry at you." Cait stood up, "Which means I'll get me arse bit off because I'm in range. If Piper's angry then Curie will be mad. That woman is an ankle biter, Al, I won't be havin' it. You fix this with Junior, right fucking now."

Nat came marching back up the steps, "What are we doing now?"

"You're getting us that paper." Dez said standing, "Is your memory like Piper's?"

"Sort of." Nat looked at her realizing she was much taller than Glory, "I memorize stuff like Piper's notes or things I don't keep copies of. I have a copy of every paper, so I don't bother memorizing the articles. But if I read a book, I can tell you what page something is on if you ask me."

"Can you draw the designs too?" Preston was curious.

"Yeah, why?" Nat watched him, not understanding what he didn't get.

Alex smiled at Dez, she tapped Nat and pointed at her notepad, "You remember that circuit I showed you?"

Nat rolled her eyes, pulled out her notepad, and quickly sketched it. It only took her a minute and she held it out to Alex, but Savannah snatched the pad instead.

"Why am I not surprised you showed Nat how to make a radio detonator?" Savannah grinned handing the pad to Dez. "More importantly, does Piper do this too?" Savannah sighed, "I can't believe it's possible for that woman to be hotter than she already is."

"No, Piper's memory is… she sees something, and the things in her head connect to it. For me, it's information retention. I see it and memorize it. That's how I'm different, I can remember whole books, but I have to…" She closed her eyes thinking, "How can I make you understand…" Nat thought about it for a second then opened her eyes, "Oh, I know. I have to flip through the pages mentally to find what I'm looking for. It's like speed reading like Jay or Curie do. Does that make sense?" She snapped her fingers thinking about Piper, "That's why Piper does those weird logic leaps I just don't get. Piper just automatically remembers lists, dates, names, and pieces of information. She says it's like a light clicks on and she understands the connections between the threads."

"Well, I need to go change my jumpsuit," Jasmine stood up. "That woman makes me break into a sweat."

"Amen, Jazz," Savannah mumbled.

"Well, Piper isn't allowed near explosives," Alex laughed. "You guys know that." Alex put her hand on Nat's shoulder, "What page was it on Bug?" Alex waited patiently.

"Or grenades…" Cait added. "God help us if she puts one delicate finger on a pin."

Preston chuckled, "I shouldn't laugh, I am the one with the scars."

"Are you joking, Blue? One-oh-one and one-oh-two. There were two drawings, but you said only this one was important." Nat quickly sketched the other diagram as Dez held the pad, "This was the other one."

"I really like this kid," Dez looked at Alex, handing Nat's pad back to her. "Latimer and Cooke are in town?"

Evelyn nodded, "I saw them trying to sneak past one of the tall Minutemen fellers while we were carryin' the dead out to the gate. They've been holed up in that empty house on the back side of town."

"Good." Dez gave Alex a pointed look, "Time for that private chat, Lex. Councilwoman…"

"Fuck it, just call me Evelyn. Everyone else is dead. I don't have a stick up me arse over this shite."

"Alright, Evelyn, I'd like for you to stay as well." Dez put her hand on Cait, "You too, doll."

"I'll meet you at home, Nat," Alex pulled her into a hug, "Deal with my forced cuddles. I'm sorry I let you down."

"Whatever," Nat hugged her back, "But I'm ratting you out to Piper. I'll let her deal with you. I can't stay mad at you like she pretends to."

Cait scoffed, "You tell her I had nothin' to do with it too."

Nat let Alex go, "You're safe. I'll make sure you're out of range." Nat quickly hugged Cait.

She started heading down the stairs with Joanna and stopped, "Blue, do you want me to check for Piper's notes on Alister Riley and that caravan?"

"Yes," Dez answered her.

"If I can't find them, I'll rewrite them for you," Nat called back to her. "Piper doesn't know how to organize anything."