The Dugout Inn was as dusty as always. Something about the place reeked of liquor, old dirt, and undisturbed dust. The worn furniture matched the peeling paint and fritzing overhead light bulbs. Whole sections of the ceiling were wilting, revealing hard concrete that matched the trash-strewn ground. Along the supporting pillars were crooked old paintings that always frustrated Tessa, and she did her best to ignore them as the four women approached the bar that comprised most of the far wall.

An assortment of knick-knacks filled the old wooden player boxes. Tessa mused for a few moments just how many homerun heroes and strikeout suckers had claimed those bat racks and half lockers. Now the most exciting thing to grace those storied relics were drinks, cleaning supplies, and a stray toaster or two.

Piper interrupted Tessa's reverie with an excited shout, "Vadim, how about four of your famous moonshine?" The blonde cast her an amused grin, and Piper winked up at her just as the balding man gave a hearty laugh and immediately started pouring some bottles from the still. Various people were in the tavern at the evening hour, and most of their eyes went to the group of new arrivals. Tessa had long since gotten used to all the attention, even after she'd stopped wearing her vault suit. The Pip-Boy would always garner her some unwanted attention, unfortunately. Now, however, she was a local celebrity, and attention would follow her wherever she went.

Most of the faces were ones she only knew in passing, but she gave a friendly wave to Arturo. The recently elected council member gave her a bright smile in return and raised his beer. She laughed and tipped her newsboy hat. "Friend of yours?" Teased Desdemona.

"More like a mutual acquaintance, don't you think?" Tessa smoothly replied.

With a subtle smile, Desdemona leaned in a bit closer. "Careful now, I'm still keeping myself a secret, remember?"

"Don't worry, I won't give you up that easy."

Vadim slammed the moonshine on the counter, the drinks so perfectly made they lacked that distinctive alcohol scent. Tessa paid up and then lifted her bottle with the others. "To an easy evening!" Tessa cheered, and they clanked bottles with joyful agreement.

Desdemona pulled back after tasting hers and whistled. "Fuck, that's strong!"

"Awh come on you just started," G5 taunted, nudging the ginger with her elbow. "I want to see you as red as your hair."

"I don't think that's safe," Desdemona cheekily replied.

"Hey, if you start puking, maybe Curie will come help," G5 suggested.

"Awh, and miss out on you?"

"Cute."

Tessa took a few swigs and had to exhale at the intense burn. "Shit. Can't remember the last time I tried one of these."

"I think it was MacCready's birthday," Piper said.

"Oh yeah, didn't we end up in the stands?"

Piper snickered. "Without any shoes either... for some reason."

A few moments passed of laughter, their voices mixing with the natural ambiance. Vadmin handed more drinks to other customers, but he glanced at them with the grace of a professional barkeep. "Sounds like fun," Desdemona said, "Maybe we'll end up something like that ourselves."

"With Piper leading the way? Absolutely." Tessa nudged the youngest of the group who simply stuck out her tongue and laughed. They migrated away from the bar towards one of the corners of the inn, where ratty couches and darkness clung to. Not all of the lights worked anymore if they ever even did. Scrutinizing eyes took in the stains of blood and alcohol to the cream pattern, and Tessa grumbled slightly with disgust.

G5 caught Tessa's gaze. "Not everything can meet the standards of the old world."

"I know I know," she muttered, "doesn't mean it's not gross."

"Hey you've gone through much worse," Piper snickered as she kicked her feet up on the coffee table. It bore scars from five-finger-fillet and many other wasteland games. "Or did you forget about that time we went skulking through the Concord civic access tunnels?"

"A deathclaw came out of there!" Tessa gasped defensively, laughter sparkling in her eyes. She took another long pull of her moonshine and coughed. "Christ that was terrifying, first time seeing one of those devils. I honestly thought there would be a whole nest of them in there, instead, we got mirelurks."

Desdemona crinkled her nose. "I would hate to face one of those in an enclosed space."

"Eh, just go for the face and it's as dead as any other creature," G5 said casually, eyes fixated on Desdemona.

"If you can avoid getting snipped in two," Desdemona replied. Tessa blinked. Half the moonshine was already gone in Desdemona's bottle. Hazel eyes flickered up to her, mischief alight like the wreath of fire framing them. "I am not a fan of those things, not even the meat. I don't get why so many people consider it a delicacy."

Piper shrugged. "Probably because it's so dangerous to get. Even the eggs can attack you if you're not careful!"

"Too salty," Desdemona said with authority as if passing judgment on the entirety of mirelurk cuisine.

Laughter filled their corner, heads already a bit cloudy from the strong alcohol. G5 leaned into Desdemona on the couch, cheeks tinged red from either the moonshine or being near her lost flame. There was something beautiful about seeing G5 so open with her feelings, something that was normally much more rigid and hard to read. The presence of Desdemona had as palpable an effect and Tessa's lovers did on her. Dark eyes flashed at Tessa, an edge of danger almost, though Tessa did not feel threatened. A blonde brow arched in a challenge.

G5 tilted her head into Desdemona, making the ginger blush. "I don't remember the last time I drank," she said, "especially with you."

"We shared a drink before your procedure." Desdemona's eyes lowered, focusing elsewhere.

"Time to make some good memories then," Tessa suggested before the mood could sour. She drank more moonshine, throat burning with every gulp. Piper smiled at her, beautiful in every way. Unable to resist, Tessa kissed Piper, a chuckle escaping the brunette at the taste of alcohol on their lips. Tessa's heart sped up in the embrace, a thick chuckle escaping her as they pulled apart. Piper's smile was less confident and more flustered, red accenting her cheeks.

When Tessa looked to the others, she was pleased to see they'd also kissed. As much as she loved Curie and would've liked to spend time with her, it was also pleasing to see G5 enjoying herself. Things had been particularly strained in regards to balancing social needs between the two. Still, this was the longest Tessa had ever seen G5 in control. A part of her worried Curie would return at an awkward moment. "You know you should really try to relax more," cooed Piper in Tessa's ear.

Tessa took ahold of Piper's hand and squeezed it. "I guess I'm still wound up. It's crazy to think the worst of it is finally over."

"Hopefully," Desdemona intoned, "we have to be prepared for another war but… yes it is surreal that we're finally done."

With a cheerful laugh, Piper toasted, "To retirement!" Their moonshine bottles clanked together loudly as the others joined in. They drank it swiftly, hoping that if they went fast enough the burn wouldn't devour them from the inside out. Piper sputtered, pulling back first. She lolled her tongue out and waved at it as her face scrunched up. Desdemona relented second, reacting much the same as Piper. Tessa and G5 glared at one another, hoping to be the first to finish the incredibly high proof drink. Finally, Tessa gasped, unable to finish.

G5 slammed her empty bottle onto the small coffee table in front of them. They cheered and clapped for her, laughter bubbling between them like a bunch of sugar-high kids. G5 flexed and bowed where she sat, dramatically soaking up their praise. She caught Piper's eye and leaned into the reporter, taking a sloppy kiss. Piper squeaked in surprise but returned it in full. When they pulled apart she was flushed, eyes wide. Tessa and Desdemona's brows had both raised, surprised by G5's forwardness.

"So that's what it's like," G5 mumbled.

"Are you feeling alright?" Tessa asked with a smile.

"Yeah! I just… Curie writes about how much she loves you two and kissing and all- what it's not a big deal, we've kissed before!"

Piper chuckled, brushed some of G5's hair back, and leaned in for another. "First time you've ever initiated it."

G5 grinned, took Piper by the collar, and pulled her close. Tessa laughed as they embraced, cautiously glancing at Desdemona. Instead of the jealousy, she feared to see, Desdemona watched with keen interest. She knowingly glanced up to Tessa and winked, making the blonde blush fiercely. "Maybe the moonshine is getting to me," conceded G5 as they pulled apart.

"You downed that like a champ," praised Desdemona. "I think only Glory could outdrink you."

"And damn did she do it every time," snorted G5.

Tessa fondly thought of the mini gun-toting Railroad agent. "I remember one time she and I cleared out a railway tunnel that raiders had taken over. She was a force to be reckoned with, and afterward, we drank half of Deacon's secret stash."

Desdemona purred in delight. "So that's why he was so grumpy that day. I nearly sent him on a job just to get his grumbling to stop."

"Knowing Deacon it was more because you found it than you drank it," Piper put in, G5 nodding in agreement. "He sure loves his secrets."

"That he does," agreed Tessa, "can't believe he tried to trick me into thinking he was a synth though."

G5 rolled her eyes. "I don't like him much, too playful."

"He's matured considerably," Desdemona defended softly, "but you do have a point."

"It's good to find a moment to laugh," Piper countered, "especially in the face of overwhelming sorrow. A good story or joke can set a fire in the soul. We can't always be dodging bullets and performing covert ops."

"Hopefully there will be considerably less of that in our futures," Desdemona said.

Tessa kissed Piper's cheek lovingly, warmth in her chest. She tucked her nose in the crook of Piper's neck, simply delighting in her presence and the way the reporter hummed in delight. G5 and Desdemona cuddled as well, dwelling on their own thoughts. Piper interlocked their hands, playing with the calloused digits of her love. It was a perfectly peaceful moment, a rarity in the wasteland.

Naturally, that had to come to an end.

A loud clatter drew their attention to a trio of Diamond City residents. Shattered glass and spilled alcohol stained the concrete floor, one man's shirt doused in beer. Tessa grimaced as the three residents began to argue, heated words rising rapidly. "Should I intervene?" Tessa asked slowly, worried that a proper fight could break out. There were no guards in the Dugout at the moment, leaving Vadim to act as bouncer himself. The older man paled behind the counter, trying to calm things to little success.

"I'll back you up," G5 said with a tense edge, separating from Desdemona reluctantly.

Nodding, Tessa rose to her feet and cautiously made her way over. She wasn't dressed in her armor, unlike a merc who was swiftly approaching from the side. Sunglass framed dark skin that momentarily reminded Tessa of X6-88 and she froze in place. G5 stopped next to her, confused until she spotted the man. The next thing Tessa knew the merc was on the ground with G5 going completely berserk above him. The already bubbling fight burst next to her, residents throwing fists and bottles getting turned into weapons. Shouts exploded, for guards, for them to stop, and for bloodshed all at the same time. Tessa darted for G5 and tried to pull her off the man. Despite her lighter frame, G5 stood her ground like a dog on prey, unleashing devastation on the man. He covered his face with his arms but he was bloodying rapidly. Crimson slicked the bottom of G5's boots, a feral growl coming from the former courser.

Desdemona and Piper were there a moment too late, hauling G5 back just as friends of the merc arrived. They stumbled over their friend as their target was pulled back, falling into Tessa instead. Stars swam in Tessa's vision as a fist impacted her nose. She violently reacted in kind, gripping the merc's shoulders and pushing him back just enough to lay on a flurry of punches. Her knuckles cracked with the last punch and the merc collapsed onto a dirty couch. Piper and Desdemona were having to fight G5 back, a frenzy consuming her that terrified Tessa. It was a painfully familiar sight.

The rustling residents spilled over into Tessa's area, elbows catching her sides and a stray fist skimming her shoulder. She stumbled away, the entire inn devolving into violence. Someone screamed as they were stabbed with a broken bottle, another ran past Tessa with a broken nose and a split lip. From the corner of her eye, she saw a knife aimed at her and she reacted on pure instinct, sidestepping and sweeping out her assailant's feet. The merc landed on his own blade. Not a singular voice was clear in the cacophony, only shouts and curses, and meaty injuries. Desperate not to get swept up in the tide, Tessa struggled towards the edges of the inn.

An unseen hand pulled her by the shoulder free. Ready for a scrap, Tessa nearly punched Desdemona but stopped herself short. "We need to get the fuck out of here," Desdemona hissed.

"There's no back door," lamented Tessa briskly. The entrance was bottlenecked, people trying to flee and guards trying to enter making it an impenetrable wall of shifting bodies. "We can hide in the back rooms till this blows over!"

Fortunately, they weren't far, and it wasn't too hard to pull away from the bar fight towards the rentable bedrooms. Tessa tossed a heavy stack of caps towards Yefim who was clinging to the wall like a frightened cat. He barely registered the offering and blinked after them. Running to the furthest room with G5 carried like a wounded soldier, the women retreated. They placed G5 on the bed while Piper pushed the nearest piece of furniture in front of the door just in case, the roar of violence vibrating the wooden frame. It felt like being caught inside a tornado, a storm tearing all around them. Gulping, Tessa turned to the source of the outbreak.

G5 had stopped fighting. She was hyperventilating on the bed, staring at her bloodied boots. Blood dripped from her fists, not her own. Desdemona gingerly sat next to her, not touching her just yet. "G5…"

The former courser didn't speak, didn't even blink, only frantically breathing as the women drew nearer. Tessa fumbled with the sleeve of her shirt and tore the cuff off. Her nose didn't feel broken, but it certainly smarted. She stuffed her nostrils with flannel to stem the bleeding, and awkwardly checked the others for injuries. Desdemona had a few scuffs that would surely bruise while Piper was bleeding from a glass cut to her arm. Sighing, Tessa began to roll up Piper's sleeve to wrap the wound. The reporter instinctively leaned into her touch, safe there with Tessa.

Desdemona placed a hand on G5's shoulder and the former courser jerked back. Her eyes were as wide as saucers and pupils dilated. "I thought it was him," she gasped.

"Who?"

"X6… that merc… he- I…"

Tessa gave a long sigh. The tension in her body wasn't leaving, building up instead at the base of her spine. She still felt like fighting, half expecting the throng of bar brawlers to burst through the barricaded door. "I thought the same."

G5 clenched a fist. Her legs were trembling. "I used to work with him. I wonder if h-he recognized me when he abducted Curie. Seeing someone so like him I- I don't know what overcame me."

"Trauma has a real ugly way of rearing its head," Piper put in slowly, as if afraid of further upsetting her. "You seemed a bit on edge when you got up though. Is there something going on?"

The synth gritted her teeth and held her head in her hands. Blood dripped down onto her boots, further adding to the crimson stains. "I… I want to stay awake and enjoy this but… I'm tired. I can't be in control for long, even when I try so hard. I don't… I don't want to go to sleep and wake up a week later and Dez is gone."

Tension crackled through the air, sparking along their spines. Desdemona frowned. "A week? Is that normally how long you go between being in control?"

G5 shrugged. "This isn't my body anymore… it's ours but really it's hers. I wake up for an hour or so and then a long time has gone by. You have no idea what it's like to lose your own fucking body. I like Curie, we've made our peace and I'm not upset with the decision you and Glory made." She took one of Desdemona's hands in her own, holding tight. "But this isn't life."

Desdemona looked at their hands, blood, and dirt rubbing off onto her. They were far from the bloodiest her hands had ever been. "All we can do is make the best out of this situation, right? You two are stuck together aren't you?"

G5 gave a trembling nod. "We don't know what makes us change control, other than stimulus. Seeing you… it jolted me forward just like Tessa and Piper draw out Curie."

"One trend I've noticed," Tessa said softly, "is you tend to come around when Curie's suddenly lost consciousness."

"Like the paint prank," Piper added.

"Exactly. If she unexpectedly loses control you wake up… and protect the both of you."

G5 was crestfallen. "Is that all I am? A defense mechanism? An angry war dog waiting to fight? I thought I escaped the Institute, but their claws are still sunk in me. I- I lost my mind to escape them!" She withdrew from Desdemona, holding herself now. There was so much blood, and the poor man hadn't even had a chance to defend himself. The riot could still be heard outside, shouts and slamming. The only blessing was that gunfire hadn't mixed in just yet.

"You're a person, G5," Tessa promised. "Just like I am."

"You're a perfect replicant of a pre-war brain frozen for extraction. I'm the corrupted data of a killer, a cold-hearted murderer, trapped beneath the programming of a man-made doc bot. We're nothing alike, Grey."

"I'm not Tessa Grey, the lawyer, and mother," she replied in a gentle tone, even if those words struck a chord within her. As much as she was at peace with herself, it still hurt at times. "I've arguably committed genocide. Twice. I wiped a settlement off the map in a chem-induced blood rage. I've left so many bodies in my wake I have nightmares where I see the faces of those I betrayed. Sure, I've done good, I was pivotal in liberating our kin, and I've united the Commonwealth under the banner of the Minutemen. That doesn't wipe away the murder. It doesn't change that I strangled Shaun until the life left his eyes and the machine flatlining didn't stop me."

"You killed the devil," rationalized G5 in a quiet voice. "I served him without hesitation."

"You were brainwashed."

"I caught so many kin and brought them to their deaths. I was bad!"

Desdemona's voice cut in like a surgical knife. "You left that behind. You redeemed yourself, and you were never really at fault either. You were a tool, G5, and a good one at that. And one day, you woke up, and you escaped your oppressors who made you do those awful things. You're not responsible for their sins."

G5 trembled, and withdrew into herself. "The institute didn't make me almost kill that man. I'm accountable for that."

"You did it because of repressed trauma. It's not like you just snapped for no reason. He resembled the man who took you, who hurt you."

"Curie- Curie not me."

"Is it really that different?"

G5 drew her knees up close to her body and wrapped her arms around them. Burying her face in them, her voice came out muffled and strained. "We couldn't be more like night and day if we tried. Curie is… she's good. She wants to help people, and educate them and save the world. I just want to stop hurting, and I bite and I kick and I kill. She loathes violence but it's my first instinct."

"All I want to do is tell the world the truth," Piper said softly, "and it's made me kill. Killing… it's not black and white. Sometimes to protect people, a bad person has to die. Morality in the wasteland isn't as easy as the old days, where- what was it Blue, a judge and a jury decided the fate of the accused and an executioner carried it out? Out here, sometimes you have to be all three. Nobody really gave anyone the authority to in most cases, we try for something reminiscent of civility; mayors, militias, town guards and sheriffs… we're making up the rules as we go and it's the best we can do." Piper placed a hand on G5's knee. Tessa took her other hand and gave her a supportive squeeze.

"I want… I don't want to hurt people anymore," whispered G5. "I want to be able to laugh and smile and not feel like a hypocrite."

Desdemona placed her hands on G5 and Piper's shoulders while Tessa lay her free one on G5's other shoulder. They were chained up in affection in support. Each physical point was warm and held the certainty, the dedication only possible when met with genuine care. "Then you work for it, every damn day," Piper said.

"I've got more blood in my ledger than I'll ever be able to wipe clean," Desdemona admitted, "but I still have to try. I have to hope to do enough good to outweigh the sins."

"You're not alone, G5," Tessa comforted. "We'll all work together to be better."

"I'm… I…"

"It's okay to not know what to say," she soothed. "Just trust us, please. We love you, and want you to be okay. It won't be easy, but we'll help. You'll never hurt someone like you did tonight again."

G5 raised her head just enough for reddened dark eyes to look at each of them. She sniffled, then gave a small nod. "Thank you…"