Goodneighbour
June the 12th, 2288
19:22

"You feeling alright, Duncan?"

For Robert Joseph MacCready, seeing the bright smile of his son, something he thought he would never see again, brought him a sense of peace and happiness he had almost forgotten he could feel. Looking up from reading his comic books, the little boy who had just turned five waved excitedly at his dad, who took off his hat, stepped into his son's room, and sat down on the edge of his bed. Duncan all but tossed his comic books to the side to hug his dad, looking up with wide eyes when he saw the woman who hesitantly lingered in the doorway. After a minute, one of her smaller medical bags in hand, Dr. Annette Davis slowly came over to them, and let out a sigh of relief when she saw the reduced swelling and number of boils on the five year old's arms. Happily reaching for his comic books again, Duncan grinned and started telling her about the latest turn of events in the series before looking up at his dad, still thrilled his dad had, much to his surprise, come home from work the day before with a slightly late birthday present, one Hancock had helped him find. Affectionately ruffling his son's long hair, MacCready laughed a little when Duncan tightly hugged him again. Things felt right, again, almost as though they always had been.

"I checked last night, most of the ones on his back have gone away or are healing," MacCready said, gently scratching his son behind his ears to keep him calm while Annette prepared and sterilised her needles. "I was right. Med-Tek really was the place."

"And, thankfully, we were able to get back without too much trouble or worry about losing anything. After what it was…" Annette paused. "Something was wrong in there. I'm relieved we got back safe."

"I am too," MacCready shook a little at the far too recent memory. "On time for his birthday, too."

Duncan giggled. "You finally managed to bake cake!"

"It may have taken me three years, but I learnt," MacCready said with a slight chuckle. "Helps Daisy is pretty good at it."

"I take it she's helped you learn a lot of practical skills over the years?" Annette said, glancing over at him. "I'm just glad you were able to be there with him."

"Daddy's the best!" Duncan said, reaching up to mess with his dad's hair. "He's helping me feel better! You too, Anne!"

"I'm certainly glad to know you're starting to recover, though it may be a slow process," Annette gently reminded him. "Things might not keep easing so quickly. That's why there's three doses."

"Today's the second dose," MacCready added, relieved when his son nodded. "You feeling up to it?"

"I think so," Duncan said, a bit nervous when he saw Annette preparing the next vaccination dose. "It's not going to hurt, is it?"

"It shouldn't," Annette said calmly, reaching over to numb the injection site on the five year old's arm. "I know it's a lot to go through, but it's all to get things better. You ready?"

Duncan fell silent but eventually nodded, squeezing his eyes shut when he felt the needle press into his arm. Keeping his little boy steady, MacCready reassuringly patted his back, his own anxiety easing when he saw Annette finish the injection and clean the injection site. Once she was done, Duncan pulled over one of his blankets and wrapped it around himself before turning back to his comics. MacCready looked between his son and Annette, who delicately put the used needle in a secure bag to be safely discarded before putting her things back into her bag. Almost as though she were in a trance, she zipped the bag shut, awkwardly patted the five year old the head, and then silently left the room. Giving his son a hug and an affectionate kiss on the forehead, MacCready stayed in the room, picked up his hat, and kept an eye on his son for a few minutes. When he was sure he was alright, he too left the room, Duncan contentedly reading his comics. Happier than he anticipated when he stepped into the living room to see Annette having stepped out onto the balcony to have a cig, MacCready set his hat back on his head and walked out to join her, reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out a new pack, smiling when she raised an eyebrow upon him handing it to her.

"I like everything to remain nice and even," MacCready lightly teased. "And you're one up on me…and I think I owe you this for the amount I've taken off you the last three months."

Annette rolled her eyes but slipped the pack into her purse. "Is that all you've learnt about me since we met?" She laughed. "That I always have at least a few cigs on hand?"

"Trust me when I say I've learnt a lot more than that," MacCready replied with a smile. "You've dedicated just about your entire life to practising medicine, you spent most of your life in a Vault, and you're an absolute sweetheart who's soft with kids. You know Duncan likes you a lot, don't you?"

"Well, that's good to know," Annette sighed, tapping the excess ash off her cig. "Although I'm not…well. I…I suppose you…after what happened when we left Med-Tek, I suppose I owe you an explanation."

"About what you said to those Brotherhood guys?" MacCready said, surprised. "Honestly, I was just glad to hear someone put them in their place, for once. No one in the Capital Wasteland seemed willing to."

"Seeing them here was…well, it caught me off guard," Annette said, bitterness slipping into her voice. "I can't believe Teagan is still one of their leaders. The man's a disgrace, and that's putting it lightly. Then again, those Brotherhood soldiers, the ones we…they're just like all the rest of them. Self righteous bastards, all of them, who expect to be given time of day despite doing nothing to deserve being shown genuine respect."

"Some of them, at least the handful I've met over the years, are alright," MacCready said, worried when he saw the way her hands were shaking. "You alright, Annette? If –"

"I'm fine, and, even if I weren't, you deserve to know the truth," She said, taking a long draw on her cig. "You want to know how old Proctor Teagan is?"

"Isn't he somewhere in his fifties or early sixties?" MacCready grimaced when she nodded. "I'm guessing nothing good happened if you mentioned him specifically."

"For one thing, after I struggled to find my father after I had to leave the Vault upon my then…well, I thought I was going to marry her but fiancé certainly isn't quite…after her father tried to kill my father and then me, I had no choice to leave the Vault, alone, and unsure of where to go," Annette said, her voice unusually quiet. "I had just turned nineteen. I wandered alone, thought I would die the first few days, but ended up in a small town called Megaton."

MacCready reassuringly set a hand to her shoulder. "Must have been hell. I…I can only imagine."

"I don't even know how I managed to get that far," Annette said, finishing her cig and pulling out another. "A woman there helped me get to Rivet City, where I thought my father would be…but I was too late. And I…I made the mistake of trusting the Brotherhood to be the ones to help me. Teagan convinced me to sign a contract, putting in writing they would find my father, in exchange for my being a medical student. I'd thought it was fair but it instead kept me from leaving the Citadel for two years."

"Two years?" MacCready repeated, horrified when she faintly nodded. "How could…why would they…?"

"Having just about no freedom of movement for the two years between my father and I having to leave the Vault and the defeat of the Enclave wasn't the worst of it," Annette said softly. "It was what…Teagan and I…God, I…I never should have let him to do what he did to me. But worse is what I…I did to myself."

MacCready stared at her, shocked when she rolled up her sleeves, something he, to his disbelief, realised he had never seen her do before.

"Are those…" He hesitated. "Are those all self inflicted?"

"Most of them," Annette said, her voice little more than a whisper. "And here I am, a month from being thirty, with almost as many scars and healed burns as a careless junkie."

"I'm just glad you're still here," MacCready said, reaching over to take her free hand. "It's alright, now. I get it…I'd have been pissed to see anyone from the Brotherhood too."

"I'm sorry to put all this on you," Annette startled when he tightly embraced her. "I just couldn't lie…I've done enough of that to try and hold onto…I…I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," MacCready said, gently treading a hand through her hair. "After all I've put on you, after asking you to do what you have for Duncan, I'm glad you trust me, even a little. And, to keep it even, how about I tell you about some of what…I've seen over the years."

"If you're willing," Annette said, taking another draw on her second cig when he released her. "Don't feel you have to, or –"

"I want to," MacCready said, sighing. "Where do I begin? Like I said, I mostly grew up in a cave with a bunch of other kids. I never knew my parents, but I learnt a decent bit about my mother from some of the older kids before they left Lamplight too. Amy Maura MacCready. Sounded like she never knew who my father was, and, seeing as I never knew either of them, it doesn't bother me…I guess she had been getting ready to leave Lamplight herself when she found out about me. The others had her stay until I was born, and the last thing she did before she left was name me, and give me this."

Annette raised an eyebrow when he pulled out a necklace he kept hidden under his shirt. "Oh my God! That looks…is that real sapphire?"

"Apparently she wanted me to have something worth a decent bit of caps, in case I needed it," He said with a slight laugh. "I don't think I'll ever be able to bring myself to give it up…it's…I just can't. When he's older, I'm going to give it to Duncan…in case he ever needs it."

"You really do everything for him," Annette smiled, stubbing out her cig. "Duncan couldn't be luckier to have you."

"I hope you're right," MacCready said, though he smiled when he saw she was. "But seeing him starting to get better? It really gives me hope, and, more than anything, I hope I'll be able to be the parent he deserves. I haven't been for too long. He needs it…and I think I'll…I think I'll be able to manage it."

Diamond City
June the 14th, 2288
18:07

Travis Brendan Miles was many things, some of which, he supposed, he was proud of.

First of all, he had survived to be twenty eight, a feat he was relieved to have been able to achieve without ever leaving Diamond City. Second of all, despite not having expected to actually get the job, he had managed to spend the past five years of his life in relative solitude, away from the prying and judgemental eyes, just talking and playing music for people through the Commonwealth's longest ranged radio. Third, and in his mind most impressive, he even had a handful of friends in a town he was sometimes too anxious to go into except to get food, water, and the caps he'd earnt during the week. Though he very much had not expected it, he had been happy when Vadim came to pay him a visit. One of the few people in the city he thought understood him, Travis had been all too happy to spend a few hours with him, even have a little bit of banter on the air. What he was now worried was a mistake, however, was agreeing to come to the Dugout, to Vadim's bar, to socialise. The more he had thought about it over the few days since he had agreed to go, the more he found himself questioning the decision. Still, not wanting to disappoint the man he considered his only true, best friend, Travis anxiously made his way from his home and office, the radio set to air autonomously for a few hours, to one of the city's strangest locales, trying his best to not jump or scream when a few dogs and eye-bots patrolling the city caught him off guard.

Waving nervously at a few people sat outside the bar, eating, drinking, and singing songs he thought were from a musical, Travis made himself go to the door, and, after remembering it was a public place and he didn't have to knock, opened it and stepped inside. Like always, the second he was through the door and into the short hallway leading into the main room of the bar, the sounds of laughing, cursing, and music could be heard. It was almost comforting. As far as he knew, there were rarely any moments of quiet in the Dugout, even late at night when he (and, he hoped, most people) would be asleep. Half yearning to run back home and curl up in bed early for the night, Travis forced himself to keep walking, and managed to smile and wave when Vadim saw him and started cheering. Much to his surprise, a few others joined him, three of whom were in leather jackets, all embossed with the words Atom Cats on the back. Uncomfortably, he smiled at them, surprised when the dark haired woman in heavy eyeliner winked at him, the pink haired girl with a beer waved, and the boy with hair gelled up high took off his sunglasses and shook his hand. He took a step back, however, when he saw the far too excitable woman sitting on the edge of the bar, taking shots.

"Cait?" Travis said, tightening his jacket around himself. "I…hello. I thought you were still…you know…a, well, fighting people as your job. You…you still are, aren't you?"

"Hell no," She replied with a wink. "I've actually been spending me time going around, all about, really, the Commonwealth to help a real pretty, sweet woman looking for her kid….and, of course, with the help of Diamond City's favourite private eye."

"And, now, she's back!" Vadim said, smacking his palm against hers. "She's one hell of a storm, no? I'm damn proud of her. She even killed an evil, evil man!"

"You should take notes," Rowdy remarked, reaching for some fries. "Cait is a real good fighter. Anyone who thinks otherwise should pray they never have to fight her."

"If they tried, they would regret it," Cait said with a laugh. "The blokes who've thought it ain't got much of them left. Including the piece of shite I took down with Nora and Nicky."

"She's not kidding," Zeke added with a smirk. "I've seen some of the pieces of the son of a bitch."

Travis let out an anxious yelp. "You…you?" He waved his hands worriedly, walking back away from them a bit. "I…I don't think I want to know much more. There's probably a lot of –"

"Watch where you're going, boy!"

Travis screamed, whipping around and accidentally smacking the man he had inadvertently walked into. When he saw the man, he dizzily realised he was not only several inches taller than him but muscular and with several tattoos, one of which was of a disturbingly realistic depiction of a beheaded lion. Waving his hands frantically in surrender, Travis tried not to scream again but instead found himself struggling to not start hyperventilating. Quick on her feet, Rowdy grabbed one of Travis shoulders while Cait grabbed the other to prevent him from falling over and into anything or onto anyone else. Setting his sunglasses securely in his thickly gelled hair, Zeke stretched out his arms and walked over to them with a slick grin on his face, wrapping an arm over Travis shoulders once Rowdy and Cait let him go, themselves looking rather eager for a fight. Enjoying the sight, Lisanna turned around on the barstool upon which she was sat, adjusted her glasses, and took a long sip of her beer, trying not to smirk. Coming back from around the bar to prevent his brother from intervening, Vadim began arguing with him in Ukrainian, a sight which did not perturb any of their patrons, all of them quite used to the sight. Regaining himself, Travis tried to stay calm, though he felt his heart rate spike and his body shake when he saw a second man had come over, looking just as hardened as the man he had walked into by mistake.

"I…look," Travis stammered. "I don't want any trouble."

The first man snickered. "What's wrong? Not so tough once you're off the air?"

"Wait…what?" Travis swallowed hard. "What is this about?"

"You tell me," The second man sneered. "Or do you just make a habit of not watching where you're going? Don't tell me – you're just a clueless dumbass."

"I…no," Travis said, shaking his head. "No, I'm just…I'm only here for a drink."

"What was that?" The first man jeered. "Sorry, you say something?"

"I'm here for a drink," Travis said, his voice louder than he had meant for it to be. "Okay? I…I don't want any trouble. That's…enough is enough! Leave me alone!"

"Let me think about it for a second," The first man said, speaking with nothing but sarcasm. "You know what? I don't think so."

"I…I mean it!" Travis shouted, startled by himself. "Leave me alone!"

"Sounds like you were thinking about saying 'or else,'" The second man taunted. "Were you, Travis? Were you going to say 'or else?'"

"I…" Travis nervously looked over his shoulder at Zeke, who let him go. "I…I mean…I'm not really looking to cause trouble, you know…I don't want to –"

"Go for it!" Lisanna cheered, briefly setting down her beer to excitedly crack her knuckles. "Kick his ass!"

"Take a stand, do something about this," Zeke added with an almost fatherly slap on the back. "You don't have to knuckle down to these shit heads. Let's do something about this."

"I…I would…" Travis nervously tugged at the sleeves of his jacket. "Oh, God," He shook when he turned back at the two men who seemed to be squaring to fight. "I –"

"Whack 'em like they're commie mole rats!" Rowdy told him, tossing him her silver studded baseball bat. "Fight, fight, fight!"

"I –"

Surprising himself yet again, Travis tightened his hands around the former raider's baseball bat before letting out an unexpectedly aggressive, near war cry. Catching the two men by surprise, he lunged at them with the baseball bat and began waving it around frantically, hoping to smack something, anything, really, to make them leave him alone. He ducked out of the way when one of them tried to cut him across the face with a knife, and scurried in between them when they were distracted. With more rage than he had ever imagined having, Travis began swinging as high as he could to try and smack one or both of the men in the back of the head. To his surprise, he managed to hit one of them. Not wanting to lose the chance, he kept swinging and swinging at the back of the man's head until he realised there was blood starting to get caught on and staining the bat. Worried about ruining what he had heard was one of the former raider's favourite toys but more worried about getting killed, Travis kept swinging at the man until he got him disoriented enough to kick him to the ground. With one of them on the ground, the anxiety addled DJ turned around and began whacking at the second man. Almost furiously, he kept swinging, kicking, and hitting at the man when he saw he had drawn a gun. He screamed when the gun went off, but let out a deep, heavy breath of relief when he realised he had not been shot and, instead, the shot had misfired into one of the vending machines in the bar. Seeing the man had dropped the gun in the chaos, Travis all but lunged on the man and tackled him to the ground, beating him over the head with the bat over and over until he was sure he was unconscious. He then set down the bat and rolled over onto the floor, panting, and staring up at the ceiling, managing a small smile when he saw Vadim was looking down at him.

"You did good, Travis, very good!" Vadim grinned and extended his hand to help the shaking and sweating DJ back to his feet. "I knew you had it in you! How do you feel now?"

"I…I feel good!" Travis laughed, taking his hand and tightly embracing Vadim, who hugged him just as tight. "I can't believe it! I did it! I…I've got things to do, things I can do now!"

"Hell yeah, you do!" Rowdy exclaimed, clapping. "Someone buy this man a round!"

"On it!" Lisanna said, tossing some caps at the less than amused Yefim. "Oh, come on, it was a damn good fight!"

"And you definitely won your first bar fight!" Vadim cheerfully said, clapping his hands on the DJ's shoulders. "I'm very proud of you, Travis, fucking proud!"

"I…I think I…" Travis smiled and then, his heart racing again, wrapped his arms around Vadim's neck and kissed him, taken by surprise when Vadim eagerly kissed him back. "I…I never thought I'd have it in me to do that," He said, a bit embarrassed when they broke their kiss. "But…shit. I really…"

"Glad you finally did," Vadim said with a blush. "I was starting to think I was imagining you thought of me too!"

"You weren't," Travis said, laughing a little. "Shit, though. Did it really take two goons and a baseball bat for me to feel even a bit of confidence?"

"Everything happens for a reason," Vadim replied, kissing his cheek. "I'm happy you're afraid no more."

Railroad Headquarters
June the 15th, 2288
17:03

"Well, it looks as though, with one bad thing happening, we've got surprisingly good news."

Deacon swaggered into the old crypt with a smirk on his face that concerned all of his colleagues except for a certain eccentric inventor. Sliding in his rolling chair away from his computer, pulling up all the gadgets from in front of his face on his headgear, Tom smiled when he and Deacon met eyes, the two of them sharing a set of winks before turning to Desdemona. Much more concerned, she tiredly lit up a cig, expecting Deacon to give one of his long and almost certainly embellished stories. Sitting beside her and sharpening a set of knives, Glory glanced up every so often, the slightest unexpected change in her surroundings still not something she had gotten comfortable with again. Sensing her tension, Desdemona delicately set her free hand to one of Glory's shoulders, relieved when she felt her ease up even the smallest bit. Unsurprisingly annoyed, Carrington came out from working in the mainframe room with a scowl on his face when he saw Deacon take his sunglasses off with a flourish before tucking them, as usual, back into his shirt. Jumpier than usual, Drummer Boy nearly fell over when Deacon sashayed past him before, finally, hopping up onto the edge of the table upon which laid their map of the Commonwealth and adjacent regions.

"So, you know the son of a bitch who kidnapped that girl from University Point and dropped her into the Institute?" Deacon smirked when they all turned to him, surprised. "Guess who's one of the most recent shit heads to reach the gates of hell?"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Tom stood up, amazed. "You found and killed him?"

"Nope, though he's definitely kicked the can," Deacon replied, sending Carrington a pointed look. "I'll take your congratulations and apology now for saying I was wasting my time keeping an eye on the woman travelling with the Minutemen."

"The Minutemen killed him?" Desdemona said, a dubious note to her voice. "I'm surprised Hadley didn't say anything."

"Lay probably doesn't know yet, at least, since she would most likely be freaked out," Deacon shook his head. "She's been in a state lately. I told her to go home and rest up. The Brotherhood being here and her husband being asked to rejoin has really gotten to her."

"I suspect it'd take a toll on anyone, but, speaking of the Brotherhood, I know there's been panic about the…new thing floating in the sky," She paused, taking a draw on her cig. "With all of you finally back in one place, I suppose now is as good a time as any to bring you all up to speed."

"It's proving one of my theories!" Tom said eagerly. "Aliens are real!"

"Enough," Desdemona said sharply, raising a hand to silence him. "The blimp is called the Prydwen, and it's operated, as I'm sure you've all deduced, by the Brotherhood Of Steel, who are a formidable, highly advanced order. And they've come to destroy synths."

Glory looked up at her in horror. "Shit…makes me wish it was one of Tinker's aliens."

"If only," Carrington said dryly. "Perhaps, then, we would have much less to worry about."

"Regardless, we can't ignore the fact the Brotherhood are here and, in all honesty, much more dangerous than the Institute," Desdemona shook her head. "With everything that's happened in the past few years, waiting to mention this at a time when all of you are present but Hadley is not is far from accidental. Her husband could end up being a security threat to us, which is why all of you must keep under wraps the knowledge Tom is spearheading a failsafe plan to deal with the Brotherhood."

"Derek is an opportunist," Glory muttered. "If the Brotherhood give him a good enough offer, he'll go right back to them, fuck what Hadley has said about it."

"I'm simply happy to know Desdemona is, for once, taking my advice," Carrington said irritably. "This could be a disaster waiting to happen for us."

"Considering the Brotherhood finding our location could be even worse than the Institute finding us, yes, so much as I wish it weren't so, you're right," Desdemona said, taking another draw on her cig. "For those of you going out in the field, spread the word. The Brotherhood are our enemies. There's no possibility of peace."

"Isn't their leader a teenager?" Glory rolled her eyes. "Put me in the ring with him, and I'll show him who is really inhuman."

"His name is Arthur Maxson, he's twenty one, and he's a remarkably charismatic leader despite his age," Carrington warned her. "Do not be reckless, Glory. Even if we could, going out and killing their leader would only provoke them to destroy us faster."

"I hate to admit it, but he's correct," Desdemona sighed. "I would love to see him be forced to see who's really acting inhuman, but we're not in a position to do so. Not right now, anyways."

"Well, okay, then," Deacon looked between them, almost expecting either Desdemona or Carrington to begin fighting again though they did not. "With that cheerful discussion out of the way, let's get back to the good news, which is the kidnapping son of a bitch is dead, and the lady who killed him is the same woman who was travelling with the Minutemen."

Desdemona raised an eyebrow. "The woman who had been…suspended in a Vault? She was the one who killed him?"

"With a crazy lady from the Combat Zone and Diamond City's only synth detective," Deacon replied, rolling his shoulders. "From what I saw when doing my rounds in Diamond City, they brought him back in pieces. Not her idea, though, the Combat Zone lady seemed to be the one who decided they would dismember him."

Glory snorted. "Serves the son of a bitch right."

"It does," Desdemona said, stubbing out her cig and smiling when she met Glory's eyes. "And, for once, Deacon's good news is genuinely good."

"With all the shit happening right now, I'd say it's damn good news," Tom said, applauding the enigmatic spy. "You still think she's going to be able to help us? Like the vengeful lady did with the creepy town?"

"Nora? The woman who killed the asshole who kidnapped the University Point girl?" Deacon shrugged when he nodded. "Probably, but I want to lead her to us. As for…Annette. She's currently living in Goodneighbour, doing whatever doctors do, and spending a lot of time with the asshole who kills people for caps out of the basement of the bar there."

"You haven't approached either of them, have you?" Carrington let out an, albeit aggravated, unusual sigh of relief when Deacon shook his head. "Don't. I do not trust Annette, and certainly not if that's the company she's keeping. As for Nora, I'll admit, leading her to us is a surprisingly reasonable thing for you to suggest we do. Almost suspiciously reasonable."

"He…actually mentioned it to me a few days ago," Drummer Boy hesitantly put in. "He's serious. Letting her find us is the best plan. Not to mention she's probably really upset about everything she's been through. I mean, she's only been out here for less than a year, right? And isn't she looking for her husband and son?"

"Only one of them are still out there," Deacon grimly corrected. "I also found out her husband was murdered by the man who took her son and him, initially. It's absolutely brutal. No one should have to go through that. Losing a spouse is one of the worst feelings. I get why she killed him. I did the same thing…although I definitely killed a lot more people than she did."

Drummer Boy winced. "Didn't you kill fifteen people you were in a gang with because they murdered your wife when they decided she was a synth?"

"Yes, which is also why I don't go near University Point. Ever. I get my intel out of there from our contacts for a reason," Deacon said, crossing his arms. "Either way, those guys got what they deserved…and I learnt a necessary lesson about compassion. I can't believe the things I used to think and say about synths…it's disgusting."

"But you've changed. A lot," Glory said with a faint smile. "And, hey. At least you kill the bastards who say the things you once thought now. I think it's more than evened the score, don't you?"

Deacon laughed. "Trust me, Glory," He said. "If you say the score is even on anything, I'm going to take your side and say, yes, the score is, in fact, even."

Diamond City
June the 17th, 2288
9:19

"Hadley? I'm no expert in the kitchen, but I think you're going to –"

Preston Garvey sighed and all but threw his laser musket to the side to grab a bucket of water from the floor, filled with water, he knew, was from a leak in the ceiling exposed by the most recent thunderstorm to put out the fire Hadley had accidentally started on a dishtowel. Startled, the mother of four took a step back, only to stare in horror at the slightly smoking dishtowel still on the counter, the stove, thankfully, having been turned off. Exhausted, she pulled off her reading glasses and began nervously running her hands through her hair, dishevelling her bangs. Seeing her husband step into their home with Sturges just behind him, she relaxed, a little, though she wrapped her hands tightly around the edge of the counter she was leaning back against. An eyebrow raised when he saw the concerned way Preston was staring at his wife, Derek quickly set down his bag and came over to her, giving her a short, sweet kiss before tightly wrapping an arm around her, taken aback when she all but clung to him. Please don't tell me you haven't been sleeping when I've been out, Hads. It's over. They're not going to bother us anymore. Satisfied she was secure, Preston stepped away and back over to one of the couches near where he had left his laser musket cast to the side, and where Sturges had already sat down, equal parts worried and perplexed. Nevertheless, he began giving Preston his report on the status of their settlements and the state of their alliances, which were slightly better than they had expected. He gave Hadley a reassuring smile when she and Derek joined them, seemingly a bit more relaxed after softly speaking between each other in French but still a little out of it, looking caught between exhaustion and tremendous anxiety.

"It's…been a long few weeks," Hadley finally said when she and Derek sat down across from him and Preston, her mind still reeling."I'm sorry. I…I think I just needed a moment to…to remember things are alright."

"No, it's not your fault, Hads," Derek said gently. "In my rush to get things ready for everyone this morning, I forgot I was going to sit and pray with you. With how things have been, I should have remembered how important doing so is to you, to us, and the kids, especially after missing the lighting of shabbat candles last Fri –"

"Don't worry about it, anamchara," She said, twining her hands tightly around his. "So," She said, nervously looking between Preston and Sturges. "Since neither of you seem too upset, I'm guessing things have been going alright for the Minutemen?"

"We've made some pretty good strides in forming a trading line between a lot of the settlements we're working with," Preston proudly replied. "Everyone's coming together in a way I didn't think they'd even want to try to a year ago. I think things are finally looking up for the Minutemen."

"And we've gotten the Brotherhood to back off on some of the families we're protecting," Sturges added, smiling when she almost instantly seemed more at ease. "They definitely won't be bothering the Abernathy family again, and, between us and Abraham Finch pulling a crossbow loaded with tranquiliser darts on 'em, they won't be going after the Finches either."

"The couple living in the former Oberland Station apparently scared a few of their troops shitless," Preston went on. "I'm not surprised they had it in them, but I was surprised to hear, whatever it was they said and did to them, made the Brotherhood Knights all but run in the opposite direction."

"As you've said, the Commonwealth belongs to all of us," Derek said, a hint of amusement to his voice. "Although I certainly have a lot of respect for anyone willing to stand up to the Brotherhood of their own accord, even without us there to back them up. So much as it's a hard thing to accept, they, at least with how they're acting now, are far from warriors fighting for freedom's song, so to speak."

"They're certainly not patriots," Hadley said under her breath. "Nix what they think, they're simply not anymore."

"I can't say I trust in the good intentions of the Brotherhood much more than you do," Preston said, taking off his hat, for a moment, to fan himself. "Which is part of why we're here. I was thinking, since I know you've spent a decent bit of time talking with the people of University Point, you might want to join us in visiting them. We're hoping to strike an alliance with them, to keep them safe from the Brotherhood."

"Considering the Brotherhood are already earning themselves something of a...reputation here, I'm sure Strickland and the rest of the town will be happy to have someone on their side," Hadley said, falling silent a moment. "When are you planning to head out? I can be ready within a day or two."

"In about a week or so," Preston said, relieved. "It'll be good to have you with us, Hadley. You're better company than you think you are."

"And you'll be damn useful in getting the townspeople to hear us out, even if they're nervous," Sturges encouragingly put in. "Especially since I heard they already got a…less than friendly visit from the Brotherhood."

"They did," Hadley said, frowning. "Apparently the Brotherhood were disgusted to not be welcomed with open arms, as if they're the ones who are doing the people of the Commonwealth any damn good. University Point has had it bad for nearly a decade, and the last thing they need is the goddamned Brotherhood Of Steel getting in their way when they're already struggling to get by as it is."

"They really don't know when they aren't wanted," Preston shook his head. "They may have all the fancy toys, but how much are they really doing to help anyone? As far as I know, they're mostly trying to stake a claim to all of the resources at the former Boston Logan International Airport. Way I heard it, the Atom Cats are pretty angry about it."

"Oh, I'm sure they won't be expecting that wrath," Hadley said with a smirk. "The Cats don't fuck around and find out. The Brotherhood are going to get quite the surprise when they learn about their less than happy new neighbours. They may not be particularly close to each other, but the Cats have strong feelings about their scrapyards."

Derek laughed. "Considering their power armour and weapons expertise, I wouldn't be surprised if the Cats could give a few of their scout troops a run for their money."

"They will," Hadley said, squeezing his hands. "Hopefully it'll be a pretty nasty blow to them."

"The Brotherhood certainly won't expect it," Derek remarked. "As for University Point, it'll be good to be able to help keep them safe. Now isn't the time to tell the rest of the Minutemen this, but," He frowned, disgusted at the thought. "As I was preparing to leave after the…meeting with them, one of their Proctors, Keith Teagan, came out to the flight deck as I was about to get on the vertibird back to Diamond City. He and I have never liked each other, but I don't think I've ever been more disgusted by him than when he told me to ensure the Minutemen don't interfere with Brotherhood operations, particularly the ones for 'collecting donations' from local farms."

"I can see why," Preston said, swearing under his breath. "That's barely a step up from what raiders do, and, unlike raiders, it's more than clear the Brotherhood absolutely have more than enough resources to pay people fairly for anything they may need."

"It's not about fairness," Hadley said bitterly. "It's about them getting what they want when they want it and without question or protest."

"Which is where they've got shit all wrong," Sturges said, cracking his knuckles. "They aren't serving the people of the Commonwealth, and they sure as hell ain't here to help us. My guess is they want to show off their own power, probably as the last great military power in the world."

"If they really are, in any of their chapters, that's a frightening thought," Preston said, a dark edge to his voice. "From what I've seen, the Brotherhood have the same flaw as the Institute. Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should, and both of them need to learn that."

"What's worse is you're understating," Derek said, tiredly taking off and wiping the dirt off his glasses. "I doubt their current leadership will ever admit it, but the things they are assuming about the Commonwealth, about the people here…it's not only wrong, but dangerous, and, if they're not careful, going to get people killed for no reason."

"Hence our working to keep the Commonwealth safe, for everyone, people who just want to live in peace," Preston said with a hint of a smile. "It's not ideal, but knowing we've helped people already, knowing there are people who want us to keep serving them…it's not just brought the Minutemen back from the brink but reminded me why we do this, why I signed up to be one of the Minutemen to begin with. I'm not sure if I'm quite used to being called General yet…but I think I'm growing into it, and I think, with enough time, we'll be able to keep as many people safe as possible, and that's something I'm more than willing to fight for at every single chance given to us."

The Commonwealth
June the 20th, 2288
14:21

"You know something?" Piper said, grimacing when she, Nora, Nick, and Cait slipped into an alleyway. "I never thought, after over a year of trying to find out anything and everything about the Institute, I'd be trying to find the Railroad, although, in my defence, they're almost as secretive as the Institute."

"With the kind of business they're in, it's hard to blame them," Nick remarked. "You have to be a little paranoid and a little mad to even dare to go up against the Institute."

Exhausted and sweatier than she had expected for an unusually cold summer day, Nora shortly nodded, reloading her gun and catching her breath. Cait looped an arm around her and gave her a comforting hug before taking a look at her own weapons. A bit on edge and a bit worried about the way her mother in law had looked at her when she told her she was going looking for the Railroad, Piper bobbed back and forth on her toes, her arms swinging a bit behind her. Closely watching her regain her bearings, still worried about her mental state, Nick only felt some of his concerns subside when he found no hate and no anger in Nora's eyes, something he had been worried she would never let go of after killing Kellogg. Can't say the man didn't have it coming, but what she said about him being barely even human…it almost sounded as if it didn't come from her. As though… His thoughts intruded upon by a sudden gust of wind running through the alleyway in which they stood, the aged detective tightened his trench coat around himself and slipped on both of his gloves, more convinced than ever, at least where the weather patterns were concerned, nothing in the Commonwealth could or, more to the point, would stay stagnant for long.

What he could not see, though, was the almost helpless feeling the young lawyer feared might one day overtake her.

June the twentieth. It was June the twentieth.

Even before the War, it had never been a good day, not after 2070.

Her body aching at the memory, Nora tried to remind herself, at least, the place where she had needed to go before they began their search for the mysterious 'Railroad' was still the same, just about. Seeing her older sister's grave, far from home in Plainville but beside the grave of her sister's best friend as had been her last wish, however, had not gotten easier, and, rather, seemed almost to have gotten worse, knowing the rest of their family, she was sure, had also since been killed or otherwise passed away. Not wanting to cry again and still a bit embarrassed she had only wanted Cait to stay with her when she had fallen to her knees before her sister's grave, the young lawyer tried to remind herself things were over, things had changed, and there was not a chance in hell things could or would go back to the way they had been before the War. Still, sitting there, staring at the photograph of her and her sister in the locket Codsworth had saved for her the day the War ended, had been almost too much to bear. Sixteen. I wish I'd known why you were always pulling down your long sleeves, or why you yelled at mom and dad asking if they even heard you when you cried. We were all singing, all happy, and you only…you only seemed to smile once that day. And, then, you were gone. 'Look at me now, look at your precious child.' Somehow, the gunshot ringing out through the house was worse than the sound of the blast when the bombs were dropped. Rubbing at her weary eyes, Nora steadied herself and then began walking with Nick just a few paces ahead of her, Cait, and Piper, stopping short and swallowing hard when they stepped out of the alleyway and passed a mural, albeit a faded one, of a woman, two infants in her arms and gunshot wounds on all three of them.

"Oh, God…" She barely got out. "Is that recent? Or…oh, God, If…if that's –"

"Nora?" Nick said calmly as she blinked back tears. "That's not you or your son. We're here for you, but, knowing what I do about your case and Kellogg's modus operandi, you're not going to become one of the mothers who needs to be held that way. We'll find him, even if we end up having to do something drastic. You'll see him again, and, if not, then I'll be damned."

"Nicky's on the right track," Cait said, reassuringly patting her back. "If anything bad has happened to your baby boy, we'll make sure they pay, no matter what. Me personally? I'll gleefully disembowel whomever it is still keeping your son from you."

"Thanks for the nightmares, Cait," Piper said, unnerved. "I really needed to hear that today."

"Wouldn't be my first time disembowelling someone," Cait half jokingly said. "Sometimes, I really let loose on the raiders in the Combat Zone. But don't worry. I only punished people as much as they deserved."

"Raiders really are the scum of the Commonwealth," Nick said, reaching up to hold onto his hat when the wind began blowing harder again. "It's a damned shame what the world has come to. We've lost so much, all because people were so eager to kill each other, and look where it's gotten us."

"Put everything into disarray," Piper said sadly, shuddering a bit at the wind. "But we've got to do the best we can. Not much we can do but find a way to survive."

"It is the most basic human instinct," Nora said, a note of resignation in her voice. "Seeing how much has been rebuilt still manages to surprise me. It's hopeful…but I can't help but miss some of how things were before."

"I'd be shocked if you didn't," Nick shook his head. "With everything you've been through, not wanting things to be even a little closer to what you had for most of your life would be strange. What you've had to face is a hell no one deserves to be put through."

"Maybe, but at least some of the people responsible for all of it are being held to account," Nora said, briefly startled by the anger in her voice. "Kellogg for one."

Piper sighed. "He definitely won't be hurting anyone else."

"Hard to when your head is no longer attached to your body," Nick dryly remarked. "That happens to be a pretty damn important thing."

"So long as we get something useful out of his head, it's all good in my book," Cait said with a lightly sinister smile. "Fingers crossed we hear back from your brain doctor friend, Nicky, and hopefully she can do anything with it."

"For as busy as she is – which is, admittedly, putting it mildly – Amari always comes through, even if it takes a little while," Nick told her. "If we can get anything out of the old merc's head, I'm betting at least a bit of it will have to do with the Institute. They're the biggest scientific secret in the Commonwealth and, for someone like Amari, learning anything about them isn't something to pass up, even if the circumstances are a little gruesome."

"Pretty sure anything involving a decapitated head is more than a little gruesome," Piper said, still unsettled by the sight of the head. "But point taken. I don't think I'd ever seen so much blood and…everything before you guys brought him back in pieces."

"It was the best option we had," Nick said. "Unfortunately, carrying a rather large dead body around isn't the safest or most efficient way in the world to transport something. If anything, even if it takes Amari a while to get back to us, hopefully the fact we killed a dangerous Institute asset will endear us to the Railroad if we can manage to find them."

"Roll of the dice," Cait shrugged as they began walking again. "Assuming they really do exist, if we find them, they might not be the happiest to receive some unexpected visitors."

"Given they're working against the Institute, a bit of paranoia probably isn't a bad thing," Piper said, drawing her gun upon hearing footsteps and shouts in the distance. "Although let's hope they don't mistake us for raiders."

"Speaking of, there are definitely some a little ways ahead of us," Nora said, her voice lowering with caution. "I'm surprised we haven't run into too many yet today."

"They ain't too fond of hanging around Diamond City or Goodneighbour," Cait smirked, taking out her twin knives. "Glad we stopped in there for a bite. Charlie might be a surly bastard, but he's pretty damn good at cooking."

"Can't argue with that," Nora laughed. "I think his noodles might rival Takahashi's."

"I just appreciate the brutal honesty," Piper said, laughing a bit herself. "Can't believe he looked at Hancock and really said –"

Taking a small step back as they turned a corner, Piper couldn't stop herself from gagging when she saw what was just in front of them. Nora, too, felt sick, faltering after stepping through the creaky, rusted metal gate. Even Cait was fazed, herself looking about ready to puke at the sight. With a disapproving hum, Nick looked over the scene, the bodies littered around seeming out of place with the almost elegant buildings around them. Smoke and heat from a fire burning in a metal barrel nearby left an acrid and almost painful stench in the air, worsened by the scent of decay from the bodies in the area. A bit of blood smeared on the outside of a half open door, Nora slowly approached it, her pistol drawn and ready to fire if need be. Taking a peek into the building, her eyes narrowed upon seeing more bodies, and the sounds of a fight taking place within. After no more than a minute, however, everything went silent again. Just behind her, Cait frowned, unnerved by the way, it appeared, a group of raiders had left or were fleeing the area. Examining a few of the bodies with Piper, Nick raised an eyebrow upon observing several of them to be headless. Sharing a disturbed glance with Piper, the writer and the detective soon followed after Nora and Cait, the two women slowly and quietly entering the building. The second they were over the threshold, Nick closed the door behind him and Piper. The two of them, Cait, and Nora all paused to listen, only to be stunned to hear little more than their own footsteps and the gurgling of something or someone dead or nearly dead.

"So, these are abstra…" Piper covered her nose and mouth with one hand, her gun in the other, sickened at the paintings scattered around the large room off the entry corridor and the rusty scent of dried or drying blood. "I think I'm going to be sick."

"I don't know, I kind of like it," Cait said darkly. "Feels good knowing someone out there is more miserable than me."

"Guess it's no secret what happened to all those raiders," Nora said, shaking her head. "What the fuck happened here? I haven't seen anything this…overtly sadistic in a long time."

"Seems to me the raiders got in a fight with each other," Cait said, suddenly picking up a piece of paper haphazardly left on the floor. "Or not, unless this 'Pickman' fellow is one of 'em."

"Pickman was here, find me if you dare…" Nora mused, reading the note over the former cage fighter's shoulder. "Well, at least we know who these paintings belong to."

"Question is, where is he?" Piper said, her curiosity piqued. "Have to admit, I've got some questions for him that might be perfect for the Publick."

"Then let's start with…figuring out what the hell's left around here," Nora said, more unsettled than she was comfortable with. "Because I, for one, am not going to trust in the good intentions in this man…or his artistic vision."