Author's Note: I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season. I also hope that everyone is enjoying the story thus far. Enjoy the chapter, and, as always, reviews are welcome.

"What do you mean, he was shot? Where is he? Is he alive? Sunny, tell me what's going on." Amata's voice started to sound panicked and she was on the verge of tears. "He was found up at the graveyard. You know that robot, Victor?" Amata nodded. "He found Mark and got him to Doc Mitchell. I only know about it because I couldn't sleep and was outside getting some air. He was shot in the head. He's alive, but he's unconscious. Doc's operating on him right now."

"Then what the hell are we still doing here?" Amata practically yelled. She went to move past Sunny, but Sunny blocked her. "Amata, you don't want to see him right now. Doc needs to monitor his vitals, and he can use Mark's pip-boy, but it's locked with some kind of code. You know about that?" "Y-ye-yeah, he lo-locked both of ours with a code to-to prevent unauthorized access. Now move. I am going to see him." "No, you're not. I promise, when Doc is done, I will come get you." Sunny ran her hand through her hair. "Look, you need to sit down. Let me get you some water."

Amata looked like she was ready to slug Sunny, but she took a seat on the couch. "You're right. I just need to calm down." Sunny closed the door, and went into the kitchen. When she opened the fridge, she looked in for some water, when she heard the front door open and close. "Goddammit." She slammed the fridge door shut and ran after her. "Amata, come back!" By the time Sunny got to Doc Mitchell's house, the door was open, and Amata was just staring at Doc Mitchell, who was in the corner of his makeshift operating room, working on Mark. She had tears in her eyes and her right hand was over her mouth.

Doc spoke with his back still turned. "Sunny, is that you? You get that code?" He turned around. His head was sweaty and his hands had blood on them. His face dropped when he saw Amata. "Oh. Amata, I-." She started to walk towards the table, but Sunny hugged her and made sure she faced away from Mark. "Sorry, Doc. She tricked me. I couldn't keep her away." She could feel Amata crying silently into her shoulder. "Be that as it may, I still need that code," said the doc.

She made Amata let go of her and looked her in the eyes. They were starting to become bloodshot. "Amata, honey, I know that you're upset. I promise, I will stay with you as long as you need me to. I need you to focus right now, because the doc is the best chance Mark has at surviving. Can you focus for me?" Amata gave a weak nod. "Good. Now tell Doc the code." She looked at the doc, then the part of Mark she could see, and then back to Doc. "It's- it's my birthday. 08122258." Doc punched in the code, which worked. "Ok. Sunny take her in my bedroom. I need to work." He turned back to Mark. Sunny hugged Amata again and led her into Doc's bedroom.

Sunny closed the door and they both sat down on the bed. Amata was breathing heavily. Sunny didn't have much experience in these situations, so she wasn't sure what to say. After sitting in silence for close to fifteen minutes, she spoke up. "Did, um, did you guys talk about names for the baby at all?" Amata tried to compose herself. "N-not y-yet, but I tho-thought that if it w-was a b-boy that we could call him James after Mark's father, and if it w-was a girl, we could name it Julie after my mother." Sunny tried her best to smile. "Those are great names. I'm sure Mark's gonna love them." Amata didn't answer. "Sunny, if he doesn't make it, I don't know what I'm gonna do. He is my whole world." Sunny hugged her again and patted her on the back. "Hey, hey, hey, don't talk like that. He's gonna make it." "How do you know?" Amata asked through tears. Sunny didn't have an answer.

(2 hours later)

Sunny had fallen asleep, while Amata was wide awake, waiting for news. Finally, the door opened and Doc Mitchell came in, who then flipped on the light. The light startled both Sunny and Amata. When Amata saw him, she was fully alert. "Doc, please tell me it's good news," Amata said. "He is alive." Amata exhaled, as did Sunny. "Let me finish. He is alive but he's in a coma. He was shot twice in the head. Medically speaking, those two bullets should've killed him. Right now, he's got a fifty-fifty shot at waking up." Amata hung her head, and muttered, "oh no, not again." Doc looked at Sunny, who was as confused as he was. "Amata," asked the doc, "what do you mean, 'not again?'" Without looking up, Amata spoke. "Back in DC, he was involved in an accident that left him in a coma for two weeks."

Doc got a concerned look on his face, but didn't want to make her even more upset. He knew that might be a problem. "Amata, all we can do now is wait. You are welcome to stay here as long as you need. I set up a cot next to the table. Treat my home as your own." Amata didn't say anything. Instead, she got up and walked out of the room. She walked up to Mark. His armor and weapons were discarded off to the side. He was only wearing a white t-shirt and a pair of pants. There was a three-inch scar running down the left side of his face. She held his left hand and looked at him. His face was expressionless. Amata remembered a story her father had told her when she was a child, about a handsome prince whose kiss awoke a sleeping princess. She didn't expect it to work, but she leaned over and kissed him anyway. She held it for a few seconds, and then pulled away, hoping for a miracle. He remained there, motionless.

(1 week later)

The next week went by in a blur for Amata. Sunny came by every day with a change of clothes. Doc checked his vitals every few hours, and changed his IV bag as needed. Amata never left Mark's side. It was close to nighttime on the seventh day, and Doc stepped outside to get some air. Amata was sitting on the edge of the cot, staring at Mark. She looked down and saw his pistol. She picked it up and looked at it. She saw her name etched in one side of the grip. "Mark," she said to no one, "you told me that you never stopped fighting for me. I need you to keep fighting. Keep fighting for you, for me and for our child. I don't wanna have to raise this child without you by my side. We didn't go through everything we did, just for you to die just as we're starting this new life together. Please, Mark, please wake up."

Mark could tell something was wrong. He was standing in the control room for Project Purity, wearing nothing but a vault suit and his pip-boy. He looked at the pip-boy, but the screen was blank. He tried turning some knobs, but nothing happened. He looked around. The machine seemed to be operating fine, but there were no scientists. He tried to open the doors to the rest of the Jefferson Memorial, but they wouldn't budge. None of this made sense. He had left DC months ago, hadn't he? He turned back around to face the machine when he saw two people staring at him, a man and a woman. The man he recognized as his father, and the other person, it took him a second, only because he had only seen her in a picture. It was his mother.

He was stunned. "Dad? Mom? Is it really you?" They both nodded, and Mark ran over and hugged them. He was on the verge of tears. "H-how is this possible? Am I dead?" "No, honey, you're not dead. You're just in a coma. It's been a week, in fact." "You were shot, son," said James. "M-mom," Mark said, "I really wished that I could've gotten to know you." "I know," said his mother, "but the minutes that I held you were the happiest minutes of my life." James spoke. "Son, we're both very proud of what you've done." "You mean with Project Purity?" "Yes, Project Purity is part of it. Mostly, it was everything else that you've done. You helped countless people try to live better lives, putting yourself in harm's way to do so. Now, you've got a great girl, and you're going to be a father." "Yeah," said Mark, fighting back tears, "I'm gonna be a dad." "You know," said his mother, "when we found out that I was pregnant with you, we were so happy." "We most certainly were," said James, looking at the machine.

"Project Purity was a great thing that we created, but no matter how much your mother and I loved it, you always have been, and always will be, our greatest creation." Mark lost it and started crying uncontrollably. "I miss you two so much. I wish you two were still with me." "We wish we could be with you too, honey, but know this: we will always love you, and we will always watch over you, Amata, and your child." "Now son, you need to wake up. Amata's been worried sick about you. Plus, your work is not done." "What does that mean?" Everything started to fade out. "No, wait, come back. What does that mean?" He fell to his knees, surrounded only by darkness.

Amata was still staring at the pistol when she noticed Mark start to move. She put down the gun and sat up. She saw that his eyes were open. "Mark," she said weakly, "are you with me?" He smiled and said, "well, I don't want to be with anyone else." She smiled as he sat up, groaning from the stiffness of his back. She hugged him as hard as she could. "Mark, I thought I lost you." "Hey, you should know by now that I'm not that easy to kill." She let go of him and smiled. He looked at his pip-boy. "Hey, look at today's date." She looked at her own pip-boy. The date read December 25, 2277. "Merry Christmas, Amata." She said, "Merry Christmas, Mark," Amata said as they shared a passionate Christmas kiss.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I made up Amata's birthday and mother's name. I could only find the year for the birthdate, and no references to her mother's name. If anyone can find any solid references to these, please message me and I will be happy to correct them. Until next time.