Chapter Text
She could remember the first time she met the kid. Quiet and shy, hiding in the shop and sneaking books to read. It was rare that little Arthur Maxson wasn't buried in a book or poking at a bit of tech.
Looking at him now it was hard to reconcile the kid she first met with the Elder stomping around the ship.
Proctor Ingram wasn't exactly sure what had gone down with the General the last few nights, but it certainly looked like he'd had a good time if the marks peeping from his collar were anything to judge by.
Good for him.
She'd always thought they'd pushed him too hard. If his name had been anything but Maxson, he probably would have been head scribe by now instead of going grey early with the weight of the world on his shoulders.
But, she also couldn't imagine following anyone else. Well...maybe the General, but she'd go through hell and back again for that scared little kid she used to sneak Nuka-Colas and tech manuals to.
-
“Boss, he's at it again.”
“Damn it, Sully...I thought I said to keep the kid occupied.”
“I tried boss, but he gave me the slip.”
John sighed and swiped his hat off the table, he briefly debated taking a hit of jet before heading down but this was going to be rough and he needed to keep it together, taking some Calmex instead.
It had been a week since Audra had gone, a few days after that MacCready turned up in Goodneighbor and proceeded to drink everything in sight. He knew Mac was losing hope and he would usually be right there with the kid because he knew how this world chewed people up and spat them out...but this was Audra. Sunshine would make it, she was too damn stubborn not to.
Waving a hand at Ham as he made his way down. Normally, Ham would deal with anyone that got too much into their cups, but he had to handle this one himself. Pausing at the entrance of the VIP room, his heart aching for the kid. It took some convincing, but he was finally able to get Mac back upstairs, depositing him on the bed with a grunt.
Hancock was about to turn away when Mac grabbed his arm.
“I never got to tell her I loved her.”
“You will, you will later, kid. Now sleep it off.”
John brushed past Fahr with a little growl when she made a face, taking a seat at the table as he picked through his stash. He just needed something, something to help him forget for a little while. Something to help him not worry about Sunshine.
Something so he wouldn't remember how much he loved her, too.
-
“Nick?”
Ellie frowned at the darkness and batted a hand against the wall until she felt the switch, blinking as the lights flickered on, sighing at the empty room.
She couldn’t stop the little grunt as the door bumped her from behind and Piper pushed them further into the house.
“Is he here?”
“Doesn't look like anyone has been here since she left...”
They poked around the different rooms but it just confirmed that Nick was not around, nor did it look like he'd been back since they left for the island.
“Hey, he’s probably just waiting for Audra to come back, Preston said Sturges was still on the island, right?”
“Yes...yeah, you're probably right...”
“Hey, he's okay and she'll be okay...right?”
Piper was trying to be comforting but it sounded like a question more than a statement and Ellie could see the worry in her eyes as clearly as she was feeling it. Shaking her head and grabbing Piper’s hand, smiling and nodding.
“Right.”
They closed the house up and Ellie wasn't sure if she was trying to convince Piper or herself.
-
“Hey...hey, man. You need to rest sometime, can’t be getting all crazy like me, right?”
“Sure, whatever you say Tinker. Where do you want this next one?”
“Ya know, you keep it up like this and I’m gonna need to make another concoction to make sure you’re not a synth again man...no one can keep going this long...”
They turned at the commotion of the front entrance alarms going off, Deacon frowning when Drummer Boy came running up.
“It’s Garvey and he looks in rough shape...”
They exchanged a look at the sound of Preston and Doc Carrington speaking in raised voices, wandering over and watching the Minuteman waving a hat in the other man’ face.
“I’ll be fine, just drop it! I need Deacon’s help.”
“And what can I do that the oh so powerful Minutemen aren’t able to handle?”
He actually flinched at the level of anger that flashed in Garvey’s eyes, glad his sunglasses mostly hid it and just left the mocking tone. He didn’t get any pleasure from the taunt as a thought came barreling in and made his chest tighten, Garvey’s eyes softening and making Deacon tense.
“There’s been no word yet...it’s something else...”
He let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding, suddenly worried about hearing the worst, but it had been two weeks and still there was no sign from Audra. They’d received a transmission from Patriot simply saying CONTACT, then nothing. No more synths, no more word, nothing. Dez had begun to fear they’d been caught, he’d heard her whispering with Glory about it before she left on a run, but no one dared say anything to his face. He waited for Garvey to speak and glared till the others melted away but he knew everyone was listening, motioning Garvey towards the entrance when he just kept standing there.
Preston was wringing his hat and the tension started to creep back into his shoulders, finally the other man let out a sigh and left Deacon puzzled with his question.
“Have you seen Valentine recently?”
“Nick? No, not since the island.“
“Damn it...”
“Okay, Garvey, what’s up?”
“No one has seen Nick for over a week. Sturges is driving himself into the ground trying to rebuild the machine and he said he’d mentioned something about trying to find some parts and then Nick disappeared. Sturges thinks he may have gone to go try find the parts himself...Ellie is worried and I told them I’d try find them but the damn mirelurks were grabby on the way over and...”
He broke off when the shouts started echoing in the halls and they both reached for their weapons, running out to see Glory scowling and marching down the hall with someone behind her, going weak in the knees when he realized it was Nick behind her and he was carrying someone, someone with a shock of white hair.
“Dee, wait...wait...”
He started to run forward but Glory grabbed his arm and held him in place as Nick rushed by, struggling against her grip.
“What the hell, Glory! What’s wrong with Charmer? Where was she? When did she get back??”
“DEACON. Calm. Down. Valentine has her, let's let the Doc take a look at her...”
Deacon froze when he saw the blood and viscera stuck in her hair but he wasn’t able to see her face, to see the cause of it, because her hair was in the way. It felt like time slowed down as he watched Valentine’s back disappear down the hall and Carrington yelling for Drummer and Tinker to grab all his supplies.
It had probably only been about three or four seconds but by the time Valentine turned around to look at him, the sight of his coat covered with blood and the look on his face had the edges of Deacon’s vision going white. He started forward, fighting hard against Glory now, he might have been yelling but he couldn’t tell over the sound of his heart pounding too hard in his chest.
“Damn it.”
He heard Glory swear and the last thing he saw was Nick’s pained face as stars burst from the side of his head and the world started to go dark.
He couldn’t lose her, not again...