Work Text:
By the time the meetings were over, pale moonlight flooded in through the big windows, casting a long shadow of the lone figure looking out on the Commonwealth. Even though the Institute had been dealt with, there was still a lot of work to be done. “There was always a lot of work to be done”, the Elder thought to himself, massaging the area between his eyebrows. His head felt heavy, some fresh air and a cigarette would do him good.
He turned and gathered his papers before making his way back to his room. Approaching Aurora’s room, he wondered if she was still awake. And if she was, if she wanted to keep him company outside.
He knocked softly on her door, listening closely for any kind of sound from the room. It was quiet.
“Sir, she’s not there.” The Elder turned to face the knight who had spoken. “She left this morning. She said she’d left a holotape for you, sir.” The Elder gave a quick nod to the knight before entering his private chambers, door slamming shut behind him. He dropped his papers on the table; three steps later he was standing by his desk, eyeing the holotape lying on top of it. Before allowing his mind to race to the worst possible scenarios, he inserted the holotape into the computer.
“Hey. As you probably know, I’ve left the Prydwen. I wanted to tell you in person, but they told me you would be stuck in meetings all day, so I figured I would leave this message.
You said I should take some time off to clear my head after everything. I know I said I wanted to work, but I think you’re right. I mean of course you’re right. You are the boss after all. So I’m going back to Sanctuary for a little while.”
Feeling relieved that she had not left for good, he sat down by his desk. She exhaled before
continuing.
“Honestly, the thought of going back to there makes me really nervous. I haven’t been back there since you and the Prydwen arrived in the Commonwealth, and lot of things have happend since then. I know I would regret it if I didn’t go back there at least once. Now I just want to get it over with. Rip off the band-aid, you know.
I know we’ve spent a lot of time together lately. Our early morning talks when everyone is still asleep is one of the best parts of my day. So… You know, I hope you don’t forget about me. If you do, there is always that enormous crater in the city that would remind you. Kind of hard to miss…”
The pain in her voice made his heart ache.
“Well, I should go. If you need me for anything, you know where I am. I’ll be back on Thursday.”
She paused.
“Take care of yourself, Arthur. I’ll… I’m gonna miss you … Bye.”
For a while he sat there, her last words echoing through his head. By the time he had listened to the holotape four times, there was one thing he positively knew: Thursday couldn’t come soon enough.