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Cait: “Hey, when ye’ve got a moment, can we talk?”Cait’s eyebrows were furrowed troubledly, and despite the indignant placement of her hands at her hips, she noticed the restless thrum of her fingers against her hip bone.Sole raised her eyebrows, “Sure, what’s up?”“I just feel like things aren’t workin’ between us – not the way ye’ve been goin’.”“I – what?”Cait sighed, “Yer jus’ not who I thought ye were – yer panderin’ to all the riff raff in the Commonwealth, but did ye ever think; ye and I, we’re a team.”Sole’s jaw dropped for a moment, and she struggled frantically to find the words to protest.“Of course, I know we’re a team Cait, I’ll always have your back.”Cait frowned, “That’s jus’ the thing though – yer so busy havin’ everyone’s back, that there’s just no more room for me.”Sole’s mouth went dry before she could even realize why such a strange, unpleasant spell had undertaken her.“What are you saying?”Cait sighed heavily, as if she had to brace herself for what she was about to do.“I’m saying that we…this…us, are over.”Everything about Cait was warm. Her fiery red hair, her hot temper, the singed touches she could brush against Sole, and the burning intensity with which they made love; Cait had been everything warm and light to Sole. She had crashed into her life with the chance of a comet that blazed across the sky, and now, as she finished their run together, she still went down like a dying star, brilliant and terrible. Sole was unable to peel her eyes away.“Cait, please, let’s talk more-“Cait scoffed disgustedly, “No, no more talkin’! Words are wasted when ye won’t change, not really.”Panic welled fast and urgent in Sole’s chest; her mouth opened, but her words failed her.“So I’m leavin’,” Cait went on, “if ye know what’s good fer ye, ye won’ follow.”Cait turned on her heel, and Sole watched her retreating back. Her knees went back, but she was frozen – couldn’t fall to them and grovel, couldn’t follow Cait as she grew smaller and smaller, couldn’t feel the grief that would hit her like a truck.Cait had been so bright and brilliant and scorching, it was infectious – but as Cait disappeared over the horizon, Sole felt a coldness she hadn’t felt since she woke up in Vault 111, alone, freshly broken out of her icy prison. -It had been so easy to walk away; surprisingly so. The thrill of knocking something over, something Cait had labored so hard to keep steady; like none of it really mattered. The satisfaction that came when she was walking away, and she didn’t look back, but knew Sole was begging her too; could feel her pleading gaze at her back. It was a high in its own right.Like every high though, Cait had to come down eventually, and when she finally did, she crashed. The nights were no longer comforting and restful, but foreboding and cold. Her meals were silent, and the mornings were intrusive; a twisted mirage of the idyllic ones she had spent basking in the gentle rays of sunlight and Sole’s soft grasp.Three days later, Cait sat under the overhang of where she was crashing in Sanctuary and watched as Sole laughed at something Sturges had said. Bile rose in Cait’s throat, bitter and angry; she could laugh, but Sole was okay, Cait had broken up with her, and life just…carried on. Cait stabbed her cigarette viciously into the dirty ground, extinguishing it. That’s just how her life went though, right? She was replaceable, had a price. Her value always had some sort of string attached to it. Cait left Sanctuary later that day.She couldn’t go back to the Combat Zone; she was pretty sure Tommy had hoped to be rid of her for good when he had handed her contract off to Sole. Not to mention she still wasn’t clean; especially since the breakup. She could’ve hightailed it to Goodneighbor; there were all the chems she could want there, but The Third Rail was full of patrons who found solidarity in other outcasts; Cait wasn’t looking for company. Not from them anyways.She finally settled on Diamond City; the great, green jewel of the Commonwealth. Or…wasn’t it blue now? Cait’s heart twinged painfully at the memory; that grubby troll looking bloke had sent her and Sole to get green paint for the wall; as if it had been life and death. She and Sole had blasted their way into the old hardware store, face to face with several large cans of yellow and blue paint.“No green paint here, is there?” Sole had asked innocently, with a wink in her direction.“Not that I can see.” Cait had played along.“I rather like blue though…” Sole had traced the rim of the can mischievously.People would’ve thought they’d knocked the wall down entirely, with how outraged the community was at the new paint job. The familiar blue walls loomed above Cait ominously, taunting her further. If she had anything on her that she couldn’t live without, she would’ve thrown it. Cait trudged numbly to the Dugout Inn; not only was it quieter than The Third Rail, but it had exactly what the doctor ordered.Cait stepped in, the dusky, warm space as inviting as she had remembered it; until her eyes fell on the scene unfolding in the middle of the bar. Sole, eyes glinting in the low light, and some wimpy looking punk standing next to her, were facing off against a couple of gnarly looking guys in leather.“I said leave us alone!” The wimpy kid squeaked.From where Cait was standing, she could see his hands trembling.“Or what?” One of the men smiled a toothy grin, “You’ll make us regret it? Is that a threat?”Cait couldn’t bring herself to look directly at Sole, but she did notice how she hung around the back, letting the kid take the lead. What was she up to? She and Cait had cracked plenty of other tougher looking heads together on their travels; a bar brawl should be old hat to her.“I-It is!”Irritation flashed hot through Cait as the kid’s voice cracked. Still though, she had to admire the way he scrambled for some semblance of a backbone.All at once, the bar exploded into activity as one of the men swung at the kid, who immediately went to cover his face. Cait watched as Sole grabbed the man who had swung at the kid easily, getting his attention, before landing a hard blow right at his nose.“Oof!” The man doubled over, hands cupped around his nose, as blood seeped from between his fingers. Satisfied, Sole moved onto the other man, who had stepped up to challenge the kid in his friend’s defeated state. A dark bruise began blooming across the side of the kid’s face, but Cait had to hand it to him; despite his meek appearance, he was definitely handling himself better than she had expected. He was still standing, for one thing.The kid blocked a punch from his opponent, before trying to land a counter hit, which missed. Sole crept up behind the man, and grabbed him, holding him securely so that the kid could land a final blow. Then, Cait noticed some movement from behind Sole; another, formerly unnoticed third participant was hanging at the fringe of the conflict, waiting for an opportune moment to strike the real threat. Something gleamed at his fingers, and Cait noted the switchblade in his hand.Without even thinking she lurched forward, stalking forward as quietly as her target was. Sole still didn’t seem to notice; just kept waiting for the kid to finally finish the fight. Cait sauntered up to the man, “Hey handsome.”The man’s eyes flicked briefly to her, before leaving dismissively, “Piss off, I’m busy.”“Oh c’mon, that’s not really how you talk to a lady, is it?”“There’s a lady here? Where?” His gaze never left Sole.“Right here,” Cait said sweetly, laying her accent on extra thick, before bringing her deceivingly wiry arm down atop his head, and watching him slump to the ground.Sole let go of the man as Travis finished him off, leaping back in surprise to survey the scene before her; Cait was here. Cait was here beating the crap out of some guy. Vadim ran forward from his place behind the bar.“Hey, hey now! No fight! Fighting done! You fight outside, you drink in here!”Cait ignored him, just landed a few more sharp kicks to the man, who was now curled up into a fetal position.“Cait…” Sole murmured, approaching softly.Cait either didn’t hear her or didn’t care.“Cait.” Sole tried again, more forcefully.She stepped forward to wrap her arms around Cait’s shoulders, prying her off the man, who continued to lay crumpled at the floor.“Sole, I thank you for your help with Travis, but please, get your scary lady friend out of here.”Sole hesitated; Cait wasn’t really hers to call off now, was she?Cait broke free from Sole’s grip, “Don’t worry about it, I’m leavin’. Just wanted ta make sure it didn’t get ugly.”Vadim clapped a hand against his face. “Is already ugly!”“It was about to get a lot worse.” Cait said darkly, before pressing her foot roughly against the top of the man’s hand, still folded around the switchblade. Her combat boot pressed his hand against the floor, forcing his fingers to spread, and the blade out of his grip.Sole’s mouth made an ‘o’ of shock, mirrored by Vadim.“You saved me?” Sole’s eyes darted to Cait, touched and hurt all at the same time.“I wouldn’t say that, just saved you an ugly scar.” Cait shrugged, trying to sound non-chalant. “Then you saved both Sole and Travis, yes? You stay, drinks on the house!”“Well, how can I say ‘no’ to that?” Cait shot Vadim a crooked grin, as the man bustled back to his position behind the bar and readied some of his infamous moonshine.Sole’s eyes lingered on Cait a moment longer, before she hung back, ready to let Cait head to the bar first. Cait turned to face Sole.“Can we…talk first?”Sole’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, her eyes curious and uncertain, but not angry or sad.“Talk? Sure,” Sole stepped off to the side, in a quieter, more discreet location in the bar, and Cait followed.“I suppose a ‘thank you’ is in order?” Sole tried a tentative smile.“Sure, but that’s not what I wanted ta talk about.”Sole blinked at Cait, waiting.“I just wanted to say…I miss you.”Fear and agitation burned Cait, making her palms sweaty. She tried to ignore it.“I was wrong to…have left you so quickly, and I…I don’t want to be without you anymore.”“What made you change your mind?”Cait pursed her lips for a moment, “Seein’ that bloke go at ye with a knife may have had somethin’ ta do with it.”“Wanting me not-dead, isn’t the same as being in love with me,” Sole pointed out.“Is tha’ what ye think happened? Ye think I didn’t love you anymore?” Cait shook her head. “If anythin’ I loved ya too much. So much that it could kill me; probably would’ve killed me.”Cait’s eyebrows arched seriously above her eyes, the intense green fearless in this moment.“When ye…belong to someone like that…ye give them pieces of yerself, and I can’t afford to give ye all those pieces.” “But now…?”Cait scoffed, “Now I realize that I can try and put as much distance between us as I want; those pieces still belong ta ye. That’s not to say we don’t still have our issues but…well, I can’t very well go off on my own, without my pieces, now can I?”Sole grinned, “You mean…our pieces?”Cait rolled her eyes, “Right then stingy, I’ll trade ye my pieces for a drink. I believe you owe me; I mean, my life, my heart; it’s all fer ye.”Sole nodded, “Sure then, a drink, for your heart. Seems fair.”Cait snorted as Sole snickered, placing a kiss against her cheek, before playfully towing her towards the bar.Curie: “Ah – Sole, can we…talk?”Sole stiffened at the hesitation in Curie’s voice; this woman, who had spent decades carefully cataloging everything she had picked up in her time existing, seldom hesitated. The only thing, Sole had found that could continue to dumbfound Curie in all her seemingly infinite wisdom, was unkindness. Curie was a medic by trade and was in the business of healing, not hurting – with the exception of what she was about to tell Sole.“Sure,” Sole smiled; whatever was about to happen, she’d have to take it as is. Panicking wouldn’t solve anything.Curie took a deep breath as dread filled Sole’s stomach.“I care for you too much not to be honest with you,” Curie began, her gaze leveled at Sole’s face, and uncharacteristically stern.“Eet eez because I care for you so much, zhat I must tell you, I don’t like ‘ow you’ve been conducting yourself recently.”Sole nodded; acknowledging and encouraging, and Curie’s eyebrows knit with feeling.“You ‘ave been given such a magnifique opportunity to ‘elp ozers, and yet, you seet their complicit as zose around you suffer!” Curie’s voice reached a peak in her increasing hysteria.“We could be doing so much more for ozers, but you are complicit, and complicity is no better zhan doing ‘arm to zhem.”Sole struggled to control her face; she was familiar with this somber adage.“I simply cannot stay with someone who lets such suffering continue, even eef I care for zhem.”Curie shook her head. “Zhis ‘caring’, eet eez not enough, not anymore.”Sole felt her own eyebrows arch worriedly, “You’re…ending this?”Curie swallowed, “I am.”Sole nodded, fighting back tears.“Alright then.”Curie hardened her own face, watching as Sole stalled briefly in the vain hope that she would suddenly change her mind, before turning around, and walking off. Curie did not see the sob Sole stifled with a shaky hand, as she disappeared into one of the quiet, blue Sanctuary houses.-Curie clenched her teeth, her eyebrows furrowed intensely over the eye piece of the microscope. One hand worked the knob on the left side of the device, while the other worked the right knob. She adjusted both with care, teetering on the edge of a resolution that allowed her to see the Mole Rat Disease bacteria sample, she had collected back at Vault 81.Too far with the left. She tried to adjust it again; the mirage of pink, bubbled into view, before swimming away tauntingly.Curie groaned frustratedly, before leaning back against her chair, rubbing her eyes vigorously.Nothing seemed to be going right lately; she couldn’t seem to sleep, no matter how fatigued she felt during the day, and while inspiration used to lurk around every corner, surprising her at nearly every crossroads in her life, she now lacked the curiosity to pursue any of the old hypotheses she had jotted down in the past. Research had never failed to enthrall her before; so, Curie could tell something was very wrong. Could she be depressed? She knew she wasn’t quite used to these strange new human emotions; and she’d heard that people could develop illnesses regarding this; and yet, she couldn’t quite understand exactly how the whims of her moods functioned, let alone how to treat the disorder, if she had one.Whatever it was; Curie didn’t think it’d go away on its own, it had been three weeks already, since her lethargic symptoms had started. She knew this precisely because they had started the same time, she had broken it off with Sole.Curie’s heart twinged, and she winced at the uncomfortable squeezing sensation in her chest.Suddenly, Curie heard a rustling noise behind her, and she turned quickly to see Sole, a box with cartons of purified water in her arms.“Uh, sorry for showing up unannounced,” Sole said awkwardly. “Preston told me that I should bring this box of clean water over though; since this is the clinic and all.”“Mm, okay, thank you.” Curie said tightly.“So, should I leave it somewhere specific or – ““Anywhere eez fine.” Curie snapped impatiently, only for both Sole and Curie to stare back at each other in shock.Curie had never snapped at anyone.“Are…you alright?”Curie sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of her nose, before flinging it down frustratedly.“I am not! I know zhat does not give me an excuse to act rudely, but I…” Curie sighed heavily again, and Sole noticed wetness budding at her eyes.“But I ‘ave all zhese feelings! An’ zhey keep bothering me, and squeezing my chest so zhat I cannot breathe, and I just – “Sole blinked sympathetically; she couldn’t imagine how tough it might be adjusting to all the strangeness that came with the human body, after years of not having to worry about eating, sleeping, breathing, or such other things.“Feelings about what?” Sole asked quietly.Curie didn’t answer, just rubbed at her temples.“It might help to talk about it,” Sole offered, “Most people find it helpful when they’re feeling…overwhelmed.”Curie took another deep breath but lowered her hands.“Eet started zhe day we broke up; zhis…squeezing.”Sole sucked in her cheeks but nodded.“And zhen…the trouble sleeping began zhat night.”“You have trouble sleeping? Lack of sleep can cause heightened emotional states.”Curie nodded in agreement, “I know, but I just…can’t. I try to go to sleep early, but it’s hard…”Sole looked inquisitively at Curie.“Without you zhere, since I was so used to eet.”Sole nodded, “I can understand that; it’s been a tough adjustment for me too.”“Really?” Curie perked up.Sole gave a sheepish, lopsided smile, “Of course; I was so used to…being with you, it’s a big adjustment for me to learnt to live without you now. Even now, I still sometimes go through ‘withdrawals.” “Can people really become…reliant on people like zhey do chems?”Sole deliberated for a moment, “I don’t see why not. It sure feels like we can.”Curie’s gaze softened, “Zhen I am sorry for making you sick.”Sole laughed, “I could say the same to you.”Curie smiled easily, for the first time in weeks, as she and Sole stood there, grinning at each other like fools.Sole set the box down, “Anyways, here’s the water for the clinic. If you need any- “Curie had suddenly stepped forward, leaning into Sole. Sole’s eyebrows lifted in surprise, and she leaned away. Shyly, with half-lidded eyes, Curie reached up to softly trail the side of her index finger down the side of Sole’s face.“Curie…” Sole murmured.“Please, ma Cherie, tu me manques.”“You broke up with me.” Sole had to fight the urge to close the distance, as she locked her joints in place; falling prey to Curie’s whims.“I did,” Curie murmured, her eyes sad, “And I sink eet was a mistake. Forgive me, amour, I am still adjusting to zhe innerworkings of my heart.”“This is the ‘withdrawal’ I was talking about,” Sole whispered, “this could just be a lapse in judgement for you.”Curie skimmed her nose along the length of Sole’s jaw.“Mm, perhaps.”“So, you have to stop pulling at me; if you want to not be with me that’s fine, but…then you have to let me go.”Curie pulled back, watching as Sole’s eyes glistened wetly.“You didn’t want me, and that’s fine, but now you have to let me go, because if you pull at me…” Sole swallowed thickly, “I’ll come back to you.”Curie braced her hands against the sides of Sole’s face, “Oh but I do want you, mon coeur, so come back to me, s’il vous plait.”Sole let Curie close the distance; for better or for worse.Danse: “When you have a moment, we should speak.”Sole tried to shake the mysterious uncertainty that hung on the seriousness of Danse’s tone.“Of course, we can talk now, if you’d like.”He nodded, his eyes unreadable but intense.“Good, I’ll get straight to the point then; I think something’s changed between us, and not for the better.”Sole’s eyebrows furrowed, but she forced herself to listen; Danse was not one to say such things frivolously, so if he was saying it now, it had probably been eating at him for a while.“Okay, can you please elaborate?”“I just feel like you’ve been getting distant lately, and maybe this thing has run its course.”“I…” Sole felt her fingers began to tremble at her sides, and she swallowed, trying to steady herself before answering.“I understand; you’re right, I’m sorry.”Danse’s eyes softened pitifully, and Sole’s gut churned painfully, like broken glass was twisting around in her gut.“I’m glad you understand, and I appreciate your honesty.”Sole could only nod – she didn’t trust her voice quite yet.“Well then, let’s move out – we shouldn’t let such things affect our work.”And just like that, it was over. Sole wasn’t surprised; after all, Danse had always been business, since before she had met him. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t at least a little bit hurt he didn’t look like he was dying inside.-Danse wasn’t a drinker. Sure, he’d had his share of sociable cocktails, but it was strictly that; social. The Brotherhood had always emphasized the importance of emergency preparedness at any given moment, and being in the bag, was a terrible way to be if disaster ever struck. Now though, leaving Sole, it felt like he was stuck in the fallout of the disaster. He had done what he had to do; cut off a living, breathing part of him that he’d thought had been necessary, so he could survive, and now he had all the phantom pains that came with it.When they had been on a mission, he had been hyperaware of Sole’s eyes on his back; mostly because he had to fight off the almost necessary urge to run back to her. When he had tossed and turned in bed that night, trying desperately to find sleep, every nerve in his body seemed to ache with the need for Sole’s body next to him. When he had given up on his pursuit of sleep and headed to the bar, his conscience scolded him for spiraling, throwing Sole’s name at him like a curse.He trudged hesitantly into The Bottleneck; the tap house that had just opened in Sanctuary Hills, heading straight to the bar for a whiskey. In his haste, he failed to notice Sole already there, sipping her own drink quietly in the corner, already thoroughly inebriated. When a glass of whiskey was firmly nestled in his hands, it was then that Danse noticed Sole in the corner, long after she had noticed him, and decidedly ignored him. He watched as Piper said something to her, making a gesture that made Danse think she was trying to convince her about something, before Sole shook her head and took another deep swig of her own drink. A matching whiskey.“Geez, you sure you two aren’t a perfect match?” MacCready muttered from Danse’s right.“Excuse me?” Danse raised an eyebrow; this man was a bit of a wild card, he’d probably do better than to engage with him. Then again, doing better would ideally include not being at a bar right now either, and yet, here he was. “I mean, you two broke up or whatever, right? Probably because you felt distant, or like you couldn’t see eye to eye or something like that, but here you both are, drinking your sorrows away and all.”Danse as if on cue, took another sip of his drink.“And what do you know about it?”MacCready scoffed, “About you and Sole? Probably nothing. About relationships? A thing or two.”“Hm?” Danse sounded doubtful.MacCready polished off his drink before turning to face the former Paladin.“I was married, you know.”Danse couldn’t hide his shock.“You were?”MacCready nodded, “Yep, I had a son and everything, back in the Capital Wasteland.”“And your wife?”Something dark flashed across MacCready’s face, “Dead.”Danse looked back down at his now empty glass.“I’m sorry.”“Thanks.” MacCready swooped his finger in a circular motion when the bartender looked his way, and a few moments later, two more glasses of whiskey were slid their way.“Anyways, I’m just saying, trouble…goes hand in hand with love, and crap.”Danse snorted, the alcohol making him feel less stiff than usual.“That’s poetic.”“Seriously,” MacCready gestured with his right hand, as if trying to show Danse something he couldn’t quite see.“Love, real love, isn’t poetic. It’s…well, it’s a bit like those rules you love so much.”Danse made a face, “Really? How so?”“Well, it’s sort of like a contract. People think that it’s all, ‘passion in the moment’, and ‘butterflies’ and all that, but really, it’s…a promise.”“A promise?”MacCready hummed thoughtfully for a moment, “Well, more of a vow. Even before marriage. Dating is like…a test to see if you can handle marriage.”“Sure,” Danse agreed, “A vow to love each other forever.”“Not just that, but a vow to love each other, even when you hate each other. To love each other, even when things get tough.”Danse’s eyebrows furrowed, “That sounds too naïve. Sometimes love just isn’t enough.”MacCready shrugged, “Yes and no. I mean sure, that ‘Love conquers all’ bullshit, is exactly that – bullshit. But I think love can be enough if you let it be.”Danse studied the vague outline of his reflection in the dark liquid.“You really think it’s that easy?”MacCready barked a short laugh, “Hey, I never said it was easy. I’m sure Lucy wanted to kill me some days.”“But?”MacCready smiled wistfully, “But she didn’t.”The two men sat there in silence for a few moments, as Danse mulled over their conversation. Suddenly, he felt MacCready nudge him.“Hey, if you’re going to make things right, now’s your chance.” He muttered under his breath.In the next moment, Danse saw movement in his peripheral vision.“Hey, can we talk?”Danse turned to face Sole. Up close, he noticed her face was puffy, and wetness beaded at her eyelashes.“Of course.” He slid down from his barstool and began to follow Sole out of the bar.He glanced back to see MacCready sending him a final nod. You won’t want to screw this up.Danse and Sole stood outside, alone in the lamplight, despite the bustle of activity inside the establishment.“I felt…bad about how we left things today…” Sole began, her voice rasping slightly.Danse watched her, her lips moving, her disheveled appearance making her look more vulnerable. All he wanted to do right now was scoop her up in her arms and kiss her. His palms sweat, and the buzz of the alcohol seemed to shatter any reasoning that came to him as to why he should not kiss her, into a million pieces. Danse teetered forward, and captured Sole’s face between two large palms, his lips cutting her off midsentence. Sole let out a squeak of surprise, before letting her eyes flutter shut, and allowing Danse to bring her closer. This one kiss, warm, and wanting, seemed to evaporate all the sadness and dread that had accumulated throughout the day. His lips moved against hers frantically, and two of her fists reached up to ball at the material of his shirt.“D-Danse,” she gasped.“Mm?”“What are we –?”Danse smiled a small, dazed smile, his cheeks flushed.“We’re keeping a promise.”Sole reached up to cup his face, tugging his lips back to hers.
And sealing it with a kiss.
Deacon: “Hey, when you have a moment, I think we need to talk.”Sole raised her eyebrows at the uncharacteristic seriousness in Deacon’s voice.“What’s eating at you?”Deacon took a deep breath, looking down at his feet, before gathering himself and forcing himself to meet Sole’s worried gaze.“I’ve always worked solo before working with you – and that’s always been pretty damn okay with me. So, when I met you, and decided to travel with you; it was new, and a little scary, and definitely not a choice I made lately.”Sole nodded, listening.“So, when things started to go south, I like to think I put it in a real honest effort to…right the ship, so to speak. I’ve hung around for as long as I can, but now, I really can’t stand here and watch you go downhill any longer.”Sole cleared her throat, as shame unexpectedly burned her cheeks. “I hadn’t realized you felt that way, can you please explain?”Deacon nodded hesitantly, his face laboring over the discomfort of the whole situation.“I get that we all have to make tough choices sometimes, but those tough choices…define us, and just because you get dealt a bad hand, doesn’t mean you have to go out of your way to deal a worse one to someone else.”Sole nodded again, her eyebrows furrowed; she thought, in concentration, but Deacon could see the unabashed hurt that glimmered in her eyes.“I understand; you don’t like the way I’ve been doing things lately.”Deacon breathed a short, bitter laugh, “That’s putting it mildly.”Sole could only nod her head mechanically; she couldn’t trust anything else; her voice could tremble or say something that let him know how hurt she was, and then she would cry, and he would…? What would Deacon do? Walk away? Sole couldn’t bear the thought.“Then you’re right, perhaps this is for the better.”“Yeah?”“Yeah, I mean, you’re obviously unhappy.”Deacon snorted indignantly, “Yeah, you’re right.” The note of reverence that softened the start of the conversation had dissipated at Sole’s relent.“Alright, then I guess this is it.”“I guess it is.” Deacon reached for his leather jacket, draped over the back of the chair across the table from Sole, before tossing it haphazardly over his shoulder.“I’ll see ya then.”“Bye.”Deacon left, and he did not look back.-A week or so later, Sole returned to the Railroad headquarters. She stepped into the familiar warm, dusty space, as Drummer Boy came forward to greet her.“Hey, Deacon needs to see you.”Sole raised her eyebrows, “Deacon has a mission for me? Isn’t he just another agent?”Drummer Boy shrugged, “Don’t shoot the messenger, I was just told that he’s been looking for you.”“Erhm, okay. Thanks.”Unease rooted in the pit of Sole’s stomach as she deliberately descended the steps into the Railroad HQ, stalling as much as she could. “He should be in one of the side rooms.” Drummer Boy called back, noticing Sole’s delayed position at the foot of the stairs.“Got it, thanks.” Sole called back, her unease only growing; those rooms were never used.Tentatively, Sole stepped towards the crumbling entryway into one of the few unused rooms of the HQ; usually it was empty, save for some candles. Today, it was empty save for some candles and Deacon.“Hey, I’m glad you could make it.”“I’ve never not come back.” Sole said, guarded.“Fair point,” Deacon flashed an easy smile, “Anyways, I figured, since we’ve had a week to cool down, maybe we could talk again?”Sole’s stomach flipped, “Sure,”“Cool,” Deacon nodded, “I just had some things I wanted to get off my chest, the first being, I’m sorry.”Sole’s eyebrows flew up, “Really?”“Yeah, don’t get me wrong, the things I felt were real, but it was unfair of me to judge you so harshly, without trying to work through things with you; I mean, that’s what being in a relationship is all about, right?”“I suppose it is,” Sole let out her own, apprehensive smile.“And the second thing is, regarding that – I still want to be in a relationship with you. This past week? Honestly, has been one of the worst. My life without you is just…wrong, and if you’re still up for it, I really want to give it another go.” Deacon’s smile had faded, and paired with his shades, he looked quite serious.Deacon waited, trying to gauge Sole’s reaction as a few moments passed, and she let his words sink in.“Oh, thank God.” She exhaled heavily, a sob suddenly tearing from her throat.Deacon’s expression morphed into that of surprise now, as he watched Sole sniffle, and reach up to frantically cover her face. Sole’s face burned with the flush of shame, and the stinging salt of her tears; she sniffled loudly into the palms of her hands, before another strangled cry was caught in her throat.“Hey now,” Deacon’s soothing voice was now much closer, and then Sole felt something warm and strong wrap around her.“No need to cry; we’re probably going to fight loads more times anyways, so at least we know the way to a happy ending now.”Sole let out a strangled laugh, as she buried her nose into the soft fabric of his shirt.Deacon brushed his lops atop her hair, and Sole shuddered into him.“Thank you,” his voice was strained.Sole pulled back slightly, to blink up at him wetly, “What for?”He pressed a kiss to her cheek; “For forgiving me.”His arms wrapped around to crush her to him again.Hancock: “I hate to be that Ghoul, but we need to talk.”Sole tried her hardest not to be unnerved by the solemnness in Hancock’s demeanor.“Of course, what’s up?”Hancock sighed heavily before plopping down on a fallen tree log. Sole followed his lead, taking care not to cozy up to him like she would’ve before.“When we started traveling together, I had thought I’d found my missing piece.”Sole’s heart twinged reminiscently; she had remembered feeling the exact same way.“But you’ve…changed. You’re not who you were when we started our journey together, and this new ‘you’…just isn’t someone I can love.”Sole set her jaw, trying to control the hurt as it threatened to seep into her voice.“I can…understand that. People change though, I can’t be expected to stay the same forever…”“And I’m not saying you should.” Hancock countered, matter-of-factly, “But these changes, they’re not good for me. So, I think we should take a break – cool things down, and see if we’re still a good match, in light of all these ‘changes.”Sole nodded mutely, knowing full well that her voice would betray her the moment it slipped past her lips, pressed into a tight line. She wasn’t sure talking would do her any good anyways; Hancock had seemingly made up his mind, after all.“So it’s settled then,” Sole forced out, after she had taken a few moments to gather herself.She clapped her hands against the tops of her thighs with a note of finality, as she rose to her feet.“I suppose it is.” Hancock rasped.Sole adjusted her jacket, spun on her heel, and continued down the untrod path her Pip-Boy was guiding her down, Hancock trailing just a bit further behind.-As the sun began its descent in the sky, Hancock and Sole decided to set up camp for the night. Wordlessly, Sole began to dig supplies from her pack, as Hancock got to work on starting a fire. Sole shook out the sleeping bags, setting them up a few feet apart.“Hey – you got a lighter on you? I can’t get this damn thing to catch.”Sole’s mouth twitched as she dug into the pocket of her trousers for a lighter, before tossing it in Hancock’s direction.“Thanks, su- Sole.”Sole ignored the twinge in her heart as she set aside a bottle of whiskey that Hancock must’ve ‘discreetly’ packed. From behind her, Sole could feel warmth emanating towards her back; he must’ve gotten the fire started.From their packs, Sole found some crispy squirrel bits, cram, potato crisps, and purified water; a full meal considering being in the middle nowhere for the night. Sole dragged her rutsack full of food towards the two sleeping bags; Hancock was already lounging back on his. Sole took her seat on the other one, and gingerly placed the rucksack between them.“Soup’s on.”“Great – I’m starving.”Hancock dig around in the pack, claiming the squirrel bits, before handing Sole the cram, and a fork he found at the bottom of the bag as well. Sole half-heartedly blew the dust off of it before cracking the tab on the cram container and peeling it back.They chewed in silence for a few moments, before Hancock reached for the bottle of whiskey.“And to chase it all down…”He unscrewed the cap and took a large swig, before offering it to Sole. Sole eyed the bottle suspiciously.“C’mon, we can’t still share?”Sole chewed thoughtfully, before swallowing.“I don’t know how it works here in the Commonwealth, but during pre-war times, we engaged in a sacred ritual called ‘hating your ex’s guts’ after breaking up.”“Aw, don’t be like that, doll. Besides, this is a testing phase; you don’t want to hate me only to find that in the end, you actually love me, do ya?”Sole made a face, “I’ll take that chance.”“Then consider this as me extending an olive branch.”Hancock waggled the bottle in front of her once more, before Sole sighed, resigned, and took it, taking a long swig. Hancock let out a low whistle; “That’s what I thought.”As the hours drew on, and the whiskey bottle grew increasingly empty, Sole found it easier and easier to relax around Hancock. Sole’s laugh bubbled out, and the buzz of the liquor through her system wore away at her resolve and coordination, as she lost her balance and fell towards Hancock.“Easy there, sister,” he chuckled, “suppose that means it’s time to call it a night.” His strong grip caught Sole by the shoulders and steadied her. Sole sighed, “Yeah, I guess.”Her bottom lip jutted out, as she pouted.“Hey now, what’s the long face for?”“Nothing!” Sole sang playfully.Hancock laughed, “C’mon, sunshine, I know you better than that, what’s eating at you?”Sole turned to look at Hancock, she pressed her finger teasingly at Hancock’s cheek, before turning away and giggling.Hancock rolled his eyes, choking it up to the whiskey.“You’re going to want a full night of sleep if you’re trying to avoid a killer hangover.”“Fine, fine, fine,” Sole waved at Hancock, before slipping clumsily into the sleeping back, resting her head on her arm.She watched as Hancock set his hat aside, and slipped into his own sleeping bag, a few feet away, turning to face her. She giggled again, watching him watch her.“It’s funny,” Hancock began, “It’s only a few feet, but it feels so far.”Sole turned to lay on her back, looking at the swirl of stars in the satiny, navy blue sky. It vaguely reminded her of arts and crafts as a kid; gobbing the glue onto the paper and showing glitter over it. God could be a five-year-old making refrigerator art.“Yeah, it does,” Sole breathed.Silence hung over them for a few minutes.“Are you asleep yet?”“No. Are you?”“…No.” Hancock had to bite back another laugh.“…Hey, Hancock?”“Yeah?”“I can’t sleep.”“Neither can I.”More silence.Sole heard rustling from the side, and she turned towards the noise, watching as Hancock shuffled closer. His dark gaze met hers.“…Just for the night.”“Of course,” Sole eagerly scooted in his direction, shoving the empty rucksack out of their way.Sole could feel the heat radiating from Hancock’s form, right next to her. The familiarity of the sensation singed her; if she were just the tiniest bit soberer, it would’ve hurt, but in the pleasant swirl of her intoxicated stupor, it was a parting gift.“…Are you asleep now?”“…No…are you?”Hancock couldn’t resist letting out a short, raspy laugh. “…No, sunshine, I’m not.”Sole whimpered slightly.“Sole?”Sole’s lower lip trembled, and she laughed nervously as a tear slipped down her cheek. She hurriedly swiped it away.“I’m sorry, I just – I’m going to miss that.”“What?”“You calling me ‘sunshine’.”Sole sniffled and nestled further into her sleeping bag.“…Regardless of how things play out, you’ll always be my sunshine.”Sole laughed again, and it trailed off as a few more hot tears streaked down, making a wet spot on her sleeping bag.Sole felt something warm and heavier fall across her waist; it was a familiar enough sensation that Sole knew it was Hancock’s arm.“Sshh,” Hancock chided, as Sole shook slightly, with the intensity of her silent sobs. “Go to sleep, things will be better in the morning – you’ll see.”Sole pinched her eyes shut, and the tears seeped out, but gradually, the shaking subsided, and the sniffling gave way to soft snores. Hancock kept her tucked firmly against his side, Sole’s body heat letting him drift away into a cozy sleep soon after she had. Hancock was grateful, he’d need his sleep – he had to make things better in the morning, after all.MacCready: “Hey, can we talk?”Sole frowned; recognizing even this early on in the conversation, that it probably wasn’t of the happy nature.“Alright,” Sole cleared her throat, before taking a seat across the table from where MacCready had been sitting, cleaning his gun.“When we first started…doing what we’re doing, I was happy – I thought it was what I wanted, but now when I look at you, I worry that it wasn’t really what you wanted.”Sole tilted her head slightly, “What do you mean?”MacCready took a deep breath before continuing.“I mean, lately you’ve just seemed so…angry with me. Cold. Fed up. When you make choices, it’s as if you’re deliberately ignoring me.”Sole’s teeth worried at the inside of her bottom lip, her gaze trained on MacCready, wordlessly indicating that he should continue.“I feel like despite being out on the open road, it’s just not enough space between us, not when we’re like this. We put ourselves in this…’box’, and it feels like you’re fighting like hell to get out, and hurting yourself and I, in the process.”Sole’s eyebrows furrowed now. “Things weren’t always like this.”MacCready’s gaze softened, “No, they weren’t.”A few moments of silence hung in the air, the silence almost laughing its stark dot dot dot, before MacCready pressed on.“Which is why I think we should take a break.”“You mean we should break up.”“Maybe. Really, what I’m suggesting is that we take those damned walls down. We stop fighting so hard against each other and take some space. Maybe we love it and find out it was the best move we ever made, and maybe it’s terrible and we realize we can’t live without each other, but I think regardless, it’s a step we have to try.”Sole let out a huffy breath, almost automatically, and the look that flashed across MacCready’s face told her that it only enforced his position on the subject.“Alright, then we’re broken up.”MacCready let out a breath, and Sole tried not to take the staunch relief that overcame him, personally.-A spray of bullets rained down, and Sole hit the deck, running and skidding behind the rotting shell of a pre-war car. Her heart hammered in her chest, and the blood roared in her ears as she frantically wracked her brain for a way out of her current predicament. A group of Gunners had found her, and it had been five – now four – against one. Bullets sprayed in abundance, occasionally ricocheting off the metal; in vain, Sole cuffed her hands around her neck; a meager attempt at protection.Normally, MacCready was with her; and between the two of them, they were able to pick off much larger groups – MacCready sniping them from a distance, and Sole creeping up on the closer targets. Here though, now? Sole was out of her depths. She was alone. She was nearly out of ammo and –Her breath caught raggedly in her throat as pain shot through her shoulder. She looked down at the source of her pain and saw a burst of brilliant vermillion blossoming in the material of her shirt. She had never taken a bullet before – MacCready and her had always been careful enough that traveling together, it never happened.Sole pressed the heel of her opposite hand against the wound, hissing in pain. It was a modest attempt to control the bleeding, but she didn’t have anything else. The bullet sounds were more sporadic now and growing distant – this was good. But Sole was beginning to feel light-headed. She felt herself tilt abruptly to the side, and a pained yelp left her throat, as she landed on her bad shoulder. Her vision continued to swim even after she had stopped falling. The last thing Sole had the energy to think before her vision went black was; This is it, I’m going to die for real now.Pain, bright and shocking ripped Sole from the cozy blackness she had succumbed to. Her eyes cracked open, only to be assaulted by bright fluorescent lights. She clamped her eyes shut again.“-Ah!”Sole moaned in pain, her muscles going rigid, as a burning sensation radiated from her shoulder through the rest of her body.“Hold her down – she needs to hold still so I can remove the bullet.” Dr. Amari’s logical, reedy voice rang through the sound of shuffling; Sole’s shuffling? She could feel it now; her limbs flailing as she fought off the pain as it clenched at her shoulder. Something sharp and piercing stabbed into the bullet wound.A scream tore from Sole’s lips, and as Sole writhed and contorted, the pain grew more severe. Nausea stirred in the pit of her stomach.“MacCready, Mayor Hancock, you need to do better than this – she must be still.”A grunt sounded above Sole, and suddenly, something heavy weighed down on her good shoulder.“MacCready, get the other side. She needs to be still.”“I- “Something fluttered in Sole’s chest at the sound of MacCready’s voice – he was here?“I know it’s tough, but if you keep her still, she’ll be in pain for a lot less time.”A pained groan from Sole’s bad side, and something heavy forced her down. Her shoulder ached and burned as the sharp pain ripped and tore at her.Sole screamed again, the anguished cry warbling into a gargled sob.Another sob, lower, huskier, sounded from Sole’s bad side.“MacCready – she’ll be alright Brother, but you’ve gotta keep it together.”“Y-yeah.” A loud sniffle sounded from Sole’s bad side as she continued to fight against the heaviness that weighed her down, as that sharpness kept burrowing and slicing. Finally, as Sole’s gut churned, horrific friction dragged despairingly against the raw wound, and a few beats after a sickening wet sound, Sole’s shoulder felt weirdly…empty, and there was a sharp clang.“There, I got it. The hard part’s over, we just need to irrigate the wound, and bandage her up.”Something warm and calloused dragged softly down the length of Sole’s forearm before trailing into her hand, and twining through her fingers.“You hear that? It’s almost over,” MacCready’s voice again, strained and hoarse.Sole’s eyes fluttered open, weakly.MacCready and Hancock swam into view on either side of her.“Hey there sister – welcome back. You gave us quite a scare there.”“W-What happened?”“You were found a little way outside of Goodneighbor. It was just a gunshot wound, but you had lost a lot of blood, so you passed out.” MacCready’s eyes were red.“Gunners.” Sole groaned, “I was ambushed – it was my fault, I went out alone.”MacCready flinched, “I should’ve never let you go out alone.”Sole smiled weakly, “I didn’t ask you anyways.”MacCready’s eyebrows furrowed, “Yeah, but I always go with you.”“No,” Sole retracted her arm, as Hancock let her up, propping herself up with it, her other hand still in MacCready’s. He let her up but kept a blood soaked cloth pressed firmly against the wound.“You used to always go with me – when we we’re together.”“What’s that supposed to mean?” MacCready demanded.“It means that…you broke up with me, I can’t expect you to take care of me anymore.”“Enough of that,” MacCready frowned, “From now on, you can count on me to take care of you forever – so don’t go and do stupid stuff like, pick a fight with a group of mercenaries, without me. Okay? I’ll always show up for you.”Sole’s eyebrows furrowed, “Even if we fight?”“Even if we fight.”“Even if there’s yelling?”“Yes.”Sole’s mouth quirked upwards slightly.“Even if you hate me?”MacCready gave a small smile, before leaning in, relieved, and resting his forward against hers.“Even when I hate you, I’ll still show up – okay?”“Okay.” Sole leaned into him, allowing herself to trust his support – she’d have it after all.Nick Valentine: “Hey, got a sec to talk?”Sole smiled weakly, “For you? Always.”“Alright, well, I’ve been having some issues these days, with how you’ve been handling people.”“Handling people?”“You used to do it in a way that made me believe you were above this whole mess. But now, it looks like you’re finally succumbing to the vindictive brutality of the Commonwealth, and I just can’t condone it, especially not when I know you can, you were better.”Sole raised an eyebrow, her gaze sharp and daggered, “I get that, but…why do I have to be the bigger man? I’ve lost too, I’ve been hurt too, and yet I’m still the one who traverse’s the Commonwealth looking for damsels in distress to save, defeating their damn dragons. But what about mine?”Nick looked at Sole strangely, “The fact that you’re even asking such a question leads me to believe that I’m right, when I say I can’t be with you, at least not right now.”Sole jerked her head back, hurt flashing in her eyes, before resentment mingled with it.“Way to kick a girl when she’s down.”Nick scoffed, “’Down’ as you may be, you’re still plenty capable of looking out for yourself; I’ve seen it myself.”“Fine then,” Sole shook her head bitterly, before spinning on her heel, and resting her hand on the handle of the heavy front door, of the Valentine Detective Agency.“Take care, Nick.” Sole didn’t bother disguising the poison in her tone.“And you.”-“Alright, seriously, what’s going on between you two?” Ellie asked loftily one day, her hands at her hips.“Nothing.” Sole and Nick answered simultaneously.“Sure,” Ellie scoffed, “It’s totally normal that Sole is the only one going out closing these cases,”“Hey, I work from here, we don’t need both of us in the field –“Nick protested.“-and that you two haven’t spoken to each other in two weeks.” Ellie raised an eyebrow at the two; Nick was pretending to read a file at his desk, while Sole inspected the toe of her boot with awesome scrutiny.“Ellie, can you tell Nick that I’m not the one not speaking to him?” Sole mumbled.“Ellie, please tell Sole that she already knows the conditions of our partnership, so the ball’s in her – ““Oh, I’m not doing this.” Ellie stomped her foot. “Seriously guys, work it out. Whatever you two are having a lover’s quarrel about, it can’t be that bad.”“Oh sure, just a question of her complete moral compass.” Nick mumbled sarcastically.“It’s a lawless world – he’s acting like I kill in cold blood; it’s like Hancock says; ‘you help those who need helping, and hurt those who need hurting.’” Sole shot a look at Nick.“Yes, because the Mayor of Goodneighbor is the perfect role model.” Nick snarked back.“You know what?” Sole whipped around to face Nick, “I’ve always viewed things this way – I’ve never been completely aligned with your sense of right and wrong – you knew that when we entered a relationship, but now it’s a problem all of a sudden.”Sole glared at Nick, her eyes dampening in her anger.“If I’m such a terrible person, then I’ll just go – but I’m not your whipping boy. If you want me here, then I’m here, but I’m not here so you can punish me.” Sole’s voice wobbled at the end. Nick glanced over her way just in time to see a hot tear streak down her face.“Dammit,” She sniffled, viciously wiping at her eyes.“Sole,” Ellie cooed sympathetically.“Ugh, ignore me,” Sole grumbled, “It’s because I’m mad.”Nick sighed and stood up, so he could look at Sole.“You’re right – I did know that when we entered a relationship; but these cases lately, they’ve been…tough. And I feel like you could handle them with a lighter tough. There’s no reason why everyone has to die, every time.”Sole sniffled, and some more tears leaked out, “S-Sure, but also, the world would be better without s-some p-p-people, -hic- “Nick’s gaze softened at Sole’s puffy, red face, she tried to ignore it.“What makes you so sure that you know which people those are?”“I m-might not always, but that doesn’t make me evil. It makes me a person. I’m a flawed being, and I try to do what’s best, and s-sometimes, I believe ki- taking someone out is the best choice.” Sole stared indignantly up at Nick.His glowing eyes studied Sole for a moment, before he sighed heavily. Ellie watched as Nick dug through his trouser pockets for a cigarette. He took one for himself before offering one to Sole. Sole sniffled and wiped at her face one last time before accepting it. Nick wordlessly brought the little, white cylinder between his lips, followed closely by his flip lighter; Sole leaned in as he lit hers as well, and he puffed on his cigarette. Sole picked up the cigarette with a shaky hand, removing it as she exhaled a cloud of smoke, before bringing it back to her lips, and puffing again.“Truce then.”Sole looked at Nick.“From now on, we’ll keep work separate from…”“Us.” Sole said, as Ellie said “Play.”“Exactly.” Nick adjusted his hat, before reaching up with his good hand to gently wipe away the last frozen tears on Sole’s cheeks with the pad of his thumb.“But to be clear, I was crying because I was mad – they were tears of rage.” Sole remarked.Nick rolled his eyes, “Sure, doll.”Longfellow: “Can you spare a moment, Captain?”“Sure, what’s on your mind?” Sole noted the formal way Longfellow addressed her; a way he hadn’t done so since before they had been together.“I just…I thought I knew who ye were when we…decided to start this here, thing between us, but lately, I just don’t recognize ye.”Sole’s cheeks flushed, and she suddenly felt ashamed, as if she were a petulant child being scolded.“We’ve had a good run, but…I’m not sure if we should keep going.”Longfellow grimaced, having said his piece, and Sole’s eyebrows furrowed as her ears burned shamefully.“You want…out?”Longfellow made a face at the coarse wording, but he nodded anyways.“I believe I do.”Sole nodded deliberately, trying hard to appear more thoughtful, more mature. She felt ridiculous.“Well, alright then, I suppose that’s it.”Longfellow nodded, and the two of them stood there awkwardly for a few moments. Every nerve in Sole screamed for her to run, to leave him before he left her.“Thank you for letting an’ old man like me, say his piece.” Longfellow nodded his head, inching away.“Yeah.” Sole’s voice was tight.He lingered uncomfortably for a moment, before he couldn’t any longer. Sole watched his retreating form, letting a tear slip down her cheek, confident he wouldn’t look back.-The quaint, little bell rang charmingly as Sole entered The Last Plank. The bartender looked up briefly but didn’t say anything more. Longfellow didn’t bother sparing a glance. Sole hesitated for a moment, taking a deep breath, before walking to the table where Longfellow was sitting, smoking a cigar, a pale of beer sitting by the ash tray.“Hi,” Sole began apprehensively.Longfellow grunted.“I just wanted to say that I’m sorry.” Sole tugged nervously at her fingertips.Longfellow took the cigar that dangled from his lips, and propped it up against the ash tray, as he leveled his gaze on Sole.“Go on,”Sole took a deep breath, “I don’t fully understand what I did wrong, because I wasn’t aware, I was doing it. But I am sorry for hurting you, and for making you doubt me. And if…if you’re willing, I’d like to try again; I’d like to make amends and become better for you.”Longfellow’s icy stare bore into her, and Sole had to force herself to undertake such scrutiny. Longfellow took a long, deliberate swig of his beer.“Well, alright then.”Sole perked up, and she looked at Longfellow, her eyes wide.“It’s not easy owning up to what you’ve done, especially if you don’t completely understand it,” he shot her a look, “but it’s a hell of a start, and…I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss you.”Sole visibly relaxed, and Longfellow gestured to the chair across from him, “C’mere darlin’.”Piper: “Hey Blue, we have to talk.”“Okay,” Sole’s voice was uneasy, her stomach turning flips as she waited for Piper to speak.“When we…agreed to be something more, I had agreed to that with you; someone who was generous and compassionate and good. But lately…I haven’t even been able to recognize you. You’re violent, and angry, and…that’s not who I agreed to be with.”Terror fresh and cold struck into Sole’s heart, as she recognized the age-old adage; at the back of her mind, an archaic pre-war memory played; she was sixteen, and nervously pulling at her fingertips before the sniveling, tear-streaked face of the first person she had ever dated.“It’s not you…it’s me.” Young Sole had tried to reason, only to be met with an onslaught of more sobs.“You’re ending this.” It wasn’t a question, Sole wanted confirmation. “I’m ending this with…whatever you’ve become. I still want this with you, but where the hell are you?” Piper’s expression briefly cracked, revealing her own hurt, before she recovered her strong front. It was a split second, an instance so small, Sole wondered if it had been real at all.“I’m right here Piper,” Sole blurted, and then her cheeks burned in shame. Piper was not sixteen-year-old Sole, and Sole, refused to be that pathetic. “But if you can’t see that, then you’re right, we should end this.”Piper shook her head, disgusted. “Jesus, maybe you really are too far gone.”-Nick glanced between Sole and Piper, “Are you sure…you two are okay?”“Great,” Sole grumbled, as Piper snorted, “Peachy keen.”“Good!” Nick exclaimed, trying to ignore the elephant in the room.This proved difficult, when he could practically feel it breathing down his neck, as both women seethed on either side of him.Nick cleared his throat, “So when we talk to the family, we have to remember; we don’t want to lie to them, but…. the gory details should probably remain on a need to know basis – this was their daughter.”Sole nodded, “Got it, be truthful, but don’t overshare.”“Exactly,” Nick’s gaze flicked to Piper, “As for you, try to keep the questions about remembering the good stuff about her – they’re going to have the rest of their lives to know she’s sad, so let’s take the emphasis off that for a while.”Piper nodded, “Sounds good, Nicky.”Nick stopped suddenly, “Alright, here we are.” He jerked his chin towards a boathouse a few yards away, a larger, more residential looking house looming a few yards past that.“This is the Nakano’s?” Piper asked.Sole and Nick nodded.“It’s so…far from anything. She must’ve had a peaceful childhood.”Nick nodded, “It’s a shame she had to meet such a grisly end after all.”Sole inhaled deeply, “Could you imagine? Waking up everyday and smelling the ocean?”“I haven’t even seen the ocean before now.” Piper admitted.Sole looked at her in shock, “Really?”Piper rolled her eyes, “Nat and I went from one dingy settlement to – ““The dingy city?”“Exactly,” Piper’s mouth quirked up.Sole shook her head, “Well, one day you, Nat, and I – I mean, you and Nat should come down here; the water’s incredible.”Sole tried to ignore the regret that flashed across Piper’s gaze briefly.“The water has actual salt in it – it’s…an experience.” Sole tried not to falter in her enthusiasm.“Alright ladies, here we go.” Nick called from up ahead.Piper and Sole rushed to catch up with him. When they got there, Nick had already knocked on the heavy, wooden door, and after a few moments, and some scuffling on the other side, the door opened. Kenji Nakano’s gaunt face loomed in the entryway, as he guardedly kept the door cracked half-way, until he saw that it was Nick. Rei Nakano hovered in the background, her hands clasped hopefully below her chin. Sole’s heart twinged.“Did you find her? My Kasumi?”Nick removed his hat and held it to his chest.“Kenji, Rei,” his golden eyes were full of pity, “Perhaps we should have this conversation inside.”“N-No…” Rei moaned from behind, “She’s dead, isn’t she?” A strangled sob ripped from her throat as she fell to her knees.Kenji’s eyes were wide and disbelieving. He rested his hand on Nick’s shoulder to steady himself.“Is it true?” His desperate stare bore into Nick, “She’s dead.”“I-It’s with great regret that I must tell you…” Nick hesitated, “Yeah, it’s true Kenji, I’m sorry.”Kenji made a noise that indicated all the air had left his lungs. Nick’s arms came up to rest on Kenji’s shoulder’s, bracing the man up.Sole stepped past the two men, and knelt down next to Rei, smoothing one hand gently along her back.“Mrs. Nakano,” Sole murmured, “I’m so sorry for your loss.”A whimper left Rei, her face buried in her hands, as her shoulders shook.“I met Kasumi before…she was…so smart – investigating something actually.”Piper stepped in around the men, kneeling next to Sole and Rei, wanting to help, but unsure of what to say. Rei continued to tremble and sob.“She,” Sole swallowed, “She was really nice – the first time I met her, she knew I wasn’t…she knew I was sent to look for her, but the first thing she said to me was that, I was welcome to stay with them – in the commune she and the others were living in.”The shaking had begun to subside, but the low keening noises did not. Sole looked at Piper, and Piper stared back, their expression mirroring each other’s pity. Sole turned back towards Rei.“She had lots of friends there – which is no surprise, I mean,” Sole let out a soft laugh, “She was so kind, and funny, and smart, I imagine she was just the sort of person that…drew people to her.”Rei sniffled, and apprehensively removed her hands from her face. Piper pulled out a handkerchief from her jacket pocket and handed it to Rei, who accepted it gratefully.“S-She was, she was always meant for something better th-than this.”Sole nodded, “I have no doubt about that. She was warm, and smart, and good.”Sole reached to grasp both of Rei’s hands between her own.“Did you hear that Rei? She was all those things, regardless of what she thought she was – synth or human, she was still the person you raised.”Rei’s eyes met Sole’s, and her bottom lip trembled before the tears started again.“Th-Thank you.”Sobs wracked her body again. Kenji approached then.“My wife and I…we just need to grieve. Thank you for bringing us closure.”Nick clapped Kenji’s arm.“I’m sorry it wasn’t better news, Kenji.”Kenji could only shake his head. Sole and Piper rose to their feet, as Kenji fell to his wife’s side, his own tears finally catching up to him. Nick placed his hat back on his head, and with a silent glance to Piper and Sole, they all took their leave.“I’m sorry you never got your interview,” Nick said to Piper, after they had been traveling in silence for a few minutes.“No worries – their grief was the biggest thing in the room, you know? That had to be respected, I couldn’t even imagine…” Piper shook her head.“I know,” Sole murmured, thinking of Shaun.Piper looked at Sole, “Hey, you were…really great with Rei.”Sole’s gaze flicked briefly to Piper, her moth quirking into a somber smile.“Thank you.”Piper fell into step beside Sole.“You know, it wasn’t fair of me…to insinuate that you weren’t compassionate or generous, because I saw you in there with Rei, and you were both of those things and more.” Her gaze burned into Sole, “You were good.”Sole shook her head, “No, you were right, I began to lose my way a bit. I…can’t let this world turn me hard and uncaring.”“You’re not, though.” Piper’s stare bore into her. “I was wrong,”Sole risked a half smile, “You just keep me at my best,” she reassured her.Piper smiled back and a comfortable quiet settled in.“Hey,” Piper began.Sole looked back at Piper, eyebrows raised, waiting.“Did you want to…head to my place, when we get back?”Sole grinned, “I’d love to.”“Cool! Maybe we can plan that beach trip…”Sole laughed, “It’s a date.”Gage: “Hey Boss, ‘need a moment of yer time.”“Shoot.”Sole didn’t even look up from the gun she was cleaning.“I wanted to talk to you about…the state of our..union…” Gage sounded strangled, and now Sole looked up, eyebrows raised, confused.“Gage?”“Aw shit, I hate talkin’ about this crap.” Gage ran an exasperated hand over his face. “Look, this isn’t working. You’ve gone soft, and I don’t like it.”Sole raised an eyebrow, “Soft?”“It’s supposed to be you and me against the world, but that can’t happen when you keep –“Gage gestured dismissively with a hand, trying to better demonstrate what he meant, “invitin’ the world in!”Sole’s mouth quirked strangely; she wasn’t so good with these types of conversations specifically, so it seemed like they were both in the dark.“So, I should cancel the world’s invite? No ‘world’ allowed?”Gage glowered at her, “I’m serious Boss. I don’t think you’ve got the stomach for this anymore, and I think…”Gage’s hesitation alarmed Sole; this was the pause of someone who was about to deliver a fatal blow, as they looked into the eyes of their victim. She would know, she had done it many times herself.“I think if this is who you really are, it was a mistake bringing you in to replace Colter.”“You’re saying it was a mistake helping me, that day, in the Gauntlet?”Sole’s voice was low and dangerous, coiled like a snake, dangerously unassuming like a loaded gun left lying around; plenty of potential for damage.“Yeah, I think I am.”“You can go.”Gage was taken aback. “What?”“You’re dismissed. I won’t be needing your…services anymore. I’ll summon you when I’m ready to make the next move.”“Sole -”Sole flinched; seldom did Gage use her name, save for when they were making love – or breaking up apparently, he stuck with ‘Boss’.“Go.”Gage glared at her for a moment longer, before roughly shoving away from the counter he was leaning against and heading towards the elevator at the summit Fizztop Mountain.“This ain’t finished.”“But we are, aren’t we?” Sole glared daggers at him, as if to vehemently protest the softness he accused her of having.Gage didn’t answer, and Sole buried her gaze in the safety of the monotonous movements of cleaning her gun. She did not look up again, until she was sure he was gone.-When night fell over Nuka-World, it was silent at the summit of Fizztop Mountain, where Sole lay, asleep in the plush bed. The rhythmic ticking of the analog clock created a steady thrum that blended into the silence, and the cozy drawl of night sounds would’ve disguised the would-be assassination. Pure instinct woke Sole up, and her eyes flew open, her face eerily calm.“Gage,” she called out into the dark, her mouth quirking up, satisfied that she had caught the attempt.“Come on out Gage, I know you’re there.” Sole pushed herself up, propping herself up into a sitting position by her forearms.She scoffed, “You know, it’s not like you to do your own dirty work.”She heard his silent foot falls in the dark shadows that shrouded him. It wasn’t his fault – he had done everything really, it was her. She was just too good. Impeccable. Unflappable.Sole kept her eyes trained on the darkness; and after a few moments, Gage stepped out, illuminated by the cold shards of moonlight. Oh, did he look good. Gage had his hands raised in surrender, a switchblade in one hand.“Alright Boss, you’ve got me.”Sole snorted, “Geez, you hate me that much already?”Gage’s eyes narrowed, “No, but I needed to see if you had what it takes.”“And if I failed, you would’ve what, killed me?”“No,” Gage said hurriedly, “But, I would’ve at least had to pretend to.”Sole snorted, “Likely.”“No really,” He started at her, indignant. “If I’ve noticed this…soft spot of yours,” he sneered, “the other leaders will have for sure.”“And they’ll want me gone.” Sole finished.“Yeah, so I would have to make it look real convincing, and then – ““We’d what, run off into the sunset?” Sole drawled.“Shit, just listen, for Chrissake.” Gage huffed, “we’d…well yeah, we’d get away.”Sole snorted again, “You’d hate me if I went soft, why would you help me.”“Sure as shit I’d find you insufferable but…I told you, I’m in this.”Sole grinned, “In what? I don’t understand Gage, you have to tell me.”Gage sneered, “This. Us. You know.”Sole giggled, “You’re so emotionally stunted.”“Shut up.” Sole squealed as Gage dropped on all fours onto the bed and prowled towards her. She looped her legs around him, enticing him forward as he crawled up, caging her to the bed when they were nose to nose.“I’m a man of action.”“So, then you should tell, really clearly.” Sole’s voice was low, and sultry.Gage brought her lips to his with a growl.Preston: “Hey, we need to talk, it’s kind of important.”“Sounds serious.” Sole remarked, leaning against the doorway of her and Preston’s shared room.“It is,” Sole watched the way his fingers worked at the creases in his duster; a tic that only came out when he was nervous. It really was serious.“Preston, what is it?”“I…you and I, are over.”Sole’s eyebrows shot up, surprise hitting her, the hurt too fresh to set in.“…Is there a reason for this happening…so suddenly?”“That’s just the thing though, it’s not ‘sudden’ at all.”Sole winced at the flash or irritation that worked its way into Preston’s voice.“The things you’ve been doing lately…it’s like it’s not even ‘you’ doing them, and it’s definitely not what the person I fell in love with would do.”Sole frowned, “I’m sorry you feel that way, but…I can honestly say I don’t know what you’re talking about. This is who I am, this is who I’ve always been. Nobody stays the same forever, but at their core, they’re still the same person.”Preston scoffed bitterly, “You really believe that, huh?” He shook his head, “Point is, I can’t love this person, and if this is who you really were the whole time, then this is way overdue.”Sole flinched but said nothing. She quietly pushed off from her relaxed position in the doorway, almost as if she were afraid her existence was enough to set Preston off again. She crept away, retreating like a dog that had been scolded, its tail between its legs. -Preston sat at the dingy table of his Sanctuary home, staring at the gnarled pieces of metal strewn out across the table.“Dammit,” he grumbled under his breath, as he attempted to attach one to his gun, unsuccessfully.Sole hesitated; she had only come here to update him on the Tenpines Bluff ghoul situation, but she had noticed him concentrated in the midst of his gun modification process. Sole thought she could see the problem from where she was standing; certain parts responded better to adhesive than others, and she had a few tricks up her sleeves, as a fellow weapon mods enthusiast.“That sort of scope doesn’t work as well with that sort of adhesive,” Sole called out tentatively from her leaned position against the doorframe.Preston looked up, alarmed, “Oh!”He looked back at the scattered parts.“There’s a trick to getting them to stick,” Sole nodded, “…May I?”Preston leaned back in his seat, “Sure,”Sole walked over and trained her gaze on the parts, trying not to let herself get distracted by the proximity to Preston, and how her body missed him achingly. Sole studied the parts for a few moments, before her tongue darted out between her lips, and she swiped the pad of her thumb against it, wetting it slightly.She swiped the pad of her thumb against the part that wouldn’t stick, wetting it slightly, before trying to attach them once again. This time, they stuck.“There we go!” Sole proclaimed proudly.Preston grinned, “Hey, thanks!” A few moments passed, with Sole and Preston grinning at each other stupidly.“I uh, didn’t know that you knew your way around a gun so well.”Sole laughed nervously, “It’s a skill I only recently picked up, admittedly.”Preston’s eyes softened, “I’m impressed.”Sole flushed, but she beamed back; it was the easiest she had felt in the weeks that followed her and Preston’s break up.“Oh, uh, I forgot, the real reason I came here was to let you know that the Tenpines Bluff situation got worked out.”“Oh! Good, I’m glad – you, you’re doing a great job.”Sole smiled and nodded, before starting out, “Thank you…” Sole paused at the doorway, “I’m…trying, Preston.”Preston smiled, and nodded, “I see that – it’s noted.”Sole disappeared out the door. A few moments later, Preston was running out the door, trying to catch up to Sole. Hearing the frantic footfalls behind her, she whipped around, to face a winded Preston.“I uh, well, I wanted to know if you’d…like to have dinner with me tonight?”Sole’s eyebrows shot up; “So…soon?”Preston smiled sheepishly, “Perhaps I’m just a…hasty person in general.”The corner of Sole’s mouth quirked up, “I’ll say.”“Is that a ‘yes’?”Sole laughed, “That’s a ‘hell yes’, Preston.”X6-88: “Can we talk for a minute, ma’am?”Sole raised her eyebrows, “Sure; and we’ve been through this, we’re dating now, you can call me by my name.”“I’d rather not, ma’am.”Dread bud in Sole’s stomach. X6 was as impassive sounding as always, but somehow, this felt more daunting than usual.“What’s on your mind, X6?”“When we started traveling together, I did so as a result of the orders I was given,” he started. “And then our relationship transcended the professional realm and I was curious as to how it would play out.”Sole watched him expectantly.“I now realize that this was a mistake.”Sole’s heart dropped.“The decisions you’ve been making have led me to severely doubt your capabilities as Father’s successor, and as for our personal relationship…it certainly doesn’t appeal to me, to be with someone who so easily shirks their duties, and is so fallible.”Hurt pricked at Sole’s chest, and she fought off the urge to cry or throw something; she couldn’t prove X6 right.“So that’s it then, we’re done?” “Personally? Yes. But Father’s orders were quite clear, and so I will continue to serve under you. No more, no less.”Sole’s lower lip trembled slightly, but she forced her eyes to cut into X6 and all of his ‘okayness’.“And if I order you to leave me the hell alone?”X6 was as unflinchingly cold as ever, “I would be unsurprised, this is the sort of behavior I’ve come to expect from you.”-Sole smoothed the stark white of her lab coat and dress. Her hair was tucked neatly into a pristine bun; not a hair out of place. Sole took a deep breath and took a tentative step from her private bedroom. Father, or more accurately, her only son, Shaun had just passed, and here she was, debuting as the new leader of the Institute.It had been…a few months since the last time she’d seen X6, and he was right on the other side of the door; waiting for her – or really, the next Director, but that was her. So, here she went.The door retracted cleanly into the walk, and Sole stepped a polished foot out into the main room of her quarters. X6 was waiting, and he rose to his feet as she stepped out. She had to fight off the urge to have any sort of physical reaction; but he was just as handsome and manicured and refined as she had remembered.“Ma’am.” X6 greeted, his voice smooth.“X6.” Sole nodded.She stepped forward, ready to address the rest of the Institute – her Institute.“Sole,” X6 tried, experimentally.Sole whipped around, the raising of her eyebrows as expressive as she allowed herself to be.“You…I’m…I’m glad you’re back. They couldn’t have picked a better successor.”Sole eyes softened, “Thank you X6, that means the world coming to you. I swear to do right by you, and every other forwarding the betterment of humanity here.”“I…I don’t doubt it.”Sole paused in front of the door to the balcony. Her heart hammered, and she could feel X6 right on her tail. All she had to do was push the button. Sole whirled around, to look up at X6, from her position, she could almost see his eyes around the shades.Sole blinked up at him, her bravery ending at the audacity to face him directly.X6 looked back at her, and Sole could count the steady thrum of her heartbeat on one hand before X6 pressed his mouth to hers.Sole groaned against the kiss, throwing her arms around his neck.“I’ve missed you,” she breathed.“And I, you.” His arms wrapped around her waist, crushing her to him.He finally pulled away, and Sole’s eye lashes fluttered upwards.X6 let out a sharp gasp of air – one that Sole could only barely discern as stifled laughter.“Huh?”X6 tenderly brought the pad of his thumb up to wipe at the lipstick stains that colored outside the contour of her lips.“We got a little bit…carried away.”“My bad.” Sole flushed.“Not at all.”Sole took a deep breath, running through her mental checklist to make sure everything was in place.“I think I’m ready.”X6’s mouth curled into the barest hint of a smile, “I know you are.”Sole pressed the button, and the doors slid open. She stepped out onto the balcony, X6 at her back. She took a deep breath,“Welcome, and thank you…”