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General: 
 
General Colette Arnold stood atop the bastion above her quarters at the Castle as she watched the airship settle above what used to be the Boston Airport. She saw the Power Armor clad soldiers jumping from the decks, and the red flashed of their laser rifles as they dealt with the Feral Ghouls that remained in the ruins. Reports had been called in from all of her settlements that had seen the giant ship flying above and informed her that they were announcing themselves as the Brotherhood of Steel. She huffed and ran a hand through her long black hair.

“General?” Preston Garvey came up behind her. “We reached out to our contacts. MacCready and Hancock are here and say they have some information.”

“Excellent. Let’s see what they know about our new neighbors.” Colette followed Preston down the stairs and back down to the room they had designated as the conference room. Hancock and Macready were already waiting for them. MacCready was smoking a cigarette with a scowl on his face and his arms crossed. Hancock was reclining his chair back on two legs with an inhaler of Jet in one hand.

“Pardon my intrusion, but I feel I need to contribute to this meeting.” Nick slipped into the conference room with the General and Colonel.

“Of course,

Padrino

, you’re always welcome.” Colette smiled at the old synth before taking her seat at the head of the table.

“Okay. The Brotherhood of Steel is settling in next door. What do we know about them?” Colette’s green eyes scanned the faces of her most trusted companions.

It was MacCready who spoke first, after putting out the last of his cigarette. “Listen, growing up in the Capital Wasteland, I had a lot of contact with the Brotherhood. Their previous Elder installed a water purifier in the river and they seemed like they really wanted to help people, but things started changing when the new guy took over. The kid is a couple of years younger than me and got command of an army at 16? Things went to shi-crap after he took charge. Non feral ghouls became targets; settlements were threatened into giving them crops and supplies for protection; and now they’ve decided to set up in the Commonwealth? I don’t like this.”

“I have to agree, Sunshine. The Brotherhood ain’t the kind of people I want to tango with.” Hancock rasped.

“We don’t have the resources to take them on,” Preston held up his hand. “So there won’t be any tangoing, for now. We do have the artillery set up, but I don’t know if that would be enough to take on the airship, even though we have the range.”

“I want you to send materials to set up more artillery in the surrounding settlements, just in case. I’d rather be paranoid than dead.” Colette instructed Preston. “Nick, what are your thoughts?”

“I hate to stir the pot, but I think we need to talk to them a bit. Get to know ‘em before we make any decisions. We should figure out why they’re here and make our decisions based on how they treat our citizens, especially the non-humans.” Nick stuck his hands in his trench coat pockets and leaned against the wall.

“We did help out Paladin Danse, and he seemed like a decent enough guy.” Preston added.

“Yes, Preston, but one nice soldier does not a good army make.” Colette rubbed at her eyes. “We’ll go and visit them in the morning, there’s nothing we can do right now.”

“So have you had any luck with the Glowing Sea?” MacCready asked as he poured himself a whiskey.

“We still need another full suit of Power Armor. That T-45 that I picked up in Concord doesn’t keep radiation out enough, so even if I took Hancock or Nick, I would still take on a lot of Rads. I can understand wanting to get away from the Institute, but couldn’t he have gotten a disguise or change his name or something like that?”

“Institute is ruthless, doll. If they were after me, I’d head for the Glowing Sea too.” Hancock sat next to her and draped an arm over the back of the couch.

“I just hate feeling like I’m taking two steps forward, and then one step back. I’ve already missed ten years with Shaun. Who knows what we’ll have to do after we go in there? Maybe we’ll have to take the Hobbits to Isengard before we get into the Institute.” Nick snorted at her reference that was lost on the others.

"You’re just like your mother.” Nick chuckled.

“You guys never explained that. Nick knew your mother? I thought the Institute wasn’t a thing until after the war?” Hancock prodded.

“Well, I have the memories and personality of a pre-war detective, Nick Valentine.”

“The original Nick and his wife, Jenny, adopted me when my last relative died when I was 13.”

"And we spoiled her rotten.”

“Rotten?

Padrino

, you flatter me.”

“Anyway, I had elected to have my body donated to the University’s BioScience department when I died. My guess is that the Institute got their mitts on my preserved brain and used that when toying around with Gen 3 prototypes.”

“So you didn’t die when the bombs hit?” Mac asked.

“Nah, Lung Cancer. I still smoke anyway. Can’t get cancer if you don’t have cells.” The synth chuckled darkly. “I never got to meet Shaun. Or his father for that matter,” yellow eyes turned to Colette. “Was it Billy? I knew you kids were in love.”

“It should have been Billy.” Colette sighed, “No. It was a one night stand. He was army and wasn’t around when Shaun was born, or when the bombs hit.” Colette cleared her throat before changing the subject. “What about Duncan? Any word on if the cure worked?”

“Daisy gave me a letter from the friends that are watching over him in the Capital. She said he’s doing much better. He just needs to regain some more strength before I can move him up here. There’s more opportunities up here, less conflict once we get rid of the Institute, and I want to stick around and help my favorite General find her own kid.” The ex-Gunner smiled at her as he took another gulp of his whiskey. “You can’t get rid of me that easily, General.”

"I’m glad to hear Duncan is doing better.” Colette smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “I should probably turn in, If I’m going to be introducing the Minutemen to the Brotherhood, I need my sleep.”

“Get some rest kid,” Nick crossed the room and kissed her temple before leaving.

“See you General,” Garvey saluted as he followed MacCready and Hancock out of her quarters.

“Night guys!” She called out while she shut the doors behind them. She made her way back to her bed, loosening her armor as she went. She had an old set of Fallon’s mannequins that she kept her armor and formal General’s uniform. Her Vault suit provided some level of protection for if the Castle needed defending in the middle of the night, and she usually wore it to bed because it was pretty damn comfortable. She curled into the double bed that Preston had brought in for her and put out the last oil lamp before falling into a dreamless sleep.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Elder:
            Arthur was sending off a quick message to Proctor Teagan, requesting a full inventory report once things settled down from them clearing the airport of Ghouls. Getting to the Commonwealth had been the easy part. From what Danse had told him in his debrief that morning, the battle ahead was bound to be long and tedious.            Gladius hadn’t been the first recon team they had sent to the Commonwealth, but they had been the first to survive, barely. Arthur rubbed at his tired eyes. Gladius had been able to contact them at the Citadel only with the help of the local militia. The Minutemen, Arthur thought, bitterly. He was unsure of whether they would be an ally or a foe, and he was hoping to find out soon. It would be useful be allied with a large group of fighters –even untrained fighters- that knew the Commonwealth from growing up in it. Danse had given him the name of the Minutemen that had helped him. Preston Garvey and Colette Arnold, people with surnames stood out. Not everybody had them 200 years after they were useful, and he made a mental note to send some Scribes to a couple of settlements to see if they could be pointed in the direction of the helpful Minutemen. Ideally, the two could get him in touch with their superiors and they could work out some kind of deal.            A knock on his door disturbed him from his thoughts. “Yes?” He inquired the knocker.            The door opened and a Squire stood in the doorway on trembling knees. “Elder Maxson, sir, there are representatives from the Minutemen requesting to speak with you.”            Eerie timing, these Minutemen had. “Very well, I’ll be on the Command Deck to radio with them in a moment. Dismissed.”            “Actually, sir, they are here. The airport just radioed up to ask permission to send the two of them up.”            “I see. Go get Paladin Danse and tell him I need to see him immediately. Tell the airport to grant the Minutemen permission to board the Prydwen. When they arrive on deck, please show them here.”            “Yes sir! Ad Victorium!” The Squire saluted and ran off in search of the Paladin. Arthur sat back and ran his fingers through his hair. At least the Minutemen were making his life easier.            “You wanted to see me, sir?” Danse asked through the still open door.            “Yes, have a seat.” Arthur gestured to the chair to his immediate right. “Representatives from the Minutemen are on the way up from the airport as we speak and I would like you to be involved in this meeting, since you have experience working with their members.”            “Of course,” Danse was out of his Power Armor, and there were signs that he had just begun working on it when the Squire found him were on his hands. Grease blackened patches of his hands and the wrists of his orange jumpsuit. “May I step out and wash my hands quickly? They shake hands up here and I want to at least have clean hands.”            Arthur pointed to his private bathroom. “Have at it.” Danse disappeared and Arthur could hear the water running as he scrubbed the grime off his skin.            “Elder Maxson, I present Colonel Preston Garvey and General Colette Arnold of the Commonwealth Minutemen.” The Squire had returned, and there were two figures behind him, waiting for him to step aside to let them in.            Arthur tried to hide his surprise as the two stepped into his quarters. Preston was tall and lean, sporting a khaki coat, green scarf, and leather hat with one side of the wide brim pinned up to the side. He was no formally trained soldier, his face was too kind and his posture too relaxed. The laser musket he carried was in no way practical for combat.            General Arnold, however, was something else entirely. She moved with grace and strength, like a predator. Her green eyes seemed to pierce him to his very soul. She took him in, and multiple emotions flashed in her eyes before she schooled her expression into a cool neutral one. She wore creamy pants and a blue coat over a cobalt combat armor chest piece. Placed upon her head was a leather tricorn. She had a pistol holstered on her thigh, and what looked like a rifle and machete strapped to her back. This was a woman he wouldn’t want to personally cross.            “Elder Maxson? I’m General Arnold of the Commonwealth Minutemen. It’s a pleasure to meet you after hearing so much from Paladin Danse. I trust he made it aboard okay?” The General extended her hand after removing her gloves. He stood and took her hand in his and shook it firmly. They were calloused, not unlike the hands of most of his soldiers, or his own.            “He did, he should be joining us in a moment. You caught us by surprise this morning.” Arthur removed his hand from the General’s grip and moved on to offer his hand to Garvey. “While we were looking to reach out to the Minutemen, we weren’t looking to so soon.” Danse exited the bathroom with clean hands and nearly jumped when he saw their visitors. “Paladin Danse neglected to mention that his assistance came from the General herself.”            “I assure you, I had no idea.” Danse strode forward and shook both of the Minutemen’s hands, before they all sat down around the table.            “We don’t go shouting our titles at everybody. We’re just regular people trying to make a difference.” Preston shrugged.            “So, General, what brings you aboard my ship this afternoon?” Arthur got right to the point.            “Well Elder, the way I was raised, it’s only polite to introduce yourself to your new neighbor after they move in.” The General smiled in a way that sent a chill down Arthur’s spine.            “Neighbor?”            “That would be correct. We’re down in what used to be Fort Independence, now known as the Castle.” The General crossed her arms across her chest. “We also want to know what brings the Brotherhood of Steel to the Commonwealth. It’s important to know what we’re dealing with here, and your entrance has made our settlements nervous.”            “Polite and tactical, it’s no wonder you’re the General of the local militia.” Arthur stated plainly.            “I’d say that flattery would get you nowhere, but I can spot a thinly veiled insult from miles away.” Danse and Preston both tensed as their leaders started verbally circling each other. It was like watching two Deathclaws prepare to face off.              Arthur was stunned silent. Nobody talked back to him anymore. Nobody had talked back to him in almost 5 years. Yet here was this woman, who he had never heard of before today, talking to him as if she were his superior. He ought to be offended, but he couldn’t find it in himself to take offense to this woman’s attitude. She was right, as the head of the closest thing to a military the Commonwealth had, they were right to come and investigate him and his soldiers.            Danse cleared his throat. "Actually, we’re specifically here to deal with the Institute. The synth menace has gotten out of control, and needs to be dealt with in order to preserve humanity.” Arthur was thankful for Danse’s quick thinking.            “That’s something we have in common. We’ve recently decided to campaign against the Institute ourselves. Perhaps we can help each other?” Preston offered.            “Perhaps. Let us get to know each other first. An ally is no good if you cannot trust them.” Arthur pushed himself back into the conversation, needing to take control back.            “I agree, where shall we start? Meet each other’s primary advisors and leaders? Maybe tours of both the Prydwen and Castle?” The General suggested.            “Certainly, and when we’ve done that, we can revisit the idea of an alliance.” Arthur shot back.            “Sounds perfectly good to me; shall we begin?” Colette stood and Preston followed her. Arthur saw Danse begin to stand out of the corner of his eye and raised an eye brow at the Paladin. Danse shrugged, as if to say She’s got that special something.  The Elder and Paladin stood together, in perfect sync after years of training together, before ushering the Minutmen out of his quarters and into the belly of the Prydwen.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

General:             When the Squire had come down on the vertibird and told her and Preston that Elder Maxson was ready to see them, she had almost snorted. The last name and title had to be a coincidence. Nick had messaged them and told them to pull her leg. Then she stepped into the private quarters of the Elder, and was met with a very familiar pair of icy blue eyes set into the face of a complete stranger. She did her best to hide her surprise, but something in the Elder’s expression told her that she had let something slip. Colette frowned, mulling over her new knowledge.            The Elder and Paladin led them around the ship, introducing them to the Proctors that were in charge of Logistics and Research, as well as the Knight-Captain that was in charge of the med bay. Colette was more than excited to talk to Cade, who had more knowledge of medicine than most other “Doctors” that she had met in the Wasteland. The ability to administer a stimpak and Rad Away did not make one a doctor. She didn’t inform him that she had been a doctor before the war, since she wanted to keep the fact that she was Pre-War a secret from those outside of her inner circle.            “Well, it has been a pleasure.”  Colette reached out to shake the hands of Danse and the Elder. “I realized we popped up unexpectedly and you must have a full schedule. I appreciate you taking the time to introduce us to your crew. Visit us at the Castle soon and we’ll return the favor.”            “Emphasis on soon,” Preston chuckled as he also shook hands with their tour guides. “She’s never in one place for too long.”            Colette silenced him with a look, her green eyes slightly burning him in their fierceness. Don’t reveal too much so soon. We still do not know if they are friendly, she conveyed silently.            “He is correct, my work never stops, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”  She flashed her most charming smile and watched surprise flash across the Elder and Paladin’s faces. Her grandmother had shelled out thousands of dollars to ensure that she had perfect teeth. ‘Your smile is the first impression people get of you.’ She had said. Since dentists and orthodontists didn’t really exist anymore, she knew her smile threw people off and now she was using it to her advantage.            “I’ll clear out my schedule tomorrow afternoon and come down to meet your men with Paladin Danse.” The Elder assured the Minutemen.            “We look forward to it. Come now, Preston. We have a bit of a walk back to the Castle, and I don’t want to be caught out there after dark.” Colette waved Preston into step behind her and they strode towards the flight deck.            “Wait, Danse, have one of the Lancers take them back to the Castle.” Arthur instructed. “I’m sure the General is just as busy as we are here and would appreciate the ability to get back to her duties sooner.”            “Absolutely, Elder Maxson.” Danse saluted Arthur and led the General and Colonel to the vertibird that he knew was ready for them.              The vertibird dropped them off in the field that sat partially in the shadow of the Castle. “We’re lucky Sturges is still here for artillery planning. He’ll be here for the meeting tomorrow.” Colette placed her tri-corn under her arm and shook her hair out of its bun. “Can you brief Sturges, Hancock, Ronnie, and any other leadership we have at the Castle currently? I think Abernathy is supposed to be here today to pick up generator parts.”            “On it, General,” Preston nodded. “Anything else I can do for you?”            “Make sure Nick and I are not disturbed. I need to talk to him, and I feel like this is going to be a long conversation.”            “Of course.” Preston ran up ahead of her to gather the leaders and let Nick know she was on her way up.            Colette strode to her private quarters with determination. She felt, rather than saw or heard Nick behind her. She didn’t bother closing the door, and the old detective followed her into the room and locked the double doors behind them.            “Well, how did it go?” Glowing eyes followed her pacing, before she sighed and grabbed a bottle of bourbon off the shelf and took a gulp directly from the ancient bottle.            “Nick, you aren’t going to believe who I just met.”            “I was under the impression you were meeting the Elder of the East Coast Brotherhood of Steel.” Nick sat down on the faded red couch she had pushed against the wall and watched her, aware of her emotional distress.            “Yes, but do you know who he is Nick? What his last name is?”            “Enlighten me.”            “Arthur Maxson.”            Silence fell between the two as Nick stared at her in disbelief.            “Maxson?”            “Yes.”            “And you’re sure there’s a connection?”            “He looks just like him, Nick. I had to stop myself from calling him the wrong name multiple times.”            “Shit,” The synth took his hat off and ran his metal fingers over the scalp. “What does this mean?”            “It changes nothing. I’m still going to get into the Institute. We still don’t know if he knows who I am, so I plan to proceed as normal. He’s given me permission to address him by his first name, so that will make things marginally easier.”            “Marginally.”            “He’s going to be visiting tomorrow to meet the Minutemen officers. Will you join us? I want to see if you can get a better feel for him than I can. I feel a bit… biased.”            “Of course,” Nick got up and pulled her into his arms. “Just remember, if things go belly up with them, we can get into the Institute without them. And you have that shiny new artillery piece pointed directly at that giant blimp.”            “It’s called the Prydwen.”            “Of course it is.”               Colette stood on the wall of the Castle and watched the Vertibird approach from the airport and the Prydwen. She followed its progress and stood in the center of the wall across the field from where it landed. Paladin Danse stepped off, before stepping aside to let his Elder off. Colette observed them both from behind her sunglasses. Preston was waiting for them at the main gate, and she continued to follow them with her hands behind her back to the conference room. There was a staircase in the bastion next to the conference room, and she would slip in just before them. She saw Danse watching her as she crossed the walls. He seemed to be an ever vigilant protector, and she envied the Brotherhood for having the resources to train and maintain such skilled soldiers.            She slipped down the steps and into the conference room. Seated around the table already were Ronnie Shaw, Sturges, John Hancock, Nick, and John Abernathy. Colette took her seat at the head of the table and folded her hands on the battered wood. Her friends had informed her of the Brotherhood’s stance on non-humans, so she wasn’t looking forward to this meeting as much as she had been the previous afternoon. John and Nick were seated closest to her, both to send a message and as protection. Hopefully they wouldn’t be shot for fear of accidentally hitting her and starting a war with the entire Commonwealth.            The sound of three pairs of approaching boots echoed off the stone walls. Preston entered the conference room first, followed by Arthur, with Danse bringing up the rear. Both Paladin and Elder visibly stiffened upon entering the room, and Colette took the opportunity to make an impression.            Pushing her chair back and spreading her arms wide as she stood, she smiled. “Elder Maxson, Paladin Danse, welcome to Fort Independence.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Elder
            Arthur had watched Colette on the walls of her fortress as the vertibird landed and he and Danse approached the Castle. He took the opportunity to observe her from a distance, without the distraction of conversation around them. She had a powerful gait, and he surmised that yesterday’s stance was not purely for show. The Castle was humming with activity. He could hear the soft violin as Radio Freedom played over the speakers. He had tuned into the station the night before, to listen and try to get a feel for what the Minutemen’s goals were. The station called Minutemen in the immediate area of a settlement to arms as the settlers were dealing with Raiders. The Minutemen had numbers, that was for sure, he wondered if the numbers had been due to Colette’s efforts, or if the Minutemen had always sprawled across the Commonwealth like this. He would be sure to inquire about the militia’s history if he got a chance during their tour.            Colonel Garvey led him and Danse into the fortress. Walls had evidently been replaced recently, and he watched the General disappear down into one of the bastions as they neared an archway in the wall. The men took a right down a hallway, and then a sharp left into a conference room. He and Danse stiffened as they took in many things at once.            First, a battered Gen-2 synth was sitting to the right of Colette’s seat at the head of the table. Second, a Ghoul in a red variation of her coat and tricorn outfit was sitting on the other side of the synth. Third, there were three massive Deathclaw heads mounted on the wall immediately behind Colette, between two blue Minutemen flags, and many pre-war antiques were scattered across the room. A painting, a bookshelf filled to the brim with trinkets, and weapon racks holding everything from a Fat Man to a 10 mm pistol lined the remaining walls of the conference room. There were others in various outfits in the room. A middle aged balding man in jeans and a flannel shirt, a heavily muscled man with black hair and a streak of grease across his nose in overalls and a tool belt, and a severe looking woman with a sharp nose and sharper eyes in old-world camo fatigues and combat boots.            Colette stood from her seat and opened her arms wide in greeting, “Arthur, Paladin Danse, welcome to Fort Independence.” She was smirking at them. “Please, have a seat.” She gestured to the empty seats to her left she settled back into hers. A shiver went down Arthur’s spine as he realized that he was meant to sit across from the Synth, and Danse was meant to sit across from the Ghoul.            Despite their discomfort, Arthur and Danse sat in their seats. Avoiding the glowing gaze of the Synth and the empty eyes of the Ghoul, Arthur focused his gaze on Colette, taking in her appearance more than he had yesterday. Her black hair was pulled into a tight bun again, revealing a thick scar that ran from her temple down to her chin. Faint freckles dotted her high cheeks and button nose, and her mossy green eyes were framed by thick eyelashes. Her blue coat and cream colored pants did little to hide the full curves she had. Thick hips and heavy breasts told him that she had access to plenty of nourishment as a child, but the large scar on her face and heavy callouses on her hands spoke of a woman that understood work and conflict. Her full, slightly pouted lips had a reddish tint to them, and he briefly wondered what they would feel like against his. He snapped himself out of his train of thought as she started gesturing around the table.            The Synth was called Nick Valentine. He was known to be a detective from Diamond City. The Ghoul claimed that his name was John Hancock, and that he was mayor of the sorry excuse for a settlement that was known as Goodneighbor. The balding man was Blake Abernathy, head of one of the larger settlements, and the woman was Major Ronnie Shaw. Sturges was the last one introduced, as the head engineer of the Minutemen.            “We all know he isn’t up to Proctor Ingram’s level, but he keeps our settlements in clean water and has most of them with electricity now. We’d be lost without him.” Colette beamed at the man, who blushed a deep red at her praise.            “Aw shucks, General, I’m sure you’d manage without me.” He reached behind him and rubbed at his neck.            “Without you, we would only be 5 people at Sanctuary drinking irradiated river water. Don’t sell yourself short.” Colette chided gently.            “Yes ma’am.”            “Nick and Hancock aren’t officially a part of the Minutemen, but I do value their perspectives and advice. Nick is an old family friend, and Hancock and I have similar goals.”            “And what goals would those be?” Arthur inquired, speaking for the first time since arriving at the Castle.            “Taking down the Institute,” the sudden harshness of Colette’s voice startled both him and Danse. Her eyes were filled with an angry fire.            “Then it seems that we also share similar goals.” Arthur laced his fingers together under his chin.            “Preston,” Colette made eye contact with the Colonel, and then her eyes shot at Major Shaw, Sturges, and Abernathy.            Garvey nodded in agreement and stood, guiding them out of the room with some story about how Abernathy’s farm needed more turrets and Ronnie and Sturges should go over his options with him. After he shut the door, he locked it and resumed his place at the table.            “Apologies, Elder Maxson, Paladin Danse. We’re keeping our operations in relation to the Institute on a need to know basis, in case of infiltration.”            “I can understand that, Colonel Garvey, it’s a risk that everybody faces nowadays. It’s why the Institute must be stopped.” Danse spoke up in understanding.            “It’s also a very…” Colette hesitated, as if debating whether to continue, “personal matter for me.”            “Personal, how?” Arthur pressed.             “I’d rather keep that to myself, if you don’t mind, Arthur. Those who need to know already know.” Her tone left no room for argument, and so he reluctantly dropped the subject.            “So, we all have a similar goal here. How do we finish making dinner with this many cooks in the kitchen?” The Ghoul kicked back and propped his boots on the table.            “Well, we’re going to keep you on grocery duty, because you can’t cook for shit.” The Synth quipped and he and Colette shared a knowing look and a chuckle at some secret joke between them.            “Like you would know. Last time you ate was what? 200 years ago?” The Ghoul shot back.            “Something like that.” Colette snorted into the cup she had started taking a drink from, before coughing out another laugh.            “Polpetta.” The one word from the Synth had the General blushing and suddenly silent as she sipped her water. Curious looks were exchanged by all around the table.            Regaining her composure, Colette cleared her throat. “Back to the issue at hand, Hancock is right. We need to have a solid plan if we want to successfully bring down the Institute.”            “We have technology and well trained soldiers. What do the Minutemen have that the Brotherhood of Steel doesn’t?” Danse frowned. Arthur kicked him in the shin for speaking out of turn.            “That’s simple. Information,” Colette folded her arms. “We know how Coursers get in and out of the Institute, and where to go to find out how to find our own way in.”            “Where do you need to go and how did you get your information?” Arthur pressed.            “Two months ago, Nick and I took out an Institute goon known as Conrad Kellogg. Kellogg had been born human, but his life had been extended and his body enhanced with cybernetics. One of the components was attached to his hippocampus.” Colette began.            “Now while Goodneighbor ain't got the cleanest of reputations, we do have one thing that nobody else has. The Memory Den. The good Dr. Amari is able to use her memory loungers to examine a person’s memories.” Hancock added            “Even though the merc was cold on the ground thanks to the General, all Institute tech has a similar structure. While I was a prototype that they discarded years before Kellog go his upgrades, we were able to plug his stuff into me for a deep dig. I acted as a host while Colette did the actually digging with Amari’s guidance.”            “During the dig we learned many things. The most important being how the Coursers get in and out, and what our next step needs to be.”            “Care to share with us?” Arthur could tell that there were missing pieces to the story. More about the General’s “personal” beef with the Institute.            “That depends, what will you do with the information, Arthur? How do I know that you won’t take this information and run off with it?” Colette leaned back and crossed her arms. Her eyes were cold and hard, and she gave nothing away as she studied him.            “I will make a deal with you. You continue to provide us with information, and we will assist you in your venture. You’ve made more progress towards eradicating this threat than my men have, and I have sent multiple squads into the Commonwealth with the intent to at the very least gather intel. Danse’s squad only survived because of you. That puts the Brotherhood and I into your debt, and I do not enjoy being in debt to another.” The Paladin shifted uncomfortably. “I’ll provide you with a personal suit of Power Armor if you need it, signal grenades for emergency vertibird transport. If it takes care of this threat and makes the Commonwealth safer, then everybody wins in addition to repaying you for aiding my most valuable officer and his team.”            “That’s fair.” Preston nodded in agreement with Colette. “Perhaps we can come up with something a bit more in depth later down the road, but the Institute is our main objective, currently.” Colette stood and strode to the map on the wall behind Arthur and Danse. Pins marked settlements, and other markings and scribbles that made no sense to Arthur decorated the map, save for one corner, where the Glowing Sea was. In the middle of the ‘sea,’ there was a big red question mark.            “An Institute scientist by the name of Brian Virgil went rogue and escaped to the Glowing Sea. Kellogg had been dispatched to the surface to deal with him before Nick and I took him out.” Colette kept her back to them, speaking loudly and clearly enough that they could all hear her. Her gloved hands were clasped behind her back, and Arthur made note of the Pip-Boy on her left wrist. “He’s our ticket in. The next step is to get into the Glowing Sea, find Dr. Virgil, and see what he can tell us about the Institute. Until the Brotherhood was a part of the equation, we were looking at another couple of months before we could venture out there. Now, we may be looking at less than a week." Colette spun to face them all. “Now the question is who is going into the Glowing Sea with me? I can’t take Preston. We can’t risk losing both of us so soon after Quincy. Hancock can’t leave Goodneighbor for too long, since they’re keeping most of our caravans well supplied and protected.”            “I am willing to have Danse accompany you, on behalf of the entire Brotherhood.” Arthur interjected            “I couldn’t ask that of you. You just said he was your best.” Colette shook her head.            “That’s why I want to send him with you.”            “It would be an honor to return the favor after Cambridge.” The Paladin added.            “You can’t argue with that, doll.” Nick supplied. “He would also protect you better than I probably could.”            “Alright, alright.” Colette raised her hands in defeat. “How about I take you two” she nodded at the Elder and Paladin, “on a quick tour of the Castle, and then we come back in here and outline a timeframe?”            “That sounds like an excellent idea. Lead the way.” Danse stood up and he and Colette were out of the room before Arthur could respond. The Elder frowned as he followed his Paladin out of the conference room with the rest of those remaining at the table.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Just Arthur and Danse joined her on the tour of the Castle. She took them through the halls first. Showing them the barracks, her personal quarters, and the mess hall. As she took them through the halls, she told them the history of the ancient fort, from the Revolutionary War back in the 1700s to the recent reclaiming of the fort from the Mirelurk Queen by the Minutemen. “We have storage facilities downstairs in the catacombs, and this is our armory. It isn’t much right now, but at the rate we’re growing, this serves as the best base of operations.”            “And you said you took back the fort, when?” Arthur asked.            “Two months ago. Took most of that to repair the walls and get the fish smell out of everything.” The General indicated that she was going back outside. “We’ve also set up artillery here and at our settlements. Should prove useful when we have problems with Mutant dens popping up more frequently.” They climbed up a metal set of stairs and they strode to the nearest bastion that held a gleaming cannon on a rotatable platform.            “So what’s the range on your artillery?” Arthur asked as conversationally as possible.            “Pardon?” The General looked at him curiously.            “Could you possibly hit Fort Strong from here?”            “With that Behemoth? Yeah, we’ve been keeping an eye on Fort Strong since we moved in.” The General turned to face the fort in question. “While the artillery would clear out the grounds, we would still need to sweep the building, and my men aren’t ready for that kind of action, yet”            “However, my men are.”            “Having the artillery take out the Behemoth and then dropping your men in afterwards would also put your vertibirds at lower risk from taking serious damage. I’m sure repairing a smoking bird is not on Proctor Ingram’s to-do list.” Colette turned and smiled at them.            “It appears that great minds really do think alike.” Danse observed. Arthur turned to him and raised a thick eyebrow. The Paladin shrugged at his longtime friend, as if to say It’s true.            “A two-man team could clear the building easily. A vertibird could drop them off once the artillery has cleared the ground.” Colette suggested            “Perhaps we could run a test and see how well our men could work together?  Your best man and my best man can go in, clear the Fort, and we split the nuclear stockpile that no doubt lies inside.”            “You’re certain there is one?” Colette hadn’t known anything about a nuclear stockpile being there before the war, and she was certain that her sources would have informed her of one so close to her home.            “I would bet an additional 10 Vertibird signal grenades, on top of what we already agreed on.” Arthur challenged.            Not one to back down from a bet, Colette extended her gloved right hand. “Fine, if you’re right, I’ll give you 10 artillery signal grenades to use as you see fit. If I’m right, I get 10 more vertibird signals. Sound fair?”            Arthur took her hand and shook it, “I look forward to seeing who’s right, General.” He said with a genuine smile.            Colette cleared her throat and dropped his hand before pushing gently past him and Danse. “Right, well, let me go get my man. I’ll meet you two back at the conference room in five?” She looked over her shoulder at them.  Arthur and Danse looked at each other for a brief moment before nodding.            That smile had hit her like a bag of bricks, and so she hurried to put as much distance between herself and Arthur as possible without seeming like she was running away. This boy- no man- was going to become a problem. She made her way to her personal quarters, where she had seen MacCready lounging with a beer earlier when she was giving Arthur and Danse a tour.             “Boss, that is not a happy look. What happened?” MacCready put his beer down and stood.            “I need a huge favor from you. Like, maybe Mass Pike Interchange big.”            “Of course, what can I do to help you?” MacCready frowned. Colette hated asking for favors.            “I need you to help Paladin Danse clear out Fort Strong.”            “Wh-what!?” MacCready sputtered. “Boss, you can’t be serious.”            “I’m afraid that I am. While you aren’t officially a Minuteman, you are the best I’ve got. Just, trust me. The sooner we get this alliance going, the sooner we can take out the Institute. After that, they’ll leave, hopefully.”            MacCready groaned and pinched his nose. “You know I wouldn’t agree to this if anybody but you were asking. I fu-freaking hate the Brotherhood.”            “And you know I wouldn’t ask this of you if I had any other choice. I can’t exactly send Nick with him.” Colette smiled. “I’ll get you that night vision scope that KL-E-0 got in, if that sweetens the deal.”            “I would have done it without the scope, but yes, that does sweeten it.”            “Spoonful of sugar.” Colette chuckled.            “That sounds terrible, Cole.” MacCready made a face as he led Colette out of her quarters, back towards the conference room.            Colette sighed, “Keep reminding me that I’m old, Mac. It feels great.” She elbowed him in the ribs.            She and MacCready strode into the conference room; where Nick, Hancock, Preston, Arthur, and Danse were already waiting. Nick’s eyes met hers, and they narrowed at the fact that she had her General face on. It was a mask she wore when she wanted to avoid showing emotion.            “Tutto bene?”The Synth asked her.            “Più tardi, padrino.” More confused looks went from her to Nick, as she and MacCready settled at the table. “Arthur, Paladin Danse, this is MacCready. He’s the best shot in the Commonwealth, as well as one of my most trusted men. He’ll be accompanying Danse at Fort Strong.”            The men all looked each other up and down, sizing one another up. Danse and MacCready continued to glare at each other after Arthur sat back and focused back towards the head of the table. “So when do we plan on making our move on the fort?”            “I’m ready to go when I’m needed.” Danse offered.            “Cole points, I shoot.” MacCready countered, not taking his sharp eyes off the Paladin. It was clear the two didn’t fully trust each other, but they were loyal to their leaders and friends and trusted them wholly, and Colette knew that they wouldn’t let personal feelings get in the way of getting the job done.            “Artillery is currently calibrated and ready to go.” Preston added. “We’re just waiting on your call, General.”            “Then we just need to make the call. Care to join me on the Prydwen to watch everything from above, General?” Arthur offered. “It would allow you to better collaborate with the artillery operators to make sure they didn’t stop firing too soon.”            “Sounds solid, give Mac a second to gear up. We’ll meet you outside shortly.” Colette stood up and let everybody file out of the room. Nick was the last to go, shooting her a concerned look before she shook her head. Not now, she mouthed at him before he frowned at her and followed the others out. She grabbed her flare gun from one of the weapon racks, and a handful of flares. As she stepped back out into the open air, she waved Ronnie from across the courtyard to meet her in the middle. The Major jogged to the radio tower and stood at attention. “Get the artillery ready to fire at Fort Strong. I’ll fire a signal flare when we’re ready. Two consecutive flares is the signal to stop.            Ronnie saluted her and ran off to inform the soldiers designated for artillery. MacCready came up beside her, with his belts of bullets and his trusty sniper cradled in his arm. “Here, take this.” Colette handed him a radio that he could easily clip onto his belt, similar to the one Preston wore.  “This is already tuned to my Pip Boy frequency. Something goes wrong, you radio me and we’ll get you out of there.”            “I’ve got this, boss. You’re doing half of the job for us with the artillery. So that leaves only a quarter of the green ba-guys for me. This will be a cake walk.”            “Yes, just don’t give Danse an excuse to walk on you with his Power Armor. The last thing I need is my best man being a pancake.” The bewildered look on Mac’s face told her that pancakes were another thing that died out with the bombs. She sighed and clapped a hand on his shoulder as they walked out to the waiting vertibird together.              Arthur was already strapped into a seat on the vertibird, and Danse was waiting outside the bird for the two of them to get in.            “Since neither of you are in Power Armor, you may want to buckle in. It’s been windy today.” The Lancer advised as MacCready clambered in and strapped himself into the seat up front, leaving Colette to sit in the seat next to Arthur.            He smirked at her, “I hope you brought your artillery signals, Colette. I wouldn’t want to embarrass you by having to come back with you after we’re done with the fort to collect my winnings.”            Colette rolled her eyes and chuckled, “In your dreams, Maxson.” She frowned, at the jab that was too personal for her liking now that she had said it. “Sorry, Arthur” And she determinedly stared out the open right side of the bird, feeling his eyes burning into the back of her head.            Danse stomping on caught his attention, and he must have gotten a silent signal from the Paladin. “We’re ready for takeoff when you are, Collins,” he called out to the Lancer            “Affirmative, sir! Hang on tight, Minutemen!” The vertibird rose into the sky and took off towards the Prydwen. MacCready yelped, and Colette’s gaze snapped towards the front where he was gripping onto the frame of the vertibird around him for dear life. She laughed at the sniper’s predicament before looking back out. She was entranced by the view. She was on the side of the bird closest to the ocean, and if she closed her eyes, she could almost pretend she was on a plane heading back home for Christmas break back in college. Almost.            The ride in the vertibird lasted only 5 minutes, and Colette unbuckled herself with ease. She caught MacCready before he lurched out of the wrong side of the vertibird and took a tumble down to the ground. “You can’t pick yourself up after a fall like that, Mac.” She teased before pushing him gently towards the correct exit. He proceeded to lean over the railing of the flight deck and vomit while she rubbed his back soothingly.            Arthur snorted and she fought to stifle a giggle herself. Her best man not handling his first vertibird ride was more than a bit amusing. When the sniper was looking significantly less green, they all went to the area of the deck closest to Fort Strong. The smell of rotting flesh blowing up from the fort caused Colette to wrinkle her nose in distaste as she handed a can of purified water to MacCready out of her bag. The sniper sipped at the water and fell in place behind Colette as she gripped the railing with her gloved hands.            “Disgusting, isn’t it? I can’t wait until I don’t have to smell that every time I step outside.” Arthur sneered, before they both turned back to face Danse and MacCready.            “You two will be sent in once the artillery clears the grounds. With luck, the building itself will prove to be a fairly easy sweep for the two of you.” Colette began.            Arthur continued, falling into a natural pattern with her. “Your primary objective is to clear the building of Super Mutants and secure the nuclear stockpile that may be underneath the main building.”            “MacCready has a radio with my Pip Boy frequency already locked in. You are to report your findings, as well as request backup or medical attention if needed. Are we ready for the fireworks?” The question was directed at Arthur. He nodded once, and they all turned to face the fort again. Colette loaded her flare gun and fired a single shot in the direction of Fort Strong.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Elder            He could hear the artillery fire from where he stood floating above the airport ruins. The delay between the first shot being fired and the explosion at the fort seemed like an eternity. Seconds ticked by, and the three around him were deafening in their silence. Danse’s face was concealed by his helmet. MacCready still looked a little green, but his face was otherwise serious. Colette’s look was far away, contemplative. He wondered, briefly, what thoughts the General turned to in her quiet moments. She was unlike any person he had ever met, and he wanted to know her better, to find out what made the General tick.             The first explosion drew his attention. The artillery was certainly hitting the targets as promised, and Colette looked unsurprised. She held a hand out to MacCready, and the sniper wordlessly handed her a pair of binoculars that he had pulled from his bag. She put them to her eyes, “Two mutants down in the first blast. The others haven’t realized what’s going on.”            “Fu-reaking morons.” Arthur made note of the sniper censoring himself, and focused back on the General as she was keeping her eyes on the fort below.            Two more shots sounded in the distance, and landed close by each other shortly after. An enraged roar could be heard from the Behemoth below. Black smoke was pouring from the peninsula the fort was on. A strong breeze cleared some from Colette’s view as two more shots sounded. “Behemoth’s leg is on fire. Three more mutants and a hound down.” Her voice was cold, her tone even, as she listed off the felled mutants. The next two shots hit the island, and the smoke was carried away quickly. A storm had to be moving in. “Only thing left is the Behemoth.” She muttered under her breath. Two more shells hit, and after the smoke cleared, she watched the fort in silence for a solid minute, before firing off two rounds from her flare gun. “Looks like we’re clear; you ready, Mac?”            “I am at your command, General.” The sniper winked at her after he finished the last of his water.            “Danse, are you ready to proceed?” He asked his Paladin.            “Affirmative, Elder Maxson, just give me the order.”            Colette clapped MacCready on the back. “Try not to die, okay? We still have some unfinished business to take care of.”            “Ad, Victorium, Paladin.” Arthur saluted Danse.            “Ad Victorium, sir.” Danse saluted back before he and MacCready boarded a vertibird.After they took off towards the fort, he turned to Colette. “I don’t know about you, Colette, but I had a bit more of my afternoon cleared for this. Would you care to join me in a game of chess?”“I’d be delighted.” She smiled at him, her green eyes crinkling as the grin took over her face. “Lead the way.”She followed him through the Prydwen, her leather boots making hardly any sound; he resisted the urge to look behind him to check to see if she was still there. He opened the door, and stepped back to allow her in before following her in and closing it behind them. He strode to the lockbox that held his treasured set, but paused at the shelf of liquor above it. “Would you care for a drink? Talented as our men are, this sweep may still take a while.”“Whiskey, if you have it,” He poured two glasses of whiskey and turned to hand her one of them.  She had taken a seat at the table, and placed her tricorn hat by her elbow. One hand was shaking out thick black hair that had previously been hidden in a tight bun or by the hat itself. Her gloves were also off and presumably stuffed in a pocket of her coat.He turned back to the lockbox after taking a sip of his whiskey. “So Arthur, would you mind telling me a bit more about the Brotherhood and your history? Most of what I know about you so far has been rumors and through the grapevine.”He thought for a moment as he pulled out the shredded paper filled boxes that held the pieces. “We were founded a few years after the Great War, by a squad of former members of the United States military. The initial goal was to research and preserve technology, as well as prevent it from being misused.” He opened both boxes and allowed her to pick her set. She chose black, interesting. “My ancestor, Roger Maxson, was the one that set everything in motion.” She paused in setting up her pieces and kept her eyes trained on the table, so he was unable to read her expression. “He was a Captain that had been deployed to what is now the New California Republic at the Mariposa Military Base. He discovered the facility where the military had been testing FEV on humans.  He executed the scientists conducting the testing and he and his team left the United States Army. The bombs dropped shortly afterward. They were nowhere near any of the blasts, so they all survived.” All of the pieces were set up, and Colette’s eyes kept focused on the board, watching, waiting for him to make his first move. He moved a pawn two spaces forward. She moved a pawn closer to the edge of the board one space up, preventing him from capturing it. Her eyes darted from his face to the board, avoiding prolonged eye contact.As they continued their game, she watched him for longer periods of time. Green eyes burned him as he contemplated moves, trying to figure out her strategy. He continued to tell her the Brotherhood’s history, and by the time he got to present day, only a handful of pieces remained on the board. Colette was leaning on her elbow, her hair cascading around her as she regarded him carefully.“And what about you, Arthur?” she asked quietly. He looked at her. She was genuinely interested in hearing about him, it seemed. He barely noticed when she made her move, swiping another piece from the board.“I was born in NCR, moved to the Citadel when I was eight, and took on the mantel of Elder when I was sixteen.” He frowned as he looked at the board and realized that they were at a draw, with only his king and her knight and king remaining. “I’ll eventually be High Elder, someday.” He sighed and looked at the time. They had been playing for an hour and a half. He drained his glass. “More whiskey?” Colette nodded and handed him her glass. As he filled their glasses again, her Pip Boy crackled to life, startling them both in the odd silence that had settled in the room.    “Boss, you there? Looks like you owe the Brotherhood some artillery signals.” MacCready’s distorted voice echoed in the room.“Well, fuck.” She reached in her bag and pulled out a pouch that she promptly dropped on the table with a clatter.  She pressed a button on her Pip Boy, “Anything else to report, Mac?”“Looks like a nasty radstorm is brewing out there; I think you and I are stuck where we are tonight.” He answered, to confirm his suspicions, a rumble of thunder shook the ship. Colette and Arthur both frowned at one another. She offered the Pip Boy to him, and he pressed the button he had seen her press earlier.“Do you and Paladin Danse have enough supplies to last the night?”“Affirmative, Elder Maxson. We’ve also secured an office that the mutants hadn’t been able to get to. It will be a safe enough location for us to rest for the night.” Danse’s voice crackled in the old speaker.“Very well. Get some rest. You can give me a full report in the morning. We’ll send you a bird first thing. Ad Victorium.”“Ad Victorium.”“Anything else to add, Mac?” Colette asked the Pip Boy.“Negative, boss. MacCready out.”Colette’s brow furrowed as she rubbed at her temples. Arthur handed her the whiskey he had poured her. “I’ll have a Squire bring you some more comfortable clothes to sleep in. You can take Paladin Danse’s quarters, since he won’t be using him this evening, is there anything else you’ll require?”“Some paper and something to write with would be fantastic.” Colette swirled the whiskey around in her glass. “Since I won’t have Preston and Ronnie yapping under my heels, maybe I can get some work done tonight.”“I can certainly understand the frustration.” He chuckled.“I thought the point of having additional officers was to have them take care of putting out the small fires so the person on top can take care of major things?” She took a gulp of her whiskey.“If only it were so easy. I’d only have to hand out promotions and work with other local leaders.”“I’d hand out promotions if any of my men were ready for one. Mac is the only one that really deserves one, and he isn’t even in the Minutemen.” Colette sighed and sank back in her chair.“How’d he become your best man?”“I’ve only been with the Minutemen for five months. They almost got wiped out by Gunners in Quincy. I found Preston cornered by Raiders with four civilians in Concord. Commandeered a Pre-War T-45 suit, helped the last Minuteman out, took out my first Deathclaw after dealing with the Raiders, and got named General by sundown after escorting them to Sanctuary. I hired Mac to watch my back for more personal business. The only person in the Commonwealth I trust more is Nick, and he can’t go some places.” She shrugged, as if trusting a synth was completely normal for her.“Did you say you took out your first Deathclaw that day?” Arthur asked incredulously.“Mhmm. I’ve taken down three in total; they’re the ones hanging up in my conference room. Why?”“You continue to impress me with every new thing I learn about you.” He shook his head before gesturing to the scar on his cheek. “This is what happened with my first and only Deathclaw. I was 13, I barely took it down. If my team hadn’t found me so soon, I would have bled out and my line would have died with me.”“And you’re impressed with me? I know that fighting those monsters is quite a feat, but taking one down at 13? No offense, but it’s no wonder you were made Elder so young.” Colette stared at him in amazement. “With my Deathclaws, I still had help, and evidently, luck.”“I take no offense, I… appreciate the sentiment, but you shouldn’t sell yourself short, either. Raising a militia from nothing to what you have in five months? The Brotherhood of Steel has been around for 210 years, your Minutemen have been around for five months. Give it time, you’ll get your fire fighters soon enough.” He made to reach out and squeeze her shoulder, like he would with Danse, but thought better of it and pulled his hand back.  “Give me a moment; I’ll get that Scribe on getting you something more comfortable, and maybe some food.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

MacCready      
            MacCready shut off his radio and rubbed at his eyes. Colette had been right; clearing the building with the Paladin was a breeze. Danse covered for him while he picked off mutants with his rifle. They were on their way to the office on the top floor that they would be sleeping in.            He was worried, now. She was stuck up on that airship with Maxson and nobody trustworthy around. He was stuck down in the ruined fort with Danse. He grumbled at the predicament they found themselves in. He was tempted to radio back up to her, let her know that he would be awake most of the night, if she needed somebody to talk to.            A hiss interrupted his thoughts and he looked up to realize they had made it to the office, and Danse was getting out of his Power Armor. The larger man climbed out of the suit, grunting as he stretched once his feet hit the floor.            “We’re fortunate that I had enough foresight to pack provisions for both of us in case of such a situation. Do you have a preference between Pork ‘n’ Beans or Cram?” Danse had his back turned to MacCready, pulling a bag out of a hidden compartment in his Power Armor. MacCready could hear the rattle of centuries old cans against each other.            “Thanks, but I’ll pass on taking handouts from the Brotherhood.” MacCready sneered at the Paladin’s back.            Danse straightened and scowled at MacCready. “It isn’t a handout. Elder Maxson and General Arnold want the Brotherhood and Minutemen to begin working together. As their best men, we need to set the example for our fellow soldiers. Not that the Minutemen are in the same league as the Brotherhood of Steel.”            “Not in the same league? It was you assh- guys that needed saving from ferals.” MacCready stomped to where the Paladin stood with his arms crossed over his chest. “And Colette has done more for the Commonwealth in five months than the Brotherhood of Steel has done in twenty three years. You think setting up a water purifier in the Capital Wasteland makes you the glowing example of altruism? I’ve personally set up countless with Cole. We’ve built settlements from the ground up with our bare hands. I’ve tended crops, patched up wounds, and saved kids from slavers. What does the Brotherhood do? Stomp around in Power Armor and glare at everybody that doesn’t fit into your narrow definition of humanity!”            “And what do you know about what the Brotherhood does in the Capital Wasteland? You’re just a mercenary who happened to get hired by the General of the Minutemen.” Danse had dropped his arms to his sides, and was clenching his fists in an effort to control his temper. “The Brotherhood of Steel does so much more than provide for the common people. We keep potentially harmful technology out of the hands of those that would abuse it. We work against organizations like the Enclave and the Institute to stop them from further destroying the world and harming more people. We-“ Danse faltered. “-don’t have to explain ourselves to insubordinate civilians. If Elder Maxson wants me to cooperate with you, then I will do so. That includes sharing in my provisions. You’re still welcome to them when you decide to stop being stubborn over something you don’t fully understand.” He grabbed the can of Pork ‘n’ Beans out of the bag and stomped into the corner where he sat and dug into the food.            MacCready continued to glare. At Danse, the wall, the bag of provisions still sitting open on the floor, and back at the Paladin. He growled and stooped to grab the Cram and a can of purified water from the bag. He went to the corner opposite of Danse and hunkered down, pulling chunks of the cured meat out of the tin with a fork that had seen better days.            “I grew up in the Capital Wasteland.” MacCready started, looking back to the Paladin with a harsh gaze. “For all that they claimed to do; the Brotherhood never seemed to care about the common people, even with the water purifier. You guys seemed to benefit from it more than we did. I know people who said the wrong thing to an out of uniform Brotherhood solider and they got torn to shreds. You don’t have to explain yourselves to us. To be honest, I don’t care to hear it. But I’m very careful about who I trust. The only reason I trust you and that Maxson kid is because Cole trusts you.”            “That ‘kid’ is the youngest Elder that the Brotherhood of Steel has ever seen. That is due to his accomplishments both on and off the field. You would do well to remember that, civilian.” The Paladin paused, before continuing, “I can also assure you, that if any of those Brotherhood soldiers that assaulted your acquaintances had been a part of my unit, they would have been demoted and disciplined for attacking a civilian, even if they were out of uniform.”            “Whatever, let’s just get through tonight and get back up to your floating tin can in the morning.” The sniper finished his Cram and water and pulled a sleeping bag out of his pack. He rolled it out on the ground against the wall and lay with his back to the crumbling drywall, not trusting the Paladin enough not to stab him in the back before he turned in.            Danse ignored the insult to Brotherhood engineering and finished his food as well. He went back to his Power Armor and pulled his issued bedroll out of yet another compartment and set it up next to his armor, so he could get to it quickly if he needed to. He lay on his back and ignored the suspicious glares from MacCready before falling into a restless sleep.  
General
            Colette collected the clipboard, paper, and pencils from the Squire, as well as a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. She thanked the young girl and retreated into what was apparently Paladin Danse’s bedroom. It was very Spartan, and had very few personal belongings, most of which sat on his desk. She went to the desk to set her borrowed supplies down and paused at seeing a framed picture with a battered pair of holotags draped over one corner of the frame. The picture was of Danse and another man, both smiling widely.            The other man was shorter than Danse, and blond. The sides of his head were shaved and he had left the top long and slicked back, much like Arthur. He had deep green eyes and a ruddy face that brought out the color. His beard was close trimmed and his nose was crinkled, as if he were laughing at a joke when the picture was taken. Colette picked up the tags and read them.
CUTLER, JASON D

JN-167C

A POS

ATHIEST
            The soft blue glow from the tags illuminated her fingers and they clinked against each other. She guessed that the blond was Jason Cutler, and if Danse had his tags, they were very close when the man had died. Colette’s heart ached for her new ally, as the pain from losing her love was still fresh to her.            She sighed and stripped out of her modified General’s uniform and put on the shorts and t-shirt that the Brotherhood had provided to her for the night. Satisfied that she was in comfier clothes, she grabbed the clipboard, paper, and pencil and curled up on the bed at the far end of the room.            She started her work by listing her current officers. Officially, she had Preston and Ronnie. Hancock and Mac were respected among the ranks and she was sure her men would take orders from them if needed, but she knew she needed more than what she currently had. She pulled up the most recent population reports on her Pip Boy and scrolled through the data. Eighteen settlements, with around 20 settlers each put her at around 350 settlers for the population. She had some settlements working on farming improvements, other settlements that were close to bodies of water focused on water production so they could send excess water through the trade routes. The next step for the settlements that would allow further expansion would be to get doctors in each settlement and trading posts in settlements that didn’t already have them. She and Preston divided and conquered the responsibilities of rebuilding the Minutemen efficiently. He primarily stayed in Sanctuary and focused on recruitment and relaying information between settlements. Her current focus was training the troops and building their defenses to protect both her soldiers and settlers alike.            Another thing they needed to work on was quality of weapons. While she could appreciate the laser muskets for what they were, they weren’t nearly as effective as some of the other weapons used in the Commonwealth. She had finally convinced Preston to carry a side arm, the .44 pistol she had killed Kellogg with, and now she was working on getting him to replace his musket with a combat rifle. Ronnie had been surprisingly easy to convince to change up her day to day weapons, switching to a laser pistol and combat shotgun combination. Colette had horrible long range eyesight, and had to stick with close quarters combat. She had carried a sniper rifle onto the Prydwen the day before only for the sake of show. She preferred the .44 she had taken from Kellogg that she had named Betty, a Machete, and lots of Moltov cocktails for longer range. She had MacCready for anything long distance, which is why he and Nick went almost everywhere with her.            Yet another problem, though farther into the future, was keeping her growing militia armed with better quality weapons as they brought more into the fold. Training them all how to use the weapons was another concern of hers. She and MacCready did most of the training themselves, but they were beginning to stretch themselves thin between setting up settlements, doing odd jobs around the Commonwealth to bring in caps, and trying to find a way into the Institute. She briefly wondered if Danse could assist with training, if Arthur was going to be assigning him to help her. That train of thought had her drafting up a formal alliance agreement. She knew the Brotherhood would need food and supplies soon. Some of her settlements had a surplus, and she was willing to exchange food and medical supplies for weapons and technology. She wouldn’t present this to Arthur until she had a chance to sit down with Hancock and Ronnie, to make sure that the terms seemed fair.             Colette was jolted awake by the door to her borrowed quarters banging open and Danse storming in. Instinctively, she reached for Betty on the bedside table and had it pointed at him. By the time she had realized who it was, he had realized that somebody was in his bed. The Paladin cleared his throat, “My apologies, General. I was not informed that you were in here. Impressive reflexes, though.”            “Nothing to apologize for, Paladin Danse; Arthur offered your quarters to me last night when we realized I was stranded. I mean to cause no inconvenience.” Colette put Betty back on the night stand and picked the clipboard that had clattered to the floor back up as she slid out of the bed. “Can I kick you out for five more minutes so I may get dressed?”            He nodded, “Of course, I’m actually grabbing my things so I can hit the showers.” He reached into a locker and grabbed a towel, a fresh change of clothes, and bar of soap.            “Do you know where Mac got to?” Colette inquired as she followed him to the door.            “Try the mess hall. He probably caved in and finally eaten something.”            He stepped out and closed the door behind him, leaving her alone again. Colette sighed and ran a hand through her sleep-tangled hair before putting her uniform back on. She pulled her hair back into the normal bun that she kept it in. She slipped the draft of the alliance agreement into an interior pocket and put her boots on before stepping into the hall. She followed the sounds of muted chatter and silverware hitting trays to the mess hall, where she found MacCready huddled in the corner with a can of purified water. He straightened up when he saw her, not feeling the need to keep his guard up around the Brotherhood as much if she was with him.            She grabbed a couple of Mutfruit and a can of water from the officer at the counter and sat down across from the sniper. She took out the pocket knife she had had since her 13th birthday and used it to cut sections out of the Mutfruit and eat them. She sat with her back to the wall like MacCready was and they both observed the soldiers around them. They were shot curious looks from Knights and Scribes alike. Knowing they were being watched, Colette kept her voice low, “I have a few plans for future cooperation with the Brotherhood, pending your full report about how yesterday went.”            “As long as I don’t have to keep working with Paladin Jerk, that’s fine by me.” MacCready huffed.            “You may still have to on occasion; I promise it won’t be a permanent arrangement. We need to utilize our resources in the most effective manner if we want to get into the Institute. If that means working with the Brotherhood of Steel to do it, then we will. I can’t keep delaying finding my son, Mac.”              He had frowned deeper with each sentence until she had brought up Shaun, then he deflated. “I’m sorry, you’re right. We will find him. I’ll work with Elder Maxson himself if it means we can find your boy.”            “I’ll worry about him. You worry about working with Danse, deal?”            “Deal,” he agreed.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Colette and MacCready were waiting to board the next vertibird when a large hand gripped Colette’s shoulder. She jumped and immediately elbowed her assailant in the gut. She made contact with solid muscle, and the deep grunt behind her caused her to look back. Her stomach sank as she realized that she had just hit Arthur Maxson in the abdomen. He had let go of her shoulder and was gritting his teeth, setting his jaw in a way that made him look fiercer than usual.
        MacCready snorted “Way to encourage a friendly alliance, Boss.” He continued to chuckle even after she shot him a scathing glare.         “My apologies, Elder Maxson, you startled me and I reacted out of instinct. Are you alright?”         “That’s alright, but please, it’s Arthur.” He shot a small smile at her before adding, “You and I are the closest thing to equals that we can find in the Wasteland. I miss hearing my first name, sometimes.”         Cole and MacCready could only stare in stunned silence at the Elder. Colette was the first to break the quiet by clearing her throat, “Ah, erm- is there something you needed, Arthur?”         “Ah, yes. I wanted to introduce somebody to you. This is Lancer-Sergeant Michael Glass. He’s assigned to pick up teams that use signal grenades. Since you have some of your own, I thought it would be a good idea to introduce you two.”         A leanly built man about Arthur’s height stepped forward and shook Colette’s hand. “It’s a pleasure, to make your acquaintance, General Arnold.” He was dressed in the black officer’s  flight suit and carried a helmet under his left arm. Neither of them were wearing gloves, so she could feel the light callouses on his slender hand. He had red hair, freckles, and emerald green eyes. Despite the youth in his eyes, his hair had traces of silver in it, especially at his temples.         “Glass is the highest ranked Lancer, right under Kells. Quite an accomplishment at 25,” Arthur clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Is there anything else you needed before you head back to the Castle?”
Colette smiled gently at the Elder. “I did want to thank you for the opportunity to take a shower. It’s been a minute and baths aren’t quite the luxury they used to be.” Arthur looked like he wanted to say something, but thought better of it. “When you’re ready, I do want to take Danse on a run to see for myself how well he works with Mac. I left the radio that Mac used yesterday with him so we can stay in communication.”

“He is currently yours to use at your discretion. Unless something dire comes up on the Prydwen or at the station in Cambridge, he won’t be needed.”

“I can provide him with his own quarters at the Castle and at one of my settlements for any personal time he gets. I can make the arrangements and radio when they’re ready. I need to meet with Preston and my other advisors and go over what happened at Fort Strong with MacCready.”

“I can take you on the Primair now and bring Paladin Danse to the Castle, when you’re ready, General.” Lancer Sergeant Glass offered.

“Excellent,” Colette clapped MacCready on the back. “I’d hate to take more of your time than necessary, so if you don’t mind leaving now, we can get out of your hair.”

“Of course, General. Elder Maxson,” Glass saluted the Elder. “Ad Victorium.”

Arthur returned the salute and stood watch while the Lancer Sergeant helped Colette and MacCready aboard his personal vertibird. Once the two were secured, Glass put his helmet on and they disembarked towards the Castle. Colette watched out the side of the vertibird as Arthur turned back towards the stairs leading to the command deck and let out a sigh of relief.

The vertibird ride was short, only a couple of minutes thanks to the clear skies and the skill of their pilot. He eased the vertibird down on the lawn of the Castle and jumped out to help both MacCready and Colette off of the vertibird. After he helped her down, their hands kept contact for half a second longer than necessary before Colette cleared her throat, “Thank you, Lancer-Sergeant Glass, for your services. I greatly appreciate it.”

“It’s my pleasure, General. I was born to fly. Is there anything else I can help you with at this time?”

“That’s all we needed for now. I’ll radio Paladin Danse when his quarters are ready.” Colette assured him.

“Excellent. If anything else is needed in the meantime, please do not hesitate to let the Brotherhood know.” The Lancer-Sergeant saluted her before hopping back in his vertibird and taking off back towards the Prydwen.

“Come on, we need to update the others.” Colette adjusted her coat lapels and strode with purpose towards the Castle’s front gates.
 
It took them ten minutes to assemble her officers and advisors. Back in the conference room were: Preston, MacCready, Hancock, and Nick. Colette sat at her desk and cleaned under her fingernails with her combat knife. When it was quiet and all were settled in their seats, Colette began.

“So far, the Brotherhood of Steel seems open to working side by side to take down the Institute. During our joint operation yesterday at Fort Strong, MacCready worked in tandem with Paladin Danse, one of the top officers they currently have aboard the Prydwen. After our artillery fire cleared the grounds, they cleared out the interior of the base in under two hours and secured a nuclear weapons stockpile that we will be splitting with the Brotherhood. Because of the success of the operation, I would like to propose a more formal and permanent arrangement with the Brotherhood until the Institute is dealt with. Before I propose anything specific, I want to hear your thoughts. Mac, you were the one in there working directly with the Brotherhood. What are your thoughts?”

“Danse seems to know what he’s doing with his tin can and laser rifle. He’s got a stick up his a-rear, but he’s good at what he does.” He removed his cap and ran a hand through his hair, “They may be jerks, but the Brotherhood are our best shot. I support working with them for the time being.”

“I agree. Our interests align for now. Working together will eliminate the Institute and make everybody’s lives better.” Preston added.

“An’ with the Institute gone, we can focus on cleaning the Commonwealth up again and getting some sort of official government goin’. Uniting the entire ‘wealth under one banner would do wonders for everybody. Just look at the settlements that are flyin’ the Minutemen flag now. Some of them started out with just two or three people. Now they’re thriving. Imagine what would happen if we got more folks flyin’ our flag.” Hancock added thoughtfully.

“It seems we’re all in an agreement, doll. Looks like we’re teaming up with the Brotherhood.” Nick sat back and lit a cigarette.

Colette sighed in relief, she was worried that she was going to have to do some heavy convincing with her friends. While she was officially the one in charge, she relied heavily on their advice since she had little leadership experience prior to the war other than teaching Bachelor’s students basic biology courses. She pulled the drafted agreement out of her inner coat pocket and laid down the proposed terms for her team.

They had been negotiating and fine tuning the document when there was a knock on the door to the conference room. “Come in,”  Colette commanded.

A new recruit poked his head in the door. “The quarters for Paladin Danse are set up, as requested, ma’am. Shall we radio the Prydwen?”

“That won’t be necessary. I’ll do it myself.” Colette pushed the button on her Pip-Boy, “Paladin Danse?”

A moment passed before the other end crackled to life. “Paladin Danse is in the armor bay working on his Power Armor. What can I help you with, Colette?” Arthur Maxson’s voice filled the air over the tinny speaker.

“I wanted to let him know that his private quarters at the Castle are ready for him. He can head down here when he wishes. I’m going to be in a meeting for the next hour or so, but Ronnie should be able to assist him if he gets here before I’m finished.”

“Recruiting firefighters?” The amusement in his voice could be heard even through the speaker.

“Working on it.” Colette chuckled. She got strange looks from everybody in the room. “Inside joke,” she explained.

Arthur echoed her chuckle on the other end. “I’ll send him down with Glass when he’s done with his armor.”

“Excellent. Thank you, Arthur.” Colette shifted her focus back to the room and saw that all were staring at her in shock. “What?”

“Arthur?” Preston inquired.

Before she could formulate a response, MacCready jumped to her defense. “He said that he would prefer she address him by his first name because he sees her as an equal. Works in our favor, because then he’ll be more open to agreements like the one we’re finishing up now.”

“That’s true, just be careful, Colette. You’re playing with fire already.” Nick warned her, concern showing on his cracked face.

“We’re being friendly. It’s not like we’re hopping into bed together.” She frowned, “I understand and appreciate your concern, but I’m a big girl, Nick.”

The old synth reached across the table and took her hand in his good one. “I know, I know, old habit.”

She squeezed  his hand reassuringly before letting go and placing both palms flat on the table. “Now that the Brotherhood is taken care of, I want a status update. Do we have any settlements in need? Are trade routes going smoothly? And I need recruitment numbers as soon as possible so I can start formulating training sessions for the newbies.” She directed most of that Preston, who was in charge of most of those avenues.

“Recruitment is still going up. We’ve picked up 20 more the last few weeks. Most of them are still at their home settlements or Sanctuary.”

Colette shook her head. “Tell Hank that I want it announced on Radio Freedom that anybody recruited within the last two months are to report to the Castle for training by the end of next week. We may have been able to get away with not having a formal training regimen earlier, but with our numbers growing like this, we need something in place. Before long, we’re gonna need officers, and they need to be able to train recruits. That means that they need the formal training first.” Preston was nodding enthusiastically by the time she finished.

“Trade routes are good, we have another caravan covering the North East sector, and they go far enough West that they can trade with the caravan that hits Sanctuary. The need for guards is increasing, which is employing more settlers that don’ wanna enlist in the Minutemen but are still lean more towards fightin’”  Hancock added, with encouraging nods from Colette.

“We also have one more potential settlement to clear out. Taffington Boathouse. Up by Greentop Nursery, about an hour and a half walk. It’s on the water, so we can use it to focus on water purification and crops.”

“Excellent. I’ll take Mac and Danse out there once the Paladin gets settled in. Is there anything else?”

They continued to give her updates. This settlement needed more turrets. A wall was heavily damaged and needed repairs at another settlement. Caravan 3 needed another Brahmin because theirs was sick and dying. Colette figured out solutions for most of the problems that didn’t require her going out to the individual settlements and fixing them. She would have to do that herself when she took Danse and MacCready.

She could feel a throbbing ache behind her eyes. She rubbed at her forehead and sighed. “I think that’s about as far as we’re gonna get today. Thank you all for your time and input. I’m going to go greet Paladin Danse if he’s here and then lay down for a bit.” She let the room empty before she proceeded down the hallway towards the barracks. When she was in the small building, she made a beeline for the room that she had designated for the Paladin. Most of those stationed at the Castle had to share quarters, but because Danse wasn’t a Minuteman and had his own private quarters aboard the Prydwen, Colette thought it was only fair that he get his own quarters here. She approached the door and knocked twice. Two moments passed before the door opened to reveal the Paladin in his flight suit, with his hood removed. His thick black hair stood up at odd angles, making Colette think he had just arrived and begun to settle in.

“General,” The Paladin seemed surprised at her visit. “Please, come in.” he stepped back and held the door open to let her in.

“Thank you, Paladin Danse. I apologize for not being able to welcome you when you arrived. Have you found everything to your liking so far? Do you need anything before dinner later tonight?” Colette would never admit it out loud, but hosting Arthur’s most trusted officer made her a bit nervous. She felt like she was under a microscope, with them watching her every move and judging her.

“Everything has been more than adequate. I am grateful for your superior hospitality while the Minutemen and the Brotherhood are working together. This is more than what I would have asked for.”

“Excellent. While normally I would rather stay and chat to get to know you better, my head is currently killing me and I need to go lay down before it gets much worse. Please, do not hesitate to let us know if you need anything.” Colette reached out and squeezed his shoulder. “Assuming that I’m feeling better in the morning, we’ll be heading north to clear out a potential settlement and shore up more defenses for some existing ones. If I don’t see you before then, I wish you a restful night’s sleep.”

“The sentiment is mutual, General. Thank you.” He saluted her and held the door open once again for her to exit.

She made her way to her quarters quickly, hoping to avoid anybody else that would need her for something small. Preston could deal with that tonight. If she spent much more time in light, she may pass out or vomit from the pain.

She encountered nobody and shut herself in her quarters, that were still dark from being vacant the previous twenty four hours. She closed her eyes and leaned against the door as she enjoyed the dark stillness of her room.

“I keep telling you to drink more water. You’ll have fewer headaches.”  Nick drawled from the couch against the wall.

She groaned, “I know, I know. I have some under the bar. Do you mind?”  The pop of the tab opening the can was her only answer. She felt blindly for the can and drank from it greedily when it was in her hands. The pop of another can opening was music to her ears after she drained the first one. She paused before drinking from the second one, grateful for Nick understanding that she needed the quiet. “I’m gonna finish this and then lay down. Do you mind keeping the kids in line while I’m down for the count?” She made her way to the bed and sat down to remove her boots. She would pick her clothes off the floor in the morning, she needed sleep now.

“It’s what I’m the best at. Get some rest, doll.”

“Goodnight,

padrino.”

“Dormi bene, piccola.”

Nick slipped out of the door and closed it behind him. Cole discarded her clothes and slipped under the light covers and fell into a dreamless sleep.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

A knock at her door jolted her awake. The sharp throbbing behind her eyes had reduced to a dull ache and she groaned as the sound made it pulse. “Come in.” She commanded.

The door opened, letting in the dying light of sunset. She had only been asleep for a few hours. Danse stepped in, carrying a bowl of something that smelled divine.”You weren’t at dinner, and I wanted to make sure you ate something, since Elder Maxson informed me that you had been in meetings all day. I imagine you haven’t had a chance to eat since leaving the Prydwen.”

“No, I haven’t. Thank you, Danse. That’s incredibly thoughtful of you.” Colette reached for the lighter on her bedside and used it to light the oil lamp that sat next to it. She accepted the bowl from him. “Grab a seat. I’m feeling a bit better, and food will probably get me the rest of the way there.”

Danse obeyed and pulled a chair to her bedside. “I spoke with Lancer-Sergeant Glass about tomorrow. He’s more than willing to take us up North to the settlement to help clear it out.”

“Excellent,” Colette took a bite of the thick soup and groaned. It must have been Preston’s turn to cook. He could make even bloatfly taste amazing. “This is wonderful, what is it?”

“Preston said it was Mirelurk stew.” His face turned to one of concern as Colette spit out the next bite she had taken and placed it on her bedside table.

“I need you to go get Nick. Now. Tell him I had Mirelurk.” She was already having difficulty breathing and she could feel her skin blossoming into itchy hives as the Paladin darted from the room. She hoped he didn’t have too much of a difficult time finding the Synth.

She knew that focusing on her body’s reaction would just make her panic and risk sending her into anaphylactic shock, so she started counting the bricks in the walls. Her mouth was tingling and her tongue swollen. She resisted the urge to itch at her skin. She got to 104 bricks when she began to feel lightheaded from her body not getting enough oxygen. She persisted, fighting to stay conscious until Nick arrived.

The world around her went black at around brick 134. She felt her body hit the mattress and heard the bowl of uneaten stew clatter to the ground.
 
A pinprick of stabbing pain in her thigh startled her. That must have been Nick with the medicine. Allergic reactions had no treatment in the wasteland, but since her food allergy was a common source of protein for wastelanders, they had decided to cook something up. With Hancock’s help they had filled a handful of empty stimpacks with a cocktail of chems that mimicked the syringe of epinephrine that she carried around before the war.

“-deathly allergic. Lucky I was here and you weren’t out and about with her.” Nick was saying to a very guilty looking Danse.

“I’ve never seen something like this before, it seems like a very dangerous ailment to have.” The Paladin observed, over Colette wheezing and gasping for air now that her airways were clearing.

“It was more common before the war. I imagine that most allergies aren’t caught nowadays because they just kill the person before anybody realizes what’s going on. She already knew about her allergy when I started caring for her at 13, so I just made sure to take the necessary precautions.” Nick was very careful to make it seem like Nick the synth had taken care of 13 year old Colette, and not hint at human Nick raising Colette before the war. He turned back to her, “How you feelin, darlin? Need another?”

“Water,” she rasped out. Nick handed her a can of water, already opened for her. She took it with trembling hands and brought it to her lips to sip at.

“General Arnold, I offer my sincerest apologies. I had no idea-” Danse began, but Colette held up her hand to stop him.

“I accept your apology and I forgive you,” her throat felt raw as she forced the words out. “You couldn’t have known, and the sentiment behind you bringing me something to eat when I wasn’t feeling well more than makes up for it. I should have asked what it was before taking a bite, so it’s my fault that this happened. I’m not upset with you.”

The Paladin nodded, not looking convinced. “Do you require anything? Should I radio up to the Prydwen for anything for you?”

“Radioing the Prydwen won’t be necessary. If you would have Preston prepare some noodles or something, I would appreciate it. And get a recruit in here to clean that up.” Colette gestured to the broken bowl and stew on the floor at her bedside.

“I’ll stay here and monitor her, tonight.” Nick offered. Danse nodded once and headed out the door to follow her requests. “You may want to delay your departure until the afternoon, though.”

“I will. I’ll sleep once I’ve eaten and had another water. That should take care of everything.” A recruit stepped in and began cleaning up the mess.

“You know, we still need to talk about that one problem you had.” Nick reminded her.

“I know, but we really aren’t ever alone. Maybe once I get back from clearing these settlements. It’s been awhile since you and I went out together.”

Danse stepped back in the room with a bowl in hand. “Preston says we don’t have any noodles, but he had some iguana soup leftover from last night. He heated it up for you.”

“He’s such a godsend. Thank you, as well, Danse.” Colette accepted the bowl from the Paladin.

“It’s the least I could do.” He offered. “I assume there will be a schedule change for tomorrow?” He asked as she wolfed down the soup
“That’s right,” Nick answered for her. “You won’t be leaving until late afternoon, to make sure she’s adequately rested.” The Paladin nodded, before saluting her and leaving the room. The recruit had finished cleaning up the mess and slipped out of the room with a salute of his own, leaving Nick and Colette alone again. The synth handed her another open can of water. “Drink up and then get some rest. I’ll check on you in a little bit, okay?” After a nod from Colette, Nick left the room.

The next afternoon found her in her colonial duster, still sweltering in the humid air despite wearing less heavy clothing. She was standing on the lawn of the castle while watching the Primair approach with MacCready and Danse on either side of her. Mac was puffing on his cigarette and Danse was still as a statue in his Power Armor. The Primair caused the air to whip around them as it descended to let them board.

Glass hopped out to help MacCready and then Colette aboard, even helping her get buckled in securely, while Danse took the minigun on the side. MacCready strapped himself in behind her. When everybody was secure, she gave the Lancer-Sergeant a thumbs-up and a smile. He smirked back at her as he took off and her heart fluttered.

The flight was relatively short, only about 20 minutes. The walk would have taken six hours one way, so Colette was thankful for Danse calling the Lancer-Sergeant to take them to Greentop. The muggy air kept getting heavier as they made their way north, signalling an approaching storm. Once again, Glass helped her down from the vertibird putting a supportive hand on her lower back as she stepped onto the uneven terrain below. He released her and Colette felt MacCready land behind her. Danse turned to face them, having been the first of them to leave the vertibird, and he awaited orders.

“This is Greentop Nursery. One of the first settlements that Mac and I helped out for the Minutemen. They recently reported needing more defenses.” Colette shook her large pack. “I’m going to set up a couple more turrets, I want you two to give the settlers some lessons on marksmanship so they aren’t relying on the turrets in the event of an attack.” She indicated MacCready and Danse. As she was speaking, one of the settlers approached them.

“Pardon me, did the Castle send you?” A nod from Colette caused her sun tanned face to light up. “Oh thank goodness! We were hoping you would show up soon!” The settler seemed to suddenly notice the insignia  on Danse’s Power Armor and the Primair and her eyes widened. “And the Brotherhood of Steel? Are we working with them now?”

“Unofficially, yes. The powers-that-be are working something out together.” MacCready supplied. “The General has been in meetings with the Elder of the Brotherhood working things out. I think they’ve almost come to an agreement.”

Colette watched Danse’s brow furrow during the interaction and made a mental note to inform him why settlers didn’t know of her title when they were safely away from ears that might hear.

The settler seemed pleased with MacCready’s response, because she picked right back up. “Wonderful! I’ll get all of you something fixed up to eat. Brahmin roast okay with you?”

“That sounds fantastic. Thank you, Miss..?” Colette fished for the settler’s name.

“Jessica Daniels, ma’am. Moved here from Diamond City after my parents found me in bed with Piper Wright. Don’t know what upset them more, that I like girls, or that I was sleeping with somebody that was anti-McDonough.”

“Ah, well.” Colette didn’t know how to comfort the girl.

“It all worked out better. It’s quieter out here, and I don’t feel so closed in. I like it, and Piper visits sometimes. You just missed her, too. Says she met the Vault Dweller, too. That must have been exciting.”

“I can’t imagine. They must have limited social skills after being cooped up in the vaults for so long.” Colette growled while MacCready was behind her trying to cover up his laughing by faking a coughing fit. “I hate to break up this party, but I would like to get these turrets set up before dinner. Are you staying for dinner, Lancer-Sergeant?”

“Molerat is on the menu on the Prydwen, you couldn’t pay me to go eat dinner up there if something better is offered.” Glass winked at her.

“Fantastic, I’ll go get it started for you!” Jessica scurried away, leaving Colette with MacCready, Danse, and Glass again.

She picked up her bag and started towards her workbench by the one bedroom shacks that she had set up for guests to the settlement, and felt Glass following her. She looked over her shoulder at him with a raised eyebrow. Glass shrugged, “I’ve got nothing better to do until dinner, might as well help you with the turrets. I’m pretty good with targeting systems.”

“Oh, okay. I didn’t expect you to do anything. You’ve already helped a lot by flying us here.”

“I don’t like sitting idle when I could be doing something productive.” He flashed a smile at her, “I like having something to do with my hands.”

“I can certainly understand that.” Colette cleared her throat.

“So what’s with the settlers not knowing that you’re the General?” He kept his voice down.

“We don’t have much of a chain of command. The Brotherhood might have plenty of officers, the Minutemen have three. And Preston doesn’t even do anything beyond telling me when somebody needs me to fix something. If they don’t know I’m the General, I can go from settlement to settlement to fix things without having to put out the petty fires so they can say the General did something for them.”

“I guess I can understand that, to a degree. So, what am I supposed to call you?”

“If you’re in front of Ar- Elder Maxson, call me General. Any other time, Colette is just fine.”

“Colette, such a pretty name.” He said, lowly.

“And your first name is Michael, correct?” Colette swallowed thickly. Their green eyes, his of the forest and hers of the sea, met and she felt lost. “It’s an old Hebrew name. Means ‘who is like God.’ Somebody meant for you to be worshiped. A very nice name, if I do say so myself.” She was babbling, a nervous habit that she had always hated.

“It’ll sound nicer with you screaming it.” He all but growled at her. Colette’s skin was on fire, her heart was pounding in her chest and she was surprised the entire settlement couldn’t hear it. She licked her lips and watched Michael’s eyes follow her tongue dart across her bottom lip. Time was frozen for another two hundred years before either of them made another move.

Colette lunged at him, cupping his face and bringing him down to her in a fiery kiss. His lips were chapped and rough, but they felt glorious against hers as they gently moved to kiss her back. She groaned softly as his tongue licked gently at her bottom lip, requesting access to her mouth. She stood on her toes as she opened her mouth to him, granting him and making him not have to lean as far down to reach her. Rough hands made their way across her body, grasping and groping at her soft curves that hid the muscle underneath.

He pulled away, and she whimpered, not having been touched since she was still pregnant with Shaun. He didn’t make it far, though. “Is there somewhere more private we can go?” was whispered between their lips. She nodded and dragged him towards one of the cabins. She shut the door on them and was back on him in an instant. She reached up for the zipper that held his flight suit closed and pulled it down, revealing a leanly muscled frame. The sun was beginning to set, sending rays in through a gap in the wall and turning his hair into a golden halo. She ran her hands up his body, admiring his frame. While she was memorizing the planes of his muscles, he was undoing her clothes. He had gotten her shirt unbuttoned and pulled her bra down to reveal her breasts that were heaving with every breath she took. He took one between his long fingers and pinched, eliciting a gasp from her. He bent down to nip and lick at her neck and murmured, “So responsive, how long has it been since somebody’s touched you like this?”

She gasped again as his tongue teased its way down her chest to her other nipple, drawing circles around the areola before sucking the bud into his mouth. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” Her hair had fallen out of its bun and was tickling the back of his hand that was on the small of her back, holding her to him as he continued to tease her chest.

He released her breast with a soft pop, and began walking her backwards. Thinking they were headed towards the bedroom, she squeaked in surprise when her rear hit a table and he held her there instead of steering her away from it. He kissed her again, using her distraction as an opportunity to work her pants around her ankles. A finger ran from the far end of her entrance to her clit and back, collecting moisture and causing her to throw her head back in pleasure. “Michael,” she keened as she bucked against his hand.

“Mmm, that sounds

so

good. And you aren’t even screaming yet.” He purred in her ear before nipping it sharply. “You’re so

wet.

Is this for me, Colette? Do I make your pussy wet?” He ran his finger along her again for emphasis.

“Yes!” She tried to grind towards him, seeking the friction and pleasure he denied her.

“What do you want from me, Colette?” His voice was so silky, it made her melt.

“Touch me, Michael.” She whispered breathlessly.

Michael said nothing as he pushed two fingers into her, sinking in all the way. Colette moaned desperately, as his fingers filled her more than she had been in years. He crooked his fingers and massaged at the rough wall at the front of her channel, causing her to squeeze around him. He continued this motion and enjoyed feeling her clench his fingers as her orgasm approached. “That’s right, Colette, come for me.”

“Michael!” She wailed as her orgasm hit her. Her nails bit into his back and arm as she clung to him to ground herself during her climax. She heard him groan, but could focus on nothing but the pleasure that was washing over her in waves.

When she came down, she pulled him to her again and kissed him, hungry for more. He pulled back slightly and turned her around to bend her over the table. She heard rustling behind her and then felt him drag the tip of his length through her wetness. “Do you want this?” he asked.

“Yes,” she whined.

“Say it, Colette.”

“I want you to fuck me, Michael.” She demanded. Her voice went from a hoarse whisper to a high pitched moan as he pushed inside of her.

“Oh.” he breathed as he rested his forehead on her back. They lay like that for a few moments, adjusting to the feel of each other, before he pulled out slowly and pushed back in. Quiet groans turned into near screams as he picked up the pace, thrusting into her harder and faster until the small house was filled with nothing but the wet sounds of their flesh slapping together and her screaming her pleasure, calling Michael’s name as he pounded into her sweet spot. His name dissolved into half formed syllables as she approached another climax. To make sure she finished, he reached around with one hand and drew circles around her clit, using the slick dripping from her to cover the sensitive bud in lubrication so he could rub at it faster. He could feel his end approaching as well, and reigned himself in enough before leaning close to her ear. “I’m close, where should I-?”

“Not on the floor.” Colette managed to gasp out before her orgasm took over, She really didn’t want to clean his seed up beyond using a cloth to wipe it off of her.

Her orgasm brought him to the edge, and he pulled out just in time to finish, shooting his seed all over her exposed ass. He held himself up on shaky arms over her, panting and dripping in sweat. “Christ,” he managed.

Colette held out a blue handkerchief that she carried in her pocket. “Do you mind?” She asked Michael.

“Not at all,” Michael took it from her and used it to clean her off gently before wiping himself off. He tossed it to the side when he was done and helped her steady herself.

“Holy shit, I needed that.” Colette groaned as she straightened up and stretched.

“Been awhile?” Michael asked. He chuckled when she nodded. “Glad I could be of service.”

“I um-” Colette began, “I mean, I don’t usually-” She started stuttering, her face beginning to flush.

“I can forget that this ever happened, if that’s what you want.” His casual demeanor slipped into a more serious one.

“No, it’s not that. I’d like to do this again, if you’re okay with that. I just can’t do anything beyond casual sex right now. I have a lot going on and anything more would be too much.”

“I completely understand. Just tell me when you want me and I’ll do what I can to help you de-stress.” he smirked at her.

“Thank you.” The sun shining in her eyes snapped her attention back to where they were. “Should we, um, go work on those turrets now?”

“Sounds good to me.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Arthur returned to his quarters after seeing off the Minutemen on the Primair. He sat in the chair at his desk and faced the table in the center of the room, frowning at the chess board that hadn't been touched since the game that had ended in a draw the night before. It wasn’t often somebody could hold their own against him in a game of chess. He had spent countless hours as a child playing with anybody that would humor him at the Citadel. It had paid off, as he was now one of the most respected tacticians in the history of the Brotherhood.

He barely registered somebody entering the room, he was so deep in thought, until the white king was snatched from the board. He looked up and saw Knight Reagan Knight standing across the table from him with a smirk plastered across her face. “I haven’t seen you that deep in thought in years, Artie. What’s eating at you?”

“Knight. Welcome back aboard the Prydwen. I trust things are going well down at the airport?” He paused and watched her begin to set up the chess set for a new game. He stood and closed the door so they could speak as friends, and not Elder and Knight. “It’s been an interesting first few days in the up here. We’ve unofficially allied ourselves with the local militia. Their General is interesting, to say the least.”

Reagan snorted, and he could only fathom what she was imagining as she finished setting up the game. She picked white, as she always had for the last 10 years. “The General is a Wastelander, yeah?” Arthur nodded. “Well, there you go. They’re always a bit weird. Don’t worry about it too much.” She made a move.

“It’s not that she’s weird, she’s just….” Arthur struggled to find the words to describe Colette Arnold. “She raised her militia in five months. She’s taken down three deathclaws. We played chess last night and it was a

draw

. She’s an incredible ally already and all I can think of is-”

“Oh my god, Artie, you sound like a love sick squire.” Reagan laughed at the way he scowled at her as he moved one of his own pieces. “Fuck, you’d think she’d birthed Roger Maxson himself or something the way you’re talking about her. She’s just one woman, you’ve done just as much- no, you’ve done more than her. You just finally met somebody that's on your level.” He snorted, they both knew that she didn't believe that for a second. She continued as she used a Knight to take one of his pawns “Doesn't hurt that she’s a looker too, right?”

Arthur took advantage of her not paying attention to her moves and took the Knight. “I never said she was attractive.” He could tell that he was failing at keeping his face neutral. He could feel his cheeks heating up. Reagan narrowed her eyes at him.

“I’m better at talking than I am at chess, Elder. Your tone tells me that she is. It’s one of your tells.” She  winked at him as she used a bishop to capture another pawn. “I know you well enough that you can't lie to me Artie. I know all of your tells. When you talk about pretty girls, you show your age.”

“Okay, fine, she’s attractive.” He growled. “I can't exactly do anything about it. It’s unprofessional and right now we both need to focus on taking down the Institute. And this could be completely one-sided. I won't risk this alliance while they still have information and resources that we need.”

“Chill, Artie. It’s only been a few days. If you want, I can get to know her and figure it out for you.” Reagan offered.

“That… would be nice. I just need to get you working close with her. I’m sure something will pop up within the next couple of days. Danse is going to be stationed at the Castle for a while. She’s the reason Gladius survived long enough to contact us, you know.”

“Alex is working with her? Huh, should be interesting. You said he’s going to be at the Castle?”

“It’s the name of the fort across the bay. They have artillery on some of their bastions. It’s quite impressive. We used it to clear out Fort Strong before sending Danse and her right hand man in to sweep the interior and secure the nukes in the basement.” He stroked at his beard as he predicted her next moves and planned his responses accordingly. “Like I said, it’s been an interesting past few days up here. Now I have artillery signals from her and she has emergency vertibird signals.”

“So that’s what those explosions were? Shit. She’s gonna keep you on your toes.” Reagan hissed as Arthur captured her King, ending their game quickly as he always had. “Good talk, Artie. Let me know when I’m moving into the Castle, okay? And shave this thing.” Reagan reached across the table and tugged playfully on his beard.  She stood and stretched before sauntering out the door.

He watched her leave, and then moved to put away the treasured chess set. Once it was secured in his cabinet, he moved back to his desk and reached for the ever growing pile of paperwork on his desk. Now that they were no longer flying, he had been bombarded with requests for leave, Proctor Teagan had scouted out possible farms to trade with for food and supplies. And Proctors Ingram and Quinlan were begging him to send out research patrols to gather technical documents and salvage tech.

He scanned the list of available teams to send out, deciding where to prioritize. They had ample food supplies for the time being, and he had planned on bringing up the idea of a trade agreement with Colette, so he set aside the files covered in Teagan’s sloppy scrawl. He granted leave for a few Knights, and scheduled leave for the remaining requests quickly. While they had come to the Commonwealth with the intent to wage war, he understood needing to get away from the Prydwen and airport after spending the last week and a half on the airship as it avoided the ruins of larger cities that were not yet safe to fly around without being subject to attack.

The last bit of business was the research patrols. Some of them were only a stone’s throw away, and would be fine with a couple of Scribes and a Knight to complete. Others were on the other side of the map and would need more soldiers to complete safely. He listened to Radio Freedom again last night, though quietly, with Colette in the next room. Unlike the last time, he had heard no calls for assistance, and all had been quiet until he went to bed. He reached over and switched the radio on. The peppy violin kept him working at a steady pace, and he lost track of time.

A knock on the door broke his train of thoughts. He rubbed at his temples, “Enter,” he commanded. Paladin Danse stepped in.
“Are you ready to receive my report from Fort Strong, sir?” The Paladin was freshly showered and in a clean uniform.
“Yes, of course, have a seat.” Arthur gestured to the chair across the table from him. “How is being back on the Prydwen treating you?”
“Outstanding, sir.” The Paladin took his seat and folded his hands on the table in front of him. “I definitely missed the consistently working showers and safe sleeping quarters. General Arnold had offered to let us accompany her and  Colonel Garvey to one of their settlements up North when they first assisted us in Cambridge, but we declined, as we did not want to lose the tactical location that we had with the police station.”

“A commendable decision, Paladin. I don’t think your refusal of the General’s offer harmed our relations with the Minutemen, which is good. I do believe that we can help each other to reach our common goal. Now, I’d like to hear your report on Fort Strong, specifically regarding working with the General’s right hand man.”

“Clearing out the building with MacCready was easier than anticipated. He has impeccable marksmanship for a civilian. If he weren’t so insubordinate, I would try to recruit him. He grew up in the Capital Wasteland, and he distrusts the Brotherhood for reasons that point to incidents that happened with unruly soldiers that represented the Brotherhood poorly while off duty. Despite his distrust, he’s willing to work with me personally as long as that is what the General wants. You also noticed the number of allies she has that aren’t officially Minutemen, but also take direction from her, correct?”

“I did notice that. I want you to watch those interactions as much as you can when you’re working with her. Figure out why they follow her will, but don’t fly her flag.” Attractive as she was, he knew she was hiding something that drew them all to her. “I also want you to assess the Minutemen as a whole and report the situation back to me. If they are going to be our allies, I want to make sure they can keep up with us and won’t need us to hold their hands every step of the way. The General informed me last night that they needed assistance in training, so that may be where your expertise may be of the most use.” Arthur kept quiet about his plan to also send Knight Knight in to help with training after they had an idea of where the Minutemen were at.

“Of course, Elder Maxson. Was there anything else you needed?’

“That will be all for now, Paladin. Go make sure your Power Armor is up to standard before the General radios us.”

“Ah, before I forget, here is the radio that she and MacCready gave me. They’ll be contacting us on that directly when my quarters are ready. It’s impossible to hear in the armor bay. Permission to leave it here, sir?”

“I’ll listen for their message, Alex. Don’t worry.” Arthur stood and saluted his most trusted officer. “Ad Victorium, Paladin.”

Alexander Danse saluted back, “Ad Victorium, Elder.” He strode out of the room and disappeared to go work on his armor. Arthur poured himself a drink and went back to his paperwork, with Radio Freedom playing softly in the background.

The radio on the center table crackled to life later on. He looked at the clock. 16:00. “Paladin Danse?” Colette’s voice filled the room.

He finished signing the research patrol assignments that he was working on and grabbed the microphone. “Paladin Danse is in the armor bay working on his Power Armor. What can I help you with, Colette?”

A slight pause before she answered, “I wanted to let him know that his private quarters at the Castle are ready for him. He can head down here when he wishes. I’m going to be in a meeting for the next hour or so, but Ronnie should be able to assist him if he gets here before I’m finished.”

“Recruiting firefighters?” He couldn’t help but smile, hoping she found it amusing as well.

He was rewarded by a chuckle that was distorted by the radio’s speaker. “Working on it.” She must have an audience, because he heard her tell an unheard person that it was an inside joke.

He chuckled to echo her, “I’ll send him down with Glass when he’s done with his armor.”

“Excellent, thank you, Arthur.” Even through the low quality of the speaker, he could hear the gratitude in her voice. The static crackled out into silence, telling him that she ended the transmission.

He stood and stretched, feeling his muscles protest after sitting at his desk for a large portion of the day. He would go talk to Danse himself, rather than sending a Squire to relay the message. He enjoyed getting to walk around the Prydwen when he got the chance. While he was Elder, he still took comfort in being surrounded by his fellow soldiers. He clasped his hands behind his back as he strode through the main stretch of the airship towards the armor bay. He saw Danse kneeling by his armor with the top half of his jumpsuit tied around his waist. Knight Knight was sitting on a workbench and they were chatting while Reagan adjusted the scope of a rifle that was sitting in her lap. She had Squired under Danse and they made quite the pair. While she was the type to bend the rule when ever she could, her mentor was very by the book and straight laced. They played off of their strengths when they worked together and they made an excellent team. They also happened to be his two closest friends. Reagan had been the only Squire that talked to him when he moved to the Citadel from NCR. As the two of them got older, and she and Danse got split up so he could mentor more Knights after he was promoted, the three of them developed a very close and unbreakable bond. When Danse had to end Jason Cutler’s life, Reagan and Arthur sat in his quarters with him and supported him as he grieved at having to kill his lover. Reagan and Danse had snuck junk food and comics into the medbay for him when he survived the deathclaw when he was 13. They had always been there for each other to pick each other up when they fell, and he didn’t think that he could have survived his first years as Elder without their friendship.

They hadn’t noticed him standing mere feet away, so he cleared his throat to announce his presence. They both stiffened, then looked around quickly. Seeing that nobody else was in the armor bay with them, both the Paladin and Knight relaxed.

“Arthur, what brings you down here?” Danse asked

“The fresh air and beautiful scenery.” He replied dryly. Reagan snorted and he swore he saw Danse roll his eyes as he turned back to the actuator in his knee joint. “General Arnold has informed me that your quarters at the Castle are ready for you. When you’ve finished with your armor, you are free to head down to the Castle. She may still be in meetings when you get there, so ask for Major Shaw if the General is not available.”

“Thank you, sir.” Danse looked up with a small smile.

“Done with paperwork for the night, Artie?” Reagan teased.

“For the night, yes. If I have to read one more research patrol request, I may strangle Quinlan myself.”

“Aww, but then Emmett won’t have an owner.” the Knight pouted.

“Nonsense. Emmett will always be taken care of, even if something happened to Proctor Quinlan.”

“Come on, Arthur. We all know that you love having Emmett on board. I saw the cat toy under your desk this afternoon.” Danse teased from below.

“He’s such a cat person, though. They’re just like him. Anti social, picky eaters, and some people are crazy and think they’re cute.” Reagan stuck her tongue out at Arthur as she dodged a playful swipe.

“Careful, Knight. I’ll put you in the cage with Teagan.”

“Don’t threaten me with a good time.” Reagan wiggles her eyebrows in a way that had both of her friends laughing. She tightened one last screw on the laser rifle before hopping down from the bench and tugging on Arthur’s beard before striding out of the bay with the rifle in hand. “I gotta go and give this to Michael. I promised him he’d have it before he did anything with the Minutemen again.”

“Don’t have too much fun.” Danse warned. She extended her middle finger to him without so much as a backwards glance. The Paladin chuckled. “Steel help us when she has children. They’ll all be little hellions like she was.”

“The Brotherhood can barely handle one of her. Hopefully she mellows out a bit before settling down and having kids.” Arthur sighed. “I’ll let you get back to your armor. I don’t want to keep you up here too late and delay your arrival at the Castle anymore than it already is. I just needed to get out of my damned quarters.”

“I’m sure you’re welcome to visit the Castle when you need some fresh air. I’ll double check on that for you.” Danse offered.

“I’d appreciate that. An occasional change of scenery would be quite nice.” Arthur waved at his friend before heading towards the mess to grab a bite to eat before getting back to his office. “Keep yourself safe tomorrow. I have a feeling she’s got plans for you.”

“Will do. I’ll report in when I can.” Danse waved a wrench at him as he departed.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

After they had straightened out their clothes and stepped outside into the dying spring light, they got back to putting together the new turrets. Michael worked on the targeting systems and more of the involved parts of the electrical parts. Colette focused on turning the scrap steel that she had collected for the turrets into shells and stands for the components.

They chatted casually. Michael boasted about the Primair, and told her that not only was she his personal vertibird, but he had built her completely from the ground up with his bare hands. MacCready and Danse were bickering over by where they were trying to teach settlers how to protect themselves better, but Colette paid them no mind as she focused her attention on Michael.

When Jessica called them for dinner, they sat next to each other and continued chatting. Colette told him about being raised by Nick Valentine and how much of a doting father figure he still was even though she was turning 30 in a couple of months.In turn, he told her about how Kells was a father figure to him, how he strived to one day be Lancer-Captain after Kells retired and how much he wanted to make him proud. Danse and MacCready sat on opposite sides of the fire, pointedly avoiding each other’s glares and eating their dinners in silence.

As they finished eating, Jessica began to clean up, refusing assistance. “You all are doing so much to help us, you don’t need to do anythin’ else.” Her sentence was punctuated by a flash of lightning and the sound of a sudden downpour.

Michael groaned, as he walked to the opening in the wall that served as a window “I

really

don’t want to fly back to the Prydwen in this.” He ran a hand through his hair.

“Then don’t. The Minutemen have plenty of beds set up for patrols and caravans to rest. You can head back when you’re ready to.” Jessica told him. “Turrets are all done, and we have patrols, so you should be fine for the night.”

Michael seemed to consider it for a moment before shrugging. “It would be nice to not hear Kells snoring. His quarters and mine share a wall and he sounds like a broken vertibird.”

Colette and MacCready laughed while Danse frowned at Michael poking fun at his CO, but said nothing.

“We should probably head to bed soon. We have a bit of a walk to Taffington in the morning and even more to do once we get there.” Colette stretched and yawned. “Thank you, for your hospitality, Jessica.”

MacCready grumbled about getting wet as they made their way towards the circle of four shacks that she and Michael had worked at. Michael made a beeline for the one that the two of them had been in earlier, and he discreetly winked at her as he let himself in. Danse and MacCready went in shacks as far away from each other as possible, Danse parking his Power Armor on the other side of the door once it was shut.

Colette went into her own cabin and leaned against the door with her eyes closed. She wanted to go to Michael again, but she also didn’t want to give him the wrong idea. The alliance with the Brotherhood was still so new and she didn’t want to fuck it up before they had a chance to make any progress towards their goal. She groaned, wanting Michael touching her again, but not sure if she should take the risk just for a couple more orgasms.

After a few more minutes of internal debate, she whispered “Fuck it,” to herself and crept out the door of her cabin towards his. She knocked as quietly as possible, to make sure she didn’t alert Danse and MacCready to what she was doing.

Michael opened the door and his face lit up upon seeing her. He reached through the door and pulled her into the cabin. After the door was securely locked, he pushed her against it and kissed her fiercely. She inhaled sharply through her nose and caught the smell of leather, sweat, and smoke from the campfire. She drank in the pleasant mix as he whispered something in her ear about how much he wanted her.  She was barely aware of the oil lamp on the table by the bed that was bathing the room in a warm glow. Between that and the pattering of rain on the roof, it was almost romantic.

Almost.

Her mind was wandering. Imagining different hands ghosting over her hips, wanting for different lips kissing her, a different name on her tongue.

Michael must have felt her drifting, because he pulled back. “We don’t have to, if you don’t want to.” He didn’t make eye contact, not wanting to see rejection before it came.

“No, I want to. I’m just-” she sighed. “It’s not important.” She tangled her fingers in his hair and brought him back to her. Her tongue ran across his bottom lip and he opened with a soft groan.

She walked them back, knowing the layout of the cabin that she had built months ago like the back of her hand. She was in control this time, and he didn’t have any complaints yet. When the backs of his knees hit the mattress with the ancient sheets, he let himself fall onto the bed, pulling her down with him. Their clothes were still damp from the rain, so they shed their outer layers quickly. Leaving them in their underwear. She was aware of his calloused fingers tracing patterns on the soft skin of her waist and hips, and it took her a minute to realize that he was following the silvery stretch marks that were a painful reminder more than anything else. When one of his hands ghosted over the scar from her cesarean section, she tried to pull away.

“No, don’t. You’re so beautiful, Colette.” He kissed her and pulled her closer to him, purposefully grinding his erection against her stomach. She gasped and he did it again, working to bring her back to the moment, to the heat building between their bodies.

He reached behind her and unhooked her bra with practiced ease, pulling it off her shoulders and freeing her breasts to him. “So beautiful.” He murmured before working down her body. He kissed and nipped at her skin, not marking, but drawing gasps out of her. He took one of her breasts in hand, and kissed every bit of the soft flesh before pulling the nipple into his mouth. He drew circles around the bud with his tongue and rolled the top against his teeth. His attentions were shooting bolts of arousal straight to her core. She could feel herself beginning get wet, and she whimpered when he went from licking her nipple to sucking on it.

He switched to the other breast and gave it the same attention as the first, while continuing to pinch and twist the nipple he had left. She yelped when Michael bit this nipple more harshly than the first one. She grabbed him by his hair and pulled him back up so she could capture him in a deep kiss. She didn’t know if the moan was from the kiss or the grip she had on his roots, and honestly she didn’t care at this point where the delicious sound came from.

She wrapped her legs around his waist and rolled them both over so she was straddling his waist. She lifted herself off him so they could strip themselves of their underwear, and then they were bare before each other. She took a moment to give an appreciative stroke of his cock. It was long, thin, and veiny. She traced her finger over a vein that ran most of his length and he shuddered underneath her. She moved to position herself at his entrance and she felt his hand on her wrist, making her pause. She looked at him in the low light, her eyebrow raised.

“I want to taste you, first.” She felt her inner muscles twitch in anticipation.

“Oh really?”She grinned wickedly at him, “How about I sit on your face?”

“Mmmm, yes please.” Michael licked his lips eagerly, his green eyes almost completely black with how wide his pupils were.

Colette crawled back up his body and positioned her folds over his face. “Bon appetit.” The cheeky smirk she wore melted as his tongue drew a languid line from the bottom of her entrance all the way up to her clit. She felt him chuckle against her folds when she moaned and the sound sent vibrations through her that made her entire body tingle. He sucked gently on her clit when he reached it, causing her to lose her balance and fall forward. She caught herself on the rough wood of the wall as he continued the assault on her folds. She swore he was signing his name with his tongue around her clit, with the lack of predictable pattern he had. Another hard suck on the delicate bundle of nerves pushed her over the edge that she didn’t know she was at yet. She ground down on his face, tightening her thighs around his ears and pushing her soaked petals against his mouth. When she came down from her high, she moved down his body and ground her core against his hot, pulsing length.

She rose above him to position him at her entrance and they both moaned as she sank onto him. He moved to put his hands on her hips, but stopped when she shook her head at him. She was in control, so instead, he fisted his hands in the sheets under him as she began moving herself up and down his length.

Colette angled herself so her clit ground against his pelvis every time she sank back onto him. Seeing him under her biting his lip and groaning out loud as she continued working them towards climax was intoxicating. She missed this, taking control because she wanted it, because she desired it.

She took one of her hands from where they rested on his chest and rubbed furiously at her clit. She was so close, and she could tell that he was too.

“That’s right Colette, touch yourself and come on me.” Michael whispered breathlessly to her.

She sank down on him once more before lifting off as she climaxed. She clenched at nothing, her channel empty as she finished with a strangled groan. When she came down from her high, she reached for Michael’s suddenly neglected length and began stroking him. A few quick jerks had him shooting his seed onto his toned stomach. His eyes rolled back and he closed his eyes in bliss as his release found him.

She fell onto her side, sweaty and out of breath. She felt him shifting behind her, and then his arms wrap around her. As sleep overtook her, her thoughts wandered to a pair of icy blue eyes.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Dawn had not yet begun to break and Colette was waking up with Michael’s face buried between her legs, bringing her to a gentle climax that broke over her in waves. He whispered about how they didn’t have much time as he climbed back up to push into her and took her hard and fast. He had to go back to the Prydwen. And she had to be back in her cabin before Danse woke up if they wanted to keep this between them. Another climax found her before he pulled out and finished on her stomach. He cleaned both of them up before they dressed and Cole slipped out of the cabin in the weak morning light and into her own to catch a few more hours of sleep after the whir of the vertibird faded into the distance.
Danse
Danse was up before the General was, but MacCready was still asleep when she knocked on his door. He poked his head out of the door, hair a mess, and grumbled that he would be ready in a minute. He surfaced 5 minutes later, fully dressed with his duct taped sniper rifle slung over his shoulder. “We ready to hit the road?” “I am, Paladin Danse, are you ready?” the General called out to the Paladin that was discussing ways to maximise fusion cell efficiency with a new Minutemen recruit that was on his way to the training that the General had ordered. “Affirmative.” Danse put his hand on the young man’s shoulder and joined her and Mac on the road heading to Taffington Boathouse. The day was clear and they had no problems making good time as they trekked across the Commonwealth. The beautiful weather had them all in a cheerful mood. “According to my map, we’re only ten minutes away. Be ready. I haven’t heard reports of anything especially dangerous up here, but I’d rather be paranoid than dead.” He and MacCready nodded, readying their weapons. Taffinton was infested with blood bugs. the General spent the first fifteen minutes after disposing of them ranting. “Fucking mosquitoes and radiation. They weren’t enough of a pain in the ass before and NOW they’re the size of my fucking dog. Fucking fuck.” “I think that’s five caps to the jar, boss.” MacCready laughed. He ducked to avoid five little projectiles aimed at his face, and laughed harder. “Jar?” Danse inquired from where he was using the strength of his Power Armor to break down the frame of a car into workable bits.“We have a swear jar. When one of us swears when we’re out and about, we put a cap in it.” “What do you do with the caps that you accumulate?” “Most of it goes towards the booze fund for the settlements. The larger ones have bars and we supply the first shipment of alcohol with her filthy mouth.” MacCready continued to work at breaking up a patch of earth that they had sectioned off to use for crops. “You contribute half of those caps, Mac. Don’t forget.” Colette shouted from inside the house over the classical music station that was now playing from her Pip Boy. “I know. I’m getting better about it!” He defended himself. “Is there a particular reason that you two are wanting to curb swearing?” the Paladin asked. “I made a promise to somebody back home that I would stop. I don’t want to disappoint them. I’ve gotten significantly better since Cole joined me and implemented the swear jar. Now it’s more of a joke than anything else. And some of our other friends use it now, too. Hancock pays ahead sometimes when we drink” “Huh. That’s… interesting.” The more Danse learned about the General’s inner circle, the less sense it seemed to make. “Mac! I see the caravan heading this way. Go get some more copper and cement from them. We’re going to need it. Caps are in my bag if you need them.” General Arnold was hanging out of a window on the upper floor of the house, her duster and hat discarded and her sleeves rolled up. “On it!” MacCready threw a lazy Pre-War salute at her before jogging down the road with a bag of caps in hand. “Do you need any assistance up there, General?” Danse called out as she surveyed the land around them, trying to figure out where to put certain things. “No, but if you would start setting up the stuff we need for a water purifier down by the bank, that would be fantastic. I don’t think this floor could handle the weight of your armor, anyway.” The General smiled at him warmly from above. “Affirmative.” He grabbed a couple of the chunks of the car he had been tearing apart and carried them to the bank. MacCready was right behind him, having grabbed the cement and copper from the caravan. “Getting the water purifier started?” He asked as he dropped the bags of cement at Danse’s feet. “Cool. I’ll grab some more stuff from her bag. Give me a second.” And he was gone again. He came back a few minutes later, rolls of duct tape were on his arms and he had screwdrivers and hammers hanging from his pants. He had abandoned his duster and the green button up shirt, leaving his lean arms bared in the afternoon sun. “Setting up turrets now!” General Arnold called from the roof of the boathouse. Soon, the comforting whirring of the automated defenses joined the sounds of something else being constructed from inside the house. Now that there was some other form of defense set up, Danse relaxed a little. He climbed out of his Power Armor and unzipped his jumpsuit. He took the hood off and hung it on one of the handles on his armor before he pulled the fusion core out of the back. As he went back to building the base for the water purifier to sit on, he enjoyed the spring breeze as it cooled him down. He and MacCready worked in comfortable silence, wordlessly exchanging tools when needed. They had the purifier up within a couple of hours. The General had set up the recruitment beacon and had begun planting crops as the sun began to set. A special caravan that she had arranged had come by with saplings of mutfruit trees and tato plants that could be transplanted, that way the settlers didn't have to start from scratch. They would turn the recruitment beacon on during the day while they were still there, and leave it on once they left and they had a couple of settlers to keep things running. While General Arnold finished wiring the beacon, Danse and MacCready worked on setting up camp for the night. A fire was started and provisions were dug out by Danse while MacCready set up bedrolls inside the house on the top floor. General Arnold kept working until the sun set and the sky was a deep indigo. They could see the distant glow of Diamond City to the South-West of where they were. She finished connecting the last wire and jumped from the top of the beacon to the ground, rolling her landing to prevent injury. “We’ll get some generators going tomorrow.” She informed them. “And some basic houses, I’m going to set up the house that was already here as a community area for settlers to gather for meetings if needed and for Minutemen to stay when they’re in the area.” She grabbed some of the provisions from the bag. “How many does that make now? 19?” MacCready asked as she settled across the fire from him and opened up a can of pork ‘n’ beans. “Yepp, not counting the Castle. This settlement is gonna be one of the bigger producers of purified water since it’s right off the river. We might want to set up another purifier before we go. I know that the caravans have been complaining about a shortage.” “Which caravan? Was it Christine? Because she’s always complaining about shortages.” “I wish it was Christine. It was actually Embry. He usually doesn’t ask for much, so I know he’s got a problem when he asks John or me for anything.” Silence followed for a beat while they all continued eating. MacCready turned his attention to the Paladin. “So, Paladin Danse. I know you prefer laser weapons. Is there any reason why?” MacCready asked him, the sniper’s sharp eyes focused on him. “Initially I carried a laser rifle because they are standard issue for Brotherhood soldiers. I had ballistic weapons when I was still a junk vendor in Rivet City. My first laser rifle took some getting used to, but then I learned how to properly care for and modify it. As a Paladin, I have enough to worry about without dealing with large amounts of recoil and accounting for wind when shooting. It takes a few elements out of the situation and allows me to perform my duties at peak efficiency. Have you much experience using a laser weapon?” He hadn't seen the sniper use or carry an energy weapon, but he had seen the armory at the Castle and had faith that the General at least had plans to cross train her men. “I have used laser rifles before, but I personally prefer ballistics. I like that they’re more sturdy and as a sniper, I can mod them to be quieter and I don't risk the flash of the laser giving away my location.” MacCready lit a cigarette. “I have a laser pistol at the Castle, but I hardly ever use it. I probably should since Cole was so generous as to give it to me and the 10 mil I carry for a side arm doesn't do as much damage.” “What caliber of ammo do you use?” The Paladin asked curiously. “I just modded to a .50 cal receiver a couple of weeks ago. I like it a lot better than the .308 I was using.” The Sniper’s eyes were lit up with delight. “And your scope?” Danse encouraged. “I’m currently using a long range scope that I’ve had for years. It… has sentimental value. It’s a good scope, otherwise I’d put it away for safekeeping. I probably will when I get the night vision scope that Cole promised me.” Danse wanted to ask about the sentimental value behind the scope, but thought better of it. Night had fully fallen at that point, and he could tell that his companions were feeling their late night. “I’ll take the first watch, you two get some sleep.” “Taking watch won’t be necessary.” The General insisted as she reached for her bag. “We have the turrets and I’m going to be setting up mines around the perimeter. We all sleep pretty lightly when we’re out in the field, so if anything tries to get the jump on us, the mines will give us enough time to be ready to take them out.” Danse thought about it for a moment before nodding in agreement. “Alright, General. I trust you.” “That means a lot, Paladin.” She smiled at him warmly before taking her bag with her to begin placing the mines. He and MacCready headed into the house to settle into their bedrolls. The sniper was asleep within minutes, snoring softly. The General slipped in soon after and laid down. He wasn’t sure if she fell asleep before him, but it wasn’t long before he fell into a dreamless sleep.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Elder Maxson.” Alexander Danse’s voice crackled in the air and startled Emmett, causing the tabby to leap from where he had been napping on Arthur’s lap and dart out of his office.       Arthur’s eyes briefly flicked to the radio as he reached for it. If Danse was radioing him, they must be back at the Castle. 
     “It’s just me, Alex. I assume the three of you made it safely back to the Castle?”
    “Affirmative. Our mission was a success and there is now one more safe settlement for the people of the Commonwealth.” Arthur sighed, Danse was still far too formal with him sometimes. He had asked Reagan and Danse specifically not to change how they acted around him. Reagan had no problems following the request. Danse….. not so much.     “Excellent. Anything else to report?”     “I believe General Arnold plans on radioing you once she finishes greeting the new recruits that are at the Castle. I’m sure you heard her orders for new recruits to show up for training being broadcast?”     “Yes, I’m hoping we can trade assistance with training for crops and supplies. Teagan has been up my ass about sending heavily armed squads out to procure food and I won't have my men pillaging the Commonwealth like savages.”       “I agree, sir.” There was a pause before he started again, “Arthur, there’s something big that they aren't telling us. I’m not as good as Reagan when it comes to reading people, but I can feel this in my gut. I… I don't like it.”    “I get that feeling too, Alex, but we can't turn away an ally with so many advantages right now. Unless General Arnold turns out to be a Synth planted by the Institute, then I will continue to work with her for as long as her goals line up with ours.”       “I understand, sir. I should probably be going, soon, the General is waiting to use the radio and I need to go do some maintenance on my Power Armor before I turn in for the evening. Was there anything else?”      “No, that will be all. Ad Victorium.”       “Ad Victorium.” Arthur disconnected the transmission after Danse finished.       Arthur went back to reading the internal mail  from Ingram on his terminal screen, being patient as he waited on Colette to begin the radio transmission. 
    “General Arnold to the Prydwen requesting to be connected with Elder Maxson.”
     “Colette, it’s Arthur.  Danse gave you my direct frequency with my permission.”      “Oh, wonderful! That makes things easier on us!” He could hear her smile even over the radio. “I wanted to thank you again for letting me borrow Danse. He was an immense help with setting up that settlement.”     “I’m just glad to be able to return the favor after you helped him.” Arthur paused, wanting to let his gratitude sink in before he asked her for more. “I did want to discuss expanding the relationship between the Brotherhood and the Minutemen, if you had some time?”      “I don't have much time tonight, but I did want to discuss that as well. Would you be opposed to coming down here to discuss it tomorrow? I’m sure you’d like to get off the Prydwen and stretch your legs for a bit, so I’m more than happy to host.” 
     “I certainly appreciate the invitation. Does the morning or afternoon work best for you?” He hoped for afternoon, so Reagan could get back from her morning patrol and go with him. He had a plan for getting the Knight working closely with the General and he wanted to bring her along with him tomorrow so she could feel things out.

“Afternoon would be best. I need to rearrange a couple of caravan routes with Mayor Hancock and that will likely take up most of my morning.” he heard her sigh. “I must go, Preston and Ronnie have been all but begging for my attention since Glass dropped us off. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“You can count on it. I will see you tomorrow.” He disconnected the transmission and stood to stretch.
 
 
 
Reagan had been perfectly content with spending her afternoon at the Castle. She wanted to get to know Colette and why Arthur was smitten with her. He had been hesitant to admit it at first, but smitten was the right word. Yes, he respected her as a capable leader, but there was more to Colette Arnold than being the General, and he wanted to know more about the fascinating woman. He wanted to get close to her and see where it led.

So when Lancer-Sergeant Glass dropped them off at the Castle, and she wasn’t anywhere to be seen, he was a little disappointed. Paladin Danse approached them in his flight suit and saluted Arthur.

“Elder, Knight, good to see you both. You’re here to meet with the General? I believe she’s still working with the ghoul and Colonel Garvey and Major Shaw on the trade routes, unfortunately.” He indicated that they should follow him, and they trailed behind him as he led them towards the conference room.  “Last time I passed the conference room, it sounded like Major Shaw was demanding more than what Hancock was willing to provide.”

Muffled debating could be heard from inside the conference room when they approached the door. Before Danse could raise a fist to knock, Colette’s voice could be heard shouting, “THAT IS

ENOUGH

, MAJOR SHAW. NOW GET OUT OF THIS ROOM BEFORE I GIVE YOUR POSITION TO A RECRUIT WHO HAS THE ABILITY TO HOLD THEIR TONGUE WHEN ADDRESSING ME.”

The gravely voice of the Major responded. “General, I have been a part of the Minutemen since before you were-”

Surprisingly, she was cut off by Preston, of all people. “Don’t finish that sentence, Ronnie. You abandoned the Minutemen before we first lost the Castle. You weren’t with us when the Gunners took Quincy. And it was the General-” the dull

thud

of a fist hitting wood could be heard, “who saved me and 5 civilians in Concord, not you.”

“If the only thing you can say about your service to the Minutemen is your longevity, then you no longer have a place in these meetings if you still cannot accept that I am not General Becker and I am not General McGann.” Colette’s voice was dripping with venom. “I am General Colette Arnold and the last time I checked, it was the General that ran the Minutemen,

not

a Major. Now, you will return to your duties at the armory and until you remember how to respect the chain of command, that is where you will remain. Have I made myself clear?”

Silence followed, and the Brotherhood soldiers could swear they could hear a pin drop in the dead quiet.

“Crystal clear, General. If you have need of me, I will be in the armory as you have ordered.”

“That would be wise.” Colette’s voice was almost a low growl. Arthur couldn’t believe such a threatening sound could come out of such a small woman.

Stomping boots approached, and they parted just in time to let Major Ronnie Shaw through. She ignored them as she pushed past them, storming towards the armory. They peeked into the conference room to see the ghoul and Preston standing at the table and staring after Ronnie while Colette was sitting in a chair and rubbing at her temples with her eyes closed. A map of the Commonwealth with pins and strings spread across it was laid out on the table.

“Damn, Sunshine, I didn’t think ya had it in ya.” The ghoul rasped at her. “I think that your suggestion works fine for the caravans right now. I’ll make the rest of the arrangements with Preston. I think you’ve got other visitors, though.”

Colette looked up at the mention of them and the soldiers could see her carefully put on a face. “Arthur, welcome back.” She stood from her seat and went to them to shake his hand. She got to Reagan and shook her hand as well. “This is-?”

“Knight Reagan Knight. Just Knight if you have to use titles, Reagan otherwise, please.” Reagan put on her charm. “Elder Maxson informed me of Danse working with you, and since I Squired under him, I wanted to come see what you guys were all about and help out if you would have me and if Elder Maxson was okay with it.”

“Well, I’d be more than happy to host you, if that’s okay with your Elder?”Arthur nodded his approval. “Fantastic. Danse, would you mind giving Reagan a tour? I have a couple of things that I would like to discuss with Elder Maxson.”

“Of course, General.” Danse stepped back to let Arthur through, and then he led Reagan away.

The ghoul, Hancock if he remembered correctly, and Preston stayed in the conference room. He shut the double doors behind him and stood across the table from Colette. His eyes flicked to the deathclaw heads behind her, seeing them in a new light knowing that she personally took them down.

“I’m glad you could make it down. I imagine you must be busy.” The warm tone to Colette’s voice brought his attention back to her.

“You and I have a lot left to discuss if we want to bring down the Institute. It’s going to take a lot of coordinating and planning, which is why I brought Reagan with me. I heard the broadcast announcing that you will be training new recruits next week, and I wanted to suggest that she help. She’s the best in the entire Brotherhood at hand to hand combat, and she can best even me in the ring. She has a lot to offer and I feel she would do more good here than patrolling at the airport or on the Prydwen.”

“That’s awfully generous of you, Maxson.” Hancock observed. “You’ve given the General use of not only one of yer top officers, but one of yer best fighters as well. What are you after?”

“I’m hoping to come to a formal agreement. Something that the General and I have discussed multiple times before, as I’m sure you’re aware.” He glared at the ghoul, whose onyx eyes gazed back emotionlessly. Arthur resisted the urge to shiver at the empty gaze.

“John, you know this was in the works. Calm down.” Colette pulled a folded bundle of paper from an inner pocket in her jacket and passed it to Preston, who passed it to Arthur. “I didn’t anticipate the assistance of Reagan as well, so it may need to be amended, but I did take the liberty of drafting up something a bit more official.”

Arthur scanned the document. Colette and the Minutemen were promising a significant amount of food and supplies in exchange for training and protection until the Minutemen were properly trained enough to defend the settlements themselves. “Well, this seems even to me so far,” he began, still reading. “We do have a significant need for food and supplies. Training and protection doesn’t seem like much to trade. And we’d be willing to exchange weapons in return for some of the Minutemen escorting the Scribes in lower risk outings. I don’t see much of a need to amend this, Unless you wanted to add Reagan and Danse in by name?”

“No, that won’t be necessary. I’m glad you agree. I was fully prepared to haggle all afternoon.” Colette’s face lit up in a relieved smile.

“I assure you, that won’t be necessary. We’ll need to determine exactly how much food we need and what the appropriate amount of weapons, armor, and ammo in exchange we’ll give; but I consider myself a fair man, and I don’t see any potential issues with this.”

“Then that’s where I come in.” Hancock piped up, “We can route the caravan that goes between the Castle and Nordhagen Beach and then continues North to County Crossing and Finch Farm. You got folks in the old airport, yeah?” Arthur nodded. “Then if you could designate a person to interact with Christine, that would be great. She’s a handful and very particular about who she works with. Somebody with patience and a good head on their shoulders would be great.”

“I’ll find somebody. Don’t worry. When can we expect the first visit?” Arthur liked the way this alliance was going.

“Sometime within the next week or two? Depends on where Christine is at now and how much she bitches about having to make an extra stop.” Colette wrinkled her nose before sighing, “Preston, could you go make arrangements for Reagan’s quarters. John, if you need to head back to Goodneighbor, Arthur and I can finish up here.”

“You got it, Sunshine.” The ghoul tipped his tricorn at her. “I’ll radio when I get back to the Statehouse safe and sound.”

“Please do. Stay safe.” The other two left the room, leaving him alone with Colette. She groaned and collapsed into a chair.

Arthur chuckled. “You look like you need a drink.” He leaned on the table and watched her rub at her temples again.

“Or ten. It’s been a long day. Sorry you had to hear that earlier.” She shot him an apologetic smile.

“Don’t worry about it. You’re still new to the leadership role, and older members of an organization take a while to get used to taking orders from somebody younger than them. Trust me, you’ll deal with that less as you prove yourself more.”

“I gotta say, it was nice that Preston grew balls for all of a minute.” She giggled. “I thought she was going to hit him. I definitely would have kicked her to the curb, then.”

“Oh I would have, too.” Arthur shifted, “Like I said, you need a drink. Is there anything in here, or do I need to grab something from Ronnie?”

“Nah, I keep the good stuff in my room.” Colette stood and stretched, reaching towards the ceiling and causing her shirt to lift and expose a toned stomach. Arthur caught a glimpse of silvery lines on her tanned skin before she dropped her arms and strode out the door. “You coming?” She asked as she opened the doors. He nodded and followed her down the hall.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The alarm clock blared and woke him up too early. He got up and drug his feet to turn it off, yawning and rubbing at his tired eyes. The last two weeks had taken its toll on him. He hadn’t been sleeping well, between stress of preparing to send Reagan and Danse into the Glowing Sea with MacCready and dreaming about Colette, his nights were anything but restful. The night that they drank whiskey in her quarters at the Castle had been so much different from the night they played chess in his room. MacCready was already enjoying a beer in her room, so he remained with them, and then they were joined by Reagan and Danse. The five of them had a grand time drinking and sharing jokes and stories and it made Arthur feel like a care-free twenty year old for once. Between that, and having filthy dreams about Colette moaning and writhing in pleasure underneath him, he was definitely feeling his age for the first time in years.

He ran through a mental checklist as he showered. It was April 9th. The Prydwen had been in the Commonwealth for almost a month. Danse’s team was set to depart for the Glowing Sea tomorrow and today he was going to drop by the Castle later that afternoon to make sure they had everything that they needed.

Until then, he was overseeing the final adjustments on two sets of Power Armor. One for Colette, as promised to her when they first met, and one for MacCready to use while in the Glowing Sea. They would both be delivered to the Castle the next morning. He went to the mess hall and grabbed a light breakfast of two mutfruit from one of the Minutemen farms and purified water before heading down to the airport to check on the first stages of rebuilding Liberty Prime. The supply runs had been mostly successful in gathering the required materials, and the giant automaton was coming along nicely. Ingram told him about how they needed some specialized materials, and that they would have to go into some hospitals to get magnets for the actuators. After checking in on Liberty Prime, he stopped in by the storage area where they were keeping the food stores now. It was more than adequately stocked due to the caravans, now. He made a mental note to bring up possibly lowering the amount of mutfruit that the caravans brought and getting in more carrots and tatos. They were practically swimming in mutfruit and could only eat so much of the sour fruit.

By the time he finished checking in with everything and assessed what needed to be done and by whom, he was ready to get to the Castle. He hadn’t seen Colette since that night two weeks ago, only communicating by radio between meetings, and he wanted an update from Reagan on what she was learning. The Knight’s teasing voice, calling him a

lovesick squire

, kept whispering in the back of his head. Was he lovesick? He didn’t know for sure, but it was starting to feel that way. He took the shuttle vertibird back to the flight deck, and then grabbed the next available vertibird to the Castle. Normally, he would have had Glass fly him, but the Lancer-Sergeant had the day off, and the Primair was nowhere to be seen on the gray and cloudy day.

Until they were over the Castle, and the vertibird was parked on the lawn of the ancient fort.

Must be visiting Reagan

. The two had been flirting back and forth for years, and Arthur and Danse were about to tell them to give up and just get married already and get it over with. The vertibird dropped him off and he walked through the front gate. Danse was with a handful of recruits, instructing them as they shot at targets constructed out of old cement bags and some unknown filling. The Paladin saw him and waved, unable to come and greet him properly at the moment. Reagan and Michael were nowhere to be seen, possibly hiding somewhere and taking advantage of the chaos of the Castle to get a good luck fuck before tomorrow’s mission. He made his way to the conference room, having a feeling that he would find Colette there.

He entered without knocking, and he wished that he hadn’t made that mistake.

Michael Glass was undoubtedly the owner of the back that he was facing, a woman’s legs wrapped loosely around his hips as the soft moans of his partner filled the room. Arthur saw the tall redhead draw back and groan, in what had to be a climax.

But none of these things were what drew the bulk Arthur’s attention.

He was focused on the leather tricorn and blue colonial jacket on the ground by the table.

Colette’s tricorn and jacket.

He cleared his throat, alerting them to his presence, “I’ll come back later, then.” Michael visibly stiffened and the legs around him dropped. Colette’s voice was hoarse and she swore. He could hear their voices, but wasn’t processing what they were saying, blood was pounding in his ears too loudly and his thoughts were too foggy. He had to get out of here.

Colette’s voice followed him out of the conference room. He set his jaw and ignored her as he left the hallways of the Castle and entered the courtyard. Reagan was shouting for him. Danse was frozen in place, a shocked look on his face.

He stormed through the front gates to the Castle and tossed a vertibird signal to the ground in front of him. He heard the sounds of four sets of boots catching up to him. He tuned out the voices of Colette and his soldiers.

A sickening crunch and the air behind him moving caused him to finally turn his attention to the scene behind him. Colette was five feet away, sitting on the ground in her cream pants and still half-undone button up shirt; clutching her tear streaked face. Reagan still had her fist raised, knuckles bloody.  Danse stood gaping in horror at the scene unfolding and Glass was behind him, shirt still untucked and fly undone.

Arthur put aside his feelings and barked, “Knight! That was uncalled for!”

“She has no right to touch you! I oughta do more than break her fucking face!” Reagan was seething.

That seemed to shake Danse out of his shock “Knight! Address your Elder with respect!” The vertibird could be heard landing behind him.

Reagan either didn't hear Danse, or was too angry to care. She turned on Michael, “The fuck were you thinking, screwing the General? What the hell is wrong with you?”

Michael’s brows furrowed, “She’s been dealing with a lot today. Is it a crime to help somebody forget their problems when I’m not on duty?”

“What could she possibly need to forget that she needs

your dick

to help her forget it?”

“THAT’S ENOUGH!” Arthur shouted, drawing the attention of all four of them. He looked away from Colette, but not before seeing the heart wrenching expression on her face. “Knight, get on the vertibird. We will discuss your assault on the General when we get to the Prydwen. Danse, give the General any assistance that she immediately needs and then return to the Prydwen. Glass, I don't care what you do, but if you report even a minute late for duty tomorrow, there will be hell to pay. Have I made myself clear?”

“Yes, sir.” All three of his soldiers saluted him, making Colette sitting on the ground look even worse. He and Reagan got on the vertibird, and as they took off, he saw with a small bit of satisfaction Colette waving Michael away as Danse escorted her back into the Castle.
 
 
 
    He wasted no time getting back to his quarters, Reagan tailing behind him. The initial shock had worn off and he wasn't controlling his feelings anymore, so by the time Reagan shut the door of his quarters behind her, he was shaking with rage.

“Fuck, why am I so angry?” He gripped the table until his knuckles were white. He heard glass clinking and then Reagan was handing him a glass of whiskey. He downed the liquid fire in a gulp, and slammed the glass on the table so hard that it shattered. He swore when one of the shards sliced his hand.

He heard Reagan sigh and saw her heading to his bathroom to grab a stimpak. She came back and gently took his hand before injecting a small dose of the medicine. He watched her work, taking note of the bruises forming on her knuckles from where she had hit Colette.

“Why did you hit her?” His voice sounded small at that moment, even to him.

“I saw you leaving the Castle pissed. Saw her and Michael leaving like that. I put two and two together and it pissed me off too.” Reagan’s thumb stroked the back of his hand in soothing circles. “Then she tried reaching for you and I lost it. She hurt you, so she lost all right to touch you while you were upset, even if she likely didn't intend to hurt you.”

Arthur closed his eyes against the emotions welling up inside him and sighed, “I have so many questions about that situation, but I know the answers probably won’t help.”

Reagan's hands came to cradle his face, encouraging him to look at her. “Then stop thinking about them. Forget about her.”

He looked into her honey eyes and cupped her face in one of his hands, “Then help me forget her.” He closed the distance between them and kissed her.

Reagan hesitantly responded, lips moving softly with his, but not pressing for more. Arthur grunted in frustration and nipped at her bottom lip, trying to get her to open up to him. She pulled away with a sad look on her face, “No, Arthur. Not tonight. You’re hurting and this won't help you. Trust me.”

“Then what

will

help? Because this is the worst thing I have ever felt and I want it to stop.” He squeezed his eyes shut and rested his forehead against hers.

“The first heartbreak is always the hardest. I know you really liked her. Time will help. I’ll be here to help you through it, just like with everything else.” She pulled him into her arms and he returned the gesture, squeezing her tight around the middle.

Reagan slowly walked them back to the bed. She let go of him and took off her boots before laying down first, getting comfortable and then patting the space next to her. “Come on, sex won’t help, but I’m still staying here tonight.”

He hesitated, before following suit in taking off his coat and boots before laying down next to Reagan. She adjusted them so he was laying his head on her, using her breasts as a pillow. Reagan used her free hand to play with his hair, something that had soothed him since he was a child, and before he knew it, he was falling into a restless sleep.
 
 
 
    Arthur couldn't help but feel guilty when Colette and MacCready turned to face him, Danse, and Reagan. Her nose was a deep, mottled purple, obviously broken from Reagan’s fist the day before. She must have given MacCready his orders before they arrived, because they were both silent the entire time he was briefing Danse and Reagan. The journey into the Glowing Sea was to last no longer than a week and a half. If they still hadn’t found Virgil by then, they were to return to resupply and recover from any radiation exposure.

“I’d like to thank you for allowing me to use a suit of Power Armor for this trip. It’ll be nice when I don’t come back with an extra arm growing out of my back.” Reagan and Danse chuckled, and Arthur resisted the urge to join. Colette stood next to him, still and emotionless. It was like somebody had put a sculpture of the General next to him instead of the woman herself standing there.

If it weren’t for the circumstances that led to the tension, he would feel put off for getting the General this morning, instead of Colette.

Salutes were exchanged and the two Brotherhood soldiers and the Sniper were off, being carried to a predetermined checkpoint by Michael Glass. Colette watched them disappear over the horizon, and turned back towards the Castle without a word or a backward glance.

That wouldn’t do.

“Colette-” he started, but she raised a hand to cut him off.

“Don’t- just don’t.” Her voice was hoarse and strained, like a ghoul’s.

“We need to talk about yesterday.” He insisted, leaving things like they were right now would damage what was left of their friendship and their alliance.

“Yes, we do need to talk about yesterday. But yesterday involves so much more than just yesterday and I need a couple of days to gather my thoughts before we can have that conversation. It’s something that’s been a long time coming and I’m not going to half-ass it.” She sighed. So many emotions could be heard in her voice. He was glad that she wasn’t facing him, because he didn’t think he could handle seeing the resigned grief on her face in addition to hearing it in her voice.

“Is there anything I can do to make this better?” That’s all he wanted. Even if she couldn’t love him, he would accept being just friends. The last twenty-four hours were not something that would be forgotten anytime soon, but forgiveness was the first step towards moving forward, and he was willing to take that step.

“Just give me a couple of days. I have a couple of settlements to check on, and walking to and from will help clear my head. When I’m ready to talk, I’ll come to you.”

“Alright.” He wanted to tell her to take her Power Armor, make sure she had plenty of vertibird signals, just in case. He decided against it, not wanting to drive her away by hovering. She was more than capable of taking care of herself. He climbed into the other vertibird that was waiting for him, and watched her shrinking form disappear into the Castle as the vertibird gained altitude.

Four days. Four eternal days and he hadn’t heard anything from Colette or Danse. Danse, he could understand, it must be difficult to obtain a steady signal in the Glowing Sea.

And then there was Colette.

The last few days had left him alone with his thoughts between his duties, and he was able to really examine his feelings about the General. She mystified him. Yes, she was an attractive woman, but it was more than her pretty face and curves that made him want her. Like Reagan, she treated him like a normal person. She joked with him and made him smile. She was driven and determined to reach her goals, and she wasn’t afraid to stand up for herself. Those green eyes held a fire that matched the internal flame that drove him. And he could relax around her when it was just the two of them, and he wanted more of that.

The only problem was whether she wanted it. He was determined to find out. When she came to him, he was going to tell her and accept her answer one way or another.

There was a knock on his door. “Enter.” he commanded.

“Sir, Lancer-Sergeant Glass is responding to a vertibird signal by Revere Satellite Array.” A Squire announced as she entered.

“That isn’t something that normally needs to be brought to my attention.” He gently advised the girl.

“He wanted me to also inform you that he saw Minutemen emergency flares go up at about the same time as the vertibird signal.”

His blood suddenly went cold. “Stay near Lancer-Captain Kells. Any more news from Lancer-Sergeant Glass, and you are to come get me immediately. Understood, Squire?”

“Yes, sir. Ad Victorium!” she saluted and ran out the door.

He grabbed the radio from the shelf it normally resided and tuned it to the right frequency. “Elder Arthur Maxson attempting to reach General Colette Arnold.”

Crackling met his ears, and then, “Sorry, Elder Maxson, but the General isn’t in. Colonel Garvey is here, though.”

“If you could put him on, I would greatly appreciate it.”

“Right away, sir.”

“Thank you.” Arthur tapped on the desk impatiently. There weren't any foot soldiers out in that area, only air patrols. And the only reason an air patrol would drop a signal was in the event of a crash. His stomach was churning nervously as he waited for Garvey to get to the radio and tell him that Colette had just got in or was at a settlement on the other side of the map.

“Colonel Garvey here, what can I do for you, Elder?”

“Colonel Garvey, one of my pilots is responding to a signal and saw some of your flares go up. Have you heard any reports yet?”

“I just spoke with Finch Farm, if we’re talking about the same flares, they’re out that way. The General and Nick were dealing with a mutant hive that had taken up across the river at the Satellite Array.”

“If I hear anything I’ll keep you posted. Thank you for your time.” He rushed out as he heard chaos outside of his door. He ran to open it and saw a Power Armored Knight lowering a wheeled gurney down to the ground from the flight deck above. A figure in the tan colonial duster that the Minutemen favored was laying face down, face obscured by scorched hair. The blade of a vertibird was buried deep into their back, cutting from their right shoulder across their back towards their left hip. As Scribes rushed them to the med bay, Michael Glass jumped down the ladder and landed softly on his feet. His freckles stood out against his extremely pale skin.

“Glass, what happened?”

“The bird we sent out that way exploded. One of those muties had a rocket launcher and hit fuel tank just right.”

“I was informed that the General was dealing with the Super Mutant hive.”

“Well, she was. Now she’s in the med bay.” Michael’s face was grim. “The Synth kept her going with stimpaks and a blood pack, but she still might not make it. He was the one that threw the ‘bird signal and shot the Minutemen flares.”

Arthur just stared in the direction of the med bay. He wanted to go to her, but he knew that Cade would be working on her and having him in there would just distract him from saving her life. So he went into his room, grabbed a bottle of Bobrov’s Best Moonshine, and started to drink.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

He hated Power Armor, he’d decided. It was okay at first, the feeling of being protected on all sides, the not feeling radiation as they combed the Glowing Sea looking for an Institute deserter. Only eight hours into their trek, and he was hot, sweating bullets, and sore everywhere. Sure, they had taken breaks to rest, but you could only rest so much when you were wearing an entire tank.
 
And on top of that, tensions were high between the three of them.
 
He had really wanted for part of Reagan’s punishment for breaking Cole’s nose to be not going with him and Danse. This was technically more of a Minutemen mission, and he had encouraged Cole to call it off and send Nick or Hancock in with him instead of Maxson’s tin cans.
 
She wouldn't hear it.

“There’s too much at stake,” she said, as she gingerly held an ice cold Nuka Cola to her nose to reduce swelling. She had refused a stimpak when Danse was trying to assist her. Setting her nose back herself with a grimace, she let the Paladin clean the blood off of her face as he apologized over and over for Reagan’s behavior. After she was clean, she sent him back to the Prydwen to rest.

“When you’re out with Danse and Reagan, I want you on your best behavior. While her response was a bit much, if the situation had been reversed, you would have reacted the same.”

“I won't bring it up if they don't.” He personally thought that Maxson had no right to be mad. Everybody knew that he had a list of brides that he had to choose from so he could make more Maxsons. All of the women were Brotherhood, so Cole wasn't even an option for the Elder.

Not for anything long term, anyway. If the two got involved, it guaranteed that somebody would get hurt. Which had been proven earlier that day.

“Shelter ahead. We’ll stop and rest there for the night.” Paladin Danse’s voice in his ear through their shared communication systems drew him out of his thoughts.
 
“Finally,” MacCready and Reagan grumbled in unison.
 
The shelter that Danse had noticed was a Red Rocket station. The Paladin went in first to confirm that the location was safe. “All clear. I’m picking up significantly lower amounts of Rads in here, so we can get out of our Power Armor to stretch and sleep.” Sleeping in Power Armor was certainly possible, but not recommended. Especially if you were still new to using it.
 
Like MacCready.
 
He went in right behind Danse, searching for a good corner to park his armor in. He found said corner and searched for the release control in his right glove. The hydraulics hissed, and instead of stepping out, he felt himself falling out of the suit. Strong arms caught him by the waist. “Shit, are you okay? I should have given you more training before being out in the armor for this long.” Danse was behind him at just the right moment to keep him from falling on his backside. The Paladin turned him around after setting him on his wobbly legs. One hand steadied him while the other gently grasped his chin, turning his head this way and that while Danse’s deep brown eyes studied his face for signs of radiation poisoning. The hand that was on his shoulder raised to run through his hair a couple of times, only coming out with a couple of stray strands. The Paladin frowned at the light brown hair caught between his fingers. Danse went to his own armor and pulled out a couple of carefully packed parcels. He came over while tearing one open with his teeth. He counted out four Rad-X pills, two for each of them. He handed MacCready a can of purified water, some Brahmin jerky, and his Rad-X. “You’ll want to get something in your stomach before taking any of the medication. The new radiation medication that Senior Scribe Neriah concocted can wreck your digestive system if taken on an empty stomach. I’ll hook you up after you've eaten.” The Paladin’s voice was soft, as if trying not to disturb the quiet that had settled in the truck stop.
 
MacCready nodded, too tired to speak. He chewed on his jerky mechanically, aware of Reagan watching him interact with Danse as she worked on some Blamco Mac n Cheese.
 
Once he was ready, he nodded to Danse, who pulled out an IV bag labeled X-111 in marker written on ancient masking tape. “If you start experiencing any unordinary symptoms, let me know immediately. Once the bag is empty, get some rest. I’ll take the first watch.” He found a vein with practiced ease, slipping the needle in, and then hooking the bag to the armor to allow it to drip into MacCready’s system easier. It took fifteen minutes for the bag to empty, and after MacCready pulled the needle out of his arm and cleaned an area to lay out his bedroll, he fell asleep before he even hit the tattered bedding.
  
 
 
“Found another cave- FUCK!” Reagan’s voice over the communication system was drowned out by an angry roar. Both MacCready and Danse rushed to catch up with her, and found her firing her laser rifle rapidly into the stomach of a charging deathclaw. Danse barreled forward, the bolts from his laser rifle joining the Knight’s. MacCready stood back and took careful aim before firing. His shot hit true, striking the deathclaw in the eye. The beast’s roar became a screech of pain as it clawed at its eye, trying to clear it, but only cutting up its own face and causing blood to spray everywhere. The screams stopped abruptly, and the deathclaw fell to the ground, dead.
 
When the massive body fell, the ground around them shook. Blood was pounding in his ears as he went to the corpse. He took the machete off the back of his suit and started cutting up the monster. He lopped the head off first, deciding to take a page out of Cole’s book and keep it as a trophy. He also went in and cut out the better sections of edible meat, not wanting to waste an opportunity to eat something fresh and not over 200 years old. He looked over his shoulder at the soldiers, their expressions hidden beneath their helmets, “You two want anything to take back?”
 
“You can't be serious about taking that fucking head? We could still be away from home for a week. That’s gonna fucking reek and make a mess. And it’s going to attract everything in a five mile radius to our location at that point.” Reagan pointed out.
 
“Oh, go fuck a feral, you party pooper, I’m keeping the steaks, though. That’s good eatin’.” MacCready growled through the comms.  
 
“That’s a cap in the swear jar, MacCready.” Danse chuckled warmly.
 
“HAH!” Reagan was cackling, “Oh FUCK! You have a swear jar? What are you, four?” Her laughing was interrupted when a cap pinged off her helmet. “Fucker!”
 
Danse roared with laughter as they all went into the cave. They quieted as they passed through some tin can chimes and passend whirring turrets.
 
“Stop right there!” A deep voice rumbled. All three of them froze, recognizing the sound of a Super Mutant. “I know you’re with the Institute! I’m armed and ready for you!”
 
“Brian Virgil?” Danse called out. “I am Paladin Danse with the Brotherhood of Steel. I am accompanied by Knight Reagan Knight, who is also with the Brotherhood, and-” Danse paused as they all realized he didn’t know MacCready’s first name. Or if he had any titles.
 
“RJ MacCready, representing General Colette Arnold of the Commonwealth Minutemen. We have questions about the Institute.” The sniper finished for him.

“Don’t think you’ve pulled a fast one on me. I know Kellogg is with you waiting for me to let my guard down.”
 
“Conrad Kellogg? The guy has been dead for a while. The General killed him and then dug into his brain to figure out that we needed to talk to you. I promise, we mean you no harm.” MacCready urged. “I know you escaped the Institute for a reason, help us stop them from hurting more people.
 
“Fine, you can come in, but I’m watching you.” The voice sounded resigned.
 
All three of them filed in through the small rocky hallway. MacCready was the first out of his armor, stretching and groaning as his joints stretched on their own for the first time in a while. Danse and Reagan were fiercely glaring at the Super Mutant…. Who was apparently also the Doctor that they were looking for. A mangled pair of glasses was crudely secured to his head and he was wearing a tattered lab coat.
 
“Alright, so what do you know about the Institute, and how did you manage to find me? And what’s got your General crazy enough that she’s chasing down Institute henchmen looking for info?” The mutant demanded.
 
MacCready frowned, before sighing, “I hope she forgives me for this. General Arnold’s son was stolen by Kellogg on behalf of Institute years ago from Vault 111. She’s been searching for him.” Gasps from Reagan and Danse told him that they didn't know this already. “Her search has now led us here. We know from using the Memory Den that the Institute uses teleportation to get in and out. We need your help finding our own way in so we can get her son back.”
 
“And we plan on stopping the Institute from continuing to abuse technology and using it to hurt the families of the Wasteland.” Danse added.
 
“I’m terribly sorry. I knew that the Institute was using shady methods to gather test subjects, but I had no idea that we were kidnapping children. I offer my sincerest apologies to your General. But an apology isn't what you’re here for. You need information. I was Biosicences, so I can only be so much help. First thing’s first, you’re going to need a Courser chip.”
 
“A what?”
 
“A Courser is the Ace up the Institute’s sleeve. Operation gone wrong? Escaped synth? Deploy a Courser. You are going to have to kill one, get the chip implanted in its brain, and hack into it to get the data needed to build a signal interceptor for the molecular relay.”
 
“And what do you get out of helping us?” Reagan demanded, her amber eyes narrowed in suspicion. “If the Institute was set on finding you before, this is going to make it worse. How do you benefit from us getting inside?”
 
“I was head of a project that was working on a cure for FEV.” A choked sound came out of Danse, which drew everybody's attention for a split second. “While you three are tracking down and killing a Courser, I’m going to draw up schematics. While your agent is on the inside, I want them to try to get into my lab and find the cure prototype that I had developed and bring it to me. If I can cure my strain, then I can work towards developing a generalized cure.”
 
All three of them were silent as they thought it over. “You have a deal.”
 
“We need to consult Elder Maxson and General Arnold about this.” Danse argued.
 
“This might be our only option. Cole gave me the authority to act on her behalf. She trusts my judgement, and if I say no and we can't find another way to get her son back, she will never forgive me. Hell, I won't forgive me.”
 
The Paladin and Knight were silent. They looked at each other, silently communicating as only lifelong friends and comrades could. Danse nodded, “I agree with MacCready. This could be our only chance. Elder Maxson would want us to jump on this while we can.”
 
“Well then, here’s what you need to know about hunting a Courser. The primary insertion point for them is in the CIT ruins. The molecular relay causes a lot of interference on the lower radio channels, so if you can find a way to bring a radio with you, tune it to the low end and follow the interference. Coursers are the Institute’s elite creation. Stronger, faster, and more deadly than even Kellogg. You’ve got your work cut out for you. I’ll work on schematics while you take care of that.” The mutant advised them.
 
MacCready took everything in, nodding along with the instructions. “Thank you, for your cooperation, Dr. Virgil. I will pass all of this information along to the General and we will return for the schematics once we get the Courser chip decoded. Are you two ready to head out?” He looked at the soldiers, who only nodded. Danse’s mouth was set into a tight line, and Reagan kept shooting the Paladin worried glances. “Then let's get out of here.” They were suited up and out of the cave in less than fifteen minutes, on their way back to the pickup point for the vertibird.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Colette
 The first thing that Colette was aware of when she regained consciousness, was searing pain. From shoulder to hip, her back was on fire. The the only comparable pain was how she felt when she woke up in recovery after her C Section. 
She groaned. The lights were too bright, even with her eyes squeezed shut. The air around her smelled and tasted sterile, like a hospital. It would be soothing if not for the pain. She felt a smooth, cool hand squeeze hers, and recognized the feel of Nick’s synthetic hand. Hushed voices met her ear, whispers of “She’s awake.” And a mention of Elder Maxson.
The mention of Arthur brought everything rushing back. Him walking in on her and Michael. Reagan breaking her nose. The not quite hidden heartbreak in his eyes when he looked at her. Promising to talk. Helping more settlements. That didn't explain why she was in a hospital type setting. “Padrino?” she rasped. Her throat felt like fiberglass. She opened her eyes to find herself in the Prydwen’s medical bay with Nick sitting at her bedside. “Shh.” Nick hushed her. “You’ve been out for a week. That explosion almost killed you, we were lucky that we were so close to the Prydwen instead of further away, or we would have lost you.” The sound of someone clearing their throat drew both of their attentions. Arthur stood in the doorway, clearly uncomfortable. The dark circles under his eyes were deeper. He was just in his black flight suit, the dark material hugging every well defined muscle on his body. He had also trimmed his beard recently, making him look younger and even more fierce. Colette forgot what she was going to say as she stared at Arthur. Arthur was the first to break the silence. “Nick is correct. You were brought in with a vertibird blade stuck in your back. It was angled just right that your spine stopped it from severing your spinal cord. Cade kept you under for a week to avoid you sitting up and ripping the stitches and reopening the wound.” “I agreed with it, of course. I know you don't like sitting still, and you would have tried to be up and moving before you were ready, with how stubborn you are.” Nick added, trying to lighten the morbid mood that had settled over the room. Arthur still looked terribly uncomfortable, and they had a lot to talk about. She spoke up, “Padrino, puoi darci un minuto?” Nick looked at Arthur, and then back to her. He kissed her forehead and sighed. “Sì. Ho bisogno di aggiornare il Castello.” The Synth stood and left the room, putting his hand on Arthur’s shoulder in an attempt at a reassuring gesture. Arthur didn’t move to occupy the chair that Nick had just vacated. He wasn’t even looking at her anymore, seeming to find the ground even more interesting. She could almost see the gears turning in his head, and she waited. She had hurt him, and she was going to let him start this much needed conversation when he was ready. Suddenly, he looked up and made eye contact with her. “I’m sorry.” That is not what she was expecting. “I beg your pardon?” What did he have to be sorry about? “I need to apologize for Reagan breaking your nose. Her actions were unacceptable and though she was technically protecting her Elder and doing her duties as one of my Knights, assaulting you was uncalled for. She’s…. also one of my closest friends and acts rashly where I am concerned.” “Believe it or not. I understand. I once broke a guy’s arm with a baseball bat because he was going after my best friend and actually put his hands on her.” She sighed, “That’s not what we need to talk about, though. Is it?” Arthur mirrored her sigh and looked back to the floor. “No, it isn't. I’ve never had to have this kind of conversation before, and I don't know where to really begin.” “Well, how about you have a seat,” Colette indicated the chair next to her bed. “I haven't been fully honest with you, and you deserve to know what’s going on. This is rather difficult for me to talk about, so it might take a bit for me to get it all out. Some things even Nick and MacCready don't know.” Arthur sat in the chair and nodded. “I’ll keep an open mind. Take your time.” “The Brotherhood of Steel was founded by Roger Maxson, correct?” she waited for his nod. “As in Roger Jacob Maxson Jr.? Born September 29th, 2047 to Martha Eloise Maxson and Roger Jacob Maxson Sr., the last of 3 children with two older sisters. Deployed January 1st of 2077 to California?” She watched his brows furrow as she went. He nodded again when she paused. She sighed, “That’s what I was afraid of.  I was born July 17th of 2048, and Roger Maxson Jr. and I had a child together.” She watched that bit of information sink in as his eyes widened. He didn't speak, so she continued. “We had known each other since we were children both learning piano from the human Nick Valentine. Nick actually raised me after my grandmother died when I was thirteen. I never knew my parents, so he and his wife took me in and loved me as their own. Jenny, his wife, was murdered shortly before I turned 18. Nick died of lung cancer just after I graduated medical school. I was an OBGYN, a doctor that worked primarily with women’s reproductive systems. My birth control failed and Roger got me pregnant just before he left for California. It was only one night, but his family was old money and very respected. They had connections everywhere, and there was bad blood between them and my parents. I couldn't stay in Boston, and had planned to leave town before he returned. I was going to essentially disappear, never to be seen again.” Colette felt tears welling up in her eyes, but she did nothing to stop them. She needed to get this out. “The day the bombs dropped, Martha was at my house, trying to strong arm me into giving up my job. She was waving legal documents in my face. Threatening me. Then the sirens went off. I had spots reserved in Vault 111, and we ran up the hill as fast as we could. I won't ever forget feeling that first bomb hit. Martha and I both turned to shield Shaun. It was terrible,” She shuddered, and could feel the tears streaking down her face. Arthur reached for her and took her hand in his. She squeezed it, seeking the strength to continue. “When we were in the Vault, they ushered us into what they told us were decontamination chambers. They lied. We were cryogenically frozen. I thawed out back in October. I was the only survivor.” She squeezed Arthur’s hand again, “I’m sorry if I’ve been sending mixed messages. I won't lie and say I’m not interested in you, I am. I hadn't made any advances because I can't justify risking this alliance or hurting you.” She sighed and ran her free hand through her hair, frowning when she realized that half of her length had been singed off. “I ended up hurting you anyway and I hope you can find it in yourself to forgive me. I know you must have questions, and I’ll do my best to answer them when you’ve had time to think about all of this. I know this is a lot to process.” she let go of his hand. Arthur nodded, before standing. “Thank you, for telling me all of this. You’re right, it is quite a bit to process all at once. I can't imagine…” something clicked because he suddenly looked at her again. “Your son, you never said what happened to him.” Colette’s brow furrowed. “The Institute stole him from the Vault ten years ago. He was with Martha in her pod. They thawed us out, killed her, took my baby, and made me watch before re-freezing me.” More tears blurred her vision as she remembered breaking her hands against the glass trying to get to Shaun. 
“We will get him back. I promise.” Arthur's hands found hers and squeezed reassuringly. “We will get your son back, and then we will make the Institute pay for taking him from you.”
 
 
 Colette stood in front of the steel door, orange flags in her peripherals. She wanted to knock, let him know she was leaving, but it was still early and she didn't want to wake him if he was still sleeping. Or disturb him if he was busy. They hadn't had much chance to talk since she had told him about Roger, and she wanted to see him and know that they were okay before she left. 
She steeled herself and rapped on the door with her knuckles.
One Mississippi. Two Mississippi. Three Mississippi. She was about to step away when the door opened and Arthur poked his head out. His hair was wet, and the white tshirt he was wearing was sticking to his body, making the thin material see-through. His hard muscles were easily visible, and she could tell that he had a significant amount of hair covering his torso. While the flight suit had hugged his body to show off his form, she could see even more now, and she felt a heat begin in the pit of her stomach. “I- um.” She couldn't find her words. Arthur smiled warmly at her, and he opened the door to his quarters, “Come on in, Colette.” She nodded mutely, entering his room. His black flight suit was on, but the top half was hanging loose, the weight of the material making it sit low on his hips. The click of the door closing behind her made her heart race. She forced herself to keep her eyes forward, not daring to look and end up staring at him. “What can I do for you?” His voice was close, a deep purr that she felt resonate within her. She resisted the urge to shudder. He knew what he was doing to her. He had to. “I was heading back to the Castle. I wanted to let you know. And to thank you for having Cade patch me up.” She couldn't stop herself from admiring his backside as he passed by her and grabbed a can of purified water from his desk. She lifted her eyes as he turned. His blue eyes burned into her, and she couldn't help but fidget under his intense stare. “You wouldn't need patching up if it wasn't for my vertibird. Even so, I- we can't lose you.” They both blushed at the near slip. “How are you?” That's what she was here for. Not to ogle at the attractive man in front of her. “I’m still trying to wrap my head around everything. It’s quite a bit to take in, but I stand by what I said. We will get your son back, and we will make them pay.” Colette nodded. “I never doubted that.” “There is another thing. Something I meant to say that I didn't get a chance to.” His gaze had softened and he stepped closer, so he was towering over her. He had almost a solid foot on her, and she had to crane her neck to look at him when he was this close. His calloused hand reached up to caress her cheek, and he used a finger to tilt her chin up and bring her face to his for a tender kiss. Before she died, Jenny Valentine had told her about falling in love with Nick. How their first kiss and the love that followed hadn't felt explosive, but like the warmth of a fire on a dark and rainy night. She didn't understand what she meant, and hadn’t felt that with a man until this moment. Arthur’s lips were impossibly soft, how a man born and raised for war could be so tender and gentle baffled her. He didn't push her, didn't strive for a deeper kiss and kept his hands from wandering. Such an old world gentleman in the apocalyptic wasteland. When he parted from her lips, she wanted to cry from the loss. This man was going to be the death of her. “I know that there’s a lot going on, I know that I’m not Roger Maxson, and I know that we have a war to win, but I couldn't keep going without knowing what it was like to kiss you. I want to try this, if you are willing. I don't expect you to know what you want out of it, to be honest I don't know what I want out of it. I do know that I want you, if you’ll have me.” Colette was shocked by his admission. Did he think he wasn't as good as Roger? She mentally berated herself. She needed to give him an answer. “I do want to try this too. I may take some time with everything going on, but I do want to try.” She stood up on the tips of her toes and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “We can figure it out as we go, if that’s okay with you?” He nodded, a look of relief filling his eyes. “That’s more than okay.” He kissed her again, quick and chaste. “I hate to do this, but we both have armies to run, and I’ve kept you from the Castle for long enough. I’ll let you know when I get an update from Danse.” 
“Thank you, Arthur,” she said softly before letting herself out of the room, a pink blush on her cheeks.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Colette

Less than twenty four hours passed between leaving Arthur in his quarters with a blush on her cheeks and a deep wanting in her soul and when Arthur’s voice crackled from her Pip-Boy next.

“Colette, they’re on their way back, Lancer Sergeant Glass just picked them up. Would you like to meet in my quarters on the Prydwen or the Castle?” Even through the radio, he sounded like he got a better night’s sleep than she did.

“Are there any serious injuries? If not, the Castle will probably be better. My quarters are a bit bigger than yours and has more room for everybody. Do you have an ETA on the Primair?” Colette set her Pip-Boy down and began getting dressed, forgoing her colonial inspired get up and slipping on a pair of jeans and a light button up shirt, leaving the top couple of buttons undone to keep cool. It was a warm day, and she wasn’t about to overheat in her General’s uniform.

“No reported injuries. There may be something minor, but I’m sure that you’re more than sufficiently equipped to deal with them.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure. It’s been over two hundred years since my last patient.” Arthur’s laugh on the other end caused her heart to flutter.

“Would you like me to address you as Dr. Arnold?” He teased, still chuckling. Colette sighed, and frowned. Thinking he misspoke when hearing her sigh, Arthur backed up, “I mean- damn. I wasn’t sure-” he trailed off.

“You didn’t mean anything by it, and I’m not upset. I just miss being a doctor. I loved my career. Building settlements and raising a militia is a far cry from delivering babies.” She ran a brush through her hair, still not happy with the length. “Will you be picked up in the Primair or will you be arriving separately?”

“I’ll update Lancer Sergeant Glass and inform him to drop the team off at the Castle and then head that way, if that’s acceptable?”

“I’d like that.” Now that they were… whatever they were. Girlfriend and boyfriend sounded so juvenile. Lovers seemed too casual. Either way, she was looking forward to seeing him.

“I’ll be there soon.”

“See you in a bit.” She bid, before the transmission disconnected. She made her bed and ensured that her quarters were presentable for the coming guests. She considered sending for Nick, but decided against it. She wanted to spend a couple of minutes alone with Arthur, before the crew from the Glowing Sea gave their reports. She must have not heard his vertibird approach, because when she opened the door after hearing a knock, she was surprised to see Arthur on the other side. “Arthur, come on in.” He entered the room and she shut the door behind them.

“How is your back feeling today?”

“Pretty good, all things considered. Cade knows what he’s doing. It’s just stiff and sore from the muscles not being used in a week.” She shrugged, “Far better than the alternative.”

“Good.” He swept her up in his arms, supporting her lower back with his left arm and holding her torso close to his with his right. She instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist. He quickly walked them to her desk sitting on the opposite wall and set her down on it. He moved his left hand to the center of her back, and the right he moved to caress her face as their lips met in a kiss.

This kiss was so different from the day before. She could feel desire radiating off of him. He was still gentle though. Gone was gentlemanly control from yesterday, and she didn't miss it at all. She could feel his muscles through the black flight suit under his coat. Her legs hadn’t left his waist, so she used them to draw him closer as she eased his mouth open with her tongue. He groaned and responded with enthusiasm, not fighting for dominance like some of her previous lovers had. The hand on her back moved to tangle in her hair, and she moaned when he gently tugged on it by the roots. Her hands moved to touch him, one feeling his pecs through his flight suit and the other going around his shoulder to draw him even closer to her. His mouth left hers, and he kissed down her cheek and to her throat. “Oh, Arthur!” She gasped when he placed an open mouthed kiss before biting gently at the sensitive skin.

Her gasp caused him to break away. They were both breathing heavily, Arthur’s eyes were almost completely black with need, a narrow ring of blue surrounding his wide-blown pupils. Colette could feel his thick length against her heat through their clothes and her eyes widened.

A knock on her door startled them both. Arthur stepped back with a reluctant look on his face to let Colette slide off the desk and open the door to reveal Nick.

The battered Synth looked between the two of them and chuckled,

“Fare le polpette?”

Colette felt herself blush. Arthur was looking at the Synth curiously, as he had every time they said something in Italian in front of him.

“Padrino, sono una donna cresciuta.”

Nick sighed,

“E io sono un vecchio.”

He adjusted his trenchcoat. “I came to let you know that there is another vertibird landing on the lawn.”

“That would be the Primair. MacCready, Danse, and Reagan are back from the Glowing Sea. They’ll head this way. I’d like it if you stayed to hear the update, as well.”

“Of course,” the Synth took a seat on the edge of her bed instead of on one of the couches.

“I’m going to go grab some extra stimpaks and food before they get here. Be nice to each other, yeah?” Colette left the room before they could answer.

“Polpetta and polpette? What do they mean?” Arthur asked Nick.

“Meatballs.” The Synth answered. “It’s a pet name I’ve had for her since she was seventeen, after a rather... embarrassing incident.” At Arthur’s raised eyebrow, he continued. “I caught her in bed with a boy on Prom night. My wife and I heard them when we came home from our own night out. I burst in the door and asked what they thought they were doing. The poor kid she was with fell out of the bed and she blurted ‘making meatballs’ without thinking about it.”

Arthur couldn't help but laugh, and Nick joined with him. When Colette returned with a small box of medical supplies, purified water, and food, she looked between the two of them suspiciously. “I don't even want to know,” was muttered as she shook her head. She returned to the desk that she had been sitting on less than ten minutes ago and began setting up supplies in the order she needed them. Purified water first, two cans for each of them, plus a handful of extras just in case. Bowls of noodles and broth, to make sure they had something in their stomach before she put any medication in them. She had some needles and thread to do any stitching up, plenty of stimpaks, and enough RadAway to make John Hancock into a smoothskin.

Mechanical stomping echoing through the halls announced the arrival of their soldiers. “Perfect timing.” She rolled the sleeves of her shirt up past her elbows to make sure they wouldn't get in the way of any medical assistance she would need to administer.

They could hear the suits of power armor stop in the hall, and the hydraulics hiss as Reagan, Danse, and MacCready climbed out of their suits.

MacCready was leaning heavily on Danse as they stumbled into Colette’s quarters, his pale forehead covered in sweat. Reagan was behind the men clutching her bleeding arm.

“

Porco Giuda!”

Colette rushed to the three. “I thought you said any injuries weren’t serious?”

“Forgive me for not taking a closer look from where I was.” Arthur growled as he joined her in looking over their team.

“We weren't aware of how sick MacCready was until just now. There’s a break in the seal of his helmet that we didn't catch. Reagan, well, she asked for it.” Danse eased MacCready down to the couch. The Paladin seemed mostly unharmed, only seeming to be stiff from spending so long in his armor.

“I’d tell you to fuck off if you weren't spot on, Alex.” Reagan winced as she checked her arm. “I’m the one that tried to pet a radscorpion when we were almost out of the Glowing Sea.”

“You tried-” Arthur began.

“-to pet-” Colette continued.

“A radscorpion?” They finished the sentence together. They didn't see the bewildered looks that Danse and Nick shot at them.

“Bastard lured me in. Purrin’ and shit. I got in close and then BAM! Fucker got me arm.”

“Let me see it.” Colette moved the Knight’s hand and looked at the wound. “What possessed you to try to pet a radscorpion?”

The Knight frowned at the chastising tone that the General used, “They’re my favorite Wasteland critter.”

The General sighed, “Well, you got to bring part of it back with you, if that’s any consolation. A bit of the stinger is embedded deep in your arm. I’m going to have to get it out before I can clean and stitch the wound.”

“Ugh. Stitches? Can't you just bandage it and let it heal naturally?” Reagan whined.

“Well, you risk infection and losing functionality of your arm. Though with the level of infection and size of the gash, we may have to cut off your arm. You seem pretty attached to it, so I highly recommend stitches.” Colette heard a couple of the men trying to stifle laughter.

“Did you just make a joke, Miss Doctor-General?” The Knight made a face at Colette.

“As a matter of fact, I did. Now hush and get on the desk. I didn't spend an extra ten years in school to deal with your sass.” The General’s face was serious, no sign of further joking.

“Oh. You went to school did you? Another good joke.” The Knight smirked as Arthur helped her climb on the desk. “Sorry, General, school isn't a wasteland medic’s apprenticeship.”

“Washington University in St. Louis. Class of 2075. Focus in Obstetrics and Gynecology.” The General watched the Knight’s eyes widen as she realized that she was dead serious.

“It’s true. I was at that graduation. She did her old man proud.” Nick smiled warmly at Colette.

“Alright. I’ll bite. You look pretty good for being, what? Two hundred and…. thirty?”

Colette laughed heartily, “239, but I’ll take the compliment either way. Cryogenic stasis does wonders to slow the aging process.” She tossed RadAway and purified water at Danse, who caught the supplies with ease and began working on MacCready.

Reagan nodded, “Vault-Tec?” At a nod from Colette, who was organizing her supplies to be within easy reach while she worked, the Knight continued. “Unwilling, I’m guessing? Those bastards are almost as bad as the fuckers who dropped the bombs.”

“Alright, enough talk about my tragic backstory for now. I need you to roll down the top of your flight suit and lean against the wall so I can get started.”

“Woah there, I didn’t know I was your type, Doctor-General.” Reagan winked at her as she unzipped the orange jumpsuit and rolled it down. Colette helped her get the injured arm out of her sleeve.

“Well, there really is something irresistible about tall, snarky soldiers with pretty eyes.”

“Aw shucks.” Reagan pretended to be embarrassed. She followed what Colette’s hands were doing and went pale at the sight of her now exposed arm. “Um-” the Knight swayed, but was steadied by Colette’s hands.

“I need somebody to hold her attention while I’m working. Whoever isn’t distracting her can be an extra pair of hands over here.” Colette directed, slipping back into her old role with ease. Nick came closer to the desk, on the other side of Reagan so she wouldn’t look at Colette.

“What do you need?” Arthur asked lowly, so as not to draw Reagan’s attention. He had discarded his battle coat and rolled up the sleeves of his own flight suit.

“I need you to hold the tissue open enough so I can see the stinger and get it out.” Colette grabbed a syringe of Med-x to numb the area. She applied the medicine in short bursts around the wound, careful not to pierce too deep into the tissue. She then reached for a pair of pliers. Tweezers were too small for this job, unfortunately. Arthur used his hands to hold the gash open, placing his fingers towards the top and bottom of the wound to give Colette room to work. “The hooked part is going to be a bitch.” She bit her lip in concentration as she eased the nose of the tool into Reagan’s wound and began working the swollen muscle tissue away from the foreign object.

“Damn, Ken. What happened to your face?” Reagan squinted at the synth.

The old synth chuckled. “Oh this?” he indicated the tear in his face and throat. “Yao guai about… forty years ago, I think? I was on a case, looking for a missing husband and found what was left of him in a cave. Lost my partner to that hungry son of a bitch that day, too.”

“Shit, and your hand?” Between the Med-X and Nick’s story telling, she wasn’t paying much attention to the Elder and General working at her arm.

“Was working on a broken down protectron. Lost what’s considered my skin all the way up to my elbow joint. You surprise me, you strike me as the type to ask about Pre-War life. You seem like a history buff.”

“Well, I do like history.” The Knight smirked. She started to look towards Colette and Arthur as she heard the

thunk

of the stinger hitting Colette’s desk.

“Well, we didn't have giant scorpions, but I was a detective back then, too. I brought down some pretty big drug lords and crime bosses back in my day.” The Synth drew her attention back to him before she saw the gore. Colette subtly nodded in the direction of the table she kept her liquor at and whispered something lowly to Arthur. He went and grabbed an unopened bottle of vodka.

Colette was pouring a can of purified water over the wound to clear out any remaining debris. When she was satisfied that the wound was clean, she accepted the vodka from Arthur and poured it over the wound to kill any infection. The alcohol would be more effective than the anesthetic that they had. Most of their medical supplies were from before the war.

Reagan hissed as the alcohol hit her flesh. “Damn. You must really hate that one place. Fuckin… Goodneighbor?”

“I’m not a fan of part of it, but it’s got some good people and it’s less corrupt than Diamond City. John has his heart in the right place, even if his methods are… unconventional. Reminds me of one of Cole’s friends from before the war, Billy Sharp. Went to law school, I think. Wanted to fight for civil liberties and all that.”

“Billy? Blah. What kind of weird ass name is that? Is that some pre-war shit that died out when the bombs hit?” She looked at Colette, carefully keeping her eyes away from where her hands were now stitching up the wound. “Please tell me he was cuter than his name lets on.”

Colette chuckled. “He was decent looking. Billy was short for William. Sweetest guy I ever met. Nick was convinced that he and I were going to get married and have super smart kids doomed to an eternity of school.”

Nick sighed, “You never did tell me who Shaun’s father is.”

“I’d actually like to hear about your wife, Nick. You and Cole have both talked about her a little, but you never told me details.” Arthur steered the conversation in a different direction when he felt Colette stiffen next to him at the mention of Shaun’s father.

“Jenny? God, she was an angel. I don't know what I did to deserve her. I think she loved Cole more than I did, and that’s saying something. It was her idea to take her in and raise her after her grandmother died. She was incredible. Worked as a teacher until she was murdered. We met back in 2056. She was still in school and I was still new to the police force. We got married in ‘59. She couldn't have kids, and adoption was too expensive, so I think taking Cole in was good for her. We doted on her and probably spoiled her a little too much.” The old Synth chuckled.

“

Padrino.”

Colette protested, “I am far from spoiled.” She finished the last stitch and wrapped the arm in a bandage to keep the stitches from snagging on anything. “Are you staying on the Prydwen or the Castle while you heal up?”

Reagan realized the General was talking to her and shrugged, “Wherever I’m ordered to, I guess.”

Colette nodded, “I’m gonna check on those two.” She indicated the Paladin and Sniper, who were off in their own little world on the couch with Danse holding RadAway above their heads as the dark liquid dripped into MacCready.

As she approached, she caught MacCready mumbling. “Y’know. My wife was a nurse. I fell in love with her as she patched me up over the years.”

“Is that right?” Danse asked. “Is she back home or did she come here with you?”

MacCready frowned. “She… died. Pack of ferals swarmed us one night. I barely got out alive with Duncan. He wasn’t even two at the time.” The sniper slumped down on the couch.

“How’s he holding up?” Colette asked the Paladin.

“This is his second bag of RadAway. He might need another. I’m not sure.”

Colette kneeled down and took the sniper’s face in her hands, “He might need another. Has he eaten?”

“Yes ma’am. He ate the noodles you had set out.”

“Alright. We’ll give him one more, then let him rest so it can do its work. I can keep an eye on him so you can get some rest.” Colette stood.

“I can keep an eye on him, General. It’s no issue.” Danse insisted.

Colette examined the Paladin, running her fingers through his thick black hair to make sure it wasn't falling out. His complexion was even and healthy. “At least get a couple hours of rest first. I can keep him in here until then. Once you’ve rested a bit, we can move him to his room.”

“Yes ma’am. Would you like to continue with the reports?” The Paladin stood, and his back cracked as he stretched languidly. MacCready grumbled something unintelligible

“No. Let's wait until everybody has rested. Get some rest, Alex.” Arthur suggested. The Paladin nodded and saluted his Elder before leaving the room, followed by Reagan.

“Fuck, what time is it? I need a drink.” Colette rubbed at her temples. “I haven't done stitches in forever.”

“I imagine it’s been a minute.” Arthur chuckled and grabbed her a can of water, opening it before handing it to her.

“Only 211 years. No big deal.” Colette grumbled as she drank the water greedily. Her room smelled of blood now, and she wrinkled her nose in distaste. “I need to clean this up.”

“Have a recruit do it. You’ve done enough.” Arthur told her.

“I don't trust a recruit’s idea of clean and sanitized.” Colette sighed and plopped on the couch next to MacCready. She laid her head back and closed her eyes. “Think Reagan would want that stinger mounted like my deathclaw heads? I can get that done for her.”

“I think she’d like it. It might be a good peace offering.”

“Yeah. Saving her arm wasn't enough.” Colette snarked. After Arthur’s chuckle, she sighed. “Thank you, by the way, you were a wonderful assistant.”

“Yeah? I hoped not to get in the way too much.”

“I’ll call you next time I need to do a C-Section.”

“C-Section?”

“When a vaginal delivery isn't an option, it’s another way to deliver babies. Preferred delivery method for multiples. I had one with Shaun.”

“How does it work?”

Colette lifted her shirt and revealed a long, silver scar on her abdomen, “Make an incision and move the intestines if necessary. Carefully cut open the uterus, pull the baby out, cut the umbilical cord, and then stitch the mother back up.” She shrugged, “Has a longer recovery time, but usually saves the life of the mother or child. Sometimes both.”

The room was quiet, Arthur looked lost in thought and Nick was watching her carefully. She could tell he wanted to ask about Shaun’s father again. Now wasn't the time. She’d dealt with enough emotional stress the last few days.

“I’m going to send for a recruit to get cleaning supplies. You two are more than welcome to hang out in here in the meantime, but I’m going to get the blood off my desk before it stains too badly.” Nick nodded and slipped out of the room, while Arthur took the Synth’s place on the edge of her bed.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Arthur
 
After the team from the Glowing Sea had rested adequately and Colette had finished scrubbing and sanitizing every surface in her quarters, Arthur found them all in the conference room. When the team got to the point of their report when they found Virgil and what the Super Mutant scientist had told them, he could feel his scowl deepening. Colette was doing a much better job of controlling her facial expressions, but he could feel tension radiating off of her.
 
“So now we have to track down a Courser and kill it? What comes after that?” Colette was standing and gripping the table until her knuckles were white. Her green eyes were burning into the team, and he could see MacCready shrink a little under her intense gaze.
 
“We find somebody to decode the chip in its brain, and take the data back to Virgil. He’s working on schematics right now for us.” Danse informed them.
 
“And what does he get in return for all of this? Why is he helping us?” Arthur questioned.
 
Reagan piped up as Danse’s brow furrowed, “He was working on a cure for the FEV before he escaped. He wants whoever goes in to try to make it to his lab and bring the cure back for him.”
 
“A cure for the FEV? If it's true, that’s incredible.” Arthur couldn't help but wonder what they could do with a cure for the virus. It would definitely make the world a better place.
 
“If it

is

true and the cure works, then maybe we can convince him to continue his studies once the Institute is no longer a problem. Until then, we have a Courser to deal with. Who’s going with me to take it out?” Colette was getting impatient, he could tell the added barriers between her and finding her son were aggravating her, and he didn't argue that she shouldn't go. The deathclaws on the wall behind her served as a reminder of what she was capable of.
 
“I’m going.” MacCready instantly volunteered.
 
“Paladin Danse will also go with you.” Arthur watched the Paladin nod before adding, “Knight will stay at the Castle or on the Prydwen until her arm heals.”
 
Reagan huffed, “If I’m not going, then who will?”
 
Colette shrugged, “The three of us should be more than capable. If we need another, I can always ask Hancock if he needs to get out for a bit.”
 
“What about Nick?” MacCready suggested.
 
“Not when we’re dealing with a Courser.” Danse leaned on the table, “We can't risk them being able to turn him against us.”
 
“If we absolutely need a fourth person, we can see if Hancock can join us. He already knows what’s going on and he’s gotten me out of some hairy situations before.” Colette was drumming her fingers on the table.
 
“I’d rather have another Brotherhood soldier on the team to keep it even. Knight Grants is good at keeping things under wraps when necessary.” The Paladin suggested. Arthur tensed next to Colette and she shot him a questioning look. The Knight was older than him, closer to Colette’s age, and known for ruining relationships among his brothers and sisters. It was a game for him, flirt with a taken woman, get her to leave the man she was involved with, then leave her once she had fully burned the bridge. If he wasn't such a good soldier, he’d order Danse to drop the suggestion.
 
“Fine. I should be ready to go in a couple of days.” Colette straightened and he heard her back pop. She couldn't hide the wince from stretching the still healing muscles.
 
“Give it a week. You were dying in the medbay just a week ago. You need to finish recovering. I know you want to find Shaun, but you won't do him any good if you end up dead because you went back in the field before you were ready.” He repressed the memory of seeing her face down on the gurney, bleeding out with a vertibird blade stuck in her.
 
“Three days.”
 
“Six.”
 
“Four.”
 
“Five. Nothing less, Colette.”
 
Reagan, Danse, and MacCready were watching them. Reagan more closely than the other two. If she hadn't figured it out now, they were going to have an awkward conversation when they got back on the Prydwen.
 
Colette sighed, “Fine. Five days. And I’ll take my power armor, too.”  Even better.
 
“Then I believe that’s all we needed to settle. Reagan, Danse, prepare to leave for the Prydwen. I want you both recovering up there tonight at least. I’ll meet you at the front gate in half an hour.” The soldiers and the sniper left the room, and then Colette grabbed his hand and pulled him towards her bedroom.
 
He barely registered the lock clicking before she was pushing him onto the bed; he sat up as she climbed on his lap. Her lips met his in a fierce kiss and he groaned. He felt Colette tangle her fingers in his hair and they both sighed as he opened his mouth to her and allowed their tongues to dance. He wrapped his arms around her and brought her close to him. Colette ran her hands up and down his torso, feeling his muscles and leaving a trail of fire where he could feel her fingers through his flight suit. She began pushing his battlecoat off, and the

fwump

as the lead lined leather and wool hit the bed brought him back to his senses.
 
Colette broke away from the kiss and began to nibble on his neck. “Cole-” he managed to choke out before she began grinding against him. Her heat rubbing against his erection through their clothes made it hard to think straight. How many times had he fantasized about this? Certainly more than he was willing to admit. “Colette, wait, please.” He pleaded with her.
 
She stopped grinding and pulled away from his neck. Her sea-green eyes were dark with need, and it made him want to forget what he needed to say and just let her have her way with him. She saw the conflict in his face and her expression fell, “What’s wrong?”
 
“I-” he sighed. “I’ve never done this before. There's-” he braced himself, knowing he was about to put this over the both of them for their entire relationship. “-a lot of pressure on me. I’m the last descendent of Roger Maxson and high expectations of me to choose a bride and produce heirs.” He watched her expression, and all he could see was patience. He took a deep breath and continued. “I’m only 20, but my entire life I’ve been told that my future is to run the Brotherhood and to have children. I don't want to do this and accidentally get you pregnant have people try to force you into marrying me like-."He paused, not sure if he should continue. "That made you miserable back then and I don't want to do that to you now.” So many emotions were on her face, most of them unidentifiable to him. She usually kept her feelings in check and out of sight, so he had little experience reading her. “And you already have a son ...he’s also a Maxson.” She tensed in his arms. “He won't be expected to join the Brotherhood, but if we continue this long term, I don't want Shaun to feel like you were replacing him if I did get you pregnant.” He paused, wanting to get the wording right for what he had to say next,  “I will be involved with him if that’s what you want. This is all just so new to me and I don't want to screw it up.” He rested his forehead against hers. They sat like that in silence for a few minutes, his stomach churning with nerves. Did he mess this up? Was she about to try to let him down gently.
 
“You’re incredible, you know that?” She whispered.
 
His eyes snapped to hers; she was gazing at him with an expression of wonder, and something else. “What do you mean?”
 
She took his face gently in her hands, letting her thumb trace over his scar. “I won't pretend to understand the pressure on you, I can't imagine going through all that you have at your age. I was only in my second year of college at 20. We come from different worlds and walks of life.” She stopped tracing his scar and he looked into her eyes again. The look on her face had turned serious. “You are

not

Roger Maxson. You are a better man than he ever was. He may have been a good soldier and good leader, but he was not a good man and his family treated people awfully.

That

is why I was going to leave Boston. I was not going to stick around and be forced to marry somebody I didn't even love. I don't know if I love you yet, it’s too soon to tell, but I know that if we did have to get married because you got me pregnant, I would be happier than I was back then.” Arthur’s head was spinning with what she was telling him.
 
“Now, I don't think it’s likely that you will get me pregnant. I had something put in me after I had Shaun that’s really good at preventing pregnancy. And it’s completely reversible. I could go and walk Cade through how to take it out if I wanted to get pregnant. If you really want to make sure, then when we do have sex, you can pull out.” She placed a quick, tender kiss to his lips.
 
She closed her eyes, and rested her forehead against his again. “And then there’s Shaun.” He squeezed her waist reassuringly. “I don't have any expectations for you being involved with him. We’ll take it one day at a time when we get him back, I guess.”
 
Arthur kissed Colette, and she responded half heartedly, her need for him put out for the moment at the somber turn of their conversation. “We’re getting closer. You're going to destroy that Courser, get that chip decoded, and then we’ll get into the Institute to find Shaun.”
 
Colette nodded. “I should probably fix up his room in Sanctuary before then. And the rest of the house. I haven't really gone in there since I thawed. Too many ghosts.”
 
“Was it your home before the war?” He asked, he started rubbing soothing circles into her back, and she began to relax again.
 
Another nod, “It was Nick and Jenny’s. Nick left it to me when he died. It was small, but perfect for us. Perfect for a single woman living alone fresh out of Med School, too.” She sighed, “And another thing I would have had to give up.”
 
Arthur frowned. Roger Maxson was almost worshipped because of his founding of the Brotherhood. What Colette had to say about his ancestor unsettled him.
 
She must have read his thoughts, because she kissed his forehead before continuing, “I’m sorry. I shouldn't talk badly about him to you.”
 
“If my ancestors treated you poorly, then don't withhold that from me. It might shatter the illusion that he was some divine being that did nothing but great things, but a shattered illusion is better than believing the lie. Knowing what I do now, I want to make sure I do everything in my power to avoid putting you through that kind of misery again.”
 
Colette bit her lip and looked down as she digested his words, “If you didn't know about Roger and how they treated me, would you still want to keep me from going through something like that?”
 
“Of course.” He moved one hand from her back to cup her face as he kissed her on the lips. “I care about you.”
 
“Then how about we not talk about him unless absolutely necessary? You can tell Reagan and Danse so they know what’s going on; and I’m sure we’ll have to tell Shaun one day. Roger and his parents have been dead for years, and you are a better person than they ever were. He is my past, and I’m putting him behind me.” She didn't wait for him to respond before she was kissing him again. She pushed against him gently, and he obeyed, laying back on the bed and holding her close against him. She was right. He wasn't Roger Maxson, and it wouldn't be healthy for either of them if his shadow loomed over them and their relationship.
 
Colette’s tongue traced his bottom lip and he groaned softly as he opened up to her and let her deepen the kiss. Colette broke away to catch her breath and whispered, “Damn you make me feel ten years younger.”
 
“Oh do I?” He grinned wickedly, unseen by her as she rested her head against his chest. “Do I make you feel like you’re seventeen and making meatballs again?”
 
She snapped her gaze to his, eyes wide. “What? How did you? God damn it, I can’t believe he told you that story!” Her face was flushed a deep red and Arthur couldn't help but laugh at her flustered expression. She climbed off his lap and sat on the edge of the bed with her face in her hands.
 
He sat up, still chuckling, when there was a knock on the door.
 
“Yes?” Colette called through her hands.
 
The door opened and Reagan poked her head in, narrowing her eyes when she saw them on the bed. “Michael is here with the Primair; Alex and I are ready when you are, sir.”
 
“Thank you Reagan, I’ll be out in a moment.” Arthur reassured her. Reagan nodded and left the room. “I have to go.” He leaned closer to Colette and chastely kissed her cheek, “I’ll fill Reagan and Danse in when we get to the Prydwen. Anything you want me to leave out?”
 
Colette shook her head, “I trust your judgement. I’m gonna tell Nick after you guys leave. Wish me luck.”
 
“You sure you don't want me here for that?”
 
“Oh heavens, no. You would hear the very worst of opinions of Roger and his parents. Nick didn't dislike many people, but he really didn't like them. I’m surprised he likes you so much.” She returned his kiss on her cheek with one of her own. “Go. Tell your best friends that I had a baby with your ancestor. Radio me in the morning to make sure Nick didn't kill me?”
 
“Please don't joke about that.” Arthur stood and left the room. He paused at the door, “Good luck. I’ll radio you in the morning.” They smiled at each other and he left her alone in her room.
 
Danse and Reagan were already on the Primair. Arthur climbed in and buckled into his seat. As the vertibird climbed, he saw Nick making his way towards Colette’s quarters and silently wished her luck again.

Reagan and Danse left their power armor in the shop to be worked on later, and then joined Arthur in his quarters. He locked the door behind them, and pushed the glasses of bourbon he had poured for them towards the his companions. He sat across from them and contemplated the amber liquid in his own glass.
 
“So are you going to explain to us what the hell happened while we were fighting deathclaws and making deals with a super mutant?” Reagan asked. There was only concern in her eyes. She was worried about him, and understandably so. Danse was also watching him, rotating the now empty glass in his hands.
 
Arthur took a deep breath, “Well, you already know she’s Pre-War, so that makes this easier. She thawed out back in October, 210 years after she was frozen on the day the bombs dropped. Before the war, she was had a child. Her son's father and his family were… not good to her, so she's been dealing with a lot of unpleasant memories. Which is what Glass was trying to help her forget–”
 
“Arthur, you’re rambling.” Reagan cut him off, causing Alex to wince.  
 
“I know. I’m still trying to wrap my head around things. After you guys left for the Glowing Sea, she went to work on a couple of settlements. During this time, she was caught in a vertibird explosion. Glass brought her in with part of a vertibird blade in her back and she was bleeding out. She almost died in our medbay. We kept her under while her back healed up. She woke up three days ago and told me everything.”
 
“That still doesn't explain why you two are orbiting around each other now.” Reagan drained her glass and poured more bourbon into it, filling up Danse’s as well.
 
“Well, she informed me that her son's father is Roger Maxson, and that’s why she’s been hesitant to get involved with me.” Reagan choked on her drink, and Danse patted her back to help her clear her airways. While he didn’t choke on his drink, Danse’s expression wasn’t much better.
 
“What the fuck? What the actual fuck, Artie? How the hell did you manage to find the

one

woman in the waste who isn't only PreWar, but fucked Roger Maxson and had a child with him? She was almost your great grandmother or some shit.”
 
“To be fair, the child that she did have with Roger Maxson is in the Institute, based off her drive to get in and what we’ve heard so far.” Danse put a hand on Reagan’s back to help calm her. The contact seemed to have an instant soothing effect, relaxing the knight, though she didn’t seem consciously aware of it. “So there’s technically nothing incestuous. It would be like getting involved with two people and finding out that they’re cousins. There is some potential for it to feel weird, but as long as the familial relationship between the current and past partners isn't the reasoning behind the interest and the present couple is okay with it, it should be acceptable.” Danse remarked. The Paladin had a good point, and it seemed to put Reagan more at ease.
 
“That would be correct, Shaun Maxson is the son that the Institute took from her. Colette and I have also agreed that Roger Maxson’s relationship with her is not to be public knowledge. We will tell Shaun when we feel he is ready, and he will be treated as a Maxson when we find him, but she wants to put as much of that part of her past behind her as possible.”
 
“Sounds like you’ve adopted the kid. Are you sure about this, Arthur?” Reagan seemed to have gotten over the initial shock, she was always the kind to take the hand dealt to her and move on.
 
“We’re taking it one day at a time. I was upset with the Glass situation, but knowing why it happened helped immensely.” Arthur knocked back the rest of his bourbon and cleared his throat as he poured another glass. “Roger and his parents were not the people that are recorded in the archives. We would both appreciate it if it isn't brought up often, if ever. Having that hanging over us would be unhealthy for the relationship, I think.”
 
“I agree, especially if she wasn't treated well by him.” Danse reached for the bourbon and poured himself another glass.
 
“So have you two bumped uglies yet?” Reagan smirked.
 
“Well- we um- no, we haven’t.” Arthur stammered, flushing red.
 
“Still a virgin, Artie? Damn, I could have fixed that for you.” Reagan teased.
 
“I don't exactly have the luxury of being able to have casual sex like you two do. We almost did, earlier, but I panicked because I didn't want to get her pregnant. She says she’s got something that prevents pregnancy, though. I’d like to have Cade look at it and do a little research before we- well...”
 
“You can still have fun without sticking your dick in her. And you can always pull out, too.” Reagan pointed out.
 
“Just have fun. Explore each other’s bodies. Pay attention to her reactions.” Danse added with a comforting smile as he leaned back in his chair, resting his arm on the back of Reagan’s chair.
 
“What he said. He may like men, but sex is the same all across the board. You can't be a one trick pony and expect your partner to enjoy it.”The Knight elbowed the Paladin in the side now that it was unguarded and caused the man to grunt and withdrew his arm with a careful grin, and narrowed eyes.
 
Arthur nodded, taking in the advice from his friends, smiling as they started to poke and prod at each other’s sides while giggling, “I’ll remember that.” He finished his bourbon. “I’ll let you two get to resting up. I didn't anticipate spending the entire day at the Castle and I have some work to get done.”
 
They both stood, Reagan with less balance than Danse, saluted him and left him alone in his quarters with his thoughts.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

There was no way this wasn't a dream.
 
He had Colette underneath him in his bedroom at the Citadel. He couldn't remember leaving the Commonwealth, and she wouldn't leave without Shaun.

If this was a dream, he didn't want to wake up. Then he would lose the feeling of her nails scraping down his back, her legs wrapped around his waist, his cock buried inside her. Her moans were music to his ears, high pitched with need.

“Cole,” he managed between groans. “Cole, I’m gonna-”

“Yes, that’s it.” She sighed in his ear as she tightened around his thrusting cock. “Put a baby in me, Arthur.”

He woke before he came.

Arthur growled in frustration, throwing his bed covers back as he stormed to his private bathroom and turned the shower on. He barely let the water warm up before he stripped out of the shorts he slept in and stepped under the spray with his aching cock in hand. He leaned against the wall, stroking himself as he imagined Cole with him. On top of him, moaning his name in pleasure as she rode him. He kept a steady pace, alternating quick strokes along his shaft and circling pre across his head with his thumb. He was so close already from his dream, it didn't take long before he was shooting his seed into the spray and watching it wash down the drain as he caught his breath.

He’d been having more vivid sex dreams since he started researching the female anatomy and reproductive system. He had known the basics, but learning where a woman’s most sensitive spots were and how he could use them to enhance his partner’s pleasure just gave his subconscious more ammo to use against him in his sleep.

Colette had confirmed that she had a hormonal IUD as her birth control method from before the war. The documents Quinlan had on contraceptives were sparse, and she was able to fill in the blanks. The device was small and could remain in her for up to five years. It released a constant stream of hormones that prevented fertilization and temporarily stopped her menstrual cycle. If Reagan’s complaints about cramps and headaches were anything to go by, he imagined that the absence of her monthly cycle in the Wasteland while she searched for her son was a blessing.

Arthur finished his shower and stepped out, toweling himself dry. Colette and MacCready were meeting Danse and Knight Grants on the Prydwen that day, and they were departing from there to the CIT ruins to search for the Courser. If they had waited a full week like he had originally wanted, Reagan might have been able to go instead of Grants.

He made his way to the Command Deck after putting on a fresh flight suit and his battlecoat, where Danse and Knight Grants were already waiting in their power armor with their helmets tucked under their arms.

“I'm excited to get to spend some time getting to know the General. She’s got a

fantastic

ass on her.” Grants was saying.

“The General commands a militia that she raised herself and we’re about to take on a Courser with her, and you’re focused on her physical appearance? Show some decorum, Knight!”

“Yes Paladin,” Grants grumbled. The Knight had sandy blond curls and dark blue eyes. His attitude was much like the casual confidence that Lancer Sergeant Glass had, but the Knight shoved it in your face. Grants was the first to see him, and the Knight saluted him, “Elder Maxson, sir.” Danse turned to face him and echoed the salute.

Arthur saluted them, “At ease, General Arnold and MacCready should be here shortly. When they arrive, you will be briefed on the mission.” He made no mention of Grants’ comment on Colette’s body, despite wanting to throw him off the Prydwen for thinking of

his

Colette that way.

He strode to the railing that circled the Command Deck and looked out over the Commonwealth. “Don’t worry about him. Reagan and I have seen the two of you together. He has nothing to offer her.” Alex’s hand on his shoulder reassured him. “Honestly, if he makes any unwanted advances, she’ll probably just shoot him.”

“I’d like to see that.” Both men chuckled.

“Hell, she almost shot me when she was sleeping in my quarters and I walked in. She’s got good reflexes.

“There are a lot of good things about her.” Arthur said quietly.

“Are you considering her for…?” Alex began to ask his friend. The need for Maxson heirs was a heavy subject, and the Paladin knew that the pressure would only increase as Arthur got older.

“I won’t lie, Alex, I am. The Council sent me a list to choose from just before we left the Capital Wasteland. Reagan was on that list.” Arthur sighed, “I know she loves Michael, and that they were waiting for me to marry before they made anything official. She was still my first choice. Cole though, she changes things. The Council may not like me marrying an outsider, but she’s Pre-War, and her son is also a Maxson, so her past may help us in that avenue. I hate to think of it that way, but I need to be ready to defend us from the Council and their scrutiny. I won’t let her face that alone.”

“I don’t envy you there. I’m just glad I have the luxury of being free to choose my partner without repercussions. I just need to make sure that you and Reagan like him.”

“That reminds me, what’s going on between you and the sniper? I saw you hovering over him the other day. You only hover like that with Reagan and me.” Arthur pried, wanting his long time friend to find happiness again after losing Cutler.

“I-” Alex stammered, “He’s definitely grown on me. I just don't know if he’s interested in men. He had a wife.” Alex looked down and bit at his lip, a habit of his that always surfaced when he was feeling insecure.

“And some people can like men and women. Look at Glass and Rhys.” Alex nodded, still looking at the floor. “Just make a move. If he’s interested, congratulations. If he isn't, then stay friends. I haven't seen you like this around somebody in a very long time, Alex. I want you to be happy.”

Alex smiled warmly at him, the expression lighting up his entire face. “Thank you, Arthur.”

Before they could continue, the door to the flight deck opened and Colette’s cobalt blue suit of power armor stepped through the door, followed by MacCready and Lancer Sergeant Glass.

Colette and MacCready stepped into the Command Deck, while Glass waited just outside the doorway. With the three suits of power armor in the small space, it was getting crowded.

Colette took off her helmet, “Buon giourno, amici!” Arthur, Danse, and Grants all looked at her in confusion.

“From what I’ve figured out, that first part means ‘good morning.’ Still haven’t figured out ‘amici’ though.” MacCready chuckled while he leaned against the door frame.

“Amici means ‘friends.’ Maybe Nick and I need to give lessons in Italian.” Colette giggled, a sound that warmed Arthur’s heart. It was nice to see her in such a good mood; especially since she had been stir crazy from being confined to the Castle the last few days.

“Alright, so what’s the plan of action?” MacCready pushed off the door frame and meandered over to stand between Grants and Danse. The Paladin was on Arthur’s right, and Colette on his left. Grants looked slightly disappointed, likely due to Colette being in her power armor and unable to be ogled.

“Lancer Sergeant Glass will drop you off in the heart of the CIT ruins. Hopefully a Courser will have been deployed recently enough that you can track it. The General’s Pip Boy’s built in radio will be able to detect the interference caused by the molecular relay. When you find the Courser, you kill it and get the chip out.”

“After we get the chip, MacCready and I will meet Nick in Goodneighbor to have Dr. Amari take a look at it.”

“Pardon me, General, but why just you two going to Goodneighbor? I thought this was a cooperative mission all the way through?” Grants asked her.

“Grants, is it?” Colette asked. At the Knight’s nod she continued, “The Brotherhood is not well liked in Goodneighbor. I may be in Hancock’s good graces, but that doesn't mean bringing Brotherhood soldiers in full power armor is a good idea.”

“Why are you worried about pissing off the mayor of abominations? If he doesn't like us being there, we can just exterminate him.” Grants was grinning at his own idea, thinking himself brilliant for coming up with a solution. That is, until Colette gave him a glare so fierce that the Knight visibly withered.

“John Hancock is a dear friend of mine, as well as a powerful ally to both the Minutemen and Brotherhood. He’s the one that manages the caravans that bring the Brotherhood food on a weekly basis.” Her tone had gone from cheerful to icy, and it sent a shiver down Arthur’s spine.

“And you wouldn't be able to get a shot in before Fahrenheit and the Neighborhood Watch got to you. It’s the reason that raiders don't fuck with Goodneighbor.” MacCready added. “And I’m sure destroying a key part of the alliance between the Brotherhood and Minutemen would be a bad idea.”

“Hancock himself is a force to be reckoned with. We considered bringing him before you.” Colette turned fully on Grants, looking more intimidating in her power armor than she would drawing up to her full height of 5’3”.  “If he wasn't taking care some settlements for me while I'm out dealing with the Courser, he’d be going on this mission. Either way, I’m stuck with you until I go to Goodneighbor afterwards.”

Grants opened his mouth to retort, but with all eyes trained on him, he seemed to think better of it, and quickly closed it.

“Elder Maxson, is there anything else we should know before we depart?” Colette asked, turning on him.

“Negative, Ad Victorium.” Arthur saluted them all, and his soldiers saluted back. They all filed out of the room, with Colette bringing up the rear. Arthur caught her hand before she reached the door, wishing he could feel her soft skin instead of the power armor. “Come back to me,’ he pleaded quietly.

Her expression softened, and the look in her eyes warmed him. “Always,” she whispered before leaning down in the armor to kiss him briefly on the cheek.

He followed her out to the flight deck, where the rest of the team was loading up in the vertibird. Grants was on the minigun, while MacCready was strapped into the seat closest to where Danse had locked his suit in. Colette climbed in as well, activating the magnetic locks that latched onto her boots and would keep her in the vertibird. She put her helmet on as Michael finished the final checks before take off. Too soon, the Primair dropped from the Prydwen and Arthur stood watch as it disappeared into the ruins of Boston.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Colette

The Primair dropped them off at the CIT ruins behind the crumbling Rotunda. Colette avoided looking at the ruined buildings as she tuned the radio on her Pip Boy to the lower frequencies. “Went here for my undergrad.” She said absentmindedly, not really caring if her companions were listening. “Full ride softball scholarship. I was also on the fencing team during the off season. Nick was so proud.”

“He still is proud of you.” MacCready tried to cheer her up, but his encouraging words just got a shrug. This Grants character had left a bad first impression. She wasn't about to get emotional in front of somebody she didn't like.

Finally, she hit the right frequency and her Pip Boy emanated a low beep. She held her breath and began a lap around the once perfectly manicured lawn of the Rotunda. Ignoring two hundred year old memories, she trudged on in her power armor, listening carefully to the frequency of the beeps.

When the tone finally got faster, they all sprung into action. Grants and Danse drew their laser rifles and sprinted ahead of her, while MacCready hung back and pulled his sniper rifle off his shoulder. Colette and MacCready picked up their pace when they heard gunfire ahead.

Danse and Grants were locked in a firefight with Raiders that had blocked off the streets surrounding them. MacCready ducked and darted to a nearby car that was nothing more than a rusted frame and began picking off the raiders that were higher up. A few of the brave -or chem addled, she really didn't care to know- ones came running at them brandishing bats and tired irons. One lucky feeling soul had a knife. Colette dispatched them easily using Betty, and then one that got too close ended up missing his head with one swing of Colette’s machete. The metallic tangy smell of spilt blood made its way past the air filter in her helmet as it splattered across her visor. Colette swore as her vision was impaired, ripping off a glove and wiping at the gore. She saw MacCready grimace at the blood dripping from her fingertips. She was a Doctor turned General; blood and guts didn't bother her anymore.

She shook her hand to get as much of the blood off as possible and put her glove back on to rejoin the battle.  Between MacCready picking off the higher up ones, and the Brotherhood soldiers working in tandem to fight off ones on the ground, they had almost cleared the area. The three suits of power armor waited for a moment to reload and catch their breath before charging past the salvage walls. There weren't many left, and their reduced numbers left them panicked and uncoordinated. Colette, Grants, and Danse stood with their backs together to protect the fusion cores and took out the last of the Raiders together.

When the area was cleared, and the smell of ozone and gunpowder and the blood spreading across the ancient concrete was all that was left, they relaxed a little. Colette’s Pip boy was still beeping, tracking the Courser. It was faster, now, a good sign and lucky coincidence that their firefight took them closer to their target.

MacCready caught up to them, and they slowly tracked the Courser. The beeping was near a constant tone as they climbed up the steps to Greentech Genetics.

“Greentech Genetics. I spent an entire summer wanting to tear this place up while I was an intern for them. Guess I get my chance now.” Colette switched her radio off and the tracking tone ceased. “You guys ready?” She asked as she checked her ammo. “Let’s go,” she burst through the doors, gun ready to fire and her companions right behind her.

The lobby was empty; of living things, at least.

Corpses littered the ground and slumped over desks, formerly pristine white tile was stained red. “Gunners.” MacCready whispered, not wanting to alert any remaining hostiles to their presence. Colette looked back briefly and saw the angry look in his eyes. Between the four of them, there would be no survivors in the building when they were done with it.

Colette signaled to her companions to follow her. She moved across the floor, cursing power armor for being so loud and clunky. They went right, towards where she knew a staircase was behind a sliding set of metal doors. They filed up the stairs, and as Colette reached the landing with the men right behind her, the quiet of the building was shattered as explosions and gunfire began above them. They all bolted towards the open door across the landing, skidding to a halt before reaching the doorway that would lead to the atrium, where most of the chaos seemed to be coming from.

“The Courser is on the second floor, kill on sight. Send reinforcements to the lobby in case there are more.”

“We’re about to have company.” Grants groaned.

Colette peeked into the atrium.  “Mac, there are turrets. Take ‘em out.”

The sniper gave an old-world salute, “On it.” He got down on one knee and took aim, taking out the higher up turrets that were stuck to the wall like bugs. Grants took place to the left and a little in front of him, drawing the attention of the larger turrets that the gunners had set up. Grants’ positioning also worked to shield MacCready by drawing attention as the larger target. They took care of the turrets in minutes, just in time for the Gunners to come barreling through the black smoke. They didn't even make it halfway across the atrium, falling one by one as the team dispatched them.

Colette continued to lead the way, knowing the layout of the building after months of running coffee and paperwork from department to department. She could still feel the condescending sneer of her supervisor as she passed by what used to be his office.

More Gunners came their way, dying before they got more than a single shot in. The ones that got closer met their end with Colette’s machete.

As they approached the next flight of stairs, they were greeted by the PA system again.

“The Courser is now on the third floor. Report to the second intruder in the East wing near the courtyard.”

“Well, they all know we’re here now. Guess it’s time to party.” MacCready joked as he reloaded his gun.

They continued to fight their way up towards the Courser, leaving a trail of dead Gunners to mark their path. Colette found an issue of the Massachusetts Surgical Journal, and gave it to MacCready for safe keeping so she could read it later.

When they finally found the Courser, he was holding his laser rifle to the head of a Gunner as he tried to get into a terminal. After a failed attempt, the Courser executed the Gunner, then turned to them.

“You’ve been following me.” The voice was monotone, and matched the blank expression on the Courser’s face. “Are you here for the Synth?”

Before her companions could answer, Colette’s mood got the better of her. “I’m actually here to pick up an order. Two large pepperoni and a calzone. The name is Fuck. You.” Her companions laughed quietly behind her, and she could swear that the still living Gunners chuckled from where they were kneeling against the wall.

“If you’re not here for the Synth, you must be here for me. What do you want?” The Courser’s brow furrowed and Colette could hear her companions ready their weapons.

“I’m here to kill you. And take what’s inside your head.” She said cooly as she readied Betty.

“I can't let you do that.” The Courser reached inside a picked and disappeared.

“Fuck! Stealth Boy!” MacCready yelled.

The team spread out, doing their best to avoid the blue laser bolts that came from nowhere. Colette followed the path of the bolts and saw the shimmering distortion that was the tell tale sign of the stealth tech being used. “There!” She called out as she shot. A spatter of blood exploded as her shot rang true. Grants and Danse followed with their own shots, red lasers concentrating on the area around the dark red stain. More blood spattered, from MacCready’s shots as well as her own. Soon enough, the Stealth Boy exploded as a bolt from Danse’s laser rifle caught it just right. The Courser sputtered back to visibility, bleeding profusely. One more gunshot, from MacCready’s rifle, and his head exploded in a rain of blood and brain matter.

Colette stomped over to the Courser and exited her power armor so she could dig through the corpse to get to the chip. She knelt down once she was free of the steel frame, but MacCready stopped her before she got her hands dirty.

“Boss?” He sounded uncertain. He nodded discreetly towards the still kneeling Gunners.

“Deal with them.” She ordered, before returning to digging through brain matter. Multiple gunshots were heard, from both the laser and ballistic weapons. When she finally found the Courser chip, she pulled it out with a grimace. Turning around, she saw Danse working at the terminal. A beep, a click, and the female Synth rushed out of the room she had been held captive in.

“Thank you-” she began to say, before Grants executed her with a shot to the face. The Synth was reduced to a pile of glowing ash.

“

Che cazzo?

” Colette shouted at Grants. “What the hell did you do?”

“You said deal with it. I dealt with it.” The Knight defended himself. “It was an abomination that needed to be destroyed.”

“She was trying to escape! She wanted no part of the Institute or what they do!” Colette gestured to the ash pile with her gore covered hand.

“It was caught once, it could be caught again. It’s one less weapon that they have against humanity.” The Knight was in her face and yelling at this point, his face red.

“Knight! Stand down!” Danse ordered. “Though her view on Synths is different than ours, the General is still an officer and will be treated with respect!”

Grants glared at Colette for a moment longer before nodding. “Yes, Paladin.” Was growled as he backed down.

“Go signal a ‘bird. We will be having a conversation with Elder Maxson about this when we return to the Prydwen.” The Paladin ordered.

“That door should lead to a balcony with enough room for the Primair to land.” Colette pointed towards the door atop a set of stairs to her left. Grants stomped up them and disappeared through the door with a slam.

“Cole, are you okay?” MacCready asked.

“I’ll be fine. Let’s just get to Dr. Amari and see what she can tell us.” Colette tore a strip off of the uniform from one of the dead Gunners and wrapped the Courser chip in it before stowing it away in her armor. She wiped her hands on the pants of another corpse before climbing into her power armor. “Mac is just going to get me to Goodneighbor, then I’ve got some stuff for you two to take care of. I’ll toss a signal for Glass when we get there.”

“Yes, General.” Danse saluted her, before following Grants out the door to the balcony. The whir of a vertibird could be heard in the brief moments that the door was open.

“Shall we get moving? Goodneighbor is still a couple of hours away, and Nick is waiting.” Colette booted up the elevator using the terminal and they took it to the lobby. They were able to watch the vertibird disappear on its way back to the Prydwen before they turned towards Goodneighbor.
  
The first thing Colette did when she got through the gates to Goodneighbor was park her power armor in the Statehouse and stretch her limbs. She could hear Nick and Hancock chatting upstairs, so she and MacCready swiftly took the spiral staircase up to find the ghoul stretched out on the couch in his office and the synth leaning with his elbows on his knees with a glowing cigarette stuck between his lips.

“

Padrino

.” The strain was evident in Colette’s voice, and Nick was up and had her wrapped in a comforting hug in moments. She let herself sink into the Synth’s arms. He wasn’t her Nick Valentine, but he was the closest thing to the man she saw as her father as she could get in this Wasteland, and he knew just how to make her feel better. He had the memories, mannerisms, and personality of Nick; but he smelled wrong, and those glowing yellow eyes unnerved her to the point of not being able to call him ‘Dad’ as she had with the original. She still loved this substitute, and was thankful that she had found him.

“Let’s get you some food and a chance to rest tonight, hmm?” He said as he stroked her back soothingly. “We can visit Dr. Amari in the morning.”

Colette didn’t say anything, opting to simply nod at his suggestion. She untangled herself from Nick’s arms and trudged back to her power armor, pulling out jeans and a comfortable shirt to change into.

When they finally made it to the Third Rail, Hancock went to grab their drinks while MacCready and Colette settled into the VIP room with Nick.

“So you wanna tell me what’s gotten you so shaken up?” Nick asked, his knowing eyes trained on Colette.

“There was an escaped synth up there. The Courser was after her. This Knight that Arthur sent with us just…. Killed her for no reason other than that she was a synth and he thought that made her dangerous.” Colette looked from where her hands were clasped in front of her to lock eyes with Nick. “What if a patrol is out and about in the Commonwealth and they decide that about

you?”

“That’s how the Brotherhood operates, Cole.” MacCready said gently, “Maxson may be a bit better than some of his soldiers, but he’s not the one on the ground anymore. They lump all of one group together based on potential for threats. In this case, it was the fact that she’s a synth that was the issue. They do the same with ghouls, feral or not.”

“Again, what if Nick gets caught up in that?” Colette demanded from him.

“Why not talk to Arthur about it?  He seems a reasonable man, and I’m sure he would listen to your concerns.” Nick reached across and took one of Colette’s hands in his own.

“Just stay safe, in the meantime, please?” She asked. Nick nodded, and she seemed to relax a little. She sighed, and ran a hand through her hair.

As if on cue, Hancock burst in the door with a bottle of bourbon in one hand, and glasses in the other. “Top shelf liver destroyer for my closest friends!” He crowed. MacCready helped the ghoul pour glasses of the bourbon for everybody but Nick, and the three of them spent the night drinking themselves into oblivion.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Nick and Colette picked their way through the catacombs of the Old North Church, slaying the occasional feral ghoul in the process. Colette had opted to leave her power armor in Goodneighbor, and she was glad of it now. She wasn't sure if the tank-like armor would fit through the ancient brick archways laying under the ruins of Boston.

They eventually reached what seemed to be a dead end at first. Colette looked at the notes that she had taken as they walked the Freedom Trail. The experience was different in post apocalyptic Boston than it had been when they walked it when she was young and on a school field trip. There were no laughing children, no soggy sandwiches for lunch, and she didn't have to hold anybody’s hand.

“Cazzo,” Nick groaned. “The password is Railroad.”

Colette blinked at the profanity. Nick was normally so calm and collected. She could count the number of times he swore around her on one hand. She furrowed her brow as she spun the movable plate to spell out R-A-I-L-R-O-A-D.

“Well what do you know, it worked.” Nick marveled as the brick slid open to reveal a dark, empty room. They stepped forward, but abruptly stopped when a bright light was switched on, temporarily blinding them.

“Stop right there.” A woman’s voice growled from across the room. Colette halted, and Nick ran into her. The sound of a mini gun whirring to life met their ears, and Colette felt the Synth’s hand on her side, prepared to shove her out of the way. “You went to a lot of trouble to arrange this meeting. But before we go any further, answer my questions. Who the hell are you?”

Through squinted eyes, Colette could make out the others. On the left was a dark skinned woman with white hair shaved on one side. She was wielding the minigun. A timid looking man with a laser pistol and a newsboy cap was on the right. And in the middle was the questioner, with red hair and dark, suspicious eyes.

“We followed the Freedom Trail looking for the Railroad. We are not your enemies.” Colette lowered her weapon, knowing that looking threatening would not help her.

“Who told you how to contact us?” The redhead demanded.

“Dr. Amari advised that I seek you out. I killed a Courser at Greentech Genetics and need assistance decoding his chip.” A man with black hair styled into a pompadour wearing plain jeans and a tshirt with dark sunglasses meandered into the room behind the interrogator.

“You have what? This is no joking matter.” The redhead scoffed.

“I didn't know we were having a party. What gives with my invitation?” He had a laid back attitude that contrasted with the tense air in the room. His smiled widened as he saw Colette. “And you invited the Courser Killer. Nice work!”

“Do I-” Colette looked back to Nick for reassurance and he raised where his eyebrows would be as he shrugged. “-know you?” She turned back to the stranger.

“I don’t need to meet you to have heard about you. You’re the most talked about woman in the Commonwealth.” The newcomer stated.

“Deacon! Where the hell have you been? I need intel.” The redhead snapped.

“You mean you haven't heard of her? Oh man, she is making waves up there! She’s the General of the Minutemen; and almost everybody is flying her flag right now. She’s the one that took out Kellog.” Deacon held up his hand as if to pause himself and looked at her, “He was public enemy numero uno.” He looked back to the redhead. “Desdemona, the only downside to this lady is that she hangs out with Brotherhood. I’m ninety percent sure she’s sleeping with Elder Maxson. But she’s still got Nick Valentine’s stamp of approval!”

“Well I would hope I approve of her.” Nick growled angrily from behind her. “I

did

raise her, after all.” Colette shivered at the acid at his tone.

“Nicky! I didn't see you there!” Deacon waved cheerily at Nick.

“Don't call me Nicky.” Nick snapped. Deacon was unbothered by his tone.

“So you’re vouching for her?” The woman who was apparently Desdemona pressed.

“Ab-so-lutely. She’s someone we want on our side. Besides, she has an intact Courser chip. We’d be stupid to turn her away.”

“Very well.” Desdemona turned to Colette. “If we’re going to be working together, I need to make sure we’re on the same page.”

Colette resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “Go on.” She urged the other woman.

“You obviously know what a Synth is, being close with Detective Valentine. Do you know how the Institute treats them? Do you know that they treat them as property, not people with free will?”

“That I did not know. Why would they try to create humans and then not treat them as such?”

“They’re playing God. Tinkering with things they hardly understand. From their high and mighty vantage, they refuse to see their creations as anything but tools.”

“Sounds like slavery to me.” Nick said, Colette nodded in agreement, her stomach churning uneasily at the thought of Shaun being down there.

“So we seek to fix that. To free the Synths from their bondage. To give them a chance at a real life. With that in mind, I have one last question for you. Would you risk your life for a fellow man, even if that man was a synth?”

All eyes in the room were on her, but Colette did not hesitate. “I risk my life for people every day. Doesn’t matter to me if they’re a human or a synth.”

“Dez! We need to let her in. She’s got an intact courser chip for God’s sake! Not to mention that she’s the one that killed the damn thing!”

“I hate to say this, but Deacon is right. You are the first outsider that we are letting into our headquarters.”

“Yeah, so if you could not sell us out to the Institute, that would be great.” Deacon added before Desdemona could get in another word.

“The only thing the Institute is getting from me at this point is a boot up their ass.”

The woman with the minigun let out a hearty laugh, “I like this one. Let’s keep her.” She winked at Colette.

“I move to accept by acclimation. Nobody opposed? Great, motion accepted!” Deacon ran across and tried to grab Colette by the arm to drag her into their HQ, but he was stopped by Nick stepping between them.

“We can walk ourselves in, thank you very much.” The synth got up in the man’s face. Deacon wasn’t fazed, though.

“Let’s get that chip decoded so we can get down to the fun parts.” They followed Desdemona into the headquarters. Workbenches served as makeshift barriers between different sections of the room that had been created by knocking out catacomb walls. A man in a lab coat stood by a chemistry station, while another man in overalls and a strange device on his head was bent over and tapping away at a terminal.

They approached the man at the terminal, “Tom, our guest here has a Courser chip.” Desdemona informed him.

“What? For real? Aw man, it’s been ages!” The man hopped up and down excitedly, his wild eyes shining with glee.

“Alright, now for some ground rules.” Desdemona turned to Colette and Nick. “Tom can get you the code, but when he’s done we get the Courser chip.”

“I don't know. I might still need it later.” Colette was not about to give up the chip so easily. Finding and killing the Courser had been difficult, and she didn't want to just hand it over to these strangers.

“This is not a negotiation. This is a demand. To anyone else in the Commonwealth, you have maybe two caps worth of scrap. With us, that data is priceless; but we’re not just going to give that away. Come talk to me when you change your mind.” Desdemona started to advance on her, but backed off when Colette tensed up to defend herself.

“Fine. It’s yours. If I need another one, I can kill another Courser.” Colette shoved the chip into Tom’s out stretched hands and went back out to the entryway, where Deacon was lounging against the wall smoking a cigarette.

“Hope you don't mind the reception. When you tango with the Institute, you gotta be careful when someone new steps on the dance floor.” Deacon finished his cigarette and tossed it to the side. “The precautions we take are necessary. In our business, if we underestimate our enemy’s capabilities, it’s game over for us. It’s all good though, nobody got shot this time.”

"We got pretty close,” Colette was not too happy about Desdemona’s attitude.

“Listen, Dez wants me to make you a tourist, which is barely a step above a bitch. You’re way beyond that and not making you an agent would be a waste. I have an idea. I have something on my to do list that I need another gun for. It will also get Dez to lighten up on you, so we kill two birds with one stone.”

“I’ll help you out, no guarantees about joining though.” Colette crossed her arms.

“Perfecto! Meet me at the old freeway outside of Lexington. I’ll fill you in on the details when we get there.” Deacon went back into the headquarters, and passed the man in the newsboy cap and blue jacket in the archway.

“Dez and Tom wanted me to give this to you.” The man handed Colette a holotape. “They say it’s got the data on it from the chip.”

“Fantastic, thank you.” Colette pocketed the holotape. “Shall we head back?” She asked Nick.

“

Si, dobbiamo parlare

.” Nick stalked out of the room, not stopping until they were well out of the church.

“

Padrino, ascoltami!

” Colette chased after him.

“When were you planning on telling me about Maxson? I can understand not wanting to talk about who Shaun’s father was, but getting involved with a Maxson is dangerous. Even if it there is a 200 year gap between Arthur and those bastards that went to church with us.”

“Arthur isn’t like them! He had nothing to do with Eddie Winter’s trial and you know that! You can’t let that blind you.” Colette could feel tears pricking at her eyes. She had to tell him the truth. “Arthur is better than the Maxsons we knew. He wouldn’t hurt us like that.”

“How do you know he won’t hurt you, hurt us?” If he was still human, Colette knew Nick would be shaking, just like he had after the Eddie Winter trial.

“Because I told him…” Colette choked back a sob. “I told him…”

“You told him what?” Nick turned to face Colette, pulling her into his arms, “What did you tell him,

bambina?

”

“Shaun’s father… was Roger Jr.” Colette cried into Nick’s shoulder. The hand that had been rubbing soothing circles into her back stopped its movements. “I’m sorry,

padrino.

It was only one night. And Martha was forcing us to get married because I was pregnant. She was going to take my baby away!”

“And you told Arthur this?” His voice was soft and full of sorrow. After a nod from Colette, he continued. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I knew you would be angry with me.”

“Oh

bambina,

no…
no no no... I’m not angry.” Nick whispered to her. He pulled away and tugged on her chin to have her look at her. “Arthur, does he make you happy? Does he treat you well?” Colette tearfully nodded. “Then that’s all that matters for now.” Nick pulled her in close for a tight hug. When they separated, he sighed. “I’ll give the kid a chance. Let’s get back to Goodneighbor so we can find my grandson.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Colette stepped back onto the Prydwen in her power armor. She had escorted Nick back to Diamond City and they had been attacked by a deathclaw. Her armor had taken most of the damage, and she wanted Proctor Ingram to take a look at it since Danse was out with MacCready working with the settlements. Arthur had his back to her, looking out the wide window of the Command Deck deep in thought. She climbed down the ladder, grimacing at the grating metal on metal as her bent leg plate dragged across the rungs of the ladder.

After dropping her armor off with Ingram and explaining what happened, she made her way back towards the other end of the ship. Arthur was stepping down off the last rung as she passed the med bay. He turned, likely heading towards the mess, and stopped when he saw her. “Cole.” He breathed. The way his face lit up when he recognized her could have thawed her out if she were still frozen in the vault.

She smiled at him. “I told you I’d be back.” She couldn’t get out another witty remark because he had grabbed her arm and was pulling her towards his quarters.

When the door shut behind them, he picked her up with ease and held her close. “I’m glad you’re back. It’s felt like the longest week of my life.” He murmured into her hair as his arms tightened around her.

“Mmm. It’s good to be back.” Colette turned her head and kissed his scarred cheek.  Arthur hummed and walked backwards towards his bed as she peppered the right side of his face with feather light kisses. He had trimmed his beard again, closer than before, and Colette used one hand to stroke his jaw while the other one combed through his hair.

Arthur lay her down on the bed gently before stepping back to shed his battle coat. It thudded to the floor and he was on her before the sound finished echoing in the metal room. One of her legs was stretched out between his, and her torso was trapped by his. “So beautiful,” he whispered as a calloused thumb stroked her cheek. He leaned down to kiss her, cradling the back of her head in one of his hands while the other explored her curves.

Colette sighed, opening her mouth to his. His lips didn’t linger on hers for long, moving to kiss and nip along her neck. When his teeth grazed the especially sensitive spot at the edge of her jaw, she gasped. He made a sound of interest and continued to focus on that spot. Licking and nibbling at it and on her ear. His hands continued to wander, stroking up her sides and tracing her curves like he was mapping her body.

“Arthur…” she whispered breathily as he switched to the other side of her jaw to see if it was just as sensitive. “Oh, Arthur.” Her mewls increased in volume when he lightly gripped her thigh and proceeded to drag his fingers along the inside.

“I want to make love with you.” He whispered in her ear before nipping at it again.

Colette shuddered at the contrast of his soft words with his hard body. “Are you sure?” She asked him.

“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.” He pulled back to look her in the eyes. “I need you, Colette.” His voice was strained with lust.

“Strip and then sit on the edge of the bed.” She suggested. He did as she asked without hesitation, trusting her fully. He got his boots off, then stripped his flight suit off quickly. His gray briefs strained with his erection, and Colette couldn’t help but bit her lip and whimper. Seeing him in a figure hugging shirt was one thing, seeing his sculpted body in full was like going to heaven. The chest hair she had seen through the worn shirt dusted thick muscles and tapered down before disappearing into his underwear. His legs were just as solid as his arms and torso. Scars littered his body, telling stories of a boy raised for war. “Leave the briefs on.” She whispered. He opened his mouth to protest, but she placed a finger to his lip as he sat on the edge of the bed as instructed. “Trust me.” She stood and stripped, leaving herself in her bra and already damp underwear. She stepped between his slightly spread legs, and leaned down to kiss him on the mouth. He hesitantly reached up and cupped one of her breasts in his hand, squeezing gently and he felt the soft flesh. She nipped at his lip before moving to his neck, and proceeding to kiss a trail down his body. By the time she reached his navel, he had to lie back on the bed, unable to keep steady. He propped himself on his elbows, watching her with dark eyes.

Colette maintained eye contact as she reached the band of his underwear and barely kissed it. She was close enough that she could feel the heat radiating off of his length. Her lips were less than an inch away from where his head stretched the grey fabric, and a small wet spot was forming where pre-come was gathering at the tip. Colette reached up with both hands and hooked her fingers into the band. Slowly, torturously, she pulled the underwear off. When his cock sprung free, he audibly groaned. Instead of taking him in hand or mouth, Colette kissed the insides of his thighs, working her way back to his cock.

When she finally reached him, she wet her tongue and dragged it up his shaft from base to tip. When she reached the top of his leaking length, she swiped her tongue across and moaned at his taste. Clean, and just slightly salty. She swirled her tongue around his sensitive head again before taking him in her mouth and sinking down. She bobbed her head quickly, knowing that she had teased him enough. Being young and with no experience, it didn’t take long for Colette to feel him tensing under her. “Cole- oh fuck- please wait - noo-ooh!” He moaned as he climaxed. Colette swallowed around him, taking his load down her throat. When he was finished, she pulled off him with a vulgar

pop

and licked her lips.

“I’m sorry,” He murmured as she climbed back on the bed and kissed his cheek. He wouldn’t look at her as he softened against his stomach.

“Don’t be, I did that on purpose.” She turned his head and kissed his lips.

“Why would you-?” He was interrupted by another kiss.

“Do you want to keep going?” She asked him. He thought for a moment, before nodding. “Then biology lesson afterwards, okay?” He nodded again. “Do you want me to lay down?” Another nod prompted her to lay down on her back, with her head on the one pillow on the small bed.

Arthur adjusted himself so he was holding himself above her. He kissed her slowly, tangling a hand in her hair. The rushed sense of urgency from before had slowed. “I see why you did that now.” He murmured against her lips as his hand moved from her hair to her bra strap. “Good thinking.”  He slid the strap down her arm before moving to the other one. Once he moved the other strap down enough, he flipped the top of her bra down to reveal her breasts. One breast was quickly covered by his hand, gently massaging the softness. He moved his hand so his thumb could rub around and across her nipple. Colette muffled her moans by putting her fist in her mouth. Arthur used his free hand to move it away. “This room is sound proof. You can be as loud as you want.” He whispered before taking a nipple in his mouth and swirling his tongue.

While he worked her breast with his mouth, his hand continued to wander south, pausing before slipping into her underwear. Thick fingers found slick folds and the both moaned at the contact. Arthur kissed his way down Colette’s stomach, pausing at the scar from her C-section to kiss every inch of it with tender care. Moving lower, he pulled her underwear down and slid it off her legs. Colette sat up and properly took her bra off as he tossed her underwear aside. Being careful, he rubbed his thick fingers through her folds again, tracing the crevices and dips of her most intimate parts. His fingers slowed as they got closer to her clit, then they drew a slow circle around the sensitive bud. Colette was gripping the sheets and trying not to give him direction as he learned her body. She was about to break and tell him what to do when he slipped a finger inside her. The callouses on the pads of his finger added to the thickness of the digit were giving her delicious sensations. He thrust his finger in and out, paying attention to how she reacted. He slowed the thrusts to add a second finger in, and then he curled them and found the rough patch of her that marked her g-spot. He massaged this spot, picking up the pace when her moans took on a higher pitch. “Oh fuck, Arthur.” She moaned and ground against his hand as her climax approached. A determined look crossed his face, then he bent down and took her clit into his mouth and gave it a firm suck. Colette’s thighs clamped around his head as she cried out. Her orgasm hit her in waves as Arthur continued to suck at her clit.

When her orgasm faded and she freed Arthur from her legs, he kissed his way back up her body. Colette could taste herself on his lips and tongue, and cooed words of praise to him as she helped guide him into her. Even with the extended foreplay, he was thick and stretched her walls almost to the point of pain. It took a couple of slow thrusts, but he finally bottomed out. “I’m not going to last long.” He told her.

“That’s okay. Neither will I.” Colette gripped his arms as he drew out slowly and gave an unsteady thrust back in. It took a moment for him to find a rhythm, but soon he was kissing her as he continued to plunge into her. Colette subtly angled her hips so his body rubbed against her clit with each thrust. The change did wonders and soon she was climaxing again, her body squeezing Arthur tightly. Her climax triggered his, and he groaned as he spilled himself inside her.

Arthur rolled them over so she was laying on top of him and he began rubbing his hands up and down her back, tracing invisible patterns with his fingers as they caught their breath. “You’re a dirty liar.” Colette muttered as she dozed on his chest.

“Hmm?”

“There’s no way that was your first time. Most virgins can’t get a lady off just once, let alone twice.”

“I uh-” He cleared his throat awkwardly, “I did some reading. And asked Reagan for advice while you were gone.”

Colette chuckled before sliding off him. He grabbed her by the waist and held onto her. “Don’t go yet.”

“I just have to pee. I’ll be right back.” She reassured him. He let go and she slipped into the en-suite. As she was taking care of her business, she heard a knock on the door, Arthur talking lowly, and the door shutting quickly. When she went to rejoin Arthur, he was wearing a pair of gray sweatpants and eating a bowl of delicious smelling radstag stew.  “Oh thank God, I was starving.”

“Reagan brought it. Wanted to let us know that Danse and MacCready signaled a bird. They should be heading this way soon.” Arthur told her as she began eating her own bowl.

“It was late when I got here. Please tell me we’re waiting til the morning to do reports. I don’t want to have to put pants back on.” Colette grumbled.

Arthur chuckled, “No, pants aren’t necessary for the rest of the night. Unless you plan on answering the door. Then I would suggest them. And a shirt.”

“Nah. You can answer the door. These are your quarters. I’ll answer the door when you sleep at the Castle. Fair?” Arthur nodded as he took another mouthful of stew.

They finished their food and Arthur had a Scribe take their dishes to the mess for cleaning. Once the door was locked, he stripped off his pants and joined Colette in bed, curling up behind her and draping an arm around her waist. She was already half asleep when he kissed her bare shoulder and wished her a goodnight.

For the first time since before she found out she was pregnant, Colette was happy.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Alexander Danse
 
“Affirmative, thank you, Knight. Ad victorium.” Danse ended the transmission after Reagan returned the motto. The General had just returned to the Prydwen, and he anticipated that she would be ready to debrief with him and MacCready soon. The Paladin rubbed at his temples, willing the forming headache to go away. Standing and stretching, he began to head out of the shack he was staying in at Greygarden and towards the next one over, where MacCready was staying.

He knocked lightly on the door, not wanting to wake his companion if he was sleeping. Hearing a distressed choking sound from within, Danse tensed up. “MacCready, I’m coming in!” He called to the other man, to make sure the sniper didn't shoot him if startled.

MacCready sat at the small table near the front door, covering his mouth with his hand and obviously fighting back tears.

“Robert?” The Paladin approached him slowly. “Robert, what’s going on?” He kneeled in front of the sniper, who squeezed his eyes shut.

“My son was traveling with a caravan under the care of an old friend. The caravan was just attacked by raiders.” He let out a shaky sigh. “I traveled this far. Cole and I fought so hard to get that cure for him, and I still lost him.” The sniper’s hands clenched into fists.

“When was the attack?” The Paladin wanted to help his friend in any way.

“About fifteen minutes ago.”

“I’ll signal a vertibird. Do you have the coordinates?”

“Yeah, why?”

“We’re going to go check it out. If he’s anything like his father, then there’s still a chance he survived.” MacCready nodded, but still wouldn't look at the Paladin. “Come on, let’s go find your son.”

He stepped out to let MacCready get his things together. It was late, the sun having set hours ago, but there was no time to lose. Every minute was another moment that a raider could find the little boy and hurt him. Danse threw a vertibird signal to the ground as he ran towards his shack. He ran in, shed the pants and tshirt he had been wearing to work around the settlement and slipped into a jumpsuit. Years of practice had him engaging all of the zips and buckles with ease. After getting his boots back on, he threw the clothes into the duffel bag he had brought with him.

MacCready was ready to go when he went back out. Danse darted to his power armor and stowed the bag in the proper compartment before hopping in. He heard the whir of the approaching Primair, and thanked whatever powers that be that Glass took the midnight signal as a sign to make haste. “Give Glass the coordinates when we get in and then buckle in as securely as possible. Once he understands the situation, he’ll get the Primair going pretty fast so we can get to your son quickly.”

MacCready wordlessly nodded, his jaw tight and eyes still red. When the Primair landed, Danse allowed the sniper to get in first so he could share the coordinates with Michael and brief him on the situation. When he saw the smaller man begin securing himself in his seat, the Paladin climbed on board and took the minigun.

“Make sure you’re secured Paladin. We’re gonna see how fast we can push this baby.” The Lancer-Sergeant called out. Danse activated the magnets in the boots of his armor and held on tight as the vertibird lifted into the air.

They had to fly through part of downtown Boston, and Danse couldn't help but admire the skills of Michael Glass as the Primair smoothly sped through the night. Only a few short minutes passed before Michael spoke through the comms, “Approaching the coordinates. Gonna set you two down far enough out so you can still sneak up on them.”

“Thank you, Glass.” Danse’s stomach was churning. He hoped with everything he had that the little boy was safe. In the wastes, children were few and so very precious, and he would hate for his friend to go through the agony of losing his only child.

Michael landed the Primair gently, allowing a Danse and MacCready to hop off. “I’m going shut her down and wait for you two to get back. If your son needs medical attention, I want to be able to get him to Cade as soon as possible.” He disengaged the blades, and the roar of the Primair was reduced to a steady hum that faded to silence. “Send up one of your Minutemen flares when you’re headed back this way so I can get her ready for takeoff.”

“Thank you both. I just hope you aren't doing all of this for nothing.” MacCready sniffed as he checked his rifle. “Let’s go get Duncan.”

Danse and MacCready took off towards the tell tale light of a campfire burning. Rowdy yelling could be heard even from afar, and the smashing of glass and cheering gave away that the Raiders were drinking. A small hill that was far away enough for them to not be seen by their targets allowed them to gain a vantage. MacCready offered his binoculars to Danse, which the Paladin accepted with a nod. Danse started scanning the West end of the camp while MacCready worked on the East end.

“Hey! I found a kid here!” A raider called out. MacCready gasped and tensed up beside him. Danse adjusted where he was looking to the direction that MacCready was, and focused in on the raider just as he pulled a small boy out from underneath a body. The child was red faced and trembling so hard that the soldiers could see it from their vantage point.

“That’s him. That’s my son.”  MacCready choked out. “He’s alive.”

They were about to move when a sharp scream met their ears. “The little fucker bit me!” The raider screamed. MacCready dropped to the ground and began to line up a shot, aiming for the raider’s head for a quick kill.

“Wait, don' hurt the kid. He’s doin’ what any of us would do in his shoes.  I like it. The kid’s got guts.” The nasally voice belonged to a woman with half of her blonde hair shaved off, wearing combat armor and aviator sunglasses. She walked to the raider that Duncan had bitten and plucked him from her arms, holding him close.

MacCready growled. “Fuck. I can't get a clear shot.”

“Put your rifle away.” MacCready didn't budge, fire in his eyes as he tracked the woman that held his son with his rifle scope. “Robert, listen to me. I have a plan.”

“It had better be a good one.” MacCready still watched the woman, but he was less tense as he listened.

“Most of that raider camp is drunk, or on their way there. They’re going to pass out. Once they do, we can take out any remaining guards and get Duncan out without putting him at too much risk.”

“You’re right, shit, what was I thinking?” MacCready sat back and put his face in his hands.

“You want to get to your son. I can understand the temptation to act hastily when someone you love is in danger like this.”

MacCready looks at him, concern joining the pain and fear that hadn’t left his eyes since he found out about the attack.

“I know it’s hard, but we’re going to have to wait.” The Paladin put his hand reassuringly on the sniper’s shoulder.

Minutes passed on agonizingly slow. It felt like it had been centuries before the hoots and hollers of the raider camp slowly died down. If they hadn’t been waiting to save Duncan, the sight of the raiders dropping as they passed out drunk would have been comical.

When the night was silent, except for the distant crackle of the campfire, Danse straightened up and gripped his laser rifle. “I’m going to circle around and draw attention towards the other side of the camp. While I’m doing that, you sneak in and find Duncan. When you hear me shout, grab him and run toward the vertibird. I’ll send up the flare once you have Duncan.”

“You can’t take on the raider camp by yourself! Are you insane?” MacCready stood, visibly uncomfortable with the risk he was taking.

“Most of them are drunk and unable to walk straight, let alone fire a gun accurately. I will be fine. We can wipe them out with the minigun, and the flare will bring Minutemen to the area.”

MacCready looked ready to continue to argue, but he sighed and rubbed at his eyes instead. “Fine, but if you die and Maxson tans my hide for it, I’ll bring you back just so I can kill you again.”

“I can accept that. Now, get ready. I’ll see you at the Primair.” Danse put his helmet on before he turned and moved in an arc around the raider camp as quietly as his power armor would allow. He was thankful that raiders favored stronger, more vile liquors that knocked them out cold. With luck, only a quarter of the camp would wake up before MacCready escaped with his son. And they would all focus on the power armored soldier, rather than the lone figure sneaking in and out of the camp.

He settled on the opposite end of the camp from where he and MacCready had been waiting. Two raiders were awake, one poking at the fire, and the other meandering the perimeter. Danse could see MacCready creeping towards the camp, when the patrolling raider started to head towards him on his route, Danse started moving forward, shouldering his laser rifle and reaching for one of the grenades he had stashed within easy reach. He only had one shot at this, and needed to get it perfect.

He smirked when the raider noticed him, the stiffening posture a dead giveaway. He made no move to indicate that he knew he had been spotted. The patrol got the attention of the raider at the campfire, and both of them moved as if to try to flank him. He pulled the pin on the grenade and waited.

3..

2..

“AD VICTORIUM!” He shouted as he threw the grenade behind him. It exploded while still in the air, and it lit up the sky. The two guards fired at him, shouting for back up from the camp. Raiders staggered to their feet, pulling pants and boots back on and reaching for guns that had been abandoned early in the night. Danse saw MacCready duck into a tent and dart out moments later with a blanket wrapped bundle in his arms. Danse waited until MacCready was out of the light of the campfire before pulling out his flare gun and sending up a red signal. He would dispatch a couple of raiders, and then retreat back to the Primair. By the time they lifted off, the Minutemen would be close enough to draw the raiders away from them so they could safely get away. A raider ran at him, stumbling clumsily with a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire swinging at him. Danse grabbed the bat and attempted to rip it from the raider’s grip. Instead, the raider came with the bat. Danse grabbed the man by the leg and swung him in a wide sweep, hitting three other raiders with their comrade. Bullets had started to ping off of his power armor as the raiders finally had enough wits about them to aim their guns. Once he heard the distant whir of the Primair firing up, he threw the raider-turned-weapon towards the camp, knocking down five more raiders. He didn’t need to kill them. Just make it so they couldn’t keep up with him. He took off a full speed through the camp, plowing through the bodies and junk. Screams erupted as bones were broken, but he paid them no mind.

He pushed to run faster, the fusion core beeping at him in protest for using so much energy at once. He ignored it, needing to get to the Primair before the raiders regrouped. As he approached the vertibird, he called out to the pilot, “Michael, begin lift off!”

Trusting the respected Paladin, Michael eased the vertibird off the ground. She was only a few feet in the air when the Paladin leaped and landed on the deck, spinning immediately and taking the minigun in hand. He aimed and depressed the trigger, spraying the raiders on the ground in a hail of bullets. He could see the fire from laser muskets criss-crossing down below as Minutemen from the nearby settlements responded to the earlier flare. Michael turned the vertibird South and they flew towards the Prydwen, with the beginnings of the sunrise peeking up at them in the East.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Colette

Colette stirred awake as tender kisses were placed on her shoulders. She smiled as she felt Arthur’s erection poking her in the thigh. “Good morning,” she chuckled as she rolled over onto her back.

“Is this okay?” He asked as he kissed along her jaw. Despite their nudity and his obvious arousal, he was still being quite chaste. One hand rested on her waist, and neither teeth nor tongue had made an appearance yet.

“Mmmm, more than okay.” Colette hummed as she reached down and squeezed him gently. Arthur laid his head against her shoulder as she began to stroke his length.

“Cole-” he breathed out, but was silenced when she pulled his face to hers for a deep kiss. He responded eagerly, opening his mouth to her. The night before had been urgent, and frenzied at first. Now, in the early morning, they were content to take their time and enjoy just feeling each other’s bodies.

Colette let go of Arthur’s shaft and traced his muscles with both hands, admiring the sculpted perfection and memorizing every scar. Arthur moved from languid, open-mouthed kisses to quick, sweet ones across her face and nose. As he pulled back to find another spot to rain kisses on, Colette reached up and kissed his nose.

Colette took over from there, rolling them over in the bed so she was positioned above him. Slowly, she started grinding against him, dragging her wet folds along his length. Reaching down, she held him still as she sank down on him, sighing as he filled her. Colette rolled her hips as she took the last inch of him, earning a groan from Arthur. His calloused hands rubbed up her thighs before he gripped her hips. Colette placed her hands over his and began riding him. With every downward stroke, Colette gyrated her hips just a little bit, causing Arthur’s eyes to roll back into his head. One of his hands snaked up her body, pinching and twisting her nipple. The rough friction caused a high pitched gasp to escape from Colette’s throat. As she got closer, Colette fell forward, catching herself on her forearms. Arthur took the opportunity to take her other nipple in his mouth. As he teased the sensitive bud, he bucked his hips up in time to meet Colette’s downward thrusts. Their rhythm grew unsteady as they neared their ends.

Arthur’s orgasm hit first, his cock twitching as he filled Colette. Colette tumbled over the edge right after him, her walls milking him for everything he had.

When she regained her breath, Colette slid off of Arthur and lay next to him on her stomach. She felt Arthur roll over and wrap his arm around her to pull her close. She let him run his hands up and down her body and began dozing off before he rolled her gently onto her back. Arthur kissed her hungrily on the lips, before moving to tease the sensitive part of her jaw that he had discovered the night before.

Arthur was already hard and ready to go again. Colette chuckled in amusement as he brushed the inside of her thigh, causing Arthur to make a questioning sound against her skin as he worked his way down.

“Oh. It’s nothing important.” She reassured him breathily as his tongue traced circles around her areola.

“Tell me,” he whispered before sucking the nipple into his mouth gently.

“

Oh

.” Colette gasped as the sucking sent tingles straight to her core. “I was just thinking of the wonders of the sex drive of a twenty year old. If I were ten years younger, I fear we’d never leave this bed.”

Arthur rolled the nipple between his teeth as his hand ventured south. “I think we’re already in danger of that.” His fingers pushed into her core and immediately curled upward. His palm brushed against her clit and almost instantly she was writhing beneath him. “If we didn't have responsibilities, I would have some food brought to us to last the day and spend all of it just ravishing you.”

Colette dug her fingers into his shoulders and bit her lip, feeling her orgasm approach but wanting to delay it. This man was going to be the death of her, she knew it.

What a wonderful death it would be.

She thought.

She was so close, unable to hold off her climax any longer, when her Pip-Boy crackled to life.

“General, we have a situation.” Preston’s voice came through. Arthur pulled his fingers out of her and groaned before going to the desk to retrieve her Pip-Boy for her.

Colette put her fingers to her lips to signal Arthur to be quiet before she hit the button to speak. “What is it, Preston?” Arthur still stood before her, his erection only slightly deflated from the interruption. Colette muted the microphone of her Pip-Boy before grabbing the hand that had been pleasuring her and began to lick their mixed fluids off of Arthur's digits. Blue eyes widened in shock at her bold move as Preston continued.

“Minutemen in sector 12 responded to an emergency flare a few moments ago. They found a raider encampment. As they were fighting the Raiders, a vertibird was spotted lifting off and heading towards the Prydwen.” Colette took Arthur’s fingers in her mouth and began to suck gently. Arthur used his other hand to stifle a moan. “There were very few signs that a conflict had occurred before our men arrived. Ronnie and I would like to find out who sent up the flare and why the Brotherhood didn't assist in the fight.”

Colette pulled Arthur’s fingers out of her mouth and hit the button to respond to Preston. “I’ll speak with Elder Maxson and figure out what happened. I'll radio when I have answers. Over and out.”

“Thank you, General. Over and out.” Preston disconnected.

When the tinny static of the transmission faded out, Arthur let out a frustrated groan.

“Why don’t we finish up and shower so we can figure out what happened?” Colette lightly skimmed her nails down Arthur’s abs, earning another groan from him. “How do you want me?”

“I don’t care. I just need you.” Arthur pulled her up into a fierce kiss.

Colette broke away from him and sauntered over to the table in the center of the room. She leaned over and wiggled her hips suggestively while looking over her shoulder at her lover.

Arthur couldn’t resist the invitation. He was on her in a moment, grabbing her hips and holding her still as he buried himself to the hilt. They both moaned at the feeling of their joining. The new position allowed him to go deeper, and when he set a fast, rough pace, he hit her g-spot perfectly with every thrust. Colette’s previously denied orgasm came back with a vengeance, and she was soon toppling over the edge, her walls squeezing Arthur and bringing about his own end. Arthur gave a couple of final thrusts before burying himself deep and spilling into her.

Colette let out a sound of disappointment when he pulled out of her, but she felt his lips pressing loving kisses on the scar that the vertibird blade had left. “We should probably get cleaned up so we can take care of our armies.”

“Hmm.” Colette hummed. “I’ve got an update for the Institute, as well.” She continued to lay against the table, letting the steel cool her overheated skin as Arthur went to the bathroom. She heard the shower turn on in the en suite bathroom.

“Come on. Don’t make me carry you.” Arthur called softly from the door. Colette looked up to glare at him. “I will, don’t test me.”  Colette groaned and pushed off of the table and shuffled to join Arthur in the bathroom. The shower was thankfully big enough for both of them to fit in comfortably. She could feel his seed trickling down her thighs as she stepped into the shower after Arthur. When the warm spray hit her back, Colette sighed, in satisfaction. Arthur lathered up a washcloth and handed it to her so she could begin washing herself while he prepared another one for his own use.

They both washed quickly, making conscious effort not to touch each other or give into the temptation to kiss, knowing that could spiral quickly into another lovemaking session. After toweling dry, they dressed. Arthur in his flight suit and Colette in jeans and a button up shirt that she had packed in her bag.

They made their way to the Command Deck, Arthur sending a scribe to grab them some breakfast and another to find MacCready and Danse. The scribe sent for breakfast returned with purified water, and mutfruit for both of them. The scribe sent for MacCready and Danse returned, saying that they had not yet returned to the Prydwen. Arthur and Colette frowned at each other, before Arthur requested that Reagan join them.

Reagan appeared on the Command deck just a few short minutes after the Scribe went to find her, her arm no longer in the bandage to protect the injury from the Glowing Sea. She saluted them and stood with her hands behind her back, waiting. The sunrise lit her freckled face with a warm glow, and Colette could see that she was trying not to squint.

“Knight, thank you for joining us quickly. I have some questions for you.” Arthur sliced another section of mutfruit off and ate it quickly.

“Sir?” Reagan asked.

“Last night you informed me that Paladin Danse and MacCready had signaled the Primair and that Lancer-Sergeant Glass was on his way to retrieve them. Is that correct?” Arthur queried.

“Yes, sir. Lancer-Sergeant Glass had informed me when he saw the signal. It was in the area he knew Danse and MacCready to be in last. Is there a problem?”

“Neither the Primair, nor the Paladin and his companion have returned to the Prydwen since last night. Have you heard anything since we last spoke?” There was concern in Arthur’s voice for both the pilot and his trusted friends.

Reagan started to answer, but was interrupted when the door from the flight deck burst open. Danse led the way in, looking exhausted and his power armor covered in grime from the field. MacCready shuffled in behind him at a much slower pace. Glass brought up the rear, saying something to MacCready in a low voice that none of them could hear.

“Paladin! You signaled the Primair late last evening. We’ve heard no status updates other than reports of Minutemen signals being fired before a vertibird could be spotted taking off from a raider camp. We heard about that half an hour ago. I want an explanation.” Arthur was stern and demanding, a far cry from the man who had woken Colette up with tender kisses earlier.

Colette was focusing on MacCready and Michael. They were standing shoulder to shoulder, and something was in the shadows behind them, only coming up to around their knees. Colette was about to ask them what it was, when a small face peeked at her from around MacCready’s legs. Dirty blond hair almost covered the big brown eyes of the toddler that was clinging to MacCready’s duster for dear life with pudgy, grubby hands. “Wait!” Colette held her hand up to get Arthur to listen. “Mac, is that..?”

MacCready nodded. “This is Duncan.” He picked his son up and held him close. “The raiders had attacked the caravan he was traveling with. We got him back last night. I couldn’t have saved him without Danse’s help.” The last sentence was choked out, as if the sniper were holding back tears. Duncan buried his face into his father’s chest and wrapped his arms around his neck.

“Oh, Mac.” Colette crossed the Command Deck and took both of them into her arms. “I’m so glad you got him back.”

“We didn’t fire upon the raiders because we didn’t have a clear visual of where they were keeping Duncan.” Danse continued to explain. “We had signaled for Lancer-Sergeant Glass to take us to the camp as soon as we heard. He volunteered to stay with us until we had Duncan safely out so we could return to the Prydwen as soon as possible.”

Colette pulled away from MacCready and Duncan and pulled them to one of the seats that lined the Command Deck. Once Mac was seated with Duncan in his lap, Colette began checking the little boy over, making sure that he had no injuries.

“I see.” Arthur watched Colette as she gently gained the trust of the little boy.

“I will go out to the nearby settlements once I’ve rested up and explain the situation to them.”

“No need. I’ll handle it. I have a more important task for you once you’ve all rested.” Colette had rejoined them, satisfied that Duncan was uninjured. The boy in question was dozing against MacCready’s chest.  “I’m moving Duncan to Sanctuary to keep him safe. I’ll check to see if Nick will move up there as well to help take care of him when Mac has to go out on missions. I won’t have anything but maybe scrap runs and settlement checks for you two for a while.”

“Understood, General.” Danse saluted her, a grateful look on his face. “Did you get that chip decoded?”

“I did, now we need to get back to Virgil to see what the next step is.” Colette ran her fingers through her still damp hair. “Reagan, are you ready for action?”

“Absolutely. The two of us should be able to handle the trip on our own, since I already know where we’re going.”

“Fantastic. Let’s take a couple of days to get Duncan and Mac settled in Sanctuary with Nick and then we can head out. You want to come with me to the Castle before we head that way? I have something for you in my office.”

“Yeah! I’ll go suit up and meet you on the flight deck.” Reagan left the room, trailed by Michael.

“Danse, where are you going to crash?” Colette asked the Paladin.

“I was hoping to join Robert and Duncan in Sanctuary to help them get settled, actually.”

“I don’t see why not, as long as Elder Maxson is okay with it.” Colette and Danse looked to Arthur, who nodded. “Then why don’t you find somebody to take us to the Castle, and then Sanctuary. Let Michael get some rest.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Danse saluted her and went to the flight deck.

“You good to stay here for a minute, Mac?” MacCready nodded sleepily. “I’m going to go grab my things, then I’ll meet you at the flight deck.” Colette left the room, feeling Arthur behind her. She climbed down the ladder and quickly disappeared into Arthur’s quarters, with Arthur locking the door behind him. She went to grip the edge of the table until her knuckles were white.

“Are you okay?” The concern was back in Arthur’s voice.

“I feel

terrible.

Mac almost lost his son and I can’t help but feel jealous that he got him back so soon.” Tears were streaming down her face as Arthur pulled her close and held her.

“

Oh”.

Arthur rubbed soothing circles into her back as she cried. “I know it hurts, Cole. We’ll find Shaun. We’re so close to getting him back.” Arthur kissed the top of her head. “And once we get him back, there won’t be any Institute left to hurt families like this ever again.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Arthur

Arthur buckled into the copilot’s seat of the Primair. Michael Glass never needed a copilot, but Arthur wanted to talk to him regarding a very important matter that had been weighing on his mind for a while.

The brief drop as the Primair detached from the Prydwen caused Arthur’s stomach to lurch as it always had. As Michael turned towards Sanctuary, Arthur cleared his throat. “So, when are you going to ask Reagan to marry you?”

Michael jumped in surprise, and the Primair shifted in response. Arthur held onto a support bar as the vertibird jerked mid-air. “Uh, w-what was that, sir?”

“Reagan Knight. When are you going to ask her to marry you? I know she wanted to wait until I decided who I wanted to marry before you two got too serious.”

“I- she did?” Michael turned slightly to look at Arthur in disbelief. “She said she wanted to marry me?”

“She’s been in love with you for as long as I’ve known her.” Arthur reassured the pilot.

Michael scoffed at that, “Reagan doesn’t

love

anyone but you, Danse, and her parents. She and Rhys sleep together all the time. She and I haven’t... well, we did once, but that was a whle ago. It didn’t seem like the sort of thing she’s normally into.. Rhys said they always do all this… weird shit but she and I just sorta…” Michael’s rambling trailed off, a faraway look in his eyes.

“Who did she surprise with a newly modded laser rifle a few weeks ago?” Arthur pressed.

Michael blushed deeply. “I- she gets Danse things all the time.”

“She

buys

Danse things. For you, she takes time out of her day to perfect the modifications that she gifts you with. And while she may love Danse and myself, it’s more fraternal love for us. What she feels for you is different.”

Michael still had a look of disbelief on his face. “How do you know, sir? I… I just don’t want to ruin what she and I have.”

“I’m her best friend. She tells me everything. Do you care for her? Will you give her the family she wants?”

Michael was silent as he contemplated his words. “I love her, sir. I’d love to give her everything she wants.”

“Then ask her. I’m not telling you as your Elder. I’m simply encouraging you as somebody who has watched you  two for years.”

Michael looked to Arthur and made eye contact before nodding and looking ahead again. “I will. I should… get her something…”

Arthur contemplated Michael’s desire to give Reagan something. Pre-war tradition was to present the woman with a ring upon proposing. The Maxson line had continued that tradition, using the same ring since Roger Maxson.

Arthur was hit with two realizations at once. He reached into an inner pocket of his coat and pulled out a small velvet box. “Use this. It’s been in the Maxson family for over 200 years. I was going to give it to the future Lady Maxson, but I feel it would be in poor taste to present it to Colette since her relationship with my ancestors was not pleasant.”

Michael looked again, his eyes going wide. “Oh, sir. I couldn’t possibly…”

“I insist. Reagan has always been like family to me.”

“I can’t imagine her reaction.” Michael shook his head, “You know she’ll either kick my ass or yours for giving it to her.”

“If it does come to that, send her my way. I’d hate for you to celebrate your engagement in the medbay.” Both men chuckled.

“Sir, if I may ask, does this mean that you intend to marry General Arnold?” Michael inquired after a few minutes of silence.

“Not right away. She’s still looking for her son, and I want to give her time to bond with him when she finds him. I worry that too much change at once would traumatize him. Reagan told you of his father?” Arthur asked lowly.

“Yes, sir.”

“Then I’m sure you understand why it isn’t public knowledge.” While Shaun was Roger Maxson’s child, Arthur didn’t expect the boy to join the Brotherhood if he didn’t want to. Or any of his own children, for that matter. He would be disappointed, but he wouldn’t force his children into something they didn’t want.

Michael nodded. “We’re coming up on Sanctuary now.” He mentioned casually, shaking Arthur out of his thoughts. “I’ll set us down in front of the gates. The locals don’t like when we land within the walls.”

“Thank you, Lancer-Sergeant.” They were back to perfect professionalism now that they got the much needed conversation over with.

Michael set the Primair down gently, letting Arthur climb out as he shut down the engine so the Lancer-Sergeant could spend some time in Sanctuary as well.

Arthur waited by the vertibird for Michael to climb out. When he landed beside him, Arthur slipped the box into the pocket of Michael’s jacket. Michael looked up at Arthur in surprise. “I’m not saying do it now, but Reagan is here until they leave for the Glowing Sea.” Michael nodded, a nervous flush crawling up his freckled face. The sunset cast long shadows on the ground. The early June air was still a bit chilly compared to early summer in the Capital, and Arthur was thankful that his battle coat was still comfortable.

They made their way up the path towards Sanctuary’s gates. The whir of turrets atop the walls greeted them as a Minuteman popped his head out of the sniper’s tower to the left of the gates. “Somethin’ big must be goin’ on. Two birds full of Brotherhood and ‘avin’ both the General and Elder Maxson here?”

“Nothing too big, Daniels, Elder Maxson just wanted to tour Sanctuary.” Preston called as he opened the gate for them. “Can’t blame him for wanting to see the largest settlement that isn’t Diamond City.”

“True, true. We’re definitely better than the stiffs up in big ole D.C. anyways.” Daniels gave a pre-war salute to Arthur as he walked through the gates. “Enjoy your visit.”

“Thank you, Daniels.” Arthur returned the old salute. “How are things here, Colonel Garvey?”

“Excellent. MacCready and Duncan are settled in thanks to Paladin Danse. Reagan and the General got here with Nick about 30 minutes ago.” Arthur felt Michael tense up next to him at the mention of Reagan. “I’ll take you to them. They’re all at Mac’s new place.” Preston led them through the settlement. There were a few pre-war houses that had been repaired and patched up for habitation. On some foundations, buildings had been constructed using scrap wood and metal. There was one house that looked untouched except for a flagpole in the front yard with the Minutemen flag flying high above their heads. Across from that house, the chatter of warm conversation could be heard coming through an open window. “They’re in there. I’m helping in the community kitchen tonight, so I’ll come fetch you when dinner is served.”

“Thank you, Colonel Garvey.” Arthur saluted Preston before he ran further into the settlement. Arthur raised his fist and knocked on the door of the house that he could hear the familiar laughs of Reagan and Danse coming from.

A pattering of feet met his ears before the door swung open to reveal a wide eyed Duncan with Reagan right behind him. The boy took one look at him, before yelling “Daddy!” and diving between Reagan’s legs on his way to clamber into his father’s lap.

Reagan looked happier to see him. “Glad to see you finally made it, Artie!” She punched his arm with a wide smile on her face. “Come on in, Nick and Cole were telling us stories from before the war.”

Reagan pushed him in front of her so she could link arms with Michael as they settled into the living room. Colette was telling a story that had MacCready in stitches and Nick covering his face with his good hand. Arthur sat between Colette and Nick on the couch and draped his arm around her shoulders.

“So my first weekend home from college, he decides he’s going to make a lasagna completely from scratch. He had spent all day making the sauce, rolling the pasta out by hand, that kind of stuff. He layered it beautifully. Then this old man falls asleep on the couch! I get home to smoke pouring out of the oven and he’s trying to beat the fire out with a hand towel!” Everybody was howling with laughter. “I can count the number of times Nick Valentine was relieved to have the number to a pizza delivery place on one hand, and I think that was the number one time.” Tears were streaming down Colette’s face as she laughed.

“So did you live in Sanctuary?” Danse asked.

The room fell silent. Colette nodded once, “We did. The house across the street was ours. Nick and Jenny lived there before they took me in. Then after Nick died, I lived there with Shaun until the day the bombs dropped.”

The mood of the room dropped, nobody was sure what to say after that. Until Michael stood up. “I-” he cleared his throat. “I actually have an announcement.” Reagan had taken to perching on top of the kitchen counter, and the pilot turned to face her. “Well, it’s more of a question, actually.” Michael took Reagan’s hands in his. “You and I have known each other for twenty years. We’ve fought side by side, fought each other, and stood by each other when things got tough. You are my best friend, and the one person in my life I can’t stand the idea of losing. So what I’m asking is,” he took the velvet box out of his pocket. “Knight Reagan Fey Knight, will you marry me?” Michael got down on one knee and opened the box.

Everybody held their breath, waiting to hear her answer. Reagan looked at Michael, the box, Michael again, then the box again, then to Arthur. When Arthur nodded once, she looked at the box again, and Michael once more before whispering “yes,” so quietly that the rest of the room could barely hear it. Tears began streaming down her face as Michael took the ring out of the box and slipped it onto her finger.

“Well I’ll be damned. I haven’t seen a proposal like that in over two hundred years.” Nick chuckled as the rest of the room applauded.

After the room quieted down, MacCready knelt next to Colette with a sleeping Duncan in his arms. “Hey, Cole,” he whispered. “Think we can get a blanket for him? It’s a bit chillier up here than it is in the Capital Wasteland and I’d rather be safe than sorry.”

“Of course, Mac. I think we have some extras down the street in storage. Come with me and we’ll find one for Duncan.” Once Colette and MacCready were out of the house, Reagan came over and smacked Arthur’s arm.

“I can’t believe you did that, Artie. Why would you give Michael the ring when you were planning on asking Cole?”

Nick and Danse’s faces whipped around to stare at him. Danse’s eyes wide from the gesture of letting Michael use the ring, and Nick’s surprise from the revelation that he was planning to ask Colette to marry him. “I can’t give her that ring, Reagan. It was the one that Roger Maxson passed down. Whether he bought it for Cole or Mary originally, I don’t know. Either way, it would be in bad taste to give her the ring her former fiance bought 200 years ago.”

“Well now you don’t have a ring to give her. And considering she actually comes from the time when a ring was

expected

during a proposal, you need to figure something else out!” Reagan crossed her arms, waiting for an explanation.

“Reagan, I’m sure he has a plan. He always does.” Danse stepped in.

“Thank you, Alex. I do. I’ve got access to resources. I’ll have a new ring designed and made for her.” Arthur patted his friend on the shoulder. “It’ll give her time to bond with Shaun while it’s being made for her.”

“Actually, if you don’t mind, I have a better idea.” Nick interjected. “Follow me, Maxson.” The old synth stood and left the house. Arthur followed after him, hesitating when he realized they were heading for the house across the street. Nick heard him stop and turned around, his glowing eyes more eerie in the night. “Don’t worry. It was my house first. I’ve gotta show you something she doesn’t know about yet. The original Nick never showed her where the family safe was before he died. It’s got lots of family heirlooms and valuables in there.”

Arthur nodded and fell into step beside the synth. When they stepped into the house, he surveyed it. Broken furniture lay strewn about. Coffee cups littered the counters and a television with a shattered screen sat in the corner. Nick turned down a hallway past the bathroom and stopped at the two bedrooms at opposite sides of the hall. In the bedroom to the right, a large bed rested on a broken frame. Moth eaten blankets lay well made on the mattress, and picture frames that held photographs long faded with time lay on the dresser and bedside tables. Above the dresser, a large ornate frame hung, the picture inside more visible. A young Colette, maybe 16 or 17 sat in front of a man and a woman. The woman was in her forties, if Arthur could guess by the other pre-war pictures he had seen. She had dark hair and brown eyes. Her smile was kind and gentle, and she wore a floral dress. The man was in a gray suit. A black trilby hat rested on top of a mess of golden curls. Blue eyes surrounded by laugh lines that were emphasised by the million dollar smile on the man’s face. Colette drew his attention again, she was in a red dress that complimented her olive skin tone. Her long hair was braided off to the side and hung over her shoulder. The only word to describe her was

regal

.

Nick saw him staring at the picture and stepped through the room to trace the smile on the other woman’s face. “That’s our family before Jenny died. She was murdered not even six months later.” The synth closed his eyes, as if to ward off unwanted memories. “Cole and I were each other’s rocks after that.” Nick felt around the frame with his good hand, “If I remember correctly, the catch should be right… here!” The picture swung forward to reveal a safe. “Alright. You have a good memory? You might need this later. 17-36-5.” The mechanism clicked and the door to the safe opened. “Jenny and I tried to start a family of our own when we were your age. We found out later that she couldn’t conceive. We still bought all kinds of blankets and stuffed animals for the kid we wanted to have. We kept a few of them for memories’ sake. Then we took Cole in. I planned on giving them to her if she ever had her own kids, but then I got sick and it got pushed on the backburner.” The synth stood on his toes to rifle through the safe contents. “Here, this is Jenny’s ring. If you plan on asking Cole, this will mean much more to her than having one made. Roger would have made her a ring. There is no reason on God’s green earth I would ever let him think of touching Jenny’s ring.”

“Nick, I- I don’t know what to say.” Arthur was truly shocked. He was under the impression that the synth didn’t like him because of his ancestors’ actions. “Thank you, Nick. I will treasure this more than anything I’ve ever owned.”

They stepped out of the destroyed master bedroom after Nick had securely relocked the safe and replaced the family portrait. Nick was out first, then Arthur. Arthur paused for a moment when he was in the hall to look at the second bedroom. Children’s toys were strewn about. A mostly-intact crib with a broken mobile leaned in the corner against the wall. Arthur frowned at the reminder of all that Colette had lost. He couldn’t blame her for avoiding Sanctuary. Inspiration struck him for the second time that night. “Hey, Nick. I might need your help with something else.” Arthur called ahead as he followed the detective out of the house.

They had a lot of work to do.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Colette

After helping MacCready tuck Duncan in, Colette took her place back in the living room where everybody had returned. “Well, Michael just showed up my gift for Reagan.” She pushed the pilot’s shoulder jokingly as she passed him.

“Aww, were you going to ask me, too?” Reagan teased from the other side of Arthur as Colette settled back next to him.

“You’re not my type, doll.” Colette winked at her as she reached down and pulled her backpack off the ground. “I still want to give this to you before we head out.” Colette pulled out a highly polished wood plaque that held the remains of the rad scorpion stinger she had pulled out of Reagan’s arm. “I’ve seen you eyeballing my trophies in the conference room and thought you needed one of your own.”

“Holy shit, no way!” Reagan jumped up and snatched the trophy out of Colette’s hands. “Damn, Artie. I’d say she’s a winner.”

“Oh, I knew that a long time ago.” Arthur wrapped his arm around Colette’s waist and she leaned into him.

“Did you?” Colette asked him.

“I knew you were incredible when I first visited the Castle.”

Reagan coughed and shot Danse a smirk that didn’t go unnoticed. “After Danse and Mac cleared out Fort Strong, he told me all about you. I haven’t seen him that smitten with somebody since Sarah Lyons taught him how to kill a man by stabbing him in the kidneys.”

Arthur blushed as Colette giggled. “Well, I know it’s getting late. Reagan and I need to spend tomorrow preparing for the Glowing Sea.” She stood and stretched, before looking to Reagan. “Sanctuary, Castle, or Prydwen tonight?”

“Prydwen, of course.” Reagan jumped up from her place on the couch and pulled Michael with her out of the house.

Arthur stood and stretched as well, putting his hand on Colette’s lower back. “I’m thankful we have a sound proof room tonight. I feel sorry for Kells.”

Danse chuckled heartily. “I think everyone is thankful for your soundproof room, sir.”

Colette snorted as she burst out laughing while Arthur’s ears went bright red. “Alright, let’s get home so we can

not

listen to them celebrate.”

“Be good, you two!” Nick called out after them.

“Yeah!” MacCready added. “No babies!”

Colette and Reagan trudged through the Glowing Sea in their Power Armor, taking a route to avoid the Children of Atom. Reagan was leading the way, while Colette watched her back with a laser rifle out and ready.

“So,” Colette began over the comms. “What was Arthur like as a child?”

“Well,” Reagan kicked a fallen tree out of their way. “He was a bit of a runt. His mother sent him out to the Capital Wasteland when he was ten to toughen him up. He was raised by the Lyons after that. He had a crush on Elder Lyon’s daughter for the longest time. When he wasn’t with the Lyons, he was with my family. My dad loved him like the son he never had. Taught us both how to fly.”

“Your dad is a Lancer? Is he up here with the rest of you guys?” Colette was intrigued at how Reagan’s family would take her engagement to Michael, since hearing in the rumor mill that she was on the list of potential brides for Arthur.

“He’s a Lancer-Captain. The same rank as Kells. He’s back in the CW holding the fort down with Sentinel Malone and Star Paladin Cross.” Reagan held her hand to help pull Colette up to a ledge. “Anywho, where was I? Oh, so he taught us both how to fly. I can fly better than Artie, but he’s better at landing. I just crash land.”

Colette snorted out a laugh. “That’s not all that surprising.”

“Haha, you’re hilarious. Other than that, he was a pretty quiet kid. He did a lot of writing. He’s always been really creative, which I’m kind of jealous of. He had this file on his personal terminal back home full of old poetry and stories he’s written over the years.”

“Hmm. Interesting.” Colette fell silent for awhile, wondering what Shaun had grown up to be like so far.

They had made another quarter of a mile before Reagan asked, “Do you mind if I ask some questions about before the War? All I really know is what is in the archives and that’s mostly technology related.”

“Sure, go ahead.” Colette hoped that she wouldn’t ask about the Maxsons.

“If you don’t feel comfortable with a question, just tell me.” Reagan shot at a lone feral that was ambling along their path. “Fuck, now that I know I can ask, I don’t even know where to start.” It was another few minutes before she thought of her first question. “You and Nick talk about food a lot. What food do you miss the most?”

“Oh goodness. That’s a good one. I miss pasta. The original Nick was Italian and did everything old school. Home made sauce from tomatoes he grew in the garden. He hated shortcuts in the kitchen. I also miss ice cream terribly. I ate so much ice cream when I was pregnant with Shaun.”

“What’s ice cream?”

“It’s a frozen dessert made with milk. There were so many flavors, but my favorite was mint chocolate chip.”

“Hmmm. Maybe we can figure out how to make it again.” More silence, before “We spend so much of our lives training and fighting and trying to just survive as a species. Did you have more free time? What did you do with it?”

“I had a little more free time before I got pregnant, but I was on call a lot of the time if I had a patient that was due to deliver soon. I did a lot of reading. And I loved baseball. I went to as many games as I could.”

“I see.” Reagan was quiet. Colette could feel the hesitation over the comms. “From what I understand, Roger and his parents did something bad to you and Nick. Can you tell me what it was? I understand if you don’t want to.”

“It’s okay. Nick was a detective before the war as well. His biggest case was Eddie Winter, a crime boss that did everything from drug trafficking to pimping. He had almost all of the evidence he needed to lock Eddie up for good. So Eddie had Jenny Valentine murdered. Roger Maxson Sr. was Eddie’s lawyer in the case. Eddie got away with the murder, and disappeared after that. The Maxsons has no remorse for helping him. Nick and Jenny had gone to church with the Maxsons for years. Our families were good friends before the case. After the trial Martha had the nerve to tell Nick he should have kept his nose where it belonged and maybe Jenny would still be alive.”

“Christ. That needs to be updated in the archives. There isn’t much on Roger’s parents other than that they were important in Boston.”

“They weren’t important so much as they were old money and he was a really well sought after criminal defense lawyer. Nick was technically more important. If you knew Roger Maxson Sr., you were either a criminal or old money as well. They kept to themselves as often as they could. They were like reclusive peacocks, flaunting their wealth and rubbing it in people’s faces.”

“That kind of behavior disgusts me. If you have more than what you need, why not use it to help others? That’s what we try to do now with the Brotherhood.” Reagan paused, holding her hand up. “Hold on, we’re coming up on the cave. There was a nasty deathclaw here last time. Stay on your guard.”

“Gotcha.”

The women slowly made their way to the cave entrance, ducking their heads to get in. Reagan pulled her helmet off when she entered the cave and Colette followed suit. “Dr. Virgil? It’s Reagan. I’m back with General Arnold. We’ve got the data from the Courser chip.”

“Do you, now?” the growling voice beckoned them forward. “I didn’t think you’d make it past the thing. Come on in, I have the schematics for you.”

Colette walked in and extended her hand. “Dr. Virgil. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Dr. Colette Arnold, General of the Minutemen.”

The Super Mutant looked at her hand in shock, before extending his own and shaking with her. “So you’re the one that took out Kellogg. I owe you one for that. If you bring back my serum, I’ll owe you two.”

“Let’s call it one for right now. If I bring the serum back after I find my son and it works, I’d like you invite you to one of my settlements to continue your research.”

“As long as the Institute is interested in finding me, I’m afraid I cannot do that.”

“I’ll leave the offer on the table in case you change your mind. For now, we need to get into the Institute.”

“Right.” Dr. Virgil turned to his desk and picked up a roll of papers. “These are the best that I can come up with. It’s a signal interceptor. What it will do is capture the signal for a Courser when it tries to relay into the Institute and grab you instead.  It’s rough, my division was BioScience, but it should work.”

“That’s all we need it to do. Doesn’t have to be pretty.” Reagan supplied.

“Think about my offer, Dr. Virgil. The Commonwealth needs more doctors.” Colette put her helmet on and followed Reagan out of the cave.
 
The Primair landed and Reagan and Colette hopped out, Sturges behind them. They had tracked him down and picked him up so they could gather his input on the signal interceptor. “I’ll be right back, I’m going to go grab Elder Maxson and Proctor Ingram.” Michael called out over the roar of the engines.

“Thank you, Michael!” Colette called out as the Primair took off towards the Prydwen. Colette, Reagan, and Sturges split up, Reagan and Colette to the armory to park their armor, and Sturges to go find Preston to get him to the conference room.

“You think he’s going to let me go?” Colette asked as she shook her hair out.

“Excuse me?” Reagan asked as she followed Colette to the conference room.

“Arthur. How much of a stink is he going to raise about me going into the Institute when this thing is built?”

“He’s going to want to test it. But he also will know that we’ll lose any element of surprise with testing if it works. And he won’t be able to deny that you’re the best option to send in there. You just want to find your son. You aren’t fully hostile towards them. Yet.”

“So he won’t try to stop me?”

“He won’t like it. He may ask you if there is anybody else you trust to do this. Not because he thinks you can’t, but only so he doesn’t risk losing you more than he already does. He’s lost almost everybody he’s ever cared about, save for myself and Danse. He’s fiercely protective of anybody he lets in, for good reason.”

“I wouldn't go in if it wasn’t my only chance to get Shaun back.” Colette pushed the conference room door open. Preston and Sturges were already sitting at the table. Colette took her seat at the head of the table and placed the schematics in front of her.

They only had to wait a handful of minutes before Arthur and Proctor Ingram joined them. Arthur sat in the chair to Colette’s immediate left, while Ingram went to stand behind Arthur and Sturges. Reagan sat on the other side of the table next to Preston while Preston was in the seat to Colette’s immediate right.

“So?  What did you learn? What’s the next step?” Preston asked.

Colette nodded towards the schematics still rolled up on the table. “Those are the schematics for what we need to build to get into the Institute. The frequency listed that we’ll be hijacking happens to be the Classical music station. No surprise there.”

“May I?” Proctor Ingram asked. Colette nodded her permission and the Proctor reached to unroll the schematics. Diagrams and measurements that made no sense littered the paper. Scribbles detailing what materials each part needed filled every imaginable space.

“If we need to go on scrap runs, I can take Danse and Reagan with me. My question is, where can we build this thing?” Colette leaned on her crossed arms.

“There is plenty of room at the airport.” Ingram pointed out.

“Looks like we can fit this thing onto one of the empty foundations at Sanctuary.” Sturges countered.

“If we put it in Sanctuary, it also keeps it away from both the Castle and the Prydwen. I don’t like the idea that we have a door to the Institute in our backyard.” Preston pointed out.

“I agree with Colonel Garvey. While I would like to oversee the building of the parts myself, having the completed thing so close to both bases of operation is not something I’m overly fond of. I can assign extra Knights to guard Sanctuary until we’ve used the teleporter and until we can safely deactivate it after we’re done with it.” Arthur leaned back and crossed his arms. “Which brings me to my next question. Who is going into the Institute once this is finished?”

“I am.” Colette answered immediately.

“No. There has to be somebody else.” Arthur shook his head and braced his hands palm down on the table and shot Colette a piercing look.

“I’m

not

sending somebody else in to get my baby. I know you think somebody more equipped to fight should go in, but I’m less of a threat. They’ll be less likely to attack on sight if I go in rather than one of your Knights.”

“And what if they attack you anyway? What then, Colette?”

“Then I figure it out. The only reason I’ve gotten this far is so I can get my son back, Arthur. Don’t take this from me.” Colette pleaded.

The tension in the room could be cut with a knife. Ingram coughed awkwardly at seeing the lines between commanding officers and lovers blur. Sturges studied the schematics closely while Preston and Reagan watched their friends and commanders stare each other down.

“Fine.” Arthur sighed.

“Thank you, Arthur.” Colette resisted the urge to reach over and squeeze his hand. That would have been too much.

“Proctor Ingram, I’d like you to collaborate with Sturges and see what materials we have and what we need to send teams out for.” Arthur ordered. “Knight, I want you to get your armor fixed up from the Glowing Sea and update Paladin Danse. Let him know that he’ll be heading out soon with you and the General on a scavving run.”

“Preston, I want you to head to Sanctuary and start preparing the settlers for the extra security. If there aren’t enough beds right now, make arrangements to get beds ready by tomorrow night at the absolute latest. Make sure one of the foundations towards the back is cleared for the teleporter. And Sturges, see if we can find anything to make use of in Vault 111.” Colette directed.

Salutes were held and “Ad Victorium"s were shouted as their soldiers went to carry out their orders, leaving Arthur and Colette alone in the room.

“I wouldn’t let you go in there if it wasn’t for the fact that you’d never forgive me if I stopped you.” Arthur whispered.

“I know, but I have to be the one to get him. I have to bring him back. You won’t understand until you’re a parent.”

Arthur said nothing, but reached across the table and took Colette’s hands in his to silently let her know that he supported her.

Even if it killed him inside.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Colette
 
“Hey, Cole, you said that Eddie Winter was the guy that killed Jenny Valentine, right?” Reagan’s voice crackled over Colette’s radio as she oversaw construction on the relay.

“Yeah, that’s right. What’s up?” Colette radioed back.

“Danse and I are out on another scav run. Found a holotape with his name on it. I’ll bring it back for you and Nick.” Reagan told her. “We probably need to do another couple of runs after this.”

Colette’s stomach felt like lead. She and Nick had been looking for the last tape so they could track down Eddie Winter and finally get justice. Nick had learned that Eddie had turned himself into a ghoul before the war started and hid himself in a bunker. They had spent months tracking down Eddie’s holotapes in between chasing leads on Shaun and the Institute. Then the Brotherhood rolled in and finding Eddie had fallen to the back burner. “Thank you, Reagan. I’ll let Nick know. If that tape is what I think it is, this is going to be big.”

“Awesome. Michael is picking us up now.” The whir of the Primair could be heard over the speaker. “We should be there in less than thirty.”

“Thanks, again, Reagan. See you soon.”

“Later.”

“Nick!” Colette called as she headed towards MacCready’s house. Nick had been spending a lot of time with Mac and Duncan, the old Synth doting over the toddler even as little hands grabbed at his exposed wires.

“What is it?” Nick stepped out of the house with Duncan in his arms, the boy napping on his shoulder. “MacCready went down the street for his turn to work the crops, so I can’t go anywhere just yet.”

“Reagan and Danse found the last Winter holotape.”

Nick’s grip on Duncan tightened just slightly, and the child whined in his sleep in protest. “The last one, huh?” He asked as he loosened his hold. “So then we have some unfinished business to take care of.”

“Yeah. They’ll be here in about thirty minutes. Danse can take over Duncan duty while Mac finishes up. Then we can head out.”

“While we’re out, are we going to take care of that other business you started while we were out together last?” Nick called after her as she started to head to the Red Rocket that she was staying at.

Colette turned around, eyes wide. “Yeah, we should probably do that too. We might be out for a bit, so I’ll get Arthur down here to watch over the relay.”

“Good call.”

Colette turned her Pip Boy to Arthur’s personal frequency and started the transmission. “Arthur, Nick and I need to go out and take care of some business. We might be gone a few days. Do you want to head out this way to keep an eye on the project while we’re out?”

“Of course. Is everything okay?” Arthur asked, nothing but concern in his voice. The emotion must have been strong in hers. Colette was shaking in anticipation of finally getting justice.

“Reagan and Danse found the last thing that Nick and I need to track down Eddie Winter.”

“Eddie Winter?”

“He killed Jenny before the war. Went into hiding just before the bombs dropped. Turned himself into a ghoul. With what Reagan and Danse found, we can finally pinpoint where he’s been hiding for 200 years and end his miserable existence.”

“I’m glad you two will finally get justice. Give me some time to finish up some paperwork before I leave. Don’t head out until I get there.”

“Okay. Nick is going to need some time to decode everything now that we have all of the pieces. I’m packing our stuff now so we’re ready to go once he finishes.”

“Do you want a vertibird to take you?”

“No, that will be fine. I think Nick wants to have some words with Eddie before we take him out. Wanna give him the time to think it out and process what he wants to say.”

“Okay. I’ll see you soon.”

“See you soon.” Colette repeated, and ended the transmission.

Colette packed her bag. She wasn’t sure what Deacon had in store for her and Nick, so she prepared for the worst. Stimpacks, extra Rad-X and Radaway, extra ammo for both her and Nick’s guns, food rations, extra clothes. As she stuffed another pair of socks into her bag, she heard the Primair pass above on its way to Sanctuary. She strapped on her guns, shouldered her bag, and trudged back up the hill to meet Reagan and Danse.

They were all gathered in the living room of MacCready’s house. Danse was out of his power armor and had taken the still napping Duncan from Nick. The toddler was snuggled even closer to the paladin and had started sucking his thumb in his sleep. Reagan was looking at the boy with a longing look in her eyes while she sat on the couch with Michael next to her. Nick was in the kitchen, murmuring to himself and scribbling on a piece of paper.

“So, has there been any wedding planning going on yet?” Colette sat in an armchair across from the couch.

“We told our families that we’re engaged. My parents are flying up so they can help with planning. Just FYI, they’re gonna want to meet you.” Reagan grinned at her.

“Me? Why?” Colette asked.

“I told them I was friends with you. Haven’t told them about you and Artie yet. I’ll let him drop that bomb. They see him as their kid too, so you’ll have to meet them eventually.”

“Ah. Should we tell them about….?” Colette trailed off as Arthur entered with MacCready.

“I’ll leave that up to you two.” Reagan told her as Arthur joined them and MacCready ducked into the back rooms to get cleaned up and changed.

“Leave what up to us?” Arthur asked.

“What we tell Reagan’s parents about me. They apparently want to meet me.”

“They’re coming up to help with wedding planning.” Reagan told him. “They know I’m friends with the General of the Minutemen. Just not that you’re involved with her. Or anything about Roger. I was saying I’ll leave those details to you guys.”

“I’d be surprised if they didn’t know already that we’re involved. Kells sends weekly reports to the other Elders and they gossip like old women.” Arthur took one of Colette’s hands in his. “We shouldn’t let the knowledge of Roger spread too much. The other Elders would shit themselves trying to get out here to meet somebody who’s met Roger Maxson. If they knew she had his child? I don’t even want to think about how they would try to treat Shaun.”

“I’VE GOT IT!” Nick shouted from the kitchen, startling all of them. He looked up from his work to see them all staring at them. Duncan has woken up and was fussing in Danse’s arms as the Paladin rubbed his back and tried to soothe him.

“You figured out the code?” Colette asked while standing.

“Yes. We can finally end this.” Nick folded the paper and placed it in an interior pocket of his trench coat. “Are you ready?”

“Yes. Let’s go kill us a crime boss.” Colette grabbed her bag from next to the chair, kissed Arthur on the cheek as he told her to be careful, and left the house with Nick.

“He’s on the other side of that door. Why don’t you do the honors?” Nick suggested as he passed the paper with the code written on it to Colette.

“Are you sure?” Colette asked.

“Positive.” Nick urged.

“Alright.” Colette took a deep breath to steady herself. She punched in the code and tensed until the door beeped and swung open to reveal a bunker.

“What the hell?” Came a raspy voice from inside. Something Colette never thought she’d see, an overweight ghoul, came rushing to the door. “Who the fuck are you?” The houl demanded.

“Who the fuck am I? I’m the General of the God Damn Minutemen. I’m the best fucking doctor in the Commonwealth.  I’m the mother fucking vault dweller that spent the last two centuries on ice so I could come back and kick your cowardly ass back to 2072. I’m Nick and Jenny Valentine’s daughter. For today’s purposes, you can just call me the judge, jury, and executioner.”

The ghoul cackled. “That’s fuckin’ rich. I’m not sure how you expect to do that, sweetheart. It’s been 200 years, but I’m still Eddie Winter, and I ain’t gonna get whacked by a little girl. And you expect me to believe that that you’re not only Valentine’s kid, but you’re here in this hellscape of a future and you’re some sort of badass because you’ve made it this far? Let me make one thing clear, sweetheart, you ain’t killing me today. You’re going to back away slowly before I show you exactly what I did to Jenny Valentine.”

In the next few heartbeats, Colette was pushed aside as she saw Eddie begin to draw his gun. She heard an enraged sound unlike anything she’d ever heard before from Nick as he emptied his revolver into Eddie Winter. When Nick stopped to reload, Eddie fell to his knees and a sickening crack was heard as he caught all of his weight on his wrists. Colette took her opportunity to pull her machete and run it through the ghoul. “That’s for my mom,

sweetheart

.” She hissed in his ear as the light left his bloodshot eyes. Colette pulled her machete out of him and Eddie Winter fell to the ground, finally dead.

Colette was pulled into Nick’s arms immediately, the Synth shaking from emotion. “200 years. 200 years I’ve waited for justice. And it’s all over in just two minutes.” He was clinging to her for dear life.

Cole soothed Nick, feeling a sense of peace settle over her now that Eddie was dead.

“For almost a century, I agonized over the fact that I felt like the line between the original Nick and myself was so blurry. But now, after avenging his wife and being able to help his daughter, I don’t mind it so much. I know I’m not your father, but I hope that me being who I am helps you like it’s helped me.” The old Synth murmured.

“There you two are! I was wondering when you’d show up!” Deacon was waiting for them on the destroyed highway in Lexington. “Like the duds? It’s Wastelander camo!” Deacon shot them a cheeky grin that was only met with raised eyebrows. “Damn, tough crowd. Anyway, about the job. We’ve only been using the church recently. Before that, we were underneath a Slocum’s Joe until the Institute found us.”

“That’s an eviction if I’ve ever heard one.” Nick scratched at his head with his metal hand.

“Anyway, those who were at HQ at the time didn’t have much option but to leave some things behind. We’re going back to get one of the more valuable things recovered.”

“And that would be?” Colette asked.

“A prototype that Dr. Carrington was working on.”

“So what’s the next step from here?” Colette asked.

“We’re meeting a tourist a bit farther up the road. I’m gonna let you take the lead. No matter what they say, just say ‘mine is in the shop.’”

“‘Mine is in the shop.’ Got it.” Colette led the way up the broken freeway, taking note of a circle of lines around an arrow pointing in the direction they were headed.

“Ah. The tourist left us some Railsigns. Those are symbols we use to leave messages for each other. Means we’re going in the right direction.”

They followed the Railsigns further, dispatching some feral ghouls along the way. They finally came upon an agitated man. Nick hung back out of sight while Deacon and Colette approached the tourist.

“Oh thank God. Do you have a geiger counter? Do you have a goddamned geiger counter?” The man asked.

The man’s evident anger didn’t sway Colette as she responded, “Mine is in the shop.”

“Who the hell is he?” The man demanded, indicating Deacon. “HQ said they were sending one agent, not two.”

Deacon saved the situation before Colette could respond. “I’m new. She’s just showing me the ropes.” The level smoothness of his voice as he painted the scenario for the tourist was unsettling.

“All right. Well, The Wall is my witness, I thought I was dead. It’s about goddamn time you headquarters bastards showed up.”

“It’s all right now, you’re safe now.” Colette tried to reassure him.

“Safe? You must be out of your damn mind. That Slocum’s Joe you all got down there is crawling with chrome dome synths. They’ve got the place fortified front and back and every surface that isn’t patrolled by synths is covered in landmines.”

“We will handle everything from here. You’ve done good work.”

“If you need anything else from me, decide quickly.”

“I’m going to talk to my trainee and let you know.” Colette directed Deacon farther away so they were out of his earshot.

“So what do you think? Do you think he’s lying?” Deacon asked her.

“He has no reason to lie. He’s too angry and agitated to lie effectively.”

“Good. I think so too. Rule número uno of this business: go with your gut.” Deacon paused for effect before continuing, “So we can either do a frontal assault, or sneak in the back. Do you have a preference?”

“Let’s go in through the back. We can whittle down their numbers better that way.”

“Sounds good to me. We can get in through the old sewers. Let’s go.” Deacon took off while Colette and Nick followed close behind.

The entrance to the sewers was about a quarter of a mile and the opening in the drain pipe was hidden by overgrown vines that hung over the mouth like a curtain. The three worked silently as they climbed in. Deacon and Nick took out synths as silently as possible, leaving Colette do deal with any that got close with her machete. They picked their way through the tunnels, dispatching the synths as they went.

“At least they’re polite enough to say ‘hello’ before they start shooting.” Colette grumbled as she pulled her machete out of the chest piece of a Gen-1 synth. Nick chuckled as Deacon continued on without a sound.

“Here’s the door to the old HQ.” Deacon opened the door quickly, letting it hit the wall with a

bang

. The synths inside reacted immediately, and began firing on them.

“Son of a bitch!” Colette swore as she pulled out her gun and started shooting back. “A little more warning, next time?”

“Where’s the fun in that?” Deacon called out as he shot a synth in the head.

“Not dying is definitely considered fun by my standards.” Nick retorted.

They cleared the room quickly, doing a sweep after to pick up anything valuable. They retook the old HQ one room at a time, until they got to an old vault.

“Give me a second to get in.” Deacon stepped up to a terminal next to the vault door. After a few minutes of inconsistent tapping at the terminal, Deacon proudly exclaimed “Open says me!” as the door to the vault creaked open. Colette and Nick followed Deacon into the vault, waiting in the doorway as Deacon flitted between shelves. Deacon’s last stop was the body of the young man in the center of the floor.  “Damn, Tommy Whispers. Here, take this. It’s his old hand cannon. He can’t use it anymore and he would want it to be put to good use. Can’t do much better than the new General.”

“I don’t think I can accept this. Don’t you think a more veteran agent would want it?”

“All of the agents have their own personal arsenals. And we don’t do sentimental things very often. Emotional attachments can be dangerous.” Deacon pushed the gun into her hands and brushed past her on his way out. “Let’s clear up the coffee shop above before we head back to HQ.”

“The General here took out hundreds of Gen 1 and 2’s with just a letter opener and a Molotov cocktail! It was the greatest thing I’ve ever seen!” Deacon was spinning a wild variation of the tale to Desdemona. Nick and Colette looked at each other.

“Well, true or not, that’s quite the tale.” Desdemona crossed her arms.

“Well, unfortunately, it’s just that. A tale. I have a machete that I’m fond of using, but hundreds is a bit high of a number to strive for.”

“Well, I appreciate the honesty. And, because of your part in helping us get this valuable prototype back, I’d like to invite you to join us officially in our fight against the Institute.” Desdemona offered her hand.

“While I do like the Railroad’s mission, I’m afraid I cannot join you as an agent. I’ve got a lot on my plate with running the Minutemen. However, I would like to work with you, as General of the Minutemen. We can provide safe places for your agents and synths being moved. I’ve been working on a device to get into the Institute, and I’m willing to provide assistance from the inside if possible once I get in.”

“That is.. Agreeable. I will send Deacon with the necessary information. You operate out of the Castle, correct?”

“Yes, normally. However, I’m going to be working out of Sanctuary until it’s time to go into the Institute.”

“I see.” Desdemona nodded. “I wish you luck, General. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need anything.”

Arthur was waiting outside the front gates of Sanctuary when Michael landed the Primair. He looked excited, like a kid that was ready to open his presents on Christmas.

“What has you in such a good mood?” Colette asked him as he helped her down from the vertibird.

“I have a surprise for you. Here.” He handed her a strip of cloth. “Use it to cover your eyes. No peeking.”

“If this is your way of telling me you’re into BDSM, we might need to have a talk.” Colette chuckled as she tied the blindfold around her eyes.

“Into what?” Arthur asked as he started to steer her while she took tentative steps.

“That answers that question. I’ll explain later.” Colette nearly fell as she tripped over a crack in the street.

“I see.” Arthur hummed. “Watch your step. Sidewalk coming up ahead.”

“Thanks,” Colette stepped up and managed not to fall out her face.

“Okay. Just a few more steps.” Arthur gripped her arms tightly to signal her to stop. “Are you ready?”

“I suppose so?”

“Okay, take off the blindfold.”

Colette did as instructed and gasped when the cloth fell from her eyes. She was in her old house. The walls had been patched up and repainted. The destroyed furniture had been replaced and every surface scrubbed clean. When the initial shock wore off, she ran down the hall to the bedrooms. Ignoring the master bedroom for now, she turned left to look into Shaun’s bedroom. The crib had been taken out, and replaced with a twin sized bed. A small shelf had been put in the room, and a collection of books and toys had been placed on the shelves. A battered teddy bear sat on the bed.

“Arthur, did you do this?” Colette could feel the sting of tears welling up.

“I did. Do you like it?” He sounded unsure now.

“Like it? I love it.” Colette turned and pulled him down for a kiss. Arthur made a small sound of surprise before responding with enthusiasm. “And I love you.” Colette whispered when she pulled back. “Where did you get some of these things?”

“I’ve had teams collecting materials. Some of the toys were found. Others were ones that Nick had hidden away that he never told you about. The bear was mine when I was young. You had mentioned wanting to fix the house up before you brought Shaun home. With the relay so close to being done, I wanted to do this for you so you didn’t have to worry about it.” Arthur kissed her tenderly, before stiffening, as if realizing something. “Wait, you said you love me?”

“I did.” Colette took his face in between her hands and looked him in the eyes. “I love you, Arthur Maxson.”

“And I love you, Colette Arnold.” Arthur kissed her again, before she was pushing him into the master bedroom to break in the new bed.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Arthur
 
Waking up to a sunrise and without the humming of the Prydwen was strange for Arthur after sleeping on the warship for the last six months. He wasn’t expected back on the Prydwen until tomorrow, so he was content to lay in bed with Colette and sleep in a little bit since he had the chance.

Colette had another idea.

He knew when she started to wake up. She took a deep breath that turned into a small yawn as she stretched. Her body arched against his arm that was draped around her waist, and he felt his cock stir in response to her backside brushing it. Despite having a queen sized bed in her newly fixed up bedroom instead of the twin size in his quarters, they had slept through the night spooned together.

Arthur decided to pretend to be asleep, wanting to see what Colette did being the first one to wake up for once. It didn’t take him long to find out. He felt Colette turn around in his arms and snuggle close to him. He could feel heat radiating from her core that was pressed up against his thigh. Colette started kissing and nipping at his neck, drawing out a small groan when she found a sensitive spot just above his collarbone.

She pushed against his shoulder to roll him onto his back. When she straddled his hips, he resisted the urge to buck up into her searing wet heat.

Colette kissed her way down his body, using her tongue to trace his muscles. Arthur shivered when she dragged her tongue down from his navel to the right side of his hip. He finally opened his eyes and looked at her when she started nipping and sucking at his hip.

“Good morning.” Colette whispered before kissing her way across his hips to the other side to give him even attention.

Arthur moaned softly. “Yes it is.”

“I was wondering how long I would have to tease you before you woke up.” Colette gave him a devilish smile before moving lower, dragging her teeth and tongue along his inner thigh.

Arthur fisted his hands in the sheets as Colette worked her way back up his thighs. He cried out when she bit down near where his leg met his hips, no doubt leaving a mark. Colette looked up in concern, unaware of how her breath fanning across his skin was sending tingles through his body. “Don’t stop,” he pleaded.

Colette hummed and continued her sweet torture on his skin. One of her hands had wandered up and was tracing patterns on his abdominals with her nails as she nibbled on his other thigh. When she finally reached his cock again, instead of moving to his shaft with her tongue, she took one of his balls in her mouth and gently sucked on it. “Oh, fuuuuck.” He threw his head back and moaned. He felt a drop of precum running down his length. Arthur was thankful that the first time Colette had gone down on him hadn’t been this intense. He would have climaxed even more embarrassingly sooner than he had.

“I love seeing you lose control like this.” Colette whispered darkly as she readjusted her body. Arthur forced himself to lift his head to watch her. She looked like a predator about to feast, eyes dark and body poised to strike. The hands that had killed deathclaws and a Courser were making him melt as one wrapped around his shaft and the other massaged his balls as Colette lowered her head. She licked a stripe up his length and his head fell back onto the pillows with a gasp. When her tongue swirled around the head, she moaned and he felt himself twitch in her grip. Her lips lowered around him, tightening as her tongue worked to stimulate him further. Arthur managed to lift his head again to watch Colette as she pleasured him. Her hair was curtained around her face, and he couldn’t see anything. Arthur reached down and pulled the dark locks into his hands. Green eyes looked up to him and maintained contact as Colette took him as deep as she could and swallowed around him.

Arthur’s eyes rolled back, and he felt his orgasm building deep in his gut. He wanted to tell Colette to stop, so he could pleasure her first before finding his own end, but he couldn’t form the words. Instead, he tightened his fingers in her hair until she pulled off of him. Not waiting for her to ask what was wrong, he sat up and used his grip on her to pull her closer.

Once her body was more aligned with his, he maneuvered them so she was laying beneath him as he kissed her deeply. The musky taste on her tongue could only be his own, and he didn’t mind it as much as he thought he would. Supporting himself on one arm, his other hand traced a path down Colette’s body. He ran his fingers through her folds and he groaned when he found her soaked. “Did you wake up wet and ready for me? Is that why I woke up with you on top of me?” Arthur growled in her ear as he nipped at it. They had discovered the night before that they both enjoyed when he talked dirty to her.

“I can’t help it when I wake up next to you. I can’t get enough.” Colette admitted in a breathless whisper as Arthur pressed his fingers into her. She spread her legs farther to accommodate him. “Please, Arthur, I need you.”

Arthur pulled his fingers out of Colette’s core and leaned back to watch her face as he licked her juices off. He groaned at the tangy flavor and the sight of Colette squirming towards him to try to encourage him to take her.

Arthur finished cleaning his fingers and adjusted Colette’s body. He placed her legs so her ankles were resting on his shoulders. As he lined himself up with her entrance, he was almost bending her body in half. As he sank into her, Arthur shuddered. He took a few slow thrusts to find his rhythm, and once he found it, he picked up the pace. He must have hit a sensitive spot inside of Colette, because she gasped, “Yes! Arthur, right there!” He repeated his motions, making sure he was hitting the right spot. Her high pitched moans told him he was, so he began pounding into her. Her moans became screams as she fluttered around him. He licked his thumb before reaching down and rubbing her clit with it.

“Come for me, Cole.” He ordered her. Almost instantly, Colette tightened in a vice grip around him, bringing about his own end just a heartbeat after hers. He dropped her legs and pulled her close before he pushed in for one final thrust and emptied deep inside her.

Arthur kissed Colette as they came down from their highs. Their bodies stuck together from the drying sweat as he adjusted them again so that Colette was laying on his chest. His last thought as they drifted off for another hour of sleep before they had to get up was of filling the house with the sound of lots of tiny feet.

Arthur had been back on the Prydwen for two days. Kells ran the ship just fine without him, but there were certain things only the Elder could take care of, and he had spent the last two days catching up. He almost sighed in relief when the radio came to life. He dropped his pen and turned up the volume so he could hear better.

“Hey, Artie, Ma and Pops are about an hour and a half out. They’re gonna dock at the Prydwen. I’m still in Sanctuary. Alex and I just finished our last run. Do you want us to come to you?” Reagan’s voice crackled into the room.

“No, Reagan, that will be fine. I’ll let them unpack and freshen up, then I’ll have Michael bring us by on the Primair so they can see the work we’ve been doing on the signal interceptor.”

“Are you going to tell them about you and Cole?”

“When your mother sees the ring on your finger, she’s going to have questions. I’m going to have to tell them sooner or later. Might as well do it sooner that way they can get used to her before I announce my plans to the rest of the Brotherhood. Your mother would have my head if she found out by the official announcement.”

“You

are

the son they never had. You not telling them first would be like me not telling them that I was getting married.”

“You’re right.” Arthur sighed.

“I know.”

“I just need to explain that she’s Pre-War. And already has a son. And why you have my family’s ring. And that her father’s memories are in a Synth that hangs around us on a regular basis. It’ll be a simple conversation over dinner.” Emmett had wandered in and chose that moment to leap into Arthur’s lap. He absently stroked the tabby’s fur as he made himself comfortable.

“One step at a time, Artie. Let them meet her first. You don’t even have to introduce her as your girlfriend. Or future wife. Or almost great great grandmother. Just introduce her as the General. They already know that I’m friends with her, so her joining us for dinner tonight won’t be that weird.”

“You know they’ll be able to see that there’s something going on with us. I can’t not tell them.”

“Then tell them on the Primair. Tell them you found somebody. Tell them why you love her. Then when after you introduce Cole, tell them she was the one you were telling them about.”

“I can do this. I’m Elder of the East Coast Brotherhood of Steel. I’m just telling your parents that I met the woman I want to marry.”

“If it makes you feel better, they’ll be glad I’m not that girl. I know I was on the top of that list, but we all know neither of us would have really been happy with it.”

“That does help a little bit. Alex would have been a better spouse for me. No offense.”

“None taken, I actually agree with you there. I’m gonna let you go. There was a leak in my boot and I’ve got bloatfly gunk in my sock.”

“I’ll radio when we’re on our way. See you later tonight.”

“See ya.” Reagan ended the transmission.

Arthur looked down to see Emmett curled up and napping contentedly in his lap. “I’m glad you’re comfortable.” The cat opened his golden eyes to look at him and meowed, as if telling him to keep quiet. “Fine, go back to sleep while I work on this paperwork.”  Emmett meowed again before curling back up and closing his eyes.

He had plans for Liberty Prime laid across his desk: lists of needed parts, the names of Scribes who were authorized to work on the project, a list of Knights who were discreet enough to go on special parts runs without asking too many questions, possible sites where they could find Nukes to arm the giant robot with. With the Signal Interceptor being so close to being done, Arthur was ready to get Liberty Prime done as soon as possible so he could focus on destroying the Institute as soon as Colette got her son safely back from their clutches. Arthur marked another possible site for the Nukes with his pen, when he heard a knock on his door.

“Sir, the Tempestas is preparing to dock.” The Squire who had knocked announced.

“Excellent. Make sure the room prepared for Lancer Captain Knight and Head Scribe Knight has refreshments. I will meet them on the Flight Deck.” Arthur nudged Emmett off of his lap as the Squire saluted him before running off and left his quarters, locking the door behind him. He climbed up to the upper level and opened the door to the flight deck. William Knight was assisting Danielle from their vertibird. Long rides in a vertibird were never comfortable, and the trip from the Capital Wasteland to the Commonwealth was uncomfortable enough on the Prydwen. Arthur couldn’t imagine how stiff they must be right now.

“Lancer Captain, Head Scribe welcome to the Commonwealth.”

“Elder Maxson,” Danielle greeted as she and her husband saluted him. “Thank you for allowing us to come up and help with planning our daughter’s wedding.”

Arthur returned the salute, “I wouldn’t have things any other way. Knight Knight was overjoyed when she told me you were coming. A room is being prepared for you two. We will be having dinner with the General of the Minutemen this evening. Your daughter has been excited to introduce you to her.” Arthur led them into the Prydwen and down to their room, next to Danse’s. “We’ve been doing some excellent work with the Minutemen while here in the Commonwealth.”

“Yes, we’ve read the messages from Reagan. It seems your cooperation has gotten you close to getting into the Institute.” William commented.

“We’re looking forward to meeting General Arnold.” Danielle added.

“I’m sure the General is also looking forward to meeting you.” Arthur opened the door to their room to let them in. “I will let you two freshen up and relax for a bit. Lancer Sergeant Glass will be taking us to Sanctuary in the Primair so you may meet the General and see our progress on the signal interceptor that we’ve been working on with her.”

“Thank you, Elder Maxson. We’ll see you when it’s time to leave.” Danielle bid before the couple disappeared into the room.

Arthur slipped back into his room and tuned his radio to Colette’s Pip-Boy frequency. “Cole. How many people are we anticipating for dinner tonight?”

“I’m not sure. Reagan’s parents are here, right?”

“Correct.”

“So them; Reagan and Michael; Danse, Mac, and Duncan; you and I.” Colette paused. “Oh, dear.”

“What is it?”

“I don’t think there is a place in Sanctuary for all of us to sit down to a quiet dinner.”

“That does present a problem.”

“We could eat at the Castle? The conference table has enough room for all of us, and Reagan mentioned wanting to show them the Castle anyway.”

“That sounds like a good plan to me.”

“Excellent. I’ll warn Preston.”

“See you in a bit.”

“See you soon,

Tesoro

.”
 
Having more room than the Primair would allow all of them to fit in so they didn’t have to make multiple trips between Sanctuary and the Castle for dinner, so Michael was flying the Knight family’s vertibird, the Tempestas. They had been in the air for less than a minute when Danielle cleared her throat. “Arthur, Reagan tells me that you’ve met a girl while up here?”

“Yes, Dani. I have. She’s incredible.”

“She really is. Reagan and I wouldn’t be getting married unless you were absolutely certain about this girl.” Michael called from the pilot’s seat.

“Michael and Reagan have met her?” Danielle asked. “Do they get along okay?’

“They have. Alex has met her as well. He was actually the first of us to meet her.”

“So what’s so special about this girl? Is she Brotherhood?”

“No, actually. She’s the General of the Minutemen.”

“You’re involved with the leader of another army? You don’t see that being potentially risky?”

“I never would have personally come to the Commonwealth if it wasn’t for her. She came to Gladius’ aid when they were down to three soldiers with no resources. Colette is everything to me. I can be Arthur around her and not just Elder Maxson.” Arthur paused, trying to put into words everything that drew him to Colette. “She’s kind and accepting, maybe too much sometimes, and she draws people to her without trying. She makes a family out of orphans and misfits, and that family is stronger than most blood I’ve witnessed. More than that, she’s an outstanding leader; tactful, determined, and goal oriented. If she wasn’t the General of the Minutemen, I’d have tried recruiting her.”

“Then I’m looking forward to meeting her. She sounds delightful.” Both Danielle and William were smiling at him.

“If she and I get married, she’s going to turn the Maxson from just a bloodline into an actual family, something we haven’t been in hundreds of years.”

“You’ve discussed the pressures that would come with marrying you?” William asked.

“She’s more than well aware of what it would mean to marry me. We’ve discussed it at length, even before our relationship became serious.”

“Permission to speak, Elder?”  Michael asked.

“You’re marrying my best friend. I think you can safely call me ‘Arthur’ in private, Michael.”

“Oh, um, yes, sir. Uh- Arthur.”  Michael cleared his throat. “Arthur and Colette aren’t the most romantic couple, but they aren’t rushing things and she’s not some star struck Scribe trying to improve her family’s standing in the ranks. I’ve worked closely with the General since we arrived in the Commonwealth. I’ve helped out at a couple of settlements as well. The General has raised an army from a single soldier and a mechanic to a powerhouse that could easily match up with the Brotherhood in a few years. She’s united the Commonwealth in less than a year. From the outside looking in, I don’t see how there could be a better match for either person.”

“That’s actually quite reassuring to hear from you, Michael.” William commented. “So what about Alex? Has he met anybody since coming up here?”

“It’s actually a bit funny. Alex did meet somebody. He’s a sniper and Colette’s right hand man. He grew up in the Capital Wasteland and came up here shortly before we sent Gladius up to look for some medicine for his son. They didn’t like each other much at first, but now we’re all waiting to see who’s going to make a move.”  Arthur informed them.

“Honestly, I think Alex will make the first move. I would put fifty caps on it.”  Michael laughed.

“I’ll take you up on that.” Arthur smiled.

“Seriously? Oh you’re so on!”

Michael lowered the Tempestas to the ground outside of Sanctuary when they arrived. Colette, Danse, and Reagan were waiting outside of Sanctuary’s gates for them. Danse and Reagan were standing side by side, while Colette was hanging back. Danse and Reagan were both in fresh jumpsuits and scrubbed clean. Colette was in her General’s uniform, a flush coloring her cheeks as she sweltered in the late June heat under the stifling layers of wool, armor, and leather.

Reagan ran to embrace her parents as soon as they were off the vertibird. “Ma, Pops, it’s so good to see you.”

As Reagan pulled away from her parents, the ring on her left hand caught her mother’s eye. Grabbing her daughter’s hand, Danielle Knight inspected the ring before looking to Michael and Arthur with a questioning look. Arthur shook his head ever so slightly, indicating that he would explain later. Satisfying her curiosity for now, Danielle nodded and moved to embrace Danse. “It’s not often that all of us are in the same place. I’m glad we can all sit down to dinner later.”

“It’s good to see you too, Dani.” Danse beamed at her. “Lancer-Captain Knight.” Danse went to shake William’s hand.

“Alex, I’ve told you, it’s William to you.” William said sternly and he pulled the Paladin into a hug.

Both of Reagan’s parents turned expectantly to Arthur, waiting for him to introduce Colette.

“Lancer Captain Knight, Head Scribe Knight, I’d like you to meet Colette Arnold, General of the Minutemen.”

“General Arnold, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m William, Reagan’s father.” William stepped forward and offered his hand.

“Lancer-Captain, the feeling is certainly mutual.” Colette stepped forward and shook his hand firmly. “And Head Scribe, I’ve heard nothing but wonderful things about you.” Colette turned and shook Danielle’s hand as well.

“I wonder where you would have heard those things.” Danielle chuckled.

“And why you didn’t hear things about me. I’m the fun one.” William laughed.

“Oh I’ve heard some stories from both Reagan and A-Elder Maxson.” Colette corrected herself.

Arthur cleared his throat, “Cole, they know we’re together.”

“Oh!” Colette’s cheeks darkened even further.

“It’s quite alright, General.” William smiled good naturedly at her. “He didn’t tell us until the ride over here.”

“Please, call me Colette. Only my soldiers call me by my title.”

“I think it’s safe to say none of us will be using titles tonight.” Danielle suggested. “Please, call me Dani.”

“Well, Dani, William, shall we show you Sanctuary?”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Colette

“Ah, General Arnold and Elder Maxson, perfect timing!” Proctor Ingram saluted the two of them. “We just finished the signal interceptor!” Colette felt Arthur tense slightly next to her.

Danielle and William circled the interceptor, looking it up and down. “So how does it work?” Danielle asked.

“It hijacks the signal from the Institute that they use to get their Coursers in and out of the place. When we grab the signal, it’s going to grab the General instead of the Courser and send her in the fucker’s place.” Sturges offered the explanation. “It’s really incredible.”

“This signal interceptor stands as a testament of what the Brotherhood and Minutemen can do for the Commonwealth as we continue working together.” Colette added. “With the technological resources the Brotherhood has and the knowledge of the Commonwealth that the Minutemen have, the signal interceptor was completed faster than if either organization had worked alone on it.”

“The Brotherhood wouldn’t have even known that we could build this if it wasn’t for the Minutemen.” Danse flushed slightly as all eyes fell on him. “The General did some significant work on tracking down the necessary people to get the information we needed to make this possible.”

“Da-ng right she did. And I was with her almost every step of the way.” MacCready had joined them with Duncan in his arms.

“And you are?” Danielle asked, eyeing the sniper up and down.

"Robert Joseph MacCready. I’m Cole’s right hand man.”

“Ah, you must be that sniper from the Capital Wasteland. Are you an official part of the Minutemen?” Danielle prodded.

“Not officially, no. I should probably officially join up at some point or another, since Cole sends me in her place when she has to stay behind to run the Minutemen or she’s working on another project.”

“We can hammer out the details later if you want, Mac.” Colette chuckled. “Until then, just consider yourself my firefighter.” Arthur snorted when she winked at the reference to their first meeting. “Now that we’re all here, shall we head to the Castle?”

“That sounds lovely.” Danielle said.

Arthur led the way to the Tempestas. Danse hopped into his power armor, having coordinated with Colette who was going to be taking the spots designated for suits of armor so the rest of the passengers could sit. MacCready handed Duncan to Colette before hopping into his own suit. He had finally painted it cobalt blue to match Colette’s suit, but the Minutemen insignia was still missing from the chestplate.

When they climbed into the Tempestas, Michael took the pilot’s seat while William took the co-pilot’s seat. MacCready and Danse locked themselves into place at the sides of the vertibird while Reagan sat next to her mother. Colette buckled Duncan into place between herself and Arthur. When everybody was secure, Arthur gave Michael a thumbs up, and they took off. The sudden movement caused Duncan to scream. MacCready’s helmet swung around at the sound as the toddler hid his face in Colette’s side. Arthur rubbed his hand soothingly on the toddler’s back to help try to calm him. Colette nodded at Arthur in encouragement with a small smile on her face. MacCready seemed satisfied that Duncan was in good hands and resumed watching out the side of the vertibird for any potential signs of danger.

The vertibird ride was smooth and gentle, and soon, Michael was setting them down on the Castle lawn. Preston ran out to greet them as they climbed out. “General, Elder, I’m glad you all made it safely.” Preston saluted them. “The main conference room is ready for you.” Danse and MacCready stomped off to the armory to get out of their power armor.

“Thank you, Preston.” Colette smiled at her Colonel. “Anything I should know?”

“I know Hancock is running Christine’s route with Nick while she’s sick. They should be here later tonight.”

“Good to know. Let them know I’ve got company if they’re looking for me when they get here.” Colette started to lead the pack towards the conference room.

“Yes, ma’am.” Preston saluted them and broke off to return to his duties.

When they entered the conference room, Colette couldn’t help her smile at the gasp from Danielle and sound of appreciation from William.

“Now, there’s got to be some good stories here.” William walked up and examined the Deathclaw heads.

“The one in the middle was right before I joined the Minutemen. I was rescuing Preston from raiders in Concord when that one burst from the old sewers. I was in an old T-45 with a mini gun I had ripped from a crashed pre-war vertibird.” Colette explained. “The one on the left was prowling near the entrance to Fort Hagen. Nick and I were tracking an Institute Mercenary and the Deathclaw wasn’t going to let us pass without a fight. The one on the right was near one of my settlements. First time I had to command a larger group of soldiers. They were the ones who suggested mounting the heads in here.”

“She also likes the dramatic effect it gives when people come to visit her.” MacCready laughed when he came in the room with Danse.

“Fascinating.” William turned from his examination of the trophies to face Colette. “Did Arthur ever tell you his Deathclaw story?”

“He told me that was how he got his scar, but he never told me details.” Duncan twisted in her arms to look at Arthur.

“May I?” William asked Arthur. When Arthur nodded his silent permission, the Lancer-Captain started to spin his tale. “Arthur was 13. Elder Owen Lyons had passed and his daughter Sarah had taken his place. Arthur was a Knight and had been for two years. Per the Lyon’s policy, most Brotherhood members aren’t allowed to become Knights until they turn 18, but Arthur had convinced Sarah to let him become a Knight early so he could train more and better understand a role. He didn’t take on as many missions as a normal Knight, but he still went through the training and assisted with patrols.”

“I remember being so jealous of him when he got to go out.” Reagan added. “Sometimes I swear he marched by my window at the Citadel in his combat armor just to rub it in my face that he was going out.”

“I did no such thing.” Arthur said cooly. The amusement sparkling in his eyes said otherwise.

“So Arthur and Alex ended up on the same patrol. This was the first time the two had interacted, and they were with a Knight-Captain.” William continued his story. “They went out looking for a pack of ferals that had been bothering Little Lamplight. They got jumped by the Deathclaw before they made it to the location. The Knight-Captain that had been with them was killed almost instantly. Arthur and Alex emptied all of their ammo into the beast’s underbelly and it still hadn’t died. Then the thing went to pounce on Alex. Arthur leaped for it and sank his combat knife into its throat. It tried desperately to claw him off before it finally died and collapsed on top of Arthur. That’s how he got the scar on his face. The weight of the Deathclaw broke his arm and his ribs.”

“I remember pulling him from underneath the Deathclaw. I was so high from the adrenaline that at first I didn’t realize he was

laughing.”

“

Laughing?” Colette looked at Arthur with wide eyes. Duncan squirmed in her arms and reached for Arthur. She offered the toddler up to Arthur and he took the boy in his arms. Duncan continues to look at Arthur in curiosity.

“Yes, he was

laughing.

” Danse confirmed. “Half of his face is almost torn off and he’s laughing harder than I think I’ve ever seen him laugh. So I pulled him up before I signaled for a vertibird. He goes, ‘Is it dead, Alex? Because this hurts like a bitch and if it’s still alive you’re on your own!’”

“Bad words!” Duncan scolded Danse with the fiercest glare the three year old could muster.

“I’m sorry, Duncan.” The Paladin apologized.

Duncan nodded, and turned back to Arthur. He reached up and placed his tiny hand over Arthur’s scar. “Hurt?”

“Yes, it hurt.” Arthur told him gently.

Duncan scrunched his nose in thought, before leaning in and placing a clumsy kiss to Arthur’s scar. “All better!”

Colette giggled as Arthur blushed. “Thank you, Duncan.” He smiled at the toddler. Everybody in the room was smiling at the exchange, while both Danse MacCready looked on in proud adoration.

Preston came through the door at that moment with a recruit pushing a cart loaded with dishes. Arthur handed Duncan back to MacCready and they all sat down so Preston could distribute their meal. When Preston got to Colette, she whispered “You didn’t have to serve us, you know.”

“I know. But from what I understand, the Knights are big a name in the Brotherhood. I want to help you make a good impression.”

“Thank you, Preston.” Colette smiled at the Colonel.

“Is there anything else?” The Colonel asked the room.

“No, that’s everything we need. Thank you, Preston.”

Colette, Danse, Reagan, and Arthur watched the Tempestas take off with William, Michael, and Danielle aboard. MacCready was tucking Duncan into bed. Reagan was resuming her assistance with training the Minutemen at the Castle in the morning.

“Is it safe for us to come out now?” Hancock’s voice rasped from the gate. Colette turned in time to see Arthur and Danse wrinkle their noses at the ghoul.

“Yes, John.” Colette smiled warmly as she went to embrace him.

“Good, it’s been forever, Sunshine.” Leathery lips pressed a kiss to her temple. “I did have some business to discuss with ya, but I think I took a bad hit of Jet. I’m going to crash and we’ll talk in the morning. Wanted to say hi before you thought I bailed on ya.”

“You get some rest. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Alright, Sunshine. Night.” Hancock let her go and tipped his tricorn. “Night tin-can, beardy,” Hancock’s onyx eyes rested on Reagan, before winking at her. “And sweet dreams to you, sister.”

“You’re barking up the wrong tree, skinny.”  Reagan shot back with a blush dusting her freckled cheeks.

“A ghoul can dream, and dream I will.” Hancock tipped his tricorn once again.

“I’ll never understand why you like him.” Arthur hissed under his breath.

“You two are more alike than you think.” Colette hooked her arm around his as they made their way to her quarters.

“I highly doubt that.”

“You really are. You both are primarily concerned with the people before power even crosses your mind, you both consider all outcomes before making a decision, and you are both willing to make great sacrifices for the good of others. He just happens to be a ghoul and uses chems.”

Arthur merely grunted in response.

As soon as they got into Colette’s room, she untangled their arms and immediately took off her jacket. “Thank God, I was boiling in that thing.” She hung her jacket on a hook and hung her tricorn next to it. Arthur still hadn’t moved to take his battle coat off, he appeared to be deep in thought, and was chewing on the inside of his cheek. “Something wrong?” Colette asked him.

He looked up at her and put his hands in his pockets. “No, not at all.” He reassured her. “There is something I wanted to ask you, though.”

“What is it?”

Arthur stepped towards her and took her in his arms before guiding her to one of the plush couches along the wall. Once she was sitting, he knelt in front of her, taking her hands in his. “With the signal interceptor completed, I know you’re going to be going into the Institute soon. I know we’ve talked about our future after you get Shaun back before, but we’ve never had a solid plan in place.

“Arthur-” Colette began, but he put a finger to her lips.

“Let me finish, please.” He removed his finger after she nodded. “My entire life, I’ve believed that I would either end up with Reagan or a complete stranger. While Reagan is my best friend, she and I would always want something

more

. We’re both passionate people and we both deserve passionate relationships to match that. When I came to the Commonwealth and met you, I didn’t know what to think. You announced yourself to my troops less than a full day after we arrived and demanded to see me. You threw every subtle threat possible at me between making sure I saw the deathclaw heads in the room, to surrounding yourself with John, Nick, and your officers, to showing me your artillery. You are a force to be reckoned with and despite everything that would sour any personal relationship we could have, I fell in love with you. You’ve showed me the importance of second chances and given me a taste of what the Maxson family hasn’t truly experienced in what might be three hundred years at this point.” He frowned slightly, “I’m sorry, I’m getting off topic. What I’m trying to say is, Colette Arnold, you have turned my world upside down in all of the best ways. When you come back from the Institute, and you and Shaun are settled and comfortable with it, would you do me the honor of marrying me?” Arthur pulled a ring out of his coat pocket. Platinum, with two smaller diamonds on either side of a larger center diamond, all princess cut. Colette remembered that 250 year old ring.

“Oh, Arthur, yes!” Colette pulled him close and kissed him deeply. Before the kiss got too heated, he pulled away and slipped the ring onto her finger. “Is that the ring I think it is? Where did you get it?”

“Nick gave it to me. I gave Michael the ring that’s been passed down in my family. I knew I wanted to ask you when I gave it to him, and I thought it would be in poor taste to give you a ring that Roger originally gave to another woman.” Arthur pulled her left hand up and kissed her knuckles. “I think it was Nick’s way of saying he approves. He showed me how to get into a safe hidden in the house. It has some baby blankets and other family heirlooms, from what I saw.”

“Old toaster likes you more than me.” She joked.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Colette

Colette and Arthur were pulled from their sleep by the sounds of panicked screams and gunshots.

They both jumped out of bed and dressed in a hurry, grabbing their weapons as quickly as possible and running out the door, Colette behind Arthur so she wouldn’t slow him down with her shorter strides. They reached the courtyard of the Castle and Colette almost screamed herself.

Hancock’s clothes were torn and hanging off of his limbs. He was on top of Danse, who was struggling to keep the ghoul’s gnarled hands away from his face. A Minutemen recruit was under Danse, white as a sheet with blood flowing down his face.

“Alex!” MacCready’s voice shouted before one last gunshot filled the air. Hancock’s head exploded in a shower of gore.

Danse pushed the lifeless body off of himself as Reagan, Colette, Arthur, and MacCready all ran for him. MacCready reached him first, dropping his rifle and pulling the Paladin down to him for a kiss. Danse’s eyes widened and the Paladin froze before wrapping his arms around the sniper and returning the kiss.

Despite the sudden resolution to the last of the romantic tension in her main circle of friends, Colette had other concerns. “What happened?”

MacCready pulled away from Danse and looked at the ground. “Hancock went feral. Killed two recruits before getting to the one Alex saved.”

“Fuck.” Colette ran a hand through her hair. “Then we have work to do. Mac, have Ramirez get Fahrenheit on the radio. Goodneighbor is going to need to have an election.” MacCready nodded and darted off to the radio tower where the voice of the Minutemen was at his post. “Danse, and you,” Colette indicated the recruit. “I’ll patch you up in my office.”

“Want me to get somebody on clean up?” Reagan offered, knowing that Colette would want that taken care of before the summer heat made the bodies smell unbearable.

“Yes, please. Have somebody identify the recruits’ bodies. And if you can, try to get somebody to get some samples from Hancock’s body. Blood, flesh, and brain if possible. I want to see if we can isolate what went wrong. He’s been a ghoul for less than ten years.” Reagan saluted and went to find a cleanup crew as well as something to store the samples in.

“Where do you plan on keeping those samples?”Arthur asked her as they went back to her quarters.

“In a fridge here until I get back up to Sanctuary. Then I can put them in one of the still functioning cryo-pods in the vault until somebody can start studying them.”

“Why would you want to study it?” Arthur’s nose wrinkled.

“I’m a doctor, Arthur.” Colette sighed. “Most non feral ghouls that I’ve met are normal people just like you and me. They’re just exhibiting symptoms of extreme radiation poisoning. If we can figure out what triggers that final stage that we know as going feral, maybe we can work to stop it and maybe even reverse some of the ghoulification process.

“You’ve got a point.”

“And the research could lead to further developments in medicine. The Brotherhood is all about preserving Pre-War technology, why not use what you have to work towards a better future for all?” Arthur and Danse remained silent as they entered Colette’s quarters. The bed was a mess, and Colette’s socks were still on the floor, as she had forgone them in their hurry to get to the commotion.

“Do you need anything?” Arthur asked her as she pulled supplies out of one of her desk drawers.

“Have you eaten anything today?” Colette asked Danse and the recruit.

“No, ma’am.” Danse and the recruit told her.

“I’ll get something for them so the Rad-Away doesn’t make them sick.” Arthur declared as he left the room.

“Thank you,

Tesoro

.” Colette called after him as she soaked a cloth in antiseptic. “What’s your name, Private?” She indicated for the teenager to sit on the desk.

“Allen, ma’am. Allen Fischer.” He told her as he sat on her desk.

“What settlement are you from?”

“Starlight Drive-In, ma’am.”

“Is your family back there?” Colette asked him as she cleaned his wounds.

“My ma an’ little sister.” He told her.

“Little sister, huh? I always wanted a little sister when I was growing up.” Colette said as Arthur walked in with two bowls of what looked like scrambled eggs.

“I joined the Minutemen to make the Commonwealth a safer place for her.” Allen told her.

“And we will. We’re closer to taking care of the Institute once and for all.” Colette told him as she applied a stimpack to his injuries. “Now I want you to eat this over there and then we’ll give you some Rad-Away, okay?”

“Yes, ma’am. Thank you, General.” Arthur handed Allen one of the bowls and the boy sat on the couch. Alex took the other bowl and began eating it.

When they had finished eating, Colette hooked them both up to RadAway and worked on cleaning and applying medicine to Danse’s wounds. When she finished, she herded them out of her room with orders. “Allen, I want you to take the rest of the day off and rest. Paladin Danse, if you could have Colonel Garvey, MacCready, and Nick meet me in the conference room in thirty minutes; I would appreciate it.”

“Yes, ma’am.” They both saluted her and went off to carry out their orders.

When the door to her quarters were once again shut and locked, Colette stripped down out of her General’s uniform that she had thrown on from the night before and put on a pair of jeans and tshirt. “What a great start to the day.” She grumbled as she pulled her boots back on and laced them tightly.

“I’m sorry. I know you were close with Hancock.”  Arthur pulled her in for a hug.

“I wouldn’t have survived long enough to find Nick if it wasn’t for him.” Colette mumbled into his chest. “He selflessly helped me and the Minutemen, even if Goodneighbor was officially independent from us.”

“I was starting to tolerate him.” Arthur shrugged as they headed towards the conference room.

“Let’s just hope his successor is tolerable. I’d hate to lose Goodneighbor’s support when it comes time to take the fight to the Institute.”

“I can’t see why you would lose Goodneighbor’s support.”

Colette stopped suddenly, and Arthur turned his next step forward into a spin to face her. She raised her eyebrow, as she realized he was serious. “Goodneighbor is mostly ghouls and junkies. The Brotherhood isn’t Goodneighbor friendly. The only reason we still had Goodneighbor’s support after our alliance became official was because Hancock knew and understood that it was for the best interests of the Commonwealth, even if he personally wasn’t a huge fan of the Brotherhood.”

Arthur’s brow furrowed as he considered Colette’s words. “What assets does Goodneighbor have that we need?”

“Goodneighbor is where people go to make shady deals. It’s where the Memory Den is, and the Neighborhood Watch is a fighting force that we can rely on if we need the extra guns. The caravans were managed by Hancock, but utilized Minutemen supplies. Hancock managed them because he wanted to help me out when I was still short on officers that I could trust to handle the responsibility.” Colette continued to the conference room. MacCready, Preston, and Nick were already waiting for them. The full reality of what just happened hit Colette when she saw the guilty look on MacCready’s face. Her throat constricted, barely letting her choke out “Mac,” before she and the sniper were hugging each other, mourning their best friend together.

“I’m sorry, Cole. I had to. He wouldn’t have wanted to keep living as a feral.” MacCready whispered into her hair.

“I know. I’m sorry you had to be the one to do it. Nobody should have to kill a loved one.” Colette finally let the tears fall.

MacCready squeezed her tightly before letting her go. “We were able to identify the bodies. Calvin Hart from Taffington and Melissa Farnsworth from Finch Farm. Reagan is getting them ready to transport them so we can take the bodies to their families.”

“I’ll go help. I will authorize a vertibird to transport the bodies to the families. I know you have Minutemen business to take care of.” Arthur bid before he left the room.

Colette wiped the tears away from her eyes. “Okay, we have work to do. The relay was finished yesterday, and I need to get into the Institute before they can stop us.”

“What needs to happen?” Nick asked.

“I need a line of succession set up.” Colette stated plainly. MacCready paled at her words.

“General, you’re not serious?” Preston stared at her in shock. “Why would you go into the Institute if you’re so sure you won’t make it out?”

“It’s not that I think I won’t make it out. I want to make sure that

if

something does happen to me, all of my ducks are in a row.” She looked meaningfully at Preston. “Look at what happened the last time the Minutemen were without a General. I’ve worked too hard rebuilding us for the Minutemen to fall apart again.”

Preston nodded solemnly. “She’s right. What do you propose?”

“MacCready, have you thought about my offer?” Colette addressed the sniper.

“Yes, I’m ready to officially join the Minutemen.”

“Excellent. Robert Joseph MacCready, I hereby bestow you the rank of Captain. It’s the highest rank you can have while still being out in the field.”

“Thank you,” MacCready paused before saluting her and adding “General.”

“Colonel Preston Garvey, if something should happen to me, you are to take over as General. Captain Robert Joseph MacCready is to take over if something happens to both of us.”

“And what about Major Shaw?” Preston asked.

“I don’t want Ronnie Shaw anywhere near the position of General. She’s stuck in her old ways and that’s coming from somebody that’s 240 years old.” Colette said.

“So what’s the plan after you go through the relay?” Nick asked.

Colette opened her mouth to answer when there was a knock on the door. “Come in.” She ordered.

Deacon stepped in wearing a Minutemen uniform., complete with his reflective sunglasses. “A little bird told me you were ready to fly. I’ve got a request from Dez for you.” He approached Colette and handed her a folded up piece of paper. “This is the code name name of our contact on the inside. Dez has also assigned one to you.”

"And mine would be?” Colette asked as she peeked at the word

Patriot

scrawled in messy handwriting.

“Wanderer.” Deacon informed her with a smirk.

“The plan is to get in, make contact with Patriot, gather as much intel as possible while I look for Shaun, then get out with him.”

“I’m going to beef up defenses in Sanctuary in case the Institute follows you back.” Preston informed her.

“Elder Maxson is also contributing to security at Sanctuary during this phase of the plan.” Colette said. “Paladin Danse is overseeing the Sanctuary squad that includes Knights Grants, Knight, Saunders, and Vasquez.”

“When do you plan on going through the relay?” MacCready asked.

“As soon as I speak with the Hart and Farnsworth families. I will meet you all in Sanctuary before I go through.”

~~

Sanctuary was eerily quiet as Colette stepped through the gates with Michael. The streets were empty, the settlers having retreated into their homes to get out of the summer heat. Suits of Brotherhood Power armor patrolled the streets, and Minutemen observed from their nests in the watchtowers.

“I wanted to say congratulations. I know you haven’t announced it yet because of what happened this morning, but I’m happy for you.” Michael told her as they approached the signal interceptor.
Arthur had his back to them, not hearing their approach yet. He was obviously tense, his shoulders visibly rigid even under his battle coat. When Colette stepped up beside him, his full lips twitched upwards in an attempt at a smile, but it died before the muscles finished moving.
“Are you ready for this?” He asked Colette as they watched Proctor Ingram and Sturges make the final adjustments to the relay.

“Are you?” Colette asked him. She knew he didn’t like that she was going into the wolves’ den alone.

“Am I ready to send you into the heart of our enemy’s base of operations with no backup?” Arthur asked her. “That’s something I’ll never want to do, but I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”

“Give me two days. If I’m not back within that time frame-“

“Please don’t finish that sentence.” Arthur turned to face her suddenly. “You

will

find Shaun. And you

will

make it home safely.” The command in his voice didn’t waver, but his eyes were pleading. “And if you don’t, I will make them pay.”

“Well, General, are you ready?” Sturges called out to her.

“I’m ready, Sturges.”

“Colette, wait.” Arthur grabbed her hand. “I know Shaun is your priority, but if you come across Dr. Madison Li while in there, see if you can get her to return to the Brotherhood. Having her will help assure a victory against the Institute.”

Colette nodded. “I’ll keep an eye out for her.”

“Be safe.” Arthur pulled her in for a kiss that didn’t last nearly long enough.

“I will. I love you.” Colette whispered to him as she pulled away. Reagan and Danse stepped up beside Arthur as they all watched he step onto the signal interceptor.

Colette’s blood was rushing in her ears. She couldn’t hear Ingram and Sturges going over their list of checks. Was that her blood roaring? Or the interceptor? She didn’t know. She would see Shaun soon. She was finally going to get her baby back. She was- her thoughts were interrupted by a loud

crack.

Time slowed as Colette looked up and saw that one of the support beams had snapped. She went from looking at the distentegrating steel to locking eyes with a horrified Arthur that was being held back from running to her by Reagan and Danse as her world exploded in blue light.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Arthur
 
There was an explosion of light before the whole structure collapsed on itself, smoking. Reagan and Danse still wouldn’t let him go, their power armor not allowing him to break free. “Did it work?” He barked at Ingram.

“I-“ the Proctor hesitated “I don’t know, sir.”

“Danse, Knight, clear that away.” He forced his command to remain neutral and free of the emotions raging inside him. “Be careful, in case she’s alive and stuck.”

Hurried footsteps made him turn as Reagan and Danse started pulling apart the crumpled steel and circuitry. Nick, Preston, and MacCready were rushing towards them; no doubt hearing the signal interceptor collapse.

“What happened?” Nick demanded.

“The signal interceptor collapsed on itself.” Sturges’ face was solemn.

“Was the General in there when it happened?” Preston asked.

“I’m afraid so, Preston.” The mechanic frowned.

“Did the interceptor work?” Nick asked.

“We don’t know.” Arthur told him.

“Shit.” MacCready pulled his hat off and ran his fingers through his hair.

“Danse and Knight are searching the debris for a sign of her. If she isn’t in there, then we can only hope that it worked and she survived.”

“What about trying her Pip-Boy?” Preston asked.

“No. If she’s alive in the Institute, contacting her via her Pip-Boy could endanger her. That is not a risk worth taking.” Arthur closed his eyes against the pounding in his head that was threatening to turn into a migraine. “Danse, Knight, any updates?”

“No sign of her yet, Elder Maxson.” Danse called out.

Arthur wanted to jump in and start tearing the steel components apart, but Danse in his power armor could carry more weight and be more thorough

“I don’t think she’s in here, sir.” Reagan called from the other side of the wreckage.

Arthur held in a curse. “Until we know otherwise, we need to assume she didn’t survive.” He turned to Preston. “I need to return to the Prydwen and move preparations forward. Knight and Danse are still at the Minutemen’s disposal for the time being.”

Arthur took off down the street, not waiting to see if Michael was coming with him. He’d fly the damn Primair to the Prydwen himself if it meant getting out of Sanctuary.

“Now, hold on there, Maxson.” Nick called him back, breaking his focus on holding in his emotions while making a beeline for the vertibird. He turned to the Synth, watching as Michael passed him to fire up the Primair.

“What do you want?”  he growled at Nick.

“To remind you who your bride-to-be is. Yes, I saw the ring on her finger, congratulations.” Nick held up a hand to signal that he wasn’t done. “Colette has always been a strong woman. She’s not the little girl in the Original Nick’s memories, that Colette couldn’t have done what she’s done. She’s survived cryo stasis for two hundred years, fought her way through to Goodneighbor without having picked up a gun before the Original Nick died, she killed a deathclaw after being thawed for less than a full day. Hell, she survived a vertibird blade almost impaling her. She will find Shaun and make it home safely.”

Arthur took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, letting Nick’s words wash over him. “You’re right. I just-” he huffed, trying to find the right words as his thought process felt like static. “Watching the relay begin to break with her on it-”

“I get it, kid. I really do.” Nick offered.

“I get it, too. I had to choose between my wife or my son and then listen to ferals rip Lucy apart as I held a screaming Duncan while I ran.” MacCready came up behind Nick.

“When you get her back, and you will, you had better make sure you’re there for her. We have no idea what she’s going to find in there, and even though we’ve all said she’s going to bring Shaun home, we know that was hoping for the best.” Nick’s glowing eyes were burning into him.

“And even after she recovers from the Institute, make sure she knows how much you love her. Tell her too much. Being married to you will make her a target.” MacCready crossed his arms and frowned.

“Even if nobody kills her to get to you, she’s older than you and people don’t live as long in the Wasteland as they did before the war. She could get sick, she could die during childbirth. The constant radiation could kill her within five years.”

“I know-.” Arthur began.

“I know you know,” Nick’s voice was gentle. “But what you don’t know is laying in bed and wishing you had said you were sorry sooner after each argument. Replaying every moment together in your head after she dies.”

“You haven’t tried to explain to your toddler that Mommy is gone and not coming back.” MacCready added. “We know you love her, just make sure she knows it and feels it while you’ve still got her.”

Arthur considered their words, before nodding. “I’ll keep that in mind when she gets back. Thank you.” He took off down the street, pushing his emotions back down so he could make it to the Primair without incident.

He still had work to do.

“Arthur, she’s back!” Reagan’s staticky voice ripped him from sleep. He pulled the papers that had stuck to his face as he slept slumped over his desk. His head was pounding, maybe drinking half a bottle of moonshine wasn’t such a good idea.

He stood, groaning as his body protested after being stuck in one position for so long, and stumbled to his radio, he hit the button to speak to Reagan. “What was that, Knight?”

“Colette is back. You need to get down here as soon as possible.” Worry was evident in the Knight’s voice, even through the radio.

“Is she okay? Is Shaun with her?”

“No visible injuries. She hasn’t spoken a word since she got back. Won’t even look at Nick.”

“Fuck.  I’ll be there soon. Thank you, Reagan.”

Arthur went to his dresser and changed into a fresh jumpsuit before throwing his boots and battlecoat back on. He glanced at the clock and swore softly when he saw that it was three in the morning. Michael wasn’t going to like being woken up.

He injected himself with Med-X to deal with his headache and downed two cans of water before stepping out of his quarters and striding to Michael’s door. He knocked three times, and waited.

Michael opened the door, his hair disheveled from sleep and eyes bleary. When he recognized his visitor, he straightened up. “Sir?”

“I need you to get me to Sanctuary as quickly as possible. I know it’s early, but the Primair is the fastest ‘bird we have and I’m not about to take it without you.”

“Yes, sir. Let me get dressed and I’ll be ready. Is she back?”

“Yes, Reagan just radioed to tell me.”

“Understood.” Michael nodded and stepped back into his room. He pulled a jumpsuit on over his boxers and tshirt. Once he laced up his boots, he stepped out of his room and shut his door, leading the way to the Primair. “Did she find her son?” The pilot asked as he fired up the vertibird and the two men secured themselves in.

“Reagan didn’t say. She just told me to get to Sanctuary as soon as possible.”

“That doesn’t sound good.” Michael frowned as the vertibird released itself from the Prydwen and started accelerating towards Sanctuary.

The time it took to cross the Commonwealth felt like hours. The moment the Primair touched the ground outside of Sanctuary, Arthur all but ripped his safety belts off and ran up the path to the gates. One of his Knights was waiting outside the gate, and waved to the Minuteman in the guard tower to open the gate when he approached. Arthur nodded his thanks at the Knight as he rushed past. He made his way to the center of the settlement, where both Colette and MacCready’s homes were. In the middle of the street, Nick, Reagan, Danse, Preston, and MacCready were standing huddled together. MacCready was the first to notice him approaching, and the look of relief was evident on the sniper’s face.

“Where is she?” he demanded as he stepped up next to Preston and Nick.

“In the house.” MacCready told him.

“So Shaun…?” He trailed off.

“She was alone, so we can only assume the worst.” Nick lit a cigarette. “She zapped into the middle of the street, and went directly into the house.”

“Did anybody notice if she was injured?”

“Nothing that I could see.” Reagan frowned in the low light from the restored street lamps.

“I’m going to go check on her.” Arthur announced, before turning and heading into the house. The home was dark, save for a sliver of light that was coming from the cracked door of Shaun’s room. Arthur braced himself for every possible emotional state Colette could be in. Slowly, he pushed the door open enough to pop his head into the room. “Colette?”

She was sitting on the small bed he had built himself, clutching the bear that he wanted Shaun to have when he was brought home. Her knees were drawn up tightly to her chest, as if to make herself as small as possible. Eyes red from crying slowly looked up at him, but not quite making eye contact. Acknowledging that she heard him, but still silent.

“Can I come in?”

A nod.

He stepped in the room. “Do you want me to shut the door?”

Nod.

He shut the door, hoping that would make her feel more secure. He’d had to do this with soldiers after their first mission. Or traumatized squires that had been sent into the field before they were ready to experience the horrors of combat. “Can I sit on the bed with you?”

Nod.

He sat on the bed. Next to her, but not touching. Her eyes followed him, the hopelessness that now resided there piercing his heart. “Are you injured?”

She shook her head.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Fresh tears filled her eyes, before she croaked, “Not here.”

That was understandable. This house now was just a reminder of everything she had ever lost. Jenny, Nick, the freedom his ancestors were taking from her,  the world before the war, and now her son. “Do you want to go to the Castle?”

She shook her head.

“The Prydwen?”

Nod.

“I’m going to go tell Michael to get the Primair ready, okay?”

Nod.

Arthur stood, leaving the room and shutting the door behind him. Nick was sitting on the couch in the living room, one leg crossed over the other. Glowing yellow eyes met his as he walked down the short hallway.

“How is she?” The old synth asked.

“No injuries. I’m going to take her to the Prydwen.”

“Probably for the best. Can’t imagine being here is good for her right now.”

“I agree. Hopefully getting her away from Sanctuary helps.”

The synth hummed in agreement.

Arthur passed Nick to find Michael, Reagan, Danse, and MacCready outside.

“Anything?” MacCready asked.

“I’m taking her to the Prydwen. Sanctuary has too many painful memories right now.” Arthur kept his voice low.

The assembled friends all nodded in agreement. “I’ll get the Primair going.” Michael said before slipping away.

“Would you like us to accompany you back to the Prydwen, sir?” Danse asked.

“I would appreciate it, Alex.” Arthur said. “I want to have as many friendly faces as possible around her the next few days.

“I’ll stick back  here and help Preston run things while she’s out of commission.” MacCready offered. “And keep Nick company. He was the first to try to talk to her. She flinched away from him. That had to hurt.”

“Damn, yeah. Maybe sticking around here and maybe having Nick help with Duncan will help him.” Reagan suggested.

“That’s what I’m hoping for. I hope whatever happened in there doesn’t permanently damage their relationship. It may not be the Father-Daughter relationship the Original Nick had with her before the war, but having this Nick really helped her those first few months.”

Arthur nodded his agreement. When he heard the distant hum of the Primair firing up, he turned back towards the house. “There are a lot of things we’re all hoping for right now. I just want her to be okay.”

He went back to the small room and pushed the door open slightly. “Are you ready?”

Nod.

“Do you need to grab anything before we go?”

She shook her head.

“Can you walk?”

Colette nodded again, before standing up, still clinging to the bear.

“Can I put my arm around you?”

Nod.

Arthur draped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. Being able to physically feel her next to him and safe comforted him slightly. She was still upset and they still had a war to win, but she was home and he could protect her from any immediate danger.

She kept her gaze lowered as they made their way to the Primair.

She didn’t look at him or speak again until they were secure in his quarters. Once the door was shut, she immediately went to his desk and took a swig of the moonshine that was still out. “I was too late.” She picked at the stitching on the bear’s face that Reagan had added to match his scar after the Deathclaw attack.

“I’m so sorry, Colette. I can’t even begin to understand.”

“He’s still alive.”

“What? I thought you-“

“It’s been sixty years. The child that Nick and I tracked was a synth created to be used as bait for me. My son is sixty years old.”

Arthur couldn’t even begin to formulate a response, then Colette looked him dead in the eyes and added, “My son is the Director of the Institute.”

Looking in her eyes, he could tell she already knew the horrible truth that he just realized.

She was going to have to kill her son.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Colette
 
She watched Arthur process that Shuan was the director of the Institute. She knew that the fact that her son was the director didn’t change the fate of the Institute. They still had to go down for their crimes against the Commonwealth.

“I’m sorry.” Arthur whispered. “I understand if you don’t want to talk about what happened in there.” He hung his battlecoat up before he crossed the room and pulled her into a gentle embrace. Colette leaned her head against his chest and listened to the steady beat of his heart.

“I have to talk about it, Arthur.”

“Then I’m ready to listen.” He squeezed her reassuringly.

Colette took in a deep, shuddering breath, “When I arrived, I was in what looked like an abandoned control room. For something that should be as high security as the only way into the Institute, it shouldn’t have been deserted like that. They knew I was coming, they had to.

I got the holotape into their system and pulled the data that Ingram and Sturges wanted and moved into the hall. Then, a man’s voice greeted me. Told me he had wondered if I would actually make it there. He called himself ‘Father’ and said the Institute was ‘under’ his ‘guidance.’ He said he wanted to discuss things face to face. The only way forward was through an elevator. I got in, and as it took me through the Institute, Father said that I have the wrong impression of them.”

“The wrong impression?”

“They wouldn’t agree with the Commonwealth’s view of them, naturally. Does anybody ever truly see themselves as the bad guy?” Colette asked. Arthur hummed in response, letting her continue.

“I didn’t expect it to be so… beautiful. It was bright, and clean. There were living plants that were actually green and waterfalls. And then, the elevator stopped. I walked into a room that had a cell with a ten year old boy in it. I thought it was Shaun. It looked like my baby. I told him I was there to bring him home and he started calling for Father, saying he didn’t know who I was and he didn’t want to go with me.” Her voice trembled with the last sentence as she remembered feeling rejected by her son.

“Then Father came in, said something, and then Shaun went limp. I lost it, screamed at him and decked him across the face before he could get another word in.” There was a moment of silence, before she continued. “And then he

looked at me

. And I realized that this man who had been emotionlessly rattling on about the child being a prototype was my son.”

Arthur said nothing, holding Colette close as she finally let the tears she had been holding back fall.

“Nobody else can know. As far as everybody else will know, my son is dead.”

“If you want to have less direct involvement with the war-” Arthur began, but Colette looked up at him and the fiery look in her eyes made him pause.

“I’m not going to stop. I have a responsibility to end this now, we’re just going to have to adjust our plans.”

“How so?” Arthur asked.

“Shaun -no-

Father

asked me if I would be willing to work with them. Join them instead of staying on the surface.”

“Colette, where are you going with this?”

“I can tell him yes. Work with them, find weaknesses we can exploit so we can make sure they never have a chance against our armies.”

“You can’t integrate with them and still work on preparations for the war up here. They would find out. It would put you in too much danger.”

“I know.” Colette watched his face as he realized what her plan was. She could tell he disliked the idea of her staying with the Institute even more.

“No. There has to be another way. We don’t need to know their weaknesses. Between all of the weapons we have at our disposal, we will find a way to eliminate them.”

“And how many soldiers will be used as cannon fodder while we figure it out?” Colette reached up and took his face in her hands. “I know you don’t like it. I don’t like it either, but it’s our best shot.”

Arthur closed his eyes and brought his hands up to hold hers.

“And when this war is over,” Colette continued softly. “We’ll get married, I’ll retire from the Minutemen, and I’ll go back to being a doctor while we work on growing our family.”

“When do you plan on going back in?” Arthur asked, opening his eyes to look at her.

“I told him I needed some time to think, but sooner rather than later so he doesn’t send a Courser out to look for me.”

"Define sooner?”

“Probably tomorrow.”

“How long do you plan on being in there?”

“As long as it takes.”

“After three months, I’m coming in after you.” Arthur started walking her backwards toward the bed. “Until tomorrow,” he leaned down and kissed her. “I’m going to savor. Every. Moment. We. Have.” He punctuated each word with another step towards the bed and another kiss.

Arthur guided her gently to sit on the mattress, before kneeling in front of her. Kissing her deeply while he worked, he undid the buttons of her shirt. Colette froze, prompting him to stop and look at her. “Is everything okay?” He asked.

“Can we,” Colette paused, “just hold each other tonight? I know you’re trying to distract me from what happened, and I love and appreciate you for it, but I just…” she sighed unsteadily, taking strength from Arthur’s hands coming up to rub up and down her arms. “I can’t. Not tonight, I still..”

“Of course,” Arthur kissed her cheek chastely. “Anything you need.”

“I do need a distraction,” Colette reached up to take his hand. “Sex just isn’t the ideal distraction right now.”

“I’m sorry. There isn’t really a precedent for me to follow here.”

“I’m sure they had a greeting card for ‘Sorry the kidnapped child of you and my ancestor from 200 years ago is actually an evil bastard and we have to kill him’ before the war.”

Arthur grimaced at her poor attempt at humor.

Colette took another deep breath, attempting to steady herself. The exhale, however, turned into a sob. “It’s all my fault.”

“What makes you think that?” Arthur asked softly, moving to sit on the bed next to her.

“If I had been the one to hold him in the vault. I could have gone with him to the Institute and raised him to be more compassionate. He wouldn’t have done these...” Tears began streaming freely down her face “He wouldn’t have done these terrible things the Institute is responsible for.”

“How well have you gotten to know Shaun?”  He asked as he pulled her closer.

“I… haven’t.”

“Do you know how much influence he has over the Institute?”

“He’s the Director”

“Most leaders - of any kind - have a group they consult.”

“So even if I could have gone with them when they took him and raised him…” Colette trailed off and looked Arthur in the eyes. Instead of seeing the cold detachment that Shaun had shared with his father and grandmother, Arthur’s eyes were caring, and full of love for her. “The Institute would still have to go down.”

Arthur’s lips turned down slightly as he nodded. “How long has the Institute been around?” he asked.

“Since before the war.” Colette wiped at her eyes. “So even if I could have tried to raise Shaun better, they would probably have turned me to their side. Or killed me, telling Shaun it was ‘for my own good.’”

Arthur pulled her closer, kissing the top of her head gently. He didn’t say anything, just listened to her while she worked her complicated emotions out.

“With all things considered, maybe this is the best outcome.”

“What makes you say that?” He asked, curiosity coloring his voice.

“This way, I can do more good. I

have

done more good. I couldn’t stop my son from becoming what he did, but I can help right the wrongs he’s done.”

“That’s something you’re more than capable of, my love.”

“Thank you.”  Cole whispered as she pushed on him gently to indicate that she wanted to lay down.

“What are you thanking me for? It’s the truth.” He slipped off the bed and pulled a shirt from his dresser for her, before stripping out of his flight suit, leaving him in his underwear. He pulled on another shirt from the drawers as well as a pair of shorts. Walking back to the bed, he handed her the shirt and climbed back in.

“I do appreciate your confidence in my abilities, but I was thanking you for listening. It helped a lot.” Colette put the old tshirt on after disrobing.

“I’m glad I could help.” He murmured as she slid closer to him. He wrapped his arms around her as she arranged herself to face him. Arthur traced soothing patterns along the muscles of her back as she fell into a restless sleep.

“Mother!” a child’s voice screamed out.

Colette whipped around in the pristine streets of Pre-War Sanctuary. “Shaun?” she called out.

“Mother! I’m in here!” The child’s voice was coming from her house.

She ran inside to find Shaun, being held up by his father, Roger Maxson.

“I told you to get rid of this fuckin’ thing.” Roger snarled at her as he pulled a gun out.

“No!” Colette screamed. She pulled her own gun and shot at Roger.

Except, it wasn’t Roger anymore. It was Shaun, the old man he had grown into. A gaping hole was in his chest, and she could see his heart, black and necrotic.

“Why did you let this happen, mother?” The old man asked in the child’s voice. Icy blue eyes glared at her in accusation.

“Colette!”
 
Arthur’s voice ripped her from sleep. Seeing his panicked eyes so close after that dream sent her instincts into overdrive and before she could stop herself, she had headbutted him.

Arthur reeled back as much as he could in the small bed and clutched at his nose.

“Shit! Arthur, I’m so sorry, love.” Colette jumped out of bed and opened the bedroom door wide enough to poke her head out at the Knight standing guard across the hall. “I need you to get a stimpack and something cold, pronto.”

“Yes, General Arnold.”  The Knight saluted her and took off towards the med bay.

When the Knight returned bearing the stimpack and a cold Nuka Cherry; Colette thanked him and shut the door.

“I’m glad my soldiers will follow your orders even when you’re in your underwear.” Arthur chuckled once before wincing.

“Here, this should help with the swelling.” Colette handed him the frosty bottle. “Is it broken?”

“Just bruised, I think.”

Colette offered the stimpack to him, putting it on the bedside table when he shook his head. They both curled up closer to each other to try to get a little bit more sleep.

“And you’re sure about this?” Arthur was asking Colette as she packed the last of her clothes in her bag.

"Positive, Arthur.”

“You don’t have to do this. We can-” Arthur started, but Colette stopped him with a finger to his lips.

“Yes, I do. And when I get back, we should be more than ready to take them out.” Colette stood on her toes and kissed him briefly. “And then we can have a wedding and work on rebuilding.”

“Planning our wedding is going to take time. Reagan and Michael can have a small and quiet wedding. That’s why theirs is only taking three months to plan. I don’t get that option since I’m Elder.”

“Can you do any planning while I’m in the Institute?”

“You don’t want any say?”

“The only thing I have to have is Nick being allowed to walk me down the aisle. At the end of the day, I still get to marry the love of my life no matter what color my dress is or what kind of wine we serve.”

“I’ll consult Nick if I have any questions about what you may like.”

“That’s a good idea. It won’t be safe to reach out to me while I’m in there.” She handed Arthur a holotape. “Give this to Ingram and Sturges to decode?”

“I know.” Arthur pulled her in for one last kiss. “I will. Be safe, I love you.”

“

Ti amo tanto tesoro.

” Colette stepped back and hit a blue button on her PipBoy. Her world exploded into light before she found herself once again in the Institute.

“Mother,” Shaun’s voice came from behind her. “Welcome back.” Colette turned and looked at her son. Her heart twisted when he smiled at her.

It was going to be a long three months.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Arthur
 
“Artie, for fuck’s sake, will you stop pacing?” Reagan chided him as she walked out of the bathroom fully dressed. “It’s my wedding day, I’m supposed to be the anxious one.” She was getting ready in Arthur’s quarters, since Michael was getting ready in his own.

Arthur turned to respond to Reagan, when there was a knock on the door. “Enter,” they both said at the same time.

Nick stepped in, holding a bag in one hand. He had found a light gray suit that fit him, and he was wearing a blue tie. “Pardon the interruption so soon before the nuptials, but I’ve got something. For both of you.

“Both of us?” Arthur asked.

“Yeah. This is for you.” The synth held out a pristine holotape for him. Arthur took it hesitantly. “And I managed to fix up an old camera for you,” Nick took the old pre-war device from the bag.

“Thanks, Nick.” Reagan smiled. “I don’t know how to use it, though.”

“That’s alright, because I do.” Nick held the camera up and they heard a

click

as he pushed a button. “I’m going to take pictures of the wedding so you can have them for later.

“

Oh

, Nick, thank you.” Reagan strode across the room and hugged the synth.

Arthur continued to stare at the holotape in his hands. “Nick, what is this?”

“Message for you.” Nick winked at him. “She said you’ll know the password.”

Arthur leaped across the room and ignored the scraping of the chair legs on the metal floor as he slid up to the desk and put the holotape in his terminal. The screen lit up, prompting him for a password. He counted the spaces to make sure before typing F-I-R-E-F-I-G-H-T-E-R in.

The terminal pulled up a message.

Tesoro,

I hope this message reaches you before the three month mark.

I need a couple of more weeks in here. Things are not going as we expected, but in a good way. I’ll be able to explain more when I see you again.

Stop worrying. If Reagan and Michael’s wedding happens before I get home, tell them congratulations for me and give them my apologies for not being able to be there. I’m sure they understand.

I’ll see you in two weeks.

I love you.

-C

“Colette says congratulations.” Arthur looked back at Reagan, “And she’s sorry she couldn’t make it.”

“Well, now that we’ll have pictures, she’ll at least get to see some things. Too bad she’ll miss your man of honor speech.”

“You’ll just have to make up for it at our wedding.”

“You’re funny.” Reagan smirked at Arthur.

“I’m serious. You’re my best friend. I want you up there with us when we say our vows.”

“Aww, man. I’ll start thinking of what I’m gonna say…” She paused for a moment before adding, “

After

I get back from my honeymoon.”

Arthur held in a snort of laughter. Looking back at the terminal, he grit his teeth in frustration. He understood Colette’s need for being vague in case the message was intercepted, but not knowing more bothered him.

“Hey, she’s okay. She wouldn’t send a message if she wasn’t.” Nick looked over at him from where he was standing with Reagan.

"You’re right. Thank you, Nick.” Arthur smiled at the synth. “We should let her finish getting ready.” He strode over and kissed Reagan on the cheek as he pulled her into a hug. “I’m so happy for you.”

“Aww, Artie. Don’t get all mushy on me now.”

“Too late, just wait for my speech.”

Arthur picked up his glass of champagne and stood, clearing his throat as he did so. Reagan and Michael had opted for everybody to be in their dress uniforms for the wedding, and he looked out into the room filled with Lancers in blue, Knights and Paladins in green, and Scribes in gray. He was the only exception to the colors filling the room, being dressed in black that was only reserved for Elders. Nick stood in a corner of the room with his camera up and ready to capture the emotions that were sure to fill the room as he started his speech.

“Most of you know me as Elder Maxson. However, Reagan has always affectionately called me ‘Artie.’”

“Anybody else call him that at your own risk.” Reagan called out to the guests. A chuckle rippled across the room.

“There’s a reason she still hasn’t been promoted.” Arthur continued as Danse tried to stifle his snort by taking a sip of his drink. “Reagan and I have been inseparable since I came out to the East Coast Brotherhood from the New California Republic. We’ve shared everything from flying lessons to awkward conversations. And, as of today, now I have to share her.” Arthur was looking everywhere but at Reagan, knowing she would punch him if he saw her getting misty eyed.

“I know I’ve been actively encouraging Michael and Reagan’s relationship for the last few years, but part of me still can’t believe that this day has finally come. Knowing that my best friend gets to spend the rest of her life with somebody who will love and cherish her brings me so much joy.” He wiped at his eye, feeling tears of his own starting to spring up. “Congratulations, Michael and Reagan Knight, may your life together be filled with nothing but prosperity and happiness.” He turned back to the couple, who were both dabbing at their eyes with their napkins. “To the bride and groom!” Arthur lifted his glass and smiled as the rest of the room stood and echoed him before drinking deeply.

Lancer Captain Kells also made a speech, praising Michael and telling the gathering of guests how he saw Michael as the son he never had. As the reception went on; Victor Glass, Michael’s father, grew more visibly irritated.

After the first dance and bouquet toss; Arthur found himself waiting in line for the bar between the older Lancer Captain and a Scribe that was friends with Reagan’s mother. The Scribe was engaged in conversation with another guest, so Arthur was forced to listen to Victor and his eldest son, Jacob.

“I can’t believe he would do this to us.” Victor grumbled. “Marrying her and then taking her name instead of having her take ours.”

“The Knight family is more respected in the Brotherhood than the Glass family, father.” Jacob shifted uncomfortably. Victor was unaware that Arthur was behind them, but Jacob had caught the Elder’s eye as he turned to address his father.

“Still, that little harlot broke off her engagement to you and then turns around and marries him.” Victor spat out. Arthur leaned close and as he did, he could smell alcohol wafting from Victor.

“One of the reasons the Knight family is so respected, Lancer Captain Glass,” Arthur began. He saw Victor visibly stiffen at the sound of his voice. “Is that they do not talk badly about their family members in public. Perhaps the reason that Lancer Sergeant

Knight

chose to change his name is not for the respect that his in-laws have within the ranks, but as a means to separate himself from you. Everybody knows that the Knight family arrived in the Commonwealth while you arrived just last night in time for the rehearsal.” The line had finally dwindled down and they were next. While Victor and Jacob gaped at him, he ordered a bourbon before heading back towards where the Knight family was gathered with guests that wanted to personally wish the bride and groom well.

“Did I just see Victor bitch slap Jacob? What happened?” Reagan whispered to him as he settled beside her.

“Victor has had a bit too much and got caught running his mouth.” Arthur said lowly before sipping his drink.

Scribe Adam Willis approached them before he could continue. He had blonde hair that was poorly combed over an ever growing bald spot on the top of his head. His watery grey eyes were gleaming as he stepped in front of Arthur. “Elder Maxson, that was a truly moving speech earlier!”

“Why thank you, Scribe Willis.” Arthur braced himself for what he knew was coming. Both of the Scribe’s daughters had been on the list of eligible women from well respected families that the other Elders had put together for him.

“Now that the Knight is married to one of your top Lancers, have you given any thought to your own bride?”

“Yes, actually, I have.” He hadn’t officially announced his engagement to Colette to the entire Brotherhood just yet. “We’re waiting on until after we finish with the Institute to get married.”

“And who is the lucky young lady, if I may ask?” The Scribe pressed.

“I believe that I am the lucky one in this case. I will be marrying General Colette Arnold of the Minutemen when this war is over.”

Shock passed across the Scribe’s face before he could compose himself. “General Arnold? What an interesting woman she is!”

Arthur resisted the temptation to roll his eyes. He knew that getting all of the Brotherhood to approve of his marriage to an outsider would be next to impossible. He didn’t care, though. The Codex stated that he only needed the approval of his future bride in order to get married. “General Arnold is not only an excellent strategist and combatant, something that contributed to both of your daughters being suggested brides for me; but she is also incredibly compassionate and her Pre-War DNA also make it easier for us to conceive.” He knew what cards to play to convince an older Brotherhood member tha Colette was the ideal wife for him without delving too much into their personal relationship.

“Pre-War? How wonderful! She was in Vault 111, correct? Cryogenically frozen? Vault-Tec did terrible things, but at least something good can come from them.” The Scribe smiled at him, though it looked more like a grimace. “Congratulations on your engagement, Elder. And congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Knight.” The Scribe smiled at Reagan and Michael before scurrying off.

“Sorry about that.” Arthur apologized to Reagan. He had hoped to avoid talking about his engagement during the wedding. It was supposed to be Reagan and Michael’s evening, after all.

“Don’t worry, Artie. We all knew people would ask.” Reagan pulled him into a one armed hug. He felt her arm drop at the same moment he spied the Glass Family making their way through the crowd.

The Glass family stopped in front of the Knight family and Arthur. Victor and his wife, Mary, smiled at Reagan and Michael while Jacob kept his face neutral.

“It’s been a lovely evening. However, I’m afraid we must turn in for the night. We have duties to attend to back in the Capital Wasteland and must leave early in the morning. Congratulations, Michael and Reagan.” Victor saluted Arthur. “Ad Victorium, Elder Maxson.” Jacob and Mary mirrored Victor’s salute before following him out.

“I thought they’d never leave.” Reagan hissed at Arthur so Michael couldn’t hear her.

“It’s probably for the best that he couldn’t be bothered to transfer from the Citadel to up here like your parents did. I’m not a huge fan of Victor and Jacob Glass myself.”

Reagan hummed in response.

As if sensing their discomfort, Danse squeezed in between them. He tossed an arm over each of their shoulders and started swaying them in time to the music. His cheeks were flushed from a combination of the alcohol and dancing.

“Alex! Where’s Mac?” Reagan asked him, beaming up at him.

“Duncan was fussy, so he went to put him to bed. I wanted to get one last dance in with you before I headed home myself.” Arthur didn’t miss that the Paladin was referring to the little house in Sanctuary as ‘home.’

“One more dance with me? Of course.” The Paladin released Arthur and swept Reagan to the dancefloor. Arthur stepped closer to Michael and they watched the two friends clumsily sway and spin together.

The view from the Command Deck never failed to amaze him. He was able to see most of Boston and tried to imagine what it used to look like before the war. He had spent a good part of the day working with Head Scribe Danielle Knight and a handful of lower ranked Scribes as they worked to plan his wedding to Colette. Reagan and Michael were due back from their honeymoon in Diamond City any minute now.

He stared out into the Commonwealth sky and planned. Colette had asked for two more weeks. That was half up now. If he didn’t hear from her after seven more days, he was knocking down the Institute’s door with Liberty Prime and getting her out of there.

Timid footsteps met his ear, and he turned. Proctor Quinlan clutched a file in his hands, and looked nervous.

“Proctor Quinlan, how is the decoding of the holotape from the Institute going?” He asked.

Quinlan swallowed. “We’re almost finished, Elder. However, there is a small- well it isn’t small. It’s actually quite a large problem.”

“Problem?” Arthur asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes, sir. You’ll want to take a look at this.” Quinlan offered the file to him.

“Thank you, Proctor. Will you stay for a moment while I look this over?” Arthur asked. The Proctor nodded, his face solemn.

Arthur opened the file in one hand, scanning over the contents. When he realized what he was reading, his heart stopped. “And you’re absolutely sure? You know the consequences if this happens to be wrong?” He asked Quinlan.

“Yes, Elder Maxson.”

The door from the Flight Deck opened and Reagan and Michael strode in. Michael climbed down below deck with his bags while Reagan waited just outside the doorway to the Command Deck.

“Thank you, Proctor Quinlan. I need you to assemble a team to deal with this immediately. You are dismissed.” Arthur saluted the Proctor.

Proctor Quinlan saluted him back before slipping past Reagan out the door and disappearing below deck.

Arthur gritted his teeth in anger as he drew up his full Elder mentality to push back his other emotions. “Is there anything you wish to tell me, Knight?”

“Not at all, I have nothing to hide from you, Elder.” Reagan’s golden eyes were full of worry.

“Is that so? You were closer to it than anybody else in the Brotherhood. It would have told you.”

"It? Elder, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Reagan furrowed her brows.

“Proctor Quinlan finished decoding the data that General Arnold retrieved from the Institute. In that data we found something… unprecedented. There was a list of synths that went missing or escaped from their underground facility. This included DNA files for each synth. One of them was a perfect match for Paladin Alexander Danse.”

“No, that’s impossible. Alex can’t be a synth. Something would have changed. We would have noticed.” Reagan started to try to rationalize the new information.

Arthur ignored her and continued. “I’m having a squad assembled to take care of it.”

That caught Reagan’s attention. “Take care of it? What do you mean?”

“They are going to hunt down the synth known as M7-97 and execute him.”

“No. Arthur, please. Don’t send a death squad after him.” Reagan pleaded.

“It’s infiltrated us and has information that can be used against us, Knight. It must die.”

“Then send me after it.” Reagan insisted. “I can move more efficiently on my own than a squad can, and I’m quieter. Settlers recognize me from working with General Arnold and will be more cooperative if I start asking questions.”

Arthur considered her for a moment. “You have a week to find and eliminate the synth. After that, I’m sending a team out after it. Dismissed.” He saluted her stiffly before storming down to his quarters. He barked at the Knight by the door that he was not to be disturbed and locked the door tight.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Colette
 
Colette dried her face with a towel and stared back at her reflection. Her time in the Institute was taking its toll and it was showing. Her eyes had dark circles worse than when she had been studying for her entrance exams for Medical school. She had lost a significant amount of weight, and her face was beginning to look gaunt.

Like a true Wastelander.

A knock at the door to her room caught her attention. She left her ensuite bathroom to open the smooth door. X6-88 stood, waiting patiently as ever for her.

“Ma’am. Father is waiting for you to join him for tea.”

“Thank you, X6.” Colette stepped out of the room and let him fall in behind her. She wished he would let her give him a name. She hated referring to synths as their designation. It was all so dehumanizing, and that was exactly why the Institute did it.

Something she planned on changing.

Her room was only a short walk from Shaun’s quarters, and she soon found him at a table he had set up for them. When she first moved in, he had wanted to set aside time for just them so they could bond. She had suggested having tea together in the mornings.

Shaun stood as she entered, pulling out her chair and pushing it in for her when she sat down. At least the Institute had raised her son to be a gentleman. Shaun poured their tea and sipped at his, observing her over the rim of his cup.

Colette stirred sugar into her own tea. “I used to do this with my own mother, before the war.” She mused as she watched the crystals dissolve.

“What were my grandparents like?” Shaun asked. They had moved from talking about strictly business to more personal things as she spent more time in the Institute. They had so far avoided the topic of her life before the war.

“My mother was a teacher for the high school. She taught drama, speech and debate, and helped with the choir sometimes. My father was a detective. They met at a music store when they reached for the same book of sheet music. They would have loved your selections for the classical music station.”

“What about my father’s parents?” Shaun’s icy blue eyes, the eyes he shared with both Roger and Arthur, were burning with curiosity.

“They were…” Colette searched for a neutral word to describe Martha and Roger Maxson Sr. “Ambitious. I think they would be proud of your accomplishments.” The thought of Martha Maxson being proud of her son made her nauseous.

Before Shaun could ask another question, Colette’s Pipboy came to life for the first time in months. “General Arnold?” Reagan’s voice was both a life saver, and a cause for worry. She couldn’t remember the last time her friend had used her title.

Colette’s brow furrowed. “Excuse me, Shaun, this must be an emergency.” She stood to leave, but he put up his hand.

“I’ll step out. You’ll have more privacy in here than if you stepped out.” He rose and crossed the room to the door, letting himself out.

“Private? Is everything okay?” Colette asked as soon as he was out of the room. She avoided using a Brotherhood rank in case Shaun was listening right outside the door.

“I- no.” Distress was evident in Reagan’s voice.

“What’s going on? Is everybody okay?” A knot settled in her stomach.

“Everybody is safe, but-” Colette could hear her take a deep breath. “I need your help with something. I wouldn’t ask you if it wasn’t life or death, but-”

Colette cut her off. “Say no more. Where do you want me to meet you?”

“The old diner near the Castle? I’ll walk there from the Castle. Should take 15 minutes max.”

“Okay, I’ll see you there. Be careful.”

“See you soon, General.”

“See you soon, Private.” Colette whispered. She crossed to the door and found Shaun waiting a respectable distance away, chatting with a scientist. X6-88 stood further back, ensuring the privacy of both her and Shaun. “Shaun, I must return to the surface earlier than anticipated. There’s been a situation with the Minutemen and I must attend to it.”

“I completely understand, Mother.” Shaun dismissed the scientist with a curt nod. “Please, take X6-88 with you.”

“I will be more than safe with my soldiers, Shaun. And having a Courser with me may make things worse, I fear. I will meet him at the rendezvous point near Bunker Hill when I am finished.”

“Very well, Mother. Please, be safe.”

Colette was already leaning against the counter in the destroyed diner for Reagan when the Knight arrived. When Reagan stepped into the light that Colette’s Pipboy gave off, Colette could see the red rimming her eyes from tears.

“Cole, thank every God in the cosmos.” Reagan threw herself into Colette’s open arms and held on for dear life.

Despite Reagan towering over her, Colette held her like she would when comforting a child, instinct taking over. “What happened?”

“Is it safe? Are we alone?” Reagan looked around the diner for any sign of company.

“It’s just us.” Colette reassured her.

Reagan took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “It’s… Alex.”

“What happened? Is he okay?”

“The info you gave us, it… the holotape says he is a synth. Missing or escaped from the Institute.” Reagan’s eyes filled with tears.

“Oh… oh dear.” Colette pulled the young soldier to her again, stroking her back and humming soothingly. “How did Arthur take it?” She dared to ask.

Reagan stiffened in Colette’s arms. When she spoke, her voice was strained. “He was going to send a team. I volunteered to do it- he gave me a week or he’d send them anyway. I’m to kill him, not even bring him in for questioning. I don’t understand. If he was replaced, we would have

known

.” Reagan pulled away from Colette and she let her go, watching as the soldier paced. “Synths act differently… I… I think he was always one? I believe he’s…. I believe that he’s Alexander Danse. Synth or not. I was always shaky on the Brotherhood’s stance on synths, but this is…” Reagan took a deep breath to steady herself. “If he’s been replaced, I need to know where the real Alex is. If he’s always been Alex, then…” She shook her head and looked out towards the Prydwen.
“Porca mísera…. I thought Arthur was better than this. The Alex I know hates synths. It’s obvious he didn’t know. Why must he die for this? Without at least a trial?” Colette kicked at the skull of one of the diner’s final patrons in frustration, sending it skittering across the tile floor.
Reagan turned her golden eyes back to the General. “Don’t hate Arthur. He just found out his best friend is a synth, maybe been replaced with one. The Brotherhood can stand known synths only because they can be seen, infiltrating the Brotherhood is… hostile intent. If he joined because he didn’t know,  then that’s different; but if he was replaced with a synth and he’s been feeding the Institute Brotherhood information?” She shook her head and rubbed at her face. “What if he was replaced when he came to the Commonwealth? And he killed most of Gladius because he’s a synth?” Her voice took on a higher pitch as she started to spiral into a panic. “We lost good men on that mission, if a synth was-”

“Reagan, calm down.” Colette held her hands up and approached her. “We can find out if he’s been replaced or if he’s just always been a synth. We just have to use all of our resources effectively. I can go to Arthur-”

“No. You can’t go to Arthur about this yet. He’ll be too distracted about your return. And they’re  probably tracking your Pipboy- I know that’s what we would do if we had an unknown in the Brotherhood. You can’t go near him.”

Colette looked toward the Prydwen, and the Castle. “Then we- no,

you

need Nick. I want you to go to Diamond City. If he isn’t in his office, Ellie will know where to find him. You’ll need to get into Goodneighbor eventually and I don’t want you going in there without Nick. I don’t know where the new Mayor stands on the Brotherhood yet. Nick will also know who else we can go to.” Colette sighed and rubbed at her temples. “You need to tell Mac. He deserves to know in case the worst happens.” She turned back to Reagan. “And I’ll go back into the Institute. I’ve still got another week before Arthur moves ahead on the plans without me. Maybe I can find something before then.”

Reagan nodded. “I have a mission brief.” She pulled a folder from her satchel and handed it to Colette. “It says his synth designation is M7-97, he looks just like him in the picture, and his DNA matches our file on Alex. That’s why I think he’s always been a synth, wouldn’t a synth have different DNA? Correct me if I’m wrong.”

“I actually asked about that when I first went into the Institute.” Colette said, thinking about the synth Shaun. “They have the same exact DNA if they were made to match a person. I’m going to see what I can find. Maybe I can find when he went missing in the SRB. In the meantime, there is one more thing,” Colette paused, “Actually, two more things.”

“What’s that?”

“The Railroad is moving a bunch of escaped synths from Bunker Hill in four days. The Institute is planning on killing the Railroad agents and taking the synths back. If we can get a team of Brotherhood soldiers to intercept them, it’ll cripple a team of Coursers and help protect the civilians.”

Reagan stared at her, her brow furrowed. “I- how do we tell Arthur?”

“Nick will think of something. Tell him. If it protects the innocent he’ll do anything.”

Reagan nodded solemnly, understanding. “I’ll find him.”

“Which brings me to the other thing. If, for whatever reason, word of this has gotten to him and he doesn’t trust you at first, tell him his mezza nota sent you.”

“Mezza nota. Got it.” Reagan made to leave the diner,  but stopped before she got to the doorway. “You know, you’re going to make a great Lady Maxson.”

Colette smiled at Reagan. “If Roger’s best friend had told me that two hundred years ago, I would have laughed in his face and then cried alone in my room; but coming from you, now?  That means the world to me.”

Reagan crossed the diner again and pulled Colette into a tight hug. “Be safe. Arthur’s not the only one of us worried about you.” Reagan let her go and exited the diner. Colette waited until she was a safe distance away before she pressed the button on her Pipboy that would take her back into the Institute.

Colette was waiting at one of the many rendezvous points that she had to hit that day. Currently, she was in a destroyed shop waiting for Deacon to bring her some supplies that would make it easier for her to slip from the Institute during the scuffle at Bunker Hill. Then, she was meeting a Brotherhood unit to let them know about her plan. Then she would meet with X6-88 just before sunset.

And then it was show time.

Everything had to be perfectly executed. She had to make every synth at Bunker Hill believe she was dead. But it had to look like an accident, otherwise the Institute would immediately retaliate against them.

“Wanderer? You got a Geiger counter?”

“Mine’s in the shop.” Colette didn’t look at Deacon as he approached.

“Listen, I know you’re not officially one of us, but I do want to make sure you know just how much your tip off saved our asses.”

“Don’t thank me just yet. This is the first of many messy fights we have ahead of us.”

“If it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t be fighting at all after this.” Deacon stepped in front of her and peered at her over his glasses. “Now we need to make sure that

you

can still fight the good fight after this.” He pulled out a stealth boy, handing it to her. “Tinker Tom built this special for you. When you activate it, it’s gonna look like you got zapped by a laser rifle and went poof.”

“Then I can split. Did you get the other intel I needed?”

“Yepp. M7-97 went MIA from the Institute 8 years ago courtesy of the Railroad. He was moved to the CW by Jason Cutler, a tourist at the time.” Deacon handed her a file. “You’re lucky we keep those records on P.A.M., otherwise you would have never gotten that.”

“I owe you, Deacon.” Colette smiled weakly at him.

“Just try to avoid kicking it these next few days and we’ll call it even.” Deacon flashed his own smile at her.

“No guarantees. Thanks for the supplies.” Colette threw him a lazy salute. “I need to go meet up with team two before the fireworks begin.”

“Be careful, Wanderer.”

“As careful as I can be.” Colette called over her shoulder as she climbed over debris to head towards where a squadron of Brotherhood soldiers was waiting for her.

It only took her fifteen minutes to reach the squad. As she approached them she recognized a head of sandy blond hair that was currently not wearing his helmet.

“Knight Grants? Glad to see a familiar face.” Colette greeted as she approached them. Three other Knights, all of them in power armor turned to face her. When they recognized her, they all saluted her.

“General Arnold? I had no idea you’d be out here, ma’am. You’re the informant?”

“Correct, I’ve been working on infiltrating the Institute so we can take them down from the inside out. This mission is how I plan on getting out. Your team’s goal is to protect the civilians.”

Knight Grants nodded. “Elder Maxson said that protecting the civilians was our top priority.”

“Who’s in charge of this mission?” Colette asked.

“I am, ma’am.” Grants informed her.

“Come with me, for a moment. I have some additional instructions for you.” Colette gestured for him to follow her away from the other Knights. She turned and headed towards a hollow building. She didn’t have to turn to see if he was following, the stomping of his power armor told her enough.

When they were out of earshot of the other Knights, Colette turned to face him. “I need you to help me fake my death.”

“I’m sorry, what was that, General?” Grants’ stormy blue eyes widened in disbelief.

“The Institute needs to think I don’t make it out alive. I need you command the Knights and make it seem like you’re there for the synths and Railroad agents. And then I need you to shoot me. Just once. I’ll take care of the rest.” The Knight furrowed his brow.  “You’re hesitant?”

“Hesitant to shoot the future Lady Maxson? Just a bit.”

“Did Elder Maxson tell you why he selected you for this mission?”

“He said he trusted my loyalty and ability to keep innocents safe.” Grants told her.

“He doesn’t know about this part of the plan, but he knew the high risk. It’s the same reason you went with us to take out the Courser.” Colette stepped closer to him.  “If you shoot me, we’ll save more lives than if you don’t. I won’t tell you what to do, but the choice is yours. If you do, just shout something about me being a synth lover or traitor or something so I’ll be ready.”

Grants regarded her words for a moment, before nodding. “Yes, General.”

Colette checked the time on her Pipboy. 30 minutes until she was supposed to meet with X6-88. “I have to go, think about what I’ve said, please. I’ll meet the team back here afterwards.”

“I will, General.” He saluted her, “Ad Victorium.”

Colette returned the salute, “Ad Victorium, Knight Grants.”

Her time in the Institute hadn’t been kind to her. Lack of sleep, no appetite, and no regimen to keep her in fighting shape had really played against her. She was leaning against the destroyed obelisk trying to catch her breath. She definitely had a couple of broken ribs from being tackled by a Courser pushing her out of the way of fire from a civilian who didn’t know what side she was on. Every inhale brought pain like broken glass pressing against her lungs.

“Shit,” she cursed as she stabbed herself with a Med-X syringe before jumping back into the fray. She glanced around herself and found Deacon nearby, grappling with a Courser.

“FILTHY SYNTH LOVER!” Grants shouted. She swung her head around. The way he was aiming, it looked like he meant to hit Deacon.

Perfect.

Time slowed down as she heard his gun fire. She reached for the Stealth Boy hidden in her pocket and flipped the switch. As the burn of the laser scorched her skin, she watched as the illusion of her body disintegrating into glowing ash lit up the surrounding area in the dying light.

“No! General!” She saw Grants begin to run towards her, at the same time X6-88 started sprinting in her direction. Deacon directed his fight towards her, knowing her plan and covering her as she dropped her Pipboy and the spare clothes she had packed to make her death more believable. The only thing she didn’t leave behind was her ring.

She took off running towards where she was meeting the Brotherhood soldiers, trying to put as much distance between herself and Bunker Hill as possible before the Stealth Boy ran out. She had been running for about twenty minutes before it did, the suddenly seeing her own body again startling her and causing her to trip. Her ankle twisted and pain shot up her leg before she even hit the ground. She caught herself on her arms and the exposed forearms were sliced up by sharp gravel and glass shards.

She pulled a cloth and tried to wipe up some of the blood before dosing herself with a stimpack and more Med-X. She’d use another if it wasn’t for the fact that she needed to make sure that she didn’t have to set anything that might be a compound fracture.

“Fuck.” She hissed as she pushed herself back up off the ground. She hobbled the rest of the way to the rendezvous point and waited for the Knights.

It must have been an hour before the stomping of four sets of power armor met her ears. She heard a signal grenade being deployed for a vertibird. She limped towards where she heard the Knights grumbling about the battle. As she entered the clear space they were waiting for the vertibird in, they swung around and aimed their laser rifles at her. “It’s just me.” She held her hands up.

“Pardon the language, General, but you look like shit.” Grants looked at her apologetically.

“I know. I’m going to catch a ride on the ‘bird with you guys, if that’s okay? I think I sprained my ankle and my signals are at the Castle.”

“Of course, General. I have stims if you need them.”

“I’m over drugged right now, I think. Thank you, though.”

She listened to the Knights continue on with their conversation until the Primair landed nearby to pick them up. Grants helped her to the vertibird and Michael helped strap her into the co-pilot’s seat so they could talk with more privacy.

“General, good to see you again.” The look in Michael’s eyes was grim.

“Good to be back, Lancer-Sergeant Glass.”

“It’s Lancer-Sergeant Knight, now.” He told her as they took off.

“Is it? Congratulations! I’m sorry I couldn’t make it. I’ll make it up to you two.” Colette smiled at him sadly.

Michael chuckled. “I’ll hold you to that.” He looked at her. “Do you want to go back to the Prydwen with us?”

“Actually, if you know where Nick is, that would be great.”

“I just dropped him off with Reagan and MacCready at an old Listening Post. I think they were going to be in there a while. I can drop you there.” Colette nodded, so Michael was in on the plan, too. Colette bit her lip. She hoped Arthur didn’t get too mad at his soldiers and friends for listening to her plan.

They flew through the early night, and Colette soon found herself in the elevator down to the lower level of the listening post. When the doors opened, she was face to face with MacCready, Reagan, Nick, and a haggard looking Danse.

“Cole? Shi-oot.” MacCready was the first to speak. “What happened to you?”

“Long story. What’s the plan from here?” Colette asked the team.

“I’m going to leave the Commonwealth and find somewhere that the Brotherhood isn’t occupying.”

“Once we’re done with the Institute, Duncan and I are going to join him.”

“I have proof that may save you yet, you may not have to leave.”

“Even if the Brotherhood won’t kill me, I won’t be a danger to them anymore.” Danse frowned. “I won’t let the Institute turn me against them, even if it means running like this.”

Colette nodded, “I understand. Where are you leaving from?” She asked.

“Sanctuary. This is as far North as the Brotherhood has ever been. I think if he goes farther North, it’ll be safer.” Nick told her.

Satisfied, Colette leaned against the wall of the elevator. “Then let’s get you out of here.”

The rest of them crowded into the small elevator and it groaned as it pulled them back to the surface. Reagan, MacCready, and Danse went out first; while Nick had his arm around Colette and supported her as she tried to walk. The Med-X she was taking was wearing off, and every step was excruciating.

“You know, Reagan said that my ‘messy nodda’ told her to contact me.” Nick told her as they made slow progress to the door.

“Did she? She had it right when-” Colette began before she was interrupted.

“HOW DARE YOU BETRAY THE BROTHERHOOD!” Arthur shouted in a tone that turned her insides to lead. She and Nick reached the door and stepped out to see an enraged Arthur standing in their path with his revolver pointed straight at Danse.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Arthur

He kept his emotions off his face as he kept his gun trained on the synth with the friendly face. Reagan and MacCready flanked him; and behind them was Nick holding-

Cole.

She looked horrible. Not the woman he’d come to love. The pale tone her skin had taken, paired with the dark circles under her eyes made her look sick. Those, combined with the obvious weight loss, made her look just short of death. Her clothing was destroyed, a wound from a laser weapon fresh on her shoulder surrounded by scorched cloth. She was favoring a leg, the reason for Nick carrying her.

Colette was helping the synth. Reagan was helping the synth. The two most important people in his world had chosen to aid the synth: turned their back on him.

Nick helped Colette limp around so she wasn’t standing behind the taller soldiers and the synth. “Arthur,” she said. “Put the gun down and listen to us.”

He kept the revolver pointed at the synth, but kept his eyes locked on her. “I’m listening.” He kept his voice and face neutral. His chest burned with the pain of betrayal, but he’d be damned if he showed that now.

“Alex was never replaced.” Colette’s voice pulled him out of his examination of her injuries.

His mouth twitched. He couldn’t be sure himself if it was a smile or a sneer. “That is a

synth

in a Brotherhood uniform. I cannot trust it.” He knew what she was going to say, and his gaze flicked to Nick, who had his free hand on his own gun, ready to draw it to protect Colette, if needed. “I cannot trust any synth with the Brotherhood’s secrets. The Institute makes it impossible. With a

command

they are no longer who they used to be, they become a walking terminal, a puppet.”

With a sigh, Colette started moving again, pushing Nick off of her and keeping her weight off of her injured leg. Arthur noticed that her arms were covered in dried blood. What had happened to her? “Then remove him from the Brotherhood.” She said, as she placed herself between the barrel of his gun and the synth. “He wants to leave the Commonwealth and stay far away so the Institute can’t use him. He doesn’t need to die.”

He immediately lowered his gun so she isn’t in front of it. He wanted to hate her, but he couldn’t. His gaze locked on Reagan, then went to the synth. “Did you know?”

“I thought I was human, Arthur.” Arthur flinched at the synth using his first name. “I had no reason to think otherwise.” Reagan, Colette, and MacCready nodded in agreement.

He hated the conflict within him. He needed to be stronger than this. The Codex was clear. He was Elder; but it had to be his best friend. It had to be someone that not only his fiancé, but his other best friend would defend. It had to be Alex.

Briefly he looked to Reagan. She had always been the most lenient of them, but she had never disobeyed a direct order. “What was your plan here, Knight?” He asked her.

“To see him off, then tell you his trail was cold, sir.”

“I could demote you for this.”

“Sir.”

“I could remove you from the Brotherhood for this.”

“Sir.”

They stared at each other calmly, Reagan’s hands behind her back, shoulders square, and feet shoulder width apart. Arthur stood ready to lift the revolver if needed. MacCready had a tight grip on his own gun, and Colette stood firmly in front of the synth, protecting it with her own life.

It

had

to be Alex.

Reagan’s chin was tipped up slightly, and her golden eyes were rimmed with red and full of tears that she refused to spill.

Colette was the first to move out of all of them, reaching into her bag to retrieve something. She hissed in pain and he resisted the urge to rush to her aid. She brought out three manilla folders. She tossed the first folder to the ground. “Institute records of when he went missing and when they stopped looking for him.” She tossed the second, “Records of Dr. Amari wiping his memory and setting him up with a Railroad handler.” The last folder, “Railroad assignment of Jason Cutler to escort M7-97 out of the Commonwealth.

Arthur’s attention split to the folders briefly before returning to Colette. “I won’t insult our relationship by checking the papers. I know you.” He shifted his position and and paid more than necessary attention to holstering the revolver in his coat as he spoke, “Paladin Alexander Danse has been relieved of duty. Active immediately. When the Institute is no longer a threat, he may be considered a dormant threat and allowed to live and let live, but he will never be allowed extended stay on Brotherhood territory again.” He didn’t look at them as he spoke.

When he was done, he finally looked up to Reagan. “Come to the Prydwen when you’re done here. I have some paperwork regarding your demotion to file.”

“Yes, sir.” Then Reagan straightened up and saluted him. “Thank you, sir.”

Nick finally moved, picking Colette up bridal style. “Now that we aren’t on a time crunch, we need to get you back inside and set that ankle.”

Arthur watched her and let out a short breath, it was enough to catch her attention. As her green eyes focused on him, he said, “I hope to see you soon, General, in a less… stressful situation.” The hurt look in her eyes made him instantly regret using her title instead of her name. The muscles in his jaw hurt from holding a frown for so long. Once he finished the paperwork for this, he was going to lock himself in his room and drink until he didn’t hurt anymore.

He watched his fiancé turn from Colette Arnold to the General after he was done speaking. She nodded stiffly. “I’ll come up to the Prydwen once I can walk again, Elder.”

Not trusting his voice, he grunted in response and turned on his heels to return to the vertibird.

Somebody knocked on his door frame. He looked up from the report he wasn’t reading and saw Knight Elijah Grants standing there.

“Come in, and have a seat, Knight.” Arthur stood from the table and went to pull a folder from the pile on his desk. Since Grants had finally stopped causing issues with his fellow soldiers, he was gaining more respect in the ranks. “Do you know why I called you in here?” He asked as he sat back down.

The Knight nodded before looking down. “Because I shot General Arnold.” He appeared to brace himself.

Arthur stared at him in shock. “I’m sorry, what did you say?” He couldn’t have heard right.

The Knight looked up at him. “I shot the General at Bunker Hill. She didn’t exactly order me to, but she asked me to. She said she was faking her death to get away from the Institute. And that more lives would be lost if I didn’t do it. She said you would understand, but I’m prepared to take full responsibility, sir.”

“You said she was at Bunker Hill?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Am I correct in assuming that the rest of her injuries are also from Bunker Hill?”

The Knight nodded, “Yes, sir.”

Arthur nodded as well, furrowing his brows. “While that wasn’t what I asked to see you for, I do appreciate you telling me. Thank you, Knight.”

“Sir?”

“You have been taking on more important missions. You’ve taken leadership in and out of the field, and the officers and I have taken notice. I have decided to promote you to Knight-Sergeant. As we get closer to taking out the Institute, you will take on more important duties.”

“Elder, I-” The newly promoted Knight-Sergeant was stunned. He stood and saluted Arthur. “Thank you, sir. I won’t let you down.”

Arthur stood and returned the salute. “Dismissed, Knight-Sergeant. You have the rest of the day off as leave to celebrate.”

Grants had been gone for just ten minutes when there was another knock on his door frame. He looked up, and found Reagan standing in civilian clothing. “Aspirant Knight.”

“Arthur.” Her tone conveyed her frustration with him, before she sighed and started over. “Cole has been asking about you. You should go see her.”

“She said she would come see me when she could walk again. She hasn’t come to see me yet, so I’m not going to push her by visiting her prematurely.” He wasn’t going to bring up that her calling him ‘Elder’ for the third time since they’d met kept replaying in his head. And he knew she felt the same about him calling her ‘General’ and felt awful about it.

“Nick’s keeping her at the Castle until she’s gained some weight back, the weight loss made it harder for her injuries to heal, even with all of the stimpacks we gave her. It’s going to take a while before she can leave the Castle. She’s been isolated. I visit whenever I can, but I can tell it’s not enough.” Reagan finally stepped into the room and sat down across from him. He looked into her eyes and the seriousness in them surprised him. “She needs you right now.”

He sighed, “I’ll go see her tonight.” He would finish up his paperwork and take care of what needed his attention for the next day. Just in case.

“If she was going to end things, she wouldn’t be asking about you.” Reagan told him.

There it was, the fear that had been wiggling its way into his thoughts. She had been on the other side of his gun. She felt the need to protect others from him. She-

“Stop that.” Reagan told him. “Just go see her. You two need to talk about it eventually, don’t just decide how you think she’s going to feel and act on that. You’ve been doing that the last couple of days and it’s not working out for either of you.”

He nodded, she was right.“Thank you, Reagan.”

She stood to leave. “If you see Mac at the Castle, check on him, too. He’s taken all of this pretty rough and he’s getting ignored a lot because everybody’s worried about you and Cole.”

Arthur nodded and let her leave him to finish his paperwork. He fought to focus on the requests and reports. Signing off on what needed his approval. When he finally boarded a vertibird to take him to the Castle, his stomach was in knots and his heart was racing.

When the vertibird dropped him off, he headed straight for Colette’s quarters. MacCready was leaning against the last archway that supported the ceiling before her quarters. Ocean blue eyes regarded him as the sniper continued to lean on the wall with crossed arms. “Maxson.” The sniper finally nodded.

“MacCready. How are you? How is Duncan?” He really did care about the sniper and his son, but Colette was still his priority.

“We’re doing as well as we could be doing. Duncan misses Alex and keeps asking when Papa’s coming home. I haven’t had the heart to tell him he’s not.”

“I’m sorry, I know that probably doesn’t mean much coming from me.”

MacCready’s eyes widened at his apology, before he shook his head. “It isn’t your fault. Could you have handled it better? Yes, but you also could have killed him anyway and not listened to us.”

MacCready was right. And if it wasn’t for Colette’s intervention, he probably would have. “If there’s anything I can do for you, please don’t hesitate to let me know.”

MacCready seemed to think about it before shouting could be heard from the room behind him. “How about you go stop her from murdering Nick for hovering?”

Arthur pushed past the sniper and opened the door to Colette’s quarters. Nick and Colette were standing across from each other at a tub that had been brought in and filled with steaming hot water.

“Posso lavarmi, padrino.”

Colette was obviously irritated, if her tone was anything to go by.
"E se ti fai male?” Nick began to step around the tub, and stopped dead in his tracks when Arthur cleared his throat. Two sets of eyes, glowing yellow and sea green looked at him.
“Can we compromise?” Colette asked Nick. “I know you’re worried, but I can bathe myself. If I fall, Arthur is here.” Ah. So that’s what they were shouting about.

Nick sighed, “Fine.” He turned to leave and stopped in front of Arthur. “If you need help, send for me.”

“Of course.” Arthur nodded.

“And no talking shop. She needs to rest.” Arthur watched as Nick walked out of the room and shut the double doors behind him.

“I’m sorry.” Colette’s voice drew his attention back to her. He raised his eyebrows in silent question, so she elaborated. “I shouldn’t have volunteered you to help me bathe if I needed it.”

“I would have offered if you hadn’t… and if I had understood what you were yelling about.” Colette looked down at her feet, sheepish. He decided to continue. “Do you need me to get you anything? Is the water too hot?”

“The hot water helps the muscle stiffness.” Colette started drawing a pattern on the ground with her socked foot.

“Are you in a lot of pain?” Arthur asked, his voice quiet.

Colette nodded, “The hot water helps with that, too.”

“Then let’s get you in there.” He turned to remove his battle coat and hang it on the coat rack next to her blue coat. He noted the layer of dust that coated the ballistic cloth. He turned back, and Colette had not moved to undress. “Is something wrong?”

“I-I don’t look the same.” Her voice was small. “I’ve lost thirty pounds and I’m covered in scars and-”

He moved across the room and pulled her in for a chaste kiss. “It doesn’t matter if you’ve lost thirty or gained a hundred pounds. I still love you, Cole. And you should know by now that scars don’t bother me.” He still held her and she leaned into him. “Come on, let’s get you into the bath while it’s still hot.”

Colette nodded and let him help her undress. The scars weren’t as bad as she seemed to think they were, mainly small ones on her forearms and the burn scar where Grants shot her in the shoulder. Her weight loss was more concerning, her ribs were visible and he could feel her vertebrae as he ran a hand down her back to reassure her that he wasn’t bothered. She held onto his arm for support as she lowered herself into the tub, sighing as the hot water started to soothe her aches.

She leaned back in the tub and closed her eyes. Arthur brought the desk chair over and sat on it so he could lean his arms on the side. Without opening her eyes, Colette started the conversation they couldn’t avoid. “I know you have questions.”

“Nick said you need to rest and not talk shop.” Arthur reminded her.

“This is all more personal than business, Arthur.” She opened her eyes and reached a hand out of the tub to hold his.

He sighed, deciding where to begin. “How did you know?”

“Reagan radioed me. We met up at the old diner down the way. It was just us. She told me everything she knew.”

“And you told her to get Nick involved.”

Colette nodded. “I went back into the Institute to get what data I could on him while Reagan found Nick and our Railroad contact. I also told her to have Nick tell you about Bunker Hill.”

“Where you told Grants to shoot you.”

Colette grimaced. “Yeah, I hope you weren’t too hard on him for that.”

“I didn’t know it was him that shot you until I called him in to promote him and he told me.” He felt terrible about it. “I’m glad he followed the order, though. Because you were able to get away from the Institute, you prevented what happened at the Listening Post from getting much worse.”

“That was my goal.” Colette furrowed her brows. “Well, not

that

, but I was going to bring you the data we’d found after he was out of the Commonwealth safely.”

“Either way, I’m glad Reagan reached out to you.” Arthur brushed her knuckle with his thumb. “I think, if you hadn’t helped, knowing I’d ordered his death and finding out after that he had never been replaced would have eaten at me for the rest of my life.”

“I’m glad you listened to us. I was so afraid you wouldn’t when I came out of the listening post and saw you pointing your gun at him.” Colette admitted.

They sat in silence while Colette continued to soak in the tub. She shifted, letting go of his hand to reach for the shampoo bottle on the ground. When she winced, Arthur grabbed it and rolled up his sleeves. “Let me help you, please.”

Colette looked at him for a minute, before nodding her surrender. She dipped her head under the water to wet her hair. Arthur squeezed a generous amount in to his hand and began massaging it into her hair, feeling how brittle her hair was. “We have this shampoo on the Prydwen.” He told her as the scent of apples hit his nose.

“I know.” Colette hummed. “Reagan bought it for me from Teagan and surprised me with it the first time she visited me after Nick started allowing visitors.”

“He’s been hovering a lot?” Arthur asked as he helped her rinse the suds from her hair. He took the washcloth hanging on the side of the tub and used the bar of soap that was sitting next to the shampoo to work up a lather.

“Yeah. I forget sometimes that the only difference between him and my dad is the synth body.”

“Still, what I’ve heard seems… excessive. Not allowing you to leave? Not allowing visitors?” Arthur leaned her forward and washed her back.

“I understand better now than I did when I was younger. It’s still frustrating that I can’t wash myself.”

“What changed that made you understand his hovering?” Arthur wasn’t paying as much attention as he should have as he mentally catalogued the changes to her body.

“I became a parent.” Arthur froze, waiting for her to continue to make sure she wasn’t upset. “When I first brought Shaun home from the hospital, I remember jumping up everytime he made a sound when I wasn’t holding him for the first few weeks.” She sighed, “I just need this to be done.”

“We can talk about plans in the morning.” Arthur told her as he finished washing her. He helped her get out of the tub and dried off. He left her to get dressed in clean pajamas and climb into bed while he called for somebody to move the tub out of her quarters.

When the tub was gone, he stripped into his boxers and grabbed an extra undershirt he kept at the Castle from the dresser to wear to bed. He climbed into bed and let Colette adjust them for sleeping how she wanted. She chose spooning, and soon both of them were drifting off into sleep.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Colette

By the time she had gained some weight back and was able to finally bathe without Arthur’s assistance, Colette was ready to leave the Castle. She knew Nick was right and she had been in no shape to be out and about in the Wasteland.

So, when she could finally move about without pain, Reagan would come down when she wasn’t on duty to help her train and teach her how to modify weapons. Sure, she knew how to switch out scopes, but Reagan taught her how to really get the most effectiveness out of her weapons. They had even taken a sword and modified it to electrocute her enemies on contact.

Arthur had taken to working on the Prydwen during the day and spending his nights at the Castle. Colette still hadn’t told Arthur about her extended stay underground working with her son, but her continued nightmares made him worry. She had woken him up thrashing in her sleep. He managed to wake her up and calm her down - with no injuries to his nose- but his soothing words did nothing to chase away what haunted her.

The sun was setting, lighting the sky in beautiful colors. Arthur and Colette were sitting with their legs hanging over the Castle walls, watching the shadows play on the water as the sun disappeared behind them. The guards patrolling the walls behind them paid them no notice and continued their rounds.

Arthur pressed a kiss to her temple and hummed in contentment when she leaned into his touch. Suddenly, Colette shivered.

“Are you cold? We should head inside soon.” Arthur lifted himself up from their perch and then pulled Colette up after him.

“It’s nothing. Just a sudden chill.” Colette rubbed her hands up her arms to ward off the feeling. Something didn’t feel right.

“For the Institute!” Came a cry before gunfire erupted in the courtyard.

Colette barely had time to register what was happening before Arthur was pushing her towards the corner of the bastion, keeping himself between her and the direction the shout had come from. More shouts and gunfire came, and Arthur pushed her into the conference room, and shut the door behind him. He drew his revolver from under his battlecoat and readied it.

Moments later, Sturges burst into the room, brandishing his pipe pistol. He locked eyes with Colette before raising his gun to point at her.

Before he could finish aiming, his head exploded and rained blood and brain matter on them both as Arthur fired. He used one hand to hold Colette back from running to examine the body. “There may be more.” He murmured to her. He pulled another revolver from under his coat and handed it to her. She had only been carrying her sword with her that evening.

They listened, and waited. When they determined that there was no more gunfire, they returned their guns to the holsters under Arthur’s battlecoat. Colette rolled up her sleeves and began digging through the brain matter. She sighed when she held up a synth component. Arthur took it from her and examined it closely with a scowl on his face while Colette went back to searching the body. “Shit.” She cursed.

“What is it?” Arthur asked, kneeling beside her. She felt him tense when he saw what she was looking at.

Colette’s Pipboy was on Sturges’s wrist.

“The Institute knows I’m alive.” Colette choked out. She stood, brushing the dirt from her knees, before leading him out of the conference room. She schooled her features, not letting him see the fear and anxiety that was clawing at her insides. “You need to get back to the Prydwen. Now.” She told him as she led him through the courtyard. “Ramirez!” She called as they approached the radio station in the center. “I need you to recall Colonel Garvey to the Castle to prepare for an attack from the Institute.” She was thankful her voice wasn’t shaking.

“Tell him I’m going to be recalling my soldiers from the Sanctuary area. The vertibird can pick the Colonel up before swinging around to get the patrol in that area.” Arthur told Ramirez.

“Yes, General. Yes, Elder.” Ramirez nodded and set to work on the dials.

“How many soldiers do you have here?” Arthur asked.

Colette did a mental headcount. “Thirty, not counting officers. I can have the ones in the immediate area come in from the larger settlements. I’m going to keep the ones stationed at Hangman’s alley there. They’ve always got raider problems and they’re too far out for Diamond City Security to be any help.”

“What’s the state of their armor? Their weapons? They’re going to need something better than what they have for patrols and training.”  Arthur helped her work through what she needed to prepare.

As if right on cue, Ronnie came running towards her with Nick and MacCready in tow.

“Sturges locked us all in with Sarge and overrode the security door controls.”  Ronnie snarled. “I’m gonna tan his hide and make boots out of it when I catch that kid!”

Colette turned, “Are you all okay?”

“I need a cigarette. God da-ang.” MacCready nodded his thanks at Nick when the synth offered his pack and lighter. He lit up and took a deep drag, blowing the smoke towards the sky in a relieved exhale.

“What the Hell happened?” Nick asked.

“Sturges was a synth. The Institute knows I’m alive. We’re preparing for retaliation now.” Colette filled them in. “Ronnie, I need a complete inventory of our weapons and armor. Anybody who’s still using a musket and ballistic clothing instead of being properly outfitted needs to have that remedied yesterday.”

“Yes, General.” The Major threw an old-war salute and took off back towards the armory.

“Mac, I need you to work with Ramirez on recalling troops from nearby settlements. If they can’t be here in the next twelve hours, tell them don’t bother.” MacCready nodded and went to sit next to Ramirez who was huddled over a small map.

“Nick, I need you to radio Dez and Deacon. Let them know what happened. We need to meet with them as soon as possible if they’re going to want further involvement.”

“Of course.” Nick and Arthur exchanged silent glances before the synth disappeared into the Castle.

“Okay.” Colette huffed. “I’ve got them working on things. What else?”  Colette looked to Arthur for help.

“I’m going to assign Reagan and Knight-Sergeant Grants to the Castle until further notice.”  He told her. “As for the rest of the Brotherhood, we’ll be on standby. If we can send help, we will.”

Colette knew better than to argue about him stationing two of his best soldiers at the Castle. She knew he would rather keep them at the airport and be with her personally, but he had to be with his soldiers in case they were attacked as well. Having Reagan and Grants here was the next best thing.

Colette reached up and kissed him gently. “I promise, I’ll keep myself out of the fight as much as possible. Afterwards, we’ll hit them back and end this so they don’t have time to recover.”

Arthur’s eyes softened slightly. “I love you.” He pulled her into a kiss. “Keep yourself safe, Cole. I can’t lose you.”

It didn’t take long for Colette to break her promise.

The Coursers and Gen-2s started teleporting in the next afternoon. The turrets whirred to life and started showering the courtyard in bullets. All of the Minutemen soldiers were in combat armor instead of their uniforms. Reagan had been allowed to wear a suit of power armor, as long as it wasn’t her T-60 Knight issued suit, and Grants was in his new suit of power armor. They had been guarding the entrance to the bastion that housed Colette’s quarters, but sprung into action as she raced out of her quarters in her own power armor.

“Damn it, Cole!” Reagan shouted over their comms. “You promised Arthur!”

“My men are getting slaughtered out here! They need all the help they can get!” Colette ran her electrified sword through a Gen-2 while Grants mowed down synths with his automatic laser rifle.

“Just got word that the airport is under attack as well.” Grants huffed over the channel. “It sounds like they’ve got a heavier concentration of Gen-2s over there.”

“Well yeah, they’re wanting to focus on taking out Liberty Prime. Gen-2s are better at hacking technology. Coursers are made for killing.” Colette whipped out her pistol and fired straight into the head of a Courser across the courtyard. “The Institute knows I betrayed them. They want to annihilate the Minutemen, and me before I can use my knowledge against them.”

Reagan grabbed a dead Gen-2 by the leg and threw it up towards a group that was raining down blue fire from the walls, knocking them all off. “Still, Arthur’s not going to be happy that we let you fight.”

“I’ll take the blame. I know he assigned you two to protect me, but he can’t have expected me to sit in my quarters through this. What kind of General would I be if I did that?”

“Isn’t the last General that did that still in the catacombs?” MacCready asked before his rifle could be heard firing. A Courser went down behind Preston, MacCready’s bullet whizzing by the Colonel’s shoulder.

“Yepp. I stole his jacket. Fits me better anyway.”  Colette laughed as she used her sword to disarm a shock baton wielding Courser. The Courser pulled out a Stealth-Boy. “Oh no you don’t.” Colette lunged and pierced the Courser through the chest before hitting the button to electrify him. His sunglasses fell off as his body shook and his eyes rolled up until all she could see were the whites.

She continued fighting, getting further and further from Reagan and Grants. She paid no attention to the location of her assigned bodyguards, knowing that not focusing on her immediate surroundings could mean death for her.

“Shit!”  Reagan swore.

“What is it?” Grants asked over the comms.

“Leg plate went out. Severed one of the hoses for the hydraulics.”

“Can you move?” Colette asked.

“Yeah, but that leg in particular is gonna be a-” Reagan’s voice cut off. Colette turned to see that she had been ejected from her power armor, her slow movement making her a perfect target for a Courser that had teleported in from behind her. The world moved in slow motion as the Courser raised his gun.

He never got to fire before Nick tackled him.

“Grants, get her into the armory so she can find something that she can actually move in.” Colette barked over the comms.

“Ma’am.” She saw Grants work his way over to Reagan and watch her back as they cut a path through the courtyard with their laser rifles.

Colette also worked on making a path through the synths towards where Nick was. To her left, she hear Ronnie roar and the unmistakable sound of a minigun firing, downing dozens of synths by the second.

The last synth finally dropped and the Castle fell into an eerie silence. Colette finally ran to where she saw Nick last and stopped.

“Nick?”  She hit the release to get out of her armor. She could see what looked like his hand buried under the bodies of two Coursers. “

Padrino?”

She asked, her stomach dropping. Why wasn’t he answering? She did her best to pull the Coursers off, but they were so damn heavy. “I need help over here!” She called. Preston and Reagan were at her side in moments, dragging the Coursers off of Nick.

Except it was only half of Nick. The bottom half of his body had been torn off, and the top half wasn’t moving. His eyes, always glowing and full of life, were empty.

“

Papa

?”  Colette choked back tears. “You can’t do this to me again!” She pounded the ground in front of her with her fists. She tried shaking his body with one hand, hoping, praying to a God she no longer believed in that he would at least tell her it hurt, but there was nothing, just the scrape of metal on the concrete ground.

Nick Valentine was dead. Again.

She knelt in the courtyard for hours. It even began raining. She knew she should tend to the wounded, say something encouraging to her soldiers that survived, but she couldn’t make herself move. She sat and cried. Reagan, Grants, and MacCready all stood nearby, not letting anybody near her so she could grieve with as much privacy as the Wasteland would allow her. She ignored the sting of radiation on her skin as the rain soaked through her clothes. She screamed, not knowing any other way to let out her heartbreak. She was mad. At Nick. At Shaun. At the world before the war. She was even angry at the bombs. So she screamed until she was hoarse. She heard Reagan talking to somebody on the radio, probably updating the Prydwen on the status of the Castle. She didn’t care. She didn’t want to care anymore.

At some point, she heard a vertibird land. Her sobs covered up the sound of approaching boots, but she knew Arthur was there. When he took her in his arms, it did nothing to soothe the bleeding holes in her heart, but his embrace did remind her of what needed to happen next.

Shaun Maxson was going to pay.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Arthur

He stood on the Flight Deck, trying to watch two battles at once. At the Castle across the bay, the cloudy sky lit up with laser fire and explosions. Down below, his own soldiers fought off hordes of Gen-2 Synths. Strangely, there was a lack of Coursers in the fray. They climbed all over Liberty Prime, like metallic spiders, and there was a large concentration of them around where they had installed the Beryllium agitator. His soldiers were fighting to get to Liberty Prime, but they were hampered by the synths and the bodies of their brothers and sisters strewn across the ground.

He had started watching the battle from the Command Deck, but overhearing the reports Kells was getting from both the Airport and Knight-Sergeant Grants at the Castle was too much. The Institute had focused their Coursers at the Castle, aiming to wipe out the Minutemen stationed there. Based on the numbers there, it looked like the Institute only wanted to prevent the Brotherhood from coming to the Minutemen’s aid.

He hated that he was impressed by that.

Bit by bit, the Gen-2s below were consumed by blue lightning, either being recalled to the Institute or sent to aid those at the Castle, Arthur would could only guess. The chaos across the bay continued as the sounds of battle from below turned into shouts for First Aid. Arthur sighed and rubbed at his eyes as he turned to continue watching the Castle. It took another thirty minutes, but soon the battle there died down as well.

“Elder Maxson,” Lancer Captain Kells was behind him, holding one of their portable radios. “Aspirant Knight is asking to speak with you.”

“Thank you, Lancer Captain.” Arthur took the radio and turned to face the Castle. “Aspirant Knight, what’s the status at the Castle?”

“It was a bloodbath. The Minutemen took heavy casualties.” There was a strain in her voice that squeezed at his already worried heart.

"Are all of the officers okay?” He asked.

“All of the officers are alive, but-” Reagan’s voice was drowned out by an anguished scream on the other end.

“Knight, what was that?”

Reagan cleared her throat. “That was General Arnold, sir.”

“Is she injured?” If she was screaming, she was still alive.

“No, sir, but Detective Valentine is dead.”

“What happened?” He demanded.

“Courser got me out of my power armor. He was about to take me out when Nick tackled him to save me. They-” Reagan paused, likely to compose herself. She had taken a strong liking to Nick, just like almost everybody else had. “They tore him in half. We’re still looking for half of his body.”

He watched as storm clouds began rolling in from the South. “I want you and Grants to keep an eye on her. If the Minutemen need your help with something, make sure she’s somewhere safe before you assist them. I’ll be down there as soon as I am able.”

“Yes, sir. We’ll keep you posted if we have any major updates.”

“Thank you, Knight. Ad Victorium.”

“Ad Victorium, sir.”

Arthur sighed as the transmission ended. He handed the radio back to Lancer-Kells and walked back to him to the Command Deck. “How many soldiers did we lose?”

“Death count is currently at 19, Elder. More are injured. Knight-Captain Cade just went down with a team of Scribes to tend to the wounded.”

“And the status on Liberty Prime?” he asked.

“Proctor Ingram went down with Cade to assess the damage. She will radio up with a report when she is complete.”

“Do we have the names of the deceased yet? I’ll start contacting families.”

“I will bring you updates as I receive them, sir.” The Lancer-Captain told him.

“Thank you, Lancer-Captain. Dismissed.” He returned the salute Kells gave him, but the older man didn’t move to leave just yet.

“Sir, if I may ask, is the General okay? I didn’t listen to the conversation you had with Aspirant Knight.”

“She’s uninjured. Detective Valentine fell in battle, and she’s not taking the loss well.”

“She has my condolences. I know the synth was important to her.” Kells didn’t need to add ‘

and you,’

to let him know that his well wishes were meant for Arthur as well. Anybody in the Brotherhood that was involved in the process of planning their wedding knew how important the synth was to Colette and Arthur. Despite initial distaste from both himself and Nick, they had actually grown quite close. Maybe not as much as Reagan or MacCready did, but he would miss the synth detective and his advice.

“Thank you, Kells.”

Three hours later, and he was on the Primair with Michael and a handful of Scribes heading towards the Castle. It had been raining for the last two and a half hours and everybody was soaked by the time they landed on the Castle lawn. The Scribes filed out and awaited orders. Waiting at the gates were Colonel Garvey and Major Shaw.

Arthur approached the two Minutemen, “Colonel, Major.” He saluted both of them and they returned with old war salutes. “Where are your injured being tended to? I brought a medical team with me.”

“They’re all in the conference room. I’ll take the Scribes to them.” Preston offered.

“Thank you, Garvey.” Arthur turned to the Scribes. “Follow Colonel Garvey and let him know if you need anything.” He saluted them to dismiss them and they followed Preston into the Castle. He turned and scanned the courtyard. A few able-bodied soldiers were sorting through the carnage. Minutemen were laid out for identification while synths and Coursers were thrown into a pile. He spotted two suits of power armor and MacCready’s green hat on the opposite end, and he made his way towards them, knowing Colette was nearby, with Ronnie following him.

His two soldiers and MacCready had formed a semi circle around Colette, facing outward to give her as much privacy as possible. Reagan and Grants had left their power armor and they were serving as extra ‘bodies’ to shield her. She had collapsed on the upper half of Nick’s body, and was sobbing into it.

“Oh, Colette.” Arthur kneeled down beside her and pulled her up into her arms. “I’m so sorry.” He whispered. He had no idea if she heard him, she made no indication that she did, she just continued sobbing into his chest. He knew it wasn’t just Nick. Nick had just been the final blow that brought everything rushing to the surface.

“Finally. Maybe you can get her to calm the hell down and actually do her job.” Ronnie snapped.

Arthur whipped his head around and glared at the Major, who had her arms crossed and was sneering at Colette.

“You’ve got a lot of nerve, you shriveled old bitch.” MacCready snarled before anybody else could get a word out.

“Watch your words, Captain. That is no way to address a senior officer.”

“Senior officer my ass! You spent the entire battle huddled up in the armory with the excuse that you were protecting our stockpile. You’ve been nothing but insubordinate towards the General since you slithered out from whatever rock you’ve been hiding under for the last fifteen years.”

“I’ve been in the Minutemen since before the General was-”

“Actually, no you haven’t. She’s 240 years old. Pre-War. And while you were doing nothing for the Minutemen or the Commonwealth, she thawed from cryo and rebuilt this army with no help from you!” MacCready stepped up and was yelling in Ronnie’s face.

“And what do you plan on doing about that, Captain MacCready? Want to go back in time and tell me to step up? I don’t take orders from you.”

“You do take orders from

me

.” Everybody looked to where Preston was standing next to Reagan’s suit. He was absolutely livid. “Major Shaw, as Colonel of the Minutemen and Acting General in General Arnold’s current state, I am hereby relieving you of duty. You are to remove yourself and your possessions from the Castle immediately.”

Ronnie opened her mouth to argue, but thought better of it and snapped it shut. “Very well,

Colonel

. Good luck keeping the Minutemen running without me.”

“We survived without you before. We can do it again.”

“I heard Diamond City security is hiring.” MacCready told her as she about-faced and stormed towards the gates. She didn’t look back as she flipped him off.

Arthur turned his attention back to Colette. She had stopped crying, but her face was still buried in his chest. He rubbed his hand up and down her back. “Do you want to stay here or at the Prydwen?”

“Here. Dez and Deacon should be here in the morning so we can discuss how to finish this.” Her voice was hoarse.

“I still don’t know who that is, love.”

“You’ll see in the morning.” She murmured. He could tell she was exhausted, so he shifted her in his arms so he could carry her when he stood.

He turned to their soldiers with Colette in his arms. “I’m going to get her settled in for the night. Do you need anything from us?”

“No, Elder Maxson. We can handle things from here.” Knight-Sergeant Grants reassured him.

“Thank you, Knight-Sergeant. Don’t hesitate to get me if you need anything.” He nodded instead of saluting, since his arms were full with his fiancé falling asleep. He turned and carried her to her quarters, allowing a Minuteman to dart ahead of him and open the door for him. He nodded his thanks, not wanting to disturb Colette and settled her on the bed. Slowly and gently, he undressed her before undressing himself and settling them both under the blankets. He laid on his back and pulled her close, letting her rest her head on his chest while he continued to draw soothing patterns on her back.

Neither of them woke up from her nightmares that night.

“Sorry to disappoint you, Wanderer. Dez isn’t going to be here.” The man with the sunglasses sat in a chair across the table from him. “I’m here for us, though.”

“Deacon. I need to get a straight answer from you. Is the Railroad helping us or not?” Colette snapped. She had woken up that morning nauseous and with a headache from taking in rads from the rain the night before. She had taken RadAway and downed three cans of purified water, but it did nothing to dampen her sour mood. Arthur couldn’t blame her, but he was the only one who knew what was really going on and how deep the Institute attack cut her.

“As long as the Brotherhood is in the game, we’re out.” Deacon crossed his arms and nodded at Arthur. “Soldier boy here may not be a steaming pile of anti-synth shit, but that doesn’t mean the rest of them aren’t.”

Colette rubbed at her temples, sighing as she did so. “Did Patriot even tell you anything about the plan?”

“Yeah, and I like it. I just don’t trust them to go along with it.” Deacon either didn’t see how irritated Colette was with him or didn’t care.

“That was the point of this meeting, damn it. To hammer out the details to make sure everybody agrees! Jesus fuck!” Colette pounded her hand on the desk.

“What is the plan? Not that I don’t trust you, but I would like to know what I’m hypothetically agreeing or not agreeing to.” Arthur asked.

“While I was in the Institute, I was working with Patriot to gather a group of insiders to help overthrow the current leadership. Before I escaped, Shaun named me as his successor as Director. The rebels still want me to lead, but we want to stop human synth production and open up the Institute to helping rebuild the surface instead of having a secret city underground and hoarding resources and technology that could help others.”

“And why would the Brotherhood be opposed to that?” Arthur asked Deacon. “We came to the Commonwealth to help take down the Institute. This helps us achieve our goal, and limits civilian casualties.”

“And what about the synths? Will you keep hunting them down?” Deacon demanded.

“I think you already know the answer to that, Deacon.” Colette hissed.

“He sent one of his soldiers to kill one of his own men when he found out he was a synth!” Deacon stood up.

“All of the intel in the world can’t tell you the feelings of those involved.” Arthur growled at Deacon.

“What does Nick think of you defending these bigots?” Deacon asked Colette while waving in Arthur’s direction.

Arthur flinched. That was a bad move.

Colette’s temper cooled instantly. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and let it out slowly. When she opened her eyes, he almost recoiled. The color green had never looked so cold.

“My father,” she began. “Died last night. Did you know that?” When Deacon shook his head, she continued, stepping around the table to approach him. “So then you must not know

how

he died? He died protecting a Brotherhood soldier. He was literally ripped apart by Coursers to protect a single Brotherhood soldier.”

“Wanderer-“ Deacon began, but Colette cut him off.

“No! I’m not Wanderer. I’m Colette Arnold, daughter of Nick Valentine. And I am no longer affiliated with the Railroad. If the Railroad makes any moves against the Brotherhood or the Institute after the coup, make sure Desdemona is aware that I will not hesitate to retaliate.”

Deacon nodded, trembling slightly. He retreated almost making it to the door, but Colette wasn’t done.

“And Deacon, if you ever try to use my family to manipulate me again, I will personally end you. Have I made myself clear?”

Deacon’s mouth narrowed into a grim line. “Crystal.” Was all he said before he disappeared.

Colette took another deep breath before pulling out her pistol and pointing at the corner. “You gonna show yourself or do I need to shoot you?”

With a flash, a man appeared. He was wearing a long black coat and had on reflective sunglasses.

A Courser.

“Well?” Colette asked.

“I would like to… apologize.” The Courser began, removing his sunglasses. “It was I who reset your synth mechanic and informed Father of your betrayal.”

“And?” Colette kept the gun trained on him.

“And I would like to join your rebellion, if you would have me.”

“Why would one of the Institute's top Coursers want to join my rebellion?” Colette asked him.

“I was programmed to serve humanity and the Institute’s best interests. The direction the Institute is going in is not beneficial to humanity, and without you, we will surely be destroyed by one of the other factions in the Commonwealth.”

“Well then. You’re not wrong.” Colette put her gun away. “Arthur, I’d like you to meet X6-88. He was my designated body guard in the Institute. X6, this is Arthur Maxson, my fiancé.”

“Maxson? Perhaps your offspring will be better than those she had with the previous one.” The Courser’s gray eyes burned into him.

“Unfortunately Shaun takes after his father’s side of the family. By some miracle Arthur does not.” Colette told them both.

“I’m not sure if I should feel insulted by that or not.” Arthur frowned.

“If you’d met them, you would understand how much of a compliment that is.” Colette reassured him. “So how do you want to help, X6?”

“Judging by the conversation you had with the Railroad operative, it seems you have no more communication with the rebels in the Institute. I can assist with that.”

“How do I know I can trust you?” Colette narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

The Courser reached inside his coat. Arthur’s hand flew to his revolver and began to draw it until X6-88 pulled out a file. “My codes, ma’am.”

Colette took the folder, opened it, and scanned it. “X6-88, Initialize temporary shutdown. Authorization Gamma.” She said without looking up. The Courser immediately dropped. Colette strode over and nudged him with her foot. “Huh. That’s a hefty level of trust.” She stepped back and said, “X6-88, Initialize reboot. Authorization Omega.”

X6-88’s eyes slowly opened. He pushed himself off the ground and returned to standing before them with his hands behind his back.

“I could have killed you. After what you just put me through, I have every right to.” The fire was back in Colette’s eyes.

“I understand, ma’am.”

“I could give you to the Brotherhood Scribes for research.” She pressed.

“Ma’am.”

“The rebels have been waiting for us to teleport us in. When will you be able to get us in?”

“I can do this at any time. I would advise the late evening or early morning. Those are when the Institute is the most defenseless.”

Colette turned to face Arthur. She mouthed

Tomorrow?

At him. He considered the readiness of their armies, then nodded once.

She turned to face X6-88 again. “The morning after tomorrow then. We will have our men gathered here at the Castle at 4 am. How many can you teleport at once?”

“I would advise no more than six at a time, ma’am.”

“I will have a group gathered at the top of this bastion. That is where you should hone in to teleport us in from. Until then, you should lay low and not draw suspicion.”

“Yes ma’am. Is there anything else you require?” The Courser asked.

“Nothing we should be worrying about right now. You are dismissed.”

X6-88 nodded before disappearing in a blue flash.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Colette

It took Arthur some persuading, but they were staying at the Prydwen the night before. While staying at the Castle would make for less time getting to the relay point, they would have more privacy on the Prydwen, with his room being soundproof.

They spent the day apart, working with their communication channels to decide what soldiers would be going into the Institute and which ones would be staying behind to guard the Castle and the Airport, just in case.

Dani and William Knight volunteered to stay in Sanctuary. The settlement was so large, that they needed more guards, but the Minutemen had more casualties than the Brotherhood did during the attacks, and there weren’t many militiamen to spare. Danse was also staying in Sanctuary, but he was focusing on watching Duncan. When Colette had spoken with the former Paladin over the radio, the little boy’s excitement at seeing Danse could be heard and it brought tears to her eyes.

She and Arthur would be among the first six to go in. They were going to be teleported into the Institute at 4 am sharp with Preston, MacCready, Reagan, and Grants. Though their first interactions hadn’t been promising, Colette was beginning to like the Knight-Sergeant and she could see why Arthur promoted him.

Now, Arthur was locking the door to his quarters. It was only 4 in the afternoon, but they had to be up in the wee hours in the morning and he wanted to make sure they both had sufficient sleep before taking command of their soldiers in the heat of battle.

He had barely engaged the lock before she pounced on him as he turned to face her. He caught her and the

thump

as his back hit the door echoed in the metal room. His hands ran down her sides before grabbing her thighs to get a better hold on her as she claimed his mouth with hers. They hadn’t had sex since before the first time Colette went into the Institute, and desperation laced each kiss.

“Cole-

mmf-

bed?” Arthur managed between kisses. He groaned and bucked his hips against her when she took his lip between her teeth and gently pulled.

“Can’t wait.” She whispered. “Need you now.” She cupped his face in her hands and pulled him in for a deeper kiss. Arthur opened his mouth to her as he gripped her tighter and switched their positions so she had her back to the wall instead of his back to the door.

“When you say ‘now,’ do you want us fully undressed?” He asked as he worked at her belt. He fumbled and cursed when she ground her hips against him again.

“I mean

now

.” She demanded with another roll of her hips.

“Yes ma’am.” He breathed. He finally won his battle with her belt and stripped her pants partly off. One of her boots made it off her foot, and her pants and underwear hung awkwardly off of the other leg that still had a boot on.

It was enough for Arthur, though. He ran his fingers through her folds, sighing when he felt how wet she already was. He circled his middle finger around her clit and placed open mouthed kisses on her throat.

“

Arthur!

” Colette whined. He chuckled as he removed his finger from her and used his hand to undo the latch on the front of his suit. Colette silently thanked whoever designed the flight suit for the little flap that allowed for quick exposure. She was sure this wasn’t their intent, but that didn’t matter as Arthur picked her up, lined himself up with her entrance, and lowered her down onto him.

“Oh, fuck.” He swore in a strained voice before pulling out and thrusting back in slowly. He adjusted their bodies, wrapping her legs around his waist and gripping her ass as he picked up the pace. “Unbutton your shirt.” He murmured against the skin of her throat.

Colette nodded and unsteadily unbuttoned her shirt. When Arthur started mouthing his way down between thrusts, she caught on and pushed the cups of her bra down. When he took a nipple in his mouth, Colette’s head hit the wall and she moaned loudly. One of her hands gripped his shoulder to ground herself and the other tangled in his hair. She felt his tongue swirling around her nipple, flicking against it and pulling more moans out of her as he continued fucking her against the wall. He released her nipple and worked his way towards the other one, nipping at her soft skin as he went. “Touch yourself for me, Cole.” He growled as he mouthed at her other nipple.

Colette’s heart was pounding in her chest as she reached down and circled her clit. Her fingertips brushed Arthur’s shaft as he continued to thrust into her. She rubbed at her clit faster, feeling her climax building quickly between her own stimulation, Arthur’s cock inside her, and her nipples being teased by his sinful tongue. “Ar-oooh

fuck.

” He had read her body and as she was about to tell him she was close he bit her nipple with just enough force to send her toppling over the edge. She gasped as he picked up the pace and fucked her roughly through her climax, chasing his own release. Her fingers dug into the leather of his battle coat as her over sensitive body protested the continued stimulation.

He must have understood, because he slowed his thrusts to a stop and pulled out. Keeping his grip on her, he stumbled backwards to the bed and sat on it with her straddling his lap. He looked her in the eyes, cupped her cheek, and pulled her in for a deep kiss. He opened his mouth to her and she responded in kind, letting their tongues explore. He reached between them to undo the last button that remained fastened on her shirt and pushed it off her shoulders. Next he reached behind and fumbled with her bra, taking a minute to unhook it and toss it behind her. He rubbed gently at where the undergarment had left angry red marks in her skin.

The tender gesture pulled at her heart. Even the night before battle, he wanted to soothe even the littlest of pains she had. “I love you.” She whispered before kissing him. “I wouldn’t have survived this without you.”

“Shhh.” He hushed her with another kiss. “Yes you would have.” He held her closer. “You would have survived. You would have conquered the Institute. You’re much stronger than you think you are.”

Colette didn’t argue, only humming in response. She felt Arthur shift before he gently moved her off of his lap and set her beside him on the bed. She watched him stand and stretch, before striding over to the hook by the door where he took his battle coat off and slowly stripped his flight suit off while maintaining eye contact.

The slight teasing relit the smoldering fires in Colette’s belly. She kicked off her other boot so she could fully take her pants off before Arthur came back over. He dropped to his knees between her thighs and kissed her deeply. “I love you.” He whispered before kissing along her jawline. “I love you.” He growled in her ear as he nipped at her earlobe. He went from her ear to her neck, kissing and sucking gently. He teased one of her nipples gently with his tongue, circling her areola before taking it into his mouth and sucking. He maintained eye contact as he continued his journey down. When he reached her stomach, he gently eased her backwards until she was laying on the bed. She felt him kissing along her C-section scar, and then moving beyond it to nip at her hips. She felt a rush of excitement as she realized his intention. Finally, he adjusted her so her thighs were over his shoulders. His breath ghosted over her as he placed kisses on her inner thighs before licking a stripe from her perineum to her clit.

She felt him moan into her as he began exploring. He traced her folds on each side with this tongue, experimenting with using the tip or the flat of it to pleasure her. He finally made it to her clit and used the flat of his tongue to circle it. Colette’s eyes rolled back into her head and she gasped. Arthur hummed softly against her and buried his face deeper into her. He worked at her clit, using long strokes with his tongue that had her writhing. When he had to come up for air, he licked at his fingers before pushing them in. When he returned working at her clit, he pulled the firm bud into his mouth and gently sucked while he crooked his fingers. Colette felt her orgasm building, and dug her fingers into the mattress to ground herself. It finally crashed into her like a wave, sweeping the world out from underneath her and making her dizzy. She felt Arthur remove his mouth from her, but his fingers kept working to extend her climax.

When she finally returned the the world, she pushed herself up on her elbows to look at Arthur. His fingers were still buried in her, and she could see that his beard was wet. He leaned down and began lapping at her clit, once again building her up while gazing at her with eyes filled with love. Before he could work her closer to that edge without even reaching it once, Colette pulled him up, forcing him to pull his fingers out of her. He straddled her waist and lifted his fingers to his mouth so he could lick them clean. Colette reached up and gave his shaft a couple of lazy strokes, relishing the groan that fell from his lips as his eyes closed.

They adjusted themselves so they were both fully on the bed, her hand never stopping in the steady strokes. He reached down and grabbed her wrist, holding it so he could remove himself from her grip. Slowly, he laid above her, supporting himself on his forearms. He leaned down and kissed her. Colette moaned softly when she tasted herself on his lips. She spread her legs to accommodate his hips as he settled down and aligned himself with her. He slid in with one easy thrust, and they both moaned at the feeling of joining. He didn’t wait for her to adjust and set a fast pace.

Colette arched her back in pleasure, and Arthur took advantage of that to slip an arm under her and hold her closer. Colette wrapped her legs around him and dug her nails into his back. “Arthur, harder-” she groaned. “Please.”

Arthur hummed in response before granting her request. He pounded into her, making her skin sting where their bodies made contact. The wet sound of flesh slapping on flesh over and over again joined both of their moans. Arthur adjusted the position of his hand to the small of her back and used it to tilt her hips just enough to change the angle. He was getting deeper now, hitting that spot inside her that made her see stars. Just as she felt the tension in her belly snap, Arthur pushed himself deep inside her and let out a broken moan as he came with her.

She felt his arm tremble underneath her with the effort of holding himself up and not collapsing on top of her. They were both struggling to catch their breath, and Arthur’s hair was hanging from his face. Colette raised a shaking hand to cup his cheek and make him look at her. “You okay?” She asked.

Arthur closed his eyes and nodded, a small smile on his lips. “Yeah. Glad we did this tonight and not when we woke up.”

Colette tried to suppress her laugh, but only ended up snorting, which resulted in the two of them laughing so hard that Arthur rolled over onto his back to avoid crushing her. When their laughter finally died down, he rolled onto his side and looked at her seriously. “We’re going to survive tomorrow. We’re going to bring peace to the Commonwealth.”

Colette nodded. “I know.” She reached down and took one of his hands in her, feeling the callouses with her fingertips. “Can we… not talk about tomorrow?”

Arthur nodded in understanding. “What do you want to talk about?”

Colette chewed on her bottom lip for a second before asking, “How is the wedding planning going? I know I haven’t been involved, but-”

“But you’ve been infiltrating our enemies to help bring them down?” He finished for her. “Trust me, it’s more making sure everything fits Brotherhood protocol while making it comfortable for non-Brotherhood members. Nick helped a lot.”

“I’m glad you two got along. He was ready to shoot you when he found out about us. And that was before he found out about Roger.”

“When this is all over, would you like to hold a memorial or burial service for him?”

Colette nodded once. “We should at least bury him. I don’t think we can do a service like we did last time. I don’t think the Catholic Church allows funeral rites for synths.”

“You’re Catholic?” Arthur asked her.

“Not anymore. I stopped believing when I left the vault. I don’t think the God I was raised to believe in would allow this to happen.”

“I can certainly understand that. I suppose if I lived before the war I would have been religious, too.” Colette hummed in response, Arthur reached over her and pulled her closer. “So, back to the wedding, Nick suggested we have Duncan be the ring bearer.”

Colette smiled up at him, “Oh that’s going to be precious. Do we have a flower girl yet?”

“Knight Captain Cade has a niece back at the Citadel. She’s going to fly up with her parents after we send the all clear.”

“How old is she?” Colette asked.

“She’s five years old, I believe.”

Colette was quiet for a few moments. “How many do you want?”

“What was that?”

“Children. How many do you want?”

Arthur was silent as he looked at her, tucked a finger under her chin and guided her to him for a kiss. “I want as many as you are willing to give me. If we only have one, then I’ll be happy. If you want five, I’m happy with that too.”

“I want more than one.” She said, “You know as well as I do that growing up as an only child is quite lonely.” She yawned. “I think it’s time for bed.” She murmured sleepily.

“I agree. We have a long day tomorrow.” Arthur lifted his arm so she could make herself comfortable. She turned on her side with her back facing him. Her snuggled up close to her and they fell into a deep sleep.

Arthur’s alarm woke them up at 2:30. Colette sat up in the bed and stretched as he got up to turn it off. Even though they were waking up to go to war, it felt incredibly domestic. Arthur went into the bathroom and started the shower. She followed him into the room and ducked under the warm spray.

They washed quickly and efficiently, drying off silently and dressing methodically. After Colette was finished fastening the armored chest piece over her shirt, she pulled on her blue coat. Arthur handed her the leather tricorn and she tucked her hair into it.

“Are you wearing your power armor?” He asked as he pulled on his flight suit.

“No. The layout of the Institute requires speed and agility. Power armor slows me down. What about you?”

“If you aren’t, then I will. One of us should in case things get ugly. And I won’t be noticed as easily if I slip away with you when you go take care of Shaun… if you want me there, that is.”

“Of course I want you there. I don’t trust anybody else enough to go with me.”

“If at any point you change your mind-” he started, but she cut him off.

“Arthur.” She placed a finger on his lips to silence him. “I’ve made my decision. I want you there with me if you’re comfortable with it.”

Arthur kissed her finger. “Of course.” He fastened the last buckle on his jumpsuit. “I’m going to go get my power armor. I’ll meet you on the Flight Deck.”

They had thirty minutes before the first group was to be sent in. The courtyard was full of Minutemen and Brotherhood alike. Colette and Arthur stood on a platform that overlooked the courtyard. Ramirez had moved his microphone to the platform so all of the soldiers could hear them. Radio Freedom had been put on an “all is clear” loop to prevent the Institute from catching wind of their plans.

“Brothers and Sisters,” Arthur spoke into the microphone. “Friends and allies,”the courtyard fell silent. “Today is the day of reckoning. We have all lost friends and family to the Institute. Now, we are going into the beast’s lair to slay it while it sleeps!” He raised a fist and it was met with cheers. “This isn’t just a mission to destroy. After today, we will focus on rebuilding. With the Commonwealth no longer living in fear of being taken and replaced, we can finally work towards building a better future for all!”

He handed Colette the microphone, “We have allies on the inside that will bring us in via the molecular relay. We will be sent in teams of six. Lancer Sergeant Knight and Captain Ramirez will be directing you into groups before you are sent through. Elder Maxson and myself will be waiting on the other side with further instructions for your team. This is not a death or glory mission. Protect your fellow man, no matter what uniform he is wearing. And if your fellow soldier should fall, make sure the bastard who took him from this world is repaid in kind. After tonight, the families of the Commonwealth will sleep soundly knowing that the Institute as we know it is no more!” As Colette finished, they were met with more cheers.

Colette checked the time on her Pipboy. “Ten minutes until showtime. Let’s get ready.”  Arthur nodded as he put the helmet of his power armor on. They walked to the relay point they had agreed upon with X6-88. There, Preston, Reagan, MacCready, and Grants were waiting. Reagan handed Arthur his gatling laser, appropriately named Final Judgement. Michael and Ramirez were waiting far enough back to not be caught up in the relay. Preston handed Colette a bag that she slung over her shoulder. “Now, to warn the rest of you, the one operating the relay to bring us in is a Courser.” She looked pointedly at MacCready and Grants. “Do not shoot him. He’s on our side. I’m going to give him a Minutemen uniform to differentiate him from the others. All other Coursers are fair game.” Everybody nodded at her. “Okay, the relay in is going to be rough. Hope your breakfast was kind to your stomachs.”

Reagan looked to her. “Wait, there was breakfast?”

They were consumed in blinding blue light before Colette could answer her.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Arthur

If it wasn’t for his power armor, he felt he would have fallen over. His world had literally disappeared beneath his feet. He was dizzy. He was seeing spots everywhere. He could feel his stomach protesting, but he fought back the bile and looked away as Reagan, Preston, and MacCready stumbled to different corners and emptied their stomachs. Colette looked mostly unphased, and she was handing the bag Preston gave her to the Courser. When he was sure his stomach could handle the movement, he joined them. He left Grants to fight his own stomach on the relay pad.

“-going to give you a name after this.” Colette was telling him.

“Ma’am, I assure you, that is not necessary.” The Couser told her.

“Yes it is. Now go get changed and we can go over the plan from this point on.”

“Yes, ma’am.” The Courser slipped away into a dark corner.

“How’s your stomach?” Colette asked as she turned to him.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” He told her as he heard MacCready still groaning somewhere behind him.

“You kind of get used to it.” Colette’s face was grim. She schooled it into a more neutral expression when X6-88 rejoined them, dressed in a Minutemen uniform. “Excellent, you’re ready. Alright, gather round. We don’t have much time before somebody comes to investigate the unauthorized teleport.” The soldiers formed a circle.

“What’s the plan, boss?” MacCready asked, still looking a little green.

“The alarms will go off once we teleport the next team in. I need you and Knight-Sergeant Grants to lead the soldiers in to start dispatching Gen-1 and Gen-2 synths.” Colette looked at Preston. “I want you to go with X6-88 and help him evacuate the civilians. You’re going to find Z1-14 first and get a list of those who have been working with the coup.”

“Where should we evacuate the civilians to, General?” Preston asked.

Colette’s brow furrowed.

“I would suggest evacuating the ones that are on the list go to one settlement and any others go to another settlement that’s more heavily guarded. If I found out my colleagues had turned against me and our organization, I would want to find out who they are and take them out.” Arthur suggested.

“You’ve got a good point.” Colette nodded. “We’ll send the ones on the list to Sanctuary. The ones not on the list go to Hangman’s Alley. Once we get communications up to the settlements, we can let them know so the civilians won’t be shot on sight.”

“Who is taking over the Institute after this coup?” MacCready asked.

“Before it was found out that she had betrayed us, Dr. Arnold was to be the next director.” X6-88 informed them.

“The rebels still want me to lead. I will gladly take the position and step down as General of the Minutemen.” Colette’s face was an unreadable mask.

“That’s something we can worry about after the smoke clears. Until then, we need to focus on the task at hand.” Arthur told them. Everybody nodded at him in agreement.

“Colonel Garvey?” X6 asked. Preston nodded. “If you’ll follow me, we can begin evacuation.”

The two men disappeared down the hall. The quiet whirring of the elevator that took them down didn’t last very long.

“Mac, Grants, you two get ready to get your teams out there. I’m going to get the next few teams in pretty quickly.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Grants acknowledged.

MacCready furrowed his brow, before going over to Colette and pulling her into a tight hug. He must have whispered something to Colette, because she was blinking damp eyes and nodding. They squeezed each other tight before they let go, Colette wiping away at a stray tear.

Colette settled herself at the terminal that controlled the relay, while Grants and MacCready took positions by the door leading to the elevator. Reagan stayed by the desk to protect both the relay and Colette, while Arthur settled by the relay to give further instructions.

“Is everybody ready?” Colette asked. Once she got a confirming nod from everybody in the room, she initiated the next teleport.

With a blinding flash, Proctor Ingram, Paladin Brandis, Scribe Haylen, Private Fischer, and two Minutemen he didn’t recognize materialized in the room at the same time sirens started blaring. Lights started flashing, alerting the entire Institute to the intruders.

“Proctor Ingram, you are to assist General Arnold with getting communication to the surface set up. Paladin Brandis, I want you to take a team into the atrium along with MacCready and Knight-Sergeant Grants. Scribe Haylen, I want you to stay here and tend to the wounded.” His soldiers all saluted him before dispersing.

“You three, with Captain MacCready.” Colette barked. “Clear the relay, I’m bringing more in!”

MacCready was the first to take a team down, and more of their officers followed. The last group in included Lancer-Sergeant Glass and Captain Evan “Voice of the Minutemen” Ramirez.

“That’s the last of them, General.” Ramirez told Colette, stepping off the platform last.

“Excellent, can you work with Ingram on getting communication set up? Sanctuary and Hangman’s Alley are priority. We’ve already tapped into the intercom in the atrium.”

“Right away, General.” The Captain saluted Colette and settled in to work next to Proctor Ingram. Colette stood and stretched, looking nervously between the relay and the hall.

“What’s bothering you?” Arthur asked her.

“I’m worried. Preston and X6 should have sent some civilians this way by now.” Colette bit her lip nervously.

“They probably took a long way to keep them away from the fighting.” He tried to reassure her.

“You’re right.” She checked her pistol to make sure it was loaded.

A crash could be heard even above the sirens and the sounds of battle from the atrium. Everybody in the room pulled their weapons and pointed at the source. A door, nestled in a dark corner. Slowly, it was forced open by two pairs of hands.

“Hold your fire! It’s us!” Preston called. Arthur rushed over and used the strength of his power armor to help pull the door open. Preston and X6 almost fell through the doorway, catching themselves on the crumpled metal frame.

They pulled themselves through, and were followed by terrified people in lab coats. The lab coats were mostly white, with different insignias and colors that likely marked different parts of the Institute.

“General, I have contact with Sanctuary and Hangman’s Alley.” Captain Ramirez told her.

“Excellent work. Thank you, Ramirez.” Colette turned her attention to X6 and Preston. “You two figure out who is going where. I’m going to contact the settlements and warn them about their guests.” Colette went around the console and settled herself between Proctor Ingram and Ramirez.

More people filed in. Among the escaping were children of varying ages. There even appeared to be a pregnant mother, cradling her barely visible baby bump in her hands.

“Dr. Arnold?” A worried voice called from the back of the group. A man, about the same age as Arthur pushed his way through the crowd. He craned his neck above the others, searching. When he finally found Colette, elbowed his way to the front, almost leaping towards Colette if it hadn’t been for Arthur catching him.

“Who are you?” He demanded. The man- no, this was a kid. The kid looked terrified, pale and shaking. “Answer the question. Who. Are. You?” He spit out. He was sure the filters in his suit made his voice less pleasant than normal.

“Liam Binet. I worked with Dr. Arnold to arrange the coup while she was still in here. We all still thought she was dead.”

“Arthur, let him go. He’s telling the truth.” Colette’s voice called from where she was on the radio with the settlements. “X6 send the group for Hangman’s Alley through first. They’re ready when you are.”

“Yes, ma’am.” The Courser started herding people towards the platform. Arthur let the young scientist go and he carefully observed the evacuees. He was watching for any sign they would attack. A twitch, a glare… anything.

“Traitorous bitch!” Somebody yelled before firing a laser rifle three times. The aim was poor though, and instead of hitting Colette, they hit Ramirez, disintegrating him into a pile of blue glowing ash.

He knew it wasn’t the first death of the battle, with the chaos well underway below them, but seeing the Voice of the Minutemen go down so quickly lit a fire in his gut.

X6 sprung into action, quickly locating the shooter and taking him out with a snap of his neck. Colette swore as she stood and went over to examine who shot. “Who the hell believed that Justin Ayo would really side against Father?” She asked, furious.

“I apologize, ma’am. He appeared sincere, but he may have been more concerned with getting away from the battle to appear hostile.” The Courser apologized.

“Well now I’m down an officer.” Colette growled. “Get the rest of them out of here.” She waved towards the platform. “Sanctuary is where the second group is going. They’re already aware. Tell them to ask for Dani and William.”

“Yes, ma’am.” The Couser turned and began guiding civilians again.

“Preston, I want you to hold position here until the civis are out, then I need you down on the ground helping command the soldiers.”

“Yes, General.” Preston saluted her.

Arthur joined Colette as she headed towards the elevator, kicking Final Judgement to life. As they descended, he was left speechless by the scene.

Colette was right when she said it was beautiful. Even with the carnage below them, the living trees and clean architecture had him in awe. The water had been dyed red with the blood of the fallen, and bodies both organic and mechanical were strewn haphazardly across the ground. A quick survey of the scene told him they were winning but not by much. Laser fire from both sides scorched leaves and left ugly black marks across glass and pristine white metal.

“I’m going to find MacCready and see what the situation is. Keep your radio on.” Colette told him as the elevator came to a halt. When the doors opened, she darted into the sea of combatants. As soon as he stepped out, he was swarmed by synths. He fired up Final Judgement and began mowing down the mechanical men.

He saw the elevator go back up and return shortly with Preston and X6 in his peripherals.

“General, what’s our status?” Preston ask over the radio channel they had set up for the higher ranked officers.

“Just found Mac. We have a concentration of Coursers over by Advanced Systems. They really don’t want us in there. We could use some back up over here if you have the gun to spare. Elder Maxson, how are your men faring?”

“I’m not seeing a lot of power armored soldiers down, but I am seeing a lot of injured on our side. We may have to have some Scribes sent down before this is over.”

“Already requested the Prydwen send more Medical Scribes to the Castle for relay, Elder.”

“Thank you, Proctor Ingram.” He grunted as a synth tried to jump on his back. He turned around and threw it towards the center of the chaos. Across the way, he could see Colette and MacCready fighting back to back. MacCready was picking off synths and Coursers from afar while Colette kept them off his back by alternating between her electrified sword and pistols. Preston and X6 were fighting their way towards them.

A Courser cut off Preston and X6’s path. It had picked up the limb of a Gen 2 synth and was using it as a makeshift weapon. It ran Preston through before Preston or X6 could stop it. The jagged metal pierced all the way, coming out of Preston’s back crimson. Time slowed as Arthur watched the last Minuteman fall to the ground, taken out by a piece of scrap metal.

X6 jumped on the other Courser, wrestling it to the ground before ripping its head off. Arthur felt a sickening wave of comfort take over him knowing that X6 had been protecting Colette and was loyal to her.

Arthur weighed his options, before working his way to Advanced Systems. With him coming in from the opposite direction of X6, they could cut through the Coursers quickly. As he approached, he fired Final Judgement, raining lasers upon the Coursers. Between the Coursers and the countless Gen 2s supporting them, he didn’t have to worry about hitting Colette and MacCready yet.

He finally cleared a path to Colette and MacCready and helped them take out the rest of the Coursers surrounding Advanced Systems.

“I finally got you access to the Director’s suite, General.” Proctor Ingram’s voice informed them.

“Thank you, Proctor.” Colette gasped. She was drenched in sweat, and her tricorn was nowhere to be found. He knew he didn’t look much better under his power armor. His flight suit was sticking to him everywhere and his muscles were sore from using the suit for the first time in recent memory. “Mac, X6,” the two snapped to attention. “Elder Maxson and I are heading up to the Director’s office. We have more medical support on the way. Keep me posted on the situation.”

“Yes, ma’am.” The two said and saluted her.

He followed her back to the elevator, keeping the synths off of them until they were safely inside. They went down one more floor, and she guided them down a dark hallway to another elevator.

Colette was silent, staring straight ahead even when the door to the elevator opened. “Your power armor won’t fit through these doorways.” Her voice was monotone. It had to be difficult for her to control her emotions like this.

Arthur exited the power armor, pulling the fusion core out of it and slipping it into a holster at his  lower back. He followed her through a room that had a glass walled cell in one corner. In the cell was a bed, a teddy bear, and other children’s toys. They went through another room and up a set of stairs.

“Mother, I’m surprised to see you here.” A cold voice greeted them. Across the room, an old man lay in a strange bed. Arthur kept close to Colette as they approached. As they drew near, he took in Shaun’s appearance. He had Colette’s olive skin and her button nose. His face aged by wrinkles caused by years of frowning rather than the fine lines his mother had around her eyes from years of laughter and smiles. The most striking feature of Shaun Maxson was the icy blue of his eyes, eyes that had survived 200 years so he could share them with Arthur.

It made Arthur sick that he shared blood with this monster.

“You knew this was coming, Shaun.” Colette glared at her son.

“Oh, I had no doubt that the Brotherhood and Institute would go to war one day, but for you to lead them here? I never expected that kind of betrayal from you.”

“You have no right to speak to me about betrayal, Shaun Maxson!” Colette shouted. “You kept me frozen for 30 years, made a synth child to use as bait to lure me in, and expected me to be okay with being another pawn in your games.”

“And look at what I’ve done, look at what I’ve built! Only for you to come in and destroy it.”

“Better to destroy you instead of letting you destroy humanity again. I’ve lived through the end of the world once, Shaun. I’m not letting you end it again.”

“And how do you propose to stop me?”

Colette fell silent and closed her eyes. “Like this.” She whispered before pulling out a pipe revolver and emptying it into Shaun’s chest. She stepped up to the bed, where her son lay dead, and gripped the side of it until her knuckles were white. “The password to his terminal is ‘MankindRedefined,’ all one word. Access Code 9003 should shut down most of the synths.”

Arthur nodded silently, and went over to the terminal. Using the password to get in, he shut down the synths. Once the sounds of battle stopped, he turned on the radio, “This is Elder Maxson. The Institute has finally been defeated!” They could hear the cheers from the open balcony not far from where they stood. He joined Colette by the bed and held her while she mourned over her son’s body.

The Brotherhood had been lucky. With the majority of his soldiers working in power armor, they had been able to keep their casualties to a minimum.

The Minutemen had no such luck. In addition to losing Preston and Captain Ramirez, they had been reduced to less than half of what their total numbers had been before the battle at the Castle. Colette spent two weeks walking to each settlement to deliver the news to their families in person. She wouldn’t take a vertibird or let a Brotherhood soldier escort her. The only companion she took with her was MacCready.

When they returned to the Castle, she invited Arthur down for urgent meeting. He entered the conference room to see not only Colette, MacCready, and Reagan, but, holding a squirming Duncan in his arms, was Alexander Danse. The former Paladin’s face was unreadable as Arthur took in his old friend. Without speaking a word, Danse handed Duncan to MacCready before he and Arthur met for a strong hug.

“Fuck, Alex. I’m sorry.” Arthur whispered.

“You did what you had to. I understand.” Danse reassured him. “If our positions had been reversed, I would have done the same thing.”

“So what’s this meeting about?” Arthur turned to Colette. “You told me it had to wait until I got here.”

Everybody in the room waited with baited breath. “It’s my resignation. I’m stepping down as General of the Minutemen and name Robert Joseph MacCready as my successor. I’m going to be taking over fully as Director of the Institute.”

Arthur looked to MacCready and extended his hand. “Congratulations, General.”

“Thank you, Elder Maxson.” MacCready took his hand and shook it firmly.

“I’m looking forward to continuing the Brotherhood’s relationship with the Minutemen.”

“As long as we don’t have to sleep together.” MacCready chuckled.

“I promise, sleeping with the Elder is

not

part of the job description. I just got to because I’m special.” Colette smiled as she strode over to Arthur. “I’m going to take Mac and Duncan with me so we can get our things switched out in the General’s quarters. We’ll let you three catch up.” She stood on her toes to kiss Arthur on the cheek.

“Have fun.” He told them as they disappeared down the hall.

“So you took over the Institute instead of destroying it?” Danse asked when they were gone.

“Colette spent months in there trying to find weaknesses. Instead, she found that a lot of their scientists did not like the direction the Institute was going. When the Director named her his successor, it gave her the idea that we should take over instead of destroy it.”

“I don’t understand, why would the Director name her the successor instead of one of the scientists that had been there for years?” Reagan asked.

Arthur went to the doors and closed them after checking that nobody was nearby. When he was sure they were secure, he got closer to Reagan and Danse. “The Director was her son.” He told them quietly. “He was dying and released her from the vault to see if she would find him. It was some sick game he was playing with her.”

“So he was already dead when we took over?” Danse asked.

“No, Cole killed him. Used Nick’s pistol to do it.” Arthur resisted the urge to shudder at the memory.

“Oh.

Oh.

Shit, man.” Reagan said.

“She’s doing a lot better than one would expect her to after something like that.” Danse observed.

“Until Nick died I didn’t realize how good she is at bottling up her emotions. What you see is just an act. She doesn’t sleep. When she does sleep, she wakes up screaming from nightmares. I try to get her to talk about it, but she changes the subject or tells me we have work to do.” Arthur sighed and rubbed at his temples. “She’s not wrong, but I’m more concerned about her health than trade routes at the moment.”

“You could try taking her to Dr. Amari.” Danse suggested. “If she can’t help, maybe she’ll be able to point you in the right direction.”

“You’ve got a point. We went to see Dr. Amari when we were tracking down evidence to prove your innocence. If anybody can help, it’s her.”

“I’ll talk to her and see if she wants to try it. I’m not going to force her.”

“How’s the wedding planning going? Do you have a date yet?” Reagan asked.

“We’re looking at late November or early December. She wants to get the alliances between the Institute, Brotherhood, and Minutemen situated before we go on our honeymoon. She’s actually asking MacCready if he’d like to walk her down the aisle in Nick’s place.”

“I’m sure Robert will be honored.” Danse smiled. “And what about you, Reagan? When are you going to make us uncles?”

“I’m working on it. There’s only so many times you can have sex in a day without somebody getting hurt.”

“Are you planning on making an honest man out of the General anytime soon, Alex?” Arthur teased.

“I- uhh. We haven’t quite talked about it. Between Duncan and the war, we’ve just focused on spending time together and enjoying each other’s company.”

“Never thought you’d be the first of us to become a parent.” Reagan elbowed him in the ribs.

“Stranger things have happened to us. Arthur had to wait for a woman born 200 years ago and was almost his great grandmother before he decided to get married.”

“Yeah, you’ve got a point. Can’t beat that level of weird, Artie.” Reagan snorted with laughter.

“So since you’re going to be married to the Director of the Institute, I imagine you won’t be returning to the Capital Wasteland anytime soon?” Danse asked.

“That’s correct. I’m going to have the Prydwen land for repairs. Cole and I are going to figure out a neutral place for us to live that doesn’t upset the rest of the Brotherhood or the Institute.”

“Damn Artie. That sounds like a headache.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll figure it out.” Arthur told them. “We always do.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Colette

“We should probably head back soon. Artie’s getting worried.” Reagan told her. Of course he was worried, they were in downtown Boston and it was getting dark. Not that he didn’t think they could take care of themselves, but with their wedding the next day, he was anxious about everything.

Colette looked at the ancient headstones she was sitting in front of and sighed. “I know. I just… I wish they were here. Mom would have adored him.”

“Was Nick like that? The original Nick?” Reagan asked.

“Yeah. He was shorter. And I mean he was barely taller than me. He was a lot more trusting, but being out in the wastes will make anybody cynical.”

Reagan walked over to her and offered her hand to Colette. Colette took it and allowed Reagan to pull her up off the ground.

“I’ll walk you to the vertibird.” Colette told her as they made their way to where Michael was waiting with the Primair.

“You’re not coming with us?” Reagan asked, shooting her a confused look.

“I’m staying at the Institute tonight. Wedding day starts at midnight and it’s bad luck for Arthur to see me before I walk down the aisle.”

“Wait, people actually believed that?” Reagan snorted. “So do you have something old and something new?”

“Something old is the ring. Daisy managed to find a new pair of shoes in my size and gave them to me. I don’t have something borrowed yet. And my necklace is my something blue.”

“Michael and I spent the night before together.”

“Not if I had been up here you wouldn’t have.” Colette smiled mischievously. “I would have kidnapped you.”

“I’d like to see you try, small fry.” Reagan pulled Colette into a one armed hug. The two of them started laughing as Colette tried to struggle away, but she couldn’t break free of Reagan’s grip.

“Hey, ladies.” Michael greeted as they approached the Primair. “Should I be worried?” He raised his eyebrow at them.

“I’m just returning your wife to you so you can head home.”

“Not joining us on the ride home?” The redheaded pilot asked.

“I’m staying in the Institute tonight.”

“She’s superstitious. Thinks it’s bad luck if Artie sees her.” Reagan finally let go of Colette.

“Let her be superstitious. It’s her wedding, after all.”

“I know, I know. I’m just giving her shit.” Reagan climbed up into the Primair. “We’ll see you in Sanctuary tomorrow?”

“Bright and early.” Colette reassured her. “No cold feet on this bride. I’ve been waiting over 200 years to marry this man.”

Michael climbed into the Primair and fired it up. Colette waited until it took off towards the Prydwen before teleporting back into the Institute.

Colette peeked out into the streets of Sanctuary from the window of her old home. “Cazzo,” She swore.

“What’s wrong?” Reagan came up behind her and peered out the window. “Oh, holy shit.”

“Arthur said the entire Brotherhood was invited. I didn’t know he meant the

entire fucking Brotherhood.

”

“Shit, he wasn’t kidding. I think that guy over there is the Elder from the Midwest chapter.” Reagan indicated a grizzly man with long gray hair pulled into a ponytail. Most of his face was covered in scarring and an eye patch covered one of his steely eyes.

“There are so many ghouls and synths here. Are they going to be safe?” Colette fretted, looking over at where Daisy was trying to get MacCready’s hair to obey her comb.

“Don’t worry. Arthur made it clear that any non feral ghouls and synths are not to be harmed. They’ll be safe. Come on,” Reagan pulled Colette away from the window. “Let’s finish getting you ready.”

“Daisy, you really are an angel.” Colette told the ghoul as Reagan helped her into her dress. One of her caravans had found a pristine wedding dress. Daisy had managed to fit it to Colette. And it was

actually

white.

Colette grimaced as she stopped her train of thought.

Don’t think of them. Not today.

She told herself.

“I hope you don’t have to pee at all tonight.” Reagan teased as she laced up the back. “I’m not sure how to even hold all of this up.”

“We’ll survive. We’re big girls.” Colette smiled at her in the mirror.

“You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Artie in a tux.”

“No?” Colette asked. “We both decided against him wearing his dress uniform.”

“Ah,” Reagan sighed in understand, knowing they would want to distance themselves from the image of Roger. Reagan looked longingly at the massive amount of white tulle that made up the skirt of the dress. “I kind of wish I could have had a dress though –would have made the wedding night more… interesting. You’ll look like a princess, i think. Suits you better than me.” She smiled widely as she grabbed her breasts and wiggles them. “Strapless ain’t gonna hold these babies in place.” They both heard a snap as a camera flashed.

“I bet Michael loves getting suffocated by them, though.” Colette smiled and turned to the ghoul with the photography equipment.

“Damn straight.” Reagan smirked and adjusted her top so she wouldn’t pop out.

“It works, and your first picture is that one’s nipple.” Daisy teased, getting Reagan to snort.

“Y’all’re just jealous.”

"I want that picture framed for my desk." Colette giggled.

There was a knock on the door frame. Colette turned to find MacCready standing there. “You about ready? Alex let me know we’ve got five minutes.”

“Oh! That reminds me!” Reagan left the room and came back with a small box. “I know you didn’t like any of the veils we had for you, but this one wasn’t an option. It’s been in my family forever and I didn’t get to wear it.” Reagan opened the box and pulled the veil out. The other veils Colette had been shown were plain, with little to no details. This veil had scalloped lace detailing on the edge and a tiara so she wouldn’t have to worry about finding pins last minute. Daisy snapped another photo.

“Oh, it's beautiful!” Colette looked up at Reagan. “Something borrowed?”

Reagan beamed at her. “Ma will be thrilled that you like it!” Reagan shook the veil out and draped it over Colette as she nestled the tiara in her dark locks.

Colette looked back at her reflection. The veil came down to her waist and the part that covered her face came down to her shoulders. It complimented her dress and she felt herself start to tear up.

“Oi, none of that yet.” Reagan pulled her in for a hug. “You haven’t even made it to Artie.”

“I’m okay. I’m fine.” Colette took a deep breath to steady herself. “I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”

“Good, because it’s time.” MacCready shooed Reagan out of the room. “You’re next down the aisle.”

“Alright, alright. No crying.” Reagan pointed a hand at Colette before leaving the house. Daisy snapped another photo before sprinting out the door to get the rest of the wedding. For an old ghoul, she was quite spry.

“No promises!” Colette called after her.

“Hey,” MacCready got her attention. He stepped up to her and slipped his hands under her veil to take her face in his hands. “You’re going to be fine. Arthur’s waiting down the aisle for you.”

“What if the Brotherhood doesn’t approve of me?” Colette whispered.

“If that was a problem, We wouldn’t be here.” MacCready looked at her, his sky blue eyes serious. “And if they don’t like you, they’re idiots.”

Colette took another deep breath, letting it out slowly. “You’re right.”

“Are you ready?” He asked her.

Colette nodded. “I think so.”

MacCready guided Colette out of the house and into the main street of Sanctuary. The mid afternoon sun warmed her shoulders as they walked down the street. Somebody had strung up a curtain to block off the cul-de-sac from the rest of the neighborhood, and Duncan was passing through the curtain. A little girl with blonde curls followed him, scattering hubflower petals from a basket.

“Alright Cole. Let’s get you to your husband.” MacCready whispered as the curtains parted to let them through.

Hundreds of guests stood and turned to watch as her best friend escorted her down the aisle. Friends and strangers alike were there for her and Arthur, but she paid them no mind. She couldn’t focus on anything but him as the rest of the world disappeared.

Arthur was usually a master of keeping his expression neutral, but he was radiating joy as she made her way to him. She hadn’t seen him this elated since he had proposed to her, and the stresses they had experienced leading up to this moment vanished. They finally made it to the makeshift altar under the enormous tree and MacCready kissed her cheek through the veil and stepped off to the side to join Reagan. Colette took Arthur’s hand and stepped up to stand across from him. They had eyes only for each other as Kells proceeded with the ceremony, paying only enough attention to say their vows.

When Kells finally told him to kiss her, he lifted the veil before picking her up by her waist and spinning her around while kissing her. The guests cheered, and Colette wasn’t sure who was louder between her side full of the people of the Commonwealth or Arthur’s side full of Brotherhood officers excited for a future full of little Maxsons.

They were guided to a large table while the rest of their wedding party directed guests to their own tables for dinner. X6-88 could be seen patrolling the edges of the party, making sure that nothing went wrong as they ate their meal. When the sun was just beginning to set, Reagan stood and used her knife to make her glass ring.

The guests fell silent as Reagan cleared her throat. “Good evening, everyone.” She began. “For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Aspirant Reagan Knight, formerly Knight Knight.” She paused to let a chuckle ripple through the crowd. “Some of you know that story, but right now I’d like to tell a different one. One about my best friends. I say friends, plural, because today - no matter how many times people tell you otherwise - isn’t just about you two.” Reagan turned to face Colette and Arthur, her face serious.

“Today is about everyone who cares about you. And by having this day, here, now, like this, you’re showing us how much you care about us as well. Many times a couple will run off and get married alone, but you didn’t.” Reagan smiled and nodded to Arthur. “You might have thought you didn’t have a choice, but you did. How happy I am to be here now, standing beside two of my best friends, standing before the others.” She turned to look at Danse, MacCready, and Michael in turn. “Today we’re celebrating with the couple. A couple that had every odd thrown against them. I’ve known Arthur since he was a squire, and

never

did I let myself hope he would get to marry for love, rather than duty. And he couldn’t have gotten any luckier than finding Colette. It took

far

too long for them to meet, but who would change it, seeing how it ended up?” Reagan turned back to them, smiling widely. “Thank you, Arthur, for finding happiness, it brings us all joy. And thank you, Colette, for not only being the source of that happiness, but for adding to our family.” Reagan turned back to the crowd and lifted her glass. “To the bride and groom!” The crowd echoed her and drank deeply.

MacCready stood up next, pulling a holotape from inside his jacket. “I hope you’ll forgive me for not having my own speech, but I think that this is better than anything I could come up with on my own. For those of you who aren’t familiar with how the bride came into all of our lives, she was born before the war and frozen by Vault-Tec.” Many in the crowd gasped. “Colette’s adoptive father died before the war and donated his body to the university for study. His personality and memories were later uploaded into a prototype synth that the Institute discarded.” Colette could already feel herself welling up. “When war was evident, he spoke with both myself and Reagan, and asked us to keep this safe in case he couldn’t be here tonight.” Reagan approached, holding a very familiar Pipboy.

MacCready put the tape into the Pipboy. “Mezza nota,” Nick’s grizzled voice broke through the speaker and Reagan turned the volume knob to max so everyone could hear. “Once again, I haven’t been able to tell you everything I wanted to. Two hundred forty years ago, I watched you grow from a shy little girl into a confident young woman. You followed after me, wanting to dedicate your life to helping others, and I was so proud of you, words could not describe. When I woke up as a synth to the world destroyed, I was devastated that I couldn’t protect my little girl from the horrors of the world. And then you came back into my life with the help of a scrappy mercenary and a ghoul dressed like a pirate.”

Colette wiped at her eyes before Arthur handed her a clean napkin as Nick’s voice went on. “And now you’ve found love; I look at you and Arthur and see myself and your mother when we first fell in love. The only difference is that you two are working to save the world on a much bigger scale. Once again, I’m not there to say how proud I am of you. I hate that I feel I have to make this tape. I know if it ever gets played, I’ll miss one of the most important days of your life. I hope you can forgive me,

polpetta.

” Colette and Arthur laughed despite the tears in both of their eyes. “I love you both very dearly, and hope you never forget it. Complimenti.” MacCready and Reagan looked at Colette, not knowing the foreign word.

“It means ‘Congratulations’.” She explained. She looked out to their guests and saw many of them dabbing tears away from their own faces. She stood, walked around the table to where MacCready and Reagan stood and pulled them into a fierce hug. “Thank you.” She whispered to them. “Thank you, thank you, thank you so much. You have no idea how much this meant to me.”

The chatter of the crowd grew louder. Colette felt Arthur’s hand on the small of her back. “Come on.” He said quietly. “It’s time for our first dance.” He swept her towards the dance floor as soft music started playing.

She may have had to wait 200 years, but it was the perfect wedding for Colette Maxson.