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Chapter Text

June 2276
Shady Sands
New Republic of California

The young woman had stumbled into the library hours ago. She had come in, covered in dirt from the Wastes, carrying a boy, barely more than a toddler on her hip, and holding the hand of a little, dark-haired, girl. She had a haunted, nervous look on her face – like a rad-doe cornered by a hunter, but the gun she wore was old and worn, and her hand drifted to it easily. The golden “33” on her back was bright and new, and almost shiny as the sheen of tears in the woman’s dark eyes.

She’d settled down in one of the plush chairs in the children’s area and hadn’t moved since.

Lee had been at the library to return a battered copy of Pride and Prejudice, but the moment she saw that bright blue Vault suit, she’d settled herself down at one of the library’s tables, picked up The Three Musketeers, and made herself comfortable. If she shut her eyes and breathed in the scent of the old books, and the leather chair she was sitting in, she could almost pretend she was back before the bombs fell, nestled in a small alcove in L.A.’s huge library.

Instead of dwelling in the past, she watched the woman. It had been years since she’d seen a Vault dweller, the ones in Vault Four typically kept to themselves, and she hadn’t had a reason to visit them in years. Lee also knew, from the intel she’d been able to glean from the stolen glances at Vault-Tec documents and files, that Vault Thirty-Three wasn’t supposed to be opened for years – so, why was one of their pet subjects loose in Shady Sands?

The shadows grew long, and the librarian, old Mrs. Rothchild, began puttering around, putting the books back in their places, and carefully adjusting the shelves back to pristine condition. She stopped by the Vault dweller, and said, in her ready voice, “We’re closing soon, dearie.”

“Oh,” The woman raised her chin, looking away from where her children were playing with the small pile of building blocks in the children’s area, “I’m sorry; I didn’t realize.”

“It’s alright,” Mrs. Rothchild patted the woman’s hand, and Lee didn’t miss the way the woman flinched, even if the librarian did, “We open bright and early at nine o’clock tomorrow. We’ll be having a children’s storytime tomorrow, so bring your little ones."

As Mrs. Rothchild went back to her work, the woman gathered her children, and the huge pack of supplies she’d stowed under the table, “Lucy, come on. Norm, sweetheart, stop chewing on that,” She plucked the building block out of his mouth, and held her hand out to Lucy, “Let’s go.”

Lee stood up then, quickly crossing the library in just a few strides, holding the door open wide, and saying, “Let me get that, ma’am.”

The Vault dweller’s eyes widened a little, she stared at Lee, “Thank you. That’s really kind of you.”

Lee didn’t miss how she clutched her children a bit tighter, and she knew that the woman was looking at her like she was a threat, so she simply smiled, “It’s the least I can do; you’ve got your hands full.”

The little girl peeped around her mother, and smiled very brightly up at Lee, “You have pretty hair.”

Lee dropped into a crouch, “Thank you. And you’ve got pretty eyes.” She held her hand out to the little girl, “I’m Lee. What’s your name?”

“I’m Lucy,” The little girl shook her hand, then continued with the introductions unprompted, but with all the earnestness of youthful innocence, “My mama’s Rose, and my little brother’s Norm.”

Lee straightened up, “It’s nice to meet you all.” She looked at Rose, “You’re from a Vault?”

Rose’s shoulders hunched, and her mouth tightened, “The suit wasn’t enough of a giveaway?”

Lee’s smile was genuine now, “You could’ve stolen it.”

“I didn’t,” Rose shook her head, “I’m sorry. That was rude of me.”

“Hardly,” Lee said, “I’ve heard much worse.”

“Is there –” Rose swallowed, “Would you happen to know if there’s a hotel around here?”

“There’s one near the park; you’ll see the sign,” Lee inclined her head toward the bustling city behind them, “It’s nice enough, and they’ll probably have some rooms for rent.” She raised a brow, “But they only take caps there.”

Rose nodded, “Seems like everyone around here only takes caps.”

“Do you have any,” Lee hadn’t had caps for weeks after she’d been woken from her cryo-chamber, but it hadn’t mattered; she’d been taken care of by her ancient Mr. Handy, and the people of Shady Sands have given her a warm welcome as she’d gotten back on her feet.

“A few,” Rose was evasive and seemed inclined to assume Lee might be considering robbing her if how she pushed Lucy behind her and dropped her hand to the gun at her hip was any indication, “But that’s not any of your business.”

“No,” Lee said, nodding in agreement, “It’s not, but my mom always told me that I was a bit too curious for my own good.”

“Curiosity killed the cat,” Lucy piped up.

“But satisfaction brought it back,” Lee replied, winking at the girl.

Lucy wrinkled her nose, and blinked at her, “My dad never says that part.”

“He might not know it,” Lee said, “A lot of people don’t.”

That was when Norm began to wail. He flung his head back, and his little face was scrunched and red, and he wiggled restlessly.

Lucy clapped her hands over her ears, whining, “He’s too loud! Make him stop!”

Rose looked as if she were going to cry herself, but she began bouncing Norm gently and soothing him with soft words, and a gentle kiss on his forehead. She looked so young then, tender, and raw, and Lee found herself wondering just how she’d made it across the Wastes without being killed, or worse all on her own.

All those questions stoked Lee’s curiosity even more, and it was on the tip of her tongue to offer the extra bedroom in her small house to the woman, but she knew the offer would be rejected – she also knew she’d be making the offer more out of her own curiosity than any real altruism, so instead, she merely said, casually, “If you’re planning to stay for a while, you might want to look into getting your kids enrolled at the local school. They’ve got plenty of teachers, and it’d be a safe place to leave your kids while you look for work, or… whatever you’ll be doing.”

“Thank you,” Rose looked up at her, and her smile was sweet and tremulous, like a candle flickering in a breeze. “The hotel? You said it’s by the park?”

“Just keep heading that way,” Lee smiled at her, “You can’t miss it.”

Rose nodded, and without another word, headed further into Shady Sands.

Lee watched her go, curiosity still gnawing at her, and she wondered if she should tell the guards to keep an on Rose. She might’ve been in a cryo-chamber for the better part of two centuries, but after she’d been woken, she’d learned quick enough, that when a Vault dweller appears, trouble is sure to follow at their heels.

Then, Lucy turned, smiling cheerily, and waving, “Bye-bye, Lee!”

And Lee smiled back, waved, and called, “Bye-bye, Lucy.”

Chapter Text

June 2276
Shady Sands
New Republic of California

Rose had begun working at the local diner, and Lee had, entirely coincidentally, found it was her new favorite lunch spot. Every day, on her lunch hour – and, God, it always made her laugh that even after the end of the world, the wheels of capitalism had still decreed there would be set lunch hours – Lee would take her newest book, or some paperwork down to the diner, and settle down in one of the small booths.

She’d always been a creature of habit, so after the initial shock of disrupting her lunch hour, Lee had settled into the routine comfortably. She always ordered the same thing: a coffee, black, a brahmin burger, with a side of tato fries, and a piece of the daily pie special. Sometimes, it was easy to pretend she was back in her university days with all the familiar smells and sounds if she closed her eyes, but when she reopened them, her new reality was starker than ever.

But Rose made that new reality just a little brighter. She was always smiling, darting around the diner as she delivered people’s orders, and there was a fiery life to her that hadn’t even been a spark the first day Lee had seen her. She’d ditched her Vault suit a few days after arriving in Shady Sands, and was now wearing a faded pink dress, with an apron over it; Lee tried not to think too much about how nicely that pretty pink complimented Rose’s dark hair and big brown eyes.

Today, she was just finishing up her fries when little Lucy MacLean, dressed up in a dress made up of dozens of different fabrics all sewn together, plopped down in the booth across from her and said, without preamble, “I think you look like a pirate.”

“A pirate,” Lee asked, blinking at the little girl, “What makes you say that?”

“I don’t know,” Lucy shrugged, “I just think you do.”

“I don’t think we don’t have pirates anymore,” Lee said, then reflected that maybe there were pirates out there somewhere, still terrorizing the high seas, and she said as much to the little girl.

Lucy’s eyes were almost as big as the plate in front of Lee as she asked, “Do you think I could be a pirate someday?”

“I think you can do whatever you’d like,” Lee said, honestly; her father, long dead even before the bombs had fallen had always told her the same thing.

“I want to be a cowboy,” Lucy said, after a moment of deep thought, “I wanna be like Cooper Howard, and have a dog, and horse, and go on adventures.”

Lee hadn’t thought about Cooper Howard in years. She’d met him more than once, and he’d even given her information on Vault-Tec, after a change of heart so sincere she’d been shocked, though she’d never known what caused it, but, even so, he was a name lost in her past. Hearing it now, made her suck in a quick, deep breath, as she asked, “You’ve seen his movies?”

“Uh huh,” Lucy bobbed her head, her eyes now fixed on the untouched piece of pie in front of Lee, “My dad has a bunch of his movies, and we watch them all the time before I go to bed. I like the one with the dog the best. I always wanted a dog, but my dad says that dogs aren’t allowed in Vaults.”

That was something else Cooper had always been touchy about; Lee remembered that fondly about the man. He’d been practically inseparable from that ridiculously intelligent dog of his – almost as inseparable as he was from his daughter.

“Are you okay?”

Lee nodded at Lucy, “I’m alright.”

“You looked sad,” Lucy said, mouth squinched up in a frown, “Is it because you’ve never had a dog?”

“I’ve had dogs before,” Lee told her, “And cats.”

Lucy’s expression was equal parts disbelief and delight, “A cat?”

Rose appeared then, her hair all disheveled, and her cheeks flushed, “Lucy, sugar bomb, you’re supposed to be in the back.” She looked at Lee, and smiled, wide and bright and entirely customer service style, “I’m so sorry if she’s been bothering you, Ms. Moldaver.”

“Lucy’s not a bother,” Lee reassured Rose, “She’s been keeping me company.” And simply because she knew the little girl wanted the pie, and not at all to impress her mother, Lee pushed the pie across to Lucy and said to Rose, “She’s also offered to help me finish this off.”

Lucy dug into the pie, squeaking out, “Thank you,” around a mouthful of pie.

Rose put her head on one side, “That’s really sweet of you, Ms. Moldaver.”

“It’s Lee,” She said, “Please, call me Lee.”

“Thank you, Lee,” Rose said, and that customer service smile dipped, and all that was left was a soft, sweet smile that made Lee feel like she’d just taken the first sip of a Nuka-Cola Quantum and all the buzzy bubbles were filling her up.

“Of course,” Lee said, hoping she wasn’t blushing like a schoolgirl.

Rose gave her another smile, then swanned off to deliver the plates she was carrying.

“Mama said you have pretty hair,” Lucy said, mouth still stuffed full of pie.

“Really,” Lee reached out, holding a napkin and wiping crumbs off Lucy’s chin, “She did?”

“Uh huh,” Lucy ruined Lee’s efforts by stuffing yet more pie into her mouth and scattering crumbs down her chin again, “And she says you always leave her a tip.”

Lee set a cap on the table, “It’s the polite thing to do.”

“My dad says tipping is for communists,” Lucy told her.

Lee was about to ask what Lucy’s dad could possibly know about communists when Rose reappeared and shooed the little girl out of the booth, clucking at her like a mother hen, “Go play with your brother. He’s getting fussy.”

Lee watched Lucy go, and then looked up at Rose, and asked, “Did you ever take your kids to the library’s storytime?”

“I haven’t had much chance,” Rose confessed, “I’ve been working so much. Not that I don’t like working, it feels good to have something to do, but it’s just been so much lately and –” She cut herself off, “I’m rambling. I’m sorry.”

“I don’t mind,” Lee told her, “It’s… nice.”

“Well, I’ll be sure to do it more often,” Rose replied, as she gathered up the plates off the table, “Are you heading back to work now?”

“In a few minutes,” Lee said, holding up her cup of coffee, “When I finish this.”

Rose nodded, then headed off to the kitchen with Lee’s empty plates.

Lee looked down at her coffee cup, sipping it slowly. The coffee had never tasted quite this good, and Lee knew it was because Rose had started making it.

Then, a plate of pie, so warm steam curled up front it, appeared in front of her, along with a fresh cup of coffee, and Rose smiled down at her, saying, “Here; it’s on the house.”

And then she was gone, and Lee was left staring down at the pie, and that incredible coffee.

Chapter Text

June 2276
Shady Sands
New Republic of California

The Shady Sands Hotel was one of the fanciest buildings in the city. It was an old, pre-war structure that Lucy was convinced was a real castle. Parts of the building had been destroyed and chipped away over the years, but it still stood strong, faded white stones gleaming, and the tower piercing the sky defiantly. Inside, it was all arches and old furniture, and it smelled musty, but the owners kept it in as pristine a condition as they could.

Many traders and travelers made their homes at the Hotel, but some of the residents of Shady Sands preferred to simply live in the Hotel, near their neighbors, and the bustling city center.

While Lucy was rolling a ball on the old rug for Norm to crawl around for, Rose stood at the long, check-in counter, leaning against it as she asked, “Are you sure?”

Elderly Don Hawthorne blinked slowly behind his glasses, then, with all the speed of a snail ran his finger down the hotel’s ledger again. He leaned down, adjusting his glasses, then said, in a reedy, but very firm tone, “It’s been paid in full for the week.”

“But I haven’t paid yet,” Rose insisted. She put down the caps, seventy hard-earned caps from long nights at the diner, and as many extra shifts as she could take, “See, I haven’t.”

Don reached up, scratching his curly white hair, and fixing her with a hard stare, “Ms. Rose, are you saying there’s a mistake in my ledger? Because I’ve owned this hotel longer than you’ve been alive, and I’ve never made a mistake yet.”

“No,” Rose shook her head, her hair bouncing, “Of course not, Mr. Hawthorne. But I didn’t pay you.”

“My ledger isn’t up for discussion,” He snapped the book shut, and then made shooing motions with his hands, “Now, how about you go take your little ones out to the drive-in? Or over to the library for the Creature Day? I heard Meggie’s going to be bringing some kittens she found in.” He smiled at Rose, “We allow cats at the hotel, for an extra cap a week, if the kiddos get attached.”

Rose put her caps away, trying not to frown in frustration and confusion, “That sounds like a great idea, Mr. Hawthorne. Thank you.”

As she turned her back and headed over to pick up her children, Rose missed the wink that Don threw to his husband, and the long-suffering eye-roll that Dean gave him in return.

Rose picked up Norm, and took Lucy’s hand, leading them outside, and into the bright sunlight, while she continued thinking about what could’ve happened. She’d always excelled in math back in the Vault – top of the class for years – and she knew that there was no way she’d have miscounted her caps so badly. Rose also knew there was no way she had completely forgotten to pay for their room, no matter how late she’d worked, or how tired she was, that wasn’t something she’d forget.

So, obviously, Don was lying, but Rose couldn’t figure out why unless he was going to suddenly reveal that she was behind on her rent and try and overcharge her because he knew she had nowhere else to go. It was exactly what she’d expected, honestly; she knew how Wastelanders were – greedy, conniving, and always ready to take advantage of anyone in distress.

But she really had nowhere else to go, so Rose knew she’d just have to work even harder to make up the caps, that way Don and Dean had no reason to throw them out on the street or sell them to raiders or slavers, or eat them.

Don carefully drew a line through the caps beside Rose’s name, writing “Paid in full,” beside it in curling, delicate, cursive.

Dean shook his head, tutting, “You keep giving away all our rooms for free, and we’ll be bankrupt before Christmas.”

“You hush,” Don told him, shaking the pen at him, “You wanna charge that woman, be my guest, but I’ll be taking you down to the courthouse for a divorce.”

“I’m teasin’,” Dean reassured his husband, “Poor thing; barely more than a baby herself and with two mouths to feed, it’d be downright criminal to charge her.”

“Glad you see it my way,” Don said, then he grinned wide, “Anway, you don’t need to worry about being bankrupt, darlin’. I raised the prices on the suites, and you know the mayor’ll pay it no matter what I charge him.”

Dean sighed, smiling at his husband, “The reason I married you was your willingness to exploit a rich man’s need to spread his seed.” He headed back toward the kitchen, then stopped and called, “But I draw the line at kittens in the hotel!”

“Sure, whatever you say,” Dean said, knowing full well that if little Lucy brought home a kitten, Dean would be the first person to start cooing over it.

Rose held Lucy’s hand tight as they walked away from the trolley and toward the library. Lucy was always too curious about anything new, and Shady Sands wasn’t like the Vault; if Lucy ran off here, Rose knew she might never see her again. And she knew she’d never forgive herself if that happened, and Hank would never forgive her either.

Well, he might not ever forgive her for leaving the Vault, so if she lost Lucy she didn’t even want to begin to fathom what he might do, but Rose decided to try not to think about that and to instead enjoy whatever creatures that had been brought to the library.

Mrs. Rothchild’s granddaughter, blonde, blue-eyed, Meggie, stood in front of the library, waving at the passersby, and calling to them, “Come on! It’s Creature time! I brought kittens! And a two-headed snake! And even a nine-pound snail!”

Lucy was practically vibrating with excitement, “I wanna hold the snake!”

“I’m sure Meggie’ll let you hold it,” Rose assured her, trying to hide her distaste for the idea; she’d only ever seen snakes in old movies and in books, but even those brief glimpses were enough to give her the heebie-jeebies.

As they headed up the library’s steps, a little boy’s voice called, “Lucy! Lucy!”

Lucy immediately whipped around and began waving, “Hi!”

Rose asked, looking at the little boy, and the tall, chubby, woman with him, carefully, “Who’s that?”

“Oh, he’s my friend from school,” Lucy said, airily.

The boy was a bit taller than Lucy, with dark skin and huge brown eyes, He gave Rose a bright smile as he reached Lucy, and his mother held her hand out, looking Rose up and down carefully, with the same dark eyes as the little boy’s, “Hi, I’m Teri.”

“Rose,” She adjusted Norm, and shook Teri’s hand, “Nice to meet you.”

Lucy and the little boy darted into the library, completely forgetting about their mothers, and Rose asked Teri, “What’s his name?”

“Oh, that's my little –”

“Rose, I didn’t know you were coming.”

Rose looked up, while Teri turned around, and they both saw Lee standing near Meggie.

“Oh,” Teri’s dark brows rose, “This is Rose?”

“You know my name,” Rose blinked, looking between Teri and Lee apprehensively.

“I work with Lee,” Teri said, smiling reassuringly at her, “I’m on the city council, so we see a lot of each other. And she’s mentioned you a few times.”

“You’ve mentioned me,” Rose felt a bit silly for being so suspicious, “I didn’t know you’d done that.”

“Lee’s a sweetheart,” Teri said, patting Rose’s shoulder comfortingly, “Always worried about our new residents, and wanting to make sure everyone’s comfortable.”

“Teri, don’t lie to her,” Lee was smiling very wide, “You’re going to make her think that I’m some kind of caring creature. And that couldn’t be further from the truth.”

Teri rolled her eyes, then said, “I’ll go keep an eye on the kids, but, Rose, if you’re ever free, my husband and I attend church over on the North side of town, and since school’ll be letting out soon, I wondered if you’d want to drop your little ones off at our VBS.”

“VBS,” Rose blinked, “What’s that?”

“Oh, it’s some Old World thing,” Teri explained, “Vacation Bible School; we keep the kids during the day, and let them run around the park, and make sure parents have some time to themselves, or for getting work done.”

“We’re not really religious,” Rose said, hesitantly. In the Vault, there was, of course, a strong emphasis on Christian values, as there had been during the founding of America, but Hank had never been too bothered with it; his religion started and ended with worship at the altar of Vault-Tec and Cooper Howard. “Would that be a problem?”

“We don’t do church services or anything during VBS,” Teri assured her, “It’s the old name; a lot of people think that at first.”

There was a yowl from inside the library, and Meggie darted past them, shouting, “You little rad-rats had better not have touched the snake!”

Teri raised her brows, “I’m gonna go check on that.” She gave Lee a quick wink, then smiled at Rose, “Nice to finally meet you.”

Then, Rose and Lee were alone on the library’s front porch.

Lee looked a little embarrassed, “Teri means well.”

“It seems like it,” Rose said, smiling, “She reminds me of someone I know, actually.”

“So,” Lee seemed almost as nervous as Hank had the day they’d been married. They had both shuffled self-consciously and looked down at their feet, though Lee wasn’t carrying a bouquet of plastic flowers, “There’s a new movie showing at the drive-in this Friday. If you’re free, I’d like to take you to it.”

“I’ve never been to a drive-in,” Rose confessed.

“It’s only been around a few months,” Lee said, quickly, “One of the old timers read about it, and rigged it up somehow. I haven’t been yet, and I figured I’d ask you.”

“If I can,” Rose said, lacing her fingers together, demurely, “I’d have to bring the kids.”

“You can,” Lee said, immediately, “Or we could ask Meggie to watch them. She babysits a lot.”

“You trust her,” Rose wasn’t sure why it mattered to her if Lee trusted the teenager, but it did.

“She’s very responsible,” Lee assured her.

“I would really like to go with you,” Rose said, smiling.

“It’s a date,” Lee said.

Rose blinked; dates were, according to Hank, something that courting couples had done before the bombs fell, or that bigshot businessmen set for something called “golfing”, not something that two women would ever go on together. Then, again, maybe “date” meant something different in the Wasteland now, than it did back in civilization. So, she merely nodded, still smiling, “It’s a date.”

Chapter Text

June 2276
Shady Sands
New Republic of California

Lucy wasn’t entirely sure why she and Norm had been handed over to Meggie on Friday night, but her mama had promised it would only be for a few hours, so she didn’t argue. Besides, the older girl was kinda… cool. Plus, Lucy thought it was funny that she was "Lucy MacLean" and Meggie was "Meggie Larabee"; it made her think that they were meant to be very good friends, and Lucy was always very good at making friends.

As the three of them headed toward the library, Norm on Meggie’s left hip, and Lucy clinging tight to Meggie’s right hand, Meggie asked, “Is your mama dating Ms. Moldaver?”

Lucy blinked up at Meggie, “Huh?”

Meggie flashed Lucy a smile, and tossed back her hair as she asked, “Dating? Courting?”

“I don’t think so,” Lucy said, thoughtfully, “My mama’s married to my dad, and I don’t think you’re supposed to date if you’re married.” She repeated what she remembered from one of her lessons, “Marriage is a sacred union between a man and a woman.”

“My big sister says marriage is about two things: tax breaks and good –” A sudden fit of coughing overtook Meggie, and she cleared her throat, “Good talks. Lots of good talks.”

“You have a sister,” Lucy was immediately a little jealous of Meggie; she loved Norm, she did, but she’d been adamant about wanting a big sister. She had told her parents that several times, but instead of presenting her with a big sister, they had handed her Norm. “What’s she like?”

“Oh, she’s the coolest,” Meggie said, carefully tugging Lucy away from a suspiciously yellow puddle, “She’s a courier for the Mojave Express, and she lives in New Vegas. Her name’s Daisy-Mae.”

“What’s a courier?” Lucy tried to edge closer to a mangy-looking rad-rat, but once again Meggie yanked her away.

“She takes letters and packages all over the Mojave,” Meggie said.

“Oh!” Lucy knew what a courier was now, “She’s a mailman!”

Meggie repeated, “A mailman?”

“Yeah! Mailmen do the same things! And they wear uniforms and little hats!” Lucy smiled up at Meggie, “She’s a mailman.”

“Look at you,” Meggie praised her, and Lucy felt herself beaming, “Teaching me new things. You’re such a smart little cookie.”

Lucy raised her chin, proudly, “My dad says I’m the smartest girl ever.”

“I’m sure he’s right,” Meggie said, “Wanna go on the trolley? Or walk?”

“The trolley!” Lucy loved the trolley.

“Okey-dokey,” Meggie replied – Lucy liked that; she liked that a lot.

As they waited in line, Meggie asked, “Where’s your dad?’

“He’s back home,” Lucy said, slowly; her mama had told her not to say anything about their Vault, or too much about anything really, but Lucy didn’t want to lie.

Meggie nodded and didn’t ask her any more questions, but she did say, “Sometimes dads are more trouble than they’re worth, kiddo.”

“Not my dad,” Lucy insisted, “He’s the best.”

“I’ll bet he is,” Meggie said, then helped her onto the trolley.

Rose wasn’t sure what to wear to a drive-in. Especially a drive-in that wasn’t even a real drive-in because no one would actually be driving any cars in, and would instead be sitting in old cars that the owner had had dragged in and set up in long rows.

She’d cycled through the few dresses she’d bought since arriving in Shady Sands, a simple set of jeans and a button-up, and her Vault suit. She’d already disregarded the Vault suit; it was much too conspicuous, and she really didn’t want to draw any more attention to herself.

Finally, she chose a simple blue dress – a sundress remembered Mrs. Potter calling it a sundress at the general store – and slipped it on. She knew she looked pretty in blue, and Hank had always told her as much, so she decided to try and look her best.

She fluffed her hair, staring at herself in the cracked mirror in the ancient bathroom. She looked tired, and older than she was used to, but she hoped she still looked nice. Rose gently pinched her cheeks, bringing some color to them, and she nibbled on her lips to make them look red and full.

Then, she stared at her red lips and wondered why she’d done that.

Before she had the chance to quite work that out, there was a knock on her door, and she called, “Coming!”

She flew over to the door, pulled it open, and smiled, “Hi.”

Lee smiled at her, “Hi.”

Rose was glad she’d chosen a dress, taking in Lee’s immaculate jeans and white t-shirt; her eyes lingered on the pack of cigarettes rolled up in the left sleeve of Lee’s shirt, “You smoke?”

“Not often,” Lee admitted, “But I thought you might.”

“I don’t know,” Rose admitted; Hank had smoked on occasion, as had some of the other men in the Vault, but it wasn’t ladylike for women to smoke. Now, though, seeing the packet so tantalizingly close, it seemed like a very sweet temptation. Then, she noticed that Lee was holding her left hand behind her back, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Lee said, then she presented her hand, “I got these for you.”

The flowers weren’t plastic. They were real and bright and beautiful, and the smell of them made Rose draw in a quick breath. She reached for them, hesitantly, “For me?”

“Yeah,” Lee seemed a little sheepish, “I thought it might be a first for you.”

“They’re real,” Rose finally took the flowers, gently stroking the yellow petals of one huge flower, “Real flowers. Where did you find them?”

“They grow wild out by the cornfields,” Lee said.

“You went all the way out there and picked them for me,” Rose smiled, a rush of heat flooding her cheeks and spreading down her neck.

“It’s not that far,” Lee shrugged, “And I thought you’d like them, so it was worth it.”

“I’ve never had real flowers before,” Rose whipped around, “Let me find something to put them in.” She looked over her shoulder, “Come in. And ignore the mess; Norm got a little rowdy with his toys before Meggie picked them up.”

Lee stepped inside, and said, “It’s not that bad. Around here, it’s practically pristine.”

Rose found a small cup, ran to the bathroom, filled it, and then set the flowers on the window that overlooked Shady Sands. She arranged the flowers carefully, letting the big yellow poke out prominently and making sure the smaller blue flowers could be seen.

Lee stepped up, looking over her shoulder at the flowers, “You made them look even prettier.”

Rose turned and realized how close Lee was, and she swallowed shallowly, “Thank you.”

“We have some time before the movie,” Lee sounded confident, but her eyes were shy and kept darting away from Rose’s own, “Would you want to get a bite to eat? Or some ice cream?”

“Ice cream,” Rose’s mouth fell open, “You mean real ice cream?”

“Well,” Lee smiled at her, dark eyes brightening, “As real as we can make it. They found some old recipe books a few years ago, and they’ve been working on perfecting the recipes without electricity and all those Old World conveniences.”

“If there’s time,” Rose brushed her hands over the front of her dress, smoothing it down carefully, “I would really like to try that ice cream.”

“Your wish is my command,” Lee held her arm out to her, in an old-fashioned, courtly manner almost identical to how Hank would escort her on their walks around the Vault.

Rose reached out slowly, then slid her arm into Lee’s and let the woman lead her out into the hall.

The movie was the origins of the Mistress of Mystery; Lee had owned every single comic she could get her hands on as a kid, and she’d listened to the audio dramas every chance she got. In the years since she’d been unfrozen, Lee hadn’t had much chance to think about the Mistress, so now, sitting in the back seat of an ancient convertible, with Rose pressed close against her side, it was a strange sort of nostalgic wish fulfillment for Lee.

As an explosion painted the huge canvas overhead, stretched over one of the massive Vault-Tec billboards, Rose jumped and flinched, and Lee patted her knee, gently.

Rose seemed a little embarrassed at her reaction, and whispered, “I’ve seen movies before, but not something big like this.”

“I haven’t seen one like this in –” Lee cut herself off and changed her wording quickly, “Before.”

Rose didn’t seem to notice her slip, and Lee relaxed a little, and asked, “Do you want any popcorn? Or a drink?”

“No,” Rose shook her head, “Not unless you let me pay for it.”

Lee tutted, “I asked you to the movie; that means I pay for everything.”

Rose hesitated at that, then she smiled and said, “I’d love some popcorn, Lee.”

“I’ll be back,” Lee slipped out of the convertible and headed for the concession stand.

On nights like this, surrounded by the people of Shady Sands, all dressed in their best, and on their best behavior, it was easy for Lee to forget she was a woman out of time, and to pretend she was back in her own world.

But it also made it easy for Lee to see just how this world, this wasteland, could be turned into something beautiful, something good, and somewhere anyone, even Rose, could be happy.

At the concession stand, she was greeted by the inquisitive, pixyish, face of Connie Albright. Connie was one of Meggie’s classmates at the small high school, and a familiar sight to Lee as her father, Carl, was one of the scientists who worked in the courthouse.

Connie handed over the popcorn, and the soda, along with two straws, but as she took Lee’s caps, she asked, “Are you dating the new girl?”

“We’re just seeing a movie together,” Lee said, trying to use the same tone on Connie that she’d used with the unruly interns she’d once employed.

Connie, however, was entirely unaffected by her tone, and instead asked, “And you also keep going to see her at the diner.”

“I like the food,” Lee gathered her purchases, “They got a new chef.”

“I think you like her,” Connie said, ponytail bobbing, “Which I totally get; she’s a knockout Ms. Moldaver.”

“Thank you for your input,” Lee said, dryly, “I value it greatly.”

But after she’d gotten back to the convertible, and Rose had turned around to beam up at her, Lee had to admit that Connie was right: Rose MacLean was a knockout.

Chapter Text

June 2276
Shady Sands
New Republic of California

Lee tapped her pencil on the paperwork in front of her, absentmindedly, not really seeing the words on the papers in front of her.

“Lee? You alright?”

“What,” Lee blinked and looked up.

Carl Albright raised his thick eyebrows, “You look like you’re about a million miles away.”

“I guess I was,” Lee admitted, sitting up straight and brushing back some of her hair, “Sorry, Carl.”

“Doesn’t bother me,” Carl sipped his coffee, then made a face, and muttered, “Cold again.”

“It wouldn’t be if you drank it when you made it,” Lee pointed out.

Carl shrugged sheepishly and headed over to the sideboard for a fresh cup of coffee. Despite his brilliance and his high-ranking position in the Office of Science and Industry, he was one of the most absentminded people Lee had ever met – the perfect embodiment of the phrase “lose his head if it wasn’t attached.”

As he poured his old coffee out, he glanced back at Lee, “My daughter said she saw you at the drive-in the other night. And with that new girl – Peony?”

“Rose,” Lee said, “Her name’s Rose. And yes, I did take her to the drive-in.”

Did you like the movie,” He poured enough sugar into the coffee that Lee had to suppress a shudder, “Connie says it's fun. And that she wants her mother to make her a costume like that Mistress.”

“The movie was great,” Lee said, looking back at her paperwork, “You should try and find some of the old comics for Connie. I used to read them when I was her age.”

“I’ll see if the library has any,” Carl finished making his new cup of coffee, then he leaned against the counter and gave Lee a pointed look, “You know, my wife said that Rose is a mighty pretty lady.”

“A knock-out, I’ve been told,” Lee began to study her paperwork very intently.

“Tamika also mentioned that Jimmy Peterson,” Carl sipped his coffee, “You know Jimmy, the one who makes the runs over to Ma June’s in Filly? Nice boy all told, but, anyway, Tamika told me that Jimmy Peterson talked to Donna Kinney, who had just finished seeing Ben Lawson, who told her that he’d talked to Fred Thackery who told him that he was thinking about asking Rose to dinner.”

“Ben’s asking Rose to dinner,” Lee had barely followed Carl’s train of thought, “Ben’s fourteen.”

“No, Fred’s interested in Rose, he just told Ben about it,” Carl took another sip of coffee, “But Fred, well, he’s just finished getting that house of his built out by the apple orchard, and he’s been looking to spark up a romance with someone. And you know he’s always loved kids.”

Lee pursed her lips, and stared at her paperwork, “Yeah, Fred’s great with kids.”

Fred was also six foot five, muscled like an ox from years of working on his family’s farm, and possessed of a pair of bright green eyes that always seemed to be mischievous. He was also widely considered to be an incredibly polite and thoughtful young man, who’d never had an unkind word for anyone and would take time out of his day to move worms off the sidewalk after it rained. For a moment, Lee wished that Fred was about the size of a football and that she had a chance to punt him as far out of Shady Sands as she could, the worms in need of a savior be damned. Then, though, she came to her senses, and asked, “When’s he thinking about asking her out?”

“Tamika’s not sure,” Carl admitted, “But she thought you might be interested in knowing his intentions, just for curiosity’s sake, of course.”

Lee gave him a tight smile, “Tamika’s got a talent for letting people know what they need to know.”

Carl’s smile was slightly smug, and Lee narrowed her eyes at him, but instead of questioning him any further, she once again ducked her head and began to work. That didn’t last very long, though, and only a matter of seconds later, Lee looked up and asked, “Why did Tamika think I’d want to know if Fred Thackery wants to ask out Rose?”

Carl added even more sugar to his coffee, and stirred it thoughtfully, “The two of you have been spending time together, and you go see her on your lunch breaks, so Tamika figured the two of you were close.” He raised his brows, sipping his coffee, and saying, “Besides, Fred’s a nice young man, dependable, hardworking, not bad looking…”

Lee pursed her lips, “You make him sound like quite a catch.”

“Some people would think so,” Carl finished creating his much too sweet coffee, and began meandering back to his desk, saying, “I don’t know if Rose would, but it’s something to consider.”

Lee tapped her pencil against her papers again, jaw tightening, “Yeah, something to consider.”

Rose was considering Fred Thackery’s offer carefully.

He sat in front of her, smiling, head cocked slightly, “I hope that’s alright to ask; my little sisters thought Lucy would like it.”

“She probably would,” Rose admitted, “She’s never seen a goat.”

“Think about it,” Fred said, as he headed for the back door, “Have a good one, Mrs. MacLean.” Then he added, before disappearing, “And if you see Jedidiah anytime soon, tell him I’ve been asking about him, please?”

Rose smiled at him, then began gathering up some of the empty plates on the counter, “Of course I will, Fred.”

Junie appeared then, her pencil-thin brows raised high, “So, Fred asked you out, huh?”

“Asked me –” Rose laughed and shook her head, “No! He wants me to bring the kids out to see his farm and the animals. But he’s been trying to get Jedidah’s attention, and Jedadiah is oblivious.”

Junie looked momentarily confused, “But Tamika thought –”

“Tamika thought what,” Rose asked, confused.

“Never mind,” Junie merely laughed, picking up a rag to wipe down the tables, “I’m just gonna enjoy this as long as I can.”

Rose stared at her, then looked through the small window that led to the kitchen and asked, “Isla, do you what she’s talking about?”

Isla took a drag of her cigarette, then said slowly, “Yep.”

“Are you going to tell me what it is,” Rose asked.

The cigarette smoke obscured Isla’s face for a moment, “Nope.”

Rose looked at Ned, who was settled on his stool diligently washing dishes, “Will you tell me what’s going on?”

“Nope,” Ned said, dunking the dishes in the soapy water.

“Great,” Rose rolled her eyes, “Just great.”

“It’ll make ya laugh when you figure it out,” Ned reassured her.

Rose sighed and wondered just what Ned meant, but she decided to simply let it go, and wait, instead of driving herself insane trying to figure out what was going on. She’d learned quickly that Shady Sands was even worse than the Vault when it came to gossip; in the Vault, only so many rumors could start given the limits on day-to-day life, and the small population, but in Shady Sands gossip was almost the same currency as caps in some cases.

She’d even begun to enjoy some of the more harmless gossip, like, the fact that Mrs. Rothchild wore different hats every day of the week because she was trying to hide the second set of eyes in the back of her head, or that Donna Kinney was taking bribes to pass some of the seniors. Now, though, she was consumed with curiosity and had no way to sate it.

And due to that entirely unsated curiosity, Rose decided that she hated gossip.

Until about fifteen minutes later when she heard that there was a ghoul, in a cowboy hat, lurking around the local saloon, and asking questions about a missing woman with two children.

Gossip was a lifesaver, Rose decided.

Chapter Text

June 2276
Shady Sands
New Republic of California

It was easier than Rose thought it would be to find the ghoul.

While Shady Sands wasn’t exactly hostile toward ghouls, the people were always wary, and most ghouls lived in the Boneyard, and only came to Shady Sands to trade. Otherwise, the odd caravan guard, or traveler would breeze through the city, but they’d never stay long.

The ghoul was in the saloon, sitting alone at a table in a dark corner, with a bottle of whiskey in front of him, and his sunken eyes darting around the room. She looked him over, memorizing him; the tattered coat, the bandolier, the sawed-off shotgun, and the cowboy hat pulled low over his face.

She knew he might’ve seen her looking at him, men like that rarely missed much, but she also knew that there was very little possibility that he’d know what she looked like, and the most likely conclusion he’d come to was that she was just some Shady Sander who’d heard about the ghoul and wanted a chance to gawk at him.

Rose stepped back out of the saloon, into the shadow of the porch, and then headed to the library at a trot, while she thought about what she could do.

If he was planning to stay in town, the hotel would be the only place he could get a room, and she doubted he’d be sleeping on the streets. For one thing, that wasn’t allowed, due to safety concerns that had been raised by the city council a few years ago, and for another, he seemed like he’d want as few reasons as possible for the sheriff to take an interest in him.

And if the ghoul had been asking around about her, Rose was sure that quite a few people would simply ignore his questions or tell him they didn’t know anything. Shady Sanders could be incredibly closemouthed when they wanted to be.

She knew that the library would be closed when she arrived, so she merely circled around to the back and knocked on the door that led to the upstairs apartment of Mrs. Rothchild and her granddaughter.

A moment later, Meggie appeared, head cocked and her eyes wide, “Mrs. MacLean? Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Can you watch my kids for a few hours,” Rose asked.

“Oh, she found you,” Meggie grinned, “Yeah, I can watch them.”

“He’s a he,” Rose was a little confused, “Not a she. Isn’t he?”

“Oh,” Meggie’s nose wrinkled, “Well, I’ve always called her Ms. Moldaver, so I assumed that’s what she wanted to be called, but –”

“No, not Lee,” Rose felt like she was back in the Vault and was going down dozens of pointless rabbit trails before managing to get to the point, “I haven’t seen Lee. I’m talking about someone else.”

“Does Ms. Moldaver know about him,” Meggie leaned against the doorframe, “Because she might be a bit jealous.”

“Of a bounty hunter,” Rose asked. “Why would she be jealous?"

“Bounty –” Immediately, Meggie was predator still in that way that many Wastelanders had that still so unsettled Rose, “You said a few hours? I can do that. And if you want, I’ll take them out to the Thackery farm to pet the sheep.”

“They’d like that,” Rose said, “I haven’t picked them up yet; they’re still at school.”

“I’ll get them,” Meggie reached behind the door and Rose heard a metal scrape on metal, shouting, “Nana! I've got a job! I'll be home later!" She looked back at Rose, "You go take care of your business, Mrs. MacLean. Don’t worry about your kids.”

Rose watched as Meggie fastened the gun belt around her hips, “You think you’ll need that?”

“You never know,” Meggie paused a moment, picking something else up. Then she stepped out of the library, and gave Rose a bright smile, “Here.”

She held out a gun, small enough that Rose could conceal it practically anywhere. “Oh, I don’t know if I should –”

“You should,” Meggie shoved the gun into her hands, and said, “I'll be at the farm. Just let me know when you want me to bring the kids home, Mrs. MacLean.”

They parted ways, and Rose headed back toward the saloon, still mulling over what might be best for her to do. She supposed she could just walk in and speak to him and pretend to be someone with information for him, but there was the chance someone in the saloon would recognize her and call her name, which would immediately take away any chance she had of getting the ghoul alone. Getting him alone was the most important thing; she didn’t want anyone else to get hurt.

“Rose!”

She almost didn’t hear Lee calling to her, but then she felt a soft hand on her shoulder, and stopped as Lee asked, “Where are you going in such a hurry?”

“I’m – I’m meeting someone,” Rose said, awkwardly.

Lee’s expression was slightly pained, “Oh, I didn’t mean to keep you.”

“It’s not like that,” Rose said, turning to leave, “It’s just something I have to do.”

“Rose,” Lee’s voice was laced with concern, and she looked almost afraid, “Is that a gun?”

Rose looked so afraid that Lee almost regretted asking her about the gun, but she caught her wrist, "Are you in trouble?"

"Maybe," Rose wrapped her free hand over Lee's hand, "Lee, please, don't ask questions. And don't worry about me."

"I am worried about you," Lee said, holding Rose tighter, "It looks like you're wrapped up in something dangerous."

"I might be," Rose's eyes flicked up, and there was cool determination on her face, "But I'll handle it. I don't need you getting involved in this, and putting yourself at risk."

"I want to help," Lee said, "Let me help."

"I appreciate that," Rose said, tugging her wrist free, "But I'll handle it." She turned, "I'll talk to you later."

Lee watched her go, then she sighed, and mumbled, "Like hell," and began following Rose down the street.

It was strange being back in this part of California. Cooper hadn’t been there in around fifty years, and everything had changed, going from a wasteland full of ruins and sand to a thriving little city with smiling faces all around. It was almost like being back before the bombs dropped, especially when the trolley went by on its route bell jingling merrily. Janey had always loved taking the trolley, even more than she’d loved riding in his convertible with the top down.

He stared at the whiskey in front of him, swirling the golden-colored liquid. He’d paid for the bottle, but now he wasn’t sure he’d want to finish it. It didn’t taste right.

He looked up when the saloon’s door opened, alert as a hunting dog, but it wasn’t a woman in a Vault suit and was just another typical Shady Sander. Logically, Cooper knew that his target wasn’t going to be running around in her Vault suit, it’d be too dangerous, but he wanted this to be easy, so he held out a slight sliver of hope that she’d do something stupid.

If she was even a real Vault dweller the pessimistic side of him whispered. For all he knew, she was some raider who’d stumbled on an unlucky Vaultie from four, or something like that, and taken the suit for herself after realizing its value. That was a much more likely solution than that the woman had left the safety of a Vault, especially with two young children in tow. The Wasteland was a hostile enough place, but it would be a death sentence for an unprepared mother.

That was when he felt the barrel of a gun press against his ribs, and a woman murmured to him, “Don’t react. Don’t make a scene.”

“Whatever you say,” Cooper didn’t move a muscle.

“I know you’re looking for me,” Her voice only quavered a little, “And I know you’ve been asking questions about me.”

“I’m just looking to ask some questions,” Cooper wanted desperately to grab his own gun, but it’d cause too much trouble. “It’s not a professional call.”

“There’s no bounty on me,” She asked.

“Not that I know of,” Cooper replied, “This is just a quest of personal curiosity. No caps to be made.”

“I’ll answer your questions,” She said, “If I can, but not here.”

“Where?”

“The park, near the pond,” She said, “Midnight.”

“You wanna meet me at midnight,” He snorted, “What is this? Some romantic rendezvous?”

She didn’t answer and instead repeated, “The park, near the pond. Midnight.”

Then there was a rustle of fabric, and hurried footsteps, and she was gone before Cooper had managed to spin around all the way.

He was a little impressed with that, honestly. It was hard for anyone to get the drop on him, especially a Vaultie, but she’d managed it. That made her interesting, and Cooper was very rarely interested in anything beyond his next meal and his next bounty these days.

He looked up at the big clock on the wall. It was only around six now, so he had plenty of time to scope out the park and make sure that there wasn’t going to be an unpleasant surprise waiting for him.

Chapter Text

June 2276
Shady Sands
New Republic of California

By the time midnight rolled around, the streets of Shady Sands were quiet and dark, only dimly lit by the streetlights, and practically no one was around, except the lone constable who patrolled up and down the streets slowly.

Cooper knew that there was a pretty strong chance that the woman would try and ambush him when he reached the park. It’s what he would do, but he simply couldn’t figure out how she was going to do it.

There were few hiding spots in the park, save behind the trees, and nothing near the pond, so as he lingered near the still water, he wondered if she had someone eyeing him through the lens of a long-range sniper rifle, or if the ground beneath him was going to suddenly erupt into flames from hidden mines buried below the surface.

But instead of focusing on those possibilities, Cooper reached into his coat pocket, withdrew a cigarette and a lighter, and then sparked up in front of the pond. He stared around, letting the nostalgia of the moment wash over him. In the lush park, so quiet and peaceful, it was easy for him to pretend that he was back before the bombs fell, taking Janey and Barb to the park. He could almost hear Janey’s laughter when he caught sight of the sleeping turtleducks; she would’ve loved those mutated little horrors, Cooper knew.

He heard the soft footsteps, and immediately whipped around, gun drawn.

The Vaultie stood in front of him, dressed in that damn blue suit, a gun in her hands, and her dark eyes were narrow and calculating, “Did my husband send you? Or someone from the Vault?”

“Nope,” Cooper let the word pop on his tongue, “I just heard a rumor some Vault girl blew into Shady Sands, and I came looking for answers to some questions.”

“Don’t lie to me,” She said, finger tightening on the trigger, “Please.”

Coop said, slowly, “While I never betray client confidentiality, I can assure you, I’m here of my own free will and on an entirely personal matter.”

“What kind of personal matter,” She stepped a little closer to him, but didn’t lower the gun.

“I’ve got some questions, and a Vaultie might be the only person who can answer them,” Coop let his own gun dip slightly, trying to indicate to her that he wouldn’t shoot first.

“What kind of questions,” She still didn’t lower her gun.

“It’s about a missing person, well, persons,” Coop took a long drag on his cigarette.

“I don’t see how I can help you with that.”

“Sometimes longshots payoff,” Coop said, flicking away the butt of his cigarette. “And I’m hopin’ this one might.”

“I’ll help you if I can.” She finally lowered her gun, asking, “And you’re giving me your word that my husband didn’t send you?”

“I give you my word,” He was tempted to roll his eyes; his word hadn’t meant shit to him for nearly two hundred years but trust a Vaultie to trust it implicitly. “What’s your name, lady?”

“Rose,” She looked him up and down, “And yours?”

“Just the Ghoul,” Then, more out of idle curiosity than anything else, he asked, “Who’s your husband? Some bigshot?”

“He’s the overseer of our Vault,” She tucked the gun into the belt around her waist and looked him in the eyes, “Hank MacLean.”

“Well now,” Coop drawled, “Ain’t that a daisy of a coincidence?”

“Coincidence,” Rose’s hands clenched, and her eyes went wide and scared again, “But you said you hadn’t heard about me through my husband.”

“I didn’t,” He knew he’d be able to toss his lasso over her and have her tied and helpless in a matter of seconds, but he refrained from that course of action, “I haven’t that name in well over two hundred years.”

Rose froze, “You know –”

“Hands up, Ghoul.”

The second voice was cool and as painfully familiar to Coop as the name Hank MacLean, but the insistent press of the double-barreled shotgun against the small of his back distracted him from that painful memory and kept him grounded in the present. He didn’t raise his hands, “Unless you’re planning on cutting me in half with that thing, you’d better be ready for me to get up.”

“Lee, what are you doing,” Rose stepped toward him, frowning, “You promised you wouldn’t interfere with my business.”

“I’m not interfering,” The second woman said, “I’m helping. It’s different.”

Cooper considered taking a chance and reaching for his guns, but instead, he decided to be diplomatic; worst case, it didn’t pan out and he ended up with fresh jerky in his pack, but best case, he got the information he needed, and without the fuss and struggle a fight would bring. He looked at Rose, “I gave my word, Mrs. MacLean; I expected more honor from a lady like you.”

“Lee, put the gun away,” Rose’s voice was sweetly insistent, all soft and kind like the pre-war women Coop remembered that had fluttered around his movie sets and Barb’s offices, and he tried not to spit in disgust.

“You don’t understand how dangerous these things are,” Lee said, and Coop wondered if she’d say the same thing if she could see his face as she went on, “You’ve never been around ghouls. He might seem lucid, and reasonable, but ghouls can turn in a second, feral or not. He’ll rip you apart the second you drop your guard.”

“He gave me his word, Lee,” Rose reached out, extending her hand to Coop, “It’s nice to meet you.”

Coop did have the urge to bite her; Rose’s hand looked soft and delicate, and he was sure she would taste as sweet as her name. But he contained himself, pushing down that wild hungry part of him that always burned in the pit of his stomach, and shook her hand, “It’s nice to meet you too.”

The shotgun was removed from his back, and Lee sighed, “You’ll regret this, Rose.”

Coop turned around, and widened his eyes comically, “Well, damn, as I live and breathe! Is that Ms. Williams? In the flesh? Now, just how the hell did you manage that?”

Ms. Williams’ – Lee’s – face went chalky pale, and she took a step back, “You –”

“Me,” Coop said, showing all his teeth, “I’m surprised you remember.”

“You know him,” Rose stepped back, warily, “How do you know him, Lee? And who’s Ms. Williams?”

“Ms. Williams is her name, Rosie,” Coop lit another cigarette, “At least, it was two hundred and four years ago when I first met her.” He looked Ms. Williams up and down, trying to make her uncomfortable with a vaguely lecherous air to his gaze, “You still look just about as good as you did back then. A bit older, but still good.”

Her expression was somewhere between seeing a ghost and sucking on a lemon, “I thought you were dead, Mr. Howard.”

“I thought you were too,” He blew smoke in her face, “Same as Hank MacLean, but it looks like I’m learning all sorts of delightful little secrets tonight.”

“What do you mean,” Rose asked him, “How do you know Hank? And Lee?" She almost looked like she was going to cry, "What is this?”

Coop asked, condescendingly, “Didn’t either of them tell you, sweetheart?”

“Don’t,” Ms. Williams warned him.

But he pressed on, “Why, your beloved husband, and your pretty lady friend, are both cradle robbers, and they are both well over two hundred, just like yours truly.” He flashed Rose a mockery of his old movie star smile, “In fact, I knew them both back in my prime.”

Rose took a step back, but before she got any further, Coop whipped out his pistol, cracked the butt of it across her temple, felling her immediately, before he swung around to point the barrel of his pistol at the other woman, “Drop it, Ms. Williams.”

Her mouth twisted, as she stared down at Rose, but she dropped the shotgun and raised her hands, “You gave her your word, Mr. Howard.”

“Bullshit,” He scoffed, “I gave her my word that I wasn’t here because of her husband, nothing else. Just be glad I have more questions than answers right now because otherwise, I’d be happy to cut you open and have a snack.”

Her left brow rose, “And you expect me to give you answers?”

“I figure you might know something,” He gave Rose’s limp body a prod with his boot, “But I’m also figuring that you care enough about Mrs. MacLean to help me find the answers I want, without causing too much of a fuss.”

“And why would I do that,” She asked.

“Because,” Coop smiled, “The looks you’ve been giving her remind me of all the times I read about how you had these private little sewing circles, back before the bombs fell, and quite a few ladies were seen in your company. And they always wore a bit of lavender, and seemed absolutely starstruck by you.”

Her expression was so frosty he almost forgot he was in sunny California for a moment, “Mr. Howard, in this new world, old ways have fallen out of fashion. If you seem to still hold the mistaken notion that society at large would damn me for my choices, then you are sadly mistaken.”

“I don’t give a fuck about that,” Coop snapped, “I’m just telling you plain, that if you don’t help me, and don’t tell me what I want to know, you’ll be finding a new sewing partner.”

Rose groaned a little, and Coop gestured with his pistol, “Get her up. We’re going somewhere quiet for a long chat.”

He watched as Ms. Williams set about fussing over Rose, cataloging every little detail about how gently Ms. Williams touched her, how she murmured sweetly to her, and just how kind the woman was to Rose.

It was truly heartwarming, and exactly the leverage he needed to make sure Ms. Williams obeyed his every word. And Coop couldn’t help smiling at his newfound lucky break; Miss Fortune was certainly smiling down on him tonight.

Chapter Text

June 2276
Shady Sands
New Republic of California

Lucy was getting bored.

And she knew that boredom wasn’t a good thing; her Dad always said that being bored was one of the worst things anyone could be, and that finding something productive and entertaining to do in moments of boredom was essential.

Being bored was almost as bad as being lazy, and Lucy hated both boredom and laziness. So, as she circled around and around Meggie and Mrs. Rothchild’s small apartment. It hadn’t been boring at first, in fact, it had been quite exciting to be picked up by Meggie and all her friends were jealous when the teenager had announced that Lucy and Norm were going to see the Thackerys’ sheep. That had been a lot of fun, plus, Lucy reflected a tad guiltily, it was fun to get to do something that none of the other kids in her class got to do.

But after several hours of petting sheep, it had started to get dark, and Meggie had, rather reluctantly, brought them back to town. Lucy wasn’t sure why Meggie was acting so weird, but she didn’t really care, because she’d been promised dinner and stories.

But now, Mrs. Rothchild had fallen asleep, snoring comfortably on the couch, in the middle of a story about a brave knight who was seeking out a princess that had been captured by a dragon – though, Lucy was beginning to suspect that the princess was really the dragon herself, and so Mrs. Rothchild’s snoring was now not only contributing to her boredom, but also a bit annoying.

Lucy wandered over to Meggie’s room and peered inside quietly.

The older girl was cradling Norm gently, and walking back and forth across her cluttered room while she rocked him and murmured sweetly to him. Norm was fussy, though, and Lucy could see his red, scrunched-up face, as he babbled and wiggled in displeasure.

Lucy thought about asking Meggie to finish the story but then decided that she’d probably say no anyway since she was still dealing with Norm. So, she shut the door and stood in the living room, frowning, and trying to come up with something she could do that would relieve her of the entirely impending doom that her boredom was sure to bring. She paced back and forth, counting her steps as she did, then she went over to Mrs. Rothchild and picked up the book the old woman had been reading from, but it was thick and the words were too big, so she put it back on the couch.

Lucy sighed and spun in circles a few times, then she stopped and stared at the apartment’s front door with great interest. Meggie had said not to go outside for any reason, but that was ages ago, plus, Meggie was busy with Norm, and wouldn’t notice if Lucy went down to play in the library for a little while.

And if she got lucky and didn’t get caught, she wouldn’t get in trouble, so it would all work out.

And Lucy’s dad had always told her that she was very, very lucky.

She tiptoed to the door and opened it very quietly, easing out into the short hallway, and then down the staircase that led to the library. It was a bit harder to navigate with all the lights off, but Lucy moved slowly and carefully.

Unfortunately, when she actually entered the library which was pitch dark and full of shadows and strange shapes, and not at all the familiar place she’d visited in the daytime, Lucy began regretting all of her choices. It wasn’t fun anymore, and as the floor creaked under her feet, she gasped and went very still.

There was a shadow at the edge of the library, and it was slowly rippling, wavery, and weird as if it was slowly moving toward her, ready to snatch her up and devour her. She stared at it, sure it was just something her brain was making up to play tricks on her with; her dad always told her that she had an overactive imagination.

But then, the shadow shifted, revealing the library’s front window, and there framed in the moonlight, pale as a ghost, was a face.

Lucy stared at it, and it stared back at her, pale eyes drinking her in, as she drank it in in turn. There was a light tapping noise on the window, a flash of a bright smile full of too-big teeth, and a sibilant voice whispered, raspily, “Let me in.”

“Who are you,” Lucy asked, moving toward the window, a horrible fascination stealing over her. She didn't really want to go toward it - she didn't - she wanted to whirl and run, but she couldn't. Instead, she simply stared at those huge eyes as the voice murmured, "Come here. Let me in. Sweet child."

“A friend,” Came the whisper, “Let me in, sweet girl.”

“I shouldn’t,” Lucy stopped, biting hard at her lower lip, still wanting to approach the thing, but fighting it desperately.

“Sweet girl, lovely girl,” The tapping started again, “Let me in. I want to play with you.”

“I don’t know –”

A hand grabbed her shoulder, “What the heck do you think you’re doing?”

Lucy shrieked at the sound of Meggie’s voice and Norm began wailing immediately afterwards. She whirled around, staring up at the older girl, “I didn’t let it in! I didn’t!”

“What are you talking about,” Meggie cocked her head, frowning, “Let who in?”

Lucy pointed at the window, “That.”

Meggie looked at the window, and all the color drained from her face, as she whispered, “Oh.”

The tapping began again, soft at first, but then quickly increasing until the flimsy glass was shaking and the voice was shrieking, “Let me in! Let me in! Let me in!”

Meggie jerked Lucy up, arm tight around her waist, and screamed, her voice loud enough to set Lucy’s ears ringing, and like the call of the trumpet on Judgment Day Mr. Davey had spoken about so often, “Fiends!”

There was a huge boom and the window shattered, and as Meggie whirled to run, Lucy saw a long, white thing slithering in the window, sharp talons tapping on the floor and a bright gleaming smile glimmering in the moonlight as it hissed, “Sweet girl mine.”

As Coop was directing the dazed Mrs. MacLean, and the furious Ms. Williams out of the park, with the friendly encouragement of his pistol, the sirens began to sound. For a moment, he considered shooting them both and making a break for it, but then Ms. William’s face contorted into a snarl that was all rage and fear twisted up together like some Pre-War painting and she breathed, “Fiends.”

Rose swayed a little, blood trickling down her forehead, “Oh, god, Lucy – Norm –”

“Keep movin’,” Coop snapped, eager to get somewhere away from the fiends where he could continue his questioning of the women, “Now.”

“No,” Rose turned, tugging away from Ms. Williams’ grip, and stumbling toward the park’s far entrance, “Not without them!”

“Without who,” Coop asked, slightly bewildered as he watched the woman stagger.

“Her children,” Ms. Williams hadn’t moved and was instead studying him with a calculating little smile, just like the one she’d given him that fateful day hundreds of years ago when they were surrounded by dead movie stars and live Communists. “She has two. Norm, he’s a toddler. And Lucy,” Her mouth tightened, “I believe she’s around the same age as your Janey was.”

“Don’t you talk about her,” Coop pointed his pistol at her forehead, “You say her name again, and I’ll forget I’m a gentleman.”

“Forget what you want,” She stepped away from him, “But if your plan is really to interrogate us and discover all our secrets, wouldn’t it be best to have the right leverage?”

“Leverage,” Coop huffed, knowingly, “You’re baiting me, Ms. Williams. Just like before.”

“But it’s the best shot you have of getting what you want,” She took another step after Rose, “Besides, what do you think Hank MacLean would do if he found out you’ve got his wife, his son, and his little girl?”

“You paint a beautiful picture,” He slid the pistol away, “Where are they?”

“They’re either at the Thackery farm, past the cornfields, or the public library,” She stared at him, “I’m putting a lot of trust in you, Mr. Howard.”

“You ain’t trusting me,” He rolled his eyes, “You’re using me. You want them kids safe just as much as their mama does.”

“Get going. And bring them back to the hotel, safe, and I’ll make sure I tell you everything I can, and that Rose does too.” Then she ran after Rose, “Rose! You can’t go out there like this!”

“I have to find them,” Rose said, determined despite her injury.

Coop stared after them for a moment, then he began reasoning out the situation to himself. If the children were out at the Thackery farm, they might already be dead and eaten, but there was always a chance some dumb farm boy would’ve scooted them out of there at the first sign of danger, and that they were hidden somewhere in the endless cornfields till the attack was over.

But if they were at the library, they were much closer at hand and much more likely to get wiped out by the Fiends in the initial wave of violence and the orgy of feasting and blood that always followed a Fiend attack. However, the library was also closer, and it’d be easier to check it out first than to run all the way out of town and then back again in case they weren’t at the farm, so he whipped around, and started off at a sprint toward the public library, all while the sirens continued wailing, and gunshots and screams began to sound from all around the city, while a bright orange and yellow gout of flame painted the dark sky overhead.

Meggie had finally stopped screaming, and the library was eerily silent, and Lucy could smell blood and smoke hanging heavy in the air.

Lucy coiled tight around Norm, holding him against her chest, as she crouched in the tiny crawl space under the floorboards of the library. Lucy didn’t remember much after Meggie had shrieked her warning, but she knew enough to remember that Mrs. Rothchild had grabbed her and Norm, and put them in this little box, tucked underneath the floor beneath the library's circulation desk. She tried to breathe shallowly, as she peered out of the tiny slit in the wood overhead.

All she could see were the pale, naked bodies of the Fiends, moving back and forth across the library, tapping on the walls and whispering, “Sweet girl. Little girl. Where are you? We miss you. Please come out. Please.”

There was a soft crack and Lucy heard a pained moan, and then Fiend hissed, “Where are the children? The tasty children? Tell us now.”

“Eat me, bitch,” Was Meggie’s panted reply.

Then she screamed again, louder, and longer than before, and Lucy tried to stifle a whimper, as she put her hand gently over Norm’s mouth to muffle his frightened cry. He stared at her, his eyes wet with tears and Lucy tried to smile at him, as she whispered, "It's okay. Mama's gonna come soon."

The Fiends went quiet, shuffling around the library again, tapping on the walls and whispering, “Where are they? Where are they? The little ones. So tasty. So soft."

Then there was a creak above Lucy’s head, and a wild white eye was staring through the crack directly at her as a sibilant voice whispered, “Children.”

Lucy scrambled back as far as she was able in the small space, as Norm began wailing, and the Fiend began pulling at the floorboards, trying to pry them up as it screamed, “Children! Children! Children!” and the others scrambled over, joining the cry until their wailing drowned out everything else.

Then there was the booming bang of a gunshot, that was loud enough that it cut through the screaming, and everything went silent for a moment as something heavy fell on top of the crawlspace, and a hot, sticky liquid spattered down over Lucy’s face.

Norm began to cry, wailing, “Mama! Mama! Mama!” as more screaming and gunshots began, and a man’s raspy voice cracked like a whip, “Fucking freaks!”

There were more gunshots, more screaming, and then the top of the crawlspace was jerked open and a decrepit, noseless face peered down at them and muttered, “Goddamn, y’all are like little sardines in a can in there.”

Lucy didn’t know for sure what a sardine was, but as the thing started to reach for them, she jerked forward, snarling, and bit down on his pointer finger as hard as she could. He yelled, and she bit down even harder, snarling around the blood that filled her mouth, as she imagined she was crunching down on a particularly hard carrot.

Then his finger snapped, and Lucy stared up at the thing fiercely, while blood dripped down her chin, and he stared at his maimed hand with an expression full of baffled amusement, “Well, there you are. You little killer.”

Lucy spat out his finger and clutched Norm tight, “Go away!”

“Nah,” He grabbed her arm, his blood staining her dress’ sleeve dark, “Your mama said to come get ya, and that’s what I’m gonna do.”

He dragged them out of the crawlspace, holding Norm gently in his left arm, and grabbing Lucy’s wrists tight in his maimed hand, while his blood continued dripping onto her skin. She kicked at his shins hard and fast, “No! I won’t go with you! I won’t!”

He gave her a short, sharp shake, “Didn’t you hear me? Your mama and Ms. Williams sent me to come get ya.”

“I don’t know a Ms. Williams,” Lucy aimed a kick between his legs, and while it fell short of her intended target, he still winced and groaned a little.

“Lee then,” He snarled at her, “You keep kicking me, and I’ll rope you up like a brahmin calf and carry your ass back to your mama.”

Lucy stared up at him, then said, “I won’t go without Meggie and her nana.”

“What the hell is a Meggie,” He muttered, then said, firmly, “We ain’t got time, and your mama didn’t say shit about anyone but you two kids.”

“You have a potty mouth,” Lucy told him, “Mr. Davey would wash your mouth out with soap if he heard you say that.”

“I don’t know who or what a Mr. Davey is, but if he tried anything like that, I’d shoot him,” he said. “Now, come on.”

“Not without Meggie and Mrs. Rothchild,” Lucy said, raising her voice to a near shout.

His grip on her wrists tightened painfully for a moment, then he growled and released her, “If you keep shoutin’ like that, you’ll bring every Fiend in the city down on us.” He shifted his grip on Norm, holding her brother on his hip like their mama always did, “Let’s go. Now.”

Lucy scowled up at him, and stamped her foot, “No.”

“I am going to skin you alive and eat you,” He growled at her.

“I’ll bite off your other fingers if you try!” Lucy snapped back, “Help me find them!”

He stared at her, scowling, as he mumbled, “You’re more trouble than you’re worth, little killer.”

“Help me,” Lucy said, staring up at him, “Please, mister.”

He made another growling noise, then ground out, "Oh, goddamn it."

Chapter Text

June 2276
Shady Sands
New Republic of California

Shady Sands was in chaos.

Flames licked up the sides of the buildings, Main Street was full of bodies Shady Sanders lying dead alongside their attackers, and the Fiends’ cries and screams could be heard ringing all throughout the city as they called to one another.

Most everyone who was able had retreated out to the endless cornfields, or to the hotel, as its stone walls provided more protection than the flimsy wooden walls of their own homes, and the Fiends had fewer places to break through and into the ancient structure, given the wall around it, and Dean and Don’s own defense turrets.

Some of the NCR soldiers had taken up arms against the Fiends, but they were young and green, and the Fiends swatted them aside as if they were no more than little green flies, instead of young men and women in their prime.

Lee stood with Don and Dean, holding the doors of the hotel against the tide of Fiends, and trying to take potshots at the Fiends in the street so as to allow the fleeing Shady Sanders to make it to the safety of the hotel’s walls or at least gain some ground from the predators hunting them.

She could feel sweat and dirt staining her forehead, and the insistent twinge of the Fiend bite on her left forearm kept threatening to distract her from her purpose. However, she kept herself centered, focusing on nothing more than the feel of the trigger and the kick of her rifle as she took aim on the center mass of a long-limbed Fiend that was crouching over the bloodied body of Ben Lawson.

She shot it, watching as it fell back writhing and wailing, limbs jerking like a puppet with its strings cut as it got back to its feet. That was the worst part about Fiends; they were so far from humans that a single shot rarely did the trick, and sometimes the only sure way of making sure they didn’t get back up was to sever their heads completely. Of course, that also meant getting in close to them, and that was a death sentence for practically anyone.

She shot the Fiend again, watching as its blood showered over Ben as he struggled to crawl away from its wide gaping mouth and toward the hotel. She couldn’t hear it, over the sound of the gunshots and the ringing in her ears, but she could see his open mouth and knew that he was screaming just as loudly as the Fiends.

She shut her eyes, breathing deep, and thinking for a fleeting moment of her old house before the bombs fell; it had been an old-fashioned little house on Rodney Street, not far from Griffith Observatory. It had been built in 1915 and had been brimming with a Craftsman-style charm that Lee had found irresistible. She’d made an offer that same day and had moved in not even three weeks later. Living there had been one of the happiest times in her long life, and now, that house, along with all its memories was nothing more than a burned-out husk on the edge of Griffith Park.

And once again, fire and destruction had come to a place that Lee called home and was threatening to sweep through her world and leave it nothing but ashes. She could almost taste the ashes on her tongue as bitterness surged through her, almost as painful as the bite on her arm.

Then, behind her, she heard Donna Kinney shouting, “They’re climbing the wall behind the outhouse! They’re climbing it!”

She glanced over her shoulder, back in the present with all the suddenness of a thunderclap, in time to see Donna, along with gaunt Millie Dandridge and the grim-faced Parkers rushing out the back door, weapons drawn, and a moment later, there was even more gunfire and more screams from the Fiends.

Rose appeared then, a bandage wrapped loosely around her forehead, and her face white and drawn, with her eyes huge and scared, “Any sign of them?”

“Not yet,” Lee shot another Fiend and then looked back at Rose, “Get back upstairs. Doc Jones said you might have a concussion.”

“Don’t fret over me,” Rose flinched when another scream rattled through the hotel. “I can help.”

“You can help by heading back upstairs and asking the doctor if he needs anything,” Lee replied, firmly.

“I can help more here,” Rose said just as firmly. “I’ve had years of combat training, Lee. We didn’t just sit around and read old Human Resources manuals in the Vault!”

“Rose,” Lee turned away from the window, ignoring the chaos outside and instead focusing on the woman in front of her as if nothing else mattered, and really, nothing else did as she looked into Rose’s huge dark eyes, “Please go upstairs. I can’t stand seeing you in danger. And if anything happens to you –” Her voice caught in her throat, “Rose – I –”

“Lee!” Teri Olsen’s wild voice interrupted anything else Lee might’ve been about to say, “Have you seen my boy? Hubert and I can’t find him anywhere!” She looked around, wild-eyed, “He was inside with us, and then he was just gone!”

“I haven’t seen him,” Lee said, mouth tightening, “Would he have gone back out there on his own?”

“No, not on his own,” Teri said, wringing her hands together, “Oh, God – Atom, where is he?”

Lee took a deep breath, then said, “Rose, take Teri upstairs. Keep her calm.”

Rose threw her a look, oddly full of anger, but she took Teri’s arm and was beginning to lead the woman away from the windows when Dean said, in a voice that was sick with horror, “Oh, Atom. Teri, I found your boy.”

Teri immediately jerked away from Rose and stared wild-eyed out the window, screaming incoherently at the sight that was revealed to them as some of the smoke cleared.

Her son, small and vulnerable and with a teddy bear clutched in his arms, was standing in front of a Fiend, and staring up at it, entirely mesmerized by the creature. It was cooing at him, smiling wide and disarmingly, as it stroked his cheeks with long, pointed nails and drew him further and further away from the hotel and out toward the edge of the wall where half a dozen other Fiends waited.

He walked forward, his face blank and eyes hazy, almost level with Ben Lawson’s body.

When he was level with him, Ben twitched toward the boy, trying to grab at his ankle to stop him from walking forward any further, but the Fiend clawed at his chest, and the man fell back with a groan and clutched at the bloodied furrows vainly.

Teri screamed again, trying to break away from Rose, but Lee grabbed her and said, “No! They’ll rip you apart if you go out there!”

“No.”

Rose’s voice was so soft that Lee thought she’d imagined it for a moment, and she gave Teri a tug further back into the hotel lobby, “Go upstairs, Teri! Rose, go with her! Now!”

“No,” Rose’s voice was louder, and her gaze was fixed on the little boy, Ben, and the Fiends.

“Get upstairs, Rose!” Lee cried, “Now!”

Rose moved almost as fast as a Fiend, snatching Lee’s pistol from her waist with her right hand, unholstering Meggie’s borrowed pistol with her left hand, and then she strode out of the hotel’s front door, saying again, “No.”

She was on the steps before anyone else had even moved, too shocked to do anything but stare after the mad woman in the Vault suit, the fire gleaming off its gilded edges and making her hair shine coppery red as blood, and Lee heard Rose say again, “No.”

Rose walked out into the courtyard, steady as a rock, Lee’s pistol aimed at the Fiend in front of the boy and fired – once.

The Fiend’s head exploded into a pulpy red ruin, bathing the boy’s face in blood, before its body toppled to the ground, somehow even more horrific than before.

Rose took another stride, “No,” and fired again.

It was another direct hit, and another Fiend lay dead in front of the little boy.

“No,” Another Fiend fell. “No!” Rose’s voice was a shout, raw fury cracking into the night, “No!”

Rose never broke her stride, not even when a Fiend charged her, snarling up into her face, and clawing desperately at her eyes before it also fell before her. Another one rushed at her, clawing her left arm, and Lee could see blood pouring from Rose’s upper arm, but Rose merely spun away, raised her left hand, “No,” and shot it.

Rose fired three more times, each one a single headshot, and the Fiends drew back, hissing and staring at her, wary and afraid as she continued her single-minded walk toward the boy.

“Holy fuck,” Dean said, “She’s insane!”

A Fiend howled into the night, “Vault girl! Vault girl!”

Lee almost agreed with him, but instead, she finally rallied and shouted, “Charge! Charge now!”

More shouts followed her own, as she and Teri led the hotel’s defenders out and into the fray.

By then, Rose reached the boy, caught him up with her uninjured right arm, settled him on her hip, and shot a Fiend as it rounded the corner of the wall. The boy clung tight to her neck, hiding his face in his teddy bear, as Rose dropped Lee’s pistol, and raised her left arm, aiming unerringly at the Fiend closest to her, “No.”

It dropped like a stone, and the other Fiends stared, knotting together in a small huddle, as one of them, smaller than some of the others began to wail out a chilling, undulating howl that was somehow worse than their screams had been.

There was scuffling from all around the hotel, and as Lee and the others reached Rose, Lee realized that the howling was the Fiend’s own sort of call to arms as more and more Fiends began appearing around corners, over the wall, and from down the street to join the huddle of sickly pale flesh that was knotted together like a rat king’s tangled tails.

Rose stared at them, holding up her pistol, blood dripping off the metal, and her face still as stone, “No.”

She fired again and then the entire crowd of Fiends charged her, howling, but not before the howling Fiend who had called so many to its side fell broken and dead at Rose’s feet.

Lee was hit in the chest by the full weight of a Fiend, and they went down in a desperate tangle, the Fiend biting and clawing to try and reach her throat, and Lee shoving it back and shoving the barrel of her rifle into the Fiend’s mouth. She fired and was showered in a spatter of blood, bone, and brain, but she barely registered that as she scrambled back to her feet and looked for Rose.

Rose was standing tall, another three Fiends at her feet, and her finger clicking over and over again on the trigger of the empty pistol.

The Fiends realized that the gun was empty then and rushed her again, hissing sibilantly, “Vault girl. Vault girl. Die.” but Rose didn’t stand down. Instead, she shifted the boy to her left side, pulled a knife from her belt with her right, and stepped forward again, “No.”

Dean choked out a groan, bashing the butt of his rifle over and over into the jaw of a Fiend that had its sharp teeth embedded in his right calf. The Fiend's dark blood covered Dean's face, painting it like some kind of ghastly mask as he snarled, “Fuck you! Fuck you! Fuck you!” while he beat it into an unrecognizable blind thing that was screaming as it tried to run.

Lee fired at another Fiend, wishing for a fleeting moment that she had Rose’s uncanny skill with small guns, but her shot still took it in the shoulder and it fell back, wailing, before scrambling toward the hotel wall, obviously intending to try and escape the fray and disappear into the burning city for more debauchery.

But Lee didn’t let it get more than three bounds before she swooped down and felled it with a blow on the back of its head, and then a second shot into the nape of its neck.

She heard more shouting, and looked around, wildly, just as Donna, Millie, and Ned Parker appeared from around the left side of the hotel, driving another small knot of Fiends ahead of them. They quickly joined the ranks beside Lee and Don, screaming almost as loudly as the Fiends as they continued firing into the herd of flesh.

Rose was standing over Ben, feet planted firmly, slashing, and stabbing at any Fiend that dared to get close to her, as she defended the body – no – no Lee saw his chest convulse violently and realized that Ben might not be dead yet. She ran toward Rose, shouting wordlessly, fully intending to reach the Vault dweller’s side even if it got her killed.

From behind the Fiends, more gunshots began to ring out, and the Fiends tensed, knotting together, and wailing, not as a rallying cry, but in terrified confusion, as they realized that they were in danger of being boxed in and trapped between the crowds Shady Sanders.

Lee grabbed Rose’s arm, “Rose!”

Before Rose could answer, the raspy, heavily accented voice of Cooper Howard, “Goddamn! If this ain’t a sight to beat all!”

Lee looked up and saw the Ghoul, Norm strapped to his chest in an old knapsack, face peeking out pale and frightened. The Ghoul had in his bloody hands a silver, sawn-off Winchester in his hands, and an expression of glee and bloodlust on his face as he cut Fiends practically in half with the modified weapon. He was almost as gleeful as the Fiends and his laughter, shouts and curses rang through the night, catching the attention of everyone in the courtyard.

Rose stepped up, her stoney mask finally falling away at the sight of her son, and then a gasp of horror escaped her lips as Lucy appeared behind the Ghoul.

Lucy was in-between a limping, blood-soaked Meggie, and supporting Mrs. Rothchild as the woman hopped on a makeshift crutch, and blood trailed from the end of her left leg where her foot had once been. Lucy looked frightened, but she kept her eyes fixed on the Ghoul and walked forward without hesitation.

Rose jerked forward, shouting, “Lucy!” still holding the boy tight against her side, charging toward her children’s ragged band with all the fierce determination of a mother bear.

Teri followed her, with Hubert at her side, both of them charging toward Lucy with the same determination that Rose had shown on her long walk to their son. Neither of them spoke, and now that Teri’s hysteria was finished, she was as cool and cold as her husband. That was when Lee remembered that the Olsens hadn’t always been peaceful Shady Sanders, or even Californians, and they had escaped from someplace up North called the Pitt and its slavers when they’d been barely more than children themselves.

The couple worked their way through the Fiends, blood covering them from head to heels as they worked to flank Rose and cover her to her left and right. Lee was grateful for their added protection, and she stood tall alongside Rose.

All the while the Ghoul laughed and laughed, his derision sending the Fiends into a spiral of fear and confusion as they whirled and dodged to try and escape the Shady Sanders rallied forces.

Lee looked down, realizing that she’d stopped fighting, and she tried to push forward, to galvanize herself into action, but instead, she merely stared around, taking in the blood and death, the bodies littering the ground, the fire licking at the buildings. She realized that this was yet another world, another life she could have to mourn. Even if they won this fight, routed the Fiends, and sent them scurrying from the city, lives would be shattered and broken, and the life she’d created in this city she loved so well, would never be the same again.

The Fiends broke through the ranks of Shady Sanders then, taking down Don and Dean and allowing the Fiends to rally their ragged forces together in a knot of howling, snarling desperation. It threw the Shady Sanders into a bit of chaos, as they struggled to rescue the men, while still maintaining their forward momentum.

Lee took a short breath, pushing away her grief, mourning would have to wait she knew, and instead, she called on her rage – rage at the Fiends and their carnage, rage at this harsh New World that had no room for beauty and kindness, rage at the Old World she’d left behind so long ago for being so callous as to create this world – and felt it licking through her like a flame.

She reached into her pocket, pulling out her lighter, and raising it high above her head, shouting, “Shady Sanders! Come to me! Come to Rose!”

She knew they’d heard her, but she wasn’t sure they could see her, so she ripped off her scarf, tied it to the hilt of her knife, and set it alight. She held it aloft, ignoring the pain of the heat, and waved it higher and higher, as she made her way to the Vault dweller’s side, “Fight for your home! Fight for your families! Fight for the NCR!”

The roar that followed her words was resounding, and Lee began using her burning scarf as a weapon, whipping it across the faces of the Fiends, and snarling at them, “Burn! Burn!”

One of the Fiends, a huge burn scouring its chest, croaked at her, “Flame mother!”

And Lee threw herself at it, blade outstretched as it shrieked again, “Flame mother!”

Chapter Text

July 2276
Shady Sands
New Republic of California

Aftermaths weren’t something Coop stuck around for, well, not willingly.

He preferred to duck out before the chaos settled, hightailing it for the Wastes, or the border in some cases, as quick as possible to avoid the law, raiders, angry townsfolk, or the bereaved kinfolk of one of his bounties. It was easier that way, left him with a chance of a clean escape, and it also saved him from having to constantly look over his shoulder if he stayed a few jumps ahead of the posse and the law.

But he couldn’t leave Shady Sands now, not without having his questions answered by the Vaultie, so here he was, stuck squarely in the aftermath.

So, now, he sat in a rocking chair, on the library’s miraculously intact front porch in the shade. He kept his hands planted firmly on the arms of the rocking chair, and his gaze fixed on the small band of children that had been left in his care.

He still wasn’t quite sure how that had happened, but once the Shady Sanders saw him watching Lucy and Norm while the two played in the library’s playground, they seemed to get the bright idea to drop off all their offspring at the library. They all nodded to him or gave him cheerful smiles as if those were enough of a payment for him to watch their offspring. He wondered if they knew how quick he’d leave the children to fend for themselves should another wave of Fiends attack.

He was distracted briefly from staring at the children by the appearance of the old woman’s granddaughter beside him. She barely glanced at him, watching the children herself, but she said, in a soft, subdued tone, “These are for you,” and plunked down a pitcher of lemonade – ice cold, fucking lemonade with a glass and a curly straw – and some cookies on a flower-patterned plate.

Coop stared at the lemonade and cookies, warily, but soon his curiosity overrode his caution, and he picked up the glass, ignoring the straw, and took a long sip. It tasted almost as he remembered from all those decades before, and he closed his eyes, breathing in the scent and letting the flavor linger on his tongue.

His reverie didn’t last long, however, because the children started yelling and squabbling, and Coop opened his eyes just in time to see a wiry blond snatch a teddy bear from the Olsen boy and then shove him on his ass in the dirt.

“Monty!” Lucy shouted, in that tone that so many children had that indicated they were used to being the top dog – Janey never had that tone, he reflected, she was always happy to play peacemaker, but never wanted to be in charge, “Stop it! Leave him alone!”

Monty ignored her, towering over the smaller boy, and holding aloft the teddy bear as he said, mockingly, “You want your bear, huh? You want it back?”

The Olsen boy, who had barely left his mother’s side after his narrow escape from the Fiends and had been forcibly deposited beside Lucy that morning, stared up at the bigger boy, mouth turned down in a frown, “Give it back.”

Monty shook his head, laughing, and dangling the bear by its threadbare tail tauntingly, “You want it, you take it. Otherwise, I’m gonna throw it on the Fiend pile!”

The Olsen boy stood up, brushing himself off, slowly, then, he whipped around and whopped Monty in the nose. Blood spurted and both boys seemed shocked for a moment, but then the Olsen boy threw himself on Monty and the two boys went down in a tangle and the shouting grew even louder.

Lucy stamped her foot, shouting, “Stop it! This is stupid! We can try conflict resolution! Physical violence only perpetuates unhealthy cycles of aggression!”

But the boys ignored her, and continued fighting, while Coop, after a long sip of lemonade, shouted, helpfully, “Kick him in the nuts!”

Lucy gave him a sour glare, and he grinned back at her, enjoying her annoyance for a moment, but then the boys rolled again, and Lucy was caught up in the tangle of limbs and ended up in the dirt. She yelped, and shouted, “Quit it!” but Coop lost sight of her as more dust rose.

He sighed deeply, set down his lemonade, and strode over to the children. The Olsen boy was on top, pummeling Monty repeatedly in the face and chest, while the older boy yelled and cursed, and tried to wriggle free. Lucy was crawling away, ruffled, and dirty, but unhurt as far as he could see.

He caught the boy’s fist and said, “Enough.”

The little boy swung around, eyes bright and furious, “He started it!”

“I can tell,” Coop drawled, “But I think he’s done now.” He looked down at Monty, “Right?”

Monty wiped the blood off his lip, scowling, “I’m done.”

Lucy got up brushing off her dress and fixing Coop with a glare, “You could’ve helped sooner!”

“I don’t think I needed to,” Coop replied, “Besides, it seemed like you wanted to try conflict resolution, and I wanted to see how that would go.”

“I think you’re being sarcastic,” Lucy said, lips pursed primly.

“Sarcastic,” Coop put a hand over his heart, as if she wounded him, “Me? How could you say such a thing to me?”

There was a tug on the edge of his coat, and he turned to see the Olsen boy staring up at him, “I didn’t kick him in the nuts.”

“Do it next time,” Coop ruffled the boy’s curls, “It’ll take the fight right out of him.”

Monty, who was still within earshot, gave Coop a furious glare but didn’t say anything, instead, he stomped over to the far side of the playground and plopped down on the swing set.

The other children stared at him, fascinated and a little scared, until one girl, a bit older than Lucy, with long, straight black hair and fair skin, asked him, “Are you a real cowboy, mister? Like the ones on the radio?”

“I used to be a cowboy,” Coop said, surprised at his own honesty, “But I ain’t been one in a while.”

“Is that you because you don’t have a horse,” She looked him up and down in that calculating way children have when they’re puzzling through their own questions as they asked them, “My uncle says that cowboys have horses.”

“I had a horse,” Coop thought about Sugarfoot, melancholy striking him, “But that was a long time ago, and he ain’t around no more.”

Lucy asked, “Why isn’t he around anymore?”

“Like I said, I had him a long time ago,” Coop tried to beat a retreat back to his rocking chair and the shade of the porch, but the children had him pretty well surrounded, “Before any of y’all were even a twinkle if your mama’s eyes.”

There was a stifled giggle, and Lucy said, imperiously, “Don’t be rude.”

“I’m not,” The boy defended himself, “I just thought it was funny!”

“What’s funny about it,” Lucy asked.

“Well, everyone knows that we weren’t twinkles,” The boy said, voice entirely authoritative, “We were an egg and a sperm, not a twinkle.”

Coop briefly wondered if he was going to get the blame for the multitude of children who were undoubtedly going to go home and ask about eggs and sperm, but he decided to worry about that later and instead stifled a chuckle as the boy continued with his impromptu science lesson for the several of the fascinated children.

Lucy wasn’t interested in the science lesson, and instead, she looked up at Coop, smiling, “You should get a horse again.”

“There ain’t any horses anymore,” Coop told her.

“Really,” Lucy looked crestfallen, “I always wanted a horse.”

“Try riding a brahmin,” Coop suggested.

“You were really great last night,” The girl who’d asked about his horse said, “My dad said if it weren’t for you and Mrs. MacLean, we might not have made it.”

“Your daddy’s right,” Coop raised his chin, surveying the destruction all around, “Y’all were practically servin’ yourselves up on a platter for the Fiends out with no protection. I thought there were soldiers around here.”

“We have peacekeepers,” She wrinkled her nose, “But they go home after dark.”

“Fuckin’ ridiculous,” Coop muttered, “The hell happened to this place?”

Lucy distracted him, “Norm! Don’t eat that!”

Norm was trying to stuff a six-legged lizard in his mouth, and all the children shrieked in mingled horror and delight as Lucy practically tackled her little brother and began trying to yank the lizard out of his mouth. Monty and the Olsen boy – what was his damn name – were sitting beside the boy who’d been talking about sperm and giggling as Lucy wrestled with her brother.

Coop retreated to his rocking chair, leaving the children to deal with the lizard on their own. He settled back down, picking up his lemonade again, and sipping it slowly so as to savor every last drop. It was sweeter than the lemonade Barb used to make, but he didn’t let that stop him from reminiscing about being settled in the hot tub in his backyard and watching the sunset with his wife cuddled up beside him.

His pleasant reminiscing didn’t last long, as Mrs. Rothchild tottered out onto the porch.

Coop really wasn’t sure how the old woman was still standing, let alone coherent. When he’d gotten to her last night, she’d been on top of a Fiend, snarling, her mouth bloody and full of the remains of the Fiend’s throat. She looked almost as ghastly as the Fiends and was almost as pale after losing her foot, but she’d still managed to get to her feet, march to her bedroom, and shoot herself so full of a combination of Med-X, Jet, Buff-Out, and Psycho, that it almost put Coop himself to shame.

Now, though, she looked a bit more human, and her smile was no longer full of blood as she held something out to him, “Mr. Howard, I think Meggie might’ve found something that belongs to you.”

It was a finger - his finger - decorated with marks from Lucy’s teeth, and covered in blood and dust, but he took it without hesitation and examined it carefully, “I never thought I’d see this again.”

“I’m sure Doc Jones would’ve had some extras lying around, but it’s always nicer to have your own,” Mrs. Rothchild turned and headed back into the library.

Coop studied his finger again, running his pinky over the teeth marks, and sighing, “Looks like I’m gettin’ lucky here.”

“Mr. Howard!” Lee Moldaver’s voice was like the crack of a whip.

He groaned, “Spoke too damn soon.”

Lee strode up the library’s stairs, asking, “You’re watching the children? I didn’t think that would be quite your style.”

“I’ll have you know,” He pointed a dismembered finger at her, “That I was the most popular parent at the PTA meetin’s back in the day. And I could do a birthday party better than anyone else. So, this sorta thing is a stroll in the park for me.”

“You’re full of surprises,” She leaned against the railing, staring at the finger he held.

Coop asked her, "How're your hands?"

Lee looked down at them, and the bandages that swaddled them, "Doc thinks I'll be alright in the long run, but the burns will leave some scarring."

"Shame," Coop said, but his tone indicated he didn't at all.

Lee asked him, “Do you need some help with that finger?”

“Nah,” He shook his head, “I got it.” He gave her a smirk, just like the ones he used to use in his movies, and his Vault-Tec commercials, “We both know that I’m better with a needle than you ever were, in spite of all your sewing circles.”

“I’ll admit,” Lee shook back her hair, “Sewing never was my strong suit.”

“I gotta ask,” He rummaged in his battered leather saddlebags, “Just to satisfy my own curiosity: did you snag that little redhead, Claire Redelle, back in the day?”

She could tell the question had genuine curiosity behind it, despite the tone he used, so she answered him honestly, “Claire and I saw each other for a time, though I believe I might’ve been more serious about our relationship than she was.”

“She wasn’t serious about much but her career,” He had pulled out a sewing needle and was threading it carefully, “Don’t take it personally.”

“I didn’t,” Lee said, coolly.

“You have a type,” He said, beginning the tedious process of sewing his finger back in place, “Fiery redheads do have a bit of a universal appeal, though.”

“Oh, really? Does that mean the rumors about you and Claire were true,” Lee asked.

“There were rumors about us,” He raised his brows, the movement odd without any eyebrows to support it, “I never knew that.”

“There were always rumors about you,” Lee watched as Lucy and some of the other girls began chasing Monty across the playground while the boy wailed for mercy, “There was even a rumor about you and that Vault-Tec girl.”

“Vault-Tec girl,” He looked incredibly confused, “My wife?”

“No, that blonde; the model for Nuka-Girl. There was a rumor that the two of you were doing more than posing together,” Lee told him.

“I don’t even remember her name,” The ghoul told her. Then he sucked in a breath, sucking the air through his teeth in a way that immediately irritated Lee, and asked, “You’re not just here to shoot the shit about our old flames. What do you want?”

“I want to know what you’ve about Rose,” Lee told him.

“What I’ve heard,” He gave her a puzzled look, “Don’t you mean, what I want her to tell me?”

“No,” Lee leaned forward, “I want to know what you’ve heard about her. When you heard it. And who told it to you.”

“You’re trying to stop a leak,” He smirked, “Alright, I’ll play your game, but I’m still gonna ask her all my questions.” He finished his sewing, and wiggled his finger around, testing the strength of the thread and the new mobility of his repaired finger. “I heard that there was a Vault dweller in Shady Sands, who’d come by way of Filly. Heard she was young, pretty, and had two kids with her. I got told about it while I was up in the Boneyard, so not too far off, and it was just gossip. Few different people talked about it; I didn’t get any names.”

Lee knew he was lying about that, but she didn’t press him; if he wasn’t willing to give up the name of whoever had told him about Rose, then it was probably one of the couriers or traders that made their way through the ruins of L.A. from Shady Sands to the Boneyard regularly. She instead asked, “You said that you’d heard she’d come through Filly?”

“I did, and I reckoned that meant she’d come from one of the Vaults down near what used to be Santa Monica,” He looked smug, “I was right about that. Vault thirty-three, right down there by the beaches and in the sunshine.”

“When you talk to her,” Lee said, “Don’t be too rough with her. She’s been in a vault her entire life; she’s never known anything else but a meritocracy.”

He looked up at her, dark eyes so intense it was as if he was trying to see through her, “If Hank MacLean and Vault-Tec had anything to do with that damn Vault, then I’m sure your little Rosie can take just about anything that I can dish out.”

“It doesn’t matter what she can take,” Lee said, “I’m telling you, not to be too hard on her.”

“You’re just saying that because you don’t want her upset with you,” The ghoul almost seemed as if he was sulking, “And I bet she is upset with you. She might not have had time to think about it, given last night’s activities, but I’ll bet my finger,” He wiggled the sewn digit at her, “That when you finally get a chance to sit down and have a long talk with her, she’s gonna be even angrier with you than she is with me, or with Hank.”

Lee didn’t answer, but she suspected that Mr. Howard might be right.

Chapter Text

July 2276
Shady Sands
New Republic of California

Rose’s back hurt, and her hands felt sore and tender, and she was sure that soon blisters would bloom on her palms and make them hurt even more than they did now. She was covered in sweat and dirt, and she could feel a sunburn spreading across her face, and her bare shoulders.

After her charge – God, that was just a blur now – and the arrival of the Ghoul and his entourage, the Shady Sanders had rallied, regrouped, and routed the remaining Fiends. Despite the Fiends’ viciousness and cruelty, the Shady Sanders ultimately had numbers on their side, and once they all came together, under Lee’s flaming banner, it was little more than child’s play to end the attack.

Most of the Fiends had met their end, but a few had scurried away, back to their caves deep in the Wastes. Even fewer had been too badly wounded to escape, or continue fighting, and had been locked up in jail cells till the Shady Sanders could determine what should be done with them.

Then, the Shady Sanders set about the most dreadful tasks Rose could imagine, helping their wounded and saving who they could, making comfortable those who were too badly injured to be saved, and burying their dead out near the cornfields.

Rose had offered to help with whatever she could, wanting to ensure that she was as far away from Lee as possible for a while, and when Hubert had asked her to help with the burials she had agreed quickly and a bit too eagerly. Hubert had given her a strange look, and Rose had apologized and explained that she’d never been in this sort of a firefight before and felt a bit strange.

After that, she and Hubert had walked, silently, to the graveyard, and had begun their work.

As she helped dig graves, Rose had watched the burials with solemn interest. In the Vault, funerals were rather quick and impersonal. The Overseer would say a few words, remarking on the deceased’s work ethic and how they had fulfilled their daily quotas of work and contributed to the Vault’s wellbeing, and then there was a prayer. Rose had attended her mother and father’s funerals; at her father’s funeral, she, her mother, and her siblings were the only ones to shed tears. At her mother’s funeral, however, Lucy and Norm had cried, along with little Chet, and her siblings, and even Hank had looked slightly stricken as he gave the eulogy; he'd always liked her mother.

The Shady Sanders, however, were very different.

Everyone who could be spared from tending the sick and wounded, or putting out the last remaining flames, was out in the graveyard. They were either helping Rose and Hubert dig, building a huge pyre on an already burned spot surrounded by stones and flowers, grieving beside their dead loved ones, or helping to prepare the bodies for burial.

Here and there, voices were raised in song, slow mournful laments that rose into the sky alongside the smoke and ashes of Shady Sands. Some songs sounded like the old hymns Hank sometimes hummed to Lucy and Norm, and others were strange words in unfamiliar tongues. Some members of the crowd were carefully cutting their long hair; Rose didn’t know exactly why, but it seemed to be a grave and solemn matter borne out of their grief.

The believers in Atom were preparing to burn their dead, along with a few sprinkles of nuclear waste, but they were careful to keep that away from the other Shady Sanders. They didn’t sing, but they murmured quiet prayers to Atom on behalf of their dead.

Teri and Hubert’s fellow churchgoers were the ones singing the old hymns; slow and sad, but sometimes, they took on a more joyful tone, and there was an occasional bark of laughter as they reminisced about their dead.

Hubert leaned against his shovel, “You look a little lost, Vault Girl.”

Rose shook her head, “Don’t call me that, please, Hubert.”

“Sure,” He handed her a canteen, “But you’re still looking a little lost.”

“I suppose I am feeling a little lost,” Rose admitted, after a sip of cool water.

“Was it the fighting,” Hubert asked, watching her with warm, dark eyes.

“No,” Rose said, slowly, “Not entirely. I’ve never been in a fight like that before, but it felt –” She swallowed hard, choking back her words.

“Right,” Hubert finished for her.

“Is that awful,” Rose asked, wondering if she looked as monstrous to him as she felt, “I’ve never felt like this before. I feel like I did something good. Something right. And I feel almost happy.” She quickly clarified, “Not that this happened; I wish none of this had happened, but I still feel like I did something good here.”

“You did,” Hubert replied, “Without you charging out there like you did, the Fiends would’ve made it into the hotel. And my boy would’ve been dead, or worse.”

“Worse,” Rose asked, slightly hesitantly.

“Fiends don’t always kill their prey,” Hubert explained, slowly, “Sometimes they take ‘em back to their homes and try and turn them into new Fiends. They especially like to do that with kids.”

“Oh,” Rose replied, unsure what else to say.

“There are other kinds of Fiends,” Hubert said, his voice taking on an eager, excited tone that made him seem more like a teacher than anything else, “Not just these ones. Some are closer to humans, and could probably pass, but they all act the same way. There’s talk that out near New Vegas –”

“Vegas,” Rose couldn’t stop herself from interrupting, “You mean Las Vegas is still around?”

“Well, it’s New Vegas now, but yeah,” Hubert cocked his head, “You know it?”

“Sort of; my husb- ex-husband used to talk about. He said it was a beautiful city, all bright lights and pretty people as far as the eye could see,” Rose said, “But I think he read about it somewhere; it’s probably nothing like that now.”

“It’s still similar,” Hubert told her, “When Teri and I came through the Mojave we stayed there for a few days; it was a den of sex and sin.”

“What were you saying before I interrupted,” Rose asked, politely.

“Just some gossip. Daisy-Mae told us last time she came home, there was talk of some Fiends out near New Vegas who were just about worse than anything here. She said the worst part was that these three aren’t even mutated; they’re human, and they’re worse than the mutated Fiends around here,” Hubert shook his head, “Takes a hell of a black soul to be like that.”

“It really does,” Rose said, wondering just how evil someone would have to be to be considered worse than the Fiends she’d seen last night.

“All this isn’t the only thing on your mind,” Hubert gave her a shrewd look, “Is it?”

“Is it that obvious,” Rose joked.

“About as obvious as a thundercloud over the desert,” Hubert replied. “Plus, Lee looked like she was about ready to sink into the floor when you came along with me.”

“She did, didn’t she,” Rose sighed, “I’m not very good at this kind of thing.”

“I don’t think anyone’s meant to be good at being hurt by someone,” Hubert’s tone was soft and gentle, “Or hurting them in turn.”

Rose stared at him for a moment, then said, slowly, “What if – hypothetically – you found out a secret about someone? A huge, life-changing, earth-shattering, secret. And even if you don’t know the other person really well, it’s still something that affects you, and your family, and might actually affect your whole life and mean that everything you thought you knew about your past and the place you called home was a lie and –” Rose cut herself off, “And I sound insane.”

“No, not at all,” Hubert said, then amended, “Well, maybe a little, but I think that if it’s something that’s upset you this much, then you need to get to the root of it.”

“You’re right,” Rose straightened up, pulling her Vault suit on properly. “I need to do that. Now.”

“I think Ms. Moldaver’s headed over to the library to check on the kids and that ghoul,” Hubert had begun shoveling again, “Just in case you were wondering.”

Rose blinked at him, then said, “Thanks, Hubert,” as she whipped around and headed for the library.

She walked fast, past all the bodies and the destruction, and as she went her stride became longer and more purposeful as her resolve strengthened as she thought about what the ghoul had told her. And what Lee hadn’t told her.

When she rounded the corner of the library, she saw Lucy and Norm playing with some of the other children in the library’s playground, and she also saw Lee and the ghoul together on the porch. The two seemed to be talking earnestly, and neither of them noticed her till she got close enough to hear the ghoul saying, “…even angrier with you than she is with me, or Hank.”

Rose knew deep down that the ghoul was right; she was furious with Lee. For some reason, the hurt and anger at Hank’s blatant lie seemed a drop in the bucket compared to Lee’s lie by omission. Which was, well, strange, considering she’d only known Lee for a few months, and she’d been married to Hank for nearly seven years.

The ghoul noticed her and sat up slightly, “Mrs. MacLean.”

Lee turned to her, face full of contrition, but before Lee could say anything, Rose cut her off and said firmly and clearly, “You both have answers that I want. And I’m willing to give you any information I can to get those answers.”

“I’m game,” The ghoul’s eyes almost seemed to glow like a Fiend’s. “You up for it, Ms. Williams?”

Lee’s flinch was almost imperceptible, but her tone was calm, “I’m game.”

Rose’s first question was quick, “What’s your real name? Moldaver or Williams?”

“Moldaver,” Lee said, slowly, “But I went by ‘Williams’ for years.”

“Why,” Rose asked.

“‘Williams’ was a name that opened more doors than my own. When I used ‘Moldaver’, people seemed reluctant to look past it and at my work and qualifications. With ‘Williams’, I had less trouble getting people to take me seriously. On paper, I was a perfect candidate, and then when they met me, all I had to do was impress them.” Lee’s mouth turned up in a smirk, “It was always funny to see people’s faces change when I walked in.”

“Look at you,” The ghoul snickered and gave Lee a calculated look, “Gamin’ the system. Bet it’s nice not to have to do that anymore.”

“It is nice to be able to use my real name,” Lee admitted. “But being ‘Ms. Williams’ allowed me to do a lot of good, so sometimes I miss who I was.”

“Yeah, playing communist in a graveyard did a lot of good.” The ghoul scoffed, “What else did you do that was so good, Ms. Williams?”

Lee’s eyes narrowed, “Something I think you’ll appreciate in the long-term, Mr. Howard.”

“That’s another question I have,” Rose cut-in, “How do you two know each other?”

“No, no,” The ghoul shook his head, “It’s my turn to ask a question.” He waved his hands, playing that hard character again, “Last night, when I said I hadn’t heard of Hank MacLean in over two hundred years, you said, “You know –”. Now, you got cut off by Ms. Williams here before you could finish that sentence. But if you did finish it, I reckon it would’ve gone something like, “You know my husband is a lowdown, lying sack of shit that’s somehow survived two hundred years in a Vault when his natural life should’ve ended decades ago?”

“It might’ve gone something like that,” Rose admitted.

“How’d you find out,” He asked. “About Hank?”

“It was the water,” Rose said.

“Water,” The ghoul asked, looking confused, “What water?”

“The Vault’s water,” Rose explained. “I worked with it, and I started to notice discrepancies. There was less water than there should’ve been. I checked everything in case there was a leak, or there was something wrong with our water chip, but everything was fine, except the levels. It was always too low. I kept going over and over it, and the only thing that made any sense was that someone on the surface was siphoning our water. And the only way that could happen, was if there were people still alive on the surface.”

“Pretty quick deduction,” The ghoul muttered, “You’re smarter than you look, Vault Girl.”

“Thank you,” Rose said, slowly.

“What else happened,” Lee asked, her voice soft and curious.

“I made a mistake.” Rose sighed, “I asked Hank about it. And he said that I was wrong. No discussion, no questions – he didn’t even want to look at my data. He just said that I was wrong, and not to bother with looking into it any further.”

“Sounds like he wanted to keep you in the dark,” The ghoul said. “Sounds like Vault-Tec.”

“He was adamant that there was no way anything on the surface could affect our water supply,” Rose shook her head, “I’d never seen him like that. Hank was always so sweet, kind, and funny, but once I told him what I suspected, he just changed. He was always wary, and anxious. And even Betty –”

“Betty,” The ghoul cut her off, “Did you say ‘Betty’? What’s her last name?”

“Pearson,” Rose replied.

“Fuckin’ Betty Pearson,” He gripped the glass of lemonade so tight Rose thought it might shatter.

Rose stared at him for a moment, then continued her story, “When they started acting so strange, it made me suspicious of them. I knew they were lying, and I tried and tried to get Hank to open up to me, but he never did. After that I got desperate; I hacked Hank’s terminal. I found out that he and Betty, and all the previous Overseer’s had been from Vault Thirty-One. And they all knew one another. Someone called “Bud” was overseeing the entire project.” Her voice trembled, but she steadied herself and continued, “My whole life, my family, everyone in Thirty-Two and Thirty-Three had been raised like lab rats for the people from Vault Thirty-One. We were nothing to them but breeding stock.”

“Mr. Howard,” Lee spoke up, “I think it’s time we told Rose our stories.”

“You better apologize for lyin’ to her first,” The ghoul said.

“Rose,” Lee looked at her, dark eyes pained, “I’m sorry. I should’ve been more honest with you about my past and my life.”

“You’re not just a wastelander,” Rose asked, accusingly, “Are you? You know about Hank. What else do you know?”

“I know that your husband was alive before the bombs fell. I’d heard his name once or twice, but we never ran in the same circles.” Lee took a deep breath, “Rose, I was born in 2040.”

Rose did some quick math in her head, “You’re two hundred and thirty-six years old?”

“Cradle robber,” Muttered Coop.

“How are you alive,” Rose looked her up and down. “You’re not a ghoul.”

“No, I’m not,” Lee looked out over Shady Sands for a moment, “I worked with cold fusion and other similar kinds of technology, like cryogenics. Due to my research, and other resources –”

“She means the millions she made when Vault-Tec bought her companies,” The ghoul put in.

“I was able to keep myself safe and preserved,” Lee finished, giving the ghoul a withering look.

“Did you know who I was when we first met,” Rose asked, wondering if she’d once again found herself in a place where her entire life had already been decided for her.

“No,” Lee’s answer was quick, “I recognized the name ‘MacLean’, but I didn’t put two-and-two together for some time. And after I realized that Hank MacLean was alive, I knew that somehow Vault-Tec was behind it, but I just couldn't bring myself to investigate it.”

“Why not,” Rose felt anger, hot as the sun overhead, building in her chest, but she kept her temper reigned in, “Did you want to keep me in the dark the same as Hank? Or to make sure you could control me?”

“I bet she’d like that,” The ghoul put in, grinning, “She seems like a control freak.”

“Don’t be disgusting,” Lee gave him yet another withering look, and then she spoke to Rose again, “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to ruin things. You were happy here. Lucy and Norm made friends and they seemed happy. And if I’d told you, all that would’ve been one in a heartbeat. It would’ve meant that there was something deeper, some mystery, a quest, that you’d need to embark on, and I just wanted –”

“You just wanted to keep me in the dark. To keep me ignorant.” Rose’s jaw tightened, and she finally let her anger blaze. “You’re just like Hank! You wanted me to play along with you! With this place! You wanted me to be happy in my ignorance! Well, I’m not!”

“Rose –”

Rose didn’t let Lee finish, “No! You might not have lied to me outright, but you still lied. If Mr. Howard hadn’t come, would you have told me?”

Lee looked down, “I’m not sure.”

“Mr. Howard,” Rose stepped toward the ghoul, “I’ll give you any help I can regarding my ex-husband and in regard to your missing persons.”

The ghoul grinned, showing off his yellowed teeth, “I was hoping you’d say that, Rosie.”

“Lucy! Norm!” Rose called, “Get your stuff! We’re going back to the hotel.” As Lucy called back, “Okey-dokey,” Rose looked at the ghoul, “How’d you like some lunch on me?”

“Rose,” Lee looked deeply pained, “Please. I wasn’t trying to hurt you. I just wanted you, and the kids, to be happy and safe. And if I’d said anything, that would’ve been impossible.”

Rose didn’t look at her, “Do you have a place to stay, Mr. Howard?”

“I was plannin’ on staying at the hotel,” He told her, “If they take my kind.”

“I’m sure they do,” Rose assured him.

Lee caught her arm, “Rose. I swear, I thought I was doing what was best for you.”

“Just like Hank,” Rose said, “And everyone else in my life, and kids’ lives, who thinks that they know what’s best for me.” She reached out, surprising herself, and gently cupped Lee’s right cheek, “Just for once, I’d like it if I was treated as an equal, and not as someone who needs to be lied to so that I’m protected.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Lee put her hand over Rose’s, “And I won’t keep things from you again.”

“I think I need some time to process everything,” Rose said, slowly.

“I understand,” Lee stepped back, giving her a soft, sweet smile, “I’ll be around when you’re ready to talk. And, Rose, I really am sorry for not being honest with you.”

Lucy bounded up the steps then, holding Norm tight around the waist, throwing a smile at Lee, “Hi, Ms. Moldaver!”

Norm wiggled out of Lucy’s grip and wrapped his arms around Lee’s legs, babbling, “Lee-Lee-Lee,” over and over.

Lee smiled at the children, and gave Norm’s head a pat, “You both seem to be recovering after your ordeal last night.”

“They damn well better be,” The ghoul groused, “After all the trouble I went through of dragging their carcasses across town.”

Rose picked up Norm and reached for Lucy, but her daughter was busy slipping her hand into the ghoul’s and beaming up at him, “Are you coming with us, Mr. Howard?”

The ghoul’s brow knitted in a frown, and his tone was a bit stiff, “I guess I am,” but he didn’t try and pull his hand free of Lucy’s, instead he held her hand carefully and let her bounce down the steps all while he walked alongside her while Lucy called, "Bye Max! Bye Monty! Bye Birdie!"

Before she started after them, Rose looked at Lee, and asked, “See you round?”

“Whenever you’re ready,” Lee said, a promise in her dark eyes, “I’ll be waiting.”

Chapter Text

July 2276
Shady Sands
New Republic of California

Everyone in the diner was staring at the ghoul.

Rose had realized they were staring the moment that she’d led him into the diner, but she hadn’t said anything about it, and instead, she’d watched as Lucy pushed him into one of the booths and settled down beside him. Rose had seated herself, Norm on her lap, across from them, and asked, “Mr. Howard, is there anything in particular you’d like to eat?”

He picked up the menu, eyeing it, “Goddamn, ain’t this a kick in the head? It’s almost like being back in old Californie’.”

“Mr. Howard,” Rose winced, “Could you please tone the language down in front of my kids? I don’t want them picking up bad habits.”

He took his hat off, setting it on Lucy’s head, and fixed Rose with a hard stare, “Mrs. MacLean, do you really think I’m the sorta man to teach children bad habits?”

“I –”

He cut her off, “Because I assure you, if I hear either of your children saying anything foul or depraved, I will personally take them out behind the barn and tan their hides just like my father did to me when I was their age.”

“You have a very caustic sense of humor,” Rose replied, tersely.

“I’ve got a caustic everything,” He muttered, going back to eyeing the menu.

Rose looked around, at the injured and exhausted Shady Sanders, and murmured, “I still don’t understand why the Fiends attacked. It seems like it came out of nowhere.”

“That’s how their attacks go,” Mr. Howard replied, not looking up from the menu, “They were probably desperate for more chems, and a soft body or two. Fiends aren’t complicated. Brutal, yeah, but not complicated. They want blood, chems, and carnage.” He paused, then said, “It is a surprise that they attacked such a big place, and didn’t stay on the outskirts, but there were so many of ‘em, they probably got overconfident…”

His voice trailed off as Isla came over, looking a little hesitant, and with a smear of dried blood still streaked across her forehead, “Sir?”

He didn’t look up, “If you’re gonna tell me that my kind ain’t welcome, I assure you, I already know the way to the Boneyard.”

“That’s not what I was going to say,” Instead, Isla extended her hand, “I wanted to thank you for your help last night.”

The ghoul stared at her hand, and Isla didn’t retract it, instead, she continued, “We’ve been hit hard by Fiends before, since the soldiers left, but they’ve never been this bad. And I don’t think I’m alone in saying this, but if it hadn’t been for you and Mrs. MacLean, we might not be here right now.”

He stared at her hand a moment longer, then slowly reached up and shook it, moving so carefully and slowly that Rose wondered if he thought it would be some kind of trap. But he eventually shook Isla’s hand, and then drew his hand back quickly, muttering, “Not a problem.”

Isla didn’t seem bothered by his brusque attitude and instead turned to Rose and said, “Food’s on the house today,” then she marched back to the kitchen.

After she’d left, it was like a dam had broken as all the rest of the diner’s patrons began coming up, individually or in small clusters, to thank Rose and the ghoul, and to earnestly let them know that if they needed anything, they only needed to ask.

Mr. Howard seemed ready to sink into the floor, after the flood of thanks, and he was staring daggers into the menu instead of looking anywhere else.

Lucy, however, was basking in all the attention lavished on the ghoul. She was thanking everyone for him, her hand on his shoulder and his hat still on her head. Rose couldn’t help but smile as she watched her daughter chirping away at the Shady Sanders. Lucy kept saying how kind everyone was, how much Mr. Cooper appreciated their thanks, and how he was so happy to help.

Everyone seemed amused by Lucy, but they spoke to her very seriously and made sure that they didn’t condescend to her. That was something that Rose had come to appreciate about Shady Sands; in the Vault, children were coddled and condescended to, always treated as seemingly younger than their years. But here, children were spoken to like they were people and weren’t simply brushed aside and infantilized.

From outside the diner, there was a sudden flurry of activity and a bit of shouting, and the attention shifted from Rose and the ghoul to whatever was going on outside. Rose looked out the window, and saw Fred Thackery, walking in front of a pair of brahmin who pulled a large cart behind them.

In the cart were the half-a-dozen Thackery girls, all of them just as pretty as Fred himself and ranging in age from a girl a bit older than Meggie down to a toddler who looked younger than Norm. All of them looked bloodied, bruised, and exhausted, and all the girls, save the toddler, carried weapons. Trailing behind the cart, was a pack of dogs, barking and yapping excitedly.

Everyone in the diner slowly trailed outside, calling to them and asking what had happened to them the night before. Rose and the ghoul both got to their feet and before Rose could speak, Mr. Howard told the children, “You two stay put.”

Lucy beamed at them, then pressed her face against the window and watched the commotion.

The ghoul opened the diner’s door for Rose, and then they stepped outside, in time to hear Fred Thackery saying, “– don’t think he made it. His house was just rubble. And we just came from Old Lady Givens’ place; we buried her before we came into town.”

A chorus of questions went up again, but young Fred shouted over the commotion, “Does anyone else know how to use the telegram? Old Lady Givens is dead and we gotta send a message to Vault City to ask for help!”

“Carl knows,” Ned called.

And that was when an eerie silence fell over the crowd as everyone realized, all at once, that no one had seen the Albrights all night long.

Coop really wasn’t sure why he’d trailed along after Rose as she followed Isla to the Albright’s house; he could’ve just stayed in the diner with her kids and remained entirely comfortable all with the two best insurance policies money and luck could buy at his side, but instead, he was tramping down the old streets of L.A. following that woman in her damned Vault suit.

They were accompanied by a few Shady Sanders, all holding weapons, which Coop supposed was beneficial; they’d at least make good meat shields if it turned out the Albright home was infested with Fiends.

As they walked, he found himself looking around, and occasionally staring at Griffith Observatory on its high hill; Janey had loved going there and had spent an entire summer entirely obsessed with the idea that she might someday step foot on the moon.

Copp muttered to himself, “That’s a pipe dream now, kiddo.”

Rose looked back at him, head cocked inquisitively, “Did you say something?”

“Nope,” Coop said, quickly. “You’re hearing things.”

The Albrights lived in a small, cheery, mostly restored, Pre-War house. It was painted a bright and pretty yellow and looked like something that could be on the cover of Wasteland Home and Garden or a similar sort of magazine. But as their little band drew closer, Coop noticed that the front door was standing open, and there was a dark smear of blood on the once pristinely white front door.

He slipped his pistol out of its holster, just to be prepared, and Rose followed his lead and gripped her own pistol tight.

Isla shouted as they approached, “Carl? Tamika? You there? Sing out if you can!”

There was no answer, and once again, that eerie silence fell over the Shady Sanders.

Coop understood that kind of silence all too well; it was the worst kind. It was the kind that only fell over a body when they’d been full of joy and triumph, and then something brought them to the realization that the worst might still be yet to come. He couldn’t help but wonder what they’d find in that quaint little house, but he doubted it would be anything good.

The little house was almost as quiet as the people and seemed about as still as a graveyard. Isla slipped inside first, moving very carefully, followed by two men Coop didn’t know, the Rose, and finally, himself. Coop had always been one of the first into the breach back in the day when he was in his Power Armor, but that was a long time ago.

There was blood on the wood floors, dark and dried, and smeared all over, as if something heavy had been dragged through it. The couch had been flipped over, and in the fireplace embers still glowed faintly. There was a smell in the air, thick and a little sweet, and Coop couldn’t help but wet his lips and breathe it in deep; if there was one thing any ghoul knew instantly, and sometimes loved more than anything else, it was the smell of death.

Isla broke the silence by murmuring, “Did you hear that?”

They all froze, listening, and a moment later, Coop heard a soft mewling noise toward the back of the house; they all looked at one another a moment before Rose simply walked toward the back of the house on her own and without any attempt at stealth.

Isla rolled her eyes, muttered, “Vaulties,” then strode after Rose.

Coop muttered, “Goddamn Vaulties,” in response, and then followed the two women.

Rose was opening all the doors in the house, looking inside each one quickly, and calling, “Hello? Is anyone there?”

The mewling noise came again, and Rose quickly went to the last door and threw it open, and the sickly-sweet smell of death hit them full force. Coop breathed it in, shutting his eyes tight before he looked around the small room. There was blood everywhere, along with the Fiends’ claw marks gouged into the walls and floor, and two dead Fiends.

Leaning against the far wall, with a shotgun across her lap, was a dead woman, and lying beside her was a man with blood seeping from a wound in his stomach.

Isla didn’t look shocked, but her voice was a little shaky as she knelt beside him and murmured, “Carl? Where’s Connie?”

Carl’s voice was more of a whisper than anything else, but Coop still heard him clearly, “Fiends took her. And Mary too.”

“Mary Janes? Doc Jones’ kid,” Isla asked.

“Sleepover,” Carl’s lips were flecked with blood.

Rose knelt beside Tamika and felt the woman’s neck. Coop could’ve told her it was pointless, but he merely watched as she went about checking on the dead woman.

Carl suddenly seemed to notice Rose, and he reached out, grabbing her arm and rasping, “Tell Lee I tried to keep it safe. Tell her I tried, but –" He groaned, "Wilzig's research -” And then his voice broke as he clutched at his stomach; Coop could smell his insides and turned away, wondering what the hell a 'Wilzig' was.

Rose looked confused, but she assured him, “I’ll tell her. I promise I’ll tell her.”

Despite Shady Sands’ boundaries almost reaching where her Pre-War home on Rodney Street had been, Lee hadn’t gone back to her old home after she’d been woken from her cryo-pod. Instead, she’d left the shell of it behind and had moved into one of the small, studio apartments toward the center of Shady Sands. It was a quicker commute to city hall, and closer to the heart of the city.

Her building hadn’t been harmed much by the Fiends, just some broken windows and smoke damage, but otherwise, everything else looked entirely normal. After checking that everything was in its usual place, and nothing was broken, Lee had settled down at her desk to work at her terminal with a cup of tea.

Despite the bombs dropping, and almost all vestiges of the civilizations that had created it being erased, tea was still a constant in Shady Sands, and Lee was more than a little grateful for that.

She was still working, trying to puzzle out the logistics of rewiring some of the older buildings onto the same grid to expand the town’s boundaries even further into the ruins of L.A., when there was a loud knock on her door.

Lee frowned, took another sip of her tea, called, “Coming,” and headed over to her front door. She swung it open and was greeted by the scowling face of Cooper Howard, with Rose, all solemn and just a little jittery, beside him.

Lee frowned, “Rose? I wasn’t expecting to see you so soon.”

“I wasn’t planning on it either,” Rose confessed, arms crossed tight, “But Carl wanted me to tell you something, and I thought it seemed urgent.”

“Carl,” Lee’s throat tightened, guilt hitting her sharply as she realized that she hadn’t thought about her coworker or his family once in the confusion and chaos of the past night, “Is he alright?”

“He’s with Doc Jones,” Rose said, “But his chances are looking pretty slim.”

“The Fiends killed his wife, and took his daughter and her friend,” Coop cut in, voice devoid of emotion and his eyes cool and dark, “Looks like y’all started celebrating a bit early.”

Lee almost dropped her mug, and said, her words making her feel as if she’d suddenly stepped into the boots of Cooper’s Sheriff, “We’ll need to get a posse together and go after them. With any luck, we’ll be able to pick up their trail easy enough.”

“Wanna go get the sheriff and his deputies too,” Coop mocked, seemingly sensing Lee’s previous train of thought.

Lee shot him a scowl, “The peacekeepers and the soldiers might be able to help.”

“Oh, like they helped last night,” Coop asked, pointedly, then he smirked, “You know, I never thought I’d see the day that the communist Ms. Williams would be willing to go to the police for any kinda help.”

Lee opened her mouth to argue, but Rose cut her off, and said, “Carl wanted me to tell you that he tried to keep it safe. Wilzig's research?” Her brows creased, “Does that mean anything to you?”

Lee had to think for a moment, then she winced and took a deep breath, “This is a long shot, but he might’ve taken some work home with him.”

“Why would Fiends be interested in your work,” Rose asked, cocking her head.

“Fuckin’ mad scientist bullshit,” Coop muttered, sighing, and looking as if he’d rather be anywhere else than here.

“I don’t think they would be,” Lee said, “But part of what we’re working on is very shiny, so they probably just took it because they thought it was pretty.”

“Is it very important,” Rose asked.

“Very,” Lee’s mouth tightened, “I have to find it.”

“Well,” Rose gave her a half-smile, “Let’s go.”

“Fuckin’ wasteland bullshit sidetrackin’ every goddamn thing from the plot,” Coop groaned.

“So, you’re not coming with us,” Lee asked, hoping he’d say no, so she'd have more time alone with Rose.

“Oh, I’m comin’,” Coop replied, “But it’s still fuckin’ bullshit.”

Chapter Text

July 2276
Shady Sands
New Republic of California

The peacekeepers hadn’t been much help in the end.

It had turned out after young Fred Thackery had finally taken the initiative to check their barracks, that most of them hadn’t been left alive. A few were wounded and under the care of Doc Jones, but the others were set to join their fellow Shady Sanders in the graveyard.

And the handful of young NCR recruits, coupled with a few elderly soldiers close to retirement age, had suddenly found themselves overwhelmed with the protection of the town. Which naturally, meant that none of them would be able to help hunt down the Fiends and rescue Connie and Mary. They had sent a few frantic messages over to Vault City, and down to Sunnyvale, but those messengers wouldn’t return for days.

Coop hadn’t expected anything different if he were being honest, but he’d hoped for a little more substance to the ‘posse’ than Lee, Rose, himself, and the offer of one of the deceased old Lady Givens’ hunting dogs to try and track any scents left behind. He was sure someone else would eventually offer to help – Shady Sanders were a decent lot, and always eager to help their fellows, but he’d have liked the certainty of having more guns at hand than just two mostly untried women and a mutt.

Coop was sure that they’d simply be bringing back bodies, or nothing at all, but he’d still agreed to go with Rose and Lee, despite its futility as he had no wish to let Rose out of his sight, and he knew that she wouldn’t leave him on his own with her children. His insurance policies were rapidly becoming more trouble than they were worth, he’d decided.

No, the honor of watching the little brats was reserved for Mrs. Rothchild and her granddaughter, though, the girl was mysteriously absent when they’d returned to the library after picking up supplies, a few changes of clothes for the ladies, and extra firearms, and ammunition for their oh so gallant rescue attempt.

Coop found himself wistfully thinking about Sugarfoot, and wishing more than anything that horses weren’t all but extinct. They’d make everything easier, but, then again, perhaps horses weren’t ever meant to survive by some grand cosmic scheme to further punish humanity for its hubris.

Now, they were standing outside the library, while Rose said goodbye to her children.

Coop couldn’t help sneaking glances at Lee while he watched her watching Rose and the children. He’d never imagined that the Ms. Williams he’d known, so cool, collected, and confident, could smile all sunny and sweet the way she did when she looked at those damn kids and the woman wearing Vault-Tec like a brand.

But then Lucy trotted over to him, while Rose gave Norm a cuddle, smiling wide, and asking, “Are you really gonna save Connie and Mary, Coop?”

He opened his mouth to tell her that they wouldn’t be saving anyone, that the girls would be lucky if they were dead, that they’d probably not even be able to bring back their bodies, or maybe just to tell her not to call him ‘Coop’ and to go back to the much more formal ‘Mr. Howard,’ but instead, to his surprise, he found himself saying, gently, “Well, we’re gonna do our best, sweetheart, but don’t get your hopes up too high.”

Lucy’s smile reminded him so much of Janey for a moment that Coop felt as if he’d been stabbed – and he’d been stabbed many times, so the sensation was horribly familiar – but he merely let Lucy give him a tight hug, arms wrapped around his waist, “Be careful.”

Then she turned to Lee and gave her a hug, and that bright smile – and Coop bit back the jealousy that bubbled in his throat like bile, because there was no reason for him to be jealous of anything – and babbled something about being careful to Lee, then she bounced back over to her mama, and gave Rose another tight hug.

Norm was already in Mrs. Rothchild’s arms, and looked solemn while his lower lip quivered, and Coop knew that the boy understood, despite his age, that his mama was leaving. Lucy took the old woman’s free hand, and smiled, all too cheerful, and now Coop saw the bravado the little girl was putting on.

But he merely swung his heavy saddlebags over his left shoulder and started strolling down the road that led out into the Wastes. He heard Lee ask Rose, “Are you sure you want to come? You know this is going to be dangerous.”

Rose’s voice was too soft for him to catch, but whatever reply, she and Lee fell in behind him, all while Lucy called, “Goodbye! I love you, Mama! Goodbye, Lee! Goodbye, Coop!”

They were only about an hour from Shady Sands, following the all too obvious Fiend tracks in the sand, when the ghoul drawled, “Alright, Ms. Williams, what the good, goddamn, hell is a ‘Wilzig’?”

Lee fought the urge to roll her eyes, “I figured you’d wait till nightfall to ask that.”

The ghoul waved his arms at their barren surroundings, “Why wait? There’s no one else around. And we have nothing better to talk about.”

Lee pulled her hat down a little further, missing the Old-World convenience of sunscreen, and said, “We could talk more about how you know Hank.”

“I’d be interested in that,” Rose piped up.

Lee couldn’t help but smile at Rose, enjoying the sight of her in the pale blue, cats-eye, sunglasses she’d been given at the general store, and replied, “Well, Mr. Howard, you appear to be outnumbered.”

“I asked first,” He snarked back. “And this ain’t a democracy anymore.” He titled his head, giving her a challenging look, “So, get to talkin’, Ms. Williams.”

“Just call me ‘Lee’,” She replied, “And Wilzig is a little hard to explain.”

“Start off with what it is,” The ghoul prompted.

“It’s research, papers, some holotapes, and a few larger documents, all of which are in my office,” Lee shut her eyes for a moment, then fumbled in her duster’s pocket for her sunglasses, “But Carl had taken home one of Wilzig’s smaller prototypes. It’s tiny, barely bigger than the tip of my pinkie finger, but more powerful than either of you could believe.”

“What is it,” Rose asked, “The prototype?”

“It’s cold fusion,” Lee said, “The same research I was working on before I was frozen, and that Vault-Tec kept trying to steal out from under me.”

“How did this Wilzig get hold of that pipe dream,” Coop asked.

“Siggi Wilzig is a scientist with the Enclave; he’s somewhere up north we think,” Lee explained. “From what Carl and I have pieced together from the research that was recovered from the base in Navarro after the NCR took control of it, Wilzig and some of his colleagues were using a combination of the progress I’d made with my work and the work that Vault-Tec had also done using my research the basis for their further experiments with cold fusion.”

“Cold fusion,” Rose picked up her pace and walked beside Lee, looking at her with great interest. “Is that really even a possibility now? I know before the bombs fell that there was the framework for it, but now – how would it be possible to use it?”

“For the uneducated amongst our ranks,” The ghoul interjected, “What exactly is cold fusion?”

“In the most basic terms, it’s power,” Lee said, “Limitless, renewable, clean, energy. It was my life’s work before Vault-Tec began ensuring that my life’s work would never be completed unless it was under their control, and they could profit from it.”

“But you’re still working on it now,” Rose asked.

“Yes, though admittedly, it is more difficult now given the lack of resources, but Carl and I were making progress, and after the recovery of Wilzig’s research, it was even easier, though I would prefer to have the man himself,” Lee decided not to mention the NCR operative she’d placed in the Enclave’s northern base, who was reporting to her the increasing nervousness and reluctance of Dr. Siggi Wilzig in his work, and his loyalty to the Enclave. “But the prototype we’d managed to create, is almost enough to power the whole of city hall on its own.”

“But why would the Fiends take it,” Rose asked. “They didn’t really seem like they’d be interested in anything to do with science.”

“Honestly,” Lee shook her head, her hair sticking to the sweat on the back of her neck, “I think they took it because it’s shiny. I don’t think they’d take it for any other reason.”

“Why the hell did he take that home with him?” Coop asked. “Something that important?”

“We both take work home,” Lee said, shrugging, “It’s never been a problem before.”

The ghoul looked as if he wanted to strangle her, and began muttering about, “goddamn, trusting, fucking Communists,” and then he said, more loudly, “So, because you’re both stupid enough to take that kinda thing home with you, now we have to try and pry something shiny out of the Fiends’ nasty fucking paws? All while hoping those two girls are still alive?”

“That about sums it up,” Lee said, trying to keep her voice even and not sound as frustrated as she felt deep down.

“Oh, fuck me,” The ghoul muttered, striding ahead once again.

Rose watched him go, then asked, “Cold fusion would be more powerful than fusion cores, wouldn’t it?”

“It would be,” Lee confirmed, “It would be enough to restore the power in almost all the Pre-War buildings in Shady Sands, and further out into the city.”

“You said Vault-Tec had tried to access it,” Rose’s face was inquisitive, and something in her eyes made Lee feel as if Rose was peeling all the layers of herself back and looking at all of Lee’s deepest fears and most closely guarded secrets. “If they bought the technology, wouldn’t they have tried to make it work without you?”

“They tried to,” Lee confirmed, “But as far as I am aware, they only got so far before they weren’t able to complete the research.”

“So, they would have locked away any progress they’d made behind their own codes, wouldn’t they,” Rose was still giving her that look, “I know that a lot of the Vault’s more complicated systems management is locked behind codes that only the Overseer has access to. Is that the case with Vault-Tec’s work with cold fusion?”

“Yes,” Lee said, “It is. But I hope that with Wilzig’s research, and a working prototype, that we might be able to bypass that little snag.”

“But if you can’t,” Rose’s tongue darted out over her lower lip, pink and wet and Lee found herself focusing on how wet and red Rose’s lower lip looked, “You’d need someone from Vault-Tec, someone who has the codes, wouldn’t you?”

“You figured all of that out from my saying Vault-Tec had acquired my work,” Lee asked.

“I’ve always been told that I’m perceptive,” Rose replied, cheeks coloring a little, “And I didn’t know anything for sure until you confirmed it, otherwise, I was just guessing.”

“Well, you’re right,” Lee told her, “If I can’t bypass it, then I’d need a code. Specifically, a code belonging to an original Vault-Tec employee in the executive branch.”

“Huh,” Rose said, but she didn’t elaborate further.

“Why did you come with us,” Lee asked. “You didn’t have to. You could’ve stayed. It would be safer for you if you’d stayed.”

“I know,” Rose said, “But everyone in Shady Sands has been so kind to us, and taken us in like we’re their own, instead of just outsiders. I want to help if I can.” She smiled, “It’s the Golden Rule.”

“The Golden Rule,” Lee repeated. Then she said, repeating it from memory, “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you: do ye even so to them.”

“You know the King James version,” Rose asked, smiling.

“My family attended church when I was young,” Lee told her, “I didn’t particularly hold to the faith when I got older, but certain things just stick with you.”

“We have a chapel in the Vault; I used to go every Sunday,” Rose told her, “And I do believe in God, but some things never quite made sense to me.” Before Lee could ask Rose about that, Rose continued, “I always tell Lucy and Norm that no matter what they do, always try to treat others well and to be kind to them. I hope that’s something they always remember.”

“I’m sure they will,” Lee assured her. “I can just picture them both taking that into adulthood, even if they don’t remember anything else you tell them. I’m sure they’ll remember that.”

Rose’s smile was very sweet, but before she could say anything else, Coop shouted, “Hey! If you two can take a break from your sweet talkin’, you should come see this!”

Lee immediately stepped her pace up, with Rose at her side, and they stepped beside the ghoul.

He was squatting, staring at the tracks in the dirt, with his hat pushed back and a frown on his face, “See that?”

Lee studied the sand carefully. She wasn’t the best tracker, she could admit that, but it was easy enough to make out the Fiend tracks in the dirt. She asked, “What are we looking for?”

“Right there,” He tapped the dirt, “That ain’t a Fiend print. It’s a boot print. See how there's a deeper impression on the heel?”

Lee saw it once he pointed it out. It was obviously a boot print, faint, but there, and it stood out from the Fiends’ prints. It wasn’t very big, and Lee stared hard at it, “Could it be Connie’s? Or Mary’s?”

“Nah,” He shook his head, “Unless they were wearing boots to bed. Plus, this is newer than the Fiends’ prints.” He looked up at them, grinning wide, “It looks like someone else is out here with us.”

She didn’t need to have Rose’s perceptiveness to know that this was going to make things infinitely more complicated, and Lee sighed, heavily, and muttered, “Well, shit.” 

Chapter Text

July 2276
Vault 33
New Republic of California

The blood spattered on the cold metal of the vault’s floor was a brilliant red smear.

Hank stared at it, making a mental note to clean it before anyone else saw it. Everyone in the Vault knew he was a man of ideals, principles, and morals, and finding blood on the floor of his office would not be a good look for him when it came time for reelection.

Myrtle was sprawled on the floor, gasping, holding a hand to her nose, and looking as shellshocked as someone who’d just survived the nuclear fire. She looked like Rose in the dim lighting of his office. That same reddish-brown hair, those dark eyes, and the way she tilted her head, but Hank didn’t let that soften his heart. He needed her to talk, and talk she would.

Betty stood by the door, her hands clasped in front of her, and her eyes slightly averted. It was a pose she had perfected in her years at Vault-Tec; she was seeing and hearing everything, all while looking as if she was thinking of nothing at all.

He looked down at Myrtle and asked, “Where is my wife?”

“I don’t know,” Myrtle spat back, looking up at him with fury in her eyes. “She didn’t tell me where she was going. I don’t even think she knew where she was going when she left.”

“But you opened the gate for her,” Hank had repeatedly reminded Myrtle of this offense, and she had never denied it. She actually seemed proud of it. “You let her escape.”

“Escape,” Myrtle sat up, spitting more blood onto his floor, “Fuck, I should’ve just gone with her.”

“Why didn’t you,” Hank was genuinely curious.

“I didn’t want to leave Chet,” Myrtle said, slowly, “And I knew he would’ve been too scared to go to the surface.”

“Your son isn’t scared,” Hank said, slightly offended on behalf of his nephew, “He’s smart. He knows that the Vault is the safest place for him. For all of us.”

“He knows what he’s been taught,” Myrtle replied, all her fear of him slowly fading. "And if what Rose found is true, then everything he's been taught - hell, everything we've all been taught is a fucking lie."

“Did you know Rose was going to take my children,” Hank asked, trying to remain calm.

“Your children,” Myrtle wiped her lower lip, “Don’t you mean ‘our children’? They’re Rose’s too.”

“Did you know she was going to take them,” Hank asked.

“Yes.”

"Did your husband know anything about this," Hank asked.

"No," Myrtle said, "He'd have told you if he'd known. So, we kept him in the dark." She huffed an ironic little laugh, "Just like us Vault dwellers have always been, I guess."

Myrtle’s honesty after so long was refreshing. For weeks, she’d been telling him over and over again that she hadn’t known what Rose was going to do. That she’d thought opening the Vault door had been done on his orders. That Rose was simply going to check the water supply from the surface.

One lie after another, and Hank had been getting sick of it. So, this honesty made him feel as if he’d just popped a tab of Mentat and downed a glass of bourdon to chase it along. He took a long breath and asked, “Why didn’t you tell me? Or Vault security?”

“Because she’s my sister,” Myrtle spread her hands and shrugged, “And she asked me not to. And I just didn't want to.”

“But you were willing to let her take my children to the surface,” Hank felt his ire growing again. “You let her disobey my orders.”

“There’s that word again,” Myrtle was staring at him, her expression disconcertingly perceptive, just like Rose’s had been that last night they’d fallen asleep beside one another. “’My’. You’ve always done that, Hank. You always call them ‘my’ children. You always seemed to forget about Rose. I never liked that about you.” She looked him up and down, smirking, “I never liked much about you, Hank. You always rubbed me the wrong way.”

“Is that supposed to hurt me,” Hank asked. “Do you think I care about your opinion of me?”

“I don’t think you care much about any of us,” Myrtle replied. “I think you care about Lucy and Norm. And Betty. And you used to care about Rose, but that’s all over now, isn’t it?”

“She took my children into danger,” Hank was gritting his teeth so hard he felt as if they were going to shatter. “Why the hell would I care about her now?”

“Because she’s your wife,” Myrtle said.

“She is,” Hank nodded, “And I will love her till death do us part.” He leaned down, looking Myrtle in the eyes, “And she’s dead to me now.”

Myrtle stared at him, eyes narrowing, then she spat blood in his eyes and Hank jerked back, “Fuck!”

He heard Myrtle’s footsteps, then the sound of a scuffle by the door. Betty gasped, and Hank started toward them, still squinting from the blood, but before he made it to her side, there was a hideous electrical buzz.

And Myrtle dropped to the floor, twitching and gasping.

Hank stood over her, “Good one, Betty.”

Betty smiled a little, still holding the shock baton at the ready, “I like to be prepared.”

Myrtle groaned, and Hank asked, “What should we do with her?”

Betty cocked her head, “We’ll have to take her to the infirmary and have her sedated. She’s had a breakdown, and she can’t be left alone.” She added, “I’ll take care of Chet. The poor thing will be so frightened without his mother.”

“Fuck you,” Myrtle groaned.

Hank ignored the crackle of the baton, and Myrtle’s muffled whine, as he said, “Obviously, the first course of action will be making sure no one knows about this.” He looked at Betty, “I believe that Plan F is the best course of action.”

“Plan F,” Betty thought for a moment, then nodded, “As long as we only lose around thirty percent of the dwellers, the Vault will still be able to recover and prosper.”

“Ensure that anyone over sixty-five is targeted first,” Hank told her. “They’re the ones who are most expendable for the workforce.”

“I will,” Betty shocked Myrtle again as the woman tried to reach for the door. “What are you going to tell Bud about this?”

“I’ll explain it all to him,” Hank said. “He’ll understand, and he might have some ideas about controlling the spread of Plan F. It can be a bit volatile.”

“And what about Rose?”

Hank thought for a moment, then said, slowly, “I think I might have to go topside.” He smiled, "It seems my wife has forgotten her place, and as a good, faithful, husband it's my duty to remind her of it."

"Very good, Overseer," Betty replied, smiling up at him.

Hank smiled back at her, suddenly feeling better than he had in days.

Chapter Text

July 2276
Shady Sands
New Republic of California

Lucy wasn’t a fan of being left behind.

Of course, she’d acted like a big girl, a brave girl, when her mama had told her goodbye, and had given everyone hugs and waved and smiled. But deep down she wanted to cry and run after them like the little boy at the end of Cane as the man rode away into the darkness.

It had felt so similar to her, despite the three not being on horseback, and walking away in the afternoon instead of the evening, but Lucy had still felt just like the little boy. She was sure Norm did too, even if he wasn’t old enough to say so.

Mrs. Rothchild had settled them down in the library, given them books and snacks, and then set about righting the toppled shelves. Lucy thought it was a shame that some of the books had been burned and torn, but the book she liked best, one about a little girl named Lucy going through a door and into a whole new world, had survived, so she wasn’t as sad as she might’ve been.

Norm was busy chewing on the building blocks, despite Lucy continuously telling him that they were dirty and trying to pull them out of his mouth. Strangely, he had a preference for the blue ones. He looked forlorn, and his eyes were wide and anxious.

Lucy looked at him and asked, “If you could talk, would you tell me you’re upset?”

Norm blinked at her, then went back to chewing on the block.

She continued flipping through her book, tracing her fingers over the illustrations, and wishing that her daddy was here to read it to her. He was always the best at reading stories because he did funny voices for all the characters, and always made her giggle.

Lucy thought about her daddy and got sad all over again; she still didn’t understand exactly why her mama had snuck them out of the Vault without telling anyone or saying goodbye to anybody. Not even Aunt Lily and Chet. She’d asked over and over on the long walk from the Vault. All the way through Filly, where the old woman had traded them three weeks’ worth of food for her mother’s golden and diamond wedding ring, and even when they’d reached Shady Sands, she’d kept asking why they’d left.

Her mama still wouldn’t tell her what had happened, but Lucy was starting to think that it must’ve been something really, really bad. She couldn’t imagine that her daddy had done something bad, or that her mama had either, so Lucy was sure that it must be the Vault itself. There must be something deeply, deeply wrong with their old home, so Mama whisked them away to safety.

That didn’t explain why her daddy hadn’t come with them, but Lucy was sure that she’d find out the finer details eventually.

Well, she hoped she would anyway.

Mrs. Rothchild called to her, “Lucy, dear, have you seen Meggie?”

“Not since this morning,” Lucy called back.

“Where is that girl,” Mrs. Rothchild tutted, sighing.

“I could go look for her,” Lucy offered.

“Oh, no you don’t,” Mrs. Rothchild’s eyes twinkled knowingly, as she shook her head. “Your mama told me about how you used to wander all over the place in your Vault, and this isn’t your Vault. You’re going to stay right here, where I can see you.”

“But what about Meggie,” Lucy asked, lower lip jutting out in a pout, “Don’t you want to find her?”

“She’ll turn up,” Mrs. Rothchild said.

“But what if she doesn’t,” Lucy prodded.

“She will,” Mrs. Rothchild assured her, “That girl’s clever as the devil and twice as lucky.”

“I thought it was ‘clever as the devil, and twice as pretty’,” Lucy was sure she’d heard one of the other Vault dwellers call her mother that once.

“That’s her sister,” Mrs. Rothchild went back to the books, and their conversation ended.

Norm wriggled onto his hands and knees and began crawling determinedly toward the front door of the library. Lucy watched him for a moment, then darted after him, calling, “Norm! Where are you going? Norm!”

But he didn’t stop and instead continued toward the door, determination etched on his little face. That was when Lucy heard heavy thumps outside the library, and then the sound of footsteps, accompanied by the jingle of spurs – not unlike how Coop’s spurs jingled.

She scooped up Norm, holding him tight, but trying not to squeeze him too tight, and stepped away from the door of the library just as it swung wide open.

Three tall men stood in the doorway, the sun behind them casting their features into shadow and making Lucy squint up at them. She stepped back, as one of the men leaned down, smiling, and saying in a strong accent that Lucy hadn’t heard before, “Is that your brother, little girl?”

Lucy nodded, staring at him, but didn’t speak. He had tanned skin, a long face, shaggy dark hair, and wide eyes that looked very sad, but he smiled as he ruffled her hair, “You be a good big sister, and take care of him, yes?”

“Yes,” Lucy said, and that was when Mrs. Rothchild called as she came over, “I’m sorry, gentlemen, but the library is closed for repairs right now. I won’t be able to check anything out to you.”

“Apologies for the intrusion,” The man in the middle, not the one who’d spoken to Lucy, stepped forward, and Lucy was finally able to get a good look at him. He looked a little like the other man, with tanned skin and dark eyes, but his eyes were narrow, and he had a thick mustache. “We just have a few questions about a drifter who might’ve come into town.”

Mrs. Rothchild put her hands on Lucy’s shoulders, “A drifter? I haven’t heard anything about someone like that coming into town.”

The man nodded, then looked around, “The attack looks as if it cost you dearly. Was it raiders?”

“Fiends,” Mrs. Rothchild replied, “But we saw them off.”

“Of course,” He smiled, showing teeth almost as yellowed as Coop’s, “I would expect nothing less from the people of Shady Sands.” He took his hat off, brushing dirt from its brim, and asked, “Do you know where a drifter might go? If one happened to come to town?”

Mrs. Rothchild thought for a moment, “I’d recommend checking the hotel. However, after last night they might have had some of their guests checkout. But that’s where I’d start if I were you.” She added a moment later, “Or the saloon might be a good spot to check; I believe it’s popular with the drifters and travelers.”

“Thank you,” He gave her a quick, respectful nod, and then headed back out the library’s door.

The younger man smiled at Lucy and Norm again and then followed his companions.

After the door shut behind them, Mrs. Rothchild took a long, slow breath, then sighed deeply, “Well, this is shaping up to be an interesting week.”

Lucy whispered, just in case the men were listening outside the door, “Do you think they’re looking for Coop?”

“Coop,” Mrs. Rothchild gave her a confused stare, then said in a tone almost as quiet as Lucy’s, “Oh, Mr. Howard. Lord knows, but they might be.” She rubbed her temples, and sighed again, “My mother always told me that trouble and tribulation follow Vault dwellers like a wasteland cur, but I never believed her – until now.”

“I’m not a cur,” Lucy said, pouting. “And nothing followed us from the Vault. Mama made sure.”

“It’s just an expression, dear,” Mrs. Rothchild assured her, but Lucy continued pouting.

Then, a thought popped into her head, “Ghouls can live a long time, right?”

“Yes, a very long time,” Mrs. Rothchild told her. “I met a ghoul who had been born in 1995. She still had her birth certificate to prove it. Why?”

“Because Mr. Howard is a ghoul, and that means he’s really old, right?”

“It can. He could be younger than he looks,” She seemed to be more interested in the books than their conversation, Lucy noted, but a lot of old people were like that.

Lucy hummed a response but went back to tugging Norm over to the blocks again. He seemed resistant to her ministrations, but he conceded his defeat to her after a moment and began chewing on the blocks once again.

Meanwhile, Lucy continued to think long and hard about the ghoul.

The sudden appearance of the dog startled Rose so badly that she nearly dropped her canteen.

It had appeared silently, like a wraith out of the darkness, and almost as black as the night itself. Its orangey-yellow eyes glinted in the firelight, as it settled down in between Coop and Rose, and put its head on its big paws. There was some white around its muzzle, but otherwise, the dog was nearly as black as the sky above.

Rose stared at it, slightly frightened. She’d seen a few dogs in Shady Sands, as well as a few roaming packs of irradiated hounds in the Wastes, but she hadn’t ever been so close to one. Especially one that was so big; it seemed as if it would be almost eye level with Lucy, and if it stood on its back paws, it might be able to drape its paws over her shoulders.

Coop looked at the dog, a cool expression on his face, “Looks like they sent Old Lady Givens’ mutt with us after all.”

Lee studied the dog, then said, “I’ve been told that Old Lady Givens used to breed them. She’d sell the best ones to caravans and the others to farmers.”

“Will it really be able to help us track the girls,” Rose asked, looking at the creature curiously.

“Most likely,” Lee said, “Dogs like this are bred for hunting, guarding, and tracking. I’m sure it’ll be a great help.”

“What a hell of a backstory,” Cooper drawled. He pulled his hat down over his eyes, and leaned back against his saddlebags, sprawled out on the hardpacked sand as if he was in a featherbed. “Keep it down. I need my beauty rest.”

Rose continued staring at the dog, and the dog continued staring at the fire.

Lee asked, “Do you want to pet it?”

“I don’t know,” Rose admitted. “It’s so big. And I’ve never petted a dog before. We didn’t have them in the Vault.”

“Fuckin’ Vault psychopaths,” Coop muttered. “Gotta make sure no one loves anything but those good, old-fashioned, Vault morals.”

“I thought you were going to sleep,” Rose couldn’t stop herself from teasing him. “What about your beauty rest, Mr. Howard?”

“I’m workin’ on it,” He pulled his hat down even further.

Lee scooted over to Rose and said, “You should try petting it.”

“The dog,” Rose stared at it, “Is that what you do with dogs? Pet them?”

“Yes,” Lee’s voice sounded like she was trying not to laugh, “Just let him sniff your hand, and if he likes you, he’ll let you pet him.”

Rose hesitated, but then Lee leaned across her, so close that Rose could smell the lingering scent of something sweet in Lee’s hair, and she could feel the heat of the other woman’s body. Rose felt a warm flutter low in her stomach, and she knew her cheeks had gone hot and red.

She watched as Lee let the dog sniff her hand, and the dog looked at it for a moment, as if it was deciding if it was going to allow Lee to pet it, or if it was going to bite her. But a moment later, the dog was butting its head against Lee’s palm, and she was scratching it behind the ears.

As Lee straightened back up, Rose asked, “Does it like you?”

Coop piped up, “He.”

“He,” Rose looked at the dog and addressed it, “Aren't you a handsome boy?”

The dog’s eyes gleamed with a bright, almost uncanny intelligence, and Rose once again found herself feeling a little wary of it. It was odd to have an animal look at her like that. However, she wanted to be brave, so she slowly held out her hand for the dog to sniff.

It sniffed her, gave her that intelligent look again, then butted its cold nose against the palm of her hand and snuffled at her. Rose couldn’t help but gasp; she wasn’t expecting the dog’s nose to be so cold and wet, but she continued letting it snuffle at her a little bit longer before she slowly reached up and began to pat gently at the dog’s broad head.

The dog sighed as if he was pleased that Rose had finally understood what he wanted, and he settled down, while Rose continued to stroke his head.

Lee watched them, smiling, “I think he likes you.”

“Really,” Rose continued her ministrations, “You think so?”

“He looks happy,” Lee looked at the fire, “Rose, I know I’ve already apologized for not being honest with you, but I want to say it again. I’m sorry for keeping things from you.”

“Thank you,” Rose said, looking at Lee and not the fire, while she continued petting the dog’s head. “Why didn’t you tell me about being –”

She hesitated, and Lee supplied, with a dark chuckle, “Why didn’t I tell you that I was over two hundred and thirty years old? Or about my work with cold fusion?”

“Being Pre-War,” Rose said, smiling, “I’m sure your work would’ve come up sooner or later.”

“Honestly,” Lee still wasn’t looking at her, and Rose studied her face, memorizing the curve of Lee’s dark brows, the way her lips tightened when she was deep in thought, and how her dark eyes were lit by the fire. “I thought it might make you treat me differently. When people find out, they might still be kind and helpful, but they’re more reserved. It’s subtle, but I can always tell when it matters.”

“I can understand that,” Rose said, “I see how people look at me when I wear the Vault suit.”

“I also should’ve told you I knew about what your Vault was made for,” Continued Lee. “That wasn’t fair of me to keep from you, especially if you hadn’t known.” She finally looked at Rose, “I can admit, I didn’t say anything for selfish reasons.”

“Selfish,” Rose shook her head, “Lee, I don’t think you could ever be selfish.”

“Oh, but I can be,” Lee moved a little closer to her, and Rose found herself leaning in, close enough to Lee that she could feel the other woman’s warm breath on her cheeks. “I can be so selfish. And especially with you, Rose. I’m very selfish with you. I want you near me. I want to spend time with you as often as I can. And your children too. If I could, I’d see all of you every day.”

“You haven’t been selfish,” Rose finally stopped petting the dog, and gently put both her hands over Lee’s right hand. “I can’t think of a single selfish thing you’ve, well, other than a lie by omission. But that’s not as bad as things I’ve seen.”

“You’re too kind to me,” Lee was staring down at their hands, and then she twisted her hand so that the fingers of her right hand were interlocked with the fingers of Rose’s left hand. “You’re too kind for all of this, Rose.”

“I’m not,” Rose said, shaking her head, “I’m really not.”

Lee looked at her, dark eyes very feel of warmth, “Rose, I think I –”

Coop came alive like a live wire, pistol in hand, while at the same time, the dog jumped to his feet, hackles raised and his teeth showing in a snarl.

And that was when Rose heard a faint scrape in the sand, followed by high-pitched cries that were coming closer and closer.

Nightstalkers.

Coop knew that sound instantly, and so did the dog.

He made sure he had extra bullets close at hand; the mutant creatures were tough, and always required more ammo than one would think to put them down. He wondered why, just for a moment, the creatures were so far from home, but then again, these wasteland creatures always seemed to be migrating further and further out to new territories.

Lee had grabbed her rifle – fuckin’ energy weapons Coop almost scoffed – and Rose had hold of her own pistol. Both women looked more than a little anxious, but Coop suspected that if Lee were equipped of the right parts, she’d be dealing with a painful case of blue balls right now.

The dog didn’t bound off into the darkness as he’d expected it would, instead, it stepped toward him, still snarling silently, and watching.

Rose readied her pistol, her mouth set in a thin, frightened line, but her eyes were alert. She shook back her hair, and threw back her shoulders, waiting.

The bloodstained machete in Lee’s hand was a surprise, but he knew energy weapons were harder to find ammo for than a simple pistol or rifle. She wielded it comfortably, as she moved carefully to shield Rose’s left side.

Coop snapped out, “Nightstalkers are fast and mean. They’re some kinda wasteland abomination. Coyotes and rattlesnakes. Do not let them bite you unless you’ve got a Stimpack or two handy. Just move fast and stay long-range.”

He cocked the hammer on the pistol, readying himself as the cries grew closer and closer, wilder and more excited as they drew closer.

As the first nightstalker came into view, the dog lunged.

It was so fast it was almost a blur, and it took the nightstalker down in a single pounce. And that was about the time that Coop realized just how big the dog was, and he was glad it was on their side.

Another nightstalker circled to try and jump at the dog, but then there was a bang.

It wasn’t a gunshot, but it still rolled across the wasteland like a thunderclap.

And it repeated, over and over again, reverberating through Coop’s bones.

It sent the nightstalkers scattering, leaving their fallen comrade beneath the dog’s paws.

And Coop stood, pistol in hand, absolutely flabbergasted as the nightstalkers hightailed it back out over the sands. Then he looked around, “What the fuck was that?”

Lee and Rose looked as surprised as he did, staring into the darkness in the direction of the sound.

Coop started to stalk toward it when the noise faded away and a quavery, slightly anxious voice sang out, “Don’t shoot, gentle traveler! I mean you no harm! I simply wished to share your fire!”

“What was the noise,” Rose called.

“Nothing fancy,” The voice took on a form; a tall, gangly creature, in a tattered black suit, with long tangled hair, and bone-pale skin. The man moved jerkily, and he carried a suitcase that jingled and jangled mysteriously, and in the other were two tin plates. “But I have found that banging these together makes those wretched creatures scatter like rats! Well, some rats. The ones in the sewers of the Boneyard are most tenacious creatures.”

“Who the hell are you,” Coop asked, still pointing his pistol at the man. On a whim, he looked down at the man’s feet; they were oversized and skinny and his toes poked out of worn Oxfords, not boots – he obviously wasn’t the person who’d left the boot print they’d seen.

“I have many names,” The man said, giving them a bow full of flourish and grandiosity, “But most people simply call me –” He paused, looking slightly confused, “I don’t remember. But I am a man of many skills and talents! Perhaps my name is the ‘Wizard’ or the ‘Magician’ or something of that theatrical nature!”

Rose giggled, and Coop tried not to groan. The last thing he needed was the damn soft-hearted Vaultie to decide she was taking pity on a man that was so obviously mad from spending too much time out in the Wastes.

Besides, Coop looked more closely at the man, the freak looked like a chicken fucker.

But before he could send the man on his way, Rose was saying, “Thank you so much for your help. Those things looked terrifying.”

“Oh, they are. They are,” He drew closer to Rose, slowly, cringing like a dog that was used to being kicked about. “But I was happy to help you, you intrepid travelers of the Wastes. I was glad to see your fire burning. I hate to be alone out here at night.”

“You can stay tonight,” Rose said.

Lee gave Coop a wild-eyed horrified look, and Coop shrugged; if she wanted to play house with Rose, she could deal with the strays Rose brought in.

The dog appeared, giving the man a look that bordered on disdain as it settled on its haunches beside Coop. He looked down at the dog for a moment, then muttered, “Welp, I can’t blame you for this bullshit, can I?”

The dog blinked at him, then began licking the nightstalker blood off its muzzle.

Coop sighed heavily and walked over to the nightstalker’s corpse; there was no sense in letting good meat go to waste.

Chapter Text

July 2276
Shady Sands
New Republic of California

Max was picking flowers for her while they waited for his friends to arrive.

He was meticulously walking around and around the park, comparing flowers to the ones he’d already picked, and only adding them to his bouquet if they fit his vision perfectly. Lucy had never had someone pick flowers for her, and she found that she was very happy to sit and wait for him to bring back his prize for her.

Besides, she was worn out from playing knights and dragons and was sitting in the grass holding onto Max’s teddy bear, with Norm at her side chewing on one of the cookies that Hubert had made for them. Max’s father had been one of the lucky few peacekeepers to survive the Fiends, and now he was at home with his wife and son, recovering from his wounds, and taking the time to bake cookies and decorate cakes and bake mountains of bread.

It had been hard for Lucy to get into the swing of the game at first. She hadn’t been a knight or a dragon; she had been the princess that Max was trying to rescue her from, which she liked the sound of – there was something very romantic about being a princess. But she’d had a hard time taking the game as seriously as Max because she couldn’t see the dragon.

Max had explained to her several times that it was an imaginary game, and she just had to pretend, and it would eventually come to her. Lucy had tried and tried, but it was difficult to conjure up a dragon, eventually though, she’d become entranced with the game and had fallen under the spell of being a princess stolen away by a greedy dragon who wished to keep her locked away in his castle forever and ever.

And Max had been her knight, bravely fighting the dragon with all his might, to try and save his princess from that dreadful fate. There had been a dramatic scene where Max had been at the dragon’s mercy, and Lucy had thrown herself at the dragon, stabbing its knee and leaving it wounded and in pain, so that Max had enough time to jump to his feet and continue fighting it. The two had begun fighting together after that, and soon the dragon was defeated.

And now, Max was picking flowers for her.

Lucy watched him, smiling, then she looked around and her smile dropped.

The three men who had come looking for Coop were talking to Teri and Hubert.

They’d been all over town, asking after their drifter, but no one had been particularly helpful. The Shady Sanders had been closemouthed, despite giving the men an otherwise warm welcome. None of them could remember seeing a drifter, especially a ghoul in the past few months, let alone the past few days.

The younger man, the one who’d ruffled her hair, seemed to be enjoying his time in Shady Sands and was less concerned with finding the ghoul than the two older men were. Instead, he was spending a lot of time in the general store talking to pretty Janie Ross. The other two men were much more methodical, asking probing questions to everyone they could and trying to trip them up and make them give them the answers they were looking for. It was beginning to grate on Lucy; they were obviously bad guys – she could tell by their black cowboy hats, the wicked spurs on their boots, and their rough voices – and they shouldn’t be looking for Coop or upsetting the people here.

The younger man wandered over to her, leaving his companions to speak to Teri and Hubert. He smiled at her, and dropped into a squat beside her, “I saw you at the library, didn’t I?”

“Uh huh,” Lucy said, grabbing another cookie and taking a huge bite.

“Have you been taking care of your little brother,” He asked, smiling at Norm in a way that was warm and kind, and very much at odds with Lucy’s judgment that he was a bad guy.

“Yeah, I have,” Lucy stared at him, then, couldn’t stop herself from asking to sate her curiosity and to find out if she was right, “Who are you looking for?”

“We’re looking for a drifter,” He told her, eyeing the cookies hungrily, “A ghoul. He had a big cowboy hat and a long coat. Have you seen him?”

“No,” Lucy shook her head, trying to look innocent, “Why are you looking for him?”

“He was working for my boss,” He told her, still staring at the cookies, “And he did not fulfill his contract properly.”

“Do you want one,” Lucy held a cookie out to him.

“Thank you,” He took the cookie and smiled at her. “You really haven’t seen him?”

“No,” Lucy shook her head again, “How long are you gonna stay in town?”

“Not long,” He took a bite of the cookie and looked like he was about to cry, though Lucy wasn’t sure why. “We’ll be going to the Boneyard to look for him soon.”

“Lucy! Max called, bounding up with his bouquet, “Here.”

The flowers were perfect, just like the flowers Claire Redelle had carried in her bouquet when she’d married Cooper Howard in The Drifter and the Damsel, and Lucy inhaled their sweet scent and smiled up at Max, “I love ‘em.”

“Aren’t you a little romantic,” The man held his hand out to Max and said, “Hola.”

Max shook his hand, eyeing him warily, “Hi.”

The young man smiled, disarmingly, and asked, “Have you seen a ghoul here lately?”

Max raised his eyebrows, pushing his lips together as he stared at the young man for a moment. Lucy was a little worried that Max might spill the beans, but then Max said, shortly, “I ain’t seen shit, mister.”

“You’ve got a mouth on you,” The man laughed, “My mama would’ve washed my mouth out with soap for talking like that.”

Max eyed him, and then seemed to decide he didn’t like him, “My mama’s not that mean.” He raised his chin, “Why are you talking to us, and not to my parents?”

“Because sometimes,” The man’s eyes twinkled, “Children know more than their parents.”

“Well, like I said, we don’t know shit,” Max crossed his arms.

The man chuckled again, then got to his feet and headed off to join his companions. He was still all smiley and sweet, but Lucy was beginning to think that it might all be an act.

She kept staring at him, but Lucy heard a shout from across the park, “Max! Max!” and she got distracted from watching him and went back to looking at her flowers.

Then she looked up to see a small, skinny, kid racing across the grass, with Monty beside them, and a chubby boy following along behind them, despite huffing and puffing as he tried to keep up.

The first child arrived, grinning, and threw themselves onto Max, and the two went down in a heap. Monty arrived a moment later, rolling his eyes and trying to act entirely superior to the two rolling around on the grass; he was funny like that because he was seven and the oldest out of all of them, well except for Birdie.

And then the last boy arrived, still huffing, and he said, looking down at Lucy, “Hi.”

She got to her feet, holding out her hand, “Hi, I’m Lucy.”

He took her hand, took a deep breath, and gasped, “I’m Thaddeus.”

“I’m Dane,” Came a squeak, and then a yelp as Max rolled them over and proclaimed victory in their struggle with a delighted whoop.

Lucy looked at them all, then back at the men, and suddenly an idea began forming in her mind, and she asked, “Hey, do you guys wanna do something cool?”

And suddenly, all eyes were on her, and Lucy smiled.

Lee was beginning to wish that they’d been eaten by nightstalkers instead of rescued by the man that Coop had dubbed the ‘chicken fucker’.

He was like some kind of strange wasteland specter; darting around and talking nonsense and then occasionally showing Rose some fabulous secret of the wasteland that left Rose dazzled and entirely taken with the man.

Rose was thrilled to be shown how to cut open a cactus and drink the cool water within, as well as how to spot the difference between a few venomous and non-venomous snakes. The man also kept showing her the different serums and tonics in his case, producing each one and showing off their different attributes.

So, as to avoid watching the man fawn over Rose, and to avoid Rose being stunned by his brilliance, Lee had joined Coop and the dog at the head of their merry little band.

Coop seemed amused by her company and had made pointed jabs at her every time they’d heard Rose exclaim in delight at some new mystery revealed to her by the chicken fucker. Finally, Lee looked at him and said, “Well, you’ve got a lot to say about me today, Coop, but just how are you doing today?”

“Oh, little ol’ me,” Coop grinned, “Well, now, I reckon I’d have to get better to die.”

Lee couldn’t help her bark of laughter, “Optimistic, aren’t we?”

“Entirely,” He replied. Then, he pointed at the low rise of hills in the distance, “Seems like the tracks are all leading that way. I think we're near Joshua Tree and the National Park. If my guess is right, we’ll reach the hills around nightfall, and there’s probably some little cave around somewhere. We’ll need to camp out till tomorrow morning, otherwise, we’re fucked if we try and go in there.”

“And leave the girls with them another night,” Lee shook her head and sighed, “Fuck.”

“It’s either that or risk walking into a nest full of wide awake, and possibly high off their asses Fiends in the dark,” He shrugged, “You can do that if you want, but I’ll be waiting outside till dawn. And then I might go in to look for ya.”

Lee rolled her eyes, then sniffed the air, “You smell that?”

Coop sniffed the air, and groaned, “Aw, fuck me. Like this goddamn bullshit could get worse.”

And that was when the first rumble of thunder rolled across the wastes.

Coop whipped around and pointed at their strange companion, “This is your damn fault. You rattled those fuckin’ plates around and called down a storm.”

“I assure you,” He said, putting his hand over his heart and dodging behind Rose as if she'd protect him, “I had nothing to do with this, my good ghoul sir. I did not even use my storm-calling plates. They were merely my eating plates. If I had used my storm calling plates, then this deluge would have begun last night.”

“Fuckin’ crazy ass,” Coop looked at Rose and said, “This is what happens when ya spend too long in the wastes eatin’ Old World food scraps.” He looked the man up and down, then sourly muttered, “Probably the fuckin’ Sugar Bombs.”

After that, they continued walking toward the hills, all while the clouds gathered overhead and thunder rumbled in preparation for what Lee could only assume was going to be a downpour of truly Biblical proportions.

When they’d walked nearer to the hills, and Lee estimated they were probably only a few more miles away from reaching them, Coop suddenly stopped and dropped into a crouch, looking at tracks in the dirt. Lee leaned over his shoulder, peering at the dusty ground as she asked him, “See anything interesting?”

Coop at first seemed reticent to talk to her, but then he pointed at the ground and said, “Here’s another of those boot prints. Whoever’s making ‘em, is following the Fiends, and they’re probably already at the hills by now.” Then he pointed at some tracks that looked a bit older, even to Lee’s untrained eye, and continued, “Judging by those, there were probably around ten or fifteen Fiends that made it out of Shady Sands. Seems generous, but I’m one to overestimate.”

“So are most men,” Lee said, mildly.

Coop shot her a look of disdain, then laughed, “You got a lot of experience with guys like that, sweetheart?”

“More than you can imagine,” Lee replied. “Every damn time I went to a board meeting or made a presentation, it was nothing but old men waving their dicks around and trying to one-up each other with the size of them.”

“Studio execs were the same way,” Coop said, fumbling in his saddlebags for a moment. “Always trying to make the best movie, get the biggest budget and the brightest stars.” He pulled out a small inhaler that looked a bit like Jet and took a long hit, then he sighed, “And it all means shit now.”

Lee studied what she could see of his face carefully, noting the bitterness there, and the strange sad longing in his sunken eyes, then she said slowly, “Well, not everything went to shit. Some of my work survived. And so did some of yours.”

“What?” He looked up at her, frowning.

“An explorer brought in a stash of books, holotapes, holovids, that sorta thing from the ruins of Old Hollywood and down near the beach. They said they’d found an old house that was practically untouched, and it was just full of Pre-War stuff.” Lee smiled, but only slightly, “And in the stash were a dozen of your movies.”

“My movies,” Coop repeated, slowly.

“Yeah,” Lee almost touched his shoulder, but she stopped herself. “The Man from Dead Horse is very popular at the drive-in.”

“You’ve been playing them,” Coop pushed his hat back. “And people still watch ‘em?”

“They’re some of the most popular movies they show,” Lee told him, truthfully. No matter the time period, Lee had noted, the appeal of the western, that struggle between good and evil, always appealed.

“Huh,” Coop looked back down at the dirt, and then he changed the subject and said, “See that print over there, that ain’t a Fiend print.” He edged over to it and traced it with a fingertip. “Now, if I had to guess this print belongs to one of those little girls.”

Lee felt a wave of warm relief wash over her as she stared at the footprint. Somehow, seeing the proof that at least one of the girls might still be alive, had made this long walk, all the hours under the unforgiving sun, and sleeping on the hard ground, worth it. She asked the ghoul, still staring at the footprint in the dirt, “Are you sure we can’t go after them now, Coop? There’ll still be some daylight when we get there.”

“Don’t matter,” Coop shook his head, “We won’t be up for it. We ain’t rested. We ain’t fed. We ain’t ready to go in yet. We need some sleep and some food, and we’ll go in at dawn tomorrow.”

“But the girls –” Lee cut herself off and tightened her shoulders. “No, you’re right. We can’t go in unprepared. That’ll make everything worse.”

“We might not all need to go in,” Coop said, giving her a sideways glance. “We could leave someone at the cave mouth to cover our backs and get rid of any Fiends who might try escaping.”

The suggestion appealed greatly to Lee; it would be the safest position, and she immediately thought of leaving Rose there, safe from almost everything, and away from seeing the full spectrum of horror that Lee was expecting to find in the Fiend nest. However, instead of immediately agreeing with Coop’s suggestion, and giving in to her baser instincts, Lee said, coldly pragmatic, “Rose is better with a gun than I am – more accurate. And we don’t know what the chicken fucker’s going to do when he finds out what we’re doing. We need to come up with a plan together.”

“Aw,” Coop cooed, “Look at you, treating her like a human and not like a cute little dolly.”

His lascivious expression made Lee consider driving the butt of her rifle into his yellowed teeth, but instead, she refused to rise to his bait, it was only bait after all, and asked, “Do you really think that if you’re constantly crude and hateful, that it’ll always drive people away from you? Because, from what I’ve seen, Lucy is head over heels for you, and Rose thinks you’re amazing. And, hell, the whole of Shady Sands thinks you’re a damn hero. But instead of seeing that, all you care about is pushing people away.”

“I don’t need people,” Coop snarled, “I don’t need that little girl, her mama, or anyone in that fucking miserable excuse for a city.”

“No,” Lee crossed her arms, feeling cold as ice, “You just keep thinking about what you lost. You’ve spent over two hundred years dwelling on that pain, and you’ve let it define you. You’ll never care about anything else, because anytime you do, you run.”

“Does it look like I’m runnin’ now,” Coop asked.

“You will,” Lee said, “The second Rose tells you what you want to know, you’ll hightail it, and pretend that anything that happened here, is just another piece of your mythology.” She couldn’t help the mockery in her tone, “The great Ghoul’s mythology.”

“You think you’re so smart, don’t ya,” Coop’s tongue swiped over his lower lip. “You think you’ve got me all figured out.”

“Not quite,” Lee admitted. "But I’m usually right about these things.” She narrowed her eyes, “I was right about you two hundred years ago, wasn’t I?”

“Fuck you,” Coop whirled and started walking, the dog at his side, heading toward the hills.

Rose and the chicken fucker finally approached, and Lee guessed that they’d stayed back after Coop’s snarl. The chicken fucker looked wary, dancing around anxiously and looking all around, and Rose looked worried, staring after Coop, “What happened?”

“We had a bit of a disagreement,” Lee said, “But we’ll work it out later.”

Rose shaded her eyes and looked toward the hills, “Do you see that?”

Lee looked in the same direction, squinting and shading her own eyes, “See what?”

And then she saw it, a lone, lonesome, figure heading toward, and Lee couldn’t help but mutter, “Oh, goddamn it.”

Rose asked, “Is that –”

And Coop shouted, “Fucking shit! This ain’t fucking True Mettle or some goddamn pre-teen adventure book. Why the hell is she here?”

And the mystery of the boot prints was finally solved, as Lee stared at goddamn Meggie Larabee, but she didn’t miss a beat, despite her surprise, to jab at Coop and call, “True Mettle was universally panned by critics, wasn’t it?”

“Oh, shut the hell up,” Coop snapped back, “I’m gonna wring her skinny neck.”

And Lee was almost willing to let him.

Chapter Text

July 2276
Joshua Tree State Park
New Republic of California

The kid was smiling at them, looking happy as a fucking cat that had found a bowl of cream.

She was smiling.

And that set Coop off.

He stomped over to her, and grabbed her collar, shaking her hard as he snarled at her, “You reckless, fuckin’, stupid kid. What the fuck do you think you’re playin’ at?”

The dog was growling at the girl, seemingly as furious with her as Coop was, and Coop found himself appreciating the mutt’s support. At least someone else realized how stupid it was for some goddamn high school cheerleader-looking thing to be running around after mutated freaks that would rip her apart in a heartbeat.

“I’m not playing at anything,” Meggie was snarling back at him, furious and practically spitting at him in her rage, “I was looking for my friends!”

“I should fuckin’ tan your hide and send you home to cry to your mama,” Coop shook her again, short, and sharp like a dog shaking its prey. “You’re a kid. What the hell did you think you were gonna do on your own?”

“I didn’t want to lose the trail,” Meggie looked toward Lee, Rose, and the chicken fucker, “Tell him to let me go!”

Coop shook her again, “They ain’t here to help you. Hell, they’re probably even more pissed off than I am, because, unlike me, they might actually care about you.”

Lee was shaking her head, “Meggie, why are you out here?”

“Because I’m an idiot, is that what you want to hear?” Meggie tried to pull out of his grip, but Coop held tight to her collar as she continued, “Look, I saw what happened when I went to check on Connie, and I just didn’t think. I just went after them. Grabbed some food and water from the Albright’s icebox, took Connie’s camping gear, got a gun, and went after them.”

“Why didn’t you tell anyone what you’d found,” Rose asked, sounding oh so reasonable, sweet, and patient just like any mother should be. The dog padded to her side and settled beside her, almost scowling at the girl.

“I just reacted,” Meggie admitted. “And I knew someone would check on the Albrights soon, and they’d probably send someone after Connie and Mary.” She looked at each of them, slowly, “I didn’t think they’d send you, though.” Her eyes lighted on the chicken fucker, and she looked surprised, “Who the hell is that?”

“I, my good child,” The chicken fucker bowed with a flourish, “Am a man of many names and many talents! I am –” There was a long, dramatic pause, before the man said, “The Wizard!”

They all stared at him for a moment, the dog looking supremely unimpressed, and he looked a little shy, but then Rose said, “I think that’s a wonderful name.” and he smiled.

Coop went back to the problem at hand, “What did you think you were gonna do?” Coop shook her again, but not quite as hard. “That you were gonna run in their guns blazing and kill all the Fiends in a burst of glory and rescue them?”

“I don’t know what I was thinking,” Meggie slumped, hunching her shoulders. “I wasn’t thinking. I just wanted to find them.” She looked up at him, her eyes as wide and scared as they’d been after he’d hauled that naked Fiend off her and she’d stared up at him like he was a god, but there was something dark lurking there behind her fear, something Coop didn’t understand, as she said softly, “I didn’t want them to get hurt.”

Coop ground his teeth together so hard he heard and felt them creak, as he stared down at her. She looked scared and tired, dark circles under her eyes so black they almost looked like bruises and they matched the bruises around her throat. He started to think that the grip he had on her was the only thing keeping her upright. Then he looked down at her gear and saw the heavy, sniper rifle poking out of the pack, and suddenly, it all clicked.

He released her, and she stumbled back almost dropping onto the ground in a heap, but Rose darted up, and caught her. She pulled the girl into a tight hug, and Meggie seemed ready to jerk free, more averse to Rose’s kindness than Coop’s roughness, but then she melted into the embrace and curled into Rose.

Coop stared at them, eyes narrow, then he muttered, “Fuckin’ stupid kid.” He picked up the rifle, taking a moment to admire it; it was NCR issue, an anti-material build, with a sleek tapered muzzle, “Where’d you get this?”

“It was my mama’s,” Meggie said, watching him carefully, but not moving out of the protection of Rose’s arms.

“Aw,” Coop couldn’t help his chuckle, “Look at you. Baby’s first and last suicide mission, and with her dead mommy’s gun no less. It’d be sweet if it weren’t so pathetic.”

“She isn’t dead,” Meggie snarled. “She’s just missing.”

“Missing,” Coop pursed his lips, “Ain’t that just a fancy way of saying she disappeared after a skirmish with the fuckin’ Legion? Or maybe some friendly fire?” He couldn’t help but cut into her more and more, something about that hope burning her eyes hitting too close to home, “Bet you’d want it to be friendly fire, instead of the Legion, right? That’d be kinder to some pretty blonde like I’m guessing your mama is.”

“Cooper,” Lee’s voice cracked out, as she finally spoke up, “There’s no need to talk to her like that.”

“Why are you snapping at me?” Coop asked, slightly offended, “She’s the one with the batshit plan! I’m just givin’ her a dose of reality.”

Lee’s expression indicated that his commentary was not helping anything, but Coop ignored that, and continued jabbing a finger at the kid, “Look at her, she can barely fuckin’ stand up! She’s been out here, probably popping every Fiend she sees pop its head out of that hole and hoping that she’ll see those girls.” He stared at her, “Fuckin’ cold ain’t you, sweetheart?”

“I’m not,” Meggie finally jerked out of Rose’s embrace, “It’d be quick and clean, and better than what’s happening to them now.”

She wasn’t wrong, and he knew he’d probably do the same thing if it had been Barb or his little Janey, hell even Lucy, that had been taken by Fiends, but he didn’t say that. Instead, Coop checked the rifle’s condition; it was smooth as butter and oh, so sweet. He tucked the rifle under his arm, making sure Meggie couldn’t get hold of it again. He didn’t care for rifles much, but he figured Rose might be able to use it. He rummaged through Meggie’s pack, snatching the extra ammo, grabbing a few caps, as well as a slim-bladed knife. At the bottom of the bag, hidden under a pile of clothes, was a small Deringer pistol – a one-shot gun.

Now, that was the kind of thinking he knew how to handle.

He glanced at the kid, then back at the gun; it wasn’t a bad way to go, and better than being captured if the Fiends had rushed and overwhelmed her. But he tucked it into his belt anyway, then tossed the pack toward the girl, and snapped, “Here.”

Lee told her, shaking her head, “You have to go back to Shady Sands now. It’s not safe out here.”

“No,” Meggie grabbed her pack, possessively, scowling at Coop when she realized he’d taken some of her things.

He flipped her off instead of replying.

“This isn’t an argument, young lady,” Rose told her, voice full of motherly authority, “You’re going back to Shady Sands. And you’re going now.”

The dog barked in agreement.

Meggie hesitated, then said, “No.”

The Wizard as he so named himself, bobbed forward, “Perhaps, the young lady misunderstands why she should go home.” He scooted close to Meggie, cuddling up to her, an arm around her shoulders, “She might not understand the danger that she’s –”

He didn’t finish his sentence, as Meggie’s elbow slammed into his stomach. She whipped around, shoving him backward, and knocking his legs out from under him. He went down in a heap, and Meggie stood over him, snarling, “Don’t touch me, you skinny fuck!”

The Wizard cringed, curling in on himself, and Meggie seemed ready to rear back and kick him again, but Lee caught her arm and jerked her away from the man, “Meggie! Don’t! He’s down.”

Coop couldn’t stop his laugh, “Kick him again!”

However, the dog was between the girl and the Wizard and was snarling at him, showing huge white teeth and his hackles raised threateningly.

Rose seemed torn between checking on the sniveling Wizard, soothing the dog, or calming the furious girl, but she chose to ask Meggie, “Are you really okay, Meggie?”

“She’s fine,” Coop cut in, “She just needs some sleep and some food.” He looked at her, “Don’t ya, kid?”

“I’m not a kid,” She shook off Lee’s restraining hand and stepped toward Coop, obviously sensing he was her only ally in the situation. “And I’m not going back.”

“You need to go home,” Lee crossed her arms, “Your grandmother will be worried sick.”

“I know,” Meggie shrugged, “But I’m not leaving without Connie and Mary.” She crossed her arms, imitating Lee to a tee, “And you can’t make me.”

“We might not be able to make you,” Rose stood next to Lee – a unified force if Coop had ever seen one before – “But we won’t take you with us.”

“I got here first. I have a camp set up, and a sniper’s roost. I’ve been watching where the entrances are, and how many come out at a time.” Meggie raised her chin and stated firmly, “I’m not leaving without my friends –”

She looked at Coop briefly, and he knew what she was leaving unsaid – not without my friends, or without seeing their bodies – he looked at Lee and Rose, “I say let her stay. If she’s stupid enough to fuck around this like, then let her taste the consequences.”

He tossed the rifle back to her, “Show me your sniper’s roost, kid.”

“Why are you suddenly on her side,” Lee demanded. “Tell her to leave.”

“Look, Ms. Williams,” Coop drawled. “I might not want the kid here, and I might think she’s a fuckin’ idiot with less brains than the fuckin’ Wizard, but I think if one of ‘em is gonna cut and run if the Fiends catch our scent and swarm us, it ain’t gonna be her.”

Meggie’s eyes shone, and she almost smiled at him, “Can I have my gun back?”

“Don’t push your luck,” He replied.

“We’re not done talking about this,” Lee said.

Coop shrugged at her, and as Meggie led him off to her perch, he heard the dog padding along after them, and he also heard Lee sighing in frustration – which absolutely improved his attitude.

And then, just as he was beginning to feel that the day was improving, the heavens opened, and the rain began to pour.

As he pulled up the collar of his duster and pulled his hat further down, he reflected that the universe always seemed to find a way to piss on his joy, literally and figuratively.

The thunder and lightning put an end to their plans to spy on the men.

The second the storm had begun, Hubert and Teri had gathered them up, all of them, not just Lucy and Max, and herded them all back to the library, only stopping long enough to allow them to jump in the rapidly forming puddles.

Lucy clung to Max’s hand the entire way, flinching every time the thunder cracked, and lightning split the sky. She’d never seen rain before. She’d seen it in old movies, watched it bog down wagon trains and wash away small prairie towns, but that was very different than actually being caught in the middle of a storm, and she found it frightening. She wanted to curl up in that little crawlspace in the library, hold Norm as tight as she could, and put her hands over her ears till it had passed.

She didn’t like feeling frightened, so she tried to hide it, but Max seemed to sense it, and he simply tugged her along, chattering to her and smiling at her, despite the rain dripping off his long lashes. He bounded into deeper puddles, pulling her behind him, and laughing as he splashed her gently. He stuck his tongue out, gulping down the water, and explaining that all over Shady Sands, there were huge vats set up to catch rainwater, and that soon that water would be purified, bottled, and given back to the community.

And that was thanks to the hard work of some old hero, Aradesh, and his children, who'd protected and nourished Shady Sands for years; Lucy thought that sometimes Max could be a little flowery, but she still liked his stories.

It didn’t take them long to reach the library, especially when a particularly spectacular rumble of thunder sent Thaddeus scampering ahead like a startled rabbit, and they had to rush to keep up with the chubby boy. Soon, they were all trotting up the library’s steps, shaking water off themselves and wringing out their clothes onto the stones.

Mrs. Rothchild appeared, carrying Norm, tutting at them all, and ushering them inside to the children’s corner. She put Norm in Lucy's lap, handed out a few blankets, and as they got themselves settled down, she offered to get them all warm milk and even some cookies.

Her offer was accepted eagerly, but Hubert offered his help; no one really wanted Mrs. Rothchild hobbling around on her cane after all. So, a few minutes later, they were all settled down on the rug, wrapped in blankets, and sipping warm milk while snacking on the cookies.

The cookies in the Vault were sweeter, Lucy reflected, but these cookies were warmer and gooier, and she leaned against Max’s shoulder comfortably, while she listened to Thaddeus and Dane squabbling over which book they wanted read to them. She stared out the window, watching the rain, and wondering if it was raining where her mama was; then she realized that she'd never had to wonder that before and giggled to herself quietly.

But before a book could be chosen, the library’s front doors swung open, almost as loudly as the thunder outside, and the rain swept in along with the visitors.

Lucy reflected that a lot of stuff seemed to happen at the library, and a lot of people seemed to find their way into it, as she stared at the newcomers curiously.

They were half-hidden by an umbrella, and Lucy could only really make out a long white dress, made of something that looked like lace – a wedding dress, Lucy realized after a moment – and a pair of black trousers and shiny shoes.

Teri suddenly jumped to her feet, saying, “Oh, my god!” just as the umbrella dropped and the woman it had hidden called, “Oh, my god!”

The two women bounded toward each other, wrapping each other up in a tight embrace and chattering away to one another.

Lucy stared at them, then looked at Max, “Who’s that?”

“I don’t know,” He replied, more focused on his cookies than the newcomers.

Lucy continued staring.

The woman had her hair half-hidden underneath a veil that was almost as long as the train of her wedding dress, but Lucy caught sight of a flash of blonde, and bright blue eyes. The man behind her had dark hair and wore a black and white checkered suit jacket – it looked stupid, Lucy decided.

He approached, smiling wide, “Aren’t you gonna introduce me to your friends, babydoll?”

But before any introductions could be made, Mrs. Rothchild appeared, Huert beside her, and she froze, her rheumy eyes going wide, “Oh, my Lord. Daisy-Mae, what are you doing here?”

The young woman stepped forward, smiling, and holding out her left hand to reveal a huge, glittering ring on her fourth finger, “I wanted to surprise you! I got married!” She looked around, “Where’s Meggie? I wanted you both to meet Benny.”

And that was when Lucy realized she was talking to Meggie’s big sister, the one who was a courier for the Mojave Express.

Their pursuers seemed to have settled down for the night, curled under the young one’s makeshift shelter to hide from the rain. They hadn’t lit a fire and were merely huddled together in the darkness.

He watched them, carefully, hidden up in the hills nearby, eyes slit tight against the rain.

They’d known that the young one was following them, her scent had wafted toward them on the first day, but they hadn’t stopped to try and take her. It was too risky so close to Shady Sands, so they had continued on their way back to their home, luring the girl after them with a trail gouged deep in the dirt.

And now, there were even more females, and he breathed in, trying to catch their scent despite the rain that poured down.

All he could smell, though, was the rain and a strange scent of death.

He watched a little longer, then retreated back into the caves. He would surely be given a reward for finding their pursuers, and perhaps, a turn with one of their pretty prizes, if they were able to rush down and take that little group unaware under his leadership. And that thought was enough to send shivers almost as pleasurable as a hit of Jet shuddering down his spine.

It was almost night, and thanks to the rain it was already dark, and he knew that his people loved to hunt best wrapped in a shroud of darkness.

Chapter Text

July 2276
Joshua Tree National Park
New Republic of California

Lee had been called a communist more times than she could count, and a degenerate almost as often before the bombs fell, but she’d never let the words bother her; they didn’t matter, and neither did any of the people who spat them at her as if they were worse than a curse.

It had mattered to pretty, blonde, Jenny Wilkerson, though. Lee and Jenny had spent the summer of their junior year in high school sneaking kisses behind the city pool and having sleepovers at one another’s houses every weekend. They’d even sneaked off a few times during church and settled themselves in the musty attic to talk and exchange even more kisses. They’d never gone much further than that, though Lee remembered the sweet thrill she’d get at the sight of the white cotton bra Jenny wore religiously when they changed into their pajamas.

Once school had started, however, Jenny had distanced herself, losing herself in a crowd of jocks and cheerleaders, and leaving Lee far behind, and the lingering memory of her first love nothing but a pleasant memory.

As she’d gotten older, though, she’d focused on nothing but her studies. She thrived in science and found a love there even sweeter than Jenny Wilkerson’s lips had been. Science thrilled her, fulfilled her, and didn’t leave her yearning for something she’d never truly get.

Her life had been one experiment after another, cold fusion dominated her thoughts, and then her company took off, and she became more and more famous, and every dream she ever had had started coming true. She had more money than she’d ever dreamed she could, a voice in her community and in the world of scientific exploration, and the prettiest blue coupe she could find. She’s also lost herself in a sea of women; young, old, pretty, plain, it didn’t particularly matter to Lee as none of them filled that gnawing hunger in her heart for something she couldn’t quite describe.

She’d thought that Claire was the answer for a time, pretty, waifish, redheaded Claire with her bright laugh and sparkling eyes. But Claire had been hungry too – hungry for fame, her name in lights, and the next big jump in her career, and Lee, and their relationship, even their friendship, eventually became an afterthought to her. Lee had understood that hunger, that all-encompassing drive for a dream, even if it had hurt like hell back then, but she’d understood.

But now, hundreds of years after the last time she’d spoken to Claire, the last time she’d been in her lab, the last time she’d been working on her companies, she stared down at Rose as the other woman lay curled up and snoring lightly and cuddled up underneath an old duster and with her head in Lee’s lap, Lee suddenly felt almost achingly full.

Then again, she supposed, it could’ve been the brahmin jerky she was eating, but Lee chose to believe it was the more poetic option as she carded her fingers through Rose’s soft hair.

She sat with her back against the big rock where Meggie’s makeshift camp had been and stared out over the desolate wastes. She could still remember a time when even here, in the remains of the National Park, there had been civilization within reach. Now, though, it was all darkness and loneliness, and she was glad of their small campfire, even if the rain kept threatening to drown it.

She continued eating, listening to the soft tune that Cooper was murmuring to himself. She wasn’t sure he even realized he was doing it, but the ghoul was stroking that huge dog, Meggie asleep on his other side, as he softly sang, “…Got shot in the breast and I know I must die…”

Lee watched them for a moment, smiling; she’d been as surprised as anyone that Meggie had taken so well to the ghoul, but the girl seemed happier by Coop than anyone else. Lee figured it was some sort of misguided crush on Meggie’s part, but she also was trying very hard not to contemplate that, so to distract herself from that horrible thought, Lee said, “I haven’t heard that song in years.”

“I’m just full of old tunes,” Coop returned, his tone soft and without the usual twang of his accent coloring it. “I’m like a junked-out jukebox.”

“Did you learn it for one of your movies,” Lee asked, watching as the Wizard bounded about in the rain, catching the drops in various vials and chattering to himself as he did.

“Not this one,” Coop hesitated a moment, then he said, “I learned it after the war, from my brother.”

“You had a brother,” Lee asked, looking at him curiously; despite their association before the bombs had fallen, Lee hadn’t known much about the man named Cooper Howard. He’d just been the perfect piece to move across the board in her attempts to learn more about Vault-Tec’s less than altruistic façade, and for that, she hadn’t needed to know much about him.

“Yeah,” He was staring at the fire, still stroking the dog. “Nate.”

“Younger,” Lee guessed.

“Just a few years,” Coop nodded, raindrops dripping off the brim of his hat and looking almost like tears in the firelight. “He joined the 108th a few months after I joined the Marines.”

“Did he make it,” Lee asked, even now, many of the older ghouls still felt the pain of their losses in the war keenly.

“He made it,” Coop’s lips quirked in a near smile. “He made it home to his little wife, and he moved out to Boston with her.” He glanced at her, “You might’ve met her, she was Jane Russell’s little sister. Jane was always interested in science.”

“You don’t mean the Jane Russell who dated Robert House?”

“That I do,” Coop said.

Lee had to stifle a shocked laugh, “Mousy, little, Nora Russell married your brother? Small world.” Then she asked, more somberly, “Did you get to see him often before –”

“Not as often as I’d have liked,” Coop admitted, “But I saw him three weeks before the bombs fell.” He paused just long enough that Lee wasn’t sure he was going to continue, “He and Nora came out here to introduce me and Janey to their little boy.”

“That sounds like a good memory,” Lee observed.

“It ain’t as bad as some,” Coop admitted. “And Janey loved toting that little boy around with her.”

“Do you know what happened to them,” Lee asked; two hundred years was a long enough time to try and track down a long-lost brother.

“No,” Coop sighed. “I trekked out that way a few decades after I started realizing that I wasn’t about to drop dead anytime soon, but there weren’t hide nor hair of any of ‘em to be found.” His voice hardened, “They’re probably dead, and that’d be a mercy. Nate hated the war, and he’d have hated all this chaos even more. He might’ve survived, but he’d never have found himself in this fuckin’ world. And Nora was sweet, gentle; one of those human rights lawyers, ya know. She’d never have survived all this.”

“Why do you do that,” Lee asked, staring at him. “With your accent. You keep talking like you’re in one of your movies.”

He stared at the fire, “Come on, darlin’, don’t tell me you ain’t figured it out yet.”

“I think I know,” Lee said.

“You told me all about myself earlier,” He looked up at her, eyes reflecting the firelight, “Tell me about this, Ms. Williams.”

“You’re a performer,” Lee felt Rose shift, and gently stroked her companion’s hair soothingly. “And you’ve gone method.”

“I used to think method actin’ was bullshit,” Coop said, then he abruptly said, changing the subject entirely, “I’ve been thinkin’, it seems a mite strange to me that the Fiends targeted the peacekeepers. Granted, I ain’t seen Fiends like these mutated fucks before, but I have seen raiders more times than I can count. And when they do things like that, it ain’t just on a whim. And especially after kidnapping these girls, something don’t feel right.”

“You think this was planned,” Lee asked, stiffening, and staring at him.

“I don’t know for sure,” Coop admitted. “But it seems like it could be part of something bigger.” He hooked a thumb at Meggie, “Fiends don’t typically just hightail it, and she wasn’t exactly sneaking along behind ‘em.”

“That’s true,” Lee said, frowning. “But what could any of this have been about?”

Then the fire popped, and something cracked, and Lee looked up, distracted from Coop, and peering out into the darkness. She was sure that the crack had been a log breaking apart, but there was a little shiver of unease that went up her spine, and then she noticed a sweet, cloying smell coming from the fire, and she sat up, gently removing Rose’s head from her lap, saying, “Coop –”

But he was already up, pistol in hand, giving Meggie a kick, “Get up, kid!”

But Meggie didn’t move, and neither did the dog, and Lee found herself feeling dizzy and sleepy. She blinked a few times, trying to gather herself, and that was when she saw a face, dead white skin, huge pale eyes, and too-big teeth bared in a leer, staring at her from just a few feet away.

She scrambled, reaching for her gun, but before she could grab it, then Fiend threw itself at her, and Lee felt the sting of teeth sinking into her shoulder. She howled, struggling to throw it off her, and forcing it toward the fire. She rolled to atop it, pressing its back down onto the still-burning sticks. She could feel the heat on her face and her legs, and her still injured hands were practically sending pain screaming through her, but she held the Fiend down, listening to it scream as it writhed and tried to twist her over and regain its advantage. But Lee pressed down harder, snarling in its ear, “Stop biting me! Let go!”

She could smell burning flesh, and the heat began threatening to burn her, but just when she thought she might have to jerk away, the Fiend released her shoulder. Her own blood spurted hot on her neck, and she could see a mangled chunk of flesh and cloth in the Fiend’s mouth as it began to scream shrilly and kick and writhe. She jerked away, letting it wriggle pathetically in the dying embers of the fire as she gripped her bloodied shoulder and tried to take stock of what had happened and to look for the others.

She knew she was moving slowly, and the pain in her shoulder as well as her sudden tiredness made her falter. And then something hit her hard on the back of the head, and the last thing Lee saw was Rose still curled up and sound asleep.

“Oh, sweetheart,” Mrs. Rothchild stepped forward, her smile strained, but her eyes shining bright with joy. “You got married? I had no idea you were even seeing anyone.”

Lucy stared at the bride, entranced. She’d seen a few Vault weddings, and they had been beautiful, but the brides had all worn the same dress, that pretty, ivory silk, with the floaty veil, and she’d never seen another wedding dress before. She wanted to touch the lace desperately, but instead, she stayed put and hugged Norm tight, watching, and remembering the oft-used words she'd memorized in the Vault, ‘Children should be seen, and not heard’.

The man in the stupid suit, smiled wide, and his tone was teasing, “I was your dirty, little secret? How romantic, baby.”

Daisy-Mae ignored him, and dropped to her knees in front of her grandmother, “Your leg – what happened, Nana?”

“Fiends,” Mrs. Rothchild petted her head, stroking the lace of Daisy-Mae's veil. “They attacked not long ago. We’re mostly alright, but –”

“Meggie,” She looked as if she was going to cry; Lucy thought this made her even prettier.

“I don’t know where she is,” Mrs. Rothchild admitted. “But she was alive last time I saw her.”

Max piped up, “I think she went after the other girls.”

All eyes turned to him, and he looked like he wanted to sink into the floor, but Max repeated, “I think Meggie went after the girls the Fiends took. The ones Lucy’s mom and Ms. Moldaver, and Mr. Howard went after earlier.”

“I see the urge to help hopeless causes runs in the family,” Daisy-Mae’s husband commented, but his eyes were narrow and attentive, and he’d stiffened up the same way Lucy had seen Coop do that night with the Fiends.

“Are you sure,” Daisy-Mae asked. “You’re sure she went after them?”

“I dunno,” Max shrugged, tucking his chin against his chest and scooting behind Lucy. “It was just a guess, but it makes sense, right?”

“Yeah, it does,” Daisy-Mae sighed, then she held her hand out to her husband, “Benny, how do you feel about delaying the honeymoon a little bit?”

“Why not,” He helped her to her feet, kissing the back of her hand gently as he did, “I paid for the unlimited drinks package, and that’s non-refundable, but this is definitely higher on my priority list.”

And then his wife blinked at him, just once, and a wide, silly smile spread over his face, “You know I’m teasing. I can’t say no to you.” He leaned forward and kissed her cheek, “Let me go start the car, babydoll.”

“I gotta learn how to do that,” Lucy murmured watching as Benny headed back out into the pouring rain, followed by Hubert who was asking him, “Did you say car,”.

“You already know how to do that,” Max muttered back.

Lucy looked back at the adults, as Teri was saying, “We think they came from over around Joshua Tree, but we haven’t been able to figure out exactly where they’re hiding out before.”

“And you said these are those mutated ones,” Daisy-Mae was frowning, “Not the usual Fiends?”

“Mutated for sure,” Teri nodded, then she sighed, “All this rain’s gonna wash out any tracks.”

“Don’t worry,” Daisy-Mae said, smiling reassuringly. “Benny’s tribal; he can track anything, even through rain like this.” Then Daisy-Mae turned around then, fixing her bright smile on Max as she asked softly, “Teri, this can’t be little Max, can it?”

“It is,” Teri looked so proud that Lucy couldn’t help smiling at Max. “Isn’t he big now?”

“Mom,” Max groaned as Monty and Thaddeaus snickered behind their hands, and even Dane giggled at him, “Quit!”

“The last time I saw you, you were barely old enough to walk,” Daisy-Mae smiled at him, “You’re growing so fast.” She looked at the rest of them, “Are these your friends?”

“Uh huh,” Max nodded.

Lucy got to her feet and stepped forward, holding out her hand, “I’m Lucy MacLean. I’m one of Max’s friends, and my momma went after those Fiends.”

Daisy-Mae shook her hand, “Your mama must be very brave, Lucy MacLean.”

Thaddeaus got to his feet, “I’m Thaddeaus. My dad owns the fly farm.” He announced very proudly, “I’m a shitter.”

Monty groaned, “You dorkass bitch, no one wants to hear that.”

Before anyone could argue, the door flew open again, and Benny and Hubert reappeared, both dripping wet, as Benny announced dramatically, “Babydoll, your carriage awaits! Who cares if we miss the drinks and the beach, and all those nonrefundable caps – we gotta go play hero!”

“Come show me which way they went,” Daisy-Mae said to Teri, then she leaned over and gave her grandmother a tight hug, “I’ll bring her. Don’t worry, Nana.” She looked at Lucy, “And I’ll try and find your mama too.” Then, she plucked off her veil and set it on Lucy’s head, “Take care of this for me till I get back, Lulabell.”

And then she disappeared in a swish of white lace, while Lucy stood still for a moment, a little dumbstruck, then she darted toward the door and stepped out into the rain, with Max and the others at her heels.

But all they saw was the disappearing back end of a real, working, car.

“Miriam,” Teri asked, “Did that really just happen?”

“When it comes to my granddaughter,” Mrs. Rothchild said, sighing and smiling fondly, “I’m willing to believe anything.”

Rose’s head felt like it was going to split open, her mouth felt dry, and her tongue thick, and every time the torchlight flickered, she flinched. She felt sick and tired, but she kept herself pressed up against the bars of the cage she’d awoken in.

There wasn’t much to see, given that the cell had been built into a natural alcove that was just off the main cavern. Rose could hear the soft murmur of voices, accompanied by the beating of a drum, all repeating the same soft phrase over and over again, but she couldn’t quite make it out. Instead, she’d watched the flicking of the torchlight and listened to the chanting since she’d woken.

Lee and Coop were in the small cell with her, but Meggie was nowhere to be seen, and neither was the Wizard. She figured that the Wizard might’ve run off, and she couldn’t really blame him, but she was a little disappointed.

She’d done her best to patch up Lee’s bleeding shoulder, but without any supplies, it was more than a little difficult, and she found herself struggling to stem the flow of blood.

Coop suddenly groaned, and sat up, muttering, “What the fuck hit me?”

Rose glanced at him, and said, “It might’ve been a Fiend.”

“I do so appreciate your sarcasm,” Coop snapped at her, then he looked around and asked, “Where’s my hat?”

“I don’t know,” Rose replied.

He got to his feet, slowly, “Where’s the dog? And the kid?”

“I haven’t seen either of them,” Rose replied.

He headed over to the bars and craned his neck, listening intently, then he reeled back, “Oh, fuck!”

“What?” Rose jumped to her feet, “What’s wrong?”

“It’s a fuckin’ cult!” Coop clenched his hands and ground his teeth. He looked so furious that Rose almost stepped away from him, as he continued snarling, “It’s a motherfuckin’ cult! Oh, I was thinkin’ to myself earlier, how could this fuckin’ day get any worse? This! This is how!”

“How do you know it’s a cult,” Rose asked, genuinely curious.

“I worked in Hollywood,” He snapped back. “Trust me! I know cults when I see ‘em! Besides, that chanting, definitely culty.” Then he added, in a more subdued tone, “And in one of my movies, I played a man discoverin’ that his daughter had joined a cult of Communism; it was similar.”

“A cult,” Rose mulled that over, then smiled, “I’ve seen a cult before.”

“You lived it,” Coop muttered, “Fuckin’ Vault dweller.”

Rose didn’t argue with him, and instead, she leaned against the bars again, saying, “I’m worried about Meggie.”

“Don’t be,” Coop looked like he was on the verge of an aneurysm. “Depending on the kind of cult it is, she’s either going to a child bride or a virgin sacrifice. Either way, she’s safer than we are.”

Rose considered that for a moment, then said, “Well, I guess we should start figuring out how to rescue the child bride.”

“How about we just leave her here,” Coop said, “And run away together so you can finally tell me what I want to know.”

“We could,” Rose said, “But I don’t think you’d actually do that.” She smiled at him, “Would you?”

“Oh, I would,” He assured her, “In a fuckin’ heartbeat. I would leave her little ass here and let them eat her, fuck her, sacrifice her, whatever they want. The only reason I’m here is because you have something I want, and you know how to leverage that.”

“I learned from the best,” Rose said, dropping her smile. “But I promise, you help me rescue Meggie, and the other girls if they’re still alive, and get us all out of here, I’ll tell you anything I can about anything you want to know.”

“No caveats,” He asked, “You’re not gonna tell me I have to find that damn dog first? Or your little chicken fucker friend?”

“Well, I thought those were obviously going to happen first,” Rose said, primly. “But it seems you’ve already figured that out.”

Coop scowled even more deeply, and muttered, while he checked the cell’s bars for weaknesses, “I fuckin’ hope you made Hank MacLean’s life more miserable than you’re making mine.”

“Hank said he was never happier than when he was with me,” Rose said, wistfully.

Coop looked at her, and for just a moment his eyes softened, but then he snapped at her, “Stop standin’ there looking at me and go check on your girlfriend. I need to concentrate.”

Rose stared at him for a moment, then she went over to Lee and settled down beside her. Rose gently touched Lee’s forehead and then she frowned.

Lee’s skin felt hot to the touch, and she was breathing hard. Behind her eyelids, her eyes were flicking back and forth, and her mouth was tight and anxious even in sleep. Rose gently pushed back her tangled hair, and murmured, “You’ve needed your rest, but not like this.”

She slowly transferred Lee’s head onto her lap, the same way she’d put her own head in Lee’s lap hours before, and stroked Lee’s dark hair as she watched the ghoul test the bars. Then, so softly that Coop couldn’t possibly hear her, Rose murmured, testing how the words felt on her tongue and how it made her feel to whisper them to herself, “My girlfriend.”  

Chapter Text

July 2776
Vault 33
The New Republic of California

“Have you decided what you’re going to do yet,” Betty asked, standing by the observation window of the Vault’s jail cell, and looking in at their prisoners. “About Rose?”

“I’ll have to go after her,” Hank said, sighing. “It’s obvious she isn’t coming back.”

“You’re just realizing that now,” Betty teased, then she went serious again, “But you’re right, Hank. We must find her. And the children, of course.”

“I’ll be more than content if I find Lucy,” Hank said, then he added, “And Norm, obviously.”

“Rose can be considered collateral damage,” Betty said, casually. “If it comes to that, which I know we both hope it won’t.”

“What can we say about my absence,” Hank mused aloud, “People will notice that I’m gone.”

“I’ve already thought about that,” Betty lifted her PIP-Boy and showed him a mockup of a few medical charts. “I’ve taken the liberty of ensuring that you, Rose, the children, and the rest of the Quigley siblings – not Chet, though, he’s a good boy – have all come down with Blue Spots.”

“Blue Spots,” Hank read the charts, frowning, “What is this, Betty?”

“It’s a Pre-War relic,” Betty explained. “Med-Tek was working on a few different viruses and diseases before the bombs fell, and I remembered reading about a particularly nasty disease I thought might be just perfect for our little charade.” Betty tapped over to the symptoms, “Painful blue boils forming all over the body, with the afflicted unable to move. Incredibly painful. Med-Tek made sure it only affected children and teenagers, but the dwellers don’t need to know that. I figure we can say that it seems to only be affecting adults, but after we announce it, we’ll keep Chet out of school for a few days. Just to be safe and to make sure he doesn’t pass any germs about.”

“And you’ll keep them from coming near the afflicted with their well-wishes, of course, because the infirmary will be closed to visitors due to the contagious nature of this strange new disease while our doctors work diligently to try and find a cure,” Hank smiled. “Betty, sometimes I forget just how brilliant you are.”

“You’re not the first,” Betty lowered her arm. “When will you leave?”

“I’ll give it another few days, a week at the most,” Hank said. “We’ll announce what they’ve come down with tomorrow and let everyone stew. Since Chet’s already staying with you, you should probably tell everyone you’re ill and just stay home for a while to really sell it. And once you’ve recovered, I’ll announce I’m ill and taking time to be with my family.”

“And how do we explain how they caught something like this,” Betty asked.

“We’ll say that Rose caught it first when she was doing maintenance on the water pipes.” A stroke of brilliance struck Hank then, “We’ll say that some creature from the surface burrowed in, and bit her, infecting her with some disease and we’ve had to quarantine them all to keep it from spreading around the Vault. And that’s why Rose, and my children, have been absent for these past few weeks since we wanted to make sure no one else caught it. And we can blame the famine on it too – germs and radiation affecting the crops when we enact Plan F.” He smiled, “It’s perfect.”

“Seems a bit convoluted,” Betty observed, “But they’ll buy it if we make an official announcement.” She sighed, “And they’ll probably panic. You know how anxious they can get.”

“A little panic will help sell it,” Hank pointed out, “Especially once the food shortages begin. And the crops start dying off.” He pursed his lips, “We’ll have to make sure that the children and the healthy get the most food. You can draw up that data, can’t you?”

“Of course,” Then Betty tutted, “We have to tell Bud just how gullible the dwellers are, though; it might be a flaw in his experiment.”

“They’re just as God intended them to be,” Hank said, then he waved at the crowd in the cell, “And if they’re so gullible, how do we explain the Quigleys? And even Ben. He was always such a good security officer. I never expected this from him. We’ll have to appoint a new chief of security.”

“The Quigleys are an aberration,” Betty said, mouth thinning, “I’ve always thought so. Their mother was just the same, always asking questions.” She cocked her head, “But I can’t explain Ben; his father will be so disappointed when we tell him. And we’ll have to make sure Ian knows that one of his dwellers was acting this way; he’ll need to watch out for dissidents as well.”

“At least Joy’s not around anymore; that tumor you and Bud worked out for her was just a stroke of brilliance, sad as it made Rose and the kids,” Hank said, soothingly; Betty could get so worked up. “And soon, this little pack of troublemakers won’t be able to make things any harder for us.” Then, he sighed heavily, “It’s a real shame about all this. They were such good breeders.”

Betty’s eyes narrowed and her voice was soft and calculated, “Maybe, we don’t need to eliminate all of them; Dahlia’s quite pretty, and you’ll need a new wife. And Lucy loves her already.” She cocked her head thoughtfully, “Or we could ask Bud to check in Vault 32; maybe there’s someone else compatible there.”

Hank thought for a moment, looking at the huddled form of his former wife’s youngest sister, “That’s not a bad idea, Betty.” He smiled at her, “Bud will be just thrilled with it! He’s so passionate about having the best genes matched together.” He elbowed her gently, teasing, “Should we start looking for a new husband for you?”

“Another one,” Betty’s smile was sweet as a poisoned Fancy Lad, “And here I thought what I did to Marcus had sent a message to all you men about how I feel about this little breeding ground.”

Hank shrugged, “Well, ya can’t blame me for trying, Betty.”

Myrtle couldn’t hear what Hank and Betty were saying, but she knew it couldn’t be good. She stayed seated at the table, watching them, trying in vain to read their lips, while Juniper paced back and forth behind her, muttering to himself.

Her little brother was anxious at the best of times and being dragged out of his bed by Vault security and dragged through the Vault to a cell had rattled his nerves tremendously. He looked thin and tired, and he was raking his hands through his hair over and over as he paced.

Benjamin was lying on one of the cots; her husband was so tall that his feet hung off the end of the bed awkwardly, but his expression was peaceful. This was practically the first real vacation he’d gotten since their honeymoon, and no matter the circumstances that had brought it about, he was taking as much advantage of it as he could. He barely seemed bothered by his imprisonment, but Myrtle knew her husband well enough to sense his anger.

Dahlia was asleep on one of the other cots, curled up tight under the blankets, with only the top of her head, and the tumble of her tangled hair showing. She’d been crying when Vault security had brought her in, and the front of her vault suit had been torn open.

Ben had battered both guards, his own men, bloody for that, and they’d only stopped him from doing more damage by stunning him repeatedly with their batons. And Myrtle couldn’t remember a time when she’d loved her husband more, except when he’d held Chet for the first time, and she’d seen his broad, big-boned face soften with unconditional love.

Myrtle looked at her companion and asked, “What do you think?”

Primrose – and not for the first time, Myrtle wondered why the hell their parents had had children called ‘Rose’ and ‘Primrose’ – leaned back, putting her feet up on the table, and lacing her hands together behind her head as casually as if they were in her living room, “Well, I think we might be fucked.”

“A truly stunning observation, Prim,” Myrtle returned.

“What did you want me to say,” Prim stared at the ceiling. “We’re in a cell, no PIP-Boys, half-rations – we’re fucked unless someone comes looking for us. If Hank decides to be a dick – which he probably will if we don’t cave and tell him all of Rose’s secrets – and stops sending us food, we’ll all starve to death. Juniper’s on the verge of a nervous breakdown. And I just started my period.”

“Well, when you put it like that,” Myrtle chuckled, then she shook her head, “No one’s going to come looking for us. Can you imagine Reg or Woody crossing Hank to try and find us?”

“Maybe we’ll get lucky, and Veronica will come down here.” But Prim didn’t seem very hopeful about it even as she continued, “I know Hank probably told her not to bother, but maybe she left something at her desk.”

“Or perhaps Davey’ll pull his head out of his ass and wonder why Juniper got dragged out of bed in the middle of the night,” Myrtle continued staring at Hank and Betty, wishing she could smash through the glass and wrap her hands around Hank’s neck.

“Well, I think we’ll just have to figure something out,” Prim said, very seriously. “I love our neighbors, but like Ma used to say, sometimes they’re not the brightest.”

But there was something in her tone that made Myrtle give her a long look, “What did you do?”

“Nothin’,” Prim replied, slowly, but there was a curl to her lips that made Myrtle hopeful.

“Right,” Myrtle looked back at Betty and Hank, “Nothin’.”

“It wasn’t my idea, I just did some dirty work,” Primrose’s expression didn’t change, “Ask your husband about it.”

Myrtle turned, looking at her husband, “Ben?”

Ben didn’t move much, only shrugged a little, as he sang, “I’ve got friends in low places.”

Myrtle narrowed her eyes, “I hate that song.”

“Hon,” Ben still didn’t move, “I promise, you’ll like the song after this.”

“What?” Myrtle asked, slightly sarcastically, “Is someone going blow through the sewer line with dynamite and bust us outta here like in one of those old heist movies?”

“If that was a heist,” Prim put in, “That would draw way too much attention.”

Juniper looked up, dark eyes wide, as he leaned over Ben awkwardly, “Do you really have a plan? Or are you just bluffing?”

“I never bluff,” Ben replied, “Except at poker. And this isn’t poker.”

Dahlia sat up, her dark curls tumbling around her face, and her huge greenish eyes looking even bigger than usual, “Will we be going soon?”

“Soon enough,” Ben replied. “I can’t say for sure, but I’m hoping it won’t be too much longer.”

“Will we be able to go get Chet,” Myrtle asked, standing up and beginning to pace alongside Juniper and ignoring the insistent ache in her head.

“We won’t need to,” Ben assured her.

She whipped around, “What?”

“Sweetheart,” Ben finally sat up, and reached for her, reeling her into an embrace and smiling at her. “Stop worrying. If this doesn’t work, we’ll be no worse off than we were before. And Chet will be just fine and dandy.”

“And if it does,” Prim added, “We’ll be outta here.”

Juniper and Dahlia both looked nervous, but Myrtle mulled that over a moment, then she nodded and said, “Let’s blow this popsicle stand.”

Chet sat in the classroom, staring at the chalkboard, as Ms. Marianne droned on and on. Normally, he loved school, but today, everything was different, and all her words sounded the same and everyone kept staring at him when she wasn’t looking.

The other kids had already been acting weird around him after his aunt and cousins had disappeared, and that had only gotten worse after the rest of his family had been taken away to the infirmary. Everyone seemed wary of him, afraid he might be infected with the mystery illness too. And maybe he was – how would he know if he wasn’t?

Chet wasn’t quite sure he believed that his family was sick, though. No one was coughing, sneezing, or even covered in the itchy red spots he and Lucy had gotten a few years ago. His mom and dad seemed perfectly fine, and so had everyone else, especially Lucy, Norm, and his Aunt Rose. None of them had looked sick the last time he’d seen them, which was a few weeks ago, but he still didn’t think they’d looked sick.

However, most of the other adults didn’t agree; Ruth Cherry kept insisting that she’d seen boils all over Norm the last time she’d seen him. And Judy Clark and Sharon Smith had been whispering that his Aunt Dahlia had been white as a ghost when Vault security had taken her to the infirmary.

But they weren’t in the infirmary; Bert had told him that there was no one there except Old Doc Mitchel, who seemed more than a little confused that everyone had said that his family was in the infirmary, but he was also under orders not to tell anyone that the infirmary was empty.

He was brought back to reality by Ms. Marianna asking him, “Chet? Chet, did you hear me?”

Chet blinked at her, “No, ma’am.”

She gave him a sigh, then asked, “I asked you what you thought of –”

Bert raised his hand, “Ms. Marianne!”

Her eyes narrowed, but she still said patiently, “Bert, I was asking Chet the question, not you.”

“But he looks like he’s going to puke,” Bert said, eyes wide and innocent – just like they’d practiced during recess.

“Chet, do you feel sick,” Ms. Marianne asked him, full of concern, and all her questions about their lesson entirely forgotten.

Chet nodded, then dry heaved as much as he could, and as dramatically as he could, “I don’t feel very good.”

“Go see Doc Mitchell,” She tutted, “You poor thing. You look like you’re going to faint.”

Chet did feel a little faint, so he scooted out of the classroom as quickly as he could as she called after him, “He’s taking patients in his room, remember, Chet?” He really would go see Doc Mitchell, but only after making a stop first.

His dad had whispered the instructions to him before he’d been taken away, and then his aunt had handed him a small disc when she’d visited him before being taken away. And Chet didn’t totally understand exactly what he was supposed to do, but he was going to carry his instructions out to the letter – if he could.

He slipped through the halls of the Vault, it was easy with everyone being at their work in the fields or in the tunnels, or just whatever they did all day, so it was easy for him to avoid anyone seeing him. He wound further into the Vault, making his way carefully to the security office.

It was one of the busier parts of the Vault, but no one paid much attention to him. Even with his father supposedly quarantined in the infirmary, people were so used to seeing him head into the office that no one questioned him now.

He slipped in the door, skirting along the wall and slinking toward his father’s office. It was locked up tight, but Chet knew the code, and he quickly keyed it in, then slipped inside and shut the door behind him.

He didn’t turn on the lights, and quickly sat down in his father’s worn chair and powered on the terminal. He knew a bit about terminals, so it was easy for him to get that far. Then, he slipped in the disc and waited for the program to boot up.

The terminal whirred for a moment, then the file popped up on the screen, the green text reading, ‘Death to Management – SOS’ flashed at him.

Chet stared at it, confused, but he didn’t hesitate, and instead scrolled to the bottom of the page, where the option to press ‘Send’ or to press ‘Delete’ both hovered in front of him.

He looked at the message again, just once, then he pressed ‘Send’. 

Chapter Text

July 2776
Joshua Tree National Park
The New Republic of California

The chanting was getting louder slowly, and Coop knew that soon it would reach a frenzied crescendo and whatever was going to happen, would begin. Frankly, he really didn’t want to stick around long enough to find out what was going to happen, so he checked the bars methodically.

Then Coop almost banged his head against the bars of the cell when Rose chirped at him, “You said ‘girlfriend’ not ‘girl friend’. Those are two different things, aren’t they?”

“Wow,” He replied, sarcastically, “You noticed. Good for you, sweetheart.”

“But why did you say it like that,” Rose questioned. “You meant something by it – what do you mean?”

Coop didn’t turn around, and merely continued trying the bars, hoping to find a weak point, “Oh, come on, Vaultie, you can’t be that naïve.”

“I’m not naïve,” Rose insisted, and he could hear her approaching him. “I know that sometimes I don’t know the same things as surface dwellers, but that’s not the same thing.”

“Oh, please,” Coop heard the snarl in his voice and cursed that the Fiends had taken his serum; he’d need that sooner than later, “You’re as soft and naïve as a doe.”

“I’m not soft,” She said, and her voice was soft as a feather and Coop almost scoffed at her, but instead he kept listening to her as she went on, “I know you and Lee think that because I grew up in a Vault, that I’m soft and delicate and I’m not.”

“I also think you’re an idiot with more compassion than common sense,” Coop added, helpfully.

“I’m not soft and I’m not compassionate,” Rose said, watching him carefully.

Coop found a bar that felt just a little less firm than the others and began shoving at it. He grunted, “Says the woman who decided to run off on a rescue mission for some kids she doesn’t even know.”

“I know Meggie,” Rose moved closer, hovering like she wanted to help, but wasn’t sure if he’d let her. “That’s enough.”

“Yeah, sure,” Coop pushed harder at the bars; why the fuck did being trapped in enclosed places give some people the urge to start spilling their guts?

“Mr. Howard,” Rose’s voice was colder than ice, and there was a sudden steel in it that made Coop stiffen his shoulders, “Do you know how I left my Vault?”

“I didn’t think to ask,” He replied.

“I had my sister open the door for me; she’s the gatekeeper.” Rose’s voice still had that coldness to it and Coop knew if he had any hair left on the back of his neck, it would be standing on end. “I got her up there at the crack of dawn, and I told her to open the door. She did it, didn’t ask me any questions, and watched while I walked out of there with my children.”

“And the point of this is,” Coop asked.

“I knew that the second Hank figured out I was gone, he’d go to her with his questions. And I just left her standing there, without any answers to give him.” Her voice never even shook. “I left all my siblings, a brother-in-law, and a nephew in that Vault and didn’t look back. And the worst part is, I knew that Hank would go straight to them to try and find out where I’d gone.”

“Well, I’ll admit,” Coop sucked on his teeth, “That is pretty cold.”

“I could’ve asked them all to come with me,” Rose’s voice was still cold, but he heard the slightest bit of a tremor in it. “I had so many chances, but I didn’t. I left them there because I knew that if all of us disappeared at the same time, someone would notice, and they’d tell Hank. And I couldn’t take that chance.”

Coop didn’t know what to say to that; on the one hand, he was actually a little impressed, he really didn’t think that the Vaultie had that in her. On the other, damn, that made him a little concerned about keeping up with her if she ever decided to cut and run again; if she’d leave behind her siblings, she wouldn’t look twice at him.

“I didn’t want to leave them,” She said, all sad now, “I really didn’t, but I couldn’t risk Hank finding out what I was doing.”

“Ain’t you worried he’ll just torture them for information,” Coop asked.

“No, of course not,” She shook her head so firmly he could hear her hair swishing around. “Hank wouldn’t do that; he’s not that kind of man. Besides, all my siblings are invaluable to the Vault, he couldn’t do anything to them.”

“You might think you’re cold, and leaving them behind was pretty fuckin’ cold,” Coop said, “But you sure as hell underestimate just how far Vault-Tec is willing to go to get what they want.”

“He wouldn’t go that far,” Rose insisted.

Coop finally looked her in the face, “Lady, this is why I think you’re naïve as hell. Hank’s gonna do whatever it takes to find you, and those kids, and if that means killing all your family to do it, I wouldn’t put it past him.”

She looked scared for a moment, then she raised her chin, and asked, “Can I help?”

“How the hell would you help,” Coop snapped. “You got a particular knack for breaking out of cells? You do a lot of jailbreaking in the Vault?”

“I’m just asking,” Rose said, giving him a wounded look.

“How about you just go sit down and check on Lee,” Coop snapped. “Because unless you’ve got a fuckin’ lockpicking kit on ya, we’re fucked. These bars might be old, but they’re sturdy.”

“I don’t have a lockpicking kit,” Rose said, slowly, “But I do have this.”

Coop turned to look at her, and there, in her outstretched, soft pink palm, was a bobby pin.

He stared at it, then looked up at her, “I could kiss you.”

Rose gave him a flash of a smile, “You could try, but I’m a married woman, Mr. Howard.”

“And I’m a married man,” He couldn’t help but grin at her, “Now, let’s blow this popsicle stand.”

“What’s a popsicle,” Rose asked.

But Coop merely turned away, scoffing, and began fiddling with the lock, praying to any god that might be listening that the bobby pin wouldn’t break and that for once his bad luck wouldn’t come back to bite him in the ass.

As he fiddled with the lock, he heard the chanting get louder, and he also heard footsteps begin coming down the tunnel toward them.

Coop looked up at the sky and asked, “What the fuck did I do to deserve this?”

But there was no answer and no more time to try and unlock the door.

He really hadn’t meant to hit the man.

Though, Benny reasoned, the man had practically thrown himself in front of the car, so hitting him was unavoidable. Plus, with all the rain pouring down, it was impossible to see anything that was smack-dab in front of the car’s windshield.

The man didn’t seem any worse for wear, so there was nothing to worry about, besides, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise since the man knew exactly who they were looking for.

But that sort of thing tended to happen when his bride was around; things always sort of fell into place in some strange stroke of universal luck.

Now though, he was squatting in the mud, and peering down at the dirt.

The remaining tracks were all a muddle, a mix of churned-up dirt and the pouring rain, plus, the pale, gangly creature that they’d found dancing about in the storm hadn’t helped to keep the tracks in any sort of good condition.

Neither had the huge back dog that was skulking up and down near the tracks, silent as a wraith, and faithful as any tribal hound Benny had known in his youth.

So, as he sat there, staring at the tracks, in the near-pitch darkness, while the rain beat down on him, soaking through his suit jacket and ruining his hair, Benny found himself wondering if there was any chance that they’d still make it up to Slates Hot Springs in time to take advantage of any of the perks of the honeymoon package. He really had been looking forward to the promise of three different kinds of champagne and access to a private beach – nude, of course – as well as the promise of almost an entire month alone with his bride.

But he quickly pushed those thoughts to the back of his hand as he looked up and called, “Babydoll, everything’s a mess, but it looks like something snatched ‘em.”

The pale man beside him clucked anxiously, “I told you that! I told you! The Fiends dragged them up into the hills! They took the Lady Rose! Even the ghoul!”

“Yeah, so you’ve said,” Benny got to his feet, heading toward the car, the craving for a cigarette growing stronger and stronger as the man continued his babbling. “Did they take the dog too?”

“No, the dog stayed here, but when he woke up, he refused to let me go up into the hills after them.” The man looked as if he was about to cry. “I tried to follow the Fiends, but he wouldn’t let me.”

“You mean the mutt wouldn’t let you run off,” Benny muttered, scratching the dog’s ears fondly as it trotted up to him and waited at his side.

“If we find the cave’s opening, we’ll find them,” His new bride said, reasonably, as she shimmied out of her wedding dress; Benny was a little disappointed at that, he loved the sight of her in all that white lace.

“Oh,” said their unwelcome companion, staring wide-eyed – even the dog seemed surprised.

“Turn around, or lose your eyes, friend; she’s all mine,” Benny said, as he stared appreciatively at the view in front of him. Granted, he’d been hoping to be the one to peel her out of that clingy wedding dress on a heart-shaped bed covered in pink silk sheets, but he wasn’t going to complain at the sight of her soaked to the skin in a white slip and nothing else.

Daisy-Mae continued, ignoring their companions as she stripped, “And we can just head further up into the hills. We’d probably come across a few scavengers eventually. And they’d lead us to the cave with a little persuasion.”

“With your luck,” Benny said, smiling at her as she fastened her gun belt around her waist, “We’ll find it in no time.”

“Have you thought about how we’re going to get back,” She asked, hair plastered to her face and her mascara running just a little. “This only a two-seater.”

“I hadn’t thought about that,” Benny admitted, “But I don’t think Mr. House would approve if we bundled half a dozen people into his coupe. Might grind the old man’s circuits the wrong way.”

“We could always make more than one trip,” She was practically naked, and Benny found himself hard-pressed to keep himself focused on the problem at hand. “But I think we can make it work.”

“Let’s find ‘em first,” Benny said, “Then we’ll worry about who’s sitting on whose lap.”

The footsteps drew closer as the bobby pin snapped in his hands, just as the lock began to give, Coop had never felt surer that whatever gods existed and hated him.

He mumbled, mostly to God and also to no one in particular, “Fuck me in the ass without lube, why don’t ya?”

He dropped the useless bobby pin and glanced back at his companions.

Rose was cradling Lee gently, stroking the other woman’s face. Even from a few feet away, Coop could see the unhealthy flush that colored Lee’s cheeks, and the sweat beading on her brow. His instructors back in the day had drilled into them that one of the most dangerous injuries anyone could receive, in combat or otherwise, was a human bite.

He licked his lower lip, wondering if the infection had spread far enough through Lee to properly contaminate her meat – fuck – no, not now – Coop shook his head, suddenly realizing that it must’ve been hours since the last hit of his serum.

He pressed himself against the bars, as far away from the two women as he could get; he was reasonably sure that if he ate Lee Moldaver, her little Rose wouldn’t tell him shit about Hank.

He heard footsteps stop in front of the cell, and properly distracted from his ravenous thoughts, he looked up.

Several long, slender figures, all swathed in white robes appeared. They looked like the Fiends, but there was something more human about them. It was hard to tell if they were male or female as all of them were shaved entirely bare, with not even their eyebrows left behind.

Coop straightened, cracked his neck, and asked, “Ya’ll here for the cult stuff?”

They didn’t reply, but the tallest one stepped forward, a key in hand, and Coop bared his teeth, “Oh, let’s play, sweetheart.”

Another of the group spoke, voice soft as a whisper on the wind, “Please, do not fight, ghoul.”

“Yeah, right,” Coop raised his fists, positioning himself between the figures and the women in the cell with him. “You a comedian? Cause that’s fucking hilarious.”

“If you fight,” The voice continued, “The sacrifice will be tainted. And we do not wish to spill blood before our Lord’s appointed hour of return.”

“Your Lord,” Coop glanced at Rose, and scoffed, “Aw hell, they think it’s the fucking Second Coming.”

“Our Lord’s coming has been written in the stars for generations,” The crowd of figures parted, revealing a ghoul. “And you will bear witness to His might.

The ghoul's skin was almost as pure white as the robes that shrouded them. The ghoul was decayed to the point where patches of their flesh had sloughed off their body and white bone and slick muscle and wet tendons gleamed. Their face was placid, but there was a fanatical gleam in their dark eyes that made Coop shy back instinctively.

However, it didn’t stop Coop from snarling, “You think you’re the first two-bit conman I’ve seen in this fucking place? You ain’t even top ten for flair.”

“There is no need for flair or tricks,” The ghoul raised a hand, pointing a bony finger at him, “You will submit, and you will see the might of our Lord.”

“Where’s Meggie,” Rose asked. "What did you do to her?"

“The girl has been prepared for our Lord,” The ghoul replied, smiling wide and showing off rotting, blackened teeth. “She and the other virgins await his pleasure.”

“Don’t you mean they await some fuck-ass fake ceremony where you throw some colored smoke around and flash some lights,” Coop drawled, drawing on all his experience with cults, “And those girls end up in your quarters when all is said and done?”

“You will soon see the might of our Lord,” The ghoul said, then they looked past Coop and Rose at Lee, and they asked, “Is she dying?”

“No,” Rose said, too quickly. “One of your Fiends bit her, and she’s sick and she has a fever, but she’s not dead.”

“The woman afire,” The ghoul turned away from them and said to the wraithlike figures accompanying them, “Bind them and bring them to the altar.”

Coop was inclined to fight, but given Lee’s state, he didn’t like his odds with only Rose at his back, so he stood, meekly, and allowed the Fiends to find his hands painfully tight behind his back. Then, he and his companions were dragged down the tunnel and toward the chanting.

It was never good to go toward chanting.

Soon, they were pulled out onto a ledge overlooking a deep cavern.

The cavern had been hollowed out over the years, and it reminded Coop of a theatre; there was a low area where dozens of Fiends, naked and writhing as they chanted, congregated that was lit by dozens of torches. Not far above them, on a raised platform, where even more of the white-robed figures lurked, was a strange obelisk.

It was carved in harsh, jagged lines, and made of a strange, greenish-black stone that looked almost greasy in the torchlight. There was a carved vine, jagged and covered in stone thorns that wound up the obelisk, jabbing toward the sky. The figure of a naked woman was also carved into the obelisk, half in and half out of the pillar, and her hands, from which dangled lengths of chains, were up-stretched toward the sky in supplication.

All around the obelisk, as if it had been placed there to taunt them, was their gear. All their weapons, a few Stimpaks, food, and clothes, were scattered around, as if it was also part of the sacrifice that was being presented.

In front of the obelisk, and beneath the woman carved into it, was a huge altar. It had the same vines sculpted into it and was made of the same greenish-black stone as the obelisk. There were chains attached to all four corners of the altar, and in its center was a long, gagged knife.

Rose whispered, “What the hell?”

Coop merely looked out over the crowd, as the chanting finally became clear, “Ug-Qualtoth. Ug-Qualtoth. Ug-Qualtoth. Ug-Qualtoth. Ug-Qualtoth. Ug-Qualtoth. Ug-Qualtoth.”

“Fucking cults,” Coop muttered, digging his heels into the cave floor as the Fiends dragged him along toward the altar. He had no wish to be trussed up like a Christmas ham and sacrificed before a cave full of leering Fiends.

As the three of them were being dragged toward the altar, another group of white-robed figures appeared from the opposite side of the cave. They walked slowly, with much more dignity than the group dragging along Coop and the women.

In the center of that group, was Meggie, with two girls flanking her. All the girls were dressed in blood-red robes and had bare feet, but Coop couldn’t help but chuckle to himself as he muttered to Rose, “Well, fuck me sideways. They’re alive.”

The girls looked worse for wear, tired and drawn, and clinging to one another, but Coop noticed that Meggie’s eyes kept darting to the exits and toward the knife on the altar.

Rose jerked forward, calling to the ghoul at the head of their group, “Who are you? What is all this?”

The ghoul didn’t look at her, but said, in a voice full of fervor, “I am the last of the Dunwich line – Alice, the daughter of Richard. And I am the faithful servant of Ug-Qualtoth, who is the true author of your fates and the lord of all.” Her black eyes shone brightly in the torchlight, and she smiled very wide, “And this is my finest hour.”

Chapter Text

July 2776
Joshua Tree National Park
The New Republic of California

Rose struggled as she watched as the Fiends bound Lee to the altar.

Lee struggled feebly and snarled at the Fiends, but she seemed weak and exhausted, and none of her struggles mattered. Her eyes were bright with fever, and sweat dampened her hair, and all of that seemed to please Alice Dunwich immensely.

The ghoul kept murmuring the same few things over and over, “Three virgins in scarlet, virgin blood on their thighs. A woman of fire aflame. And a woman in the smoke.” She was smiling, rotted teeth bared in a grin, and her eyes entirely black and manic.

After Lee was tied down, Rose and Coop were forced to their knees near the altar, with their white-robed entourage still at their backs. Rose looked at Coop, and whispered, “What do we do?”

“The fuck if I know,” Coop’s eyes were wild, “I don’t wanna die here, but, shit, it’s looking bleak.” He added, “I never thought I’d die at the hands of fuckin’ Alice Dunwich.”

“You know her,” Rose asked. “Oh, why am I surprised, you seem to know everyone.”

“Well, it ain’t like I’m happy about it,” Coop snapped back. “If I knew fewer people, shit like this wouldn’t keep happening to me.”

“Hey!” Meggie’s voice cut across the chanting, and caught their attention, “Mrs. MacLean! I thought you were dead!”

“We’re about to be,” Coop snapped. “Stop so fuckin’ cheerful.”

A Fiend slapped him, and the ghoul snarled, the sound strangely deep and animalistic, but everything sounded strange in this echoey chamber. Coop’s black eyes were wild, and his lips were curled back to show his teeth, as he growled, “Untie me, you little bitch. See if you can hit me then.”

Meggie and the girls were dragged to the pillar, and the chains were fastened around their wrists and then tugged tight, till the three girls were on tiptoe, and pressed tight against one another. Meggie wiggled and shifted, putting herself in front of the other girls, and staring out at the crowd of Fiends with wide, wild eyes.

“Poor girl,” Rose murmured.

“I’m surprised she ain’t cryin’,” Coop muttered, then he shuddered and growled again.

Rose wriggled her wrists, trying in vain to loosen her bonds as she whispered, “What’s wrong?”

“I ain’t had my medicine in a while,” Coop replied, his lips still pulled back in a snarl. “And if I don’t get it soon, I’m liable to be as wild as those druggies down there.”

Rose followed his gaze and saw that his eyes were fixed on a small wooden box, and she said, “Well, let’s get that first. Weapons next. Then, Lee needs a Stimpak.” She looked at the girls, “And then we unchain them, and get the hell out.”

“Oh, and just how are you planning all this,” Coop asked. “You wriggled free yet?”

“I’m making it up as I go along,” Rose murmured back. “If this is going to be anything like Hank’s speeches, about halfway through everyone will either be so bored, or so enthralled, that they’ll stop paying attention to us. That’ll be when we have a shot.”

“I’ll follow your lead, Vaultie,” Coop snarled again, “But get me my medicine fast. If I don’t get it soon, it ain’t gonna be pretty. And I really don’t fancy the taste of Fiend, so you’re lookin’ pretty tasty right about now.”

That sent a shiver down Rose’s spine, and she began wriggling her wrists even more fervently. She’d tensed all her muscles when they’d bound her, remembering an old mystery book she’d read years ago where the teenage protagonist had done something similar, and when she relaxed, Rose found that there was some slack in the ropes.

Rose began wriggling her wrists, and fervently hoping that their guards weren’t paying too much attention to her movements. She kept her head up, watching the crowd below them, and those on the platform near them.

Alice Dunwich was striding back and forth, still murmuring to herself, and the entire crowd was watching her. Several of her white-robed acolytes were arranging torches around the obelisk, moving them occasionally when Alice waved her hands impatiently.

Finally, when everything was arranged and the chanting was at a frenzied pitch, Alice stepped to the edge of the dais and raised her hands.

The chanting stopped instantly.

Alice paused, drawing all eyes to her, and then said, in a deep voice that resonated around the chamber like the clanging of a bell, “For centuries, I have watched this world fall further and further into chaos and strife. And while others have despaired, I was strengthened, for I knew that all that befell this world was merely a prelude to the true god of gods. For eons, he has waited and watched, guiding his chosen into place to prepare this world for his coming.”

“Bullshit,” Coop mumbled, and was immediately struck by one of his guards.

Alice paid him no heed and continued, “For months, I have been graced by dreams from our Lord, guiding me on how to prepare for his arrival into our world.”

Rose saw something move, at the back of the cavern, slowly and carefully, and as she peered through the smoke she saw, crouching low to the ground and scrabbling along like a beetle, was the Wizard, and behind him, was a tall man with an unimpressed expression, and a young woman who seemed to be naked.

Rose stared at them a moment longer, then continued trying to wriggle her wrists free as she muttered to herself, “Fucking wasteland bullshit.”

And then she felt the loop around her left wrist slip, just as Alice, who had been droning on and on about her dreams and calling, stepped toward the girls bound to the obelisk. She gently cradled Meggie’s cheek as she said, “And these girls, these pure virgins, will be our gift to our Lord. They will serve him faithfully and –”

Meggie’s head whipped around, fast as a striking snake, and she sunk her teeth into Alice’s hand. She shook her head wildly, practically snarling around the flesh, and staring at the ghoul with wild, wide eyes.

Alice shrieked and jerked back, leaving a good chunk of her rotting flesh in Meggie’s teeth, as her acolytes rushed forward, menacing the girls with long knives, while Alice’s followers screamed their horror and outrage.

Meggie spat out the bloody mess, and shouted, “I ain’t a fuckin’ virgin! I fucked Jimmy Peterson in the hayloft last time he was in from Filly! Your god’s pretty pathetic if he can’t even find real virgins!”

Alice stared at her a moment, while the Fiends milled around, confused and obviously suddenly doubting their leader’s fervor.

But Alice merely drew herself up, and said, coolly, “Gag her.” And as her acolytes struggled to gag Meggie, while avoiding her kicks and her snapping teeth, Alice proclaimed, “Lying will do you no good here, child. My Lord allows me to see deep into your soul, and I can see your lies.”

Meggie snarled around the scarlet cloth that had been stuffed in her mouth, and Alice raised her bloody hand, and once again caressed the girl’s cheek, “You will be his first, child, for you doubt and lies. He will use you most cruelly, I have foreseen it, but you will be the better for it.”

Rose had managed, during all this confusion, to slip both her hands free, and she leaned against Coop, trying to reach his own bound wrists without drawing attention.

As she stepped back near the altar, Alice threw her hands up, proclaiming, “Ug- Qualtoth! My Lord, my life! Hear my calls and our pleas and come! Come to us! Take this world as your own!” Her voice rose to a frenzied, fever pitch, “Come to me!”

She picked up the knife and raised it high, positioning it to plunge down into Lee’s chest, “Let her blood call to you! Let the woman of fire’s blood bring you forth!”

Before she could bring the knife down, the cavern shook, hard enough to knock Alice off her feet, and make the Fiends shriek and cling to one another, as they stared around in awe. Dust, unsettled by the violent sharking, hung in the air alongside the smoke, and made it harder to breathe, and even harder to see.

Coop muttered, “Oh, fuck this. An earthquake is the last thing we need!”

Rose loosed his bonds and the ghoul, without a second thought, lurched forward and grabbed an acolyte, dragging the white-robed figure down as he shrieked in terror while the ghoul’s jaws closed on his throat and blood spurted.

Alice meanwhile, staggered to the edge of the dais, screaming, “My Lord! My Lord! I am here! Come forth! We await you!”

The cavern shook again, longer and more violently than before, and then there was a huge, creaking, cracking noise that reverberated around the cavern. It sounded somewhere between a bone snapping, and a cannon shot, and it made everyone freeze.

And then, there was a booming voice, wavery and strange as if it was a thousand voices all in one, and it filled every corner of the cavern, “Alice.”

Everyone except Coop, who was still busy with his prey, stared, a mingled feeling of terror and horror rooting them to the ground.

Rose shook off her fear and ran to Coop’s medicine. She fumbled with it, but inserting the canister into the apparatus wasn’t much different than loading an inhaler in the Vault. What was harder was wrestling the frenzied ghoul to the ground and forcing it into his mouth.

She caught him by surprise, slamming into his side and knocking the breath out of him. Rose had never been the best as phys-ed, but she knew a few tricks, and she used them to force Coop’s right arm down under her knee, while she planted herself firmly atop his chest.

Coop’s eyes were wild and full of blind rage, and he snarled and growled at her, but Rose held him down, using her weight, and the threat of snapping his arm, as she shoved the cannister in his mouth and pulled the trigger.

The golden liquid disappeared, and a moment later, Coop was panting, and there was something much more human in his eyes, “Get off!”

She stared at him a moment longer, “Get the girls!” then she scrambled away, grabbing for their packs again. She had no idea why Alice and her acolytes had brought their things here, but she thanked every power she could think of as she rummaged through Lee’s pack and found a Stimpak at the bottom.

Then, as her fingers closed on the Stimpak, something hit her hard, and Rose and an acolyte went down in a tangle of flailing limbs and snarling.

Coop fumbled with the chains around Meggie’s wrists with one hand and plucked the gag out of her mouth with the other, “Hold still!”

Meggie snapped back at him, “Watch your back then!”

And Coop realized that she was busy kicking at the acolytes, keeping them at bay, so he merely continued trying to unlock the chains.

What was it about cults and chaining up barely legal girls, Coop wondered, but then the lock gave, and Meggie sprang free, jumping at another white-robed figure and going down in a tangle.

Another shudder rocked the cavern, and Coop planted his feet firmly as he freed the other girls.

Connie, who looked like her dead mother Coop noticed, snarled and charged after Meggie, her hands extended as if she had claws. Her eyes were cold and dead.

The last girl, Mary, merely cowered, arms wrapped right around her knees, and Coop snapped at her, “At least get behind the obelisk, kid.”

There was another rumble and the voice, eerie and unnatural boomed, “Alice! My disciple! You have waited for me so long.”

Alice walked to the edge of the dais as if she was in a trance, and that horrible cracking sound came again and Coop, cursing his curiosity, followed her.

There was a crack in the floor of the cavern, growing wider and wider, and inside the crack, something seemed to be moving. Coop stared at it, then shook his head, chalking it up to probably having a concussion, until the thing in the blackness surged up, calling, “Alice!”

A long something that might’ve been an arm but was twisted and deformed and the stuff of nightmares wormed out of the crack, reaching toward Alice. The skin was as black and oily as the stone of the obelisk, and its flesh seemed to be full of something alive as its skin jerked and wriggled as if the creatures inside it were trying to break free. Eyes peered out of the too-long hand, thousands of them, all different sizes and colors, and a mouth opened in the very center of the hand’s palm, “Alice.”

“Oh, fuck,” Coop scrambled back, pulling Meggie away from her next target and shouting to Rose, “Get your girlfriend! We need to get the fuck outta here!”

“Alice,” The woman’s voice cut through the chaos, soft as summer rain, “Alice.”

And Coop looked up, as a woman walked through the smoke, calling, “I’ve come for, Alice.”

And Alice dropped to her knees, weeping, “The third sign. Oh, my Lord, the three signs! You are coming! You are coming!” She screamed, “He is COMING!”

The woman stepped through the haze, finally becoming clear, and suddenly she was flesh and blood, not some ghostly apparition, and she was holding a revolver.

Alice didn’t seem to see the gun, and merely stared at the hand, a litany of prayers and praises falling from her lips, but all Coop could make out clearly was her mumbling, “Oh god. Oh god. Oh god. Please, please take me! My Lord, please!”

The woman below them, standing at the edge of the crack, shot a Fiend and then looked at the hand curiously.

It looked back at her, the thousand-and-one eyes blinking curiously, and the mouth murmured, “You are my third sign. The woman in the smoke.”

She cocked her head, “I don’t believe in you.”

“Your belief is nothing I am. I have always been. And I will always endure.” The eyes were blinking furiously, and the hand was shaking, “I am all that is. I am all there will ever be. For your insolence, I will spend eternity torturing you until there is nothing left of you but a shell of madness and –”

BANG

BANG

The revolver smoked a little and black blood began oozing from the hand as it flailed and screamed and shook in a frenzy of pain and fury, and the woman merely said, in the summer rain soft voice, “You talk too much, Mr. Ug.”

Alice wailed and threw herself forward, somehow clearing the crack in the cavern as the hand retreated back into the blackness, and landed atop the woman, snarling and screaming, “You cannot hurt him! He is the lord of all things! He will eat your fucking heart!”

Coop shook his head, gathering his wits, as he shouted, “Rose! Let’s fucking go!”

Rose was holding Lee up, and both women held long knives to keep the frenzied Fiends and acolytes at bay. Meggie was alongside them, her scarlet robe slipping off her shoulders, and blood all over her face. Connie held Mary’s hand tight, and the girls carried all their gear. Mary was crying.

Coop was pretty pleased about that; losing his mare’s leg would’ve pissed him off.

He looked up, when a man’s voice, familiar and wavery called, “The Rose! I am here! I saved you!”

And the fucking Wizard appeared, along with another man who looked like he had just walked out of a board meeting. The Wizard was bouncing and shaking with glee, “I brought help! I have saved you!”

“Not yet ya haven’t,” Coop muttered.

The other man said, in a drawl, “My little pussycat told us to get y’all out while she plays with Ms. Alice over there.” He smiled, but it was oily and didn’t reach his eyes, “Come on!”

Coop hated him at once, but that didn’t stop him from following the two men, bringing up the rear of their strange little party.

The black dog suddenly appeared, blood on its muzzle and his eyes wide and shining brilliant yellow in what was left of the light. They ran toward the tunnels, surrounded by the fleeing Fiends, and even a few of the white-robed acolytes.

The cavern shook and shook, while Ug-Qualtoth’s screams shook everything, and were so loud and piercing that Coop wondered if he’d ever stop hearing them.

The Wizard darted up the tunnel, and the others followed him, while the smiling man covered them, but Meggie lingered, “I can’t leave!”

Coop grabbed her arm, “The fuck you can’t!”

“She's my sister!” Meggie tried to wriggle free, “I can’t!”

“I’ll get her, kid,” The other man said, smiling and ruffling Meggie’s hair as if she really was a child. “Can’t leave the wife to face a horror beyond comprehension on her own.”

But just as he turned to dart back into the smoke, the young woman appeared, covered in blood – Alice’s red blood and Qualtoth’s black – but smiling wide, “I tossed the Wizard's dynamite in the hole, we’ve got about thirty seconds to run before the whole thing blows.”

“Daisy-Mae,” Meggie stared at her, “What are you doing here?”

Daisy-Mae extended her left hand, showing off the sparkler on her finger, “I’m on my honeymoon.”

“Fuckin’ move,” Coop snarled, shoving them down the tunnel.

As they ran, Alice’s shrieking continued, chasing them furiously, “You will die! You will suffer! I will watch as my Lord tortures you for –”

And then there was an unholy rumble and her words ended in a terrified scream.

Their bedraggled little group sat in the rain, under the weak moonlight that was slowly giving way to an overcast sun.

Lee sat beside Rose; her arm wrapped tight around the other woman’s shoulders. Rose, for her part, was snuggled tight under Lee’s arm, head on shoulder, and her breathing soft and untroubled. They were both under the meager protection of Lee’s duster, and they were relatively dry.

She didn’t really remember much of what had happened, but she remembered screaming, and something dark and dangerous reaching for her. She decided she didn’t want to think too much about it; some things were just stranger than others, and she didn’t want any part of them.

She watched as one of their rescuers, the man in the ridiculous black and white checkered suit jacket, knelt beside the car’s tires and scrabbled at the mud that caked the wheels and bogged down the coupe. He, Coop, and the Wizard had been trying to dig the car out for almost an hour.

Meggie and the other girls, along with pretty Daisy-Mae had headed off with the dog to change into real clothes and not wander around half-naked.

Down by the car, Coop was soaked to the skin, and looked as furious as a drowned rat as he snapped, “Why the hell would you drive this thing out here? It ain’t an offroader!”

“I don’t know what that is,” The other man snapped back. “The wife said jump, and I said fine. That’s all I know.”

Rose sighed and turned her head, lips almost brushing against Lee’s throat, “I was real scared Alice was going to stab you.”

“I don’t remember that,” Lee said, honestly, “But I’m glad she didn’t.”

“Coop called you my ‘girlfriend’,” Rose continued, “One word, not two.”

“He doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” Lee said, cheeks flushing very hot, and not because of the fever lingering in her veins. “Don’t listen to him.”

“I know I’m married technically,” Rose went on, “But I don’t love Hank anymore. And I want to be with someone who I think I might love.”

“That’s what everyone deserves,” Lee said, nodding her agreement.

“And I think,” Rose’s hand crept up, catching Lee’s chin and turning Lee to face her, “I think I could, maybe, love you.”

“Rose –” Lee didn’t know what else to say.

Rose leaned forward, lips slightly puckered, and Lee closed her eyes, leaning in, as hot desire surged through her –

And then the moment was ruined as Coop shouted, “Fuck this! I ain’t pushin’ this heap all the way back to Shady Sands!”

“And I ain’t leaving it,” The other man returned, “Mr. House said to return it in good condition! Stuck in the middle of nowhere in the mud, ain’t good condition!”

“Did you say ‘Mr. House’,” Coop asked.

As Lee jerked her head around and asked, in disbelief, “Do you mean Robert House?”

“Yeah,” The man’s brows beetled together, “Robert House. Ruler of New Vegas. Uncontested lord and master of the Strip. My boss. Who else would I be talkin’ about?”

And that was when Coop began to laugh hysterically and gasp, “Oh, that motherfucker.”

Rose, who didn’t look ruffled in the slightest about Lee jerking away from her asked, “Who’s that?”

“It’s complicated,” Lee replied, “I’ll try and explain.”

Their rescuer crossed his arms and asked, impatiently, “Will you quit laughing and help me shovel?”

“Sure,” Coop said, all his annoyance gone, “Let’s get this thing outta here.” He clapped the man on the shoulder, smiling wide, “You gotta get back to your boss eventually.”

Lee rolled her eyes, but then she looked back at her companion, and murmured to Rose, “Sorry about that,” then she asked, “Did I ruin the moment completely?”

Rose cocked her head, wet hair plastered to her face, and a bruise forming on her right cheekbone. She seemed to be considering her answer for a long moment, then she said, “No.”

And that was when she leaned forward and pressed her lips to Lee’s gently.

Chapter Text

July 2276
Shady Sands
New Republic of California

Spying on the three men had proved to be surprisingly easy, Lucy had found.

Despite, Mrs. Rothchild’s initial reluctance to let her run around with the boys, once Birdie had appeared, and the older girl had promised to keep an eye on Lucy, the old woman relented and allowed Lucy to run around Shady Sands with the same freedom as the other children. It also helped to fill Lucy’s mind with something other than worry for her mother.

Lucy had never spent more than a night apart from either of her parents until they left the Vault, and now she’d spent more time apart from either of them and after the first few nights, Lucy had stopped crying herself to sleep. And now, she was almost enjoying her near-complete freedom.

It was exhilarating to run through the streets, to ride the trolley, to dart up and down the steps of the beautiful obelisk, without anyone to stop her or tell her to quiet down. It was even a thrill to take herself to and from school. She did feel a bit guilty for leaving Norm behind, but she consoled herself by reminding herself that he was only little, and he wouldn’t remember anything.

So, now that she had her freedom, she and the others began trailing the men all over Shady Sands, and following them practically everywhere except the outhouse, for obvious reasons, and the saloon because the barkeep had threatened to skin Thaddeus and Monty alive for trying to filch a bottle of rum off the counter.

She’d been worried that would’ve gotten them caught in their spying, but everyone in the saloon had merely chuckled at their antics and called to the barmaid to take pity on them. She’d taken a broom to them instead and chased them out onto the street.

That hadn’t been part of the plan, and Lucy had been forced to scold the boys for it, but then she’d felt quite guilty because Thaddeus had cried, and Monty had sulked at her for hours. Sometimes, power had to be wielded gently, she had had to remind herself; her daddy always told her that.

Now, as she sat next to Max in the library playground, she felt almost like an Overseer herself as the others reported their newest discoveries to her.

Birdie paced back and forth, her dark hair swinging, and her lips pursed, “They’re still being cagey about who they work for; I don’t think they’ve told anyone. But I did find out that they’re from Sunnyvale – well, they say they are, but I don’t know if it’s true.”

“What’s Sunnyvale,” Lucy asked.

“It’s a city,” Thaddeus said, “Up north.”

“No, it’s not,” Birdie rolled her eyes, “Where did you hear that?”

“I don’t know,” Thaddeus shrugged, and looked down, “I just heard it.”

“It’s an Old-World town,” Birdie patted his shoulder, kindly, “Down south. I don’t much else about it, but they said they needed to go back there, and back to the boss.”

“And you’ll never believe what they rode in here on,” Monty was practically bouncing with excitement, and his eyes were shining. “I’ve never seen anything like ‘em.”

“What are they?”

“I don’t know what they’re called, but they ain’t brahmin. They’re huge, and they have long tails and horns, and they look mean as shit,” Monty held his hand out to Dane and hauled them to their feet, “Wanna go see ‘em?”

Max frowned, “What if they see us?”

Birdie always seemed older than her years, and she knew lots of big words and constantly carried around books from the library, she pushed back her hair as she chirped, “It won’t make them suspicious; a lot of people have been hanging around watching them. And we might get a chance to search some saddlebags if they take their eyes off us.”

“I’ll search the saddlebags,” Lucy said. “The rest of you keep ‘em busy.”

“Let’s go,” Dane was practically vibrating with excitement. “I wanna see the beasts!”

Lucy was almost ready to remind them that they hadn’t finished their debriefing, but she didn’t argue. Instead she let Max take her hands and help her up. Then, they raced through Shady Sands, toward the stable on the edge of town.

It was a huge, bright red building, that typically housed brahmins, two-faced goats, a few sheep, and other animals that the farmers brought into town to sell at the market. There was even a huge, one-eyed, black cat that skulked about near the stable, bringing down radroachs and rats almost as big as the cat itself. Lucy found the stables fascinating, even if she was still a bit wary of the animals; there were no animals in the vault, after all, so it was incredibly strange to really see them.

It took a few minutes to get to the stables, but when they arrived, Monty led them through the huge double doors at the front; he was quite fearless, Lucy had noticed, and he was always willing to lead the charge into some shenanigan or another.

He led them through the stalls, toward the larger ones at the back, and then he pointed, and said, “Look.”

Lucy stared at the creatures; her mouth wide open as she murmured, “Well, jeeezus.”

The creatures were very tall, much taller than Lucy, with long faces and dark, intelligent eyes. For a moment, Lucy was sure she was looking at a horse, just like the ones in Cooper Howard’s movies, but then she saw the pair of branching horns sprouting from the creatures’ foreheads. All three of them were quite different from one another; the first was pale brown all over, with a shaggy mane and tail, the second was dappled white over a black coat, and the third was hazy grey, with one horn that was shorter than the other.

Max stepped forward, raising his hand, and cooing, “You’re so cool,” at the nearest creature. It nuzzled his hand, and Max looked like he was about to combust with joy.

Thaddeus hung back, looking around, “Are you sure we’re not gonna get in trouble?”

“Don’t a be little bitch,” Monty grabbed Dane and dragged them forward, “Look at ‘em!”

Lucy asked Birdie, “Have you ever heard of these?”

Before Birdie could answer, a gravelly voice from behind them said, “They’re hayburners.”

They all whipped around, and they stared up at the last of the men they’d been following.

Unlike the young smiley one and their curt leader, this man had been mostly silent. He was big and muscular, with a thick mustache and dark eyes. He moved slowly, but he didn’t make the hair on the back of Lucy’s neck prickle the way the other men did. Instead, he approached them slowly, saying, “I don’t know if it’s true, but I’ve been told they are the product of breeding between horses and deer after the bombs fell.” He stroked the nose of the hayburner with the mismatched horns, “Maybe they’re just mutants, but they are good creatures. Fast. Smart.”

Max asked, “Where did you get ‘em?”

“My employer breeds them,” He leaned down and asked Max, “Would you like to ride him?”

Max’s eyes bugged out, “Can I?”

Monty piped up, “I wanna ride it!”

Birdie said, sweetly, and politely, “May I ride too, please?”

Thaddeus and Dane began begging for a ride as well, but Lucy crossed her arms, almost tempted to hiss at them not to be friendly with the enemy, but Max was already lovestruck by the hayburner, the others were curious, and it was too dangerous for Lucy to try anything with the man so close to her.

After dropping his satchel onto the floor inside the stall, the man opened the stall door wide and led out his beast, talking to it softly in a language that Lucy thought sounded just a little familiar, though she couldn’t place it. He walked it out toward the front doors of the stable, and Lucy and the others followed along behind him. He didn’t seem bothered with talking to any of them after their initial conversation, but he smiled at Dane while they chattered at him asking questions one after the other.

Lucy shied back when the hauburner flicked its long tail, and she quickly put herself at the very back of the little group. She was still planning on searching through any saddlebags that had been left out, and staying out of immediate sight was the best way to do that.

Once they were outside, the man bent down and carefully picked up Dane and set them on the hayburner’s broad back. Dane looked scared for a moment, then their eyes widened as he slowly walked the hayburner up the street. Dane looked entirely triumphant, and they chirped, “This is the coolest thing I’ve done since I found an entire crate of Quantum!”

The other children ran after the hayburner, but Lucy hung back and then turned back to the stable. She ran inside, darted into the stall, and grabbed the satchel. She quickly opened it, and began rifling through it, hoping that there was something inside that might explain why the men were looking for Coop.

Inside the satchel were a few pieces of paper, most of them were covered in sketches and scribbles, and Lucy quickly discarded them. There were some cigarettes, bottle caps, a knife, and an extra shirt. Underneath all those things, were a few Stimpaks, some loose bullets, and a few small wooden carvings. Lucy frowned, hoping there would be something more interesting at the very bottom of the satchel.

Her fingers brushed a piece of paper, and she withdrew it slowly and turned it over.

And there, underneath the blocky, black lettering that read “Wanted” was Coop’s face.

And just below that was an ugly word, in that same blocky lettering – Murder.

Lucy stared at the poster for a moment, but as she started to shove it back into the satchel, she heard footsteps behind her and looked over her shoulder.

Behind her, smiling down at her, was the young man and his eyes were bright with curiosity, “What are you looking at?”

Lucy, who knew she had no chance to lie her way out of this, held up the poster, “Is this why you’re looking for that man?”

“It is,” He smiled wider, “But why are you going through a bag that doesn’t belong to you?”

There was no good answer to that, so Lucy did the only thing she could really think of doing.

She grabbed the wanted poster tight and ran.

Max was on the hayburner, enjoying sending it trotting up and down the street, under the direction of the man, when he saw Lucy burst out of the stable, with the smiley man close behind her.

Without much thought on his part, Max gave the hayburner a kick and sent the long-legged creature bounding forward toward them. Lucy yelped in horror and whipped around in a truly impressive spin, but the hayburner’s momentum sent the other man stumbling backward, cursing.

And by the time Max had whipped the hayburner around, Lucy was pelting down the street, followed by the other children, all of whom were yelling and shouting in excitement. Max debated for a moment, wondering if he should jump off the hayburner and run for it, but the smiley man, who was not smiling anymore, was on his feet, and Max had no wish to be caught, so he gave the hayburner another kick and sent the creature bounding down the street.

That was when Max realized he had no idea how to actually ride a hayburner, and that he was in danger of falling off the broad back as the creature pelted down the street. So, he tightened his knees on the hayburner, and he clutched the hayburner’s mane tight.

The beast was more than adept at avoiding people and leaping high over any small thing in its way, and Max realized that he was rapidly approaching the edge of town. He wondered if the hayburner was going to stop, but it seemed entirely content to just charge on and on forever. He kept tugging on the reins and calling, “Stop! Stop!” but the hayburner charged on.

And then, the hayburner rounded the corner that led to the library, and Max’s eyes went wide at the sight of the bright red car, and the crowd gathered around it. He tugged at the hayburner’s reins, and it finally started to slow, probably because of the crowd and its own curiosity.

And then he saw the distinctive figure of the ghoul step away from the car, his long duster flapping in the wind, and Max shut his eyes tight, sure that the hayburner was about to trample the ghoul, but then the hayburner pulled up sharply, and the ghoul began cooing, his raspy voice full of wonder, “Well, goddamn, ain’t you a beaut.”

And then Max was swarmed by the small crowd, all of them staring at the hayburner and all of them chattering at him. He opened his eyes and looked around – some of the faces he recognized, like Ms. Moldaver and Mrs. MacLean, and Meggie and the other girls, but everyone else was unfamiliar to him, and he stared for a long moment at the lanky, pale man in a dirty black skulking by the car, but then Max remembered what he’d left behind, and he shouted, “Lucy’s getting’ chased by the men that are huntin’ Mr. Howard! And the others are trying to help her!”

There was a moment of silence, then the woman he didn’t recognize doubled over, laughing and snorting a little, as she choked out, “Jeeezus, there’s ain’t a moment of peace and quiet around you, is there, Mr. Howard?”

“Oh, shut the fuck up, and let’s find the damn kids,” Mr. Howard snapped back.

That was when Lucy’s shriek of, “Mama!” rang out, and they all whipped around and saw her.

She was pelting toward them, running flat out, her face red and her eyes wide – if her mouth wasn’t set so determinedly, Rose would’ve thought her little girl was afraid, but Lucy kept racing toward them and there was nothing fearful in her face.

A man was on her daughter’s heels, very young, and when he saw them, he whipped around and began to run the opposite way, back into town. The dog shot away from them then, snarling and charging toward the young man, his mouth open wide and all his teeth showing. The other children scattered in front of him. Running was a wise choice, Rose thought as she took a few steps forward, and raised her pistol, aiming at the back of his head, but then Coop shouted, “Don’t kill him! I need him!” and she paused a moment, readjusting, and instead aimed for his legs. The dog had hold of his left arm, worrying it and making the man scream out high and pained.

Two shots rang out, and the man fell, screaming fit to wake the dead, and a moment later Lucy hurled herself into Rose’s arms, panting and clutching a crumpled piece of paper. Rose held her daughter tight, kissing her sweaty forehead as Lucy panted and gasped, “Mama, they’re looking for Coop!”

Lee approached them, and put a hand tight on Rose’s shoulder, as she asked, “Why are they looking for you?”

Coop shrugged, heading toward the crumpled man, “The hell if I know. There are always people out here with axes to grind.”

Lucy held up the piece of paper and said, panting raggedly, “They had this.”

Lee took the paper and Rose got to her feet, holding Lucy tight as Lee looked slowly up at Coop and asked, “This is a wanted poster, Coop.”

The ghoul admitted. “I’ve been around long enough that I’ve strayed from the letter of the law a few times, but I don’t rightly know what I’d be wanted for.”

“It says you’re wanted for murder,” Lee blinked at Coop. “That ring any bells?”

“I’ve killed my fair share of men,” Coop replied, “But I don’t deem any of it murder.”

Daisy-Mae stepped up then, hand-in-hand with her too-smiley husband, and said, “What matters now is keeping that man alive for questioning.”

Benny added, “And finding anyone who might be working with him.”

Rose started to speak, but one of Lucy’s friends, a little dark-haired girl, yelped, “Look out!”

And while everyone started to whip around, to see what danger the girl was warning them of, there was a thump, and Coop fell back, a syringe in his chest, and his eyes rolling back in his head. He wasn't unconscious, and his mouth worked angrily as he tried to push himself up. Max grabbed his arm, pulling him into a sitting position, and the ghoul groaned, "Shoot that motherfucker, Vaultie."

Rose clutched Lucy tight, her pistol aimed, as a tall man stepped forward, a pistol in one hand and a syringer rifle in the other. He said, “I ain’t lookin’ for trouble.” And he dropped the syringer, and twitched back his coat, revealing a bright, golden star on his chest, as he said, “I’m just here to see justice done.”

Chapter Text

July 2276
Shady Sands
New Republic of California

They’d headed inside the library after the initial standoff, mostly because it was hot, but also because it seemed to make the supposed sheriff a little less jittery than to have the entire town ready to come down on his head if he put a foot wrong where Mr. Howard was concerned.

So, now they sat on either side of the library, facing one another, with all their weapons in a pile on the floor beside the door, and well away from grasping twitchy hands.

Mr. Howard sat in the middle of the two crowds, stripped of all his weapons, and looking slightly awkward without his duster shrouding him, and stripped down to his skivvies. He looked thin, underfed, and entirely like a man who was only a few steps away from the grave he walked out of.

Rose sat with Norm on her lap, bouncing him a little and making him giggle happily. She’d always known that men are quick to dismiss a woman, especially a woman with children, so she kept Norm and made sure the men saw him, and that she saw the dismissal in their eyes.

Lee sat beside her, her left arm slung around the back of Rose’s chair, fingers gently tracing up and down on Rose’s bicep. It made her shiver a little, but she leaned into the touch happily. On the other side of Lee was Benny, settled in the plush armchair, with Daisy-Mae on his lap; she was curled up there like a cat, all quiet and cool now, with none of her sunny smiles or teasing, and Benny was just as still and cold. Rose thought they were like a matched set, always mirroring one another.

The girls, still dressed in Daisy-Mae’s clothes, had been sent upstairs to Meggie’s room and had been told not to come out, and they had taken the rest of the children with them, despite all their protests that they wanted to stay. Rose was sure that they were all lurking at the top of the stairs, eavesdropping as best they could, and peering down at the men with the sheriff’s badges. Lucy had been especially upset at being sent upstairs, especially after all the work she’d done to try and discover who the men were, but she’d gone, and Rose had decided that for being good, she’d take her for a soda later.

Their leader had finally introduced himself as Marius Montoya and he’d introduced the younger man as Romey Fitzpatrick, and the dour, quiet man as Stan, just Stan, as his deputies. And he hadn’t smiled once while he spoke, but Romey had simply smiled the entire time, showing off pretty, perfect white teeth that even a Vault dweller would envy.

Now, Marius was holding out another wanted poster as he explained, “We’ve been hunting him down for weeks. Since he reentered New California near Sunnyvale and headed up this way.”

“I didn’t do shit,” Cooper said, his arms crossed tight over his chest, and his brow furrowed in a scowl. “I left and came here. That’s all I did. And you know it.”

“That ain’t true,” Romey snapped, leaning forward, “And you know it, ghoul.”

“Shut the hell up,” Coop snapped at him. “You barely old shave – who the fuck gave you a damn deputy badge?”

“What’s the charge against Mr. Howard,” Lee asked, her tone cool and businesslike. “I see no reason to release him into your custody without due cause.”

“You a lawyer,” Marius asked, raising his brows slightly.

“No,” Lee replied, still gently stroking Rose’s arm. “But I’m not entirely ignorant of the judicial system and its inner workings.”

Marius blinked at her, then said, “The charges are murder and theft.”

“Murder,” Cooper squawked, “Who’s saying that?”

Rose reflected that his genuine surprise seemed like an honest reaction, as did the anger in his eyes, but she also suspected that this was not the first time that Cooper Howard had been accused of murder in the past two hundred or so years.

“We have a witness,” Marius said, doggedly ignoring the scowl Coop was throwing at him. “A young man who saw Mr. Howard leaving the company of a one Juney Sparks. Juney was discovered dead the next morning, only a few hours after Mr. Howard left her.”

“Juney,” Coop asked, leaning forward, and Rose noted the genuine surprise, and the spark of pain in his eyes as he asked slowly, “Juney’s dead?”

“Don’t act so surprised,” Romey said, “You killed her.”

“I did not,” Cooper snapped, “She was alive last I saw of her.”

“As it stands,” Marius said, his tone reasonable. “The last person who she was seen with, was you, Mr. Howard, and the witness states he saw you leave only five hours before her body was found.”

“That’s a five-hour window,” Benny spoke up then, “Anything could’ve happened.” His smile was wide, but it didn’t reach his eyes, “Anyone with half a brain could see that.”

“That’s right,” Coop said, seizing on that immediately. “Five hours. Someone probably broke in and killed her after I left.”

“That is a possibility,” Marius conceded, “And we suspected as much, until the doctor examined her, and saw that among other injuries, Jueny Sparks had been –” He grimaced, “Partially eaten.”

All eyes turned to Coop, and his eyes went very wide, and his mouth hung open for a moment before he snapped his teeth together, “And you just assume that because I’m a ghoul, I was the one that ate her?” He scoffed, “I hate to remind you boys of this, but ghouls ain’t the only people in this fucking wasteland that eat human meat.”

“That is true,” Marius agreed, “But we still need you to come with us, and allow the doctor to examine your teeth, and see if they match the marks found on Juney Sparks.”

“Who was Juney Sparks to you,” Daisy-Mae asked, staring at Coop hard. “Girlfriend? Hooker? Something like that?”

“It’s private,” Coop said, coolly. “And no, she ain’t anything like that to me.”

“I think you may have misunderstood, ma'am,” Marius said, his voice going soft, “Juney Sparks was only eleven years old.” He stared at Coop, hate as black night turning his dark eyes even darker, “She was a child, a sweet girl by all accounts. Her mama works at the general store, and often took Juney in with her. We assume that is where she made the acquaintance of Mr. Howard.”

“That’s true,” Cooper said, his voice still cool, but a little softer, “That’s where I met her, but I only ever saw her around town. It’s not like I lured her into alleys or my hotel room.”

“We still need you to come with us,” Marius said, “And put this matter to rest.”

“You said he was charged with theft as well,” Rose spoke up slowly, holding Norm very tight, “Who accused him of theft? The same person who found Juney?”

“No,” Marius replied, shaking his head. “That charge was brought to us a few days after the murder.”

“And what am I supposed to have stolen,” Coop asked, his voice tinged with a bit of scorn.

“Goods in an unspecified amount from a businessman,” Marius said, “That charge is still being investigated, but from what I understand, it was a truly impressive sum.”

“If it was a ‘truly impressive sum’,” Coop’s tone dripped with sarcasm, and scorn, and he used mocking air quotes as he scowled at Marius, “Then where the fuck is it now? Why am I scrounging around for caps, and helping out these fucks for shit rewards?”

“I don’t know what you did with the money,” Marius replied, evenly, “But I do know, a little girl is dead, and you were the last person seen with her.” He looked at Lee, then at Rose, but his gaze lingered on Benny as he said, “And I understand that Mr. Howard has been a great help to all of you and town, but despite that, he is a wanted man, and I will be taking him back to Tombstone.”

“What makes you think I’ll go willingly,” Coop asked, challengingly.

“I don’t,” Marius replied, meeting Coop’s gaze evenly. “But that doesn’t matter to me. You will be coming back with me to face justice.”

Coop snorted, muttering, “Goddamn, someone thinks they’ve stepped right out a fuckin’ western, don’t they?”

“Shut up,” Lee hissed at him, then she looked at Marius, “Will he be given a fair trial by an impartial jury, Mr. Montoya?”

“I will do my best to ensure that he is,” Marius told her, “But the townsfolk are not positively predisposed toward Mr. Howard at present.”

“Or any ghoul,” Stan said, drawing all eyes to him as he spoke in his low rumble. “Everyone is angry about what happened to Juney. And they’ll kill each other over it.”

“Ain’t Tombstone in Arizona,” Benny asked, his left hand curled possessively tight over Diasy-Mae’s hip as she snuggled into him. “That’s Legion territory – how are you still employed, Sheriff?”

“Given the Legion’s current occupation with the Dam and the ongoing war,” Marius’ lips curled in a small smile, “We have had to go back to the old ways of law and order.”

“And they work,” Romey said, raising his chin proudly. “Even if we don’t get paid shit.”

“You followed Mr. Howard all the way here,” Daisy-Mae asked, “For the sake of that little girl?”

“We did,” Marius said.

“And not for the sake of that wealthy man he supposedly stole from,” She leaned forward, moving quickly as a striking snake. “He doesn’t have a hand in this?”

“He gave us some money for the journey,” Marius replied, evenly, “But that was put down in a receipt book and will be paid back accordingly.”

Coop snapped, “Fuck the money – I didn’t kill some little girl.”

“Then come back with us,” Marius said, “And prove it.”

Coop snarled, but Rose got to her feet and said, cutting him off, “When do you leave?”

“We hoped to leave within the next two days,” Marius said, looking up at her, though he focused more on Norm than her. “After resting the hayburners a little longer, and buying extra water.”

“Well then,” Rose smiled at them, giving them the bright, sunny smile she always used when Hank took her along to meetings, and she would listen to the myriads of complaints and questions the various factions in the Vault would bring to him. It was enough to make Marius and Romey visibly relax, and as she bounced Norm a little more she said, “That gives us a bit of time to rest up and get ready to come with you.”

And then everyone was staring at her, and Cooper blurted out, “What?”

“We’ll come with you,” Rose said, still smiling. “I thought I was pretty clear?”

“Oh, fuck me,” Coop groaned, head in his hands, “Not again.”

The library was mostly empty now, as the sheriff and his deputies had headed back to their rooms at the hotel, and Benny had carried a giggling Daisy-Mae, thrown over his shoulder, upstairs in a manner that had made Lee curl her lip and roll her eyes. Mrs. Rothchild had followed them, obviously heading to bed, as her cane clicked on the steps.

The other children had finally headed home, but Connie was still upstairs and hadn’t come out, even when Mary’s mother had come to collect her. Lee suspected that Connie wouldn’t be coming out anytime soon, and she’d probably never be going back to what had been her home again.

Cooper was still with them, though, as Rose had promised not to let the ghoul out of her sight until the matter had been settled, but he was sitting in the far corner of the room, staring out the window, and not looking at anyone, or even paying attention to Lucy and Norm as they played together just a few feet away from him. Lee massaged her temples a little, her eyes squeezed shut tight, “Rose, you can’t be serious about this.”

“Why wouldn’t I be serious about this,” Rose asked, arms crossed across her chest. “Coop helped us, it’s the least I can do for him.”

“You already agreed to tell him about the Vault, and Hank,” Lee reminded her. “This has nothing to do with you. And if he did kill –”

“I don’t believe that,” Rose said. “You saw his face when they said she was dead, he was just as surprised as we were.”

“You haven’t been around ghouls much, Rose,” Lee tried to explain, but she knew she sounded like she was just spouting anti-ghoul propaganda – hell, maybe she was, but she continued anyway, “There’s always a chance that a ghoul might snap and hurt someone. Sometimes they’ll even hurt other ghouls if they go feral.”

“Does he seem feral to you,” Rose asked, “He has his treatment, and they work. I don’t believe he’d been that far gone.” She pointed at him, “Look, Lucy’s right there, and Norm. He’s had more than enough time to hurt them, and if he was feral, even our being here wouldn’t stop him, right?”

“I don’t know,” Lee admitted. "But you can’t just run off to Tombstone. What about Hank? The Vault? What about –”

“That’s my old life,” Rose said, the warmth in her eyes disappearing, “And I’ll deal with that later, but Coop needs our help now. They’re going to take him or try and kill him and call it justice.”

“You just got back after –” Lee tried to shut out the memory of the strange things she’d seen and heard in the cave, “After all that, and you want to run off again? What about Lucy? And Norm? You can’t leave them behind again.”

“Oh, I’ll take them with me,” Rose said, airily. “They’ve never been to Arizona.”

“And how are you going to get there,” Lee asked, “Walk?”

“I’m sure I’ll figure it out,” Rose gave her a bright, sunny smile, “I’ll be fine, Lee.”

“You know what this means,” Lee replied, sighing deeply.

“What,” Rose asked, cocking her head.

“That I’m going to use up all my PTO,” Lee pulled Rose close, smiling, as she leaned down a little and gave the corner of Rose’s mouth a gentle peck.

“What’s PTO,” Rose asked, as she slipped her arms around Lee’s waist.

“Don’t worry about it,” Lee replied, smiling at her.

Rose went serious again, and asked, “Do you really think Coop would’ve killed a little girl?”

“I don’t know,” Lee answered, honestly. “I’ve heard a lot of stories about him, and some things I heard make me think, that he might’ve done it, but they are just stories all told. And you can’t believe everything you hear.”

“I don’t believe it,” Rose said, firmly. “And I’m going to help him prove he didn’t do it.”

“Whatever you say,” Lee said, smiling and shaking her head. “I’ll be with you.”

“Thank you,” Rose said, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, then she said, “I still need to tell Lucy about –” She giggled like a teenager, despite the nervous flutter of her breath and the way her throat bobbed slightly, “Us.”

“Do it whenever you’re ready,” Lee said, smoothing back Rose’s hair. “I don’t want you rushing into anything, or feeling pressured into talking to her before you feel completely ready.”

“You’re sweet, Lee,” Rose said, then she asked, a little hesitantly, “But you really won’t mind if I tell her in my own time?”

“Tell her whenever you want,” Lee gave her another quick kiss, then stepped away. “I’m heading home. I need some good sleep in my own bed.”

“Night, Lee,” Rose murmured, then she walked over to Lucy and Norm.

Lee watched her go, then sighed, and muttered to herself as she headed toward the door, “Why is it always the damn Vault dwellers?”

Coop knew what Lee and Rose were talking about – hell, he’d been the only topic of conversation since the sheriff decided to flaunt the wanted poster and tell everyone that he was a murderer and a thief.

And he was, there was no point denying it, but that was just the thing, he’d never denied it before, and now, the one time when he did, everyone just seemed to decide to add ‘liar’ to his list of less than desirable qualities.

Lucy tugged at his pant leg and asked, “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” He muttered, not looking at her. “Just thinkin’.”

“What are you thinking about,” Lucy planted herself in front of him, looking up at him expectantly, like Janey used to when she wanted a story, and a bit like Juney had that last day he’d seen her.

He sighed, “Those men think I killed someone.”

“Did you,” Lucy asked, her eyes even wider than usual.

“Not this time,” Coop replied.

“Then you just have to tell the truth,” Lucy said, nodding sagely. “My dad says that if you tell the truth, then you’ll be okay. And even if you don’t tell the truth, it’ll come out eventually, and everyone will see the truth.”

“Ain’t that an optimistic take on things,” Coop snorted. “Your daddy must be an honest man.”

“Oh, he is,” Lucy smiled, “He always tries to tell the truth and do the right thing.”

Ordinarily, Coop would’ve immediately pounced on that golden opportunity, and asked some snide questions about how her daddy stayed so honest, and if she was sure he’d never, ever do something so awful, but tonight, he merely sighed and said, “It takes a lot out of a man to always try and do what’s right. Some people can’t manage it.”

“But they can always try again, even if they don’t right the first time around,” Lucy ruffled Norm’s hair, and her brother mewled angrily. “Maybe if you tell everyone the truth, they’ll believe it now. Because you’re trying so hard to be good.”

Coop rolled his eyes, “Yeah, I’ll definitely do just that.”

“You should!” Lucy insisted, obviously detecting the sarcasm in his tone. “It’s the right thing to do! And you need to start doing it!”

Coop wondered if throwing himself out the glass window and hightailing it for the hills would be easier than sitting here and listening to little Lucy MacLean lecture him about being a good boy, but he didn’t run, and instead, he sighed, and asked, “Ain’t it past your bedtime, kid?”

Lucy stuck her tongue out at him, and turned away, focusing on Norm and not him, so Coop got to his feet and headed toward the library’s front doors. Rose didn’t seem to notice him slinking off, so he got right to the door, his hand on the knob before he finally hesitated.

He could run off, simply disappear into the night as he’d done so often before, but this time, well, this time he had more to lose.

If he ran off, he’d leave behind his best shot at getting hold of Hank MacLean, and of finding out anything more about Janey and Bard. And he’d have that self-righteous prick Marius following on his heels till he killed the man or ended up finally planted in a grave permanently.

So, instead of turning the knob, he sighed and stepped back, as he asked, “Any idea if Mrs. Rothchild has a couch I could bed down on?” At her questioning look, he reminded her, “Ever since I got to this damn town, things have been movin’ so fast I ain’t had the chance to settle down, and I’m the only one without a roof over my head at the moment.”

Rose shrugged at him, and said, “I have no idea about Mrs. Rothchild’s couch,” Her teeth flashed in a brief smile, “But I bet if you slink upstairs and ask Daisy-Mae, she’ll find you a place to stay.”

“Yeah,” Coop shook his head, “I think not; I’d probably end up getting tangled up in between her and that greaseball husband of hers, and I do not need to relive nights in Tiajuana.”

Rose shook her head, and said, “I don’t even want to know.”

“You really don’t,” Coop grinned back at her.

Rose gave him a quick, hard stare, then she said, “If you carry Norm for me, I’ll let you crash on the pullout couch in my hotel room.”

Coop considered that offer for a moment, then he nodded and said, “Well, I reckon that would be an amicable solution all around.”