Chapter Text
Chapter 1 - The Ghoul
He didn’t know what the hell possessed him back at the observatory, what harebrained idea worked its way out his mouth when he had called out to the Vaultie to ask if she was coming with him to track her daddy across the wasteland. Coming into that room to see her staring down the barrel of her tin can soldiers gun at young Henry with a look of cold fury on her face, that even he hadn’t been graced with from all the bullshit he put her through had surprised him. Surprised and impressed, if he was being honest with himself.
He still remembered well the reeling shock of finding out a person that you loved, trusted with your life and your heart, was a monster. Henry had been there when his own world came crashing down 200 years earlier as well, and the parallel almost made him want to laugh at whatever fucked up kind of god or karma decided to have that happen.
That empathy, or as close as his old withered excuse for a heart was capable of anymore, had him monologuing to her and inviting her to come “meet her makers” instead of just heading off on his own and leaving little Lucy MacLean to the tender mercies of the Brotherhood. Though when he had turned around and heard her pick up that gun again he almost thought that he’d read her mental state wrong. Freezing he’d then expected a lecture, a fight, or even just a bullet in the back for his trouble of bothering to interact with the girl again at all.
Looking back over his shoulder and seeing her fire at the decaying feral ghoul strapped into the chair and not him was a relief, getting shot in the back wouldn’t kill him but it still hurt like a bitch. Though looking closer at the ghoul that slumped backwards in its bonds to see the wound leaking from its skull Cooper realized if the little vault dweller had wanted him dead in that moment she would have likely gotten her wish.
Glancing back now at the girl who had been walking silently behind him for the last 2 days since leaving the observatory, he saw the vacant look he had expected from the beginning. He remembered seeing that look in the mirror, feeling its weight lay over his mind for weeks after hearing Barb reassure the other monsters in that board room that she and Vault Tech were ready to end the world for their bottom line.
He didn’t have weeks to be able to let the Vaultie wallow and process her grief though, being out here on the road meant being constantly exposed. “Shouldn’t have bothered to bring her along”, he thought bitterly. Right now she wasn’t registering anything around her, and that kind of shit could get them both killed…
Kicking out at the sand on his next step, Cooper looked back at Lucy again and grumbled to himself as Dogmeat nosed under his hand to get his attention. Looking down at the dog staring up at him pleading for attention he gave the pup a quick scratch behind the ear before signalling for her to run back and walk with Lucy instead.
Cooper heard the startled noise behind him as Dogmeat excitedly bounded over to ask for affection from her other human. The Vaultie was still getting used to being around a dog, no dogs in the vaults, but he had seen the cloud she was carrying around with her lift a little at the innocent joy Dogmeat could exude. It was helping her.
Focusing again on the path before them Cooper decided then that he’d give her a few more days. Between his 200 years of wastelanding experience, and the dogs keen senses they would notice anything coming their way. He could let Lucy have a bit more time.
“If this shit kept up longer than that though I’m gonna snap her out of it”, he silently decided.