Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Nora had been through hell since leaving Concord. After rescuing Preston Garvey and the others, they invited her to go to Sanctuary with them, but she didn't. Instead, she took the time to turn the Red Rocket just outside of town into her own personal place. Mostly, it was somewhere to stash junk that she found, useful weapons and armor, and a safe place to sleep once the turrets were set up. Hell, she even left Dogmeat there. She loved Dogmeat but she couldn't stand the thought of anything bad happening to him, so she made it his duty to guard her things. Once everything was to her liking, she ventured forth, looking for Diamond City. She wasn't going because Mama Murphy told her she could find answers about Shaun there. No, as horrible as it sounded, she didn't want to find Shaun. That life was behind her. She’d been in the Vault for 210 years, she had a new life, and with a new life came new people and a new name for herself. She wanted to go to Diamond City because it was supposedly the safest place in the Commonwealth. If it were really that safe, she'd try and buy a house and move her stuff as well as Dogmeat there.

Getting to Diamond City proved to be more difficult than she had anticipated. Although Diamond City was marked on her pip-boy, she seemed to have gotten turned around time and time again. The roads weren't what they used to be, some of them were blocked off and she would have to find alternate routes. She was definitely lost and with all the Raiders, Ghouls, and Super Mutants around, it was causing her to run out of ammunition very quickly. She needed to find somewhere to bed down for the night and hopefully be able to scrounge up some type of ammunition, preferably for the hunting rifle she’d just managed to upgrade to a .50 caliber. She wouldn't be too picky, though, she’d take rounds for her 10mm too. Eventually, she stumbled onto a town… but it wasn't Diamond City as she had hoped.

Neon lights. Way out here? Goodneighbor. Wait a minute, I recognize this place. The one thing 200 years couldn't take from her was her love of music. She'd heard about Goodneighbor while listening to Diamond City Radio. She wanted to stop in and hear Magnolia sing in person, as opposed to listening between gunshots.

-----

One of the Neighborhood Watch had been scouting just outside the door of Goodneighbor because he’d heard what sounded like gunshots very close to town. Upon his investigation, aside from the two dead bodies that now lay outside, he spotted someone in a Vault suit walking towards the town and decided it would be best to let the Mayor know. “Mayor Hancock, I’m sorry to interrupt,” Brooks said, as he barged into Hancock’s room, “There’s someone in a Vault suit heading this way. Didn't notice any armor or guns, doesn't mean they’re not armed. Thought you’d like to know… especially since Finn’s near the door.”

“Thanks, Brooksy, ‘preciate the heads up.” Hancock said, putting the jet down on the table. Most likely looking for a trader or a bed. Maybe they’re so high on chems they don't know where they are. Should probably grab Fahrenheit and go have a look-see, make sure they're not here to cause problems. Hancock started out of the room and headed downstairs, calling for his bodyguard along the way, "Hey Fahr, let's have a chat outside by Kill or Be Killed, make sure everything is copacetic with this Vault-suit." He motioned towards her, she nodded and followed him out the door. First thing they see coming out of the Old State House was, of course, Finn. Not this again. I thought I told him not to harass newcomers. He kept his back to Finn and the scavenger, eavesdropping in on the conversation.

"Hey, hold up there. First time in Goodneighbor? Can't go walking around without insurance." He said. Finn was notorious for trying to swindle money out of anyone who walked through the door and Hancock knew that this would have to be the last time.

“Unless it’s ‘keep-dumb-assholes-away-from-me’ insurance, I’m not interested.” She replied back to him. The sound of a female voice definitely got Hancock’s attention. He was a little shocked that Finn was actually still trying to swindle money out of her. She must look like a Mole Rat, then. He continued to listen in.

“Now don’t be like that,” he said, “I think you’re going to like what I have on offer. You hand over everything you got in them pockets, or ‘accidents’ start happenin’ to ya. Big, bloody, ‘accidents.’”

Finn had been warned about that extortion crap multiple times now, Hancock was going to have to make an example out of him and it was time to step in. As he turned around to walk towards where the two were standing, that's when he saw her… it was like he'd taken too many puffs of jet - time slowed and all he could do was bask in the feeling. Shaking that off quickly enough, he started making his way over when suddenly, in the blink of an eye, she pulls out a 10mm pistol and, without hesitation, she shoots and kills Finn. "How's that for insurance?" She asked as he laid lifeless on the ground. Almost stunned, Hancock spoke up, "Whoa ho ho, I like you, already! Walk into a new place, make a show of dominance. Nice." He said. “You all right?”

“You. You’re a ghoul?” She asked, feeling a little intimidated by him. Sure, she heard about ghouls from the people she met in Concord but only the ferals, and she had definitely killed her fair share of those. She had yet to come across a ghoul that wasn't out to kill her. Not sure what to make of the situation, she decided to play it friendly but cautious.

“That’s right. Like my face? I think it gives me a sexy, king of the zombies kinda look. Big hit with the ladies. Listen. Lot of walking rad freaks like me around here, so you might want to keep those kind of questions on the low burner next time.”

“I’m sorry,” She said, “I didn't mean to offend. And, sorry about shooting your friend… I guess.”

“Yeah, too bad about Finn. Gonna miss him next Super Mutant attack rolls ‘round... Oh well. Allow me to introduce myself, Mayor John Hancock, at your service."

"It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mayor Hancock, my name is Quinn.” She felt funny calling herself Quinn, but she had to think of a name to give Preston. So, it was a spur of the moment kinda thing.

Hancock tipped his hat to her slightly, "The pleasure is mine. Mind if I call ya Q?"

She smiled at him, "That'll work just fine."

He cracked a smile back at her, "Goodneighbor's of the people, for the people, you feel me? Everyone's welcome."

"Yeah. I feel you. You won't have any problems out of me, Mayor."

"Good. You stay cool, and you'll be part of the neighborhood. So long as you remember who's in charge."

"You got it."

"Enjoy yourself in Goodneighbor, sister." He turned away from her and walked towards the State House door, smiling. Once he got upstairs, he pulled a chair over close to one of the windows and looked out, watching the new girl. She seemed so out of place and he didn't know why, but he sure as shit wanted to find out. Hancock watched Q introduce herself to Kleo, he was surprised that Q didn't run away. Kleo’s good at the sexy and scary routine. I can relate. “Hancock.” Fahrenheit was getting agitated, they were supposed to be going over inventory of the storage room but all he could do was stare out the window at the little pawn. “Oh for fucks sake…” She said, walking over and kicking his boot, “Wake up, Prince Not-Charming.” He glared at her, “Prince Not-Charming?” She laughed, “Well yeah, did you get a good look at her? She's a fucking Vault dweller. She knows nothing about ghouls. She probably thinks you're repulsive.”

“Just shut the fuck up. You don't even know what I was thinking. I'm just making sure she's not gonna cause problems.” He said angrily. She's probably right. He gave one more glance in Quinn’s direction before backing away from the window. “Uh huh. I'm sure. You were practically humping your chair.” She remarked.

-----

Q walked over to the first Neighborhood Watch she saw, "There a place a girl can get a drink in this town?", the man nodded his head "The Third Rail, door's just under the State House balcony". She nodded back in thanks, heading towards the bar. No sooner than she walked in, another ghoul greeted her with a raspy voice, "Mayor Hancock says newcomers are always welcome in the Third Rail. Entertainment's down the stairs. I toss out the troublemakers. You keep that in mind."

Hancock was upstairs pacing back and forth now, unable to concentrate on his inventory, he gave up and sent Fahrenheit to the warehouse instead. He just kept thinking about Q and how he felt when he saw her. He'd never been in love before, didn't believe in love at first sight, not so sure he believed in love at all. He couldn't recall what a crush even felt like, it had been so long. So what could it be, infatuation? Lust? He was going crazy trying to figure out this new feeling. He wrote a note out for Fahrenheit, letting her know he'd be at the Third Rail for quite a while and to leave the inventory list on the table. He was going to go drink away the thoughts of Quinn, he didn't know what else to do. He'd never been so drawn to a woman before... especially not one he had just met. He kept thinking about her dark brown hair, pulled up in that bun with strands that drooped around her face. Her icy blue eyes that seemed to stare directly into his soul. Her name being odd for a woman. Her short stature and her much-too-thin figure, as if she'd been half-starved for quite some time. But, she probably was half starved. Life was hard out in the Commonwealth. The food you wanted, you didn't have. The food you had, you didn't want. Everything usually tasted like it had been marinating in shit for a couple of centuries.

-----

"What? Another one of you mercs looking for MacCready? He's in the backroom."

"Um, what? Who's MacCready?"

"Oh, guess not. Nevermind."

Q just shrugged it off, walking past the woman towards the Mr. Handy behind the bar. The smell of cigarette smoke, booze, and the sound of music were all assaulting her senses... but in a calming sort of way. She could finally let her guard down and relax for a bit. Soak it all in. Maybe forget.

“I see you lookin' round the corner. Come on inside and pull up a chair. No need to feel like a stranger, 'cause we're all a little strange in here.” Q loved watching Magnolia sing. It was so much better in person.

"You sure ain't lyin' there." Quinn muttered to herself. “Hey bartender, give me a shot of your best whiskey. Actually, on second though... just... just gimme a glass and I'll have the whole bottle." She said, tossing a heaping fistful of caps down onto the bar. She picked up the whiskey and the shot glass and decided to take the table to the far right of the bar, secluded from everyone.

As if right on cue, Hancock walks in. Quinn didn't notice him, she was too busy doing shots and enjoying the music.

“A broken down dream you're tired of chasing. Ohhh, well I'm just the girl to make you forget.”

He made a beeline for Whitechapel Charlie. "Mayor Hancock. I'm so sorry. I didn't know you'd be coming in today. We're out of your usual." Hancock tilted the front of his tricorn hat up a bit with his thumb, "Don't sweat it, Chuck. Just gimme whatever tastes the least like it's been aged in a shoe."

“But if you're searching for something to bring you comfort. Well, I'm the one you're looking for.” He could hear Magnolia crooning away in the background.

Charlie paused for a minute and then motioned towards Q, "You'll have to see if you can't pry it away from that bird over there. Sorry, sir." Shit. He briefly debated with himself as to whether or not he wanted that whiskey. He figured she probably had a bit of a buzz with the way she was swaying to the music with her eyes closed. He couldn't help but stand there and watch her. “Need anything else, Mayor?” Charlie piped up. “Huh? Oh, no, thanks Chuck.”

“Now, is your motor runnin' close to empty? Or are you runnin' from yourself? Are you thirsty for a brand new kind of pleasure? Or are you hungry to be somebody else?”

Hancock sighed, feeling almost as if it was him she was singing about. He was always running from something, usually it was himself. He watched her knock back who knows how many shots.

“I'm tellin' you friend, your search is at an end... 'cause I'm the one you're lookin' fooooor.”

“That’s right Goodneighbor, I’m the one you’re lookin’ for.” Magnolia laughed and walked off of the stage to take a break. Finally. If Mags had kept singing, he's not sure he could've done much more than just go over to Q and mumble out some incoherent shit. He grabbed the shot glass off of the bar and decided to approach her while there was whiskey still in that bottle. Hell, what's the worst that could happen? It's not like she was going to spaz out in his face because he's a ghoul... no, she'd have done that already. Most that could happen is she wouldn't want his company. He walked up behind her and spoke, "Hey, is it okay if--" She spun around quickly and hurled her shot glass in his direction. He ducked barely in enough time for it to knock his hat off. Or that could happen. "God dammit, Q! You coulda taken my fuckin’ head off with that thing!" He said angrily, motioning for Charlie to get another glass while he picked up his hat from the floor and repositioned it back on his head. Eyes wide, she realized what she had done and to whom, then started to freak out. "Oh... oh god... Mayor Hancock! I'm so sorry! I had no idea it was you! I've just... I've been so jumpy and paranoid, you know? Wandering the Commonwealth really fucking sucks." He calmed down quickly and gave her a sympathetic look, "Hey, hey, no need to apologize. In fact, I think it's me that owes you an apology. I shouldn't have snuck up on you like that, so I’m sorry I startled you. Forgive me?" He smiled at her. She nodded and smiled back, then downed another shot as Hancock took a seat beside her. They sat in silence for a minute, Hancock trying to think of something to say. "So, you got a ride of choice? I'm usually a Mentats Ghoul myself. Makes me feel intellectual."

"Oh... well, um, Whiskey. Or Rum. Vodka. Really anything that'll get me black-out drunk." She knew very little about chems, just that they were drugs, but she hadn’t tried any of them. Chems weren’t around pre-war, she only knew it was drugs because she’d ran into some peddlers at the Drumlin Diner. To be honest, she didn’t know much about alcohol either, was never her thing before. But, she was feeling pretty good at this point, didn’t matter. "So, what's your story Hancock?"

"My favorite subject. I came into this town about... a decade ago? Had a smooth set of skin back then. While I was busy making myself a pillar of this community, I would go on these... like... wild tears... I was young... any chems I could find, the more exotic, the better. Finally found this experimental radiation drug. Only one of it's kind left, and only one hit. Oh man, the high was so worth it. Yeah, I'm living with the side effects, but hey, what's not to love about immortality?"

"You're immortal?"

"Well... not exactly. Ghouls just age really, really slow. Something about the rads, maybe? Who knows..."

"Wow. You're a hell of a risk-taker, Hancock."

"Only have one life, why not try it all?" He said, feeling the buzz of that whiskey kicking in pretty good after chugging a quarter of what was left. "So, now it's your turn. What's your story?"

She hesitated, unsure if she should tell the truth, a lie, or just avoid it all together. "Uh, well, really it's no different than anyone else just trying to survive." We’re going with avoiding today. Better than lying.

"Gotta be real crazy or real tough to survive out there. Least, that's what worked for me. But, c'mon dollface, surely there's something you can tell me about yourself." Dollface? Didn't meant to say that out loud. Must be buzzin'.

"There... there really isn't."

"Okay, well, what about family? A man? A woman?" He said, hoping she wasn't attached to anyone.

"Nope." She said after she had taken another shot. "No family, no friends. Nobody. Just me."

As happy as he was to hear her say that, it was also extremely hard to believe. Someone this beautiful didn’t have a significant other? She looks like she’s just walked outta the vault. "So, what, did you steal that vault suit and pip-boy then?"

Damn. She was drunk enough that she could've been completely naked and would've been oblivious to it. Still, drunk as she was, she really didn't want to talk about what had occurred inside the Vault. Okay, so, lying it is then. "Yeah, I stole it off of some random raider. Shot 'em in the face and decided this was better than what I was wearing." She felt bad about lying, but she just wasn't ready to tell the story.

"Right on.", he picked up the bottle realizing it was empty and slightly chuckled, "Guess we should head outta here huh? Someone’s drank all of our whiskey."

"Yeah, probably should try and sleep some of this off." She was having a hard time getting on her feet. "Any suggestions on where I could stay for the night?"

"Hotel Rexford is just next door." Helping her up, he knew there was no way she was going to walk over to the hotel, not without his help. He'd had just enough booze in him to know that he probably shouldn't try to assist her. "On second thought, you can crash in the State House. Don't think either one of us will make it to the Rexford."

"You sure? I don't want to intrude or anything." Her words really slurring, "And what about your lady friend, won't she mind?"

"Wha? Lady friend? OH, her! Ha!! No, Fahrenheit’s just my bodyguard. I mean, have you seen her? She isn't exactly easy on the eyes and coming from a ghoul, that’s pretty bad." Hancock placed one of her arms around his shoulder and his arm around her waist, and helped her out of the Third Rail and into the side door of the State House. "Hey, one of you mugs wanna help me get her upstairs? She's fine, just had too much to drink." No sooner than she planted her feet firmly on the floor upstairs, she threw herself onto the first comfortable piece of furniture she could find. Unfortunately for Hancock, it was his bed. He eased onto the other side of the bed and nudged her a bit, "You mind? The couches aren't exactly comfortable." She rolled over to face him and looked up into his eyes, “No, I don’t mind.” Then she started to ease herself towards him, coming up off of the bed. "Q... what are you doing?" He felt like he already knew the answer, but he didn’t want to make assumptions. "I want to kiss you... is that okay?" Her saying that to him was like music to his ears. Damn did he want to kiss her so fucking bad; but he couldn't, not with her like this. Usually he wouldn't care if chems or alcohol was involved, but somehow this was different. Very different. "Q, you're drunk. C'mon. You don't actually wanna kiss me, you just think you do. Booze can make people do some weird shit at times... shit you may regret the next day. Kissin' Ghouls ain’t gonna be one of 'em. Least not this Ghoul." His voice trailed off as he helped her roll back over, with her back towards him, "Get some sleep."

Chapter Text

Hancock woke the next morning to the sun beaming through a couple of the windows, groaning as he rolled over onto his back, Q stirred next to him. Oh shit, it wasn't just a jet flashback. She’s real… and she’s here. Shocked and amazed that someone actually stayed the night with him, he couldn't stop watching her. She wasn't facing him, but he enjoyed just watching her breathe, as creepy as he felt like that was. He desperately wanted to touch her, to know what her skin felt like. Because she was still in her vault suit, he didn’t have many options. Holding his breath, he placed his fingertips on the side of her neck, gently rubbing along her porcelain skin. It was the softest thing he had ever felt. He couldn't understand how she could've been living in a wasteland for so long, trying to survive, but yet be so soft and so pale. She must've gotten sick of the Vault lifestyle. Dunno why, shit’s a cake walk. Hancock continue to caress her until she slowly opened her eyes and realized that she had absolutely no idea where she was. Quickly, Q sprung up out of the bed, lost her footing, and fell straight to the floor. Hancock was at her side immediately, trying to help her up, “Hey hey, calm down, you’re alright. You’re here in the State House. You stayed the night with me, remember? Nothin' to worry about.” He’d had plenty of bad trips to know exactly what she was going through.

“Hancock?” She put her hand over her forehead, “How did I get here?”

“I brought you here. Or, well, we kinda brought each other here. Like the blind leading the blind… only it was the hammered leading the completely shit-faced.” He picked her up and placed her back in the bed, brushed her hair behind her ear and handed her a can of purified water.

“I didn’t do anything… stupid… last night, did I? I mean, to be honest, I’m really not much of a drinker. I've just had a hard time lately and thought it would help me forget about things for a while.” Sipping the water, she felt Hancock place his hand on her thigh just above the knee.

“Well, as I recall, you did try to kiss me… but I wouldn't exactly call that stupid. Just, under the influence, heh.”

She felt her entire face flush with embarrassment, “Oh my god. Hancock, I’m so sorry. That is so… awkward.” Shoving her face into her hands, hoping she could hide her blushing cheeks.

Awkward, she says. His heart sank a bit, “Hey, we've all done some shit in the past while on something, it’s not a big deal. Don’t worry, though, nothing happened. I didn’t want you to do anything you’d wake up and regret today.”

“I can’t believe I made a fool out of myself. I really am sorry, Hancock.”

“Don’t mention it.” He said, getting up and peering out the window, “Say, you wanna bite to eat? You look like you haven’t had a decent meal in a long time.”

“Yeah, feels like it’s been centuries.”

“Done. I’ll see what I can scrounge up around here.” Gotta be something other than chems, Snack Cakes, and Sugar Bombs. He turned and went in search of something that would be a bit more filling.

Fahrenheit walked into the State House after having to handle a problem down at Hancock's store room. Figuring he'd wanna know that she had to put an end to Bobbi No-Nose, she went in search of him. Walking into his bedroom, she spotted Quinn half-awake in Hancock’s bed. Now, Fahrenheit never had any interest in Hancock romantically, hell no, but she did enjoy his company and hated the thought of having to compete for it with anyone. Not only that, but Fahr also knew it would likely make Hancock go soft, which could affect the way he ran Goodneighbor. She knew that this new girl had to go, and go now, for the greater good. “Hey there”, she said to Q, “Must've had a hell of a time with Hancock last night.”

“I don't really remember any of it.” Q replied, feeling a bit uneasy.

“Yeah, they usually don't. With all the chems and booze floating around here, it's hard to remember much of anything at all.” Sitting down at the end of the bed, Fahrenheit suddenly had a mischievous grin on her face.

“They?” Q asked, almost regrettably.

“Yeah, Hancock has had countless women in this bed.” She patted close to where Q laid, “If there's a woman in this town, chances are they've been here at least twice.”

“Every woman?”, she cringed slightly at the thought of Hancock being with, well, anyone. “Even you?”

“Are you kidding me? I'm his regular go-to girl. He spends more time with me than anyone else.”

“Oh… Hancock said you two weren't together or anything.”

“We aren't. Hancock only wants one thing, and believe me, it's not to be tied down to one woman. Hancock has an… appetite. One he can never seem to sate.”

“I see.” Suddenly feeling awkward, she decided to gather up her things.

“Yeah,” Fahrenheit nudged Q, “Fucking every woman he can get his ghoulish hands on is his favorite pastime… aside from chems, of course.”

“Of course. Listen, I really need to get going, gotta lot of shit to do, you know? Tell Hancock I said thanks for his hospitality.”

“Hospitality? Is that what they're calling it now? Well, regardless, it probably is best if you left. You'd be out on the street before nightfall as soon as his next piece of ass shows up.”

“It... really isn't any of my business.” She gave a waving gesture in Fahr’s general direction, “It was nice meeting you.” Q said to her as she walked down the stairs and out of the State House. Never in a million years would she have though Hancock was that sort of guy, but then again she didn't even know him. Yet it was still upsetting. Maybe she'd take Preston up on his offer to meet up in Sanctuary Hills. Sure it would take a while to get there, but she had nothing but time. She walked out of Goodneighbor and didn't look back.

-----

“Aha! Insta-Mash and Blamco Mac and Cheese! This'll do.” Hancock grabbed it all up along with the cleanest plates he could find. Shoved a few cans of water in the crook of his arm and headed back to Q. However, when he got there, she was gone, only Fahrenheit sat there. “Where'd Q go?”

“Yeah, I have no idea.”

Hancock had an uneasy feeling suddenly and dropped everything into a chair. “You're lying. Where is she, Fahrenheit? Tell me. Now. And no bullshit.”

She got up and walked over to the couch, inspecting the food. “Okay, so, I might've told a little lie so she'd leave. No big deal.”

Hancock wasn't sure if it was how nonchalantly she said that, or the fact that she caused Q to leave that got his temper flaring. “You WHAT?”

“We don't need her.”

“No, WE don't! But maybe I wanted her here! Did you ever fucking think of that?!” His hands had formed tightly clenched fists.

“She was a distraction… was only going to make you soft.” Fahrenheit said, in a singsong kind of way.

“Are you fuckin’ serious, right now?” His eyes narrowed.

“Oh, calm down, you’re being so damn dramatic.”

“I can’t even look at you. Just… just get out.” He said to her through gritted teeth.

She looked at him and rolled her eyes, “Hancock, she'll be fine. She’ll go find some settlement and do whatever it is they do.”

“Get the fuck out.” He said, pointing towards the door, “I want you outta my State House and outta my town. And so help me... if I see your goddamn face around again Fahrenheit, I'll make you wish it was a nightmare. You'd better hope she's okay, or I'll hunt you down, and I’ll gut you like a fucking fish.” He was furious. The last time he felt this much rage was the incident in Diamond City.

“Hancock…”

He whipped his dagger out of his frock coat and pointed it at Fahrenheit, “GUARDS. GET THIS BITCH OUT OF MY FUCKING CITY. NOW!” As the Watch escorted her outside of the town, Hancock was gathering up all the ammunition he could find and his shotgun. He was going to find Quinn, come hell or high water.

-----

Q wasn't paying attention when she walked right through the middle of Sanctuary Hills, ignoring everyone, the only thing on her mind was Hancock and what Fahrenheit had told her. In fact, that's the only thoughts she had the entire way. Before she realized it, she was standing in a familiar place… Vault 111. It was pouring rain, soaking her to the bone, yet all she could do was stand next to the caravan, thinking about pushing the button that would lower her down into the vault. Maybe I can fix that pod somehow. Sleep for another 200 years or more. Maybe I'll luck out and just die this time. For three or four days, this is where she stayed. She slept in one of the caravans, didn’t eat anything, and occasionally would scoop up a drink from a water puddle. She wondered what fate had befallen Shaun. If Nate would do any better here than she has. If he would be disappointed in her for feeling something towards Hancock. Did she feel something for him? She believed she did. But no matter what was on her mind, her thoughts kept going back to Hancock and the short time she’d spent with him. Suddenly, she swore she heard Mama Murphy talking to someone, “She's over there, dear.”

“Thanks, you crazy old bat. You've earned yourself some jet.” He said, tossing her the chem and smiling. Mama Murphy smiled back and returned to Sanctuary.

Q looked out of the caravan in time to see Hancock walking through the destroyed chain link fence. Not wanting to face him, she did the only thing she knew to, she hit the button as hard as she could and ran over to the pad leading down into the vault.

“No! Q… wait!” He yelled, running, desperately trying to catch her. He was too late, she had been lowered into the Vault. Hancock rushed around trying to find however the hell it was she got down there when finally he saw the big red button and slammed his fist down on it, bringing the pad back up to the surface. “Jackpot.”

Chapter Text

Hancock hit the red button a second time and immediately ran over to the pad, being lowered down as well. It didn't take long to get to the bottom, once there he opened up the fencing and went upstairs. Something isn't right about this place. He felt uneasy. He’d never been in a Vault before, so he knew very little about them. But, he’d have thought a Vault housing people would've seemed… bigger than this. He knew Q wasn't going to run past him and get out without him seeing her, so when he spied that terminal he had to have a look. The Vault felt so wrong to him, he wanted to know why, it was a feeling he couldn't shake. He sat down at the desk and started typing, he'd found the list of everyone in the Vault, that they were cryogenically suspended for a time, and their identification pictures. Including Quinn’s… er, Nora’s. Husband… son… what in the actual fuck?! That was all he saw, all he needed to. He didn't continue to read, he didn’t care to know any more, he could hear his blood boiling and went in search of her. He wanted to know why the fuck she lied to him. Going in search, he found her in a room standing around several tubes that still had people in them, it didn’t occur to him that her infant son was missing. The only thing he could focus on was the other pods still had people in them, and there was only one empty tube.

Hancock stormed over, grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him, a bit harder than he intended, “I want some goddamn answers, Q. Or should I say, NORA?” She immediately started to tear up. “Oh no,” he said, “Don't you start that crying bullshit with me. You said you had NOBODY. You LIED to me. To think, I actually threatened to KILL Fahrenheit after I found out that she fed you some line of bullshit. I even kicked her outta Goodneighbor for you! YOU! I came to bring you back, but I'm not so sure I fucking want to now. So you explain to me why you fucking lied, Nora!” He swore he could hear his heart breaking.

She couldn't look at him, “Stop calling me Nora!” She yelled back, yanking her arm out of his grasp.

“EXPLAIN!!” He demanded, stamping his foot. He hated that he was yelling at her. He didn't want to be this way, especially not to her, but at this moment he felt as if someone had ripped his heart out and fed it to a pack of rabid Yao Guai.

She cringed as he yelled, making her feel worse than she already did. Quinn knew that it was time to tell him, she didn’t really have a choice at this point. She was still crying and her voice was shaky, but she still managed to speak, "This isn't exactly how I wanted you to find out. I should’ve told you the truth from the beginning, I just wasn't ready. I'm still not, but you deserve to know the whole truth. I guess, this is... where I’m from. Well, it isn't but… it’s complicated. I just woke up a little while ago, few days before I stumbled into Goodneighbor. As you've just apparently found out… I… we... were in some kind of cryogenic pods. My husband Nate, our infant son Shaun, and myself had secured a spot in this Vault. When the bombs fell-"

Hancock interrupted, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, time out. The bombs. As in THE bombs? The very bombs that are the cause of... of all the wonderful scenery we've got goin’ on outside?" He said sarcastically and making circular motions with his hand. "So, you’re really standing here telling me that you’re pre-war?" He says making some more flailing hand motions, “PRE-war?”

"Yes, I'm over 200 years old. Thing was, whenever we got here they said that there was a decontamination process. John…” She hesitated, “We had no idea what these pods actually were… thought we’d be in and out within a few minutes. So, I got into one tube,” She pointed at the empty tube where she had been. “Nate and Shaun got into the other across from mine. Next thing I know, I'm waking up but unable to get the pod door open. And I watched... as two men and a woman stole my baby and… and murdered my husband. He... Nate... was just trying to protect Shaun, and they killed him. Right in front of me. I tried to stop them, I just kept beating on the door, hoping the pod would open but it never did. I was so helpless. Then they turned the pods back on and I went back to sleep. Woke up this time and found that I was the only survivor. I didn’t even know how long it had been until I made my way back to Sanctuary and found the Mr. Handy I used to have." She then pointed at the pod that still contained Nate’s body. “This um, this was my husband.”

Hancock’s heart was racing from her calling him John. It was the sweetest thing he had ever heard. He calmed down instantly and realized how harshly he had acted towards her. "I am... so damn sorry Q… I didn’t know. I shouldn't have demanded an explanation. Please don't hate me. My mind was just reeling and I felt so hurt." he reached out and took her hand into his own. Shockingly, she didn't flinch, wretch, or seem to mind at all. That was new. Often times smooth skins were disgusted with him and wouldn't let him get close, let alone touch them. That's when he felt her other hand move atop his, and he froze, his heart feeling like it would leap out of his chest. He looked down at her hand that covered his and back up at her. "Thank you John, for giving me a chance to explain instead of walking away. And I don't hate you.” No one has ever called me by my first name that wasn't immediate family. Guess she doesn't find me repulsive after all. "Hey, it's no problem. I do want to say that you are one amazing individual. To have no idea about anything that's went on in the past 200 years, emerge from an ice box, and still survive? I'm going to take a crack at it and make the assumption that it probably has something to do with getting your son back."

She took a deep sigh and looked at her feet, still holding onto his hand with both of hers. "Honestly? No. I don't plan on trying to find him. I know that sounds awful but... but I don't know how much time passed between his kidnapping and when I woke up. For all I know, he could have died of old age by now. Besides, if he is alive, I’m not so sure that I could properly care for him the way he would deserve to be. I can barely find food or purified water for myself. Someone is always shooting at me. I just… I can’t watch him get murdered like Nate."

"Hey, I feel you. I get it."

She shook her head, “Why didn’t I die like all the others? Why am I stuck in this shithole wasteland? I’m so lost.”

“Listen, I don’t know why you didn’t die. I don’t have those answers for you. But I can tell you one thing, you can stay with me in Goodneighbor for as long as you like.”

She looked down at the floor, tears filling her eyes and streaming down her face, “I wish I would've died. I have no idea what I'm doing.”

Hancock reached up and wiped her tears away, brushing her cheek gently. “I, for one, am really glad that you didn't.” He sighed, then pulled her to him for a hug and held onto her. He figured he should probably tell her a bit more about himself as well. He rested his chin on top of her head, “Q, we all have shit that we wished would have went differently, you know? Can't change it. Just gotta deal and move on. No sense in giving up. Just gotta take the Brahmin by the horns and give 'er hell."

Quinn looked up at him, "There are things that bother you?"

"Hell yeah. Just because I'm a Ghoul on the outside, doesn't mean I'm not human on the inside. Shit bothers me. In fact, there's something that bothered me for a time."

"C'mon John, you can tell me..."

He sighed. "Obviously, I haven’t always been the Mayor of Goodneighbor. Some ass named Vic ran the town for... I don’t know how long. Guy was scum, used us drifters like his own personal piggy bank. He had this goon squad he’d use to keep people in line. Every so often he’d let them off the leash, go blow off some steam on the populace at large. Folks with homes could lock their doors, but us drifters, we got it bad. There was one night, some drifter said something to them. They cracked him open like a can of Cram on the pavement. And we all just stood there. Did nothing.” He paused for a second, looking down at her hands that tightened around his.

She pulled away enough to look up at him, “Wasn't there anyone who could've helped?”

He shrugged, “Who knows. Maybe. Honestly we were all so terrified, we couldn’t bring ourselves to move until it was over, let alone get help. I felt like less than nothing. Afterwards, I got so high, I blacked out completely. When I finally came to, I was on the floor of the Old State House. Right in front of the clothes of John Hancock. John Hancock, first American hoodlum and defender of the People. I might’ve still been high, but those clothes spoke to me, told me what I needed to do. I smashed the case, put them on, and started a new life. As Hancock. After that I went clean for a bit, got organized, convinced Kleo to loan me some hardware. Got a crew of drifters and headed out into the ruins, started training. Next time Vic’s boys went on their tear, we’d be ready for ‘em.”

She narrowed her eyes at him for a moment, “A guy like that only understand one thing - swift and brutal force. You made the right call.”

He smiled and cupped her chin, still keeping one arm around her. “See I knew you had your head on straight.” He said as he slipped his arm back around her waist. “So the night of, we all got loaded, let Vic’s boys get good and hammered, and burst from the windows and rooftops where we’d been hiding. They never even saw it coming. We didn’t have to fire a shot. We didn’t have to. But we sure fucking did. It was a massacre. Once we’d mopped up, we strolled right into Vic’s quarters in the State House, wrapped a rope around his neck, and threw him off the balcony. And there I am, gun in hand, draped in Hancock’s duds, looking at all the people of Goodneighbor assembled below. I had to say something. That first time I said ‘em, they didn’t even feel like my words: ‘Of the people, for the people!’ Was my inaugural address. Became Mayor Hancock of Goodneighbor that day. And from then on, I vowed to never stand by and watch. Ever again.”

“Sounds like you had an awfully bloody past.”

“Sure did. And if things keep going the way they have, I think we’re both in for a nice bloody future.” He pulled her back in for a hug, and then let go but kept her hand in his. “I just hope you get where I was coming from. I ain’t out to bring harm to anyone that didn’t earn it. Though I’m getting the distinct idea you got the same plan. Well you probably heard enough of me running my mouth for one day. Wanna get outta here?”

“Yeah, I really don’t want to be in here any longer. Let's go.” She began to remove her hand from his, but before she could, he pulled it up to his mouth and kissed it gently.

-----

There was only silence between them from Vault 111 to the Red Rocket. Finally, Quinn spoke up, “I need to stop in here and modify a few things. I think it's time to get out of this Vault suit.” Hancock nodded politely and sat down on the couch that was just inside the door. Quinn grabbed the raider leg armors, metal arms, the metal chest piece and got to work. Hancock was listening to her mod away at this armor, amazed that she knew how. He wondered if it was something she'd learned previously. “Jack of all trades, aren't ya?” He said to her, causing her to jump a bit. “Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you.”

“It's fine, really.”

“Is this something ya knew how to do before or…?”

“No. I learned this just recently.” She said.

“I hope I'm not steppin’ on any toes. I still feel bad about what I did back there. But I'd still like to know about ya.”

She sighed, putting the armor down. “Okay, what do you wanna know?”

“What did you do before… you know…”

“Before I was tricked into being frozen for 200 years and losing everything I ever knew and woke up in a world that had totally gone to shit, knowing absolutely nothing about it? Having to find out the hard way that everyone was going to try to kill me?” She knew she sounded bitter, she had every right to.

“I haven't tried to kill ya. But yeah.”

She rubbed her forehead, “Did a few different things. I was a weapons specialist. In my spare time, I sang at local bars. Like Magnolia, only not as good.”

“Wouldn't mind hearing that some time, if you're okay with it.”

“Might be.” Flashing him a small smile she went back to modifying her armor. Hancock wasn't going to ask further about her life before. He figured from then on if she wanted him to know something about her previous life, she'd offer up the information without him asking. While he was out walking around with Dogmeat, Q threw on the undershirt and jeans she'd found and piled the armor on top, she wanted to make sure everything fit correctly before they decided to head out. Shit, this is a lot heavier than I thought it'd be. She'd deal with the weight of it, she was only in hopes it wouldn't end up slowing her down. Quinn noticed that it was getting pretty dark and decided it would be best to stay at the Red Rocket until dawn. She took all of the armor off and laid down on the bed in just the undershirt and panties.

“Hey Q, I--” Hancock froze, “Oh shit! I'm sorry, I thought you were completely dressed.” He turned his back to her quickly.

“Don't worry about it. You’re sleeping in here with me tonight anyway, so get used to it.”

“You sure 'bout that?”

“Yeah. Honestly I'd feel a lot safer with you around.”

"You got nothin' to worry about with me coverin' ya." He said, then took his tricorn hat off, sitting it on a dresser close by. He proceeded to strip down to his boxers and looked at her, “This is okay, right?” Quinn smiled and nodded. As they laid there, Hancock facing the wall and Q staring at the ceiling, she started thinking about the conversation they'd had in Vault 111 and how he seemed really hurt. A bit too hurt, which made her think.

“Hey, Hancock?”

He rolled over onto his back and looked over at her, watching the candlelight dance over her skin, “Yeah?”

“Why did you come looking for me?” She continued staring up at the ceiling.

“Well… when I came back with food for us, I only found Fahrenheit in the room where you were supposed to be. After I she said that she lied to you about something. I didn't know what she told you, didn't really care. Just knew I didn't wanna see her and I needed to find you. Honestly, I couldn't stand the thought of you hating me... especially over some shit that wasn't true.”

Quinn looked at him, “She basically said that... you slept... with a lot of women. Regularly. Including her.”

“Which is a goddamn lie.”

“And so, you came looking for me… just to set it straight? That's it?”

“Yeah... that and I was afraid you'd get hurt out there alone... or worse. Yet here you are, without a single scratch on you.”

“Hey, I wasn't about to stick around Goodneighbor and feel awkward as hell if all that was true. Plus, I ran across some people in Concord that said they could use my help. I figured fuck it, why not? Didn't wanna stay there, had no where to go, may as well help some people in need.”

“To think I ever doubted you.” He said, rolling over to face her, smirking a bit.

“Oh yeah? What kind of doubts?” She asked, trying to hide the smile on her face.

“You kiddin’ me? You looked like you'd fallen out of the Vault that day. I thought I'd see you pickin’ your teeth outta the gutter by sun up. It's just real rare these days, to find someone who's not just willing to take things the way they're handed to them. Too many good folks not willing to get their hands dirty and too many assholes taking advantage of it.” He said as he rested his hand on top of hers. Quinn’s heart jumped up in her throat as she felt him grasp her hand. “Look at what happened to Diamond City. Before McDonough took over, it was a half-decent place to live.” Hancock continued, “a little stricter than I usually go for, but not terrible. I thought he and I had a pretty happy childhood. But then he decides he's gonna try and get with his anti-Ghoul crusade - ‘Mankind for McDonough’. Before ya know it, you got families with kids lining up to drag folks they called ‘neighbor’ out of their homes and throw ‘em to the ruins.”

“You and McDonough knew each other as kids?” She asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh yeah. Guy’s my brother. Grew up together in a little shack on the waterfront. Guy was the standard big brother - entitled, punchy, liked to shove rotten tatoes down my shirt and slap my back. But I never thought he'd be capable of something like what they did to those Ghouls.”

“Why did McDonough campaign against the Ghouls?”

“Because he thought he could win. There'd always been a pretty clear divide between the folks living in the stands and those down on the field. I'm not convinced they didn't do it just to improve their view. I remember storming into his office above the stands after the inauguration speech. He was just standing there, looking out the window, watching as the city turned on the Ghouls. He didn't even look at me, just said: ‘I did it, John. It's finally mine.’ Should have killed him right there, but I don't think it would have changed anything. Instead I pleaded with him, begged him to call it off. He said he couldn't. He had nothing against the Ghouls. He was just carrying out the will of the people. And he couldn't betray the voters. And then he smiled. That hideous, fucking mile-long smile. He never smiled like that when we were kids. I didn't even recognize him.”

“What do you mean you didn't recognize him?” She knew she was prying, but it didn't matter. She'd felt something for Hancock from the moment she saw him in Goodneighbor, she tried not to think anything of it. It was only him being hospitable as Mayor. But now, with the two of them laying there in bed, she knew there was something. She wanted to pry. She wanted to know the rest of his story. And she could listen to him talk all night.

“I don't know. Just didn't seem like the guy I grew up with. When I'd first heard the rumors that he'd been swapped for a Synth, thinking back on that night, I thought it made a lot of sense. But now, I don't know. I don't think I buy it. I've seen him since then and there's no way they copied him that perfectly. Even got his tight-ass walk. But at the time, I just needed to get the hell away from him and that whole damned city.”

Quinn had a few tears streaming down her face listening to Hancock, “He killed those Ghouls.”

Hancock wiped her tears away with his thumb, “Him and that whole damned city. I still wasn't a Ghoul at this point, so I didn't have to leave, but I couldn't bring myself to stay in that cesspool after that. I'd been sneakin’ off to Goodneighbor for years to get decent chems, so I knew the safe routes. I managed to track down a couple of the families, lead ‘em there, but most couldn't get used to the Goodneighbor lifestyle. I brought them food for a couple of week, but after a while, they just disappeared. Folks in Diamond City signed their death warrants and all the good people were willing to just sit by and watch. I felt like I was the only one who saw how screwed up things truly were, who couldn't just pretend things were fine. Still feel that way… or I did. Until I met you.” He intertwined his fingers in hers and continued. “I know I run my mouth, but having someone who sees the world for what it is and is willing to do something about it. It's meant a lot to me. And I feel damn lucky to have you as a friend.”

Quinn beamed a slight smile at him and tightened her grasp on his hand, “And that's what we are? Friends?”

He grinned, using his free hand to run his fingers on the side of her neck and across her collarbone, “Well, now that you mention it, I have been having slightly more impure thoughts than usual. Maybe we'll get to… act on those. Heh. But I guess we should get some sleep so we can head out in the morning.”

Hancock kissed Quinn on the forehead and motioned for her to roll over and face the wall. As she did he cuddled up behind her, wrapped his arms around her and grabbed her hand once again. “I'm glad you decided to come find me, John.” She said. He sighed and nuzzled against her shoulder, “So am I, dollface. So am I.” Listening to the sounds of the radio playing faintly in the next room and rain starting to fall, they both fell asleep.

As dawn broke, Hancock woke up to find Q standing at the end of the bed rummaging through her things. He propped himself up on one elbow, “Mornin’ Sunshine.”

Chapter Text

“Good morning to you, too.” Q said with a smile.

“Sleep well?”

“Better than expected.”

“Oh yeah? Regularly sleep like shit, do ya?” He winked at her as he got out of bed and walked over to her.

“For 210 years I slept like the dead. Since then, kinda hard to sleep when you think someone might stab you in the face.”

“You wouldn't have to worry, your face is too pretty.” He reached up and stroked her cheek gently, “Your skin is so soft.”

“Cryostasis’ll do that.” She said as she closed her eyes and put her hand on his.

Hancock could hear Easy Living by Billie Holiday playing in the background on Diamond City Radio. “Quinn?”

“Yes?” She said, just above a whisper.

“Dance with me.” He didn’t give her much of a choice as he took one of her hands in his, put a hand on her hip, and began to dance slowly with her. She didn’t stop him. Nor did she want to. She just leaned her head against his shoulder.

“Don't shoot me, okay?” He said to her as he let go of her hand and tilted her face upwards.

“Shoot you? Why would I shoot you?”

Before she said anything else, he leaned in and barely pressed his lips against hers, nervous that she might reject him. I've lost my fucking mind. What would a girl like this want with a Ghoul like me? He just knew she'd pull away and vomit all over him. Until he felt her kiss him back. He moved his hand from her face to behind her head and kissed her properly. Q wrapped her arms around his neck, caught in the moment. He responded to her by wrapping his arms around her waist. Hancock pulled away, “I’m sorry, but I've wanted to do that since you first stepped foot in Goodneighbor.”

She hugged him, “Don't apologize. Never apologize for that. And I'm not going to shoot you.”

“I'm gonna be real mad if this turns out to be one big Jet flashback.”

They both began laughing as they geared up to head out. Quinn and Hancock petted Dogmeat on the head, made sure he had plenty of food, and took off for Goodneighbor. Q no longer wanted to go to Diamond City after Hancock told her what McDonough did to the Ghouls. She knew Hancock wouldn't move to away from Goodneighbor. Sure he had offered to let her stay there, but he never said anything about it being permanent. She wanted to be near him at all times, but she didn't know what to do. In the meantime, she was going to enjoy his company the best she could.

As they walked along the crumbled road that stretched far ahead of them, Hancock broke the silence, “So, what are your plans?”

“Plans?”

“Yeah. Where are you going from this point forward?”

“Dunno. Was thinking about helping the group of people I met in Concord. A man named Preston Garvey asked me to meet up with him in Sanctuary.”

“We're going the wrong way for that, dollface.”

“Well, for one, I'm sure you need to get back to Goodneighbor. For two, what's the ‘we’ stuff?”

Hancock smiled, “You think I'm gonna let ya wander the Commonwealth alone? Hell no. I'm coming with you.”

“You actually wanna travel together?”

“I think I could do with some more trouble in my life.”

Q nodded in agreement, she had absolutely no problems with Hancock tagging along. In fact, she was secretly ecstatic about it. Not only was it because she wanted to be close to him but also she knew that they could cause some real problems for bad people. And Quinn was all about hurting bad people. One day, Quinn wanted to track down her Husband’s murderer… her son’s kidnapper… and have her vengeance. There was little said between her and Hancock along the way. Sure, they would make witty or snide remarks anytime they had to put down a few Raiders or something, but that was all. The trek to Goodneighbor was much more uneventful than either of them expected. Between the two of them, they had no problem defending themselves. As if they were unstoppable. At one point, Q and Hancock uprooted a piece of concrete that still had a fencepost embedded in it; Quinn had become quite fond of swinging it at Raiders. Hancock couldn’t help but take notice that Q just seemed so damn methodical with all of her attacks, it’s like she knew what to do in a split second - her accuracy was deadly and, what seemed to be, unmatched. He also noticed that every time she swung that chunk of concrete, or placed a well-aimed bullet in the face of a Raider or Super Mutant, he felt a stirring. An excitement. It was as if he had this hunger, and only she could feed it. In those moments, he swore he ached to know what she felt like. Her naked, warm, smooth body against his. It drove him crazy and he knew if he didn’t find out, or at least try to, he would drive him to the point he’d go feral… or so that’s how it seemed. She managed to keep his mind racing at all times whenever they were around each other. Hancock wanted to be with Quinn, badly, in every way possible. No, he didn’t have to be with her sexually, hell she probably wasn't even ready for that sort of thing… but a Ghoul could hope. God, can a Ghoul hope like hell.

Suddenly he noticed that it was beginning to rain and came back to reality, “Hey, Q, looks like we made it to Goodneighbor.” He looked back and she was gone. He’d been thinking this whole time and didn’t notice that she wasn't there. “Quinn? QUINN!” Hancock started calling for her. Surely she couldn’t have wandered far. Surely.

“JOHN!!!!” She screamed.

He knew by the sound of her scream that she was in big trouble. She sounded close, but where was she? That’s when Hancock looked up and noticed someone had grabbed her and was dangling her off of the Mass Fusion building by her feet. It was raining so hard that he could barely tell how high up she actually was. But, Hancock knew if she fell, she wouldn't make it. So, he did the only thing he knew to do… no, it wasn't to run, not this time… he went in after her.

“Oh, is your Ghoul-to-be coming to your rescue, little pawn?”

“Fuck you! I’m gonna kill you with my bare hands!” Quinn yelled.

Suddenly she felt a hand let go of one of her ankles. “Oh. Whoops. My grip seems to be slipping.”

Hancock barreled through the front doors of the Mass Fusion center, through the lobby, and up he went. Flight after flight, killing Gunner after Gunner, if there weren’t stairs to take, he managed to find parts of the ceiling that had collapsed so he could climb up. There was no way he would let Q die. No fucking way. He had to have gone up four of five floors until he reached a dead end. Gotta be the balcony exit. Sure enough, he barged through the doors out into the pouring rain, to see Fahrenheit on his left, hanging Quinn over the balcony. As she hung there, she could see Goodneighbor. Those neon lights. She realized, at that moment, that her feelings for Hancock were stronger than she thought. Why did it take her to realize this only moments before imminent death?

Hancock pulled out his shotgun and pointed it at the attacker, “Knew I’d see you again, Fahr. You been watchin’ me from here?”

“Ah, Hancock. Just the Ghoul I've been lookin’ for.” Fahrenheit grinned wickedly. “I have a proposition for you.”

“No deal.”

“Seems you don’t really have a choice here, Mayor. I've got your pawn by the ankle.”

Hancock stuck his shotgun in her face, “I will shoot you.”

“You do and she dies. So I suggest you listen to this deal of mine.”

Hancock clenched his teeth, “Fine. What is this fuckin’ deal?”

“I let her go free, unharmed, and we go back to Goodneighbor like you never met her. She stays away, you go back to being Mayor, I go back to playing bodyguard. All is fan-fucking-tastic. She lives and Goodneighbor gets her Mayor back.”

“No… no deal. You let her go free, unharmed, and I don’t kill you.”

Quinn could hear Hancock talking to Fahrenheit, but she had no idea what was being said. Feeling all the blood rushing to her head made her dizzy, she feared she would pass out. Not know if she would live or die, she decided to just go for it. “JOHN!” She called out to him, hoping he could hear her through the drums of thunder.

“IT’S OKAY Q! I GOT THIS!” He yelled back.

“JOHN!! I LO--” But before she could finish, Fahrenheit let go of her. Quinn fell, yelling for Hancock, watching the lightning bolt across the sky.

“QUINN!” He yelled out. He turned to Fahrenheit and pointed his gun at her head, tears filling up his eyes. “You fucking BITCH, you killed her! I LOVED her and you KILLED her! Now it’s your turn!”

“Listen, Hancock! Wait!” Fahrenheit didn’t get to continue. Hancock pulled the trigger.

Once he’d killed Fahrenheit, he ran back to the left side of the building and looked down but he couldn’t see anything. Unbeknown to Hancock, when Quinn fell, she didn’t hit the ground. No, luck was on her side this day. She’d managed to hit, what appeared to be, the roof of the third level. Sure, it hurt like hell, but she wasn't injured badly. She leapt from the roof of Mass Fusion over to another building, then down onto an old rusted truck. To make sure she wasn't grabbed again by Gunners, or anyone else for that matter, she limped over and sat down in front of the door to Goodneighbor. She wanted to go help John, but the fall had hurt enough that she really wasn't in any shape to climb her way back up.

Looking over the side of Mass Fusion, Hancock put his head in his hands and began to sob, “No no no no no. You can’t be dead. Dammit, Quinn. You can't be dead!” He couldn’t stop crying, his emotions were all over the place, he felt as if he was borderline hysterical and his heart was shattered. Yet again, he did the only thing he knew he could, he mustered up enough energy to leave Mass Fusion. He’d made up his mind, he was going to go back to Goodneighbor and gather supplies, then head to Sanctuary just like Q had planned and fight the good fight. Walking out of Mass Fusion, there still wasn't any sign of her on the ground. No way any Super Mutant or Feral could've gotten to her that quickly. There was no way she could've survived that fall. For a moment, his hopes soared, then he looked up towards the balcony and realized that no, had she hit the ground, she would not have made it. Hancock was close enough to Goodneighbor now that Q could see the top of his tricorn hat. She got to her feet in her rain-socked clothes, holding her left arm, with a limp in her left leg, she started to slowly hobble her way towards him. He wasn't paying much attention to what was just ahead of him, he was too occupied with thoughts of her and sobbing while looking at his feet shuffling along the ground. He wiped his eyes and looked up to see if he was getting close to town and he couldn’t believe his eyes.

“No… it can't... QUINN?!” He raced to her, scooping her up into his arms and hugging her. “Q, how the fuck did you… I thought I’d never see you again. I swear to you, I’m never letting you out of my sight again. Never. I thought I had lost you forever.” Tears were pouring down his face as he ran his fingers through her hair and picked her up so she wouldn't have to walk. When they reached the door to Goodneighbor, he stopped, “Have I ever told you how pretty you are?” He smiled and kissed her lips. At first, it was supposed to be a small kiss, but that hunger… that burning… consumed him. That small kiss turned passionate quickly as soon as she returned it. He pulled away for a second and looked at her, then planted his lips on her again, his tongue making it’s way into her mouth. He got lost in her taste, her smell. The heat that was burning it’s way through him was only fueled by her kissing him back, massaging his tongue with hers. He pulled away from her again, and grinned “How ‘bout we get you to see a Doc, hm? Before this gets too outta hand.”

She laughed and nodded.

Chapter Text

Doctor Amari’s diagnosis was that Q had sprained her knee and elbow, nothing major, but she was instructed to take it easy for a few days. Hancock took Q back to the Old State House and put her in his bed. He catered to her every whim, anything she wanted, she got. Never leaving her side once, he was determined to stick with her no matter where she went. Hancock truly loved her and he wanted her to know, but he had no idea how to tell her and was afraid of how she'd react. Sure she'd been okay with him kissing her, but both times were after some pretty traumatic shit. He figured she had been caught in the moment. Even if he never got the courage to tell her, he was going to stay by her side until she told him to leave. He didn't know what he'd have done if she would've died when she fell. He didn't want to know. He didn't want to imagine how his life would continue after she'd had such an affect on him. He watched her as she tried to rub dried Super Mutant or Raider blood off of her skin. “Everything all right?”

“Yeah… I'm just so… gross.” She said in a disgusted tone.

“Well, I do have a bathtub ya know.”

“Oh god. Tell me I can take a bath.”

“You can. Gotta get some water heated up first. How hot you want it?”

“Hot enough to steam, cool enough that it won't cook me.” She laughed.

“I think I can manage that. Don't you disappear on me again, okay?” Quinn nodded as Hancock disappeared to heat up water. Each pot that started to steam, he'd pour into the bathtub, checking to make sure it wasn't too hot. He found some clean cloth and soap. Pulling a table over next to the bathtub he returned to find Q still where he'd left her. “Your bath is ready.”

She slowly pulled herself up out of bed, with Hancock’s help. She hobbled to the bathtub by herself and found it impossible to get out of her clothes. Embarrassingly, she knew she was going to have to ask for help.

“Hancock?” She called out. “Can you come here?”

Of course, almost instantly, he was in the room. She tried her hardest not to blush, “Um, I can't seem to have enough use of my left arm to get out of my clothes… can you… help me?”

Hancock almost choked on his own words, “Sure can.” He didn't know how well he could control his urges, but he knew he needed to do his best. Walking over to her, he unbuttoned her pants and pulled them off easily, taking care not to hurt her knee. He then slid his hands up her side and lifted her shirt off without hurting her elbow. He looked at her strangely. “A bra? Those still exist?”

“I have no idea. I had it on whenever we went to the Vault.”

“Not sure how good I am at taking one of these off, but I'll give it a whirl.” He reached around behind her to unclasp her bra, their bodies close enough that he could feel the heat radiating off of her. Freeing her breasts from their confinement, he tried to keep his mind on what he was doing and her condition. It wasn't working. Sliding his hands back down her sides, he hooked his thumbs just inside her panties and the slightest tug made them give way and fall to the floor. Hancock gasped at the sight of her body.

“John?” She asked with a concerned tone, “You don't have to do this if it's a problem.”

“Oh dollface, it's no problem.” He kept looking over her body, placing a hand on the lower part of her back and gently running the other down her stomach. He removed his hands and looked at her, “We'd better get you in this tub before your water goes cold.” Quinn couldn’t help but grin and roll her eyes. Though Hancock didn’t much know what to make of that kind of response, he figured it definitely wasn't a bad one. Helping her into the bathtub, Hancock picked up the cloth and soaped it until it lathered, “I’m going to bathe you, okay? Don’t think your arm is in much shape to do more than half your body. Don’t wanna walk around only half clean.” Quinn nodded. “Promise, I’ll be gentle.” He said to reassure her.

“Whoa, Mayor Hancock has a gentle side?” She said with a smirk and a wink.

“Yeah, I’m pretty surprised myself. Guess you just bring out the best in me.” He winked back.

Hancock had a difficult time concentrating on just bathing Q. Anytime he got close to any of her sensitive spots, she would let out a sharp sigh, as if she were suspecting him to make a move. He wanted to, it was almost a need that he felt coursing through his veins. Burning desire. It felt akin to the radiation chem. Burns like a son-of-a-bitch, but damn, does it feel good. The hardest part though, was washing between her legs - he knew that it needed to be done, but it was way more difficult than he had anticipated to contain himself and not dip his fingers into her. But, he managed. Hancock helped Q out of the bathtub, dried her off, and wrapped her in his frock coat. “We don’t have anything to really put you in until your clothes are dry, sorry.”

“You washed my clothes?”

“I had Brooks take ‘em over to Daisy and she washed ‘em.”

Quinn sat down slowly on Hancock’s bed. “You didn’t have to do that… Daisy didn’t have to.”

“Wasn't a problem.” He said, sitting down next to her.

“You've been so welcoming to me from day one, everyone has.”

“Well, Finn wasn't. But yeah, that’s just how everyone is here. Live life by your own rules… no judgments are made.” He took her hand, “Life out in the Commonwealth ain’t exactly easy… and it doesn't get any easier. But I can say from experience, that sometimes something can happen that will definitely make it better. I, uh, I have you to thank for that. Making my life better.”

Quinn swelled with joy when she heard him say that she had made his life better. She wanted to continue doing just that, she wanted him as happy as he managed to make her. When she left that Vault, she wasn't looking to survive. She was looking for death. Q didn’t want to continue living without Nate or Shaun. She wanted to pick her death, go down fighting at least. Raiders, Super Mutants, the occasional Mirelurks, she had yet to meet her equal. Until now. She knew Hancock could give her the death she wanted on a silver platter, yet she didn’t want it anymore.

“Hancock, I need to tell you something.” She said, choking back tears. No, I’m not going to cry. Ive done more than enough of that in the past week.

“Somethin’ weighin’ on ya?” Hancock squeezed her hand softly.

“Yeah. You could say that. The day I came to Goodneighbor… I was looking for a place to sleep and to sell a few things. But when Finn approached me trying to swindle me out of my caps… I didn’t shoot him just because of that. It was just… my opening TO shoot him. And so I took it. I saw you come out of here that day with Fahrenheit. I, um… I was hoping that it would piss you off that I shot Finn… and you’d… you know...”

“You shot Finn in hopes I would… shoot you.”

“Yes. After Shaun’s kidnapping and Nate’s murder… waking up in a land you don’t recognize where everyone is out to rape, harm, or kill you… I felt so many things. Confused, depressed, angry, alone… my head spun. Things weren't as I remember. Everyone I knew was dead. I was completely alone. I stumbled across Goodneighbor because I’d gotten turned around so many times while looking for Diamond City. Saw your sign, recognized the name because I’d heard Magnolia’s songs on the radio and decided to stop in. I was hoping I wouldn't be walking out.”

“I wouldn't have… I couldn’t have... not you. I hope this isn't something you’re still wanting me to end up doing. Because it’s not going to happen.” Hancock said in a stern tone.

“No, actually, I don’t have that urge anymore. I guess that’s why I fight harder with you around. Not just for myself, but for you. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you, John.”

Hancock’s eyes started to tear up a little, but he managed to contain it. “Q, when I thought Fahrenheit killed you… I couldn’t stand it. I felt so lost. It felt like I was dying.”

“I know that feeling. I felt it whenever I watched my husband get murdered. But, you know, it still bothers me, but I don’t know… it’s like… like you’re helping heal that pain. I’m not sure if that makes any sense.”

“It makes enough sense. I’m glad I can help.” Hancock brushed Q’s hair behind her ear. “How ‘bout you and I go down to the Third Rail and have ourselves a few drinks. Think we’ve both had a long day and could use it. If you feel up to it, that is.”

“Actually, you read my mind. But, uh, any idea if my clothes are ready? I don’t think it would be terribly appropriate for me to go out into public in just your coat.”

“I know I wouldn't mind, heh heh. But yeah, I’ll go check with Brooks.”

“You could just go see Daisy yourself, you know.”

“For one, Mayor - I don’t have to do shit. For two, told ya, I’m not letting you outta my sight ever again.” Hancock held her hand as he called Brooks into the room asking him to retrieve Quinn’s clothing. Brooks obliged without question and headed over to Daisy’s shop. Lucky for Q, they were finished and promptly got dressed. Hancock offered to look away, but Q asked why, he’d already seen her naked when he bathed her. He shrugged it off and managed to glance at her a few times without her noticing. Hancock offered to carry Quinn to the Third Rail, but she declined. Instead, Hancock linked her arm through his in case she were to fall. Or so he claimed. In reality, he liked wearing her on his arm, it made him feel like she was his and everyone would know that she was off limits.

-----

Hancock tipped his hat to Ham as they walked past him; Q could hear Magnolia singing the end of Train Train when they started down the stairs. Hancock motioned towards the table that sat in the middle of the room. He pulled a chair out for her and then went to the bar to order drinks from Charlie. As Quinn watched Magnolia walking over towards the bar, she knew she had to say something. “Excuse me, Miss?”

Magnolia looked at her, “Hmm? What’s the matter, sweetheart? Don’t tell me you didn’t like the song?”

“I loved the song. It was perfect.”

“Angelic, as usual, Mags.” Hancock said, placing his hand on Q’s shoulder.

“Oh, thank you! A girl tries her best.” Magnolia said with a laugh. “Now, there’s something special about you isn't there? Don’t tell me. Let me guess… you’re a survivor, aren't you? I bet the whole world could stand in your way and you’d just keep going.”

Quinn heard Hancock let out a chuckle. Smart ass. “I suppose you could say that.”

“So what brings a woman like you to my part of town?” Magnolia inquired.

“I came here for the music.” Q said.

Magnolia couldn’t help but smile, “Flatterer. I think you and I are going to get along just fine. So, it’s my turn to answer questions, right? What can I do for you?”

“I wouldn't mind hearing another song.”

“A good musician listens to her audience. But by the sounds of you, you could probably belt out a pretty good tune yourself. Tell ya what, beautiful, humor me and sing and I’ll repay the favor with any song of your choice.”

“Oh, oh I don’t know.” Q said, looking over at Hancock who was too busy popping Mentats at their table. “I don’t think I can even manage to get up on stage.”

“I’ll help you. Come on. Just one song. I bet you’re a good performer… I can always spot one.” Magnolia said, taking Quinn’s hand and leading her up on stage. Hancock appeared surprised as he saw Q step in front of the microphone. She knew she had his attention and she was screwed. She whisper to Magnolia about what song it was she wanted to sing. Magnolia nodded and said “You’re in luck, just got the music in for that a few days ago.” Mags walked over to the old, rusted out jukebox and put the holotape in. Hancock was intrigued as slow music started playing… almost had a western sound to it.

Quinn closed her eyes so she wouldn't get stage fright, it had been a long time since she’d had an audience… and not just because she’d been frozen for 200 years. Since Shaun had been born, she didn’t have time for things like that anymore.

Then Quinn began to sing, “Play the guitar, play it again, my Johnny. Maybe you’re cold, but you’re so warm inside. I was always a fool, for my Johnny. For the one they call Johnny Guitar. Play it again, Johnny Guitar.” Q opened her eyes to see Hancock’s affixed on her, she didn’t break her gaze with him as she continue to sing, “What if you go, what if you stay? I love you. But if you’re cruel, you can be kind, I know. There was never a man, like my Johnny. Like the one they call Johnny Guitar.” Watching her body sway with the music, Hancock was hypnotized. He knew in that very moment that she was the one he wanted to spend the rest of forever with. He realized his mouth was wide open in amazement, and shut it before anyone noticed.

After Quinn had finished singing, Hancock ran up to help her come down off of the stage, “Quinn, I’m speechless. You’re… you’re really good. In fact, you’re so good that you've inspired me as well.”

“Inspired you?” She said confused as he helped her back to her seat.

“Yeah. You sit here and I’ll be right back.” He said as he went over to the jukebox and picked out a song. He walked up on stage and Quinn held her breath, she was curious if he was even any good. Taking into consideration how raspy and gravelly his voice sounded… not that Q minded, she loved hearing him talk.

Quinn couldn't believe her ears as Hancock sang. He was amazing. “I don't want to set the world on fire. I just want to start a flame in your heart. In my heart I have but one desire, and that one is you, no other will do. I've lost all ambition for worldly acclaim, I just want to be the one you love. And with your admission, that you feel the same, I'll have reached the goal I'm dreaming of. Believe me, I don't want to set the world on fire, I just want to start a flame in your heart.” As Hancock spoke, he locked eyes with Q, “I don't want to set the world on fire, honey. I love ya too much. I just wanna start a great big flame down in your heart. You see, way down inside of me, darlin' I have only one desire. And that desire is you, and I know nobody else ain't gonna do.” Quinn was so overwhelmed with the love she felt for him, she felt light-headed. Hancock continued to sing, “I've lost all ambition for worldly acclaim, I just wanna be the one you love. And with your admission that you feel the same, I'll have reached the goal I'm dreaming of. Believe me, I don't want to set the world on fire, I just want to start a flame in your heart.”

Hancock finished out the song, and stepped off of the stage while people applauded and cheered. He walked over to Quinn, took her hand and kissed it. Magnolia went back up on stage and began singing Baby It's Just You. Hancock took his seat next to Q once again.

“Hancock, I had no idea you could sing so well. I thought it would be...”

He interrupted with a laugh, “Fucked up?”

“No, but raspy, like your voice.”

“That's one thing the rads didn't take from me, I guess. Just got lucky.”

They sat there in silence for a while, drinking, thinking about how they were going to tell one another how they felt. They were both deeply in love with each other, but too nervous to risk saying anything. It was one thing to know someone liked you as more than just a friend, it was another to be in love with someone.

-----
Over the next few days, Hancock waited on Quinn anytime she needed anything. He practically carried her anytime she had to go further than the bathroom, including the times she had to see Doctor Amari. Finally, after a week of taking is easy, Amari gave Q the okay to venture out and get back to her usual lifestyle... whatever that was. Q rounded up her belongings and started towards the door of the State House, she had plans to leave without telling Hancock. Unfortunately for her, he noticed her grab the knob. “Goin' somewhere, dollface?”

“Um... was gonna go see what Kleo had up for sale today.”

“You ain't thinkin' about leavin', are ya? Cause that's what it looks like.”

“Okay, Hancock, you caught me. I was... am... leaving. I wasn't going to tell you.”

“So, you were just gonna bail on me... just like that?”

“Yeah, I suppose I was.”

“What the fuck, Q?”

“I'm leaving, Hancock. And you're not coming with me.”

“Like hell I'm not. Why the fuck you would say that?”

“I can't stand even the thought of you getting hurt... I can't... I won't lose you like I did Nate.”

Hancock walked over to Quinn and put his hand on her shoulder, “I WANT to go with you, dollface. I would go crazy without you... always wondering if you were okay or not.”

“John...”

“Quinn, this isn't up for negotiation. If you leave, I'm coming with you. If you leave without me knowing, I will find you and I won't be happy. If you don't want me hurt, then you'll let me come along. If you leave me here... that would hurt more than any physical injury.”

Q sighed, she knew she wasn't going to win this one. She looked down at her feet, then looked back up at Hancock, “Alright, you can tag along.”

“Good,” He said and then opened the door for her.

Hancock gave a nod to the Neighborhood Watch as he passed them, he felt on top of the world knowing that he would get to continue to travel and spend time with the love of his life. The only thing that could make this better is if she could love me the way I love her. Walking through the Back Bay area, they heard something large walking nearby. At first they thought it was Super Mutants because there were quite a few in that area, until Hancock heard the familiar growling. He grabbed Quinn and threw her over the nearest fence and whispered, “Don't make a sound. We've got a Deathclaw dangerously close... when he walks past, we duck into this old station here.” Quinn nodded silently and looked up at the sign that read Copley Station. They couldn't see the Deathclaw because the fence was too high, but they could sure as shit hear him stomping around. The Deathclaw paused just on the other side of the fence and began sniffing around the air. Hancock knew they were about to be it's next meal, he slowly wrapped his hand around Quinn's arm and then slung her into the door of the station causing it to fly open. Of course, this got the Deathclaw's attention but by the time it noticed, Hancock had gotten through the door as well.

No sooner than the two thought they were safe, they spotted three Super Mutants staring right at them. One of the Mutants charged Q, knocking her down to the ground, as it raised it's nail-filled board, Hancock blew a hole through it's chest with his shotgun. “Oh, I'm feral now!” Yelled Hancock. Something had awoken in the both of them after that night in the Third Rail, it felt like the each had a new lease on life... like they had to keep living for the other. They continued to blast their way to the Boston Public Library entrance and went in. They both agreed that it would be easier to continue fighting countless mutants than to tangle with the Deathclaw that was likely still stomping around outside. Once inside the library it was like a war-zone between Mutants and a bunch of Protectrons. A war that Q and Hancock were going to end. With guns blazing, the started clearing the building.

At some point, Quinn got separated from Hancock amidst all the gunfire. He began to get worried as he heard a minigun firing in another part of the building. Jesus Christ, please be okay, please be okay. Hancock mowed his way through everything that stood in his path, trying to find Q in hopes nothing bad had happened. The closer he got, the more gunfire he could hear and then suddenly it stopped... which meant one of two things: the Mutant was dead... or she was. Going against a minigun with nothing but a rifle and pistol didn't give Hancock high hopes. He rounded a corner and burst through a door to find Q standing there, bloodied, next to several dead Super Mutants – including the one with the minigun. That burning he had returned with a vengeance, he couldn't take it anymore, she'd either push him away or pull him in.

Quinn heard a noise and as she looked up, she saw Hancock walking towards her. He had a purpose. He dropped his shotgun on the floor, shed his frock coat off, tossed his hat onto a nearby table, and before Quinn knew it she was in his arms. Hancock didn't wait for her to say anything, he just grabbed the back of her head and pulled her lips to his and kissed her deeply. He snaked his tongue into her mouth, playing with hers, enjoying that she was kissing him back. Without letting his lips leave hers, he unbuttoned his shirt and pressed his body against her, his erection pressed firmly into her thigh. Hancock grabbed her armor and pulled it off, letting it land on the floor with a loud thud. He slipped his hand underneath her shirt, sliding them up her sides and lifting her shirt over her head. Goddamn, I love this woman.

“Hancock, I--” She began.

“Quinn, I need you. Let me have you.” He whispered in her ear, trailing kissing along her neck, nibbling gently.

“Take me, John.” She whispered back to him, finally allowing herself to give in to her temptation.

That was all Hancock needed to hear, almost instantly they were both naked and he had laid her down onto the floor, on top of their clothing. He knew he'd have to make this quick, because they likely hadn't cleared the building of threats completely. But he didn't care, he wanted her and wanted her right then. He positioned himself between her legs, propping himself up on one hand, he reached down with the other, finding her center already dripping wet. He positioned himself at her entrance, and with a gentle push, he entered her. She gasped and arched her back as he moved himself in and out of her. Leaning down, he took his tongue and lightly licked around her nipples before taking one into his mouth, sucking and biting softly. Hancock trailed his tongue up her breasts, over her collarbone and up the side of her neck until his lips met hers again. He slithered one of his hands underneath her, pressing upwards on her lower back to arch her up into him. Hancock was trying to maintain control, he wanted to go slowly with her, to feel every inch. He kept pushing himself into her core, until he felt her tense beneath him. He knew she was close to climax so he gave her his entire length as deeply as he could. Hancock got close to her ear and whispered, “I want to feel you cum for me, Quinn.” He felt her sex start pulsating wildly around him, squeezing him with all her might.

“Oh, god,” She moaned, “I'm cumming, John. I'm cumming.” Her hips were bucking against him, matching his rhythm as a bliss of electricity shot through her body. She did her best to control the volume of her moans so she wouldn't bring attention to them.

As soon as Q said his name, Hancock couldn't hold it anymore, his cock swelled inside her as he started to climax. He moaned as he pushed into her as far as he could, filling her with his hot load. He laid on top of her for a moment, “Sorry that was so quick.” He said, running his fingers through her hair, “Just didn't wanna get caught in the act by whatever may be left in here.”

“Don't worry about it.” Q said with a grin, “You can make it up to me later.”

“I like the way you think.” He raised himself off of her, helped her up, and they got dressed. The pair fought their way through the few Super Mutants that were left and exited the library. Their destination? Sanctuary Hills.

Chapter Text

Stopping in at the Red Rocket Hancock requested they stay there for the night considering it was already dark. Q obliged, she needed to modify her weapons and drop off a few things anyway. Hardly any words were spoken between the two of them for the rest of the night. Not because they didn’t want to, or didn’t have anything to say. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Each had so many things racing through their minds that they didn’t know what to say. Hancock was laying in bed, with both hands behind his head, when Q walked in and laid down beside him. Without hesitation, he pulled her to him and she laid her head onto his chest, wrapping an arm around her. He listened to her breathing slow as she drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, as the sun rose, they awakened. Q told Hancock she needed to do a few things before they decided to head out. While she was busy, Hancock paced the room, trying to think of what to say. That’s when he saw something glimmer under the bed that he didn’t notice last time they were there. He reached down and picked up two rings. Her and Nate’s wedding bands? He wondered why she kept them. Maybe it was for sentimental value, maybe she was still in love with Nate; Hancock didn’t like the latter, but he understood. He poked his head out of the door and listened for Quinn grinding on a weapon, he could still hear her. He took the bigger ring and slipped it onto his ring finger, staring at it for a moment.

Placing the rings back under the bed, Hancock walked over to the couch that sat just outside the room Quinn was in, thinking to himself. It’s now, or never. “Hey, Q, mind if we talk now? I got somethin’ I need you to hear.”

Quinn looked at him, a bit concerned and sat down next to him. She was hoping it wasn't about what happened at the Boston Public Library. “Is everything alright?”

Hancock rubbed his forehead, “Oh yeah. Better than that. This is just… tricky. It’s just, being out here with you, it’s made me realize. Most of my life to this point, I've been running out on the good things I got. I skipped out on my family, my life in Diamond City. Took up with you just to get outta Goodneighbor. Hell, running from myself is what made me into… into a damn Ghoul. But being here with you for the first time in my life, things have just felt… right. And running, it’s the furthest thing from my mind. I mean, I left Goodneighbor thinking I was gonna just sharpen up the ‘ol killer instinct. But whether it’s fate or destiny or just god damn coincidence, I ended up with someone like you. I turned one of the nastiest settlements in the Commonwealth into a refuge for the lost. I thought I’d done something I could hang my hat on. But being out here with you, it’s made me realize just how small time I’d been thinkin’. And that maybe all my running, from my life, myself… maybe it wasn't such a bad thing after all.”

“You may have run, but you always ran for a reason, Hancock.”

“Been trying to convince myself of that for a long time, but hearing that coming from someone like you… I don’t know if you understand what that means to me. So lemme get to the point. Throwing in with you has been the best decision I've ever made. It’s like I found a part of myself I never realized was missing… which happens sometimes when you’re a Ghoul, heh heh. If I hadn’t taken up with you, I’d probably be in a gutter somewhere, getting gnawed on by radroaches. You have been one hell of a friend.”

Quinn felt her heart jump, she had a feeling she knew what he was trying to tell her. “Have you ever thought about us as maybe more than just friends?”

Hancock smiled, “Heh. It that obvious? But come on. You don’t want to wake up to this mug every morning. Never wish that on anyone I cared for.”

“Who I fall for is my decision. And I've fallen for you.” Q could hear her heart pounding in her ears, it was almost deafening.

“Wouldn't expect that kind of lapse in judgment from you. But I guess that works out for me then, doesn't it? Heh. Moments like this, I know all that karma stuff is bull. Because no one like me should be this lucky. Come on, love. Let’s get this freakshow on the road.”

“Freakshow, huh?” Quinn giggled.

“Yeah. You and me together… this is my kinda freakshow.”

“How do you figure it's a freakshow?”

“Well, you may find me attractive. But you're the only smoothskin who does, I'm afraid.”

Q shook her head and laughed once more. “We should head out.”

“Quinn,” he said, pulling her in for a hug, “I am utterly and unquestionably in love with you and have been since the first time I laid eyes on you. I want you to know that.”

“I love you too, John. I didn't know it at first, but I figured it out.”

“I kinda knew the first time we talked at the Third Rail. You know, I never believed in love, especially love at first sight. Until I saw you. I knew, in that moment, that I needed you in my life. It's why I insisted on coming with you. Sure, I didn't want you to get hurt, but I was afraid you'd never come back to me. And god, did I want you to come back to me. I'm not sure you understand how much you mean to me. Didn't think I'd ever be the type to settle down, but here I am pouring my heart out to you. And that scares the piss outta me. I don't think I've ever been so genuinely afraid of anything as I am of losing you.”

“You're not going to lose me. I'm not going anywhere. 'Fraid you're stuck with me.”

Hancock led Quinn into the other room, laid down on the bed with her and wrapped his arms around her. “I wouldn't have it any other way, dollface. But, you know, being a Ghoul... I'm likely to outlive you should nothing happen to me. I don't want to think of what life would be like without you. We figure out how to turn you Ghoul and we could do this long term. Something to think about.”

Q thought for a moment, “You know, there's a lot of rads around, I could always just... expose myself to high amounts of radiation over a period of time... turn into a Ghoul.”

“I can't believe you'd do that for me.” He said, astonished. “You never cease to amaze.”

“I'd do anything for you, John. Without hesitation.”

“Can't let you take that risk, though. We don't know if you'd survive the radiation sickness to mutate. Hell, we don't know that it wouldn't turn you Feral even if you did mutate.”

“There has to be a way to prolong my life.”

“If you're really sure that it's something you want to do, there may be an alternative. It won't turn you into a Ghoul, but to be honest, I want you just the way you are. I know of a Ghoul, name's Edward Deegan, works for a man named Jack Cabot. Little bird told me that Cabot has some kind of... mysterious serum... that has kept him and his family alive for the past 400 years. Basically, it's halts their aging somehow. Could check that out. Also have heard tale of someone named Virgil that apparently escaped The Institute's hold. Last I knew, though, he'd holed up somewhere in the Glowing Sea. Dunno if he'd have any answers, or even know a way, but I could always go check it out.”

“I've heard about the Glowing Sea. Sounds like a rough place to go. No way am I going to let you go without me.”

“You wouldn't have a choice,” He said rubbing her back. “The rads would kill you.”

“Not if I stocked up on Rad-X and RadAway... wore a hazard suit.”

Hancock sighed, “Stubborn. I guess if you insist, we could go. But, how 'bout we check Cabot out first.”

“Sounds like a plan. Now, are we gonna head to Sanctuary or not?”

“Not. We're heading for the Third Rail first thing in the morning, I've seen Deegan there regularly, he's who we gotta talk to to get in. I don't know how much serum Cabot has and I don't want him to run out before we get there. Maybe I can find someone who can duplicate it, keep you a steady supply. Garvey's waited this long, won't kill him to wait a little bit longer.”

“John, there are people out there who need help. Who's going to help them?”

Hancock rolled to where he was almost on top of her, his face mere inches from hers, “I know it's selfish of me... but I told you... I need you. I can't take the chance that Cabot might run outta that serum... and I really don't want to take you into the Glowing Sea.” He leaned in and kissed her lips softly.

“Okay. We'll find a way.”

“Q, I need to ask you something... off the subject. Earlier when you were modifying your gear, I noticed the wedding bands under the bed. I know you still love Nate, and no matter how much I don't like the thought of you loving someone else, I can't fault you for it. My question, though, is why did you keep the rings?”

She was surprised he'd noticed them, she reached up and caressed the side of his face, “I kept them in case I met someone and it turned serious. I do love Nate, yes... and as bad as it may sound, I love you so much more.”

He felt his heart swell with happiness, as he leaned in and kissed her once more. Hancock ran his hand down her arm and then traced along her hip bone with his finger. He slipped his hand down and unbutton her pants, pulled them down along with her panties, then tossed them into the floor. He dipped his finger inside her and place his thumb on her clit, making circles around it slowly. It was almost like torture to her, but she was loving it. His finger curled in her, pressing the soft spot just behind her pelvic bone. Quinn mewled in his ear with every movement. He continued to do so until he felt her body tense up, he could tell she was close. As she was about to climax, he moved quickly and placed his mouth over her sensitive nub, suckling it and flicking it with his tongue.

“F-fuck, John!” Was all she could manage to get out as she came. Immediately Hancock moved his tongue lower, lapping at the juices that flowed out of her.

Once she finished, he licked his fingers clean. “You taste so good, baby.” He said, then shed his clothing, pulled her shirt off, and crawled on top of her. Hancock forced his way into her wet opening, moaning as he did so. He got close to her ear and whispered, “I love going slow with you, feeling every inch.” Hancock wasn't one for the run-of-the-mill missionary position, but he loved being able to see her face. He continued to delve himself inside her, loving every minute of it. His hands were all over her, rubbing every bit of her body that he able. He loved feeling her writhing under him, being in control. Hancock sat upright so he could place his thumb back on her clit, circling around it once again. He felt her body tremble as she tightened around his cock, quickening the pace with his thumb and applying more pressure. He pushed himself into her, “I want you to look at me, Quinn.”

She opened her eyes and met with his just before her body exploded with pleasure, “God, John...” she moaned.

“That's right, baby. Say my name, for me.”

Her sex throbbed around his cock, he laid back down on her, as he felt his own climax building up. “I love you.” He whispered, “Say you'll stay with me.”

“Yes, I promise.” Q said breathlessly.

“Marry me, Quinn.” He said, almost pleading with her.

“I will. You know I will.”
Hancock felt waves of ecstasy crash through his body, as he spilled his seed in her. Without saying a word, he cupped both sides of her face and kissed her. “You've just made me the happiest man on Earth. I hope you know that.” He laid there, inside of her, until his erection subsided. Pulling himself off of her and rolling onto his side of the bed, she laid her head on his chest.

“I love you, John Hancock.”

“I love you too, dollface.” Hancock stroked her hair, as he took a deep breath, “Hate to ruin the moment… ya do know what you just said yes to, right?”

“Yeah. I heard you.”

“You ready to be Queen of the Zombies?” He laughed.

“You bet your sweet ass, I am.”

“Okay so, here's my next question. What are your plans for those rings now?”

“I told you what I kept them for. If it doesn't bother you to wear Nate’s ring…”

“Doesn't bother me at all. I'll take anything that'll symbolize that you're mine.”

Chapter Text

The next morning, Hancock and Quinn finally headed out in search of Edward Deegan. They talked about their lives, what they had done in the past, what they were looking forward to with Q’s prolonged future. Hancock felt like he was given a new reason to live, there wasn't anything that could ruin this day for him. Anytime Q spoke, all he could do was stare at her. A few times she’d look at him and catch him staring, he didn’t care, he’d just grin at her and she’d smile right back. They were madly in love, and neither one of them cared who knew it, nor did they care what anyone had to say about it. In fact, if anyone said anything too horrible, they’d likely end up shot. Around the Commonwealth Institute of Technology, Q suddenly started to feel nauseated and extremely dizzy, she became weak and had problems walking. She didn’t want to say anything out of fear that she would worry Hancock and he would want to put off finding Deegan. She made it as far as the bridge next to C.I.T before she fell to her knees. Quinn used to her rifle to steady herself as the got to her feet, but she only made it a few more steps before falling down again and Hancock took notice.

“Hey, you alright, love?” He said, kneeling down next to her and offering her a hand.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just lost my balance.”

Hancock picked Quinn up off of the ground, dusted her off, and then she blacked out as soon as she stood upright. Shit! Gotta get her to a doc, closest place is Diamond City… fuck it, we’re goin’. He kept pleading with her to stay with him, to stay awake, as he carried her the entire way to Diamond City. They weren’t going to like about a Ghoul being in their city, but they were going to have to deal with it… Q needed a doctor right then. Lucky for Hancock, Quinn weighed next to nothing it seemed, so carrying her to Diamond City was only difficult whenever they were getting shot at. While carrying her, he did a fairly good job of staying away from trouble, until he came across a few Diamond City guards that were fighting with Super Mutants. Hancock ignored them and continued on until he felt a deep, burning pain in his side. “AUGH!” Hancock screamed in pain as he fell to his knees, clutching Quinn with all his might. He struggled greatly to get back on his feet, but his love for her was stronger than the immense pain he could feel inside his body. Hancock pushed onto Diamond City, kicking the intercom just outside the massive door.

“Let me in!” He yelled. “Please!”

“Who is this? What’s the matter?” The voice said back.

“My… my wife… she may be dying and I don’t know why! Please! You have to let me in!”

“Okay, okay, hold on and I’ll open the gate.”

Hancock could feel himself getting weaker from either the pain or loss of blood… possibly both. Anxious to get her to a doctor, he had a suspicious feeling that once they saw a Ghoul standing there, holding this woman, it would result in an unpleasant outcome for him. But he didn’t care what the outcome for him was or even if he saw a doctor or not, he wanted Quinn to be alright. At this point, Hancock wasn't expecting to live much further than where he stood. The door made loud creaking noises as it opened, as if it were having a hard time doing so. Once it opened up enough for Hancock to see past it, the guards spotted him. He slowly laid Quinn down on the ground and put his hands in the air the best he could with a bullet lodged in his side. “She needs a doctor.” He said to the guards, “Please, she’s real sick. I don’t know what’s wrong with her and I don’t know if she’s going to be okay.” Of course, Diamond City guards didn’t care about Q lying on the ground, they weren’t going to carry her in. That was too much effort. Instead, they stood there looking at the Ghoul in front of them. Hancock was losing the battle with the bullet, and fell to his knees again. When he did, the guards raised their weapons and prepared to fire on him.

“Hold up there!” A voice said, coming up behind Hancock. “This Ghoul’s an old friend of mine. So, how ‘bout you boys do me a favor and lower your weapons. If he gets outta hand, I’ll deal with him myself.” Hancock was barely conscious himself as he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Thought I smelled rusty metal and cigarette smoke. I owe ya, Nicky.” He said, hardly being able to speak.

“Wouldn't be the first time I saved your ass, Hancock. Let’s get you two in to see Doc Sun before we discuss repayment, huh?” Nick said with a smirk. “How about a couple of you guards take the girl to the good Doctor. I’ll take this one… and don’t make me ask twice.”

“You sure have a way with words.” Hancock laughed painfully.

“Yeah, they’re all still afraid of me just enough to do what I tell ‘em.” He helped Hancock up, grabbing his left arm and putting it around his neck. Nick and Hancock followed behind the guard that carried Q in his arms.

“What happened?” Doctor Sun said, looking at Quinn and Hancock. “I see the Ghoul’s been shot… mistaken for Feral?”

“Ha ha. Funny. No. I got shot trying to carry her here.”

“Ah yes, Danny said you’d mentioned your wife was hurt when he spoke to you at the gate.”

“Your WIFE? When the hell did you get married?” Nick said, shocked, as Doctor Sun began to inspect Quinn to try and diagnose her.

“We ain’t actually married. Not yet, anyway.” He said, letting go of Nick and sitting down on a bench nearby.

“Oh, because that makes it MUCH less disgusting.” A sarcastic female’s voice popped up and startled the two men.

“Hello, Piper.” Nick and Hancock said in unison.

“Don’t get that dry tone with me, you had to have known that someone showing up injured AND with a Ghoul would get this reporter’s attention.” Piper said, rolling her eyes. “Jesus, Hancock, someone mistake you for a Feral?

“WHY do people keep asking me that!?” He yelled and winced in pain.

“Hey, hey, freak, I’m gonna need you to calm down before I have to put you down.” One of the guards said to Hancock.

“I’d like to see you try.” Hancock said back, angrily.

Doctor Sun walked over to Hancock with a needle and thread. “We’re gonna give you a dose of Med-X because this is gonna hurt. We can’t leave the bullet in you.”

“Answer me this first, is Quinn okay?”

“Your wife is going to be fine. Now hold still.” Sun dosed Hancock twice with Med-X before sticking his fingers into Hancock’s flesh, digging around for the lodged bullet. Piper looked away in disgust as Nick sat there and lit another cigarette.

“You’re morbid, Nick.” Piper said.

“No, Piper… when you’re in my line of work, you see a hell of a lot worse things than someone getting stitched up. This ain’t nothin’.” Nick replied as he took a puff of his cigarette while continuing to watch Doctor Sun sew Hancock up.

“Good as new.” Sun said.

“Well, sort of.” Piper remarked back.

“You know, Piper, one of these days someone’s gonna get tired of that smart ass mouth of yours.” Hancock snapped at her.

“Yeah? Like who Hancock?”

“Well, I know I for one am sick of hearing you talk to him that way.” Quinn said, sitting in a chair by the Doctor’s place.

“Hey!” Piper spun around to face Q. “How ya holdin’ up, Blue?”

“Why are you calling me that?”

“Because you’re from a Vault? It’s pretty obvious with the pip-boy on your wrist and that whole ‘fish out of water’ look.”

“Great. I’ve been better.”

Hancock slowly walked over to Quinn and sat down next to her, laying his head on her knee. He just sat there, feeling relieved that she was conscious and seemed okay. They’d had two too many close calls for his comfort, as soon as they were able, they were finding Deegan. He’d decided that they were going to stay at the Dugout Inn until they were both well enough to travel, no matter what anyone had to say about it. Hancock moved his gaze up, seeing Piper give him a disgusted look and Nick smirked at them. They sat there in the Doctor’s booth, with Piper and Nick close by, talking amongst the four of them. Quinn, however, was starting to tire of the snide comments made by the inhabitants of Diamond City towards her or Hancock about him being a Ghoul. She recalled what Hancock had told her happened, but she had no idea how awful the people actually were. Most didn’t even know her and Hancock were an item, but would still make comments about ‘getting that Ghoul outta here’ or about ‘Ghouls not being allowed’... she wanted out of that place. I just don’t understand how people can be so close-minded. So what if John looks a little different… he’s a better person than everyone in this damned town combined. Quinn and Hancock were both looking at the ground when a pair of clean, black shoes walked up.

“John.”

“Patrick.”

“What are you doing here, John…” Mayor McDonough asked, keeping his distance.

“What, a Ghoul can’t drop in and pay his brother a visit?” Hancock said sarcastically.

“No, a Ghoul can’t.” McDonough replied, in a much more serious tone.

“Well now, good thing I’m not here to see you then, isn't it?”

McDonough cleared his throat, “You haven’t answered my question… what are you doing here?”

“What does it look like I’m doing here?” Hancock said, exposing his stitches to his brother. “I got shot carrying Quinn.”

“Yes, well, I hope you have plans to head out very soon.” McDonough turned to Q, “You on the other hand, may stay here in Diamond City as long as you like. You won’t have to worry about anyone like… him here.”

She looked at Mayor McDonough and stood up with a wobble, still very weak, “That’s precisely why I’m not going to stay. Thank you for the invite, but the way everyone has treated John since I've been sitting here has been appalling and you, sir, should be ashamed because it’s your fault. You’re supposed to be the Mayor. An example. But you’re not. You’re just a phony. So you can keep your walled-off and safe city, I’ll take this Ghoul over any human in this damned place.”

“What?! How can you even stand to be in the presence of this… this thing?! He’s disgusting!”

“No, McDonough, YOU are disgusting.” Quinn said, getting in the Mayor’s face, “Besides, it’s easy to be around him because I love him. So you can take your skewed opinions and fuck right off.”

Nick and Piper’s mouths had dropped open at the way Q was speaking to the Mayor. Hancock, on the other hand, sat there and grinned smugly with his chest puffed out with pride. “That’s my future wife, you’re talkin’ to there, Patrick. Just like in the fairy tales Ma used to tell us, huh? Smoothskin falls in love with a Ghoul, they fuck A LOT, get married and live happily ever after. Well… okay… maybe she didn’t tell us any fairy tales like that… but it is what it is.”

“You two are atrocious. I want you both out of my city as soon as possible.” McDonough said, then walked off in a huff.

“Flattery will get you nowhere, McDonough!” Quinn yelled to him as he walked away. She sat down with a flop, the four of them laughing.

“Hey Blue, Doc never told us what was wrong with you. You okay?” Piper asked.

Q hesitated and then shrugged her shoulders, “Uh, yeah. I’m fine actually. Nothing to get worried about.”

“You sure?” Hancock seemed worried, “You know between Nick and Piper, I can find out anything.”

“Just… radiation poisoning got to me is all. Plus not eating well.”

Hancock was puzzled. “When the hell did you get radiation poiso--- oh.”

That’s when it occurred to Piper what Hancock was talking about, “Jeez, gross! I don’t wanna hear about your sex life! I think I’m gonna be sick.” Nick scoffed and rolled his eyes, “Get over it, Piper.”

“Heh, no, that wasn't it. Just going through one too many bodies of water, I guess. Getting too close to glowing ferals. Standing too close to radioactive waste barrels.”

“So, the norm then.” Nick said.

-----

Several days passed before both Hancock and Quinn were able to feel well enough to head out, mostly they were just waiting for him to heal up enough. It took them a bit longer to get from Diamond City to Goodneighbor than usual, but they wanted to bypass all of the Mutants and Gunners, just in case they weren’t up to the challenge. Once inside the town walls, they wasted no time at all heading down to the Third Rail.

“Hancock! How’s the coolest Ghoul in the Commonwealth?” MacCready asked, slapping Hancock on the back.

“Seen better days. Who’s your friend, Mac?” Hancock said, gesturing to the blonde woman at MacCready’s side.

“Was about to ask you the same thing… but this is Emery. Emery, meet the Mayor of Goodneighbor, John Hancock.”

“Pleased to meet you, Mayor Hancock.” Emery said, nodding her head politely.

“Likewise. Emery, Mac, meet the love of my life: Quinn.” He said, placing his hand on the small of Q’s back as MacCready shook her hand and Emery smiled.

"You can call me Q, if you’d prefer. It’s nice to meet you both.”

Hancock started looking around the bar, noticing that Deegan wasn't there. “Hey, either of you seen a Ghoul around here dressed in combat armor and a beret? Looked like maybe he thought he was military or somethin’?”

“Yeah, actually. He was here just yesterday. Thought I overheard him say something about heading to Bunker Hill. Might check there.”

“Thanks, Mac. Appreciate it.” He said, pulling a chair out for Q. “Well, we've got a little time to kill, Bunker Hill’s quite a walk. How about you two have a seat and join us for a bit?”

Emery looked at MacCready and he nodded back at her, then pulled a chair out so she could sit down. Mac sat next to her, “So, did I hear you refer to Quinn as the love of your life?”

“Yep, sure did. Gonna marry this girl.” Hancock said, putting his arm around Q’s shoulder and pulling her into a playful headlock.

“No shi-- er, you? Never thought I’d see the day.” MacCready laughed.

Quinn bit down on Hancock's arm and managed to escape his headlock, "OW!" He yelped as she straightened her hair up and Hancock laughed his ass off. Swatting Hancock on the shoulder, Q turned her attention to MacCready, “So! How did the two of you meet and is it serious?”

MacCready instantly began blushing, “Oh, uh, well… it’s not like that, exactly.”

Hancock rubbed his arm, inspecting it for teeth marks, “Coulda fooled me.”

“I hired him. He’s just following me around to be a second gun.” Emery said.

“Well, that’s quite the accent you've got there!” Hancock finally took notice. “Where ya from, girl?”

“Sounds like somewhere down south, to me.” Quinn said, “Am I right?”

Emery looked at MacCready, “Uh, we need to get going,” she said in a rush, “I’m really sorry to take off like this, I… we… we just have things to do, ya know? Clock’s tickin’, time is money and all that. It was real nice meetin’ y’all.” MacCready looked bewildered at Emery’s outburst, but followed her out of the Third Rail without any questions.

“Strange gal.” Hancock said, “So, you gonna be ready to head to Bunker Hill tomorrow?”

“Are you kidding? I’m ready now. I want to go and get this done.”

“We could always head out if you don’t want to catch any shut-eye.”

“I think we should go. You said so yourself, don’t wanna risk Cabot running out of the stuff before we even get to it.”

“Fair point.”

Hancock and Quinn left the Third Rail, stocked up on ammunition they bought from Kleo and made their way towards Bunker Hill. It took them a couple of hours, but once they arrived they were greeted by a woman with a gun wanting to know if they were Raiders or Caravan. Quinn let the woman know that they were neither one and she let them into Bunker Hill without problem. Q looked around, noticing that there was actually very little there. Aside from a few building and that large monument in the middle, it wasn't anything special. They walked around for a few minutes when Hancock spotted a hotel that doubled as a bar. “Now we’re talkin’.” He said, walking over to it. “Nice place you got here.”

“Yeah, and we aim to keep it that way.” The man said back.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Hancock was getting defensive. He’d had enough of that Ghoul crap outta Diamond City, he didn’t want to have to deal with it here too.

“It means, Mayor Hancock, that your reputation precedes you and that we don’t want any trouble.”

“Formal title and everything. Oh, I like you. Bring me something strong and charge it to that one there.” Hancock said, grinning and pointing his finger at Quinn, who rolled her eyes at him and shook her head.

“Can we get a room?” She asked the man behind the bar.

“Sure thing, that’ll be 10 caps. And it’s the first door, upstairs.”

“Thanks.” She said, giving him the caps. “I’m heading upstairs, John. You comin’?”

“Nah. I’m pretty overdue for getting hammered, dollface. I’ll be up after while.”

Quinn went upstairs and laid down in the bed and could hear Hancock cackling about something below. She loved hearing him laugh because she knew that, at least in that moment, he was happy about something. Staring up at the ceiling, she listened to Hancock sing along to Atom Bomb Baby and sound of glasses clinking and new bottles opening. He’s earned it. At some point, Q fell asleep listening to the ruckus below. And she dreamt of the memories that reverberated through her mind.

Quinn awoke, startled, she couldn’t see anything, only brightness, “God. Not again!” She said, waking John up from his slumber.

“Ugh,” He placed his hand to his forehead, “You see the brand on the Brahmin that stamped my head last night?”

“JOHN!” Quinn hugged him tightly, “Oh, John, I had the most horrible nightmare.”

“As if the Commonwealth weren’t horrible enough.” Hancock laughed.

“I mean it. I had a dream that I woke up that this was the dream. I was back in Sanctuary Hills in my home before the bombs fell… Nate and Shaun were there. Codsworth was there and… not rusted. But you weren’t. You weren’t anywhere.”

“I’m here, Love. This isn't a dream. Everything is okay.” He said as he wrapped his arms tightly around her, stroking the back of her head. “You ain’t gettin’ rid of me that easily.”

Chapter Text

Hancock hugged Q and tried to forget about his head pounding. While he hated that she had a nightmare, he was happy about her loving and caring for him so much that she'd rather live with him in the world as it were than go back to her old 'perfect' life. He had to figure out who they needed to talk to in order to get married, problem was the only person he knew of was in Diamond City. Now wasn't the time to think too much about it, they needed to find Deegan immediately. Hancock took Quinn's hand and went over the the building where all the merchants were. As soon as they walk in, Hancock spots Deegan, who sees them as well. Edward got up from his chair and walked up to Quinn, “You there. We need to have a conversation.”

Q looked at Edward confused, “Do I know you?”

“No. But I've heard of you. I'm always looking for people who know how to handle themselves in dangerous situations.”

“What's the job?” Q asked.

“I don't know yet. Whatever needs to be done once my boss has had a look at you. I can assure you that it will be dangerous, and that you'll be paid fairly.”

“I don't mind danger so long as I get paid well enough.” She said smugly.

“You will be well-paid, I can promise you that. By the way, I'm Edward Deegan. You'll mostly be working for me. But you'll need to talk to my boss first. His name is Jack Cabot. He likes to personally interview everyone I hire. He's careful like that. Come down to Cabot House in Beacon Hill and ask to talk to Jack. I'll let him know you're coming.”

“Yeah, I already know who you are.” Q told him, “But I'll be there. Soon.”

Edward nodded to her and Hancock and left town. Before leaving Bunker Hill, Hancock mentioned that it may be a good idea to stock up on ammunition since they didn't know what they were about to get themselves into. Quinn agreed that that sounded like a good idea. She didn't care what it was Cabot wanted her to do as long as she got her hands on that serum. Apparently Hancock was familiar with the area Cabot House was located, which worked for Q since she didn't have a clue where it was. As soon as they felt they were stocked up enough on ammunition, they made their way over to Beacon Hill. They came to an area guarded by a Mr. Handy as well as a Sentry Bot. “I think this is the place.” Hancock said. Q walked towards to front door when the Sentry Bot came to life and rolled over to them. Quinn and Hancock both grab for their firearms, “Stay off the grass.” The Bot said. They looked at each other and shrugged. Q spotted the intercom and pressed the button, a raspy voice on the other side spoke to her, “Go away.”

Quinn replied, “I'm here to talk to Jack Cabot.”

“Oh, it's you. Good. Come on in.” The voice said.

They opened the door and went inside, noticing that it looked as if the fallout missed that house completely. Everything looked like new. Deegan stood in the doorway to greet them, “Come on. Let's go meet the boss.”

“Sounds good.” Quinn said. Deegan pointed them towards the living room.
“Jack!” Edward said, “The new gal is here.”

Jack yelled from upstairs, “One moment! One moment, I just have to...” Suddenly there was a bit of an explosion. “Damn. Clearly I'll need to adjust the mixture...”

Edward shook his head, “He'll be right with us.”

Jack walked out of the room the explosion came from and descended the stairs. “Hello, hello! Welcome to the Cabot House. I'm Jack Cabot.”

“Pleased to meet you, Jack.” Quinn said and introduced herself.

Jack continued, “And I am very pleased to meet you! Edward finds it tiresome, but I always like to know personally everyone who works for me. Please, have a seat. How about a drink? Edward, the good bourbon, eh? Now before we get down to business, I have a question I like to ask all my new employees. The question is this: do you believe there is other intelligent life in the universe?”

“The universe is a big place. Anything could be out there.” Q replied.

Hancock piped up, putting his two cents in. “Stranger things have turned out to be true.”

“Wonderful.” Jack said. “Most people's minds are too narrow to admit the possibilities of an infinite universe. But I'm not talking about flying saucers and little green men. I'm talking about the hidden history of our planet. The very origins of human civilization. Ancient powers that modern science, even at it's pinnacle, could barely begin to comprehend.”

“That's really interesting.” Quinn humored him.

“I'm glad to hear you say that. It's become my life's work. My approach is to combine a rigorous scientific method while keeping an absolutely open mind. So much has been closed off to us simply because people assumed they already knew the answers. My father excavated a city in the Rub`al Khali in Arabia which he dated to more than 4,000 years before the rise of any known human civilization. The structure and artifacts were... strange. Disturbing, even. Clearly not constructed for or by humans. I've spent my life trying to decipher what he uncovered.”

Edward interrupted Jack's inane rambling, “Jack, can I tell her what I need her to do?”

“I'm sorry, Edward. I just get carried away sometimes. You're sending her to look for the missing shipment?”

“Yes”

“Well, then. I'd better leave you to it. We'll talk more about this some other time, when things are less rushed. It isn't important now. Welcome to the family.” Jack smiled, then left the room and went back upstairs.

Edward looked at Q, “Okay. You're officially hired. Congratulation.”

“I'm ready to get to work.” Quinn told him.

“Good. That's part of the job, by the way. It's best to keep an open mind. Jack may be eccentric but he's definitely not crazy. What I have for you to do is simple. Jack owns a... facility... north of the city. There's an important package that went missing between there and here. I need you to track it down and bring it back to me. Any questions?”

Q laughed, “Only about a million...”

“You should start at Parsons State Insane Asylum. Don't... let the name spook you, it's just a secure building we're using. We think the courier got ambushed as he was leaving the place. The guards heard gunfire in the distance but don't know exactly what happened. Check in with Maria at Parsons. She's in charge of the security force there. She can point you in the right direction. You all set, then?”

“Yep. I'll see you soon with the package.”

“Good luck. Don't get killed on your first job.” Edward handed Quinn a key to Cabot House and sent her on her way. It didn't take long for her and Hancock to show up at Parsons. Aside from the Raiders and Ferals along the way, it was a cakewalk. They walked up to the Asylum as a woman, who Q assumed was probably Maria, approached them. “This place is off limits.” The woman said harshly. “You'd best move along.”

“Edward Deegan sent me. I'm looking for a missing package.” She was trying to keep her attitude under control because she knew she wouldn't get her hands on that serum if she shot the woman in the face.

“Oh, you're the new girl. So this... 'package'... pretty sure we know where it is. The guys that shot Ben are holed up in the Parsons Creamery, just north of here.”

“Thanks for your help.” Q said with a smile.

Hancock cracked a wicked grin, “Time for the professionals to take over.”

Maria looked at Quinn, a bit worried. “Hey, be careful. It's weird that they're still hanging around so close. Normal raiders would have grabbed the loot and bugged out by now.”

“Don't worry. We got it covered.” Hancock said, cocking his shotgun.

It didn't take long to find Parsons Creamery as it was just over the hill. Coming up on the building, they could hear people talking to each other. The two sneaked around the side and peered in, seeing three raiders standing around... two downstairs and one in the loft. Easily dispatched, Quinn walked up to the loft and searched the dead raider, located the 'package'... which looked as if it were some sort of mysterious serum.

“John, I think this is the stuff...” She said, holding up the strange looking syringe.
“Well, generally, I'm not exactly the dishonest type when it comes to helpin' folks... but on this one occasion, I think I can look the other way if you just wanna keep it.”

“Think I will. Before I go injecting myself with it, we need to find someone that can analyze it to make sure it's the right stuff.”

Hancock nodded, “Not only that, but be able to duplicate it exactly so you can have a full supply of it. Still, we should head back to the Cabot House and tell them we didn't find a damn thing.”

Quinn agreed with him, following right beside him back to Jack's place, smiling the entire way there. Hancock and Q were both thrilled at the thought of having the serum. They didn't know for sure whether it was the right stuff, but the only way to find out was to take it to someone. Once they arrived at Jack's place, they walked in on a discussion between Jack and Mrs. Cabot.

Mrs. Cabot was nagging Jack about his sister, “That is not acceptable. Emogene is missing and I want her found!”

“She's not missing, Mother.” Jack said, sounding agitated.

“Do you know where she is?”

“No, but that doesn't mean...”

“Your sister is missing and I want her found! What else is Edward for if not to keep the family safe?”

Edward spoke up, “I'd be happy to send someone to look for her, ma'am. It's not a...”

“Mother, Edward has better things to do than sending someone out to find Emogene. Again.” Jack interrupted.

Mrs. Cabot became increasingly irritated. “I can't believe you don't care what happens to your sister.”

“I'm not going to have Edward drop everything just because Emogene decided to take a lover again.”

“Jack! How dare you speak so disrespectfully about your sister!”

Edward turned around, noticing Quinn and Hancock standing in the doorway of the living room. “So did you find out what happened to the courier?” He asked, completely ignoring the Cabots arguing.

“Just some raiders that ambushed him.” Q said. Hancock was impressed with her poker face.

“Hmm. I don't like raiders operating so close to Parsons. I hope this isn't the start of something serious. What about the serum he was carrying? Did you get any of it back?”

“I didn't find any. I guess the must have used it all.”

“Yeah, figures. Oh, well. Here's your pay for the job. Too bad about the serum.” Edward handed Q 200 caps. “Now, as far as what's next... Oh, hell, I guess it's time you met Wilhelmina. Jack's not going to be happy about it. Come on.” Edward motioned for Q and Hancock to follow him upstairs where Wilhelmina and Jack were still arguing: “I don't think you're even listening to me, Jack!”

“We've been over this, Mother.”

“I can't bear to think what might be happening to Emogene right now.”

“Mother. Will you let it go, please!”

Edward interrupted before the argument got out of hand. “Jack. I'll take care of it. Mrs. Cabot, don't worry. I'll send someone to find Emogene.”

“Thank you, Edward.” She said, “I can always count on you. Why can't you be as devoted as dear Edward?”

“You shouldn't indulge her Edward. It just makes her more impossible to deal with next time.”

“Just doing my job. Speaking of which... we tracked down that last delivery from Parsons. Raiders got it all, I'm sorry to say.”

Jack shook his head, “Oh. That is bad news. Our supply is dangerously low. Well, we'll just have to make it last until the next delivery.”

Edward turned around to Q, “Emogene is Jack's sister. You probably figured that out yourself. She's, ah... a little flighty. Impulsive. From time to time, she runs off with a new boyfriend. Then I send someone to bring her home.”

“Do you know where she's gone?” Quinn asked, sounding a bit irritated at the new errand they were being sent on. I'm not a babysitter.

“No, but it shouldn't be too hard to find out. She's been spending a lot of time in Goodneighbor, at the jazz club there – the Third Rail. Somebody there must know something. She's not known for keeping her mouth shut.”

“I know the Third Rail. I'll ask around there.”

“Clearly, since your travel companion here is Mayor of Goodneighbor.”

Hancock grinned, “So you've heard of me, eh?”

Deegan sighed and shook his head, “Believe me, what I've heard... weren't exactly good things.”

“Heh. Now I'm curious. Tell me, Deegan, what's the word?”

“That you're a chem junkie with an attitude that needs adjustment. You pretend to be a honest guy trying to help the little people when in reality the only thing anyone can depend on out of you is to be dishonest... and high.”

“Edward, that stings.” Hancock replied sarcastically, putting his hand on his chest. “It's true though. Well, all of it except for that last part. I'm all about helping the little people and causing trouble for the ruffians.”

“Uh huh.” Edward sounded unimpressed. “Make sure you find Emogene. Now move out.”

Hancock saluted Deegan, like the smart ass he is. It seemed like no matter what they were doing or who it was for, they always ended up back in Goodneighbor. Not that Hancock complained, it was home after all. Hancock was hoping to find MacCready there with the blonde, he wondered why she bolted so quickly from the Third Rail that night. She seemed distressed. Hancock was all about helping the little folks, especially friends of friends.

-----

Upon returning to the Third Rail, Hancock was slightly disappointed that neither MacCready nor Emery were anywhere to be found. He showed Quinn to a table where he pulled her chair out for her then went over to Whitechapel Charlie to grab a few drinks. Q pulled the serum out of her pack and just stared at it, wondering if she was ready for a longer life. Sure, she wanted to live a long time with Hancock, but did she want to live longer in this shithole wasteland? A place she wasn't ever supposed to see. The Commonwealth was just a terrible nightmare to her. She recalled her nightmare from a few nights back about how Nate was back but Hancock never existed. Think that was worse than this. Q didn't notice Hancock returning with a couple of whiskeys. He plopped down in the chair next to her, handing her a drinking glass full of liquor. “Whatcha thinkin’ about, love?”

“Nothing, really.” Quinn said, putting the serum back into her pack and taking a drink of whiskey.

Hancock took her hand into his, “No need to be shy. I've seen that look on your face. You’re thinkin’ about something.” He didn't look at her, just pulled her hand up to his lips, kissing each one of her fingers.

She sighed. She loved his kisses. “I was just thinking about the serum, that’s all. Extending my life and everything. The side effects.”

“I didn't hear Cabot say anything about side effects.”

“That’s because you were too busy rummaging through their kitchen like you owned the place.” Quinn snorted, recalling Mrs. Cabot catching John in the fridge and swatting him with a Boston Bugle.

“I was hungry!” He said, causing Q to lose it, letting out a hysterical laughter.

“Manners, John! Manners!” She barely managed to squeak out.

Hancock tried to hide his laughter with pretending to be agitated, “Well what did Jack say about the side effects?”

Q composed herself, wiping the tears from her eyes and catching her breath. “Well, while you were busy in the kitchen, Cabot told me that the source of this serum is from some artifact that his father found. The artifact his father wears as some sort of… hat. It has attached itself to the man somehow and introduced some kind of… anomalies… into the man’s blood. Those anomalies are behind this serum, this… anti-aging process. This artifact has made Jack’s father paranoid, homicidally violent, and endowed with extraordinary abilities.”

Hancock pushed his hat upwards to scratch his forehead. “That doesn't sound too bad, actually. Long as you don’t turn homicidal towards anyone you, you know, love. Heh. What are the abilities, did he say?”

“Yeah, I asked the same question. He told me that it was enhanced strength.Unusual resistance to most kinds of physical damage. And some kind of weird telekinesis. Now, the telekinesis seems like something that only Jack’s father has. Jack and Mrs. Cabot don’t seem to have it at all. So, in theory, I wouldn't either. But, I dunno. We really need someone who’s got the brains for this sorta stuff.”

“The only person I can think of, is that Institute escapee, Virgil, that I told you about. Won’t be fun times getting to him.”

“John, we gotta find him. If we’re going to hit me with this shit and prolong my life, I wanna be able to do it more than once. Hell, we may as well make enough for the both of us and see if we can’t make it 400 years or better.”

“Pretty sure since there are pre-war Ghouls walkin’ around, that I can probably make it 400 years without that stuff. But hell, why not see just how long we can go?”

“Sounds good to me. Like a wise Ghoul once told me, ‘what’s not to love about immortality?’, you feel me?” Quinn winked and smiled at Hancock.

“Yeah, I feel ya, dollface.” He said, kissing on her fingers once more and rubbing the back of her hand along the side of his face, enjoying the feel of her skin on his.

“How did I get lucky enough to have such a wonderful guy take interest in me?” She asked him.

He looked into her eyes and ran his fingers through her hair. “I promise you, dollface, I’m the lucky one here, no doubt about that.”

Chapter Text

“You’re not going.” Hancock said.

“Watch me.” Quinn replied. “I’m not letting you go alone.”

“And I’m not letting you go with me. The Glowing Sea is no place for a smoothskin!” Hancock started to raise his voice as he became increasingly irritated.

“So just because you’re a Ghoul… you can go. But I’m supposed to let you go alone and let you get killed by whatever the fuck is out there?”

“Pretty much.”

“That’s not fuckin’ fair!” She yelled at him.

“Life isn’t fuckin’ fair, toots.” He said, playing with his knife.

“I’m going.”

“You aren’t.”

“You can’t stop me, Hancock.”

“Oh yes, I believe I can. I’ll have your ass thrown in the holding cell downstairs you won’t know what fucking happened.”

“You would lock me up?!” Her voice sounded both surprised and upset.

“Sure. You should be used to be in cramped places like that. Won’t hurt ya none.”

She hesitated. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Just means you were in that icebox for 200 years, won’t hurt ya to be locked in a cell for a day or-” His brain snapped as he realized he was touching on a very fresh, very painful subject.

“That icebox is the reason I’m here.” Her eyes were filling with tears. “It’s the reason my family is dead. If it weren’t for me being TRICKED into that fucking ICEBOX I would be DEAD! It’s the fucking reason I’m stuck in this goddamn shithole with you! If it weren’t for that icebox, we never would have even met. So thanks, thanks a fucking lot for reminding me that I’m not even supposed to be here.”

“Quinn, no… that’s not what I--”

Before he could finish, Q interrupted, “Fuck you, Hancock”. She walked out and slammed the door. Hancock pulled his hat off and rubbed the top of his head, trying to figure out why she blew up like that. He knew he was outta line, but she kinda blew it out of proportion. He could only assume that maybe she was, in fact, still that bothered by it. Sure, she had been thawed out for a while, months even. But that’s probably not long enough to get over being asleep for 210 years because Vault-Tec liked to like to the people in the Vault so they could be experimented on. He felt guilty.

-----

Hancock walked into the Third Rail, seeing MacCready sitting at a table, alone, looking depressed. Hancock pulled a chair up next to him, “Why so glum, chum?”

MacCready pulled his hat off and scratched his head, “Pissed off Emery. Said some things I shouldn’t have.”

Hancock chuckled, “I know the feeling, Mac. Boy do I know the feeling. Said some shit to Q that I really shouldn’t have.”

RJ looked up at Hancock, “Yeah? What did ya say?”

“Oh, some shit about her being cooped up in that fridge for 200 years.”

“Ouch.”

“Yeah. What about you?”

“I dunno. I honestly don’t know. One minute I’m talkin’ to her about something, the next, she’s storming out and telling me to go fuck myself.”

“We gotta do somethin’, Mac. We can’t just let ‘em be pissed off at us.” Hancock was rubbing his chin trying to think of something… anything. Mac nudges Hancock, motioning towards the stairs. Quinn and Emery walked in together, talking. Probably bitchin’ about how terrible Mac and I are. Can’t blame ‘em. MacCready started to get up to go talk to Emery, but Hancock pulled him back down into his chair. “I got a better idea.” He said, eyeing the jukebox. “Can you sing, MacCready?”

“Uh, I guess I’m okay at it.” Mac said, looking at him concerned.

“Good! Because you’re about to sing your heart out.” Hancock grabbed MacCready by his coat and took him to the jukebox, pointing out the song. MacCready nodded. They both went up on stage and shared the microphone. It was at that moment Quinn and Emery noticed the guys, almost intrigued by what was about to happen.

The music started slowly, as Hancock fixed his gaze on Q and sang: “You always hurt the one you love, the one you shouldn’t hurt at all. You always take the sweetest rose, and crush it till the petals fall. You always break the kindest heart, with a hasty word you can’t recall. So if I broke your heart last night, it’s because I love you most of all. You always hurt the one you love, the one you shouldn’t hurt at all. You always take the sweetest rose, and crush it till the petals fall. You always break the kindest heart, with a hasty word you can’t recall. So if I broke your heart last night, it’s because I love you most of all.”

Hancock moved away from the microphone and MacCready began to sing when the beat picked up, his eyes meeting Emery’s: “Mmmmm… you always hurt the one you love, the one you shouldn’t hurt at all. You always take the sweetest rose, and crush it till the petals fall. You always break the kindest heart, with a hasty word you can’t recall. Sooooo... if I broke your heart last night, it’s because I love you most of all.”

Hancock moved back to the microphone as he and MacCready sang together, in unison and perfect harmony: “You always hurt the one you love, the one you shouldn’t hurt at all. You always take the sweetest rose, and crush it till the petals fall. You always break the kindest heart, with a hasty word you can’t recall. So if I broke your heart last night, it’s because I love you most of all.”

Hancock and MacCready finished the song out and as soon as they stepped down off of the stage, they were covered in hugs from Q and Em. Obviously, they were forgiven for… whatever it was they did.

Quinn looked up at Hancock, still embraced in his arms, “I’m going with you.” She said, still being stubborn about the Glowing Sea.

He looked up at the ceiling and let out a loud sigh, “Fine, fine. But first sign of rad-sickness and we’re coming home.”

“Deal!” She said, then kissed him.

-----

There they stood at the edge of the Glowing Sea. Quinn with plenty of Rad-X and RadAway, wearing her Hazmat suit. Hancock in, well, his usual clothing. “You ready to do this?” He asked her, taking her hand. She nodded and off they went, into the lethal amounts of radiation. They fought through Ferals, Radroaches, the occasional Mole Rat, Stingwings, Radscorpions, and even a couple of Deathclaws. They weren’t giving up. The Glowing Sea pelted them with constant radiation. But they continued on, determined to find Virgil. Strangely, Virgil was not the first being they encountered. In fact, they came across an encampment that was housing Children of Atom.

Proceeding with caution, Quinn approached them, asking if they knew of Virgil. The woman said that yes, they knew of him, they didn’t approve of him. She was, however, able to tell Q and Hancock that Virgil was located in a rocky cave, not far from their camp. She thanked the Atom worshipper and headed south. Fighting their way through more threats, including a Deathclaw sleeping outside of the rocky cave, they finally made it to the location Isolde, the Child of Atom, had told them.

Quinn and Hancock slowly walked through a door in the cave. They were met with quite a few cans dangling from the ceiling, a spotlight, and two turrets. “Careful.” Hancock urged. They walked slowly down the windy entrance, Q removing her Hazmat helmet despite Hancock telling her not to. She figured she may come off as less threatening if Virgil could see her face. They had no idea what they were in for.

“Hold it! Take it nice and slow. No sudden moves...” A voice said. Q poked her head around a corner, surprised to see a Super Mutant standing there, wearing glasses and speaking… coherently. “I know you’re from The Institute, so where’s Kellogg? Huh? Trying to sneak up on me while you distract me? It’s not going to work! I’m not stupid, I knew they’d send him after me.”

“Are you… Virgil?”

“You know damn well I am.” The Mutant said, “What are you doing here?”

“Relax, big guy. I’m not with The Institute and I don’t know who this… Kellogg even is.”

“Then what do you want? How did you find me here?”

Hancock spoke up, “Uh, hi. Mayor John Hancock of Goodneighbor…”

Virgil interrupted, “Good for you.”

Hancock grumbled a bit. “She didn’t find you. I told her I’d heard about you being out here. Came across a group of Children of Atom, and they pointed the way.”

“You… heard… I was out here? That’s just great. Means The Institute probably knows I’m here as well.”

“You escaped from there, didn’t you? You were… some kind of scientist?” Q asked.

“You sure know a lot for claiming that you aren’t associated with them. But, yes. I came out here to hide from them. I was part of their BioScience Division. I worked in a lab.”

Hancock spoke, “Good. The you’re just the guy… er, Mutant… er, guy? Whatever. You’re the one we’re lookin’ for.”

“Me? What do you want... with me?” Virgil sounded suspicious.

Quinn produced the serum from her pack. “I need you to see if you can duplicate this.”

“What is this?” He said, eyeing the strange object.

“It’s some sort of… anti-aging serum. You take it, you don’t age, you don’t die from old age. It’s composed of a kind of ancient artifact that introduced anomalies into someone’s bloodstream. It causes great strength, great resistance to physical damage, among other things. And… I’d like for you to mass-produce this. For me. And Hancock.”

“He’s a Ghoul… he’s already going to live an extremely long time. You, why would you want to live longer in the wasteland? The killing. The struggle…”

Quinn interrupted. “The love.”

Virgil looked at her. “So, you’re… in love… and that’s why?”

“Yes. That’s exactly why. I don’t want to think about having to be without him… in life or in death.”

“Oh. I see. Must be a lucky fellow for you to go to such lengths.”

Hancock chimed in once again. “Oh, believe me, pal. I am.”

Virgil’s jaw dropped open, he looked at Hancock in disbelief, “You? She’s… with you?”

“That’s right, big fella.” Hancock said, slapping Virgil on the back. “I’ve even had actual sex with her. For real. Twice.”

Virgil still couldn’t believe what he was hearing, and he made that very obvious. Even after Quinn vouched for everything Hancock was saying, Virgil still couldn’t believe it but changed the subject. He took the mysterious serum from Q and looked it over, verifying that, yes, he could indeed reproduce it with synthetic materials. However, he let it be known that he would not be able to do it while in the Glowing Sea. So, Quinn and Hancock either had to find him a safe place to stay where The Institute couldn’t find him or harm him. Or, they had to get into The Institute and retrieve the antidote for his condition. His preference was the antidote, but as long as they could put him in a safe place, he would do it.

“How about this. We find you a safe place, for the time being. Then, once I can figure out how to get into The Institute, I’ll get you that antidote. So you get both.” Quinn told him.

“Okay. Um, can we have a minute of privacy?” Virgil said to Hancock. John looked at Q, she nodded letting him know that it was okay for him to step outside. Which he did, very hesitantly.

“I do have one more stipulation. If you do get me the antidote, I want you to allow me to produce enough of this serum for myself as well as you and Hancock.”

“You got yourself a deal, big guy.” Q said with a smile. “Why did you ask Hancock to step outside for that, though?”

Virgil straightened his posture, “Because, I want to know the truth. Do you actually have… intercourse… with him?”

She laughed, “Yes! Is that so hard to believe?”

“It is, actually.” Virgil sighed, “He’s a Ghoul. You’re not. Fairly unheard of.”

“Well, I guess I’m different.”

“I guess you are… do um, think you could ever…” He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. “...with me?”

“Virgil, are you asking if I would ever… fuck you?”

“I don’t fuck. Besides, with a penis the size that mine is currently, I would probably kill you if I tried to fuck you.”

Quinn cleared her throat, now curious. She didn’t plan to have sex with him, but she definitely wanted to see his dick. “Can I see it?”

“My… penis?” Virgil was surprised as hell.

“Yeah, whip it out here. Show it to me. I wanna see how big it really is.” She said. Virgil hesitated, but he obliged. It was huge. If she were to make a fist and look at the length of her arm from fist to elbow, that’s about what it would look like. Only green. “Jesus! Is it gonna growl at me?!” Quinn could swear she could see Virgil blushing beneath his green skin. “Yeah, I could have sex with you.” She said to sate his curiosity. “I don’t see anything wrong with it.”

Virgil put his monster cock away, “If only I could find someone who thought that way. Or got that antidote. Either one. If I got someone with a Super Mutant fetish, I’d stay as I am even. I’m just… so lonely.”

“Huh.” Quinn had a thought, only it wasn’t a good one. “I should… probably get going. Hancock’s waiting outside and all. We’ll return as soon as we’ve found a safe place for you, okay?”

“I’m not going anywhere. So I’ll be right here when you get back.”

Q put her Hazmat helmet back on and walked outside. Hancock could see the look on her face through that helmet and asked her what was wrong. She cracked a wicked grin, “Virgil showed me his dick.”

Hancock stopped dead in his tracks. “He WHAT?!”

“He showed me his dick.” She said, still grinning as she walked past Hancock, her gaze affixed to the ground.

“Okay, I gotta ask…”

“I asked him to, he didn’t just whip it out and show me as soon as you hit the door.”

“Not what I was gonna ask. But good to know, I guess.”

“What were you gonna ask, then?”

“Might sound a bit twisted… but, was it huge? Like is he proportionate?”

“Oh yeah. Shit looks like this...” Quinn held her arm up, bent at the elbow and made a fist.

“Damn! That’s pretty impressive.”

“Yeah.” Quinn said, “You wouldn’t know anyone who’d wanna fuck him, would ya?”

“Wha-? No. I don’t think so.”

“We need to find him someone to fuck. Seriously. He’s lonely and well… he’s going to be keeping the both of us alive much longer than we should be. I know he’s got a few conditions already, but I feel like he deserves more for this.”

“Alright, well, we’ll see what we can do. How ‘bout that? He ain’t fuckin’ you, though. You’re mine.”

“Ha! I wasn’t even thinking about myself. Although… now I am.” She joked, winking at Hancock.

-----

Quinn met up with Hancock for drinks in the Third Rail, as usual, even though she was feeling pretty nauseated. He had already found a table for them and gotten a few drinks. MacCready was around, but his friend wasn’t. When Hancock asked about her, MacCready said she’d went to the Rexford to check-in.

“Hey MacCready,” Q said, “You realize your eyes light up with you talk about her?”

“No way. Shut up.” MacCready looked away.

Hancock put him in a playful headlock, “Aw, Mac’s in loooove.”

“Am not!” He pulled away from the headlock. “I just… there’s just something strange about her and I can’t quite place what it is. I dunno… I dunno what it is. But I’m going to get to the bottom of it before it drives me crazy. I’m gonna head over to the hotel, though, I’ll catch you two later.”

They waved to MacCready and resumed enjoying their drinks. They talked about nothing in particular. Quinn was still hung up on what to do about Virgil… and his massive dick. Hancock couldn’t help but roll his eyes and laugh at her. She was trying to think of anyone who would have sex with him and be willing to keep him company. They could probably find someone to pay to have sex with Virgil, but Q didn’t want to go that route. “Don’t think that’s quite what he was talking about.” She said. Hancock finally suggested it was getting late and they should go crash in the State House for the night. Quinn agreed, all those rads had exhausted her.

-----

Hancock and Quinn walked upstairs in the State House and settled in for the night. Q flopped down on the couch. Hancock pulled out a tin of Mentats, a couple of inhalers of Jet, few pills left of Buffout, and hit of psycho. “Jesus, Hancock, you got enough chems on you to kill a Yao Guai.” She laughed.

“Helps me with my rugged good looks.” He said, taking a puff of Jet.

Q joked, “The ones where you look similar to a shriveled mutfruit?”

“So... what you’re sayin’ is, you’re a mutfucker. Is that what you’re comin’ at me with?” He said back to her with a shit-eating grin.

“Yes! A wrinkled, sun-dried, mutfucker.” Quinn doubled over, laughing hysterically.

“Goddamn, I love you, girl.” He said, putting her in a headlock.

“Random. I love you too, John.” She kept trying to wiggle out of his hold.

-----

Hancock got up the next morning, sat down on the couch and waited for Quinn to wake up. He had plans today, a surprise for her, so he had to come up with an excuse to leave town without her catching on. While she slept, he couldn’t get over how lucky he was to have someone like her in his life. He could remember what life was like without her, but didn’t want to. Before Q showed up in Goodneighbor, his life was dull. Sure, being the Mayor brought some meaning to his life, but not much. When Quinn came to town, it’s like she was a ray of sunshine on a dreary day. She was, and is, his silver lining. He wouldn’t want to ever do anything to jeopardize their relationship. Hell, he’d even be willing to put down the chems if she asked him to. Hancock wanted to make a life with her. A good life. Well, best that he could do under the circumstances. They practically lived together already, bouncing between the State House and the Red Rocket. Hancock didn’t mind though, he looked at the Red Rocket as sort of like a vacation home - where he could get away from the Mayor life.

He’d been looking down at the floor, thinking of these things. He looked up and saw Quinn sitting up in bed, smiling at him. “Well look at you. I must still be dreamin’.” He smiled back at her. “I’m gonna have to leave you for a bit today, got some Mayoral business to take care of in South Boston. I’d ask you to come along, but I’d prefer that you didn’t. It won’t be dangerous or anything, it’s just business is business.”

“I understand.”

“Good. You just stay here, look gorgeous… which, won’t be a problem for you… and I’ll be back before tonight, okay?” Quinn nodded and Hancock kissed her forehead. “I love you, baby. More than anything.”

“I love you too.” She smiled, kissing his cheek. She couldn’t believe how happy she was, even living in a wasteland. In a world she wasn’t ever supposed to know.

-----

Hancock walked right through the large gate into Diamond City, as if he owned the place. He ignored the snide remarks directed at him by the guards. He didn’t care, he was on a mission. Walking into All Faith’s Chapel, Hancock went up to Paston Clements. “Excuse me, Pastor? I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

“Not at all. What can I help you with today, Mayor Hancock?”

“I see you already know who I am, so there’s no reason for introductions.”

“Yes, I’ve heard of you. Not many Ghouls walking around in an outfit such as yours.”

“Good point. I’ve got a favor to ask you, Pastor.”

“Go ahead, son, my ears are open.”

“Thanks. Um, okay, it’s like this - I’m in love. Deeply, utterly, completely. She is my missing piece, without question. Her name is Quinn.”

“Is she the young lady that showed up with you a little while back?”

“Yes.”

“Well, tell me a bit about her.”

“She’s… not from around here. She’s a Vault Dweller. An original Vault Dweller. Vault-Tec would conduct these… experiments… on the Dwellers within. Without their knowledge. She was frozen in some kind of tube for 210 years. Woke up without anyone at all - no family to speak of. She didn’t know anyone. One day, as luck would have it, she stumbled into Goodneighbor and instantly I was in love.”

“Sounds romantic. And, I would assume since you’re wanting to marry, that she feels the same about you?”

“Strangely enough, she does.”
“It’s not so strange. Love doesn’t know prejudice. It doesn’t matter if you’re a human or a Ghoul. The heart wants what the heart wants.” Pastor Clements gave Hancock a smile. “If you’re wanting to get married, I don’t have a problem holding a wedding.”

“Well, thing is, I’m not exactly welcome here in Diamond City. Would you be willing to accompany me to Goodneighbor?”

Clements put his hand on Hancock’s shoulder. “Can you guarantee my safety to Goodneighbor and back here.”

“I can guarantee it, without a shadow of a doubt.”

“Then yes, I will come with you.”

“Now?” Hancock asked with hopeful eyes.

“Now.”

-----

Getting to Goodneighbor was a breeze for Hancock and Pastor Clements. He led the Pastor through the State House and upstairs to where Quinn was sitting. She saw the two of them walk in and stood up. “What’s going on here, John? Is everything okay?” Q had no idea what to make of the situation, that was all she knew to ask.

“Everything’s perfect, dollface. This here is Pastor Clements from the All Faith’s Chapel in Diamond City.”

The Pastor smiled at Q, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, miss.”

“Likewise. I hate to sound rude, but what are you doing here?” She laughed slightly.

Hancock took Quinn’s hands, “He’s here because I asked him to come. I want to marry you, right here, right now.” She was in shock, her eyes were wide and she was speechless. She grabbed her pack and dug around in it for a moment before pulling out the wedding bands she’d been saving. “I thought those were still at the Red Rocket?” Hancock asked.

“Last time we were there, you’d asked me what I wanted to do with them. I put them here in my pack so that way, when the time came, we would have them without having to go all the way back to get them.”

“Oh, Quinn… I love you, so much.” He kissed her cheek. “So, you’ll marry me? Right now?”

“Yes, John Hancock. Right now.” She handed him her ring so that he could put it on her finger at the proper time.

Pastor Clements spoke, “Well then, let’s get started.” Clements went on to do their wedding vows, having them repeat the things that he said to one another. He watched as Hancock placed the ring on Quinn’s finger and she placed a ring on his. “Then by the power invested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride.” Hancock kissed her, tears streaming down both of their faces, neither of them could believe they had actually gotten married. He pulled away from her and looked into her eyes, “I love you, Mrs. Hancock.”

“I love you too, Mr. Hancock.”

Instead of escorting Pastor Clements back to Diamond City, he sent four Neighborhood Watch to do it for him. He wanted to sit and spend some actual quiet time with his wife.

Chapter Text

“Alright,” Hancock looked at his new bride. “What is it? I know you’re thinkin’ ‘cause I can smell somethin’ burnin’.”

“Are you implying, Mr. Hancock, that the wheel is turning but the Mole Rat is dead?”

“I’m implying, Mrs. Hancock, that the wheel is turning and the Mole Rat has committed suicide via lighting himself on fire because he lives in that cesspool of perversion you call a head.” He said with a sly smile.

“Fuck you, John.” Q laughed.

“Mmm…” Hancock grabbed her and pulled her to him. “I like it when you talk dirty to me.”

Q flashed a grin at him before climbing on him and straddling his lap, then wrapping her arms around his neck. She leaned forward and whispered into his ear seductively, “Oh, I can talk… real… dirty…”

Her actions sent shivers down Hancock spine as his erection stood at full salute. He pressed upwards, shoving his raging hard cock against her. “How about you show me, Mrs. Hancock.”

She remained close to his ear and whispered again, “Mmmm. Ohhh, Mr. Hancock, I want you… to…”

“Yes baby, tell me what it is you want me to do.” His voice was low, drenched in a lustful tone.

“I want you… to… find Virgil a safe place to live and someone to fuck so I can take that goddamn serum he’s gonna make because I’m impatient and tired of waiting so let’s get a fucking move on.”

“UGH!” Hancock instantly pushed Q out of his lap and into the floor. She hit with a thud, laughing hysterically. He folded his arms and made a pouting face. “Thought I was gonna get some pussy.”

“Thought I was gonna get some immortality.” She laughed, still sitting in the floor. He rolled his eyes at her and extended a hand to help her up. After he withdrew his hand when she’d reached for it a few times, just to fuck with her, he helped her off of the floor and back onto the couch.

“What about… Daisy?” Q suggested.

“Nah, I like Daisy. She’s a good friend. I wouldn’t wish that on her.” He said shaking his head.

“Uhh… Kleo’s out. She doesn’t have the proper equipment downstairs.”

“Annnnnnnnnd she’d probably kill him.” Hancock added.

“Probably…” Q pondered a moment… “Are… are there girl… mutants?”

“Uhhh... I don’t know? I mean, would assume so.” Hancock lifted his tricorn hat and rubbed the top of his head.

“In theory… there should be female Super Mutants... right? There’s female Ghouls… why not Super Mutants?”

“I dunno. Just don’t think ol’ Virg is interested in some Mut-pussy though. Think he wants someone a bit… smaller… and fresher. At least, I would. I’d want me some fresh ass… like yours.” He said as he squeezed on Q’s butt causing her to giggle and squirm about.

“Seriously! We’ve gotta figure out something for him, John. Don’t you remember what it was like to be lonely?”

“Dollface, that feeling is still fresh, believe me. You’ve made an impact on my life that made me decide to settle down and get married within just months of meeting you. But… I remember what it was like before I fell in love with you.”

“Okay then. We need to find him a woman, stat. Where could he stay that would be safe?”

“Well… you know, we kept talking about making that trip to Sanctuary Hills. Maybe Virgil would be safe there with Garvey and his crew.”

“I really don’t wanna put them in anymore danger though. Think they’ve had enough bad luck before Concord.”

Hancock nodded, “Yeah, heard about the Quincy massacre. Shit was awful.”

“The Quincy massacre? What’s that?”

“From what I was told, one of the Minutemen defected, see… joined up with the Gunners. Guy brought the Gunners to Quincy, started killin’ everyone they could after the Minutemen wouldn’t bow down to ‘em or somethin’. Garvey grabbed whomever he could, I guess, and fled for Concord. Was a terrible tragedy for the Minutemen. Also heard that Garvey’s the only one of ‘em that’s left. Obviously, I’m not 100% sure what happened because I wasn’t there. It’s just what I’ve been told. But my connections are generally fairly accurate.”

“That’s horrible...” Q said. “Yeah, definitely don’t want Virgil there. Since he feels like he’s being hunted by this… Kellogg guy… AND The Institute…”

“Yeah, don’t wanna cause those people more suffering than they’ve already had.”

“Right.”

“Mr. and Mrs. John Hancock. John and Quinn Hancock. Quinn Whatever-Your-Middle-Name-Is Hancock. You ever say that outloud? I do, all the time. Has a nice ring to it, I think.”

Quinn burst into laughter. “Okay, first off, that was completely fucking random. Secondly, I don’t have a middle name. Well, that is to say I never gave myself one whenever I decided I didn’t want to be called ‘Nora’ anymore. Nora’s middle name was Marie.”

“Nora Marie Whatever-His-Last-Name-Was-Hyphen Hancock.”

“No!” She said, falling over with laughter. “I don’t wanna be called Nora and you know it!”

“Okay. What about… Len. Like Lyn, only spelled different because you’re… different.”

“Different!?” She yelled at him, smacking him playfully. “What’s that supposed to mean!?” She tried to make herself appear serious, but failed miserably.

“It means… you’re fuckin’ weird. Ain’t no way to sugar-coat that, I’m sorry. C’mon you’re fuckin’ a Ghoul for Christ sake. That’s not exactly what people would consider ‘normal’, ya feel me?” Hancock loved giving Quinn shit, he was never certain if she would take it badly. But, now that they were married, the gloves were coming off.

“Eat me!” She said, giving him a shove.

He crossed his arms again and made another pouting face, looking away from her. “Tease.” Q sat there laughing at Hancock while he continued to pout. They discussed where they could possibly put Virgil, but neither of them had any idea. The only thing Quinn could think of, and she was pretty sure that Hancock wouldn’t approve, was to infiltrate The Institute and take it down. But where to start…

“John… I have an idea on what to do about Virgil.”

“What’s that?”

“Well, since we can’t think of a safe place for him to go… maybe we could just, you know, destroy The Institute.”

Hancock sat up straight and put his hands over his face, “Are you outta your fuckin’ mind? We don’t know a damn thing about those bastards. Where would we even start?”

Q thought for a moment, and then it hit her. “You said yourself that between Nick and Piper you could find out anything…”

“No. Hell no. Hell to the fuck no. Firstly, as much as I dislike Piper, we ain’t draggin’ anyone else into this. Secondly, you ain’t goin’.”

“John, it’s the only way to ensure Virgil’s safety so he can get out of the Glowing Sea and start replicating that serum. Or would you rather I died in 50 years and you’re force to live… possibly hundreds… without me?”

Hancock signed, knowing he wasn’t going to win this argument. “Alright… tell me what we need to do.”

“As much as you’d hate to, we need to go to Diamond City and pay Valentine a visit.”

Hancock nodded. Quinn was right, he really hated to go to Diamond City. But he hated the idea of having to live without her for hundreds of years even more. So, off they went. And as usual, the guards gave him the warm and friendly Diamond City welcome. He guessed Q had gotten tired of hearing the snide comments about him as well…

“Whoa, whoa. No Ghouls in Diamond City. Get that things outta here.” Was what the guard said to Q as the couple passed by him.

Quinn probably shouldn’t have replied with, “That’s not what your wife said last night whenever we had a threesome with that bitch.”

The guard was, obviously, surprised. “Stupid bitch.” He called her.

“You fuck your mother with that mouth?” Was her reply. I love this woman, but Jesus she’s gonna get us thrown outta here before we even see Nick. Hancock grabbed his wife, pulling her away from the guard, telling her that he’d like to actually get to see Nick and get the ball rolling. They made their way through the Market area, Hancock having to resist the power noodles and around towards Nick’s office. He and Q both overheard some guys talking about The Institute and how the Railroad was all a fairytale. Hancock had heard of them before, he knew someone involved with them. Someone who hung around Goodneighbor regularly. But if they wanted to contact the Railroad, they’d have to follow the Freedom Trail. Whatever that was. Quinn and Hancock walked into Valentine’s office to see a woman standing with her back to the door, talking to herself. Q approached her, “Something wrong?”

The lady responded a bit rudely for Quinn, “Another stray coming in from the rain. ‘Fraid you’re too late. Office is closed.”

Quinn pulled out her secret weapon - the sad eyes, “I know you must be busy, but I won’t take much of your time, miss. It’s important.”

“You’re right. I’m sorry.” The woman said. “I didn’t mean to be rude, but it’s just… the detective. He’s gone missing.”

“Do you have any idea how I could find him?”

“He disappeared working a case. Skinny Malone’s gang had kidnapped a young woman, and he tracked them down to their hideout in Park Street Station. There’s an old Vault down there they use as a base. I told Nick he was walking into a trap, but he just smiled and walked out the door like he always does.”

Quinn comforted the woman, “I’ll find him. You have my word.”

“Thank you. If you do find him, tell him Ellie - that’s me - said to bring his butt back here. Nick should be easy to spot. He’s always wearing that old hat and trench coat getup. Please, hurry!”

Q and Hancock fought their way through the mobs of Ferals all the way to Park Street Station. When they arrived, Hancock noticed that they were close to where the Freedom Trail would begin. Another thing he noticed was that they were also in the middle of the Boston Commons. He turned to Quinn, feeling a bit uneasy, “Hey. This is the Common. You sure you don’t just wanna go around?”

“Go around to what, John? Is there another way in?”

“There’s a manhole somewhere around here that would likely lead down into it.”

“You know, the words ‘somewhere’ and ‘likely’ are the whole reason we’re going through the front door. Just sayin’.” And Quinn walked right into that Station as if she owned the place. Hancock had never come face to face with so many Triggermen in all his life. Humans and Ghouls, dressed in dapper outfits wielding bats, pistols, and submachine guns. Hancock couldn’t believe the way Q charge through there recklessly. He wanted to stop her, but he knew there was no way… no, she was on a mission to find Nick Valentine and she wasn’t going to cease until she did. Luck was on her side, bullets only grazed her, but never hit dead on. She’d have a number of gashes by the end, but nothing severe. Hancock had no idea how she made it without taking a bullet. Before they knew it, they were standing and looking at the massive Vault door. “Well, well, Vault 114. You’d be surprised how much scum from the Commonwealth trickles in here.” Hancock knew some of it probably came from Goodneighbor - Skinny Malone did. Q didn’t care, which didn’t surprise him any. She plugged her pip-boy into the mechanism to open to door, hammer-fisted that button, and open sesame.

After dispatching a few more Triggermen, they made it to the door that actually led deeper into the Vault. Before they went too far in, they could hear a man talking to Nick: “How ya doin’ in there Valentine? Feelin’ hungry? Want a snack?” Hancock followed Quinn as she crept up the stairs to get closer.

“Keep talkin’, meat head.” Valentine snapped back. “It’ll give Skinny Malone more time to think about how he’s going to bump you off.”

“Don’t give me that crap, Valentine. You know nothin’. You got nothin’.”

They could hear the snide tone in Valentine’s voice, “Really? I saw him writing your name down in that black book of his. ‘Lousy cheating card shark’ I think were his exact words. Then he struck the name across three times.”

The man Nick had been arguing with suddenly sounded worried. “Three strikes? In the black book? But I never… oh no… I gotta smooth this over! Fast!” The man ran towards the staircase Q and Hancock were crouched down on. As he rounded the corner, she took aim, and before he could even draw his pistol, he was laying on the ground dead. Quinn went through his pockets and grabbed a terminal password. Then walked over to the window and instantly Valentine noticed her familiar face. “We got three minutes before they realize muscles-for-brains ain’t comin’ back. Get this door open.” She nodded and went over to the terminal to try the password she’d just picked up. Lucky for them, it worked and the door opened. Nick lit another cigarette and gave Q a half-smile, “Gotta love the irony of the reverse damsel-in-distress scenario. Question is, why did our heroine risk life and limb for an old private eye?”

Q rubbed the side of her face, “I need you to find someone, but it’s… complicated. I don’t exactly know where they could be, or how long they’ve been gone…”

“Well, I’ve done jobs with less. Somehow ‘nice and simple’ never makes it onto the menu in my world. I’ve been cooped up in here for a while. Turns out the daughter I came here to find wasn’t kidnapped. She’s Skinny Malone’s new flame, and she’s got a mean streak. Anyway, you got troubles, and I’m glad to help a friend. But now ain’t the time. Let’s blow this joint. Then we’ll talk.”

They made their way back through the Vault towards the direction they went, only with a different route, taking out all of the Triggermen that stood in their way. Once they got to the last door, Valentine had to pick the lock. He warned them that he could hear ‘big, fat footsteps on the other side’ and to be ready for anything once they set foot through the door.

They’d gotten back to the very entrance they came through to see Skinny Malone, who… wasn’t skinny at all, his new flame, and a handful of Triggermen standing around. “Nicky? What’re you doin’? You come into my house. Shoot up my guys. You have any idea how much this is gonna set me back?” Malone said.

“I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for your two-timing dame, Skinny.” Nick replied. “You ought to tell her to write home more often.”

The woman spoke, grating on Hancock’s nerves, “Awwww… poor little, Valentine. Ashamed you got beat up by a girl? I’ll just run back home to daddy, shall I?”

Skinny Malone chimed in after her, “Should’ve left it alone, Nicky. This ain’t the old neighborhood. In this Vault, I’m king of the castle, you hear me? And I ain’t lettin’ some private dick shut us down now that I finally got a good thing goin’!”

“I told you we should’ve just killed him, but then you had to get all sentimental! All that stupid crap about the ‘old times’.” It was easy to tell Darla’s mean streak, as Nick called it, was starting to show.

“Darla, I’m handling this! Skinny Malone’s always got things under control!”

“Oh yeah, then what’s this lady doin’ here, huh? Valentine must have brought her here to rub us all out!”

Hancock was thankful Darla didn’t acknowledge his presence. He did, however, have to stifle his laughter when Q finally pitched in her two cents: “That wasn’t the plan originally, but hey, tempting.”

They could all tell Skinny’s patience was wearing thin with Darla and the situation. Quinn couldn’t get over how his name definitely didn’t match the rest of him. “Hey, I’m the one in charge here. You got something to say? Say it to me.”

Hancock smelled that burning again, he knew the wheels were turning in his wife’s head. “Look at yourself.” She said to Malone. “Darla is playing you for a sap. You’re better than this. You’re better than her.” Hancock closed his eyes and braced for whatever was going to happen next. No way was Skinny Malone going to stand there and take this ‘dame’ talking to him that way about his girl.

Malone lowered his weapon and his expression turned from anger to shame. “You’re… you’re right. Things have gone nothin’ but south since she walked into my life.” Darla, Nick and Hancock both stood their, mouths agape with shock and awe.

“What are you talkin’ about Skinny?” Darla almost sounded sad.

“I’m sayin’ you’re draggin’ me and this whole operation down a bad road, toots. We’re through.”

“Well, fine then! I’m going back home. I don’t need you, you fat ass!” She took a hasty retreat out of the Vault. Her heels clopping on the concrete the entire way.

Skinny looked depressed for a moment. “They always gotta hit ya where it hurts.” His expression changed almost instantly back to anger. “Now what am I gonna do about you three? I know. I’m gonna give you until the count of ten. I still see your ugly faces after that, I’m gonna start shootin’ until there ain’t no more bullets left in this whole Vault!”

Valentine turned to his friends as Malone began counting, “We better get outta here. Fast.” And they did. There was a door not far from the Vault that had a ladder behind it that led up through manhole to the street above. Hancock practically shoved Q up through the manhole, he wanted to make sure that if anyone were to get shot, it wasn’t going to be her. She’d sustained enough damage. Then, he damn near threw Nick up the ladder towards the manhole. Once both were out of there, Hancock made his way up as well. “Told ya there was a manhole!” He said to Quinn who just rolled her eyes. She acted like she was about to give him a smart-ass reply, but Valentine interrupted first. “Ready to talk? How’d you know how to find me down in that old Vault?”

“Your secretary, Ellie. She sent me.”

“She did? I should give her a raise. Now, you mentioned something about a missing person. No trace of where they’ve gone. I want you to come to my office in Diamond City. Give me all the details. Besides, I think you’ve earned a chance to sit down and clear your head.”

Quinn agreed and they followed Valentine back to his place. Ellie, of course, was happy to see the detective. “Nick? Oh god, it’s really you!”

“Well, it’s hard to mistake this mug for anyone else.”

“Hmph. You keep laughing at death, some day, death’s going to laugh back.”

Nick looked at Q and Hancock and smiled. “Not as long as I got a few friends to back me up.”

Ellie thanked them for rescuing Nick and handed them a good bit of caps as a reward. Nick had Quinn take a seat and tell him everything she knew - about the Vault, the incident in the Vault, the kidnappers… everything. Hancock could tell she was trying not to get emotional. All he wanted to do was hold and comfort her, but he knew that it wasn’t the time. Nick explained that it sounded like The Institute could definitely be involved. On top of that, the man Q described did, in fact, sound like Kellogg - he was more than a mercenary, he was a professional. “Quick, clean, thorough. He has no enemies because they’re all dead… except you.” Were Valentine’s words. They went to check out Kellogg’s old house there in Diamond City, discovering that he’d had a room hidden away. A few of Kellogg’s belonging were still there, Nick suggested that Q retrieve Dogmeat and have him sniff the guy out. Which is exactly what she did. They followed the lovable companion all the way to Fort Hagen, where he stopped promptly just outside of a barricaded door. Hancock petted Dogmeat and looked at Q, “I think our canine compatriot has earned a medal. Let’s you and I take it from here. Give the ol’ dog a break.” She agreed and they went in search of another way in. They both noticed that the rooftop was heavily guarded by turrets and bet that’s where the entrance was. And they were right.

They got inside and immediately heard Synths talking. Quinn’s face contorted into anger, “I want to get something straight, right now. Kellogg is mine. If I see you even think about taking aim at him, I’ll put a bullet your hand. Do we have an understanding?”

Hancock couldn’t believe the words that his wife had just spoken to him. Did she just… threaten to shoot him? “Quinn, are you serious…?”

“Deadly.” Her face fell blank.

He didn’t know whether to be pissed off or upset at her. He tried to understand where she was coming from but… why was this so important? He understood that she wanted Virgil to get to work on that serum but did this have to do with Nate? Or Shaun? Did the vengeful rage she’d buried re-surface? He didn’t know what was going on with her, but hoped it would be over once Kellogg was dead. Hancock wouldn’t fire on him, he didn’t want to find out how serious she was about shooting him. Trying to shake it off, he followed her down through the fort, exterminating every Synth in the way. For a moment, they got separated and Hancock heard what sounded like a fragmentation mine go off and be bolted in the direction the noise came from. “Christ! Are you still with me?” He called to her. She didn’t reply. As he rounded the corner, he saw her standing there, bloodied. Immediately he ran to her, “Jesus, Q! You’re bleeding from… everywhere!”

Her face still maintained that same facial expression, “I’m fine. Let’s take this elevator down.”

“But…”

“I’m fine...” She gritted her teeth at him. Quinn didn’t feel a thing, tunnel vision had taken over and the only thing on her mind was killing that son of a bitch that took her family away from her. She had a new family, sure, but that wasn’t the point - it was the principle of it all. If need be, she would explain that to Hancock later. But first, Kellogg had to die.

They exited the elevator and continued through the hallways that were flooded with Synths. Finally, as they came to a stairway that led downwards even further, a deep voice came over the intercom, “If it isn’t my old friend, the frozen TV dinner. Last time we met, you were cozying up to the peas and apple cobbler.”

“Fuck him.” Hancock mumbled to himself. That comment alone made him want to kill the bastard. He kept reminding himself not to. He’d all but calmed himself down with the voice came on again: “Sorry your house has been a wreck for two hundred years. But I don’t need a roommate. Leave.” Hancock hated this guy more and more, he could feel his own anger flowing through his veins. If he couldn’t take out Kellogg, he was at least going to take out every fucking Synth he could on the way there. He came across the intercom a few more times, sounding almost impressed with Q, which didn’t sit well with Hancock. Not only was he now feeling anger, but jealousy as well.

They dead ended at a huge metal door that was locked closed. Kellogg agreed to unlock it so they could… ‘talk’. Yeah… ‘talk’... if he looks at my wife in any way I don’t like, I may just take that bullet to the hand. Following the winding hallway, they finally came to a dark room as a figure stepped out into the open, his hands were in the air. When the lights turned on, there he stood, the man who took everything away from Q.

“So here we are. Funny, huh?” He said with a smirk.

Quinn’s face went from blank to utterly pissed off, “End of the line, Kellogg. You die, and I get my son back.” So THAT is what this is about - Shaun. Thought she wasn’t interested in finding him…

“You can turn around right now. Go back the way you came.” Hancock could swear Kellogg was looking Q up and down. “Shaun? Besides being a bit older than you were expecting… I’m afraid he’s not even here. So you see? It is the end of the line. But not the way you imagined.”

Her jaw clenched and she forced her words out through clenched teeth. “Fuck you, Kellogg.”

The man almost looked amused. “Let him go. Your time’s done. Your son is exactly where he belongs. He’s home. In the Institute.” Hancock just knew Quinn was going to lose it and start sobbing… the boogeyman of the Commonwealth… the worse place he could be.

“Here. The ‘Institute’. I’ll find my son no matter where he is.”

Kellogg smiled, sounding impressed, “Ha! That’s the spirit.” Hancock could see lust in the man’s eyes as he looked at Quinn. “You know, you surprise me, I have to admit. I find myself actually kind of… liking you…”

“Oh hell no.” Hancock yelled. “Don’t you fucking look at my wife that way you mercenary mother fucker!”

Kellogg paid Hancock no mind, like he wasn’t even there. He held his gaze on Q, “You might’ve actually been a good mother. And I admire your dedication. Even if it is ultimately useless.”

Hancock raised his weapon and took aim at Kellogg, no longer could he stand the way this piece of shit was looking at her - his wife, the love of his life. And this asshole was looking at her like a fresh cut piece of meat. When Quinn heard Hancock pull the hammer back on his pistol, she spun around and aimed her gun at him, “What did I tell you, Hancock... don’t make me do it, because I will. I fucking will.”

Kellogg interjected, “I think we’ve been talking long enough, anyway. We both know how this has to end. So… you ready?”

Q looked at him with fire burning in her eyes, lust burning in his, “In a hundred years, when I finally die, I only hope I go to Hell so I can kill you all over again, you piece of shit.” Before anyone else could make a move, she pulled a second pistol out of her waistband, that not even Hancock knew she had, and dispatched both Synths that were standing in the room with them. Then, she aimed a pistol at Kellogg… and the other at Hancock. “I will put a bullet in you, John. I wouldn’t move if I were you.” She looked over at the merc, “But you… you’re getting a bullet regardless.” Then she pulled the trigger and shot Kellogg dead. As soon as he hit the ground, she began to rummage through his pockets and discovered a terminal password. But that wasn’t the only thing. The bullet she put through his head exposed Synth components. Hancock couldn’t help but feel disgusted as she removed them from the dead body and put them in her pack.

“I’m so sorry, John.” She wrapped her arms around him. “I don’t… I don’t know what came over me. I thought I’d gotten past all of… this. But when we came in, it’s like I could feel his presence here and something inside of me just snapped. I’m so, so sorry… please don’t hate me.”

Hancock squeezed her. “I could never hate you, dollface. Even if you would have shot me. Sure, I’d have been pissed off, but I wouldn’t have hated you. Vengeance is a funny thing. Brings out the worst in people, most of the time. I do have to say, though… I have a massive hard-on right now. That rage I saw in your eyes. The lust I saw in his that you so blatantly ignored. Even when you pointed that gun at me… I wanted to fuck you right then.” He leaned into her, pressing his erection against her hip. He got close to her ear and that spoke in that low, rough, lustful tone: “When we get back home, I’m going to fuck you… repeatedly.”

Chapter Text

After the deed was done and Kellogg was dead, Quinn and Hancock made their exit out of Fort Hagen through an elevator. However, there was a surprise for them when they came out. A massive airship was flying above the Commonwealth. Of course, it had to be none other than the Brotherhood of Steel. “Holy shit.” Hancock said as he looked at them massive ship. “Brotherhood knows how to make an entrance. I’ll give ‘em that.” Q agreed, but she definitely wasn’t excited to see them. They already seemed like a nuisance to the Commonwealth - people disliked them almost as much as The Institute, or so Q assumed. No one had good things to say about the Brotherhood, ever. Regardless, they had to get to Diamond City, no matter how much they didn’t want to. But, they had to speak with Valentine after Q discovered that Kellogg was barely even human. It’s not so much that it was far from Fort Hagen, but more the ‘friendly’ welcome they always received. This time was obviously no different.

Walking into Valentine’s agency, Hancock groaned as they saw Piper standing there talking to Nick. “Come on, Nicky. I’m just asking for your opinion. It’d be a great quote.”

“She’s my client, Piper. Why don’t you learn not to snoop on a woman’s private affairs?”

Hancock let out a slight chuckle, which got Piper’s attention. “Well, well. Speak of the Devil.”

“You’re back.” Nick said, seeming shocked Quinn had returned. “And… not with your son. What happened?”

“You were right, Nick.” She was trying not to cry. She hated crying. “Kellogg took my baby. But… that wasn’t all. He was working with the Institute. He… he gave them Shaun…”

Piper rubbed her cheek and shook her head. “The Institute? Hoo boy…”

“I’m sorry, friend.” Valentine put his hand on Q’s shoulder. “That makes things… considerably more complicated.”

Piper tried to look sympathetic, but Hancock wasn’t really buying it. He figured she was just trying to squeeze information out of Quinn like a freshly picked tato. “He ain’t kiddin’. Heck, Nick’s a synth, and even he doesn’t know how to get in.”

“No synth does.” Nick lit another cigarette and took a few puffs off of it. “Security protocols strip those memories out.”

Hancock intertwined his fingers in Q’s, trying to comfort her as she continued talking to Nick and Piper. “I need to find a way.”

“I’ve been investigating these creeps for over a year now. The Commonwealth’s boogeyman. Fears and hated by everyone. Sometimes they snatch people in the middle of the night. And sometimes they leave old synths behind to remind us that they’re out there. But to this day, there’s one thing nobody really knows…” said Piper.

Nick interrupted, “Where the Institute actually is. Or how to get in.”
“Exactly. But there’s one person who must know, right? The guy who just handed them Shaun.”

“Kellogg. Huh…”

“You read my mind.” Q said, gripping Hancock’s hand tightly. “He had to have a way in and out.”

“Yeah, but something tells me he’s not gonna drop by for a chat and coffee…”

“He’s dead, Nick.”

“So a murderer and a kidnapper gets his brains blown out by an avenging parent.” Pipe sighed and continued, “It’d be a great ending if we didn’t still have the biggest mystery in the Commonwealth to solve…”

Quinn looked a bit sad, as if she felt badly for killing Kellogg. “He wasn’t going to talk. Even if I had a way of bringing him alive.” Hancock almost admired her for feeling badly, after all the grief that bastard had caused her.

Nick looked oddly at Q for a moment as he thought for a moment. “Gets his brains blow out. Huh… his brains. You know, we may not need the man at all.”

“You’re talking crazy here, Nick. Got a fault in the ol’ subroutines?” Piper looked confused.

“Look, there’s a place in Goodneighbor called the Memory Den. Relive the past moments in your mind as clear as the day they happened. If anyone could get a dead brain to sing, it’ll be Doctor Amari, the mind behind the memories. Let’s see… I guess we’re going to need a piece of Kellogg’s brain. Enough gray matter to bring to Amari and find out if this is going to work…”

“Jesus, Nick… gross! Seriously?” Piper looked like she was going to vomit.

“Oh calm down, Wright.” Hancock interrupted. “You think everything’s gross it seems. Suck it up and deal with it. Have you been out into the Commonwealth? There’s a lot more sick shit going on out there than digging around in someone’s fuckin’ brainpan.”

Nick nodded in agreement with Hancock. “I know it’s grisly, but what choice do we have? We got no leads. Nothing. That old merc’s brain just might have all the secrets we need to know.”

“Actually…” Q hesitated for a moment, pulling her pack off and sitting it on Nick’s desk, pulling out the weird object. “I think I already have something. Kellogg had this… thing… attached to his head.”

Hancock looked at Piper, grinning. “Yeah, and I got the pleasure of watching her yank it outta there.” That made Piper look as if she were about to retch.

Valentine took the object from Q, inspecting it. “Cybernetics, huh? We may have just won the lottery. I’ll meet you and Hancock there.” He turned and looked at Piper. “You can stay here. If you pick up any information while I’m gone, just let Ellie know and she’ll give me the message whenever I get back.” Piper nodded and the other three took off for Goodneighbor.

-----

Hancock loved Goodneighbor and was glad to be home. He still needed to bring it up to Quinn about moving in together, he just wasn’t sure when a good time would be. It definitely needed to wait until after they paid Amari a visit. Nick had no problem getting them into the Den to discuss with Amari what to do about the cybernetics. She told them that it was the hippocampus with some sort of Institute technology attached to it. Doctor Amari hooked Nick up to the machine, but she wasn’t able to insure Nick’s safety when Quinn inquired about it… which made Q hesitate about doing it at all. Nick convinced her that they should go through with it and, although she didn’t agree, she gave the okay. Unfortunately, Valentine couldn’t do anything with the chip on his own, so Amari suggested that both Nick and Q step into the loungers. Hancock definitely was not okay with this whatsoever… but all he could do was stand there and watch as Q was ejected into Kellogg’s memories.

Quinn saw so many things while she went through the things that Conrad Kellogg had experienced in his lifetime. Things that made her realize that he was only a pawn - a tool - used by the Institute. It made her feel more guilty for killing him. She felt like there was something else she could’ve done, talked it over with him somehow. But, deep down, she knew that wasn’t true. All though he had all of those cybernetics attached to him, he was still human. Sure, he killed her husband and stole her son - but he was only following orders. Doing what the Institute requested him to do. Was Q so different? She killed many Raiders for farmers and settlers alike. Yes, those Raiders were dangerous, but they could’ve had families. They were only trying to survive in the Commonwealth, just as Q was. At one point, Kellogg had a wife and daughter. Someone, Q didn’t know who, murdered them for some unknown reason. Perhaps that’s what turned him into the heartless man he was… not such a different situation he’d put Q in. Running through temporal sequence, Amari connected her to an extremely familiar memory - Vault 111. She didn’t want to stand there and watch the entire thing play out again. But, for some reason, she did. She felt rage about Nate being killed, but not sadness - she didn’t love him anymore. But whenever she watched the unidentified woman take Shaun, again… it woke a beast in Quinn that she didn’t know existed. She was going to find him, no matter what. Doctor Amari apologize as Q went on to the next memory - containing a 10 year old Shaun. That’s where the discovery was made that the Institute used some type of teleportation to get in and out of there. That’s why no one knew the location, because there wasn’t a front door that Synths simply walked in and out of. The man that teleported in brought information to Kellogg about a scientist that escaped the Institute - Virgil. Quinn knew she was going to have to return to the Glowing Sea if she wanted more information.

When Amari pulled her out of Kellogg’s memories, Hancock was waiting on a nearby couch, looking extremely worried. When the lounger opened, Q stumbled out, disoriented. Hancock, however was immediately at her side, helping her gain her balance and ensuring she didn’t fall. “Slow movement, okay?” Doctor Amari said. “I don’t know what kind of side effects the procedure might have had. No one’s ever… done this before. How do you feel?”

Q rubbed her forehead and winced in a bit of pain, “I have this… burning feeling inside my skull. It’s like it’s on fire…” Of course, that didn’t settle Hancock’s nerves at all.

“That’s not surprising.” Amari helped steady her. “All the synapses in your brain have just been pulled apart, connected to someone else, and then pulled back together again. I injected you with a large Stimpak while I was pulling you out. That should ease things. Are you ready to talk about what happened in there?”

Quinn looked at Doctor Amari, then turned her attention to Hancock. “There’s more than one person who knows about the Institute. Virgil, that scientist who escaped…”

Amari had an extremely surprised look on her face. “I didn’t know Institute scientists could defect. This changes everything. He could answer all sorts of questions. Where did the memory say he was? The Glowing Sea? That can’t be right. No one would risk going there. Not even to hide.”

“Believe me.” Q said. “He’s there, we’ve already been to see him once. We were trying to get him to reproduce a serum for us but he can’t do it in the Glowing Sea for whatever reason. We wanted to find him a safer place to stay instead of there, but it would probably be better to take out the Institute first.”

“I see.” Amari said. “You should be more prepared this time. I’ve got some spare Rad-X and RadAway you can have, but it won’t be enough. Make sure you really stock up this time. You may not be so lucky to walk away with only moderate radiation sickness.”

“I’ve got it covered, don’t worry.”

“Good luck, and… he safe. By the way, I unplugged Mister Valentine first. Removed the implant while you were waking up. He’s waiting for you upstairs.”

Q thanks Doctor Amari, then headed upstairs to let Nick know she was okay. When she got there, he was sitting on a couch close to the exit waiting for her. Before she could say anything to him, he spoke to her, and sounded exactly like Kellogg. “Hope you got what you were lookin’ for inside my head. Heh. I was right. Should’ve killed you when you were on ice.”

Quinn’s eyes were huge, “Nick? Are you still in there?”

Suddenly, it’s like Valentine snapped back to reality and had no idea what had just occurred. “What? What are you talking about?”

“You… feeling all right Nick?” She asked.

“Yeah.” He nodded. “I’m fine, why?”

“You sounded like Kellogg just then…”

“Did I? Amari said there might be some ‘mnemonic impressions’ left over… Anyways, I feel fine, so I’m going to head back to Diamond City since you’ve got Hancock with you.”

“Okay, see you around, Nick.”

He got up off of the couch and, much to Q’s surprise, hugged her. “Good luck out there. You know where to find me.”

-----

Finding Virgil was easy this time and, of course, he asked about staying in a new location and if they’d been successful in finding a female that would be interested in him. Quinn had to give him the bad news about not being able to find either one of those things just yet. However, she did tell him that they were working on an alternate solution… but needed his help. Virgil sighed as they’d already asked for his help once but have yet to hold up their end of the agreement. Still, he was curious…

“What do you need my help with?”

“I’m just looking for information on the Institute.”

“The Institute? So, they DID send you, didn’t they. You’re working with Kellogg!”

Quinn sighed, “Kellogg’s been taken care of.”

“Dead? He’s… dead? Don’t you lie to me!”

“I’m not lying. I killed him myself.”

“And did a DAMN fine job.” Hancock commented, pitching in his two cents.

“Did you…” Virgil still seemed in disbelief. “Kellogg was ruthless… there’s a reason the Institute used him to do their dirty work for so many years. I knew they’d send him after me; tried to prepare for it. But I still wasn’t sure I’d make it… And so you. You killed him, eh? So what is it that you want with me, now?”

“I know you were part of it, and you escaped. They sent Kellogg to kill you.”

“Yes, but I thought I’d made all of this perfectly clear the last time you came barging in here wanting me to replicate that serum.”

“Yes, well, now I know---”

Before Q could complete her sentence, Virgil interrupted her, “No, it doesn’t matter. I’m not going back… I can’t go back. Look at me! Why have you even come back here? What is it you want?”

“Relax - I just need to know how to get in there.”

“Wait, what? Are you serious? You want to get in to the Institute? Are you insane? Never mind how nearly impossible that is, even if you were to succeed it’d almost certainly end in your immediate death. What reason could you possibly have for taking that kind of risk?”

“I’m insane, clearly. And… they kidnapped someone, and I want him back.”

“Oh, no. Look, I… I didn’t know. I mean, I didn’t realize that’s what you were here after. I can help you get in there, yeah. Only thing is, you get in there, you remember about that serum in the BioScience department. FEV Lab.”

“You got it.”

“All right. First thing’s first. You know how synths get in and out of the Institute?”

“Yeah, they use some kind of teleportation.”

“Well, well… not many know about it. Pretty closely guarded secret. You’ve certainly done your homework.

Virgil goes on to spout off some crap Hancock doesn’t much understand, nor does he care to, about some kind of relay device that would pop Q right in there. Hancock was not for this at all… what if it didn’t work? Would she just pop into the Institute inside out? Not only was that a disgusting mess for someone to clean up, but it would seriously put a kink in Hancock’s marriage. And not the kind of kink he liked. He listened to Virgil and Q exchange words about Coursers and all this other stuff that he had absolutely no interest in. Jeez, hurry up ladies, we ain’t got all day to gossip. Apparently, the Mutant and Mrs. Hancock devised a plan to find a Courser by using her pip-boy to track the signal. Whatever. Hancock wasn’t fond of having to kill one, but at least if they got killed… they’d die together.

“You know, Virg,” Hancock piped up, “You need to figure out a way to make Cabot’s serum better - so nothing can kill us either. You know, invincible.”

“I… that’s not possible.”

“Fine, fine. Was a good thought though.”

When Hancock and Q exited Virgil’s cave, they were greeted back an Alpha Deathclaw and, what looked to be, his mate. “Aww. They’re in love.” Hancock said, “Look, she’s positively glowing.” Dispatching the Deathclaws was a challenge, but not impossible for those two. The only unfortunate part is one of them caught Q’s hazard suit and shredded the vast majority of it, making it pointless for her to even wear. Much to Hancock’s disapproval, she removed the suit telling him that it wasn’t doing her any good. Continually, Q kept dosing herself with Rad-X and popping RadAway every now and again. The other unfortunate thing was, she didn’t have enough to last until they made it safely away from the rads of the Glowing Sea.

Once they made it far enough away, Hancock started giving her the once over - the basic ‘check for limbs growing outta places they shouldn’t be’ routine. He didn’t spot any extra fingers or toes growing anywhere, but began insisting they get to the nearest doctor to make sure she was fine. With much protest from Quinn about how they needed to continue on with their mission, he finally gave in and made the deal that she’d see a doctor as soon as it was all over.

-----

Their arrival at the Commonwealth Institute of Technology went unnoticed it seemed - there wasn’t anyone even around. Almost instantly, Q’s pip-boy picked up the Courser signal, leading them straight to Greenetech Genetics. Hancock tried to point out that he’d heard that place was loaded down with Gunners, but he didn’t have time before she waltzed in there as if she owned the place. “Not much competition.” He said as he scanned the room, seeing nothing more than a few dead Gunners. When they walked into a different section of Greenetech, however, was a whole different story - Gunners everywhere. A few even had missile launcher, but seemed as if they were more concentrated on killing that Courser than anything else. Even after some guy came over the intercom, announcing Q and Hancock’s intrusion, few did much about it. Which, made it easy to kill the Gunners that were still alive and make their way up to the top of the building. Once up there, they walked into a room and could hear men arguing. “I don’t know the password. I’m telling the truth!” Someone said.

“I don’t believe you are.” Their was a calmness in this man’s voice that made Hancock highly uncomfortable. He didn’t like the tone - it’s not that he was scared, it was just so… inhuman. Must be the Courser.

“Oh god… please no! No, please, you don’t have to do this.” The man said before a laser-shot was fired. And then silence. Quinn looked at Hancock and shrugged as if unphased by the situation at hand. Hancock was beginning to wonder what new personality this was taking over his wife. He didn’t hate it, but he wasn’t sure he was okay with it either. He wondered if it was because they were finally getting close to the information she needed to get her son back. Or maybe it was for revenge. Unsure, he just continued on and followed her up the stairs.

“You!” The monotone voice called out. “Come here!” Q rounded a corner and into a room to see 3 dead Gunners and a strange man standing in a black suit. “Are you here for the synth?” He asked her.

“I’m here to pick up an order. Two large pepperoni and a calzone. Name is ‘Fuck you’.” Hancock facepalmed - sure it was a good comeback, but should she get shitty with a Courser?

The Courser, Z2, was unapologetically unimpressed and unphased. “If you’re not here for the synth, then you’re here for me. What… do you want?”

“I need what’s in your head.”

“That you cannot have.” Before the Courser could press the button on his Stealth Boy, Hancock watched his wife pull the rifle from her back and ram the butt of it underneath the Courser’s chin and then into his nose. Killing him instantly. Reaching down, Q plucked the chip from his head and put it in her pack.

“Seriously? Was that the best the Institute’s got? I ain’t impressed. Now what do you say we get that Courser Chip decoded, huh? But… I gotta ask… how in the fuck do you even kill someone by bashing them in the face with a rifle like that?” Hancock asked her.

“Well, it doesn’t have to be a rifle… could have used a pistol. Just wanted to make sure it killed him. But, I don’t know about why it worked with this asshole, but on actual humans… you really should aim for the bridge of the nose. You can collapse the nasal cavity and cause enough bleeding and/or trauma in the brain, by smacking them hard enough, to kill them. You aim for the bridge because it’s thin, small bones. Not so hard to collapse. And this completes your biology or whatever-the-fuck lesson for the day.”

Hancock suddenly grabbed Q by the hips, pulling her body against his, letting out a low, guttural growl that sent shivers down her backbone. He went up her shirt, placing his hands on her breasts, groping them feverishly as he kissed and bit at her neck. Quinn dropped her rifle as she moaned and wrapped her arms around him. “I want you, baby.” He breathed into her neck. As things were starting to get hot and heavy, they both heard a distinct clearing of the throat from across the room. They both froze him place for a moment and opened their eyes. Hancock looked to see a woman standing behind a window, “Well, well, looks like we got an audience.” Quinn broke Hancock’s grasp on her and walked over to the windows. “Damn!” Hancock complained as he followed Q, grabbing at her ass.

“Hello.” Quinn said to the girl.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt but… I can’t get out of here. Not on my own. I’m going to trust you to help me out.”

“I promise not to hurt you.” Q said, smiling, trying to reassure the girl that she was in safe hands. The Synth explained to her that the password for the terminal that would get her out was in a nearby toolbox underneath the stairs in the room. They had no problem finding it and unlocked the terminal.

“Thank you.” The girl said, “I don’t know what to say.”

Q grinned, “Oh, you must not have heard. I’m a superhero. I do think for a living.”

Hancock gave her a nudge, “Cute.” He looked at the Synth and decided to introduce them. “I’m Mayor Hancock of Goodneighbor, and this is my lovely wife, Quinn.”

“My… Institute designation is K1-98. But I prefer Jenny. So yes, I’m a Synth. If you hadn’t already guessed. I appreciate you rescuing me, and I’m sorry that I interrupted your, um… private time.”

Hancock grinned, “Hey, I don’t mind an audience, you didn’t have to interrupt.”

Jenny blushed, “Um, thanks again for your help. I’m going to look for supplies before heading out. And before you ask, no, I don’t need anymore help. The Commonwealth is unforgiving. I need to make it on my own or I’m dead. Maybe we’ll meet again, under better circumstances. I… hope we do.”

As Jenny ran off, Hancock turned back to Q. “Yeah… I bet she hope so. Probably hopes she gets to see the entire matinee instead of just the beginning credits.

“Oh, John Hancock. You sure have a way with words.” She said, sarcastic as hell. Before he could grab her to fondle her some more, Quinn turned the power onto the elevator and got in, waiting for him to follow.

Hancock looked at her and pouted, “No pussy?”

“No pussy.” Q laughed.

“Cockblocker!” He yelled out as the elevator doors closed shut, hoping Jenny heard him and knew what it meant.

-----

As soon as they got back to Goodneighbor, Hancock tried to pull Quinn into the State House to finish what he had started at Greenetech Genetics. Unfortunately for his oncoming case of blue-balls, he was unsuccessful. She tried explaining to him that they needed to get over to the Memory Den immediately to get the chip decoded. He wasn’t listening, not with all of his irradiated blood rushing to his dick. He tried convincing her that all he needed was 5 minutes and then they could get back to their task, but that apparently did not sway her decision.

“You’re back, The Glowing Sea. Virgil. What happened?” Amari said without so much as a hello.

“We found Virgil. He has a way inside the Institute, but I need a code from a Courser Chip.”

“A Courser Chip? You fought a Courser? Oh my god.” Amari hesitated, trying to think of how to break the news. “Unfortunately, I can’t help you. I’ve worked on a lot of Synths, but never a Courser. I don’t know what that chip does, let alone how to decode it. But there are people who might. I work with a group that, well, they’re the only ones I know that even have a chance at cracking Institute security. They’re called the Railroad. They help Synths escape the Institute. I don’t know who they all are. Usually, an agent of theirs just shows up with someone who needs new memories. One of them gave me a code phrase. Said it would help me find them if there was ever an emergency. ‘Follow the Freedom Trail’.”

“Not the first time I’ve heard that phrase. Guess we know where to go from here.”

She didn’t ask for John’s opinion on the matter. It’s not that she didn’t care, it’s that she didn’t want it. He seemed in great protest to her doing anything that had to do with infiltrating the Institute. What he didn’t understand was that this was something she felt she HAD to do. Not for Shaun, not for Virgil, but for herself. She needed to know who the man or woman was behind Kellogg - who sent him to destroy her family. And she had to know why, that was the main thing. Why would someone do that to her… or anyone else? What was the point behind it all? The curiosity was the thing driving her towards the Institute. Luckily for her, though, Goodneighbor itself was along the trail. She wasn’t real sure which way to go, but she thought she saw part of it around the Boston Commons area and decided she would head away from the Commons in hopes it was the right direction - and it was.

The Freedom Trail came to an end at, what Hancock said to be, the Old North Church. Noticing a lantern symbol painted on the outside of the church, they proceeded inside. “Had to be Ferals.” Hancock said as they dispatched a handful of them. To the right of where they came in, he pointed out that another lantern had been painted on a piece of fallen second-story floor, above a doorway and they followed it. Down they went through winding tunnels, trying their best not to get turned around while they were following more lanterns and having to kill more Ferals. Finally, though, they did manage to reach the end where a lantern was painted on the floor. Quinn spied some kind of wire coming out of the wall, leading to the Freedom Trail Ring on the wall. She observed this ring, then carefully placing her hands on it, she spun the words around that read ‘The Freedom Trail • Boston’. “Hmm. It spins… now, what could the password be…”

“123456? Seems to be the usual.”

“There’s no numbers here, John. Only letters. How ‘bout… we try something just as simple…” Quinn spun the ring, and with each letter she stopped at, she pushed in on the center, eventually spelling out ‘Railroad’. On the last letter, she pushed on the center and their was a noise made behind the wall. The door opened. “There we go.”

“Come on. You gotta be shittin’ me…” Hancock said in disbelief. “No one knows about these guys, yet they have a password like that… unbelievable.”

Q looked back at him and shrugged as they proceeded into a darkened hallway. As soon as they reached the end, lights came on, revealing 3 people standing there, one armed with a minigun. “Stop right there.” The woman in the middle said. “You went through a lot of effort to arrange this meeting. But before we go any further, answer my questions. Who the hell are you?”

“Don’t care for your attitude, but alright, I’ll play along. I followed the Freedom Trail looking for the Railroad. I’m not your enemy.”

“If that’s true, you have nothing to fear.” The woman said. “Who told you how to contact us?”

“I just heard a rumor about you guys in Goodneighbor.”

“Very interesting. Last question. Why are you here?”

Q skipped the details and got straight to the point. “I need a Courser Chip decoded.” As the woman began talking, Quinn noticed a man walk into the room from behind the three people.

“You have what? This is not a joking matter.” She said.

“I didn’t know we’re having a party. What gives with my invitation?” Said the man in the sunglasses. “Oh, I see you invited the Courser-killer. Nice.”

“Deacon, you’re late. You’re saying these intruders actually killed a Courser? Just the two-of them? Huh. They’d give even Glory a run for her money.”

“News flash, boss, this lady is kind of a big deal. If you’re done interrogating her, you might want to show this Courser-murdering machine a little courtesy. Just a thought.”

“I owe you an apology. Anyone who kills a Courser is good in my book. I’m Desdemona and I’m the leader of the Railroad.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Quinn, this is my husband Hancock.”

“Charmed, I’m sure.” Hancock said to Desdemona. “Oh, hey Deacon.”

“Hancock.” Deacon curtsied as though he had on a dress… which, wouldn’t have surprised Hancock in the least if he did.

Q looked interrupted their reunion, “Hopefully we can work something out, Desdemona.”

“What you’re asking for puts us in a tricky position.”

“Dez, we need to let her in. She’s got an intact Courser Chip, for god’s sake.” Deacon said, trying to persuade her to halt the 99 questions.

“That violates our security protocols.”

“To hell with that.” Deacon was getting impatient. “She killed a Courser. There’s no way she’s working for the Institute.”

Desdemona turned her attention back to Quinn and Hancock, “We’re letting you into our headquarters. You’re the first outsider ever to be given this privilege. We’ll discuss the details about your chip inside.”

Deacon patted Quinn on the back as she walked past him, then shook hands with Hancock. “How do you know Deacon?” Q leaned back, asking her husband.

“He hangs out around Goodneighbor in a Drifter disguise. You’ve probably seen him a shit-load of times and just didn’t know it.”

Following Dez inside, Quinn knew that if this woman kept up with the attitude, she would end up saying something. She wanted to bite her tongue, but there was only so much shit she could endure from someone. And this woman was severely pushing her limits. Q thought Desdemona should’ve counted herself lucky that she didn’t get a bullet to the face as soon as she opened her mouth. Q’s attitude towards others was changing the closer she got to the Institute and she realized it, but didn’t care. She didn’t have sympathy towards bad people or assholes. Unless it was John being an asshole, that was the only exception.

“Hey, Dez. You need something?” A strange little man asked her.
“Tom. Our visitor here has a Courser Chip.” Dez told him.

“Whoa? For real? Oh man, it’s been ages.” He said. Hancock swore this man was going to start jumping for joy at any moment.

Desdemona turned to face Quinn, “Right. Some ground rules. Tom can get you the code, but once he’s done we get the Courser Chip.”

“You know what you can go fu---”

“QUINN!” Hancock said in a disapproving tone. “Don’t.”

Q clenched her fists trying to swallow her anger. Then she ground her teeth together loud enough for even Hancock to hear it, “Fine. It’s yours.” She slammed the Courser Chip down onto a nearby desk, almost hoping she’d destroyed it after the attitude she had gotten from this woman she didn’t even know.

Desdemona smiled, almost smugly, “All right, Tom. Make it happen.”

“All right, little Courser Chip. Let’s have the circuit analyzer take a crack at you.” Tom said as he picked up the chip and stuck it into a contraption. He began to babble on, Quinn and Hancock weren’t exactly sure if he was talking to them… or the chip. “We’re in. Chip accessed. Just poke the analog connectors a little.” He typed on his machine and suddenly looked concerned. “What? Oh, man. Don’t crash. Hold it together. Memory hiccup. Here it comes. Encryption algorithms. All right. We’re still running. Oh, man. They’ve added more decimals to the last cipher. This is gonna be… c’mon baby, show me that pattern. Where is it? Wait… they’re using the same logarithmic function as the key generator. Oh man, we got lucky. I got you, you Institute bastard. I got you. Solve for N. Come on, show me that sweet base number. And we got it! We got the code!” He said as he spun around laughing. “Let me load that onto a holotape for ya!”

“Good work, Tom.” Desdemona told him.

“Not sure our luck will hold up next time, Dez.”

“Start working on the rest of the chip.” She said to Tom and then turned to Q, “And you. I’d love to work with you more. Let me know if you’re interested.” Fat fucking chance, you rude bitch. No way was Q about to work alongside the woman she was having a hard time not shooting. And Desdemona kept spouting out her rules, “But to be crystal clear, if you use that data and discover anything involving the Institute - you share it with us first. Otherwise our relationship will be in jeopardy.” Quinn gave absolutely no fucks she didn’t want to continue listening to this woman who, she assumed, only talked for the sake of hearing herself talk. Dez still continued as if Q were interested, “If we’re going to be dealing more with each other, I need to make sure we’re on the same page. You know what a Synth is, right?”

Quinn wasn’t going to respond until she felt Hancock gouge her ribcage with his thumb. “Yeah, I know all about them.”

“The Institute treats Synths as property. As tools.”

“That sounds like slavery.”

“That’s precisely what it is. So we seek to free the Synths from their bondage. Give them a chance at a real life. I have a question. The only question that matters. Would you risk your life for your fellow man? Even if that man is a Synth?”

Quinn looked at Dez, almost as if offended she would be asked such a question. “I risk my life for people every day. It makes no difference to me if it’s a human or a Synth.”

“Well said. Someone with your skills, your beliefs, normally we’d try and recruit you. But right now we don’t have time to train up a new agent. There are, however, other valuable ways you can contribute. And in turn we can help you. See Deacon for details. You’re free to go.”

“Bitch.” Q mumbled quietly to herself as she walked away from Desdemona and over to Deacon, who was standing close by.

“Hope you didn’t mind the reception.” He said. “When you tango with the Institute you got to be careful when someone new gets on the dance floor.”

Hancock nudged Q in the back, as if to remind her to be nice to Deacon. “Your leader was just being cautious.” She replied to him, although that’s not what she really wanted to say.

Hancock nodded with approval, “Whatever keeps you alive.”

“Exactly.” Deacon smiled. “Kind of killed our chance at a friendly impression, though. But it’s all good now. I vouched for you. Nobody got shot. Still, I would consider it a close personal favor if you didn’t sell us out to the Institute. Thanks.”

“I promise, your secret is safe with me.” Quinn smiled. “But tell me. Why did you vouch for me?”

“In our little outfit, it’s my job to know things. And with everything you’ve done it’s clear you’re capable. A dangerous enemy. And, I’m betting, a valuable ally.”

“But why the trust? You can’t be taking it all on faith.”

“I don’t know if we can trust you. But I hope we can. We just survived a hell of a crisis. So we may be just a teeny, weeny bit desperate for new members. If everything was sunshine and bottle caps, we’d probably place a longer ‘getting to know you’ game. But we don’t have that luxury.”

Quinn didn’t look convinced, placing her hands on her hips and giving Deacon that famous smile of hers. “Really? Is that all?” Hancock admitted to himself that when she used her amazing charisma on others, it did make him a bit jealous from time to time. This, was one of those times.

Deacon gave a smile back to her, “You just don’t give up? All right, I have a short list of people I think would be a good fit for our family. You piqued my interest, so maybe I asked around. Did my homework. If you hadn’t found us, there’s a chance I would’ve found you, instead. Thanks for saving me the trip.” He paused for a moment and looked at her, then glanced at Hancock and back to Q. “So, Dez wants me to make you a ‘tourist’. That’s what we call someone who helps out with the odd job here and there. What a waste. I’m just going to come out and say this: the Railroad needs you.”

Q scoffed. “You sure you need me? Desdemona didn’t seem to care.”

“She’s just thinking of the time and manpower it would take to train you. And if you were some hick from the burbs that didn’t know your ass from a rocket launcher, she’d be right. But I’m betting someone like you just needs a few pointers and a target.”

She definitely liked the sound of the ‘target’ part. “You’ve got my attention.”

“I got a job.” Deacon said, looking over the top of his sunglasses at her. “Too big for me. Just perfect for the two of us. You help me out, we turn a few heads, and then Dez invites you into the fold. Then if you get into a bind and need help, your buddies in the Railroad got your back.”

“Time out.” Hancock interrupted. “The TWO of you? What about me?”

“Oh... sorry, Mayor. Forgot you were there. Yeah, you can come too if you want.” Deacon replied.

“What’s the job?” Quinn asked, trying to diffuse an argument before it even started.

“So up front, the only thing I’ll say is it’s going to be a wild and dangerous ride. But probably nothing new for someone like you.”

“Shit, sign me up, then. I have some things I need to take care of first. Mind if I come find you when I’m ready to head out?”

“Sure thing. I’ll be waiting.” Deacon said, giving her another smile.

“Thanks, Deacon.” She placed a hand on his arm for a moment, giving him an award-winning smile just before the Railroad members went back into their hideout.

Hancock never had a problem with Deacon previously, but he didn’t like the way he felt like Deacon was looking at his wife. Then again, it was hard to tell what Deacon was looking at behind those sunglasses. Going through the winding halls underneath the church, Hancock just kept thinking about the exchange between those two. He grabbed Quinn by the arm and quickly spun her around to face him. “What was that shit between you and Deacon?”

“What shit, John?”

“The blatant flirting.”

“What?! There wasn’t any flirting…”

“Then why were you all smiles?”

“I don’t… what’s come over you?”

“Ya know, I’ve been meaning to ask you the same damn thing.”

“John… I--”

But, before Q could even finish, he interrupted. “I think I need to remind you who daddy is.” Without letting Quinn object, he immediately grabbed the back of her hair and pulled sharply to aim her face upwards towards him as he crashed his mouth into hers. Once his mouth was on her, he pressed her against one of the walls and started grabbing and tearing at her pants, pulling them off. His hand snaked down to her slit, noticing that it wasn’t wet enough to fuck her yet. He broke the kiss with her and tugged on her hair, forcing her to her knees. He didn’t say anything as he pulled his cock out of his pants and shoved it into her mouth. Holding onto her hair, he fucked her throat until he could hear her muffled gagging. He knew the Railroad members were probably watching, he didn’t care, in fact it turned him on even more. Let ‘em stare. After Q gagged a few times, he removed his dick from her mouth, wrapped his arms around her legs and lifted, pressing her into the wall once again. Whether she was wet enough or not, her saliva would ensure penetration. He didn’t wait, he pushed the length of himself completely into her. She cried out as he entered. Hancock wasn’t sure if it was pain or pleasure, and at this point, he didn’t care. She’d adjust. He pumped his huge cock in and out of her, growling as he went. Between the potential audience they had and the scent of their sex in the air, he felt… animalistic. He just kept pounding her harder and harder, his thighs bore the weight of her and, at times, felt as if they’d give, but he pounded through the pain. He plunged his cock into her as hard as he could in that position. Her moans began to increase in volume and soon turned into screams that echoed through the tunnels. He felt her right hand brush his midsection, which got his attention. He looked down to watch her feverishly making circular motions with her fingers around her clit. Hancock lost control and sank his teeth hard into the meat of her left shoulder breaking the skin, feeling as though he was bordering on going feral. She didn’t bleed, but he knew he definitely was going to leave on hell of a bruise. He didn’t care, he just kept biting violently on several different spots as she continued rubbing herself. He felt her tighten around his entire cock, as if trying to engulf him, he knew she was close. “I can feel you’re about to cum.” He said, lustfully. “Cum for me, Quinn.” He pulled her hair hard and continued to pummel her soaked pussy relentlessly, as if his goal were to leave it swollen and bruised. His wanted to make sure she couldn’t walk correctly for a few days. Just then, he felt her body tense up and start to tremble. “Tell ‘em who daddy is.” Hancock could feel her juices running down his shaft as she convulsed intensely around his cock, screaming out his name. He continued to pound into her until he releasing his hot liquid into her awaiting womb. He let out his own guttural, feral groan as he climaxed, completely filling her. Out of breath, he removed his cock from her now-bruised pussy, allowing her to put her feet on the ground, and instantly, the juices began to flow out and down her leg. Hancock only grinned as he pulled his pants back up.

Quinn looked at him as she tried to clean the mess up, “Daddy?”

“Felt right. Don’t question Daddy.” He said with a smug tone as he watched her walk with a kind of awkward limp.

-----

Quinn didn’t want to work with Desdemona. She despised her. Instead, she took the Courser Chip information back to Virgil, maybe he could tell her something about it.

“Wasn’t sure I’d see you again.” Virgil said as they walked in. “You managed to get what you need?”

“I have the code, yes.”

“Suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. You did get rid of Kellogg, after all. Not too much of a leap to take down a Courser. How’d you manage to get it decoded?”

“I’ve… made some friends in the Commonwealth.”

“Better you than me. Face like this, I’m not going to make too many friends.” He paused for a brief moment. “You’re not the only one who’s been busy. I did the best I could, from memory and things I’ve overheard threw the years. Came up with some schematics for you. Wasn’t easy; these hands are ridiculous. Fine motor skills have gone to shit.” Virgil handed her the piece of paper that looked as if a child had drawn all over it. “Here’s the simple explanation: you need to build a device that will hijack the signal the Institute uses to teleport Coursers, and send you instead. You know the craziest part of the design? That classical music station… that’s the carrier signal for the relay. All the data’s on harmonic frequencies… you’ve been hearing it all along. I want to be clear that this isn’t my area of expertise. I was BioScience, not Engineering or Advanced Systems or anything.”

Quinn tried to sound as confident in Virgil’s plans as she possibly could, even if she wasn’t. “I’m sure it’ll work.”

“For the record… I haven’t made any promises. But if you can build this device, and make use of that code, you should be able to override the signal from the Institute’s relay. Can you? I mean, can you build it? You have people that can help? This is a lot for one person, even you.”

“I’ve got it covered.” Q tried to reassure him.

“Good, good. Because you’ve gotta make it in there. And don’t forget about what I told you. I’ve helped you as best I can. If you make it in there, you find that serum. It’s my only hope for ever being… normal. My only hope for ever finding a partner…”

“Oh, I dunno, big guy.” Hancock said. “You might could find someone that’s into Mutants. Or a girl Mutant.” Hancock smiled, but Virgil didn’t seem amused whatsoever.

“Just find it. Now go on, get to work. You do whatever it takes; call on whoever you know to help you.”

Quinn knew she’d have to ask help from someone, but she’d be damned if she’d ask that Railroad bitch. As much as she felt she could get along with Deacon, and even Glory, it was Dez she couldn’t stand. Just before leaving Virgil’s rocky cave, she turned to Hancock. “We’ve been meaning to get to Sanctuary for a while… I think now is the time.”

“The Minutemen?”

“The Minutemen.”

Chapter Text

On the way to Sanctuary Hill, Quinn and Hancock stopped in at the Red Rocket for modifications and to check in on Dogmeat. Q was regularly worried that something would happen to him while they were away, not being able to check in on him occasionally didn’t help any. Dogmeat was always glad to see the both of them since he’d gotten used to Hancock being around Q anytime she showed up. He always had some kind of treat for the adorable pooch. After he tossed Dogmeat his surprise, Hancock poked his head around the corner to see Q had just finished up modding on of her weapons. “Hey, babe… can I talk to you for a sec? Won’t take long.”

“Sure, John, everything okay?” She said, putting the pistol back into the waistband of her pants.

“Oh yeah, nothin’ like that really. I just had something I wanted to talk to you about… a question, really.”

“Okay, shoot.” Quinn put her hand on her hip, waiting for him to ask.

“Well, I know this might be a dumb question… since we’re married and everything. I just wanna… I dunno. I don’t wanna assume shit, ya know?”

“Spit it out, Hancock.” She said, laughing at him dancing around the subject.

He lifted his tricorn and rubbed the back side of his head. “Well, whaddaya say we take all of your stuff here, including Dogmeat, and move it all to the State House. Before you say yes or no… I know how worried you get about Dogmeat being here all the time by himself. The Neighborhood Watch would take good care of him, he could go in and out of the State House as he pleased, he’d be protected by the walls around Goodneighbor, and he’d have plenty of people to interact with. I’m not saying let’s not use this place at all… just not… as a home. We could use it just… as a bed. Or a place to mod your things. I really want you and Dogmeat to come live with me on a permanent basis. I’ll even toss the Drifters that sleep upstairs out if you’re worried they might hurt him or interfere in our lives. I’ll pay for them to have rooms at the Rexford, if needed.”

“John… are you sure you want that? I mean, you’d really be around me constantly then.”

“I love you... I didn’t marry you to be around your sexy ass part-time. I want to be around you every moment of every day. You are Queen of the Zombies. Quinn… please say you’ll move into the State House. What husband and wife doesn’t live together?”

“Okay, John. Okay. As soon as we’re done with Garvey and his group, we’ll pack up all this stuff and Dogmeat and take it to Goodneighbor.”

Hancock grabbed her and hugged her with excitement, then he picked up Dogmeat, “You hear that boy?! You get to move in with me!” He was practically dancing around with joy. Q couldn’t help but smile and giggle at him. She had no idea moving to the State House had ever crossed his mind, because it never crossed hers. She never stopped to have enough time to think about it. She did grab a few things that she felt she would be able to do without, just in case there was a merchant in Sanctuary. Once Hancock had stopped dancing around with the dog, they set off to find Preston. Sanctuary Hills was just down the road, Q could probably spit far enough to hit Garvey from the Red Rocket. Hancock said that, although extremely unladylike, he would pay money to see that.

“Hey, Garvey.” Quinn said, approaching Preston with a smile and a handshake.

“Hey, there! Glad you decided to join us. To what do I owe this pleasure?”

‘Well, I want to help the Minutemen, but first, I need to see if you can help me with the schematics.”

“Oh yeah? What are they for?” Preston asked, attempting to make heads or tails of the piece of paper.

“These are the plans for building a Signal Interceptor to get inside the Institute…”

Preston had a look of shock on his face. “The Institute? Why in the world would you want to mess around with them?”

Quinn took a deep breath, “They kidnapped my baby.”

“Damn…” Preston shook his head. “That’s some bad business, even for them. I’d like to help, but I’m swamped right now between the people here and other settlements needing our help. I’ve got to deal with the immediate problems first. Unless… you’d like to help me with something first.”

“All right, what is it, Preston?”

“I need you to go to Tenpines Bluff and find out what they need from the Minutemen and then take care of it. You do that, and I’ll help you out.”

Quinn and Hancock both sighed simultaneously in frustration. “Okay, Garvey. I’ll be back soon, then.”

“Here, let me mark it on your map.”

Tenpines wasn’t far from Sanctuary, but Q felt she really didn’t have time to be doing this shit. She needed to get into the Institute pronto. She wanted answers… plus a safe place for Virgil to set up shop and begin replicating the damn serum. Ugh. Everyone wants something. Hancock wasn’t terribly thrilled with it either, however, it was keeping her out of the hands of the Institute. He had yet to decide which one he disliked more. He didn’t mind helping the good folks of the Commonwealth, but he would’ve at least expected the Minutemen to be a bit more helpful. Turned out, Tenpines had a massive Raider infestation at a nearby Corvega Assembly Plant. Raiders didn’t stand a chance against Hancock and Quinn who ran like a well-oiled machine. Even at 10 to 1 odds, they was plenty enough for those two to survive without problems. Sure they walked away with a few cuts and bruises, but nothing time wouldn’t heal. After they completely cleared out Corvega, Hancock noticed Q was still walking funny on their way back to Tenpines. Damn, did I fuck her THAT hard? He took pride in his work, all he could do was grin. Their arrival came as a surprise to Preston because he didn’t expect for them to get done with the settlers at Tenpines so quickly. “Wow. Done already?” He said as he walked up to Q and Hancock.

“Yep.”

“I haven’t forgotten that you asked for my help. But first… have you heard about the Quincy Massacre?”

“Yeah, Hancock told me about that. Are you really the last Minuteman?”

“Maybe not literally. There must be a lot of former Minutemen out there who gave it up in disgust after the Quincy Massacre.”

“As long as you don’t give up, the Minutemen will survive.” Q gave Preston a small smile.

“I’m not about to give up.” He reassured her. “But I can’t protect the Commonwealth all by myself. Hell, I could barely protect these people.

Q appeared sad for a moment, “I know what it’s like to be the last survivor…”

“Really?” Preston seemed surprised. “What happened with you?”

“I, um, I’m over 200 hundred years old. I lived here, in Sanctuary Hills, before the bombs fell. My husband and I took our infant son to Vault 111 so we would be safe from the radiation. They… they tricked us into believing we were stepping into these pods for decontamination and depressurization purposes. What it really was… was some kind of… cryogenic chamber. I woke up only days before I found you guys in Concord… I was… frozen for most of those 200 years. When the Institute sent them man in to take my baby… he… killed my husband, Nate, when he tried to prevent them from taking Shaun. Everyone, everything... I knew from that life is long gone.” Hancock gently rubbed Q’s shoulders to comfort her as she told Preston her story. Hancock always hated hearing it because he knew that, although she loved him, it still bothered her that someone took her family away from her. He couldn’t blame her, he just wished there was something he could do. Hancock knew vengeance wouldn’t ease the pain, but he didn’t want to tell her that. It was something Q would have to learn on her own.

“Damn. Alive before the Great War... just like one of those old pre-war ghouls.” Preston sounded sympathetic. “I guess you do know what it’s like. I’m… so sorry to hear all of that. To get us back on subject here, I want to point out that you saved us in Concord when there wasn’t anything in it for you. You had your own problems to deal with. But you did it anyway. Which brings me to why I’m talking to you… I can’t rebuild the Minutemen. But I think you can.”

Quinn looked puzzled and extremely caught off-guard. “Why can’t you lead the Minutemen?”

“That’s not who I am.” Preston said, shrugging his shoulders. “I can get my men through a firefight. I can defend a perimeter against all odds. But that’s not going to be enough to bring the Minutemen back from the brink. We need someone who can bring the whole Commonwealth together in a common cause. And I think you’ve got it in you to be that leader.”

Hancock suddenly spoke up, almost startling Preston and Quinn, “I was thinking of nominating myself, but you’d be second choice in a heartbeat, babe.”

Q looked at Hancock and then back at Preston. “Why the hell not, I’ll do it.”

Hancock smiled at her. “Well, now, looks like the Minutemen got a fightin’ chance, don’t they?”

Garvey was ecstatic to hear her agree. “Good. Good! Welcome aboard. I feel like this is a whole new start for the Minutemen, and the Commonwealth, too. Don’t worry, I’ll be right beside you all the way… General.”

She laughed at the title placed upon her shoulders, “That’s quite a promotion you just gave me.”

“The leader of the Minutemen has always held the rank of General. Our last leader was General Becker. After he died back in ‘82, nobody could agree on who should take his place. The one good thing about being the last Minutemen is there’s no one to argue with me when I say you’re the new General. Now it’s your job to make it more than an empty title. Just for formalities sake, and introducing you to others, would you prefer I call you General Quinn or General… um, I’m afraid I never caught your last name.”

“Hancock.” She said. “General Hancock will work just fine.”

“Hancock… as in, you’re married to him?”

“That’s right, Garvey.” Hancock said as he stepped out and stood next to her, flashing Preston their wedding bands. “She married the King of the Ghouls, himself - me. Got a problem with that? No? Good to hear. And thank you for the congratulations on the marriage.”

“Cut it out, John.” Quinn said, rolling her eyes. “So, Preston, I did as you asked me to. Now, can you help me out with these schematics?”

“I gave you my word so we’ll give you whatever help we can, don’t worry about that. Now, assuming you could build this thing… what exactly does it do?”

“The Institute uses teleportation to get in and out. This machine can hijack their signal and send me instead.”

“Teleportation? For real? Wow. That would explain a lot about how the Institute manages to operate… If anyone can make heads or tails of those plans, it would definitely have to be Sturges. I haven’t found anything yet that he couldn’t build or fix.”

“Thanks, Preston. I’ll go find him right away.”

“Anytime, General Hancock, ma’am.” Garvey said with a smile and tip of his hat.

Quinn gave him a massive grin as Hancock just rolled his eyes. It wasn’t difficult to locate Sturges at all because he was banging away on one of the houses with his hammer. “Hey, Sturges… I need you.”

“Good to be needed by a beautiful woman.” Sturges said with a heart-warming smile.

“Watch it, pal.” Hancock looked at him angrily.

Quinn cleared her throat as she aimed her attention back to Sturges. “Did you know the Institute has a teleported? They call it the Molecular Relay. Preston thought you might be able to figure out these plans for me.”

“Sure thing. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

“Do you think you can build this?” She asked him, handing him the piece of paper.

Sturges looked bewildered and overwhelmed as he attempted his best at deciphering the scribbles. “Wow, what a mess... hmm, looks like… encrypted RF transmissions, okay, so that gets routed through… what the hell?” He looked at Q as if he wasn’t sure what he’d read was correct. “Teleportation? This is some pretty crazy shit. You sure it’s for real?”

“It’s real, alright. I got it from an ex-Institute scientist.”

“Seriously? I didn’t know you could even be an ex-Institute anything and still be breathing. Anyway… the eggheads never think about the nuts ‘n bolts of actually making something work, but… looks like it’s all here. Yeah. I’m going to need some time to study this thing. The handwriting is… pretty hard to make out.”

“Yeah. His motor skill are… lacking.”

Sturges nodded in agreement. “Well, what you can do is get started on building what he calls a ‘Stabilized Reflector Platform’... It’ll need some pretty high-grade metals, but it’s basically not that different than the lining of a jet engine or something like that.”

“Good work, Sturges.” She said, patting him on the back.

He laughed, “Don’t thank me just yet. I think I got the gist of it, but it’s going to take some time to work out the details of some of the hairier sections. Here’s a list of what you’ll need for the first piece. I’m pretty sure we’ve got all of that here in Sanctuary, if you want to build it here, that is. While you’re working on that, I’ll get busy figuring out how to actually build the rest of this thing. Keep in mind - I can already see this thing is going to take a crazy amount of juice. Like… if you had a spare nuclear reactor handy, we could probably use it. And it’s going to be big. Real big. So make sure you find a nice open spot to build it on.”

“Actually I’m pretty certain I have all of this in my pack already… it’s pretty basic salvage, it seems. I’ll get to work right away.” She said. In no time at all, Quinn had built the Platform in the middle of Sanctuary, directly in front of her old house. She dusted her hands off looking at it. “That wasn’t nearly as difficult as I had imagined it would be.” Hancock was surprised that she didn’t need to ask anyone, including him, for help while building it. She went back to find Sturges, who was busy trying to decode the rest of the plans.

He looked up and smiled when he saw her, “Hey, how’s it going? I see you found a pretty good spot for the Interceptor.”

“Yep. Ready to build the rest of it, now.”

“Good. I think I’ve got a handle on this crazy contraption. I think. At least as much as I can tell… until we actually try to build it. Here’s a list of three things that might be harder for you to find. I think I’ll be able to pull together everything else we’re going to need. I’ll meet you over at the Interceptor, and we’ll see if we can actually make this thing work.”

Quinn looked at the list as Struges headed towards the middle of town. She let out an amused chuckle and lightly slapped Hancock on the arm, “Harder to find, my ass! I’ve got at least one of each of these items at the Red Rocket. C’mon, let’s go get them so I can get to work on the rest of this massive contraption.”

Hancock was becoming increasingly worried, asking himself a lot of what-ifs. Too many. His biggest concern was her either dying or liking whatever the Institute had in there enough to stay… and either he’d never see her again, or she’d become one of them. He wasn’t terribly worried about the latter… mostly just whether or not she’d make it alive. Hancock had no idea what her chance of survival was when she’d get teleported, but Virgil didn’t sound like it was a high chance. He was pretty sure the Institute wasn’t exactly going to welcome her with open arms, either. If it were the two of them, they’d have a better chance… but Quinn by herself, taking on the entire Institute if she had to… those weren’t promising odds. “Q, can we talk a minute before heading back?” He asked, tugging on her pack as she slung it back over her shoulder with the items loaded up in it.

“Of course, John, what’s on your mind?”

“I’m not… okay… with you going. Not even a little bit. I don’t like the idea of you going somewhere that I can’t follow. What if… what if you don’t come back to me, Quinn?” He grabbed her, hugging her tightly. “I’ve almost lost you before… I can’t… I can’t lose you.”

She hugged him back, “You’re not going to lose me. I promise you, John, I’m coming back to you. There is no way that the Institute or anyone inside it is going to keep me away from you.”

“You can’t guarantee that.” He said, trying to choke back the tears. “You can’t.”

“I can 100% guarantee that. You’ve given me something to live for… do you think I’m just going to give up and claim defeat?”

“Quinny… once you get in there, we don’t even know if you can get back out.”

“I will find a way back to you.” She said, looking into his eyes. “You’ve got to trust in that… trust in me. I’m coming back.”

“Okay, well… you gotta come back to me. I mean, we’re one hell of a power couple now with me being Mayor and you being General of the Minutemen and all. Think of the pull we can have.” He winked at her trying to cheer himself up. She nodded at him with a smile and they headed back to Sanctuary. Although she told him, repeatedly, that she would return to him no matter what… he couldn’t believe her completely, no matter how much he wanted to.

Yet again, Q had the pieces to the Signal Interceptor built in no time - a mere couple of hours. Sturges told Hancock it should’ve taken her several hours instead… how she did it in such a short period of time was beyond his comprehension. Hancock informed Sturges that it was because she was something special. Sturges couldn’t disagree.

Once Q let Sturges know everything was ready, Sturges nodded back. “Everything looks good on my end, too. You ready to see if this thing actually works?”

She was a bit hesitant, “Shouldn’t we… test it first?”

“I wish we could, but we’ve only got one frequency code. There’s no way to test it without actually jacking into the Institute’s signal. And as soon as we do that, we’ve used our one and only chance. As soon as the Institute figures out what we did - and I gotta believe those brainiacs won’t be caught napping twice - that code we’ve got is useless.”

Quinn took a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh, “Okay… let’s do this.”

“You sure?” Sturges wanted to double check that she was completely ready before continuing. She nodded her head. “Okay. Your part is simple. Just step onto the platform. I’ll start scanning for an Institute signal to lock on to, then… I fire her up and we see what happens.”

Hancock felt as if he were about to vomit, he was so nervous. “Quinny... “

“I have to do this. For us. It’s the only way to ensure Virgil’s safety. And… I’ll finally get my answers to what happened in the Vault.”

“I know, baby, I know. I just… I want to go with you.” He said, tearing up again. The machine fired up with a massive noise, causing Hancock’s heart to leap up in his throat.

“He’s got the frequency, I have to go! If you’re not here when I come back, and I WILL come back, I’ll look for you at the Old State House, okay?” She was having to yell over the whirring and popping of the machine.

“I’m not leaving this spot. You promise me you’re coming back. Promise me, Quinn…” He cupped both sides of her face.

“I promise, John. As soon as I get out of the Institute, this will be the first place I come to. Like I said, if for whatever reason you aren’t here, I will look for you at the State House - at home. If you’re not there, I will come back here and wait for you.”

“I’ll be here, I promise.” He kissed her deeply before she broke away from him and got on the platform.

“Okay, hold really still.” Sturges instructed her as he tweaked and tuned the frequency. “Don’t want any corruption of the molecular beam… By the way, I figured this was a golden opportunity to find out as much as we can about the Institute and what they’re up to. This holotape’s all set with a program that will scan their network and download anything it finds. Just plug it into any terminal you find.” As he handed her the holotape the machine started to break apart. “Uh oh… uh… we better hurry! Don’t worry about that tubing wiggling around! It’s… just there for decoration!” She looked back to see the tubing flopping and flailing around behind her, John’s eyes were huge and worried. “Okay, scanning for the Institute signal…” Sturges continued. “Tracking RF and… got it! Hold on to your butt!”

“I love you, Mrs. Hancock.” He yelled to her.

“I love you too, Mr. Hancock!” And just like that, in a bright flash of blue lightning, the love of his life was gone. As soon as she disappeared, the Signal Interceptor caught fire and burned to a crisp.

“Sturges! Goddammit!” Hancock yelled at him. “How is she gonna get back, man!”

“I don’t know. But if anyone can figure it out... it’s Q.”

Hancock flipped out and grabbed Sturges by his shirt, “We don’t even know whether or not she fuckin’ made it! You fix this roasted piece of shit and ensure she gets back here to me!” Preston heard the commotion and ran over, prying Hancock’s hands away from Sturges’ shirt. “Mayor Hancock…” Preston said, “There’s nothing more we can do except wait. I’m sorry.” Right there, in the middle of the road next to the Signal Interceptor, Hancock broke down. He fell to his knees, with his head in his hands, he cried… because that’s all he could do. Sturges came over and placed his hand on Hancock’s back, “I’m sorry, I wish there was more that I could do. Until she comes back, the only thing I can do is offer to fix you up a place to stay.” Hancock agreed and apologized to Sturges for losing it. Hancock’s apology was accepted without hesitation and Sturges continued trying to comfort him. “C’mon, man, you know her much better than I do… and I’ve seen her do some miraculous shit around here that not just anyone could achieve… especially on their own and in such a short amount of time. You know, better than anyone, that if anyone can come back from the Institute…”

“Yeah… it’s her.” Hancock said. “It’s just that… since the day I saw her in Goodneighbor… I haven’t really been away from her.”

Preston helped Hancock off of his knees, “If there’s anything I can do for you, Mayor…”

“Actually, Garvey, there is. Can you round up some people to clean out everything at the Red Rocket and get it all to my State House in Goodneighbor?”

“Yeah, I don’t see why not.”

“Have Dogmeat brought here to Sanctuary. I want him here when Q returns, or I’ll take him to Goodneighbor myself if it’s a problem that he’s here.”

“It won’t be a problem at all. I’ll even get Sturges to build a doghouse for him wherever you want.”

“Thanks, Garvey. I really appreciate this.”

“Anything for the General’s husband.” Preston said with a wink.

------

In a bright flash of blue lightning, Q was teleported away from her husband. When her eyes adjusted, she stepped out of the tiny room and looked around to see a place that was spotless. She found a computer terminal instantly, plugged in the network scanner and initiated the scan. Once complete, she ejected the holotape and stuck it back into her pocket. Trying to find a way out, there was really only one way to go - straight. She continued on into a hallway when suddenly a voice spoke from the intercom, causing her to jump severely. “Hello.” The voice said. She froze in place, hoping it wasn’t speaking to her. “I wondered if you might make it here. You’re quite resourceful.” Well, shit. He IS speaking to me. She decided she would just continue on down the hallway then. “I am known as Father; the Institute is under my guidance. I know why you’re here. I’d like to discuss things with you, face-to-face. Please, step into the elevator.” At first Q didn’t want to, but it appeared she didn’t have a choice because the only other doorway she saw was inaccessible. As the elevator opened up, she went ahead and stepped in, though hesitating first. Father continued to speak to her, “I can only imagine what you’ve heard, what you think of us. I’d like to show you that you may have… the wrong impression.” He paused for a moment. “Welcome to the Institute.” That elevator took her deep underground, revealing to her everything… the bright lights; everything was white and clean as things were before the war. People were walking around, associating with each other instead of attempting to rob or kill. Father started speaking to her again through the intercom in the elevator. “This is the reality of the Institute. This place, these people, the work we do. For over a hundred years, we’ve dedicated ourselves to humanity’s survival. Decades of research, countless experiments and trials… a shared vision of how science can help the future.”

As Father seemed to drone on and on about the Institute, a subject that Quinn didn’t care to hear about, she looked around noticing each labeled department. BioScience… FEV Lab. Don’t worry, big guy. I haven’t forgotten about you. She recalled what Virgil had told her about the antidote he’d left behind that would cure him of his… mutation. Quinn started paying attention to Father again, “I’d like to talk to you about what we can do… for everyone. But that can wait. You are here for a specific, very personal reason. You are here… for your son.” Instantly as the doors to the elevator opened, Q bolted out and sprinted down the hallway as fast as she could, entering another elevator - it was the only place she could go. It didn’t matter to her, that man knew she was after her son, which meant he was actually there and Kellogg wasn’t lying. She was going to find him, no matter what. Find him and take him back alive. Dying wasn’t an option, here. She’d made Hancock a promise, and she doesn’t make a promise that she doesn’t intend to keep.

When that elevator stopped, it opened up into a room that had Shaun, her 10 year old son, in a room behind a massive window. She couldn’t believe it. She could barely speak. “...Shaun?”

The dark-haired child stood up and looked at her, “Huh? Yes… I’m Shaun…”

“Shaun… is that really you?”

“Who… who are you?”

Quinn knew better than to expect that he’d know exactly who she was. “Shaun, it’s me. I’m… I’m your mom.”

The boy began to panic, “Father… what’s going on? What’s happening?”

“We’re leaving this place. Together. Okay Shaun?”

“What’s going on? Father? Father!” He began to panic even more. Quinn couldn’t blame him, though. He’d never seen her before in his life, that he would be able to recall. She figured she would spaz too.

“Shaun, open the door…” She tried to stay and sound as calm as she could.

“I don’t know you! Go away!” He began yelling out for help. “Father! Father, help me! There’s someone here! Help me!”

Q attempted to get him to be quiet. “Shaun, please… calm down. I’ll get you out of here.”

“Father? Father! Help me, she’s trying to take me! Father?”

Suddenly, the door next to his room opened up and an elderly man walked in, “Shaun… S9-23 Recall Code Cirrus.” And just like that, the boy shut down. The man looked at Quinn, “Fascinating… but disappointing. The child’s responses were not at all what I had anticipated. He’s a prototype, you understand. We’re only just now beginning to explore the effects of extreme emotional stimuli. Please try and keep an open mind. I recognize that you are emotional, and that your journey here has been fraught with challenges. So, let’s start anew. I am Father. Welcome to the Institute.”

Quinn could only see red as her fists tightened, she placed one of her hands on the handle of her pistol. “I could kill you. Right here, right now.”

The old man nodded. “Yes. Yes you could. And I would be powerless to stop you.”

She gritted her teeth. “I’ll make this very simple. Where is… my son?”

“He’s here, in the Institute. Closer than you think. But… I need you to realize that this… situation… is far more complicated than you could have imagined. You have traveled very far, and suffered a great deal, to find your son. Well, your tenacity and dedication have been rewarded. It’s good to finally meet you, after all this time.” He smiled at her. “It’s me. I am Shaun. I am… your son.”

Quinn didn’t know whether to laugh, cry, shoot him, herself, or just ask questions. So, she took the least crazy option that would be most likely to ensure her survival, “How… is that even possible?”

“I know this is a lot to take in. In the Vault, you had no concept of the passage of time. You were released from your pod, and went searching for the son you’d lost. But then you learned that your son was no longer an infant, but a 10 year old boy. You believed that 10 years had passed. Is it really so hard to accept that it was not ten, but sixty years? That is the reality. And here I am. Raised by the Institute, and now its leader.”

“Sixty years…” She shook her head. “But why? Why take a child? Why take you?” That was the question that had been on her mind all along - why him.

“Ah, now that’s the question, isn’t it?” He said as he raised a finger. “Why me? At that time, the year 2227, the Institute had made great strides in synth production. But it was never enough. Scientific curiosity, and the goal of perfection, drove them ever onward. What they wanted was… the perfect machine. So they followed the best example thus far - the human being. Walking, talking, fully articulate… capable of anything.”

Quinn nodded her head. “Oh… I get it.” She said in a disgusted tone. “So the weird science experiments needed specimens. That’s why they took you…”

“In a manner of speaking, yes. The Institute endeavored to create synthetic organics. The most logical starting point, of course, was human DNA. Plenty of that was available, of course, but it had all become corrupted. In this… wasteland… radiation affected everyone. Even their attempts to shield themselves from the world above, members of the Institute had been exposed. Another source was necessary. But then the Institute found me, after discovering records from Vault 111. An infant, frozen in time, protected from the radiation-induced mutation that had crept into every other human cell in the Commonwealth. I was exactly what they needed. And so it was my DNA that became the basis of the synthetic organics used to create human-like synth you see today. I am their Father. Through Science, we are family. The synths, me… and you.”

“Sixty years… so much time, wasted…”

“I know. I know you must have questions. Please, anything I can do to help you understand.”

“Your father… Nate… he never got to see you grow up.”

“Yes, what happened to him was… regrettable. I’ve gone over the records of the incident, of course. It seems what happened to him was an unfortunate bit of collateral damage.”

“Collateral damage?! Is that what you call it?!” She couldn’t believe what he’d just said.

He continued on, ignoring her outburst. “For many years I never questioned who my parents were; I accepted my situation and that was that. With old age comes regret, and asking ‘what if…’ more often. But what matters now is that you and I have a chance to being again. What else can I say to ease your mind?”

“Kellogg… he worked for you?”

“Kellogg… he was an Institute asset long before I arrived here. It wasn’t until I became Director that I learned of all the things he’d done… what kind of man he was.”

“He was a murderer. He killed your father.”

“Believe me, I am well aware of the atrocities Kellogg committed. I suspect there are many more we’ll never know of. The Institute took advantage of Kellogg’s vicious nature. I will freely admit that. Institute technology prolonged his life, and his usefulness, far beyond any normal human life span. He never failed the Institute, but his cruelty became more apparent with every completed objective. I won’t lie: it’s no coincidence your path crossed his. It seemed a fitting way to allow you… us… to have some amount of revenge. Is there anything else?”

“So… you’re in charge… of the Institute?”

“I am the acting Director, yes. I spent decades working to reach this point. It’s a responsibility I take very seriously. The Institute… it’s important. It really is humanity’s best hope for the future, no matter what those above ground might think of us.”

“They’re scared of you, Shaun. Scared of the Institute. They call you ‘the boogeyman of the Commonwealth’...”

“People are always frightened by what they don’t understand. Ultimately, the Commonwealth has nothing to fear from us. Whatever you’ve seen or heard, I know I can convince you of that. Just… give me time. I know there’s more for us to discuss, but… the Institute is on the verge of some important breakthroughs. Your presence would be… appreciated as we approach them. I’ve been a part of something amazing here. I’ve helped to build a life for myself and the people of the Institute… and now, after all these years, you have an opportunity to help with that. Doesn’t that intrigue you? Isn’t that what you want?”

“You want me to stay here, in the Institute?”

“Yes, that is what I propose. Is it so hard to imagine? The Institute can provide a better life than anything above ground. You’ve been in the Commonwealth. You’ve seen what it’s like. I assure you that you are better off with us.”

Quinn narrowed her eyes at him in sheer disappointment. “How can you say that? How can you be so dismissive of all those people, everything they’ve done?”

“Because it is the simple truth, and I believe you know it too. I simply ask that you give the Institute… me… and chance. A chance to show you what I’ve been telling you. We really do have humanity’s best interest at heart. Will you take that chance?”

Q desperately wanted to say no and to tell this… Shaun… to go fuck himself. But she knew she couldn’t, not if she wanted a better chance at making it out of the Institute alive. Besides, maybe if she befriended them and earned a little bit of trust, she could destroy that place. From the inside, out. “I just don’t know…” She finally told him.

“Just… give it time. Give the Institute a chance. The Institute is now your home as much as it is mine. Please, take some time and get to know it. Meet the people you’ll be working with. You’ll want to introduce yourself to the Division Heads… Dr. Fillmore in Facilities, Doctor Ayo in the SRB… ah, Doctor Holdren in BioScience… and finally Doctor Li in Advanced Systems. They’ve all been notified of your arrival, of course. Meet them, and then we’ll discuss what comes next.”

Quinn took her leave, feeling like she’d been there for centuries just listening to him blabber on and on and on. She was ecstatic when he finally shut up and let her go on about her way. Not only did she not want to be there, she also didn’t want to deal with introducing herself to these egotistical douchebag scientists. She knew they would immediately think themselves better than her because she came from the surface and they’re down here in their cozy little Institute. First things, first, though… she made a beeline for the BioScience department. After she introduced herself to Doctor Clayton Holdren and got him to shut the fuck up, she began to look for a way into the FEV Lab. That’s when she discovered the locked terminal. Lucky for her, she was able to hack into it and disable the laser grid that was blocking her way to the door. She looked around before entering the FEV lab. However, once inside, she couldn’t believe her eyes. Clutter, everywhere. Two Super Mutants suspended in some kind of tubes - possibly in liquid. She couldn’t tell, she didn’t know, she didn’t wanna know. She found one holotape by Brian Virgil, so she knew she was in the right area.She started to look around and across the room, to the right of the doorway, she saw the container of experimental serum and took it. She shoved it into the small pack she’d carried with her. Instead of going back out the way she came in, she went a different direction through many hallways, going up against some laser turrets and Assaltrons. Oddly, it put her back at the entrance just inside the BioScience Lab.

She hadn’t even been in the Institute a full day and she already hated it and it’s know-it-all scientists. Especially that bitch, Dr. Allie Fillmore… who did not even try to hide the fact that she thought she was better, more superior, for whatever fucked up reason. Q didn’t hang around and just went on introducing herself to the others. The last one she visited was Dr. Li, who was no less rude towards her than the rest of them. I feel like a Ghoul in Diamond City here… now I know what John feels like going there. No wonder he hates it so much. She just wanted the fuck out. Luckily, Dr. Li, gave her a way.

“Before I forget…” Li said, grabbing Quinn’s arm. “Let me see that pip-boy of yours. I’ve been told to install a Courser chip in it for you. Father’s orders. You’re to be given full access, with the ability to relay in and out of the Institute at will.”

“Thank you. I’m sure that will come in handy.” Q was trying to sound as appreciative as possible But, apparently it wasn’t enough for Li.

“Given that the Relay is the only way to access the Institute, ‘handy’ is something of an understatement. In case the significance is lost on you, you’ll be the only one here with that kind of access. If nothing else, it should demonstrate the amount of trust Father has placed in you. Now unless there’s something else, I really do need to get back to work.”

“I’m good for now, thanks.” Q said and exited Advanced Systems. She got lost quite often and found herself face-to-face with Doctor Dean Volkert. “Pleased to meet you.” She said to him after they formally introduced themselves.

“I would like to get you a thorough check-up, if you don’t mind.” He said. “Who knows what you might have been exposed to up there.” He didn’t really give her time to say ‘no’ as he pulled her over to his physician’s area. “Hmm…” He looked at her as he pressed around on different parts of her body. “I’d like to see you in private quarters… once Father issues them to you. This isn’t something I’d want to do with onlookers.”

“Should I be concerned, Dr. Volkert?”

“No, um, it’s just… radiation sickness, I’m sure. But, er, we do have different ways of dealing with it down here than what I’m sure you’re accustomed to on the surface. The worse the damage the more… personal… you have to get to remove it. You may have Father present if you wish to do so if you don’t trust me. Up to you.”

“Uh… okay…” Quinn walked off, confused as hell. Why was everything so different here? Surely, if it were so ‘advanced’ then it shouldn’t have to be personal just to cure some damn radiation. She found Shaun in his own quarters, he noticed her immediately and smiled at her as he spoke, “Now that you’ve had a chance to see the Institute first-hand, what do you think?”

Q tried to appear as bored as humanly possible. “If you expect me to be impressed by a lot of fancy sci-fi gizmos, you’d be wrong.”

“It’s not just about the ‘gizmos’, as you say. I hope you’ll see that in time. Ultimately, all of our knowledge and resources are focused on a single goal. That goal is best summarized by our motto: Mankind - Redefined. Unfortunately, no advancement comes without occasional setbacks. As remarkable as our synths are, they can be… dangerous without proper supervision. The superior synth mind and body attempting to wrestle with something approaching free will can be a recipe for chaos.”

Quinn rolled her eyes and continued trying to look unenthused. “So, it’s like every other wonder-gizmo ever invented. When will you eggheads learn?”

“Have faith. Let me show you how we deal with such problems. A rogue synth has taken over the raider gang at Libertalia. His memories have been erased and his identity altered. He believes he’s a man named Gabriel. Under his leadership, the raiders have taken many innocent lives. I’ve dispatched a Courser to Libertalia. I’d like you to join him and reclaim that synth.”

“Oh, sure, we’ll just fight our way through an army of homicidal maniacs and ask synth-boy to come on home.”

“I didn’t say it would be easy, but I’m confident that with a Courser at your side, you’ll have no trouble. Now, you should get moving. Many people are in danger, and a delay could cost lives.”

“Fine. Fine.” Quinn used the Courser Chip inserted into her pip-boy to pop on over to Libertalia. She really wanted to bolt back to Sanctuary and let Hancock know she survived the teleporter, but she knew it may look suspicious if she kept the Courser waiting. She knew her timing had to be just right to do, well, anything, outside of the Institute. She got close to Libertalia and saw a Courser standing there. “By power of deduction, seeing as how you’re the only weirdo standing here, you must be the Courser I’m supposed to meet…” She said to him.

“Yes, ma’am. Designation X6-88. I’ve already neutralized the perimeter guard. Just give the word, and we can start the assault on the main flotilla.”

“Okay, listen, firstly you’re gonna need to start talking, at least somewhat, like a person if we’re gonna be seen hanging out together. Secondly, what do we know about this synth, Gabriel?”

“Designation B5-92 is holed up in the shack on top of the up-ended cargo ship. He’s probably got his best fighters with him, so we should plan on heavy resistance. So, you ready to go in?”

“Hell yeah. Let’s light this motherfucker up!” She was hating the situation she found herself in.

“Right behind you, ma’am.”

Quinn learned real quick that X6-88 wasn’t shit. Too slow, too methodical. It didn’t take a scientist to know that all you have to do was aim for the face. By the time she made it to the cargo ship, X6 wasn’t even halfway there… and she’d even cleared a path for him so he wouldn’t get held up. She didn’t wait because she didn’t care, she just wanted to get it over with… she hopped up on the boat and started shooting her way to the top. Killing anyone that stepped in the line of fire. She’d have shot X6-88 if he’d have gotten in her way. All she could think about was getting back to Hancock because he had to be worried. Q and X6 made it towards the top and had to go through a door to continue on. Once they were inside, he grabbed her. Just before she was about to bash his face in with the butt of her rifle, he finally spoke up, “Hold up a moment, ma’am. There’s something important I need to tell you.”

“Talk fast, X6...”

“I’m going to give you B5-92’s reset code. If he hears the code phrase, it’ll reset his cognitive processes and make him docile. You need to say ‘B5-92, initialize factory reset’, followed by the authorization code ‘gamma-7-1-epsilon’. Once he’s shut down, I can transport him safely back to the Institute.”

“Jesus, what a mouthful.” She didn’t think much of it. Whatever, right? A robot is a robot is a robot. Get in, spout off the recall code, get the fuck out. Done.

“Then talk fast, ma’am. Just make sure you get it right. That’s all, ma’am. Ready when you are.”

If he calls me ma’am one more time… I swear to god… I may shoot him. On the other side of the room, they found a ladder leading up. Quinn motioned to X6-88, pointing the ladder out to him because she figured he was kind of a moron. She made hand motions instructing him that they were going to climb up it. It led them exactly where she thought it would, to the roof. Where they were greeted by Gabriel: “Judging by your gear, I’m gonna guess you two are agents of the Institute. So tell me, is the Institute so desperate for resources that it’s stealing plunder from honest, hard-working Commonwealth gangs?”

Oh, I’ve GOT to talk to this guy. Quinn was thoroughly amused. “How much plunder have you got?”

“Hah!” Gabriel laughed. “So you are here for loot, then.”

One of the Raider’s spoke up that stood close to Gabriel. “What are you doing, boss? We can take these guys!”

“Keep your mouth shut.” Gabriel told him. “I know what I’m doing. We have a modest little stash. I’ll tell you what - I’ll give it to you freely if you walk away afterwards. What do you say? Do I have your word?”

Quinn looked at him as if to think for a moment. “Nah, on second thought, how about B5-92, initialize factory reset. Authorization gamma-7-1-epsilon.” She watched Gabriel shut down just as synth-Shaun did. He slumped over and didn’t move, like an ordinary robot - but he wasn’t just any robot. He thought he was human. A robot is not a robot is not a robot. I never want to fucking do that ever again. Ever. She felt horrible. She wasn’t much paying attention until she heard the words ‘take them out’! Before X6-88 could fire off a single shot, Q killed the Raiders.

“Nice work, ma’am.” He said as she almost shot him right then. “I’ll take the synth back. This is X6-88, ready to relay with reclaimed synth B5-92.” She watched as X6 disappeared in that familiar blue bolt. Then, she did the same.

She was hating the Institute more and more with each visit. She wanted to rid the Commonwealth of it’s ‘boogeyman’. Once and for all.

Chapter Text

Quinn teleported back to the Institute, even though she didn’t much want to. She couldn’t decide which she hated more, the Institute, what they were doing there, or the scientists themselves. She just assumed it was probably a bit of all three. She ran around killing time because she wasn’t looking forward to speaking with Shaun. She didn’t want to know what kind of task he wanted her to do next. She’d love to refuse whatever it was, but that would be counterproductive. Taking a seat on a bench, watching Synth guards patrol around and scientists talk to each other, she knew she didn’t belong there. Q felt as if she stuck out, especially because she wasn’t dressed in Institute attire. To the scientists, she figured she looked like something which had just emerged from a full dumpster. She thought about everything that had went on… perhaps she should turn to the Railroad for help. As much as she didn’t want to work with Desdemona, she wanted to free Synths even more. They deserved better. With a heavy sigh, she got up and went in search of Shaun. He gave her a warm smile when she walked into his quarters. “I’m glad to see you return safely. I know the task was difficult, but I needed you to see firsthand how dangerous a rogue synth can be.”

Had Q rolled her eyes any harder, she may have went blind. “The Institute created that synth, so the Institute is responsible for what it does.”

“I disagree. A synth is no more inherently evil than a handgun. When a man dies by gunshot, is the weapon’s maker blamed? Of course not. The blame rightly falls on he who pulled the trigger.”

Quinn chuckled at his ignorance. “Shaun, you were an infant before the Great War. Back then if someone were shot, the man was blamed, sure… but the fact remains that the firearm was also blamed.”

“This isn’t the old world, Mother. Yes, we created the synth, but whether they intended to or not, the Railroad’s agents turned it into a killer. But enough about that. The task is done and you’ve returned our synth safely to us. I couldn’t have hoped for a better outcome. Well done. While you were away, I had quarters prepared for you. As it is to my understanding, Dr. Volkert found something of… concern. He will want to see you in your quarters, I will have him notified right away. Upon my own request, I would like to be there as well, if you don’t mind. I want to make sure everything is okay.”

“Uh, sure… I guess that’s alright.”

“Great. You’ll find all of the basic necessities, as well as a generous stock of arms and equipment. Go and have a look. I think you’ll be quite pleased. Dr. Volkert and I will be along very shortly.”

She nodded, albeit apprehensively, and went to locate her new quarters. After about 10 minutes of being lost, she discovered a hallway where X6-88 was standing next to a door, she assumed she’d found the right place. “Your new quarters are here, ma’am.” He said, opening the door for her. “Please wait here until Father arrives. He wishes to speak with you after you’ve seen the Doctor.” She took a seat in a chair and waited for them to show up. She hoped she wasn’t growing any new appendages from all the radiation she’d been exposed to recently. Hancock had given her a once-over and didn’t find anything, but then again, he wasn’t a Doctor. Q didn’t wait long, Dr. Volkert and Shaun knocked before opening the sliding doors. “Hello, again.” Volkert said. “Can I get you disrobe to lay down on the bed please?”

“Um, I don’t know if I’m comfortable with that…”

“Don’t worry, Mother. I can promise you that you can trust Dr. Volkert. But, I’m here for moral support and to, hopefully, provide some kind of comfort.”

"You don’t have to disrobe completely, I have a gown you can put on so you aren’t indecent.” Volkert handed her a white robe. Quinn went into the bathroom and put the robe on, practically freezing to death. She walked out and looked at the two men, somewhat embarrassed that she didn’t have much on. Laying down on the bed as Volkert asked, she watched as he took sterile gloves out of a package and put them on. Shaun pulled a chair up next to the bed and sat down close to her head. Volkert bent Q’s legs, wide apart, and in a not-so-delicate manner, put his finger in her vagina. She could feel him poking and prodding at her insides as she cringed. Shaun held her hand to try and make it less uncomfortable for her. “Does it hurt, Mother?”

“No… I just feel like I’m being violated, is all. What’s this all about?”

Volkert removed his finger from her, “I see you’re wearing a wedding band, are you married?”

Q hesitated, thinking that perhaps that wasn’t any of their business, but she answered anyway. “Don’t see what it has to do with anything, but yes, I am.”

Shaun looked at Volkert a bit concerned. “You’ve gotten… married... ?” Shaun asked.

“No, I’m just making things up because it’s a real hoot. Yes, Shaun, I’ve re-married. Is that a problem?”

“Not at all.” He replied. “Dr. Volkert, would you like to explain or shall I?”

“It’s all right, Father, I can explain it to her. You see, Miss, earlier whenever I gave you a thorough exam I noticed your abdomen felt a bit more… firm… than I would have expected.”

Quinn rolled her eyes, “Yeah, it’s called muscle development.” She could hear Shaun let out a slightly-agitated sounding sigh.

“I hate to ask something so personal,” Volkert continued. “But when was the last time you had your menstrual cycle?”

“I really don’t know, it’s not something that’s ever come… regularly. It’s almost impossible to keep up with. Why…?”

Dr. Volkert looked at Shaun, who nodded back at him. “Go ahead, Doctor.”

“Well, ma’am, it seems that you’re likely pregnant.”

“I’m… WHAT? That’s… not possible. At least, I didn’t think it would be… I mean, my husband, I didn’t think he was capable of… of… THAT.”

“I would like to be able to find out for sure, because at this moment, I’m not 100% positive that you are. If you and Father would accompany me to one of the labs, I would gladly verify whether you are or aren’t. You may put your clothes back on as we won’t be needing you to wear the robe. It’s a type of X-Ray, but don’t worry, it won’t harm you or the child, if you are pregnant.”

Wide-eyed, Quinn agreed to go with them to the lab. When they got there, she couldn’t believe all the science-y gadgets. The smell was very… disinfected. She got up onto the table, as instructed, and watched as Dr. Volkert performed his X-Ray that kind of reminded her of a sonogram. Her stomach had butterflies as she watched the images on the screen, having no idea what it was she was looking at. “There.” Volkert finally spoke, pointing at the screen. “There it is. That tiny speck. That’s the embryo. You appear to be roughly 2 to 4 weeks pregnant. We also are advanced enough to tell you what sex it is most likely to be, if you are interested.”

Q was in total shock, how could John still reproduce after all the radiation? She did manage to squeak out a few words, “Y-yes, I would like to know.”

“All right. Let me just take a look at this printout here. Congratulations, you have an 84.56% chance that it will turn out male.”

“I, um, I have a question. How could this be possible if my husband has been subjected to large amounts of radiation?”

Both Shaun and Dr. Volkert looked puzzled. “Well, I suppose it would depend on the amount of radiation, how your husband was exposed to it, and so forth.”

“Large amount. It was an experimental radiation drug. He took it long about - about 10 years ago, I suppose.”

“How large of an amount, Mother?”

“A large enough amount to turn him into a Ghoul, but not enough to turn him feral.” She watched as Shaun and Dr. Volkert almost looked disgusted.

“Well, ma’am, I suppose that since it was a drug, it was concentrated more to his bloodstream and spread out over his body. There’s a possibility that, over time, the sperm could’ve began to adapt and regenerate. It could be that, although his sperm may be mutated, your body may be more… receptive… to it. There… is a good chance that your son would… also… be a Ghoul. Or, at least, half Ghoul.”

“What does ‘half-ghoul’ even mean?! ”

Volkert cleared his throat, “It means, ma’am, that he would be half-Ghoul. Meaning that he would look fairly similar to that of a Ghoul only his skin wouldn’t be as… rough. He would age slowly like a Ghoul, only not as slowly. You see?”

“Are you fuckin’ shitting me?!” Quinn yelled out. Surprising herself at the sheer volume of her own voice.

“Mother please, watch your language.” Shaun said. “We can… take care of this… problem… for you. It would probably be the best course of action.”

“Take care of it?” She said. “You mean… abort it…?”

“Yes.” Shaun nodded at her, taking her hand. “This child would be nothing more than an abomination.”

Quinn jerked her hand away from him, leapt off of the table and glared at him, ready to pull her gun at a moment’s notice. “Abomination? ABOMINATION?! It’s no more an abomination than that… that thing I saw in that room. That Synth that I thought was you!”

“Mother please, calm down. How about you go lay down in your quarters and rest. You’ve had a busy day, we can talk about this some other time. Perhaps you’ll see reason.”

Quinn stormed off to her quarters. She couldn’t believe what Shaun had suggested. No matter if it were an embryo or not, it was still a life. Once in her room, she shut the door and sat down at the foot of the bed. She knew what she had to do. In a blue light, she was gone from the Institute and found herself standing at the entrance to the Railroad’s hideout. She ran down the steps immediately. Before she could open her mouth, Desdemona spoke first, “I just heard the most fascinating rumor. The story goes that you actually found the Institute. Been there and back again. Sounds crazy, right?”

“Where’d you hear that?”

Dez smiled, “Deacon brought it to my attention. And, as usual, he won’t give up his source.”

“Well, it’s all true.”

“Deacon says you used teleportation. I can’t imagine. You must feel justifiably proud of what your Minutemen have achieved in such a short time.” Quinn wasn’t sure if she’d just received a compliment from Desdemona… or a backhanded insult. “Eventually, the Minutemen will devise their own plan to deal with the Institute. But I doubt your soldiers will place any priority on rescuing the synths inside. I’m counting on you being as passionate about freeing synths as we are. Please, work with us, instead.”

“Dez… that’s why I’m here. I want to work with you.”

“You have no idea how relieved I am to hear that.” Desdemona scratched her head and then sighed and continued. “What I’m about to tell you is the most closely guarded secret the Railroad has. It’s time you learn about Patriot. There’s a man, or woman - we’re not sure - inside the Institute who helps synths escape to freedom. Dozens of synths owe him their lives. We don’t know his name, we’ve never had a way to contact him. So we gave him the codename Patriot. So you need to infiltrate the Institute and make contact with Patriot.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“Excellent. Tom devised a way to send a message to Patriot. We can plant a coded message on an Institute terminal and, if all goes well, he’ll respond. Just see Tom and you can proceed from there. But first, you also are in need of a codename. I know you’ve yet to officially join the Railroad. I had plans to make you what we call a ‘tourist’, but seeing as how you’re helping us free Synths, you are obviously capable to join us without having to prove yourself.”

Deacon spoke up as he appeared from seemingly nowhere, “I kept telling you Dez, that you’d be insane not to recruit her. Was I right or was I right?”

“Quiet, Deacon. Welcome to the Railroad, agent.” She said to Quinn.

“Glad to be aboard.”

“It seems we’re very lucky to have you. So, you’re in, and we need to know what we should call you - the code name. What would you like for us to call you?”

“Well---”

Before Q could say anything, Deacon spoke up again. “Bullseye. We’re calling her Bullseye. End of story.”

“Bullseye, it is.” Desdemona chuckled. “From what Deacon has heard of your fighting skills, the name seems apt. Now, back to business.”

“Hey, Bullseye.” Deacon called to her, motioning for her to come over and talk. “I just wanted to say welcome to the family. We’re a colorful and arguably insane bunch, but you’re stuck with us now. Speaking of which, if you don’t mind a side-kick while you’re not in the Institute, we could always travel together.”

“Don’t they need you here?”

“My job’s mainly intel. So the more places I go, the better I’m doing it. And you’re just one big beautiful distraction. Plenty of opportunities to learn secrets moving around in your shadows.”

“Deacon, did you just call me ‘beautiful’?” She said with a smile.

“You know you’re beautiful. Or, at least you should. If not, I could always hand you a mirror from time to time.”

“Thanks, Deacon.” She giggled at him, “But to answer your question, yes, I’d like to have you as a traveling companion.”

“Great! Anytime you zap back here, I’ll be waiting for you. Anytime you zap to the Institute, I’ll just come back here. No problemo. We should go talk to Tinker Tom, though, before anymore zapping happens.”

Q smiled and nodded and they both walked over to Tom, who immediately spazzed out. “Oh, man, you were actually there. Inside the bell of the beast! No time for that, though. Let’s set you up to contact Patriot. I got here one genuine Tinker Tom special. Just load her up onto a holotape, plug her in any Institute terminal and execute. Simple as that.”

Quinn nodded and informed Deacon that she was going to zap back to the Institute for now to contact Patriot. He didn’t mind, but at the same time he was excited to see the Commonwealth. She did, however, task Deacon with going to Sanctuary Hills to let Hancock know she was alive and well, and he’d see her as soon as she could break free without them getting suspicious. Deacon agreed without hesitation. In a blue bolt, she was gone as quickly as she appeared.

-----

It took Deacon some time to reach Sanctuary from the Old North Church. He wished Hancock would’ve been in Goodneighbor instead as that would’ve been much, much closer. He didn’t stop along the way like he usually would’ve - he knew this was important. When he crossed the bridge into Sanctuary, he was greeted by Preston. “Garvey, my main Minuteman! What’s the haps?”

“Been a while, Deacon. How’ve you been? See you’ve still got the same face.”

“Yeah it’s about time for a new one, don’tcha think? Lots going on, though. Hancock around?”

“Moping in the middle of the settlement somewhere. If you see a dog, Hancock will be close by. Dogmeat doesn’t leave his side.”

“Thanks Preston.” Deacon said as he made his way towards the center of the town. Dogmeat wasn’t hard to find, wandering around. He started looking in nearby houses until he found him. “Heyyyyy, Hancock.”

“Deacon. What’re you doing here?” Hancock said, looking surprised.

“Got a specific request to deliver a message to you.”

Hancock looked confused and almost concerned. “From?”

“Your special lady.”

“QUINN? Where is she? Is she okay? What’s going on?”

“Yes. Institute. Yes. Lots.”

“Cut the shit, Deacon. Tell me what you know.”

“Okay, jeez, don’t blow a fuse. Bullseye, er, Q… obviously made it gingerly into the Institute’s welcoming arms. Thing is, she can’t really break away from ‘em without them getting suspicious and wondering what she’s up to in the ‘Wealth. Which is why she hasn’t blue-zapped in to say hey. She did however, have enough time to pop into Railroad HQ and have tea and crumpets with Dez. Talked ‘bout old times, freeing Synths, you know… normal stuff. She’s okay, but she looked a little frazzled. I’m sure it’s just from being cooped up in the Institute. Anyway, she had to hightail it back there to jack a holotape into a terminal so we can contact someone on the inside. She’s gonna try to free, like, a ton of Synths at one time. Said she’d drop in as soon as she could, though. So, no worries.”

Hancock breathed a sigh of relief, and then broke down crying. “Oh my god, I’m so glad she’s okay. I’ve been worried sick. I just… she…”

“It’s okay, Hancock.” Deacon said, patting him on the shoulder. “She’s totally alright. Not a scratch on her, not a hair outta place. Well, sorta. Hard to tell. Looks like she hasn’t had a good hairbrushing in a while. You’d think with all the junk the Institute is capable of, they’d at least provide a hairbrush…”

“Did she mention her son, Shaun. Did she find out anything on him?”

“Didn’t mention anything about it to me if she has. I will be traveling with her when she zaps back, for a while. She needs someone to watch her back that isn’t so easy to spot. No offense, but you’re not exactly… an unknown face. She’s going to need someone that a can tag along with her and won’t raise suspicion.”

“Taking up with you? Her funeral, I guess.”

“Funeral? Don’t think I keep a disguise on me for that. Good lookin’ out.” Deacon flashed Hancock a massive grin.

“You keep her safe out there, Deacon. I’m fucking serious. Don’t make me come find you.”

-----

The moment Quinn got back to the Institute, she began to search for a terminal that was out out of sight. FEV Terminal. She recalled a terminal that likely was Virgil’s in the Lab, so that’s where she headed. She walked in as if it were nothing. No one had seen her go in there the last time, and if they didn’t, didn’t question her. Same as this time. Then, did as Tom had instructed without a problem. She couldn’t shake the nagging in the back of her mind about being pregnant - how was she going to break the news to Hancock? More importantly, when? She was afraid that if she told him, he’d treat her as if she were fragile. When in reality, she wasn’t. She took very few physical blows to her body, the worst she’d usually get is grazed by a bullet. They hadn’t even discussed children. Q just assumed Hancock couldn’t have any, and he probably did the same. It never even occurred to her that it was a possibility. And what about their duties around the Commonwealth? They couldn’t take a child, and surely not an infant, around with them all the time. They would have to find a babysitter, but who? She didn’t want to be a part-time parent, but in the Commonwealth, Quinn didn’t really feel as if it were an option to be a full-time parent… there was so much to be done. Perhaps Daisy would care for him. But, did Q want to leave an infant in Goodneighbor with the risk of Super Mutant attacks? So many decisions! It would be hilarious, though, to tell John I wanna name the kid ‘Deacon’... after his father. Bet John would shit. Hah! Quinn laughed at herself, loving to torture Hancock like that. She snapped to, realizing the encrypted message had been copied and Patriot had replied at some point. His message simply said to meet at the Advanced Systems maintenance room. Promptly, she left the FEV Lab and made her way there.

It didn’t take much at all to locate Patriot. She opened the door and saw a very… small, meek man. “Hey. It’s me, Liam.” He said. “So you’re the one who sent the encrypted message. How did you even do that? I wasn’t sure anyone on the surface would have a chance to crack Trinity. You know, the encryption algorithm.”

“A friend named Tinker Tom cracked your encryption.”

“He must’ve had some serious hardware to pull that off. Wow. Your message was only one word: ‘Friend’. What did you mean by that?”

“The Railroad sent me to look for someone they call Patriot. That’s you.”

“What? The Railroad? As in the Railroad? And they gave me a code name, too? I kept sending synths to the surface hoping someone would help them. I hoped the Railroad got to some of them, but I never knew for certain.”

“You’ve saved a lot of synths.”

“So much to take in. But, wait. With you in the pictures, I have this idea. To rescue a lot of synths at once. But we’ll need help.” Liam mumbled to himself, “Where’s he working now? Right…” He focused back on Quinn, “Let’s go to the West Atrium.” Q nodded and followed him to the Atrium where he approached a Synth that was doing some sort of cleaning. “Z1-14. It’s me.” He said to the Synth.

“Sir. Do you require something?” Z1-14 looked concerned that Q was present.

“It’s ok, Z1-14. She’s a friend. She’s with the Railroad.”

“Meeting here is dangerous. And you bring a stranger.” Z1-14 looked at Quinn, “You. How do I know we can trust you?”

Q shrugged, “Trust is a two-way street, friend.”

Z1-14 didn’t look assured in the least. “Excuse me, I must focus on my duties.”

Liam sighed, “She’s not from here. She’s been helping our synths escape on the surface. It’s safe.”

“If you insist we speak in front of her, do so quickly.” Z1-14 said.

Liam nodded, “Right now, how many synths want to escape, Z1?”

“The ones I know for certain. Thirteen.”

“That’ll take forever. Let’s free those thirteen all in one go.”

Quinn listened to their plan about freeing all of those synths and how they needed to make it look as if the old maintenance tunnels collapsed in order to get the synths to the teleporter. Q’s job? Kill the guards in the tunnels. However, Liam needed to be able to hack some kind of old program on the terminal, but wouldn’t be able to do so without a username and password. So, she agreed to help and go find one. Which mean she’d need to return to the Old Church and speak with the Railroad. That blue light though, was really starting to give her a headache.

-----

As soon as Q zapped into the Railroad, there stood Deacon as if he appeared out of nowhere. It’s like he knew she was coming. Of course, he claimed he actually did know. She gave him an affectionate pate on the shoulder and went to speak with Dez. Desdemona said P.A.M could fine that ID card, it would just take a bit for her to scan all the records. Quinn sat down while she waited, feeling nauseous.

“You don’t look so good. You okay?” Dez asked.

“Yes and no. Um, is there somewhere we can go and talk privately? Where even Deacon won’t hear us? I need your advice on something that no one knows about and I really don’t want anyone else finding out.” She didn’t want to talk with Desdemona about this, but there wasn’t anyone else...

“Sure, the escape tunnel is about as secretive as we can get.”

Dez led them into the tunnels and Quinn sat down on the floor, leaning her back against the wall, Desdemona sat on the floor across from her and leaned against some fencing. “All right.” She told Quinn, “I’m all ears. And I promise, your secret is 100% safe here. I wouldn’t want to jeopardize you working with us either, so you know I won’t tell.”

Q stared up towards the ceiling for a moment and took a deep breath, “While I was in the Institute, they wanted to give me a check-up. Come to find out, they said i’m 2-4 weeks pregnant.”

“Congratulations. What’s the problem?”

Q looked over at her. “Dez… I’m a Railroad Heavy. General of the Minutemen. Queen of the Zombies.”

“Queen of the what?”

“I’m married to the Mayor of Goodneighbor, Dez. I’m having his baby. Good chance he’s going to be half-Ghoul or whatever.”

“Deacon said you’d married Mayor Hancock, but I didn’t believe it.” She sighed, “So, where, exactly is the problem?”

“How am I supposed to keep a child safe? How am I supposed to have a child and be able to do all of these things? People are starting to know who I am. I’m being recognized almost as much as John. The more people know who I am, the more I’m asked for help. And I don’t mind helping at all… but… a baby?”

“I see your predicament. Hmm. What about leaving him with Vault Dwellers while you’re tending to your duties?”

“You know, that’s… not a half bad idea. On second thought… how would you feel about moving HQ into a Vault?”

“What?!”

“Yeah, I got wind of some Vault being pretty well vacant. Hole’s dug but they never started it, really. Could start constructing it ourselves. Make it how we want it. With enough people involved, it would be completed in no time. Think about it… we’d be safe, have plenty of room to house Synths where no one could find them…”

“Hmm… you know, you may be onto something, Bullseye. Let me talk to the rest of the group.”

“The one condition is, I get to leave the baby with you guys when I need to. I wouldn’t trust anyone else.”

“Consider it done. Glad to hear you’ve put that much trust in us. I know I wouldn’t mind having a new, tiny Railroad member.” Dez smiled. She helped Quinn up and they went back into the headquarters. Deacon glared at them. He hated not knowing things - he was intel, he was supposed to know everything. He was hoping his glares would convince them that he’d gotten upset that he wasn’t invited. It didn’t work.

“Hey, Deacon.” Q said.

“Bullseye.”

“What’s up?”

“Did you not see me glaring at you a minute ago?”

“Deacon, you’re wearing sunglasses, how am I supposed to be able to tell?”

“Well, I was glaring. I don’t like secrets.”

“It was just about Hancock. Girl talk, ya know.”

“Well, I was a girl for about 3 months. It counts.”

“You don’t wanna know.”

“Spill it, pal.”

“Okay… it was just how he bangs like a loaded freight train an hour late for the depot.” She said, watching Deacon cringe beneath his sunglasses.

“Yeah, thanks for that visual image. I need to go… abraxo my brain.”

“Hey, sharing is caring. Right… buddy?” She flashed him an ear-to-ear wicked grin.

“Yeah, okay. I almost tossed my Blamco Mac ‘n Cheese and all you can do is sit there and laugh.” He was trying to act serious but was failing miserably. His grin kept shining through his attempted-frown. There was absolutely no way Deacon could even pretend to be mad at her. There was just something about her that he couldn’t quite put his finger on. He was happy that she would let him tag-along to Cambridge Polymer Labs.

“Seems like your pretty basic run” Deacon said as he turned to face Quinn. “Go in, get trapped, kill your way through hordes of ferals, do some science. Fun times.” Q eventually found a Vault-Tec Lab coat and put it on, pretending to be a scientist. Then, Deacon found some fancy fashionable sunglasses and put those on. “I feel downright snazzy.” He told her with a smile. She just rolled her eyes and laughed. She had that kind of laugh that was contagious. At least, Deacon thought so. He greatly enjoyed traveling with her… felt like he could be himself instead of a disguise. Q didn’t act judgmental towards him or gripe at him when he decided to act goofy. She would only laugh and sometimes, do something goofy as well. “Hey, Bullseye?”

“Hey, Deacon?”

“Just wanted to thank you for letting me tag-along, is all.”

“No problem. Thanks for coming with me. It’s good to have company, when the company’s good. I’ve got the ID, though, you ready to head back to HQ?”

“Sure thing.” He wasn’t ready. Deacon wanted to travel more, get to know her. Become besties. Quinn used the Courser Chip to her advantage when traveling far distances. In a flash, they were back at HQ. Without a word, she made her way over to Dez, as she was instructed to do.

“With Deacon’s help, we were able to find the information Patriot needed.”

“Good.” Desdemona said, lighting a cigarette. “On our side we’ve gone through the report I had you type out. It was… extraordinary. So many pieces of the puzzle clicked into place. Our final analysis indicates the Institute is far more formidable than we ever feared or imagined. If we stage a mass breakout, Patriot’s thirteen synths will undoubtedly be the last we ever save. Instead we use this one chance… to rescue all the synths. Every last one of them.”

“Is that even possible?”

“Hopefully Patriot’s core escape plan will scale up. If it can’t, well, we’ll deal with it as it comes. The Institute will never let their slaves go without a fight. So the heart of our problem is manpower. Even if we call in all our agents, and we will, we won’t be able to hold our own against the Institute for long. Talk with Z1-14. If the synths down there want freedom, they must fight and risk their lives to earn it.”

“Even with synth allies is that enough to fight the Institute?”

“The synths greatly outnumber the scientists. If enough of them rebel, the chaos would be unprecedented. Then we use that turmoil to evacuate everyone we can. It will work because it must. As much as we owe Patriot. We can’t be certain how committed he is. If he learns we’re willing to kill to free synths he may not have the stomach for it. So get what you need from him and then cut him loose. Good luck. We’re all with you.”

Q nodded and, teleported out. Only, she didn’t go back to the Institute. It was time she paid Sanctuary a visit. When she got there, Hancock wasn’t around. Preston told her that Hancock had pressing matters to attend to in Goodneighbor and that she should look for him there. She did as she was told. When she teleported into Goodneighbor, she scared the Neighborhood Watch shitless until they saw it was her. Brooks pointed her towards the Third Rail.

As soon as she walked downstairs, she spotted MacCready sitting with Emery. Hancock was sitting at the bar, with his back to Quinn. “Hey, Q!” MacCready yelled out, waving. Hancock immediately spun around and saw her. Leaping off of the barstool, in just a few steps, he had her in his arms, hugging and kissing her.

“God, baby, I missed you… I was so scared you didn’t make it.”

“I sent Deacon to tell you I made it alive.”

“He did. I coulda hugged the nutty bastard.”

MacCready tugged at Hancock’s coat, “Why don’t you two sit down, take a load off. Socialize.” They did as he requested. The four of them talked about what had gone on since the last time they were together. Mostly, they wanted to know about the Institute. Quinn was more than happy to tell them how much she hated it and the scientists within. When she’d finally gotten done ranting, MacCready told them about how he and Emery had taken out some gunners and that they were supposed to head for Med-Tek the next morning, though he didn’t say why. Q noticed that he kept looking at Emery, she knew something was up. “Mac, can I talk to you in the backroom in private?” Q asked. Hesitantly, MacCready got up and headed that way. Hancock gave her a funny look when she told him to stay there and keep Emery company.

“Alright, MacCready, what gives?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I see the way you keep lookin’ at her. Spill it.”

“Okay, look… don’t say anything… but I think---”

Quinn interrupted, “MacCready’s in looooove.”

“No! I mean, maybe… but that’s not it. I can’t put two and two together. I swear I know her from somewhere. It’s that accent. I’ve heard it before, a long time ago... but... she doesn’t really look like someone I used to know. I guess there are similarities, but I don’t know…”

“Why don’t you just ask her?”

“Because I’d feel stupid if I were wrong. I’d feel bad too… because if it is the same girl… I’m afraid to ask where her brother is. That and, if it weren’t her, I’d feel depressed. Because I kinda want it to be.”

“Okay, I’m lost. Explain.”

MacCready sighed, almost frustrated. “Okay, look, I used to know this girl. May or may not have had a major crush on her. There was a moment where I was sent out to be on my own and I had hoped she’d be there, waiting for me. But she wasn’t. I stuck around the area for almost a week. She still didn’t show. So I finally gave up and left. I’ve kept the hope that, one day, I’d see her again. I want it to be her… I do… but I don’t want to ask.”

“I could ask for you?”

“No! Don’t. If it’s her, I’ll figure it out, myself. We should really get back in there before Hancock starts thinking I’m trying to steal his woman.”

“Yeah, alright.”

Q and MacCready rejoined the other two and went on talking about extremely unimportant things.Quinn kept accidentally toning out the conversation, trying to figure out how and when to break the news to Hancock about the pregnancy. It was eating away at her. She couldn’t go back to the Institute in that state of mind. Instead, she decided to stay a night with Hancock.

-----

Hancock awoke to, what sounded like Quinn vomiting. Jesus, I just KNEW she’d get rad sickness somehow. He needed to get her to Doctor Amari, pronto. He knew Quinn would argue, but without knowing the extent of the radiation sickness, he wasn’t going to risk it. He knew that he’d have to con her into going. Gently knocking on the door didn’t do much good since he didn’t wait for her response before opening it just as she blew chunks into the toilet.

“Jesus, babe, what did you eat?!” He said as he peered into the vomit-filled water.

“Hancock! I don’t want you seeing me puke! Get out!”

Of course, being as stubborn as she is without openly admitting it, he closed the door and sat down inside the bathtub next to her. While inspecting his frock coat, he spoke very nonchalantly, “Tough titty, Mrs. Hancock. I’m your husband. I can see you puke. Hell, I can watch you take a shit if I want to. Not that I would, you know… but that’s really beside the point.” He relaxed in the tub, putting his hands behind his head, staring up at the ceiling.

“Hancock, get ou--” She wasn’t able to finish before she hurled more of last night’s meal.

“Why are you even calling me ‘Hancock’ still?” He started fiddling with his coat.

Q breathed heavily while her eyes watered, “That’s… your name…” she managed to force out.

“Yours too. Does that mean I can call you Hancock, Hancock?”

She wanted to laugh… or smack him… but she didn’t have the energy to do either of those things. Instead all she was able to do was hug the toilet until her nausea and vomiting subsided. “That’s… General Hanc--” Then vomited again.

“Quinny, we need to take you to see Doctor Amari… this puking seems like a pretty good indication that you’ve picked up some nasty rads somewhere.”

She sat up, finally feeling her nausea subsiding. “I’m fine.”

“Q, please… let me take you to Amari. We gotta find out what’s wrong. I don’t want it to be dangerous to your health.” He rubbed her back lightly.

“Really, I’m okay.”

“I really don’t think this should be something that’s up for discussion. I think you need t--”

Quinn decided she was just going to go for it, and blurt it out: “John, I’m pregnant.” She just watched his face to try and figure out what was going on in his head. It’s like he was trying to process what she’d just told him.

“Is… is it… mine?”

“Of course it’s yours, you ass!” She couldn’t really blame him for asking her that question, though.

“How… how is that even possible?”

“Dr. Volkert, at the Institute, says that it could be different things. Sounds to me like what most likely happened is your body became accustomed to the rads and started producing… functioning… sperm, again. I’m not a doctor, I don’t know that for sure. But, I’m 2-4 weeks along. They have advanced enough technology to be able to tell me that there’s an 85% chance it’s a boy. And he will likely be half-Ghoul. Which means he’ll look kinda like a Ghoul, just not as… scarred. He’ll age slower than a human, but faster than a Ghoul.”

“I’m… gonna be a dad?”

“Yeah… looks like it. The Director of the Institute, um, said I have the option to abort. So… if you want…”

Hancock climbed out of the bathtub and picked Quinn up and hugged her. “No. I don’t want you to abort.”

“So, I guess I’m gonna have a baby.”

“No, Quinny, you’re not. We are gonna have a baby. You are in no way in this alone.”

“I guess, there’s a few other things I should tell you also. Shaun, my son? He’s… not 10. More like 60. John, he’s the Director of the Institute. He’s in charge. He’s behind all of it.”

“Oh… shit…”

“I’ve joined up with the Railroad to free all the synths and take the Institute down. I have to go in there, guns blazing. I can’t let them down. I know you’re not going to approve because I’m pregnant. But… I have to do this.”

“You’re right, I don’t approve. But I do understand and I’ll let you go on one condition, Mrs. Hancock. I get to help you take those fuckers out.”

“You got a deal, Mr. Hancock.”

“We do, however, find ourselves in a predicament. Raising a child with our current obligations…”

“I’ve got it covered. I’ve heard about an incomplete Vault somewhere here in the Commonwealth. I’ve talked to Desdemona, the Railroad’s leader, about moving their headquarters into that Vault under the condition that they take care of the baby when we have to attend to other duties. It was actually partially her idea, and she loves the thought of having him around.”

“Well, well, I guess you’ve thought of almost everything. But there’s one thing you haven’t thought of… a name for him.”

“I didn’t want to think about it until I told you. I think it’s something we both need to mutually agree on.”

Hancock nodded and he swept Quinn up into his arms, taking her out onto the balcony of the Old State House. There, he officially announced that he’d gotten married and that he was going to be a father.

Unfortunately, Q couldn’t stick around because she had to get back to the Institute and talk to Liam. Hancock didn’t want her to go, but knew she was needed elsewhere. He hated when she zapped out, it always worried him that one of these times, that bolt of lightning was going to do severe harm to her. Apparently, she wasn’t afraid. Then again, didn’t seem like she ever was.

-----

Quinn was enjoying this Courser Chip as it made it so much easier to get from place to place. No longer would it take hours to get from one place to another. *ZAP* Institute. So fast. So convenient. How did I ever do without it? Her only hope was that it’d still be functional after she destroyed that hell-hole. But, she couldn’t think about that right now… she needed to get to the maintenance closet and find Patriot. Oddly, he was already there waiting for her. She almost wanted to ask him if he’d slept there. “Liam. I got your username and password.”

“You Railroad guys really deliver, you know? Hooking that ancient tech up to the modern terminals is going to be seriously time-consuming. Even with that password. So hand it over and I’ll get started.”

Quinn looked at him for a moment, hesitating. Did she really want to get him involved? “This is a delicate operation, Patriot. Are you okay if we have to use violence?”

“Good question. If we find ourselves in that position, we pull the plug and wait for another opportunity. We can’t risk anyone’s life over this.”

She reluctantly gave him the username and password, feeling as though Dez was right. She agreed with Liam to an extent - she didn’t want to risk anyone’s life over it… but it was going to happen, no matter what. “Here you go.”

“Great, thanks. But, listen, I need a favor. Z1-14 is working in the Atrium again. Can you give him an update? It’s safer if you do it.”

Quinn nodded to the little man, “Sure, I’ll head over to him right now.”

On her way to Z1, Q would overhear scientists talking about the Railroad or the Brotherhood. And every bit of it was unsettling. It sounded like there were rumors floating around that someone was going to be tasked with taking them out… with the help of synths, of course. Quinn had a bad feeling it was going to be her. She didn’t know enough about the Brotherhood to automatically feel they needed to be destroyed. And, obviously, she didn’t want to bring any kind of harm to the Railroad - hell, she even decided she might like Desdemona after all. She walked up to Z1-14, but before she could greet him, he quietly spoke to her. “We must speak quickly. We cannot risk being discovered. I have made arrangements, I can get the thirteen we discussed into position.” He then stood up and looked at her curiously. “But… tell me, do you think Mr. Binet’s plan will work?”

“Liam? Why? You having second thoughts?”

“I’d risk anything for my people.” Z1 said. “It’s just that… Mister Binet is many things, but he isn’t always the most practical. And this plan is… very risky.”

“A better plan is to use this opportunity to rescue everyone. But, synths are going to have to fight for it.”

“And I thought Mr. Binet’s plan was too ambitious.” He sounded almost amused at the suggestion. “Of course, I’d fight for my freedom. And I know a few others that might, as well. But enough to face all the guards? Perhaps… if we stand up openly to the scientists more of my people would join us.” He paused for a moment to think. “Yes. Even if most don’t join the fight, certainly there are many others who’ve been waiting their whole lives for this. But we should be prepared for some of the synths to fight against us.”

“Synths would fight against us?” She knew this was a dumb question with an over-explained answer. She regretted asking it almost immediately.

“Synths always wear a mask of the docile machine. Otherwise your mind is erased by the SRB. Some have worn that mask for so long that there’s nothing underneath. Even if the path was clear, those broken people would stay and serve the scientists. And even try to stop us.”

Quinn smiled at Z1, “All people want to be free. They just need the opportunity to take it.”

“If the Railroad inspires everyone like you do, the SRB is wise to fear you. We will give my people an opportunity and they will flock to us. I admire Mr. Binet a great deal but we can’t tell him about this plan. It’s his people we’ll be fighting. I will talk to my friends. Meet me here tomorrow. If I don’t make our appointment, assume the worst.”

Q really didn’t like Z1 telling her to assume the worst; made her feel paranoid. And she was already paranoid enough with all the talk of the Railroad and Brotherhood floating about. She wasn’t going to stick around, she had to go back and see Hancock. Everything was just too overwhelming. She needed her husband and a bar. Maybe have a single drink, just to relax. When she zapped back to Goodneighbor that evening, she almost gave Brooksy another heart attack. Maybe I should start teleporting in outside. Quinn poked her head into the State House, “John? You around?”

“Quinn! You’re back!” He came running down the stairs, scooping her up into his arms. “I didn’t expect to see you so soon.”

She smiled and hugged him back when she heard Dogmeat bark. “Is that…”

“Yep. Your boy’s here too. While you were gone I had some of Preston’s people bring your things here. I brought Dogmeat myself. Hope you don’t mind.”

“You’re the best, babe.” She hugged his neck tightly. “Now, can we get the fuck outta here and go to the Rail? I need a beer.”

“Beer? In your… condition?”

“Just one. Come on, please?”

“Okay. ONE.”

Hancock threw his arm around Q’s shoulder as they walked to the Third Rail. Everyone congratulated them on getting married and the pregnancy. In a way, Quinn was actually shocked that Hancock was so open to the idea of having a kid. She thought for sure he wouldn’t want to have that kind of responsibility on top of his ‘mayoral duties’, among other things. They were greeted by MacCready’s smiling face when they got downstairs. Mac’s company was the usual Emery, but neither Quinn nor Hancock minded. In fact, Q was looking forward to becoming friends with Emery if she was going to stick around Goodneighbor.

“Heya, Mac.” Hancock said, shaking MacCready’s hand. “What’s the good word?”

“We did it guys. We found what I’ve been looking for at Med-Tek.” MacCready couldn’t stop smiling. He put his arm around Emery, “If it wasn’t for this girl right here, I’d have never succeeded.”

Emery brushed off the compliment, “It was no big deal, really. Few bullets, some dead Ferals, nothin’ major.”

Mac gave her a giant side-hug, “Jeez, don’t be so modest, Em. Last time I went in there by myself I was almost torn to pieces by those ferals. No way could I have done this without you.” Quinn couldn’t help but smile as MacCready’s face glowed and Emery blushed.

“So, what’s the bad news in the Institute, Q?” Mac asked.

“Ugh. What isn’t bad news? Would be a much shorter list. I think they’re about to really do some damage. I keep hearing these… whispers and hushed conversations about taking out the Railroad and the Brotherhood of Steel.”

“Wait, the Brotherhood?” Emery asked, seeming pretty concerned.

“Yeah, apparently the Brotherhood is a real problem when it comes to the Institute. Come to think of it… the Railroad doesn’t much like them either. I have a bad feeling that the Brotherhood is going to be destroyed along with the Institute.” Q replied.

“And the Railroad?” Hancock said, sitting down next to Quinn handing her a single beer.

“Railroad’s got me.”

“Lucky them.” Hancock replied with a wink.

“Do you really think they’re going to do something bad to the Brotherhood, though?” Em still seemed fairly concerned as if she had an interest in the Brotherhood.

Quinn nodded. “It really seems that way. If the Institute doesn’t instruct me to take them out, I have a feeling that the Railroad will. The Brotherhood have no allies and a ton of enemies here in the Commonwealth. I just don’t see it ending well for them. With their airship here, it’s got people even more on edge.”

“Yeah.” Hancock said, “There’s a war brewing on the horizon. I can feel it. And I got the distinct feeling that Q here, is going to be involved.”

“Involved?” Quinn said in an almost amused tone. “I’ll probably be leading the damn thing.”

“That doesn’t bode well for the Brotherhood then, now does it?” Hancock grabbed at the back of her neck, giving her an affectionate shake. “Ol’ Quinny here can take out anyone, I do believe.”

“Railroad doesn’t call me ‘Bullseye’ for no reason, I suppose.” She chuckled.

“Sounds like the Brotherhood doesn’t stand a chance.” Hancock added. “Hopefully whomever they have manning that big damn thing has made his peace with death.”

“I, uh, I gotta go you guys. Sorry.” Emery then pointed her finger at MacCready, “I’ll see ya around, Mac.” She quickly got up and left without any other explanation or any indication of when she’d return.

MacCready looked confused at the two sitting across from him. “Yeeeaaahh… I have NO fucking idea what that was even about. So, about this impending doom… you said that the Brotherhood’s probably gonna go down, right? Well, what about the Railroad? I imagine the Institute hates them too.”

“Oh, they do. But I’m gonna make damn sure nothing bad happens to them. Besides, we need a babysitter...” She laughed, giving Hancock a nudge on the shoulder, causing him to smile and kiss her on the cheek.

“Holy shit! You guys are having a baby?!” MacCready exclaimed, pretty loudly. “I didn’t even know that could happen!”

Hancock laughed, “Calm down, Mac. Yes, we’re going to have a baby. And shit, neither of us knew it could happen either. Came as quite the surprise. But, hell, I love this woman more than I could ever explain. Couldn’t think of a better person to bear my miscreant offspring.” He continued laughing as he put Q in the usual headlock.

“Congratulations!” Mac said excitedly.

“So, do you think Emery would like to be Aunt Em?” Quinn asked as she broke free from Hancock’s grip.

“I don’t see her being opposed to it.” MacCready smiled. “If she didn’t run off so fast, you could’ve asked her yourself.”

“It’s okay. I’ll see her again.” Q smiled. In the back of her mind, though, she was wondering why Em took off like that. She was in hopes that girl wasn’t in with the Brotherhood. She didn’t want her to become a casualty of war… it would crush MacCready.

“Hah, Uncle Mac and Aunt Em.” Hancock laughed. “Got a nice ring to it. Don’tcha think, babe?” Hancock gave his wife a nudge as she smiled and nodded.

Chapter Text

*ZAP* Ugh. Can’t wait until this shithole burns. Quinn hated returning to the Institute, it always made her feel like she was so far away from everyone. She definitely wasn’t looking forward to talk with Shaun because he’d definitely have more for her to do. She didn’t want more to do… she didn’t approve of anything they were involved with. But, Q knew she had to make it look like she supported everything the Institute was doing until they could be dealt with properly. All she had to do was play their game… even if it felt like she was losing. Taking a deep breath, she walked into his quarters. “Shaun.” She said to him, trying to sound as unamused as she possibly could.

“Ah, hello Mother.” He smiled. “Tell me, what would you do when someone has stolen something from you?”

Quinn somehow knew that was a trick. “That’s a loaded question. What’s been stolen from you?”

“Institute property is not often taken from us. We cannot react lightly when it happens. The group that calls themselves ‘The Railroad’ has acquired several synths from the Institute, synths that had gone missing in recent months. They no doubt mean to ‘free’ these synths, in their delusion that synths are somehow sentient beings. You’ve been in contact with the Railroad, so you’re aware of their misguided beliefs.”

“They mean well; they’re only doing what they think is right.”

“You dealt with Libertalia. That’s the result of their selfish, short-sighted plan. Usually they are a minor nuisance, but lately they have become more emboldened. I’m afraid we’ve reached a point where a response is necessary. We have learned the current location of these synths, and need to re-acquire them before the Railroad can hide them.”

Shit. “That sounds way too dangerous.”

“But it’s important that we act on this soon, before the Railroad has any indication we’ve tracked them. We also don’t want the Brotherhood of Steel getting wind of the presence of the synths. That would only complicate matters.”

Q shook her head. “Seriously, this is a waste of my time.”

Shaun frowned at her whenever she said that. “Like many things at the Institute, this has ramifications beyond the immediate objective. Keep that in mind. A Courser will be waiting for you near Bunker Hill. You’ll need him.”

“Ugh… fine. But I still say this is a waste of time.” Q teleported out immediately. However, she didn’t go to Bunker Hill. There was no way she would without letting Dez know what was going down. Running down the stairs, almost tripping over her own two feet, she found Desdemona almost right away. “Can I talk to you?”

“Sure.” Dez said, already looking concerned with how hastily Q came in. “What’s on your mind?”

“The Institute knows about Bunker Hill. They’re planning to re-capture the synths there.”

“The timing couldn’t be worse. The Old Man’s been sitting on those four synths. There’s nowhere else that’s safe we could put them. Maintaining your cover is viral -- but this… the sacrifice is just too great.”

“Stockton and the synths are depending on us, I know. We can’t let them down.”

“Well said. We’ve never known when and where the Institute would strike us next. But now we have a chance to turn the tables. We wait until the enemy is in position then we hit them. Hard. No one they send out comes back alive - except you. Understand?”

“Sure, I understand. But won’t the Institute be suspicious if I’m the only one left?”

“You’re a lot tougher than anyone else in their outfit. If only one person could survive, it would be you. And any story you come up with won’t be contradicted. We can’t attack too early. We need to draw them into the kill zone and then spring the trap. You’ll know when. You’ll probably have a Courser escort, knowing them. You’ll have to take him down. You’ve done it before, but it’ll still be dangerous.”

Quinn shrugged, “Like you said, I’ve done it before.”

“It’s a risk. But it’s one we have to take. So get it done.”

Just as Q was about to teleport out, Deacon grabbed her by the arm. “Didn’t think you were leaving without me, didja? No way am I letting Bullseye have all the fun.” He winked at her, causing her to smile. Quinn gave him a nod and grabbed his hand, teleporting them both close to Bunker Hill. As both Shaun and Dez had said, there was a Courser waiting - X4-18. Shockingly, he didn’t hardly even acknowledge that Deacon was there. “Hey, X4…” She said, getting the Courser’s attention.

“I’ve been waiting for you.”

The only thing she really liked about Coursers was the fact that they didn’t say much - just straight and too the point. Something a lot of people needed to learn. “So, what’s our situation?” She asked him as she could hear Vertibirds incoming.

“I assume you’ve been briefed. Our targets are inside: four synths under Railroad protection. Majority of the settlement is uninvolved, and are expected to run for cover. The situation appears to have escalated. A covert approach is likely impossible. We move in, secure the synths, and I relay out with them back to the Institute. Clear?”

“Crystal. But, hey, I’m gonna need some of your grenades. So… hand ‘em over.”

X4-18 sighed, sounding frustrated. “Very well. Our targets are being sheltered by a man named Stockton.” He told her as he handed her the grenades. “Limited backup will be available to us. Use these only if necessary.”

Quinn heard Deacon speak from behind her, “This mission is going to be a lot of fun, Courser buddy.”

X4 completely ignored him. “There are the recall codes. Follow me.” Once the Courser turned his back to Quinn, she pulled the pin on one of the grenades, shoved it in his pocket, then hit him hard over the head with her pistol. She grabbed Deacon by the hand, dragging him to a safe distance just as the Courser exploded.

The fight at Bunker Hill was complete and utter chaos - Railroad Heavies, the Brotherhood, and synths zapping in. It was a nightmare. Quinn helped pick off synths and the Brotherhood, making sure there were no Railroad casualties. Once the area was cleared out, she headed down a ladder close to where she’d met Stockton before, ensuring the rescued Synths were okay. After killing off a few more Brotherhood Knights, everything was calming down. A few of the heavies went around and made sure none of the townspeople were harmed.

Upon leaving Bunker Hill, a single synth popped up to tell her that ‘Father’ wanted to speak to her atop the old C.I.T Ruins. She hesitantly agreed and then shot the synth, just for good measure. For whatever reason, Deacon decided to continue tagging along even though Q told him it wouldn’t be a good idea. Shaun may not approve of her… company. Deacon reassured her that he would stay out of sight. When they got into the building, she wasn’t prepared for having to deal with a war between synths and Super Mutants… but they managed. After some time of being lost, she finally found the way to the roof. ‘Father’ was standing on the opposite end.

“Shaun.”

He turned and looked at her, clearly agitated. “You know, in all my years, I’ve never set foot outside the Institute. Not once, since the day they brought me here. I’ve never had a reason. But now… this just confirms the truth I’ve always known. The Commonwealth is… dead. There’s no future here.” While he was talking, Deacon caught Q’s attention - he was standing behind Shaun, wearing those goofy ‘fashionable’ sunglasses he’d picked up. She tried to keep a straight face as Shaun continued talking. “The only hope for humanity is below.”

Quinn shrugged, “It’s not so bad, really. People manage.”

“Perhaps. But at costs to great to be worth it. Standing here, I’m reminded of how fortunate I am that I was spared a life in this wasteland. I know that to you, I was kidnapped from that Vault. In truth, they Institute rescued me. Both of us, really.” Deacon couldn’t believe what this man was telling her - the sheer audacity this guy had saying he’d been rescued.

“Kellogg called me the ‘backup’...

“Did he? Well, he was correct. I was the primary candidate, an infant with uncorrupted DNA. But if something were to go wrong… if I died… well, the Institute realized a contingency plan was prudent. Another source of pre-war DNA, preferably related to their primary subject. It only made sense that my parents would fill that role. So, you were kept alive and safe within the Vault. I’ll admit, when I had you released from Vault 111, I had no expectations that you’d survive out here, in all this. To not only do so, but manage to find me… to infiltrate the Institute itself… extraordinary.”

Q couldn’t help but sound overly sarcastic towards him, “Your unconditional love is… overwhelming. I think I need a moment.”

“I can accept that you’re offended. You must understand, though… I have had no love to feel. We have been strangers until now, you and I. Certainly it was no longer necessary to keep you suspended… I… well, I suppose I wanted to see what would happen. An experiment, of sorts. Would the Commonwealth corrupt you, as it has everything else? Would you even survive? Perhaps most curious to me… would you, after all this time, attempt to find me? Now I know the answer.”

“Well that’s just… fucked.”

“I’m sorry you see it that way.” He said, frowning at her vulgarity. “Perhaps in time you’ll see it differently. Soon, I hope… I hope you’ll understand. Everything I’ve done has been for the future. A future which, I hope, is not in jeopardy after recent events. Bunker Hill did not go well for us. Would you care to explain what happened?”

“Uh, everyone died?”

“Elaborate.” He was getting increasingly agitated.

“We were ambushed. They were waiting for us.”

“You can imagine that I find it very hard to believe, given that all the intelligence leading up to this indicated we’d take them by surprise. Bunker Hill was to cement your place as a valuable asset to the Institute. It will now only raise suspicions. And to see the Brotherhood of Steel involved in this… they had no way of knowing what was going on. I will refrain from sharing the outcome with the Directorate for the moment. Things are already in motion that this would only derail. Speaking of which… it’s time for you to become more involved in the future of the Institute. I’d like you to join me inside. The Directorate is meeting, and you should be there. I’ll be waiting.”

Shaun zapped off in the familiar blue light. Quinn just stood there, rubbing her forehead. She didn’t want to get ‘more involved’ with the Institute and it’s bullshit. Deacon could tell she was feeling stressed out about it. “I’ll be waiting…” Deacon said in a mocking tone. He leaned to one side and looked at her ass, then grabbed it, causing her to jump. “You know, you do have pretty nice assets. I can see how that could be valuable.”

“Deacon!” She laughed and gave him a playful slap on the shoulder. “What would Hancock say?!”

“Nothing good, I’m sure. But, thing is, he’s not here to say it.” He gave her a wink and a smile causing them to both burst out in laughter.

“Speaking of Hancock, I need to go check in with him before he hears about Bunker Hill from someone else and freaks. You comin’?”

“Nah. I’m gonna head back to HQ. Don’t think your husbando would be very gracious towards my appreciation of your valuable assets.” He laughed. “I’ll see ya at HQ next time you’re around.”

“Could always zap you there instead of having to walk.”

“Thanks, but it’s not exactly far. I could do with a walk.” He told her. Deacon hugged Quinn a bit tight and took off towards Railroad HQ to report back to Desdemona. Q zapped just outside of Goodneighbor within seconds. She walked through the door into the town, seeing Brooks standing there giving her an appreciative smile for not startling him this time. He knew she was looking for Hancock and let her know he was down in the Third Rail with MacCready again. Quinn thanked him and headed that way. There was no sneaking into the Rail, too many people knew her by name now.

“Heya, sweetheart.” Hancock greeted her with a hug. “How’s things?”

Quinn sat down at the table with Hancock, Mac, and Emery. “That’s kinda why I’m here. There was a… situation… at Bunker Hill.”

“Heard about that.” Hancock shook his head. “Not much about it, but I know some bad shit went down. Lots of killin’ sounded like. Got word of someone takin’ out a buncha Brotherhood and synths. With help from the Railroad and some guy in women’s sunglasses.”

“Yeah… that was Deacon. Found him some fancy ass sunglasses a few days ago.”

“Wait, Quinny, were you there?”

“Uh, mighta been the one takin’ out the Brotherhood and synths.” She smiled at Hancock sheepishly, waiting on him to bitch at her.

“Shoulda known it was her.” MacCready said with a huge grin. “Hell, she’s not even my wife and I had a feeling…”

Emery was looking concerned again, like she had legitimate interest and worry. “Any Paladins there? Or an Elder?”

“Shit Em, I have no idea. I can’t tell ‘em apart.” Quinn shrugged, wondering why she wanted to know.

“Oh… don’t suppose there were any survivors…?”

“Nope. Not any Brotherhood, anyway. Somehow they found out that there were rescued synths there and were gonna take them out. The Institute wanted to re-acquire them. So, had to go help the Railroad. Shaun’s not happy the Brotherhood showed up, either. I think they’ll probably want to retaliate.”

“I see.” Em said, and then turned her attention to MacCready. “Mac, I got some stuff to take care of in Diamond City. I’ll see ya.” MacCready stood up but before he could say anything, she hugged him and walked off.

“Mac, you really gotta do something about her.” Hancock said. “I see the way you’ve been looking at her.”

“Yeah… Q noticed too. Days ago. She kinda reminds me of someone I once knew. I thought it might be the same person, but I don’t think so.”

“Do you know that for sure?” Quinn asked.

“Not 100%, but she’s got some guy with her that’s staying in Diamond City. His name’s Craig… some sniper. Which wasn’t her brother’s name.”

“Maybe it’s her man.” Hancock said with a shrug and a sly grin.

“Don’t… say that.” MacCready cringed a bit. “I don’t think it’s her, but I can hope.”

“Ask her!” Q told him in a somewhat irritated tone.

“Don’t want to. I’m afraid it’s not her and then I’ll be crushed.”

“So, you’re just gonna continue wondering if it is or not and drive yourself fuckin’ crazy? I mean, if you want to that’s your business. But I don’t recommend it.” Hancock said as he lit a cigarette.

“I’ll end up asking her. Just… not right now. I’m working up to it. Besides, I think she’s in a relationship.”

“With that Craig guy?”

“Nah. Think he’s her brother. It’s someone else. Actually, she almost makes it sound like she’s seeing a couple of guys.” MacCready cringed again.

“Hey, nothin’ wrong with that… if that’s what you’re into and okay with. If Quinn wanted to have some guy on the sidelines, I wouldn’t necessarily oppose as long as I didn’t find out about it. If I did, I’d want her to be honest with me and as long as it was justified, I wouldn’t object.”

Q looked at Hancock… “Yeah if you had another woman, I’d kill you in your sleep.”

Hancock squinted his eyes as he took a drag from his cigarette. “Good to know. But there ain’t no one that could measure up, so you don’t have to worry about that. You’re the only woman I want or need.”

“Good answer.” Mac said causing them all to laugh.

Quinn stared down at the table for a moment, then sighed. “I want to know why she’s so interested in the Brotherhood of Steel. I don’t want her to be one of them. Because if the Institute sends me in, it’s likely that everyone in the Brotherhood will get in my way - it’s what they do. I don’t want to have to hurt her. Certainly don’t wanna kill her.”

“I don’t want you to kill her either. She may not be who I hoped, but that doesn’t mean…”

“It doesn’t mean you don’t have interest in her. We know.” Hancock took another drag from his cigarette. “I’ll put some ears out and see what I can find. If she’s in with them, the only thing we can do is try to keep her away from that airship when shit goes bad. Mac, that’s where you come in.”

“And what am I supposed to do?” MacCready had no clue how he’d keep her away.

“Obviously Shaun will tell me what he wants me to do… and I can tip someone off so it’ll get back to one of you guys. That’s when you’re gonna have to suck it up and ask her out on a date. A real date - not bringing her here. Take her somewhere nice for a picnic or something where you won’t get killed. I’ll see if Deacon knows any places like that.”

“Someone say my name?” Deacon said, appearing outta nowhere as usual. He sat down next to MacCready, just across the table from Q and smiled at her.

“Thought you were going back to HQ.” She laughed, remembering his ‘assets’ comment.

“Decided to stop in, see how things were going in Goodneighbor. Make sure these two weren’t up to no good.”

“So, Deacon, seems you’ve been spending some time with Q… whatcha think?” MacCready enjoyed putting him on the spot.

“I think she’s a damn good shot. Railroad gave her the codename ‘Bullseye’ because of it.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Mac gave him a nudge and smiled. “She an attractive woman, surely that’s a bit… distracting.”

“Aw, Mac, you think I’m pretty?” Quinn smiled.

“Drop dead gorgeous is more like it.” Deacon muttered.

“Gorgeous, huh?” Mac was the only one who’d heard him.

“She is, and you know it too.” Hancock chimed in. “There’s nothing wrong with Deacon thinkin’ that.”

“Listen guys, I hate to cut this flattery short. But I gotta head back to the Institute, unfortunately. Shaun might start to wonder where I disappeared to. There’s some kind of meeting that he wants me to be part of, so they’re kinda waitin’ on me.” Quinn got up out of her chair and received a hug from all three guys. She noticed Deacon seemed to hang on to her a bit longer than everyone else did… Hancock noticed too, but didn’t say anything. He couldn’t blame Deacon, Q was definitely knock out.

She zapped back to the Institute and went to find Shaun to let him know she was ready for that meeting. He gathered everyone up and met in the conference room. To Quinn’s surprise, he announced that he had an advanced form of cancer and was dying. An even bigger surprise was that he wanted Q to become Director of the Institute. The other scientists opposed the idea. But, to be frank, she did too. Shaun kind of avoided the subject and moved on to talking about getting the reactor back online as a source of nuclear power. She didn’t really agree with that either. Once the meeting was over, she confronted him, trying to appear sympathetic even though she wasn’t. “I had no idea.”

“I know this is… well, it’s a lot to take in at once. I’m sorry, Mother. I hope it wasn’t too presumptuous of me to put you in charge without even asking first...”

“Yeah… I really don’t want to run this place.” She couldn’t help but be honest with him.

“Are you so sure? You seem to have a natural talent for leading by example, getting things done. This will suit you. And I think we can both agree the Institute will need the guidance. There’s no question that some of the Directorate, and the institute at large, will need reassurances about your appointment. That’s why I’d like you to take charge of this latest operation. Doctor Filmore can fill you in on the details. There are hard decisions ahead. For all of us, but for you especially. I know that you’ll do the right thing.”

She couldn’t even respond to that, she just walked out of the conference room in search of Dr. Filmore - whom she hated more than anyone else. Maybe being appointed Director was a good idea, then she would have all the information she needed and it would be easier to destroy the place. It didn’t take her long to locate that bitch Filmore, who seemed to be waiting on her.

“You’re going to lead this operation, I’m told.” Filmore said.

“I guess. If I’m going to lead it, I need some details here. I have no idea what I’m getting into.”

“Of course! That’s why we’re talking. Otherwise you’d be up top already. Recent events have upset our timetable; getting the reactor online has become our number one priority. It needs to be running… well, yesterday. We’re going to have to cut some corners. I’m not thrilled, but it means we’ll need to rely on some pre-war tech. You’re going to the Mass Fusion building to acquire a Beryllium Agitator for us.”

“Oh man, I have one of those, but it’s in my other pants.” Q said with a laugh, but apparently Allie Filmore didn’t think it was funny at all.

“You wouldn’t recognize one of it fell on your head. That’s why I’m going to retrieve it.”

Quinn shook her head in protest. “No way. You’re not going; you’d be a liability. Probably would get us both killed and, frankly, I’m not looking to die anytime soon.”

“Well, that’s about the most insulting thing I’ve heard in a while.” Filmore said, offended.

“Stick around, I’ll make sure you’re insulted much worse and much more frequently.”

“Fine. You’re on your own then. Good luck with that.” Filmore sounded extremely snide. Quinn didn’t care, she was tired of her shitty attitude. “Not to put pressure on you, but we have to move quickly on this. Word is that the Brotherhood is nosing around the area. We don’t want them getting the Agitator before we do. Head on up to the Relay, and they’ll get you over to Mass Fusion in a flash… pun sort-of intended.”

Quinn rolled her eyes and made her way up to the Relay. She knew that if she wasn’t the Brotherhood’s enemy after Bunker Hill, she would be once she’d finished at Mass Fusion. The Institute zapped her to Mass Fusion, then she zapped herself to Railroad HQ to let Dez know what was going on. Deacon had already made it back there as well, so he accompanied her. Q didn’t mind, she liked his company and she knew he’d watch her back. He grabbed her by the hand and she zapped them over to the top of the building.

Allie had said they were ‘nosing around’, what she didn’t say it Mass Fusion was loaded down with Brotherhood. It didn’t help that Q needed an ID card and that place was a fucking maze. Lucky for her, she found the ID pretty quickly. Along with a pair of sunglasses that she put on because they reminded her of Deacon. He smiled at her whenever he saw her wearing them. He didn’t care for the idea of taking out a bunch of Brotherhood, but he knew it was necessary - they were a threat to everything the Railroad was trying to accomplish. Plus, if they found out he was a synth, himself… they’d try even harder to kill him. He didn’t even attempt to keep count of how many they had to put down. Then again, Q did most of the shooting. They took an elevator down to a lower floor, where more guys were waiting - with guns. Lotsa guns. The Brotherhood even managed to cut the power. Deacon told Quinn to keep the baddies off of him so he could unlock the Development Manager’s terminal to restore the main power. As expected, she did a find job. He was amazed that she could maintain composure with bullets whizzing past her head. They took a different elevator down deep into Mass Fusion where the Agitator was. Deacon wanted to get it because he knew there was radiation in the area the Agitator was located, but Quinn refused. She knew exactly what it looked like because she apparently had one in another pair of pants - or so she told him. He didn’t argue much, he knew he wouldn’t win. At least she was in and out in a couple of minutes, if that. What they didn’t expect was the ongoing war once they reached the ground floor. Synths zapping in, Brotherhood everywhere. It was pure mayhem. Quinn and Deacon shot everyone, except each other.

Once everyone was dead, Deacon turned to Quinn, “You’re amazing, you know.”

“Oh?” She seemed surprised.

He took his sunglasses off and looked at her with his big blue eyes. The sunglasses were no longer darkening his vision and he could see her icy blue eyes as well, and just how beautiful she really was. Normally he saw her indoors, or at night time. It was the first time in a long time he’d let anyone see him without sunglasses on. He didn’t like people looking him in the eye, but with Q, he didn’t mind. Deacon reached out and took her hand. “I just…” He hesitated and before she could respond to his movement, he tugged her hand forcing her towards him and kissed her. Not for long, nothing major. “I’m sorry. I just needed to know what it would be like to do that.” He said as he removed his lips from hers. They both laughed it off. Quinn definitely had a slight crush on Deacon, she could admit that. The kiss was a definite surprise, though. She told Deacon that she needed to head back to the Institute with the Beryllium Agitator before they sent more synths out to find her. He agreed that that was probably the best course of action. She offered to take him back to the Old North Church, as usual… and as usual, he declined. She felt kinda guilty… she didn’t want to get Deacon in trouble with Hancock, but she felt she needed to tell him. Q didn’t feel guilty because it happened. She felt guilty because she kissed him back, and liked it. She zapped out of there and decided to stop in and tell Hancock immediately.

“John?” She yelled into the Old State House. “You home?”

“Yeah, babe, I’m here.” He yelled back from upstairs. As soon as she got upstairs, he knew something was up just by the look on her face.

“John, I need to tell you something.”

“Okay, shoot.” He said, somewhat worried.

“Don’t get mad…”

“I don’t like it when you start shit like that. Means I’m probably gonna get mad.”

“Deacon kissed me.” She went on to explain to him everything that happened at Mass Fusion. Quinn was upfront with Hancock, telling him exactly why she felt bad - because she kissed him back and liked it. She waited for him to rage, but to her surprise, he didn’t.

“Is that all?” He laughed, sounding somewhat amused. “Glad you told me, but it’s not a big deal.”

“It’s not?”

“Nah. Deacon’s a handsome guy. You’re a gorgeous woman. You can’t help but be attracted to one another. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you were honest with me. But it’s not a big deal.”

“I would murder you if you kissed another woman. I guess I’m too jealous…”

“Nah, you are who you are. You were alive in a different time, too. Keep that in mind. I can understand and respect that. It’s not something you need to be concerned about happening, because it won’t. I don’t care if you and Deacon kiss or something, I just don’t wanna see it. And I don’t want you fallin’ in love with him, either. Your heart is mine and only mine.” Hancock gave her a hug and a kiss to reassure her that he wasn’t angry. She could’ve had sex with Deacon and he wouldn’t have cared. It was pretty common to hear of people having multiple partners… those who didn’t, generally cheated. Hancock wasn’t the cheating type, so if Q wasn’t okay with it, he wouldn’t do it. He didn’t have the urge to anyway, he’d never find anyone more beautiful than Quinn. So even if she were okay with it, he still wouldn’t do it. She thanked him for being so understanding, even though there wasn’t a need for her to. He gave her another hug before she teleported back to the Institute.

-----

“Well, I see you managed on your own!” Dr. Filmore said as Quinn handed her the Beryllium Agitator. “I won’t lie; I was a little nervous you wouldn’t pull it off. Seems I needn’t have worried. I’ll make sure the Agitator gets where it needs to go. I understand Father is anxious to get you involved in something else. You’d better not keep him waiting.”

Shaun first wanted to congratulate Quinn on a job well done at Mass Fusion and to inform her that people were no longer questioning her allegiance to the Institute. “It is time to announce our presences to the Commonwealth, to request they do not interfere with our plans. You should be the one to do it.”

“Right, because no one up there suspects the Institute exists.” Quinn said sarcastically.

“This is not a joke. There has been too much posturing by too many groups. The world needs to know that we are in power, and the Commonwealth is ours. As the incoming Director it is your responsibility to lead, to establish that place for the Institute’s future. Please take this seriously. We’ve prepared some remarks for you to record. Once you’re finished, we’ll broadcast them to the entire Commonwealth. Use the microphone here, and follow this script. It’s quite simple. I’m sure you’ll do fine, Mother.”

She took the script and read it, knowing she wasn’t going to say everything that was written. She had her own plan. Q walked over to the mic and began recording. “For years now, you have suspected that the Institute still exists, that we are among you. It is true, but it is not the whole truth. We are here, and we are in control. Our superior technology represents the future of the Commonwealth. Today, we activate our nuclear reactor, ensuring that we will persevere long after the world above ground ceases to exist. Ensuring that mankind has a future. We have no desire to interfere in the unimportant details of your pointless struggles. Do not interfere with anything we are trying to accomplish. To do so would result in your complete annihilation. Rest easy. Know that the future is out of your control… and that mankind will thrive under our guidance, and ours alone.” As she finished, she turned and faced Shaun with a wicked grin.

“That was… interesting.” He said, obviously agitated that she didn’t stick to the script. “Perhaps not what we’d originally intended, but it will certainly get your point across, I suppose. Now it’s time to make sure that everyone hears it. How would you feel about making a little trip to Diamond City?”

“There must be someone else you can send for whatever this is.”

“We don’t have any other reliable above-ground operatives. And the locals are somewhat familiar with you. The radio station in Diamond City is listened to by many in the Commonwealth. If we’d like the people to hear what we have to say, it’s the best way to reach them. Before we… preempt their broadcast, we need to ensure it reaches the maximum range possible. I’ve been assure that the necessary parts are on-site. You’ll just need to install them to boost the broadcasting power. Report back when you’re done. We should be ready by then.”

“Great.” She rolled her eyes and teleported herself to Railroad HQ to pick up Deacon. He seemed happier to see her than usual. Without hesitation, he grabbed Quinn’s hand and she teleported them out.

“Diamond City. Watch what you say. If the Institute chose one place to infiltrate - we’re walking right into it.” Deacon told her in a quiet tone. They made their way to the caravan that housed Diamond City Radio and it’s DJ, Travis.

“Oh, uh. Hi. There.” Travis said nervously as Quinn and Deacon barged in. She hooked up the thing with the buttons, the thing with the dials, and the thing with the tubes. It took her a few tries, but she got it up and running. She knew her broadcast wasn’t going to make people feel any better about the Institute, which was exactly what she wanted. They left Travis alone and walked back outside. Q let Deacon know she’d have to zap back.

“Wanna grab a bite at the Dugout Inn first?”

“Synths eat?”

“No, but I’d be okay if you wanted to.”

“Nah, I’m okay. But thanks for offering.” She gave him a smile. Deacon asked Q if there was somewhere they could talk, in private. The only place she could think of was the house Kellogg used when he lived there. She had to pick the lock on it again, but it wasn’t an issue. They went in and he just stood there in the middle of the room “Deacon, is everything okay?” He nodded then ran his fingers through the pompadour wig he had on.

“Listen, Bullseye… about what happened at Mass Fusion…”

“Deacon, it’s behind us. It’s okay.”

“It isn’t okay.”

“Why not?” She was thoroughly confused.

“Because… you’re just… I dunno. There’s something about you that attracts me.”

“Deacon… I’m not that great. Believe me.”

“I’m sure Hancock would disagree.”

“That’s because he’s just as fucked up as I am.”

“We’re all fucked up, Bullseye. That’s the ‘Wealth for ya. Some of us have just seen more shit than others. And considering you’re over 200 years old… I think you’ve probably got me beat on that front. Face it, you’re amazing.”

“You know… I’m aware that you’re quite the liar… to put it bluntly.” She laughed. “It’s kinda hard to take anything you say at face value.”

“What about this?” He said as he removed his sunglasses and sent his lips crashing into hers. To his pleasant surprise, she began kissing him back just as she did at Mass Fusion. That act sent him reeling, causing his tongue to make its way into her mouth as his hands groped and grabbed at her ass. He wanted to do so much more with her, but he didn’t know what his limits were and didn’t want to push the boundaries. He pulled away from her. “Being around you… makes me want more of you… and I know that I shouldn’t.”

She looked at him, then had a somewhat sad expression on her face, “Does that mean we shouldn’t travel together anymore?”

“That’s not what I meant to imply… I definitely still want to travel with you. There may be times where I have a hard time keeping my hands and lips to myself.”

She smiled and hugged him, “I think I can handle that.” Quinn liked when Deacon kissed her. However, if Hancock cared, it definitely wouldn’t happen.