Chapter Text
“Shaun, I really like that name.” There’s a little baby curled in Nora’s arms. She’s tired, she’s exhausted, she’s sore but there’s a small smile on her lips. For months she’s been queasy, nervous. She didn’t know if a baby was right for her. She never truly wanted a child. Work had always been her thing. Nate wanted one. She’d follow Nate to the ends of the Earth - if he ever went there. The man retired from the Army to be a mostly stay at home dad. He’d never go to the ends of the Earth. Now Shaun is wrapped tight in a blanket, breathing evenly in her arms. This little boy with the perfect mix of their features. Right in between Nate’s dark skin and Nora’s light skin. A combination of Nate’s blue eyes and Nora’s bright green eyes. Her heart was swelling. She felt like she could cry.
“So… Shaun is a good name?” Nate asks lightly, his large calloused hands reaching out to cradle her face. Thumb wiping away a tear. Scratch that - Nora was crying.
“Ma’am, Ms. Wright is here. She is doing her infamous snooping instead of just going in.” Codsworth's thick British accent floats in through the window. Nora blinks. The heavy memory still blurs the lines between the present and the past. Another blink, head and heart weighing her down. She reaches up her own hand to wipe away the tear that did fall. The tear that came through the fabric of her reality from the past.
“Codsworth, you - I --” Piper’s whispering, but it’s so rushed that it’s a louder whisper. Something a little desperate. The past starts to fade away, the heavy ache on her heart thumping away. Nora blinks one more time, breathes in. She realizes her grip on the edge of the dilapidated crib is turning her knuckles white. She releases her grip. Stands up straighter, her vault suit flexing. The armor is suddenly heavier than her heart.
There is nothing in this world that’ll make the heartbreak go away. The pain will always be there, but there are some things that make this new life worth living. Quite a few things actually. “I was giving her a moment, Cods!” Piper whisper rushes towards the robot that is just always hanging out around the house. The house he doesn’t have to fix up, can’t really fix up, but he wouldn’t leave it unless he were dead. Nora turns, runs her own calloused fingers over the SPECIAL! book on the also dilapidated dresser next to the dilapidated crib. She can’t find it within herself to move or change anything about this room. Nobody else seemed to touch them either. Nobody touches this house. She feels like that’s a combination of Preston and Codsworth. Both of whom are incredibly trustworthy and loyal to her.
“I would prefer you come in, Piper.” Nora finally says, a soothing voice the right octave to float out through the building with a million holes in it. A million wounds, as if that’s some reference to her own life. The pause outside is heavy. Nora breathes in one more, but then she smiles. She knows exactly why. While Piper is an incredibly confident and adept reporter, her confidence lacks in relationships. Even Codsworth is perfectly aware (or maybe he just understands more because - even for a robot - he had to suffer hundreds of years of heartbreak of losing his family) that Nora would prefer Piper over any moments. All moments are just extremely cognitive flashbacks of a life that was ripped away from her.
Anything else is truly preferable than thinking about the loss of her husband and son. The cruelty of the Institute that led to everything past that too. The loud silence is finally broken by Piper’s boots tracking across the debris ridden floor to Shaun’s old bedroom. Nora’s hand reaches up to touch the mobile that was only fixed for a very short while. She never did get to thank Nate for doing that. That mobile was a life saver trying to get Shaun to sleep.
“Hi, Blue.” Piper’s voice is low, like it’s melting, something comfortably smooth. She leans her shoulder against the doorframe. Nora can feel Piper’s brown eyes on her back.
“Hello, honey. Did I miss anything while I was gone?” A pause, Nora turning. Her eyes are probably still puffy from the crying she didn’t even realize she was doing. Her voice was steady though. Piper’s head tips upwards - that just confirms they are still either red or puffy or maybe both. Nora’s hands reach up. Fingers of one hand gliding along Piper’s jawline, the other hand flicks Piper’s hat off her head. Piper smiles, opens her mouth to say something, but decides against it when Nora leans forward to press her forehead against Piper’s. Piper’s hands reach up, trying to find purchase along the vault suit, maneuvering around all that handmade armor to wrap around muscle.
“I have a story for you. A long one. First, ask me how I knew you were back.” Nora laughs, this soft and breathy thing. It almost sounded relieved.
“Alright, alright. How did you know I was back?”
“I just saw The Vault Dweller punch a mutant right in the face!” All of that was absolutely exaggerated to sound just like the theatrical version of a male settler getting drunk in Diamond City. Nora doesn’t even have to ask. She just knows. “So, uh, you definitely have stories.” Nora pulls back just the slightest. Green eyes open. The hand along Piper’s jawline adjusts until her thumb can run across Piper’s bottom lip. Piper’s mouth opens in awe just the slightest. Brown eyes lock with green. Maybe all of this was the universe’s apology. Here Nora, here’s an empathetic, kind and selfless reporter that’ll love you unconditionally. Sorry about your son and your husband. We didn’t take away Codsworth though! Nora leans in to press the softest, lingering kiss along Piper’s bottom lip.
“I asked you first, Piper.” Nora’s voice was a whisper, seductive and playful all together. Piper breathes out a small laugh.
“Nora?” Piper asks and Nora raises an eyebrow out of slight surprise, but she also hums in reply - the go ahead for Piper to finish. “You - uh - I, I just hope you know that if you ever wanted to talk about Shaun or Nate, I am absolutely one hundred percent here to listen. Not just in, like, ooh Piper is a reporter mode but, as in, you know, um - I just get how much they mean to you and I don’t think losing my father is comparable but I just know I’m never going to get over him and I - ooh - I don’t really know. I think what I’m trying to say is I’m just here for you.”
You know - Nora’s just about an inch taller than Piper. The perfect height to press a kiss against Piper’s forehead. So, that’s exactly what she says before whispering, “I know.” Nora takes a step away from Piper to hold out her hand. Piper just smiles - again before setting her own hand into the palm of Nora’s. “You’re right, I’m never going to get over them but the thing is - that’s my past life. Sometimes it’s going to haunt me. This - right here - you, me, Nat. The minutemen. All the good we’re doing. This is the present. I want to live in the present.” Nora’s eyebrows raise. The very facial expression for: that’s that. She takes a step forward into the hallway, tugging on Piper’s arm until Piper finally walks too. “So, let’s go home. You and I. You still have a story to tell me.”
Yeah, home. Diamond City. With a rebellious teenager that acts like she isn’t fond of falling asleep on either Piper or Nora’s lap, snoring away. That robot that doesn’t make sense while making noodles is something homely too. “It’s a long story…” Piper starts, which means she’s about to make a long story short: “I was voted in as Mayor.” Nora nods along for a fraction of a second before the words fully develop in her head. They’re just outside Nora’s old house, Codsworth humming away when the words do hit.