Tess slowly woke up, her arm instinctively reaching over to touch Nate. Her eyes opened and she groaned with realization. Her hair was now in her face, on the floor, everywhere. "Shit," she complained. Did she remember to pack a comb or brush?
She was reaching for the pack when she realized Jake was not in his bedding and then she smelled something. Was that food? Her stomach immediately did a back flip. Dogmeat, who had been sleeping right next to her, raised his head and wagged his tail.
She stood and did the best she could in a hurry to press down the wild strands of hair behind her and headed toward the smell. There was a door off the small room on the second floor and it opened to the roof of the building. Jake was sitting on some makeshift cinder block stool, bent over a large pot hanging from a stand. Some sort of stew was gently roiling inside.
"Well good mornin, darlin! Sleep good?" he smiled at her.
Tess stretched, enjoying the fresh air. "Actually I did, thanks." She eyed the pot he was stirring. Should I ask what it is?"
Jake chuckled. "Don't worry, everything in this would be available in your way-back-when." He stood for a moment and opened a container. It had something in it that she decided not to question. He tossed it to Dogmeat who gratefully started gnawing away at it and then he returned to the pot.
Ignoring Dogmeat's breakfast, she sauntered over and looked closer at the food Jake was preparing. It was all vegetables as far as she could tell. Huh. "So there's no meat? Not that I'm complaining," she gestured with her palms facing him, "just that, well, you know, from what I've seen..." she thought of that putrid cow from yesterday and shuddered. "I'm not sure I'm ready for that yet."
'Nope," Jake said, grinning as he stirred. "True, there's not a whole hell of a lot to eat around here, but I'm not bad at scavvin. I've found a lot of tinned goods and I keep them all in stashes around the Wealth; places no one would think to look." He turned his head and grinned up at her, "I gotta keep my girlish figure somehow, right?"
She laughed. Not only was this guy drop dead gorgeous, he was funny, too. Nate had made her laugh, but he wasn't as fluid and in-the-moment as Jake was. It was strange, she had never expected to compare her husband to anyone else. I mean, why would she? But in this new reality, it was definitely a topic in the front of her mind.
"It sure smells good." She looked around, squinting in the sun and thought of something. "Do the people here keep track of days and times, months and so on?" She felt it was a valid question but hoped he didn't look at her like she was an idiot.
"Some do, some don't. To some, every day is just another day. Then there are others who keep calendars, mark the sun and the hours. Hell, I know for a fact in Diamond City they have clocks that have been calibrated to the correct time, or as close as they could. Why?" he asked curiously.
This Pip-boy from the Vault, the display is malfunctioning. I can't see any dates or times on it."
Jake made a thoughtful expression. "I'm sure that's fixable!" He winked at her, tapped the ladle on the side of the pot then hung it on the horizontal bar of the cooking station. He looked at Tess, and frowned. She was lost in thought.
He stood and walked over to her. "I get it, this is all a huge adjustment," he started, placing a hand gently on her shoulder. "I may not know everything from your time, but I know enough. I'm willing to help you adjust if you like."
Before she could answer he took her hand and led her to a couple of crates. "Sit." She did. Then he took a couple of mismatched bowls and returned to the pot, ladling out some stew in each. And he even had spoons. "Eat," he gently ordered.
Holding the bowl in her hands she stared at it for a moment. It reminded her of an evening she and Nate had the Whitfields over for dinner. Codsworth had made them a hearty stew with steaming, buttered bread rolls. It was such a simple meal but it had been delicious and the couples had enjoyed a delightful evening, sharing stories, laughing.
And afterward, Nate had lit the fireplace and they sat on the couch, cuddled together, just... being. Fuck.
She put the spoon in the bowl, filled it up and tentatively put it in her mouth. The first thing she tasted was very earthy, like a legume of some sort, but the rest tasted like regular vegetables and broth. It was actually good. She took another spoonful and gladly downed it, and then another.
"Easy there tiger," Jake snickered.
Tess wiped her mouth. "This is surprisingly good, thanks Jake." She returned to her bowl.
"Happy to oblige, ma'am."
She felt Jake watching her and looked at him. She was suddenly slammed with a myriad of thoughts and emotions, like a fist to her heart. How did this man make her feel like she was right at home? As if this was their everyday life and she would think why would it be any different? She'd never known anyone like him. She'd never had to seek out the small blessings as they came in her past life, because she felt she already had them.
But here, in this stark existence... first she's given this supernatural dog, and now Jake. She dared to hope that other such blessings might fall into her lap and reunite her with her son. But she held that thought in with a secure fence of caution.
Her thoughts returned to wondering how some lucky woman had not snatched him up. She was so curious, but because he was showing her so much kindness, she didn't want to pry. It just amazed her, though.
She looked back down to find her bowl was completely empty and surprisingly, she was sated. She set it down and stretched again. Fuck sleeping on the floor. Now she knew what a football practice dummy felt like. At least the second half of her sleep was sound and dreamless.
"That was delicious. Hell, you keep making that and you can have all my MREs!" she giggled.
"You're on!"
She sat thinking for a few moments, then spoke, "Jake, there's something I wanted to run by you."
He set his bowl in his lap and looked at her expectantly. "What's that, darlin?"
"I was thinking, I mean since you seem to be so good with electronics, what if we used the Vault as a home base? In my old life we had a Mr. Handy, his name is Codsworth, and believe it or not he's still in Sanctuary. I think the three of us could get in there, maybe fire the place up. We'd be able to offer people real beds, lights and even showers.
Jake's spoon slipped from his hand into his bowl with a clank. He looked awestruck. "You really think we could do that? I mean, the vaults I've come across are locked up tighter than a Brotherhood bunker. How would we get in?"
Diamond City. Brotherhood. Deathclaw. She needed to start an 'ask Jake about this' list.
"Well, since I opened the exit with my Pip-boy, the guard post outside will now allow us to power the lift down. And I already cleaned most of the place out from those hideous, disgusting abominations." She felt her skin crawl and grimaced.
"I would never in a thousand years have expected to see cockroaches that fucking big!" Her smile dropped like a stone as she saw the look on Jake's face. "Jake? Jake, what is it?"
He returned from wherever it was he had been and shook his head slightly. "Oh, sorry darlin, it's just, I mean, I've always wanted to see the inside of one of the vaults. Had hoped to find more tech for my projects. Even thought I might find a better Pip-boy. This one took years to find. But to not only go into a vault but use it as housing? Well, that's, that's amazing! Great idea, darlin. I can see that this partnership is definitely going places!"
His smile had a magic. With all the fear and uncertainty that flitted inside of her like a dying butterfly, Jake's smile immediately snapped her right back. Aside from Nate, she had never felt this comfortable with anyone before.
Jake was so natural, so at ease with himself, and it was contagious. She smiled brightly back at him. "Good. Glad you agree. But there's something we need to take care of there first," she started, and saw the realization come to his face.
"Oh darlin, I'm so sorry, I'm an idiot, I should have thought of that myself." He reached for one of her hands and gave it a squeeze. "Look, you let me handle this, all right? Why don't you think of a spot he liked there in your town, somewhere you can visit. You said those people in the museum are going to Sanctuary, right? I'm sure I could get the men they have to help me and we'll even have a service for him. Does that sound good?"
A few tears got away from her and Jake reached over, wiping them away with his thumb. She nodded, "Jake, thank you so much, that sounds lovely. But..." she bit her lip, thinking, "I may need to, you know, show you where he is unless you think you all want to run around till you find him?"
Her heart felt like it had an anchor that had just been tossed into the deepest waters of the sea. They were planning an actual funeral. There were so many little details to attend to, so much to go through to say good bye to someone...
"Is the place that big?" Jake asked.
"To be honest, I really don't know. We were shuffled into these bays where the pods were and told they were going to decontaminate us. The bastards." She felt her anger now winning out over her pain. "When I got out of my pod I just fumbled through rooms until I found the way out. I wasn't in the best mindset to remember where to go left and where to go right."
She sighed deeply. "I think what I'd like to do is go with you and send you all down, at least then you'll know where the control panel is."
She felt the sting in her eyes yet again. "Now that I'm thinking about this I'm really not sure I could handle going in there until we've laid him to rest. And my neighbors. My poor neighbors." she was trembling again.
Jake stood up and pulled her with him, giving her a gentle hug, then gently kissed her forehead. "Don't you worry, darlin. It'll be done."
She smile at him with total gratitude.
"So, Preston said his crew was heading out today, and I thought we could join them, maybe you could even show them some of those gizmos of yours, help them get started, then we can recruit some of them to, you know..." she paused, composing herself. "I can talk to Codsworth as well about the plan."
"Let's do it," he said. "Oh, and by the way, forgot to tell you, those 'gizmos' are called ASAMs." He smiled at her quizzical expression. "Don't look at me, I didn't name 'em," he chuckled. "I'll pack up some gear while you go fetch them folks and meet you out front."
"Sounds like a plan." It was such a relief to know that her husband wouldn't just melt and rot in that fucking pod. He deserved a final resting place.
Tess made her way down the stairs and stopped to look at the floor. She decided Jake was right. The blood really did give the place a pop of color.
Holy fuck, was she acclimating that fast?
She shook her head and sighed then strolled over to the museum.
♦ ♦ ♦
The sun was bright as she stepped out of the hardware store. The banner hanging from the small museum balcony undulated in the faint breeze that blew in from the east. The streets were hauntingly quiet.
As she walked the short distance, she smiled, happy that Jake had agreed to help her. There was no way she could have taken care of Nate. Not just because he would have been too heavy for her to transport, but because, at this point, she would never have been able to complete the task emotionally. Jake's offer had lifted a considerable weight from her. And once they could actually move into the vault... well, that would help her to transform a place of horror into a place full of life.
Tess and Dogmeat entered the museum. She immediately saw Preston and his group in the lobby of the building. They were all chatting, rolling up gear, obviously preparing for their journey. She looked at each of them, hoping she remembered their names. She was usually good with names, a leftover from her education, she supposed.
Let's see, the man and the woman on the floor were Jun and Marcy Long. The rockabilly lookin guy with the overalls and pompadour was... Sturges, Preston of course, and the mysterious Mama Murphy. Once she got that sorted to mind she walked in to meet them.
Preston stepped forward. "Ma'am we can't thank you enough for what you did for us. If only there were more people like you in the Commonwealth."
"Was glad to help, Preston. Are you guys all right now?"
"We should be once we get to Sanctuary. Mama Murphy saw it, saw that we would settle there."
Tess turned to look at Marcy who had just coughed and muttered something under her breath. Tess wondered what her problem was.
And then Mama Murphy stood, looking directly at Tess with her cataract eyes. "Your son is alive. I can feel his energy. Go to Diamond City. Go to the Great Green Jewel..." And that was it. She sat back down like nothing had happened. Not unnerving at all. Not a bit.
She looked around but no one said a word. There was that 'Diamond City' again. She had to ask. "Mama Murphy? You know about my son? What is Diamond City, it's a place, right? Where is it? Is Shaun there?"
The old woman blinked and then looked up at Tess. "Sorry, kid, what did you say?"
Tess just stared at her. "You just told me about my son. You mentioned 'Diamond City.' How do you know about my son?"
Marcy groaned sarcastically.
"Yes, it's the Sight. Sometimes I get … pieces of things. Things from now, things from then, things from tomorrow. But, it's not always clear. Sometimes some chems help it along."
O... K... This woman was either the real deal – a tad creepy – or a complete lunatic. But her companions didn't seem to react. Well, that is except for Marcy, but from the brief moments she'd spent with this group, she had sized her up as a bit of a sourpuss.
Preston's voice, "No, Mama Murphy, you need to lay off that shit, they're no good for you!"
"Preston, do you even know how old I am? I was wipin snot off my kids' noses before your grandmama was outta her diapers," she quipped back.
Tess had to hold back a laugh. She liked this old woman. However, she wasn't sure about those house shoes. Why on earth would someone wander this desolate landscape in slippers? She made another mental note to add to the pile to find this poor lady some actual shoes. Just as Tess was about to speak, Marcy stood up looking like someone had just pissed in her Sugar Bombs.
"How long are we gonna keep listening to this shit? Huh? 'Oh, I seen it, I see the future, I know where we're going'" she berated sarcastically. But before she could say anything further, the stoic Sturges stepped in.
"Now hold on, let's not get all riled up. What's the problem here Marcy? Do you have a better idea? Are you in possession of some knowledge we don't have? How's about you tell us where we should go then."
Marcy sat down without a word, but Jesus, Tess could feel the heat blasting from her. Why was this woman so cantankerous?
She turned her attention to Preston. "I'm going to take the trek with you, and I have a new friend I'd like you all to meet – except you Marcy – who's right outside. I think you might like what he has to tell you. Shall we go?
Preston helped Mama Murphy to her feet, Sturges followed, and then Marcy got up in a huff, stormed off for the door, then stopped to yell at her husband. "Come on Jun, it's time to go!"
No wonder that poor man looked so beaten down. "Oh, Okay, coming," he answered meekly.
Tess just shook her head and left the building with them.
Outside, true to his word, Jake was waiting for them. That smile was waiting, too, and Tess wanted to think it was just for her. Why that thought even entered her mind she didn't know, but there it was. She smiled back and called him over. "Jake Evans, may I present the survivors of Quincy. This fine gentleman here is Preston Garvey, then there's Jun and Marcy Long, Sturges, who apparently doesn't have a last name," chuckles all around, "and last, but not least, Mama Murphy."
Jake nodded his head in greeting. "Very nice to meet you all. Glad you're all safe and unharmed. This lady here is somethin special. She has my gratitude as well. Saved my life, in fact."
If Tess's face got any hotter she would spontaneously combust. She wasn't expecting rave reviews like that. She really did only want that shiny badge.
Preston stepped forward and shook Jake's hand. "Pleasure." The others said their hellos. Well, all but one.
"Everyone ready?" Tess asked.
The group of them made the walk out of Concord, chatting and sharing their tales. They seemed like good people who had just had a bad run of luck. It made Tess feel even prouder that she had helped them. If there were others out there like them, she now knew she wanted to do what she could. People deserved kindness and safety. And those who made the decision to prey upon them deserved what they got.
She was also surprised that she wasn't feeling anything about the fact that she had just killed people. Shot and killed other human beings. Granted, she probably would have wanted to just from their actions, but her mind was still in her time, she was still a lawyer. And yet she had taken them all out as if she had done this every day. What was she becoming?
As they passed the rotting cow corpse Tess grimaced, unable to look at it, but kept up with the rest. That is until Dogmeat did an encore performance of his guard-and-growl almost exactly where they were on the road earlier. She damn near fell over him as he locked in his body.
Preston seemed to alert as well, pulling up his rifle. It was so quiet you could hear a flea fart, but then she heard it. It was a low rumble, like a shovel being dragged across the ground, only under the ground. She glanced at Jake who had already drawn his pistol. And then she saw them. There were not enough what the actual fucks left in her for this.
If she had to describe the things that came flying out of holes in the ground at them, she'd say shaved guinea pig mixed with beavers with a side of baby pig. It was so ridiculous, so surreal, so horrifying that she actually had no reaction at all. Just instinct. And that instinct was to have a rifle in her hands, right this damn minute.
She immediately flanked the one on the left and saw Preston go right. Sturges grabbed Jun, Marcy and Mama Murphy and pulled them further back. Dogmeat was already at work on one of them as everyone started firing. But the fucking things would go back under the ground! It was like playing whack-a-mole, with the prize being, Congratulations, you get to live today!
It only took a few minutes and they were finally all dead. The sounds had died out and it was dead quiet again, save for her heaving breaths and those of her companions. Tess raised her hand like a kid in school. They looked at her puzzled. "Excuse me. Excuse me people. I'd like to politely ask you all something."
"What in the blue fuck were those?!!!"
Sturges was dying laughing, hell even Marcy accidentally let out a snicker. Jake was laughing and even Preston let out a chuckle.
"Sorry, darlin, I shoulda given you some wasteland bestiary lessons before we headed out. Those are what we call molerats. As you can see, they burrow in the ground and pop up at ya, like moles. 'Cept they're a tad bigger than the ones you probably remember."
She looked at him incredulously. "Ya think?!" But then she started laughing, too. "Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ, they scared the shit outta me!" She held her hand over her thundering heart. "I marvel at you all, surviving things like this, I really do." She noticed that Preston had gone quiet and his face had turned serious.
"Tess," he started, "How is it that you don't know about molerats? And I noticed when we first met you had a strange look when I mentioned ghouls, as well." He turned to Jake then back to Tess. "I'm sensing something here, what's going on?"
She looked at Jake and he said, "This is all you, darlin."
"Well," she started, and proceeded to tell them about the vault, frozen by Vault-Tec in 2077, how she escaped, ended up in Concord to see if other people might be alive, and the rest was history. There were some astonished gasps, a couple of wows, and then - surprise, surprise - one voice that just had to be that person who shit on the birthday cake.
"Oh, great. Like we didn't have enough with Murphy, now we have a time traveler?" she scoffed.
Tess had had enough. She marched right over to the unpleasant woman and got in her face. "Look, lady, I know you've all been through something horrible. I know living in this world of yours is no picnic. But you need to watch your mouth. You disrespect an elderly woman because you just don't happen to believe what she says. Well boo fucking hoo for you. But if you have a problem with me, I suggest you take it up with me. No one needs your snide comments right now."
Everyone was frozen in place, shock on their faces. Marcy was clenching her fists but didn't move.
"Good," Tess finished. Can we go now?" She didn't wait for a reply, she simply motioned at Dogmeat who trotted right by her side up the road toward Sanctuary. She heard footfalls behind her, catching up.
"Darlin?" Jake said in a placating tone. "Hey," he gently took her arm. His mouth opened to speak but then he suddenly burst out laughing and quickly put his hand over his mouth to muffle it. She was still fuming but as before, Jake flipped her mood like a light switch. "I'm sorry Darlin, but... you are a little spitfire!"
She tried hard not to crack a smile, she really did. "Shut up," she managed, then snaked her arm through his and they smiled all the way in to Sanctuary.
It was around noon, by the position of the sun and the best she could tell, when they made it to Sanctuary. Tess stopped on the wooden bridge for a moment, really looking at her home town again. A breeze was blowing over the water in the river that ran under the bridge.
She could smell the water, the earth, the trees. It should have brought her comfort but she felt numb. Dogmeat turned and looked at her, giving a small whimper in sympathy. She looked down at him with a wan smile. "Yeah, buddy, I used to live here."
Preston was passing on her right just then. "Did I hear you say you used to live here?"
She looked at him with tired eyes. "Yes. Until 2077. Until the day we fled into that vault." Her eyes returned to the sad vista of empty and ruined houses that had been so pristine and welcoming only a couple of days ago. "It was a pretty place then, Preston. Green grass, picket fences. Great neighbors," she trailed off.
"Damn," Preston said, joining her in taking in the view. "I really am sorry. It seems we all have similar problems, losing our homes and loved ones, but I can't imagine having to do it in a world I don't even know anymore. Just know that I'm here for you if you ever need me. That's what being a Minuteman is all about. But I really mean it. You saved our asses and we owe you."
She smiled at him. "I appreciate that Preston. As hard as this has all been to process, and my first experience with other humans was to be shot at by those bastard raiders, I'm starting to feel a spark of hope meeting people like Jake and you guys. I need to find my son, but if I'm going to be living out my life in this world, I don't see why I can't also help make it a better place for him while I do."
He put a hand on her shoulder, "He's going to be so happy to see you again, you'll see. And if there's any way I can help you find him, just holler." He strode off with the rest of his people to look over the layout, check the houses.
Jake stood at her side and took her hand. They stood for a while like that, just holding hands, feeling the noon day sun and the cool breeze. All these people gave her hope for her life in this altered reality. But would she ever really adjust? Completely feel a part of this world? She just didn't know.
Everything was still so new and raw. Her heart was so heavy. The loss still not fully comprehended, let alone processed. If it weren't for the need to find her baby, and the companionship of this remarkable man, she may have thought about chewing on that Glock.
She smiled at Jake and he smiled back. "Shall we?" she asked.
"Lead on, darlin."
They headed into town.