Nick Valentine was being obstinate. He was being as unreasonable as usual. Marian knew her plan was a good one. She knew it would work. She was a natural strategist, she ran the possible scenarios through her head, and this one was the one that worked best.
“Absolutely not!” Valentine shouted again. “I can’t even believe you would suggest I would like this idea.”
Marian was getting tired of Valentine’s arguments, or lack of. He hadn’t really said why this plan wouldn’t work, just that he didn’t like it. Marian wanted to get ready and start the plan.
“Why not? It can work.”
“I’m not arguing about the possibility of it working. I’m arguing about the amount of risk involved in this foolish plan of yours. You’re going to get yourself killed.”
“That’s why you’re going to keep an eye on me,” Marian shouted back. “If things go awry, then I will be counting on you to get me out of there.”
“You’re counting on me to watch idly while you get kidnapped and killed,” Valentine protested.
“I thought that was your secret dream. Do you have a better plan?”
“Suicide is not a plan! We can find the caravans some other way. We just need to consider the case.”
This again. Valentine seemed to keep forgetting that Marian was a bodyguard. Not being afraid of dying is one of the things that makes a bodyguard good at their job. Marian was always proud of a successful job. Every time she failed someone, that was another name in her book. Marian hated the idea of putting the names “Knick Knack” and “Knock Knock” in her book.
“And while we deliberate, more caravans disappear, with no one thinking anything about it. People are dying Valentine, time may be our luxury, but it is not theirs,” Marian pointed out.
“What do you need to do this job,” Hancock asked quietly.
Marian was glad for Hancock’s diplomacy at that moment. His friendship may have turned out to be false, but he was still a good mayor. She would still help him protect Goodneighbor, even after this mission was complete.
“I’ll need a different outfit. Something to make me look like a desperate trader just starting out. I’m thinking hooded rags would work best, but even an under shirt and slacks would work. I’m probably going to need a pipe pistol, Faenus is too obvious for a trader.”
“You named your gun?” Cait asked.
Of course, Cait would find anthropomorphizing anything to be naïve. She was a woman of action and taking the time to consider what to call a weapon other than its caliber would be a waste of time for her.
“It’s a reminder,” Marian said quickly before turning her attention back to Hancock. “I will also need a brahmin, but I’m worried that may be asking for too much.”
“It’s not,” Hancock corrected her bruskly. “I know where Kelly has been wandering around recently, I’ll send someone to buy a brahmin from her.”
“I’ll go see what Daisy has,” RJ announced as he stood up. He walked to the door and out the office.
“Check with KL-E-O as well,” Hancock called to him as RJ left. “Put anything you buy on my tab.”
“NO!” Valentine shouted. “Stop helping her. I refuse to be an accessory to this plan. We can find them another way. I just….” Valentine stopped talking suddenly.
Marian looked over at the detective. She was worried he may be glitching again. Anytime he wasn’t replying directly to someone she found herself worrying that he may be glitching. Now he was looking around, he almost seemed afraid to make eye contact with her. Was he that disgusted by her? Was it just that he wanted to kill her himself?
“Valentine, are you ok?” Marian asked.
“I just, I don’t like this plan,” Valentine said once again. “There is a way to do this that doesn’t put you in danger.”
“Neither of us has come up with anything else that won’t take days or weeks to fully realize,” Marian argued. “We don’t know how many people could die in that amount of time. This is the fastest way.”
Valentine was silent, Marian knew she had won the argument. She wished that there was a better plan. She would have done anything for a plan that would be guaranteed to work, but one was not forth coming, and time was not their ally. Valentine still didn’t want to do the plan though. He must have a code about protecting his partners. Maybe, if she wasn’t his partner anymore, he’d be comfortable with her dying.
“You don’t have to do this,” Marian pointed out. “I’ll have Cait or RJ keep an eye on me. You can do your case your way.” She held out the file that she was keeping. She wasn’t going to need it anymore.
Valentine looked at the case and pushed it back gently. “No, I’ll do it. I just don’t like it.”
“Thank you,” Marian said. Somehow, the thought of him watching out for her gave her some comfort. He wouldn’t have fought so hard to keep her from getting killed if he planned to shoot her himself. Maybe he did, and this was a distraction. It didn’t matter, as long as the case was solved. She turned towards Hancock again. “Is there a back door to Goodneighbor? If someone saw me leave here and turn around to come back in, they will be suspicious.”
“There is a tunnel from a house in town to a warehouse some ways North from here,” he answered. “I had some of my boys try to figure out how to fill it without causing a cave in. I guess it’s a good thing they haven’t figured that out yet.”
“It’s best if we move to the house is small groups,” Valentine put in. “A large group will draw attention, even if it’s with you.”
“I can leave now with Cait,” Marian said, hoping for some alone time with Cait before she had to face her own foolishness.
“I’d rather you go with Nick,” Hancock interrupted. “You two should have your part of the plan together before you start it. Cait and I will catch up.” He stood up and walked over to Marian while stuffing his hand into a pant’s pocket. He drew out a key and handed it to Marian. “Nick, you know the place? Bobbi-No-Nose’s old digs.”
Marian felt disappointed as she stood up to accept the key. She was really hoping for a last fuck, and she had no doubt that Cait would have been amazing in bed. Hancock was the one who hired her, and he was the one who got to make the final decisions. Planning with Valentine was what she had to do.
“Yeah, I know where you’re talking about. I was with Nate when he was on that Silver Shroud kick, and she first offered him the job. Come on, Doll,” Valentine said standing up. “I’ll show you where this house is.” There was still a reluctance in his movements as he escorted her out of the office, Marian couldn’t help but feel that she had a similar reluctance as she gathered her backpack and Faenus before following the detective out of the Old State House. She couldn’t really blame him for not wanting to be alone with her if he could avoid it.
Before they were out the door, Valentine took Marian’s backpack from her again. She didn’t bother to protest. He needed to feel useful, and the man was probably hurting from losing their fight. Marian was only grateful that he wasn’t being petty about it. He wasn’t being petty yet, at least.
Marian waved to a member of the Neighborhood Watch that she was friends with, and to RJ and Daisy as she and Valentine made their way through the streets. She expected him to berate her on calling attention to herself, but he was quiet. He simply led her through an ally and to a double door. She unlocked the two sets of doors and they entered the building.
The front room left a lot to be desired. The inch of dust showed that foot traffic almost exclusively moved straight to the basement. Valentine followed that dust trail without paying any attention to it. Marian wanted to explore the house but followed Valentine and her disappearing backpack instead.
After they arrived in the basement, Valentine deposited the backpack gently next to the stairs, and made his way to the refrigerator. It was easy to see why the dust had a trail to the basement, this room was arranged like a furnished apartment. There was even a bed in two different corners. Maybe Marian would be able to come back to this room with Cait after everything was wrapped up and RJ has his friends back.
Valentine’s movements took Marian’s attention away from the bed and the promise it held. He was putting some food on a plate.
“I thought you didn’t need to eat,” Marian jibed.
“I don’t,” he answered, “this is for you.”
He turned around and handed her a plate with what looked like mole rat chunks on it. Marian found herself staring down at the meat for a beat too long before she accepted the plate. Suddenly the possibility of not surviving the day weighed on her. She was used to putting herself in danger. The trick was to not think about what would happen to her. She would only think of the other person. But Valentine for some reason had to point out that she would be in danger. He argued it so vehemently, that she couldn’t help but think about it. She picked idly at the food.
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“I want you to be physically prepared when we do this,” Valentine said. “Hancock is right, we should discuss the plan before we start it.”
“What is there to discuss,” Marian asked, wanting to think about something other than the plan at that moment. Maybe he would be willing to talk about books again. He never told her what his favorite was. “I go running around the Commonwealth looking like I’m heading in the general direction of Goodneighbor, and you follow along until I get kidnapped, and we both find out where they are taking the caravans together.”
Valentine placed a hand on Marian’s shoulder. There was that comforting hand again, so much concern on his face. He should be happy that there was a possibility for things to go wrong. It would get her out of the Commonwealth. Away from him. She looked down at the plate in her hand and realized for the first time that she had been tearing apart her food without actually eating it.
“I want you to know, at the first hint of danger, I’m pulling the plug on this job,” he told her.
Was he trying to reassure her? Maybe he was trying to sabotage her. It was her plan, of course he would want it to fail. He was good at hiding his pettiness. He made it look benevolent instead. Marian knew that game.
“Don’t,” she told him. “I know you want me to feel safe, but I don’t matter. There are at least two people who need to be rescued. Probably more. Compared to that, I can’t measure up.”
Valentine looked both shocked and hurt. “Marian, we don’t even know if they are alive. They were probably killed, and their bodies were removed. There is no point in getting killed for someone who is already dead.”
There it was again, reminding her that she was putting her own life at risk. She would have been able to do this, she would have consumed all of the food on her plate, and even managed a nap before doing any work. Instead, Valentine’s words had worked their way into her head. She couldn’t stop hearing his arguments. The implications of her dying on the job kept ringing in her mind. She had to focus on what she had used to chase away her doubts. Doubts were not just going to get her killed, but cause the plan to fail as well. It was okay for Valentine to want her to die, but he should care enough to save everyone else.
“I was supposed to be dead over a decade ago, Valentine,” she told him with perhaps too much firmness. “If I die like RJ’s friends, then I guess I’m going to be in good company.” Even though she used Valentine’s name, she knew she was just reminding herself.
Valentine visibly flinched at that statement. He pulled away from her, letting his hand drop. She didn’t have time for his comfort. Comfort was addictive, it would get her killed if she let herself have it. The detective moved his mouth like he was trying to say something, but nothing was coming out. Marian felt a flash of fear that he was glitching, again. She could tell he wasn’t, but that moment of doubt was still too much.
She let out a sigh, he was just trying to look out for her. “I know you aren’t used to this kind of thing,” Marian told him, looking towards the refrigerator, “but this is my job. I am always ready to die; I cannot be afraid to die. I am not afraid to die. If you want to do anything for me, then do that damn diagnostics check you are always talking about.”
Valentine seemed to come back to himself. “Why does that worry you so much?” he had the audacity to ask.
NO! Marian had had enough. It was bad enough that Valentine let himself glitch the first time, but now he wanted to pretend that it was not supposed to affect her. He may be a person, but he was still a robot. She may have been trying to ignore that, she was trying to do the opposite of what her family would have done, but she was not going to die for the sake of this man’s sensibilities.
“Why does that worry me so much?” she repeated with all the vitriol she felt against him. “I spent sixteen hours trying to keep you from walking into the river because you went too long without a diagnostics check. Now every time you make an expression I don’t expect, I think you’re about to glitch on me again. Do you think I’m going to feel safer with the idea that you’re out to sabotage my plan when I’m not even sure you’re going to be now when things go astray? We both know you want me to die, stop acting like you feel any other way!”
She wasn’t sure if she went too far reminding him about his glitch, but she said it, and she had to own it now.
Before the two partners could say anything, the front door to the house could be heard opening and closing.
“Hello?” RJ called out.
“Down here,” Valentine responded.
Marian and Valentine stood staring at each other as they listened to RJ’s heavy footfalls into the basement. Marian knew the fight wasn’t over. She wondered idly if they had ever finished a fight they had yet. She was still alive, so probably not.
“Hancock told me you two would be here,” he said as he walked down the last few steps, oblivious to the argument that had just happened. “Daisy said this should be in your size.”
Marian accepted the radstag hide outfit her brother held out to her. “These will be perfect,” she told him reassuringly. She walked past RJ pushing the plate she was carrying into his hands before she hurried upstairs, making sure not to look back at Valentine.
She moved to the remnants of the upper floor where she could look down on the entry floor. As she changed her clothes, she kept thinking about Valentine’s promise to end the plan if anything went wrong. That didn’t make sense, the plan only worked if she got attacked. She needed to be in danger in order to be able to get anyone else out of it. Why would he care anyway? He should want her out of the Commonwealth. She really did not understand that man.
She had to change her thoughts before she found herself too scared to do her job. She started thinking about her books. She thought of Anne of Green Gables. Anne would have enjoyed doing something like this. Pretending that she was a trader.
Marian gathered Faenus and her folded clothes and hurried down into the basement. Before she got to the last set of stairs, she stopped at the sound of Valentine and RJ talking.
“So, you would rather sacrifice your sister for your friends?” she heard Valentine’s voice say harshly.
“It’s not like that,” RJ seemed to be pleading. “It’s just…I’ve known her since the day I left Little Lamplight. We’ve worked on the caravans for a long time together. I’ve seen her survive things I never thought anyone would survive.”
“And that’s enough to have her survive something we don’t even know if anyone else has survived? Don’t you care about her?”
Marian felt her anger raise up against Nick Valentine. It was one thing to be actively sabotaging her, it was another to be attacking her little brother with such low blows.
“Of course, I care about her!” RJ said. “You think I like the fact I thought the last time I was ever going to see her was seven years ago? I hate the fact she wants people who care about her to consider her dead at any given moment. But I know why she’s like that, and I know I can’t stop her. The best anyone can do is hide the bigger threats to her and direct her towards the smaller ones.”
“What can be bigger that this?” Valentine asked.
Marian knew. She knew RJ was trying to keep her from going back to the Capital Wasteland. What’s worse, was she knew she was letting him control her. After she saved the caravans, she would have to stop letting him do that.
“RJ, it fits perfectly!” Marian announced loudly before moving down the stairs, ending the conversation between the two men.
Marian hurried into the room, ignoring any looks that Valentine may have been giving her. She placed her usual outfit and Faenus next to her backpack. She didn’t need any of her possessions to call attention to her.
“It looks good on you,” RJ lied. He held out a pipe pistol and some ammo to help complete the costume.
“As long as I look convincing, that’s the important thing.” She accepted the weapon and ammunition. At least she looked the part.
“How long until Hancock gets here?” Valentine asked.
“He said he was going to come as soon as he gets word that the brahmin is ready,” RJ explained. “He will take you two to the brahmin, and then the rest of us will wait in the Old State House.”
Valentine took out a cigarette and placed it in his mouth. He pulled out his lighter, then stopped and put his lighter back in his inner coat pocket. He took the stick out of his mouth and handed it to RJ. “Here kid, you’re probably going to want this while you wait.”
RJ took the cigarette and pocketed it. Marian was glad Valentine was going to be so polite to her. But the anticipation of the upcoming job had her wanting to smoke.
“You can smoke if you want,” she told Valentine. “Just go into one of the upper rooms and it won’t bother me.”
Valentine shook his head. “No, I promised you I wasn’t going to smoke for the rest of this case, and I plan to keep that promise.”
Marian was shocked and honored. The fact that Nick Valentine, someone who never seemed to go two minutes without a cigarette, was willing to ignore loopholes to his promise, made Marian feel insignificant to the honor he was placing on her.
The front door sounded again, and this time they listened to two sets of foot falls.
“It’s too quiet here,” Hancock announced. “Don’t tell me you two managed to kill each other already!”
“We’re in the basement,” Valentine called.
Hancock walked down the stairs followed by Cait. Marian could feel her clit tighten in anticipation for the promises Cait had made. Her mind drifted to the mattress in the corner again. She smiled up at the red head.
“I’m glad you’re here to see me off,” she told her.
“I was hoping to be breaking up a fight,” Cait said. “I’ve heard the battles between you and Nicky are becoming legendary, and what I saw earlier made me believe it.”
Marian chuckled. “Why would he want to kill me now, when some raiders will do the job for him pretty soon?”
“I’m hoping things will not come to that,” Hancock told her.
Marian ignored the ghoul as Cait wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to the other woman. She smiled back at the redhead, “Don’t worry,” she told Cait as if it was the cage fighter who spoke, “I will come back. Perhaps a reminder of what I am coming back to?”
“You really are full of corny lines,” Cait accused.
“I would try something less corny,” Marian admitted, as she wrapped her arms around the other woman’s shoulders, “but something tells me that the corny lines will still get me the results I like.”
Cait smiled before kissing her. Cait was not a shrinking violet. She was forceful and knew what she wanted. Kissing Marian, and pushing her tongue between the bodyguard’s teeth. Marian accepted, laying her arms on Cait’s shoulders. Cait responded by placing one hand on the back of Marian’s head, pulling her in as much as she could. Her other arm moved down until her hand was on Marian’s buttocks, she pulled at it, Marian wished Cait could be pulling her pants off instead.
And then Nick coughed, and Marian had to remember there were other people in the room. She broke away from the other woman, facing the three men. Hancock and RJ were smiling at her, while Nick was scowling.
“Would you two like a room?” the uptight detective asked.
“Just wanted something to remind me why I should want to come home alive,” she shot back at Valentine.
Nick took on a stoic look, leading Marian to shift her gaze back to Cait.
“Wait for me?” she requested.
“Take care of yourself, Treasure,” the Irish woman instructed. “I'd hate to loose you.”
“Everything is in place,” Hancock informed them. “One of my guys is waiting with the brahmin near Country Crossing. You can move it towards Goodneighbor.”
“I still don’t like this plan,” Nick protested.
“If this doesn’t work by the time we get back, we can try your plan next,” Marian hissed. She pulled Cait closer, enjoying the feel of the other woman’s warmth against her one last moment.
“Come on,” Hancock said, “I’ll escort you there.”
Marian let go of Cait and started following Hancock to the tunnel that was waiting for them. “Watch my crap,” she told RJ as she passed him.
“I will,” he promised.
She listened as Valentine’s footsteps followed behind her. She hoped he was being honest with her, that he was more willing to keep her alive than see her dead. She just couldn’t convince herself that he wasn’t going to sabotage her in some way.