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Cait can hardly contain herself when they reach Fizztop Mountain. Her fists are balled, nails digging into her palms; her jaw is clenched so tightly her teeth could shatter. This place is Hell, a repeat of everything she’s been through multiplied ten-fold. Standing on the balcony overlooking the park, she turns to Frank with an expression more harsh than usual, barely able to keep herself from screaming at them.
“You better have a damn good reason for agreein’ to this shite,” she says, venomous.
Frank looks at Cait. “We’re going to kill every single one of these bastards,” they reply calmly, “but not yet.”
Cait sneers, “The hell do you mean?”
“There’s too many of them. We can handle one gang, not all three.” Frank shifts their weight on their feet. “They have home field advantage, too. Gotta do recon.”
“Yeah? And then what? Call in the Brotherhood?” Cait crosses her arms. “I can’t wait that long.”
Frank shakes their head and looks out over the park. “Just Spatha squad and our power armor. Maybe Danse and MacCready.” They sigh and turn to Cait, softening. “I’m so sorry.”
“You didn’t know what we’d be walkin’ into. Sure coulda gone without thinkin’ you were actually gonna go along with Gage.”
“I’m sorry. It happened too fast, there wasn’t any time to explain.”
Cait nods. It’s basic survival – saying no while surrounded by bloodthirsty raiders is certain death. There’s no way Frank would truly agree to that… they’re no friend to those types. She uncrosses her arms and tries to relax, taking deep breaths to calm herself.
“I dunno how long I can stay here without losin’ me goddamn mind,” she says, voice wavering despite her best efforts.
“I know,” Frank says, resting their hand on Cait’s cheek “I’m not asking you to stay. I can do the recon if you want to go back to the Commonwealth until the squad comes.”
That’s a choice she doesn’t want to make. Leaving Frank behind in the middle of enemy territory feels impossible, but so does staying. She frowns and moves in closer, wraps her arms around their waist, and nuzzles against their neck.
“… Can I think about it?”
Frank hugs Cait tightly. “Of course,” they whisper, stroking her hair. “Take your time, hon.”