Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Did ya enjoy your dinner, kitten?” Nick Valentine asked his sweet daughter as he approached her on the sofa, smiling warmly.

“Yes, I very much did.” The teenager replied, returning the smile up at her adoptive father, her honey colored orbs peeking out behind the strands of long curls in her face.

They, alongside the rest of the companion crew, were currently cozied up in Nora and Nate Padilla’s home in Sanctuary, having been invited over to celebrate Nora’s birthday a few days ago. Since the celebration, none of them had found a reason to leave yet.

Like the other companions in their rag-tag gang, Nick figured the peacefulness that covered Sanctuary was a refreshing take from the hustle and bustle of some of the larger and overtly populated cities and settlements, and he decided that some breathing room would be good for himself and most importantly, for his kid. So he made the decision to linger for a little longer, he called it their vacation week, which nearly made Ellie spit out her coffee back at the office in Diamond City.

Rosie didn’t mind, she could spend her days frolicking in the fields behind Sanctuary, wading in the stream or climbing trees.

If she wanted to scratch that urge that nagged her to be useful, then Preston always had some work that needed to be done, wether it be clearing our dangerous beasts that were posing a threat to settlers, or building new defenses to protect them.

Valentine reached down and wiped some of the runaway curls off her face, smoothing the coils back in with the rest of her dark hair that was naturally highlighted with gold.

Their vacation evenings were mostly spent chatting around the fireplace after the long day’s activities, and everyone seemed to gravitate towards their own designated spots in the living room.

Rosie could usually be found near the window or directly in front of the fireplace, and Dogmeat was always faithfully sleeping nearby or nuzzling his big puppy head into her lap, much like he was doing now.

The girl smiled and played with Dogmeat’s ears, listening in on the current conversation that was taking place amongst her family.

“We’re going through a holiday drought- that’s what.” Hancock huffed, crossing his arms, staring up at the ceiling. He was seated on the same couch Rosie was on, just on the other side. “One minute we go through a rapid fire of major holidays that knock the stuffing outta us during the cold months, then we get drip fed a few atta time until Fall rolls back over.”

“Our Easter celebration was most enjoyable! Hiding all the pretty colored eggs for the little children to find made for an absolutely delightful moment!” Curie enthusiastically chimed in from her chair near the TV, her eyes sparkling at the memory.

Rosie giggled to herself as she recalled being one with the group of children hunting for Easter eggs, except the teen had insisted she be blindfolded to make things more fair for the others.

“Well, we can always pick up on those little holidays people made up, Diamond City has a few.” Piper offered from the beanbag besides the bookshelf.

“Who says we can’t make up our own?” MacCready said from the recliner. “What’s stopping us from taking inspiration from prewar times and draw up plans for our own unique holidays? We have a few walking, talking time machines in this very room who can help with that.”

Cait tapped on the kitchen table with her fingernails. “Even the Combat Zone had a few of their own, though they were mostly concocted together to sell themselves some more tickets.”

Deacon, who was leaned up against the wall, glanced over to the sofa where Rosie resided. “Hey Jazzy- you’re a Mexican, right? Are we doing anything for Cinco de Mayo?”

Most folks still referred to the girl by her pseudonym that she had given when she first appeared, which was Jasmine, and it was often shortened to Jazzy or Jas. Nick was really the only one who called her by her beautiful birth name that her prewar adoptive mother had wholeheartedly picked out for the girl, and Rosalinda preferred it that way.

Rosie tilted her head, thinking it over. “My family did not do much… Cinco de Mayo is the celebration of a city in Puebla Mexico because they fended off the French, we did not really celebrated it. We celebrated Mexican Independence Day from the Spanish on the 16th of September.” The girl explained simply, smiling at Deacon warmly at his well meaning attempt to connect with her.

“So you guys didn’t make a big conga line in the streets with maracas and giant hats and a unholy amount of tequila when May 5th rolled around?” Nora asked with a smirk.

Rosie giggled. “No, they only did that in the media. I forget that Cinco de Mayo even exists sometimes, it is just not as important as many would have you believe.”

Deacon nodded along to the explanation. “Aaah, I see. So they only pushed it for corporate monetization and cultural brownie points reasons?”

“Possibly, but most people had well meaning intentions whenever they wished us a happy Cinco de Mayo. So I never held it against anyone.” Her nose crinkled at her next thought. “Okay, maybe that is not entirely true. I hold it against Vault Tec when they tried to get the Mexican community on board with the vaults by hosting a Cinco de Mayo party with god-awful soggy churros that were a insult to all of mankind, not to mentioned the fact they hired Folklórico dancers to dance with the Vault Boy mascots while wearing Vault Tec colors, y’all shoulda seen all that propaganda shit they pulled. People only clapped out of nervousness of the posted armed guards, but there was no joy in that party, no cheering with gritos and whistles.”

Nate cringed, stirring his tea that was on top of the kitchen island. “Ooooooh- I think I know what kind of churros you are talking about. The ones that are oily, flat, and almost papery on the inside?”

She snapped her fingers, face lighting up. “Yes!!! Those ones!!! I want to know how they even managed to make them that bad! It was a travesty! They also had rows and rows of packaged pan dulce spread out on a table, and when I picked out a concha and bit into it, it was bone dry and tasted purely of preservatives!!!” The girl’s eyes blazed passionate fury. “I spat it right out then and there, and then I ran to my mother as if I had been punched in the face! It was that bad- especially since I knew darn well what the real things were suppose to taste like!”

Piper and MacCready both curiously glanced over at Nick to see if he could help explain his daughter’s ramblings about prewar food that most of the companions in the room hadn’t heard of, but the old detective’s eyes were purely on his fiery daughter who seemed ready to go dig up some skeletons just to get her licks in against those who had organized the event she was describing.

“She’s got passion for her roots, I respect that.” Hancock commented.

“I have tons of passion. Because it is apart of me, and my family.” Rosie flopped back onto the sofa. “If I do not respect my roots, I might as well spit in their faces, so I take it very seriously.”

“I respect that too.” Preston agreed.

“Agreed.” Danse hummed, curiosity in his big brown eyes. “Are there any other holidays from your homeland that we may participate in?”

Rosie huffed a bit sadly, stroking Dogmeat who batted his big, puppy eyes up at her.

“Well… Día del Niños is on the 30th of April if you are looking for a holiday...” She offered in a small, timid voice, then shook her head, her face darkening. “Never mind…”

“No, go on if you’d like.” Danse encouraged her before Nick could try to soothe his kid and her sudden change. “Your insight to varying prewar cultures is much valued and appreciated.”

Rosie sighed and leaned her head up against the window, staring off into the night. “Día del Niño… Day of the Kid. Or I suppose it is called in English, Children’s Day.”

Her heart nearly thumped out of her chest as the wave of memories smacked her in the face, hitting her like a bomb, causing a big fat lump to form in her throat. She bit her tongue as her lips quivered, swallowing a hard lump in her throat.

Her father’s gentle voice broke through to her. “Tell us about it Rosie, if you feel like it.”

The teen returned to staring out the window longingly, faintly imagining the sound of children’s happy laughter echoing just outside.

“It is a celebration of children, and what they represent. They represent innocence, and hope for the future… Which is supposed to be seen as precious by the world. So on Children’s Day, the adults would set up special games for the kids to play, like a mini carnival. And they would also make them a special big meal that’s tailored to their liking and hand out gifts.”

Curie seemed curious. “Games? Food? What kind of games? What kind of food? Were the specific dishes and games for this holiday that symbolized the meaning?”

“Día del Niño was mainly done as a big reminder to everyone that children where something to be protected and cherished, at all costs. Because when crisis’s happen, they are the ones who take the brunt of the hits since they are the most vulnerable ones. So on Día del Niño, the children are suppose to feel special and loved, reminded that they have rights as human beings too just as much as adults do. That they are a gift from God. That there should not be a moment where children feel like they are unloved or unwanted…”

Rosie’s thoughts trailed off as her lips quivered slightly. She did make the holiday sound more somber than it actually was with that last part, but her words were true. There was a big emphasis in her town that children would continue to greatly suffer the mistakes of the past.

As nuclear war loomed more and more overhead, more and more people worried about how the little ones perceived their tense and uncertain environment.

So when Children’s Day did eventually roll around, parents and family members rallied together to uplift the celebration bigger than it ever had been.

Rosalinda ended up celebrating it twice with her family, once on April 30th for Mexico’s Día del Niño, in which the brightly colored piñata’s swayed above in the wind as festive music played from the streets. And then she got another celebration on June 8th for the USA holiday, there they would all run over to the park where sweets galore would be waiting for them alongside bouncy castles and fireworks.

Those were beautiful memories that she held in her heart… Beautiful memories that she hoped would never fade with time, because they are what gets her through hard and long days and moments.

Immersing herself into the dreams of better days, the girl felt her heart flutter in her chest as her memories came to life. She could almost smell the carne asada from the grill that her uncle manned and guarded with his life, and she could almost feel the gentle breeze in the evening Texas air as she looked out over the small park field her family was in.

Her beautiful mother, who was alive and well, waved to her to join them.

The downside of being mentally capable of having the most vivid, surreal visions and dreams was the fact that the teen could easily get lost in them. She could spend an entire day living in a fantasy that was real enough to fool her into thinking it was reality.

Beneath her feet wasn’t the slightly scratchy carpet of the Padilla’s home, but instead the texture of the freshly mowed grass that covered the field she must cross to reach what she desired most. Her older cousin was already making faces at her, silently informing the girl that she was taking WAY too long with her decision.

“¡Venga Rosita! ¡Ándale, chiquita!”

It was almost painful that her imagination could dream up her mother so vividly. Rosie didn’t technically resemble her due to being adopted, yet people still said that the girl resembled her mother. Her Mamá’s long dark hair swished in the wind, the colorful fabric of her skirt popping out against everything else, yet her gentle eyes were the most captivating thing to the child.

However, before Rosie could take her first real step in her daydream, the weight of dozens of eyes on the back of her head managed to catch her attention, and it ruined her wistful thinking. Her mother slowly faded before her, her beauty and grace evaporating, leaving the air empty and dull.

“Mamá…”

Rosalinda turned her head around only to find that everyone who was actually in the room was still looking in her general direction.

Nick, Piper, Curie, the Padillas, and MacCready were staring directly at her with soft eyes. Nora had tears in hers, and so did Mac, though he was fighting really hard to conceal them, which caused his face to turn red and his lips to uncontrollably twitch.

Codsworth technically had three eyes locked on her, and despite being a robot who lacked human facial expressions, the sorrow could still be felt in his presence.

Cait, Danse, Preston, and Hancock all stared at the floor by Rosie’s feet or at the wall.

Both X6 and Deacon had their heads turned away from Rosie, but the girl still felt their eyes on her from behind their sunglasses.

“…What is the matter?” She asked everyone, straightening herself up, blinking away the tears that pricked the corners of her eyes.

Hancock spoke up on behalf of the group. “That sounds like an amazing idea, little sister. All of what you said does.”

The teen tilted her head to the side in consideration. “I suppose the children of the Wasteland would like a festival… Who would not enjoy participating in one?”

“I think we are all thinking of you as the child, Rosalinda.” Nick spoke up.

Rosie seemed dumbfounded. “Me? A day to celebrate the innocence, of me???”

Everyone nodded in unison.

“There ain’t nothing innocent to preserve within me…” The girl sighed sadly, her southern drawl slipping through.

“No- there’s plenty of things within you that is worth protecting and celebrating.” Nate replied strongly. “You’re still a child, Jazzy.”

“I am sorry, but y’all are stupid if you think you can celebrate my childlike innocence.” Rosie proclaimed. “I am tainted and soiled, there is nothing, and I mean NOTHING, pure within me worth noticing or giving a second glance.”

“Oh Jasmine- that’s just simply not true.” Curie said sadly.

“No- it is very much true. Do not lie. All of you have witnessed what I am capable of, all of you know that my tongue can cut through leather, and that my hands are stained with the blood from ripping people’s flesh off their own bones.”

Danse stiffened at her words, clenching his teeth.

Cait could be heard firmly punching her fist into her hand under the table, her shoulders tense and squared.

“Please Miss Jasmine- have some mercy and kindness for yourself.” Codsworth tried to cut in.

Rosie didn’t stop. “A forever damned to hell child, that is what I am. I am stuck looking like this until the end of time, that godforsaken Vault I came from stole my childhood and the full potential of my adulthood too. They then stuffed my head with programs and whatnot to make me thirst mercilessly for blood. As far as I am concerned, I am a messed up grownup within.”

Everyone seemed unconvinced at the teen’s words, and terribly somber.

Nick was having trouble keeping the little joints in his face under control despite being mechanical, his heart wanted to react to the cold and painful words his own daughter was spewing, but he had to remain strong for her.

Cait looked like she was ready to either falcon punch someone in the face, or lean over and puke her guts out.

X6 swayed slightly, and he ended up putting a hand on the wall to keep himself upright, a single bead of sweat going down the side of his head while he tried to gain control of his heavy breathing.

“There is a fucking good reason why I do not often use my real name, because ‘Rosalinda’ is a name for a sweet little girl who died in the Vault. She was MURDERED in there, and I am merely a husk of what she once was. The child in me had died a long time ago, so now I am Jasmine. We cannot celebrate that, I am afraid.”

Rosalinda clapped her hands together to finish off, not facing any of them. She already knew that she probably couldn’t do so for awhile after that sudden and dramatic rant that crushed everyone’s spirits.

So she tucked herself away back into the far corners of her mind, hoping that a gateway to the daydream she just had before the rant would open back up and grant her escapism.

A collective nod went throughout the group of adults, indicating that they all collectively decided that they weren’t going to allow the girl to get away with her self destructive and depreciating words.

“You really believe the words coming outta your mouth, huh?” Nick started while looking at his kid, holding out his hand so X6 could discreetly hand something off to him.

Rosie returned from La-La Land to address her father. “Yeah, otherwise I would not say them. I am a living weapon of mass destruction, a programmed cold hearted killer. Hence why I think it is stupid that you guys want to celebrate that.”

Valentine approached her, holding out a kitten doll that was dressed in a adorable little flower dress. “A weapon of mass destruction who wants to snuggle the plushie that her dear old dad made for her.”

Rosie immediately snatched her doll from him and tucked it under her chin, holding it close to her heart, squinting up at her dad. “Who would not like to cuddle her??? Even a big bad bloodied Super Mutant would love to hold Petunia!”

“Is that so?”

“It is so!”

“But Super Mutants don’t like to cuddle at all.” Piper pointed out.

Nate nodded. “True that.”

“They would if they met my sweet Petunia!!!” Rosie fired back, holding up her stuffed toy for everyone to see how adorable it was. “Besides, that still does not change the fact that I am not a child!”

Preston cocked a brow. “Uh huh… Which is why you swing on your tree swing in a very dignified and grown up manner, hollering and whooping at the top of your lungs while giggling brightly enough to light up the world, and our hearts.”

“Swings are fun!” The girl defended herself. “Y’all would laugh like that too if you just put your butts on a swing!”

“Swings are very fun.” Hancock agreed. “Fun for sweet little girls with big doe eyes and rosy cheeks.”

“Again- I ain’t a little giiiiiiirrrllll.” Rosie drawled out, slumping over dramatically so she was folded in half on the sofa like a chair.

“Do you actually have any bones in you, girlie?” MacCready asked her when she did this.

“Nope- I am made up of pure strawberry jam from the inside out.” Rosie mumbled into the sofa cushion.

“That explains why you’re so berry-sweet!” Nate said, sneaking up closer to the girl, winking at everyone else who groaned at the dad joke, save for Nick and MacCready who found it hilarious.

Nate reached down and promptly snatched the pouting little girl off the sofa, lifting her up into the air above his head. Luckily, Rosalinda was very small, under five feet tall with a slim frame, so he was able to pick her up with incredible ease.

“Uncle Nate!” She shrieked, kicking her feet.

Dogmeat happily borked and jumped up from the sofa, standing on his hind legs to keep up with Rosie and Nate.

“No more moping in this household, missy! I hate to see you mope.” He spun around and playfully tossed the girl up in the air, eliciting soul nourishing laughs from her.

“Heeeeeyyyy!!!!” She shrilled, unable to stop herself from laughing and spreading her limbs like an airplane.

“Weeeeeee~!”

Nora strode up to her husband with her arms out. “Pass the child here.”

He did, and once Nora had the girl in her arms, she held her close to her chest and she spun around like a tornado, kissing her curls, then she tossed her up in the air.

“Auntie Nora!!!”

“What a sweet child we have here!” Nora lovingly praised.

“Me next!” Hancock called out, snatching the girl from Nora the moment she held Rosie out to him.

“WeEeEeEeEeEeeeee!!!”

Deacon did something a little different when it was his turn to hold the girl. He took Rosie’s hand in his and maneuvered her so they did a sort of Tango-like dance around the living room, one with extra spins and dips to maximize the amount of giggles of joy from Rosie.

“Where do ya learn to dance like this? You said that you lived in Mexico- but Tango is from Argentina!”

“I can dance Cumbia Sonidera too. And Banda.” Deacon started hopping from one foot to the other, spinning in a tight circle while humming an upbeat tune reminiscent of Banda music.

”Da, da da da, dadada!!!”

Rosie shrilled loudly, her deep belly laugh actually starting to hurt a little with how much she was doing it.

Nora clapped her hands. “Okay now, let’s not make the little one dizzy after she had a big meal, hand her back to Nick.”

“I don’t get dizzy one little bit!” The girl breathlessly protested as Deacon did one final dip with her, then he placed her in Nick’s open arms.

She beamed brighter than ever when she gazed up into Nick’s loving eyes. “Hiya Daddy!”

“Hiya, babydoll.”

Sadly, nobody noticed that Danse had stepped closer with his arms held out, and the poor man was left looking like a confused puppy on why he didn’t get a chance to dance around with the sweet child.

Rosie clung tightly to Nick, resting her head on his shoulder as she took in deep breaths to calm down from her excitement, forgetting her protests and rants about not being a child.

“That’s gonna be one for the memory books!” Codsworth happily proclaimed, showing off the high grade video camera he had in hand that he used to record the moment.

Rosalinda hummed happily, an inner peace filling her when she thought about this memory being preserved somewhere else that wasn’t her own head.

“So whaddya say, dollface? Are you Daddy’s little girl?” Valentine asked the girl in a soft voice.

Nate stepped closer. “Are you our little flower girl?”

Deacon also closed in. “Our little princess?”

Hancock reached out and ruffled the girl’s hair. “Our little feral kitten?”

“Our little firecracker of fury?” Piper called.

“Our leading little lady?” Preston added in.

“Yeah, course I am… I love you guys too much to say no.” Rosalinda admitted shyly at all the positive and affectionate attention. “Just don’t go on questioning me about my logic of being a little girl and grownup at the same time, otherwise I think I might explode.”

Valentine guided Rosie’s head upright so he could press his forehead against hers. “Just as long as you always remember that we see you differently than you see yourself, we always see you as our sweet little girl.”

“Yessir, I‘ll remember.”

Everyone cheered, even X6 had a little smile, causing Rosie to dip back down and hide away in Nick’s coat.

“Alright then… If that’s all cleared up, I better get my little girl ready for bed now. It’s well past midnight.” Nick announced after glancing at the clock.

The teen immediately frowned, motioning to be set back down on her own two feet. “Dad, I do not need to sleep as much as a normal adult should.”

“You used that excuse last night, sweetheart. And like we just discussed, you’re a teenage girl, not an adult.”

Rosie crossed her arms, pouting in protest.

Hancock yawned and stretched out, taking a cue to help Nick with the process of easing his kid into bed. “Your Daddy is right, baby sister. I figure that I’ll also turn in for the night.”

Mac yawned as well, his much more realistic than Hancock’s, probably because the young man actually needed rest. “It is pretty late. We need to set up the beds already.”

“I think everyone should go off to get ready for bed now.” Nora proclaimed, clapping her hands like a mother rounding up her children.

Rosie stumbled and flopped back down on the sofa, burying her face into the cushions as Dogmeat tried to nuzzle his nose in to sniff her.

“Oh the woes of bedtimes.” Codsworth commented from the kitchen. “It’s never an easy task to get those little feet up and pitter-pattering off to bed.”

MacCready lifted up an imaginary glass. “I’ll drink to that!”

“C’mon now, time to hit the hay.” Valentine patiently ushered the girl, lightly pulling on her arm, earning him a whine of annoyance.

Rosie dragged her feet as she was pulled from the sofa. “Noooooooo!!!”

“Yes doll- it’s jammie time for you.”

“Jammie time!” Piper laughed, slapping her knee. “How cute!”

Preston crinkled his nose. “Very cute indeed, even when she’s upset”

Rosalinda grumbled and whined as she was dragged out the door, doing her best to holding onto the door frame so she didn’t have to leave, but Nick wasn’t having it and he pulled her along.

Chapter Text

“Everyone else is gonna go to sleep, kiddo. There’s no point in staying up anyhow.” Valentine reasoned further with his daughter as he lead her to their destinated guest house.

Rosie growled lowly, planting her feet firmly into the ground to make it harder for her father to lead her along.

“Y’know, I could carry ya if it’ll be easier on those stubborn legs of yours.” Valentine offered casually.

“But Daddy!!!”

“No buts, no nuts, no coconuts. Get a move on, kid.”

The teen groaned dramatically, allowing her father to guide her through the front door of the guesthouse.

Despite Nate and Nora granting Nick and Rosie their own room to stay in for the entire duration of their visit, Rosie preferred to fall asleep in the Padilla’s living room next to the fireplace. She hardly ever slept alone prewar times, sleep piles in one big bed for all the children was the norm, especially during the winter when heating was too expensive and the nights were long and cold.

So it was safe to say that the girl originally had a hard time adjusting to sleeping on her own in the Wasteland, but nowadays it was less of an issue.

Rosalinda walked on ahead into the master bedroom that had an adjoining bathroom attached to it, snatching her bag when she passed the dresser so she could freshen up and change, grumbling under her breath the whole way.

She still however, wasn’t used to the bedtime and morning routines Nick had set up for her, and it was even harder for her to get used to them because she didn’t like them at all.

She was a free spirited wildchild, in her mind, there was no need to confine her into a routine and schedule, it was more natural to sleep and eat on her own internal timer.

If she wanted to sleep only 3 hours per 24 hours and eat her meals at 1:00 am, so be it, her body worked differently than others anyhow.

But her father made it very clear that he had other plans, and he expected her to adhere by them. If she didn’t, well then, it wasn’t going to be fun for her when he took her by the arm and dragged her along.

The girl internally fought to surpress the yawn that tried to escape her, failing miserably. If it was one thing she hated, it was admitting utter defeat when it came to things like this.

“I am not tired. I am not tired. I am NOT tired.” She grumbled repeatedly to coach herself into staying awake, getting ready to hop into the shower.

Unfortunately, the water from the shower was very warm and incredibly soothing, which relaxed her muscles as she scrubbed herself down. When she washed her hair, she had to fight to keep her eyes open throughout the mini massage she gave to her own scalp.

“I don’t wanna go to sleep, so I won’t.” She hopped out of the shower and thoroughly dried herself off, then popped her head thorough her nightgown after slipping on some shorts. She seized her toothbrush and brushed her teeth, avoiding the reflection of a sleepy girl with droopy eyes in the mirror.

“Not tired or sleepy one little bit. No sirree.”

Rosie stomped her foot like an angry bunny-rabbit, flexing her fingers, then left the bathroom.

Nick was leaned up against the wall across from her, his golden orbs roaming her droopy face.

She did her best to scowl at him with annoyance to assert that she was still not happy with this arrangement, crossing her arms as she tilted her head, challenging him with her eyes.

Valentine quirked a brow, not buying the tough girl act one bit. He was both a detective by trade, and a father by heart, he could read his daughter like a book. “You are sleepy, ain’tcha?”

Seeing that attentive, gentle expression on Nick’s face caused the teen to freeze, her plans on grumbling the whole way back to bed to give her father a hard time completely dissolving.

She rubbed her slightly watery eyes, nodding her head in defeat, her shoulders slumping. “Yup…”

The old detective smiled at the admission, opening his arms wide and welcoming as he knelt down. “C’mere, kitten.”

The girl toddled the rest of the way over to her RoboDad, falling into his arms, nuzzling up in the crook of his neck.

“Mmhhhmmm, the world is too big and scary.” She complained up to him. “And Dad is safe and warm.”

“Dad is safe and warm? You’re damn right he is. Now, let’s getcha back to that promised warm and cozy fireplace.”

He swaddled her in his coat so she wouldn’t get cold when they stepped outside, then he scooped up his kid and carted her off back to the Padilla’s home.

“D’ya know that I love you?” She asked him as he carried her, her southern accent slipping back in.

Rosie could hear the warmth and the smile in his voice when he responded. “Yes, I did know that ya love me. Do ya know that I love you too?”

“Yup, I know, and I’m so happy ‘bout it, I love being loved.” The girl cooed and sighed happily, twisting around. “Tengo sueño…”

“I know ya are, hence why we’re gonna go to bed. So you just hold on tight like a little koala bear, alright?”

She nodded. “M’kay… I’m so sorry for being such a Debbie Downer earlier.”

“No need to be sorry, babydoll.”

Back at the house, Nora was fluffing up the pillows on the pullout bed for her guests to use, and she beamed when she saw Nick enter with his sleepy daughter in his arms. “You managed to melt the feral kitten, Nicky?”

“Course I did.” Nick replied, swaying from side to side. “She’s my sweet little girl after all.”

Nate strolled in with an armful of heavy blankets, aiding his wife in spreading them out on the bed, nodding at Valentine to lay down with his daughter.

“Look at how precious she is!” Hancock cooed over the little one, patting her head before Nick slipped under the first layer of covers with Rosie curled up at his side. “The prettiest flower growing in the meadow.”

The little flower sighed peacefully, melting into the plush mattress and the extra warm blankets that were piled over her and her father by the Padillas.

MacCready was already dozing off on the armchair, his beloved cap tilted over his eyes, his arms folded and his feet kicked up.

Cait was seated on a barstool in the kitchen, a can of water in hand, her chin resting in the other, a somber, yearning look in her eyes as she spectated the scene of Nick doting on his precious daughter.

X6 stood by the TV like the faithful watchdog he always seemed to strive to be.

Preston was now missing from the room, which wasn’t unusual for a busy bee such as himself.

Everyone else lingered in the living room, either on the sofa or one of the chairs, or on the floor, just waiting to see what the sleeping arrangements would look like tonight.

Someone however, was already planning things out.

“Cuddle pile!” Hancock proclaimed with a mischievous grin, lowering himself onto the bed to Nick’s right much to the girls delight, but to Valentine’s slight dismay. “Hey RoboDad, how are things going for you and your little one?”

“Going good so far, don’t go on waking her now with your yapping.”

Rosie waved her hand slightly. “I’m still awake though.”

“Well we have to solve that.” Hancock replied, making a gesture with his hand behind him. “The rest of you, come here, pronto.”

Curie giggled giddily, hopping in next to Hancock, still slightly timid around the child due to the fact that Rosie is at constant odds with doctors and scientists or anyone remotely similar to one. But today, Rosie didn’t make a fuss about sweet Curie’s participation in the forming cuddle pile, in fact she seemed delighted that Curie was up on the bed.

Deacon may not like to give out hugs, but he also doesn’t like to see the child cry or look somber. After that one time she begged him with puppy eyes to cuddle her during the night, he caved in and made it an exception to join in on the cuddle piles, just as long as Rosie was in the heart of it.

He slipped into the free space on the left of Nick, anchoring his place by slinging his arm around Rosie.

Valentine sighed heavily as he stroked his daughters curls. “Oh- the things I do and put up with for you, kitten…”

Rosie just smiled brighter, soaking in all the attention she was receiving.

“And for me too!” Hancock piped up.

“No- not you. If it weren’t for the kitten, you’d be hitch hiking outta here.”

“Hehehehe.” Deacon chortled with a cheeky smile.

“Deacon, that goes for you too. But Curie can stay regardless.”

“Yay!” Curie quietly cheered with a giggle.

“What about me?” Piper asked, sliding in next to Curie.

“Yes you too, Pipes.”

“RoboDad is playing favorites!” Deacon proclaimed in a whiny tone.

Rosie giggled, then tapped on her father’s shoulder, pushing him onto his back so she could curl up on top of his chest, allowing both of her brothers/uncles and sisters/aunties to scoot in closer on either side of Nick.

She hummed happily, nestling up to the warm safety that is Dad.

Danse moped at the side of the bed, his eyes on the girl who was out of his reach and being spoiled with attention by everyone else.

“What’s with the long face, crew cut?” Hancock questioned, looking over his shoulder.

“I think he wanted to hold the kitten right now and earlier, but you’re always hogging her.” Nate spoke up on Danse’s behalf, patting the formers paladin’s back. “You’ll get your turn later, buddy.”

“You snooze, you loose. If you want to earn kitten privileges, then dive in for cuddles sooner.” The ghoul mayor informed him.

Rosie perked up her head despite her father and Hancock attempting to keep her down, pointing at the empty spot on the bed, staring Danse dead in the eyes, and the towering soldier seemed to be intimidated by the child.

“Lay down here- NOW.” She demanded from the former paladin, an adorably serious look on her face that told everyone that she wasn’t taking the word ‘no’ for an answer.

“Her Highness speaks, lay down Boy Scouts. Don’t be shy.” Piper invited him, patting the spot besides her while wiggling her brows, causing Danse to blush a bit at the gesture, but he followed the given commands and settled in on the bed.

“The only little lady who can truly boss around everyone in the Commonwealth with no repercussions…” Nora chuckled, shaking her head as the bed creaked and groaned. “The bed is getting too full, it might give way…”

“That’s why I brought this one.” Nate announced, pulling in yet another foldout bed from storage, working with his wife to set it up right next to the other bed, effectively making one giant bed.

“Everyone, do me a favor and scooch over some.” Valentine said, holding his daughter close so they could move towards the center of the newly expanded big bed.

Nora took her own spot behind Deacon with Nate right behind her, the couple unable to stop smiling at how sweet the moment was.

Rosalinda nuzzled up closer to her father, her hands kneading him like a kitten does when they are content. Nick started to hum one of her favorite lullabies, the vibrations adding an extra layer of soothingness, and she slowly started to slip off into dreamland with her family surrounding her in a protective shield of love, the best line of defense against any demons that try to haunt her.

And the more the little sleepy flower child dozed off, the more the rest of the gang started to feel the effects of drowsiness overtake them.

Even Hancock suddenly felt bone tired despite the fact he mostly initiated the cuddle pile for Rosie’s sake as ghouls don’t actually need to sleep all that much. Yet now he was actually falling asleep.

The preciousness of moments like these weren’t lost on anyone, a genuine, tranquil moment is a rarity these days.

One of the perks of being on the smaller and lighter side meant that Nora could easily crawl over on top of Deacon to worm her way between him and Valentine, effectively stealing his spot so she could snuggle up to the sweet sleeping little girl.

The spy cracked open an eye and frowned at her sneaky maneuver, while Nate quietly laughed from behind, his giant arm overshooting Deacon so he could hold both his wife and Rosie, which in turn made him hold onto Deacon and Valentine.

On the other side, Danse was subconsciously doing much of the same, his own arm was stretched out over Curie, Piper, and Hancock so he could reach the child that everyone loved so much.

X6 looked between the group and MacCready who was still sleeping on the armchair. He marched over to the young man and patted his shoulder a bit roughly to wake him up.

Mac did a little yelp when he was startled awake, rubbing his eyes, taking in the scene around him.

“What the heck you guys- what gives in leaving me out???” He grumbled when he saw the sleep pile that was happening without him in it.

The sniper shuffled over and cozied up in the sleep pile behind Piper and in front of Danse, he too finding sleep piles comforting as much as Rosie did due to the fact the children in Little Lamplight would sleep like this to conserve warmth.

At that moment as if on cue, Preston then made his grand return and he strolled in dressed in his pajamas with his coat over his shoulders and his rifle in hand, no doubt that he was outside patrolling the perimeter despite being off duty.

He had a bit of a habit with doing this, sneaking off during the bonding moments their strange little family has, like he was worried something dangerous would come along and destroy it.

“Get in, you insomniac.” X6 deadpanned the Minuteman, gesturing to the bed, not giving him time to process what was happening. “It’s for the child. She prefers and adores it when everyone is in one room protecting her.”

“Umm…. Where would I lay though?”

“Anywhere, just pick a place.”

Preston shuffled off his coat, then laid down next to Nate, patting his shoulder to let him know he was there, receiving a nonchalant grunt in return.

Rosalinda could sense the two new presences on the bed even in her sleep, and she shrilled happily, just about melting everyone who was still lucid enough to hear, their hearts fulfilled with her sounds of happiness.

The courser then turned around to where Cait was sitting in the dark at the very back of the kitchen where she had been forgotten, motioning to the bed.

The redhead shook her head at the offer. “I don’t wanna put a damper on the moment.” She replied softly with a quiet sniffle, making her way to the now empty sofa to lay down, discreetly wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “My bony figure ain’t that nice for cuddling anyhow, and me personality is worse. But I’ll sleep nearby if it makes the lass feel any better…”

X6 silently tossed her one of the extra blankets, which Cait thankfully took, then he finally backed off into the abyss as he always does, satisfied with the outcome that should provide maximum comfort to the child.

Nobody really knew where X6 slept, just that he was there when the little girl went to sleep and when she woke up, his dedication to guarding Rosie being admirable.

The rest of the happy family snoozed away on the giant double bed, their arms entangled with one another under the sheets. The only one who wasn’t truly asleep was Nick, he had only closed his eyes to give the illusion that he went into rest mode, but he kept and ear out as he always does.

Because in a place as awful and cruel as the Wasteland, a family like this is worth more than a billion caps, and it must be protected at all costs.

Chapter Text

Little Rosalinda slept well into the next morning, a rare thing for the child to experience. Never once did she stir because of nightmares attacking her or because of the feeling of impending doom looming over her.

Her family’s shield of love kept her safe and sound, leaving her to freely float around dream world without a care in the world.

She only woke up when her body alerted her that it was time to wake up. The first thing she notice was the smell of breakfast being prepared in the kitchen, but above the sound of sizzling from what passed as bacon on the frying pan, she heard her siblings chattering and bickering back and forth with one another.

Nothing really out of the ordinary in this household, it was always amusing, like listening to her own Telenovela, all she needed to do was add in dramatic camera angles, and sound effects.

“I’ll have Fahrenheit gather up some men to haul up the bouncy castle here from my strong room for the festival, the little princess would surely love that.” Hancock mused, his arm still protectively draped over his little sister.

Piper scoffed from behind a still sleepy Curie who could barely crack open her eyes. “Why do you of all people have a bouncy castle in storage?”

“The real question is Little Miss Reporter, why don’t YOU have a bouncy castle, hmm?”

Piper rolled her eyes at that. “Oh my gosh- that’s so childish! That’s a Deacon kinda answer!”

“Hey now- I like to have fun too. And when Daisy happened to come across one- I seized the opportunity. It’s a bit dirty after some uses, I was planning on setting it up for the kitten’s birthday in June, but now works just as well.” Hancock defended himself.

“…Dirty?!?! After some uses?!?!” Piper exclaimed.

“What kinda dirty???” Nick demanded of the ghoul, his mouth pinched in a stern frown.

“Dirty as in dirt and dust kinda dirty. I only ever blew it up in the strong room.” Hancock explained. “I wouldn’t plan to set it up for her otherwise if it had been used for… other activities.”

Piper rolled her eyes again. “What ELSE do you have in your strong room? A machine that can make balloon animals?”

“Close. I have the blueprints for a animatronic that can make balloon animals from her fingertips, and also serve ice cream from a scoop in her stomach. On top of that, she can sing and dance! It’s just a matter of actually building the damned thing- I figure it’ll make a good act for the Third Rail.”

“You want to get another act to replace Magnolia???” An astonished Mac interjected.

“The incredibly dead drop gorgeous and popular Magnolia is going to be replaced!?” Piper added in, jaw on the floor.

“No-!!! Course not!!! What do you think I am? Batshit crazy?” He paused for a second, breaking out into a slightly crazed and cheeky smile. “Don’t answer that. But we just need an extra act to fill the stage when she can’t be there to sing.” Now Hancock wiggled his non existent brows at Nick. “We’ll probably need that now more than ever since Mags is getting really friendly with our Detective Dad here.”

Rosie hummed with confusion when she heard the insinuation, cracking open her eyes.

“Daddy’s goin’ on a date?” She asked groggily, tugging on Nick’s shirt for an answer.

Valentine patted her back, skimming over her question in favor of greeting her. “Heya, babydoll. How did ya sleep?”

She yawned and squealed loudly, stretching out her limbs to get in her morning stretch, then she promptly resumed clinging to her father while nuzzling into the crook of his neck, forgetting her previous question because Dad was nice and warm.

“Ooooohh.” Nora whispered, petting the girl’s head. “She loves her dear old Daddy. Don’t you, sweetheart?”

“Mhm-hmm.” Rosie hummed in agreement, patting Nick with her hand. “Papi…”

Valentine chuckled, squeezing his little girl tighter, nodding at Nora’s words. “Ain’t that the truth.”

“And you also like bouncy castles too, right little sister?” Hancock asked the girl, who eagerly nodded her head.

“Salta, salta, salta. Salta la ranita…” She sleepily sang, making a jumping motion with her hand to narrate her song, dreaming of herself turning into a little froggy that can happily jump from lily pad to lily pad without a care in the world.

“Jump, jump, jump. The little frog jumps.” Valentine translated for everyone.

“You betcha bottom dollar that I love bouncy castles.” Rosie voiced with a smile, turning her head to look at Hancock.

He looked incredibly pleased with himself. “Good, you’ll have a nice, big bouncy castle to jump on when April 30th rolls around.”

For a few seconds, she malfunctioned, the tip of her tongue stuck between her teeth, her big honey colored eyes staring dumbfounded at Hancock.

“Oh no- I think we broke her.” Preston chuckled.

The girl’s expression shifted to slight annoyance, and then she huffed. “Y’all still on about that?”

“Yes ma’am, you betcha bottom dollar that we are.” Deacon mimicked her southern drawl.

The teen wasn’t amused, so she pouted and nonchalantly swatted behind her at Deacon. “Shut up, Mr Clean.”

Both Nate and Nora laughed at the reference.

“She’s got your snark, Valentine.” Nate commented.

“That she does, with her own spicy twist, I oughta be very afraid.”

“Dontcha guys have something better to spend your time on?” Rosalinda asked the group, frowning deeper when everyone did a collective head shake.

“Brace yourself, kiddo. If you didn’t want us to celebrate such an amazing holiday, then you should’ve kept your big mouth shut.” Piper informed Rosie with a cheeky smirk.

“If my mouth is considered ‘big’, then your’s is fucking whale sized.”

“Language, Rosalinda.”

“Ay, ¡pinche palabras!” The girl scoffed. “They are just words!”

“Language, still. Words carry weight and meaning. You hear me?”

“Yessir, I hear ya. I just can’t be makin’ any promises because this mouth of mine is free ranged and runs on a motor.”

“What did she say?” Mac asked.

“She directly said; ‘F-ing words’.” Valentine answered with a heavy sigh.

Hancock snickered. “A tongue sharp enough to cut through leather indeed.” He patted her back. “But listen here baby sister, because one way or another, we are throwing this festival for you. And there’s nothing you can do to stop it.”

Rosie turned her head towards him and yawned directly in his face, rubbing her eyes.

Preston spoke up. “You told us about an amazing holiday where we get another chance to pamper and celebrate that childlike wonder of yours, and you expect us to just skim over it? Really now?”

Rosalinda mumbled something incoherent in return, scrunching into a tight ball.

Nora rolled onto her back so she could sit partly up, motioning for everyone to pay attention. “Okay, here’s the game plan. We still have a few weeks to prepare, so I’ll have Codsworth draft up a list of thing we need to gather, and things we need to do so we can make this work.”

“I’m already on it, mum!” Codsworth cheered from his place in the kitchen.

Nate nodded along, patting Rosie’s back to regain the child’s attention. “Jazzy, sweetie. We’ll need your help with preparing the ingredients and the recipes for the food.”

The girl crinkled her nose at that fact.

Deacon smirked and nudged her shoulder. “If you don’t, then we’ll serve hard shelled tacos and wheat flour tacos as opposed to the real thing.”

The teen looked appalled and incredibly offended as she uncurled from her ball. “Nooooooo!!! Fine- I will help!” She caved in, clicking her tongue. “But it does not mean that I agree with any of this!!!”

Deacon poked her shoulder. “That just makes us want to do it even more.”

Rosie puffed up her cheeks and glared him down.

Nora cupped her chipmunk cheeks. “Oooooh- you’re so cute when you’re grumpy!”

“Auntie Nora!”

MacCready laughed from behind. “We can’t take you seriously when you’re making cute faces like that!”

“Such a sweetie pie!” Curie agreed.

“¡Cállense! Don’t tease me so! I’m tryna be angry!”

“How can we not tease such a cutie?” Nate asked.

Rosie puffed up her cheeks again, but opted to close her eyes and snuggle against her father.

Valentine combed her hair with his fingers, causing the child to melt with sweet coos of content. “Now don’t get all worked up, sweetpea. Not this early in the morning, save that energy for after breakfast.”

Nate looked over at the kitchen where Codsworth was getting ready to dish up some plates. “Yup. And unfortunately, guys, I think we’ll have to disband the cuddle pile in order to get up for the day.”

Hancock hummed. “Agreed. We should do this more often. Nicky, you need to enwrap us in your Papa Bear arms next time as well.”

“Don’t hold your breath.” Nick snapped back. “Unless you’re cute, I wouldn’t hold your breath.”

“Whatcha mean? I am the crown jewel of cuteness!” Hancock tried, winking at the real crown jewel of cuteness who watched on with amusement on her sleepy face.

“Dear Lord give me patience.” Nick muttered in his Tired Dad Voice, then he chuckled a little, patting John’s head like he was a child before the detective ruffled his daughter’s curls, slowly rising to his feet.

Dogmeat hopped off the bed after Nick, trotting behind the synth man who carried his kid to the breakfast table were everyone trudged over to.

Cait stretched out on the couch, her messy red hair sticking out every which way.

X6 peeked in through the window for a brief moment, then disappeared again to return to guarding the house from the outside.

“Valentine…” Danse spoke up before Nick could reach the table, and the detective turned around to face him.

“Yes, Danse?”

The former paladin lowered his head a bit, almost out of reverence. He motioned to the girl in Nick’s arms. “If it’s not overstepping any boundaries, may I ask to be granted permission to give morning salutations to the child?”

Nick blinked at him, smiling after a moment, then he looked down at his daughter. “Wanna give Danse a good morning kiss?”

Rosalinda made an adorable little squeal of delight and opened her arms wide. Before Danse knew it, he was enclosing her in his lumbering arms to carry her while giving her a great big teddy bear hug.

He expected to only be able to pat her head and wish her a good morning, but holding her was much better, especially after he was denied kitten privileges last night.

Rosie reached up and gave him a kiss on the cheek, then snuggled under his chin as she squeezed him tightly. “Mornin’.”

Danse held her like he was holding a porcelain doll, looking at Nick with eyes of panic for help on how to deal with the sweet little creature.

“Ya asked for permission to greet her good morning, now ya have the chance.” Valentine replied.

“…Good morning, sweet child of ours. I sincerely hope your nighttime slumber was pleasant and restful.”

She crinkled her nose. “Real pleasant, and that’s cause y’all protected me while I was sleepy.”

“You felt protected?”

“Yup. Protected and well loved.”

“…Outstanding.” He breathed with satisfaction, swaying from side to side.

“I told your that you’ll eventually get your turn with cuddling the kitten.” Nate said from behind his cup of coffee that he was sipping.

The sound of a camera snapping following the flash of light made everyone perk up.

Preston held a camera in hand, his grin wide and bright. “Sorry, couldn’t help but to save a single fragment of this moment for later.”

Rosalinda smiled and nuzzled her face even more in the crook of Danse’s neck.

“You’re warm.” She told him.

“So I’ve been told before.”

“Cause it’s true.” The kitten girl kneaded him like an actual kitten would knead their mother. “You’re like a giant warm ball of bread dough.”

“Warm ball of bread dough!” Piper laughed from the table.

“…I’ll take that as a compliment.” Danse decided after a moment of pondering.

“It is a compliment.” Rosie hummed, squeezing the Warm Ball of Bread Dough tighter with her tiny, yet mighty arms.

He continued to sway from side to side, the girl soaking up all the brotherly love.

“Alright, Back into your father’s loving arms you go.” Danse said after a few more moments had passed, carefully transferring the girl back to Nick’s awaiting embrace, the look of reverence and respect towards the synth man still in his gaze.

Not too long ago, it would’ve been unimaginable for Danse to refer to Nick as something other than a soulless machine that only carried out orders given to them by their superior human handlers and creators, nevertheless would he dare to refer to Valentine as a loving and doting synth father to a precious human child.

Now things have changed for the better, growth and progress had been made, and there was a lot less tension between factions in the household. So other than normal family bartering and quarrels, there wasn’t much tension that could even be built in the first place.

Especially when everyone had it in mind to remain a good example for the little one.

“Wakey-wakey, eggs and bakey!” Codsworth greeted in a jolly voice, hovering up to where Valentine sat down at the table with Rosie in his lap, a platter of eggs and bacon in one claw hand.

“Somebody please go and bring X6 back in here to eat?” Valentine asked the group, nodding when Curie stood to do just that. “Thanks Curie.”

Rosie limply tried to reach out and pull the small bag of warmed up flour tortillas that she had made yesterday closer to her, but it was useless because it was out of reach. And on top of that, her enhanced synthetic muscles felt like pudding, and her mechanical reinforced bones were turned back into strawberry jam.

She drew back her arm and did a kitten yawn instead, cuddling back up to Dad, complaining to him.

“Still sleepy, bones are still like jelly.”

“That’s alrigh’ kiddo.” Nick hummed, reaching out to get a tortilla for her with one hand to make her a breakfast burrito, while the other patted her back.

“No, it ain’t okay. Cause I gotta getta-… Ooooh, choccy milk!” She stopped and lifted her head just to take the glass of chocolate milk from Nora who smiled warmly down at the girl.

“Thank you Auntie Nora.”

“You’re welcome, sweetness.”

Rosalinda happily drank her milk after peering into the glass to inspect and sniff it it, humming cheerily when the glass of milk passed the test, vaguely aware that all eyes were on her and her cuteness.

Both X6 and Curie returned to the table, and Nora wasted no time with serving X6 his plate while casting him a sharp glare that told the courser that he was expected to eat all of it, which caused him to shrink just a tad bit in his chair.

“Just watch us little sister, we are gonna spoil and pamper you until the end of time itself.” Hancock informed the girl.

Rosie squinted at him. “And when the rest of y’all start getting old and wrinkly like a buncha prunes while I’m still fresh and smoothed and young faced cause I can’t age in the head or with my body?”

“Did I stutter?” The ghoul mayor replied. “Besides, you’re not the only one with that immortality feature in this family. So you’re stuck with us for the long run.”

The child immediately went quiet as she set down her glass and laid her palms flat on the table, her eyes casted down, processing her heavy thoughts.

Valentine nudged her when he noticed her sudden change. “Rosie?”

“….So I’ll never be alone again?” She sniffled after a short delay. “I’ll never be abandoned?”

Everyone’s hearts sitmontainsoly cracked, and they practically tripped over each other’s words to reassure the girl.

“Never in a million years!” Deacon said strongly.

Curie tried her best to look intimidating towards the imaginary villain of loneliness and abandonment. “Not on my watch you won’t!!!”

“I’ll go down the ghoul’s path if that’s what it takes to ensure you’ll always be taken care of by one of us.” Piper proclaimed.

Cait swallowed hard, slamming her fist back into her palm. “I’d punch the grim reaper square in the face if he tried to take me away from you too early.”

“There is nothing I wouldn’t do to ensure your safety and well being is put at the forefront, child.” X6 stated in his usual deadpan tone, but there was almost an underlying layer of warmth to both his words and his gaze.

Nick kissed the top of her head, then tucked her under his chin. “Like Hancock said- you’re stuck with us for the long haul, kiddo. We all agree on that.”

Mac stretched out his arms. “Just sit back, relax, and allow your doting family to take charge of your festival.”

“We’ll handle everything, Princess. You need not to worry.” Nate confirmed.

“And it’ll be a grand, magnificent celebration!” Curie cheerily chimed in.

Rosalinda took a big bite of her breakfast burrito after inspecting it closely as she had done with the chocolate milk earlier, chewing slowly and thoughtfully.

“….Okay.”

Chapter Text

[Three days later in Diamond City]

“Ellie, can you believe this mess? They want to host a Children’s Day festival for me. Of all the people in the Commonwealth, they believe that it is my innocence that deserves to be celebrated.” Rosie complained with a sigh to Ellie, who was bustling around the office. The girl was seated at her father’s desk on his spinning chair, her fingers toying with one of Nick’s pens, her feet anchored to the legs of the chair so she could idly sway it from side to side. Every once in awhile- she did a full spin.

“Don’t bother complaining to me about it, kiddo. I’m fully on board with the whole plan, I already have a list of decorations I need to scout out in the shopping center.”

Rosalinda gave a Oscar worthy groan, hiding her head in her hands on the desk. “Oh no- you are infected too!”

“Infected?”

“Yeah- infected with the burning desire to cram me into Children’s Day.”

Ellie set down her mug of coffee, putting her hands on her hips. “Why is this striking such a nerve with you?”

“I gave everyone back at Sanctuary an answer, but it was too depressing for everyone to handle.” She made a motion with her hand. “I. Just. Don’t. Belong.”

“With the other children?” Ellie calmly finished for her.

“Precisely.”

The sound of a key clicking into the agency’s door prevented Ellie from responding, followed by the handle turning.

“Whatcha two talking ‘bout?” Nick asked as he strolled in from outside, two big bags of fresh groceries in hand. He had purchased all of it for his daughter’s comfort as Ellie had her own home.

Rosie sulked and pouted, raising her head. “Papi, why must everyone make a fuss about Children’s Day? And stress the emphasis that it is for me. What about kids like Nat Wright? Or Billy Peabody? Or the questionable business girl Meg at Bunker Hill?”

Valentine temporarily set down the bags on Ellie’s desk so he could shrug off his work coat and swap it for the one he used while off duty. “They’ll probably be there too, doll. Other kids have been invited so ya won’t get lonely. But forgive us for wanting to ensure that you get a back a mere shred of what you in particular lost before and after the war.”

“………….”

The girl always though the physical representation of her patience and tolerance was like a rubber band that was inside her- a rubber band that was searing hot whenever it snapped.

And this rubber band of her’s was finicky at best, sometimes it snapped over the silliest of things, and sometimes it didn’t snap even when she really needed it to so she could give whoever was bothering her a real piece of her mind.

Today her rubber band decided that it was gonna snap over what she perceived to be silly things again, so Rosie’s eyes lit up with fire as she exploded.

“I never said that I wanted any of my stolen childlike wonder to be given back to me!”

She angrily swiped her arm across the desk to accompany her outburst, knocking over the ashtray, the newspaper, and a couple other trinkets that were left on Nick’s desk.

Ellie and the old detective only stared at the teenager, doubt and worry in their eyes, both of them with the faces of kind, patient hearts.

Just as quickly as her imaginary rubber band snap, did it cool down, leaving her with a empty pit of remorse. Her brain started doing cartwheels to quickly explain the drastic change in her behavior.

“…Okay. That might be a lie. Please do not misunderstand, I am very grateful that y’all will go outta your way to set this all up… But it just does not feel right.” The girl lowered her head back down into her hands, pulling up her knees to hide away, fighting to not let the tears fall.

“It don’t feel right that someone like me gets to participate in something so wonderful….”

It really didn’t feel right. She felt undeserving, she felt guilty, like she was stealing something that wasn’t meant for her to take.

The girl felt a firm, reassuring hand rest on her shoulder from behind.

“Give it a chance?” Her dad asked her, rubbing gentle circles on her back.

“Maybe.” Rosie one worded. “As long as we can have a piñata.”

She peeked her head up, and she was greeted by the same, soft golden eyes she’s grown to love and feel comforted by.

“A piñata, a big bouncy castle, balloon animals, a heck of a lotta party games, and tons of good food. Anything else that we’re missing?”

“Face painting, but that’s an understandable miss. I don’t wanna know what kinda chemicals are in the face paint that’s survived this long.” She made grabby hands up at him for a hug.

“I second that, there’s a lotta unidentifiable whatnot shoved into those products. We’re better off tryna make our own.” He enclosed the girl on his strong arms, lifting her off his chair so he could swap places with her, enabling Nick to cradle his daughter in his lap.

Rosie snuggled up against his shoulder, intertwining her soft little hand with his large metal one.

“How ‘bout a water balloon fight?” Valentine offered the girl, kissing the top of her head.

“Sure, as long as we can actually find the balloons for it.”

He squeezed her hand. “Already taken care of.”

“Really? Who got ‘em?”

“X6 did. The boy has been running around non stop to find anything child related. He got his hands on some flag football gear too somehow.”

Rosie’s eyes sparkled affectionately. “He’s a good big brother to me.”

“That he is. We are very proud of him.” Nick cupped his daughters cheek and tilted her face towards him, using his thumb to wipe a runaway tear off her face. “And we’re proud of you too.”

The teen wordlessly pressed her forehead against his, resting one of her hands on top of his over her cheek.

“Love you…”

“Love you too, kitten.”

Ellie sniffled from her desk. “Did anyone ever tell you two that you’re both so sweet?” She asked while wiping her eyes with a handkerchief.

“Yup, we hear that a lot.” Rosie confirmed. “Like- a lot, A LOT.”

“It’s no wonder why.” The young woman replied, flipping her handkerchief over to its dry side so she could finish dabbing away her tears.

Rosalinda wrapped both of her arms around Nick’s neck, kissing his cheek, then she rested her own cheek on his shoulder.

He combed his fingers through her hair. “You still wanna go down to Fallon’s and see if they have something that ya might like to wear for the special day?”

“Yes please...”

“Alrightie then, gimme a moment to put the groceries away, then we’ll go.”

Ellie waved her hands in the air. “No no, you take the little one and go now. I’ll put the groceries away.”

“Oh no, ya don’t hafta-…”

Ellie tugged on Nick’s arm to get him to stand with his kid in hand. “Don’t even start- I hardly do anything around here because your daughter is a bit of a clean freak and is notorious for organizing everything I even have a chance to notice that there is a mess.”

Rosie clung to her father for a few seconds, then stretched out her legs to be put down, keeping her hand in his.

“You’re a doll, Ellie.” Nick praised.

“Just doing my job. Now, get your girl down to the shop before Ann swoops in and gets first pickings on all the garments. Lord knows she tries her hardest to make those grandkids of her’s look like anything else but spoiled nose-picking goblin brats.”

Now Valentine grumbled. “Be nice.”

“Tried, but I can’t when it comes to that stuck up face. Didn’t you see that Ann tried to have her granddaughter’s hair curled to be like our Jasmine’s? And she threw a hissy fit when it instead just frizzed and got dried out? As if she could even dream about outdoing our sweet little princess!”

“Alright, alright, we’re leaving now.” The detective waved over his shoulder and left his agency with his daughter toddling beside him like a happy puppy, her eyes bright and perky with life.

“Afternoon Mr Valentine.” A friendly resident greeted the synth man, then he smiled and tipped his hat at the girl. “And Baby Valentine.”

“Afternoon.” Nick replied, tipping his hat, leading his daughter towards the main shopping center square.

“Baby Valentine???” Rosie asked out loud as they approached the concrete steps that would lead them to Fallon’s, furrowing her brow.

“I know, it’s the cutest thing to hear.” Nick teased the girl who huffed while he opened the door.

“Welcome to Fallon’s. Please keep your hands-…” Becky started to drone on from behind the counter, then she stopped and perked up when she realized who exactly just walked into her shop. “Detective Valentine! What a lovely surprise! And you brought the Mini Miss Valentine with you!”

“Hiya Ms Fallon! Good afternoon to ya!” Rosie greeted with her southern accent, startling Becky for a moment, because she wasn’t used to hearing the girl speak in her normal voice.

“…I have some dresses here that I’ve been wanting to show you!” The older woman moved on to say after exchanging a quick glance with Nick that told her to just ignore the change. “Come, my dear.” She beckoned the girl to follow her towards the back of the store.

Rosie looked up at her dad for reassurance, receiving a smile and pat on the back to go ahead. She followed Becky to where she stood over a table with some folded clothes on top.

Becky held up a green dress with a white floral print skirt that slowly unraveled itself. She brought it closer to Rosie to align it with her body to see if it’ll fit.

“A bit big for you, but that’s good since you tailor your clothes yourself.” She concluded, allowing the girl to take the dress and examine it on her own.

The child’s eyes sparkled, and she spun around to show her dad the dress.

“Now that’s a pretty dress.” He commented, ruffling her hair. “You wanna get it?”

“Yes please!”

“Then we’ll take it, and anything else you need.”

Rosie eyes fixated back on the clothes pile, and she started to rummage through it, grabbing some basics essentials first like socks and underwear, then she moved back to finding more dresses and skirts that fitted her tastes.

She had plenty for the colder months, but now that the weather was getting warmer, some lighter dresses and skirts were needed for her wardrobe.

Nick held out his arm so that his daughter could lay out her clothes for him to hold so she could keep her hands free.

“Hmm….” The girl mused, fiddling with the material of one skirt between her fingers.

To Rosie, all the dresses she found were beautiful, but they weren’t quite right… Not for this occasion at least.

Día de Niño was one of her favorite holiday right behind Christmas, mainly because she and the other children in her family were showered with attention and spoiled with little gifts and activities by the community. So it was almost like Christmas, just more child-focused.

She always wore her favorite dress that was in her wardrobe for that year to participate in the festivities. And while she did currently have a favorite dress hanging in her mini closet, that dress, or any of the ones she saw here, weren’t going to cut it.

They were all incredibly lovely and crafted with care, sure, but they weren’t the kind of dresses she used to wear back home…

But it was impossible to buy anything that was even remotely close to the dresses her family made back home.

Unless of course, she made it herself.

“Ms Fallon, do you also have some sewing material?” The girl asked after she finished going through the pile.

“Sure do, just got some few fabrics and threads from the port, you really came in at the right time.” Becky opened a large cabinet and showed off the different samples she had on display.

Rosie squinted at a roll of pure white cotton, running her fingers over it, gears turning in her head as she started to draft up a plan to make a pattern for the dress she was planning. “…I need a few yards of this one, please.”

“On it, dearie.” The shopkeeper said, getting out a large pair of fabric scissors. “Making something in particular?”

Rosie glanced back at Nick who seemed curious on what his kid was thinking about real hard just a few moments ago. “….Yup. A little project for myself.”

“Oh? What is it?”

“…Something special I’m planning on making, hopefully I can follow through with making it.” Her heart was beating faster just thinking about it.

“Well if you do, then I hope you’ll find the time to come and show this old gal.”

Rosie also picked out a few spools of thick, sturdy thread in a variety of colors, some that she didn’t need right away for the dress she was planning, but they would still be good to have. “I will, and we’re ready to pay now.”

Becky beamed at the girl, then looked at her father. “That’s the best part about today, you don’t worry about payment. An anonymous gentleman came in here a few days ago and left me some caps so that you can have a good amount of store credit to use in the future.”

Nick raised a brow, handing over the clothes Rosie gave him to Becky so she could pack them away. “How much did he leave?”

Becky expertly folded and placed the clothes in a paper bag made out of mismatched recycled pieces. “Told me not to tell you, just to go on some shopping sprees whenever you see fit. If you happen go over budget, then he’ll pop back in and pay the rest.”

Rosalinda crinkled her nose. “So that means you trust him a helluva a lot, cause I know that ya wouldn’t just do that with anyone.”

The shopkeeper winked at the child. “Clever girl. But the man really did want to remain anonymous, so I won’t say any more than I already have.” She held out the bag for them to take.

“…M‘Kay.” Rosie agreed, standing on her tip toes so she could bring the bag towards her with both of her hands.

“Here kiddo, I’ve got it.” Valentine said, taking the bag from his daughter so he could hold it in one hand, leaving his other free for Rosie to snatch and squeezing tightly.

She waved at Becky. “Bye Mrs Fallon! Thank ya so much for everything!”

“Bye sweetheart, be mindful not to prick yourself with any needles while you’re working on your project.” Becky warmly told the teen, then she turned to Nick. “Take care Mr Valentine, keep an eye on the precious little thing, hm?”

“I never do anything less. You take care as well.” Nick replied, guiding his daughter to the door.

Rosie took in a sharp breath when they got outside. “I have my theories.” She announced firmly.

“Theories on what?”

“On who coulda left all that store credit for us to use.”

“Ah, as do I. And on top of that, Fallon’s wasn’t the only store that had mysteriously gotten paid. Polly also gave us, or rather you, a generously big chunk of meat that she had set aside from earlier, plus a buncha bones for broth, all of it she claimed was on the house by an anonymous sponsor. She said that a growing girl needs her nutrients, so I’ve been instruct to ensure that you drink a cup of broth every morning and evening.”

Rosie crinkled her nose. “Did ya tell her that I don’t grow anymore?”

“Ya still need to keep your energy up and keep those scarily strong muscles of your’s fed, dontcha? Even if they are synthetic. Also, let’s not forget that your body still needs to rapidly heal quite often.”

The girl stuck out her tongue. “Bleh, I don’t even wanna try and begin to understand how my body functions anymore.” She kicked a rock. Watching it scatter away. “Is that all?”

“Nope. The fruit and veggies stand also had a prepaid and prepackaged bag of fresh produce waiting for me to pick up, same goes with the deli shop ‘round the corner. I didn’t pay a cent for this weeks groceries.”

“Oh… That’s very interesting.”

“That’s one way to put it. But it’ll be rude to complain, least now I can squirrel away some more emergency caps for both emergencies that include you, and then a separate batch for agency expenses. And thankfully on top of that, Ellie can get a well earned bonus.”

“She can buy pretty dresses too!!!”

Nick laughed, pushing open his agency door. “If she wants to, yeah. By the way, dollface, what are you planning to do with that cloth? I saw those gears turning in your head right before my very eyes, and I’ll admit I’m quite curious to hear whatcha thinking ‘bout.”

Rosie stopped in the doorway when she processed the question, her mind flashing error signs, then she sighed heavily, looking down at her feet. “I wanna make something extra special to wear for the festival since it’s gonna happen wether I think that I should be apart of it or not…” She stepped into the agency and took the bag from Nick, sticking her hand inside to rifle through it as her dad and Ellie, who appeared from the back room, watched.

The girl held up the white cloth. “Y’all are gonna watch this transform into something magnificent.”

She wrapped it around her waist and twirled. “Imma making somethin’ that I won’t chicken out on half way through and end up shoving it under my bed to be forgotten about. I swear it, I’ll follow through on this dress.”

Ellie and Nick exchanged glances, because they both knew about the clothes Rosie was mentioning. More than once has Valentine gone upstairs to her room only to find the girl with her hand frozen midair, a needle held between her fingers, and tears dribbling down her reddened and round cheeks, the droplets landing on the half embroidered piece of a Mexican artisanal dress or shirt that she was making from scratch.

Things always ended with frustrated and heartbroken sobs from the teen, followed by her hastily shoving her unfinished project under the bed before she burrowed under her blankets or into her father’s coat.

Later, the detective dad would retrieve the project just so that he could neatly fold it away for her in hopes she would revisit it again, at the very least him properly tucking it away would alleviate her conscience that she was being so disrespectful to an artisanal piece in the making.

Rosalinda squinted at the adults when she noted their uncertain expressions. “Honest to god, I’ll make it!” She unraveled the cloth from around herself and held it in front of her. “In fact, Imma start making the patterns right away!”

Chapter Text

[Goodneighbor, a few days later]

“So whaddya think of all this? This whole Children’s Day festival?” Nick asked out loud as he sorted through a box of ribbons and feathers on a couch that resided in Daisy’s shop. He was trying to find the perfect shade of sparkling pink amongst the sea of spools, one that would complement the outfit his daughter was planning to wear for the festival.

“I think that it’s a lovely and endearing idea.” Magnolia’s smooth voice replied from right besides him, her hands neatly folded in her lap. “Daisy, don’t you think that it’s lovely?”

Daisy stretched out her arms, leaning against the wall opposite of the couple. “Yes, what a lovely idea for the families in the ‘Wealth! Actually, I think that it’s so lovely, that I’ll take a vacation for the first time in what feels like forever to devote all my time into setting up and volunteering to man one of the activity stations.”

Valentine smiled. “That’ll be swell, Daisy. We’d love to have ya.”

“What about the shop?” Magnolia asked while looking around.

“I ain’t worried about anyone trying anything in my absence. There’s a damned good reason I lived this long and kept all my fingers and limbs intact, they’ll know not to even think about robbing me if they know what’s good for them.”

Nick turned to Magnolia next, catching her eyes with his. “Can we expect you to be there?”

The singer looked genuinely appalled, and she had to fight for a few seconds to regain her words and composer. “Me? Oh no Mr Valentine, I can’t be there. I wouldn’t know how to act. The only parties I’ve ever gone to were ones that little children weren’t allowed to attend, and that was for good reasons.”

“C’mon Maggie. There won’t be any booze or chems within the sight of a mile radius, but we could sure use some more helping hands to run the games and hype up the kids.”

“The only child I talk to on a constant is your little girl, but I tell myself that she’s just a mini, fragile adult to get by. I don’t know what else to do with her beyond that, let alone a horde of happy little children. They don’t need an awkward old lady lingering around and ruining their big day.”

Valentine shook his head. “You’re anything but awkward, you’re the embodiment of femininity and grace.”

“On the stage perhaps I am, but truth be told, it’s a mere façade that I loose once I’m out of the limelight.” She motioned over herself. “I really don’t know how to act well with children.”

Daisy waved her hand. “Oh pish-posh! There’s nothing to it! If that Courser of their’s can make himself one with a group of children, so can you.”

Magnolia sighed. “Mr X6 has fortunately had plenty of time to practice. And not much is expected out of him when it comes to socialization. But me? I’m held to much higher standards, I’m put up on a pedestal and get criticized harshly when I cannot preform.”

Valentine took her hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze. “It’s a kid’s festival, Maggie. Not a fancy-pantsy socialite gala party. Put on a sun hat and glasses, and no one would be the wiser on who you are.”

“Have you seen the type of dresses that I own-…”

The sound of happy little feet pounding up the stairwell made everyone stop and turn their attention to the doorway.

Rosie came toddling in with Hancock and Fahrenheit close behind, a huge smile plastered on her face. The girl was adorn in a poofy, starry blue dress with gems and glittery stars layered between the mesh that made up the skirt.

“Hancock bought me a new dress!!!” She cheered excitedly, holding the skirt up as if it was a Folklórico skirt for all to see.

“Wow, kitten. Would ya look at that?” Nick said as he stood up from the couch.

“Auntie Daisy, whaddya think?” She asked the older ghoul woman as she did a curtsy.

“What a beautiful princess we have here! Cinderella is ready for her royal ball!”

Daisy took the child’s soft little hand in hers, and then she twirled the girl around like the princess she was.

“Magnificent.” She confirmed, ruffling the girl’s curls.

Rosie turned towards Nick for further approval, lighting up when he smiled with pride.

“You look adorable, babydoll. You make every dress look like a dream fit for a princess.“

The teen clapped her hands, then her eyes then clicked to Magnolia expectingly.

The singer swallowed as she stared into the girl’s innocent honey colored orbs that were seeking her approval, nodding alongside with what Nick had said. “He’s right, you’re absolutely adorable.”

She thankfully seemed satisfied with the answer that essentially piggy backed off Valentine’s compliment, and she started to do happy little hops.

“Imma go and show Auntie Irma and Auntie Amari!” Rosie cheered, zooming off with Fahrenheit protectively tailing close behind.

“You spoil her, John.” Nick huffed at the ghoul mayor.

“I think that’s because it’s my obligatory job and duty as the favorite big brother/uncle.” Hancock bowed out of the room, then he rushed off to catch up with Fahrenheit and Rosie.

Daisy put a hand over her heart, tutting as she shook her head. “My my, and you’re telling me that she’s the same little girl who rented an apartment from me using bloodied caps she earned from doing mercenary work? You’ve really done a good job setting her straight and raising her right, Valentine.”

”Thanks Daisy… I try my best.”

Magnolia sighed again, heavier this time. “You both make it seem so simple from afar, you handle her with ease and grace.”

Daisy tried to lift her spirits. “Don’t beat yourself up Maggie dear, she was peachy keen with your words.”

Mags didn’t seem to be persuaded. “It won’t take her long to figure out that I’m just nodding along with everyone else, my compliments will start to sound hollow. And if things continue the way they are…” She subtly flickered her eyes next to her, like she was appraising her next few words. “If things continue as they are, I don’t think I can fulfill the role that the child will expect me to take up…”

The old ghoul woman shook her head. “All parents fret that they can’t do right for their kids. It’s normal, you’ll mature in motherhood with time and patience.”

Magnolia’s pretty baby blue eyes widened into the size of saucers. “Motherhood-…”

”Sounds scary right now, I know darling, but you’ll have time to ease into it. If all things go well.”

Valentine sighed in turn. “If anything, I can understand your point, Mags…”

The songstress turned to him, her brow quirked. “How so?”

“Feeling inferior to the other, more capable people in Rosie’s life.”

Daisy put her hands on her hips. “Who else has the capacity to shape your daughter’s life that’s more impactful than you?”

Nick blinked at his mismatched hands, quickly waving his thoughts away, feigning a sheepish grin. “Nothing- just a throw away line that slipped out. Apologies Magnolia, didn’t mean to butt in like that-...”

The shopkeeper rolled her eyes. “Oh no- don’t give us that. We’ve been friends long enough that we cannot just brush off those kind of statements. Now, give us the rundown of what’s going through your head, and we’ll try to sort it out. Less you drive yourself crazy just thinking about it.”

Nick shook his head, but Mags cut in before he could protest.

”Yes please, say what’s on your mind. It’s alright.”

The detective huffed, flexing his metal hand that he stared thoughtfully at. “Well…At times like these… I can’t help but to think that… Erm… For starters, Rosie’s family ain’t from Boston, only a small fraction of them came up here before the bombs. The grand majority stayed in Texas, which mind you, is huge, that leaves lots of room to escape the fallout of the bombs.”

“Go on.” Magnolia chided, placing a supportive hand on his arm.

“In short, Hispanic families are multigenerational and close knit with strong ties to their traditions and core values, that didn’t change in Mexico even after the bombs. I know for a fact that there’s prewar ghouls who have stuck around to watch over their family’s descendants long after their relatives have passed on. They put a big emphasis on remembering and honoring their ancestors, there’s an entire holiday for that. It’s admirable to see how family oriented they are and how rich their culture is, but it also means that my Rosie could possibly have family somewhere out there waiting and praying for her to return.”

Magnolia and Daisy watched as Nick somberly looked down at the assortment of pink ribbons he pulled out of the box, his shoulders sagging.

Daisy tried to speak up. “Nick, the war wiped out most of the population-…”

“Just one. All it takes is just one person who knew her from her early days to tie her back home. And hearing her tell stories from those cherished days- hearing ‘bout how much she was loved and adored by her family, it makes a man wonder if I’m doing enough for her here. I know she misses it dearly, the bright colors of their clothes, the smell of their foods, the sound of their songs being sung in the streets…”

Magnolia put her both of hands on his shoulders, gently rubbing. “Have you talked to her about this?”

“Rosie ain’t a very hopeful person. She expects all the odds to be stacked against her, including the possibility of someone she once knew being alive. The only time I’ve heard her mention going back was when we first met. At the time, she said that she was gonna drop everything and run as far south as she could make it. When I asked her why, she didn’t answer me. But now, I know it’s because that’s where she belongs.”

“She belongs in her Daddy’s arms where’s she’s safe, sound, adored, and loved.” Daisy replied strongly.

“I don’t get more rights over her than those who could’ve been waiting centuries for her return. Ya both have seen what a sweetheart she is. Who wouldn’t miss a child like her, and who wouldn’t want to be reunited with her after so many years?”

Both women didn’t answer, they just let Nick continue his train of thoughts.

“I just want what’s best for my little girl. She’s terribly homesick, she passionately told the Old Nick that even before the bombs. She only stayed here in Boston and so far away from home just for me. And this little festival we’re throwing, I suppose it reminded me that it could jolt something in her heart, give her a nudge in the right direction and she’ll begin yearning to return back home.”

Magnolia squeezed Nick’s shoulders. “You know what we say here in Goodneighbor, Nicky? Home is where the heart is. And that little girl with the broken little heart nestled herself up in your arms and called that safe place home.”

Daisy hummed along in agreement. “You’ve spent all this time nurturing her and reminding her what love feels like, you gave her a new home where she can feel safe. Maybe it’s not like the one she used to have, but it’s invaluable because it’s built on the unconditional love a parent has for their child. She can sense it, she’s a smarty pants, and she feels safe in the home you’ve made for her.”

Daisy seemed to radiate and glow with wisdom as she spoke. “My advice Mr Valentine, is to keep doing what your doing without worrying too much about what your daughter might think in the future about her old life. If it comes up in a conversation, be understanding with her, knowing that she loves you dearly too as her father. Until then, focus purely on stabilizing her mental health and guiding her into feeling completely secure. You still have a lot of road bumps and hurdles ahead of you on your journey through fatherhood, especially with a child who’s case is as traumatic and severe as your daughter’s, but you’ll get through, and it’ll be worth every second.”

Nick said nothing at first, taking his time to ponder for a moment, soaking in her speech.

“Words of wisdom to adhere by.” He finally said.

“I know that it isn’t the first time you’ve been given this advice, but it’s worth repeating. Now- no more bellyaching in my household.” Daisy rummaged through the ribbon box, pulling out a spool of blue ribbon with sparkly dots on them. “Here, you’ll need more ribbon to match your little girl’s new starry blue dress.”

“Is that the dress she’ll be wearing to the festival?” Magnolia asked the detective.

He shook his head. “No, she’s making herself one from scratch. She has already spent a good amount of time embroidering it off a pattern in her head, I’m very impressed with her deft hands and her razor sharp memory.” Valentine made a gesture over his arm, showing the two women the hair tie that he now always keeps on his wrist at all times. “I’m on hair duty again. I’ve gotta do some memorizing myself to braid her curls just right.”

Daisy chuckled. “You’re a true Girl Dad, Mr Valentine.”

He held his head up high. “Yup, and a mighty proud one too.” His eyes went back to Magnolia. “With all that being said- I want ya there with us, Maggie.”

Magnolia tucked some of her jet black hair behind her ear. “Does she…. Jasmine that is, even like me?”

“She looked to you to ask for your approval, my little flower just doesn’t do that with anyone. So yes, she does like you, probably a lot more than you’re thinking.” He took her hand and squeezed it. “She sees ya as apart of this family.”

The songstress glanced at their conjoined hands, then at the window, and finally back at Valentine.

“Alright then, I’ll be there, if the little one doesn’t read it as an intrusion.”

Daisy gestured over Magnolia. “I’ll help you pick out an outfit for the festival.”

“But my closet-…”

“Don’t worry a single hair on that pretty head of yours, it’ll all be hand selected from my stash. I’ll make sure that you’re both fashionably stylish, and incredibly comfortable.” She winked at the other woman. “You can be both, beauty isn’t always pain.”

Chapter Text

The days ticked by one by one, and the preparations progressed at a steady pace.

Everyone who called themselves a friend of the Minutemen tried to pitch in, either by sending supplies, or sending word that they’ll safely deliver their settlement’s children to Sanctuary to participate in the festivities.

Children all across the Commonwealth were starting to get hyped up for the coming celebration that was being planned just for them, most had a hard time believing that the adults would even follow through with the promise that sounded too good to be true.

Patrolling Minutemen were stopped all the time by little gangs of children who made the soldiers swear up and down that they weren’t lying about the festival that was going to take place. And with each word of reassurance, the kids hopes started to go up, and smiles started to shine.

A week before the celebration, all the companions gathered back up in Sanctuary.

Nora and Nate’s house had become a flurry of mismatched decorations and odds and ends that were party essentials, and Codsworth had a hell of a time attempting to keep everything organized and tidy.

The entire Commonwealth Crew had been summoned there once more to help with a preparations, everyone had their own designated assignments to wrap up within a week.

Rosalinda was the number one consultant for most of the decorations and games, especially the piñata, because only she knew how to make one purely from scratch.

“We need a clay pot.” Rosie thoughtfully informed everyone who was in the living room with her. She was sitting on the floor with Dogmeat’s head in her lap surrounded by some of her siblings, and her watchful RoboDad was leaning on a wall behind her. “A clay pot that we suspend in the air with a string.”

“A clay pot? For what?” A puzzled Preston inquired, looking up from his work of cutting old newspapers with the help of Piper, Mac, Deacon, and Hancock.

Danse, X6, and Curie were listening in as well from the kitchen table where they had been tasked with cutting up strips of colored paper so they had a pretty fringe at the bottom.

Nick wagged a finger down at his daughter before she could answer Preston, already knowing what she was getting at. “No clay pots for this one, Rosie.”

“But that is how the real, traditional piñatas where made!” The girl loudly protested. “And that is how the piñatas that I grew up with were made!”

“Somebody is going to get themselves a real nasty cut when it breaks!”

The girl pouted. “Not if everyone is very careful! None of us ever got badly cut, and one of my cousins was the world’s biggest klutz!”

“The kids here weren’t raised to be cautious for shards of clay in candy!”

“The shards mixed in with the candy prevents anyone from hoarding all the goodies!”

Valentine shook his head. “We are using a balloon for this piñata, kitten. It’ll work the same in the end.”

Rosie sighed, nodding her head in agreement to the change. “Fine. But y’all said you wanted to getta authentic piñata, so I tried to deliver!”

He patted her shoulder. “It’ll still look the same, sweetheart.”

“I suppose so…. Okay y’all, lookie here.” Rosie got onto her knees and started to draw a piñata in her sketchbook so she could show the gang her plan. “We will do a classic piñata for this celebration- a star shaped one with seven points. It’ll be big, reinforced with extra paper mache layers that is made with flour paste so it doesn’t break easily, and it’ll be bright and colorful.”

Everyone leaned in with attentiveness, like their little flower had transformed into a mini general who was giving out orders for a battle plan.

She held up her sketch pad to show off the drawing she made of the piñata, using her pencil to point to one of the cones on top that was decorated with tassels. “The seven points on the piñata represent the seven deadly sins, but the most notable thing about the cones is that they make the best tool to use when gathering candy alongside with being an amazing trophy that comes with bragging rights. So when they break off from the piñata, make a dive for them.”

Mac held up his hand. “Wait- back on up to the seven deadly sins part-…”

“Yup! In México- we beat our sins to death with a stick!” The girl held up a plain wooden stick in victory, grinning from ear to ear. “We start learning how to beat things with a bat as soon as we can walk!”

“I like the sound of that!” Cait cheered.

Rosie effortlessly jump up onto her feet and swung the stick in the empty air in front of her while Dogmeat barked happily as he jumped onto his hind legs. “Yeah!!! POW POW POW!!!”

“Y’know- this explains a lot ‘bout my kitten being the way she is.” Nick commented with a smirk, watching his Rosie as she used the stick to beat an imaginary piñata in the air, and maybe she was beating some imaginary opponents while she was at it.

“You mean it explains why your kitten is a feral kitten?” Piper said.

“Feral and spicy, that’s my little girl alright.”

“We hafta decorate the stick too.” Rosie announced, twirling the stick in the air like a baton. “We’ll decorate it with colored paper to match the piñata.”

Hancock formally bowed with a gentle smile. “Whatever you want, princess.”

“I find the tidbits of information you give us about the origins of the piñata to be very intriguing.” Curie said from the kitchen table, her eyes sparkling as X6 nodded.

“Yeah, it is. The Spaniards did originally use it as a method to ease the natives of the ‘New Spain’ into converting to Christianity, more specifically, Catholicism. The colorful piñata itself represents the worldly temptations that plague the earth, and the yummy treats inside represent the eternal rewards that await us in heaven.” Rosie further explained, pursing her lips together when she was hit with a new thought that halted her mini cultural lesson. “Oh right- we have to sing the traditional piñata song to use as our timer… But it is in Spanish.”

Deacon puffed out his chest slightly with pride. “No worries. My Spanish pronunciation is exquisite due to the fact that I’ve lived in Mexico for 20 years. Or should I say; Mi español es magnifico.”

Rosie rolled her eyes and giggled. “Okay gringito. Whatever you say.”

“Is his Spanish that good?” Piper asked, holding in a chuckle with one hand over her mouth when she saw Rosie promptly shaking her head.

“Not at all, his speech is almost always riddled either with pronunciation or grammatical errors, sometimes both. If he wasn’t so damn cocky ‘bout it- I would be tryna hype him up, but roasting him is much better.”

“If you make fun of my accent- then I’ll make fun of yours as compensation.” Deacon countered.

“My English is seamless, ya wouldn’t ever guess that it’s my secondary language. I know because no one believes me when I say it.”

Deacon bent down and booped her nose. “Not that, I’m talking about that cutie southie accent that escapes you every so often, like it’s doing right now. It’s so damn adorable- why don’t you just keep it on all the time?”

“Draws too many eyes towards me up here on the east coast where it’s outta place, and I was forced to not use it for many years.” Rosie replied, puffing up her cheeks.

Deacon folded his arms. “And you think that trying very hard to not talk with contractions isn’t going to draw attention?”

Piper snapped her fingers. “I KNEW that something was off with her manner of speech, but I couldn’t put my finger on it! She does drop the contractions in her words when she drops the cute accent!”

“It ain’t cute!” Rosie squealed.

Everyone could feel Deacon getting smugger and smugger by the second. “We have been over this a million times- the accent is stinkin’ cute. If you don’t want to be so cute- then why do you speak like that?”

“I am a Texican! ‘Course I speak like this!” She swatted the air to wave all the accusations of cuteness away. “Anyways! Jumping back to what is more important! We should start prepping the piñata now since it takes ages to dry.”

“Can we make multiple piñatas?” Nora called out as she entered the kitchen from the back door.

“Hm… Yup, we have the materials. We can make the piñatas a bit more sturdy than they are supposed to be since wasteland kids have extra power in their swings, but we can add thinner weak points too if we plan it just right.”

Rosie started measuring out the water, flour, and glue, her lips pursed together. Preston, Piper, Mac, and Cait watched her intently, stopping their work of cutting newspaper strips.

Nate strolled in the same door as his wife did with a small package of assorted colored balloons. “Does the color of the balloon matter at all?”

“Gimme the ugly ones, because we’ll pop it and throw it away once the shell hardens.”

“Got it…. I suppose we’ll use up the depressing colors.” He took out a dull grey balloon and started to blow it up for the girl.

Rosie looked between her paper mache mixture, and the door to the backyard. “We should move everything outside since we are making multiple and it could get messy. Danse and Mac? Can ya help with this?”

The two men nodded and moved so they could carefully take the big bucket from the teen’s hands.

“Careful now, don’t wanna spill it. Codsworth finds it a pain to clean.”

“Thank you for being mindful of me, little miss.” Codsworth thankful voice called out.

“You’re very much welcome.”

“I think I should go with them then- for supervision purposes.” Deacon chimed in as he stood to follow the others.

Rosie paused in front of Nick and looked up at him with her big doe eyes of need, waiting for him to lovingly stroke her hair reassuringly for a boost of confidence. Then she walked on over to the kitchen table to where Curie and X6 were left to continue cutting the colored paper into long strips with fringes.

“How’s it going?”

“….I find the present task that I’ve been assigned to be very relaxing.” X6 said after a brief delay.

“Yeah, cutting things with a sharp pair of scissors is always satisfying for some reason.”

The girl’s acute ears picked up the sound of a small scuffle outside. Curious, she followed the noise, stopping cold in the doorway to the little driveway at the side of the Padilla’s home. Their old rusted car that Codsworth dutifully tried to keep polished and shiny had long since been removed, making way for a little workstation that a baffled Danse and MacCready stood right in the middle of.

Somehow, in a span of a few seconds, MacCready had apparently gotten himself baptized with a thick wash of water diluted glue that dribbled off his cap and coat. A guilty looking Danse who also got a fair amount of glue splattered on him stood in front of him with his hands still held out, the bucket of glue rolling on the floor by his feet.

“There was…. A minor mishap.” Danse explained when he noticed Rosie standing there.

“Thank you Captain Obvious, I mighta guessed that from the start.”

Deacon appeared from around the corner of the house with an armful of rags. “Don’t worry! We have everything under control out here!”

The girl put her hands on her hips, cracking a grin. “D’ya now?”

“Yup! It’s all good!”

“Is everything alright out there?” Codsworth called from the living room.

Rosie threw up her hands, bursting into a fit of giggles. “Yeah- everything is just hunky-dory up in here!”

“Oh dear…” Codsworth said over the shoulder of the laughing Rosie.

Hancock appeared next, and he did a very dramatic, drawn out gasp when he saw the glue covered MacCready and Danse, his hands clamping over Rosie’s eyes.

“Boys! Knock it off!!! The little kitten is here, ya know!” He scolded them with a teasing, wicked grin.

“It’s glue! That’s all it is!” Danse defended while the confused girl whined at the hands obstructing her view.

“Lemme see!!!” She squealed, glaring daggers up at Hancock when he took his hands away.

“That was completely unnecessary! Why did you do that???”

“Just looking out for ya, little sister.” Hancock wiggled his nonexistent eyebrows at the other men as the kitten huffed and stomped off back into the house.

“Daddy, I was right! They made a mess like a buncha toddlers! And Hancock thought I was too dumb to notice an obvious innuendo!” She complained to her father as she approached him, wrapping her arms around his waist.

“A what?!” Nick asked while straightening up, glaring out the door.

Nate and Nora exchanged glances and silent smirks from the living room, trying their best to contain their laughter.

“I ain’t stupid! And he still covered my eyes!” Rosie advocated for herself.

“Nobody here thinks that you’re stupid, kiddo. You’re the one who has been doing most of the teaching today.” Valentine said, motioning around the room. “Hancock is just playing ‘round, and I think he’s forgetting how to keep things PG-13.”

Rosie pursed her lips together. “….That’s even more insulting! Everyone knows that I swear like a sailor and drop dirty jokes left and right!”

“Not anymore ya don’t, lil lady.”

The teen thought about her current language pattern for a second, recalling how long it’s been since shes actually spat out a hardcore swear or a mature joke. “…Hey! You’re right! I did tone it down!”

Nick groaned with exasperation and relief as he too recalled the fact that his daughter had quite the excessive potty mouth when he first took her under his wing. “Thank God that ya did. I ain’t opposed to an occasional curse thrown here and there- but not when every other breath is used for a swear.”

“It’s YOUR fault that I’m so sanitized now!” She accused him.

The old detective just picked her up with a wink. “Guilty as charged. You’re lucky that I didn’t set up a Swear Jar at home. I’d be a millionaire by now if I did.”

Rosalinda did another one of her Oscar worthy performances by rolling her eyes and swinging her head back, much to the amusement of X6 and the others still in the living room and kitchen.

Codsworth took the opportunity to add his own two cents in. “Well, I for one think that it’s a welcome change that your manner of speech is much more tamed. Yet at the end of the day, little miss, you still figure out a way to let the world know you’re full of spunky fire and sass.”

“Spunky sass- just like your dear old dad.” Nate chuckled.

“Even I’m inclined to agree with the old robots here.” Cait said. “I don’t have the cleanest tongue either- but I find that saving the swears for a more appropriate moment makes them more powerful in the end.”

Rosalinda huffed, slinging her arms around her father so she could squeeze him.

Valentine rocked from side to side. “Now c’mon my little purist angel, let’s go and help the boys clean up outside, then ya can show us all the next step in making a piñata.”