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For the first time in over two hundred years, Sanctuary Hills is full of life. Not just people, but people laughing, celebrating. Living. The smell of cooking meats fills the air. A young boy plays fetch with a dog. A robot and ghoul are locked in arm wrestling competition.
It’s times like this that he can imagine this place as something more. What it used to be – that look on the real child’s face, expression matched by a woman with the same red hair and light dusting of freckles. Preston had only heard stories, history of what life was like before the big war, but that and coupled with the things they sometimes still found from earlier residents gave him an idea, painted a picture.
He’d never seen much reason to wonder what life would be like for him. The Commonwealth was the only life he’d ever known, just like for most of the people here.
Evangeline had once told him that this was only an empty ruin to her. That probably has not changed much.
There hasn’t been much reason to celebrate of late, and come tomorrow would mean the dawning of a new day, in which more work needed to be done – to start to fix the damage and scars that the war with the Institute had left behind. But tonight, tonight is time to celebrate that the largest threat to everyone was now gone.
Tonight, Preston Garvey watched his friends and people he considered family share in that joy. Danse had even smiled at him earlier.
But the obvious isn’t in who’s here, but who’s not here. The General is nowhere to be seen. He gives Codsworth a wave as he passes into the dilapidated old home and walks into her room quietly. Evangeline doesn’t look up, knees folded to her chest, staring at the still standing crib.
“You okay?” He asks after a moment of continued silence.
“You should go out and celebrate with the others. I’m not very good company now.” Her voice is rough, and he can hear the break.
Preston shrugs. In the faint light of the fires outside he can see the streaks of tears on her face. Since she had first infiltrated the Institute, most of their conversations had been about what she had learned – very formal and to the point. Their mission, nothing about the obvious pain of having worked so hard, only to be so late. But under that, Preston could see the anger boiling underneath, that flicker of sorrow when she told him that the Institute was being run by her son, and then that he was dying.
Then the attack on the Castle had happened, and there was no time for talking. They had to act quickly, destroy the organization and end their reign over the land.
And so they had.
“I enjoy your company, General.” At the look she then gives him, he tries again. “Evangeline.”
“I can’t imagine why.” It’s self depreciation that he’s used in his own voice before, that feeling of not feeling worth anything – not caring if you make it to the next day or not. Unable to see past failure. Preston slowly reaches out and takes her hand in his own. He feels the shock, rather than seeing it on her face and wonders when the last time anyone had shown the woman any affection or truly tried to talk to her beyond discussing what they were doing. Probably her husband.
“You always listen to anyone who comes to you when they need to talk. You took a chance by helping us when you had your own things to deal with, it’s not in any way weak to let someone do the same for you.” It’s a gentle push, one that he expects her to shake off with one of her stern platitudes that she’ll deal with it on her own, that she doesn’t want to burden him… but.
Evangeline sighs. “I should have known that finding Shaun wouldn’t fix this emptiness. I thought it would, that even though he wasn’t an infant, he’d still be my son. That I could tell him about his family, his father and give him a life. I was so, so wrong. The Institute took him, they took his humanity. The things he said about the people up here…”
People up here are hard, many dangerous. But Preston has seen just as many that refuse to let that change them. “Even the most common synth had more humanity in them. He wanted to change things, from there but had no love for anyone. For me.” She sniffs. “I wasn’t let out of that vault by accident. Shaun wanted to see what would happen to me out there. It was just an experiment to him. His father was collateral damage, that was it.”
And that he can only reel in shock. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry none of it happened how you expected it would.”
A hot surge of something akin to anger boils in his throat, to think that anyone could look on the value of a human life and see so little of it. He’d always known that the Institute was bad news, but hearing of it personally, hearing how the director treated his own flesh and blood… and what that would have meant for the lives of countless others had it been allowed to continue…
“I wish he’d just left me in there. You know that? I wouldn’t have to have known what he grew up to be, or see the pain he helped cause. I wouldn’t have to sit here, knowing that he died hating me - thinking that I destroyed humanity. But, he left me the boy – reprogrammed him to think I was his mother and told me to treat him as my own. Can I look at him and not think of the real Shaun? I don’t know. I know we did the right thing, but part of me wonders…”
Evangeline falls into silence. “If things could have been different?" He doesn't need to see the nod before he continues. "I don’t think so. If you came out later, or not at all… the Institute could have already taken over. Few would have tried to stand up to them, but they wouldn’t have got very far. Few had the reasons that you did, to keep them going. You did everything you could, and you saved a lot of good people in the process. He was wrong. About people. But he was mostly wrong about you. You didn’t destroy humanity. You saved it.”
A huff and a small breath. “You and the rest of the Minutemen had no small part in this.”
“Yeah, but without you we wouldn’t have even known where to start. Probably would've stayed up in that museum, until the raiders picked us all off. As sorry as I am that things happened the way they did, I am glad to have met you. I’m glad you came out and found us. To know you, and consider you not only a leader but a good friend. And I think that in time you’ll be able to accept that boy. You see the good in everyone.”
He gives her hand a gentle squeeze, one that is returned with the ghost of a smile. “I meant what I said, when we met I was about ready to give up. I didn’t think we’d be able to make it out alive and we did. Thanks to you. You are living proof that this wasteland can’t break everyone. Everyone outside right now thinks the same thing.”
“You aren’t broken by it, either.” Evangeline looks up at him, and he feels something akin to love – a warmth in his chest. Even if he's not sure he agrees with the sentiment. “You are without a doubt, one of the most amazing people that I’ve ever met. You care so much, Preston. About everyone. You want to help everyone you meet, and you don’t care if they’re a synth or a woman who’s two hundred years out of her time. That’s what I love the most about you. Not that there’s not a lot of other things.”
When he’s done wondering if he heard that correctly, Preston looks up at her to see the small smile crossing her face. “Hold up. Did I imagine that, or did you just say that you loved me?”
“I don’t know, did I? Maybe. Maybe I just said I loved your hat. Of course I did. I love you, Preston. I wanted to tell you earlier, I just… I didn’t want to say it only because I was worried that we wouldn’t make it. Hell, I’m not even sure that now was such a good time, but it’s there. I joined the Minutemen because I thought they were good for everyone, but also because their leader was a pretty good guy. Cute, too.”
For a moment, he can only look at her. Never thought that those words would be directed towards him, and from her. Of course he feels the smile slowly spread across his face. “I love you too.” Fingers entwine as she leans over to plant a kiss on his cheek.
The silence has changed, it’s more comfortable. The sorrow is still there, and he doubts that it’ll go away so easily, but he wants to do his best to chase it away. In the meantime, they’re both here and alive.
Evangeline gives his hand a slight squeeze. “Let me get a little refreshed, then we can join the party. Can you dance, Mr. Garvey?”
“A little bit. Why, do you want to–?”
“Maybe. I haven’t danced in a long time.” She darts out of the room, appearing five minutes later dressed in non bloodstained casual attire. “Preston? Thank you. Let’s go.”
In the end, the celebration becomes even louder and stronger when they appear, holding hands. (”Took ‘em long enough.” Valentine says with a smirk, Piper laughs.)
Preston and Evangeline do share their dance, she’s much better than him and only officially dances to three songs and steps on her foot only once. He watches as she talks to Shaun, and the two of them play fetch with Dogmeat, for a while before the boy goes off with the dog again and she spends the next ten minutes trying to convince Danse to lose the armor and dance.
Yeah... This is good. It’s not perfect, but this is what they were fighting for.