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“You can’t actually be considering this.”
“Lucy - I brought you here to bargain with. This is the bargain.”
“We were actually beginning to get along.”
Her voice hitched. He didn’t trust his own.
“Yeah.” He fired the tranquilizer dart. She stared down at it in disbelief.
“Wonderful! I’ll inform management that you’ve made an agreeable decision. Good afternoon!”
Lucy used her remaining strength to rip the dart out and throw herself at him. A fighter til the end.
“Stop darlin.” He told her simply. He banded his arms around her so she couldn’t struggle anymore or hurt herself and carried her effortlessly over to the bed. Laying her down gently on the pillows. He sat beside her for a moment, just taking her in. In case it was the last time. He so desperately hoped that it wasn’t.
“I don’t understand.” A tear finally escaped, he watched it fall down her cheek. She stared into his eyes like she was searching for the answers.
“You might. Someday.” He spoke slowly. His throat felt raw.
She was fighting so hard to stay awake.
“I thought we were friends.” More tears.
He slipped off his gloves. Brushed away the tears on her impossibly soft cheeks with his rough fingers. Well, 9 out of 10 of them anyway. She was so brave in so many ways, and still so naive in others. In 200 years he’d never had anyone even come close to what she had begun to mean to him. “Friends” was too small of a word.
“Lucy.” He wanted her attention just one more time. She looked hazy now. Losing the fight against the sedative. Her watery eyes snapped back to his.
“Fight.” He told her. “Be smart and strong. Do whatever you have to.” He told her.
He waited until the light drained from her eyes. He brushed his thumb over her cheek one last time and walked away on wooden legs. Out of the hotel. Out into the dirty loud streets. Dogmeat found him immediately. His loyal little shadow. Looking up at him - questioning where their Lucy was.
And he felt the same type of anguish he did when left Janey behind. That same type of desperate loss. He wanted to run back in her direction. Wrap her in his arms and keep her safe until she woke again. He wanted to blow Hank MacClean’s fuckin head off. He wanted Barb to see what she’d done to him - what he’d become. What she’d done to the world. He wanted to hold Janey in his arms again.
And the only way he could have any of those things was to let Hank take Lucy. And to follow them back to whatever hell hole underneath the surface of the earth he was hiding in.