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In the old world, nepotism would be looked down upon. Those with shared blood would gain power, born lucky, while the rest of the world would have to fight for the right to exist. But that world was gone. In the apocalypse, family is one of the few things you can rely on. And even then, trust is never guaranteed.
Even at the end of the world, Ash and Sienna left plenty of things unspoken. You'd think that after everything that's happened, they would hold each other close and cherish every moment together. But that's just not how things were.
"You going on another trip?" Sienna asked, leaning against Ash's doorframe. It was the dead of night, and everyone except the guards were fast asleep. Her twin sighed, slinging her bag over her shoulder.
"I'm meeting Preston at a settlement down south. Sounds like they're in trouble." Ash answered.
Sienna crossed her arms, slightly blocking her way. "When are you ever going to stay? We need you here too, you know."
"Well, that's what the inner wall is for." Ash huffed. "Besides, I've already trained the guards to-"
"What if it's not enough, huh? What if some raiders burst in here, and just shoot everyone down-!"
"Jesus, calm down." Ash groaned, shaking her head. "Look, I know what you're trying to say. But I can't be everywhere all at once."
Sienna laughed dryly. "Isn't that what the whole Minutemen thing is about? Being there at a minute's notice, or something?"
Ash glared at her silently. She felt entagled in her own emotions, of guilt, of frustration. Before she could retort, she just shook her head and brushed past her sister.
Sienna turned around and walked behind her. "So what are you doing this all for, then? Why would you just build a community, then leave it behind?"
Ash threw the door open, gripping the wood. She felt the old fibers against her fingernails, the scent of mold reaching her nose.
"If it really bothers you that much, I'll send someone over to look after things while I'm gone." She muttered.
With that, Ash started walking. Past the inner gates, across the bridge, and into the Commonwealth.
And even after she disappeared over the horizon, her sister couldn't deny the pang of guilt she could feel inside.
-
Like most nights, Sienna couldn't sleep. Her spat with Ash kept her tossing and turning, until she eventually decided to walk off her insomnia. She paced around Sanctuary, peeping in between the gaps of the gates in the inner walls. Once she got sick of walking, Sienna settled down at the caravan's corner, lighting the campfire ablaze. The guards nodded at her, but didn't seem to be in the mood for conversation.
The fire was warm, comforting. She sat beside it, raising her scarred hands to feel the heat on her palms.
"Keeping the peace?" A man's voice said.
Sienna nearly jumped out of her skin. She quickly turned around, looking up to see Danse's blank expression.
"Goodness, Danse. You scared me." Sienna sighed.
"Can't hear power armor approaching you from behind?" Danse droned. "Perhaps the radiation has destroyed your hearing."
Sienna bit her tongue, turning back to the fire and pulling her knees to her chest.
"Ash isn't here."
"I know that. She asked me to come check up on things."
"Well, you have, so…"
Danse's armor clanked as he walked around Sienna. She glanced at him, noticing that he was staring at Sanctuary's gates.
"Outer perimeter for trading, inner perimeter for residence. Easier to defend and maintain." Danse muttered. "But a large group of enemies could overwhelm the defenses. Eliminate you before you even have the chance to react."
Sienna's eyes returned to the fire, trying her best to drown out Danse's ranting.
"You don't seem as welcoming as you usually are, ghoul." He said.
Frustrated, Sienna turned to him. "I'm just tired, Danse. Tired of my sister leaving, tired of always worrying what's going to happen to this place. And you are not helping."
Danse furrowed his eyebrows. "Just as I expected. You're too incompetent to hold down the fort without Ash around. Hell, you can't even kill anything, can you?"
Sienna stood up, stomping up to Danse. She couldn't hide it anymore. Anger was simmering below the surface, but now, she was at her boiling point.
"Fine, yeah. I'm a coward!" Sienna yelled. "I made an oath to God to never harm another being, and now, I can't even defend my own people. You happy now?"
Danse scoffed. "Your dedication will get you killed."
"That's rich coming from you, paladin."
The last word rolled off her tongue like an insult, as if his title was something to be ashamed of. But to Danse, it was nothing more than a pathetic attempt at dismissing his loyalty to the Brotherhood.
He turned away, heading for the gate. "I'll be staying for a few days to keep things in check. Then I'll be heading back to the Prydwen."
"Good." Sienna hissed.
-
Nick enjoyed the quiet mornings in Sanctuary. Had he been a human, he would've loved some hot coffee as he watched the sunrise from his rooftop. But since liquids would fry his wires and probably kill him, he'd have to stick with a morning smoke instead.
It was usually quiet at this time, with the soft hum of generators keeping him company.
Then he heard a thump.
Then another.
Then rustling in the trees.
He grabbed his revolver, scanning the forest for any hopped up raiders or bloodthirsty gunners.
But his eyes widened when he saw a familiar figure in blue, hitting a baseball bat against a tree trunk.
"What the…" Nick muttered to himself before climbing down.
It took some time to get around the walls, but eventually, Nick spotted her again. Sienna, beating up a dead tree trunk like it owed her money. She gripped the baseball bat in her hand, slamming it against the wood, seemingly unaware of Nick's presence.
"Sienna?" Nick said.
She took another swing.
"Sienna!" Nick said, louder.
"What?!" She groaned, turning towards the detective.
"Well, I've heard about beating a dead horse, but this is quite…different. You alright?"
Sienna took a deep breath, turning back towards the trunk. "I'm fine. Just need a little training, is all."
"Training for what, exactly?"
"Attacks."
"And you're going to do that by beating up this poor tree?"
Sienna shrugged, looking at the bat defeatedly.
"I can't use guns like you can. I just can't."
Nick's eyes softened, seeing Sienna's sad and frustrated expression. He took his cigarette and dropped it, stomping out the embers within.
"I know, Sienna. Can't imagine how hard it is for you, holding on to your beliefs in a world that thinks its all nonsense." Nick said softly. "Personally, I think there's a strange beauty in what you believe in. I mean, who else can see the morality in not killing radroaches?"
"I can feel a but coming." Sienna uttered, looking away.
"Well, yeah. The hard truth is that this world isn't the same anymore. People are more likely to worship rads than God these days." Nick explained. "The world's messed up, and some people will do anything just to stay alive."
Nick reached out his hand, and Sienna slowly gave him the baseball bat.
"I just don't know what to do." Sienna confessed. "I know I can't just stand around while people are getting hurt. But I…I'm not like Ash."
"Who says you have to be?"
Sienna fell silent, avoiding Nick's gaze. The detective sighed and put his free hand on her shoulder.
"Maybe you can help me?" Sienna whispered.
"Sure. Anything you need."
"But you have to promise-"
"I won't tell a soul. So help me, God." Nick joked.
The ghoul sighed and gestured to Nick's holstered revolver.
"Just…show me how to use it. Just in case."
Nick's eyes widened, his yellow irises expressing his shock. He quickly regained his composure, clearing his throat.
"Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt."
As he was taking his gun from it's holster, the pair heard the familiar clanking of armor. It buzzed and hissed, getting closer as Danse approached from around the corner.
"What's going on here?" Danse asked, suspicious.
"Just taking a walk, Danse." Nick lied smoothly.
Danse glared at Nick, sizing him up. Sienna stepped in to clear the tension.
"I was just, uh, talking to Nick about when Ash will be back." Sienna explained. "Speaking of which, I need to talk you about her. Alone."
Sienna turned to Nick, giving him a nod. Nick nodded back and walked away, entering the gates of Sanctuary. Danse kept his eyes trained on him as he disappeared into the residential area.
Turning back to Sienna, it was clear he was unconvinced. "You're clearly hiding something, ghoul."
"I didn't lie. This is about Ash, in a way." Sienna said. "Why'd you become her sponsor?"
Danse blinked, taken aback by the question. "She, well, proved to have potential that could benefit the Brotherhood, is all."
"And how did she do that?"
"By going on a mission with me. Helping retrieve a crucial tool that helped us call for the Prydwen."
"Is that all it takes to become a soldier?"
Danse frowned. "If you're trying to apply to the Brotherhood, I must insist that you reconsider-"
"No. Not in a million years." Sienna cut him off. "Who told you that I can't kill anything?"
"I, uh…" Danse sputtered. "I just assumed that since you're dressed like a nun from the old world, that you must have been a pacifist."
Assumptions. Guesswork. Thinking of what she could say, do, or act.
She was sick of it.
Before she knew it, Sienna grabbed Danse's laser rifle out of it's holster, and fired wildly at the trees.
"Hey, hey! Hold your fire!" Danse shouted, snatching the rifle out of her hands.
He was about to berate her, when he saw tears streaming down her face.
Sienna dropped to her knees, wiping her tears away. "I can't just stand around, waiting for someone to save me, can I? Then why do I feel so awful about it?"
They stayed silent for a while, say for Sienna's sniffles and sobs. Eventually, Danse helped her up and quietly escorted her back inside.
-
Sienna spent most of the day indoors, mindlessly wiping the countertops and arranging their food stash in the kitchen. When she ran out of things to clean or fix, she settled down at the foot of the couch, on her knees in prayer. It was times like these when she wished she still had her rosary, so there could be some structure, some meaning to her prayers.
The ghoul had just finished the first mystery when she heard the creak of the front door opening. She slowly stood up, expecting to see her twin. Instead, she was surprised to find Danse slowly squeezing through the doorway, and into the living room.
"You heading back?" Sienna asked.
"Actually, I'll be staying an extra day." Danse answered.
"What for?"
Slowly, Danse walked around the couch and stood in front of her. He towered over her frame, his power armor making him at least two feet taller than her. The soldier reached behind him and offered her a small, silver pistol.
"Target practice. Tomorrow morning. Don't be late."
-
Turns out, shooting guns was harder than it looked. It seemed so easy when everyone lined up their rifles and shotguns and blew everything to sky high. But to Sienna, the 10mm pistol was heavier than she realized.
"For the last time, stop locking your arms." Danse scolded her. "You're constricting your own movement."
"It's heavy, alright? I'm trying my best." Sienna huffed as she fired, the shot going in between the trees.
"Your best isn't going to save you."
He reached behind her to put his hands on her shoulders, but she flinched away.
"Stop! Please, I just…" Sienna shook her head. "I don't want you to touch me. Not with the power armor on."
Danse stepped back, looking at her form, then at his metal hands.
"For Christ's sake…" He groaned in frustration.
Sienna took a deep breath, rolling her shoulders. She'd only been practicing for a few minutes, but her body was starting to resist. Learning how to shoot made her feel so tense, so constricted.
As she raised her arms up to try again, she was surprised to feel a pair of warm hands on either side of her shoulders, gently pushing down.
"Relax." Danse muttered, guiding her arms. "Look down the barrel, take a deep breath."
She could feel the heat of his body, the cool air from his breath. One of his hands reached over to Sienna's, slightly raising them to correct her aim.
"Okay, now try again."
Sienna gulped and pulled the trigger, her eyes shutting for a second. When she opened them, she saw a clear bullet hole in the tree that they were aiming at.
"I did it…" She whispered.
Danse nodded. "It's a start, at least."
She turned to Danse, with a small smile on her face.
"Thank you."
Danse's eyes widened, but he quickly cleared his throat and turned away, heading back to his power armor.
"D-Don't mention it."
They went on to train for the rest of the morning. Some bullets dug into the bark, while others disappeared into the brush. But despite it all, Sienna's smile grew bigger with each shot fired.
It wasn't that she liked violence. It's that now she knew that if she had to, she could finally keep the people of Sanctuary safe.