Nervous. Drew felt it and he could tell that Jack felt it too. He was sat on the far side of the dispatch warehouse watching Jack who was with Grace. Neither of them had said anything yet, though in truth it had only been ten minutes.

Drew had positioned himself where Jack could see him, though he made sure not to stare. In fact, he was keeping himself busy deleting old unneeded files off his Pipboy which he’d been meaning to do for a while. Occasionally, he would stop what he was doing and look over to make sure Jack was doing okay.

Sekka’s voice interrupted Drew as he was reading through an old note he’d left roughly ten years ago regarding the location of some parts.

“I still don’t remember much,” she said, breaking the silence. “Some memories from when I was little and other bits and pieces. I also keep having these dreams. You’re in them and I’m… Well, I’m normal.”

Jack who had been staring at his feet, looked up at her, then quickly looked away.

“I know, I’m hideous,” Sekka said. “I can barely look at myself either.”

Jack’s gaze rose back up to meet her eyes, but he didn’t refute her. Instead, he slowly nodded before looking back down at his feet.

“You mentioned remembering us under the stars,” Jack said quietly. “We did that a lot. Is there anything else you remember?”

Sekka glanced over at Drew, who quickly looked back down at his Pipboy.

“It’s okay,” Jack said. “I wanted him here. I trust him not to repeat what we say. Not even to Gemma.”

Sekka focused back on Jack. “I remember us laying there next to each other. You were telling me all the shapes the stars made.”

“Constellations,” Jack said.

“Yeah, constellations.”

Jack smiled wanly. “We did that often. You were so excited. You loved it when we stared at the stars.”

“I remember you proposed to me one night.”

It was Jack’s turn to look over at Drew. “I had wanted to ask you that for a long time. I spoke to Drew and Gemma about it and they said I should go for it.”

Both eyes were on Drew now and he decided to speak. “I’d actually wanted to ask Gemma to marry me, but I was too scared like Jack. Easy to give advice, harder to do it yourself. It only put more pressure on me and I knew my Gem was waiting for it. I felt I had to wait though as I didn’t want to steal your thunder.”

Jack nodded then looked back at Sekka. “I was so happy when you said yes.”

“I know you were,” Sekka said, bringing a clawed hand to her mouth. “You climbed on top of me and kissed me passionately.”

“Because you completed me.”

“And you completed me,” Sekka said as her hands drifted down and rested on her breasts. “I remember how you caressed my body. How your hands slipped up my shirt. You made me feel wanted. You made me feel like the luckiest girl in the world.”

“And I was the luckiest guy,” Jack said, wiping the tears from his eyes. “I thought you’d never want to be with a guy like me. When we first arrived, you didn’t seem to like me.”

“I don’t think I did,” Sekka said. “I wish I could remember. I wish I knew why I changed my mind.”

Drew knew exactly why she’d changed her mind and given Jack a chance. Gemma had talked to her and explained how Jack came off as weird and creepy because of his nervousness. Gemma had told her that Jack was a really nice guy with a lot of love to give for the right girl. When they had got together, Drew had felt so happy for them. True love had blossomed quickly and he had thought they would be together forever.

Unfortunately, life had decided that none of them deserved their shot at true love.

Jack sniffled. “We never got the chance to get married. A few days later the super mutants started their attacks.”

“I don’t really remember that. I recall a cage with other people.”

“That must have been awful,” Jack said. “I thought they had killed you. The first time they attacked we weren’t in town. Drew, Amy and I were out scavenging with Gemma. When we got back you had been taken with a load of others. We were planning on hunting them down to try and rescue you before they killed you, but before we could organize it they attacked again, taking Gemma and the others.”

As Jack wiped his eyes, Drew felt tears prickle his own. Jack had gone after them with Amy and a few others while Drew was too injured to move. There had been a firefight, but several had been killed, Jack had been seriously injured and Amy had almost died. They managed to escape, but by the time they had all recovered, the super mutants were long gone.

“We looked for you, for months,” Jack said. “But we never found you. All we found were the remains of someone half-eaten. We thought they’d done the same to all of you.”

Drew spoke up. “Now that I’ve been to where the super mutants took them, I know why we couldn’t find them. It was because they were smart enough to lead us astray. They headed the wrong way for twenty-five miles. We could have looked for years and never found them.”

“So why now?” Jack asked. “Why were you out here?”

“The Red Rocket Mega Stop,” Sekka answered. “It was on a map in the facility and Lotte thought it could hold a lot of supplies.” Sekka looked at Drew. “The map also shows this place and Colville as well as another military facility to the south.”

“Another military facility?” Drew asked. “I don’t know anything about that.”

“Lotte has been thinking of sending a team out that way to check it out.”

“Why?” Jack asked.

“For supplies,” Sekka answered. “Or at least that’s what she claims.”

“You don’t trust her?” Jack surmised.

“There’s a fracture forming. There is team Kiki and team Lotte. Kiki has more on her side, but Lotte is so huge that she could probably kill all of us just by herself.”

“Whose side are you on?” Jack asked.

“Kiki, all the way.”

“I remember Kiki,” Jack said, looking over at Drew. “She was really nice. Had a thing for Drew.”

“She still is,” Sekka said. “She’s twenty feet tall but super sweet. She’s almost a motherly figure far more than Lotte will ever hope to be.”

“So why is Lotte in charge?” Jack asked.

“Because she’s thirty feet tall, an extra third bigger than Kiki. She took control back when we were still confused and more animalistic.” Sekka shook her head. “I don’t want to talk about that, Jack. I want to know more about us. I want to remember things. Tell me, how did you ask me out?”

“I didn’t,” Jack said. “You were the one that asked me. Well, you didn’t actually ask me out. One day, you asked for help. One of the sprinklers had failed for the crops and you wanted me to help fix it.”

Sekka shook her head. “I don’t remember.”

“Well, I told you that Drew would be the better person, but you said Drew was busy with something else. So I fixed them for you.”

“I wasn’t busy,” Drew said. “And Grace knew I wasn’t.”

Sekka frowned. “I did?”

“After that, you started hanging out,” Drew continued. “I’ve never seen two people hit it off so quickly. Well, once you gave him a chance that is. You were perfect for each other. I had never seen Jack so happy.”

“I was happy,” Jack said sadly.

“I wish we could be again,” Sekka said with remorse. “I wish I’d died rather than…” She gestured at herself. “… Rather than become this.”

Jack reached out for her, but she was too far away. “Don’t say that.”

“It’s true. You said so yourself.”

“Grace, I was wrong. I thought that I couldn’t still love you, not like this… But I think I do. It’s just… I don’t know.”

“I do, Jack. I’m an ugly reptile.”

“You’re not ugly, Grace. Not where it counts.”

“And where does it count?”

Jack looked at Drew before resting a hand on his heart, tears streaming down his face. “Like Drew said. In here. All that matters is in here. I wanted to spend my life with the person, not the body. The body that you’re in doesn’t matter. Just the mind.”

“My mind is broken, Jack. Until today I couldn’t remember my old name. I had been searching for it for so long and every single time I hear it from your lips it makes me feel sad.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t want you to feel like you have to love me. There is a nice normal human girl out there that is looking for a man like you.”

“There is a nice girl right here that needs me more.”

Drew stood up. “I think this is where I leave. You two need to continue this alone.” He smiled sadly. “I hope that you both can find what you need.”

Drew made his way out of the warehouse and headed back to the cafeteria, wiping the tears from his eyes as he went. He hoped they could find a way to be together just like he hoped that he could find a way to be with Gemma again. But what about Kiki? Could he really share his heart with her as well? Could Gemma and Kiki share their hearts with him? What if Gemma ultimately chose Kiki over him?

Back at the old government facility, Kiki had said that there was room in her heart for both Gemma and him, and Gemma had said the same. He still wasn’t certain if they had meant it, or if they had simply said it to save his life.

He stepped inside the cafeteria to find Amy talking to Veronica, Axa, and Gemma. They turned to look at him, with Amy being the first to ask about Jack and Sekka.

“How’s it going? Are they getting on?”

“Great,” Drew said as he sat down next to Amy at a table. “They’re bonding faster than I expected.”

“Have you been crying?” Amy asked, studying his face.

He rubbed his eyes. “It’s been really emotional.”

Amy understood. “I don’t know how I’d react if I saw Angela again as a Greenclaw. I think it would be too much. I’d be a sobbing mess. It’s too awful to think about.”

“But you’d want to see her, right?” Drew asked. “To know that she was alive?”

“I honestly don’t know,” Amy said. “I guess it depends on whether she was happy.”

Veronica looked at Axa. “Axa could be Angela.”

“No,” Axa said, shaking her head. “I don’t think I was. I think I loved a guy and I think he was in the cells with us.”

“Oh,” Veronica said, awkwardly. “So we probably killed him.”

“A few of the males escaped,” Gemma pointed out. “So he might be out there somewhere.”

“Hunting, killing, and eating people,” Veronica muttered.

“Maybe,” Axa accepted. “I just hope they started regaining themselves just like we did.”

There were murmurs of agreement from Gemma and Veronica.

“Can you tell me the names of your friends?” Amy asked. “How many live there?”

“Twelve,” Axa said. “First, there’s Lotte our matriarch.”

“Which I think is Charlotte,” Drew said.

Axa continued. “Then there’s her right-hand woman, Charan. She’s third tallest after Lotte and Kiki.”

“Who we definitely knew,” Amy said.

“Then there is Varan, Darla…”

“We knew a Darla,” Amy said.

“She doesn’t remember much like the rest of us,” Veronica said. “But she remembered her name.”

Axa continued, listing off the rest of them. “Then we have Grunt. We called her Grunt because she used to grunt a lot. Eventually, she started talking, unlike Glower who does nothing but glower at people. Finally, there’s Bek, and then of course there’s me, Veronica, Gemma, and Sekka.”

The door to the cafeteria swung open and Jack stepped inside, followed by Sekka who crawled through the door. Jack let her pass before he followed her to the other Greenclaws. She sat down next to Gemma while Jack stood next to her.

Veronica eyed them. “Went well?”

“Yes, it did,” Sekka answered. “We have come to an understanding.”

“Yeah, we have,” Jack said as he sat down on the floor next to her and leaned against her giant arm which was thicker than he was wide.

Veronica grinned. “Maybe you should sit in her lap?”

“Let’s not,” Sekka said. “I think we need to take it step by step.”

“Yeah,” Jack agreed. “Step by step.”

It was beautiful. Drew could see that there was still some reticence between them but they had made amazing progress. He found himself staring at Gemma and she stared right back. He knew that he would have to have a long talk with her before the week was out to see where they stood regarding their relationship. He wasn’t looking forward to it, but he knew that it had to be done.

Drew stood up. “It’s been a really long day and I think we should get some rest.”

“Yeah,” Sekka agreed. “I am feeling tired, too.”

Drew looked at the two visitors as he realized they didn’t have anywhere to sleep. “So, we haven’t got any rooms for you.”

Axa shrugged. “We’re fine sleeping here.”

“Are you sure?”

Sekka nodded. “Yeah. We’re comfortable.”

“If you’re certain,” Drew said. “Just note, if Sarah comes in here try not to scare her.”

“Don’t worry,” Veronica said. “I think I’ll sleep in here too. The basement’s too far away.”

“Same,” Gemma agreed.

Drew looked at Amy. “How about you?”

“I’ll sit here for another half-hour then call it a night.”

“Okay. I’ll go tell Sarah that our guests are sleeping in the cafeteria tonight.”

Veronica grinned. “You mean warn her?”

“Yeah, warn.”

Drew headed out of the cafeteria and made his way to the nurse’s office. He pushed the door open to see Sarah sitting at the desk typing on the computer.

It was Suzy that greeted him. “Oh, ’ello. ’ow are you this evening?”

“Fine, Suzy,” he answered before focusing on Sarah. “I came to let you know that our guests will be sleeping in the cafeteria.”

Sarah glanced at him. “Thanks.”

“So, how did you get on with Veronica today?”

“It was okay,” she answered. “She’s more human than she looks.”

“They all are.”

“She’s funny, too. And very scary when she wants to be.”

“Wants to be? What happened?”

“Some zombies attacked. She pretty much killed them all by herself.”

“You mean feral ghouls?”

“Yeah, ferals. We were leaving the hospital and they came out of nowhere. She was on them in a second, her claws ripping them apart. I was more terrified of her than them.”

“You seem to have gotten over it.”

“Yeah, well she gave me a hug. That was terrifying too, at least at first. But she’s a pretty good hugger considering what she is.”

“Sounds like you two bonded.”

“Maybe a little. She’s still scary as hell. She could kill all of us if she wanted and we wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“How have you been sleeping?”

“Not well. I’ve been having nightmares about them. Last night, I dreamed that Gemma came into my room and ate me alive. It was horrifying.”

Drew took in a slow breath. “I do have a solution, but you’re not gonna like it.”

“You’re gonna tell me to talk to them. Get to know them, aren’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“I did talk to Veronica today. A lot. Well, Amy talked to her. I mostly listened.”

“And?”

“And just like I said; she can be really funny. When she hugged me, I fought like hell to get out of her grip, but she’s really strong. I’d still like to give her and the others a medical exam.”

“If you think you’ll be comfortable enough.”

“I won’t be comfortable, far from it. I think I’d want you or Amy in here with me.”

“Well, when you decide to give them a medical, let me know.”

“Sure thing.”

“I hope you have a better night tonight.”

“Me, too. Goodnight.”

“Night.”

Drew left the nurse’s office and made his way upstairs to the manager’s office. He sat down on the chair and stared out of the window into the darkness beyond.

The last few days had been very strange, but what was more odd was that it was starting to feel normal. The fear was almost gone, yet there was still some anxiety there, particularly when they were behind him. He wondered if it would ever go away. He hoped so because he would hate to think that he would never truly be comfortable with Gemma again.

That thought was enough to break his heart.

After staring out the window for a few more minutes, he stood up and made his way to the side room, and laid down on the old mattress. It was likely that Axa and Sekka would be leaving tomorrow. He would be sad to see them go, but also happy that they would be able to tell Lotte that there was nothing to worry about.

After everything that had happened, the day’s events told him that things might turn out just fine after all.