As promised, the next chapter. I hope you all enjoy.

With Dogmeat trotting by her side, Nora went to join the others. They were all surrounding the cooking station, lounging in patio chairs enjoying lunch. The meal of the day was noodles. Nora's stomach grumbled, and she realized Curie had been right, it had been some time since she last ate. With that thought in mind, she quickened her pace. As she came upon them, Curie stood to greet her with a bright smile and a bowl of noodles.

Nora returned her smile, "thank you," she said as she took the bowl.

"Your welcome, Madam. I hope you feel well-rested, you went quite some time without proper sleep."

Nora nodded, "I feel good enough to get back at it again", she replied. She then took a seat, taking no time to dig into her noodles.

Curie sat beside her, frowning in disapproval. "It would be best for you to rest today, Madam."

With a mouthful of noodles, Nora shook her head before taking a moment to swallow, "no can do. There's too much to do out there."

Which I'm certain will be there tomorrow, and the day after that", Curie argued.

"I'll be fine, Curie," Nora replied through another mouthful. That didn't satisfy the scientist, but she opted not to argue further. It was apparent that she was not going to change Nora's mind, and she would have to learn the hard way about exhaustion.

With that issue settled, the group consisting of Preston, Piper, Nick, Cait, and a few Minute Men began discussing some of the problems hitting the settlements and the calls that they had received from people throughout that needed help. During the conversation, Curie rarely added anything, opting to observe. Human behavior fascinated her, perhaps even more so now that she was one.

Her eyes drifted towards Nora, and she thought of what occurred earlier in Nora's house. On the science side of it, Curie was no stranger to the human sexual experience. It was why she could identify what she had been feeling in that moment. But no amount of textbook knowledge could prepare her for actual experience of being attracted to someone. As she looked back on it now, she probably made a fool of herself, just standing there and staring dumbly.

That line of thought made her feel awkward and uncomfortable, and unbeknownst to Curie, her face reddened. Whatever Curie was feeling, she didn't like it. It made her feel weird and made looking at Nora hard. It also had her wondering how the marine had perceived that incident.

Her discomfort didn't go unnoticed, her blush being a large signal of it. It caught the attention of the Irish redhead. "You okay there, Curie?" she questioned with a raised eyebrow. Her inquiry brought the entire group's attention to the scientist, making whatever she was feeling worse.

She reacted by closing in on herself, wrapping her arms around her body. Her eyes went to the floor as she felt everyone else's boring into her, "I'm fine," she mumbled.

"Are you sure? You look like you're embarrassed," Nora commented amusingly.

So that was what she was feeling, embarrassment. Curie hoped she would never feel this way ever again, "I am fine, Madam," Curie lied once again.

It was rather unconvincing, but Nora decided to let it rest and not push Curie to talk. She turned her attention back to everyone else, and the discussion continued. At the end of it, she decided that she, along with Preston and Piper would be heading Covenant, a place that they were suspicious of.

Curie disagreed with the plan as she didn't like getting left behind, she needed to be out there in the world, gaining experience and making scientific discoveries. She voiced her opinions to Nora after the meeting, to which she got a soft, sympathetic smile. Something within her melted at the sight.

"I know you're ready to head out there, but I want you to be prepared. You need to be trained,"

Curie's shoulder's deflated. That made it sound like a long time before she would be able to leave Sanctuary for a while. "How long will that take?"

Nora exhaled slowly as she mulled it over. She hadn't really compiled a training regimen for Curie quite yet, just mainly knowing it was necessary and that the biggest thing was her learning how to shoot a gun. "I don't know, three months maybe?" Nora guessed, basing her estimation on the amount of time her basic training had took. The look of utter defeat in Curie's eyes made her feel awful, but she couldn't budge. Curie, as she stood now was not only a danger for herself but for everyone that traveled with them.

"That's a long time," Curie said sadly.

"I know but I promise that once its done, I'm gonna take you out on so many expeditions and give you so many missions that you'll be begging to stay behind," Nora promised.

Curie smiled excitedly, imagining all the data that she would be able to gather for her research. Her eagerness was infectious, and to be quite honest, Nora couldn't wait to have Curie out there by her side.

"When do I start?" Curie asked, ready to begin as soon as possible.

Nora scratched the back of her neck, still so unsure about Curie's training, "I haven't given it much thought yet, Curie," she admitted. "And I'm about to head out soon, there's no way we can start now."

Curie's elation died, making Nora feel awful. She racked her brain to remedy the situation, looking around desperately for a solution. Her eyes landed on Cait, and a plan sprung to life. It was important for Curie to learn how to shoot, but it was also important for her to learn how to defend herself with hand to hand combat, and who was better to teach her than the champion of the Combat Zone? Her style may not have been as polished or even as refined as Nora's militaristic training, but Cait was a damn good fighter. Her style was hard, brash, and effective.

Nora beckoned her over, and the redhead came to them, eyebrows raised in curiosity. "What's up, Nora?"

"We need a favor," Nora began. Cait looked between the pair intrigued, "I was wondering if you would lend a hand in training Curie".

Cait eyes widened in surprise as she gave the synth a bizarre once over.

Curie gave her a hopeful smile, "Please madam, I would certainly appreciate your help,"

"Why me?" Cait asked perplexed.

"You're the best fighter I've got, and I'm going to be away for a few day. Curie is ready to start her training ASAP," Nora explained.

Cait didn't look convinced, uncertainty clear as day on her face, "I've never been in charge of teaching someone before, I might not be much of a help to ya."

"I am certain you will be a great teacher, as you are highly praised for your fighting abilities," Curie retorted truthful but with a tinge of desperation.

Her expression made it hard to say no. There was a particular hopefulness there that pulled at Cait's heartstrings. She sighed as she relented, "fine, but I can't make any promises other than me best,"

Curie exploded with happiness, grabbing the redhead in a tight hug. Cait didn't return the embrace, rather standing stiffly and allowing herself to be hugged.

Nora smiled at the display, finding Curie's behavior endearing. She was also impressed with how far Cait had come. The woman she had met in the Combat Zone had softened considerably, Nora had rubbed off on her, and her drug habit now kicked helped her a lot. The Cait of old would have reacted harshly to the unwanted display of affection.

Starting to feel really uncomfortable, Cait pried the excited synth from her person and pushed her away at arm's length. She took a step back, putting even more distance between them before turning to Nora awkwardly. A slight blush decorated her features, displaying her embarrassment.

Nora found humor in it as she gave the redhead a grateful pat on the arm, "thanks for this, Cait. I owe you one,"

Cait shook her head, "you owe me nothing, you've done so much for me already."

"Well then, I will be in your debt," Curie interjected.

"You can pay me back once you start your research and making this hellhole better," Cait replied.

"Deal!" Curie exclaimed happily. Shen then clasped Cait by the forearm and started to drag her away, "let's start now!" she proclaimed.

As she was being pulled away, the redhead gave Nora an incredulous look over her shoulder. Nora shot her thumbs up and an encouraging grin. Cait huffed before turning her attention back to the excitable synth, allowing herself to be dragged to a clearing.

A little while later, Nora found herself getting ready for her trip, along with her companions. The trio of her, Preston, and Piper checked their weapons and supplies, in a house that had been designated as a cache. They went through things such as ammunition, food, and first aid. As they did so, Nora took in the behavior of her two friends, noticing how close they were, and how awfully friendly they were being. They were downright shamelessly flirting right in front of her. They seemed to be so absorbed into each other that they had even forgotten Nora was present.

"Can you two please stop it?" Nora questioned, cutting in on their flirtatious banter. They both froze, finally meeting Nora's eyes from across the table. Piper blushed badly while Preston took a big step sideways away from her.

"Sorry, General," he apologized awkwardly.

"Don't mention it," Nora replied, finishing up stocking her combat bag, glancing between the pair, "let's just stay focused and hit the road, shall we?"

It didn't take them long to leave Sanctuary and begin to head towards their Minutemen mission. The trio walked at a mild pace, everyone keeping a diligent eye on their surroundings. This trip, as compared to the one taken with synth Curie had Nora more at ease. She didn't have to be in the protector role as much and had two people she could depend on if anything came across them.

They were silent for the most part, which was fine with Nora. It allowed her to keep a keen eye out all the while allowing her thoughts to drift back to Curie. A contented sigh unintentionally escaped her. It drew the attention of both her companions.

Piper raised a quizzical eyebrow at her, "you good there, Blue?"

"I'm fine," Nora said sheepishly.

"You sure, General?" Preston inquired.

"I'm just thinking is all."

The other two continued to look at her questioningly but didn't comment on it further. Silence fell upon them again and Nora's mind drifted off again towards the scientist.

Her wondering mind made her fall back slightly from Preston and Piper. They didn't hesitate to take the chance to get even closer to each other and struck up conversation. Their behavior didn't go unnoticed by Nora and she marked it as something to discuss for later.

Back at Sanctuary, Curie's training had begun. Cait decided to start of with the very basics, teaching the synth how to stand properly, going over such things as protecting her jaw (aka the button), and keeping her arms tight to protect her ribs.

It was something that Curie easily caught on to, and so they moved on to the next step, punching.

Cait may have despised the saying but hitting like a girl was the best way she could describe the way in which Curie threw a punch. It was weak, uncoordinated, and constantly left the scientist open for a counterattack. That was the way in which she begun, and it took her a little longer get it down. But despite the slight difficulty, Curie was enjoying herself. She had always had a desire to learn and discover new things, and fighting was no different.

She also enjoyed learning from Cait. The redhead may have been a bit rough around the edges, but she was funny, and turning out to be a great teacher.

The day ended on a high note, Curie picking up the different methods and tactics well overall. They were the simple things, but it still gave Cait hope that Curie would make a formidable hand to hand combatant. Perhaps not as good as the redhead herself, but good enough to get herself out of the typical situation.

It was nearing sunset when they finally called it a day, and their stomachs were grumbling by that time. Together, they headed towards a cooking station where Cait made them some iguana on a stick.

"This is rather delicious, Madam," Curie commented between bits, as they sat around the huge cooking pot.

Cait gave a half smile, "you don't have to call me madam, Cait will just do."

Curie nodded quietly, and they continued eating in silence momentarily. "How did you meet Nora?" she questioned suddenly, breaking the silence.

Cait looked up from her half-eaten stick with surprised eyes, "she pulled me out of the Combat Zone, where she kinda won me. That was over 9 months ago, and I've been by her side since."

Curie nodded thoughtfully as she mulled over something Cait said earlier. "What did you mean by her owing you nothing?"

Cait froze, her eyes suddenly becoming cold. It made Curie uncomfortable and made second guess her words. "It wasn't my intention to intrude," she said apologetically.

Cait sighed as her body relaxed once more, "its fine, its just a touchy subject. I don't know you well enough to tell you."

That was enough for Curie, and she didn't push it. She may have been new to emotions and the total human experience, but she knew enough about boundaries, the experiences with her old colleagues taught her that. But she hoped to win Cait's favor enough one day to find out the answer.

The pair didn't talk for the rest of their meal, and politely parted ways afterward. It was still rather early, but Curie found herself to be pretty drained after training all day. She washed up and decided to head to bed early. Rather than head to one of the large housing buildings made for the general public of Sanctuary, she went to Nora's house. She didn't know what it was, but something called her there.

During her walk, she observed the different people of Sanctuary, those of the original group as well as those that Nora had saved during her journey, and others drawn in by the radio signal. Nora had built quite the community, one in which people worked together and helped each other. Certainly, there were going to be disputes as with any grouping of people, but it was nowhere near as hostile as other places. It was community and shown just how well humanity could work together. It was quite the contrast of Curie's old colleagues' warring ways.

At Nora's house, Curie immediately headed for the bedroom, where she found Dogmeat resting comfortably on the bed. Noticing her, he quickly jumped off the bed to greet her, bumping his nose against her thigh and giving her hand a lick. She his head some light pats before making her way to the bed.

As soon as she laid down, Dogmeat joined her, giving her face an excitable lick before curling next to her side. Curie lightly scratched him behind the ears as she took a tired deep breath, inhaling through her nose. The scent Nora wafted over her, it was something that was overwhelming yet comforting. It was also something that lulled her to sleep.

Well, there it is. Please leave a comment telling me what you like, what you didn't, and how I can improve