A /N: Hey fellas. Just wanted to say I'm sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out, things have been rather busy for me. On a side note, I have a discord server for those who are interested. We discuss story writing, post memes and have a good time. Come join me: discord .gg / F578759

"What? Why?" Jennifer quickly asked, persisting on trying our Max's patience level, which was fading rapidly.

"I don't have to explain myself to you." Max bitterly replied, returning his attention to the matter at hand.

"You can't be serious!" Jennifer snapped. Max' anger was beginning to boil over.

"Don't you have loved ones? My SON is out there! And he is in great danger." She went on. Max finally looked at her again.

"Someone has to say it, so I will. There is a good chance your son is dead, or adopted into some mad raider party. Either way, he isn't coming back." Max explained.

"How do you know this? Boston is a big place! He could be alive!" Max sighed as Jennifer kept up the pressure.

"What are you basing that on, huh? The word of a drug using grandma?" He snapped. He took a moment to breathe and put himself in her shoes. He knew the pain involved, and that's why he turned it down a notch.

"Why would you even want me to take you? You don't know me." Max asked.

"You are my best bet. Please….." She replied.

"No… The place out there-" He pointed outside. "-Is not a playground. It's a free ticket to the graveyard." He snarled. She looked complexed for a moment, several times she tried to get some words out that refused to leave her throat. Max went back to begin cooking the rabbit he had caught earlier.

"I'll pay you!" She said, it came sudden and Max slowly looked at her.

"With what?" Max asked.

"Whatever you want! Please! I'm begging you!" She almost cried.

"What makes you think there is something worthwhile out there to risk my life and limps after finally finding peace?" He asked, anger beginning to find its way into his voice. She thought about that for a minute or two, before snapping her fingers.

"Fuel!" She proclaimed. "Fuel is hard to come by. If you help me, I'll help you get some fuel." She promised.

"And where would you get fuel?" He pressed. She was quiet, her eyes twitching. Max caught it, but anyone with less of a trained eye wouldn't have spotted it.

"I know of a secret storage space. It was hidden before the war. Give me a ride, and it's all yours." She held out her hand. A gesture to seal the deal.

"A secret storage space of fuel?" Max had a hard time believing it, but he needed the fuel. His generator was beginning to run low. His car had enough to make it to diamond city and back, but it was his last full tank.

"Yes, but only if you see me safe to diamond city. That's my offer." She was still holding out her hands. Max wiped the oil from his hands and shook her hand.

"Okay, you show me this fuel, and I'll drive you there." Max said.

"No, it is my insurance." She replied.

"And what of mine?" He asked. He caught her off guard there.

"You have a lawyer's word." She remarked. A lawyer? His mind scrambled to remember what that was. Imagine of people in a suit, standing in a court house came to mind, defending or accusing people. Then his mind snapped to a still picture of goose, burned after Johnny the Kid escaped. It was a lawyer that got him out of there.

"In my opinion, a lawyer isn't the most reliable person." Max added.

"I swore an oath on the constitution! I would be breaking my livelihood if I did not see my word through." She defended herself pretty well, but then again, it was what she was trained for. He got closer, and looked her deep in the eyes.

"I have killed people for less. If you don't give me what I want, finding your son will be the least of your worries." Max threaten, but to her credit, she did not even change the look in her eyes.

"I will keep my word. Just take me to diamond city." She promised.

"Not like that. We need to get you sorted out. You need to be able to defend yourself out there." Max replied.

"I know how to defend myself! Nate-" The name made her throat swell up"-…. I've had training. I can handle myself." She clarified.

"We'll see about that. Come with me."

Max was leaning against a wall, watching over Jennifer trying to hit a small can with a rifle. He looked mighty unimpressed by the whole ordeal, and spend the time picking apart a mutfruit, and slowly eating pieces of it. Jennifer on the other hand, was getting more and more frustrated by the shots that kept missing.

"FUCK!" She yelled as the gun gave a click sound, signaling the bullets had run out. "How can it be so hard?" She asked, but quickly reminded herself that the man was not known for answering her questions.

"You are standing wrong, and you are holding the gun wrong." He replied, surprising her that he actually used his voice.

"Then how am I supposed to stand? Can you answer me that?" She asked in a very frustrated voice.

To her surprise, he did. He positioned her legs, arms and the way she held the rifle correctly. Although it was borderline uncomfortable to be touched like that, she realized that she needed the training. He mumbled instructions throughout the whole thing. Things she had to do, and things she shouldn't do.

"Go ahead." He finally said. She puffed out some air in his face and then took a deep breath, another one of his instructions, and lined up her shot. To her surprise, she hit the can. She wanted to cheer in that moment, but Max had the same dead look on his face, so she decided against that. She took a few more shots, and although not all were perfect, she had the technic down.

"Okay, keep trying. We leave the day after tomorrow. I drop you off at Diamond city, and you give me the gasoline storage unit." He said.

"Fine." She replied. Max nodded, and left. "Hey!" She called out, Max promptly turned around to address her with a 'what do you want' look.

"What's your name?" She asked. It had dawned on her, that she had never heard what his name was.

"Does it really matter?" He asked back, and she looked puzzled for a moment.

"It would be kinda nice to know if I had to call out for you." She remarked.

"You won't need to do that." He replied, and then left. "Fucking jerk." She mumbled under her breath as he walked out of sight.

"Are you certain about going with him? He doesn't seem very….. Stable, if you will." Preston asked, the camp fire still going strong. They had just eaten, as quite a few people had retired for the night. They were still hard at work restoring the houses into something livable. They were making progress.

"He is the only one with a car. At the end of the day, he is my best bet." She answered.

"Doesn't seem very trust-worthy, that's all I'm saying." Preston remarked.

"I hear you. I made him a deal, and he accepted. All I can hope for is that it will be smooth sailing, but that's a pipe dream, isn't it?" She asked.

"I'm afraid it is. I wish I could tell you things are better out there, but humanity never recovered. Sometimes it's hard to know what is worse, the wildlife, or the people. Be careful, okay? Keep that flare gun close to you, and fire it if you need help." Preston said.

"We'll see what happens. Hopefully, I won't need it." She said, and warmed her hands against the fire. "I look forward to seeing you again, and I hope you make something of this place." She said. Preston laughed.

"They are working hard enough to turn it around. And we really appreciate all the help you have given us. Clean water, food, and security. If you keep it up, it might just become a stable settlement." He replied.

"I'm looking forward to it." She smiled.

"What will you do once you get to diamond city?" Preston asked.

"Not sure. I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. I'm guessing that someone has to know something." She replied. He nodded.

"Good luck." He said.

"Thanks."

The day came sooner than she expected. She was getting ready, though she didn't feel prepared to take it all on, she knew that time was a luxury she couldn't afford right now. She had gone to his house, and waited for him to exit it. She double checked her weapon, and made sure it was loaded and working as it should. He finally came out, with some clothes in one hand. He threw it to her, she caught it, but looked at him confused.

"Put it on." He requested, but it was more of an order.

"Why?" She asked stubbornly.

"Because vault dwellers don't have the best reputation out there, and you stick out like a sore thumb." He quickly replied. She was about to argue with him, but she knew the blue probably wouldn't help her in the long run. She changed in the house as he checked the car for any faults. As she threw the hood over her head, she heard the roar of the car. It was a powerful car, no doubt about it. Probably made to withstand the tough conditions of the wasteland.

She walked out, and threw her bag with whatever tools she had scavenged in the trunk of the car. He looked on with mild disinterest as he cleaned up the passenger seat. It was only then she noticed that the driver's seat was in the wrong side. She was confused about this, but decided to not comment on it. Instead, she tried to remember which countries used to drive in the other side of the road.

"Stick close, and keep quiet." He mumbled as he pulled down the brake lever. The car slowly rolled out of the drive way and began to make its way out of the settlement. The few people there waved at her, they had all wished her good luck, in one way or another.

He was a skilled driver. He began to pick up speed as they came out of city bounds and onto the open road. The roads had been damaged in the opening days of the war, but the car could not care less. Surprisingly smooth, but the car could do with a good cleaning, but then again, what couldn't nowadays.

There were several times she wanted to talk, but she kept reminding herself that he was not the talkative type. He kept to himself, and kept driving. She got to see the ruins of the world she once knew. Things were falling apart. He didn't care about any of it. She theorized he was probably just like most other survivors, not really caring about what the world used to be.

Sometimes, she would see things from the car window. Like giant bugs, raider or big green men. Sometimes, the man she was driving would drive over a bug. She still had trouble wrapping her head about it all, Boston used to be a nice place to live. Now, it looked more like a nightmare. She sighed as she leaned her head against the window.

Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep; her dreams were haunted by the faces of both Nate and her son, Shaun. Ever since she woke up from the icebox, the nightmares she had would involve them. Every night. She awoke as they rode into Boston. The moon was high in the sky, and it was quite dark outside. The man mumbled something about not turning on the lights due to the possibility that they would attract unwanted attention.

They only payed half attention to what happened, her own mind was too focused on how she should get Shaun back. She tried to make some sort of game plan, but she didn't know anyone, she didn't know where to begin. She was interrupted by the sudden brake of the car, that almost sent her flying through the window.

"What the hell was that?" She yelled at him. He hushed her, and she quickly did as he requested.

"It's an ambush." He whispered. She got a lump in her throat and tried to shallow it. He turned on the front light, and low and behold, one of those big green men stood in front of them. She felt Max turn the gear into reverse, and try to haul ass back the way they came. Only these fuckers were smarter than they look. They boxed them in, cut off their escape route.

She looked at Max, and saw him with a very focused look on his face, but also a hint of anger. Probably from the fact that they were caught in the gutter. Once again, he changed gears. He speeded right into one of the green men in front of them, almost sending him flying. She heard a shot ring out, and could tell by the hissing that a tire had been shot. They descended upon the car, and began to smash the hood.

Max popped his door open and pulled out his shotgun in one swift movement. He fired, and managed to get one of them off his car. Jessica followed suit, and took her 10mm pistol and began unleashing hell upon the green men. One of them took a swing at Max as he tried to reload, but the man was quick on his feet. He rolled to the side, and pulled out his knife.

Jessica didn't see the whole ordeal. But, she heard the crack sound of a skull. Next thing she knew, the big fucker was on the ground. She emptied her clip into another one, but the fucker kept coming towards her. She could tell she had broken one of its arms, but it wasn't enough. Just as the green man attempted to grip her, a loud shot was heard. There was ringing in her ears as the big green man fell over. Max quickly took her by the wrist and pulled her towards an alley. The green men retreated to lick their wounds.

She took a moment to catch her breath against the wall, but before she knew it, she was pinned against the very same wall by Max. His face showed boiling anger, and he was tightening his grip on her throat, she began to struggle for air.

"THIS IS YOUR FAULT!" He yelled in her face, and she tried to give a response, but air took priority. She felt herself get weaker, and black began to form in the corners of her eyes. Before she passed out, she was released. She fell ass first on the ground, her back leaning against the wall still. She took deep breaths, trying to balance it out.

Max kicked a dumpster, and yelled several things she couldn't make out. "I should kill you." He said as he pointed a finger at her.

"I didn't do this!" She fired back.

"You got me out here! You are the reason I am standing here!" He was angry, that much was clear. And his point was compelling. She felt it was best she remained quiet for a little while. Max kept punching random stuff in the alley way.

"Look, I'm sorry." She finally said.

"You better fucking be. You ain't going anywhere until that car can run again. And that fuel better be by the thousands." He replied, voice still carrying anger.

"I'll help you. Come with me to diamond city." She offered.

"No fucking way." He quickly answered.

"It's the only fucking way! You can get your help there! And I can get my son!" She said. Max didn't reply for a long time, it was clear he was thinking about it. Sometime later, she finally got her answer.

"You better not run from me, because I will find you." He threatened.

"It's a deal then." She replied.