"C'mon," Maeve whispered, tugging at Amata's hand. Vault 101 was in its simulated night cycle, every light dimmed, and the two girls crept through the dark in near-silence. As always, the doctor's daughter led the way. "My dad and Jonas showed me the coolest place," she said, barely able to contain her enthusiasm, and Amata hurriedly shushed her. The Overseer's daughter was going to be in huge trouble with her dad if she was discovered out of bed at two in the morning. But she would follow Maeve through the gates of hell itself.

It was just the way they were, they way they always had been. And even if Maeve was a big ten-year-old now, it would never change.

The two children were a study in contrasts. Amata's dark hair was carefully brushed, pulled back behind her ears; Maeve's unruly locks spilled out from beneath her red baseball cap in a drifting cloud around her face, a golden color her dad called "cornsilk," whatever that meant. Amata's skin was softly dusky; Maeve was pale and freckled. There was caution in Amata's step and wild abandon in her friend's, one on tiptoe and the other half dancing.

Of course, she had extra reason for joy today; she'd been showered with presents at a surprise party, broken Butch DeLoria's nose over a sweetroll, and shot a radroach with her new BB gun. Easily the best day of her life.

And she wasn't prepared to let it end just yet. She tugged Amata down the stairs to the reactor level, ignoring the whispers of "but we're not allowed down here!" and "we could get in so much trouble!" just like she always did. Given how distant Amata's dad was, Maeve saw it as her solemn duty to make sure her friend had some fun and broke some rules as often as she could manage. Besides, she had to say thank you for all the work Amata had put into her party. And she knew just how to do it.

She tried the door, but it wouldn't budge. "See?" Amata whispered, her voice urgent. "We can't go in there!" Maeve rolled her eyes. Quick as a snake, she snatched one of the bobby pins out of Amata's hair. "Ow! What was that for?"

The wild child grinned. "Watch and learn." Producing a screwdriver from her jumpsuit, she worked both pieces of metal into the lock, humming as she concentrated. Moments later there was a soft click, and the door slid open. Giving Amata a playful punch on the shoulder, she walked through, then turned into one of the side rooms. "C'mon, it's this way. No one will ever catch us down here."

Amata hesitated a moment, gathering her courage, then swallowed hard and followed. The room beyond was just reactor component storage, though the BB gun targets Jonas had set up still creaked and twisted in the slight breeze of the air recyclers. They cast long shadows in the dim light, like growling monsters. Amata stepped back, her heart beating fast. But then Maeve was beside her. She slid her hand into Amata's, entwining their fingers and giving them a quick squeeze.

"It's okay," she said, her deep blue eyes full of reassurance. "C'mere, I have something super cool to show you."

They sat on some of the smaller crates while Maeve fished around in her jumpsuit's pockets. Bits of wire, a pair of pliers, several BBs, a bit of surgical tubing... she discarded each in turn, frowning. Finally her grin returned as she produced a crumpled photograph and passed it to Amata.

It was of a singer in a daringly-cut dress, a sultry half-smile on her face as she crooned out over a casino lounge. "She's so pretty," Amata murmured. "Yeah," Maeve said. "But look at her ears." Amata looked, squinting in the dimness, and finally made out some kind of round, metallic thing at the bottom of her earlobe. "What's that?"

Maeve grinned even wider. "I asked my dad, and he said that back before the war, pretty ladies used to wear 'earrings'. So I made us some. Y'know, to say thanks for my party. And issue 14; Grognak is so cool." Sliding her hand into another pocket, she pulled out four little metal studs, painstakingly carved and sanded down from bits of scrap metal Stanley wouldn't miss. "Cool!" Amata said, picking one up between her fingers. "But how do we put them on?"

Maeve gave a casual shrug. "You have to get your ears pierced." She opened her other hand to reveal a long, thick stimpack needle. Amata's eyes got big.

Maeve sighed dramatically. "It's not gonna be that bad. Here, you can do me first." Reaching out, she closed her friend's trembling fingers over the needle, guided it up to her right ear. "Ok," she said. "Keep it steady and just push, real fast." Amata bit her lip. "But..."

Maeve rolled her eyes, then tugged on Amata's hand, hard. Amata let loose a little shriek, letting go of the needle, so Maeve pulled it out on her own. "See?" She said, smiling. "Not that bad. Now do my other one." As always, her confidence was infectious. Amata took the needle back, not shaking this time, and followed Maeve's steady guiding hand. It was over in a moment.

Collecting two of the studs, Maeve tucked them through the little holes; their dark silver contrasted the gold of her hair. "How do I look?" She asked, smiling. "Really pretty," Amata told her, and meant it.

"Ok, now you," Maeve said, producing a second needle; her dad had taught her never to mess with dirty needles. Amata held very still, biting her lip hard. But Maeve's hands were steady and quick; it wasn't half as bad as she'd expected. Her friend gently fitted the other two studs into her ears, then leaned back. "How do I look?" Amata asked in turn.

Maeve smiled, and it was a quiet smile this time. "You're always pretty. But they look good on you."