(Lengthy)A/N: Well, I'm back but with a different story. I'm currently undergoing writer's block for 'Behind the Mask' and perhaps I'm also enjoying Fallout 4's Survival Mode a bit too much to focus on anything else, so instead I decided to wrap up a few works I have been putting on hold for quite some time.

In this case, I've always been interested in writing a fic where both spouses survive the events of Vault 111. So knowing that, it will be slightly AU-ish, especially since both husband and wife served in the army. This story will also have its share of updates but at the moment I don't think it would be as frequent though anything could change from here till later.

For readers who have been following 'Behind the Mask', I will be continuing to work on it and I'm hoping to have the next chapter out in a week or two. In the meantime, to make up for the lack of new chapter, I will be instead posting a one-shot related to the story later on titled 'Stress Relief', that will be exclusive to the AO3 site, so if anyone's interested in a little F!Sole/Dez smut, well, you can head on thataway!

Pointers, reviews, ideas and feedback are always welcome here!

This story is rated M for violence, language and sexual content in future chapters.

(I changed the beginning scene a little.)

…

Critical failure in Cryogenic Array. All vault residents must vacate immediately.

The hissing sound of the cryopod opening slowly woke him as he tried to pull himself together. It all happened so fast. One minute he was placed in this 'decontamination chamber' which turned out be some fancy icebox of sorts.

"God, its fucking cold in here!"

Bryce had practically collapsed to the floor as the door to his pod fully opened, knees weak from having been locked away for who knows how long in this vault. He slowly stood up as his breathing steadied and strength slowly returned to his body.

Vision still blurry, he looked around to try and makes sense of his surroundings as his eyes locked on to the pod across him. He tried to wrap his head around everything that had occurred the last time he woke up. Everything had been a blur the last time. He remembered two strangers approaching his wife's pod, and then things went downhill...

"Back off! I'm not giving you my baby!" He watched through the window of the cryopod as his wife yelled at the strangers who were trying to take Shaun from her.

"I'm only going to say this only once. Let the boy go," The bald man had said as he raised his revolver at her, while the other in the hazmat suit reached forward to snag their baby. Bryce started beating his fist on the glass, frantically searching for anything that would release him so he could save Arianna.

"Over my dead body," he heard his wife snarl at the gunman.

"That can be arranged," he responded coolly before squeezing the trigger. The gunshot echoed across the room and a cry of pain was heard, but surprisingly, it came from the gunman. In one quick move, she had latched on to the man's wrist with her robotic arm, a military-grade prosthetic that was made for her after she lost her right arm in Anchorage, and pushed his hand away as he fired.

She seemed intent on snapping his wrist but the distraction allowed the man's partner to lean in and quickly grab Shaun from her mother's protective grasp.

"SHAUN!" Arianna cried out and Bryce could see the vicious glint in his wife's eyes, "Give him back, you bitch!"

She almost jumped out of the pod but the gunman recovered quickly, grabbing Arianna from behind and wrapping a hand around her throat.

"Let her go, you son of a bitch!" Bryce yelled though no one was able to hear him. There wasn't enough leg room to try and kick down the door of his pod and he was growing desperate.

In one fluid motion, the gunman threw Arianna back into her cryopod and before she could resist any further, struck her across the face with the butt of his revolver, enough force in the blow to knock her out cold.

"God damn it, close that pod already!" he yelled to some other crony that Bryce was unable to see as he holstered his gun. He must have felt Ari's struggle, brief as it was, since he held onto his wrist with his other hand as he twisted it around a bit. He walked over to the pod across Ari's and Bryce seethed in anger as he took a good look at his face. The most recognizable feature was a large scar on his face.

"Let's hope our backup is a little more cooperative," was all he said as he walked away.

Bryce tried one last attempt at freeing himself from his prison before he suddenly felt a rush of cold air make it's way into the pod and before he knew it, he was slowly drifting off to sleep.

He didn't hesitate to lunge at the controls that would open his wife's pod.

"Please let it be a bad dream. Please be alive, Ari." He frantically thought as the pod that held his wife slowly opened. He held his breath for a moment as the woman came into view, and looked at her pale face, kept pristine save for a purple bruise marring her left cheek that had apparently been preserved as well by the freezing process. She slumped forward as the pod completely opened and Bryce rushed to stop her fall.

"Arianna, baby, please. Say something!" Bryce pleaded as he held his wife in his arms. He had just lost his son. He couldn't lose his wife too. The seconds of silence unnerved him to the point of almost suffering a meltdown until he felt his wife stir, gasping for air, which in turn led to a coughing fit.

He embraced his wife to put her at ease as her coughing subsided.

"Just breathe, honey. Calm down and breathe," he murmured, patting Arianna on the back as she brought her hands up and gripped Bryce's shoulders.

She lay still in his arms for a brief moment and her husband was really starting to worry.

"Ari..."

"I'm sorry, Bryce," she said weakly as she pulled away a little from her husband's embrace to look into his eyes. He noticed that tears were beginning to form in the corners of her eyes, "I'm so sorry. Believe me, I tried to fight back but everything was a blur and…"

"Shhh," Bryce shushed her before placing a kiss on her forehead, "I know you did Ari. I saw the whole thing happen. I wanted to help, to save you and our boy, but I couldn't find a way to get out of that thing."

When his wife didn't say anything, he continued.

"It'll be alright. We'll find Shaun together. I'm just glad you're still alive. I couldn't bear the thought of losing you as well."

Arianna sighed. "I honestly thought for a moment that they were sent to release us. I should have known there something a little off about those guys," she said, still disappointed in her inability to protect her son.

"Unexpected things can happen even to the best of us," Bryce said, "It was you who taught me that out in the battlefield, Ari."

"But I lost our son!" his wife insisted with a shake of her head.

"It's not your fault," he assured her, "We must have been locked away down here for a long time. It's only natural that we would be physically weakened from being frozen for a while." He pulled his wife into his arms and gave her a loving kiss.

"Besides, I know for a fact that you would have mopped the floor with that scar-faced cueball and those hazmat suit cronies of his had you been in peak condition."

"Scar-faced cueball, pfft," she giggled weakly at that, finding some solace in her husband's humor. Bryce felt that at least now he was making some progress in bringing back the Arianna he knew so well.

"Gonna have to remember that one for when we find that bastard. I guess it's good to know that I still have your vote of confidence at least," she said with a soft smile.

"Of course you've got my vote. How many times have you saved my ass in Anchorage?" he asked.

"As many times as you've saved mine," his wife retorted, bringing out a chuckle from her husband.

"C'mon, soldier boy," she said, getting up from the floor and tugging her husband by the arm, "We've got to get out of this place."

"You've got it, Nightingale," Bryce responded, calling her by her old code name.

They checked the other pods to see if anyone else might have survived but much to their horror and disappointment, they discovered that life support systems of every other cryopod had malfunctioned, effectively killing those inside.

"You think those people who took Shaun also did that?" Ari asked, voice a little shaky from the cold and the realization that everyone they knew were pretty much dead.

"I don't know," her husband responded, gripping the security baton he found a little tightly, ready to strike in case of any hostiles, "But it's very likely."

So the stranger was now guilty of taking Shaun, laying a hand on Arianna and most likely ordered the death of these people, most of them former friends and neighbors at Sanctuary Hills. As far as Bryce was concerned, this man had signed his own death warrant by quickly making himself an enemy of the Wolf of Anchorage.

They went into another hallway before they encountered giant roaches the likes they've never seen before.

"Jesus! They're like the size of a grown cat!" Arianna shrieked as she stepped aside to avoid the roach sent in her direction by a whack of Bryce's baton. She promptly finished it off with a forceful stomp, grimacing at the mess she made.

They made a detour towards a small office, where Bryce found a 10mm pistol and some ammunition.

"You should probably use it," he said, handing the pistol over to his wife, "Until I find another gun, I'll keep the nightstick. Just put your famous sharpshooter skills to use and back me up."

"Like old times?" Arianna asked with a smile.

"Heh, yeah. Just like old times."

A few more hallways devoid of human life and several roaches later, the couple made it into what seemed to be the Overseer's office. Bryce made a beeline towards what looked like a personal armory, while Arianna inspected the Overseer's desk.

"Say hello to your new owner," he muttered, inspecting another 10mm pistol he found in a supply locker. He turned and noticed a locked display case with a rather unique looking weapon inside.

"That would be the Cryolator," Bryce turned to look at his wife, who began to speak, "An experimental weapon of sorts meant to freeze others. Though the people who created it did so out of sheer boredom."

Bryce said, before quirking an eyebrow, "How the heck did-"

"Terminal," Arianna interrupted, pointing over her shoulder at the terminal behind her, "Had a file on the Cryolator. I also found some entries that seem to hint that there was unrest among the residents here, at least the ones who weren't put on ice like us."

"And judging by the skeletons all around, I'm guessing it didn't end well for both sides," Bryce commented.

"Pretty much," was all she said before making her way to another door, "By the way, I've unlocked the door. Let's get out of here."

"You always were the computer whiz of the family," Bryce complimented as they made their way towards the vault entrance. They put down another group of roaches that scurried around and found a box with clean leftover vault suits, taking a pair to replace their dirtied ones.

They walked over to the control switch and Arianna noticed two skeletal bodies slumped next to it, Pip-Boys on their arms.

"Not a big fan of looting the dead," she muttered as she took one of the Pip-Boys and began attaching it to her wrist, "But I have a feeling we're gonna need this more than you, buddy."

"Honey, take this" she said as she handed the other to her husband, "Check that yours is running fine while I get that vault door opened."

He wiped away the dust from the Pip-Boy screen as an image of Vault-Tec's mascot, Vault Boy, showed up on the screen. Before he could do anything else, he heard the alarms blaring and the sound of the giant vault door being dragged open by some sort of mechanism. The walkway extended, connecting itself to another one outside the door.

"It's done. The elevator is just up ahead," Arianna said as they walked towards the exit, "Lead the way, Sergeant Major," she gestured for Bryce to take the lead.

"Roger that, Specialist. Keep close and watch my six."

"Oh, I'll be watching your six closely all right."

"And people think I'm terrible!" Bryce shook his head and laughed.

They stood in the center of the elevating platform and felt it rumble beneath them as it lifted towards the surface. Bryce took this moment to reach out and hold Arianna's prosthetic hand, while the other softly caressed her cheek.

"Remember, we may be husband and wife, but we're also a team. As long as we stick together, we'll get through this," he said before leaning in and brushing his lips over hers.

"We survived Anchorage," Arianna assured as she nuzzled Bryce's neck, "I don't think we'll find any place worse than that hell we endured there."

The lift began to move much slower as the platform above began to open. The couple shielded their eyes from the sunlight pouring in as they reached the surface. As soon as they were able to see, they looked to their surroundings and stared in a mix of shock and awe, though it wasn't the pleasant kind.

"What the hell happened here?!" Bryce exclaimed before he mentally slapped himself.

"The bomb. The one that fell while we were heading down the vault. Of course," he thought.

"Huh, I spoke too soon, didn't I?" Arianna remarked, quirking an eyebrow as she viewed Sanctuary and most of the Commonwealth from the top of the hill, "Good God, they really went through with it…nuclear war." She sighed and shook her head in disbelief.

She felt warm hands wrap around her waist as Bryce leaned over her shoulder.

"I know this is hard to take in, Ari," he said, "But what's done is done. No point in moping about it for too long. In the meantime, let's check out Sanctuary…or what's left of it. There's gotta be someone there or at least a clue that'll give us an idea on where to start."

"Not like we have any other choice," she said, "Very well, let's go to Sanctuary."

They followed the path down to their old neighborhood, careful not to step on the skeletons that dotted the route. These were the remains of all those people who stood outside the gates, hoping to make it to the safety of the vault. And as dark as it sounded to them, the couple agreed that these poor bastards were better off dying out here than becoming guinea pigs for Vault-Tec.

They walked through the decrepit husk that had once been one of the most vibrant communities in the Commonwealth and came to a familiar sight as they approached their own home.

"It can't be?" Arianna whispered as she and Bryce saw a rusty looking Mr. Handy robot working on what should be their front lawn, "Codsworth?"

That caught the attention of the Mister Handy, quickly turning around. Its three cybernetic eyes widening as he realized who the approaching strangers were.

"As I live and breathe…It's really you!" Codsworth exclaimed in relief, his turbo thruster carrying him as fast as he could over to his masters, "Master Bryce! Mistress Arianna! It's so good to see you again!"

It was perhaps a good thing that Codsworth was a robot. If he were human, no doubt he'd be a snot-ridden mess with all the crying he did as he came to terms that his masters were still alive and well.

"Codsworth…what happened out here?" Bryce asked.

"The war happened, sir," Codsworth replied, "There were nuclear detonations all over the country, perhaps even the entire world!"

"I wouldn't call throwing nukes all over the place a 'war'. That's just outright annihilation."

"Yes, it has become a rather harsh world out here, but still, I continued on, never shirking from my duties, hoping that one day you and your wife would have emerged from that vault, and if not you, at least Shaun or his descendants…oh by the way, before we continue to catch up, would you and your wife require something to eat? According to my sensors, the last time you both had dinner was over 200 years ago! You must be absolutely famished!"

"Wait…200 years?!" Bryce thought as time seemed to stop for him and his wife as Codsworth's words sunk in.

"Hold on…that's impossible…there's no way that we could be 200 years into the future," he said.

"Actually, it's been over 210 years, give or take, if the old chronometer's still working correctly," Codsworth added.

"So, you're saying we're 210 years into the future?" Arianna asked in disbelief, joining in on the conversation "This is starting to sound like one of those bad sci-fi movies we would watch on Saturday nights."

"I'm afraid there's nothing fictional about this, mum," Codsworth replied, "Though I do admit that the idea of spending Saturdays watching movies was one of the best activities you have come up with to spend time with the family. Speaking of family, where is young Shaun?"

"Shaun's been kidnapped, Codsworth," Bryce woefully said as his wife held his hand, "Someone broke into the vault and took our baby from Ari. They also nearly killed her as well while all I could do was watch," he concluded with a bitter edge to his voice, remembering how helpless he was to protect Shaun and Arianna.

"Master Bryce, these…horrible things you are saying. It can't be true…can they?"

"I'm afraid so Codsy," Arianna said as she sighed dejectedly, "I don't know who those people were…but they took Shaun and we need to find them so we can get our son back."

"Do not lose hope, mum!" the Mr. Handy tried to comfort the couple, "Perhaps I may be of assistance? If you wish, I could search the abandoned houses around here and see if young Shaun might be hidden in there."

"Uh, yeah. Go ahead Codsworth," Bryce said though he knew full well that Shaun wouldn't be here, "Tell us if you find anything."

"And bring me a screwdriver while you're at it," Arianna chimed in as Codsworth whirled around and floated away to begin his search. She then turned towards their former home and directed herself towards it, her husband following suit.

The couple was surprised to see that their house was perhaps the least messy and decrepit out of all the houses here in Sanctuary, though no doubt that their robot butler might have had something to do with that. Apart from the dust, grime and some worn out furniture, everything looked to be in the same place that they had left it over 200 years ago.

"Well, would you look at that," Arianna said as she walked over to the bedroom, "Of all the things to survive for two centuries, it had to be that ugly ass painting you liked so much."

Meanwhile, Bryce casually stood by the doorway, watching as his wife looked around the house. He could honestly spend the whole day looking at her, admiring her and he wondered to himself how lucky he must have been to get the attention of who he considered the most beautiful and exotic woman he knew.

But he would have to admit that at that moment, he liked the way that jumpsuit defined her physical features.

Well, at least Vault-Tec got something right. The way that vault suit clung to his wife's body like a second skin, hugging her in all the right places, showing off her shapely legs, the curve of her hips and that luscious…

Arianna must have noticed him staring and placed one hand on her hip as she looked at Bryce over her shoulder.

"Enjoying the view, big guy?" she asked with a sultry voice, wiggling her hips at her husband, knowing that it would drive him mad.

Bryce gulped as he felt the vault sight become even tighter around him. His wife knew how to push his buttons and all he could think about at the moment was pushing her up against the wall, taking her right then and there.

"Sir? Mum?"

His inappropriate thoughts were interrupted with the sound of Codsworth's voice calling to them from the living room. Perhaps it was for the best. They had a kidnapper to track down and a new world to get used to.

"I'm afraid young Shaun is nowhere in sight. He…he really is gone, isn't he?" the poor robot sounded like he was about to 'cry' again as the couple approached him.

"Hey, calm down buddy. We're going to find him," Bryce assured his butler, "But I need you to focus for a minute. Do you have any idea where we could start?"

"Well…perhaps you could head down the road towards Concord," the robot butler advised, "I do believe that there may be some folks lounging around the area."

"There are still people living in Concord?" Arianna asked, curious that there were still people out there in this…wasteland, despite all the years that have gone by since the nuclear war.

"Yes indeed," Codsworth chirped, "Though, I would suggest caution as they seemed to be a rather unfriendly bunch. Last time I went that far into town, they pelted me with rocks. Oh by the way," Codsworth extended one of his metallic appendages which held a tool in its claws, "The screwdriver you requested, mum!"

Arianna thanked him as she took the tool and Codsworth floated away to grant the couple a few minutes to themselves. The woman began to unzip her vault suit, revealing the lace bra she wore underneath and a durable, elastic strap that wrapped around her upper torso and left shoulder which kept the prosthesis on her right arm securely in place.

If it wasn't for the Crimson Dragoon that got the jump on her during a skirmish in the outskirts of Anchorage…

As she tapped around with her arm, Bryce found his old set of army fatigues hidden away in his closet. It didn't look to worse for wear, merely covered in a lot of dust. It was in better condition than what he would have expected two hundred year old clothes to be in. No doubt that Codsworth must have done everything in his capabilities to wash their clothes and fold them neatly in place, bless his soul. Good thing he didn't require a salary because Bryce and Arianna probably would have owed him over a dozen pay raises by now.

He changed into his army uniform while his wife finished up her personal check-up.

"Hmm, the arm's in good condition," Arianna analyzed as she kept poking and turning a few screws around the prosthetic, "I would have expected that being frozen for so long and the scuffle I had with Shaun's kidnappers to have damaged it. I would be a useless sniper if I only had one arm to work with."

"And we can't have that, can we," her husband chuckled and placed a tender kiss on her lips.

"I think we're ready to go, unless you want to change into your uniform?"

Arianna looked over at the closet before turning her gaze over to her husband and gave him a mischievous grin.

"Actually, I think I'll keep the vault suit for a little while longer," she said as she tucked her arms back into the jumpsuit's sleeves and pulled the zipper back up.

Bryce groaned at the thought of following his wife around in that (blessed?cursed?) vault suit of hers.

"You will be the death of me one of these days, you lovely minx," he muttered, which got a laugh out of his wife.

"Oh please. If you being distracted by my body was going to be the cause of our deaths, we would have died ten times over in Alaska."

He sighed at the thought. Fair enough, she wins this round…for now.

They both took whatever supplies and gear they could use, pistols at the ready, and bidding Codsworth a temporary farewell, they made their way to the bridge that would set them on the road towards the Commonwealth.

"Don't know what we're going to find out there, but whatever the case…"

"I know the drill, honey," Arianna assured, "We've been a team for a long time. I know we can do this."

Bryce smiled and nodded in agreement. They held hands as they crossed the bridge and headed towards Concord.

...

I edited the beginning scene a bit as a guest reviewer pointed out that it would've been better to see the situation with Kellogg unfold rather than have Arianna describe what happened. After I read it over a few times, I figured that the reviewer did make a very valid point, as her narration would have been unnecessary since the husband saw the whole thing anyway. So instead, I wrote that part from Bryce's point of view, as he remembered what he saw as the scuffle began.

All in all, the original scene did feel somewhat rushed, so I hope the edited version is a better improvement.