[SEQUEL TO GUN FOR HIRE]
Chapter 19: Blood Of Redemption
Warning: Nobody is safe.

Piper trembled, her heart in her throat. She watched, dazed, as she lifted her hand and wiped at whatever leaked down the side of her head, staring at the blood glinting on her fingers. She looked down at the corpse at her feet, then flew back and slammed against the wall when metal shrieked again. She looked over, gaping at the man at the door where other blood trails led to. His pistol slipped from his hand and he grabbed his waist, slumping against the wall.

"...Blue?"

"Are you alright, Piper?" John rasped weakly, and she rushed to his side to help him, panicking with how much blood trickled out and over her fingers.

"What happened, who shot you?" Her head whipped back to Sarah, who was face down, the red puddle growing around her head. "You killed S-Sarah... Luki... Luki's goi-"

"That wasn't Sarah."

"What?"

"That-" John hissed as he slipped down to the floor. His voice cracked, striking fear in her heart with how much weaker and scared he sounded. "H-help me, please..."

"Hang on, Blue." She ripped off Garrett's jacket and rolled it up, pressing it into John's wound. "Hold this and stay here, I'm going to see if I can find a first aid kit."

"No." John ensnared her wrist, smearing even more blood on her skin. This whole place smelled like it, was covered in it - this was a fucking nightmare. "Go inside. Look. See."

"See what?" Piper pressed her hand against his wound, freaking out when his head lazily lulled forward. "Blue, stay with me! Hang on, just... Just, please, hang on!"

John coughed, scarlet trickling down his lips. His hand slipped away. She broke in that instant, the world growing misty. She shook him, her own voice bleeding out to the white noise that rang in her brain, tears suffocating her. Red flooded her vision no matter where she looked, and death surrounded her. Numb, she peeled the jacket away and searched for whatever spots that were still clean, spitting on her arm to try and wipe off the blood before it dried. She retraced her steps until she found the bowtie and used it to apply pressure to her forehead, stomach churning and gnarling like there was barbed wire wrapping around her intestines.

When Sarah swam back in her vision, Piper turned and puked; she shook harder than ever before, forcing on nothing but to place one foot next in front of the other until she passed John, struggling to hold on to a single thought in the sea of thousands. She followed John's blood trail to the next door, reaching for the bloodstained button to open it.

And hesitated.

There were reminders everywhere - painted on the floor, the walls, her hands. People were dying because of the truth - when she was so certain it would liberate and save the Commonwealth... But everybody was here because she endangered them all with her stepping on the Institute's coat tail.

Yet, at that party, all those scientists genuinely believed in their work. Most had nothing to do with the surface, but rather innovated and invented new things to improve life down here, or to bring things back from the pre-war era like animals and plants. They were passionate and believed in their endeavors, in the greater good that came from it, just like her. But like ripples of a stone dropping into a pond, the peace was disturbed by their work - the Institute and hers - and each ripple swept a life away with it.

People were already dying, and if she opened this door, the threat of putting more lives at risk would become a reality. What if the next victim was not her, but Garrett, or even his family? What if the Institute didn't even need to clean them up, but just sow the seed of paranoia and let them kill each other - then blame it on the typical wastelander way of life?

If she walked out of here, she could continue her blissful existence with Garrett, and eventually he would be allowed to visit his family again. It was clean here. Safe. If she talked to Shaun, maybe she could bring Nat here. Could she live a lie, though?

"You wanted to find the truth, didn't you? This is the only way, because you are the lie."

Piper looked back at John. At Sarah. She took out her notepads, flipping through the pages until she looked at what the last 'Piper' had written.

Mr. Always Right knows Wright from Wrong. But who will know who is Always Right?

Piper still didn't know; and honestly, she didn't think Garrett completely believed her either, but at least he was willing enough to try and see where this could go - or maybe that willingness was just him being a victim of grief, desperate for comfort and willing to live this life even if it was a lie.

Whatever John saw beyond this door gave him the certainty that she wasn't dealing with the real Sarah, and that implied what Piper wanted so badly was in front of her.

The truth.

The question now was: would it be worth it?

x - x - x

"Alright, here is the plan for dinner tonight!" Garnet earned a giggle as she dramatically slashed at the air with her hand, gesturing to all the plates on the coffee table as the settled on the couch; she made a mental note to see if there was someone where she could request a proper dinner table and some chairs. "There will be no sweets until you eat ALL your vegetables..." She struggled to hide her grimace as she picked up one of the nutrition bars, holding it out to Rose. "And ALL your fruits."

"But mum, please, those are disgusting."

Never before had wanted Garnet to scream: "I know honey, I know all too well." Tendrils of pain buzzed harder and harder as the pressure of her teeth clamped down on her tongue, forcing other words out of her mouth. "They're good for you and they'll make you grow stronger and smarter and-"

"Please mum, don't make me eat it, I hate it it's disgusting!" The big beady puppy eyes were out at full force, but there couldn't be a mother in the world who has not been forced to harden her heart and her soul to be impervious to this dangerous weapon. Garnet made a stern look and stared expectantly, bouncing the bar in her hand. "Please mum it's just - you can't force me to eat it, you can't force me, it's disgusting!"

"Okay! Jesus..." Garnet forced herself to peel the wrapper, breaking off an inch of the bar. She put the pieces on a spare plate as she took one from each nutritional bar, then stared expectantly at Rose again. "I just want you to eat one of the broccoli flavor, three of the carrots, and two of the peaches."

"But mum it's disgusting please!"

Oh dear god.

Rose's hands threaded in her hair, and it bore striking resemblance to what Garnet had the habit of doing when she was stressed. She seriously needed to watch herself as carefully as her daughter did, before she accidentally passed on any... Unsavory habits. The little girl dramatically flopped on the couch as she pretended to choke and die, rolling away to hide her face in the couch. Her legs flailed and kicked at the cushions. "I hate it, you can't force me!"

"Alright, Jesus! Just..." Garnet picked up the plate of the pieces, trying not to appear so heartbroken as she popped the broccoli piece in her mouth. It called to the most stalwart of willpower hidden deep inside of her as she managed to eat it with a straight face, staring at the little girl who twisted enough to peek with an eye; chance. Garnet held out the piece of the peach flavor. "Stick out your tongue and let me wipe it across."

Maybe she should have given up by now, but she refused to. Every day was a battle with this one. It kept things interesting at least, and Garnet would rather be tearing out her hair than go back to the miserable life she had before, numbly staring at a ceiling as she waited for the filthy degenerate to be finished with her.

Rose turned a little more, eyes narrowed as if analyzing Garnet. "And then can we have the sweets after?"

"Yes~" Garnet groaned exasperatedly. She did as promised however, knowing fully well it would backfire horribly if she got greedy and tried to pop the piece into Rose's mouth. She prayed to any and every single transient being that could possibly exist, hoping that the sweets she'd gotten from the synth vendor in the cafeteria would actually be tasty and not anything like these bloody bars. She needed some sort of reliable reward to bribe her daughter any time Rose actually listened or excelled at something in school.

How in the hell did the people survive here off of this wretched stuff? Maybe she should request some supplies and a frying pan to open their eyes on what real food tastes like.

Beeps alerted her and Rose shot up on her knees, watching with an eagerness that Garnet couldn't remember for the longest time. This little girl was always terrified of people, and now she actually looked forward to seeing them; it probably helped they weren't armed to the teeth. The door opened and the goodwill died - with Garnet, anyways - when Adam invited himself in with that blasted perky smile, wearing some sort of gaudy tuxedo. '3-0' followed behind shortly after in similar attire.

"Hi Adam! What do you have this time?" Rose blurted cheerfully as she bounced on her knees, then seemed to freeze. Her head slowly swiveled with a guilty smile fired at Garnet, who sighed and shook her head, dismissing it with a wave before she made it a point to look at the 'food' on the table. Rose equally made it a point as she looked back at the men.

"What do you want now, Adam?" Garnet asked tiredly, the rest of her energy already drained; it wasn't even anywhere close to bedtime yet.

"I thought I'd bring the party here, seeing as how you passed up on the opportunity! Christmas is a time to be merry and celebrate with people."

Garnet openly glared at him; this guy celebrated nothing but himself. He had to have something else up his sleeve. "I already said I'm not going to leave Rose alone with anybody."

"Aw~ mum, I'd be fine. I'm a big girl!" It went ignored, though it fueled Adam's infuriating smile.

"See? Your daughter is growing into a fine young woman, Garnet. You know you'll have to let go of her someday." Adam's hands came out from behind his back, showing some sort of a bottle, and strands of vibrant green leaves tied together by a red bow. The colors were almost magnetic, drawing her in. She thought to approach and touch it, curious to inspect it, equally puzzled as to how Adam could hold it barehanded. Most plants on the surface had toxins of some sort, whether transmitted through skin or air. Leaves were always dull and yellow, but books painted pretty pictures of what they used to be.

It distracted her long enough for her retort to fade away, and she didn't dignify him with a response as she glanced over at 3-0, who seemed to be confused, studying Adam; probably to figure out what in the world this strange man was up to now.

"I've a bottle of wine for the adults, and I have synths waiting out in the hallway with a proper meal than those bars you've got there. And, little one, I've got a teddy bear for you." Adam smirked when Rose cheered, growing ever more excited as she bounced higher on the couch. Garnet knew better than to try and reign in the fiery spirit now, and she crossed her arms when Adam plopped the things he held in 3-0's hand, clapping cheerfully before he pressed the button to open the door as he announced. "Bring the party in here!"

Within minutes, synths flooded the apartment, wheeling in carts of miscellaneous goods and food. It made Rose even more hyper as her eyes grew at the promising sights and sounds of actual food, and even Garnet swallowed an inordinate amount of saliva pooling inside her mouth. This was as obvious as it got to bribery, and she hiked up her guard as she scrutinized every single move Adam made towards her daughter. What interest did he have in her?

Garnet wasn't sure if she actually wanted to find out the details, and she did her best to suppress her limp as she made way over to Rose and gently grabbed her daughter's hand to pull her away from Adam, kneeling and cupping the chin to ensure she had full attention. It wouldn't work. Not yet. "Rose." Garnet squeezed her daughter's chin and hand just a little tighter. "Rose."

"Yeah mum?" Rose still kept looking at all the goodies; there was no way Garnet could ever compete with something like that - hell, not when she was still being swayed and lured by that bloody food too. Garnet sighed and leaned in close to whisper in her daughter's ear, but made sure to keep her eyes on the grinning man the entire time.

"Just be careful, honey. Remember what I warned you about, okay? You can play with him, but don't trust him."

"Yeah mum!"

And off she dashed to explore all the things on the carts.

Christ, almighty... Please for the love of god - if there was one - please make it past this short young lady's even shorter attention span and engrave it into memory.

Garnet winced as she struggled to come up, glaring when Adam offered his hand. There was something different about his smile, and a surprisingly serious look swept over his eyes. "You should not still be having trouble with your leg. Are you certain they fixed it as they should?"

"How should I know? I'm not a doctor, and I don't work here."

Adam clicked his tongue off the roof of his mouth. "Med-bay is biased and inclined to treat outsiders as guinea pigs-"

"Like you?"

"I don't discriminate my patients, Garnet." The statement earned a breathy scoff from 3-0, and Garnet observed how he seemed... Defensive, or maybe protective, in the way that he stood nearby. Adam ignored it and bounced his hand. "And I don't hack away, willy nilly. All procedures I do are done with purpose. Get on the couch, I'll assess your knee for you and find out what's actually going on."

"I'm not consenting to any more surgeries," Garnet narrowed her eyes, and the words tumbled out without thought as she jerked her chin to 3-0. "I don't want to end up like him."

"Like him?" Adam balked, glancing over at the man who twisted away and strode decisively to the carts. Garnet was about to issue an apology until the scientist cut her off. "I saved him, you know. I brought him back from the dead."

Another scoff from 3-0, and finally, for the first time - that Garnet's ever seen - Adam appeared as irritated as he sounded.

"You know, you could be a little more grateful. There was no way around your eyes, because there was nothing left to salvage after you were stupid and diabolical enough to set yourself up to receive a bullet to the head. It's a scientific marvel in itself that you're alive; and, on top of all that, as soon as I got the resources, I spent all of them to upgrade your eyes to be more functional than the ridiculous hand-me-downs I'd gotten from that scrapped prototype. And your arm? Your arm would have given you trouble in no time with the amount of scar tissue you had building up in your shoulder girdle from repeated trauma, which would cause no small amount of agony later in life; thus it would only result in more complications during surgery if I were to attempt to rewire your nervous system when you're old and feeble, rather than young as you are now."

Garnet watched in silence, soaking in and picking apart what their body language screamed. She shook her head when Rose's eyes met hers from down at the kitchen, and the young girl shrugged as she merrily went back to taking the trays of food she wanted. Panic surged through Garnet when Rose tried to climb up on the counter, and she forced herself to try and stand, only for a stubborn hand to snap around her elbow and hoist her up.

"If you wish to convince me you're not the average wastelander, then do make an effort not to do foolish things like that," Adam hissed. "You're injuring yourself even more, and it'll only get worse until you can no longer chase your daughter." She jerked free from his grip as she limped over to the kitchen and helped safely lift Rose up to sit in the corner and pick at fresh meat with her fingers.

Tension broiled in the air, and Garnet glanced over her shoulder as she watched Adam. "You won't do any surgeries without my permission though, right?"

"Should the necessity arise, then I'm confident I will get your permission." The cockiness from this man rubbed her in all the wrong ways, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized that it wasn't exactly something she wasn't used to, thanks to her brother. She sighed and lumbered back over to take a seat at the opposite couch, mouthing her apology to 3-0. His robotic gaze panned from her and fixated on the wall; it was a surefire sign that he was suffering as he was, and she pitied him that it was all in silence.

Adam's energetic steps gave way to more decisive strides, and he knelt in front of her as he undid her brace with expert swiftness to palpate her knee, making her leg do strange things when he grabbed her ankle and made her leg extend or twist. She cringed when pain shot out during the twisting motions and when he pulled the knee forward, or pushed it back, and didn't compose her expressions in time for the... Strange-colored eyes to hone in on her. There were hues of both green and blue.

Was that even natural?

"It's no wonder you're in so much pain, or walking in this brace," Adam mused quietly. "You'd be on the fast track to developing arthritis - likely before the age of 35. Those idiots not only screwed up your knee, but they continued to by issuing you this brace. It should at least have tri-compartment offloading and pain relief, not add to your pain."

"So... What's wrong now, then?"

"Both the lateral and medial meniscus of your knee are torn - of what severity, I won't know unless I get imaging done to see what's going on inside there. Or, alternatively - and the option I recommend most - is that I perform a minimally invasive surgery."

"No."

"Ah, I knew it!" Adam chuckled. "Believe me when I say it would be in your best interest to listen to your options first. After all, I did say I'm confident I'll get your permission. And, as you know, I'm a man of my word." The cheekiness was beginning to break out again, and Adam's infuriating smile came out to play. Garnet sighed and crossed her arms as she leaned back into the couch, which was mistaken for permission to talk again. "The surgery I'm talking about involves inserting a scope where I see exactly what's going on inside your knee. And since I'm already there, then I can also make another couple of tiny incisions for my tools and begin to repair the damage - properly this time, of course."

"Won't I be out cold for that? Then I won't be able to give consent for that part of the procedure."

"You'd truly say no to someone who can fix your knee and take your pain away?"

"When that someone is you, and when the Institute is the reason why I'm like this in the first place, then yes. I'm well aware of what you've done to my brother-"

"What, is he upset with the improvements I've made? He never complained to me about them, and I know I explicitly told him that I could easily remove or reverse everything I'd done if he was not satisfied with his upgrades, so long as he reported to me the results of them for my research - which he has, and every bit of it was a success. Naturally."

Garnet didn't know what to say. She never ventured that far into the topic, especially when what precious time they had gotten to spend together was so very little already, and he wanted to spend every minute of it with Rose. It was still Adam's word to take for it though, and she glanced over at 3-0. "What about his 'upgrades'? Would you reverse his? Did you take his voice away because you knew he'd say he isn't 'satisfied'?"

"No, of course not, because untangling his would kill him. Again. And he doesn't have a voice because he spent every second abusing it with expletives. Unless you'd like your daughter to learn some of those choice swear words and derogatory language, then it's for the best and-"

"That's something you can't determine."

"Of course it is, I'm the one that's qualified to make those calls." Jesus. It blew her mind away any time she met someone who felt this entitled to life.

"You can't dictate human nature; making mistakes is part of being human, and that doesn't give you the authority over anyone else to take that right away."

"You have no idea who you're defending, Ms. Butler," Adam seethed hatefully, and the emotion that dripped from his tone and eyes had honestly taken her aback, along with the switch back to her surname. "You're so concerned for him, but that man would sooner spit on your concern, and even attack you." The scientist flailed his arm in 3-0's direction, and Garnet caught her daughter's eyes again. She interjected quickly when Adam's gaunt and pale face had begun to grow crimson as his mouth opened. "If you knew what he-"

"We should discuss this some other time." Garnet subtly jerked her head in Rose's direction, hoping that the pushy man would at least respect this silent request.

Seconds ticked by excruciatingly slow, and a sense of awkwardness loomed over them. It wasn't until Adam sighed and carded a hand through his slick hair, disturbing it's sleek form, that the tension simmered somewhat. "Of course." That must have been his favorite phrase, with how often he used it. He went back to playing with her knee, and she swallowed the squeamish feelings over how disgusting it felt to feel her kneecap move around. Adam wore a thoughtful look, laser focus burning bright in his eyes as he continued to palpate bony landmarks. "Come to my lab tomorrow so I can do some imaging on your knee. From there you can give me your express permission over the course of action you'd like to take."

"Why not today?"

Adam smiled that slippery slithery snake-like smile. He took her brace, and part of her almost lunged for it, until she remembered what he said - but what if that was just a smokescreen for him to torture her? He stood and strode to collect the bottle of wine before he returned to offer his hand to her. "Because we have a Christmas party to enjoy. I even pulled a few strings and brought the dress you would have been issued if you accepted the invitation."

"...Alright. Thank you." Garnet reciprocated the smile, but by no means has she brought down her guard. She was going to use this man just as much as he was likely using her, with whatever agenda he was accomplishing with these gestures of his. There was no way she was going to be put to sleep - not when she wouldn't know how long it would actually be for, and if he wasn't going to sneak something into her system the way he already had to two others. She refused to be sucked into his game of sick experiments, and even sicker rationales. This man needed to get a taste of reality and consequences.

"Will you need assistance with the dress?" Adam inquired, and instinct immediately surged into overprotective mode as she dug herself into the couch. It brought down reality on her, when she realized that she was absolutely defenseless should there be anyone who wanted to take advantage of her... But the Institute had plenty of chances. Adam had plenty of chances. She was calmed, somewhat, when he made a gesture to one of the synths. "I have clearance to order them whatever I wish, and I could get them to assist you."

"I'll be fine, just give me the dress." Garnet hesitantly took his hand, mildly aware of the cold robotic eyes that were glued on her, but only if she never returned the gaze. Shivers raced down her spine, and it only encouraged vigilance over her own wellbeing as much as Rose's. As soon as Garnet received her dress - knowing she would just be annoyed until she'd oblige - she smiled as warmly as she could muster when she looked to her daughter. "Rose, could you come with me to the bedroom, please? I'm going to need your help to zip up this dress."

"Ah," Adam murmured, "that does make far more sense, yes."

Garnet's cheeks ached with a grin she tried - and failed - to hold back, mocking the times he'd have that aggravating air of superiority. "I can't fault you for not being armed with wit."

And she limped away with her head held high, feeling dangerously smug for shooting his words back in his face.

It felt damn good to give the Institute - no, to give Adam a taste of his own medicine.

x - x - x

Leo didn't know what to do with himself. He tucked away in the most secluded room that he could find in the apartment: the bathroom. He shut off the lights, irritated when his eyes automatically switched to night-vision mode, and sat in the corner as he closed his eyes. He hated hearing them talk, condemned to a fate where he couldn't do the same. He couldn't defend himself. He couldn't explain himself. All he could do was wallow in misery and pity. It frustrated him beyond belief that Garnet seemed to warm to Adam - or at least, wasn't as harsh in reprimanding his haughtiness and absurdity, but that could've just been the wine making her just as absurd.

Didn't she care about her daughter? Rose was just playing with robots and strange devices that could've been brainwashing her, for all they knew. His skin crawled when he had actually heard Garnet laugh instead of Adam, and he drew his knees to his chest as he rested his forehead on them. All he could imagine was that freak putting his hands all over the pretty lady, and her gobbling up all the fucking attention from that asshole - just like Piper and the asshole Sarge.

Once again, as always, the assholes were winning.

Why the hell was he even whining so much about this anymore? Adam was right, or was about to be right, with what he was most likely going to tell Garnet in regards to what Leo was going to do to Piper. He didn't deserve to be jealous of anyone, but neither could he help it; everybody's life was infinitely better than his.

Sloppy footsteps caught his attention, and he lifted his head, dread knotting in his stomach when he deduced the light - though lagged - gait making way towards the bathroom. The door slid open and his eyes automatically adjusted again when the lights were flicked on, and he stared at Garnet, who swayed at the doorway and clung to it. It took a moment - and a few steps - before she realized his presence, gaping at him as she held on to the wall for support.

"Y-you..." Garnet mumbled, then stumbled for the toilet. "That wine... That wine was... Was it spiked? I don't get like this, this fast. I think."

That was enough to get Leo to shoot up into standing, watching the door. He slithered to it and peeked around the corner, wondering why Adam wasn't coming if the wine was spiked. He hit the button to lock the door and turned to help Garnet, gritting his teeth when his gaze landed on her backside first, calling out the baser needs he always indulged in his simple mercenary life. He swiftly strode to her side and held out his metal arm for support, wrapping his other hand around her waist to steady her as she limped to the toilet.

"Hey, can you really not talk?" Every word came labored, heaving heavily in between as she groaned. She all but collapsed before the toilet, but he held her, gently lowering so that her knees wouldn't smash the tiled floor. He shook his head when she finally looked up at him. She frowned, hand slipping up to cup his cheek, thumb roving over one of his scars.

It made him scream inside.

"Three-Oh..." She whispered, and he froze, for he was sure he heard something else. "Horrible - like Adam and Atom. He inherited his pa's shite naming and passed it down to you. Figured it out though." What the heck was she going on about? "Atom isn't as smart as he thinks he is." She suddenly twisted away and retched in the toilet, and instinct guided his hand to collect the strands of hair that'd fallen out of her ponytail and kept it out of her face. His metal hand brushed against her cheek as he scooped them away, and he immediately switched for his real hand, until she caught his fingers and pressed it against her neck. "That's cold. Feels good."

For the love of god, woman...

"Will you-" she hiccuped, and groaned as she hovered over the toilet. Leo tentatively reached and pressed the button on the lid to flush down the first round of vomit. He watched her intently, and he was beginning to notice how much more pronounced her accent was, when she seemed to focus on her words to combat the subtle slur in her tone. "Will you keep an eye on me?"

Did she really need to ask that? She should be worried that he'd keep an eye on more than she would want him to.

Leo shook his head when she looked over at him, and she strained a weak sweat-soaked smile. She chose the worst time to come in here, giving him the worst idea, when he was already having the worst idea. "I s'pose... S'pose I earned that, with what I said earlier." No, no, that wasn't the reason why. He didn't blame her... And he already resigned to knowing he looked like the monster he was.

"I didn't mean it. I'm sorry. I just... I'm scared this place will change me like they did to my brother. I'm scared they'll make Rose hate me. Atom's going to make her hate me. That's got to be why he's playing with her - the Institute wants to take her away, just like how they took away the son of... Of... I can't remember who." Was she talking about the General's baby boy? Was John even here? "But my brother told me, and it's kinda why we're trapped here. Sort of. I don't remember. I don't... What did he say? Piss. Doesn't matter. I'll kill them if they trick Rose into hating me. Atom will be the first to have my hands wrapped 'round his neck."

All these words, and Leo had so much to say in return, but he was condemned to silence. He didn't know what to do, and wasn't even aware that his hand was drawing circles on her back until his gaze wandered back towards her backside. He immediately forced his eyes back up on her face, grimacing at the vivid smells when she lurched and puked in the toilet for another round. She collapsed on the side and he flushed it again, tugging on her until she sat against the wall instead. He held his metal hand on her forehead, and she took it to guide it to cool the back of her neck. Her disheveled ponytail came undone and spilled everywhere as her chest heaved, straining the dress as her breasts-

Stop.

"Will you keep an eye on Rose for me? Please don't let them take her away from me. She's all I've got left-" another hiccup. "-all I've got left in life. I don't know what I'd do if I lost her. I dunno what Garrett would do if he lost her, too. We wouldn't bother with livin' no more, that's for sure; not when she gave us a reason to keep tryin' this livin' thing in the first place, and have hope, too. She's all I've got left. You'll watch her, won't you? Please. I don't 'ave much here, or back home, but I'll pay you in whatever y'want if you watch her - make sure she's safe, especially if they kill me."

Where the hell was all of this coming from? Was this paranoia, or something she figured out somewhere? Leo was having a hard time keeping up with her - and it drove home the point and pity of what Luki must have had to suffer through whenever Leo was drunk. He didn't have a chance to think about it when she lunged and grabbed his tie, twisting it around her fist as she came inches away from his face, begging. "Promise me you'll watch over her."

This lady didn't know who the hell she was asking - and Adam even warned her as much. She didn't seem stupid, so why was she being stupid?

"Please, Leo. Will you watch her?"

He froze. He hadn't misheard earlier, or was he mishearing now? How did she figure it out? He didn't hear his name come up when she conversed with Adam.

"Leo..."

He moved. He nodded without thinking, damning himself, but he moved because she moved him and - fucking hell - wouldn't that move anyone? He scooped her up and had contemplated on saying one of those prayers - he'd often listened in on Luki - when her legs lazily wrapped around his hips. Then her dress hiked up to the point that he'd have no choice but to hold her bare thighs, if he didn't want her to slip right through the dress and land on her ass. The last thing she needed right now was to break that too.

Was all that an excuse, or a reason? The line was rapidly blurring, and his heart was speeding. He had to get out of here. He didn't trust himself anymore.

So why the hell was she trusting him? What happened to motherly instincts?

"Thank you..." Garnet hid her face in his neck, and the pits of his belly stirred at her suggestion. "Doubt you take caps down here. How 'bout sex? Y'don't got metal bits too, d'ya?"

Yeah. She was definitely very, very drunk, because she had never given the impression that she'd ever let anyone lay a hand on her or her daughter, sober.

This was the opportunity of a lifetime. Why wasn't he jumping? Any woman who made such an offer and was willing would be ravished against the wall at this point - and the thing was, he was considering it. It would be just that small bit of familiarity of his old life, reminding him of who he was; he'd take the parts he wasn't proud of, because at least it reminded him that shame was something humans felt, and not robots or monsters.

"Leo," she purred lowly, and angled her pelvis. She nipped his neck. "Y'don't feel like you got metal bits. How 'bout a little incentive for protecting my daughter?"

Fucking hell, woman.

What happened to redemption and forgiveness? He was going to put himself back on the path to burning the most painful fucking death in hell if he fell for this trap.

...Especially if the Sarge ever found out his sister was taken advantage of like this.

Not another thought was needed. Leo moved quickly and turned to hit the door's button with the back of his shoulder, trying not to think about how warm her skin felt against his real hand, or how comforting it was to feel the weight of another human being around him. It may have not been a hug out of love as it was of necessity, but it still felt all the same to him. He grew suspicious of the empty and quiet living room, where scraps of food littered the kitchen just as much as toys littered all over the couches, and an empty glass of wine sat beside a full glass.

Panic surged through him; maybe the wine really was spiked, but why the hell would this woman drink it without seeing Adam do the same? She was watching all night, and what, she just forgot to watch the most important part? Leo desperately wished he could curse aloud, or at least get these questions out of his mind before it drove him insane. The woman in his arms felt heavier as she slumped even more, and he arched his back for her to lean forward before she slipped back and out of his arms.

Every fear disappeared when he opened the door to the bedroom, and saw Adam gently lowering Rose into bed. The scientist turned - rather flamboyantly at that, and his face was just as flushed as his eyes were glazed. Well. The wine wasn't spiked. These were either some very light drinkers, or they drank really hard shit.

Leo couldn't even laugh, but he pushed the hatred out of his mind before it had a chance to fester and bring him down from this small scrap of amusement. He shook his head when Adam just barely stopped himself from stumbling over as he collided back into the nightstand. Great. Now that freak had to be carried back home, too. Hopefully he wouldn't remember about just being dragged back by his ankles.

It gave rise to another mischievous idea; the perfect time to get some fucking payback, for once.

"Is she-" Adam hiccuped. "Is she alright?"

Don't pretend to have a heart, asshole. If only Leo could say it aloud. He could tell just by the way this freak was looking at Garnet, that all he was interested in was not her leg, but what was between her legs. Not that Leo was any better. He nodded as he went to the other side of the bed, irritated when Adam rushed to follow. Then he peeled the sheets away, and Leo reluctantly conceded, cradling the back of Garnet's head as he slowly lowered her to lay beside her daughter. The two almost instantaneously gravitated towards each other as Rose rolled into Garnet's chest, clinging for dear life just like the teddy bear she took into bed with her.

Something rattled inside. Anger warred with this strange warm feeling, and as Adam draped the sheet back over, all Leo could think about was the parents he never had to do this with him. Part of him wanted to destroy this out of envy, and the other part wanted to protect this innocence at all costs.

Was he even allowed to redeem himself anymore?

God dammit, if only Lucky Charms was here.

"Wish I had that," Adam mumbled. Leo stared at him, frightened by the similarity of their thoughts - and desperately amounted it to Adam just wanting to have his face in Garnet's breasts. That had to be it. Leo wanted that too, though, and - out of habit - furiously mussed up the hair he no longer had, wincing when his metal hand scraped against his scalp. He took the scientist by the elbow and begun to drag him out the room so that the ladies had their privacy, then looped Adam's arm around his neck. That he willingly braved to suffer to be this close was only because it carried with it an ulterior motive, and he deftly undid Adam's belt as he roughly tugged on the drunk scientist to distract him from what was happening below.

And for once, Leo wasn't at all bothered that he couldn't laugh - not out loud, anyways. It would've given him away, and he grinned evilly as he dragged the unsuspecting scientist back to their apartment, taking his sweet time when he noticed Adam had fallen asleep. The pants eventually wiggled down the hips, and soon enough, down to the ankles. Leo forced his face neutral and bit on his tongue whenever his robotic expression was threatened to break, especially when they passed by other drunk scientists that openly gaped, gasped, or giggled as they pointed at Adam.

Glorious.

Leo couldn't wait to tell Garnet what he did. She'd appreciate this prank.

...If only he could talk.