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sugar-soda · 9 months ago

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Kids Shouldn't be Here: John Hancock

Fallout 4 Platonic Companions x Child! Sole

Warnings: Canon Typical Violence, Child in dangerous situations

A/N: This is NOT romantic at all! This is all platonic relationships that explore how the Fallout 4 companions and game would change if the Sole Survivor was a young child. Any romantic suggestions or reblogs will be blocked.

Masterlist

______________________________________________________________

Kids were never in Goodneighbor for long.

Diamond City is where families stayed. Where couples went to lay down roots and send their children to school and grow old surrounded by grandkids and loved ones. Goodneighbor was for everyone else. The ghouls, drifters, merchants, chem addicts, and everyone looking for a good not-so-family-friendly time.

The occasional settler would come in with a little one, a brief stop in their search of a place to call home. They would typically only stay the night at Hotel Redford then leave in the morning, their children never being seen between when they show up and leaving. The kid would be left in the locked, rented room while their parents bought supplies. No one complained except anyone unfortunate to be staying in the room under them.

Citizens of Goodneighbor prefered it that way. The lifestyle that they enjoyed had little room for entertaining anyone too young to enjoy a hit of Jet. Many probably didn't even like kids, as patience was not a virtue they possessed. Only a few would be willing to deal with them. Daisy had a soft heart under her hard shell, and wouldn’t mind a settler bringing their children, but none ever had. Kent had started his love for the Silver Shroud when he was very young, and mentioned he hoped he sparked the same love in other youths. Dr. Amari had been called out of the city a few times to check on a kid who had taken a rough fall to the head, or was experiencing memory problems, but those calls were few and far between.

So, when a kid did show up, it was strange…

______________________________________________________________

Mayor John Hancock didn't interact with kids very much. The last time he interacted with one was probably when he was still a stupid teenager, giving one of the Diamond City kids a too rough nougie before he went to find an unsupervised area to get high in.

When he established Goodneighbor, there weren't any kids around. Ghoul kids are rare as hell and he had no business with any settler's kids when they came through.

When he was a kid, John thought teens were annoying and adults were stupid. As a teen, he thought kids were stupid and adults were annoying. As an adult, he realized kids and teens were stupid and adults were really stupid.

Tonight, it was blissfully quiet. He had come down to enjoy a smoke outside the Statehouse with Fahrenheit right beside him. Leaning against the wall, he could hear what few stragglers were still hanging around. With how late it was, almost everyone was down at the Third Rail. Daisy and KL-E-O were still open for another half hour and were quietly bargaining with customers. Anyone else around was either a guard or enjoying a quiet high like he was.

The mentats he took earlier were still effecting his senses. He swore he could hear everything better right now. Closing his eyes, he leaned his head back and took a drag, holding the smoke in for a minute before letting it go. He better enjoy this moment before work inevitably begins again.

The horrible, metallic screech of the entrance broke the silence. John grimaced and made a mental note to get someone to oil the damned thing tomorrow. He kept his eyes closed, refusing to let the moment pass.

“It seems a rook has brought in a pawn.” Fahrenheit stated cryptically.

John hated when she spoke like that. It was chilling when she said it to some pretentious Bunker Hill merchant, but when she did it to him, it was just frustrating. If she wanted to tell him anything while he was high, she couldn’t expect him to get it if she was speaking riddles.

He cracked open one eye slightly. Turns out the creaking door wasn't welcoming another late night drifter, but a group.

Good ol’ Nick Valentine with them. John didn't see much of him nowadays. He would only stop over at Goodneighbor for a case. That at least meant that something interesting was happening. When John was a teenager, the synth detective would regularly catch any misbehavior he was in. He would confiscate any chems or alcohol he had, but he never gossiped about it like anyone else who caught him. Nick would just voice concern over how he was killing himself then leave. John would be mad at the time, but he appreciated it now. He hoped the detective stuck around to catch up.

There was a Mr. Handy, too. A neat little bowler hat sat on its head like Whitechapel Charlie, though he doubted he had the same custom accent his bartender had.

The third member of the party made John put his full attention on them. Nick had brought an actual fucking kid to Goodneighbor.

The kid had a sniper rifle and a duffle bag thrown over her shoulder. Leather armor that wasn’t made for such a small body covered her arms and torso, but it didn't do much to cover the blue and yellow vault suit. The Pip-boy didn't help John's confusion. Twin braids swung as she swiveled her head to look around.

Whatever case she was part of, Nick probably had it handled. No need for him to stick his non-existent nose in detective business.

“Guess I'll have to tell Charlie to keep Nuka on hand, unless you wanna be on drunk toddler duty?,” he half-joked. Charlie's age recognition component had actually busted about three years ago and they never got around to fixing it, since it wasn't normally an issue. To the Mr. Handy, the Vaultie would look no different than any other patron.

Fahrenheit scoffed and John leaned his head back, ready to take another hit, when Finn's grating voice scratched in his ears and broke the silence worse than the rusted door did.

Finn was on the really, really stupid end of the spectrum. Always squawking and harassing any newcomers and getting on the mayor’s last nerve.

John focused on their conversation, but stayed put. Finn went into his lie about the Vaultie needing “insurance” with so little charm or charisma that John would have thought he was a predator rather than an asshole.

“Thanks for the offer, pal, but we'll be just fine,” Nick spat out the word ‘pal’ like a curse. He pulled the kid's arm gently, placing her behind him and acting as a barrier between her and Finn. The detective could be pretty intimating if he wanted to. He was full six feet tall when most had trouble reaching five foot eight, had exposed wires and steel frame that won't break easy like bones do, and a yellow glare that went straight through your soul. Smart men would know to just leave the synth alone and take the loss.

“I wasn't talkin’ to you, synth. I was talkin’ to the kid,” Finn was not a smart man.

The Mr. Handy spoke then, “The young Miss has no business with you, sir. Take your scam elsewhere, as you'll get no caps from us today.” Ha. Called it, no custom accent.

The Vaultie said something then, but it was too quiet for him to hear her. The mentats must be wearing off.

Finn must have not heard her either, because his temper flared and his volume rose, “ What'd you say, you little bitch?”. His hand reached for his pistol. Looks like John needed to step in now.

“Whoa, whoa. Time out,” he interrupted, “Nick Valentine makes a rare visit to town, and you're hassling his friend here with that extortion crap? Lay off, she’s just a kid.” He gave a quick nod toward the synth. “Good to see you again, Nick.”

“Hancock,” he replied flatly.

Finn clenched his jaw and gritted his teeth. Looks like he was already on edge tonight. Someone else must have already called him out on his bullshit.

“What d'you care? She ain't one of us,” Finn Sasser, puffing his chest out like he was an animal trying to intimate John. He wasn't.

John had always been a shorter guy, and becoming a ghoul made him look skinny as hell, though Dr. Amari had assured him the weight loss was from the loss of his skin and that he was a normal weight for a ghoul his size. Point was, John Hancock didn't strike a physically imposing figure, so he was used to fighting taller assholes who were itching for a fight.

Ain't one of them come back for seconds either.

“No love for your mayor, Finn?” He warned, “I said let her go.”

That seemed to irritate Finn even more. “You're soft, Hancock. You keep letting outsiders walk all over us, one day there'll be a new mayor.”

Yep. That was it. Time for Finn to go.

John grinned, “Come on, man. This is me we're talking about. Let me tell you something.” He reached into his coat with one hand as he placed his other on Finn's shoulder. Pulling Finn down, he flicked out his knife and drove it into the man's stomach, repeating the motion a few times for good measure. All of the air in Finn's body left in a quiet, pained grunt before John let his corpse fall like a sack of tatos. The kid made a noise that was a mix of fear and shock and gripped Nick's sleeve for comfort.

“Now why'd you have to go and say that, huh? Breaking my heart over here.”

Slipping his knife back into its hidden sheath, Hancock put his full attention back on his guests. Nick's glare had turned into one of exasperation and the Mr.Handy's eyes were narrowed in on him as a new threat. The Vaultie's eyes were full of fear, respect, and a little bit of relief. Looks like he had done the right thing, at least as far as he was concerned.

“Sorry, Nick. You know I'd prefer to give you a warmer welcome, but some people just don't know how to roll out the welcome mat,” he greeted.

“Well, I should know better than to be surprised at casual stabbings in Goodneighbor by now,” Nick replied. “Though, I think you gave the wrong first impression to my client here.”

The kid's grip hadn't let up on the synth's sleeve. Any harder and she would rip it.

John stepped a bit closer and held out his hand. “You all right, sister?” he asked. He didn't know how long this kid had been out of the vault, but judging by her gear, he guessed this wasn't her first time seeing a dead body.

She blinked a few times, as if processing what happened, then finally snapped back into reality to answer. “Yeah, I'm…I'm fine, just wasn't expecting that. Thank you for your help, sir,” She said before taking his hand and shaking it.

Damn, this kid was tall. Standing next to Nick, she looked around average height for a child, but standing closer showed John he only had a few inches on her. He knew he wasn't the tallest guy in the Commonwealth but shit. What were her parents feeding her?

“Good. Now don't let this incident taint your view of our little community,” John put on his least threatening smile. “Goodneighbor's of the people, for the people, you feel me? Everyone's welcome.”

“I feel you. You're the Mayor here?” She asked, tilting her head.

John's smile spread a little wider. “ Heh. Got a good pair of ears on ya. Mayor John Hancock, leader of this little slice of chaos.”

The girl smiled a little, amused at John's introduction. “Sunny Roberts, and this is Codsworth.” She released his hand to gesture at the Mr. Handy, whose eyes were still targeting John. Not everyone likes the zombie look, he guesses.

Backing up, John said his farewell to Nick, “Don't be a stranger, brother. You can visit outside of detective work, ya know?”

“Not this time, Hancock. I'll buy you a round next time to make up for it,” Nick promised, rolling his eyes fondly.

John laughed. “I'll hold you to it.” He looked back at Sunny. “You stay cool, kid, and you'll be part of the neighborhood. So long as you remember who's in charge.”

She gave a serious nod. “Yes, sir, Mayor Hancock.”

Tipping his hat, Hancock turned and sauntered back toward the Statehouse. Break time was over.

“Our men could take a few lessons in respect from her,” Fahrenheit said, falling into step behind him. “And manners.”

“Heh. If our reputation and the fact we pay them don't teach ‘em respect, nothing will.” As the doors to the Statehouse closed, he held his chin in mock thought. “ Say, how old ya think the kid is?”

Fahrenheit was silent for a second, then answered, “Twelve, she hasn't hit puberty yet.”

“Naaah. She has to be like fifteen, sixteen. You saw how tall she was? Give her a year or two and she'll be taller than both of us.” John put his hands behind his head. “I bet fifty caps she's at least fourteen.”

“I'll take that bet.”

______________________________________________________________

John didn't actually expect to hear about or see Sunny again, but three days later, Publik Occurrences had an article all about the young girl. He had his men run and get one every time a new article was made, so he could either keep up to date with news that could threaten Goodneighbor, or laugh at Piper's more wild articles.

This latest one was all about the kid with a sniper rifle he had met, who turned out to have been a popsicle not too long ago. Fahrenheit and him got into an argument over the caps he owed her. He said that both of them were wrong, as neither of them guessed Sunny was two hundred twelve-years-old. Fahrenheit said the years in the freezer didn't count and that she won the bet. While John didn't exactly agree, she took her caps anyway.

He saw Vaultie again a week after that first meeting. Nick was still with her, but Codsworth had been switched out with Piper Wright herself. He had only seen them enter the town and given a wave before a meeting with Bunkerhill merchants called him in.

A later check-in with the Third Rail revealed she had met Ham, Magnolia, and Charlie that day. Ham had only let her in on the fact that she was there on business, investigating a runaway who was friends with Mags, and a promise not to drink any alcohol, as Ham didn't want to deal with a drunk pre-teen.

Which was a promise she kept, as Whitechapel Charlie reported that she had only bought a Nuka-Cola to get him to answer questions. John had let out a quick sigh of relief at that, as he completely forgot to tell the robot not to sell alcohol to the kid. That relief was short-lived as Charlie then informed him he had hired Sunny to clear out the storehouses. A job he deeply regretted delegating now.

Magnolia was more put out than the Mayor over this information, as she had nothing but nice things to say about Sunny. How polite and sweet she was and how it was so nice to have an audience member sober through her entire set. She had threatened Charlie, saying if the kid got hurt, she would scrap him for parts herself.

John was thoroughly surprised to find the storehouses cleared out two days later.

Outside of Nick, Piper, and Codsworth, she had a whole host of people in her rotating roster of companions. There was Dogmeat, who John had met before when the pooch was sniffing around Nick's heels. There was a Minuteman, Preston Garvey, who was a bit too straight laced for his taste, but seemed like a nice guy. And there was a Brotherhood of Steel guy, Paladin What's-his-face, that Sunny seemed to lose more and more patience for everytime she brought him along.

She also had somehow found time to hire McCready at some point in her trip to the Third Rail, as he vacated the backroom and was next seen with Sunny leading an assaultron who had been modified to dispense ice-cold beer down the streets. When asked, Sunny told him she had been hired to retrieve it and take it to the hotel.

About two and a half weeks after that, John had been looking for someone to check out the Pickman Gallery. While he had never been there himself, the rumors of the place were chilling, and it was just a little too close for comfort for him to ignore. The kid must have overheard him talking about it at some point, because she came up to the Statehouse with a knife and a disgusting painting made of blood as proof of the place being cleared out. Apparently, the guy had been draining raiders like a vampire for his ‘art’, and the whole building was full of paintings like that one. After he paid the kid, he burned the probably haunted painting, sent a group of men to clear out the gallery for his own piece of mind, and gave Fahrenheit an order to make sure the kid wouldn’t take anymore of his “jobs”.

After that fiasco, the kid seemed to be everywhere. Diamond City Radio news started to be filled with stories of “the Kid who won't Die”, “the Child of Death”, and “the Sole Survivor”, which was the name that stuck. Outside of Piper's article, the Commonwealth seemed to forget her actual name. Sometimes, Sunny was just called “Sole”. When he wasn't hearing about her and her companions over the radio, one of his citizens had something to tell him about her.

Daisy told him about how she had given a long overdue book to the kid, and how she offhandedly mentioned how bad she felt about not returning it and how awful it was that the place was overtaken by supermutants. Sunny returned three days later, slightly singed, with a return token and the news she had cleared the place out. And it was.

She had met Kent and turned his one man fan club into a duo as she was a fan of the Silver Shroud as well. They both somehow convinced Preston to wear a Silver Shroud costume and take down some criminals as the crusader. He had to hold back his snickers when talking to the man, but they actually did a pretty good job. Then Kent got kidnapped and they had to go rescue him. After they all got out, John sadly didn't see anymore of the Silver Shroud.

The eternally bitter ex-Vault-Tec Rep had finally moved out of Hotel Redford. The Roberts family had coincidentally been the last family he signed up for Vault 111 before the bombs fell and he had been denied the safety he had sold others. When she was visiting to see if they could get the beer dispenser to dispense Nuka-Cola, the ghoul recognized her and there was a confrontation. According to some of the hotel's patrons, there had been some yelling and Paladin What's-his-face had to hold the man back from Sunny. After that, she had offered for him to come live in Sanctuary and start a new life. When he left, it was the first time John had seen him smile.

______________________________________________________________

Paper work was never John's favorite thing to do, but it was better than meetings, so he didn't complain as much (he still complained, just less than when he had meetings).

That didn't mean he didn't take every excuse he could to get out of it. It was midday and almost everyone was taking a break for lunch. Fahrenheit was off doing who knows what, so he had taken the opportunity to sit down and get high in peace.

He held the hit of Jet in for a moment before letting it go. The first hit was always the best, but he was a long way from getting truly high.

John startled as a sharp knock broke the silence in the room and he fumbled to not drop his Jet. “Dammit! What?”

A guard stuck his head in and said, “The Sole Survivor is here. She says she needs to talk to you.”

He must have taken a bigger hit than he thought, because John had trouble getting his brain to work. “What?” He said, pushing himself off the couch and starting toward the front of the building. Why would the kid need to talk to him? Last time he directly spoke to her was during the Silver Shroud adventure, and that was a few weeks ago. Most of the conversation had been between Preston and him.

Sure enough, there she was. Dogmeat and Paladin What's-his-face were with her today. Her old leather armor had been sold and replaced with combat armor, though it still fit awkwardly as it was made for a fully grown adult. Even the dog got some new goggles and little doggie armor.

She had her back turned toward him as she glared at the Brotherhood soldier. Whatever they were talking about, the discussion had clearly turned sour. It was honestly comical, some big man in power armor arguing with a little girl and her puppy. John hoped Sunny won, just for comedic effect.

“As a Brotherhood squire-”

“As a Brotherhood PALADIN-” Sunny cut him off, “-you are supposed to protect me and help strengthen the Minuteman alliance, Paladin Danse. Yet all you have done is been a jackass and make everything worse.”

“That is insubordi-” Paladin Danse tried to snap, but Sunny wasn't going to give him any ground.

“It STOPPED being insubordination when your leadership made everything worse at the Slog and at Graygarden. Those are Minuteman allies and you directly threatened-”

John coughed loudly. As entertaining as it was, it looked like Sunny was ready to physically fight the Paladin with her bare hands, and that was a fight he didn't want in the Statehouse.

Sunny whirled around, her lips pressed in a tight line. “Mayor Hancock! I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come down. I hope I didn't interrupt anything important,” She apologized. A light blush was creeping up her face, clearly embarrassed being caught mid-argument.

“Ehh, depends on what you find important. Nothing that can't wait for the great ‘Sole Survivor’,” he quipped.

Sunny grimaced at the nickname. “Oh, you heard it, too?”

John barked a laugh, “Haha! Only the entire Commonwealth has, sister. Better get used to the fame. Come on, join me in the office and you can tell me what's so important.”

Sunny started to follow, paused, then turned back to her companions. “Stay. Here,” She snarled through gritted teeth at Paladin Danse. Her gaze softened when looking at Dogmeat and she gave him an affectionate rub on the head. “Make sure he doesn't cause any trouble, okay boy?,” She said before following John, leaving the Paladin to stew in annoyance over being babysat by a dog.

Sunny sat on the couch in the office very politely, with her hands folded neatly in her lap and very deliberately not mentioning the smell of cigarettes and drugs that seemed to choke the air in the room.

“Ya want anything to eat?,” John offered as he swiped a Fancy Lad for himself. No use in going into this conversation with the munchies. He would have offered her something to drink, but all he had was vodka, wine, beer, and more vodka. The only time he drank something nonalcoholic was when Fahrenheit poured water down his throat during a hangover.

“No thank you. I already ate with Miss Daisy earlier,” She said. After Sunny had cleared the library and given the poor woman a heart attack, Sunny had become a regular shopper at the store, as the settlement she lived in didn't have a regular supply store yet, and she disliked the one in Diamond City.

“Suit yourself,” John shrugged, “what can I help ya with, kid?”

“It's about one of the citizens.”

John drew in a hiss. He really hoped this wasn't going where he thinks it's going. “They didn't…do anything to ya, did they?”

Sunny shook her head vigorously. Looks like he didn't have to cut anyone's balls off today. “No, no. It's not that kind of issue. No one here has tried to do anything to me since you stabbed Finn when I first visited,” She assured.

“ That's good to hear. Who's got you so concerned then?” He took another Fancy Lad. Not the most healthy lunch, but he never liked salads anyway.

“Bobbi No-Nose,” She stated.

That made more sense in why she was here. While no one in Goodneighbor had a squeaky clean record, Bobbi had a habit of causing trouble specifically designed to give others headaches. In the past few years, she hasn't been happy with John's control over Goodneighbor and made herself a constant thorn in his side because of it.

“Ol’ No-Nose? She ain’t no fan of mine, but she’s nothing I can’t handle.”

“She wants me to help rob you.”

The Fancy Lad caught in John’s throat. Serves him right for not taking care of the slimy bitch sooner, now she’s trying to get a kid mixed up on her crimes. “Excuse me?”

“First she told me that she was breaking into one of Diamond City’s warehouses. She said that they put all of the former resident belongings in there and that she wanted to take them back, but that didn’t sound right. Why would they put things in a storehouse to rot instead of just selling it for a profit, or using it, or even breaking it down for parts. After a bit, she admitted that she and her associate were breaking into one of your warehouses.”

John ran a hand down his face, already tired of this bullshit. Did this woman really try to tell the most obvious lie in the world to the world’s most observant, rule-abiding, dangerous middle schooler? If the next sentence that came out of her mouth was that she shot the ghoul for trying to break the law, or that she came right here after the offer, he wouldn’t be surprised by either reaction.

“I told her I would think about it, then came right here.” Called it. “I don’t know how she’s planning on getting in, or who her accomplice is, but she told me they needed someone small to get to certain areas, and the day she plans on doing the heist. I thought it was best to tell you all this and see what you wanted to do.”

Fuck. If Bobbi had been doing it solo, he could just bust her door down and take care of the bitch himself, but her accomplice could still go through with the heist if Bobbi kicks the bucket, and he had no idea on how they planned on doing it in the first place.

“Alright, sister,” John sighed, forming a quick, basic plan, “You tell me when this heist is happening, then I want you to go back to No-Nose and tell her that you accept the job. I’m gonna send extra men to guard my warehouses. Keep ya head down so you don’t get shot. After that, I’ll need to know how she got in so I can shut it down for good. Ya got that?”

“Yes, sir,” she said, giving another serious nod like she had when they first met.

“Okay,” John said, standing and stretching his back. “Break time’s over. Thanks for the warning, kid.” as he walked past, he gave Sunny’s hair a quick ruffle. Didn’t know why he did it, but it felt right at that moment, so he did.

Sunny gave a big smile that shone just like her namesake and stood up. “Thanks, Mayor Hancock! Have a nice day. I’ll see you after Bobbi’s been taken care of.” Then off she went, leaving his office in complete silence again.

John gave a lazy wave as he sat down at his desk. Pulling out a case of mentats, he popped one in his mouth and rolled it around his tongue, staring at the door Sunny had left wide open.

Heh. She was a good kid.

______________________________________________________________

John was pissed.

He hadn’t been exactly sure how Bobbi was planning on getting in the warehouse. Maybe she found an opening in the guards’ schedule or her accomplice had more influence than the average joe. Whatever theory he came up with, he couldn’t think of a way Sunny would be needed. He definitely wasn’t expecting them to tunnel into the warehouse.

According to Farheinheit, when they popped out of the ground, no one got shot. Sunny had convinced Bobbi and her accomplice to leave Goodneighboor for good instead of dying. While Ferheinheit and himself were put off by the lack of bloodshed, the goods in the warehouse were still there and No-Nose wouldn’t be bothering him again. Happy ending for all, right?

So why was he so annoyed at the situation? He puffed on a cigarette in thought as Farheinheit finished her report and left. There was once upon a time where he would have loved to be part of a heist like that, but now he wanted to put a bullet through Bobbi for trying to pull a fast one on him. He could say it was because it was a personal slight to insult his intelligence by trying to rob him in broad daylight, but he knew the real reason.

He was getting too comfortable in power. Here he was condemning his critics for doing the same thing he did back in Diamond City. He was itching to hunt down Bobbi and make an example of her, but an example of what? Of the fact he has forgotten his own sins and is now killing his own people? That he doesn’t do his own dirty work and left a kid to deal with it? That he was a tyrant?

Fahrenheit opened the door again, “Sir, the Sole Survivor is here.”

“Just call me Sunny, please. I already hear that name enough from settlers.”

Sunny entered, ducking under his bodyguard’s arm to get through. He could hear Mac and Piper’s voices faintly from downstairs, cutting up with one of his guards. Sunny herself looked the same as always, but was covered in a faint layer of dry dirt, giving her the look of a carpenter or farmer.

“Hello, Mayor Hancock. I showed your men the entrance to the tunnel in No-Nose’s house. They are trying to figure out the most secure way to close it. I found a broken suit of power armor that got down there somehow and the guards said that it wasn’t worth fixing ‘cause of the missing pieces. So we moved it to Daisy’s for the Minutemen to come pick it up, unless you want it of course.”

She kept talking, but John wasn’t listening. Sunny was definitely more morally upright than him, but she was fair. If you tried to kill, she would kill you. (Though he hadn’t personally seen her in a fight yet, his men reported Pickman and a whole group of raiders dead at the gallery.) She wasn’t going to kill for talking shit, like he did Finn, or for theft, like he wanted to do to Bobbi, but there were consequences. If you were good to her, she was good back. She was polite, speaking to him by his title and all that bureaucratic stuff. Sunny helped without being asked, but spat venom if she thought someone was wrong. She had looked death in the eye more than once and somehow survived. There were a lot of things he could say about the kid, but the most important part was that she was free.

She had a lot to learn about how the Commonwealth worked, but she was doing a damned good job of forcing it to learn how she worked. She was the most free person he had seen in a while. She went where she wanted despite her guardians' protests, made decisions how she wanted, said what she wanted, and helped not for payment, but because she wanted to. She had no power over anyone but herself, and that made her more powerful and respectable at twelve than most were at fifty. People listened to her because she had no desire to control them, just a desire to be a good person, and people responded to that, even if the baby face and braids had made many hesitant. The respect she had gained was out of awe of youth and trust of innocence, and now John feared he was commanding respect not from a sense of justice and freedom, but out of fear and control.

“Sorry ya got mixed up in all of this, short stack,” he cut her off.

Sunny wasn’t bothered. “No-Nose was the one to ask me in the first place. It’s not your fault. Sorry we blew up your floor.”

“That reminds me,” John said, leaning back in his chair. “We got to talk about paying off the damages you caused to the building. You did a lot of damage to the foundation.”

Sunny frowned thoughtfully. “How much do I owe?”

He bit his tongue, trying to hold back laughter. “Twenty thousand caps.”

Sunny’s eyes widened. “Is there any work I can do to pay it off? I don’t have that kind of money right now.”

John couldn’t hold it in and burst into laughter, “Pfft. The look on your face. Forget the money. Chump change,” he stood up from his seat as Sunny let out a sigh of relief. Like he said, she still had a lot to learn. “Lemme tell ya, sister. This classy little tricorner hat of mine is getting heavy. Am I turning into the man? Some kind of tyrant? I spend all my time putting down the people I would've been proud to scheme with just a few years ago. I need to take a walk again. Get a grip on what really matters: Living free. And you seem to be a pretty free bird.”

“Are you saying you want to leave Goodneighbor…and follow me around?” Sunny looked confused as she tilted her head. “,But aren’t you their leader? Why would you want to leave?”

“For one, Bobbi almost pulled a job on me. That means I'm getting too comfortable. Need to get out there and hone the razor. For two, Goodneighbor is about doing your own thing. I’d still be in charge, don’t get me wrong. The mayor's still the mayor, whether he's "in residence" or not. I've walked out of here plenty of times. Keeps me honest. Can't let power get to my head. That's not what being in charge of Goodneighbor is about. If I don't leave every once and a while, the power's gonna change me. Can't have that. Besides, you might just be the right kind of trouble with everything you get yourself mixed up in? Can’t let the young ones have all the fun, now can I?”

Sunny ignored Fahreheit’s comment of John “,Only being in your thirties. You're not that old.”

“Well, if you are willing to help, who am I to say no?” she gave a toothy grin.

Returning it with one of his own, John headed toward the doors to the balcony. “Let me just have a little chat with my community, first. Give them the news. Then we can get this show on the road.”

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