Fallout: Fury Blood

Chapter 53: Hell Hath No Fury

"I'm not letting you go out there without me."

Danse's authority had made a full-force comeback against Kelly's futile attempts to deny him. He was stalwart adamant. He was that brahmin on a roof. He was Paladin Danse.

Kelly tried many tactics.

Calm common sense. "Danse, think about this, you risk exposing yourself to the Brotherhood."

"I've thought long and hard. The risk to myself will be worth it in order to keep you safe."

Militaristic duty and honor. "What about undermining Maxson's authority? You said you wouldn't do that."

"Maxson won't know of my presence. I'll make sure of that. But you're safety is more important to me than obeying his authority."

Emotional guilt tripping. "It's too dangerous for you. Please. I can't lose you..."

"And I can't lose you. Don't you see? Protecting you is my purpose now. I intend to stay alive and by your side in order to do just that. You won't lose me."

Cruel, desperate fury. "Damn it, Danse! This is insane! They'll kill you! They're not your brothers and sisters anymore! You're dead to them, and when they find out you're still alive, they won't hesitate to kill you for real this time!"

"...You think I don't know that? You think I don't lie awake at night dwelling on how they turned against me, abandoned me, hunted me down?" She had intended to crack his steel veneer, but her cruelty only strengthened it. "If I'm dead to them, then so be it. I'll be the phantom at your side, and the Brotherhood won't be any the wiser."

There was no getting him down off that roof.

She had shifted tactics from him and to herself. He would follow her to the gates of Hell, so what if she didn't go to the gates of Hell? She wielded defiance, stubbornness, and utter, crippling fear of losing him. "The Minutemen don't need me anymore. I secured the alliance, I made sure the Commonwealth stays protected from the Institute while the Brotherhood deploys out to the Blood Lands, now it's up to them. Preston and Ronnie will make sure the Minutemen reserve force is well treated. I'm not a politician or a war leader. I'm not a leader full-stop.."

"Perhaps you're not a natural leader, but you're an influencer, an inspirer, a symbol. You're the heart where Maxson is the mind."

Kelly had gritted her teeth at the mere sound of that tyrant's name spoken aloud and with such reverence upon Danse's lips, and the thought of seeing his moody mug again riled her deep to the bone.

"Not only do the Minutemen respect you, but their loyalty had grown strong throughout the weeks of the alliance. I trained the first batch of recruits myself and I heard how their opinions of you had flourished over time. They see in you what I saw from the very first day we met. They trust you implicitly. You're their symbol of freedom and hope. Like the Brotherhood would follow Maxson through the gates of Hell, so would the Minutemen follow you. You may not have the political and tactical wisdom that Maxson has, but you have the passion and vision to match his. I know you resent him, but Maxson needs your presence for the alliance to survive."

"I want to kill him," she had snarled through the fissures of her teeth, hands moulding into solid fists against her flanks. "It won't work. We'll be at each other's throats and the war effort will suffer for it."