In The Shadow of Steel (Paladin Danse)

Part Sixteen

"So what was your favourite place to go to with daddy?"
"Hmm, I think our favourite place to have ever visited was Paris. You know, they used to call it the city of love."

Shaun's eyes sparkled with excitement, his child-like imagination taking over. Sat in the ruins of an old plane down in Boston Airport gave us a sense of escape, and the two of us found ourselves visiting here frequently, since Maxson had temporarily removed me from the field.
Of course wherever I went, Paladin Danse was not far behind.

"Why did they call it that?"
"Because it was the most romantic city you could go to. Your father took me on a walk along the River Seine, holding my hand the whole time. Then we went to the small cafes situated along the sidewalks. And at night, it was the most beautiful city in the world. All the lights would come on, it was like a city of stars."

The glow of the Eiffel Tower reflected in my son's glistening eyes, the warm luminosity of the Louvre, the radiance dancing towards the Champs-Elysees. I saw Nate in all of them, smiling brightly with love and compassion. He always seemed to find his way back to me.

"That sounds like quite the holiday destination. Is it in Europe?"
I broke away from my nostalgia and faced Danse, his eyes inquisitive following his question.
"Uh, yeah. France, Paris is the Capital."
"I wonder if any of its unique buildings still stand."
"I'd like to think so. If the memorial in Bunker Hill still stands then I guess it's possible."
Shaun tugged at my arm, regaining my full attention. "Do you think one day we'll be able to visit?"
"Maybe kid, maybe one day." I sighed, knowing the possibility was impossible. Who knew what kind of civil strife had befallen Europe after the Great War. The countries could be extinct, overrun with super mutants, or they could be rebuilding in ways that don't seem possible to us. It was unlikely we'd ever even find out.

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Shaun flipped through one of his new comics that Initiate Shane Hopkins had found upon a sweep with Knight Lawson and their recon team. It was comforting to know that Shaun had others he could rely on in the times I wasn't around. Katie and Shane had become his best friends, aside from myself and Danse. I found myself smiling, feeling happy in his presence. Simply hearing his child-like laughter warmed my heart, a sound I would never grow fed up of.
"It's your turn! Go on you have to!"
"Oh, you know I'm not very good at doing these...impressions."
"You do it better than mom does!"
I gasped, mouth agape as the corners titled towards a smirk. I cast my eyes down to the comic book, The Unstoppables, Dr. Brainwash and His Army of De-Capitalists!

Clearing my throat, I spoke with my best Grognak voice. "I thought you enjoyed my impersonation of the Great Barbarian!"
The pair of boys immediately erupted with laughter, Shaun pointing and laughing at me.
"What is so funny?!" I continued, my son's eyes filling with tears of amusement.
"Wait, are you laughing at me?!"
"OK, OK, mom, stop!"
"Only if you tell me how amazing my acting is!" I stood up, closing the distance between us and tackling him with a hug of tickles. His laughter roared with screams of joy and discomfort, the level of noise attracting attention. A stir in the water beside us caught the eye of Danse before anyone else. His laser rifle was pointing up and he was sprinting towards it before the enemy made itself visible.

The Mirelurk screeched as it clambered towards us, Shaun's screams of joy turning to those of terror. My hand reached for my 10mm, holstered safely at my hip.
"Mommy!"
"Stay back! We'll handle this!"
"No! Evelyn, stay back with him!" Danse commanded, dodging the swing of the large claw. He shot it in the face, staggering it for a brief moment until it swung again, catching him on the arm. He grunted in pain and I ran towards it, closing one eye as my finger caressed the trigger. Its eyes were then on me, allowing Danse to fire one last devastating shot to the beast's head. It released another ugly squeal upon its defeat, soon drowning out against the sounds of Shaun's cries. He ran over to me, collapsing into my arms.
He's never seen a Mirelurk before. In fact, he's been lucky enough to have missed the vile abominations that had corrupted the Earth's surface.
"Shh, it's alright, it's alright. It's dead now." My hand found its way to his head, caressing his hair while the other rubbed his back, an attempt to calm him down. Danse's eyes met mine, relief swimming in them at knowing the threat was gone. Shaun pulled back, and I gasped once again when he left my arms for Danse's. He seemed to hold the same bemusement as he knelt down to return the hug, those relieved eyes now filled with shock. Our gaze lingered on the other until the boy released him.
"Thank you for saving us."
Danse smiled deeply, mussing his hair. "I'll always protect you, and your mommy."