This is the story of how I found myself. My hopes are that people will read this and be able to relate, feel safe, and discover themselves. TW: self-harm mention, suicide mention, ED mention, heavy topics

Ahh, little lamplight. The place you grew up. You and MacCready had been best friends for years, that is, until he had to leave. You begged to go with him, only to be turned down. However, now it's your turn to leave. A year has passed since Robert had left, and you still thought about him all the time, however, you had no hopes of seeing him. The capital Wasteland was a big place, and who even knows if he was there? You weren't even planning on sticking around there anyways, you wanted to head out to The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Eventually after fighting your way through the Capital Wasteland, you make it to a town called Goodneighbor. After deciding to settle down there for a little, you stop by the Third Rail for a drink and that's when you see him. Robert. Joseph. Fucking. MacCready. I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM FALLOUT. ALSO!! CREDIT TO @book_hoarding_dragon for the cover!!

ʀʏʟᴀɴᴅ ʜᴀɴᴍᴇʀ, ᴀ 23-ʏᴇᴀʀ-ᴏʟᴅ ғᴇᴍᴀʟᴇ, ʜᴀs ʜᴀᴅ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴘʀᴇᴛᴛʏ ᴡᴇʟʟ ғᴏʀ ʜᴇʀ. sʜᴇ's ᴀʟᴡᴀʏs ɢᴏᴛᴛᴇɴ ᴇxᴄᴇᴘᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ɢʀᴀᴅᴇs ɪɴ sᴄʜᴏᴏʟ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴀs ʀᴇʟᴀᴛɪᴠᴇʟʏ ᴘᴏᴘᴜʟᴀʀ. ʜᴏᴡᴇᴠᴇʀ, ᴀғᴛᴇʀ ɢʀᴀᴅᴜᴀᴛɪɴɢ ғʀᴏᴍ ʜᴇʀ ʟᴀsᴛ ʏᴇᴀʀ ᴏғ ʜɪɢʜ sᴄʜᴏᴏʟ, ʜᴇʀ ғᴀᴍɪʟʏ ʀᴇᴄᴇɪᴠᴇᴅ ᴀ ʜᴏʀʀɪʙʟᴇ ᴍᴇssᴀɢᴇ. ʜᴇʀ ғᴀᴛʜᴇʀ ʜᴀᴅ ᴘᴀssᴇᴅ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀʀᴍʏ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛʀʏ ʜᴇ ᴡᴀs sᴛᴀᴛɪᴏɴᴇᴅ ɪɴ. ʀʏʟᴀɴᴅ's ʟɪғᴇ ᴄᴏʟʟᴀᴘsᴇᴅ ɪɴ ғʀᴏɴᴛ ᴏғ ʜᴇʀ. ᴀʟʟ ʜᴇʀ ʜᴏᴘᴇs ᴀɴᴅ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍs ᴄʀᴜᴍʙʟᴇᴅ. ʜᴇʀ ᴍᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴍᴇ ᴠᴇʀʏ ᴅɪsᴛᴀɴᴛ, ʜᴇʀ ᴇʟᴅᴇʀ ʙʀᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴛᴜʀɴᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴅʀᴜɢs, ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴇʀ ʏᴏᴜɴɢᴇʀ ʙʀᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ʙᴇɢᴀɴ ᴛᴏ ɢᴇᴛ ɪɴ ʟᴏᴛs ᴏғ ᴛʀᴏᴜʙʟᴇ ɪɴ sᴄʜᴏᴏʟ. sʜᴇ ʟᴇғᴛ ᴇɴɢʟᴀɴᴅ ғᴏʀ ᴀᴍᴇʀɪᴄᴀ, ᴀɴᴅ ғᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴀ ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇ ᴛᴏ sᴛᴀʏ ɪɴ ʟᴀs ᴀɴɢᴇʟᴇs, ᴄᴀʟɪғᴏʀɴɪᴀ. sʜᴇ ᴡᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴇsᴄᴀᴘᴇ ғʀᴏᴍ ʜᴇʀ ᴘʀᴏʙʟᴇᴍs, ᴀɴᴅ sʜᴇ ᴅɪᴅ. ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪs ᴜɴᴛɪʟ ᴀ ʙᴏʏ ᴡᴀʟᴋs ɪɴᴛᴏ ʜᴇʀ ᴄᴀғᴇ. ʜɪs ɴᴀᴍᴇ ɪs ᴄᴀʟʟᴜᴍ, ᴄᴀʟʟᴜᴍ ᴏʀᴛɪᴢ. ʜᴇ's ᴀ ᴅʀᴏᴘᴏᴜᴛ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴜᴄʟᴀ. ǫᴜɪᴛᴇ sᴍᴀʀᴛ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴀ ʙᴀᴅ ʙᴏʏ. ᴛʜᴇʏ ʙᴇɢɪɴ ᴛᴏ ғᴀʟʟ ғᴏʀ ᴇᴀᴄʜᴏᴛʜᴇʀ, ʙᴜᴛ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ᴅɪᴅ ʀʏʟᴀɴᴅ ᴋɴᴏᴡ.... ʜᴇ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴛʀᴏᴜʙʟᴇs ᴛʜᴀɴ ʜᴇʀ ғᴀᴍɪʟʏ ᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴅɪᴅ.

Lilly McSayer is a calculated person. Everything she does is thought through and planned down to a point. Especially her plans to visit her family in Chicago. So when a freak snow storm hits and she ends up stranded in New York, she just about looses it. With only a wad of cash and her book bag, she heads out into the storm and meets a stranger who turns her horrible Christmas Eve into an unexpected adventure, complete with last-minute gift shopping, a seriously pissed off Santa, and cheesy Christmas music. She surprises herself when she actually begins to enjoy the strange city. Suddenly, Christmas in New York doesn't seem like such a bad thing.