"I know you think that, Nick, it's all you've said for the past hour." Billy loaded another bag onto the back of the very patient brahmin. "It'll be fine. We're meeting up with the caravan at the river. Won't be solo for long." She looked up at the girl sitting on the base of the statue in front of the Diamond City gates. "Isn't that right, Pidge?"
"Yep!" The girl kicked her feet, clearly pleased to be involved in such big grown-up business as a caravan run.
"Then it's just up to Bunker Hill and then I'm back in town for the winter." Billy tugged the last strap tight and turned to face Nick. "It's a lot safer since your new friend hit town," she told him, and he gave a non-commital grunt. It was true, the streets were a lot cleaner these days.
"It'll be fine, Nick," Pigeon said as Billy helped her off the statue base and onto the seat she'd installed on the back of one of the brahmin, just behind the necks. It spoke volumes that Billy would give up valuable cargo space to make room for the girl. Nick had thought that the orphan and the caravaneer's unlikely friendship would be good for both of them, right up until Billy suggested taking her across the Commonwealth. It wasn't like Pigeon didn't know how how dangerous the world could be - it had taken her parents - but it was hard to think she actually knew what was out there as she giggled and patted the brahmin's right neck.
"We're off," Billy said, clapping Nick on the shoulder. "See you in a few weeks."
"Yeah," Nick said, chewing on the end of his unlit cigarette. "You two be safe. Especially you, Pidge."
"Will do," Billy said, and tapped the brahmin on the rump to get them both moving.
Nick watched them go, hands stuffed in his pockets. He trusted Billy. He knew she was capable. It was everybody else that was the problem.
"...shit," he muttered, and started jogging to catch up with them.
"Tagging along?" Billy asked when he caught up, clearly amused.
"Just to the river," he muttered. Billy didn't respond, just smiled as they headed past the guards.
Nick was beginning to think Billy was right and he'd have to eat crow when there was movement in the corner of his eye. He laid a hand on Pigeon's shoulder, stopping her in place.
"Bill?"
"Yeah," Billy responded, voice tight. "I see it."
She shuffled Pigeon in between her and the brahmin, one hand on the pistol at her hip. Pigeon cowered until she was nearly under the brahmin, hands over her head. Someone's taught her something about being shot at, Nick thought bitterly. His hand was on his own gun, eyes trained on the shadow that had moved in his periphery.
Then suddenly the brahmin bellowed and bolted, its scream drowned out by Pigeon's as a raider snatched her up.
"Shit!" Billy swung around, snatching the pistol off her hip and aiming it at the raider holding the girl. Nick swung his own gun up at the raiders coming out of the alleys ahead of them.
"I could say I told you so," he said tightly.
"I appreciate your restraint," Billy responded, no inflection in her voice at all.
"We were just gonna steal your haul," the raider holding Pigeon called. "Figured we'd only get the one. But maybe you'll trade the other for this one." He held the tip of a combat knife up to Pigeon's temple and she squeezed her eyes shut, biting on her lips to keep from crying.
"It's gonna be alright, kid." Nick kept his voice flat, not taking his eyes off the raiders down the alley.
"You shut the fuck up," one of them shouted, shouldering their rifle. Nick did, as much as it chafed. Had it been just him, or even just him and Billy, he would have taunted the Jet-addled bastards. But with Pigeon held tight by one of them he just grit his teeth and adjusted his grip on his gun.
"Drop her," Billy said, flat affect with the underlying threat of violence.
"Don't think you're in the position to make demands, doll." The raider shifted his grip on the knife. "Maybe a little blood in trade for the brahmin?"
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Nick said. He wanted desperately to turn around, take out the bastard himself. But the second he showed his back their friends down the street would fill it full of holes, and Billy and Pigeon right after.
"Already told you to shut the fuck up," The raider growled.
Nick didn't see what happened next. What he heard was the report of Billy's pistol, the grunt of the raider as the bullets impacted with the meat of his torso, and Pigeon's scream filling the air. The raiders Nick was watching put their fingers on their triggers and he put bullets between their eyes.
Two more bullets and the raider behind him gave a scream that dwindled into a dying gurgle. Then just as he leveled his gun to make sure of his own kills, blood blossomed from their torsos as Billy advanced to stand beside him. Two for each of them and the clip was empty, Billy reloading with hard, sharp movements. Nick almost expected her to empty the new clip into the still-twitching bodies, but when he turned to her she was kneeling next to Pigeon, touching a small scratch on the girl's face.
"Barely anything," she murmured. "Doesn't even need a stimpack." Pigeon just nodded. Nick saw the tears welling up in her eyes a scant moment before she burst into sobs.
"I'm sorry," she said, burying her face in her hands. "I did wrong and they got me and the brahmin's gone - "
"You didn't do anything wrong," Billy soothed. "The brahmin ran back towards the city. We'll go back and get it while we take you back."
"Back?" Pigeon looked up, tear tracks running down her face.
"Yeah." Billy wiped some of the tears away. "Don't think this was the trip for you, Pidge."
"But - I - "
"We'll spend the whole year teaching you how to shoot." Billy said. "And then you can come with me next year." She held up her pinky finger. "Promise."
Pigeon frowned at her for a second before wrapping her pinky around Billy's. "Once I can shoot."
"Once you can shoot."
The remaining brahmin was the one with the saddle, and Billy lifted her up into it as they turned back towards Diamond City.
"I continue to appreciate your restraint," Billy said under her breath to Nick, a warning in her voice.
"I continue to exercise it," he said. "Just glad we're all making it back."
"Yeah," Billy sighed, and Nick could hear the weight of exhaustion in the single word. Adrenaline did that to a person.
"Next time will go better," he said.
"Yeah." She blew her breath out in a long sigh. "...yeah."
