Annie is laughing, and God, she’s so beautiful. Kate smiles like the sun and serves her up the cutest little slice of cake. “Mamba!” Annie says, which is as close as she’s come to mama so far. She manages daddy just fine, Benny thinks, a little smugly. Mamba, daddy, and poker; those are the words she knows. Benny doesn’t think he could love her more if she crawled right inside his heart and set up shop.
The excitement of presents and cake and her parent’s undivided attention tires Annie out pretty early. Benny lies in bed, watching as Kate tucks her in, coos at her and sings quiet lullabies until she falls asleep. The softness in her voice is a miracle. Her hair’s growing out, and it falls soft like waves down her back. She’s dressed down to sleepwear, but when she turns to him, all the gentleness is gone from her face. She’s feral under her eyelashes, and beautiful; the woman he shot and buried and the woman who shares his bed. She moves over to him, all grace and rolling hips, and climbs on top of him.
“This’ll never last,” she says.
Benny thinks different. Deep down, he thinks maybe she does, too, because he remembers sweet smiles from before Annie came along, and promises, promises, promises of a better life.
This life.
One day, he’s gonna tell her he loves her. Maybe it’s the only thing standing between him and keeping this forever, but she’s not ready for it yet. She’s still too wild, too untamed. Kate loves him, he’s sure of it, but love’s a foreign thing to this woman and they’ve got a ways to go yet.
*
There ain’t exactly theme parks and zoos to take the kid out to, but she’s gotta get used to gunfire at some point. Family outings are the best of days, him and Kate taking turns at holding their angel while gunning down Fiends, Radscorpions, and – on one dangerous occasion – Cazadores. That had been mostly a mistake, but he’d got stung and it had taken a day or two for the poison to pass. Kate’s set on revenge now, though, so today, they’re going to deal with a wasps’ nest.
Benny’s got Annie strapped to her chest, and the moment Kate lets loose her first shot, the kid starts giggling. Maybe this makes them terrible parents, but at three years old she’s gotta be the most world-wise toddler in the wastes.
“Shoot the wings!” Annie shouts, laughing like a maniac. “Shoot the wings!”
“That’s right, baby!” Benny congratulates her, patting her hair before crouching to take a shot. “But what do we gotta remember when it comes to Cazadores?”
“Stings!” she answers gleefully. Her face drops a little. “Daddy got stung. I hate Cazadores.”
He pauses in taking aim, and kisses her head. “You take after your mom, kiddo.”
Between the two (three?) of them, they make short work of the Cazadores. Kate’s glowing from battle as she takes Annie from him, and Benny knows he was an idiot to think either of them could ever give this up. He’s felt more alive in the last few years than all his time in Vegas. He wouldn’t mind a bit of luxury now and then, sure, but he knows he’s on a trial period here. Kate’s got this look in her eyes lately like she’s planning something, and Benny’d be more worried if she didn’t look up at him, full of pride, as their daughter latched her arms around her neck, and say, “We’ll see those bastards try to hurt you now, baby.”
He hangs back, toying with Maria while Kate crouches down next to a dead Cazadore and pulls out a knife. “We were a little rushed last time, honey, but mommy wants to show you how to cut a Cazadore’s poison gland out. It’s a tricky business, because if you accidentally open it, you’re in serious trouble. You want to see me cut some out?”
“Yes!”
“Okay then!” Kate leans over. Benny glances around, keeping watch over his family. Shit, his family. It hits him more when they’re out like this, when they’ve left their little house behind, because they’re still together, still a unit, ready to face the world. “Sweetie, do you know why we’re taking the poison glands?”
Annie starts clumsily reeling off the uses and values of Cazadore poison. Benny spots a bloatfly careening towards them, and fires of a shot. It drops, and Annie starts to clap.
“Daddy saved us!” she says, and he knows she’s teasing. No little girl of his is gonna mistake a Bloatfly for a threat.
Where The Apple Fell 1b/1
The excitement of presents and cake and her parent’s undivided attention tires Annie out pretty early. Benny lies in bed, watching as Kate tucks her in, coos at her and sings quiet lullabies until she falls asleep. The softness in her voice is a miracle. Her hair’s growing out, and it falls soft like waves down her back. She’s dressed down to sleepwear, but when she turns to him, all the gentleness is gone from her face. She’s feral under her eyelashes, and beautiful; the woman he shot and buried and the woman who shares his bed. She moves over to him, all grace and rolling hips, and climbs on top of him.
“This’ll never last,” she says.
Benny thinks different. Deep down, he thinks maybe she does, too, because he remembers sweet smiles from before Annie came along, and promises, promises, promises of a better life.
This life.
One day, he’s gonna tell her he loves her. Maybe it’s the only thing standing between him and keeping this forever, but she’s not ready for it yet. She’s still too wild, too untamed. Kate loves him, he’s sure of it, but love’s a foreign thing to this woman and they’ve got a ways to go yet.
*
There ain’t exactly theme parks and zoos to take the kid out to, but she’s gotta get used to gunfire at some point. Family outings are the best of days, him and Kate taking turns at holding their angel while gunning down Fiends, Radscorpions, and – on one dangerous occasion – Cazadores. That had been mostly a mistake, but he’d got stung and it had taken a day or two for the poison to pass. Kate’s set on revenge now, though, so today, they’re going to deal with a wasps’ nest.
Benny’s got Annie strapped to her chest, and the moment Kate lets loose her first shot, the kid starts giggling. Maybe this makes them terrible parents, but at three years old she’s gotta be the most world-wise toddler in the wastes.
“Shoot the wings!” Annie shouts, laughing like a maniac. “Shoot the wings!”
“That’s right, baby!” Benny congratulates her, patting her hair before crouching to take a shot. “But what do we gotta remember when it comes to Cazadores?”
“Stings!” she answers gleefully. Her face drops a little. “Daddy got stung. I hate Cazadores.”
He pauses in taking aim, and kisses her head. “You take after your mom, kiddo.”
Between the two (three?) of them, they make short work of the Cazadores. Kate’s glowing from battle as she takes Annie from him, and Benny knows he was an idiot to think either of them could ever give this up. He’s felt more alive in the last few years than all his time in Vegas. He wouldn’t mind a bit of luxury now and then, sure, but he knows he’s on a trial period here. Kate’s got this look in her eyes lately like she’s planning something, and Benny’d be more worried if she didn’t look up at him, full of pride, as their daughter latched her arms around her neck, and say, “We’ll see those bastards try to hurt you now, baby.”
He hangs back, toying with Maria while Kate crouches down next to a dead Cazadore and pulls out a knife. “We were a little rushed last time, honey, but mommy wants to show you how to cut a Cazadore’s poison gland out. It’s a tricky business, because if you accidentally open it, you’re in serious trouble. You want to see me cut some out?”
“Yes!”
“Okay then!” Kate leans over. Benny glances around, keeping watch over his family. Shit, his family. It hits him more when they’re out like this, when they’ve left their little house behind, because they’re still together, still a unit, ready to face the world. “Sweetie, do you know why we’re taking the poison glands?”
Annie starts clumsily reeling off the uses and values of Cazadore poison. Benny spots a bloatfly careening towards them, and fires of a shot. It drops, and Annie starts to clap.
“Daddy saved us!” she says, and he knows she’s teasing. No little girl of his is gonna mistake a Bloatfly for a threat.
*