Chapter Text
“Danse, it’s still me! I’m still-“
“You’re nothing but a monster! You don’t deserve to look me in the eye just to lie and tell me you didn’t know! I brought you into the fold and put myself on the line! I let you in!” His words hung heavy in the air and wrapped around her neck. I let you in. The phrase hit her hard enough to make her knees weak and nothing stopped her from crumpling to the ground. He allowed her to breach his defenses, to cross over the trip wires and mines in his heart. He allowed her to unearth a man he thought was long gone. He let her in and this was how she hurt him, with betrayal and deceit. She raised her head to look at him through blurry eyes, hoping for some kind of reconciliation. Instead, she looked down the barrel of his rifle and a sneer that marred his face.
“Danse, please, I lo-“ click. The safety of his rifle was off and threatened her into silence. Her breathing sped up a fraction as the cool edge of the barrel was pressed to her forehead.
“Don’t you dare say it. You’re a disgusting abomination and I’ll end you right here and now if you finish that sentence or say another word.” She bit her tongue at his venomous tone. Was this still the man who watched her back and saved her life countless times over? Was this the man who showed her how to survive in this unforgiving wasteland? Was this the man who fell into her arms every night and promised to keep her safe? How could she be certain anymore. Nothing was going the way it should have.
“You’re a disgrace to the Brotherhood and a danger to the people of the Commonwealth. You wont leave here alive.”
“Now, that’s were you’re wrong buddy.” CRACK. The butt of a shotgun collided with the back of Danse’s head before he slumped to the ground in front of Billie. She stared wide eyed at a pair of shiny black shades before leaning forward with the holotape in her palm. She scrambled to Danse's side before a warm hand rested on her shoulder and helped pulled her to her feet quickly.
“There’s no time for all of that. He’ll be fine,” Deacon warned, “the Brotherhood is crawling all over the place. I barely made it here undetected.”
“I just want to make sure you didn’t hurt him, D.” Her voice trembled the same way her hands did before they were engulfed by Deacon’s as they rushed out of the dilapidated shack. At the last minute, she looked over her shoulder and clutched the holotags that hung heavy around her neck. He would come back to her. Whether it be to end her or accept her as she was, it didn’t matter. She would be waiting. Where you go, I go.
___________
Throbbing pain spurted at the back of his head and a headache began to prick him awake. What the hell happened? He opened his eyes to a find himself on the floor of a worn shack. For a moment confusion plagued him, then cleared when his memory came back to him. Billie. Synth. Abomination. Traitor.
The anger in his chest quickly subsided to heartache. He was back at square one with himself. Vulnerable and broken. Danse put his trust in the hands of the enemy without realizing. It was his own mistake, and he would pay dearly for it. He wasn’t sure how she had gotten the upper hand and escaped. He was moments away from ending her. It. The paladin stood slowly and felt the blood rush from his head. Clink. A holotape labeled ‘Danse’ landed by his feet in rushed hand writing. As he bent to pick it up, he noticed the few quirks of Billie’s handwriting. The plastic disk felt heavier in his hands and he hurried to place it in the pocket of his uniform. He knew he needed to deal with her the way he did Cutler. They had become what he was sworn to protect humanity from. He knew what he had to do. But the moment his mind was set on hunting the synth down, his heart squeezed painfully and he remembered the look in its frightened eyes.
I’m sorry, Danse, please don’t do this. The way those brown eyes begged him to reconsider his actions. It felt far too human for a machine. Far too real for the emotions to be programed. But just like Cutler, she needed to be the example not an exception.
___________
In the soft glow of the morning, the airport gave off a melancholic sight. Broken down and no longer the beautiful landmark it once was. Billie stared at it from across the bay and felt a twinge of pain as it slowly came back to life. It had been a week since she saw him. The military frequency the Brotherhood used played on a constant loop on the pipboy that rested on her side. On orders of Elder Maxson, former Knight Belinda Reyes is a declared enemy of the Brotherhood of Steel. If seen, shoot on sight. Do not aid the traitor or your actions will be seen as treason.
She heard Danse's voice repeat the same set of orders for hours on the same spot; with a constant flow of tears and a bottle of whiskey. The hate that was there struck her every time he said her name. It was like he was letting her know he wouldn’t back down. He would find her and he would pull the trigger. If she closed her eyes she could hear him in front of her, rifle in hand and fury in his eyes. She meant absolutely nothing to him. All she embodied was everything he was conditioned to hate. Whatever love that had developed between them was crushed the moment she told him what she truly was. She couldn’t face him again.
“General, we’ve got the Brotherhood at our gates.” Preston’s voice was calming to her nerves and a welcome change to her troubling thoughts. She poured out the rest of the whiskey in her cracked mug and rose to her feet. If she looked as small as she felt, she was sure as hell Preston could’ve stuck her in one of his pockets. Lord knows she would rather be hidden away than deal with what waited on the other side of their gates. With Righteous Authority slung around her back, she lead Preston to the ground with the rest of the Minute Men gathered behind her. Billie could see the faces of those who served by her side, slightly terrified and ready for a fight.
“Open the gates,” she commanded with her head held high. The steel doors opened to a small team of Brotherhood soldiers dressed in power armor. A familiar suit led the team of three through the threshold and stopped just before the radio tower. Billie stood a yard away from the small group with Preston and Ronnie at her side, "Paladin."