A/N: Oh man, this is it! The final chapter. I hope you enjoy…

Chapter 34: Resolution

Arthur felt… strange.

His eyes were clamped shut, though he could feel a streak of sunlight caressing his chest.

Morning had come, but he dreaded facing the day. Facing Nora.

Pre-war books always inflated the importance of female virginity and its loss, yet his intimacy with Nora during the night had, surprisingly, affected him. To be obstinate in the face of defeat, yet crumble at a woman's touch- that was the curse he now found himself burdened with.

The experience left him feeling…naked. Sure, he was naked in a physical sense, but now he found himself equally exposed mentally and emotionally. He recalled the way he'd cried Nora's name, the way he trembled at her touch, the way he whimpered "I love you".

The way he clung to her afterwards.

He felt his cheeks singe.

He was a grown man. A warrior. A leader. Such men do not melt in the arms of women. They take them without sentiment, without shame. They may engage with many women, acquiring, selecting and exchanging them like pieces of clothing.

Why, then, hadn't he become that kind of man? He had handlers preventing such actions in the Citadel, but the council loosened their leash the moment he boarded the Prydwyn. Was it because, deep down, he knew he would feel this way? That, in matters of intimacy, he could not decouple physical pleasure with emotional attachment?

He groaned and rolled onto his back. Nora was likely the only one who could soothe him. He sighed. He hated that he needed soothing.

He turned again, onto his side, now facing Nora's side of the bed. He extended an arm. "Nora…" he whispered.

He couldn't feel her.

His eyes bulged open, scanning and searching the bed.

Nora was gone.

He immediately seated himself. "Nora?" he asked the room. It did not reply.

He scampered off of the bed, hastily retrieving his discarded pants. Panic began to drip through him. "Nora!" He called louder as he clumsily clothed himself. Nothing.

Where did she go? Why did she leave him?

He trotted through the house, his bellows becoming all the louder.

Did he do something wrong?

"NORA!"

The silence in the house sounded like a cruel joke.

Did she find his nakedness unattractive? Was his performance disappointing?

He burst through the front door of the house, nearly blinded by the cloudless morning. The residents of Sanctuary were mid-bustle, from trading to building to patrolling. Nora's face was not among them.

Did he hurt her?

Without thought or care, Maxson jogged shirtless and barefoot down the street, dodging frightened children and confused pedestrians as he continued to shout Nora's name at increasingly boisterous volumes.

Did she regret their engagement?

"NORA!"

For a blip of a second, he thought he saw her, though the figure was eclipsed by a mass of bodies and quickly became obscured behind a building. He bolted after her, his determination masking fresh pain as rocks, glass, and rubble sliced at his exposed feet. He rounded the corner of the building, chasing after the Nora-like figure.

Was his love for her unrequited?

"NORAAAAAA?!"

He barreled around the corner…

And violently collided into a group of ghouls, causing them to crash and fall into a tangled ball of bodies. Arthur, for his part, fell backwards, landing unceremoniously on his back.

"What the hell?!"

That voice…it was Nora's!

Nora weaved through the ghoul pile. She stopped directly in front of Arthur, teeth bared like a rabid yao guai.

"ARTHUR!" she roared. Her hands were gnarled and tense, resembling claws more than fingers. "What is wrong with you?"

He inched backwards on the ground, mortified. "I…"

Nora's aggressive aura temporarily faded as she turned and helped haul one of the ghouls to his feet. "I am so sorry, Wiseman," she pleaded. "I think this-" she shot a ferocious glance at Arthur –"man is still intoxicated from last night's festivities."

Wiseman hastily brushed the dirt from his clothes, an ironic action considering his clothes were already grimy. "Good try, Nora, but we both know what this was," the ghoul raspily replied. Nora tried to interrupt but Wiseman shouted over her. "I'd expect this kind of treatment from Diamond City, but not here! I thought ghouls were accepted here."

"They are! We do!" Nora stuttered.

Her pleas were in vain. The ghouls were already beginning to leave. Wiseman addressed her for just a moment to issue a final decree. "Until your people learn to tolerate mine, consider our trade agreement between Sanctuary and the Slog cancelled!" He then stomped way, his followers in tow.

She whipped around to Arthur, snarling. "You…" she hissed. "I'll deal with you later." She trotted after the ghouls without turning back.

Arthur plodded back to Nora's house like a wounded mole rat. He could feel the prickle of stares from the citizens of Sanctuary, which only added to his despondence.

He couldn't blame them from staring. It was near noon and he was wandering down one of Sacntuary's main streets in nothing but pants, more a vagabond than a soldier. Furthermore, he'd managed to mangle his bare feet by running with such reckless abandon. His soles left a smeary trail of blood behind him.

He huddled into Nora's house, robotically cleaning and dressing his sticky, sliced feet with a first aid kit from her bathroom. No thoughts passed through him, just a hollow, guilty ache.

He found himself back in the main living room, table still flipped and laying awkwardly on its back. Just as he delicately turned it right-side up, he heard her voice.

"You going to explain to me what that was all about?"

Nora was flushed red, from a probable mixture of anger, exertion, and embarrassment. Her body was coiled and taught, ready at any moment to lunge at him. Arthur flinched.

"I…don't know," he offered weakly.

Nora clomped towards him, clearly unsatisfied. "Bullshit. Tell me what is going on. Now."

He felt like a child all over again, enduring one of his mother's many volatile reprimands. His mother used to lob insults and accusations towards him with unbearable frequency, causing him to feel as shameful and inept as he did now. Being sent to Elder Lyons felt like a blessing, in comparison. Jessica Maxson may have been his mother, but to this day he rarely found himself missing her.

He now found himself similarly incompetent to Nora. He said then only thing that came to mind.

"I was…afraid."

Nora shook her head incredulously. "What? Why?"

"When I woke, you were gone. I thought you'd…left me."

Nora's mouth twisted, though it wasn't clear if she was grinning or scowling. "Leave you? That's ridiculous. I had a meeting at eleven and I didn't want to wake you."

Arthur hunched over, guiltily running his hands through his hair. "I see that now."

Nora was quiet for a long while. Arthur tensed, waiting for another verbal assault. It didn't come.

Eventually, she sighed. "Well, I don't think that trade deal with the Slog is going to happen any time soon." She looked at Maxson. The angry glint in her eyes faded, replaced instead by a mischievous smirk. "But you screwed up, soldier. Our tarberry supply is in jeopardy because of you." Arthur bowed his head. To his surprise, Nora lifted his chin, forcing him to look upon her. "Such insubordination needs to be punished." She was smiling now. "As leader of the Minutemen, I will carry out the sentence."

Arthur balked. "You wish to…reprimand me?"

Her ivory teeth glistened as her smile widened. "Oh yes. On your knees, soldier."

He obeyed, his head now reaching her waist. He looked up, brow raised in perplexion.

"Good," she affirmed. She lifted his limp arms and placed them on her hips. "Now, remove my belt…"

Maxson could not restrain an amused grunt. He was beginning to understand what kind of 'punishment' he was receiving. "Sexual acts are not condoned as suitable punishment in the Brotherhood of Steel," he reminded her with a smirk.

Nora raked her fingers along his scalp. "Well, it's good thing I am in the Minutemen, then."

The remainder of the day was spent largely in bed, Nora covered with only a thin sheet and her colonial hat. Her eyes were shut, but she still looked smugly satisfied.

"You learn quickly, soldier," she murmured approvingly.

"That is why I was appointed Elder," Arthur rumbled. He lay beside her, head nuzzled against her shoulder.

Warmth swirled within him, a euphoric ease he'd never known before. Other days in the years to come would also unearth such feelings…their wedding day, Danse's appointment to Elder, the founding of a second Minuteman chapter in the Capital Wasteland, Sarah's reunion with the remaining members of the Lyon's Pride unit, the birth of their daughter, Danse's marriage to Haylen, the permanent alliance brokered between the Brotherhood and NCR…

Yet, when difficulty or nostalgia would take hold, Arthur would always recall this day.

The first day in a lifetime he felt truly happy.

A/N: Wow, it is all over. It only took me 8 months and 101 pages, too! Gigantic thanks to everyone who has followed along and given feedback. I was very iffy about publishing the first few chapters back in December, but I found such a great community here that I wanted to keep going. You all gave great feedback that I took to heart, and I believe my story greatly improved as a result. I never would have finished this thing without you!

I don't have any more Maxson stories planned, but I might do a Fallout: New Vegas/ Fallout 4 crossover story. It will be significantly shorter than this one and slightly AU, but (like this story) I have this idea that keeps nagging at me so I want to put it on paper. It will take place after the events of New Vegas, and will involve the Courier receiving a mysterious invitation by Mr. House. The invitation is both unexpected and ominous, because the Courier switched allegiances from Mr. House to the NCR before the Second Battle of Hoover Dam…

I will probably start this story next month, I am busy prepping my cosplay for Dragoncon. In the meantime, feel free to stay in touch! If anyone would like feedback on stories ideas, beta reading, etc. I may be slow but will happily help out.

See you guys around ;)