A/N: I own nothing except the laptop I wrote this story on. And thank you to everyone that has enjoyed this story! Look for my name to pop up on the Fallout fanfic board in the near future with the sequel. It's been a hell of a ride, and I love all of you that reviewed it. But for now, I present the conclusion of Détente.

It was quiet.

There wasn't a real tension in the air. Not the bad kind, anyway. But there was…something. The air was electric. Like those that stood in the room were on the cusp of something truly incredible. They were all staring at her, expectantly.

Because they were waiting on her to read out the fruits of their labor. Every pair of eyes in the room was upon Piper Wright, and she felt every last one of them. Even Scribe Haylen, who was sitting next to her, seemed to be just as agitated as she was. Piper took a deep breath, and began to speak.

"Resolved," She began. "That the Commonwealth shall extend full citizenry, and every benefit that entails, to all cooperative Ghouls. Bloodwork shall be sent to Vault 81, an independent site, where lab work with be conducted both to study and improve the condition of every affected individual if possible."

"Resolved," Scribe Haylen said, reading the next bullet point. "That the city of Goodneighbor shall be recognized as a legitimate settlement, and that its current mayor John Hancock is to be considered its lawfully elected leader."

Hancock looked mighty pleased with that one.

Back and forth the two scribes went, their hands shaking slightly as they read the various pieces of the treaty that had been the fruit of weeks' worth of labor.

"Resolved, That a settlement for the Brotherhood of Steel shall be established in Goodneighbor, provided such settlers pay civic duties as dictated by the mayor's office." Haylen said.

"Resolved, That free trade shall be respected between settlements, and those that seek to disrupt these supply lines for reasons detrimental to the overall health of the Commonwealth shall be appropriately prosecuted." Piper said.

"Resolved, That training and arming of citizenry in the discipline of non-ballistic weapons shall be organized and regulated by the Brotherhood of Steel. Those who possess such weaponry prior to the passage of this agreement are allowed to keep their weapons without a license, provided consistent payment of a duty."

"Resolved, that the freedom of the press and right to assembly shall be respected and not infringed upon."

Piper tried and failed to hold her smile.

"Resolved, that those considered part of the so-called 'Institute Remnant' shall be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law for varying crimes against the overall health and safety of the Commonwealth."

"Resolved, that a special court system shall be convened for the above case, with each defendant granted the right to counsel, a speedy trial, the chance to face their accuser, and the right to be judged by a jury of their peers as in accordance with the philosophy of due process."

"Resolved, that the Commonwealth shall seek to create a form of communicative government between settlements, whose creation will be respected by both the Minutemen and the Brotherhood of Steel."

"Resolved, that the current 'government' in the city of Quincy is considered an outlaw state, and the Brotherhood and the Minutemen shall take all efforts to destroy it for the sake of peace in the Commonwealth."

"Resolved, that the Brotherhood of Steel is granted the privilege to enter and research Vault 111, with the goal of determining how to improve Commonwealth life with their research results."

"Resolved, that the Minutemen shall work in tandem with the Brotherhood of Steel to defend the Commonwealth from all enemies, both internal and external."

"Resolved, that the Brotherhood of Steel shall work in tandem with the Minutemen to defend the Commonwealth from all enemies, both internal and external."

"Resolved, that the Brotherhood of Steel and the Minutemen currently possess and shall continue to possess a special friendship, designed for the common good and the general safety of the public."

There as a long silence. And then Elder Maxson looked over at Blue.

"14 points." He said. "Not bad."

"Not bad at all." Blue said. At this, Maxson shrugged. He looked around him.

"Are there any objections?"

Proctor Quinlan and Proctor Ingram both shook their head. He looked back at Blue, who then looked at his own advisors. Hancock and Preston both shook their head.

"Then shall we put it in writing?" Blue asked, producing a pen.

"Gladly." Arthur Maxson said.

"What do we call it?" Someone asked. For a moment, there was no answer. And then Proctor Ingram spoke up.

"What about something sufficiently governmental and official…like…the 'Commonwealth Accords?'"

There was a pause as this was allowed to sink in.

"The Commonwealth Accords…" Blue said. "I like that." He looked at Maxson. "You like that?"

"I like that." The Elder said.

"Then let's sign the damned thing, Elder."

"Agreed, General."

…

"EXTRA! EXTRA! THE COMMONWEALTH ACCORDS RATIFIED! BROTHERHOOD AND MINUTEMEN COME TO A LANDMARK AGREEMENT!"

Piper chuckled as she watched Nat blaring out the latest news at the top of her lungs. There was a line of citizens from all the way to the water treatment plant trying to get the newest edition of the Publick. Piper was exhausted. She'd spent four hours writing the damned thing, and then needed to fix up Baby so that it could print out enough copies. If it wasn't for the help of the old Minuteman, named Jethro, they wouldn't have fixed the thing.

Piper watched as the pile of caps grew quite mountainous, and her head started spinning. She could pay several years' worth of rent on that money alone. And then there was the possibility that the Publick would start to get read in other settlements in the Commonwealth. With that came subscriptions, and subscription fees…

She was starting to feel light-headed.

"You okay, missus Piper?" The old Minuteman asked. Jethro took off his bandana, and wiped his forehead. He'd been tinkering with Baby for the last ten minutes, mostly to keep it ready for the evening rush. Piper looked over at him, and then blinked.

"Huh? Yeah…yeah, I'm okay."

"She's just daydreaming of living the high life now that she's making money on this old rag."

"Nicky!"

Piper whirled around to confront her friend, who was leaning against the railing behind her. He was chuckling, as he leafed through the Publick.

"I have to say, Piper, you're a damned fine writer to begin with, but this is definitely your best work. I won't go so far as to say it's your magnum opus, though…" He lit a cigarette and smiled. "…because you've got a long career ahead of you."

"Thanks, Nicky." Piper said, a smile enveloping her face. Next to Nick, Ellie Perkins was reading the paper as well.

"This is some good stuff, though, Piper." She said. "Was it really that tense up there in the Mayor's office?" She asked. "Because this reads like a good thriller."

"It was pretty tough at times." Piper said. "I tried not to embellish it at all, and let the story speak for itself."

"There are a few things that are left unanswered, though." Nick said. "What about the future of the mayor's office in Diamond City? What about the Institute trial that's coming up? Who's brave or crazy enough to be the defense attorney for the Institute?"

"Defense attorney?" Piper asked. Nick looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, Piper. There's no such thing as a fair trial unless someone defends the accused. And neither our friend nor the Elder is gonna send someone from their ranks. They'll be too colored in their biases. No…it's gotta be a public defender. Someone who not only is willing to do the job, but do the job properly. As much as I hate to think of any of those Institute types walking free. But that's why I'm not a lawyer. I'm just a grumpy old man." He chuckled. "In the end, I'm sure that the answers to my questions will come pretty darned soon."

"What about your boyfriend, Piper?" Ellie asked, a devilish grin on her face. "He pleased with these?"

"He is not my-" Piper just gave up. "You two are evil, you know that?" She said. She sighed. "He's tired. He said he was going back to the Castle to see his son. And get some sleep. And then he said that he's gonna come back to Diamond City next week for some adventuring."

"Adventuring. Right." Ellie said, not looking up from her paper and not at all convinced. "And would that adventuring involve knocking on the door of the Publick? I bet it does."

Piper threw a crumpled up piece of paper at Ellie. It was a direct hit to the forehead.

"Ow!"

"Serves you right, Ellie. There's an old saying from back in the day, you know: 'you mess with the Deathclaw, you get the horns.'"

"Are you implying that I'm a Deathclaw, Nicky?" Piper asked with a growing smile. Nick returned the smirk.

"The thought crossed my mind."

Giggling, Piper then decided to start throwing at the Synth's head too.

…

The Vertibird docked in the Prydwen, and with a hissing there was a light flashing that signaled an all-clear to disembark. Elder Maxson stepped off the Vertibird, and returned the line of salutes that the Brotherhood intiates gave him as he walked towards the flight deck.

Lancer-Captain Kells was waiting for him on the bridge.

"Elder!" Kells said, firing off a snappy salute. "The news is flowing of your treaty with the Minutemen. I trust that you are satisfied with the results."

"I am, Lancer-Captain." Elder Maxson said. At this, Kells nodded.

"Good, because I have heard some grumblings that you conceded too much to the Minutemen. Not that I believe these rumors myself, but I figured you should know."

In the past, such a thought would send Maxson into a foul mood, but instead he looked over at Kells.

"These people need to remember that I am the Elder of the Brotherhood, and I am not a puppet to be played with. This is the best deal not only for the Brotherhood, but also for the Commonwealth. Besides…I have faith in the General of the Minutemen that we shall continue to be able to negotiate in good faith in the future."

"That is a far cry from your opinion of him a few weeks ago, sir. If I may be so bold." Kells said.

Maxson chuckled.

"Spend some time with him, and your opinion changes in a heartbeat. It's the strangest thing, really." He said. He scratched his chin in thought. "I suppose I'll need to start making preparations for his wife's service."

"I only wish that he was still with us." Kells said. "He was a man with us in the Brotherhood."

"He's a man today, Lancer-Captain." Arthur Maxson said. "He's a damn fine man today."

They stood there in silence.

"So, do you still want the report on these Atom types that are holding up the Kingsport Lighthouse?"

"Yes, thank you." Elder Maxson said, taking the brief. "I figure it might be a good sign of our good faith if we could get these fools out of the Commonwealth. Make it easier for the Minutemen to walk along the coast."

"It'll be a lot of work, sir."

"That's the thing about it, Kells." Maxson said. "The end result is what we desire, but there is joy in the process. Never forget that."

He opened the file, and began to read.

…

The Vertibird took off, leaving the ground and dust kicked up as it disappeared into the sky of the setting sun. The group of people that it had left in the Castle looked at one another.

"A hell of a job, General." Preston said. "We really did something good for the Commonwealth."

"And you emancipated Ghouls!" Hancock said. "I can't fucking believe it! I'm gonna go find Cait and celebrate. Later, schmoes!" He raced off, cackling like a madman. Blue looked after him and chuckled.

"Never change, Hancock."

Then he looked over to the side of the Castle.

"Captain Danse!"

The man in question turned around from his paperwork, and saw the General was back. He dropped his equipment, and jogged over. As soon as he got within a few feet, he stood upright and saluted. Blue returned the gesture.

"It's good to have you back, General." Danse said.

"Always so formal, Danse." Blue said. "Nate is fine, too."

"…Very well…Nate." Danse said. Blue's smile faded.

"Where is my son?"

"Daddy!"

Blue barely had enough time to turn around and catch his son, picking him up and spinning him around.

"How you doin', little man?" He asked. He then noticed the C-shaped scar above Shaun's left eye. "What happened, Shaun? Are you alright?"

"A bad man tried to get me." Shaun said. "But Aunt Cait, Uncle Danse, and Strong saved me!"

Blue's eyes briefly flashed with fear, but soon there was a sense of relief as he hugged his son again. He looked up at Danse.

"It was a Courser." Danse said. "Code-name X6-88. It wanted to get to you through Shaun. It didn't succeed, though it did kill a few Minutemen out on patrol."

"Notify their families." Blue said. "Let them know their loved ones died serving the Commonwealth." Danse nodded, and then ordered a nearby soldier to grab some writing paper for the task.

"I hear the peace talk went well." Danse said, as he pulled out his pipe. Blue smiled.

"I never figured you for a pipe, Danse."

"Well, a fusspot needs to be reliable." Danse said.

"…Fusspot?" Blue asked. Danse looked a little embarrassed.

"…Never mind. An inside joke." He said. He soon had the pipe smoking, and gestured around him. "The Castle was like a finely-tuned machine in your absence, sir. The guards were sharp, trading was smooth, and Colonel Shaw was able to prepar-"

"I'm glad to hear it, Danse, but right now I don't want to talk logistics of anything. Is there anything that is mission critical?"

"No, sir." Danse said. "The world is quiet tonight."

"It won't be for long, but let's enjoy it while it lasts." Blue said with a smile. He turned to Shaun. "Why don't you go ask Aunt Curie what she's making for dinner. It smells quite good."

"Okay, Dad! Bye!" Shaun raced off. That left just Danse and Blue, as Preston took this moment to take his leave.

"Is he alright?" Blue asked.

"The Courser said that he was a Synth." Danse said.

"…Did he believe him?"

"No. Especially when I revealed that I was a Synth instead. I offered the Courser myself instead of the boy. But I guess the machine wasn't wired for understanding compassion." Danse said. He then sighed. "And yet I'm no different than him. I must be very good at faking it."

"Danse, stop talking." Blue growled. Danse looked back at him.

"Sir?"

"Don't 'sir' me. It's 'Nate.' I talk to my friends like they're my friends, not just in their military stylings." Blue said. He looked Danse in the eye. "X6-88 was designed for one purpose: hunting down Synths. He was a tool. You? You were designed to be like a human. That was it. Your purpose was whatever you made it to be. And you chose to live a life that would help defend the Commonwealth, and help save my son. You're more of a man than most of the humans I know." Blue said. "And I am honored to call you my second-in-command and my closest friend."

"…I don't know what to say, Nate." Danse said quietly.

"You don't have to say anything." Blue said. "I've been keeping in touch with Colonel Shaw. She said that the Captain was doing an excellent job running the day-to-day operations of the Castle, and it got me realizing: perhaps I might like to make that position legitimate, and not just temporary. Would you be interested?"

"Are you retiring?" Danse asked.

"No!" Blue chuckled. "Not with so much work to do. But I think that the Castle needs a full-time operator, and I can't think of anyone better equipped to do that than you." He looked Danse in the eye. "So will you do it?"

"I'd be honored, Nate." Danse said. He felt happier than he had in a long time. Blue smiled, and reached into his pocket.

"Good. Because I really wanted to take the opportunity to use these things. I found them in the military museum and figured it better to use them than to let them rot."

Danse popped the little box open. He stared in confusion.

"Oak leaves?" He asked.

"Congratulations, Major." Blue said, saluting sharply.

Danse returned the gesture, and when Blue lowered his hand Danse got to work pinning the little golden symbols on the collar of his shirt. He straightened them, and then smiled.

"This means the most in the world, Nate." He said. "Thank you for treating me…well…like I am a man too."

Blue stared at him in confusion.

"I've never thought of you as anything else." He said.

Danse considered that more important than any other accolade he had ever received.

"Oy, fusspot! Why not come up here and have a drink, celebrate your little leaves!"

Danse and Blue looked up at Cait, who was sitting by one of the artillery guns high on the wall. Danse looked over at Blue, and looked sheepish.

"I shouldn't…"

"Go ahead." Blue laughed. "I'll cover you for tonight. You deserve to have some fun." He said. Dismissed, Major." He said, opting to push Danse up towards Cait. She laughed, and then tossed Danse a bottle of something that smelled quite strong.

Blue watched them, and then turned around to get a view of the Castle. Several levels had been built to this old and wonderful place. He saw Curie and Sheffield in the garden, with Codsworth trimming where they directed them. MacCready was trying his best to put the moves on this Minutewoman, who proceeded hit a target sharper than he had. Hancock was singing and dancing in the center of the Castle. Colonel Shaw was discussing radio policy with Jonathan. There was Shaun, giggling and laughing and he ran and explored all through the center of it.

The Castle, the Minutemen, and the Commonwealth were alive and well. And he'd helped carve out a peace for his time.

He hoped it would last.

…

…

Whenever she went silent, he knew that she was off in some faraway place in her head. She wasn't much for talking these days even to begin with, though. Most of the time, she seemed to stare off into the distance, going off on a walk deep within her mind. Even when he called her for food or water, sometimes she didn't respond right away. She was a highly competent wastelander, that much he was certain…and yet…there were days that he feared that if he ever left her side she would wind up dead. He just couldn't bear the thought. She had been too nice to him, way back before things took a nosedive. And despite her gruff exterior, he knew that she was still the same, caring person that he'd grown to know. It was just buried in the wasteland's influence on her.

She hardly looked like what she did the first time he saw her. She was dressed in leather, ragged armor and a thin duster that flapped about her ankles in the gentle breeze. Everything was patched or torn, and it had been sewn together so many times that he doubted the original fabric even remained. She wore thick high-top hiking boots, and yet was still somehow swifter than anything else on the battlefield.

She was going for a red scarf today, wrapped around her neck and covering the lower half of her face, with the tail of the scarf dangling over her back shoulder. It was almost tangled with her long, braided hair that went down her shoulders. Well, perhaps braided was not quite accurate. It was wild and ragged and a poor excuse for such description. Once it had been shiny blonde, but now it was caked with dirt and grime to create a muddy blonde-brown mix. And she wore dark goggles so that you could not even see her eyes.

He remembered when she looked normal. Now she looked feral.

"I've cooked up the Mirelurk to get some of the rads out of the meat." He said. "Would you like some?"

Silence. She stares out over the expanse in front of them. It is ground zero for what must have been a terrible explosion. They'd been cutting up through the eastern seaboard and had never seen the aftermath of a bomb quite like this before. It had flattened the land, and in the distance, where the bomb clearly fell, the sky was green and tinged with what looked like lightning.

"It will take us some time to get around that." He said. He sighed. "I would have no trouble making my way through the high radiation, with my condition, but you have no power armor to protect yourself. Not since we had to ditch it in Bawlmer."

Silence.

He felt the awkwardness in trying to make conversation, and decided instead to turn on his radio. It was a dinky little thing that they'd salvaged from some scrap yard, and it was also the best way to tell if there was still civilization out there: whenever a station was apparent, they knew that they were close. He dialed and messed with the antennae, frustrated with the lack of progress.

"Blast! This thing needs new batteries." He smacked the side of it, and the static disappeared. "Success!"

"Well hello there, everyone. Travis Lonely Miles coming to you live from Diamond City, right in the heart of the Commonwealth. I gotta say…it's been a crazy couple of weeks. We've got the Institute destroyed, some of its remnant on trial, and there's talks of a new civil government getting set up amongst the settlements around the area! I never thought I'd live to see it, but I guess we have the Minutemen and the Brotherhood to thank for that."

He watched her go rigid, as she heard the silky smooth voice on the radio. He cleared his throat.

"My friend, do not jump to conclusions. It is not certain that this is the same brotherhood that we know or that we are looking for. In all likelihood, it is a splinter cell. After all, was not the Brotherhood that we fought with another splinter cell as well?"

She said nothing. But she reached for her wrist and pressed a button on the device that adorned it. Music filled the air.

Oh, I'm the type of guy, that likes to roam around

"My friend, you must be reasonable. If it is Maxson's Brotherhood, they will no doubt be heavily entrenched in this Commonwealth."

Where pretty girls are, well you know that I'm around

He watched as she absently stroked the weapon holstered on her hip. It was a terrifyingly large pistol: according to some records that they'd salvaged, it was called a Desert Eagle, though he wasn't sure what an eagle even was, nor why it would live in some place as hellish as a desert.

I kiss and I love 'em, 'cuz to me they're all the same

"I know what you want. And it is my job to steer you from harm. But I will follow you no matter what, because that is what friends do. But this is not something to be taken lightly. It will be the two of us against a veritable army. We will be fighting a war!"

I hug 'em and I squeeze 'em, they don't even know my name!

She turned to face him. Fawkes felt his stomach sink. Her voice was little more than a growl. But there was no arguing with it.

"We go to the Commonwealth."

They call me the Wanderer, yeah the Wanderer

I roam around around around around…