Oddly, since he had become a ghoul, Hancock had found himself thinking more about death than he ever had when he was human. It was the concept of being basically immortal that had done it; it was much less uncomfortable to think about dying when old age and most diseases weren't going to factor in the equation. He had always heard that all pain went away right when the Grim Reaper came calling, so when he drifted back into consciousness without feeling any discomfort, his first thought was that Sinjin had actually killed him.

It seemed that he had cheated Fate yet again, though. He opened his eyes and was surprised to see that he was in his room in the Old State House, lying in bed. He was even more surprised to see Rose sitting in a chair next to him, her feet propped up on the edge of the mattress. She was shuffling through some paperwork with a pen in her hand; her brow was creased in concentration, and dark circles rested beneath her eyes. She looked as though she hadn't slept in a while.

"So if I'm Sleeping Beauty, what does that make you?" he asked, causing her to startle just a bit.

"You're awake!" she exclaimed, and then she leaned forward and punched him in the arm.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?"

"You fucking idiot!" She shook her head. "You know you scared me almost to death? I'm gone for two damn days…"

"Yeah, and you should've just stayed away," he retorted defensively, as any previous levity evaporated. He pushed himself out of bed and began looking for his shirt and boots. "I could've handled that myself."

"Yes, you had things completely under control when I walked through that door." She stood and crossed her arms. "How the hell did that asshole even make it inside?"

"A conversation I'll be having with Fahrenheit," he muttered. In a louder tone, he asked, "How long was I out?"

"About a day and a half, give or take a few hours. Amari wanted to keep you sedated until the damage to your internal organs was healed."

He found his shirt and pulled it on, jumping when Rose reached out to touch his arm.

"I really thought I might lose you," she said quietly. "If the commotion hadn't woken Daisy up… she heard the gunshots and ran to get Amari. They met me before I had even gotten outside. Another couple of minutes and you would have bled out, or become septic."

"Well, thanks for rescue." He spotted his coat draped across the back of the chair and slid that over his shoulders. "Good of you to take a break from running ops with Officer Prettyboy to check in on me."

Her mouth dropped open, and then she narrowed her eyes. "You cannot be serious. John, how can you even still be mad about that?"

He shrugged and felt around in his pockets for some Jet or Mentats, grimacing when he found none. "Not mad, sister. If you like him so much, then don't stay away on my account."

"You are unbelievable!" She shoved him back, forcing him to look at her. "Just what do I have to do to convince you that I care, John? You walked away. Not me."

"Don't pretend like you don't have the hots for him," he retorted angrily. "I saw the way you looked at him. Why would you want to be with someone like me when you could have a Dead-Husband-2.0?"

Her hand cracked across his face. He stumbled a step and stared at her, stunned that she had actually slapped him. Her eyes were bright with unshed tears and color burned high in her cheeks.

"John Hancock, don't you ever say something like that to me again," she warned, her voice dangerously low. "I loved Nate, but to assume that I'd fall for Danse just because they look similar… as if I were really that shallow." She closed her eyes and pressed her fingertips to her temples. "Don't you know me better than that by now?"

"I know that Danse can give you things I can't. You heard what Sinjin said; he wasn't lying, Rose. Danse, jackass that he is, is all about honor and morality. My world ain't like that."

"And mine is?" She ran a hand through her hair, and began to pace. "It might have been, before the vault. But right and wrong isn't clear-cut now the way it was in my time." She stopped and faced him squarely. "I'm not going to pretend to be thrilled that you've killed people just to keep calling yourself mayor, but it's not like I'm in a place to judge you for that, either. I lost count of how many people I've put down two weeks after I walked out that vault. And as much as you seem to believe the contrary, Danse doesn't hold a candle to you."

"Don't patronize me." Hancock tried to step around her to leave, but she stubbornly blocked his way.

"You are so fucking stubborn!" she growled, and actually stomped her foot in irritation. He might've thought it was cute if they weren't arguing. "You want a list? Fine. Danse is so boring that I wanted to slam my head against a wall the entire time I was working with him. If we had a conversation at all that stretched beyond what we were actively shooting at, it usually ended with him being a racist ass and me biting his head off. He isn't kind like you are; he wouldn't have had the patience or the gentleness to keep me together after Jayce tortured me, or to listen to me fall apart after I played tourist in Kellogg's brain. Anything that doesn't live up to his standard of morality is a failure… he even lectured me for swearing." She rolled her eyes. "Because my choice of vernacular is so incredibly vital to the survival of the Commonwealth."

She stepped closer to him, adrenaline making her words come fast. "Danse will only act if he thinks it will bring him the approval of the Brotherhood; his entire identity depends upon them. You act because it's the right thing to do." She paused. "Or the fun thing to do. Sometimes both." Hancock smirked, and she continued. "I've known who and what you are from the second I met you. Sometimes you piss me off to no end- like right now- but I've never once looked back at the end of the day and regretted having you with me. I… fuck." She turned away, cheeks suddenly scarlet, and took a deep breath as she tugged nervously on her long hair.

"You what?"

She looked back at him, biting on her lip. "I… I'm in love with you, John."

The words came out in almost a whisper, but they still hit him like a truck. He stared at the suddenly bashful woman in front of him and hardly dared to believe what he was hearing.

"You don't really mean that," he replied, and chuckled reflexively. "I mean, come on. You don't want to wake up to this ugly mug every day for the rest of your life. Wouldn't wish that on my worst enemies."

"I've never thought you were ugly," she said firmly. "Different? Sure. A pain in the ass? Sometimes. But never ugly." Hesitantly, she reached out to press her palm against his cheek. "And I'm sorry, but you don't get to have a say in who I choose to love. I understand if you don't feel the same way, but… I want to be with you."

Hancock did the only thing he could think of, and kissed her. He claimed her lips possessively, almost roughly, while his hands claimed each part of her that he had imagined Danse touching. Rose responded in kind, curving her body against his while her hands deftly unbuckled his belt. He slipped his fingers beneath her waistband and smirked when he felt how wet she already was; her breath hitched at his touch. She bit down on what was left of his lower lip and he could feel the jolt all the way down to his groin. In one swift movement he spun them both around and pushed her back onto the bed; he pulled her jeans down over her hips and slipped his hand between her legs again, stroking her slick warmth. She moaned, her hips bucking against his hand as he teased her.

"John!" she gasped, writhing as he dipped two slender fingers into her. "John, I swear to god if you don't get inside me right now…"

"No need to beg, Sunshine," he responded, smirking, and he plunged into her with a hard thrust. She cried out, literally trembling with pleasure as he moved inside of her. He was being rougher than he normally was with her, but she didn't seem to mind; her back arched into him and she hooked her ankles around his hips, allowing him to press into her more deeply. Her muscles clenched around him as his name tumbled from her lips in a hoarse cry. He pushed his hips into her one last time, making a noise that might have been embarrassing if he wasn't coming hard enough to clear his mind of all rational thought.

"Love you too, Sunshine," he murmured, once enough blood had returned to his brain for him to be able to think properly. It was definitely the first time he had said that to any woman… and the thought was a little terrifying. Love was never something that had been on the table with anyone else; it was all personal gratification, and that was it. Having someone like Rose- as bossy, dangerous, and obstinate as she was- say she had fallen for him was a stronger high than any drug he had ever experienced.

Rose smiled, eyes closed, and curled into his side as he shifted next to her on the mattress. "Good. I might have had to kill you if you didn't."

"Guess it's true what they say about make-up sex… never been with anyone long enough to find out."

She snorted in amusement. "I can create plenty of other things to fight about if you like it that much."

"Might come in handy if we get bored," he teased, and she wrinkled her nose at him.

Her hand caressed the skin under his shirt, immediately finding the new scar amidst the rest of his ruined flesh. Her expression grew contemplative as she traced the circular outline. He could tell even without looking at her where her thoughts had gone.

"I'm sorry about everything with Danse," she said at length. "I should have realized how much it was bothering you."

He shrugged, idly stroking her soft hair. "And I should have been less of a jealous asshole. Guess I'm not used to wanting something bad enough to not wanna share."

"And if you ever try dying on me again, I'm going to save your life just so I can have the pleasure of beating you to death."

He laughed. "I don't doubt it, love. I'd rather you be the one to do me in than some dick like Sinjin anyway. At least then I'd have a better view." She giggled, an unusually girlish sound for her, and it was nearly enough to make him hard again. "Until then it looks like we're stuck with each other."

She smiled, and planted a light kiss on his jaw. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

TO BE CONTINUED.