I was partially hiding behind one of the houses sitting in the grass. I pulled at a mutfruit bloom while I let my mind wander. Taking the bloom apart as I took my mind apart at the same time.
"Ally?" I recognized Macready's voice call out to find me and soon after heard his footsteps in the grass next to the house.
He leaned on the side instead of coming all the way to the back where I was, choosing to speak to me from a distance.
"I know you have been asking a lot about the gunners,"
I stopped breathing.
"And I think I know why."
I fought the urge to check my hip for my pistol, but I knew too well I would never shoot him.
His voice softened and he stepped around the corner of the house so I could see him, "I'm sorry if I scared you when I told you I used to run with them, but I promise you I never did anything crazy like they did."
I carefully let my breath out and curled up to put my head on my knees, unable to look at him, "They are monsters."
We are monsters.
"That's why I left," I heard as Macready began walking towards me and sit next to me.
The tears that I had been holding back silently fell, and Macready put his arms around me pulling me into his chest.
"Please just know that you can trust me, even if you feel like everyone else is after you, please trust me."
I picked my head up and looked at him. I could have come clean then; my mind was made up. I was never going back to my father or the Gunners.
"I have something for you," he began digging around in his duster pocket before pulling out a small whittled toy soldier, "Lucy gave this to me. I told her I was just a soldier, and she believed me. I know it's not much, but I want you to have it."
He placed it in my open palm and I closed my hand firmly around it, silently vowing to never let it go, "If it means something to you then it's special."
As we sat in our normal comfortable silence he kept his arms around me and I was just as content to stay there as he was to hold me. No one disturbed us, it was a beautiful and unearned moment.
"Alice," his voice stayed hushed but I pulled my head back a bit to look at him, "You make me happier than I've ever been before."
I was in shock, "I don't know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything, I just wanted you to know that."