#' ⁰ ¹ . reply‚ lee moldaver.

[sabohteurs]

' character tags /

[athanza]

Starlett - Part 1

Cooper Howard/fem!OC (not self-insert)

Tags: Hurt/comfort (sort of?), non-allowed romantic connection, lots of tention, pre and post war drama, some fluff

Warnings: Mentions of domestic abuse (no graphic scenes or descriptions of that nature), angst, canon wasteland violence

Summary: The Ghoul remembers a recruit of Moldaver, by the name of Irene Taylor, who he met before the war.

This branches out from canon but I thought it was a cute story idea so I had to write it. Enjoy! ♡

Part 2 | Part 3 | Final part

2296

Cooper's weather-beaten boots thudded on the dirt, the stones crackling beneath his heels.

The town was too quiet for there not to be a surprise waiting for him somewhere amongst the pre-war rubble so when a glimpse of movement caught his attention and he pulled his gun.

A kid, no older than 15 held up his hands in fear.

"Please don't shoot!"

Coopers sunken eyes narrowed. "Do yourself a favour and scram. If you try anything I will shoot you. Understand?"

The kid nodded frantically in agreement and Cooper gestured with his gun for the kid to get out of there.

As the boy ran off, a large, rolled up piece of paper fell out of his backpack and unfurled face-up in the dirt.

Cooper stepped over as he re-holstered his gun, and looked down at it out of curiosity. When he saw a familiar face on it he bent down to pick it up and held it out in front of him.

"Irene Taylor," It read. "Songbird of Hollywood Hills."

On the poster was a large photograph of a glamorous woman behind a microphone, and a look of a fond, yet faded, remembrance appeared on his scarred features.

2077

"This is a little public for a meeting isn't it?" Cooper asked as he and Lee Muldaver made their way to an empty table at a local jazz club called the Bird Cage.

"My contact is meeting us here. Don't worry about being recognised, this place is used to celebrities, they mind their own business."

They took a seat and settled in and Cooper turned his attention to the band, the singer had a lovely voice and it reminded him of the band that played at his wedding. He shook the memory from his mind.

"So where is this contact?" He asked.

Muldaver smiled a little. "You're listening to her."

He looked back at the singer.

Now that he thought about it, he did recognise her. He'd seen her face on posters for jazz clubs all over the city but never gave them much thought.

"Her husband is Frank Taylor, he's an executive for Vault Tec. She feeds us any information she can get. She's one of our best."

She had wonderful stage presence, captivating the audience with a rendition of "Them There Eyes" by Billie Holiday. Her champagne coloured dress sparkled in the stage lights, and she had every person in that room wrapped around her finger, and she knew it.

When she finished the song the room roared with applause and she stepped off the stage, politely thanking patrons as they came up to her on her way over.

Muldaver rose from her seat to meet her as she reached their table.

"Lee." Irene smiled fondly as she hugged her. "Thank you for coming."

"That was wonderful as always."

"Stop it you." Irene joked.

"May I introduce Mr. Cooper Howard?"

Irene looked at him and he held out his hand, having stood up with Muldaver.

"Pleasure to meet you Mr. Howard." She smiled as she took his hand.

"The pleasure is mine." He replied with a charming grin.

She sat down at their table and waved the waiter down for a round of drinks.

"How is everything going? Is Frank well?" Muldaver asked.

Cooper noticed Irene make a subtle, nervous glance at the bar before answering. "He's fine." She replied. "You said there was something you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Yes, our new recruit."

Muldaver looked at Cooper and Irene seemed surprised, unable to reply for a few seconds.

"I apologise for seeming so shocked, but with all of your promotions with Vault Tec, you're one of the last people I'd expect."

"Don't worry about it." He replied, reassuring her. "I understand. I'm not the first I'd expect either."

"Well, I guess this proves how convincing Lee can be." She smiled again, but there was something in that smile that seemed pained somehow.

Just then, a man came up behind them with a drink in his hand and put the other on Irene's shoulder and she jumped a little.

By her reaction Cooper thought it was another random patron come to say hello and invade her space, but he kissed her on the cheek and she looked up and smiled at him.

"Hello darling." She said.

"Hi Frank, how have you been?" Muldaver smiled.

"Oh, you know, more hours and no pay rise." He joked.

It was obvious he was tipsy and the discomfort on Irene's face as her husband sat down next to her made Cooper's eyes narrow a little.

"Darling, have you met Mr. Howard?"

"No I haven't had the pleasure." Frank replied, reaching over to shake his hand. "Nice to finally meet you Mr. Howard, your advert for vault 4 was terrific, exactly what we were looking for. I was sad to hear about your resignation."

Cooper shifted in his seat and chuckled uncomfortably, trying to retain his professionalism. "Ah, well, I'm not getting any younger." He joked.

Frank laughed, a little louder than was necessary. "Aren't we all! Say, is it true that it was your real dog in A Man and His Dog?".

Cooper took a sip of his drink that had just arrived. "Yes, Roosevelt, he's a beloved member of our little family."

"Well isn't that just the cutest darn thing." He smiled.

Irene was shrinking. Frank's presence was drowning the one that was only just captivating an entire audience. Then he noticed it and his chest pulsed with distain.

"Mr. Taylor, would you mind if I stole your wife for a dance?"

Irene looked slightly worried and stuttered her reply. "U-um, I don't..." She looked at Frank, almost for permission.

He hesitated but wanted to save face in front of everyone. "Of course." He smiled.

She stood up and walked over to take Cooper's extended hand.

He lead her to the dance floor. The band was playing an instrumental of "Good Morning Heartache" and he placed a hand on her waist.

"Not too close." She said. She realised her fear had slipped out and very quickly composed herself. "Don't want Frank to get jealous." She chuckled, disguising her reaction with a joking tone.

He stayed a modest distance from her as they began swaying to the music.

"He's playing it down but Frank is a big fan of yours. He's seen almost all of your movies, even dressed as your role in The Man From Calabasas for Halloween a few years back."

"You know," he said. "There's a funny story from that set. In the scene where I had to lasso that steer, the first take it somehow managed to pull me clean off my horse. I had a terrible black eye for two weeks after that, but the makeup team covered it up so well that no one could tell. In other words, I know a cover job when I see one."

She nervously glanced at her shoulder, briefly enough that hopefully Frank wouldn't notice if he was watching her.

"I know we just met, and it's none of my business, but Lee told me you married him for the mission. If he's hurting you, you need to tell her."

"She knows." Irene replied.

"She knows? And she hasn't pulled you out?"

"I asked her not to."

"Why?"

"Because this cause means a lot to me, and whatever I'm going through is for the greater good. I'm the only one with my foot in the door this high up, at least before you showed up."

He was getting angry now, not at anyone in particular, but at the unnecessary situation.

"Forgive me, but that's about the biggest pile of bullshit I've ever heard. You don't need to be in this any more than I do."

She scoffed dismissively. "You don't understand Mr. Howard, this is my purpose, stopping Vault Tec in any way that I can, even if it's one password or document at a time."

Part 2

[kalevalakryze]

Okey Dokey

Pairing: Rose MacLean/Lee Moldaver, Lee Moldaver & Lucy MacLean Characters: Lee Moldaver, Rose MacLean, Lucy MacLean Tags: Soft, Fluff, Domestic Bliss, Shady Sands, Okey Dokey

The sound of small children shouting was enough to urge Rose and Lee to separate in a flash. “What are they doing down there?” Rose croaked, rubbing at the dark smudge of lipstick that stained the side of her throat, gently nudging on Lee’s shoulder until the older woman was pushing herself up on the faded couch cushions, fighting to get her feet on solid ground once Rose unhooked her ankle from around her legs. 

“You just pushed a future U.S Army Soldier!” A young voice screeched, shrill and echoing from the courtyard where the Shady Sands school let out into. 

“I’ll handle this-” Her back popped in protest as she shifted out of Rose’s grasp, pressing her lips into the crown of her head as she reached to grab her jacket from the back of the couch. 

There was a circle of kids gathered in the courtyard, though it was the four-year-old with tears in her eyes in the center that had Moldaver parting the crowd with haste. Big brown eyes turned to her as fat tears ran down her pale face, hands reaching up for her almost immediately once she noticed that support had come quickly. The soft skin of her palms was torn up, blood welling up in the tiny scrapes that the pavement had left. 

“They forgot the golden rule!” Lucy shouted, pointing accusatorily to the older kid who must have pushed her. 

Inhaling slowly through her nose, Lee doubled over to take Lucy in her arms. “Okey Dokey,” She settled the girl on her hip, gently taking her scratched-up hands to bring them closer to her face to examine them. “You’re okay, bottlecap,”

Despite the scratches on her palms, Lucy’s small fingers wrapped around a strip of cloth close to her shoulder, tethering herself to the woman who was quickly replacing any memory of some guy named ‘Hank’ in her small mind. She giggled, a warm, wet thing as she wiped a snotty nose and salty tears against Lee’s jacket. “Oki-doki.” She echoed, lips upturning as her ailments were forgotten by the way the words sounded rolling off her tongue. 

Even as Lee offered an impromptu lecture on this ‘Golden Rule’ that Rose had taught to Lucy, the girl seemed more entranced in whispering the phrase to herself quietly, giggling as she tried it in the many different intonations. “You okay, bottlecap?” Tangled hair was brushed back as the weight on her hip was resettled - Lucy hadn’t even realized that Moldaver had started walking her back to their Vault, high windows and planter boxes that hung from windows, twisted and barren flowers trying desperately to grow from the irradiated soil. 

“Mhmm!” She’d agreed readily, tears dried and the confrontation long forgotten. “ ‘m ‘oki-doki!’” The girl exclaimed, beaming at Moldaver, even as a warm chuckle rumbled through her chest as they pushed through the front door. 

“Our girl here got into a bit of a scuffle, I’m gonna go clean her up for dinner,” Her words were called in passing as she carried Lucy through the small home, Rose’s reply just barely reaching their ears as she slipped into the cozy bathroom to settle Lucy on the edge of the small changing table they’d crammed inside for Norm. 

“Now, I have to clean your hands, alright? Be brave for me?” Lee moved swiftly about the bathroom, grabbing a mild antiseptic from the mirror, as well as clean yellow bandaids, the small cartoony designs preserved from a better time. They wouldn’t stick against her palms for long, especially not when Lucy was always more interested in getting her hands dirty, but it would hold up long enough for the skin to close around the deeper cuts. 

“Okey-Dokey,” Lee hummed, smiling warmly to ward off any of the prickling anxiety that had Lucy twitching on the table. “It’s going to sting, deep breath in for me,” Lucy followed the instruction perfectly, even when the sting of disinfectant burned against her palms. 

“So brave,” Lee praised not unkindly as bandages were peeled open and gently secured in place. Her lips were feather-light as she brushed them across the girls palms. “All better, but, I think a nice warm meal might help you feel even better,” Warm brown eyes flickered from the girl just in time for Rose to peer into the doorway, an infectious smile on her lips as her shoulder bumped into the frame. 

“Well then I have perfect timing. Come on, my brave girls. Lets get you two some dinner,” 

“Oki-Doki!”

[isaackuo]

I think Hank said, "I think I know who you are", to which Moldaver replied something like "Everyone knows who I am." It's very unclear what they meant, or even if they meant the same thing.

Like ... obviously Moldaver means something like "Everyone knows about the crazy witch, or The Flame Mother." But it's unclear what Hank means, even after a rewatch. He could even be talking about Miss Williams. No matter what, though, we can expect to see more of Hank and Moldaver's pasts.

But Moldaver isn't interested in talking about herself. She immediately switches the subject to an interesting little choice she has for Hank. In retrospect, it's clear that she was interested in figuring out Hank. She never intended to kill the ones Hank didn't chose with the bomb. In other words, she wasn't forcing Hank into a true choice with real consequences. It was a psychological test of his character.

I theorize that Moldaver did this test because she does not know Hank well enough to know what happened to Shady Sands, and this is her way to find out. If Hank chooses Lucy, that means he abducted his children before nuking Shady Sands. If Hank chooses the more numerous others, that means someone else nuked Shady Sands. My theory is that these are the two possibilities that make sense to her. My theory is that Moldaver got it wrong, but this gets into some pretty wild speculation on my part.

If we keep things simple and assume Moldaver was mostly accurate, then Rose left because she deduced the existence of civilization on the surface, but she was disheartened by Hanks dismissive reaction and her realization that Hank was hiding things. In this case, Moldaver presumably heard these things from Rose herself, so it's credible.

But even so, was this the whole truth? If I recall the story correctly, Rose deduced the return of civilization solely based upon water being drawn up from around Vault 33. Based only on this, she brought her children with her when she left the vault.

That seems a bit extreme, am I right?

I speculate that Rose found out more about Hank that made her fear Hank more than the surface, but these are things she never old Lee Moldaver. Moldaver's pretty sharp, though ... I think she probably figured out that Rose wasn't telling her the whole story - but she respected Rose enough not to pry.

It seems the fake Plague of '77 was hardly the only fake crisis in Vault 33 ... I get the impression that it's something they regularly do to help ensure a Bud's Bud always gets plausibly elected Overseer.

Maybe Rose discovered Hank was responsible for a previous fake crisis - that also caused needless deaths.

Whatever Rose discovered, I'll bet it caused her to fear for her own children's safety with Hank. Let that sink in for a minute. Rose was very smart, and she figured Hank was a danger to his own children. And based on this, Rose took her chances - and her own children's chances - on the surface. Based only on some water reserve depletion measurements.

Fallout TV Show (Spoilers) Ending Moment w/ Hank MacLean

I've seen a lot of people analyzing this moment in the show. And a lot of people are straight up cherry picking their leading quote.

"Lucy, I loved your mother. But she stopped being your mother when she left home."

^ That's the quote I keep seeing. But there's a whole second part to what he says. And it's really fucking important.

"And(or when) took you into danger."

This is fucking key. If you aren't a parent, you literally cannot understand this. I'm not gatekeeping here, you really cannot understand it. I'm not talking about 'if you haven't given birth to' blah blah blah. I mean, if you are not a parent.

Look, I love my husband. He's the father of my kids. We've been together over twenty years. But all bets are off if he puts our kids in danger. There is no loyalty then. Parental instincts kick in. The kids safety trumps everything else.

Now, before I go any further. Let me say 100% that I firmly believe that Hank nuked Shady Sands because he found out about Rose and Lee.

But... he, a Vault dweller... left the vault to track not her down but his kids down. He had no intention on ever bringing Rose back. Because she was literally a stranger to him at that point.

And let's be real here - she did take her kids into very real danger. Yeah, they managed to make Shady Sands but it was still fucking dangerous as hell up there. I'm not saying their marriage was perfect but what I am saying is that it was dangerous. Real, lethal, danger. Not the 'oh, something bad could happen'. No... they were very lucky that they found Shady Sands and didn't fucking die in the process.

But! Make no mistake - the moment Rose took her kids out of that vault - she was dead to Hank. Because this woman took his kids into the absolute worst place his mind could think of. A literal hell in his mind. And he was going to get his kids back.

Shady Sands? That was Hank loosing his temper. An act that was totally separate from Rose taking his kids. Because they had nothing to do with his kids and her. But... but... Lee had everything to do with Rose. And why she didn't come back on her own in his mind. And who knows, maybe that was why she left in the first place? Though, it could easily be argued that Hank was abusive - emotionally distant - insane. He had to have been the Overseer at that point to be able to pull something like that off. We can speculate all day long.

But! It's important to remember that other part of what he says. Because that's intrinsically tied to his character.