Letters to Grandma

[Coydog]

Hey Lily,

I told May about you today. If I talk about you, if I talk to you, I know I won't forget you. I hope you haven't forgotten me. It's a twisted thing, being forgotten.

It figures that just when I get used to this place, my husband ups and disappears. That's not fair, I know. It's not his fault. Bart never asked for this. I try to keep my mind on getting him back and not what could happen to him out there, but it's hard. It's all that I can do not to breakdown crying constantly. I don't like this. I really don't like this.

But I love him. I really, really love that man, and it's tearing me up inside that he might be lost out there, alone and scared and hurt. I go to bed thinking of him and wake up thinking of him. I miss his stupid dad jokes and his smell and that goofy way he laughs. I miss how he hugs me and tells me things are going to be alright, and how he rubs the back of my neck when I wake up from a nightmare. I cannot imagine my life without Bart in it.

When I spoke to him he was wounded and hunkered down in The Divide of all places. I don't know if he came out of there, Grandma. I have to hope that he did. My guy is a strong fellow. He's a survivor. He's so much smarter and resourceful than the world gives him credit for.

I like that I can talk to you like this. You never judged me, Lily. I don't know if anyone else would understand, and people already think I'm weird. In their defense I probably am.

That pity party concludes right the fuck fluff here.

Joshua's god seemed real keen on constantly testing people. I dunno if I wanna bend the knee to any deity with that kinda mean streak, but the intermittent clusterfuckfluff that has been the last seven years really makes a girl wonder. Even though I'm all tangled up in heartache, I'm gonna give whatever gamemaster might be up there the finger and get my damned husband back. I don't like being tested, dig?

Plan A blew right up in my face, and I take complete responsibility for that. Plan B is in motion. It has to work because there is no Plan C. If everything goes off, I get Bart back and the twins get to flufffuck right off back to the Mojave.

Pray that Plan B works, Lily. Though if there's one thing Joshua inadvertently taught me, his god won't give a shit. Pray to Lady Luck instead. At least I think we're still on good terms.

Love you, Grandma,

-Coydog

[Coydog]

Miss Lily Bowen,

I know I haven't written you in a very long time and I'm sorry about that. I hope you and your grandkids are doing well, Grandma. I bought daisies the other day, put them in a nice little coffee can in the middle of my table. They remind me of you.

I think I'm coming to terms with never seeing you again. Is that selfish, Lily? If you're dead, I don't want to know. In my head and in my heart you and the others are still riding the Mojave with me. If you never receive one of my letters, just know how utterly I love you and the rest of my chosen family. That I had the honor to breathe the same air as such a ragtag, broken, absolutely wonderful group of critters fills me with such joy.

So I know I told you about Bart being missing and my stupid sisters being misplaced over here in Rhy'Din. Well. We ended up having to go with Plan B, and lucky for us Bart was trying to find someway to use his bippity boppity bullshitsheep powers at the same time. So, here comes Bart - and I shit you not- he's driving a fucking Highwayman- probably some shell when he found it in the Wastes. That man is really good with his hands.

The transformer we were using to contact Bart might have exploded. This opens something that still makes my mind itch to think about - a portal or something- and BOOM. April is gone. Problem is, May was still with us. We did get confirmation that April ended up back home...just in the Big Empty. She's fine though. Probably missing her sister. May seems extra mopey, but she seems fine with being left behind. She's domesticated. Like a chump.

So I have Bart back! I missed that nerd. I don't like the term soulmates. I think it puts too much a burden on the other person. But Bart Fitzroy is my human. It's okay. Boone still knows where he stands, but we got our own lives. He adapted surprisingly good. A heck of a lot better than I did.

Next time I'll tell you about robots gone haywire and some misplaced time traveling kid that acts remarkably like Bart!

Really suspect if you ask me.

Your wayward granddaughter, LITTLE JIMMY (Coydog)

PS. Take your medicine Lily! Leo is bad for everyone's health!

[Coydog]

To my darling Lily,

Hope this letter finds you well, Grandma. The daisies are doing well. I keep them indoors. Bart helps me tend to them.

I think you would be proud of me, Lily. But I might as well just dive right into it.

Remember how I said Bart was mentoring this mage-in-training? How she seemed familiar?

Mystery solved. You know, mostly I'm delighted and terrified that I married a magic man, but the time stuff. Lily. I get that there's other realities out there. I get alternate timelines. Why wouldn't there be? But experiencing it is a whole other shade of kitten.

So, and believe me when I say that this has been a cause of many a sleepless night, there won't be anymore babies in my future. I know, I'm sorry. It bums me out too. You still have Fennec though. I hope he gets to meet his great granny one day.

In some alternate universe-timeline-whatever, that Coydog - who goes by June - ended up in the family way. Had a little girl. Bart and June named her after Dillon for some fucked messed up reason. I guess it works. Craig would have been a horrible girl's name. Everyone called her Lizard. Alternate!Bart died when she was still in diapers. June and Lizard moved to Bart's Earth with Boone in tow, because he kind of stepped in to help June with the kid (which is really sweet, honestly. Aww. That's my buddy!)

They got married when Lizard was ten. I can actually see that. You know how much I love Boone. That broody asshole holds so much real estate in my heart. I can also say that, with absolute certainty, there will never be anything romantic between us. Doesn't mean it didn't happen in some other time and place though.

I digress. Lizard grew up relatively normal somehow, but then she came into her magical powers or something. Ended up bopping through time and space until she caught the ire of The Time Police trying to visit the Earth that June was from. They punished her by sticking her in the Commonwealth. Made her relive the same year for seventy five years.

I know, Grandma Lily. If I didn't know any better, I would think I was high too.

But it's true. So she finally gets out somehow, ends up at..uh...my Bart's garage. How do I know all of this? Because she spilled it to Bart and Betty. They all decided not to let me know who Lizard was right off the bat. Fair, but then apparently Dillon just told all in the middle of the inn, as the Dillon do, so Bart went ahead and clued me in on it before I learned it from someone else.

The messed up thing is that I can't even look at Lizard. She tries to talk to me and I just don't know what to say. I've been real tender on the subject of babies here lately. Didn't know I might even want a kid with Bart until I found out I couldn't. And I've seen her when she thinks I'm not looking. She looks like me, Lily. She looks like me and acts like Bart and it breaks my heart.

I know it's selfish, and I know it's not her fault. I've invited her to dinner again. I'm trying.

I know she's not Bart's kid, not this Bart's kid, but you should see his face light up when he's talking about her. He's so proud. I couldn't get mad at him for not telling me outright. He's attached to her. Kind of bothers me that if I open up to her, I'll get attached too.

No use in that. She's got a mom and a Boone-dad back in her world who are probably missing her. She seems like a good kid.

I say kid, but she's gotta be at least twenty. That'd make June...quite a bit older than me. Alternate-reality-timeline-future-whatever babies. It's a trip.

But you've heard me grouse long enough, Lily. I'll be okay. I always am. Remember to take your meds and get some rest. Say hey to the grandbabies for me. Thanks for letting me vent my spleen. You always had my back, didn't you?

Love always,

Coydog

PS: The Fennec in her reality is in his thirties! I can't handle my little baby man all grown up. Not yet!

PSS: I've made friends with quite a few vampires here recently. Octavia, Aaron and Tigan. I'll have to dish more on them later. I think you'll get a kick out of it, Lily.

[Fennec]

Hey, Lily. Mom talks a lot about you! I'm Fennec! She says you're pretty much her grandma, so I guess I'd be your great grandson. She also says you're a nightkin, which is cool! I never got to meet a nightkin, but I met a super mutant once. Like, a regular one. He was huge! Bigger than my dad, and my dad is the biggest guy I know!

I'm not very good at writing letters, but I know Mom writes to you so I guess you should know what's going on.

I don't know what happened yet, just that Grandpa is dead and Mom isn't taking it so hot. She was pretty roughed up too, like she got in a fight with a big cat. She won't talk to anyone but me, not even Bart. She's just asked me me how school was going and told me stories from when I was little. She slept a lot today. I helped with dinner. She didn't eat very much.

Don't worry too much, okay? I'm outta school right now and I don't mind hanging out with her. I'll take care of her, I promise.

The adults are acting funny about whatever happened, even Dad and Molly. They were talking last night but I got caught snooping and they made me go to my room like I was a baby. I'm fourteen! They act like because I'm not old like they are that I shouldn't know stuff! Bart doesn't have a clue, either, just that whatever it was was super bad. He said he took Mom to his house, she cleaned herself up and left while it was still dark out. Betty hasn't heard from her at all. Neither have Dad or Molly. I dunno if Dillon has.

I don't remember Mom ever being so sad over anything. Molly always says she'd smile at the Devil. But she's kind of a zombie right now. I didn't even think she liked Grandpa. I never met him, just heard stories from Mom. I thought he'd died a long time ago. I've asked her if I could meet him and she just always says "He's not someone worth meeting." Grown-Ups are so weird.

I should probably go though. I can hear Mom rumbling around in the kitchen. I got my fingers crossed she'll eat something. I'll talk to you later Great-Grandma, Lily.

From,

Fennec

[Fennec]

Hey, Lily. It's me again. I figure I should give you an update.

Boone got here early this morning. He scared the crap out of me, because I got up to get some water and he was just sitting in a chair next to Mom. She's been on the couch all day. I don't think she's sleeping. She isn't really talking to Boone either, but he's doesn't say much anyway. I gotta be honest though, it's kind of creepy them just sitting there not talking.

What if Mom was taken over by some kind of alien? I saw a movie where these people got replaced with plants. What if that's what's happened to Mom?

No. How could you tell if Boone got switched? Anyway, I made sure to feed Shine. The dogs and me went on a hike. Found a dead sandworm. That thing was huge! Stunk really bad though. That didn't keep Pork from eating some of it. That's when we went back to Mom's. I didn't wanna wait around to see what killed that thing!

Keep your fingers crossed that Mom'll be okay by tomorrow. She's supposed to help me build my new bot. I mean, the competition is Friday. I win this one and ain't no one can stop me! I'm gonna win that go-kart!

Alright I'm going to bed. Goodnight, Lily.

From,

Fennec