I woke up. The smell of dust and dirt filled my nose. I slowly turned my head and looked at the clocked on the nightstand; 6:00 AM. I curse my mental alarm clock that never let me sleep past 6. I lay in bed for a few minutes before I finally decide to swing my legs off the side of the bed and sit up. I look around the room at the assortment of medical supplies and machinery. This reminds me to thank the Doc for letting me stay here. I sigh and slowly shuffle into the kitchen, where I hear him making breakfast.

"Well, look who's awake! You slept a good 12 hours last night, yes you did. Imma reckon you need that sleep though, seein' as how you're headed off today for...-" He paused what he was doing to try to remember where I was going.

"I'm headed for the strip, sir." I smiled and walked over to the kitchen table and sat down.

"That's right, The Strip! I can see those lights for miles. Maybe I should head up there one of these here days. I'm sure as hell not getting any younger!" He chuckled. "How would you like your Brahmin meat strips, young lady?"

"Same as always Doc, barely cooked."

He grimaced. "I will never have the slightest clue on how you can eat your meat so close to the raw. It's like chewin on a mucus ball!"

I laughed out loud at his comparison. "It's the way I grew up eatin' 'em."

He looked puzzled at this remark. He brought our plates over and sat down on the other side of the table.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome, little lady. But what do you mean by "You grew up eatin' 'em this way"? I can't see as how a parent would let their child eat nearly raw meat."

I smiled politely. "I didn't know my parents. I think they died…but I'm guessing I was too young to remember it. I was raised by…other people."

"Why did you just hesitate before you said 'other people'? What kind of people?"

Fuck.

I took a bite of my meat and silently cursed my stupidity. "I think its best I stop talking. If that's ok."

He looked at me until I became uncomfortable. "What's with the accusatory look there, Doc?"

"How long you been stayin in my house?"

Where is this going…?

"Uh… about two weeks, sir."

"And have I made you pay me anything in return?"

Oh my shit. Is he really going to play this card on me?

"….No. You haven't made me pay anything…"

He sat back in his chair and said, "I'm here to collect. I want you to tell me who raised you, as payment for my southern hospitality."

I sighed and then chuckled a little. It's funny that the old man cares this much, but I don't think he knows what the hell to expect.

"Fine. You really want to know who raised me?"

He sat up in his chair. "Yes. I would really care to know."

I hesitated a bit before speaking.

"Since as far back as I can remember, I was raised by… The Legion. I was treated as a man, and trained as one too. I remember running up and down hills all day when I was about 10 years old. We ate the meat that close to the raw as a training exercise; it taught our bodies to adapt to such extremes and not to rely on a fire to fully cook our meals. I remember how hard it was to keep a fire alive with all the dust and wind, so adapting to the amount of meat it would cook was actually a brilliant idea. Even if the fire could fully cook our meals, we never ate them that way. Good thing that it still tasted really good!"

Talking about that subject reminded me that I still had some meat left to eat, and I took a bite. As I was chewing, I slowly realized that the Doctor wasn't saying anything. I uncomfortably looked up. "What's wrong?"

"You….are a Legionary….?" He stood up and slowly began to back up. I suddenly realized what was going on. He thought I was still part of the Legion. Legionaries only settle in with people when they are there on business.

I chocked on my Brahmin with realization and stood up a bit too fast. His hand flew to his back, where I knew he kept his holstered .45. I quickly raised my hands in surrender.

"No! Doc, you don't understand! You didn't let me finish my story!"

"I understand well enough what lone Legionnaires do!" He slowly pulled out his gun and raised it to me.

"Stop, please! Please let me explain! When I was about 16 I was taken on my first scouting mission with a group of Elite soldiers. I was allowed to do so because of the power I demonstrated. Elite soldiers were meant to protect me and allow me to see what goes on during a simple scouting mission. About two days into the scouting-"

He cocked his gun. "You best get to the point!"

I swallowed hard. Even though I knew I could easily kill this man, I wasn't going to. I was determined to talk myself out of this situation. If I really were still part of The Legion, I would have ripped this man's head off five minutes ago. But I am no longer a Legionary.

"Ok! Ok. We were attacked by the NCR. We were being defeated faster than we could think. The NCR killed all five of the men in my group, but they left me alive. They said "We don't kill children. You were raised to act this way, and we understand that. We hope by our sparing your life, you can see what it means to be the good guy." And they left me there! I was too afraid to return, because I knew Ceasar would have me killed for not defending my team. Ceasar thinks that we are to fight to out deaths, and I did the opposite! I thanked the NCR and ran away! As far as I know, I'm a wanted woman to The Legion! Please! I am telling you the truth, Doc! Please, put the gun down."

He hesitated and slowly put his gun away. "I… I'm sorry.. I just… I know how The Legion treats those who have a bounty over their heads. I had no idea why you would be here to kill me anyway! I haven't done anything bad… at least I think!" He chuckled.

I dropped my hands down and gawked at how fast he just believed me. I guess my inner "Good Guy" was actually starting to shine through. Maybe I was a trusting person.

I sighed. "Well, that's enough excitement for me. I'm gonna go take a bath and pack my things. I'll see you in a bit."

As I walked out, he called out to me, "Sorry bout that, Fox!"

I chuckled and threw a hand up over my shoulder, "S'ok."

We stood outside the front door in an awkward silence. I was the first one to speak.

"Thanks a whole lot for letting me stay with you, sir. I sure do appreciate it. And this isn't goodbye! I will be back so enough to visit." I smiled.

He grabbed a bag off the floor and pulled something out of it. It looked like a mini computer.

"Here, take this. It's called a Pip-Boy. It's got a map and it keeps stock of all your inventory and money. I guess I don't need it anymore, but I know it could do some good for you."

He slipped it onto my wrist and tightened it down. He then handed me the bag.

"The rest of the stuff in here is for you too; A bunch of stims, water and food to last you about a week. Just enough to get you to the strip, I reckon! And hey, I hope you settle that score with the daisy suited man. Just watch your back. You couldn't trust that feller 'bout as far as you could throw him."

I was amazed at how nice people could still be. I hugged him.

"Thank you, Doc. I will be seeing you soon. And don't worry; that checker suited fuck's clock is ticking."

I smiled and turned to the stairs. I stepped down and began to walk. I looked back when I reached the edge of town and saw him still standing on his porch, watching me leave. I raised my hand real high and gave a huge wave, which he quickly returned. I turned back around and looked at the long broken highway ahead of me.