The Mojave was never going to be hit by a nuclear winter, no matter how hard the NCR troops wished. However a cold wind did blow through the desert in the winter months that sent a chill through Moxie's reinforced leather armor. She hated being cold, even in the Mojave she got chills at night, always had. So why are we making our way up the mountain towards Jacobstown? She asked herself for the hundredth time, only to remind herself that this had all been her idea, spend the holidays in an area with snow, make it feel like Christmas.
"Vegas didn't get snow before the war, so it's still like an old fashioned Christmas if we stay here." Cass had pointed out at the Lucky 38, hoping Moxie would change her mind. However after seeing that only Boone and Arcade had ever seen snow before (Boone and Moxie had seen it for the first time when they went to get Rex fixed) their leader had demanded they make the trip. While Rex had been left in Freeside to spend Christmas with the King, the others had no real excuse to get out of making the trip.
Raul and Veronica were excited at least. Veronica talked incessantly about making something called a snowman (the scribe tried to explain that it was from a pre war book) and having snowball fights.
"If you break my glasses I'll kill you." Arcade warned, but the eager smile on his face ruined his threat.
"Are we almost there Boss? I don't want to become the first Ghoulcicle." Raul whined. They were about half way up the mountain and were just starting to see small patches of snow on the ground. Moxie had figured there would be more in the winter months but snow on the lower parts of the mountain worried her about how much might be ahead, and the threatening clouds lingering in the early afternoon sky didn't comfort her either.
"About a half an hour." The courier replied as she watched Veronica and Cass inspect one of the snow piles. The Brotherhood scribe reached out and took a handful of snow and let the fresh powder fall through her fingers.
"It's so soft." She mumbled as Moxie joined them.
"Not when you compact it into a ball and throw it." The blonde smiled wickedly at her friends. "I'll show you how to make a snowball when we get to the top, but we need to keep moving or Raul's going to shiver himself to pieces."
"Hey, I can't help it if ghouls aren't made for cold weather." The ghoul growled as they continued up the mountain. With only a few minor bumps along the way (with the mutated mantis' and a stubborn Bighorner that refused to get out of the way) the group finally made it to Jacobstown as a light snow began to fall.
The entire town was already blanketed in about a foot of snow. The super mutants seemed to be enjoying the weather, a few giant snowmen littered the grounds (Veronica pointed them out happily to the rest of the group as those things she'd been talking about) and what looked to be a round house made of snow had been built on the lodge patio.
"Hello Moxie," Marcus greeted the courier as the group entered the gates, he nodded to the others amiably.
"Hi Marcus, any news from Lily?" Moxie was hoping that her Nightkin friend had returned to Jacobstown and could join them for the holiday.
"Not recently, but I'm sure she'd doing fine." The super mutant returned with a half smile. "The three cabins that were inhabitable have been cleaned up, as much as possible at least, and I think you'll be quite comfortable."
"Thank you Marcus." Moxie placed her hand on the super mutants arm and smiled. "I appreciate this. Here's the supplies I promised, as well as a little gift." Her smiled broadened at Marcus's confused look. "I'm not sure you've heard, but I'm the new ruler of New Vegas, and as such I've drawn up negotiations with the NCR including their word not to bother Jacobstown."
"Really? I…don't know what to say." Marcus gave the courier a bewildered look. "Thank you, I suppose, though it hardly seems enough."
"Consider it a Christmas present." The courier threw over her shoulder as she led her team towards the cabins. Moxie scouted out each of the buildings and gave one to the boys and one to the girls, taking the last one for her and to use as the main building for the festivities. While the others went to their cabins the courier began unpacking, setting up the food and stocking the fridge. She sighed as she put the bottle of wine she'd been saving for her and Swank in the fridge.
"Still upset?"
Moxie jumped in surprise, having to make a grab for the bottle of whiskey she had let slip from her grasp. She turned and saw Arcade standing in the doorway of the cabin.
"Yeah…just a little." She admitted. "I didn't think he'd be that upset about all of it, I thought he'd understand." Moxie closed the refrigerator while Arcade closed the cabin door and sat down on the couch.
"It's a lot for him to handle right now, for all of New Vegas to handle." The follower sighed as Moxie joined him on the couch. Arcade put an arm around her shoulder and gave her a reassuring squeeze.
Though spirits in Freeside and the now independent New Vegas were high because of the recent change in management, the people were wary of some of the changes Moxie had been proposing. The NCR had been pushed out of Freeside but had been given more power and presence on the strip.
The families had not been happy about this, despite Moxie's promises that nothing about how the casinos were currently run was going to change and that the NCR would provide more protection on the strip from outside forces and bring in new business with the swell of soldiers and people migrating from California. Swank had been the most vocal, though thankfully he had waited until Cachino and Marjorie had left.
She could understand his anger though, agreeing to off his best friend just to have his gal turn around and do exactly what Benny had planned to do in the first place. It wasn't like she had planned things out that way.
"He'll come around, you'll see." Arcade smiled reassuringly at the courier and gave her a kiss on the forehead.
If nothing else at least she and Arcade had become closer from all this. She had kept his past with the Enclave from Veronica and Boone, afraid of what they might do to him, and Arcade had been her rock ever since. He had stayed with the Followers during the battle of Hoover Dam as Moxie had wished, afraid again that any obvious involvement with the Enclave would have people baying for his blood.
"I hope so." Moxie gave her friend a small smile and sighed. "Well, better start the fire and putting up decorations."
They decorated the apartment with some of the handmade decorations Arcade, Veronica, and Moxie had made over the past week. After a half an hour the two stood back to admire their work, with a few red bows and fake boughs of holly the cabin began to take on a homey feel.
"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas." Arcade joked, laughing as Moxie nudged him in the ribs. "Stop that, it tickles." He warned, but the way a smile tugged at his lips gave him away. The follower backed away, trying to look serious while holding out his hands as the courier advanced on him.
"Oh, it does, does it?" She lunged at Arcade and the two fell to the ground in a heap of flailing limbs and giggles as the follower tried to push Moxie off of him. It only took a moment for Arcade to get the upper hand and pin Moxie to the ground as he tickled her sides.
"Stop! Truce Arcade! Truce Goddammit!" The courier wheezed through her laughter. The follower on top of her showed no signs of relenting until a snowball smacked him in the side of the head and knocked him to the ground with an "oof."
"Ha!" Veronica stood at the door, jumping up and down at her successful shot.
Moxie got up off the floor and smiled as she watched Arcade brush the snow out of his hair, and wondering who had taught the Scribe to make a snowball.
"Thanks Veroni-Ah!" The courier bent over, grabbing at the side of her head where another snowball had hit.
"That's for last time." The group turned to see Boone leaning against the door frame, smirking.
"You son of a…" Moxie chased the sniper out of the cabin, grabbing a handful of snow once she got outside.
The four continued chasing each other around the grounds with fistfuls of snow flying in every direction. Super Mutants looked on with amused smirks and a few even joined in the fun, and though the massive snowballs they threw were more painful, they were also easier to dodge.
Cass and Raul stood by the cabins and watched the chaos unfold. Raul had changed back into his old mechanic outfit but had layered a sweater and a leather trench coat on top of it. Cass was leaning against the wall of the cabin with a bottle of whiskey and glared daggers at anyone who seemed to even contemplate throwing a snowball her way.
Moxie finally called truce after being knocked to the ground by one of the super mutant's snowballs. She sat in the snow for a minute trying to catch her breath but couldn't help but feel elated at the smiles on her companions' faces. Especially Boone, she was glad that for a moment he had been able to leave the dark place in his mind and enjoy life.
"If you kids have had enough of pummeling each other with snow, I'd like to warm up and eat something." Raul wrapped his arms around himself and rubbed his arms.
"Yeah, it's getting late, we should get changed and start the party." Moxie said as she brushed the snow off her armor. "Don't take too long guys, looks like the weather's going to take a nasty turn."
While they had been frolicking about in the snow the small group had failed to notice the thickening clouds above and that the amount of snow falling had increased substantially.
"Looks like we might get another foot or two by morning." Marcus guessed. "It's a good thing you didn't start out any later than you did or you might have gotten stranded out there." The super mutant leader began getting the residents of the town into the lodge while Moxie barked at her own team to be dressed and present in her cabin in a half an hour.
The courier had just finished zipping up her dress when Arcade and Veronica burst through her cabin door in a loud rendition of 'Let it snow'. The others followed after them and were grateful when Moxie turned on the radio to let Mr. New Vegas' Christmas special provide the entertainment. As per Moxie's request everyone had changed into formal attire, which had received glares from both Boone and Cass, but they begrudgingly complied.
While Boone and Cass were content to sit on the couch and watch the others, Veronica and Arcade swayed together to the radio and Raul taught Moxie the words to 'feliz navidad'. Veronica stole the courier away from Raul and led the two women around the room in a dance Veronica had seen in an old Christmas movie holotape.
After a few more bottles of alcohol had been consumed the entire group was in tears from laughter as Arcade whirled Moxie around the room (her feet didn't even touch the floor at this point) and the others regaled each other with horror stories of Christmas's past, most having to do with awkward encounters under the mistletoe or a heavily intoxicated family member.
A pounding at the door interrupted the festivities. Arcade put a dizzy Moxie on the ground, turned down the radio and the group looked on anxiously as their leader gathered herself and went to the door. Marcus loomed on the doorstep and shifted uncomfortably.
"Sorry to interrupt, but there's someone coming up the road, looks human. I was hoping you would come out and greet them with me so there's less likely to be trouble." The super mutant smiled pleadingly.
"Sure, no problem. Borrow your jacket Arcade?" Moxie threw the follower's suit jacket over her dress, grabbed Maria just in case, and followed Marcus out into the snow. Boone followed as well, despite being told to stay put. The Blizzard seemed to have intensified and the courier wondered who would be insane enough to travel up the mountain in this weather.
When they reached the town gates Moxie could see the form of someone slowly making their way up the road. They were horribly under-dressed for the weather. The man, for she could now clearly make out the form of a man, was wearing only a suit to protect him from the elements, a familiar suit at that.
"Swank!" The woman ran forward and grabbed the chairman under the arms as he collapsed against her, shivering.
"Hey D-doll." He chattered, managing a small grin with his blue lips.
Moxie motioned Marcus forward and had the Super Mutant carry the now-unconscious Swank to her cabin. Her companions gathered around as Swank was laid out on the bed and Arcade began checking the chairman's vitals as Moxie hovered over his shoulder.
"He'll need to stay in bed to thaw out," the follower quipped when he finished examining his patient. "But with some rest and heat he'll be fine."
"Thank God…" the courier breathed. "You guys go on ahead back to the other cabins and enjoy yourselves. I'm going to keep an eye on him." She smiled warmly at her friends but knew they could see the worry in her face. They all shifted hesitantly but made their way out of the cabin, wishing Moxie a Merry Christmas as they went.
"Don't unwrap your surprise present before tomorrow," Veronica teased as she closed the cabin door. Moxie stuck her tongue out even though she knew the scribe couldn't see her.
She pulled off Swank's shoes and got him wrapped in the covers before taking a seat on the couch and watching the snowfall. As she looked outside at the storm, Moxie began to feel her eyelids grow heavy. The roar of the fire and the reassuring snores from Swank soon had her lying down on the couch and drifting off to sleep.
Long and lean fingers running through her hair finally woke Moxie a short time later. She blinked a few times before turning her head to see Swank looking down at her. He was seated on the edge of the couch, looking over her. His hair was still damp from the snow, but he had regained his color and was looking no worse for ware.
"What in the hell were you thinking?" The courier pulled herself up into a sitting position and glared at the chairman. "You could have died out there in that stor-" She was interrupted as Swank gathered her in a tight embrace. Moxie kissed him back roughly, her upper arms were pinned but she balled what material of his suit jacket she could grab into her fists. When they finally broke the kiss both were breathing heavily. Moxie gave a challenging look to Swank's unreadable one.
"I'm sorry."
Moxie froze as Swank put his forehead to hers and closed his eyes, before letting out a heavy sigh and closing her eyes as well.
"I never meant it to turn out like this, I swear…" The courier buried her face in the chairman's shirt as he moved her onto his lap. "House…oh God if you'd seen him…"
"Shhh, it's okay, kid." Swank held the woman to him and brushed his lips against her hair. "I was just surprised is all. I understand that House and Benny were ruthless cats, and that you'll do right by Vegas." He rubbed her back and the courier felt herself relax into his embrace.
"I'll do my best." Moxie vowed. She knew running New Vegas wasn't going to be easy, but she wasn't doing it for her own gain. The courier had met all the different factions in the waste and knew that none alone could do right by New Vegas and Freeside, but a neutral ruler and a lot of negotiating might just be enough to set things on the right path.
"I know you will Mox, and I'll be right there with ya."
Swank leaned back against the couch, holding the courier to him and running a hand through her hair. Moxie nuzzled the chairman's neck as she buried her face in its crook, breathing in his scent. They sat on the couch and held each other for a moment, the future forgotten for the time being.
"This all couldn't wait until after I got back?" Moxie finally looked up and smirked at the chairman. "You really could have frozen to death out there."
"And miss spending Christmas with my gal?" Swank gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. "Never…I just didn't realize how cold it would be."
"Is this the first time you've seen snow?" Swank nodded in reply, gazing out at the falling snow and looking mesmerized. "Veronica will have fun showing you how to make snowballs tomorrow then."
"You mean today." The chairman bent his head to brush his lips to Moxie's. "Merry Christmas, kid."
"Merry Christmas." The courier returned the kiss, smiling as she ran her fingers through his dark hair. "I guess if it's Christmas then Veronica can't get too mad at me for unwrapping you now." Moxie grinned as she loosened Swank's tie.
"You sure you don't want to go be with your friends? I did interrupt the party." He said as he stilled her hands in the process of unbuttoning his shirt.
"Baby," Moxie said as she straddled Swank and put her arms around him.
"Yeah?" He raised an eyebrow as she leaned forward, kissing his neck.
"It's cold outside." The courier murmured against his skin as he let out a small laugh.
"That it is, Doll. That it is."