Chapter 1

I'm Walking Behind You

So this is the first chapter of my Fallout New Vegas AU for RWBY. It took me a little over 6 centuries to think of a damn name for this ruddy fic and I think this is going to be the name of my specific version of this AU too "Chasing the Sunshine". It's fitting, trust me. Each chapter title will be named after a song from round about the time that the music is from in New Vegas, so I'll stick to the 1950s.

I'm Walking behind You by Eddie Fisher.

Though you may forget me,
You're still on my mind.
Look over your shoulder,
I'm walking behind.

Ruby's state of sleep lightened as she faintly heard the door to her room click open and someone shuffle to her side. They didn't attempt to wake her up, they only watched vigilantly. Ruby's body understood that there was no bloodlust in the person's gaze but something didn't click and as Ruby began to wake up a little more, her hearing became more acute and she realised that something actually was clicking.

Ruby's eyes managed to peel themselves open only for her to cover them again with her hand or at least, that's what she tried to do but a striking pain that shot through her chest took priority. She winced but she still carefully went about sitting herself up in her bed and leaning her back against the headboard.

"Good morning, Miss Rose." Someone said from her side, most likely the person who entered earlier. "You were only asleep for 9 hours, 3 minutes and 42 seconds this time. The time is getting progressively shorter much faster than first anticipated. Your body is reacting sensationally to the Antivenom, it won't be long now until you're able to continue your search freely."

In Ruby's groggy state, there was only so much she could take in, like the clicking that stopped once Ruby awoke or the appearance of the robot by her side. This Securitron never failed to amaze her. Its humanoid casing was worlds away from the large, bulky bodies of its brothers. The fingers that moved gently to the buttoned collar of the shirt Ruby slept in, worked just as deftly and accurately as Ruby's own would have to undo the buttons.

Sometimes Ruby wanted to ask if she could have a look inside her body to see how it worked but with those wide, neon green, webbed eyes like a Bloatfly's and the perpetual smile that literally lit up whenever she spoke. Maybe it was the way she tilted her head when she listened to new information or the all too human movement of tucking loose strands of hair from her orange bob behind her metallic ears. Maybe all of these things contributed to the sick feeling in her stomach whenever she thought of the Securitron being taken apart for an experiment.

"Morning Penny." Ruby replied to the robot. "How many times is it now I've told you to stop calling me 'Miss Rose'? Call me Ruby."

"In just over the 9 days that you've known me, Miss Rose, you have said that line 38 times including just now and I have said 38 times now as well, that i-"

"'It's not within your authorisation'." Ruby sighed. "I guess I'll just have to get used to it then won't I?"

"There is a perfect 100% chance that you will give in before me." Penny stated. "I think that would be the best course of action, Miss Rose."

Penny now had Ruby's shirt entirely undone but even before she worked with the robot to take her sports bra off, she could see the marks across her own chest. Though once her chest was entirely bare, the damage was obvious.

Admittedly, since the first time she had seen the wound, it looked a lot better. The initial puncture had scabbed over and the angry, purple, crackling web that reached outwards across the majority of her chest was much less than what it was originally. When she had first awoken after being stung by the Cazador, Ruby had freaked and clawed hard at it, anything to get rid of the markings that spread right over to her shoulders. But now things had died down thanks to the steady doses of Antivenom from either Penny or Doc Mitchell.

They had been nothing but supportive, or as supportive as a robot and a middle-aged, weather-hardened man could get. It took a bit of getting used to but Ruby knows now that they're looking out for her in their own way.

"The spreading seems to have receded once again." Penn told her gleefully. "Although compared to the 5.63 centimetres of last time, the largest reduction of length is this particular strand." Penny placed her finger gently against Ruby's skin, pointing out a very faint strand that spread upwards towards her neck. Her skin was strange upon Ruby's own. It was a little more rubbery than actual skin but it also wasn't as cold as Ruby had expected.

"This strand has only gone back by 4.29 centimetres although it's significantly more than the others." Penny placed her hand under her chin and once again did that cute head tilt of hers. "As I stated before, your body is still reacting to the Antivenom so there's no need for a stronger dose, but this may be as far as it recedes."

Before Ruby had chance to answer, there was another click and a creak as the door opened once again and Doc Mitchell came in to the room as well. Ruby squealed a bit and hurriedly covered her chest with the covers.

"Miss Rose." He said with a sigh as he pinched his nose. "First and foremost, I'm a doctor, if I needed to see your chest, you would have to show me anyway. Secondly, I'm not in to 15 year olds."

"Oh right, sorry." Ruby rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, but her grip was still firm on the covers. "It's instinct."

Doc Mitchell didn't really care for her excuses, it still didn't change the fact that she didn't need to be so cautious just because he was here. Who the hell did she think he was?

"How're you feeling, Red?" He asked.

"It still hurts a bit. I still can't do much fast movement." Ruby clenched and unclenched her hand a few times, testing how much power she could put in to her grip. It definitely wasn't as watery as the previous day; she could probably hold herself up if she fell. "I want to give walking a try again though. I think I'll be able to pull that off at least."

"Alright, we'll give it a shot then." The man said. "Put your shirt back on and if it doesn't work we'll get you your next Antivenom, get some food down your throat and try again; see if a little nourishment put a little life in to those bones. Penny, can you prepare the Antivenom for Little Red after she's done?"

Before Penny left, she helped Ruby back in to her bra and shirt when her arms couldn't bend at certain angles and even when they were done she seemed reluctant to leave, hesitating in the doorway and looking back at Ruby. Her face was unable to make expressions but Ruby knew that her eyebrows would be furrowed.

"I'm counting on you Penny." Ruby smiled at her and the gesture was instantly picked up by the robot, her own glass panel mouth flashing in a smile of her own before her renewed spirits finally carried her through the door. "What does she actually do around here? She doesn't look like she was designed to be a doctor's assistant."

"She's just an extra pair of hands really." Doc said. "I try not to think of why she was built like she is. She's not really built to be a nurse, there's something else there but I just hope none of us are here if she ever frenzies."

Doc Mitchell moved the chair Penny was sat on out of the way and handed Ruby a wooden cane that had stood in the corner of the room. She had used the cane before when she attempted to walk before but she hadn't moved even a single step on her trembling legs before having to get back in to bed. Ruby pulled her legs out from under the covers and dangled them over the edge of the bed as she corrected her grip on the claw of the Lakelurk King that was fixated to the top of the cane.

Ruby was tentative as she eyed the floor beneath her bare feet, it looked much too unforgiving, but with a deep breath and a slap on her knee she jumped up and on to her feet, fully prepared to use the cane drastically when she fell over, but it didn't happen. Not only was she stood up, her legs weren't shaking at all and she hadn't even placed the cane on the floor yet.

She stared wide eyed at her feet and a smile spread across her face when she took her first step in far too long. She took another and then another until she was slowly but steadily walking around the room. Doc asked her how she felt, whether there was any pressure in her muscles or any aching in her joints but she was happy to report there was none. The slight impact with the floor jostled Ruby's bones as it did with anyone, but in turn it moved the mark on her chest around slightly as well causing a little stinging. She tried to rub at it but as soon as Doc Mitchell saw the first rub he swatted her hand away.

"It looks like you've exceeded my expectations again Miss Rose." He said with a finger on his chin. "You shouldn't have been at this stage until sometime next week from the severity of your sting. Vault dwellers sure are something."

Ruby stopped her paddling around then at that last comment and looked to Doc as he sat down in a rocking chair by the dusty fireplace.

"'Vault dweller'?" She repeated. "You make that sound like you aren't one yourself, Doc!"

She pointed to his wrist where wrapped around it was the same bulky device that was originally around her own.

"Oh this thing?" He said unenthusiastically. "I haven't been in that Vault for decades and I don't intend to go back anytime soon. The only time I want to be that far underground is when I'm dead and gone."

There was a bit of an uncomfortable silence that unfortunately settled over them. Ruby didn't like this topic, not any more, not as longer as her sunshine was hidden from her.

"That gives me an idea actually." Doc said as he stood up. "It might take a little getting used to, not having that extra weight, but I figure that once you're ready, you'll be on your way to bigger and better places. You should take this with you. After all your original broke thanks to that Cazador right?"

"Are you sure Doc? It is yours, I wouldn't feel right taking it from you."

"It's fine Red." He said with a fond smile as he unstrapped the device from his forearm. "It doesn't actually help me at all, just a fancy way to tell the time. You'll need this a lot more than I will. Maybe this way you'll remember to call in and see the ol' Doc from time to time. Just don't bring back any more poison than before alright?"

Ruby gratefully accepted his offer with tears in her eyes. She knew that wouldn't do, if she was going to search across the Nevada, she was going to have to suck up a lot more than just her own tears. She knew that it was also blood and sweat that awaited her in the Wasteland. In the short month that she'd been outside the Vault on her journey, she had already seen more than she needed to. California was bad enough, a new state brought new troubles, the first one being a rather optimistic Cazador.

Ruby would forever be grateful to Penny for saving her that day. If Penny had been even an hour late to the scene, Ruby was sure she wouldn't have lived, she'd have died on that mountain side with a hole in her chest without ever finding her sunshine.

"You know, Doc." Ruby said as she moved over to lean on a door that led to the balcony. "I've been here all this time and I never thought to ask you."

"And what's that, Red?" He encouraged.

"There didn't happen to be another Wastelander coming through here in the month before I showed up, was there?" Ruby asked her question quietly, for some reason she was apprehensive about asking so many strangers if they'd seen such a distinctive person. "A blonde girl?"

"You would've reckoned that with such a generic description like that, I wouldn't have a clue which blonde girl you were talking about." Doc said and Ruby's face instinctively fell. "But since it's you, I know exactly who you're talking about. She's a feisty one; that firecracker."

"Y-You saw her Doc?!" Ruby did as much of a dash forwards as she could manage on her powerless legs. "Where did she go, Doc? Where?!"

"Whoa, take it easy Red. You'll make Penny worry if you put yourself back in bed." Doc Mitchell held her by the shoulders until she sighed and he felt her shoulders drop under his palms. "What is she to you?"

"She's my sister. Yang Xiao Long's her name." Ruby said as she looked at her feet with a fond smile stretching across her blushing cheeks. "She managed to escape the Vault after a bit of an 'argument' with the Overseer. But that was only a week before I left to chase after her."

Doc Mitchell listened to her story calmly, his weather beaten face and perpetual scowl never leaving his side.

"But out here in the open, I don't know the law of the land, the creatures; the people. Finding her will be almost impossible but I knew the risks when I left." Ruby lifted her eyes to Doc's and he could honestly say he wasn't surprised when he saw the firecracker's own blazing eyes in her own. "I'll find her even if it's the last thing I do."

"Sounds like you're desperate." He said.

"Not desperate." She corrected. "Determined. Desperation makes a person sloppy. I was desperate to get that Cazador out of my face and look how that turned out. I don't intend to make a mistake like that again."

"Now that's more like it!" The doctor's already creased face cracked in to a smile as the new fires of life from Ruby washed over him too. "You'll find her kid, I just know it."

"Thanks Doc." Ruby smiled. "Good to know I have support."

Ruby considered herself lucky that their conversation had slowed to a comfortable halt before the door slammed back open and Penny came back in with a few bottles in her hands.

"I have returned with the requested items!" She announced and Ruby welcomed her with a smile. "The Antivenom is fully prepped."

"Penny." Ruby called and the Securitron quickly turned to her with a happy buzz in her joints. "How about we go outside on to the balcony?"

Penny paused for a few moments as Ruby heard her hum louder, but only ever so slightly, like she was processing something.

"There are no lethal substances and/or creatures on the balcony or the surrounding areas." She stated flatly before a familiar buzz came back in to her voice. "Of course we can move to the balcony, Miss Rose."

Ruby smiled and brought the cane back down to the floor as she moved through the door behind her and breathed in the fresh air as it buffeted her face. She could feel that even though her legs were much stronger than previous tests, the prolonged weight upon them was proving to be difficult. Her feet had become sore fast but she wanted to enjoy the mobility for a little longer.

"It's warm outside today huh?" Ruby commented.

"You really are recovering well, Miss Rose." Penny said. "Do you remember how cold you said you were in the early stages of recovery?"

The comment shouldn't have triggered anything in Ruby, it was very light-hearted and Penny would never mean her any harm but the memories that surfaced were far from pleasant. Indeed, she remembered how cold she was those few nights. Memories of trying to clutch at her burning chest while her hands shook so hard her wrists hurt were followed quickly by remembering the combined pain from the burning in her chest and the violent cramps and spasms all across her body. She knew that Doc Mitchell and Penny were only trying to help when they covered her with multiple duvets to try and warm her up but it only succeeded in trapping her further.

Ruby's hands had clamped down hard on the walking cane as she tried to pull herself from her own memories. She was fairly sure she would never forget that feeling but oh, how she longed to forget it.

"Are you prepared for the administration, Miss Rose?"

Penny's voice managed to break Ruby away from herself and she slowly tried to return to normal as she answered the robot.

"Y-yeah." She replied shakily but thankfully Penny didn't pick up on it, or if she did, she didn't bring it up. "Say Penny, do you feel that you're... happy here with Doc Mitchell?"

Penny thought for a few seconds before giving an answer that was almost disappointingly simple.

"I do not feel happiness like a human does, Miss Rose." She said. "I am being used by my master, as I was intended to be used. I don't have to create tasks for myself and the surgery has lots of jobs that need to be done daily, I am never without a purpose."

"Do you know what you were made to do, Penny?" Ruby asked. She didn't like being so forceful with the robot, but she needed a straight answer, if only this once. "Do you know what your primary function was?"

"My primary function is to serve and protect my master at all costs." She said. "Until they no longer need my services, be that by choice or be that through incapacitation and failure to give further orders."

"Do you think Doc would give you up so I could take you with me across the Wastes?" Ruby couldn't beat around the bush anymore, if she made it too complicated, she knew that Penny would have trouble understanding and she might misinterpret something.

Penny made that buzzing sound again as she turned back to the surgery and thought. Decisions she had to make about people usually took considerably longer, there was so much more information to process. It was completely different from handling an animal.

"Miss Rose, I don't think I have suffic-"

"It's OK Penny." Suddenly Doc Mitchell was stood in the doorway behind her, having overheard everything. "I understand."

He then approached the girls and put an arm around each of their shoulders as he stood comfortably between them.

"I know you might feel uncomfortable about doing this Little Red. But you need her, more than you know." He rubbed her shoulder gently with his large, calloused hand. "She's only been around here for about six months herself so it'll be no skin off my bones to send her with you. Goodsprings is only a small town, I don't get too many visits through business, I can handle it myself."

Ruby's face still had a worried expression plastered across its surface but she knew Doc Mitchell was right too. There was only so much she could do on her own, a single Cazador had screwed her over big time. She would need a strong sidekick like Penny by her side. Someone to watch over her while she rested, someone to lure a target out in the open for her to take down or to go and get help if the going got tough.

"Are you sure?" Ruby asked finally.

"Positive." Doc Mitchell answered. "Now Penny, listen closely, I want you to take care of this girl while you're with her, protect her at all costs."

"It is my primary function after all, Master." She said and her mouth continued to glow dully in a fond smile as Doc Mitchell parted her fringe and gently kissed her forehead like a father would before his daughter set out on her own grand adventure.

"Alright Penny, you be good y'hear?" He said as he cupped her cheeks and it all suddenly became too much for Ruby and her throat clamped tightly shut. "Master Protocol: Transfer. Transfer to... Ruby Rose."

"Initiating." And once again, there was that buzzing though it soon stopped this time and then she turned to face Ruby who was biting her lip and sniffling. "Good morning, Master. From today onwards I'll be in your care."

"No." Ruby choked out. "From today onwards, I'll be in your care. Can you start by giving me that Antivenom?"

"Of course, Master." She chirped happily but Ruby saw her almost jump when Doc Mitchell quietly moved back in to the house.

Ruby looked out calmly over the desert at the back of Doc's house. Penny was careful when she gave her the injection but Ruby paid no notice, she watched two Young Geckos in the distance instead. They brawled with each other playfully, Ruby wondered if they were siblings from the way they affectionately batted at each other and nipped at one another's ears and suddenly, that was enough for Ruby.

Hot and painful tears rolled down her cheeks and fell in to the sand as she remembered an all too sunny smile.

"You always were in front of me, Sunshine." She said to herself as she sobbed. "And even in my dreams I'm walking behind you, but not anymore. I'll catch you and never let go."

God damn it, I'll catch you.

So I've cried at other people's stories before, it shows that they're ruddy great. But I'm crying while writing my own and I'm not sure if it's because I'm suddenly on the same level as them or because I'm a wuss.

Either way, leave a review of what you thought. Give if a fave and a follow if you really liked it and want to see more of this AU.