Warning: Mature content including graphic violence, language and sexual content.
She found him right where she expected, back in Goodsprings where his journey started, sitting in the back of a burnt out pickup next to a toolbox filled with all manner of random items. She wasn't surprised to find ED-E there too, hovering just over his shoulder. What did surprise her however was the fact that they were talking; or rather he was talking and ED-E was making beeping noises she never learned to interpret.
"Think I should go back and talk to her?"
*NON-COMITAL BEEPING*
"Great help you are."
*APOLOGETIC BEEPING*
He sighs, "It's fine old friend, this is a decision I need to make myself anyways I suppose."
*CONFIRMATORY BEEPING*
She watched him run a hand through his sandy blond hair before standing up off the truck bed and stretching, "Guess I probably shouldn't have run off like I did. I just wish I knew what to say."
She'd seen Courier Six set upon by powder gangers, giant ants, fiends and more than a few deathclaws, but she'd never seen him jump the way he did when he turned around and saw her standing there on the remains of the road above the truck.
She couldn't help but laugh. Hard. And she laughed even harder at his expression as he watched her laugh.
As she settled herself and her laugh turned to chuckles and eventually stopped all together, she made her way down the bank to stand near him.
He had an expression on his face she couldn't quite identify, "How long have you been there Cass?"
"Long enough to know there's a girl you need to talk to. So, who's the lucky lass?" She hoped the jealousy didn't show through in her voice as she asked the question.
"I don't want to talk about it. What are you doing out here anyways? Miss me already? I've only been gone for a day and a half."
Yes, I did. "I just got bored sitting around and when I tried to find you, you weren't in the room they said you were."
"Yeah, I figured someone else could use it more. I stayed long enough for the medic to patch me up and grab a few stimpacs and some ammo, then I made my way here."
"Why here?"
"Just felt right, it was good talking to everyone again, even if Trudy got a little mad about me not stopping here before the battle for the dam."
"So you basically had to come visit your mom…"
She watched as his face went blank and he took a deep breath, "Yeah, basically."
She shook her head and laughed, "So what happens now?"
He shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know, I haven't given it any thought. We won the second battle for Hoover Dam, not sure there's anything left to do."
"So you don't need us around anymore?"
"I never said that. I just don't know what to do now. Maybe we should head back to the Lucky 38 and hash this out with everyone there."
"Sounds good to me boss."
He took one last look in the toolbox, the one he used to stash all of the items he collected in his early days just in case he needed them later, scratched the words 'to your good health' on it and turned away. "Let's get going."