A/N: I was a bit shocked when I found my mailbox flooded with alerts and faves this morning, thank you guys so much! Next chapter will have more action, I promise ;)


Saturday August 29th, 2281 – 11:27 pm, Novac

Boone shifted from one foot to another, trying to guess what time it was. After many nights up in Dinky's mouth, he'd learned to estimate time pretty well by looking at the moon. This time around, however, the sky was clouded and the only way he could guess where the moon was located – or Earth, for that matter – was by trying to figure out which faint shimmer of light was the moon. He hated slow nights like these the most, having to wait for something important to happen. Had the woman bailed on him after all? He grunted at the mere thought, trying to stay focused on the wasteland before him.

"C'mon Rexie, just lie down right over there…"

Boone recognized the woman's voice, lowering his rifle to see what she was doing. The dog had lain down on the pile of rocks in front of the dinosaur, almost on the exact spot at which Boone's victim was likely to meet his end.

"Alright, now jus' bark and whine real loud… think you can do that, Rexie?"

Rex started barking and whining like he had just been shot in the head and his brain was falling out of its case. Boone raised both of his eyebrows, trying to figure out the woman's tactics for this one – because it wasn't exactly contributing to a 'silent kill'.


The courier grinned when Rex did exactly as she had told him to. Damn, that dog was smarter than some of the humans she had met out on the wasteland. She made a run for the Dino dee-lite front desk, practically breaking through the door.

"Please help me!" she said in a dramatic tone, rapid gasps accentuating her faked panic. "My dog's been shot, you gotta help him!"

Jeannie May looked up from her papers and slapped a hand against her mouth. "Oh my! Where is he?"

The courier pointed outside. "In front of that dinosaur, I think your sniper may have mistaken 'im for a Legion mongrel or somethin'!" she ran outside then, a very startled and confused Jeannie May Crawford behind her. When the two reached the dog which seemed to be writhing in pain, they both kneeled down to get a better look at him.

"Where's he been hit?" asked Jeannie, lowering her glasses to see clearer. The courier backed away and put the beret on her head. "I don't know! He just dropped all of a sudden!"

Jeannie May couldn't raise her head to comment on her statement, as it had just been blown off. Little bits of Jeannie May were everywhere, and the courier wondered what the hell kind of a caliber the sharpshooter had in his hunting rifle. It didn't matter though, as she kneeled down to scratch Rex behind his ear. The courier caught her breath and smiled down at Rex, who was wagging his tail and barking at her, practically asking her if he'd done a good job.

"Who's a good dog?" cooed the Courier to the dog, patting its head. "You are!" Rex gave a couple of happy barks, before the courier got up and whistled for him to follow her as they walked back to the dinosaur.


Boone saw the woman run back to the dog, Jeannie May Crawford behind her.

Crawford?

He raised his rifle and looked through his scope, saw the woman crawl away and get up as she put on his beret. Boone's finger twitched at the trigger of his rifle. Carla… He pulled the trigger forcefully, the bullet piercing the Crawford woman's head, bits and pieces flying around. She dropped to the ground with a nauseating 'thud' and 'splash' as he lowered his rifle again. He watched the woman who had helped him get up, and stare at Crawford's head – or rather what was left of it, a disturbing expression on her face. Boone saw her kneel down, and scratch the dog's ear as she rewarded him in an endearing voice. He couldn't help but feel a little bemused, watching her smile and giggle like that. A woman guilty of slavery had just gotten her brains splattered over the ground, and there she was laughing and kneeling right beside a pool of said woman's blood.

A mere minute later he heard the door click behind him, the thuds of boots and finally silence as the door fell closed. He kept her back to her as he stared down at the pool of red.

"That's it… How did you know?" was the first question he asked.

"Bit of a hunch." Replied the woman. "Seemed logical, though. The big boss in town and the only one with possible connections outside a' town. Not t'mention the big fat safe in her floor." The cracking of paper behind him was what finally got him to turn around, and found her holding out a form.

"Found this in it. 's the bill of sale." She said, although softer, a soft hint of sympathy in her voice. "It ain't clear on your wife's location…"

Boone kept it in his hands even after he'd finished reading. 'your wife's location…'

"Carla's dead." He said as he ripped the paper to a thousand pieces. "And so is the bitch who did this to her."

Rex looked up at his owner, who stood leaning against the door. She looked up at the sharpshooter and opened her mouth to say something, but kept herself from doing so at the last second. She took the beret from her head and gave it back to Boone. "Here."

Boone put his beret back on and reached into his pocket, pulling out a jingling pouch filled with bottle caps. "This is all I can give." He said, holding it out in front of him for her to take, but she refused. "I think our dealings are done here."

"Keep it." She said, not moving an inch from her spot. She waited for him to put it back in his pocket before she continued talking. "What are you gonna do now?"

"I don't know. I won't be staying, I know that. Don't see point in anything but hunting legionaries now. Or maybe I'll wander, like you."

"Come with me."

He was silent for a moment, awaiting further explanation. "You don't wanna do that." He said finally as he straightened himself.

"I have a score to settle with the legion as well. Answers to find, hell, maybe not even just answers." She remained silent for a few seconds. "We'll kill the fuckers together, and a lot more than either one of us could on our own."

"Yeah, that might be true." he couldn't help but agree that much. "And that's reason enough I'll take you up on it, I suppose. But this isn't gonna end well." His rifle on his back, he awaited her answer.


"But this isn't gonna end well."

She stared at the wooden floor beneath her feet, contemplating what he'd said. She chuckled and stood straight, holding her hand out for him to shake. "Believe I haven't introduced myself properly yet, and you might wanna know my name when we kill legionaries together. They call me Martin." She said, still waiting for him to shake her hand. She was goddamn persistent, and maybe a little bit amused by his reluctance to it. A minute later her arm was starting to get a cramp, and she wiggled it a bit. "C'mon, just do it and we'll leave this hellhole."

Boone huffed and shook her hand, a firm handshake. "Fine, let's get out of here."

She smiled at him and opened the door, patting her leg so that Rex would follow. In the gift shop, she snatched one of the Dino souvenirs and stuffed it in her bag.

They left Dinky the goddamn Dinosaur, and she stood still in front of the motel. "You have a room here, right? If there's anythin' you wanna grab real quick before we leave, you gotta do it now. 'cause I ain't planning on coming back here, ever." Boone shook his head, and she shrugged. "Fine by me." And they walked straight out of Novac.

"There's an empty Viper's encampment just down the road." She said as she looked over her shoulder, pointing in the approximate direction of the camp. "We'll rest there for the night, and tomorrow we'll wipe out the Legion raider's camp a mile or three south from here."

They walked on for another minute or two before they reached the abandoned Viper camp. She sat down in front of the old, broken down shack. "You go sleep, I'll stay on watch for tonight."

Boone put his rifle next to the mat and sat down, taking off his sunglasses. He rubbed in his tired eyes and lay down, arm under his head for support. His eyes fell closed, trying to get the rest he would need for the next day.

"G'night, Boone." Were the last soft spoken words he heard before drifting off in careless slumber.