After collecting their earnings from the data they had obtained at the killer plant vault, the pair headed back to the wrangler for the night. Boone had taken to sleeping on the couch while Jasmine took the bed. While Boone took a shower Jasmine hopped into bed and began to once again write, another thing she realized she could do was draw to some degree. She began to draw little sketches of things she would see while they were out in the wastes in the margins and corners of the pages. But she had one full page just of a drawing of Boone, she drew it one night when she was on watch while he slept. His already chiseled features were made even more defined by the light of the campfire and shadows on his face, she couldn't resist. All she could do was smile when she looked at the drawing. Tonight though, since she wrote about the vault she decided to draw the man-eating plants she'd encountered as she finished her entry.

Boone walked out of the bathroom while slipping his typical dingy white t-shirt over his head and flopped down onto the couch. Jasmine hadn't even looked up from her book, just continued to scribble without a word. Boone was surprised, Jasmine was always talkative, except when she was scribbling in that book of hers that is. He wondered what the small book contained, maybe a journal he thought.

After another few seconds she looked up "How was your shower?" She said with her usual grin brushing her bangs out of her face.

"Good, thanks for asking….What are you always writing in that book?" He asked curiously.

"Oh, not much. Just writing and doodles, Doc told me it'd be good for me to write to help me remember," she said putting the book down beside her and nestled herself under the covers of the bed making herself comfortable and reached over the turn of the light. Boone followed her lead and made himself comfortable in his usual sleeping position. "Hey Boone" jasmine said with a yawn

"Yeah?"

"Do you think we'll find the man who shot me?"

"Yeah, yeah I do"

"Good" She said as she drifted into sleep.

The next morning Boone woke up at his usual time in the early morning and decided to let Jasmine sleep a little longer then usual. She'd need the extra energy. He made a quick run to mick and ralphs to pick up some supplies to maintain his rifle. When he got back to the room she was still out cold. He began to attach the new scope she had gotten him, he couldn't help but think about their seemingly short time together.

One time in particular stood out in his mind, they had been out to collect a bounty on a fiend, Cook-cook, and she had told him to wait on the ridge just above the ruins Cook-cook was camped out in. He watched her through his scope, helping her by taking out a few fiends as she weaved through the crumbling walls. Until she came to Cook-cook, he came at her and managed to get her off her feet and pinned her flat on her stomach with her hands behind her back. "NO!" Boone thought as he ran down the steep hill knowing Cook-cook's track record with women he captured.

He darted around the corner of the ruin, he was so angry, he could have sworn he could feel his anger rising and bubbling inside him, all he saw was red. The next thing he remembered was kneeling over Cook-cook's dead body covered in his blood and that his knuckles were bruised, hands cut up.

He looked up franticly to see jasmine curled up in a ball on the ground a few feet away. He quickly rose from his knees and made his way over to her. He ignored the pain as he pulled Jasmine into his arms. She was seemed so small and helpless as she clung to his shirt and buried her head into his chest. She was shaking, but not crying. She had a burn on her forearm but it didn't look too bad, she seemed otherwise unharmed. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's ok, your ok." he said trying to comfort her as she continued to shake.

He often would think of that day, of how glad he was he got to her in time, not wanting to think of what that sick fuck would of done to her if he hadn't. He was shot back to reality by the sound of his name being called

"B…Boone?" Jasmine said in a sleepy voice rubbing her eyes as her feet hit the floor. "what time is it?" she said with a hearty yawn

"About 12:30" he said with a smirk amused by her bed head.

"Why didn't you wake me?" she said on her way to the bathroom. She flipped on the light and began to brush her teeth.

"I figured you could use the sleep." He said finishing cleaning his rifle.

They both got ready and set off to the strip, once past the gate a securitron approached Jasmine. Once she was done talking to it she came over and told him Mr. House wanted to speak to her and to wait outside the lucky 38.

He didn't like it but he did as he was asked. She came back about 15 minutes later happier then he had ever seen her. "Boone! Guess what!" she said practically jumping up and down as she ran toward him.

"What?" he said with one eye brown raised

"Come with me!" she said taking his large hand into hers practically dragging him toward the lucky 38. He easily resisted

"I was told not to go in" he said

"No its ok! Come on I want to show you something!"

She dragged him into the Casino lobby still keeping her iron grip on his hand. He noticed how massive his hands were in comparison to his, how much softer they were, how The nails weren't stubby and short. The sound of the elevator door dinging as it opened made him lose his thoughts. They soon reached their floor and walked out. "Penthouse floor" the securitron called out.

"This is are new place to stay! Isn't it great?" Jasmine said with the biggest grin on her face. Boone was in shock, only 15 minutes with House and she had gotten the best room he'd ever seen. " Mr. House said we could stay here, and he also told me were Benny is."

"Who is Benny?" He said with Curiosity as he peaked into the suits many rooms.

"He's the man who shot me… I'm finally going to get my answers. But first, a hot shower and some food! You should check out the kitchen the fridge is stocked."

Jasmine disappeared into the bathroom, so he decided to take her advice and checkout the kitchen. He opened the fridge to see a wide assortment of fruit, vegetables and meats. He decided to make them lunch, taking an onion, celery,carrots, bramin steak, and stock out of the fridge. He found a knife and a pot in one of the cabinets and seared the cubed meat in the pot while cutting the vegetables.

It had been a long time since he'd cooked like this. This was the first time in years he was going to eat something not out of a box. He remembered cooking with Carla, how she always used to put him to work chopping vegetables or cutting meat. Funny how many memories the smell of a home cooked meal could bring back.

"I didn't know you cooked" Jasmine said walking into the room with her wet bangs tucked behind her ear. "Do you want some help?"

"could you find a bottle of wine?" he asked not taking his eyes off the cutting board.

Jasmine left the room and came back with a bottle of red wine and pored in into the pot with the meat, and was hit with the delicious smell of the searing meat now along with the vegetables. Boone added the stock and they both sat down at the table to wait for the stew to cook.

"So what did House want exactly?" Boone asked as Jasmine sat across from him

"He wants me to get the Platinum chip back from Benny. The Chip is what I was delivering when he shot me. I want to confront him tonight at the Tops."

"Alright, you sure your up for this?" Boone said concerned

"Oh you bet I am"

End of Chapter 4