A/N: Sorry for the wait between updates, been hella busy lately, that and working on a Harry Potter story. Finally some of the Courier's background information is coming out (about time Bethesda!) so I've been toying with a backstory for her and one of the characters they cut from the main FO: New Vegas game. FO Geeks, don't crucify me for messing with the story, everyone else: Enjoy!

4: Courier 6

All things considered, Courier figured she had probably done a lot more idiotic things in her life. She stared at the ceiling, wishing she didn't feel as good as she did, it would make it a lot easier to get up and leave. Glancing to her left, she couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face at the sight of the sleeping Shawn.

She had no idea why he had kissed her, but he probably hadn't been prepared for the outburst it had brought on. She hadn't been prepared for it either. She was writing it off as pent-up sexual frustration, from before the being shot in the head and suffering amnesia.

Courier rationalized her actions quite easily. She had formed an attachment with the only person she somewhat knew since being shot in the head; and had taken advantage of that attachment before leaving.

With that firmly squared away, she gently eased herself out of the bed.

~!~

Courier had spent the better part of the morning walking from Goodsprings to Primm, shooting a bunch of Geckos on the way. She had remembered Shawn's warning about them being venomous and hadn't been too keen on being bitten a few miles away from the town. As she drew closer to Primm, she began noting the barricades set up.

"If you don't want your ass blown away, stay on the West side of the wall."

She slowed her pace as a soldier with NCR painted in white on his helmet stepped around the sandbag wall he had been behind. "What's going on?"

"Damn Powder Gangers." He spat, eyes screwed up in a squint as he studied her. "They took over the town. Anyone who even gets close to the bridge gets shot at."

"Who're the Powder Gangers?"

He guffawed, spitting out a nasty stream of tobacco. "Where're you from? You don't know nothin' bout nothin', do you?"

She stiffly shook her head, her fingers twitching violently.

"Well now honey, you just head on down to see the captain, he'll deal with you. Me? I ain't got the time." The soldier puffed out his chest, beginning to saunter back to his post. "I got convicts to watch out for."

Resisting the temptation to shoot him, Courier plowed on. She wasn't going to waste any ammo, not on him. If only she had a knife…

Idly, she wondered if she was naturally a violent person, if this urge to do people bodily harm was something she carried on from the life she couldn't remember. It didn't take a lot of searching to find the small NCR camp, or a genius to notice that a lot of the soldiers milling about were a bit… youngish.

~!~

Lieutenant Hayes could only stare at the woman who had just entered his tent, wondering if she was serious. Tiredly, he rubbed his eyes and shook his head. "Primm isn't under our jurisdiction, there's nothing we can do."

"So why are you sitting here?" She asked coolly, ignoring the dark looks she received from his camp aides. "Why waste the manpower babysitting a town you can't officially do anything about?"

"Because, Miss, it is my job to contain the Powder Gangers. If they want to hole up in Primm, that's fine with me, it means they aren't going anywhere else."

"I have business in Primm."

He arched an eyebrow and gestured towards the tent. "Be my guest."

A thin smile graced her colorless lips.

~!~

Courier figured it was all a matter of stealth. She had ventured around the boundaries of Primm during the day, careful to keep on the NCR side of the line. She might not have agreed with their dick way of doing things, but that wasn't going to prevent her from letting them shoot at anything that shot at her.

When it began to get dark that was when she made her move. As she was both conserving ammunition and relying on stealth, she had left her guns wrapped in her duffel bag, stored near the NCR camp. Shawn had given her a combat knife and currently she was gripping the handle as she made her way into Primm.

A lit cigarette was quite helpful in guiding her towards her first victim. She knew he was a convict, a Powder Ganger, by the damn outfit he wore. Faction gear was just idiotic, especially when the faction in question was marked for death, and there were only a handful around to protect each other's respective asses.

~!~

"Well now, they were headed for Vegas. The one in the sport coat was a bit upset about having to take the roundabout way." Johnson Nash said, staring at the courier before him. He was the Mojave Express agent for the area, and knew all six couriers by sight, including this one. Though the last time he had seen her, she had been heading towards New Vegas with a package. "Mind explaining to me what the hell is going on, River?"

Courier –who had been listening to him while examining a broken robot on the counter of his general store/Express post- turned sharply. "What did you just call me?" She demanded, feeling something tugging at the edge of her memory, something she couldn't latch onto fully.

"Your name, woman!" He barked impatiently, throwing his hands up in the air exasperatedly. "What the hell is wrong with you? You're acting different."

"You know me." She said slowly, running a finger along her bottom lip as she studied the older man with more interest than before.

"Of course I do, I'm your damn boss, ain't I?"

"No clue." Sighing, she began giving him the short version of what had happened.

Johnson could only stare at her, finally examining the scar on her head, clucking his tongue. "You got damn lucky, River. Good thing that robot was there to pull you out."

"Good thing there was a doctor on hand to patch me up." She corrected, thinking of Shawn, and was mildly surprised to feel a little twinge of guilt shooting up her spine. She was going to have to do something about her conscience; it was beginning to get on her nerves.

Johnson remained quiet, just studying her thoughtfully. When time stretched on and she still hadn't said anything, he shook his head. "Maybe Courier 5 knew something we didn't." He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Courier 5?"

"You're Courier 6."

"Okay, but what are you talking about?"

He could only stare at her out of wide eyes. "You really did lose your memory of everything, didn't you?"

Courier nodded impatiently, wondering if she was going to have to forcibly make him tell her whatever it was he knew.

"Sit down, River." Johnson instructed, pointing to a table against the far wall. "I'm going to get us a drink, we're BOTH going to need it."

~!~

The fire burned bright, casting shadows on the canyon walls that surrounded them. His low laughter echoed off the rocky walls, coming back to envelope her, bringing a smile to her face as she stared up at her lover.

"Mmm…" He rumbled, taking in her nude form beneath him. Reaching out with rough, calloused hands, he skimmed his palms upwards along her ribs, feeling her flesh breaking out with goosebumps. "Cold?" He smirked, cocking one black eyebrow teasingly.

"You know I'm not." She replied, reaching up to splay her fingers against his bare chest for a brief moment before gripping his heavily tattooed arms. She had never seen tattoos before meeting him, they fascinated her and he knew it. He found it amusing.

Chuckling, he guided her hands around his neck and bent down, capturing her lips with his.

Courier shot upright, sweat pouring off of her, and looked around as if expecting the man from her dreams to be there. When she was certain she was alone in the room Johnson and his wife, Ruby, had allowed her to sleep in, she relaxed somewhat. Forcing herself to breathe normally, she listened to the noises around her.

The town of Primm still seemed to be celebrating its recovered freedom from the Powder Gangers, she could hear the townspeople still partying it up outside, lights from the many bonfires sending shadows dancing over the walls of the relatively bare room. In the next room over, she could hear gentle snoring from the Nash couple.

Making no sound, she rolled off the cot, and padded over to the open window, allowing the cool night air to cool her burning skin. She tried to hold onto the dream, but it was fading already. All but the man's voice. It had been deep, a dark drawl that even now was causing her heart to speed up.

Pressing her forehead against the windowpane, she closed her eyes and thought back to her conversation with Johnson.

"No, Courier 5 seen your name next on the list and asked me if you were really still kicking around." Johnson had said, scratching his head bemusedly. "And I told him of course you were, why wouldn't you be? Well, he insisted you take the package. 'Give the job to her, let Courier 6 carry the package', he says. Almost like he was expecting the Mojave to sort you out. Seemed like he was holding a grudge or something against you, the way he spoke. He left after that, ain't seen him since."

Someone who had known her, known her name, and about her. And who apparently didn't like her. Sighing, she raised her head again to look out the window. Just another piece of a puzzle she couldn't fit together.

A/N: So now Courier has three names. Courier (the name she called herself when she woke up), Katy (from Shawn), and now her apparent real name: River.