AN: Hey, all! Here's chapter 6! My apologies that it took so long to get this one up. I've been a little discouraged lately, but I fully intend on seeing this through to the end. There'll be a couple more chapters and perhaps an epilogue. As always, I hope that you continue to enjoy this story. Please review and let me know what you think! :) Chapter 7 will be up very soon so long as I know that people are still interested...

6. Someone to Watch Over Me

Knees sinking farther into the sand, pain was at the tip of Anne's awareness. There was a moment in which she felt nothing but a cold breeze rush through her, but the surreal sensation was quickly replaced with a searing pain that seemed to render her motionless. She gasped at the intensity of it, the wind suddenly knocked from her lungs as she pressed her palms over her abdomen to feel a sickening stream of warmth gushing out of her. Blood dripped through her fingers, a pool of red in stark contrast to the golden sand.

Goddamn you, Benny.

She looked upwards at the Legion guard closing in on her, his gun holstered in favor of a machete. She assumed it would be use to rend her head from her shoulders...

Maybe if I'm lucky.

Scowling, bleeding, and weaponless, Anne thought bitterly about how she'd come so far for nothing. It was as if her time since Goodsprings was inconsequential, she may as well have just died back in her shallow grave. Benny would still rule Vegas if he made it out of the Fort alive... they would remember his name, not hers. She was back to being a nobody...just a nameless accessory to all that the city of Vegas was soon to achieve, all because of the man she loved to hate, and hated to love.

Give me a bullet to the head over a man any day.

Anne refused to close her eyes, glaring at the guard as he advanced upon her. He swung his machete backwards and Anne braced herself for the end. She hadn't imagined going out in such a way... but it was still better than most of the demises the wasteland had to offer.

Bring it, you bastard.

The blow was about to fall when bullets burst straight through the man's chest, rendering him a bloody heap as he fell to the ground with an agonized cry. Anne blinked twice, wondering if she was beginning to hallucinate due to blood loss. A flash of black and white plaid later, and Benny was by her side, pistol in hand.

I'm definitely hallucinating.

"Pussycat, this is no time for catnapping."

Anne stared at Benny's dirtied face, mouth slightly agape.

"You... came back for me," she breathed, hardly believing the words herself. She watched as he recovered the rifle from the man's corpse. He seemed to have acquired a great deal of red upon his jacket since she last saw him, and yet, Anne marveled at how his hair still looked remarkably untouched.

"Nah, don't flatter yourself, baby, I was just passing through." He gave a signature wink, and Anne managed a weak smile at her own words being thrown back at her.

"You must be getting soft."

"Funny, I ain't ever had a broad complain about that problem before."

Anne's smile faded into a grimace as another wave of pain overwhelmed her, causing her to double over. It was getting bad, and fast. She was beginning to feel numb from her hips downwards, and it scared her more than she'd like to admit.

Benny bent down to urgently tug on her elbow. "Come on, baby. Up and at 'em!"

She nodded as he hefted her with his hands beneath her arms, aiding her to her feet once again. Anne stumbled, nearly collapsing as she cursed under her breath, but Benny caught her as she unintentionally leaned all of her weight into him.

"Whoa, nice and easy does it..." he said, slipping a supportive arm around her waist. "I think it's high time we split."

"We need to find Arcade."

"Who?"

"My doctor friend."

Though it was dark, she could still see the definition of a frown upon his features. "Replaced me already, eh?"

"Not exactly. He's at the docks. If we can make it there..." she trailed off, words failing her through the shock that wracked her system.

"Blow on the dice, baby. We're gonna need all the luck we can get if we wanna make it out of here in one piece."

He handed her a pistol, and she accepted the weapon with us much thanks as she could muster. They carried onwards down the hill, with Benny half-running and half-supporting Anne as she limped alongside him. In any other situation she would have insisted that she walk on her own, but she wasn't about to complain in her current state. Soldiers were swarming in every direction, like a beehive that had been rattled by an unsuspecting kid with a baseball bat. They'd have to be quick if they were to avoid being stung.

Anne's world was a kaleidoscope of colors and muffled sound as they hastily made their way through the camp and towards the docks, with figures and lit torches whizzing past her in a wild blur. She aided Benny in the fray here and there, surprised that her marksmanship wasn't half bad. Things seemed clearer somehow, like tunnel vision. She attributed it to the adrenaline rushing through her in order to compensate for her rapidly failing lucidity.

They were only a few meters from their destination when Benny released a cry, and Anne turned her head just in time to see a bullet rip through the fleshy part of his upper arm. She squinted and fired at the offender, downing the soldier with a shot below the belt. Just for good measure, she put a couple more bullets into him once he was on the ground.

"Geesh, baby," Benny winced. "Remind me not to get on your bad side."

"You're already on it. You gonna be okay?"

Anne's gaze fell upon his injury, as more bloodstains oozed into his once-flawless jacket.

"These degenerates'll have to do a lot better," he said, voice a bit strained. "And besides, I think I see your pally."

Sure enough, green bolts of plasma were issuing from the docks, illuminating Arcade's figure in the distance as he downed the incoming soldiers. He seemed to be holding up rather well given the circumstances, though Anne noted that his normally slicked back hair was disheveled, as several blonde curls had sprung over his forehead. As they came within his line of sight, Arcade's face fell, looking just as wounded in spirit as she felt in body.

"Oh my dear God..."

Anne wasn't sure if it was in reaction to her injuries, or the fact that she had a new companion in tow... or both, but he definitely didn't look pleased at seeing her in such a state.

"Whatever happened to 'in and out'?" he asked, barely concealing the annoyance in his tone. His eyes immediately fell upon her bloodied side.

"Oh, you know how I am," remarked Anne tiredly. "I'm a sucker for taking the scenic route."

"And apparently taking in strays," Arcade muttered. Benny apparently didn't hear the quip as he transferred Anne's weight over to Arcade, who in turn aided her into the nearest longboat.

"We need to leave. Now." Arcade jumped into the boat and was about to push off the docks when Benny stepped in, and the doctor threw him quite the glare. If looks could kill, Anne swore that Benny should have been six feet under at that moment.

Woulda come in handy back in Goodsprings.

"Excuse me," he started, his tone hitting a higher pitch in annoyance. "But just what do you think you're doing?"

"Comin' with you." Benny shrugged and then grimaced, agitating the hole in his shoulder. "You got a problem with that, pally?"

"To be blunt, yes."

"Nice to meet you, too. Hey, babydoll, is he always such a party pooper?"

"Pretty much."

Benny glanced nervously over his shoulder, as shouting was still quite audible in the distance. "Uh, not to be the Johnny raincloud in this happy little reunion, but we're about to have a whole gang of Legion boys tailin' us."

Arcade rolled his eyes heavenward. "I've got an idea. Just… get in the damn boat."

Benny didn't hesitate as he settled himself next to Anne, and Arcade pushed them off the docks and began to row the tiny vessel out onto the shadowy lake. Along the shoreline, a handful of soldiers were already honing in on them and firing bullets their way, causing them to duck and dodge occasionally.

Arcade waited until they were a few meters away before producing a stick of dynamite from one of his labcoat pockets, causing Anne's fair eyebrows to raise in utter surprise.

"Wow," she managed with a sardonic laugh. "And here I thought you were just happy to see me."

"I hope I don't regret this…" Arcade ignored her remark and rifled through his pockets, apparently searching for a match or some means of lighting the item.

"Hey, pally." Benny pulled his prized lighter from within his jacket pocket and flipped open the lid. Anne wasn't sure how he managed to get the item back, but she held her breath, anticipating how he'd react. He released a deep sigh, reluctantly offering the fuse-end of the stick to Benny. It crackled as it ignited and Arcade mumbled a brief thanks, holding the dynamite gingerly in his fingertips.

"Okay, here we go!"

He aimed and chucked it in the direction of the docks, quite luckily having it land right on target. Arcade covered his ears, and a moment later, the shoreline erupted in an impressive display of wood chunks and hellfire. If the boats nestled along the docks weren't effectively destroyed, they would at least be out of commission for a while due to being set aflame.

Ata boy, Arcade.

The setback to the Legion would, at the very least, buy them some much-needed time and put some distance between the soldiers that were sure to be following them. Half-propped against the side of the boat and half leaning against Benny, Anne focused her attention upon her wound. Her hands were slick with blood as she pulled them away from her abdomen, and she tried not to make noise as she hissed softly through the pain. Still, it appeared to be enough to alert Benny's attention, his expression softening as he glanced between her and Arcade.

"Hey, doc, she's in a bad way."

"Alright, let's have a look..."

He came to kneel beside her, and Anne felt Arcade roll up her shirt to expose the wound, examining it gently as she bit back a groan. He pressed his hands to the bullet hole and frowned deeply at the blood flowing forth through his fingers.

"Guess I'll take over the boat," said Benny, already getting himself situated.

Arcade looked doubtful as he shifted beside Anne, his nimble fingers gingerly poking and prodding at her.

"Do you even know how to maneuver one of these things?"

"Pally, it's a boat. I think I can manage."

"Right, because you've clearly managed just fine so far." Arcade gestured to Anne with a tilt of his head, his brow furrowing. Benny stood his ground, eyes narrowing dangerously and looking very much like he wanted to club someone with one of the boat oars.

"Hey, don't be eyeballin' me like that. I brought her back in one piece, didn't I?"

"If by 'one piece' you mean 'ridden with bullet holes', then you're a man of your word. But I guess that shouldn't really come as a surprise to me."

Benny opened his mouth to retort, but Anne's voice cut through the tension lingering in the air like a knife.

"Godammit, boys!"

Two pairs of eyes, one blue and one brown, suddenly had Anne's full attention as she clutched at her side. She felt like utter shit. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been in such excruciating pain. At least when she'd been shot in the head, twice , she hadn't felt much upon impact. Anne was trying her best to keep it cool and not break in front of them. However, their behavior was making it rather difficult for her at the current moment. It was flattering that Arcade was attempting to defend her, despite her less-than-admirable choices... but she simply couldn't tolerate it.

"I'm going to make this clear right now," Anne managed through gritted teeth. "If I die, I don't want the two of you bitching at each other to be the last thing I hear. Zip your pants up and save your little locker-room comparison for later."

Arcade pursed his lips and Benny scowled, but they both remained silent.

"Much better. Now, how bad is it?"

"The bullets went straight through," Arcade said, his tone grave. "You're losing a lot of blood."

Benny's gaze was glued to the bloody scene before him. "Can you do somethin', doc?"

Oh, suddenly he cares?

"Of course he can." Anne forced a smile, for Arcade's sake more than hers. He returned the favor in the faintest of ways. "You've gotten me out of worse scrapes, right buddy?"

"Normally I'd have more equipment available, but I'll do my best. Keep putting pressure on it, Anne..."

Guided by moonlight, he opened up his doctor's bag and began working as Anne tried to focus her attention on anything but the pain. She dazedly watched the stars swirl overhead in the remarkably clear sky. When was the last time she'd actually taken the time to look at them? For so long, she had dreamed of being something like a star... something everlasting, burning brilliantly in the sky for all to see and providing inspiration to those who dared to follow their ambitions...

But even stars have to burn out one day, don't they?

In her current state, she doubted that she'd even make it back to Vegas alive. She knew that the odds were stacked against her, despite her own reassurance that she'd be all right. She'd survived worse, true, but wasn't about to believe that she could keep tempting fate and come out unscathed every time.

Play with fire, and eventually you get burned.

Her thoughts, as well as her body, were growing colder as Arcade did his best to staunch her bleeding and patch her up. Time seemed null in her daze. Before Anne could prevent it or even realize it, she was shivering uncontrollably, her teeth chattering as a harsh iciness washed through her veins. Arcade was saying something to her, urging her to remain alert, but she could only half hear him... the world was blurring into a strange oblivion, and it was warm and inviting, like neon lights welcoming her after an arduous journey...

Through the darkness, she saw a face blur above her. She thought that it was Arcade, but as she squinted her eyes to better focus, she saw that it was Benny.

"Hey, pussycat. Hangin' in there?"

His voice seemed far away, like a distant and unobtainable dream.

"It's fucking cold," was all that she managed to mumble, her eyelids suddenly feeling as heavy as lead.

"Here." She watched Benny as removed his thoroughly soiled jacket and then draped it over her as a makeshift blanket. He lingered over her for a moment or two. "It's ruined anyways. This is some 18-karat run of bad luck you've been having."

No thanks to you.

Anne was suddenly fixated on his handsome features as the stars reflected in the pools of his chestnut eyes, both beautiful and somehow ominous. It was because of him that she'd gotten into such a mess... and she couldn't decide whether to be resentful or thankful for it. She wasn't sure if she'd even have the chance to properly decide...

Hanging precariously in the limbo between the waking world and unconsciousness, an ironic quote consumed her thoughts, taking her back to Goodsprings and her shallow grave...

"The game was rigged from the start."

The words haunted her, chilling her to the core as Anne finally allowed herself to succumb to the void... and somehow, through the obscurity, things had never seemed so clear.

AN: If by any chance you thought that Benny was OOC in this chapter... well, just hold that thought until the next chapter, yeah?