Note: Some making out and petting in this one. Also some seriously hokey crap at the end so put your left foot out folks.

Feels like Lucille Ball up in here. 'Splaining to do


Bonnie woke up somewhat groggily, with a slight headache and a hand on her breast, under her shirt. And it was moving. Rough fingers were exploring the texture of her areola, rubbing lightly over her nipple. She opened her eyes as wide as they would go.

She went to lift her elbow and bring it back on whoever was fondling her, but paused. It took her a few seconds but she realized it was Boone behind her, touching her, and her face fell. Her cheeks flooded with warmth, embarrassed at the thought she might attack him.

She was altogether too touchy right now to enjoy the sensation. It was good, but she was so―nervous. After a moment, he pinched her softly and drew away his hand.

"Bonnie?"

She flushed red to her toes. "Wh-what?"

Boone pushed himself up and leaned over her, turning her onto her back. She closed her eyes and swallowed her fright. Why was she so damn tense?

"I'm going to kiss you," he said.

She kept her eyes closed and felt tingling, a current running up and down her spine. "...Okay."

Boone leaned down and touched her cheek, gently, then kissed her on the lips. She caught fire―she wanted him so badly―she suppressed a moan, trying to curb her desire. This why it's so tense, geez, Bonnie. Just give it up and give in to him again. Why are you being so dumb about this?

She still didn't know what to do. If she could let him go that far again. ...He did aim a rifle at my head, you know.

Bah, he wasn't gonna shoot you. You wouldn't have seen it coming if he was.

Boone deepened the kiss, hungrily moving across her lips. It didn't feel the same as the last kiss, desperate and needy. This time it was calculated, intense, and... perfect. She felt her spine curving up, pressing herself into him unconsciously. It felt like she was going to dissolve into nothingness, if she didn't explode first.

Boone wrapped one arm around her back, moving the other up under her shirt, fondling her breast again. His lips never left hers―Bonnie gasped into his mouth at his touch and jerked upwards, pushing herself into him strongly. He released her mouth abruptly and chuckled, letting her fall back into his hand.

"What are you―" she started as he laid her back down, removing his hands from her.

"Hate to ruin it," was all he said, and got up off the bed, moving away from her.

Bonnie laid there for a moment, stunned. Never had she expected that he would make the first move, especially after everything that had gone in between them. The warm spots on her face slowly faded as she waited for him to return, hopeful that he would continue.

"We're going to Red Rock Canyon?" he asked, when he came back. She hadn't moved yet, couldn't trust herself. She might turn into a puddle once her feet hit the floor.

"It was my intention," she replied. Her voice was steadier than she felt. "Wanted to see just how bad it is out there, among other things."

He made an affirmative grunt, then pushed her legs backwards on the bed and sat down. "Alright," he said. "First... we'll talk."

"Thought you said there was nothing to talk about―" Boone turned to look at her and her words failed her. He reached out and stroked her cheek again. She shivered a little, her thoughts scrambled in her head.

He let her go and Bonnie moved herself up to sit beside him, fiddling her hands in her lap. "Alright, talk, then," she said, looking down.

"You're nervous."

"That's a no-brainer," she muttered. She opened and shut her mouth once, thinking about the kiss he'd just given her. Her face warmed up again. "Boone, you―"

"Why do you do that, why do you call me by my last name sometimes." He turned his whole body to face her. "And Craig other times."

"...I don't know," she said, flushing further. "Look, I'm―" She breathed out, trying to order her thoughts. "I didn't see... this coming. It―it's confusing for me. And you... still have your revenge to get. ...For Carla."

He looked away from her, into the corner. "Yes," he said, quietly.

"I don't fit into that," she said. "I don't want to ruin any memories―"

"You won't," he muttered.

She stared at him for a moment. She didn't believe him, but she couldn't make him think any differently. What had gone on in his past―the strain between him and Manny, and Carla―she wasn't any part of that, at all. She couldn't assume anything about it unless he gave her reason. So far, she could only assume that he had been terribly broken by what he'd had to do, mercy-killing Carla and losing... everything he'd ever wanted.

She still didn't understand why he would want to have a relationship with her. After such a traumatic thing, after swearing vengeance on the Legion. ...Damn, I really should have taken him with me, that would be at least ten or twelve less Legionaries for the NCR to fight at the Dam. And none of this would be happening. She felt guilty for wanting it not to happen.

"I don't know why you came back," she muttered. "You have every right to hate me for locking you up. Didn't let you take your revenge―"

"Karma," he said, interrupting her again.

"What?" She frowned at him. "What do you mean?"

He was quiet for a long time before he started to talk. Bonnie felt the strain, tried to ignore it. She could no more force his words than stop wanting... whatever he would give her. Even if she melted like ice on hot asphalt when he gave it, she wanted it.

"The Legion got you." He paused and exhaled forcefully. "You died. You came back." He considered the floor for a while. "Even paying my dues, you wouldn't stay dead."

"I hope you don't have any you aren't telling me about," she muttered, bitterly. "I'm getting real tired of dying."

The cool air of the cellar lay on them like a ton of bricks. Neither one of them spoke for a long while. Bonnie tried to think of something to say, anything, that would make the situation less... awkward. Boone broke the silence first, startling her.

"When you left." He cleared his throat. "That night."

Bonnie's face flushed. "I already told you―" she said, defensively.

"You were doing what I did before," he interrupted. "Saving me."

"...That was the plan," she muttered. And you lost him because of it. Letting him be alive for that much longer was worth that. Wasn't it?

"Thank you," he said. "For saving me."

She felt tears prickling her eyes. It was too much, him telling her that it was absolutely okay to have gone off without him when she could have been whisked away. Like he said, she might have ended up halfway across Arizona, and no one would know. She looked away in shame.

"I think you were right about us being too alike," he was saying. "Doesn't mean we can't get along, though."

"...I guess so," she replied. "But―hell, I don't know. There's so much going on in the Mojave right now. I've got House to deal with and―" she paused. "And Crocker, at the NCR embassy. But I don't think I'm going to be helping him much longer."

Boone looked at her with a question in his eyes. She avoided his stare and fiddled with her hands. "It's a long story." She sighed. "Look, if you're coming with me, I need to know you aren't gonna question my motives―you know I don't want anything to do with the Legion―"

"Just want to be near you," he said, softly.

Bonnie's heart skipped a beat and she felt like a little girl, lost to her emotions. She tried to say what was on her mind, and failed again. Wow, you're getting so rusty at playing with boys―

Dammit, inner Bonnie, shut up. Boone is not a boy. He is not to be played with. Haven't we learned that lesson?

"...Okay," she whispered.

Boone laid an arm across her shoulder and pulled her to him, tightly. She sighed into his chest and let the tears come.

"Still got it," he said, touching the corner of her eye.

She glanced up and saw him looking down at her and she'd be damned if she was gonna melt into a puddle this time. Bonnie McCrae might be scared of dying for a third time―might be leery of the Legion, and hate the goddamn Fiends―and she might be terrified of dogs―

But she wasn't gonna be scared of being in love.

"You're terrible, Craig."

"...I know."


She had to give credit to the Great Khans. Bonnie waltzed into Red Rock Canyon with Boone later that day, and no one batted an eye. Other than a few nasty comments behind her back, there was little to indicate the Khans even cared. She made her way around the encampment and wondered what her life would have been like, had she joined that encampment out in Carson City.

Hard. Very hard, and full of strife. With Boone behind her to remind her of the other side of the argument, she really did not envy these Khans their position in society. Pushed back by a ruthless government into a dead canyon, forced to work with what they had... she doubted very much that they would be as looked-down-upon if they had not been forced to rely on their chem sales in the Mojave to survive.

Maybe she could help them. Extend a hand to them using her influence as the infamous Courier Six. Right now the situation in the Mojave was volatile, and she was right in the center of it. She might have some influence of her own, if she put herself to it; gossip had gotten around about this woman who just would not die, who could not be killed, who was working for the single most mysterious entity in the wasteland―House. Surely she could talk a few people into making peace.

Except Papa Khan. He didn't care one whit for her, and she didn't blame him. Her reputation with the NCR being halfway decent made him see her as an enemy, and walking around with Boone did not help.

She was still debating on what to do about House, after her conversation with herself the previous night. She would return to Crocker when they got back to the Strip and decline to continue working for him. ...Even if Boone might think ill of her, she wasn't feeling as confident as she had before about the NCR. After that, she would deal with House.

Being in the Khan encampment only made her decision all the more important. She couldn't help everyone. She knew that; it was stupid to think her words would carry as much weight as was required to make everyone get along. Except the Legion, fuck them, and those goddamn Fiends.

There was the problem, though. Fiends made up the primary source of income for the Great Khans, and since she'd taken out Motor-Runner she had destroyed that. Bonnie felt like shit about the whole thing. She wasn't about to apologize for bashing that bastard's head in, but she wanted to make it right for them. How? It was frustrating.

She sat in one of the trailers in the drug lab at Red Rock, watching Jack working. Another handsome man named Jack, another time Bonnie helped a Jack figure out how to make something. She was slightly amused at this. After she'd convinced him to start making other chems―like stimpaks, to help people and open up the Khans' stream of revenue―she'd offered to give him recipes for other chems. It wasn't something she wanted to do, morally, but she needed them to be friendly.

Jack was cooking up one of those recipes right now, while she directed him. He seemed such a happy fellow; she really hoped he wasn't sampling his own chems. He and Diane were something else, opposite ends of the spectrum. She was the business, he was the product, she was hard with her words, he was gentle with his. Bonnie liked that. It worked for them, made them attractive. Her eyes drifted to the doorway where Boone was standing. She had no idea how they worked. Didn't seem like they were working, half the time.

She sighed. There was a frumentarii in the camp. Boone wasn't aware of it, yet; Bonnie figured it would be best not to tell him. Despite her sway, she couldn't convince Papa Khan of the Legion's ill-intent without earning a little more respect from the Khans. They thought she was bad ass for being impossible to kill―or something like that―but they wouldn't do as she asked without her earning it. It seemed fair.

Diane asked her to look up a fellow Khan, lost in the southwest. She agree to keep an eye out, though she didn't expect she would be traveling near the Cove anytime soon. Not without some heavy firepower or an army. She grinned. Maybe House would let her "borrow" some of his Securitrons, now that they had been upgraded. She wouldn't mind taking Boone with, then.

Bonnie adjourned from the camper once Jack ran off for supplies, and walked back toward the main camp with Boone.

"How long are we going to be here," he muttered.

She glanced at him. "Don't know." She looked around the canyon and sighed. "It's sort of important. Making friends, gathering support against the fight at the Dam."

He was quiet for a moment. "Feeling better?" he asked, changing the subject.

Bonnie grimaced at the reminder. "I guess. I feel better than last night but I haven't eaten in a while. Kind of hungry."

She stopped and pulled her haversack around. She was rummaging through the bottles and cans for something to eat when she heard a voice she'd not heard for almost fifteen years. She froze in mid-grab and almost dropped the haversack to the ground.

"If it isn't Bonnie McCrae! What the hell are you doing here, you little slut?"

Jon Tibbet was at Red Rock Canyon.