When Bella woke up, she realized that she was inside the farm house, lying on the floor with a blanket covering her and something soft under her head. Closing her eyes once more to enjoy the fact that she had nothing urgent to do and that her father was talking with Monroe by her side, she realized that she had missed her father greatly while he was in Mexico and that she once more felt safe.

"You can't be serious!" Miles was whispering to whatever Bass had told him before Bella woke up.

"Oh, please, don't tell me that the thought didn't cross your mind! They'd be great together." Monroe insisted, awaking Bella's curiosity.

Where they talking about the patriots? Who would be great together?

"You really think that your son and my daughter would make a good couple?" Miles asked his friend and the tone of his voice told Bella that he wasn't as doubtful as he was trying to sound.

"Had things been different, if we had been given the opportunity to raise them both, I'm sure it's the way it would have gone." Monroe replied confidently.

"They would have been raised as cousins, because we we're like brothers." Miles reminded his friend and Bella noticed that her father used the present tense, not the past. He still loved Bass as a brother.

"Well, then maybe it's a good thing we only found them now."

"What even brought this on?" Miles asked him and Bella felt his hand stroking her hair softly and it made her smile.

"You really didn't see the way Connor was looking at Bella when you carried her inside after she fell asleep? I can tell he likes her already." Monroe replied and Bella tried to fight the blush that threatened to appear on her face.

"It doesn't mean they'll end up together…"

"Would you really be against the idea of them together?" Monroe asked Miles and Bella waited anxiously for the answer, not knowing why it made her so nervous in the first place.

"All I want is for her to be safe and happy. If he makes her happy then no, I won't object to them being together, but the fact that he's your son won't save him if he ever hurts her." Miles replied seriously.

"I can't believe how protective of her you are."

"She's my daughter and I love her. I would go to the end of the earth to save her and ensure her happiness." Miles replied and Bella was moved by that.

"I can see it, you know. Bella's special. I want you to know Miles, that I'm here too. No matter what, you'll always be my best friend, my family and that makes your daughter family too. If anything ever happens to her, I'll be by your side to help her." Monroe replied honestly.

"Thanks. So, how did your talk with Connor go?"

"Pretty well. He's starting to open up to me. He even admitted to being 'intrigued' by Bella." Bass said with a smile in his voice.

"So that's what brought up the subject of Bella and him together. You wanted to make sure I wouldn't hunt your son down if he tried to make a move on Bella." Miles nodded.

"Of course. He's my son. And come on, your daughter and my son… I'm convinced they'd make a cute couple. A much better one that if he was to fall for Charlie."

"Why's that? What do you have against Charlie?"

"Nothing! I just think that she's not the kind of woman I want with my son. She's the kind of person who won't be able to settle down, she'll always go and look for a cause to fight for."

"Maybe…" Miles replied and Bella decided to let them know that she was awake at that moment.

She slowly sat up and looked around the room, her eyes landing on Monroe and her father before she smiled at them softly.

"Ha, the sleeping beauty is up." Monroe joked, bringing Miles' eyes on her.

"How are you feeling Bells?" Her father asked her.

"Much better, thanks. I think I needed that sleep" She smiled and her father handed her a plate of food.

"You sure did, you slept for over 12 hours. Miles was worried sick, he was afraid you had caught the disease but Rachel reassured him, saying it was just exhaustion." Monroe told her with a smile.

"How's Gene doing?" She asked no one in particular.

"Getting better, don't worry. We're all fine now." Miles reassured her.

"Good. So… This was Connor, your son?" She asked Monroe to make conversation.

"He didn't introduce himself?" Bass asked her.

"It wasn't really the right condition for it with all the sick and dying people around us and the fact that we had to act quickly before the patriots found us out. There wasn't much time for talking." Bella smiled.

She spoke with her father and his best friend while she finished her plate. She listened to them tell her what had happened in Mexico and what happened in the last 12 hours she had spent sleeping.

When she was done eating she decided to go outside to clean up a bit. She felt like she really needed it to erase the feeling she had that she had the typhus virus crawling all over her skin. She was kneeling in front of a bucket of water, and a bar of soap by her side. The sun was shining brightly right above her when Connor came up to her from the side.

"Hey, so you're Miles' daughter, right?" He asked her.

"Yep. He only found out about me a few months ago though. Before I found him, he didn't even know I existed." She replied.

"Then we have something in common." He smiled at her.

She could see that he was trying to make conversation, to be open with her and show her that he was open to more conversation. The memory of what his father told hers while they believed her to be she asleep came back to her and it made her blush.

He was interested in her…

"More than you think." She smiled back before she walked back inside.

She didn't know if she could trust him yet. Sure, he had helped them against the Patriots, but was he a mini Monroe in the good way or did he get all of his father's bad traits? She didn't want to let herself too close to someone who could break her trust, or her heart.

A few minutes later, while Rachel took care of her father, Charlie, Bella, Monroe, Connor and Miles were gathered outside.

"So, what's the plan to get rid of these Patriots? We obviously can't wait for Texas to wake up, we have to act as soon as possible or half the town will be dead." Bella said.

"I might know of someone back in New Vegas, a warlord named Duncan. We might be able to buy some men." Monroe suggested.

"How would we pay for them?" Miles asked him.

"I'll find a way. Leave that to me." Bass replied confidently.

"The vaccines." Bella intervened.

"What?" Charlie asked, reflecting all of their thoughts.

"We still have all the left over vaccine doses. It's very valuable. It might get us a few more men. It has to be worth more than diamonds…" Bella replied.

"I have some diamonds stashed somewhere safe as well. I wasn't able to get to them before Charlie and these Bounty hunters got me. We'll have that too and I think I'll be able to win some more." Bass explained.

"I guess it'll have to do." Miles nodded.

"So, who's going?" Rachel asked from behind them, letting them know that she had heard everything.

"Connor and I will go." Monroe offered and his son nodded, welcoming the opportunity to learn more about his father during this trip.

"I should stay here and keep an eye on the Patriots." Miles said.

"And the second eye on Aunt Rachel." Bella joked, making Charlie and Bass chuckle while Miles and Rachel looked away.

"I'll stay here to keep an eye on the kids then." Charlie added with a smile.

"Are you sure?" Bella asked her.

"Yes… Earlier I was spying on the patriot camp and I think I saw Jason… I want to check it out. If it's him, them we might be able to use him to fight them all." Charlie smiled.

"I'll go with them then. I'll be able to dose the vaccine and who knows, a healer can be useful when dealing with warlords, even ones who are supposed to be friendly." Bella nodded, not giving anyone a choice and making Miles begging her to be safe and asking Monroe to keep an eye on his daughter and to keep her safe.

"Please Bass, keep an eye on her and don't let anything happen to her." Miles pleaded.

"Don't worry Miles. She's family now, remember? Connor and I will keep her safe, right Connor?" Bass assured them.

"Of course." Connor nodded.

"You know I can defend myself dad. We'll all be fine and we'll be back soon." Bella added as her father pulled her to the side so the others couldn't hear what they were saying.

"I'm not sure I like the idea of you going all the way to New Vegas with Monroe…" Miles shook his head.

"I'll be fine dad, don't worry. Plus, I think we both know that Monroe and his son are planning something." Bella smiled.

"What makes you think that?" Miles asked her.

"Because it's Monroe? And I saw the two of them whispering together earlier." She smiled, making him chuckle.

"You might be right. You don't trust him then?" he asked her curiously.

"I trust that right now he wants to help us against the Patriots but I'm sure that after that, he'll try to get his republic back with his son by his side. I also know that someone has to be on top and it might as well be someone that we know and trust. I think that if I go with them, I might be able to convince them to include us in their plans." Bella explained.

"You want to get the Monroe republic back with them?" Her father asked her.

"I think it would be best, this way we'd be able to help the two of them stay in the right tracks. Prevent them from going back to being as dark as it was before…" Bella told him.

"You might be right… And like you said, someone has to be on top and if helping Bass take his republic back can prevent someone like the patriots, or worst, to take power, then we should do it…" Miles nodded.

"So, when we're in New Vegas, I can tell him that you agree to help as long as we have a say in things?"

"Yes, you can and I'll try to convince Rachel and Charlie that it's the right things to do." Miles nodded.

After that, Bella hugged her father and went to get her back pack to join the 2 Monroe men on their travel to New Vegas.

What do you think of this new chapter?

What would you like to see happening next? In New Vegas, Bella will meet someone from her past, who will it be?

Lorelei Candice Black