"You gave up."
The courier glanced at Raul from across the table, arching an eyebrow. "Care to repeat that, my irradiated friend?"
The ghoul shrugged, sending a quick smile over to her. "We're sitting in your cozy little casino instead of storming Bishop's. I'm just surprised at you."
"What, you miss the action?" She joined in with his laughter, though she adopted a somber tone when she continued. "I could have gone in and blasted Bishop straight to hell, but what would that accomplish? I'd plunge an entire city into chaos for revenge that, honestly, I don't even want. So I'm Courier Six. If he wants me dead, he can come after me and deal with the Securitrons. Or we can sit back, run our respective cities, and let this go. Neither of us has anything to gain from attacking the other."
"Neither of you do." He pointed out, matching her tone.
"What do you mean?"
"What if someone else were to start something? Manipulate, deceive, pit the two of you against each other?"
She was quiet for a moment, considering Raul's words. "But in order to do that, they would have to know about the history between myself and Bishop. I only ever told you guys, and I know none of you would turn on me."
"None of us?"
"No, none of…" Eyes wide in realization, she cursed her own terrible judgment. She had let him come with her, told him her secrets, and trusted him. Sometimes she forgot she was playing a high stakes game, and let her opponent see her cards. This time, the mistake wasn't just embarrassing—it could be fatal.
"You."
Benny turned towards the entrance to Tops, coolly staring down the woman who had stormed through the door. He had seen the courier angry before, but this wasn't quite the same. Her eyes seemed to bore into his, her stance aggressive, yet her words were slow and soft.
"You didn't send any information to Mister Bishop, did you? Let me remind you that lying to me is a very, very bad idea."
"And with that attitude, I'd say telling you the truth is just as bad," He retorted, taking pleasure in the way her teeth ground together at his answer.
"Shut up." She marched towards him, slow and purposeful. "Do I have some sort of unhealthy, misplaced affection for you? Perhaps. But that is not why I brought you back to New Vegas. I brought you here to see how badly you screwed up, to watch as I accomplished everything you wished you could. I survived two point-blank shots to the head. Take your chances, and see what happens this time."
"Don't worry, I won't let you down." Without further explaining what he meant, he turned away, allowing a confident grin to eclipse his face as he walked off.
It wouldn't hurt to keep her guessing for a while—wasn't that what power was all about?
So this is it, folks! Thank you so much for your constant support and critique, and thank you for reading! I haven't yet decided on my next project-another Fallout fic, a sequel, or something Mass Effect related-and I am more than happy to take suggestions. Thanks again, and happy reading!