The sun was beating down hard on the Mojave as Parker made his way back to the valley where the Brotherhood bunker was. He was just happy to be done with the tasks given to him. The last two weren't in the least bit easy. The security bot at REPCONN had nearly taken his arm off when trying to escape; thankfully the pulse grenade had taken care of it. He had taken out the bot but not before the saw blade had slashed him across his arm. The bots on the lower levels were in such a frenzy trying to find the intruder that sneaking back through was impossible. He busted through the locked door he didn't bother to open in order to avoid the plasma bolts from the bots. The floor in that room had collapsed somewhat to the floor below which housed the proto-type gun he read about. He didn't care anymore about any security system and ripped the gun from its holding place and left the building as fast as he could. He was a good mile away and could still hear the alarm from the building.

Escaping that building was nothing compared to venturing towards the Boomer territory in the north. The men there are mad though possibly not as mad as the man that sent a patrol into the territory. The Boomers bombed anything within a quarter mile of the old air force base with extreme force. They wouldn't even give warning shots or anything. It truly was amazing at how well the power armor held the two Brotherhood men together in that crater. One of them was only missing their legs and half their face. The other merely was missing an arm and a leg. There isn't much left of those who do come out here after the Boomers bombardment stops. He was lucky he didn't end up like either man. He managed to get to the men and retrieve the undamaged holotape before being bombarded by artillery. Besides the few bruises and scratches from debris being blasted near him, he made it out just fine as he stuck to the walls of ruined buildings.

Entering the bunker he was greeted by the scrutinizing gaze of Paladin Ramos. "So you are back outsider. Elder McNamara wants you to present everything in person."

"Just show me the way," Parker spoke impatiently. His body ached from what he had gone through and wanted nothing more than to return to Novac and drink. Besides, he was sure Cass and Kaylee were dying to be let out of this bunker and see the sky again.

"Right this way then," the man shoved Parkers shoulder. The two descended further into the bunker. Other Brotherhood members stopped to stare and whisper about him as they went deeper. He could always hear the same thing over and over again amongst the murmurs. They acted like they trusted him because they dare not go against the Elder but in truth none of them did.

As he continued on he caught a glimpse of Kaylee standing down a side hall. She looked stiff standing there. He couldn't understand why. Her eyes were filled with joy and the gentle smile that spread across her lips. From the way she acted when he left made him believe that she would have jumped into his arms at the first chance given.

He put her out of mind as he entered the Elders quarters. Elder McNamara sat behind his desk as he had before he left. This time though Parker had the man's full attention the minute he walked in.

"So you have returned finally," McNamara spoke. "A little banged up as well. I'll have Senior Scribe Schuler look at you when you're done giving me the full report."

Parker handed over the holotapes and gave the reports of the scouts. The Elder listened carefully to everything that was said. The only time he spoke was to clarify on what had happened to the patrols. He left out what one of the scouts had said to him. That the Mojave is a bomb waiting to go off. The Elder most likely came to that conclusion though given the reports.

"They're all dead then," McNamara quietly said.

"What do you expect when you send them where you did," Parker responded irritated at the Elder's sudden dismal feeling for the lost.

"It has been years since we have left this bunker," the Elder countered. "The chance of it happening was great. They were great men and will be missed, though now we have a better understanding of the situation in the Mojave."

"And what are you going to do?" Parker questioned.

"I need time to think on this. It is a lot of information at once." For a few moments the Elder seemed to drift off into thought but snapped back to reality, "Of course, you and your friends are free to go. Though be warned, if you betray this location to anyone, we'll know."

"Before I go, what will you give me for this?" Parker pulled the Q-35 matter modulator out and showed the man.

McNamara stared at the weapon in awe, "Where did you get this?"

"It was locked up in the REPCONN Headquarters. I stumbled across it when I was trying to escape."

Rubbing his chin, the Elder offered, "I can let you fill up on ammo and offer a few of our lesser weapons of your choosing."

"Is any of it laser weapons?"

"No, those are reserved for those of the Brotherhood. We have a few pistols and sub machine guns that we have scavenged."

"I'm assuming you don't have much ammo for the guns in the first place, so I want some medical supplies. A few stimpaks and some med-x."

The Elder spent a few minutes thinking it over, though Parker could swear he was marveling at the gun, "It's a deal." He pulled a piece of paper over to him and began writing down a list of things and signed it. "Take this, Scribe Schuler will give you the medical supplies and Knight Torres will show you what we have to offer with the weaponry and ammo. Paladin Ramos will guide you."

Parker turned without a word and left the room with Ramos following right behind him. He was taken to the bunker's armory where he spent a good hour looking over the small assortment of weapons they were offering him. There were more than a few 9mm pistols that were in rough shape. He spent most of the hour taking them apart and separating the non-rusted parts to the side. By the time he finished he had one pistol in good condition and another that was adequate. He managed to find a few parts to replace a few rusting pieces in his varmint rifle. Paladin Ramos took Parker to the medical room where he got his arm re-stitched and collected the supplies that he was guaranteed. He was then taken to where Cass and Kaylee were.

Cass came walking up to him with a smile, "So you are alive. I was beginning to wonder."

"Not really the place I'd have expected to find you," Parker remarked at the terminals all over the room.

She sighed irritated, "There isn't much to do down here and they don't have any liquor either."

Looking around the room he asked, "Where's Kaylee?"

"She's been busy keeping helping out down here. It's helped me keep an eye on her though." Cass searched his eyes for a moment, "Where are you planning on going?"

"To Novac," he answered as he walked further into the room.

He found Kaylee typing at a terminal. She didn't take notice as she scanned the screen for something. Quickly she turned from the terminal in a rush and ran into Parker. He caught her by the shoulders before she ran into him. "Parker!" she exclaimed as she took a step back.

Before either could say anything, someone further back in the room spoke up, "It's too late Kaylee. It jumped again." A young man rounded the corner with a frustrated expression, "We were so close this time…"

Parker glanced to the man then back to Kaylee, "Who's this?"

"The name's Stanton. You must be the outsider the Elder sent out."

He didn't take his eyes off his companion, "I see you've made some friends. That's good."

Cass walked up behind Parker, "Yeah, these two have been trying to remove a virus or something from the terminals here."

"He helped teach me what I needed to know to help," Kaylee spoke up. "Though I'm still not the best at it."

"No, but everything takes practice," Stanton remarked as he walked around Parker to stand by Kaylee. "I was the same way but I kept at it until I knew any terminal like the back of my hand."

Parker nodded in agreeance to what the man said but changed the subject, "I've done what I needed to do. We can leave now, so you two should gather your things unless you plan on staying here."

"The sooner the better," Cass responded. "It is far too boring down here for my tastes. There just isn't the same excitement down here as there is out on the road."

"I guess this is goodbye Stanton," Kaylee spoke up. "Thanks for teaching me some new things."

"It was nothing, I was glad too," Stanton replied with a smile. "Besides it was nice to have some extra help for once around here." Kaylee returned his smile and gave him a hug before turning to leave the room with Cass following behind.

When the two were gone Stanton said aloud while glancing at Parker, "She is such a wonderful girl."

"Kaylee?" Parker questioned just to be sure.

"Yeah," the Initiate answered. "She is doing good considering what she went through over the last two weeks."

Parker didn't say anything but gave a slight smirk knowing that he wasn't the only one seeing that she was doing better. That is more than he can say for himself though. The time spent collecting the reports for the Elder helped him forget the past. Problem was that he started thinking about Amy again. He thought he had finally moved past that part of his life but he was starting to believe that he won't ever get away from it.

He gave a sigh and made his way for the exit. Paladin Ramos followed him back to the entrance as if to make sure he was leaving. Kaylee and Cass met up with him after a few minutes of waiting. Cass pushed through the doorway out and up the last set of stairs out of the bunker. Kaylee was right behind her as they seemed to race to see the sunlight again.


Kaylee talked with Cass the entire time they walked to Novac. Parker had stayed more than a few paces ahead of them on the trip back. She was just so relieved to be underneath the blue sky again but disappointed that Veronica couldn't come with. It was understandable of course why she couldn't but she was going to miss the cheerful woman.

They went north of the Brotherhoods bunker and headed towards the 188 Trading Post before heading south towards Novac. The sun was setting when they had arrived. Parker headed straight for the fridge in his room and took out a bottle of beer and sat down at the small table against the wall.

"What can't get me anything?" Cass complained as she entered the room.

"I got you out of that bunker so you could drink again," Parker countered. He pulled his bag up to him and began searching it until he pulled out two 9mm pistols which he set onto the table.

"What the hell Parker, no whiskey?" Cass shouted as she rummaged through the fridge some more.

"You drank every drop I had. Haven't exactly had the chance to restock in the last week." Parker got up and opened a drawer of a dresser and grabbed out a small case. He proceeded to take apart both guns and begin cleaning them.

Kaylee sat down on the couch watching him while drifting in and out of her thoughts. She wanted to say something to him. To let him know that she possibly might like him, but she was concerned of how he would react. He seemed tired and possibly exhausted from what he did over the past week, and to bring this up may make him make a wrong decision or might get him annoyed with her.

The thought of asking him if he wanted to go shooting had crossed her mind. Once again she figured he might be too tired to want to but she wanted to practice more. Whenever she thought of the three of them heading out on the road again, she could still only see herself as useless. That feeling would be eliminated if she was a better shot at the very least. The training she did in the simulator back at the bunker had not been put to use yet either so she was curious to actually test shooting with a real gun.

A few hours passed by as she sat there thinking over the constant circle of thoughts while Parker had checked and cleaned all the weapons. It wasn't long before Cass had drunk enough to pass out on the bed. The room was silent except for the soft cries of the pack brahmin's that were locked inside the gate for the night.

"I'm going to bed Kaylee," Parker spoke up finally. "I don't know if you want to stay up or not. There are some magazines over there."

"That's fine, I'll go to bed too," she responded quickly while reaching for her bag. She got up and headed for the bathroom.

Kaylee began undressing until she noticed the pink sleepwear that Cass gave to her sticking out of her bag. She had started wearing one back in the bunker and couldn't deny that she felt more comfortable in that rather than a t-shirt and sweat pants when sleeping. Outside the door she could hear him kick his boots off as he plopped down onto the couch. After a second's thought, she slipped on the garment as it couldn't hurt to see what his reaction might be. She took a deep breath and stepped out of the bathroom. Parker started saying something as he looked up but stopped once when he saw her. She couldn't help but smile slightly at his sudden loss of words.

"What?" she spoke casually while moving to the bed.

"I just... I didn't realize you wore those now."

"I guess I was just curious since Cass wears them all the time," she replied while pulling the blanket over her and Cass. "Is that okay?"

"Y-yeah," he returned. His tone sounded flustered and he began glancing around the floor as if searching for what to say.

Parker flipped off the lights after what felt like a few minutes of them sitting awkwardly in silence. She couldn't help but continue smiling that she was able to get worked up enough to break his calm expression.

"Kaylee?" he questioned quietly.

"Yeah?"

"How are you doing?"

"I'm fine," she responded somewhat confused, "why wouldn't I be?"

"Well a lot has happened since we met." He let out a long sigh before continuing, "Most of it hasn't been good."

"I know, but you and Cass have been a big help in dealing with everything."

"Likely it has been Cass doing most of that than me…" he trailed off. "I mean I haven't exactly been there to help you…"

"You have been busy," she interrupted him, "making sure we could get out of the bunker. I would call that helping me."

"Except I was the reason that we were even in that mess to begin with. I brought up going into that valley for those soldiers."

"Look, I was the one who wanted to go with," she attempted to shift some of the blame to herself.

"I shouldn't have let you come with. No, I shouldn't have thought the three of us could do that." After a brief moment he continued, "Just forget it. There is no changing that."

Kaylee laid there for a long time after he had fallen asleep. She couldn't fall asleep as their short conversation had made her think. It was clear that he wasn't trying to make her feel bad by pointing out that he didn't want her to go. She doesn't have the experience to be of help and it is because of her that he is feeling this guilt now. He had likely only offered to let her come with because she wanted the practice of actually shooting at real creatures.

With a sigh, she crawled out of the bed and quietly dug out a pair of jeans and a button up shirt she put on over the sleepwear. Carefully she moved about the room not to wake Parker and slipped out the door. Once outside, she took a deep breath of the cool air and made her way down the steps. Not knowing where she was going, she just circled the fenced in area of Novac. She wasn't tired and needed something to do. There was no way Cass was going to get up and she hardly wanted to bother Parker. He has already done enough for her over the past week and deserved a break.

The thought of the scrapyard came to her mind. The place was only about a half hour away from Novac. Old lady Gibson keeps the place rather safe with her five dogs. The old lady was always excited when the three of them stopped by. She was just happy to have visitors but mostly someone to help her around the yard in exchange for letting them use it as a shooting range.

Kaylee returned to the room to pick up the varmint rifle and some ammo. She tried her best not to make any noise and wake Parker. Several times she stopped altogether as he shifted on the couch before returning packing up the small amount of supplies. She was only planning to be out for more than an hour or so and she wasn't going to be far. Once more she sneaked out into the night when she was sure that Parker wasn't awake.

After traveling the half hour to the scrapyard, she collected a bunch of tin cans and set them up on an old car that was sitting in the moonlight. She spent an hour firing at the cans more just for the fun of it rather than to practice. She could tell the simulator that Veronica had her use back at the bunker helped her with shooting. It didn't make her a perfect shot but she could see the small improvements such as adjusting her shots if she missed.

Every few minutes she would feel like she should return to the room. She knew Parker would be angry with her when she tells. She was going to make sure she replaced the ammo since it was his to begin with. There had to be something she could do around Novac to earn some caps. The only plus she thought might is that she is bit more capable than she might seem. Perhaps that would take some of the guilt he was feeling off his shoulders.

After a while she ended looking at the sky while lying on the car. It was always beautiful and peaceful at night when the stars were out. She wondered how many times Parker had spent nights under the stars when he was doing courier work. The thought only made her want him here with so they could enjoy it together. A smile crept onto her face as she imagined him showing up here. He would probably sternly say something about having woken him up to come out here but he would then lay down to look at the stars as well.

She was drifting in and out of sleep when she heard footsteps. She assumed that it was her mind playing games on her since she was so tired. When the steps continued to advance she thought it was Old Lady Gibson's dogs, but her heart began to beat faster when she realized that the steps were too loud for a dog to make.

"What do we have here boys?" a voice spoke nearby. A voice that sent a dreadful feeling down Kaylee's spine.