A/N: I asked the husband if this was too cheesy... he said it wasn't cheesy enough. Oh, snap...

/

It had only taken the pair another day to reach the mountains, even going at the slower pace that Boone had set for them to account for his partner's injury.

Fay hadn't said a word to him about how she felt about sleeping in his arms, and Boone didn't try to force the issue. But the sniper was already hoping she'd sleep in his arms tonight and every night for the rest of their lives. Nightmares normally plagued him during his sleep, nightmares of Bitter Springs or losing Carla. But last night... nothing but peaceful oblivion with a beautiful woman in his arms.

He'd tried once more to get Fay to go back, but she'd refused. Then he'd offered to check on her wound, change her bandages, make sure she was okay... she'd refused that, too.

So instead they'd simply walked in companionable silence towards the mountains. Boone was glad that even after all this time together, she still understood that talk wasn't always necessary. She let him have his peace, his silence. That was until...

"Craig?" Fay's sweet voice hit his ears. He turned toward her.

"Yeah?"

"Don't look now, but there are more assassins following us," she said cheerfully. She flashed him a blindingly white smile, like she was thrilled to have a reason to kill someone. Boone was starting to suspect that his partner was nuts, not that he cared. Some days he felt like he was on the edge of insanity himself. He sighed, putting a hand to his temple.

"Figures…" he grumbled under his breath, but he did as she asked and didn't look back. He should have known that there would be more. "How far back?"

"Oh, maybe a mile or so… they're trying not to be seen. They're not very good at this," she said sadly, like she felt sorry for their lack of skill. Boone chuckled.

"Come on, this way..." he said quietly. "We'll walk behind this ridge. One of them might be a sniper."

"Maybe," Fay agreed. "But I've done this before, Craig. Stop worrying. Besides, I've got my own sniper. A better one than any the Legion could come up with, I'm sure."

Boone cleared his throat, feeling the back of his neck reddening. It was a simple compliment, one that had been said extremely pragmatically, but Boone had spent enough time with his partner to know that there was feeling behind it… and trust.

He wished he could address the topic of their sleeping together last night… He wanted her to bring it up to him, to somehow let him know that she'd enjoyed it as much as he had. But no, she simply swept along beside him, holding her bad arm to her chest. A hard little knot formed in Boone's stomach as he watched her.

Both of them carefully changed direction and began heading for cover, but casually, so as not to arouse suspicion. A wind blew across the irradiated, dusty desert, throwing sand in their faces. Boone pulled out his sunglasses.

"So, what… you own me now?" he joked lightly. Fay beamed at him, tugging her hood further down so he could barely glimpse her gleaming teeth.

"Hey, you're the one following me, remember?" she said happily. "That means I call the shots, right?"

The sniper rolled his eyes, shifting his heavy pack on his shoulder. The one thing he'd managed to convince Fay to let him do for her was carry her things.

"Huh..." he said slowly. "Don't remember making that deal."

"Oh, you ruin all my fun..." Fay sighed. "Well, how do you want to get rid of them?"

"You're supposed to be resting. We don't need this shit right now," Boone grumbled irritably, avoiding her question.

"Does anyone ever need it?" Fay asked as they disappeared behind the stony ridge. There wasn't a whole lot of choice… this plain was fairly devoid of good cover.

Boone swung his rifle off his back and quickly checked to make sure it was loaded and ready. Fay reloaded her pistol, Boone watching out of the corner of his eye. But there was no way he was going to let her fight if he didn't have to.

How can I show you I care? By killing these assassins? I've killed for you before, and you've killed for me. No, it needs to be something else. I thought maybe holding you while you slept would do it… but on the other hand, I told you that wasn't a big deal.

And what would you know about love? Actually… what would either of us know about love?

What can I do? I can't just say it… I'm no good with words. It'll come out all wrong.

"Is this the part where you say 'I told you so'?" Fay said with a playful smile. Boone grunted.

"Yeah, well… I tried to get them to back off. Didn't work, I guess."

Fay frowned, brushing back her hair so it was out of her face.

"When was this?"

"Bitter Springs," Boone mumbled under his breath. "Sent Caesar a message that if he wanted you, he'd have to go through me."

His partner's frown deepened, the scar on her forehead wrinkling. Not for the first time, Boone wondered who had shot her in the head, if only so he could hunt that person down and kill them. Yeah, that would feel good… like blowing off Jeannie May's head had felt good.

"Why would you do that?" she asked, her golden eye glinting under her hood. "You want to be on Caesar's hit list? You jealous I'm on it or something?"

"Very," Boone confirmed. But he couldn't tell her why he'd done it, purposely pissed off Caesar… not yet anyway.

Thankfully for him, there was still the matter of the assassins to deal with.

"Be right back."

Boone crept around the side of the ridge. The assassins wouldn't know what hit them. He lined up a shot, and a split second later pulled the trigger.

He'd never really thought about it before, how easy it was for him to kill at a distance. But as those assassins fell dead in the sand, Boone was wishing he had Fay's skill at killing up close and personal. Sometimes he felt that would be even more satisfying than sniping from a distance.

Boone easily picked them off like he'd done to so many others. He hit the one in the back first, his bullet piercing the man's forehead so that he dropped like a stone. As the man collapsed, the other two turned around to see what had happened. Boone's next shot entered the back of the second assassin's head. The third tried to run for cover, not that he got very far before Boone's bullet pierced his back.

"Not bad," came Fay's voice right behind him. "Could've gotten that last guy a little quicker."

Boone heaved a sigh.

"You should have waited down there," he said, pointing to the ridge.

"I hate waiting," Fay said with a grin.

Boone bit his tongue to keep himself from saying something stupid, but it didn't work.

"You're going to get yourself killed," he snapped. "Could you just listen to me for once?"

Fay made an odd face at him, taking a step back.

"Well… then so are you," she said slowly. "Putting yourself between me and Caesar… you really are crazy."

"I had to," Boone barked at the sand. "They would have overrun Bitter Springs to get to you."

"No, you didn't!" Fay insisted, clenching her tiny fists by her sides. The wind picked up angrily, pulling at Fay's starlight hair. Fay furiously pushed it out of her way. "You made a choice... that's all it is. So why did you do it when you didn't have to?"

Boone swore under his breath, slinging his rifle on his back. They didn't need to have this conversation right now… He wasn't ready for it.

"Yeah… I did," he sighed. "I had to."

He looked toward the mountains. They still had a little ways to go before they made it to the pass…

"Come on… we're wasting time," he snapped over his shoulder. He just caught Fay giving him a confused look as he climbed over a sand dune.

"Craig, wait…" Fay said quickly, running to catch up with him. She nearly lost her footing for a moment, her boot sliding in the shifting sand… Boone threw out his arms to catch her. And he did catch her, Fay tripping into his embrace, but in his haste he'd grabbed at her wound.

"Ow," Fay moaned, jerking away from him, grasping her injured shoulder. His partner gave him a reproachful look. "That hurt."

It must have hurt… there was a small blood stain on what he could see of her bandages. Great, if he'd ripped her open again... the blood stain spread a little bit more as he watched.

Boone was already feeling nettled… he didn't want to add further guilt on top of it. But it was too late, guilt and shame were already bubbling in his guts like acid. He shouldn't have grabbed her so roughly… His only saving grace was that she didn't look angry.

"Listen," she said gently, sliding up to him. "Why are you acting like this?"

Boone just stood there in the sand, feeling the wind whipping around him. Fay's odd eyes held him in place, one bright gold and the other sapphire blue. They had been the part of her that had drawn him in… not her pale skin, not her starlight hair, not her sweet voice… it was those damn eyes that wouldn't let him go.

Sometimes he felt like she must have two souls, and that's why she had such different eyes... maybe she could lend one soul to him, lend him a little bit of life...

Her gaze softened.

"Look… I already told you, I know you," she whispered. "And you seem angry, so… I'm guessing something hurts in here."

She reached out and tapped his chest plate, right over his heart.

Boone clenched his jaw, but didn't deny it.

"Want to tell me what hurts?" she said softly. She lowered her hand, brushing his fist with her fingers.

Boone still said nothing… Fay looked away, temporarily freeing him from her spell.

"Okay," she said, nodding. "Well… let's keep going then."

She began to turn away, heading toward the pass, Boone trailing in her wake. She was so trusting of him… She believed in him. Just say something, you moron… anything. You're letting her slip away.

"Tell me something."

Fay tilted her head back towards him as she walked. While she was busy looking at him, she tripped. Boone instinctively reached out to grab her hand. Fay accepted his big, warm hand grasping hers without question.

It occurred to him that a few months ago, she would have nervously shaken him off.

"Sure?"

Just ask her… Just say it. She's not even shaking anymore when you touch her. That's got to mean something.

"What am I to you?"

His partner raised a pale eyebrow at him.

"You make a good meat shield," she said brightly, flashing him another blindingly white smile. Boone rolled his eyes.

"That's not what I meant."

"Well then what did you mean?" Fay sighed. "I've noticed this with people… No one says what they really mean, they just want me to know... And I don't know, okay?"

"Am I… just a partner?"

Fay squeezed his fingers, her thumb feeling some of the scars on the back of his hand. She was silent for a while, pondering her response.

"I'm not sure how to say it," she said softly. "What's more than a friend?"

How about a romantic partner? Lover? Both sound good to me… Being around you hurts, but not as much as it hurt before. Somehow remembering the past makes it hurt less. Don't think I ever would have thought of that…

"I, uh..."

"Look, why don't you just tell me what hurts, okay?" Fay insisted one more time. "I know that's what you're trying to do."

"Nothing hurts," Boone grumbled. "I'm fine."

"And you're lying," Fay said cheerfully. "Just tell me? We've been traveling together for a while now… I won't make fun."

He knew she wouldn't. She'd listen attentively just like she had at Bitter Springs. And she wouldn't judge him. Possibly she didn't know how, she simply formed opinions in that pretty little head of hers.

Except all he had to tell her was how much he wanted to be with her, and he was afraid to tell her that because she might reject him like she'd rejected James Hsu. She'd still care about him, of course. But she'd never let him get any closer than that.

It's just… I care about you, he thought desperately to himself. And if you reject me… what am I supposed to do with that? Find the death that I originally came out here to get?

"Look..." Boone began uncertainly. "Let's talk about it later, okay?"

"Later..." Fay repeated. "I'll hold you to that."

"Hang on, I gotta check my map," Boone added, ensuring that his partner would give up on her interrogation.

She squeezed his hand and then let go, skipping playfully through the sand. Boone happily watched her butt as she walked.

We don't have to talk, Boone thought lazily as he unfolded his map. Talk is overrated. If I could just find a way to show you that I care...

But nothing better than his original plan occurred to him, so he double checked his map, then continued on the same path toward the ominous mountains.

/

The walk through the pass had been surprisingly uneventful. The only other living things they saw on the way were some Big Horners and a few geckos, which Fay happily hit with her knives to conserve bullets.

Once they'd gotten through the pass, the air had started to thicken in the cooler temperatures, congealing into a swirling white mist. Boone wasn't used to this kind of weather... he'd never traveled much outside of the Mojave. The sand had long since changed to a kind of sandy, dusty dirt.

Fay looked more and more unhappy with every step they took. After that it wasn't long before she stopped dead in her tracks.

"There it is," she whispered, pointing off into the mist. "Sorry, this is as far as I go."

Boone squinted in the direction she was pointing in, and after a moment he saw what she was seeing. A valley and a small town, shrouded in mist, and a river flowing behind it. Boone immediately began subconsciously memorizing the terrain, but Fay interrupted his planning.

"Listen..." Fay said slowly at his back. "Now that we're here... I'm not so sure you should go down there."

Boone frowned, waiting for an explanation, but he didn't get one.

"We could go back, you know," Fay whispered into the mist. "Let's just forget about this. We could go back and make the Legion pay for what they took from us. We could do it together."

Boone stared at his partner. She looked sick, like this mist was sucking the life out of her. Those mismatched eyes seemed dull and dead, like the blue stone around her neck.

She really did understand how he felt... The Legion had taken Fay's friends like they'd taken Boone's wife. And every day that memory caused him pain, like her memories no doubt caused her pain.

But as tempting as her offer was... he couldn't take it. It was too risky to go back. Besides, now that he was here he could barely contain his desire to get out there and mercilessly slaughter some Fiends... specifically, the ones that had tortured his partner. He owed it to her to get her justice.

"We can't go back," he said slowly. "The Legion will find us eventually. You know that."

"I also know that this is crazy, Craig," she whispered. "I never should have asked you to come here. I don't know what I was thinking..."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Boone grumbled. "I told you, I know what I'm doing. Done it a million times in the NCR."

An image of Bitter Springs involuntarily rose in his mind, but he furiously pushed it away. He'd make his peace with that later, once he was done protecting the only thing in his life that really mattered.

Because Fay had been right about that, too... He was still a solider at heart. And a soldier's job, in his mind, was to protect the innocent. And although he knew Fay was anything but innocent, he couldn't help but picture her that way.

Fay fidgeted in front of him. He could tell she was trying to come up with another argument as to why they should go back. Her thin hand dove into her pocket but she came up empty handed.

"I keep forgetting you have it," she admitted. "The coin."

"You want it back?" Boone offered, holding the bloody coin out to her. He quickly wiped his dried blood from the surface.

"No," Fay said, shaking her white head. "It was a gift, to help you think."

"I can think just fine," Boone sighed, pocketing the coin. Fay shook her head again, wayward hair going everywhere. She absently slipped a blade out of her sleeve, twirling it between her fingers before stowing it back in its hidden sheath.

"If you could think you'd take me back," she murmured, silvery hair framing her thin face. "Forget this whole thing."

"Yeah, well... someone once told me I'd never forget," Boone shot back. He paused, then laughed quietly to himself. "And she was right," he added with a grin.

Fay smiled weakly. Boone wished she didn't look so sick out here, almost... like a ghost. He shook his head, dismissing that thought.

"So where do I find these Fiends?" he asked, squinting into the mist. It occurred to him that this atmosphere wasn't exactly ideal for sniping. How would he see in this to shoot properly?

"North," Fay said quietly. "Beyond that, I'm not sure. I'd ask the people in town."

His contemplation of the weather came to an immediate halt. Him... talking to those heartless monsters who had abandoned the girl standing next to him?

"Me... talk to them?" Boone snarled. Fay blinked, like she couldn't understand his sudden ferocity.

"Yes..." she said slowly. "They might have seen something I couldn't at the time..."

Right, because they didn't care enough to try and help you, Boone thought furiously.

"Thanks, but I'll find the Fiends on my own," Boone spat. "I'm not talking to those people. Forget it."

Fay shrugged her slim shoulders and flinched.

"Suit yourself..." she murmured. "But it'd probably be smart to know more before you wander off into the mist, wouldn't you think?"

Boone bit down on the inside of his cheek, and it wasn't long before he'd ripped open the soft tissue yet again. Blood seeped in between his teeth. She was right again... this was one mission he couldn't afford to take chances on.

"Fine, I'll ask them," he said through gritted teeth.

Fay nodded.

"And as soon as you're done... you'll come back to me, right?" she asked uncertainly.

Boone's anger faded almost as quickly as it had come upon taking in the worried look on Fay's pale face. He swallowed a gob of bloody spit.

"Yeah," he replied, reaching out to brush her hand like he'd been doing recently... but Fay caught his hand in hers, raising it to her cheek. She pressed his big hand to the side of her face like she'd done when she'd first confessed her horrible past to him...

"And then you'll go West?" Boone breathed. Fay nodded into his palm.

"I promised, didn't I?" she whispered, a little bit of life back in her eyes.

Boone didn't like the idea of leaving Fay here... he was almost tempted to ask her to come with him, but then he realized that probably wouldn't be the best idea. She was still hurt... and on top of that, she was obviously suffering from some kind of post traumatic stress from the memories of her torture, not that he blamed her.

"And then you'll tell me what hurts?" she added, slowly releasing his hand.

Boone nodded silently. Fay reached out and snatched his beret off his head. Boone was about to protest, but all she did was dust it off and then put it back.

"Might as well look nice when you go to meet the neighbors," she said, completely stone faced.

Boone felt himself grinning, despite the insane situation he was about to put himself in.

"You think I look good?"

"I do," Fay said serenely.

Boone's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't been expecting that answer...

He knew for a fact that he probably did not look good. He probably looked sweaty and dirty and gross. His partner, through some magic of her own, still looked flawless to him. Beautiful and flawless. And he wasn't about to argue with her over what she saw in him.

What did she see in him, anyway? When those odd eyes looked right through him... what did they see?

"Just... hurry back. Please," she whispered. "I don't want to stay here long."

"Alright," he manged, trying to work up the will to leave. "I'll be back soon, and we'll get the hell out of here. And you'll be rid of those assholes."

Fay nodded.

"I'll wait here," she whispered.

Boone glanced at the town. He wondered which house out there had been hers... but he'd said he wouldn't go inside.

Then something caught his eye as his partner looked distractedly behind them. The ground between the town and where they were standing looked weird, uneven...

"This place a junkyard?" he asked, squinting at the ground.

"Hm?"

"All that stuff down there..."

"Stuff?" Fay repeated incredulously. "I think you mean bones."

Oh... Boone thought, embarrassed at his sudden stupidity. Of course... the Boneyard.

"The Fiends massacred a bunch of people here a long time ago... that's what's left," Fay informed him, her hands shaking. "No one ever tried to bury them. And more bones just keep piling up..."

"Sounds like these Fiends have had it coming to them for a long time, then," Boone growled, tapping subconsciously at his machete.

"True," Fay agreed. "I hope it's worth it."

"It definitely will be," he assured her, a strange heat rising in his chest. This was it... he was actually going to get his lovely partner the justice she deserved, and then she'd hopefully sleep better in his arms at night.

Fay grinned.

"That's the soldier I know," she whispered, leaning forward to peck him on the cheek. "There's no stopping you from doing what you think is right... and having some fun, huh?"

Boone made an indistinct noise, his brain having temporarily short circuited. Fay didn't seem to notice.

"Good luck... come back soon, okay?" she added, stepping back into the mist. Boone simply stood there, his heart pounding and his cheek tingling, as he watched her disappear into the fog. And moments later she was gone, almost like she really was a ghost, like she had never been there at all.

Boone touched a hand to his cheek.

I think I love you, he thought, warm emotions flooding his body, adding to his internal fire. And maybe... maybe you love me back. I promise we'll find out if it's true. Soon.

Craig Boone turned and descended into the Boneyard.

/

A/N: This story went through so many different versions... Boone and Zero have so many alternate realities in which they are together haha. I actually cut a lot out of this one to try and make it work. Sometimes I feel like I should post the extended version. And sometimes I feel like I lost my focus right after chapter nine, but I promised myself I wouldn't leave this unfinished. It will have an ending, even if it sucks!

And thanks to anyone still reading! You rock.