Chapter 36

Novac.

Rachel could see it in the distance. The giant dinosaur looked just the same as it always had in the early evening hours. In just a handful more minutes Boone would have them focused in the crosshairs on his rifle and there would be no turning back.

Rachel straightened and tugged back on the leather reins she used the guided Claws. The deathclaw halted and swiveled his head to question her. Charon looked up at her too but there was more understanding in his ghostly eyes.

"It's getting late. Do you want to make camp?" He asked gently. "That dinosaur is Novac right? We don't have to go into town tonight."

Rachel sighed and shook her head, that tight ball of nerves at the base of her spine was humming so powerfully she was surprised Charon hadn't asked what that buzzing sound was.

"No, Boone should be in the snipers nest right now. He's probably already spotted us. Anyway I think it's best to just get this out of the way." Rachel climbed down from Claws and unstrapped her pack. She slung it over her shoulder and unclipped Claws' reins.

"I don't think it will be nearly as bad as you're envisioning." Charon told her but she just grumbled a little and he knew she didn't believe him.

She left his armor and the rest of their supplies loaded on him. She planned on unloading him later tonight when they knew whether or not they'd be staying. Part of her wanted to just bring him along too but it was never a good idea to ride the deathclaw into a town who hadn't met her boy.

"Take a walk Claws. Stay close but out of sight." Rachel told him. Claws nuzzled her affectionately and stalked off, tossing one last glance at them over his shoulder before he disappeared.

Charon adjusted his pack and scanned the open desert automatically. It was hot and unfamiliar here. Rachel had identified the animals they'd seen in the Mojave so far as coyotes and bighorners. Neither had been a problem but Rachel had told him about some of the other less docile creatures and like always he wanted to keep out a sharp eye.

Charon put a comforting hand on the small of Rachel's back and she smiled up at him. He's been doing his level best to ease her nerves and she did appreciate his effort.

"Well," she sighed. "Are you ready?"

"Of course," Charon nodded calmly. "Are you?"

She shrugged. "As I'll ever be…"

It took twenty minutes to reach the little town of Novac. Rachel plastered a smile on her face and waved up into the snipers nest but her smile faded when Manny waved back. He gestured for her to come up and she nodded, her pace picking up to a light jog.

Rachel was reaching for the door to the T-Rex when Charon stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. "What is it?"

Rachel glanced towards the door and then back to the ghoul, forcing herself to calm down. "The man up there was Manny Vargas. Not Boone. Manny is a gate sniper here too but he's the daytime sniper. He shouldn't be up there right now."

"It's been two years," Charon tried to reason with her. "Maybe they changed shifts."

"Maybe Boone's gone." she whispered and Charon gave her a little shake to snap her focus back onto him.

"Rachel, don't work yourself up with if's and maybes. Let's go talk to this Manny fellow. I'm sure your father is fine." Charon said the words forcefully and Rachel nodded. He was right of course.

She took one more steadying breath and pushed open the door. Rachel stepped into the musty little gift shop and smiled at the man counting caps on the counter.

"I'm sorry but I'm closed. Come back tomorrow." Cliff said without looking up.

"What if I said I wanted to buy one thousand T-Rex toys?" Rachel smiled a little more genuinely.

Cliff's head snapped up and he grinned. "Rachel! You haven't blown through here in forever! How ya been girl?"

"I been survivin'." Rachel told him and Charon noticed her accent had thickened just a little. It was adorable. "You?"

"'bout the same." He asked softly. "Have you seen Boone yet?"

"No?" Rachel said it like a question and the man sighed. "Manny waved me up as we came through the gates. Why isn't Boone on shift?"

"He-" Cliff's gaze slid to Charon and his eyes widen. "A new friend Ray?"

"Oh, Cliff this is Charon. He's my partner." She explained moving towards the stairs. "I'm thinkin' I really need ta talk ta Manny."

Charon nodded to the little man behind the counter and followed Rachel. She led him up a narrow staircase and opened the door to the noticeably cooler night air. A dark skinned man with a sniper rifle and dressed in a merc adventure outfit pulled Rachel into a tight hug.

Charon bristled and gritted his teeth, his hands balling into fists at his sides. How dare this smoothskin asshole touch his woman. What was worse was that Rachel's arms slid around him easily and she was squeezing him back with just as much affection.

"I'm so glad you're back in town Rachel. Truly." The human man whispered in her ear, slowly releasing her. Much too slowly for Charon's taste.

Manny looked up at the scowling ghoul and took a quick step back, his hand settling on his rifle instinctively. Charon pulled his shotgun from his back, daring the man to fire on him with his eyes. Rachel cocked an eyebrow and looked between them before Charon's ridged scowl clicked in her mind.

"Charon," She said tenderly, "This is Manny Vargas, we're old friends."

"I see that," Charon grunted and pulled her against him, his free arm sliding possessively around his waist. Manny put his hands up and step back again, his legs bumping against Dinky's teeth.

"Charon I've never seen you jealous before. Not this jealous anyway…It's kinda cute but there's no threat here. I promise." Rachel patted his chest affectionately, "Old Manny here is more likely to be attracted to you rather than me." She gave him a pointed look and Charon looked between the two smoothskin.

"Attracted to me…" Charon repeated and then he caught what Rachel was telling him. "Oh! Really?"

"When the humans both nodded he relaxed and slung his gun back over his shoulder. "That's fine then," he growled and stuck out his hand. "Charon."

Manny lifted his eyebrows in surprise and took the ghouls offered hand, "Manny."

"Now," Rachel put her hands on her hips. "What's going on? Why isn't Boone up here and why did Cliff ask whether or not I've seen him yet. He asked me that like Boones on his death bed!"

Manny sighed and adjusted his first recon beret. "Ray, after Carla you and he both took it hard. I remember you two were attached at the hip. Always locked in his house and half in the bag. Nothin' wrong with that," he added quickly when Rachel scowled. "But after you left you pulled yourself together. Boone didn't."

"Boone…" Rachel whispered.

"I'm pulling a double tonight because Boone…well…Ray he's not fit to carry his rifle right now. It's been worse this last week. Old Ranger Andy has been taking the nighttime shifts but the old man has a couple buddies up from the ranger station tonight. He's taking my day shift tomorrow."

Manny rubbed his tired eyes. "I know why it's worse this week but I gotta' tell ya' kid…I'm worried for him. Even though he doesn't speak to me anymore I'm afraid he's gonna do something stupid real soon."

Rachel eyes were watery by the time Manny finished with his update on what had been going on in her absence. Of course it's worse this week. Tomorrow was the second anniversary of Carla's death if the date on her Pipboy was right.

"I never should have left him here alone." she whimpered quietly. "He wasn't ready to be alone and I abandoned him anyway. If I'd stayed maybe he-"

"Rachel," Charon growled, cutting her off. He took her shoulders and made her look at him. "If you had stayed you would very likely be in the same state. You needed to leave to protect your mind and you did. Never feel guilty about that."

Rachel got ahold of herself and nodded, trusting Charon. She looked back at Manny when she was steady enough to keep talking. "Hasn't anyone tried to talk to him? Haven't you? You're his best friend!"

"Not anymore," Manny told her sadly. "He got it into his head that I was glad Carla was gone. The man hasn't spoken a word to me in over a year. Others have tried too. There's a pretty little ginger girl in town that seems to have made it her mission to get him to talk to her. She a courier I think. You're age or a little older maybe. So far I think all he's done is slam the door in her face. Once I was out having a smoke and I heard him yelling up here about how he was going to throw her out of Dinky's mouth if she didn't leave him alone.

Funny thing is when she came down she was grinnin' and when I asked her why she said it's cause he finally said a whole sentence to her."

Manny shook his head and lit a cigarette before offering the pack to his guests. Both Charon and Rachel accepted the offering gratefully. "She's stayin' with a doctor and a couple of other women in the room next to yours if you wanna talk to her."

Rachel nodded and took a long drag. "I might later but I think I'll try Boone first. I suppose he's home?"

Manny just nodded with that miserable look in his dark eyes.

One more cigarettes and a short walk later Rachel and Charon found themselves standing in front of a rundown little bungalow. There weren't any lights on inside but when Rachel looked through the windows she was sure the dark outline on the otherside of the room was Boone in a recliner.

She knocked softly and they waited.

Nothing.

Rachel knocked harder and there was a grunt from somewhere inside that sounded like a slurred "Go away,"

Rachel tried the door and clenched her teeth.

It was locked.

"Boone open the door," She called out, trying not the wake the whole town. She didn't want a spectacle.

There was another go away followed by something that sound a whole hell of a lot like bitch.

"Son of a… if he won't let me in I'll let myself in." Rachel growled under her breath and pulled a screwdriver and a bobby pin out of her pocket.

"Maybe we should come back in the morning," Charon suggested behind her. If this man was as far gone as people were saying then he was closer to a wounded animal than the father Rachel remembers. Ray was good with animal be he'd hate to have to hurt the man to protect Rachel from both Boone and probably herself.

"No, Boone can be a pissy drunk but he's fuckin' mean when he's hung over. Besides if I have to fight him I'd rather do it while he's cocked." She muttered, setting to work on the lock.

"You won't be fighting him." Charon growled behind her. "I won't allow him to lay a finger on you."

"He doesn't know you. If he needs some sense beaten into him I'm asking you to please…" Rachel looked up for a moment and met her lover's milky blue eyes, "Please let me handle it."

She hadn't meant it to be an order but Charon knew that tone of voice and sighed. "If you insist but I don't like it."

The lock clicked open and two shotguns cocked behind her. Rachel turned in surprise and found a petite ginger haired girl holding a hunting shotgun aimed at her face and Charon's shotgun aimed at the ginger.

The ginger ignored the ghoul and focused on Rachel. "Who are you? And why are you breaking into my friend's home?"

Rachel stood slowly and dropped her screwdriver back into her pocket. "My name is Rachel Boone. My father lives here and I've heard he's not himself. I'm here to help but the ass won't open the door."

"How do I know you're not some legion assassin sent to kill him off? He's never said anything about having daughter." The girl said quietly.

"I very much doubt he's said anything personal about himself to anyone in the last couple years. Craig's never been much of a talker. Besides, Legion doesn't let women in their military."

The girl's eyes slid the Charon and she paused, blinking at him and then she shook her head as if to clear it. "If you're his daughter why doesn't he open the door and let you in?"

"Because he's drunk off his ass and I've been on the east coast the last two years. He doesn't know I'm back. I'm tellin' you the truth and you're makin' Charon nervous. Please put your gun away so Charon doesn't shoot you. I don't want to have to explain to Manny and Ranger Andy and everyone else who runs Novac why my partners leaving bodies all over the place."

The girl thought about it for a few long seconds and finally she lowered her shotgun. Charon lowered his weapon too but he didn't put it away.

"I hear you've been tryin' to get Boone to talk to you. Why?" Rachel asked, curious.

The girl shrugged. "Honestly? I don't know. I just feel like he's about as lost as me." She held out her hand. "I'm Six."

"Six?" Rachel asked accepting the offered hand.

"Yep, I suppose I have a name-name but I don't remember it. Some asshole shot me in the head a few months back and I don't remember a whole lot before that. All I know is that I'm Courier Six from the Mojave Express so that's what most people call me."

"hmm," Rachel mused. "It's funny. You look familiar, I did some courier work a few years back, maybe we've crossed paths before?"

"Possible, I feel like I recognized you two too. If you remember let me know. Every little bit helps." the girl grinned and glanced at the door. "Sorry if I seem mistrusting but mind if I stand out here in case you try and kill my buddy?"

She asked so politely that Rachel actually chuckled. "Sure, you can keep Charon company."

"Not a chance," the ghoul growled.

"Charon, I'm going in alone. It will go better if it's just me." She told him, glancing back at the door with a worried expression. "Stay out here."

Charon growled at her but stayed rooted to the ground. That had been an order and sleeping together or not Rachel was still his employer. He couldn't disobey no matter how stupid he thought she was being.

Rachel turned the knob and silently slid into the dark room. The stench alone was enough to make her fear that she was too late. That maybe he'd drunken himself to death weeks ago. Rachel heard a groan and some light snoring from a chair in the corner of the room and she switched on her Pipboy light.

There he was.

He was passed out in filthy clothes and had a greasy unkempt beard. His beret and sunglasses where on the end table next to him along with a scoped .44, a bunch of empty bottles and what looked like an ash tray hiding under a mountain of cigarette butts. Insects buzzed around old forgotten food and there was definitely vomit somewhere close by.

"Oh Craig," Rachel whisper, her heart was breaking for him. Rachel switched off her Pipboy light and lit a couple lanterns. The house was even worse in the light.

She knew better the to try to wake him up by touching him so instead slid her half-filled water bottle from its sling on her hip and unscrewed the cap. Rachel looked him over for a final second and then flicked her wrist; sending water steaming through the air to splatter on her father's face.

Boone sputtered and jumped to his feet, simultaneously swinging his big fists and trying to blink the water from his eyes.

"Who the hell!"He roared, coming at her. Rachel sidestepped at the last second like he had taught her years ago and Boone crashed into a table. The old card table snapped in half and it along with everything that had been balanced on top of it crashed into a heap with Boone on the floor.

"Boone!" she yelled but he wasn't listening. He was fighting to get back to his feet and she saw that he'd cut a gash in his arm on something during his fall.

"Bitch, leave me alone!" he snarled, getting his feet under him and lunging again. His aim was off because he was squinting against the light and way past intoxicated. This time Rachel lunged too and she tackled him to the floor.

He hadn't been expecting that and went down hard. Boone tried to grab the throat of the troublesome woman straddling him but she dodged and punched him in the temple as hard as she could.

Craig Boone stilled as his vision blurred and he saw stars. He squeezed his watering eyes shut against the pain in his head and the woman moved. He stayed where he was. She'd either kill him finally or get bored and go away.

Either was fine bye him.

In the next second he felt his sunglasses slide into place on his nose and he blinked. The darkened room came into focus and he looked up at a very different girl than he'd been expecting to see standing over him. She was frowning down at him with her hands on her hips.

"Ray…?" he sounded like he didn't believe what he was seeing.

"Hey Boone. It's been awhile." she said, offering him a hand up.

"You're dead." he told her.

"I'm not." She shook her head. "I'm right here. I've just been away for a while."

Boone accepted her hand and she hauled him to his feet. Boone looked her up and down and then he looked around the place that was supposed to be his home. For the first time in two years he felt something other than the anger and the grief. He felt embarrassed.

"You…ah… you look good kid." he grumbled.

"Thanks," she said quietly. "You look like hell. Boone what's happened to you. Never mind. I know what happened." She said quickly when he looked away. "But Craig you can't keep going like this." She put a carful hand on his shoulder. "It's time to wake up."

"I'm fine Rachel."

"You're not." She said firmly. "If you were fine you would have bathed this year and you'd be performing your duties as nighttime sniper instead of passed out in your own vomit."

It was harsh, she knew that, but he needed to hear it.

"Why bother tryin'? nothing matters anymore. I'm just waiting for it all too finally be done with me. I've got bad things coming to me Rachel. You'd better keep your distance before you end up dead too." While he'd talked Rachel had guided him to a kitchen chair and gotten him to sit without him even noticing.

"We've both done terrible things Boone. But here's the thing about people like us, we are fuckin' hard to kill. Over the last two years I've tested that several times and I'm still kickin'." Rachel got some bandaged and disinfectant out of the med kit in the bathroom. The smell in there was even worse than it had been in the kitchen.

She cleaned the gash on his bicep while she talked to him and way back in his alcohol addled mind he realized he'd missed having someone, anyone, really talk to him.

"Boone… Carla would sob if she could see you now. Tomorrow…well you know what tomorrow is. She's gone but we're still walking these broken roads. We're alive. You are alive."

"I shouldn't be. I killed my wife Rachel." he whispered the words and she shook her head.

"No Boone. The legion killed her. And- and I'm the one who pulled the trigger. Her blood is on my hands. Not yours." Rachel felt a tear roll down her cheek but she ignored it.

"You did it for me." he grumbled miserably.

"I did it for her." She whimpered and she sniffed softly. Boone blinked and focused on her fully for the first time since she'd woken him up.

"Ray?"

"Yeah?" she asked, finishing up his arm and wiping her eyes.

"I'm really glad you came back. I think…I think I'm gonna take a bath." He said with all the seriousness of the man she used to know. Rachel nodded and giggled. It was something about the way he'd said it and the fragile state of her emotions that produce the sound bubbling up from her throat.

Boone snorted, getting shakily to his feet. "It's not funny."

"Yes it is," she laughed, "Because you really need a bath Boone. You reek."

Boone scowled but she could tell he wasn't really angry. "You don't smell too great yourself kid."

"I just walked three thousand miles. What's your excuse?"

Boone grabbed his cigarettes and headed for the bathroom. "Fair enough."

When Rachel crossed the threshold of the building Charon grabbed her and pulled her flush against his hard body. "You should have let me go with you. Did he harm you?"

"No?"

"You've been crying!" Charon growled, touching the damp corner of her eye with his thumb. "Tell me where you're hurt."

"Yeah I cried a little but Boone didn't hurt me. We talked a bit and I got emotional, with your super ghoul hearing I'm sure you heard."

Charon nodded. "I did, I also heard a lot of swearing and a fight."

"A fight that I won." She assured him softly, leaning her head against his chest. "He's sobering up now and he's even gone to bathe so that's good. I think I helped a little."

Six cleared her throat and the two jumped apart. She waved her hand dismissively though. "Don't quit cuddling on my account. Human ghoul relationships don't bother me in the least. What I wanna say is congratulation on getting him to talk to you. And the bathing. Especially the bathing. I'm glad somebody's getting through to him."

"Me too, but it helped that I was here for the cause a couple years ago. Guess I had something like a home field advantage."

"Wanna share? I don't have super ghoul hearing." She grinned hopefully. "Only moderate ghoul hearing."

"Sorry Six. You'll have to get Boone to tell you. But since I feel like it would be good for him to do a little socializing you can help me clean up his place if you want. I'll warn you. It's bad."

Charon hefted both his and Rachel's packs. "I'll put these in your room. Do you want me to bring anything back?"

Rachel handed over the keys. "All the rags and cleaner we have. Probably we should go unpack Claws too."

Charon nodded and left.

Six was bouncing in place. She was a peppy little thing. "Let's get to work! I've been trying to get into Boone's house for a week!"

When Boone reappeared the girls and ghoul had worked a minor miracle. All the empty bottles were neatly stacked in wooden creates by the door. His front door and all the windows were open to let the room air out and outside he could see a metal barrel in his front yard with a blazing fire in it.

They'd burned all the trash and old food along with a vomit encrusted rug that was way beyond rescue. His counters had been scrubbed and his furniture was gone. It was probably outside waiting to be either cleaned or burned. Rachel was doing his dishes and the ginger haired girl named Six was washing curtains in a bucket on his stoop.

The biggest ghoul he'd ever seen was kneeling on the floor with an assortment of tools fixing the table he'd broken only a couple of hours ago.

He'd taken his time with the bath and then he's shaved his face and head. It was a longer process than it should have been because he'd neglected the chores for so long. He'd even found a clean change of the clothes forgotten in his dresser.

Boone cleared his throat and three pairs of eye focused on him.

"Hey," Rachel smiled, "There's a man I recognize."

"Yeah," Boone nodded, glancing at the other two. "Who are these people?"

Rachel kept smiling. "Well, outside is Six. I believe she's been stalking you the last week or so."

Six waved with that sunny smile in place on her lips and Boone grunted. She had.

"And this…" Rachel moved to the ghoul who stood up to his full height. "This is Charon. He's my partner all the way from D.C."

Something about the way she'd said it made Boone instantly suspicious. "You don't have partners. You always work alone…you pay him?"

It was a loaded question. "We split both payment and expenses evenly." Charon told the man steadily.

Boone grunted, unconvinced. "How long have you two been working together?"

He was asking Charon now, interrogating him like any good farther would when meeting the man traveling around the country with his only daughter.

Charon crossed his arms, keeping his face relaxed. "About a year and a half."

"Are you sleeping with my daughter?" Boone asked flatly, wondering what Rachel had done with his .44. He'd fight the ghoul bare handed if he had too but that was a very big ghoul and Boone was out of practice.

"Boone!" Rachel snapped but the men both ignored her.

"Yes." Charon told him, chest puffing up just a little.

"Is it consensual?" Boone asked calmly, eyes flicking around in search of his .44 for half a second.

Charon considered the question while Rachel scowled at her adoptive father.

"It is now."

Boone's expression turned hard while Rachel gave Charon a startled look, "And before?"

"Before I had to fight her off. She's a very forceful woman when she wants something." Charon told the ex-first recon sniper who nodded, his shoulders relaxing.

"That she is." Boone said. Rachel was a tough girl. If the ghoul had forced himself on her Ray wouldn't be traveling with him. in fact she would have probably killed him.

Rachel turned bright red. This was not how she'd envisioned this meeting going. "Fuck off asshole! I did not force myself on you!"

Charon chuckled, remembering the way she'd followed him half naked down stairs after he'd put her to bed that first night. "Whatever you say…dear."

Rachel gaped like a fish out of water for a long moment while Boone snorted and Charon stared her down, daring her to argue. Rachel closed her mouth and grumbled. "I'm goin' outside with Six. You too are clearly being affected by the fumes from the cleaning supplies."