Chapter Summary: The events of the previous evening have changed things between Beth and Boone, they just aren't sure how. An unwelcome visitor brings a little closure. Later, the companions return to the 188 and Beth encounters an old friend.

Chapter 19: What a Difference a Day Made

When Boone next opened his eyes, morning sunlight was streaming in through the window. To his left, he saw the person lying next to him and a contented smile spread across his face. Beth looked so peaceful as she cuddled the blanket against her chin, snoring softly.

A few minutes later, she stirred and cracked her eyes open. Seeing him lying there startled her slightly. "Oh, hey. Morning."

"Morning," he replied and she let out a small laugh. "What's so funny?"

With a smirk, she shook her head. "Nothing."

"Hm. What time is it?"

She looked at her left arm. "Uh, where's my Pip-Boy?" she said to herself, looking around. "Must have left it in the bathroom."

"I didn't know you could take it off," he observed.

"I usually don't, but when I'm someplace with a locked door, it's nice to give my arm a break." Standing up and stretching her back, she walked into the bathroom. "It's almost nine," she called to him, coming back with the device in place and a clean pair of jeans in her hand.

Boone caught himself admiring the gentle curves of her body as she slipped the denim fabric over her shorts, but looked away before she saw him watching, although now he wasn't really sure why. Getting up, he glanced at her again, wondering how she felt about the kiss and falling asleep in each others' arms. Oddly, he was still comfortable with it and where he would have expected the familiar stifling guilt, there was only a twinge. He actually felt lighter than he had in a long time.

Beth retrieved her boots from the spots on the floor where they had landed the previous night and sat on the bed to put them on when a knock came at the door.

"Expecting visitors?" he asked.

"Eh, it's probably just Cliff with breakfast." She shrugged.

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "He never brought me breakfast."

Tilting her head to the side, she looked at him impatiently. "Just get the door," she said, rolling her eyes and resuming tying her laces.

"Anything else I should know about?" he asked, with a mischievous grin, knowing full well nothing happened between them. The older man probably just had a little crush on the pretty girl. Opening the door, his expression fell flat when he saw Manny Vargas on the other side. "What do you want?" he asked with disdain, crossing his arms.

"Hey, man...I—oh..." the daytime sniper started, but stopped when he saw the woman sitting on the bed with both sides unmade. "Uh, sorry, I didn't know you had...company." He cleared his throat, his hands adjusting the red beret on his head.

"I don't. This is her room." Without taking his eyes off his former friend, he said, "Beth, why don't you go get us some coffee?"

With a quick nod, she replied, "Happy to." She jumped up and squeezed between the two with a quiet "excuse me" before bounding down the concrete steps.

"So what do you want?" Boone inquired in an icy tone, not sure why he was bothering to ask. He hadn't spoken to to the man in over a year and hadn't cared to, but maybe a part of him was a little less angry than before.

Manny scratched his arm nervously. "I saw you get in last night and I wanted to see how you were. I've been worried about you, since I haven't seen you in a while."

"I'm fine. Anything else?"

"You've been traveling?"

"Yeah, so?"

"With her?" he asked, gesturing behind him with his thumb.

He sneered. "That isn't any of your business." Manny was the last person he wanted to talk to about Beth.

"Hey, man, sorry...I-"

Boone grunted. "Just cut the bullshit. What do you want?"

Looking down, he sighed. "Well...I found out why Carla disappeared, that someone had her kidnapped. And that you figured out who it was."

"Oh?" He kept his face stony, not wanting to give anything away until he heard what Manny knew.

"Yeah, No-Bark told me he talked to...uh, that courier about what he saw the night she disappeared. That along with Jeannie May being found with a bullet in her head in front of the nest, then you leaving town...it wasn't too hard to figure out."

Calling her "that courier" sounded dismissive to Boone. With narrowed eyes, he emphasized, "You talk to anyone about this, you leave Beth's name out of it."

Waving his hands in front of him and shaking his head, he quickly responded, "Nah, man, nah. I'm not gonna tell anybody." After a moment of tense silence, he finally asked, "Did you...did you find her?"

"Yeah. She's dead."

"Oh. I'm sorry." Manny actually managed to look a little sad. "At the time, I really thought she just took off. "

Boone wanted to say, "Bullshit! You didn't care either way, as long as she was gone." Hell, he wanted to punch him in the face. Instead all that came out was, "Okay." After several seconds of silence, he asked, "Anything else?"

"No, I was just...I am glad you're at least talking to me." He gave a hopeful smile.

"Yeah, well, I'm done now." He put his hand on the knob and shut the door in Manny's face.

As she entered the gift shop at the bottom of Dinky the Dinosaur, Beth greeted the man behind the counter. "Morning, Cliff." The scent of brewing coffee was thankfully helping mask the normally strange smell inside the dinosaur: a mixture of stale air, old wood, and rubbery plastic from the numerous dino souvenirs.

"Hey, you came back! Must be doing something right," he replied with a big smile. "Can I get you anything?"

"Yeah, two coffees, please."

"Two, eh? All that courier work must be tiring."

Leaning against the counter, she smirked. "You don't know the half of it." As he picked up two cups and walked over to the coffee machine, she asked, "So...any news?"

Pouring the coffee, he turned back to her. "Actually, now that you mention it, just after you left town the last time, the motel proprietor was found dead in front of the dinosaur. Damnedest thing."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," she replied, affecting a sympathetic expression. "How did it happen?"

Shaking his head, he handed her the cups. "Gunshot. Figured it was raiders. She was probably just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"It's a dangerous world out there."

"You got that right. Our nighttime sniper took off at about the same time. We got a couple of people to fill in, but town's getting kinda empty."

Beth raised her eyebrows. "Oh, you mean Boone? He's been with me since before I left Novac, helping me out with getting back a package that some New Vegas big-shot stole from me."

"Oh, that's good. Glad to hear someone's looking out for you."

She smiled warmly. "Thanks, Cliff. What do I owe you?"

With a wave of his hand, he gave her a friendly grin. "On the house. You just be careful out there."

"Thanks. I will."

"Don't be a stranger."

Exiting the shop, she wondered if Cliff was just incredibly naive or if he knew more about what was going on than he was saying, but then figured it didn't matter either way.

The Courier sat on the steps outside the dinosaur with a cup of the coffee in each hand, sipping from one, waiting for the two men to finish their conversation. Idly, she wondered if this coffee tasted anything like coffee did before the Great War. It was roasty and slightly sweet when it was good, burnt and sour when it was bad. This batch was surprisingly good.

It wasn't long before Manny walked up for his shift, a pained expression on his face. He eyed her sideways as he climbed the steps in a way that made her wonder, since he had been reasonably friendly when she'd spoken to him previously. Things must not have gone well.

Boone sat on the end of the bed and stared down at the ruined carpet. After a couple of minutes, he heard the door open and he looked up to see Beth coming in with two coffee cups.

"Hey? You okay?" she asked. The door shut behind her with a push of her foot.

"I will be," he responded gruffly.

"What did he say?"

"He actually had the nerve to tell me he was sorry about what happened to Carla. Selfish prick. The only person he cares about is himself." She sat down next to him, handing him one of the cups. Looking into her eyes, their warmth melted some of his icy demeanor. "When Carla went missing he was the first person I told. He tried to hide it, but I could tell right away. He was glad."

"That's really shitty."

"Yeah." Taking a sip from the warm cup in his hands, he sighed.

He did wish things had been different between him and Manny. They had been friends for so long and had once been so close, but talking to him this morning, it was like they barely knew each other anymore. Maybe if Boone were more of the forgiving sort, they would have been able to rebuild their friendship, but the feeling of betrayal ran too deep. When he looked at Manny, all he could see was that glint of a smile on the man's face when he heard Carla was gone.

Even if it hadn't been Manny who sold her to the Legion, he couldn't forgive him for that. The moment in his life when he most needed his best friend, the selfish ass didn't have the decency to think about anything other than what he wanted. Whatever the circumstances, a friend doesn't do that. By all rights, Manny should have come with him to Cottonwood Cove and maybe they could have had a chance to do things differently. Instead he lost Carla and had to wait over a year for someone else to come along to help.

He wondered if things would have been different if Beth had been there that morning he came back to find the house ransacked and his wife gone. Would she have been glad? Glancing at her again, he shook his head at the thought. No, she wasn't like that. Regardless of what she thought of Carla, she would have grabbed her gun and they'd have been on their way. Having confirmed to her often that he had her back, she didn't need to tell him she had his, too.

"And you haven't spoken to him since?"

"Not until today. I wanted to punch him, but I didn't. Maybe some of your restraint is rubbing off on me." He gave her a half smile and took a long sip of coffee. After a few minutes in silence, he asked, "You still glad you didn't kill Benny?"

With a thoughtful nod, she confirmed, "Yeah, I am. I do kinda wish I'd broken his arm for stealing my gun, though."

"You don't think I should have spared Jeannie May? Do you?" It came out more confrontational than he intended.

"Oh, fuck no!" she scoffed. "That bitch took everything from you. She got what she deserved. Besides, she invited the Legion here. She was a danger to everyone in this town. In a way, you were just doing your job."

"Thanks." Rubbing his hand over his face, he stood up. "I've had enough of this place. Let's get out of here."

Heading out from Novac toward New Vegas, they planned to stop off at the 188 Trading Post to eat and rest. On the way, Beth noticed that things between her and Boone seemed different than they had before. He walked a little closer to her and they shared random glances that would have been awkward previously.

Only the night before, she had been sure that there wouldn't ever be anything more than friendship between them, but now, so much seemed possible. And it wasn't nearly as scary as she thought it would be. Even if it wouldn't last, she was determined to be happy in the here and now.

One thing she was not looking forward to was the smug look of "I told you so" on Arcade's face.

When they reached the 188, Beth spotted a familiar figure standing alone, leaning against the overpass railing and wearing dingy robes that made her look like a beggar out of a Dickens novel. When she saw the Courier, she smiled broadly and called out to her. Walking over with Boone following behind, she greeted the young woman, "Hey, Veronica. It's been a while."

"Yeah, seems like we keep missing each other," she replied. "Who's your friend?"

"Oh, this is Boone. Boone, this is Veronica."

"Nice to meet you."

"Yeah, same," he said, seeming distracted. "Uh, I'll let you two catch up. I need to go take care of something. I'll meet you at the bar in a bit."

"Okay," Beth said, wondering what he had to do that was so pressing. "Got enough caps?"

"Yeah, plenty. Thanks." At that, he readjusted the bag on his shoulder and walked on through the trading post.

She turned back to the other woman. "How are things back home?"

Veronica gave an exasperated sigh. "The same. I tried talking to the Elder about the stuff you told me about the Brotherhood back east."

"Didn't go well?"

"He won't listen. He said that that Lyon's chapter has obviously 'lost its way.' I tried to tell him that they found a future, a way to be part of the world, a way to help people. When I pressed him, he called them 'traitors.'" She shook her head. "Our group is going to die out and no one will listen."

"I'm sorry. Like I've said, your Elder sounds a lot like my vault's old Overseer. He kept us isolated, insisted that no one could leave, but they were only a generation or two from collapsing, at the most."

"But he eventually listened, at least. Hey, maybe if you talked to the Elder, told him first-hand what the Lyon's Brotherhood was like, maybe he'd listen to you."

"Why would he listen to me? Who am I? Besides, whatever connection I had to the Lyon's Brotherhood was years ago and over two thousand miles away."

"I guess you're right." The scribe sighed, dropping her shoulders. "Anyway, enough about my problems. What's with the soldier? Michelle said you had one with you the last time you were here and I'm guessing that was him?" She indicated the direction Boone had walked. "Didn't figure you for one to get in bed with the NCR."

Beth suddenly felt her cheeks grow hot. "Bed?! Where did that come from?" she said defensively.

Veronica's face broke into a surprised smile. "I meant it as a figure of speech, but clearly, there's more to it!" She laughed. "So, big and burly is your type, eh?"

"I'm not having this conversation." She started to turn away in embarrassment, not used to being asked such personal questions.

"Oh, come on! Distract me from my dull, tragic existence," the scribe said dramatically, putting the back of her hand to her forehead. "Let me live vicariously! Please."

"Ugh, fine!" Beth relented. Part of her actually did want to talk about it with someone, although she never would have admitted it. "It's...new, okay? I'm not sure what it is. Just don't say anything in front of him. He's kind of a private person."

"I can be discreet. So, what's he like? Other than strong silent type."

She shrugged. "I dunno. He's Boone."

"I don't know what that means."

Beth thought a moment, trying to think of how to describe him. "He's...you know how some people are all talk? Well, he's the opposite. He doesn't know what to say a lot of the time, but he always knows what to do. He's also completely honest. If he doesn't want to talk about something or whatever, he'll just say it. He doesn't try to skirt around things or tell half-truths. I like that. He's someone I can really count on."

"That's so nice." The scribe sighed wistfully.

"Yeah, it is." Then she saw Veronica's mood darken. "Hey, are you okay?"

She shook her head. "The chapter is pushing harder for genetic pairing."

Hearing that, Beth's mood darkened, too. While she and Veronica were quite different in many ways, they had bonded over their somewhat similar upbringings in their respective holes in the ground. Living in a closed society, the main purpose of pairing off was breeding, not love or companionship. Beth knew what it was like to be faced with the idea of spending her life with someone she didn't want. The idea used to keep her up nights. No one should be forced into a life with someone they didn't love, especially to only stave off an inevitable collapse.

Back when she was eighteen, there had been pressure to at least start showing some interest in dating, like most of the other girls had. Few of the boys in the vault were worth even a fleeting crush as far as she was concerned, however. Over dinner one night shortly before he left, her father had even abruptly asked her if she was attracted to girls. This was likely due to pressure from the Overseer, since it had been very unlike her father to talk about something so personal. It was one of the most uncomfortable conversations she had experienced before or since. While she did try to explore something with a couple of boys who showed interest, neither "relationship" lasted long. Overall, the effort had only served to make her feel more confused and isolated.

For Veronica, she knew the situation was far worse. Not only had she been kept apart from the woman she loved because of the Brotherhood's rules, she was now being pushed to pair off with someone based primarily on genetic compatibility. This wasn't the first time they had brought it up. Had things been different, Beth wondered if that would have been her fate, as well.

"Don't let them make you do anything you don't want to do, Veronica," she said, knowing she was probably overstepping.

"Easy for you to say."

"Yeah, it is, I know. And I can't say I know what it's like to be you, but I do know that it's not worth sacrificing yourself for their dying way of life."

The scribe looked Beth in the eye. "They're my family," she snapped. "I would be sacrificing for my family." They stayed silent for a long moment, then she said softly, "I need to get back."

"Okay. Take care of yourself."

"You, too."

She watched as Veronica walked away and wished the best for her. Whatever choice she made, it wasn't going to be easy.

Beth felt badly for her, but she was also reminded to be grateful for what she had. As hard as things were out of the vault and as much as she wished she still had family, at least she had the freedom to make her own decisions about her own life.

Boone walked through the busy trading post and down the hill where things were a bit quieter.

Underneath the overpass, he found the young boy in the same spot where he had been the last time. He cleared his throat to announce his approach.

The boy looked up from his book and gave a friendly smile. "Oh, hey! I remember you. Lizzy's friend."

Boone was about to correct him, like he had before, when he realized that the kid was talking about Beth. The last time they were here, he had barely thought of her as a friend and had been too preoccupied to give the name much thought.

"Uh, yeah. How do you know...Lizzy?" the sniper asked, crouching down. The name sounded strangely child-like, not at all like the strong, confident woman he knew.

"She's been coming around here for a few years now. Always brings me thoughts and stuff."

"Thoughts?"

"Yeah. My medicine keeps away the headaches." He tapped the device on his head. "But it keeps my thoughts away, too. It helps when I fill my head with other people's thoughts."

"Like stories?"

"Stories, drawings, other things-people had to think of them before they made them, then the thoughts got stuck inside."

Boone looked over the collection of items the boy had around him: books, a globe, pictures in frames, an old camera, prewar money, a garden gnome. It hadn't occurred to him that all these things started out as thoughts in someone's head, but that was true, of course. He wondered how many of the objects were from Beth, since she had traveled all over and seemed to have an eye for picking up interesting and unique things.

She had never mentioned this kid, yet he seemed to know her well. It was strange. Boone had revealed so much about himself, yet he felt he knew much less about her. Then he realized it wasn't necessarily because she had been keeping things from him. Maybe he just hadn't asked.

"Did you want to buy another thought?" the boy asked.

"No, but I did want to thank you for the last one you gave me. It helped me a lot."

The boy's face lit up with a delighted smile. "Really?! That's great! I almost never get to hear about how the thoughts turn out. How did yours help you?"

"You told me to go back somewhere I had been before and that there was someone I could trust. You were right." The sniper didn't want to get into the specifics.

He nodded, as though he knew what Boone was talking about.

"Anyway," the sniper continued, "I just wanted to say thank you. I'd better get going."

"If you ever want another thought, you know where I am."

Boone returned to the upper part of the trading post, noticing that the sun had just set. He found Beth sitting at the bar, drinking a beer and chatting with a different woman. As he approached, she turned to him and smiled. "Hey. Got you a beer," she said, handing him a bottle.

"Thanks," he replied, taking it and feeling the surprisingly cool temperature of it. "How'd you get cold beer out here?"

The woman behind the bar spoke up. "Dad tapped into the power lines coming from the Dam and got a fridge working. He got the streetlights working a few weeks ago, too. Cold beer and extra security have been really good for business."

"I'll bet."

The companions finished their beers and ordered two more, along with some of Michelle's "famous stew," which tasted the same as the last time they were here. Boone wanted to ask Beth about the fortune teller kid, as well as some other questions about her, but there were too many people around.

As they ate, they overheard some of the traders and NCR soldiers talking. They seemed particularly preoccupied with one topic: the Legion's camp at Fortification Hill.

"I heard from the Rangers that a couple of rogue NCR troopers stormed in and assassinated Caesar," said one man.

"That's impossible. No way could two guys take out that whole camp," said another.

Word had certainly traveled fast, Boone thought as he and Beth sipped their beers and smiled knowingly to each other. There was no need to say anything. They hadn't done it for the credit or glory. Besides, he knew no one would believe them anyway.

One tipsy NCR soldier spoke up, "Well, if it's true, whoever did it and however they did it, I just wish I had been there to see Caesar die. What an asshole."

This was met with laughter and toasts of agreement from the sparse, yet exuberant crowd.

"Yeah, what an asshole!" Beth cheered along, clinking bottles with Boone and others. He mostly kept silent, sitting back watching her smiling and laughing as he nursed his beer. It was nice to see her relaxing and having fun for a change, the last few weeks having been so stressful and tiring.

As he came to the end of his drink, he was having some trouble keeping his eyes open, so he whispered to her that he was heading to bed.

"Yeah, I'm tired, too," she agreed, standing up. She said goodnight to the others and the pair walked up towards where they had slept before. The noise of the drunken traders and soldiers faded into the background.

"I had fun tonight," he said. It had been a long time since he'd enjoyed being in a social setting. He had never really been one for crowds, especially of strangers.

"I'm glad. I did, too." Suddenly, she turned to him, stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. Bending down slightly, he returned the kiss, wrapping his arms around her. The feeling of her warm, soft lips against his made his heart beat faster in his chest.

When the kiss broke, he looked into her eyes and felt like he should say something, but couldn't think of what to say exactly. "You're...I..." Why couldn't he be one of those guys who were good with words, he wondered, instead of just being awkward and silent?

As though she could see the gears struggling to turn inside his head to activate his voice, she smiled at him and said, "It's okay. You don't have to say anything."

He sighed. "Thank you."

"Come on, let's get some sleep."

Dropping her bag beside her mattress, she pulled out her duster and lay down, pulling the coat over her. He reclined on his own mattress, feeling less tired than he had before. Staring out the side window, he could see the stars shining up in the clear night sky.

After a few minutes, he heard Beth whisper, "Boone?"

"Yeah?"

"You cold?"

This late in the year, the temperatures did seem to drop quite a bit overnight and his armored jacket kept him barely comfortable. He hadn't thought to bring a blanket. "A little. You?"

"A little."

"You could come over here."

"Okay." Getting up, she lay down next to him and draped the duster over them. Even though the coat was large, they had to be very close for it to cover both of them. Her back was pressed against his chest and he wrapped his arms around her. She actually felt rather warm and he wondered if this had just been an excuse to sleep next to him. He hoped it had been.

"Better?" he asked.

"Uh huh."

"Goodnight, then."

"Goodnight."

He smiled to himself, soon falling asleep to the sound of her slowly breathing beside him.