Chapter Summary: Beth and Boone deal with their feelings. The Lady is raised from the lake, Jack meets 'the most beautiful woman in the world,' and Pearl makes a decision.

Chapter 26: Turn the World Around the Other Way

The strap of her yellow sundress fell enticingly off of one shoulder and she tucked her wavy blonde hair behind her ear as she sat down on the bed. He quietly closed the door behind him before he moved toward her, drawn in by her deep brown eyes. Not wasting another moment, he caught her in a tight embrace and kissed her deeply.

She pulled back from the kiss and let out a light, playful giggle. He put a finger to her painted red lips, shushing her gently. Civilians weren't allowed in the barracks after dark, but he would gladly risk field punishment for the chance to spend even a few extra minutes with her.

"Sorry," she whispered in his ear as she began to unbutton the shirt of his uniform. When the last button came undone, she pushed it off his shoulders then eased him back onto the bed. Her lips met his again, so soft and light. She kissed his cheek, then his neck in just the way she knew excited him. Her hand trailed down his bare chest to his belt.

"Oh, Carla," he moaned, now not caring if anyone heard.

Then she pulled away from him.

Boone opened his eyes and the real world came flooding back to him. Standing next to the bed was a woman with short, dark hair, holding her arms crossed protectively. "Beth," he thought. She was biting her lip, staring at him with pain in her eyes. He sat up and tried to say something, but nothing came out. Before he could think of what to say, she grabbed her things and headed for the door.

"Beth, wait!" he called after her, but she left anyway.

He flopped back onto the mattress and let out a despairing groan as he fully comprehended what had just happened.

Then a terrible thought struck him: "What if she doesn't come back?" He got up and dressed as quickly as he could, not bothering to find his beret or aviators. There wasn't time. Charging out the door, he scanned the area and saw her walking away toward the hangars. She was walking so fast, he had to run to catch up to her. When he called her name, she gave no indication that she heard him, even though he knew she must have. He reached out for her hand when he was close enough and urged her to a halt.

"Beth, please stop. I'm so sorry." It was all he could think to say.

"Don't apologize. You didn't do anything wrong. It's fine." Her tone was even, but unconvincing.

"It's not 'fine.' The last thing I want to do is hurt you."

"It's my fault. I shouldn't have woken you up like that. It won't happen again." She ripped her hand away from his.

"It's not your fault. Please, Beth..."

"I need to be alone, okay?"

"Okay...Promise you won't leave Nellis without me."

"I promise."

Back in the barracks, she had left her pack and most of her things, including her .45, so he was certain she would come back. Eventually.

He sat on his bunk with his head in his hands. The heartbroken look on her face when he'd opened his eyes was burned into his memory. And he had been the one to make her feel that way. He hadn't meant for it to happen, of course, but coming out of a dream, it had come out without him intending for it to.

In a twisted way, he felt like he had been unfaithful to both of them.

Boone wanted to believe that what he and Beth had was too strong to be broken by such a small thing, but their relationship was still new and this small thing represented something much, much bigger. It had gone unspoken until now. Carla would always be there in his heart, in his thoughts. He couldn't blame Beth if this was all too much for her.

He had spent so many months feelings almost nothing, like he was wasting away from the inside without even realizing it. Being with her made him feel like living again. She brought brightness to his life where before there had been only empty darkness.

If she left without him, he might never see her again. He'd have no way to know if she was safe. If she left and something happened to her-he couldn't even finish the thought. Even if she didn't want him as anything more than a bodyguard, he had to be there to protect her. He had brought her into this fight with the Legion and now she was a target. But he knew that if she really wanted to go on without him, there wasn't much he could do about it.

A hopeless feeling sunk into his chest. He couldn't lose her, too.

Boone wasn't sure how long he sat there, but it seemed like hours. Finally, the door to the barracks creaked open, making him raise his head to see Beth standing there. She still had her sunglasses on, but he could see her nose was pink, like she'd been crying. The sight was like a punch to his gut: he'd made her cry.

She spoke first. "Loyal gave me the ballasts to raise the plane," she said flatly, dropping a large bag to the floor with a thunk. "Only take what you need for the day. We'll be back before dark." Without waiting for his response, she put on her armored vest over her button-up shirt. She then picked up her gun belt and secured it around her waist, before pulling things out of her regular pack, littering her bunk with various unneeded items.

Boone didn't change his expression, but he felt a small amount of relief that she wasn't going to go alone and that she'd invited him to come along without argument. That was a good sign. Working quickly so as not to hold her up, he dumped out most of his pack into the empty footlocker at the end of his bunk and put back only the basic necessities: food, water, medkit, ammo.

Before he was packed, she was ready to go. "I'll be outside," she said.

He hurried to finish and went outside where he found her at the base of the steps, leaning against the building. "Ready?" he asked, stepping down.

"Yes." She lifted the bag with the ballasts onto her back.

"I can carry that," he offered.

"It's fine."

"...Please?" He wanted to do something. The least he could do was ease her physical burden.

Her shoulder dropped, letting the strap fall into her hand and she held it out to him. He took it and hoisted the heavy bag onto his shoulder. Seeing her averted gaze, he realized that she hadn't looked him directly in the face since right after the incident, which made him feel worse. She was so upset, she couldn't even stand to look at him.

Without another word, she turned and walked toward the gate with him in tow.

They left Nellis and walked back up the broken road through the ruined neighborhood. Usually, they walked side-by-side when it was just the two of them, but today she set a brisk pace that had him trailing along behind, as though trying to keep a cushion of space between them. He took the hint and kept his distance, close enough to hear her if she said something and to be there in case of danger, but far enough not to crowd her. When Arcade was traveling with them, she would at least occasionally glance back to make sure he was still there. This time she didn't. Even though he matched her speed, it was as though every step took her farther away from him.

For how far away she felt, the distance between them might as well have been miles.

They were about an hour outside Nellis when Boone heard what sounded like heavy footsteps nearby. Just over the hill to his left, there was a piece of red cloth flapping in the breeze. His heart caught in his throat and he readied his rifle, shouting to Beth, "Incoming!" Had she been closer, he could have been more subtle so as to not let the enemy know they'd been spotted. He cursed himself for getting so far behind her.

As she spun around to see what he saw, she drew her gun. When she spotted the enemy, she dove for cover behind a boulder.

At the same time, the legionaries decided to make themselves fully known with cries of "For Caesar!" and "Retribution!" Bullets whizzed through the air, narrowly missing Boone as he ran toward Beth's position, firing off rifle shots at the enemy as he went.

"Did you see how many?" she asked him in a hushed voice.

"At least four."

She nodded. No matter what was going on between them, they were still a team. He never doubted that for a second.

From her dropped pack, she withdrew a grenade and signaled to him that she was going left, so he should go right. She took a deep breath and pulled the pin from the grenade, then tossed it around the corner of the rock. A surprised yell erupted from behind them. A second later, there was an explosion and more screams, this time of pain.

Boone took this opportunity to come out from his side, still keeping most of his body behind cover. He took aim and fired at one legionary who appeared to be momentarily stunned by the blast, hitting him square in the chest. The stunned look on his face intensified and he fell to his knees, clutching his chest before collapsing. Two more legionaries charged toward him and he managed to shoot one down before he reached him, but the other was faster and knocked his rifle to the side, then raised his machete. Boone twisted out of the way and he narrowly missed being hit. He could hear more gunshots from behind the boulder, where he assumed Beth was and could only hope that she was alright.

The legionary swung again, this time aiming at his torso. Acting more on instinct than strategy, Boone moved to block the blow with his rifle. The weapons collided and the two men pushed back and forth. Before he could react, Boone felt something sweep his leg out from under him, sending him to the ground, flat on his back, knocking the wind out of his lungs.

"I'm going to take your head, Profligate!" the legionary screamed at him as he brought his machete down hard. Boone still had both hands on his rifle and he used it to parry the blade, but it still caught him in his left arm. He lost his grip and the gun went skidding away from him. Before the legionary could reposition himself, Boone kicked him in the stomach, knocking him backward. He was about to scramble for his rifle when a gunshot sounded and the side of the legionary's head erupted in a spray of blood. He fell an instant later.

"Boone!" Beth cried and he heard her footsteps running over to him. She dropped down to kneel next to him as she holstered her weapon. "Are you okay? Shit, your arm." Her voice was raspy and he could see her neck and cheek had angry red marks on them.

"You're hurt," he said, reaching up to touch her neck lightly.

"I'll be fine," she said, clearing her throat. "Come on, let's get you in the shade and look at that wound." Before he could object, she grabbed his good arm and urged him to his feet. They rested in the shade of the rock where they had taken cover and she helped him remove his armored jacket. "Good thing you had this on or you might have lost the whole arm."

He held her forearms lightly, examining her hands. "Is this your blood?" It was coating her hands and part of the front of her armor.

"No. Can you take your shirt off and put pressure on the wound while I wash off my hands?"

He did as she instructed. After cleaning her hands with purified water and alcohol, she examined his arm. The wound was deep, but hadn't quite reached the bone. Her calloused, yet surprisingly delicate fingers cleaned it as she had her hands. The alcohol burned in the already painful wound, but he didn't react, not wanting to make her feel any worse than she did already today.

"You would have made a good doctor," he said, remembering her intended profession before leaving the vault.

She paused and seemed perplexed, as though it was a strange thing for him to say, before resuming her work. She still hadn't looked him in the eye. "I'm going to give you a stimpak. Do you want some med-x?"

"No." The gash hurt, as did his back where he fell on the hard, rocky ground, but he needed to stay alert in case they were attacked again. She took out the stimpak and injected it in his arm. Within seconds, he felt the sting of muscle and skin starting to knit back together. She wrapped the wound with a clean cloth and helped him put his shirt back on.

"It should heal up reasonably quickly."

"Thanks. How bad is your neck?" The red marks seemed darker than before. Without needing to ask, he knew very well what had happened: a legionary had tried to choke her. The thought of one of those bastards touching her, let alone hurting her like this, made his jaw clench. His next thought was that he shouldn't have let her out of his sight, but then reminded himself that she had been the one to save his ass this time, not the other way around.

"It's fine. Just a little sore. If it still hurts in an hour, I'll use a stimpak."

"You should use one now." He shouldn't need to point out that the bruises were only going to get worse.

Letting out a short grumble, she took out another stimpak and injected it into her neck with a wince. From her bag, she took out two bottles of purified water and handed one to him. She sat with her back against the boulder and drank hers slowly as she stared out into the baking desert.

They stayed there in silence for several minutes. Other times when they had walked or sat quietly together, it had been easy and comfortable, both of them perfectly content to go hours with only minor exchanges between them. Now, the silence hung heavy in the air. He would have given every last cap he had if she would just turn and look at him like she had yesterday.

Eventually, he couldn't stand it anymore. "About this morning...," he started. "I'm really sorry, Beth."

"Please stop apologizing," she said wearily.

"I never wanted to hurt you."

"I know. And you said that."

"I don't know what else to say." He'd never been good with words, but he desperately wanted to find some way to make this better. "I can't blame you for being angry."

"I'm not angry."

That was genuinely surprising. "You aren't? You won't even look at me."

She stared down at the water bottle in her hands and fiddled with the cap. "I'm...embarrassed and sad. I feel like such an idiot. I mean, of course you were dreaming about her."

"You're not an idiot."

"Carla will always be a part of you. I've known that from the beginning. And I don't want you to forget her or get over her. Please know that. My father was a widower, so I understand." She tugged on the short strands of her brown hair. "I just...I've gotten the impression that I'm nothing like her."

"You aren't." In so many ways, the two could not have been more different.

She let out a ragged breath at the confirmation. "Okay, then," she said quietly.

"That's a good thing," he assured her, realizing how it must have sounded. "If you were like her...I'd worry that I was replacing her or that I was only with you because you reminded me of her. But you're...just you."

"Just me."

None of this was coming out right. "You're an amazing person. After everything you've been through, you'd have every right to be cold and selfish, but you're one of the kindest people I've ever met. And you're also so strong and capable." She didn't say anything. "Did I ever tell you about the time I tried to teach Carla how to shoot?"

"No."

"She fired one shot, screamed, and dropped the pistol on the ground. Then she swore she'd never touch a gun ever again. You? I think you could out shoot half of First Recon. You being different isn't a bad thing." He ran a hand over his face. "Besides...after everything, I'm not the same man I was." It was a hard thing to admit to himself, let alone say out loud. He wasn't sure Carla would know him at all anymore. In a way, she never really had, since he'd kept so much from her.

Finally, Beth looked him in the eye. "I got that impression, too."

"Oh?"

She gave a timid shrug with the corner of her mouth turned upward. "I've never seen you smile like you did in that picture with her. Ranger Andy said you walked around with this stupid grin on your face. And the way you make little jokes sometimes, it's like a glimpse into how you used to be...before."

"I guess."

She looked back down at the water bottle in her hands. "So where does this leave us?"

"I don't know." He felt like that was up to her.

"Did we move too fast? Were you ready to move on when we started this?"

"No to both."

"No to both?"

Boone thought silently for a few minutes, feeling like he was pushing a boulder up a hill for all the effort it took to figure out how to tell her exactly what he was feeling. She patiently waited for him to speak. "Before you came to Novac, I was barely getting by. One day without Carla turned into the next...I had so much grief and anger, but I couldn't do anything with it. After a while, I don't know when, I just stopped feeling anything. I did my shift, then went back to my room and drank until I passed out, then got up and did it all again."

"Oh, Boone..." she said, looking at him sympathetically.

"Yeah, I didn't want you to know about that part. I don't know why not. You know everything else." He cleared his throat and took a sip of water. "I spent month after month like that, until one day it had been over a year and I hadn't come any closer to finding out who did it. I failed her and I didn't know what to do. Then you came along and did what I couldn't do."

She smiled at him sadly.

"It's not a question of being 'ready.' Moving on and being with someone else never crossed my mind in all that time. Not once. Then getting out of Novac, thinking about things other than what I'd lost, facing the things I'd done, finding purpose other than killing legionaries...it's different. And that's all because of you. If you hadn't asked me to come along with you, I'd have chased down every last legionary I could find until the end and I would have thought that was the best ending my life could come to. But now...with you...I want more. Even if I don't deserve it." He closed his eyes, not really wanting to say what he was about to, but feeling like he needed to. "But if this is all too much for you, I'll try to understand."

"I don't want it to be, but it is a lot."

"I know you deserve better than me, than this. You should be with someone who doesn't have all this weighing him down. You deserve...to be someone's one and only. I'm sorry I can't give that to you."

She reached out and grasped his hand. "Boone, like I've said before, I've never felt like this about someone before because never let anyone get this close. I didn't intend to with you, even, but you kind of snuck up on me, sniper." She let out a short laugh.

"You snuck up on me, too."

She sniffled. "I...for the longest time I didn't think I was good enough for someone to care about me like this. Like there was something wrong with me. That I wasn't worth sticking around for."

"What?" he said in disbelief. "Why would you ever think that?"

Closing her eyes, she covered her face with her free hand. "Because if my own father could leave me, knowing he would never see me again...I didn't think anyone else would want me, either." Her voice broke at the admission. It was clear she'd been carrying that around for a long time.

Not knowing what to say, he squeezed her hand. Beth seemed to love her father to such an extent that she blamed herself for him leaving. It broke his heart to hear that she thought she wasn't good enough. He couldn't help but think that her father must have been a real bastard to abandon her the way he did.

She opened her damp eyes and looked at him. "But you're the first person I've met that I feel like I could really and truly trust," she said. "This morning was...unfortunate, but I don't want to lose you."

It was a tremendous relief to hear her say that. "I don't want to lose you, either. I care about you so much. Being with you is so much better than being without you." He wanted to be able to say more, to tell her he had deeper feelings, but he couldn't. It wasn't the right time, anyway.

"I care about you, too."

He knew that, but it was still nice to hear. "And I meant it when I said I wasn't going anywhere without you."

"Well, I'm not going anywhere without you, either." She leaned against his chest and he put his arms around her.

They stayed silent for a while, both thinking and regaining their composure.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Better. You?"

"Yeah."

After their talk, they sat quietly and ate some lunch, neither of them having eaten otherwise that day. Then they continued on to the lake where Beth dumped her pack and stripped down to her tank top and shorts. She stood on the boat launch ramp, facing the water with the rebreather in her hand.

"What's wrong?" Boone asked when he saw she wasn't moving.

"I'm not sure I can do this," she said.

"You don't think raising the bomber is a good idea?"

"No, it isn't that. I'm not sure I can physically do this."

"Can you swim?"

"Um...a little." She pawed at the air in front of her with her hands.

"That's dog paddling." He suppressed the urge to laugh.

"Okay, fine, smart guy. I know how to 'dog paddle.' I was almost twenty before I saw a body of water larger than a bathtub. And after, most of it was irradiated or full of nasty creatures, so it wasn't safe to swim in."

He held out his hand. "Give me the rebreather. I'll go."

"You can swim?"

He did laugh at that. "Yeah, I can swim. It's been a while, but I grew up on the water."

She seemed relieved and handed him the rebreather. "Here," she said, showing him the screen on her Pip-Boy. With her finger, she drew a line between the spot where they stood on the map and an arrow in the center of the lake. "Loyal thinks it's straight this way. Do you know how to attach the ballasts?"

"Yeah, I've done it before with boats. Should be simple enough." He kicked off his shoes and stripped down to his boxers, folding his clothes neatly on his pack. He was reassured at how Beth seemed to be admiring his bare chest. What happened that morning hadn't killed all her attraction to him, so that was nice. Taking the beret off his head, he handed it to her. "Hold onto this for me?" It was a small gesture, but one he hoped would mean something.

She took it and nodded. "I'll keep it safe. Just be careful down there and watch out for mirelurks."

"Mirelurks?"

"Oh, I meant lakelurks."

"You know, I'd feel better if you waited up at the camp." He nodded towards Bitter Springs.

"I'm not going to do that."

"Didn't think so. Just keep an eye out and run up there at any sign of trouble, okay?"

"I will." Putting her clothes back on, she secured her gun at her side.

Wading into the water from the ramp with the ballast bag on his back, he put the rebreather over his nose and mouth. When he was far enough in, he dove head-first into the water with a gentle splash. The cool, unirradiated water felt invigorating. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed it until this moment. It was a bit awkward to swim with the bag, the weight of which pulled him down deeper, but he could manage it. He was grateful for the rebreather, since without it, it would have been difficult to surface for air.

The water was murky, but he could see far enough ahead to be reasonably certain that no lakelurks were around. While he didn't think another group of legionaries would attack so soon after the last one, he still felt a gnawing worry at leaving Beth alone. He reminded himself that she was used to being on her own and was one of the most capable people he knew. So why didn't that make him feel any better?

Swimming further, he finally spotted the gray metallic aircraft sitting on the bottom of the lake. When he got closer, he examined the body and remarkably, it did seem to be mostly intact. The wings appeared to be strong enough to support the structure, so he decided that was the best place to put the ballasts. After attaching them, he rolled up the empty bag and swam back to the spot where he'd left Beth.

Beth sat on the dock, leaning against the old boat shop in the shade. It was the same spot she and Boone had sat to talk after their fight against the Legion at Bitter Springs. That seemed so long ago now. So much had changed. Caesar was dead. House's securitron army was activated and she was fully working for him now. The plan for the Legion and the NCR was set. And she was in a relationship with the widowed ex-NCR sniper. Had someone told her all this was going to happen in the course of just a few months, she would have said they were crazy.

Idly, she wondered what her father would think of all this. Then she shook her head. She had given up trying to figure him out many years ago.

"This may not be the life you and Mom wanted for me, Dad, but I think it's pretty good," she thought. "It may not be safe, but it's better than some dying hole in the ground. At least I'm making my own choices."

Thinking about her dad now, the feeling of abandonment seemed to sting a little less at the moment.

She watched the water and the surrounding land for any sign of movement, but saw none. The last few days had been particularly tiring and she was grateful for a quiet break. Being around the Boomers had already put her in a pensive mood. Things is morning between her and Boone had only intensified it. Thankfully, they had talked it out and she did feel better.

Although she still felt selfish for the lingering twinge of jealousy at having to share him with a ghost.

The sound of splashing water came from the shore as Boone emerged from the lake. Beth stood up and jogged over to him. "How'd it go? Was the plane actually there?" she asked.

He tossed the empty wet bag onto the ground and wiped his eyes, then shook the water from his hair. "Yeah, it was there. Mostly intact, just like Loyal said. I attached the ballasts under the wings."

"Well, let's see if it works." She pulled out the remote detonator and moved closer to the water. As she did, the device started to beep and she winced instinctively. It sounded too much like a frag mine. "Here goes nothing." She pulled the trigger and a moment later, ripples and bubbles broke on the surface of the water in the middle of the lake. Then, the plane emerged, first with one wing, then the other. She let out a surprised laugh and grinned at him. "Hah! It worked!"

The toned muscles of his torso and arms glistened as sunlight reflected off the water droplets on his skin. "Damn, but he is a good looking man," she thought.

After she had stared for a few seconds too long, he furrowed his brow and asked, "What?"

"Uh, nothing. We should have brought a towel," she covered, not sure why she was feeling self-conscious about staring at him.

"Don't worry about it. In this heat, I'll be dry in a couple minutes. Sure you don't want to take a dip?" he said jokingly.

She handed him his beret and he set it back on his head. "Yeah, I'm sure. We still need to pay a visit to the Crimson Caravan before we head back to Nellis."

Boone groaned. "Ugh, I forgot about that."

He got dressed, then they hoisted their packs again and headed toward the Crimson Caravan.

"Thanks for doing that back there," she said. "I don't think I could have done it without you."

"Glad I could help out," he replied.

Entering the large gate of the Crimson Caravan Company, the first thing that Beth noticed was how quiet and sparse it was compared to the last time she had been here with Cass. Maybe exposing Alice McLafferty to the NCR had done something, after all. By the looks of it, business did not seem to be going well.

"Did Jack tell you what this girl looks like?" Beth asked.

"All he said was that she has short red hair and is 'the most beautiful woman in the world.'" The corner of his mouth turned up skeptically.

"Well, that should be easy enough to find. How many of those can there be here?"

"No more than half a dozen, I'd guess."

His little joke made her smile despite her somewhat subdued mood. It still made her sad to think that before Carla died, these quips of his were probably much more frequent.

Suddenly, she heard someone yell her name and she turned to see who it was. A handsome man with wavy brown hair was hurrying over to them with a big smile on his face.

"Ringo!" she greeted.

"It's great to see you!" He threw his arms around her in an unexpected hug.

Never having been someone who was comfortable with such things, her body stiffened and she tapped his back lightly with her fingers before pulling away. "Yeah...you, too."

Boone took a step closer to her.

"Ringo, this is my partner, Craig Boone. Boone, this is Ringo. I helped him out of a jam with some Powder Gangers back in Goodsprings."

Ringo grabbed Boone's free hand and shook it vigorously as he said, "Saved my ass, is more like it. I'd probably have been blown into a thousand pieces if it weren't for you."

"Ah, don't worry about it. Those guys were pushovers," she said with a dismissive shrug.

Reaching into the satchel at his side, he pulled out a jingling bag and held it out to her. "Here are the rest of the caps I promised you, in any case."

She waved them away with her hand. "That's not necessary. I'm doing fine caps-wise for the moment."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, besides, it looks like the caravan business has seen better days."

"You got that right." He leaned in closer and lowered his voice. "From what I've heard, McLafferty was doing some shady things with the competition. Like some people got killed. Someone even said she hired a guy to break into the Gun Runners' operation to steal their weapon designs."

"What happened to her?"

"On her way back to the NCR, some raiders attacked her caravan. Wiped them all out. Some people think it was the Gun Runners, but nobody could prove anything."

"Shit." Beth couldn't say she was at all sad to hear this news. McLafferty was an evil bitch and if she had also been dumb enough to mess with the Gun Runners, she deserved what she got. The rest of her caravan didn't, however.

"Anyway, so what are you doing here? Hope you're not looking for work." Ringo laughed.

"No, actually, we're looking for someone. A pretty girl with short red hair."

"You'd probably have better luck on the Strip."

"We're looking for a specific person who hangs around here."

Twisting his mouth in thought, he looked around. "I suppose there's Janet. I think she's over in the brahmin pen."

"Thanks, Ringo."

"Hey, and if you're ever up for a game of Caravan, let me know."

"Will do."

He waved and walked away.

"He's awfully friendly," Boone said with irritation. "Little too...touchy-feely for my taste." He wiped the hand Ringo had enthusiastically shaken on his pants.

"Yeah, for mine, too." She gave him an affectionate pat on his chest.

"Come on, let's go talk to Janet."

Following Ringo's instructions, they found a woman with short red hair working in the brahmin pen. When Boone didn't approach her, Beth nudged him with her elbow. "Go on. Talk to her."

"Why me?"

"Because you're the one who agreed to."

"But you're better at talking to people. Besides, I did your thing earlier," he pointed out.

"I suppose you have a point." She almost made a joke about wanting to keep him away from "the most beautiful woman in the world," but in light of recent events, she decided against it. They walked into the pen and Beth cleared her throat, making the woman look up from her sweeping. "Janet?"

"Yes. Can I help you?" she asked.

"Hi, my name is Beth Evans and this is my partner Craig Boone. We aren't sure you're the person we're looking for, but we were sent by one of the Boomers. He said he's been watching a beautiful woman around the Crimson Caravan with short red hair."

Her eyes brightened in recognition. "Is he that handsome blond boy with the binoculars?"

"Yes, that's the one."

"He really called me beautiful?" Janet asked.

"He really did." Beth decided that saying "the most beautiful woman in the world" might oversell it. She wouldn't want to make Jack sound too desperate.

"Aw, that's so sweet! I've noticed him, too. What's he like?"

"His name is Jack and he's very sweet. Maybe a little naive, but he has kind of a boyish charm. He's completely infatuated with you."

"Wow, I didn't really expect this." She leaned her broom against the fence. "I took this job because I wanted to get away from the farm back home and have some adventures, but things have been going pretty bad around here lately. I thought I'd see some of the world, but here I am tending to a bunch of brahmin again." Glancing in the direction of Nellis, a dreamy look swept over her features. "Watching Jack has been just about the only halfway interesting thing in my life for a while now." She looked back at Beth with hopeful eyes. "I don't suppose the Boomers would let me in to meet him?"

"Actually, yes. We cleared it with their leader, Mother Pearl, before we came here. As long as you're with us, you'll be safe to enter Nellis."

"Oh, my god! Are you serious?"

"Yeah, we're heading back there in a bit, if you want to come. Unless you need more time to get ready?"

"Just let me get my pack." Without another word, she dashed off towards the guard barracks. In less than five minutes, she was running back over to them with a pack slung over her shoulder. "I'm ready."

The three of them reached the gates of Nellis just before sunset.

"We have a visitor for Jack," Beth announced to the guard.

"I'll radio to let him know to expect you," the guard said. "He should be in the hangars."

"Thanks."

"Oh, I'm so nervous!" Janet said, walking along beside Beth toward the large metal buildings.

"Don't worry. Jack's probably twice as nervous as you are. Trust me."

Boone gave a nod and grunt of agreement.

They found Jack waiting outside the hangars, pacing back and forth with a bouquet of flowers in his hands. He was muttering to himself, but not so quietly that Beth couldn't hear what he said: "Hello. I'm Jack. It's nice to meet you. These are for you."

"Jack?" she said.

His head turned and his eyes widened in surprise. "Oh!" He hurried over to them and stuck the bouquet out to Janet. "Hello. I'm Jack. It's nice to meet you. These are for you."

Beth gave Boone an amused grin at the awkwardness and he nodded.

"Hi. My name is Janet," the young woman said with an excited tremble in her voice. "It's nice to meet you, too." She took the flowers from him and smiled. "These are lovely, thank you."

"We'll leave you two to get acquainted," Beth said, taking Boone's arm and leading him away. She looked back to make sure they were out of earshot before saying, "Wasn't that sweet? He got her flowers!"

"Mm hmm," he hummed.

"They're so cute together. And we did that. Hey, if this whole thing with Mr. House doesn't work out, we could start our own matchmaking service." Seeing Jack and Janet together had perked up her mood considerably.

He let out a half laugh, half grunt at the suggestion.

"It must be nice to have something uncomplicated like Jack and Janet do," she thought. Then she realized that wasn't really true. Jack had been sheltered his entire life. Although he was a grown man, he still seemed to have the mentality of an adolescent. He had never met Janet, yet he was convinced that she was the love of his life. Those were some high expectations.

From her experience traveling with caravans, even for a short while, Janet was far more worldly than he was. Would she be happy living in Nellis after the initial excitement wore off? Add in that she was an "Outsider" to his people, and likely always would be, the two of them would have a lot to contend with.

No, Beth wasn't going to let herself make the mistake of envying other people. What she and Boone had was certainly complicated, but it was real and right in front of her.

She squeezed his arm. "Come on, let's go talk to Pearl."

Back at Pearl's office, they found both her and Loyal waiting for them.

"Was she there? Did you raise the Lady?" Loyal asked expectantly.

"Yes. It was right where you said and the ballasts worked perfectly," Beth answered.

He let out an excited laugh at the news. "I can hardly believe it."

"Loyal, you had best get the bots ready to bring her back here," Pearl said. He nodded and excused himself. Then she smiled warmly at Beth and Boone. "What you have done is a miracle. Loyal and I have dreamed of this day, but did not think we would see it in our lifetimes. You have my and my people's thanks. If there is anything we can do for you, please do not hesitate to ask."

"Actually, there is," Beth said. "May we sit?"

"Of course." Pearl sat down in her chair and indicated for Beth and Boone to take the couch.

"Thank you. As you said last night, there are 'gathering storms' outside and that is why we're here. A battle is coming. We don't know when, but we do know it will determine the future of the Mojave. What do your people know about the NCR and the Legion?" She didn't want to waste Pearl's time telling her things she already knew.

Pearl leaned back in her chair. "Most of what we know we learned from the news on the radio. Overall, the Legion is usually spoken of in a bad light, but the stations seem to be controlled or at least on the side of the NCR. The Legion has no radio transmissions, from what we can tell."

"They don't. The Legion rejects most forms of advanced technology."

"They're savages and slavers," Boone said abruptly. "They're evil. Plain and simple."

"He's right. They are."

"I see," Pearl said. "We have had some encounters with the NCR. Once, they attempted to shut off our water supply from the lake. It took shelling their own pipelines to make them stop."

"That was an unfortunate mistake that was obviously misguided, but had it been the Legion, I doubt they would have given up so easily. The NCR isn't perfect, but the Legion ruins people, families, tribes. They have no place for women except as slaves. Women like you and me?" Beth shook her head with a severe look on her face. "There is no place for us at all. They have no women leaders or warriors. Only slaves."

"This truly is a dire warning you are giving us, child."

"I cannot be dire enough in this matter, I assure you. Boone and I have seen their camps and the settlements they've taken over. They're brutal and merciless." She glanced at Boone and he nodded. It seemed she was doing well and he didn't feel the need to add anything. She looked back to Pearl. "Your people are proud, strong, independent. Everyone we've met here is good and decent. The Legion would destroy all of that, if they win. If you don't listen to anything else I say, please believe that."

Pearl folded her arms across her chest and studied Beth's face. "What would you have us do?"

"If your people are going to be involved in the upcoming battle, point your weapons at the Legion."

"I take it you work for the NCR?" she said with cautious skepticism. "Is that who sent you here?"

Beth shook her head. "No, ma'am. My partner here is an NCR citizen and former soldier, but I'm not. Our doctor isn't either. We came here as representatives of Mr. House."

"I have heard of him. Where does he fit into all of this?"

"He has plans for Vegas and the surrounding area, but those plans depend on the Legion's defeat. If they take the Dam, they won't stop there. They'll take Vegas and the rest of the Mojave."

"Including Nellis."

"If they could, yes."

"And what would Mr. House do with us?"

"Right now, he's mainly concerned that your howitzers are pointed in the right direction or that you will at least be neutral. After the battle, your people can stay isolated or not. It's up to you." She was confident this was the case. The Boomers didn't have anything that House would want or need after the battle.

"You have done a great deal for my people, so I am inclined to believe you." Pearl relaxed her arms and folded her hands in her lap. "Even if a fraction of what you say is true, the Legion poses a grave threat to our way of life. So we will do as you ask. You can count on our support if and when there is a battle."

"Thank you, Mother Pearl." Beth stood up and Boone did likewise. "My companions and I will be leaving in the morning, if that's alright. When you'd like and when you're ready, we can set up a trade connection with a caravan company that can be trusted."

Pearl also stood. "You are welcome to stay the night, of course. As for trade, your offer is appreciated, but I don't believe we are ready to take that step quite yet. Perhaps in the future."

"I understand." They had already taken such a big leap in allowing Beth, her companions, and Janet in. She couldn't blame them for wanting to set limits after that. "Thank you so much for your hospitality."

"You are welcome, child. Farewell."

"Farewell."