"… So I pulled out my gun, peered through the scope, and BAM! Down he went." Tallahassee laughed as he continued talking, with the two sisters giggling. "I always hated that Justin Beiber."

The two sisters laughed again and I chuckled along with Vegas, who was cracking nuts as we sat around the fireplace. Little Rock opened her mouth to Vegas, and she laughed. She threw a nut, which missed her, and Tallahassee caught it with his hand and put it in his mouth.

"What about you, Las Vegas? What's your story?" Tallahassee asked as he watched her intently. She passed a bowl of newly cracked nuts to the me and Wichita, and we looked at her.

Vegas looked at him, before turning back to look at the nuts she was cracking. "I was… a ballet dancer." She started, "I was born in Maine, but I grew up in Vegas with my mother… she was a card dealer at the poker tables." She smiled, "She was great with card magic as well. I learned a lot from her."

"During college, I met… and married, my boyfriend, Shawn. He was a music major." She smiled as she remembered something, "At that time, I was doing ballet, but I taught bellydance at a local mall, Shawn was my drummer. But…"

"When my child… Nathan… was ten, things got hard. I didn't get into any ballet companies, and my bellydance stint didn't earn enough. Shawn was yearning to be on the road… he wanted to work for major artist, but he said he can't leave because I was tying him down. He filed for divorce… five years ago… I took Nathan and brought him with me, but I couldn't keep him so I brought him to Miami be with his father while I worked…"

"To become a stripper?"

Vegas' head snapped up and looked at Tallahassee, her eyes defying her brave demeanor of being found out. Her eyes reddened from tears. I felt embarrassed for her. I looked at Wichita and Little Rock, and they both looked uncomfortable. I gazed at Tallahassee, "That… that's none of your business, Tallahassee…"

"No. He's right. I was a stripper." Vegas said, as she stared defiantly at Tallahassee, "How did you know?"

Tallahassee took the picture he had taken from her bag, and raised it. Vegas's eyes blazed in anger. " I recognized your face… when I came through Vegas, long I before I met these guys." He nodded to us, "You were the star attraction of the bar called Raver Dome…"

"And what of it?" Vegas said defiantly again, "Yes, I worked as a stripper. But I did it for my son. I did it for my child. Every cent I earned, I sent it to him directly, because his father didn't allow it. He used his money well. He saved enough to pay his own tuition for college, and he bought medicines for his grandparents…"

"Tell you what…" He stood up, and laid down what looked like a wad of cash in front of her. Wichita and I looked at it incredously. "Why don't you just go to the stripping part for me, and skip the story?"

Vegas' green eyes flashed, and before anyone of us could speak, she stood up and slapped Tallahassee, and then kicked him on the side of the head, HARD. All of us stood up.

"Vegas, calm down." Wichita was saying, but Vegas swapped away her hand, "Keep Little Rock away." She ordered, and Tallahassee stood up, his fists drawn as if ready to fight. He drew back his fist, and aimed it at Vegas, but she merely scooted under his arm, and kneed him in the chest. He bent down in pain, and Vegas gave him an uppercut, flinging him backwards, where he landed on a table, smashing it.

"VEGAS!" I shouted, as Vegas bent down and aimed one of her gauntlets on Tallahassee's face. There was a small sound, and I looked down to see that the gauntlet had a hidden knife, which was now aimed at Tallahassee's neck.

"Vegas, calm down… please…" Wichita was pleading, keeping Little Rock behind her for her safety.

"I stripped and I worked because I wanted to survive… like I am doing now." Vegas seethed as she grabbed Tallahassee's shirt and brought the blade closer to his neck. "I fought hard to do everything I can for myself and for my son. I fought hard and saved your asses in that mall. You… have no right to judge for what I did in the past. Because I never judged any of you. Don't think for a second that I'm a common whore, because I'm not. "

Tallahassee merely glared at her, and she glared back. Finally, she pushed him down again and stood up, her blade retracting back to her gauntlet. She walked away from him heading up the stairs, "I'll take first watch, you guys can rest." And she was gone.

I pulled Tallahassee up to a standing position, and glared angrily at him, "That was low of you, Tallahassee."

"I'll say." Wichita said as she too glared at him. Behind her, Little Rock glared as well.

"She was nice." Little Rock said, " She saved our lives in the mall yesterday. You shouldn't have talked to her that way. She gave us a ride and ammunition, too."

Tallahassee glared at us, and I was scared that he'd be mad. But he sighed, "Yeah, I guess you guys are right." He shoved his hands in his pockets and nodded up the stairs. "You guys rest, I'll talk to her."