It took me longer than usual to get back to the Strip. I had to make a couple pit-stops along the way. There were things I needed to set up and collect. I needed to figure out what I was going to say too. Just running in without a clue never did much good. A little effort might help in the long run.

The elevator ride to the presidential suite felt like an eternity. It was always a long ride, the 38 is a big building, but that wasn't it. Regardless of how well this went, I wasn't looking forward to it. There was no telling how badly I'd hurt Lily, or how receptive everyone else would be. It left me feeling apprehensive, and like a bit of a heel. I knew I needed to do this, but it didn't stop me from dreading it, just a bit.

But time waits for no one, and the elevator reached the presidential suite long before I was honestly ready.

I adjusted the sack hanging over my shoulder, and stepped out into the suite.

Cass and Veronica were leaning against the wall opposite the elevator, near the entry to the master bedroom. They'd probably been talking about something. But they were looking towards the elevator now, don't get many people using it besides us, so its pretty attention grabbing.

A broad, toothy smile graced Veronica's lips, while Cass's drew up in a smirk.

"Well, look what the cat finally dragged back in." Cass said.

"Yeah, it's been a minute…" I said "More than a minute really."

"Y'think?" Veronica asked, voice rife with sarcasm "We were just thinking all of us were going to have to come find you. After what happened with Lily, we weren't sure you weren't just going to blow us all off."

I cringed at that. It would seem Lily hadn't been reticent about what had happened. Even if she had, experience had shown, if she'd come back, it hadn't gone well.

"Yeah. I got no excuse for that." I said.

Cass and Veronica looked surprised, but took it in stride.

"… Is everyone else here?" I asked, addressing the suite as a whole "I think we-"

Before I could finish the sentence, the soft padding patter of paws came bounding out of the billiards room. A missile of grey fur and steel leapt up, paws landing on my stomach. The momentum, plus the added weight from the missile being eighty percent steel, knocked me off balance. I stumbled back into the elevator, landing halfway into the opened cab. I landed painfully on the sack slung over my shoulder, which also hit the ground with a clatter.

Then the elevator door tried to shut, only to connect with my arm and immediately retract.

Rex stood over me, front paws pushing down into my stomach. His tongue lolling out over his metal jaw in a doggy grin.

"… Hey boy." I said, giving him a scratch behind the ear.

Rex barked happily, sniffing at my chest and coat for a moment or two. I gently pushed him, and he complied, getting off of me and enabling me to at least sit upright.

Veronica and Cass were holding back snickers.

"Get it out of your systems, you two." I said "Laughter's good for you."

"Best medicine in the book." Raul said, trailing out of the Billiards room "Can only think of a few things better, boss. Like Radaway, or Med-x."

"Mm, some of that would be nice right now." I said, standing up. "Gonna have a crick in my back now."

The electric hum of ED-E's stabilizers entered my periphery, and my eye-bot buddy floated out of the guest room. Boone straggled out behind him, looking slightly disheveled. Hoped I wasn't interrupting a nap or something, he needed his sleep.

As Boone joined with everyone, I looked over them. They were all present… except for Lily. Which sent a pang through my chest. The thought had occurred to me that she might not be here. I'd told her to go home, after all. The 38 wasn't a home to any of us, after all, just a place we could stay in Vegas. Turning it into a home meant more than that. Given how things had ended between me and Lily, I wouldn't have been surprised to find she'd returned to Jacobstown.

Which made the relief of her leaning out of the kitchen doorway all the more welcome.

She shrank back into the kitchen slightly when I turned to look at her, but then put on a brave face and stepped out. The woman could turn men into bloody smears, and she was scared of showing herself to me again. That spoke volumes.

Sad, disdained volumes, bound in self-loathing and inked in pain.

Lily trudged over to the rest of them, and I steeled myself. Weren't many chances to make things right. Sometimes you had to make them.

"I want to start by saying I'm sorry. To all of you." I said "I…" I struggled to find the words to appropriately summarize my recent actions. So I did what came natural to me. "I've been acting like a complete shit-heel, honestly."

"That so?" Veronica asked, smiling coyly "Might want to take a bath then."

"Yeah…" I took a breath "The truth is, recently… I've been scared."

My companions stayed silent, but I noted that Cass seemed surprised at least.

"This line of work I've gotten into, bounty hunting, it's a cruel one." I explained "Every time I've gone out, it's almost always been a shit-show. Ending with myself or you guys getting hurt." I shifted the bag on my shoulder uncomfortably. "I… I blame myself for that. At first, I asked you all to come with me knowing the danger, and thinking we were good enough to handle it… Then it became apparent that wasn't the case. We would get ambushed, we would misjudge our enemies, or come under fire from trouble we didn't even think would be present in the first place… So, I stopped asking you to come help me. I figured that, if anyone was going to be hurt, it should just be me. Since I'm the one that started this whole mess. No sense in any of you getting hurt for my sake."

"You don't get-" Veronica started.

I raised my hand urging her to let me finish. Reluctantly, she acquiesced.

"But, despite that, you all kept showing up anyway. Either to make sure I was ok emotionally." I said, motioning to Veronica "Or to see if I needed help." I said, motioning to Boone "… Or just to make sure I was in one piece." I said, motioning to Lily "Despite what I wanted, you all would show up anyway, and when things went wrong, I'd push you away… and I'm sorry for that." I clenched and unclenched my hand anxiously, I hated talking about this kind of stuff. "The truth is this:… I've been afraid about what happens when one of you dies trying to help me."

That seemed to take them all by surprise, as if the thought had never crossed their minds.

"You're…" I set the bag down and took off my helmet. "You're all as close to a family as I have. I know we're all just a bunch of misfits to each other, but I don't see it that way. I… I don't have anyone outside of this group. No family that I know, no old friends, not even so much as a guy who owes me money… You're all as close to family as I've got. We've all fought, bled, eaten, drank, and slept beside one another. I'd soon as stand against an army for any one of you, as I would see something happen to you… and I don't know what the hell I'd do if something ever did happen."

I looked them each in the eye. Even ED-E who didn't have any eyes to begin with.

"… But I've allowed my fear to go and do just that." I said "Rather than someone else doing the deed, I've gone and hurt you myself. I can't allow that to stand… To that end: I come bearing gifts" I hefted the sack off my shoulder, setting it onto the floor. "I know I probably shoul-

Veronica bolted forward, and had her arms around me before I could even finish the sentence. She began gripping me tight, like she was some balloon she was trying to pop.

"We don't blame you." Veronica said "We're just worried."

As if Hoover dam had burst, the rest of my companions surged towards me. They didn't all hug me like Veronica had. Raul put a hand on my shoulder, giving me a knowing smile.

Cass playfully punched my arm, smirking. "Did it really take you this long to figure it out?"

"Snipers work in teams." Boone said, taking his sunglasses off to look me in the eyes "You remember that?"

"… Yeah." I admitted, smiling.

ED-E bumped gently up against my head, chirping and clicking happily.

Rex gave a happy doggy bark, nuzzling at my hand playfully.

Then he nipped my helmet out of my hands, jerking it across the room.

"Oi." I said.

Rex just gave me a doggy grin, then barked, tongue lolling out.

They all stood there, surrounding me. Making it clear that I didn't have my head so far up my ass they weren't willing to help me fish it back out.

The only one who stayed back was Lily.

I was going to make that right. But before I could do that, I needed to finish this.

I opened the sack, fishing around for the items.

"So, what'd you get us?" Veronica chirped, releasing me "A dress? Power Fists? Matching Dresses?"

"I already got you one." I groused "If you want another, you should start asking again… No, what I've got, you might like just as much."

I pulled out a powerfist and passed it to her. It was a different model than the one she had, and the one I could afford from the Gun Runners. Had a piston built into the impact plate and a stronger battery powering it. Hit faster than the average fist. They called it Greased Lightning.

Veronica gave a peel of delight, and readily took the gauntlet from me, putting it over her arm and giving a few test jabs at the air. A wide smile spread across her face "I love it!" She shouted.

"I'm glad." I answered, smiling back.

The next thing I fished out was for Cass. The Gun Runners were better known for their guns and ammo than they were their melee weapons. So, it figured that I handed Cass something more her speed.

I passed the Riot Shotgun to her upside down, grip and trigger pointed towards her.

Cass's eyes glittered as she took it from me "Oh hell yes. Where did you-"

"I've been getting paid well." I said "What good's money if you don't spend it?... Speaking of-" I fished a sniper rifle out of the bag, passing it to Boone, stock first. It was different from the standard model, or the hunting rifle Boone normally carried with him. I'd shilled out the extra money for the carbon fiber frame and the suppressor screwed onto the end of the barrel.

Boone took the rifle in hand, pulling the bolt back and examining the guts of the weapon.

"I know you've probably got your rifle dialed in how you want already." I told him "But if you're going to insist on fighting at close range, the least you can do is carry something that shoots faster."

"…" It must've been the light, but Boone's cheeks looked a little red "Thanks."

I nodded, turning to Raul. "There ain't much I could really get for you." I said, pulling out a bog standard .44 magnum and a couple boxes of hollowpoints "You seemed pretty pleased with that piece we picked up along the way. But I know you like to tinker, and having the spare parts on hand never hurts."

Raul's mustached lips curled up in a smile, as he took the .44 in hand. He pulled out the pistol given to us by Lonny, causing a jungle to trickle out of my pip-boy, and he held the guns in either hand. "Back in my youth boss, I could've used them both at the same time. Being an old man now, it's a shame they're only useful for spare parts."

"I'd like to see that one day." I said.

"I ever discover the fountain of youth, boss, I'll gladly show you." Raul nodded, putting the guns away.

There wasn't much I could say or do for Rex, but I'd picked up some take out on the way back, and set it down for him to munch on. For ED-E, I'd found some replacement Diodes for his zapper. He was always accurate with it, but there'd be a day when they finally wore out, then we'd both be in trouble.

The only person left now was Lily.

And I had something special for her.

I set my now empty sack down and approached her. Rather than slink back into the kitchen, Lily hunched out to meet me. Despite the fact that she towered over me, she carried herself like she was so much smaller.

"Lily." I said, trying to meet her eyes, but getting stopped by her goggles.

"DEARIE." She growled back, reserved.

I took a breath "I'm… I'm sorry-"

"I'M SORRY, DEARIE." Lily said, beating me to the punch "I… DID NOT WANT TO HURT YOU."

"No, Lily, I'm sorry." I said, frowning "I was scared when I said what I did. The truth is, if you hadn't shown up when you did… I probably would have died."

"BUT I DID HURT YOU, DEARIE." Lily growled "I… MADE A BAD CHOICE."

"And it saved our lives." I said "Just like you didn't hurt me any worse than everything else did."

Lily's mouth braces creaked as her mouth shifted into the rough approximate of a frown. She didn't look to the floor so much as tilt towards it, her neck muscles were too thick to allow otherwise.

I put a hand on one of her boulder-sized shoulders, trying to squeeze it reassuringly. Given the size disparity between us though, it turned into more of an awkward pat.

"You're not a monster, Lily." I said "The only person who needs to get their head screwed on straight is me."

"… LEO DISAGREES, DEARIE." Lily said.

"Of course he would." I said "But what does he know? He's just a voice."

"HRM." Lily chuckled, he frown cracking slightly. She picked herself up slightly, but still looked down to me. I could almost tell she was meeting my gaze now.

"I'm sure there's something we need to talk about." I said "Flying off the handle like that isn't normal for you. But I'm not going to force you to talk to me about it until you're ready, ok?"

Lily's body creaked up and down in a tilting motion. "THANK YOU, DEARIE."

I nodded, then smiled at her. "I do have a question though."

Lily tilted to the side slightly, confused.

"When was the last time you got to do something… 'normal'?"

…

I put my motorcycle helmet back on and convinced everyone to get changed into some of the finery littering the presidential suite, then we set out across the street, to the Tops. I'd given Tommy plenty of time to get ready now, so they were hopefully just about keyed in for everything.

We checked our obvious equipment at the door, kept our holdouts in our socks, and headed upstairs.

The Aces theater wasn't a large place, compared to the rest of the casino. It was much smaller than the casino floor, dwarfed by the hotel, and lacked the obvious airspace of the pool. Even by comparison to the other bars on the strip, it seemed small.

But with most of the tables and seating pulled from the room or set off to the side, it left the dark hall quite spacious. The lights were always dimmed, to help draw attention to the stage. Now, the lights were more equal to each other. The hall bright enough to see those around you more easily, and the stage dim enough to be present but not obnoxious. Just in case some people still felt like watching and listening, rather than what we had planned for the evening.

Or, rather, what I'd planned, Tommy just did the heavy lifting. Had to grease his palms a little, but he was receptive to the idea. If the introduction of new acts had been enough to begin drawing a bigger crowd, this was going to push the place full to bursting. If it hadn't already. By the time we arrived, a crowd twice the size of the average night was already inside the Aces. Gamblers and travelers from all walks of life, provided they could get past the gate were lingering on the opened floor, or keeping to the walls and bar.

The show was about to begin.

"I feel ridiculous." Boone groused, wearing a fancy gambling suit as prim and formal as could be expected in the Mojave "Was this necessary?"

"You telling me you don't like getting all gussied up and prowling the town?" I asked, loosening the collar of my own pre-war business wear.

"No." Boone growled flatly.

"Well suck-it-up buttercup. This one's not meant for you." I shot back.

"I'm liking it so far." Veronica said, straightening her dress "Any chance I get to flaunt this? Worth it."

"Wish I could say the same." Raul said adjusting the bowtie of his gambler wear "I prefer my coveralls to this monkey suit."

"You could've just done what I did." Cass smirked, the only person still in her normal clothes. She tilted her hat and smirked at everyone.

"What you guys do is up to you." I said, accepting whatever decisions they chose to make "I'm doing it for Lily regardless. For what it's worth though, I think she appreciates the moral support."

"I DO DEARIE, THANK YOU." Lily growled, trailing in behind all of us. She wasn't wearing her usual overalls and hat, though she'd humorously kept her goggles on.

Lily's entire body was wrapped in one long bolt of crimson clothe. Folded and belted in places to come as close to resembling a dress as was possible for someone her size. It was a bit rough, a bit long, and a bit boxy in the wrong places. But, for something that was thrown together at the last possible moment using the drapes and sheets available in the Presidential suite, it looked damn good. Despite the fact that it was red, and her skin was the color of mutfruit, it suited her quite well. Complemented by the crème-colored bonnet on her head.

What didn't work, however, was the fact that she was still an eight foot tall nightkin. The dress clung to her in a way that almost look skin tight in places.

"How's the dress?" I asked.

"IT'S PERFECT DEARIE." Lily growled, braces creaking into a smile "IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE THIS LITTLE LADY GOT TO DRESS LIKE ONE. LEO APPRECIATES THE GESTURE."

"Well, then I think you'll like what's coming next." I said, looking to the stage.

Tommy Torini had walked his way into the spotlight. He was followed closely by several men in suits. I recognized some of them as being part of his Rad Pack Revue. The rest carried damaged, but serviceable instruments. Drums, Horns, an upright bass.

Lonny was with them, still dressed for the road and carrying his guitar.

Tommy tapped the microphone with a finger, the percussive thumps echoing through the speakers. "Heh, is this thing on?" Tommy asked coyly "Y'all can hear me, right?"

A chorus of claps and whistles erupted from the crowd on the floor and near the walls.

"Hey hey, al-right~" Tommy intoned, grinning "Tonight, we got a special show for you all. Courtesy of an anonymous patron, we're openin' up the floor, and lettin' you cats strut your stuff. How's that sound?"

More cheers, apparently the idea was welcome.

"Oh yeah~" Tommy said "Me and the boys will be here to show you how it's done. For tonight's music, give it up for our boy Lonny…" Tommy leaned in close to the microphone, his voice coming in full and rich. "But I think you cats know him better as… The Lonesome Drifter."

The cheers erupted even louder than they had before, people were jumping up and down and the music hadn't even started yet.

Tommy backed away from the microphone, gesturing for Lonny to step forward with a warm smile. Lonny followed suit, coming up to the microphone with a smile of genuine happiness. I don't make many good calls. Giving Lonny that card was one of them.

"Evenin' Ev'rybody." Lonny said "Me and the boys from the band got some choice tunes for you tonight. But before we really get in the swing o' things, I've got a request from a friend o' mine I need to fill." Lonny looked out into to the crowd towards me, and gave a wink. Confusing to most, but not me. "So, Boys, grab yer ladies. And ladies… grab yer boys before they run off on ya."

A chorus of laughter erupted from the crowd. Lonny's smile grew wider.

"An' boys, don't you be forgettin', if she's puttin' up with you… She's a good-hearted woman."

(**BGM**: Good Hearted Woman, Waylon Jennings)

Lonny's guitar began to echo out across the room, and I took that as my cue.

I turned to Lily and held out my hand. "May I have this dance, miss?"

Lily's mouth hung open, kept largely in place by her braces. "DEARIE, YOU DIDN'T!"

"Why wouldn't I?" I asked, turning to the rest of my companions "Anyone else feel like joining?"

Raul and Veronica fixed me with skeptical smirks, before wandering off to the side of the room to enjoy the show. Boone didn't smirk, but he followed them.

I turned and looked to Cass.

She just smiled and shook her head. "Nah, I think I'm going to get a drink." She turned and started towards the bar "I'll save you some."

"Appreciate it!" I called after her, turning back to Lily "Looks like it's just you, me, and Leo then. So, how about it?"

Lily bristled at the question. Her massive meaty paw grabbed my hand gently. "DEARIE, IT'S BEEN SO LONG ANYONE HAS ASKED ME TO DANCE… BESIDES YOU, LEO."

I chuckled "Well then, do you remember the steps?"

In response to my question, Lily practically dragged me out onto the dance floor. There were plenty of people out there already, but they were more than accommodating to the nightkin muscling past them.

We settled into a spot on the dance floor, and Lily stepped into the motions as naturally as if she'd practiced them daily. I did my best to follow along. I wasn't a gifted dancer, but I could keep pace. The only problem was that Lily dwarfed me by about four feet. Despite that, she was also far more graceful than you'd expect. Not nimble per say, she was a nightkin after all, but she was light of foot for someone in her weight class. We swept, spun, and swung our way around the dance floor in time to the music. It wasn't the perfect song to dance to, but I'd asked Lonny to come up with something close to it.

I put a hand on Lily's hip, and did my best to guide her through the motions, as I was supposed to. It was a tough thing to do, but she was more willing to bend. I had to take extra-large steps to avoid stepping on Lily's boots as well. Not something you normally need to consider when dancing, just so long as you avoid stepping on your partner's feet you tend to be fine. Lily's feet were rather large though, requiring a more concerted effort on my part. Though her footwork was surprisingly precise besides that.

Regardless, I kept going. I was going to show her a good time.

There were some things I wasn't able to do. Some of the moves that my portion of the dance required were… complicated by Lily's size. Some of the various dips and leans becoming pretty much impossible. If we tried them as intended, she'd wind up dragging us both to the floor.

We got around them by switching roles. By switching, I mean Lily performed my portion and brute forced me into hers.

I let her do it, this was for her anyway.

We ultimately didn't spend too much time on the floor for that song. But it was enough, and we had the whole night to go back for more.

As the song wound to a close, the two of us walked back off the dance floor.

Soon as we were far enough off of it, Lily hooked one of her massive arms around my shoulders and pulled me into a hug. Given how large and strong she was, evidenced by pulling me into the hug, I was half expecting to be crushed.

But I wasn't.

Truthfully, Lily was quite soft. She was large and thick with muscle, but she wasn't using it to try and squeeze the life out of me. More like, she was just holding onto me. Her massive blue arms had wrapped around me like the wasteland's most leathery blanket, that'd been reinforced with steel cable. She pulled me in close and held me there. She was warm, comforting. I could hear her heart beat with hammering thuds, slow, calm, soothing. Awkward as the motion may have looked to the outside world, to me, I'd never felt safer anywhere else.

If I'd closed my eyes in that moment, I'd have believed she was a grandmother.

An eight-foot tall, musclebound, blue grandmother. But a granny all the same, and the sweetest in the world.

She held me there for a few moments, but eventually found the will to release me. She smiled down at me, pleased.

"THANK YOU, DEARIE." Lily growled "YOU'VE MADE GRAMMY FEEL A CENTURY YOUNGER."

"My pleasure." I said, smiling "Let me know if you ever want to go again."

"I WILL, DEARIE, I WILL." Lily growled. She then turned towards the nearest wall, and began walking towards it as Lonny keyed in the next song.

A pleasant warmth wormed its way into my chest as I made my way to the bar. Cass was there waiting for me, giving me the biggest shit-eating grin, I'd ever seen.

I leaned up against the bar and motioned for a drink. Whiskey and Nuka. Normally don't mix my drinks, but I needed to stay clear head for a while still.

The bartender poured my drink, and I gave it a stir as Cass's grin intensified. She said nothing as I loosened my helmet enough to take a swig of it. I set my glass down, fixed my helmet, then fixed her with a look. "… What?"

"… Nothing." Cass said, looking back to the stage "Nothin' at all."

"Uh huh" I grunted, mirroring the action, turning back to the stage as well. Looking out towards it, I could see Lonny having the time of his life as Tommy and the revue chopped the rug to tatters. I could see Boone and Raul watching the stage. I even noted that Boone was tapping his foot in time to the music. Lily loomed not too far away from them. Her meaty mitts clapping to the music hard enough you could mistake them for a kick drum. Probably the biggest surprise was Veronica though.

She was out on the dance floor, having found a girl who was willing to step out with her.

Try as I might, I couldn't get the smile off my face, and my chest swelled with warmth.

Cass fixed me with another grin. "So, what'd it take to do all of this?"

"All told?" I asked "Every penny I've made working for Steve, and then some."

Cass's eyes shot open. "You serious?"

"Yep." I said, looking to her "And for this view, right here? I'd do it all over."

"…" Cass's grin grew into a smile, and her face flushed. Little miss whisky rose was showing why she had the name. "So, what next?"

"Gonna take a day or two off." I said "Steve said I needed to get my head on straight. And he's right. Maybe I can do this on my own… But just because I can doesn't always mean I should. Without Lily, I'd be dead. Without any of you, I'd lose my mind. I enjoy my solitude, but with the things these jobs bring, the silence ain't a pleasant one."

Cass's eyes brightened. "What're you saying?"

I looked into her eyes. "I'm saying, if you don't mind me acting like an idiot sometimes, I'd like if you'd start traveling with me again. At least for however long I'm working with Steve."

Cass blinked, and the smile on her face redoubled "That so? What happened to 'staying apart because we're being watched'."

"Feh, that was the first bad idea in a long line of them." I said, swirling my drink "In the end, trouble found us anyway. If there's going to be in danger anyway, might as well face it together… assuming you don't mind?"

Cass didn't say anything.

But her smile was blinding, and warmer than the mid-day sun. Her eyes were the glittering blue waters of Lake Mead catching the rays. Her face, lined and creased with the stresses of being a caravaner in the Mojave relaxed. Features softening and smoothing in ways that only paid compliments.

It might've been the whisky talking, but she looked really damn pretty.

Cass let out a little, tittering laugh, downed her drink, and pushed off the bar. "I was reminded why I never liked this place as soon as I got back… When do we leave?"

"A day or two from now." I said "Or tomorrow, if you feel like wandering a bit before we get back to work."

"Sounds like fun." Cass smiled, brilliantly, again "I'll get my stuff together. Dancing was never my thing anyway."

"Give it a try sometime, you might enjoy it." I called.

"Oh, I enjoy a certain type of dancing alright." Cass said, winking as she began to walk away "Maybe I'll teach you it some time."

She left with a spring in her step before I could reply.

Sounded like fun though, maybe I could convince Lonny to do a private session for us sometime.