Disclaimer: I do not own anything you recognize. Fallout New Vegas belongs to the respective owners.

Savior

09

Elise felt like a child again, being scolded by her mother. When she had done something wrong, Amaya would bear down on her daughter and point one long tan finger at her and would reprimand Elise for hours. Amaya would then feel bad and start crying.

The only difference here, really, was that James Hsu probably wasn't going to break down and start crying. Oh, and Amaya wasn't an Asian Man.

"What you two did was extremely irresponsible!" Hsu stalked back and forth in his office in Camp McCarran. Elise was sitting in a uncomfortable chair, Boone and Rex behind her. She had sent Arcade and ED-E back to the Lucky 38 for much needed – and deserved, as Arcade put it – rest. She had tried to make Boone go with them but he had glared at her and refused. As usual.

They had decided to stop by McCarran and let Colonel Hsu what had happened at the Fort and hadn't quite received the reaction Elise was expecting. She rolled her eyes and Hsu picked that exact time to stop and glare at her again.

"You two could have been killed! You should have been killed. How the hell did you make it out of there?"

"Killed all the bastards." Boone's voice popped up behind her, making her jump a little.

Hsu gave a long-suffering sigh and Elise cast him a sheepish smile. "We had two more people with us. Well, a doctor and a robot. But still. I don't regret it. Do you, Boone?"

"Hell no." The sniper crossed his arms over his chest.

"Fine. You made it back safe and you somehow managed to survive. Congrats. Caesar is dead but that doesn't change anything."

"I know it doesn't. We still have the whole fucking Legion to deal with. What Caesar had at his camp was only a fraction of what the Legion is." Elise ran a hand through her hair. It was getting rather long.

"I heard from one of the Rangers that you were one of the slaves that they pulled out of the river that night at Cottonwood Cove." The man's voice had softened by a degree.

"They did." Elise nodded and waited for Boone to intervene. If he was going to rat her out, this was the perfect time to do it. He stayed silent.

"I understand why you did it, but was reckless. Extremely reckless. The NCR can't afford to lose good citizens such as yourselves."

"We're fine. Caesar and a quarter of the Legion is dead and we can all sleep a little easier."

"You probably just really pissed off the Legate."

"They already have a bounty on me, have for years, what else can they do?"

"You both must have a death wish."

Boone was silent and Elise stole a glance at him, almost jumping when she saw his eyes were focused on her behind his sunglasses. She quickly turned back. "Er, no, not really. I enjoy living, but killing Legion assholes makes life that much more enjoyable."

"Well." Hsu sat down in front of the Courier, leaving Boone the only one still standing. "If you're that interested in killing Legion, I could use your help."

Straightening, Elise quirked an eyebrow. "Go on."

"Someone's getting word out. I can't send a patrol on a bathroom break without it being ambushed by someone who heard they were coming."

"That is a problem." Her brain helpfully supplied a mental image Vulpes Inculta holding a hand over his eyes as he tried to capture a pants-less NCR trooper. She tried to hold back the giggles, she really did, but one may have escaped. Or two.

To Colonel Hsu's credit, he ignored the Courier's immaturity. "I'd like to have absolute trust in my men but that's just not practical right now. Look into it and see what you can find. We don't have much to go on but lately every raiding party in New Vegas seems to have a map of our troop movements. It derails everything. Supplies, reinforcements. It will only get worse the longer it goes on."

Elise could tell that Boone was interested. Her companion had perked up so she nodded. "Alright, I'm in. Who is in charge of the investigation?"

"Captain Curtis. He can fill you in. Before you do that, though, go to the barracks and get some sleep. You both look awful. " Frowning, Elise stood, making Rex jump from where he had been dozing at her feet. Hsu gave the cyberdog a weary glance. "Some guard dog you have there. You sure you can control it?"

"Psh!" Elise waved him off and scratched the mutt behind his ears, earning a tail wag. "You should be more worried about the one in the red beret."

The glare she earned from Boone shut her up.

The air was warm, the sun beating down on the beautiful Arizona desert. Elise sat back, smiling as the rays beamed down on her skin. It was another beautiful day, one that she could appreciate.

"Elise!" The girl started, her mother's voice carrying over the small distance. "It's class time!"

The teenager groaned but stood nonetheless. At least it was a nice day out and they could work on something fun. She refused to be stuck inside one of the hot lodges today.

She quickly made her way over to her mother, Amaya. She was standing over where the other children were, her hands on hips. Amaya was a beautiful woman and Elise looked nothing like her. Where Elise had red hair that shined like fire in the sun, Amaya's was coal black. Elise was pale with a scattering of freckles no matter how long she was in the sun, her mother had a beautiful olive skin tone that tanned without a problem. The only thing that Elise had taken after her mother were her strange gray eyes.

Despite how different they were, Elise knew her mother adored her and was immensely proud of her. Amaya gave her a hug as she walked over. When she pulled back, Amaya placed a kiss on her daughter's forehead. "What am I teaching today?"

"Knife throwing, of course." Elise brightened. That was a subject she was very good in. "But before you start teaching, I need to talk to you."

Amaya's voice had taken a low tone to it and she motioned over by one of the lodges. Nodding, Elise followed her over. "What's wrong, Mama?"

"Your father came back about an hour ago with bad news. The Twisted Hairs are gone, darling."

Elise felt her heart clench. The Twisted Hairs were a neighboring tribe who were very good scouts. They were known for their iconic dreadlocks that they used to symbolize achievements within the tribe. They were friendly to the Sunlake Tribe and usually had many meetings together. She had a good friend in the tribe. "They're all gone?"

Amaya nodded, noting the way her daughter's face crumpled with grief. "There was no sign of any of them, including Kanti. I'm sorry, Elise. It looks like the Legion caught up with them."

"Fucking slavers!" Elise kicked the lodge wall, biting back tears. Kanti was the closest person she had to a best friend, even though they only saw each other a couple times a month. He usually made special trips to see her when he was able and Elise knew Amaya had hoped that their friendship would develop into something more. It might have, had it been given time. But no, the goddamn slavers ended that. "What are we going to do, Mama? If they have the Twisted Hairs, they'll be after us, next."

"I know." Amaya pulled her daughter into her arms, brushing her wild hair out of her face. "Your father and I have already spoken to the Elders. We're moving at first light tomorrow. If we head west, we may be able to get into NCR territory before the Legion catches up."

So they were going to run. Elise felt like a coward but as she cast a glance over to the children, she knew that it had to be done. Most of the tribe wasn't trained in any sort of weapon, they were traders and craftsmen. They had a few guards, but they weren't any match for the Legion. Elise just hoped that tomorrow would come soon enough.

The fire had started to go out, only the flickering embers left. It was late and the chill had started to seep into the group's bones. Elise huddled the blanket closer and vaguely wished that her parent's body heat would stretch far enough to warm her.

The council had called one last meeting before the big move the next day. The council consisted of Quaker, one of the oldest men in the tribe; Kinda, Quaker's elderly wife; Stone, the tribe's so called 'warrior leader' (Elise couldn't help but scoff at this, the man was as much of a warrior as she was a radscorpion); Kelly, the tribe's doctor; Elise's mother Amaya; and Isaac, Elise's father. Elise had been asked to join only a few months before, on the night of her seventeenth birthday. Stone's daughter Sadie was also asked to join, though her input unnecessary at best and idiotic at worst.

"Are we sure that moving is what we want to do?" Quaker sat back in the old Pre-War lawn chair that Elise had pilfered for him out of a nearby house. It was better for his bad back than sitting on the ground like the rest of them

"What other choice do we have, old man? We're no match for the Legion!" Stone was in his glory, panicking. He looked the part of a warrior, a buzz cut with a mohawk and wearing all leather, but looks were decieving.

"I'm afraid Stone is correct." The girl jumped at her father's voice. She glanced at him, noting how tired he looked. His curly auburn hair was starting to gray and his green eyes were glassy. He wasn't really that much older than Elise, he and Amaya had married at sixteen and Elise was born two weeks shy of their first anniversary. His middle age was starting to show, however. He had laugh lines around his eyes, though they were narrowed in worry now. "The Legion will slaughter us if we let them. The sooner we leave, the better."

"But, Daddy!" Elise winced. Sadie would be pretty with her dark hair and dark eyes if he voice didn't sound like a vault door opening. "This is our home! The girls and I don't want to leave!"

"It doesn't matter if you want to leave." Elise ran a finger over one of her throwing knives, gifts from Kanti a few years back. "If we stay here, we're dead. Or worse. They got the Twisted Hairs, so what does that say about our chances?"

Sadie scowled at her. "Just because your boyfriend's tribe didn't make the cut doesn't mean we won't!"

"What? Do you think that Caesar is just going to pat us on the heads and walk away?" She heard her father try to hush her, but anger was running through her veins. "He's either going to kill us, enslave us, or rape us. Not necessarily in that order."

"Elise is right. Leaving is our only choice." Kinda's voice was sad and Amaya nodded, choosing to stay silent.

"So it's agreed then. We-" A gunshot rang out and Quaker's head exploded. Elise was covered in blood and she quickly wiped her eyes but she realized the scores of red wasn't from the blood, but from the huge amount of Legion soldiers overtaking the clearing. She stood and turned in time to see her father's throat slit. She heard someone screaming. It took her a minute to realize that she was the one screaming.

Elise woke with a start,sitting quickly. She looked around quickly before remembering she was at McCarran in the barracks. The soldiers were asleep, most of them snoring. The woman wiped her hand across her forehead, cringing when she felt that she was soaked with sweat. There was no use trying to go back to sleep now.

The Courier looked around again before quickly changingher clothes and making her way out of the tent, still barefoot. The first person she saw was Boone, he was sitting next to a fire cleaning his gun. Elise bit her lip and hesitated, but he turned and she was pretty sure her heart went into her throat. His sunglasses were off, giving his gaze much more strength, and there was something in those usually stoic gaze that made her heart beat faster. "Well, are you going to sit?"

His voice broke her out of her reverie and Elise blushed. What was wrong with her? At least the darkness hid it well. "I wasn't sure if you wanted company."

"Knew you'd be up soon. Another nightmare?"

"Yeah." Elise moved and sat down next to him, but still an appropriate distance away. "This one was the worst by far."

"What was it?" It was more of a demand than a question and Elise knew that she was going to have to come clean eventually.

"It was the night that the Legion massacred my tribe." She swallowed, her throat felt thick. "I grew up in Arizona in the Sunlake Tribe, like I said. We were traders and craftsman, mostly. There were very few of us that knew how to operate any sort of weapon. I didn't even really know how to use a gun in those days, throwing knives were my specialty."

Boone raised an eyebrow. "Throwing knives? Don't have any on you now."

"Nope." Elise shook her head. "I only had one set and I lost those when the Legion attacked. An old friend bought them for me. His tribe, the Twisted Hairs, was taken before mine. That's how we knew they were coming. My father traveled as a trader between all the local tribes and the Twisted Hairs was usually the last tribe on his route. They were gone.

"It's really no surprise that they came after us. We were one of the few traders in the region and that's probably why they came. They needed to find a way make the other tribes weaker, and cutting off their supply line was easy."

Boone's face was serious but he nodded, almost sympathetic. "Common strategy for war. NCR is known for that."

"That's what my dream was about, anyways. Aren't you glad you asked?" Elise couldn't keep the bitter edge out of her voice but she knew Boone wouldn't hold it against her. If anyone understood her, it was him,

"I am." That made her look at him, shocked, but the sniper was staring into the fire.

Elise took a deep breath and just decided to go with it. "Boone... what was your wife like?"

She waited to be locked out again but it didn't happen. Her friend's shoulders just dropped and he suddenly looked about ten years older. "I met Carla while I was on the Strip on leave. She said I looked lost. She talked a lot. Suited me fine- I never know what to say. And listening to her... it just makes you forget. She stuck out everywhere we went. Like she was from a different time, a better time. I never met anyone like her."

He suddenly looked guilty and Elise gave him a reassuring smile, almost reaching out to touch him before thinking better of it. "Thank you for telling me about her. She sounds great."

"She wouldn't have liked you, you know." There was a bit of humor in his voice now. "Would've thought you were too rambunctious. Or independent."

"I don't know if you've noticed, not many people like me." Elise giggled, happy with the way the conversation was going. She didn't want to push it, but she had to ask. "Boone... what happened at Bitter Springs?"

The man gave a deep sigh and set his rifle down on the ground next to him. "There was a... miscommunication."

"Must have been one hell of a miscommunication." Elise wanted to slap herself. She had worked so hard to get Boone to open up, and she re-payed him by being a bitch? Smooth.

"Yeah, well. That's how they wrote it up in the report. We did what we were there to do. Lot of people got killed. That's war." Boone paused and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Maybe looking back you'd do things differently. But that's not how it works. You hesitate, you or someone you care about will die. They teach that from day one."

"Very optimistic of them. It sounds like you have regrets."

"You don't come out of a tour without regrets. It's best to not think about it."

Elise bit her lip again. "Do you think about Bitter Springs a lot?"

"Yeah. Always. Even when I sleep. Like you, with your nightmares." For the first time, Boone turned to look at her and his face took her off guard. It was obvious to Elise what she had to do then.

"We could make a trip there, if you'd like. It might help."

"I don't think so. It won't change anything and that's a memory I don't want refreshed."

Shut down. Elise let a breath out but nodded, her good mood gone. "Is Bitter Springs why you think life has a vendetta against you?"

The man narrowed his eyes at her but his voice was still calm. "Life has a way of making you pay for the mistakes you make. Big enough mistake, punishment can take awhile. Mine's not over."

Elise shook her head. "That's not the way life works, and even if it did, don't you think you've made up for those mistakes?"

"A murderer who does good deeds is still a murderer. And he'll still get his judgement. I left the NCR when my tour was up. Got sick of war. Decided I was gonna start over. None of it made a difference in the end."

"How do you know that your punishment isn't over?"

"I'm still alive." The sniper grabbed his rifle and stood, his stance harsh.

"Boone-"

"Going to bed. Talk to you in the morning." Elise watched him push back the flap to the barracks and disappear inside, frowning.

The pain in her chest was renewed now. She knew that her companion had a difficult time, but his story made her heart ache and she didn't even know it all.

Elise let her head fall back and she stared up at the clear sky. She watched the stars twinkle and wondered what her life would be like if the Legion hadn't attacked her tribe that night, if they had gotten away. Would she have been like Carla, married to a man that loved her more than life itself? Or would she still be alone like she was today?

Her stirrings of feelings for the sniper were getting stronger and Elise had no idea what to do about it. She knew, however, that he was in no place to love her like he did his wife and a selfish part of her wanted to cry.

A/N: I hope you guys like this chapter! Thank you for the alerts and favorites and the review! Everything makes me want to write that much more.