"Let me aim that for you next time." Boone drawled and took the rifle from her hands, reloaded it and took out the offending radscorpion with one bullet. Damn show off.

"What? Why?" Six got to her feet and dusted herself off, not that it did her any good. Damn stuff gets everywhere.

"Because you can't aim for shit"

"Oh" Well there was that. She laughed and punched him in the shoulder for that. "You're such and ass, you know that right?"

He grunted and strapped the rifle back onto his back. He still wasn't much for casual touching, but he was slowly getting there. It was a step forward when he didn't stiffen and walk away every time she bumped into him or jokingly punched him.

"But you've been called worse, I bet" She continued "By myself included" she joked and tried to take the lighter from his breast pocket, but he swatted her hands away.

"You could ask" He grumbled and took it out himself and threw it at her, she caught it (barely) and lit her cigarette. "Or even better, get your own damn lighter"

"And loose the chance to paw at your handsome self?" She casually flirted and winked at him, his jaw tensed. Damn it. It was all "One step forward, twenty back" with him.

She smiled apologetically and offered him the cigarette; he took a long drag from it and handed it back.

"Come on, let's head back to camp before the sun sets" They were a little too far east for her liking, but Boone was getting restless and had been itching for some legion related action for weeks now.

Action he couldn't get in Freeside.

Damn, the poor bastard needed to get laid, or high, real soon or he was going to get himself killed.

She risked a glance at his chiseled face and was struck by a deep sadness. What if he got his wish and ended up dead somewhere and she ended up living? She didn't want to think about it, but it was a possibility.

They were a team, damn it!

She shook her head and stomped out the cigarette and took point.

They decided to make some extra noises as they hiked the narrow path back up to Camp Forlorn Hope. No sense getting shot because of some rookie NCR trooper with an itchy trigger finger decided they were Fiends, or worse, legion.

"Name?" The NCR prick, ah I mean trooper, on duty asked while openly leering at her. Really? Really?! Even with the brooding First Recon sniper behind her?

Stare at my tits some more, shitface, and I'll machete you in the face.

"The name is Six" She snapped "And I was cleared earlier by-what was his name again?" She half turned to the sniper who just shrugged.

Damn it, Boone! I won't be held responsible if I end up breaking a few of his bones.

The leech just glanced at Boone but turned back to her and stroked his rifle suggestively. She gagged.

"Six? What kinda name 's that?" He purred, well he tried anyway. She'd heard Boone purr once, nothing could ever measure up to that. "You some tribal?"

"No" She snapped "Are you going to let us in or what?"

"Yeah, yeah" He said "The major said to let you folks in"

"Good" She snapped and tried to push past him but he grabbed her arm and bent his head down to whisper in her ear.

"If ya start to feel lonely, baby-" His breath hit her cheek and it was revolting.

That's it; she thought and threw an uppercut that had him sprawling at her feet.

"Don't count on it, fucker" she snarled and if Boone hadn't grabbed her shoulders and propelled her forward she'd stormed back out the way they came.

"Let go of me, Boone!" She snapped and tried to tug away from him but he silently lead her to the barracks and forced her down into a chair.

"Stay" He barked and walked out.

Excuse me?!

If not for the sleeping soldiers littering the bunks she would have thrown a violent hissy fit. Complete with screaming, swearing and throwing things. She threw fits with the best of them; she could out tantrum a five year old damn it!

So instead she had to settle for a small rebellion, she left the chair and began pacing. It wasn't enough, not only had that sleaze decided to it was OK to grab her like that. Boone had done nothing and then carted her away like a child. (Yes, cough it up. Irony thy name is Six.)

That was the bigger betrayal. He didn't trust her to handle it like an adult. He probably thought she was going on killing spree or something.

The tent flap was ripped open and Boone looked in at her.

"Come" He muttered and turned and began walking.

The fuck?

She stumbled after the angsty sniper and demanded that he give her an explanation, but it wasn't really that much of a surprise when she got none.

He walked into a ratty old building and she followed and she was faced with iron cells. This was the camp's jail. What?

"The fuck is going on Boone?" She snapped and crossed her arms.

"I had to call on a few favors to get you out of this mess, Six" The rumble in his voice made her knees quake, but her anger didn't allow her to falter.

"That asshole was out of line, I showed him where the ground was. That's not a mess, that's education!" She snarled.

"They wanted to lock you up for a few days, Six" He spoke carefully, not gently, it just felt like he was choosing his words with care.

"So you decide to cut out the middle man and lock me up yourself!?" She snarled and resisted the urge to stomp her foot.

"Will you just shut up and listen-" She interrupted him.

"No I won't shut up, Boone! I thought you had my back!" The anger flaring in her belly was nothing compared to the bitter feeling of betrayal. It was petty, she knew, but if he wouldn't have her back in this kind of situation how the hell was she going to trust him out in the wastes? She told him as much.

She'd never seen the man move that fast, not even when fighting. He had her trapped against the wall. A recurring theme. But this time she wasn't going to fall for his rugged good looks or that sexy voice of his. Want to know how? She wasn't going to let him talk, that's how.

"Let go of me you prick!" She snarled and tried to knee him in the groin but he quickly anticipated the blow and forced himself between her knees. "I swear to God when you let me go I'm going to tear out your eyes and –"

A calloused hand ended up in front of her mouth.

"Do you ever just do what you're told?" He snapped and threw his shades to the side so he could bore those baby-blues into her brown ones. "As I was saying, I called in some favors to get you out of serving some serious jail time. We're spending the night in here, away from barracks in case Private Shit-For-Brains gets any ideas"

Boone took a deep breath and continued.

"I didn't step in because I know you're not some delicate flower needing my protection all the time, Six. I got your back when you need it and you didn't need it out there" She topped struggling and went limp.

Oh. Oh god damn it…She fucked up.

"I was hoping you wouldn't end up punching the bastard though, but I guess all bets were off as soon as he grabbed you, eh?" He muttered and eased up on his grip on her arms "You gonna tear out my eyes if I let you go now?"

Slowly she shook her head and he let go of her mouth.

"I might kiss you though"

That had the desired reaction, well one out of them, and he stiffened and took a step away from her. After a moment of silence where she rubbed her wrists to get some feeling back in them, damn she was going bruise. She shot him a glare, but he was busy staring at the door, like he couldn't decide whether or not to leave.

"Why do you do that?" He asked after a while.

"Do what?" He shot her a dark look and she raised her hands in surrender "Fine, I do it because I want to"

He just stared at her for a while before he plucked his shades from the floor and put them back on. And just like that he was unreadable and unobtainable again.

"Well, don't" He rasped and they dropped the subject.

Well he did, but that didn't mean she was going to stop flirting with him. It just wasn't in her nature.