*I know so far, this isn't getting much attention, but that's okay. I'm enjoying writing it. If I had to give a theme for Jovie, it would be "Luna" from Final Fantasy XV OST. I'm not sure about Boone or the others. Just throwing that out there. Also, in case you're wondering why this is rated M, it's for violence, language, and sexual content/mature themes. I don't use the F-word, and I dislike GD, so you won't see those here.*

Veronica squealed in utter delight as Jovie placed the dress in her hands. She placed it against her body and twirled around, admiring how flowy it was, her smile outshining the moment itself.

"I can't believe this!" she giggled, staring at the dress. "Jovie... thank you!"

Arcade gave Veronica a playful nudge with his elbow. "Why not show it off around the strip? May even get you a date with a lovely lady."

Veronica blushed. "I don't know about that. It's been a long time, and in a way, I still hurt after..." she stopped, then looked at Arcade. "You know what? You're right! I can't keep looking back. Not to mention I think I'll rock it in this dress."

"No doubt," Jovie grinned. "Now, go get changed and get out there. Have some fun!" She then snapped her fingers. "No, ya know what? Everyone go out. Arcade, I'm sure Julie and Beatrix miss you. Why not pay them a visit? Let's just all take a reprieve."

"Sounds great," Cass nodded. "I'm gonna hit the Atomic Wrangler."

"I stay here," Lily loudly claimed. "People don't like me."

"Lily, you're fine. But maybe you want to go to Jacobstown and visit everyone?" Jovie suggested.

Lily nodded. "You're right, Jovie. Now that I've got my head on straight, I think I can make it there just fine."

Once Veronica had changed into her dress, everyone piled into the elevator but Jovie and Boone, but he was in the bath. Maybe once he was out, she could get him to go somewhere as well.

"What about you?" Raul asked.

"I just want to relax for a while," Jovie sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. "I'm tense all over."

"Don't blame you," Raul agreed. "Get some rest, eh, senorita?"

The doors closed, and then quiescence filled the room. She stared at the elevator doors for a moment, then sighed as she went into her bedroom. Boone walked out of the bathroom, dressed in a black suit, tie in hand. Shortly after, Jovie walked out of the bedroom in a white dress, her back to Boone.

"Zip me, will you?"

He did as she asked, and when she turned around, she took the tie out of his hand and reached around his neck, placing it under the collar of the white button-up shirt, then starting to tie it.

"They didn't teach us this," Boone joked dryly.

"So I see," Jovie simply stated, finishing the tie. She smoothed it out and took a step back. For a moment, just a moment, it hit Boone she had changed. It wasn't just the dress, either. Her hair was finally getting longer- past her chin and straight. She had battle scars here and there, but she was...

"You look nice," Boone shyly complimented.

"Are you ready to do this?" she asked, ignoring Boone's compliment. "We're going in there empty-handed."

Boone nodded. "Are you?"

Jovie reached for a brush and ran it through her brown hair one last time. "Just let me do the talking, yeah?"

"If he touches you-"

"I'll handle it," she interrupted. "You're just there to make sure things don't get out of hand. That's all. Got it?"

Boone pursed his lips together. Ever since Nelson, she had been distant and cold towards him. Not that he could blame her, but still... it wasn't Jovie. The Jovie he knew was bubbly and charismatic, talkative and spontaneous. She kept him at arm's length now.

She placed the brush down on top of a small table.

"Jove, look..." Boone started, his voice quiet. She looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Changed your mind?" she questioned monotonously.

Boone took off his beret and placed it beside the brush. He even took his sunglasses off and did the same. Less suspicious, the better. He couldn't even recall the last time he wore a suit.

"Just listen to me, dammit," he sighed, grabbing her by her shoulders and making her face him. "What I said back at Nelson... I was out of line, and I'm sorry." Her eyes softened, and he could feel her body's tension release. "I still believe bad things are coming my way, but... I just need time. I'm not going anywhere or going to do anything reckless, you have my word on that."

Jovie's eyes focused hard on his then softened again. "I believe you. For now."

"Fair enough." The statement hurt, but he deserved it. After everything she'd done for him, back at Nelson, he'd been so callous towards her. Quite some time had passed since then, and he had dealt with her bitterness for a while. He had to fix what he could.

She finally gave him a smile and stood on her tiptoes, rubbing his bald head. "I can see my reflection!"

"I shave it, thank you very much," Boone muttered. "Last time I had hair, I was seventeen, getting ready to join the NCR." He reached and took a strand of her hair between his index finger and thumb. "Speaking of hair... yours is growing out."

"Finally," she exhaled dramatically. She then nudged his shoulder. "Let's go."

The Tops wasn't hard to find. Back in his NCR days, Boone would go there with his buddies when they had leave and before he met Carla, but he wouldn't play the slots or gamble. He was never lucky enough for that. The moment they stepped inside, they were told to hand over any weapons they had. Jovie assured them they had none. They didn't pat her down since she was wearing a dress, but they checked Boone over, giving him the "OK" to go. Boone kept his eyes on Jovie. She wasn't shaking, but he could feel her apprehension. They walked on in, seeing other gamblers and bouncers here and there-

She sped up slightly, and that's when he knew. Following closely behind, he could see a man in a white suit with his back turned to them, bodyguards surrounding him. One of the bodyguards motioned his head behind Benny, who turned around and immediately lost all color to him, his eyes widening. He muttered a curse under his breath, his eyes on Jovie.

"You're supposed to be dead."

Jovie put a hand on her hip. "I got better."

Benny glanced at Boone then looked back to Jovie, swallowing dryly. "Well, h-hey, that's good news for me. I can rest easy now knowing you're all right."

"'Rest easy'?" Jovie nearly hissed.

Benny reached up to the collar of his shirt and pulled on it. "Look, doll, this ain't the kind of scene to be havin' out here in the open. How about we go upstairs to my room, and we can hash it all out. Cool as a cat."

Jovie eyed the bodyguards. "Lose the muscle, and I'll go."

One of the guards stepped forward, making Boone do the same- Benny held up a hand, stopping the both of them. "If that's what it takes, then fine."

"And my friend. He comes, too," Jovie continued bartering. "I'm not about to go into a room alone with you."

"Fair enough," Benny nodded. "Let's go."

The bodyguards stepped back, letting Benny walk by towards the elevator. Jovie and Boone followed, but Benny closed the elevator on them before they could enter. Boone grabbed onto Jovie's wrist.

"This could all be a trap, Jove," he whispered as Jovie called for the elevator with her other hand.

"I'm well aware."

The elevator doors opened, and they stepped inside, Boone still holding onto Jovie's wrist as the doors closed. They felt the elevator rising, and Jovie looked at Boone's hand that was on her wrist. She moved her wrist, making him let go.

"Relax."

"I don't trust him."

"Neither do I."

"Jove."

The elevator stopped, the doors opening. Jovie stepped out, Boone trailing. There were so many bouncers... and they showed them which room was Benny's. It was so odd to him. A big shot like Benny, and the casino workers were just letting two strangers in like it was nothing? Jovie opened the doors to his room, Boone shutting them behind them. Benny was sitting at the snack bar, sipping on a shot of whiskey, as casual as can be. They drew closer to him, and he sat down the glass, the ice clinking against each other.

"Baby, I can't tell you how glad I am you're alive," he began, looking up at her. The way he called her "baby" and "doll" made Boone's blood boil. He'd put this woman through hell. He had no right... "Tell me. How did you survive?"

"A robot dug me up, and Doc Mitchell did the rest," she effortlessly replied. "Looks to me you've gotta work on your shot, Benny."

"Nah, baby, that bullet would've killed anyone," Benny rejected. "How you survived... it ain't nothin' short of a miracle."

Jovie leaned over, placing her elbows on the countertop, linking her hands as she stared Benny down. "Do you have any idea what I've lost? Memories... gone. All because of a stupid poker chip." She reached and took the shot glass, downing the whiskey. "Speaking of which... where is it?"

Benny took the shot glass from her and filled it again. "I got it, doll, don't you worry."

Jovie grinned. "I see. Hand it over, Ben."

Benny chuckled. "Baby, you don't realize what this chip means, do you? Everyone wants it. NCR, Caesar, the Four Families, House-"

"Cut the shit," Jovie interrupted. "I was nearly killed over it. I deserve to at least look at it."

Benny reached in his pants pocket and pulled out the chip, flipping it to her. She caught it, holding it in the palm of her hand.

"Platinum all the way. Apparently, it's got the lowdown on Vegas and so much more," Benny told her as she examined it. "Don't ya see, baby? You were just a cat caught in a fence of dogs. I had orders to get it from you, so I did."

Jovie clenched her teeth. "You didn't have to shoot me."

"Doll, at the time, I had no choice, you gotta believe me."

"I don't."

Benny's eyes scanned her over, and he smirked. "I didn't harm you none. Lookin' as cool as a cat."

Boone's fists balled, but Jovie acted first, slapping Benny's face hard. Benny rubbed his stinging skin as Jovie glared at him.

"I lost my memories. I had to learn how to do everything all over again- walk, talk, eat... I have headaches all the time, my hair is just now growing back, and you say you didn't harm me?"

Benny shook his head. "Guess that wasn't the right time to try that, huh?" He took a drink of his whiskey. "Look, if you'll just listen to me, you and I can get out of this without anyone getting' hurt again."

Jovie leaned up, her face inquisitive. "If you're suggesting we work together-"

"Of course I am," Benny nodded. "Everyone wants this piece of land... this New Vegas. We play our cards right, and it can be ours."

"Screw New Vegas for a bit and answer some questions of mine," Jovie ordered. Benny was quiet, allowing for questions. "When you shot me-"

"I felt horrible," he answered before she even finished her question. "I didn't even know your name, and yet, here I was, puttin' a bullet in ya. It wasn't right, and I've felt bad ever since."

"And now that you see me here, alive... what do you think about that?"

Benny shifted in his seat. "I know you're pissed, darlin', and I would be, too. But I see potential between us."

Jovie raised an eyebrow. "Potential?"

"For New Vegas."

"Right," she chuckled to herself. "Here's what's going to happen, Benny." She leaned forward again, showing him the chip. "This is mine now. I'm taking it with me."

"Take it easy, doll. I'll have you killed before you leave the room," Benny warned. "I have to have that chip. It's the ace in the hole."

Jovie ignored his words as she walked behind him, her other hand skimming along from his right shoulder, across his back, and to his left shoulder. "And you... you are going to do something for me."

"Yeah? And what would that be?"

"Just a little experiment. That's all."

Benny seemed just as confused as Boone was. "Experiment?"

"Mm-hm. See, I was an anomaly. The chance of me surviving a point-blank gunshot to the head was five percent." She hiked up the right side of her dress to reveal a silenced pistol strapped to her leg. Boone couldn't believe it. She'd held out. She pointed it at Benny's head. "Are you the five percent?"

Before Benny could react, she had pulled the trigger, and his body slumped off the bar stool and onto the ground. Boone bit his lip. He knew she was bitter, but... She walked to him and shrugged, putting away her pistol. "Eh, doesn't look like it." She then looked at Boone and flipped him the Platinum Chip. "Hang onto that, okay? I'm sure we'll need it later for something." He watched her as she searched Benny's clothes and body for clues on anything. She found a pistol on him, pulled it out of its holster, and eyed it with awe. "Nice gun. 'Maria', huh? Wonder who that was." She handed it to Boone. "Hide it in your jacket pocket."

"Jove-"

"Son of a bitch," she laughed. "Caesar had his eyes on him." She pulled out a note, but Boone didn't read it. "Coward from the start, you stupid bastard." She rose up. "Let's go."

"Jove, we can't just walk out of here. Silencers still make sound. They'll know something happened."

Jovie took hold of Boone's hand. "Hit me."

Instantly, he reeled back. "What the hell?"

"I'll say he attacked me, and I did what I had to to stop him. I took his weapon from him and shot him."

"A 9mm is different than a .22, Jove."

"Just do it, Boone! Jesus freaking Christ!" she nearly yelled, throwing his hand back. "Better yet, here!" She pulled out her pistol and handed it to him. "Pistol-whip me."

He looked at it and hesitantly took it into his hands. "Jove..."

"We don't have all day."

He gritted his teeth and hit her across the face with the .22 silencer. She cried out, reeling to the side and she covered the cut on her face with her hands.

"Jove, Christ... I'm-"

"Thank you," she sighed, letting go of her bleeding cheek and taking the pistol from him, putting it back in its holster. "Let's get out of here."

Somehow, no one asked questions until they were ready to leave. Jovie told them her improvisation of the story, and the bouncers seemed shocked. Boone kept silent, as usual, still feeling like shit for striking Jovie. She'd been through so much already. The bouncers said they would look into the matter and let them go.

Outside The Tops, they were greeted by a man in a suit and sunglasses practically as soon as they stepped out.

"You have the Chip, I see," he spoke. Jovie recognized that voice.

"Vulpes?" she whispered. "What are you doing here?"

"Just know that your sins you have dealt with upon Caesar have been purged, and you are invited to speak with him personally, with the Chip, and the Cove," Vulpes informed. He turned to leave-

"Just a damn second," Boone called out to him, grabbing his shoulder. "You just waltz here in New Vegas to tell us this, then leave? You're not going anywhere."

Vulpes turned his attention to Jovie. "Tell your friend he should choose his battles wisely."

Jovie reached and took Boone's hand off Vulpes' shoulder. "Boone..."

With reluctance, Boone let go of Vulpes, who continued to walk away. They watched him as he left the Strip, Boone not believing he didn't kill him there. He shook the thought off, giving his attention to Jovie.

"Hey," he softly said. Her eyes met his, and he gently touched her wounded cheek. "Let's go back to Lucky 38 and get this fixed. Okay?"

XXXXXX

It was a small cut, and luckily, it wouldn't scar. But her cheek was bruised, and surely the inside of her mouth had been cut because of her teeth. He felt guilty as they were in silence. None of the others had made it back yet, and he was sort of glad for that. To break the silence, he turned on the radio, Mr. New Vegas' voice chiming into the room. He put a bandage on the cut then sat down beside her. They were both still in their outfits they had worn to The Tops, except they had taken out the weapons and sat them on a table.

"Jove," he whispered, "you okay?"

"I killed him, Boone."

"I know."

She but her head in her hands, bending over and rocking slightly. "I wanted to do it, but I... Now that I have... was it right?"

"Do you feel like it is?"

She thought back to when she took Jeannie May out in front of the dinosaur, how quickly Boone had killed her. Everything had been taken from him, just like everything had been taken from her.

"I want to say yes, but I... What if... Boone, what if he knew about my parents, if I have any? Or who I really was?"

Boone shook his head. "He told you himself that you were just at the wrong place at the wrong time."

She was still so conflicted, and he heard "It's a Sin to Tell a Lie" start to play. Boone wasn't a dancer by any means, but he stood up and held his hand down to her. She lifted her face, tear streaks on her cheeks, off her hands and looked at his hand. Wordlessly, she took it, and he pulled her close to him. All they did was move slowly in place, one of his hands on the small of her back, the other in her hand. Her arm was around his broad shoulders, her head leaned onto his chest as they danced. Boone thought about everything... everything about Jovie. She was strong, but she was also so broken. Yet, she smiled. She thought of others. The dress for Veronica, letting everyone go out and enjoy themselves while they did this one dangerous thing... There wasn't another like her. From fighting deathclaws, to helping addicts in the slums... one second, she could be as gentle as a brahmin, and the next as deadly as a radscorpion. She amazed him, as well as... as well as scared him. What did all this mean for him?

"I'm not leaving," he whispered in her ear.

"You said that already."

"I'm ready."

She looked up at him, their bodies still swaying to the song that was nearing its end. "To do what?"

"Come with me. To Bitter Springs."

She noticed their lips were so close... and she wasn't going to fight it. "You sure?" He nodded. "Okay."

"Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow."

So close...

The elevator dinged, and they could hear Victor's voice, as well as the others as they piled into the suite. They pulled away from each other, Jovie blushing deeply.

"Guess who got laid?! I did!" Veronica cheered for herself as she staggered into the room. She noticed how close the two were, and she gasped. "O-Oh, I am so... Ohh. Ooohhh. I was interruptin' somethin', wasn't I?"

"Congrats on getting laid, Ronnie," Jovie laughed, Veronica's drunkenness a sight to behold. They were used to seeing Cass drunk, but Veronica? No.

Arcade came into the room and took Veronica by her arm. "Sorry. I'll get her out of your hair."

"She's fine. I was just getting ready for bed," Jovie lied. Arcade led Veronica out of the room, and Jovie headed for her bedroom. Before she left, she stopped and looked at Boone with a smile.

"Boone?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks. For the dance."

She left...

Aaand that's when Arcade entered.

"Dance?"

"Shove it, Arcade."