Note: Minor edit for content. Again, mostly swears. Some italics.

"Why are you so scared of the raiders?"

Jericho turned his head to stare at the little girl. "I ain't scared," he snapped, shaking his head and looking down at his rifle.

Lillie was sitting on a rock with her hands in between her legs, looking like a little kid, her feet kicking out and bouncing off the rock surface. Had a smile on her face that made him nervous. Acting all innocent again. Girl was weird enough to begin with, but acting like there weren't nothing out here that could kill them―

"But you asked me if I was with the raiders," she pointed out, one hand gesturing to him. "And I heard from other people you're some kind of badass. Have to be, to live so long, right?"

His ego was stroked. Couldn't help himself. "Yeah, I'm the baddest motherfucker out here," he said, grinning to himself. "Don't you fuckin' forget that."

He liked that the little girl showed him the proper respect, even if she was fucking with him. Even if she was asking questions he didn't wanna answer. She was still giving him that smile that made him feel like liquid inside, and making his head fill up to burst like a dead thing in the sun.

"So how come you're scared of some raiders?"

"I ain't fuckin' scared!" he shouted, turning on her. "You shut up about that shit, or I'll show you scared!"

Lillie blinked and tilted her head, her mouth widening into a worse smile than the last. Jericho looked away, his hands tightening on his rifle. Goddamn, she lit the fire when she wanted to. He could already feel his leather a little too tightly, like he was uncomfortable in his own skin. Liked the smile, but it made him nervous―

"What's the goddamn plan, here?" he asked, his voice low.

"Hmm," she said, putting a finger on her chin. She stared up into the sky for a moment, her eyes hazy like she was daydreaming.

Jesus Christ. Jericho closed his eyes and turned himself to the south, staring at Megaton. They weren't that far away, but she'd brought him out because she said she needed to think without distraction. Her path took them closer to Springvale than he wanted to be―

He was distracted. Thinking about being out in the open. He regretted that he'd wanted to leave town. Every little noise made him antsy. Damn near jumping out of his skin at this point. Any one of those fuckers at the school could be watching them―watching him―waiting for a moment to ambush their stupid asses for being out in the open.

And her smile was so fucking unnerving.

"Well," she said, tapping her chin. "I have something I need to do, but..." she sighed. "But I don't quite know how it'll go."

"What, gettin' in that Vault?" Jericho spat on the ground, his eyes moving off of her again and to the north.

"Yes," she said, her voice light-hearted. "Do you have any ideas?"

Jericho barked out a laugh. "Girl, we both know my talents lie elsewhere than computer shit."

Lillie laughed. Jericho grimaced. Goddammit, he was having a hard time keeping his head from flying off into stupid thoughts―like the Irish fuck said, he wasn't gonna survive her if he didn't mind himself―

"My name is Lillie," she said, pointedly. Dangerously.

"Yeah, I know," he muttered. "Alright, Lillie," he said, a little louder, "what the fuck is the plan?"

"I like it when you say my name," she said, in such a weird tone that he took two steps away from her before he stopped and turned around. Shit!

"Listen here, little girl," he told her, as meanly as he could. "You'd better stop this stupid-ass shit you're playin' at. This out here―" he gestured to the world around them "―this ain't a goddamn game!"

She stared at him for a minute, her smile disappearing. "You're right," she agreed, finally, in a blank voice. "No more playing. Come on, Jericho."

She hopped down from the rocks and started walking. He watched her walking away for a moment, before his own feet started moving. Whatever her deal was―

Shit, he'd better get paid for this shit. Better get paid good, too.

He pointed her in the right direction to find the Vault. Local shit, he still remembered pretty good. Definitely remembered the elementary school, and why he'd quit―Jericho kept his eyes forward and tried not to think about it. He'd quit, and that was that. No more. Even if those assholes somehow found him, he wasn't planning on being shot for what he'd done.

On that thought, he kept his eyes on the area and his rifle out. Lillie wasn't even bothering to look around, just sort of... goose-stepping her way down the highway. Ridiculous.

"This is kind of spooky," Lillie said, when they'd gotten inside the wooden door, and looked down through the darkness of the cavern, toward the Vault door. "Like... ghost story kind of spooky. Oh, look." She stepped over a skeleton. "See?"

Jericho didn't look. His boots crushed hand bones as he stomped along behind her. "Do you think the people are still in there?" she wondered, putting a hand out onto the door and tilting her head slightly.

"Wouldn't surprise me if there weren't no one left," he muttered. "All them Vaults. Fuck, I never saw one that wasn't full of crazies or ghouls."

Lillie went still, her hand outstretched as she was tracing the edge of the door seam. "Like that one in the bar?" she asked, her voice hushed and almost scared. Kept her eyes forward.

Jericho grinned to himself in the darkness. Creepy little girl was finally scared of something, huh? "Yeah, like that cocksucker," he replied, and moved up behind her. Put a hand out to hover over her shoulder, and made a growling noise as he shoved her into the door.

He gave her credit. She might have been scared, but she knew how to put off a threat. Lillie shrieked and spun, a foot up and in his crotch before he could react.

"Christ, fuck, fuck," he groaned, after landing ass-first on the rocky cavern floor. "Can't take a little fuckin' joke?!" Christ, that fucking shit hurt! His poor boys were retreating into his stomach from that kick! God, he might never see them again―

"I'll kick your butt a million times until you get the point!" she shrieked, her face red and body shaking. "You―ugh! Stop touching me!"

Jericho sat up and winced, pushing himself to a stand. "Gonna have to hit me a lot harder, you wanna kick my ass," he growled. Moved up to her and got in her face again, like he had that time outside of the saloon. Just him and the Vault door, and she was sandwiched in-between. "You're out here playin' around like some kind of little kid―"

Lillie narrowed her eyes at him, shining in what little light there was. He swore he could see himself in there. Fuckin' weird. Like she had mirrors in there―

"Maybe I need to talk a little clearer," she said, slowly. Her voice was hard. Not scary, but precise in her words. "If you don't want to be here, you can go. I don't need you, anyway."

He stared her down for a moment longer. "You asked me to come," he said, deliberately stressing each word. "But you ain't footin' the bill, little girl."

She raised both eyebrows, looking a bit surprised. "Moriarty," she said, sighing. "I should have figured―"

"The Irish fuck don't do nothin' but play games," Jericho said, fighting the urge to back away from her. She was hot like an irradiated barrel―shit, she looked a little hot, her forehead shining with sweat―and he didn't need any complicated shit with him being hot on her―

Jericho winced inside. He was a dirty old man, goddammit. It ain't exactly easy to give up bad habits.

"I understand," she said, and put a hand onto his chest to push him away. "He wants to know why I'm trying to get in here, huh? Even after he told me I wasn't born here."

"Only thing I know is that he said you got somethin' goin' on, you ain't lettin' on," Jericho said, moving back to let her through. Thank God she moved first.

"He's smart," she said, crouching down and examining the Vault door control. "But not smart enough. I ought to have stabbed him in the head." She chuckled. "Oh, well."

Huh, he'd figured she'd given him caps, not extortion. Jericho grinned. Hah, she was a lot like him. He appreciated a good threat. Maybe she wasn't that weird, after all. After he knew her angle on getting what she wanted.

"S'truth," he said, shrugging. "I'm only along until I find out what you're up to."

Lillie turned her head and stared at him for a moment. "And if I told you everything, right now?" she asked, her hand held out over the controls.

He lit a cigarette before answering. "I'd probably hang on," he said, thoughtfully. "Kinda depends on what you got goin' on."

She flashed him another one of her brilliant smiles before she lowered her hand and pressed a button on the door control. "I would like to speak with the Overseer, please," she said, clearly and slowly. She released the button and waited.

A garbled response came back after a moment. Some cranky asshole telling her to fuck off, basically. Lillie nodded to herself and drew out her combat knife. She pushed the button again and stared at the plastic-coated wires underneath of the controls.

"I would like to speak with the Overseer, please," she repeated, just as carefully. "If I cannot speak with him, I would like to speak with Head of Vault Security, please."

Another garbled response. Lillie interrupted the man before he could finish his sentence. "Sir, I am looking at your exterior door control," she said, coolly. "And I know exactly which wire will cause your security systems to initiate a Vault-wide alert. All I'm asking is to speak with someone in charge, please." She released the button.

"Do you, really?" Jericho asked, mostly out of curiosity.

"Yes," she answered, deadly serious. "If the Vault goes on alert, they'll have to manually check the entry door via test protocol―" she paused, and adjusted herself. "In order to shut down the alert. They'll run a test to make sure the door is functioning properly. It won't open, but they'll have to unlock it." She smiled. "And that's when we get in."

"Damn," he muttered. Didn't know what to say. She was one of them science-y types, but not like the ones he'd met before. Lillie was more like―like some kind of super-scientist. ...Eh, he'd think of a better name, later.

The response this time was a different person. Sounded like Sheriff Simms, all high-and-mighty on his cowboy throne. Lillie waited for the man to finish his long-winded declaration before she held the button down.

"I am a representative of the United States government, sir," she said, authoritatively. "I require access to your Vault. I'm asking you to open this door under U.S.C. section 2265, right now."

Jericho raised an eyebrow at her. "The fuck is that shit?" he asked.

"Don't worry about it," she said, flicking her knife back and forth as she waited. "It's mostly nonsense."

"Sounds important―" he started, but was interrupted by the response of the important man.

Lillie sighed before she replied. "Sir, I really don't want to ruin any part of your Vault―" she started. A garbled sentence about risk. "I do understand!" she said, getting angry.

A noise in the cavern caught Jericho's attention, and he turned himself to the wooden door. Held up his rifle and pinched the cigarette in his teeth, staring at a dark figure coming through the gloom.

"Hey," he snapped. "Company!"

She turned her head quickly, releasing the intercom and standing. Pulled out her little pistol and aimed it into the dark. "Who's there!" she shouted.

"Oh, thank God," a male voice came through the dim cavern. "Lillie?"

Lillie lowered her weapon and frowned. "Dad?" she asked, confused.

Jericho shook his head at this shit. Here he was, about to figure her out and now this? What in the hell was going on―

Maybe getting old had made him stupid.