Note: Didn't want to publish just yet―been having all sorts of stress IRL and having trouble maintaining my frenetic pace from before. I don't like this chapter but I'm letting it sit until I can come up with something better or a follow-up to explain away.

Sorry about the delay, too, I'm just... I'm so swamped. I can't concentrate. :(

Jericho woke up with a startled grunt and started hacking up a wad of mucus. Turned on his side and leaned over the edge of the bed, tasting the nastiness of old blood in his throat. Was getting ready to hock the snot onto the floor, when he stopped himself.

He choked and swallowed awkwardly, staring down at a lump of person. Shit, the stupid little girl was passed out on the floor. He groaned, leaning backward onto the cot, and sighed. Ached all over. No booze for―like three fucking days, or something. Made it hard to think straight.

Jericho cleared his throat, rubbed his throat, and closed his eyes again. Whatever. Wasn't worried about being stuck inside the cell. Wasn't worried about the stupid bitch, either―after her and her dad had that fight, he'd learned what he was supposed to. When he got back to Megaton, he'd have more than enough caps to drink himself stupid. Heh, he might even get Nova for a night. It'd been a while since he'd wanted to spend that kind of money.

He sat up, sweeping out his feet. If he didn't stick around with the girl, anyway. Lillie was something else. Like he'd said, she really was growing on him. Kinda liked how dumb she was about people, but how smart she was about everything else. Hell, between the two of them, they could make a lot more caps―

Those thoughts vanished. The way she'd been talking, didn't seem she would care about money. Jericho stared at her for a moment, rubbing his eyes of sleep and wondering. Wondering why that Enclave group had sent her out when they could've sent that Colonel fella or―shit, really, anyone else. He got that she was smart as a whip and pretty fucking good at taking out threats, but... she was still a stupid little girl, playing stupid games. Wouldn't a fucking soldier be better?

On that thought, he jabbed Lillie in the side and jerked his foot back quickly. As fast as she moved―he shook his head at himself. Nothing happened. Jericho moved his foot closer, frowning, and nudged her hard in the side. Still nothing. Shit. Was she dead? That'd put a crack in the whiskey glass, for sure.

She wasn't dead, he could see her tits moving up and down under the chest plate of her combat armor. He watched for a moment, then dragged his mind out of the gutter to deal with the problem.

He stood, and hauled his leg back for a kick. Thought better of it before he actually connected, and grumbled under his breath. Last time she'd taken him down... yeah, he didn't need her to kick his nuts back up into his stomach again. Or something equally painful.

Jericho knelt down and shook her shoulder roughly, turning her onto her back. Lillie's face was flushed, red cheeked and sweating. He put a hand onto the floor, leaning down to slap her cheek. She didn't even react. Goddammit.

The floor under his hand was cool to the touch, but she was burning up. Bitch was sick. Bitch was real sick, her face dripping sweat and flushed with blood, her breathing shaky. Fuck him, if she kicked the fucking bucket from some stupid-ass cold―

After he managed to push himself upward―not an easy task with his legs all jacked up from being fucking old and having been taken down twice by Lillie―he moved across the room, lifted his foot, and kicked the doctor jackass square in the back.

Fucking asshole, that one. Jericho didn't like being talked to like he was a goddamn idiot―never took that shit from Moriarty, wasn't about to take it from a younger and prettier asshole than him. Whatever the jackass thought about him, he could care less. Lillie asked for the help, he worked for Lillie. Her dad wanted him gone? Talk to Lillie, jackass.

And after that big, long argument he and Lillie'd had? Well, shit. Jericho wasn't a goddamn expert at words, but he knew the doctor got his ass handed to him. Lillie was pretty fucking smart, and she hadn't played any games with this jackass. Dad or no dad, she was in control. And she wasn't gonna get rid of old Jericho anytime soon, unless she got a wild hair up her ass or something.

James jerked and yelled, and turned to glare up at Jericho. "Pretty sure she's dyin'," Jericho said, jerking a thumb over his shoulder at Lillie.

James blinked in confusion for a fraction of a second, then pushed himself off of the bed. He brushed past the ex-raider and toward Lillie, muttering under his breath and pulling her onto his lap. Jericho moved to stand against the wall by the door, knocking his knuckles against the bars and catching the attention of the guard on duty.

Wasn't the first time he'd been locked in somewhere. Didn't like the whole of this stupid shit with the Vault assholes, but... something big was going on. Moriarty was gonna get his money's worth from this shit. As long as he and Lillie made it out of this place alive―

Jericho grinned to himself. He was gonna get a hell of a payday, after this bullshit.

"What is it?" the guard snapped, yelling through the window.

Jericho gestured at the girl, lying on the floor and held by her dad. James dropped her hand to her stomach, then moved his fingers to her neck and mouthed numbers. Jericho'd seen plenty of wasteland doctoring, even if he didn't know what she'd caught.

"Radiation poisoning," he guessed, turning his head but not his eyes. Those he kept on Lillie's head, seeing the pale curls sticking to her forehead and the limpness of her arms and legs. Could be that. Could be she caught a fucking cold, who the fuck knew. Not me.

James shot him a frown and Jericho's mouth twitched up into a grin. "What?" he mouthed, fighting the urge to punch the jackass. No matter what she had, this was a chance to get their asses out of this cell.

"Listen," James sighed. "We need access to the Vault's clinic. Lillie's running a high temperature and might go into respiratory failure―"

Jericho knocked his knuckle on the window. "You hear that, asshole? The bitch is dyin'!"

About two minutes passed. Eventually, the door opened. Some asshole in a lab coat stepped into the cell, followed by the security guards, and the door shut behind them. Jericho stayed where he was, minding his behavior like Lillie asked him.

The asshole in the lab coat double-checked Lillie and ordered her brought out to the clinic. James discussed Lillie's condition with him for a moment, and asked to come with. Everyone began to pile out of the cell, with James carrying Lillie like a child.

Jericho cracked his neck, following them even though he was told not to. Orders was orders, and he was Lillie's bodyguard. He wasn't gonna spend another fucking minute in that cell if he didn't have to, either.

Down in the clinic, there was a flurry of motion as Lillie was attached to some kind of mask and given an I.V. line. Jericho parked himself against the wall nearest her and watched them working, paying as much attention as he could.

James kept going on about that "viola" thing that she'd been talking about, explaining it to the other one―called himself Jonas. Jericho knew she had fucking funny eyes. James said there were cameras in there. Enclave put a fucking camera in her head to record her while she was out in the wastes. Funny fucking shit, for sure.

Fuck, good thing he hadn't done anything real stupid with her. The more James talked about this Enclave thing, the less he liked it. Nathan's stupid stories were tall tales compared to the shit James was on about. Lillie'd been brainwashed and used as a weapon, according to him. She was manipulated to act like she had, and he wanted to get that "viola" out of her head so that she would be safe from the Enclave.

Meant she needed surgery, he said. Jonas seemed impressed by James. Jericho yawned and cracked his neck and stayed against the wall. Didn't think her dad was gonna try and kill her, not after that argument. And she was sick enough right now that it didn't matter if she did get killed. He could get the info from her dad just the same as from her.

Definitely easier than getting it from her. James wasn't a fighter like Lillie, or him. Jericho grinned, trying not to laugh out loud. That was one of those things he'd missed about being out in the wastes, beating the shit out of useless people for ill-gotten gains.

James shot him a look before they got to work. Jericho ignored him. Watched them opening Lillie's skull and removing a metal plate from the side of her skull. Shit, she'd been torn apart in there. Nasty.

Her skull was cracked and jagged as the doctors looked into her head. Jonas said something about the condition of the bone and James sighed painfully. Jericho hadn't seen a skull opened up like that since the last time he and Stockholm put down raiders outside of Megaton.

Time passed while they worked in silence, punctuated by the occasional request for a tool. Jericho started feeling sleepy again, and stifled his yawns. Watched them working and wondered again, how come Lillie'd been used like that. Didn't seem useful, a little girl being sent out to spy.

A sharp gasp came from James, who jerked his hands back like something had stung him. "God almighty," he breathed, and leaned back down to stare at something inside Lillie's head. "What―"

Jonas came around and looked at what he was seeing. His eyebrows shot up and his mouth dropped. "Is that what I think it is?" he asked, incredulously.

James sighed, pulled off his gloves and moved away from Lillie, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He made a frustrated noise and covered an eye, then looked up at the ceiling. "It knew I would be coming here," he said, sadly. "Dammit!"

"How..." Jonas squinted. "How are we going to get that out?" he asked, shooting a glance at James.

"We aren't," James said, sighing again. "Let's put her back together."

Jericho watched in silence as they pieced her skull back together and repaired the damage to her scalp. After they had finished, he waited for James to move near to him and grabbed the man's arm roughly.

"The fuck is in her head," he asked, his voice suspicious.

"A plasma charge," James said, staring at him without hiding his anger. "Part of her eye was removed and replaced with a bomb. VIOLA is there to stay." He pulled his arm away from Jericho with a jerk.

"Guess they ain't playin'," Jericho mused, turning his head to stare at Lillie. She was breathing easier now, but still looked sick as a dog.

"No." James sighed, ran a hand over his beard, and shot a glance at her. "Listen, Jericho..."

Jericho turned himself back to the doctor, and narrowed his eyes. James shook his head. "I know we started off on a bad leg. I'm... legitimately sorry if I upset you in any way."

"The fuck you want," Jericho said. He knew this game. He was good at this game. Been playin' it more years than I oughta.

James looked miserable. "Lillie..." he paused, then cleared his throat. "The way she acts. It's not her fault. It's mine. I damned her to that existence, and I'm paying for it."

"Yeah, so what the fuck you want?" Jericho growled, looking down at the jackass with a snarl. "I'm here for caps. I ain't interested in your family drama."

"If I were to offer you... employment," James said, slowly and carefully, "would you consider it? You can name your own terms."

It was all Jericho could do to stop himself from grinning like a madman as James explained what he wanted to do, and where he wanted to go. Stupid jackass doctor really couldn't protect himself from the wastes; he needed Jericho. Shoe was on the other foot, now. Hah!

"Are we clear on this?" James asked him, staring at him without any expression. "Can you do that for me?"

"Crystal fuckin' clear," Jericho said, leaning back against the wall. "Yeah, I'll do it."

"Thank you, Jericho," James said, and moved away from him.

This is a stupid game, Jericho thought, watching Lillie breathing. But now I know the fuckin' rules.

He grinned to himself and leaned back against the wall.