Author's Note: I hope everyone is doing well, and that you are all enjoying the story up to this point. Thank you to everyone who favorited, followed and/or reviewed in the past few days. Enjoy the chapter, and reviews are welcomed and appreciated.

They were a little more than halfway back to the Strip. Cass and Arcade were leading the way, with Veronica watching the rear, and ED-E and Boone keeping an eye out from above. Mark and Amata were in the middle, necessitated by the fact that neither Mark, who was carrying Amata, nor Amata, who was in no shape to fight, could defend themselves at the moment. Amata kept her eyes closed and faced into Mark's chest to avoid looking at the bright lights. "Hey, Mark?" Amata asked in a tired voice. "Yeah, baby?" Mark responded, keeping his eyes straight ahead. "Are you mad at me?" she asked. 'Of course I'm mad,' Mark thought. He wanted to say it out loud, but he realized that this wasn't the best time to start yelling. "We can talk about that later, babe. Right now I'm just glad that you're safe."

When they got back to the 38, their first stop was the medical facility that was apparently on the same floor as the laboratory that Arcade was working in. Like practically everything else in the Lucky 38, the facility looked pristine. There was a reception area with a waiting room, multiple examination rooms, and a wide assortment of medical equipment. Arcade had them wait while he went to grab a gurney. Once he rolled the gurney out, Mark gently placed Amata onto it. "Mark," Arcade said, "did you want to come in with us?" "What about the rest of us?" asked Veronica. "I don't want too many people in with us at the moment, it could overwhelm her" "Mark," Amata said, "stay out here and relax. I'll be fine with Arcade." "I'll relax when I know what's going on. I'm coming in." Amata grabbed his hand. "Mark, stay." Mark looked at her. She gave him a 'you're-not-gonna-win-this-argument' look. This wasn't the first time she had given him that look. Mark couldn't help but smile. "Okay, you win. I'll stay."

Mark, Cass, and Veronica sat down in the waiting room, while ED-E floated around the facility. None of them said anything for a few minutes. Cass took out her flask and took a swig, while Veronica flipped through some two-hundred year old magazines she found in a magazine rack. Once she got bored with that, she broke the silence. "So…it's been quite an interesting day, hasn't it?" "Ya can say that again," Cass said. They both looked at Mark, waiting for some response from him, but he was staring off into space and twiddling his thumbs. Cass nudged him. "Sorry, did you guys say something?" "We were just saying what a crazy day that it's been," Veronica said. "Yeah," Mark said half-heartedly, like he wasn't all there. "Mark, are ya okay? If this is about Amata, I'm sure she's gonna be fine." "No, I know. It's just…I owe both of you an apology." "Mark," Cass said, "if this is about what happened at tha Cove, it's okay. I know ya were just worried."

"No," Mark said, "it's not okay. You guys are my friends. I trust all of you. I never meant to imply that you guys didn't care about Amata." There was silence for a few moments. "Did you guys know that I never knew my mother?" Mark asked. Veronica looked at Cass, who just shrugged her shoulders. "No, we, um, didn't know that," said Veronica, "what happened?" "The way my dad told it, she went into cardiac arrest a few minutes after I was born. They tried to save her, but they couldn't." "Sorry ta hear that, Mark," Cass said. "Thanks. I mean, I never really mourned because I never really knew her. My dad told me about her, but it really isn't the same as getting to meet someone. Anyway, when my dad was killed, Amata was the only person left in the world that I truly loved. That's why I think I got upset earlier today. If something had happened to her, then everyone that I loved would be gone." Tears formed in his eyes, and he tried to wipe them away. "Sorry, I didn't mean to dump all of that on you guys."

"Look, Mark," Cass said, "all of us, you, me, Veronica, Arcade, Boone, Amata, we're a team. We look out fer each other. We've got each other's backs. Don't think that ya have ta protect her by yerself. We know what she means to ya. She means a lot to all of us. I mean, fuck, if she hadn't asked me ta come with y'all, I'd probably still be at that damn outpost." Mark smiled and looked at both of them. "Thanks, Cass. That means a lot. But I think you forgot to mention someone." Cass looked confused. "Who'd I forget?" Mark pointed in front of him, to where ED-E was floating. If he had eyes, they would have likely been staring at Cass. "Yeah, Cass," Veronica said, snickering, "how could you forget our flying robot friend?" Cass was getting freaked out by ED-E staring at her. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry. Yer a part of this team, too, ED-E." ED-E beeped approvingly and floated away. Cass whispered to Mark, "Damn, that thing creeps me out sometimes."

(45 minutes later)

Arcade eventually wheeled Amata back out into the waiting room. He did confirm that she did have a concussion, and that the baby was fine. They made their way back up to the Presidential Suite, with Amata in Mark's arms again. Once they got to their room, Mark laid Amata down on the bed and helped her take her armor off. Everyone else was looking in the doorway. Mark walked back over to the group. Mark looked at Boone. "Hey, Boone, thanks for helping get us there and back safe." "No problem," he said. "How's she doing?" "She'll be fine," Mark said. He then looked at Arcade. "Ok, Arcade, how do we proceed?" Mark asked.

"Well," he said, "for the next 24-36 hours, someone needs to be with her at all times. She cannot be alone in case something happens. You also need to keep asking her questions that she would know the answer to. This serves two purposes: one is to keep her alert, and the other is to determine just how concussed she is. She also needs to avoid any stressful or overtaxing situations. She can sleep, but she needs to be woken every fifteen minutes for the first two hours, then every half hour for the next two hours, and then hourly. She has an ice pack, so make sure she keeps that applied to her head. I also gave her some med-x for the pain, so she should be good for now, and I think that's everything. I'll be down the hall. Call me if anything happens." "That goes for the rest of us, too," Veronica said. Mark smiled. "Thanks guys. Goodnight." Everyone said goodnight, and Mark closed the door quietly.

Mark turned around and looked at Amata. She was stripped down to a tank top and camo shorts. She was holding the ice pack against the back of her head. It was the first time that Mark had ever seen her look so…helpless, and it killed him inside. She was lying on her side, facing towards Mark. "Well, go ahead," she said. "With what?" Mark asked as he began to take off his armor. "I know you're probably pissed, so go ahead and yell. Get it over with." Mark spoke in a calm voice. "Yes, I am angry. However, you heard what Arcade said. You need to avoid stressful situations. So we will have this argument, but only when Arcade says that you're okay. I don't want anything else to happen to that pretty little head of yours." He stripped down to his underwear, and got on the bed, lying on his side, facing her.

She snickered. "This isn't the first time that I knew something was wrong with my head." Mark looked at her questioningly. "What are you talking about?" he asked. "No-nothing," she said "it doesn't matter anymore, anyway." "Amata, what is it? You know you can tell me anything." She sighed. "Well, two or three days after you left the vault the second time-" "Well, technically you exiled me, but go on," Mark said. She continued. "Ok, two or three nights after I exiled you, there was one night that I couldn't sleep, so I started to wander around the vault, and I started to remember some things that happened between us. Like, I found myself in the cafeteria and I remembered when you got your pip-boy on your tenth birthday." "Yeah, I remember that." "No, Mark, this was different. It was like I was watching a holotape of it. I saw myself come up to you after my dad gave you your pip-boy. It was like I was having some kind of out-of-body experience or something."

Mark smiled. "Do you remember what I said when you asked me to guess what you got me for my birthday?" She smiled and rolled her eyes. "You said a date with Christine Kendall. When you said that, I almost smacked you with that comic book." "Why, Mrs. Franklin, am I detecting a hint of jealousy in your voice? Were you upset that I didn't say that I wanted a date with you?" "Ha. As if." "Oh please," Mark said, "I can hear the jealousy dripping off of your voice." "Shut up. Anyway, I kept walking and I found myself staring in the doorway of your old room, and I saw myself waking you up when I found out your dad left." She chuckled. "You know, I actually spent a couple of nights in your bed, just to try to be close to you in some fashion. No one had been in there since you left." "So, I finally got a girl in my bed, and I wasn't even there to enjoy it," Mark said theatrically. "You're an idiot. You know that, right?" "Yes, my dear Amata, but I am your idiot. Please continue your thrilling tale of how badly you missed me so." "Well, then I found myself down near the vault door, and I saw us the first time when you escaped. Then all of a sudden, it changed into when you left the second time. It was weird. We were standing in the same exact spots as when you left the first time." She paused for a couple of moments. "Mark, am I crazy?"

Mark reached over and moved a couple of strands of hair out of her face. "Well, maybe a little. I mean, out of all the guys in the vault you could have been with, you picked me, so that might qualify you as crazy." She shoved him playfully with her free hand. "Amata, seriously, you're not crazy. You just missed me, and honestly, who could blame you?" She rolled her eyes again. "You know, I don't remember if I told you this or not, but when I was out in the wastes, there were a few times when I thought I was losing my mind. With all of the depraved shit that I saw, I wondered if at some point I was just going to snap. Especially right after my dad died. I'm not gonna lie, I was in a pretty dark place. Every time I felt my mind begin to forget why I was fighting, I would look at my pistol, and look at your name, and it would all come flooding back. Thinking about you pulled me back from the edge of insanity I don't know how often. You saved me so many times, and you didn't even know it. No matter what I was doing, no matter how tough it was, no matter how many times I nearly died, I just kept telling myself that it was all a labor of love."

She looked at his muscled torso, which had multiple bruises and a couple of small scars. She traced a finger over his muscles. "Well, I'm glad you're not dead," she said. "Yeah, well, that makes two of us," Mark said in response. "I mean," Amata continued, "if I heard that you died while I was still in the vault, I'm pretty sure that I would've had a mental breakdown, and then I would've gone ballistic on my father, since it was his fault you had to leave in the first place." Mark chuckled. "I would've loved to see that." Mark checked the time, and realized it was close to 11 pm. "Alright," he said, "I think it's time for you to rest now." Mark got up, flipped off the light switch next to the door, and turned off the lamp on Amata's side of the bed, leaving only the lamp on his side of the bed on. Mark got back on the bed and told Amata to turn over. She did, and Mark held the ice pack to the back of her head. "Mark, aren't you gonna sleep?" "No," Mark said, "someone's gotta make sure you wake up. You took care of me after I got shot, so now it's my turn to take care of you." "Goodnight, Mark." "Goodnight, Amata."

(The next morning)

It was close to 8 AM when Mark heard a couple of knocks on the door. After checking that Amata was still breathing, he grabbed a shirt off the floor, put it on, and opened the door. It was Arcade, wearing jeans and a white t-shirt. "Mornin' Arcade," Mark said as he rubbed his eyes. "Good morning. How did she do last night?" Arcade asked. Mark moved aside and allowed Arcade in, and he shut the door. "Well, she's still breathing, so that's a plus." "Isn't that the truth for all of us," Arcade said. "I just wanted to run a couple of simple tests, see how she's doing." Mark went over and shook her awake. "Amata, baby, wake up." She opened her eyes, and winced for a second as her eyes adjusted to the light. "What, what's going on?" she responded groggily. "Baby, Arcade's here. He wants to see how you're doing." "Oh, okay." Mark grabbed a pair of pants and put on his boots. "Arcade, can you stay with her while I go check in with House?" "No problem," he said, as Amata sat on the edge of the bed. Mark left the room and closed the door.

As he passed by the kitchen, he saw Veronica grabbing something out of the fridge. "Morning, Veronica," Mark said as he passed by. "Morning, Mark," she said, not really paying attention. When she realized who said that, she ran out into the hall. "Mark, how's she doing?" Mark turned around. "It seemed that she was doing ok. Arcade's checking in on her right now, and I gotta go check in with House." He pushed a button to open the elevator. "Ok," Veronica said. "Well, I'm making some eggs a la Veronica. You want some?" "Sure, that'll be great. See you in a bit," Mark said, as the elevator closed.

"Mr. Franklin," House said as Mark stepped into the office, "I assume that you're here for your next assignment?" "Yeah, go ahead House," Mark said, "I'm all ears." "Very good. I assume you've noticed the Gomorrah Casino across the street?" "Yeah, it's kinda hard to miss all the fire and half-naked women dancing in the street. Who runs that place, anyway?" "They are called the Omertas, although once upon a time they went by a different name. They dress and act like mobsters from a period in Vegas' history, one that I was very fascinated with." "Ok, House," Mark said, "so what's the problem with them?" "There is no problem."

Mark stood there, confused. "Ok, House, you lost me. If there's no problem, then why are we talking about them?" "The fact that there is no problem is the problem. They are always complaining about something, but for the past few weeks, there has been complete silence." "So," Mark said, "since they're not complaining, you think something's going on, and you want me to figure out what it is, and stop it if necessary, right?" "Exactly," House said. "So, where exactly would I start looking for information?" Mark asked. "Talk to the receptionist at the front desk. She owes me a favor. She should be able to point you where you need to go. That is all." House's face disappeared, and the words 'connection lost' appeared on the screen. As Mark made his way back to the elevator, he started to think. 'So I have to go into a casino filled with mobsters, strippers, and prostitutes. Oh yeah, Amata's gonna love that.'

Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Until next time, and once again, reviews are welcomed and appreciated.