Last Stop New Vegas

[CortezHorse]

Ben growled, jaw muscles flexing with his barely contained anger as he watched the ranger go. Fuckin assholes, the lot of him, he never liked them. He turned his attention to Darling’s father and grunted an affirmation.


“Fine. Nothin we haven’t dealt with before.”


The words left his mouth before he could think about it. He knew the secret of Darling being in actual danger had just been revealed to her family and he certainly didn’t want to rub salt in the wound by reminding her father of the terrible predicaments his daughter had found herself in so often out in the desert.


“Wouldn’t trust NCR to do shit though. Trust em as far as you can throw em.”

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Lawrence gave a slight nod in response.


"The NCR isn't perfect, but they're leagues better than anything out east. At least they keep the Legion at bay." He squeezed Darling's shoulder before scratching the scruff on his face. "I'm going to go check on the others. Try to get some sleep, alright?"


"You too dad."


With that, he turned and disappeared into one of the other rooms, the door shutting behind him.


Darling's attention turned towards Ben.


"You too tired to maybe take a few things into our own hands?"

 

[CortezHorse]

Ben smirked at the question.


“Couldn’t sleep now even if I wanted to. Gotta let some rage out. Watcha got in mind?”


He should have never doubted her, that spirit and fire she’d grown while in the deserts was still there and it burned just as hot.


“Long as I get to smash someone’s face in then I’m good with it.”

 

[Interstellar Bun]

"I was thinking we put some real clothes on, grab a gun or two, an head out to that gas station and see what we can find."


She scratched the back of her neck, thinking. The NCR wasn't that bad, that was true, but she doubted they'd go the extra mile to take care of the group in the gas station, or, they wouldn't do it fast enough. One way or another she wasn't going to take that chance, not when it could put her family at risk. If she'd track down Legion members for Ben, she didn't think there was anything that would stop her from trying to keep her siblings safe.


She stepped back into her room, ignoring the way the room didn't exactly feel safe anymore.


"It's dark out, but we'll be fine with a flashlight or two."

 

[CortezHorse]

“Sounds good ta me.”


Ben followed her back inside the now messy room. He quickly slipped on the rest of his clothes and grabbed his rifle, checking it over before tossing it over a shoulder.


“You a better shot now or do I still gotta keep your ass covered?”


He smirked, deftly going through his supplies and what weapons he had on him. A skinning knife was his only other means of defense but his pack was stuffed to the gills with as much ammo as he could humanly manage to carry.


It felt like old times, not that that was a particularly good thing but it sent Ben’s age old blood to bubbling. He was ready, excited to take on another challenge with Darling. The stakes were a bit higher this time though. Her family was in danger and, well, now that they knew how one another felt the thought of watching her charge head long into battle wasn’t as appealing as it might have been in the past. Ben loved to watch her show her strength and determination but not if it meant a chance at losing her. He couldn’t go soft now though, there were always risks no matter what you did and no matter how hard you cared.


“Ready?”

 

[Interstellar Bun]

"Haven't touched a gun in a few years, Ben, I'll consider myself lucky if I don't shoot one of us in the process." Darling flashed him a quick smile.


She opened her wardrobe to shimmy into a pair of jeans before lacing up her boots. Opting to keep on the same shirt she had been trying to sleep in, she reached up to the top of the wardrobe and blindly groped around before she found her gun and harness. For a moment, she thumbed the smooth leather. It still smelled like the sun, the desert. Shrugging it over her shoulders, she checked the cartage of her gun before slipping that into place as well. Grabbing a few spare rounds, she tucked them into the small pouch on the other side of the harness.


With both hands, she mussed up her hair, fluffing it back so the short curls wouldn't fall into her face.


Dressed lightly, more apt for a surprise attack than running in guns blazing, Darling


"I think this is as good as we'll be getting. We'll grab some flashlights downstairs, it shouldn't take us too long to reach the gas station."


With any luck, they'd even get back before anyone else woke up. They'd never even know.

 

[CortezHorse]

He grunted an affirmation that he’d heard her and swung his pack onto his back, following in her footsteps down the stairs and out the door. This go around they had flashlights, something that Ben immediately considered investing in. Darling was right in her estimate that it wouldn’t take long, they were there in under an hour and signs of life were immediately visible. It looked like an angry hornets nest waiting to swarm. They’d obviously heard about the capture of the two goons and were now debating their next move. Ben crouched down beside Darling as they hid around the corner of a nearby abandoned building.


“Yer move Darling. How ya wanna handle this?”

 

[Interstellar Bun]

She was wide awake, hyper aware of the soft breeze blowing, of the clouds hanging low in the night sky, the shadows hiding them easily.


For a moment, it was as though she had never left the Mojave and it was almost scary how easily she slipped back into a calculating mindset.


Crouched down low, she remained perched on the balls of her feet as she considered their options.


She leaned a little closer to him to whisper, feeling the warmth of his body next to hers though her eyes never left their target.


"If we throw a rock or something, create just enough noise to make them curious, we can lure them out and take a few shots before they realize what's going on. We have good cover."

 

[CortezHorse]

“Hm, dunno. Seems like there’s quite a few of em’, gonna take more than a few well aimed shots to get their numbers down where it’s favorable for us. Reckon if we start lettin off pops at em that they’ll swarm us like locusts, good cover or not.”


He stayed quite for a few moments in thought, edging a bit closer to Darling until their arms were brushing.


“Think we need ta get inside, take down that entire station in one blow.”


Ben quietly set down his pack and quickly pulled out a bundle of dynamite.


“Was savin this fer somethin but this’ll prolly work. Only thing now is to get it inside and light it. With their headquarters and half their group gone they won’t have no time to think bout yer family.”

 

[Interstellar Bun]

There was something about seeing a bundle of live dynamite that made Darling instinctively lean away from him. Her eyes widened watching him like he had gone absolutely mad. Why did he have that and, better yet, what was he saving it for?


She opted to tuck those questions away for later. Not even she could deny that it would work well in their current situation.


"We could see if there is a back door, those usually lead to some kind of small storage room and by the looks of it, it'll probably be empty. If we can put it up against a wall and bring that down on them, I'm sure that would cause a bit of chaos. Though, I don't suppose I'm the best one to be giving advice about explosives."


After all, she wasn't the one carrying dynamite around for some ungodly reason.


"The hardest part of any of it, I think, would be getting in, getting the fuse going, and getting back out without being caught by them, or the explosion."

 

[CortezHorse]

“We can do it, done more difficult things before.”


He smirked at her, particularly meaning her infiltration into the Legion camp when she rescued him.


“Yer quicker than I am, you take it and I’ll cover ya. Slip in, slip out, it’ll be easy.”


Ben gently placed the explosives into her hand then leaned over and pressed a kiss to her head.


“Just look fer support beams, whatever looks like it’s holdin the place up and place the dynamite there.”

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Slip in, slip out.


Right.


The dynamite felt heavy in her hand, dangerous.That one question kept reverberating in her mind, making her linger for a moment too long.


"If we get killed during all this I'm gonna be real upset with you, Ben." She managed a smile, something to cut the tension before she lifted just enough from where she was crouched to quickly close the distance to the building.


With all the noise the guys were making among themselves, she slipped by like a shadow, unheard and unseen. Tension was coiling inside of her stomach when she found the back door and tried the rusted knob. There was a sharp noise before the door gave way and she hesitated, telling herself it would be okay before she pushed it open. The back room was pitch black, smelling of cigarette smoke and old air. Heart pounding in her ears, she scanned her eyes across the room, trying to make out the different forms and what could possibly be a load baring beam.


Her hands were starting to feel sweaty and she adjusted her grip on the explosives before setting them down, poised between the crumbling wall that separated her from the group and a beam beside it that looked kind of important.


Lighter. She needed a lighter. Blindly searching her her pockets she almost laughed when she found one that she had forgotten to remove from her jeans. Looking over the tied fuses, making sure this would actually work from what little she could tell, she said a silent prayer and clicked her lighter to life. It sparked. Her breath caught in her throat as she reached out and as soon as the fuse started to hiss and dance, Darling's nerves had gotten the better of her and she abandoned any idea of stealth and tore out of the gas station in a dead sprint.


She'd much rather take another bullet than even face the chance of getting caught in an explosion like that. She had no reference for how large said explosion might be, but she didn't think she wanted to take any chances.

 

[CortezHorse]

Ben was waiting crouched by the corner of the building next door to the gas station. He hoped, prayed even, that sending Darling in was the right choice. He couldn’t forgive himself if something happened and she got caught in the blast or shot. The few minute she waited seemed like decades and his mind turned over every possible thing that could go wrong and exactly everything that could happen to Darling. Thankfully she appeared, running full tilt back to cover and Ben was quick with his rifle. He steadied it up and took aim, popping off a few rounds into the heads of men who spotted her. The moment she was by his side he yanked her to him and covered her ears, disregarding his own. He was far too old and his vision and hearing were already fucked but Darling was still fresh and green, no reason for unneeded damage.


When the explosion went off it wasn’t the shrapnel they had to worry about as their positioning kept them safe from any falling and flying debris. The real threat was in the sound. The dynamite went off and appeared to pop one side of the building like an overinflated balloon. The gas station crumbled and the men surrounding it fell. The blast shattered the windows of the building they were hiding behind and a strung gust of wind whipped dust around their heads. Ben pulled Darling close, keeping her face tucked against his chest to try and protect her.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

It was only when she felt Ben grab her that Darling had the sense to stop running. She had heard the gunshots, had felt his hands on his ears, but the world seemed to blur around her in a haze, making everything feel more like a dream than reality, at least, until the explosion sounded.


She could feel it, the force and power covering them like a wave. The dust and dirt was hot on her skin and when Ben pulled her tight against him, she didn't resist. Rather, she gladly wrapped her arms around him and hid, feeling her hands shake from what felt like pure adrenaline that pumped in her heart, her knees quaking and threatening to give out.


She had been gasping for air and hadn't even realized it.


The peace of the California night had been shattered in that explosion. Bits of flaming wood landed around what was left of the building, a shrine to what they had done.


"Oh shit." She spoke against his chest, her lungs still fighting for a real breath of air.

 

[CortezHorse]

Ben winced and pressed his face against Darling’s head. His ears rang, his head hurt and when he looked up at the world around them it was all distorted. He shut his eyes tightly trying to will away the discombobulating feeling and tightened his grip on Darling.


“Ya okay?”


He gruffed out, throat dry from all the dust and smoke surrounding them; there’d surely be consequences for what they’d done. Ben had learned throughout his long life that getting rid of a group of people didn’t particularly mean that the threat was completely nullified. There were always more.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

It took her a moment to realize he was talking to her. The world seemed to twist, quivering under her feet.


A shaky breath escaped her lungs before Darling nodded. Her fingers relaxed from digging into his back, arms slipping down away from him.


They were fine. They were alive.


She refrained from answering his question and, instead, posed one of her own.


"Why the hell did you have that?"


Maybe it didn't matter, maybe he didn't really have an answer, but she had to know.


Killing for her family or no, she needed reason.

 

[CortezHorse]

“Hrm, it don’t matter.”


He gruffed out, standing as well as he dusted himself off. There was still a slight ring in his ears and Darling’s voice sounded slightly distorted when she spoke but despite the distracting high pitched whine he was hearing he was still able to catch the look on Darling’s face.


Apparently it doesn’t matter wasn’t going to be a good enough answer this time around. He huffed a sigh and began walking back.


“Just planned on stoppin’ by to see you, that’s all I was gonna do. After that I was goin’ back to the desert, new, nasty Legion group has been terrorizing folks. Been around for a long time, too long, stickin’ around far past yer expiration ain’t all it’s cracked up to be.”


The explanation was a bit mangled as Ben still wasn’t a top notch conversationalist but he figured the gist of it had gotten across. He could take out one of Legion’s arms while taking himself out as well. Two birds with one stone, one fell swoop and all those other sayings.


Darling had brought a new purpose back to his life and when they parted she took that meaning with her. He was old, he was tired and he was ready to stop fighting for survival.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

She was following along with his words until that very last bit. His words hit and they made her brows furrow for a moment before she realized exactly what he was saying. Her feet stopped carrying her forward and she stared at him watching him as he walked.


Figuring out the words that built in her throat was almost impossible. In a way, she supposed she was scared for him, of what he had considered doing, of what he might still be thinking of. There were a lot of explosives in the world and not much she could do to stop him if he had his mind truly set on it. Really, she didn't suppose she could do anything at all.


Her shoulders sank and, in the early hours of the morning where the sun was just about to start rising, she hoped he couldn't see the look in her eyes.


The raw fighting tone of excitement was gone when she finally spoke, replaced by a confused whisper.


"You want to die?"


It was a concept she couldn't wrap her mind around, one that made an odd feeling of guilt sink into her though she knew this wasn't about her at all.

 

[CortezHorse]

The soft, almost fragile tone in her voice made him stop and turn around to look at her. She seemed utterly lost and almost hurt in a way though he couldn’t truly understand why. He casually shrugged his shoulders to her question.


“Yea? You wouldn’t wanna go after watchin all yer friends and family die throughout the years? Think about it, no one knows how long ghouls live. Prolly will outlive you and yer kids, it’s fuckin’ awful. Turnin’ into this was the worst possible thing. Most every hates the sight of ya and those who are nice enough to stick around always end up dyin’. Kindness don’t live very long these days.”

 

[Interstellar Bun]

It was Darling's nature to want to help, to fix things and people. In her mind, there was always an answer, a series of steps she could follow and no matter how long it took, at the end everything would be okay. And yet, there was no answer to this. What was she supposed to say? She couldn't understand, couldn't comprehend living as long as he had, having watched that many people die, and yet, she couldn't agree with him by any means and the words I'm sorry seemed empty and fake. Instead, she rubbed her arm, a motion that drew her shoulders forward and made her look young and unsure, and started walking again.


The silence was heavy, uncomfortable even, and when she did speak again, her tone hadn't changed.


"We should get home."


No, she couldn't make it better, couldn't tell him it was going to be okay, because at the end of the day she didn't want to lie to him.

 

[CortezHorse]

He grunted an agreement and came to walk beside her, gingerly reaching out and taking her hand in his. Ben cared about Darling, he loved her, but loving someone isn’t always the answer like it is in books and movies. Finding your soulmate doesn’t magically fix all the problems, it just means you know have a support, someone who shares your burdens. As much as Ben wanted to stick around with Darling for as long as she’d have him, he wasn’t sure he could take it. He was old and wasn’t always so closed up and grouchy, he’d had similar instances play out before. He’d fallen in love and watched them die, time and time again until he swore away people and discovered isolation was the only answer to his wretched life that didn’t seem to want to end.


“Pretty sure yer folks woulda heard that explosion. Think they’ll be pissed?”

 

[Interstellar Bun]

He grabbed her hand and Darling wanted to pull hers away at first, wanted to distance herself so she wouldn't feel the pressure building in her throat. She had never really lost someone before, and the idea that Ben would chase death, that he would leave her alone and cold almost made her want to pull away right then both physically and emotionally.


But that wasn't fair to him.


Instead, she gripped his hand tightly and tried not to think about that but, rather, focus on the way his palm felt, the way his fingers would subtly shift or tighten before relaxing. No, she'd just be chasing death herself if she only focused on what would happen in the end; Darling had never been the sort to focus so far on the future so she couldn't enjoy the present and she wasn't about to start right then. Right then, she could take comfort in having him there for as long as he wanted to be around. She told herself that was what mattered.


"Probably. This place isn't lawless like the Mojave, I'm sure we'll get into some trouble with the NCR too. They don't exactly think well of people running off and blowing buildings up with a bit of dynamite."

 

[CortezHorse]

He huffed a laugh, doing his best to steer away from the far too dark and serious conversation of only a few moments earlier.


“Who woulda imagined. Kinda hoping that asshole soldier from earlier gets some kind of clean up duty with that.”


There was a few more moments of silence where Ben just ran his thumb up and down Darling’s hand, stroking it.


“You know why such a large group was targeting your family?”

 

[Interstellar Bun]

She shrugged a little, watching as the black sky started to give way to the slightest tinge of purple.


"Things haven't been perfect here. Lots of other families have all been bought out by one Brahmin baron but dad refuses to sell no matter how much they offer. I wasn't there the last time someone came by with a deal, but I hear things didn't exactly like civally between him and my father. I'm sure you've noticed he isn't the most...agreeable man."


She huffed a breath, using her other hand to muss up her hair.


"I've heard that the Goodnight Ranch got run off by some hired mercs but I couldn't tell you if these guys were just idiots who got some strange idea in their heads, or some part of a bigger scheme with the Brahmin baron." She frowned, walking a little closer to Ben.


"Things are never simple, are they?"

 

[CortezHorse]

“Hrm, nah, nothin’ can be simple these days. Well, guarantee if this is connected to that baron fellow then this won’t be the end of it. Yer dad will need to keep his eyes peeled.”


He gave her hand a squeeze and stopped short of the house. Ben turned and bowed his back a bit in order to press a kiss to Darling’s lips.


“Just wanted to do that for we walk inside and get smothered with questions.”