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Chapter 8: A Hopeful Reunion

>In the time since you moved into the northern bunker you and Gracie have been cleaning it up and making it more livable

>You used a few explosives, to help break up the rubble blocking the path to the rest of the bunker

>Carefully though, you didn't want to cause a cave in or anything

>So small amount of dynamite was used at the base of the rock pile

>No need to cause more damage to the bunker than time already has

>Gracie helped all along the way, cleaning, working on the power system with you and getting everything livable again, you had to replace the fusion cores and kept the old ones on you

>But one thing that threw you for a loop was the day after you moved in

>You woke up to Gracie holding an egg, asking you to make in an omelette using some of the various scorpion meat and veggies

>Of course half awake you accepted and cooked it right up

>It wasn't until after you split it up and ate your half that it dawned on you to ask her where she got the egg

>"Oh I laid it this morning" she said cheerily, licking her plate clean

>You had a mini internal screaming session before calmly saying ok and going about your day

>If she wasn't going to make a big deal about eating her own egg neither would you

>This is a whole new weird world of confusion dealing with a snakedog, best to just roll with it

>The bunker wasn't nearly as big Elder Mcnamara has said

>A kitchen, a bedroom, a bathroom, a utility room and all the maintenance stuff

>Small but livable

>There wasn't much in terms of liveableness though

>You had bought a lot of things like plates, dishes, soap, and other things usually taken for granted during survival

>As for you and Gracie things were great,she was a great friend to have around

>Sure she was a bit aloof and you had to stop her from doing certain things, like trying to "talk to" a feral coyote

>But she was fun and had a lively attitude you hadn't ever seen before

>Excited about everything you both were doing together

>It was refreshing

>Right now you and Gracie were in the bunker making sure you had enough food to last a little while

>You still have plans for going to the Sierra Madre

>The location was highlighted on you map but what Sato did had shaken you

>"That Place will be your Grave"

>It echoed in your head

>"ANON! SNAP OUT OF IT"

>A fuzzy yet scaled tail smacks your arm

>"Ow what?!" you ask confused

>"I asked if we should bring food with us to the Madre"

>You nod and take account of the current supplies you had

>Lots of bark scorpion

>It was like there was an infinite supply of them in the hidden valley

>As well you had a small supply of field rations from the Brotherhood

>They tasted like cardboard mixed with sawdust so those were back up

>There was a variety of other food too

>Bighorn, gecko, coyote, and a plethora of veggies and fruits

>There were people out there starving because they wouldn't eat a bug

>You had no such reservations, food is food is food

>Although you didn't eat "feral" nightstalkers anymore

>Overall you were good on food for a few days

>But as you checked your ammo and gear you were lacking

>Barely enough rounds to fill the 200 round belt of your LMG, and you were almost out of .308 rounds

>Gracie was low on ammo too, she usually fired a bit too much

>Still 10mm rounds were cheap

>Your 5.56mm rounds were a bit more expensive

>You were going to have to go get more, and then some

>Paranoia was getting the better of you while you prepared

>You check the time on your pip-boy, ignoring the way-point glowing to the east

>9 AM

>Enough time to get to the gun runners and back before nightfall

>In fact it would probably only be about 4 hours

>That would give you time to rest and head to the Madre

>It was time to stop putting it off and to get it.

>You check your list of things you need

>Forcefield generators and power source for them

>Knight Nickson had the original blueprints and they had the main parts; you needed to get all the parts that were in these out of the way places

>"You ready to go to the Madre tomorrow Gracie?"

>Her ears flick quickly

>"Are you sure we're ready to go there, I'm scared Anon, Sato creeped me out"

>You pull her by her waist to your side

>"We're going to be ok Gracie, we have each other"

>Her tail swishes against you as she hugs your side

>She always rubbed her tail against you for comfort aside from holding your arm when near people

>You enjoyed putting your arm around her. the feeling of scales and fur is pleasant beyond compare

>Especially when it was nice and clean.

>You look down at her and she flicks your nose with her forked tongue

>"OK Anon! I need more ammo, Plus I wanna try to use the Ratslayer again too!

>She had been practicing with it ever since she became a pirate

>She was actually ok with it, usually took a 2 or 3 shots to hit things

>You lead her out the door as you walk side by side with her

>"Lets go, the road isn't far and we can get all the ammo we need, got anything you want to sell?"

>She digs through the Gecko leather messenger bag she made out of leather you gave her

>"Uhmmm, maybe my old casings? They buy those right?"

>You nod

>"Dunno how much you'll get, but they'll buy them from you"

>She rubs against you happily flicking her tongue in and out as she makes happy hissing noises

>You know she's been saving up for a while, you both had separate cap stashes; yours was bigger because of the bounties, but hers was growing

>The walk is quick not because of the distance, but because of the company

>She told you about her mom, the nest she grew up with, how she grew up with the smells of her older sisters

>It made you happy to see how much she lit up talking about finally meeting them

>When you arrived at they gun runners booth, you bought plenty of ammo and a few extra grenades for the trip

>Gracie happily loaded up her magazines as you started the walk back home

>All the while she loaded her magazine she was humming the song "Big Iron in his hip" or whatever it was called

>You didn't care or mind

>You check your inventory as you walk and listen to her happy humming

>Good amount of ammo for the both of you, enough food to last a while, and even some explosives

>God explosives are fun to use

>The happiness you feel is quickly sapped when you see 4 red markers dancing across your screen

>Great, just want you needed; more raider flunkies trying to kill you

>"Gracie stealth up, we got company"

>Without any hesitation she disappears

>At this point it was routine

>Some raiders, a pack of Geckos, cazadores you name it

>You watch her shimmer disappear away from you

>Now to play the waiting game, whoever it was would come to you and Gracie would flank them in silence

>Who would have thought all those years in the combat simulators on Nellis would work so well out here

>You draw out your LMG and keep eyes out

>What appears over the nearest hill is a legionary assassin squad much to your approval

>An elite one too from the look of it

>"fuck" is all you can say as you open fire

>No need to let those idiots get close and yell their whole bullshit about Caesar marking your for death or whatever

>"GIVE US THE ORACLE AND YOU MAY LIVE" you hear the one charging you with a super sledge shout right before he's torn apart by a barrage of lead

>"FUCK OFF CUNTS" You Shout as you unload bullets towards them

>You hear the quick hiss of silenced gunfire as Gracie fires away striking down the one who looks in command

>You don't know or care how their ranking system works, but you do care about these idiots trying to kill you and Gracie

>Wait though, the Dumbass who brought a hammer to a gunfight said to give them the oracle

>Didn't that other group call her that?

>Doesn't matter, you fire smart controlled bursts and laugh as the sports gear they use are armor disintegrate from the bullets

>The last one looks around wildly , ignoring you completely

>"Where are you? Come to me me oracle! You belong to the Legate!" he Yells into the wasteland

>You ignore his crazed shouts and fire one last round though his head

>Annoying legion fucks

>You had hoped you had lost them when you killed the last squad all those weeks ago

>Gracie uncloaks next to you

>"They were calling my an oracle again Anon. What do you think that means" she asks as you look over the bodies

>Nothing useful besides those coins again, even their weapons were in crap condition and the ammo was that surplus shit that broke your weapons down too fast

>The super sledge was stupid and you didn't know how to use it anyway

>Might as well leave it for some lucky scavenger to find

>You rub the scales on Gracie's head when you stand up

>"I don't know Gracie, but you don't belong to anyone"

>She smiles and leans against you as you walk

>Leave the bodies where they fall, it's not your problem to deal with them

>But now you wanted to get back to the bunker quickly

>Maybe rig up some mines around the entrance

>Last thing you needed was some asshole getting into your new home

>"I don't want them to take me from you anon, I like being with you"

>You hope she mean just being around you, Not "being with" in a romantic way

>Or do you?

>you put an arm around her

>"I enjoy hanging out with you too Gracie"

>She breaks away from you and walks next to you, reloading her magazines carefully

>You take the chance to reload your LMG

>As you load it up you recall the time when She asked to try and use your LMG

>At first you said no outright, but when she begged and begged then threw a hissing fit

>Eventually you gave in after she refused to eat

>You stood behind her with your hands on her shoulders in an attempt to brace her

>She held down the trigger and totally lost control, falling backwards onto you

>While it was dangerous it was funny to think about now

>Yea, Small guns are definitely more her speed

>The rest of the walk home is uneventful

>A Strong wind blows by from the west

>Out of the corner of your eye you see Gracie's tongue flicking wildly, smelling whatever is on the wind

>She always did this, she said it was the easiest way to find someone

>You ignore it completely as always, you had the bighorner steaks on the brain

>The sound of running to your right stirs you from your thoughts

>You look over and see Gracie running west following the wind

>"Gracie?!" you call out as you try to catch up with her

>God dammit she's fast

>"I CAN SMELL HER ANON! COME ON!"

>The thought of Gracie sobbing again pains you as you chase after her

>You have to stop her, there's no way you can see that again

>As the wind dies down she comes to a stop, giving you a chance to catch up

>Her long tongue flicks out and she sniffs deep, looking around

>"Gracie who do y-"

>Before you can even finish she's running again

>West through the desert sands, following a now steady breeze

>"Her smell's getting stronger Anon! Hurry up!"

>You're trying to keep up but god damn she's fast

>"Wait up Gracie" you call out to her, only to be completely ignored

>How can she run for so long? it's been nearly 15 minutes of her running away

>You were falling behind

>You might be a strong guy but your endurance is lacking for sure

>Ahead of you is a road, one of the old highways, although you aren't sure which one

>Gracie was at least 500 meters ahead of you

>"SISTER I FOUND YOU!" you barely hear over your own panting

>On the road is a Brahmin carrying something

>Propellers?

>You watch Gracie tackle nothing but air

>"Sister! I've waited SO long to find you!"

>You finally catch up and see Gracie happily crying into not air but a man

>Granted a Very shocked looking man

>The words of that tall man echo back to you from the past

>"Slavers ain't friends"

>He killed all those fiends to find out about slavers and before you is a man smelling like a sister?

>you're about to pull out your LMG when a much MUCH larger Snekdog uncloaks behind Gracie and picks her up off the man

>FUCK

>You're about to panic and grab out one of your guns when that panic is quelled

>"SISTER I FOUND YOU! NOT IMPOSTER YOU!" Gracie cries happily

>Gracie's arms wrap around the Big Snekdog, tears falling from her eyes

>"I found you! I found you! Z-12 I Found you!"

>Tears fall from the much larger snekdogs eyes, as they hold enough other

>You stand awkwardly, watching the two hug it out

>The man that Gracie tackled stands up watching the two as he dusts himself off

>Might as well introduce yourself

>You walk over and extend a hand to him

>"Hey, call me Boomer"

>He takes it in a firm handshake

>"Pip"

>You turn back to watching Gracie hug and cry into the chest of the Much larger Snekdog

>She's petting Gracie's head

>"Shush shush now, its ok Z-14"

>Gracie Pulls her over to you

>"SISTER SISTER LOOK! This is the guy who has been taking care of me"

>you're face to face with a 6 foot something Snakedog

>"Uh Hi there, I'm Boomer"

>Her amber eyes look you up and down

>Gracie looks back and forth between you and her happily

>"Hi Boomer, My Name isn't Z-12, its Amber actually"

>Heh a fitting name for those piercing eyes

>You extend your hand to her

>"Nice to meet you Amber"

>She takes you hand in her paw and gives it a friendly shake

>Gracie bounces next to you

>"Oh OH! Z-12! I mean uh Amber! He Named me Gracie!"

>Gracie hugs your arm happily with one of her arms

>Amber takes Gracie's free paw in hers

>"Gracie, this is my Mate Pip"

>She introduces Gracie calmly

>"HI PIP! Sorry I tackled you! you smell just like Sister!"

>Gracie has let go of your arm and is shaking Pip's hand frantically

>She stop suddenly, Looking at Pip

>"wait Mate?! Like MATING?!"

>Amber cocks her head a bit

>"Well yea, just like you and boomer here! He smells like you have slept on him every day"

>Gracie's ears fold down and she covers her face with her paws

>"Noooo Boomer is my best friend and my Pillow! We aren't mates"

>Amber smirks at you

>"Yet?" she says smugly

>You feel something in your stomach, hope? joy?

>All you know is you had admired Gracie for a bit, both physically and emotionally

>BUT it's time to change the subject!

>You stroll over to the propeller blades and look them over

>"Vertibird props? Decent condition too. Must've been hard to scavenge these, what are you building?" you ask as you inspect the blade for cracks

>"Well a vertibird Of course, Why else would we need props?" Pip says, patting the parts

>You can think of a bunch of different things to use props for but you keep that to yourself

>Gracie is excitedly talking to Amber about the things you've done together

>"He killed some Legion people trying to grab me and bought me a gun and taught me to use it" She says excitedly to Amber

>You can see Amber nodding and smiling

>"Where are you guys Headed now?" Pip asks as you watch Gracie

>She had on one of the biggest smiles you had seen in a long time

>"The Sierra Madre, we're getting some pre-war tech there" you say absentmindedly as you watch Gracie

>You kick yourself internally, you hadn't planned on sharing that information with anyone

>Granted this wasn't a "top secret mission" or anything but you didn't want people you didn't know getting in the way

>This catches Amber's attention

>"You're going to the Madre? we were planning on going there later but If you guys are headed there we should team up"

>Gracie lights up

>"YEAH! Let's Do that Anon, 4 people are better than 2!"

>You think for a moment

>That does make sense actually

>You look to pip calmly

>"Mind if we tag along to wherever you're going? Then we can all head to the Madre"

>"Of course we don't, besides I want to catch up more with Gracie" Amber answers

>Gracie bounds over to you and gives you a hug

>"We found her Anon, just like you promised"

>You hug her back

>"We did Gracie, we sure did"

>You look up and see Amber smirking at you

>Feeling somewhat flustered, you break the hug quickly

>"Uh yea, let's get going then"

>Gracie skips up next to Amber and you hear them begin talking

>You fall to the rear of this little caravan and draw out your LMG

>This would be a prime target for raiders and you weren't going to be caught with your pants down

>As well if the Legion was after Gracie, they would probably be after Amber as well

>Pip walks next to you, holding an odd looking Laser pistol

>"Odd looking gun you got there Pip, what is it?"

>"Compliance regulator, Stuns whatever I shoot with it"

>You blink and look at it, amazed something like it exists

>"It Stuns them? like paralyzed?"

>He smirks

>"They freeze in whatever position they were in like a statue"

>You're dumbfounded

>"Can I take a look at it real quick?"

>He hesitates for a moment

>You extend your LMG to him

>"Here, you can hold my gun if you want"

>He nods and you exchange weapons with him

>It's so light compared to your usual weapons

>You had learned a bit about energy weapons from the Brotherhood as well as from all those magazines in vault 11

>You look at the ammo it takes and aim down the sights

>Pip kept it it really good condition

>"Geez this thing is complicated" you say as you turn it over, looking at each part

>"Where did you find this thing?"

>He's turning your LMG over and looking at its parts as he answers

>"We found in in a place called Zion to the north"

>Zion? You had heard of it but never been

>You hear Gracie laughing and motioning to her eye to Amber

>"Is that where you met her?" you ask motioning to Amber

>He shakes his head ask you hand him back his weapon

>He hands back yours as he explains

>"I had a bounty from the Big MT to remove a collar from her, one thing lead to another and now we're Mates"

>Mates, there's that word again. As well as Big MT

>"What about you and Gracie?"

>You smirk to yourself thinking about such a chance meeting

>"I was hunting a super mutant and rested in a cave, she just happened to be there"

>He nods at that

>"What are you two talking about back there" Amber calls back as your caravan arrives at goodsprings

>"Guns and stuff" you call forward to them

>"Boomer loves big guns!" Gracie chimes in happily

>The brahmin stops to get food and water from a trough as Amber walks into the "Goodsprings General Store"

>You again have a minor freakout

>She's not covering her scales or anything

>People are looking for these snakedog

>Gracie said it when you first met, and the legion is clearly after them

>Pip follows her calmly

>As Gracie starts to walk in you grab her arm

>"Hey wha-"

>"Your Hood Gracie" you say as you put it back covering her head

>She grips your arm

>"Right, sorry Anon"

>You open the door and walk in

>Amber and pip are talking to a man

>"Ih new customers? I'll be right with you" he says looking from you to Gracie

>"They're with us Pete, that's my little sister and her boyfriend"

>You feel Gracie's grip tighten around your arm and she tries to hide behind you

>"Z-12, er, Amber, is he ok seeing our scales?" Gracie squeaks out, peeking out from behind your back

>"Yes Gracie, he's ok to see us"

>Gracie walks besides you and pushes her hood back

>Pete just smiles at her and continues his business with Amber

>You suddenly feel silly for making Gracie put her hood back on

>It takes a bit of mental wrestling to feel ok about it, after all you are just looking out for her

>You leave the building with Gracie still holding your arm, her hood not on her head

>Seeing her not hiding out in the open was refreshing to see

>After a while Amber and Pip leave the building

>"Alright let's go!, we're headed to the Strip" Pip says coolly

>It's like to him it's no big deal

>You hadn't ever been to the strip, all around it yes, but never on it

>These two are full of surprises

>You walk silently, listening to Amber tell her tale to Gracie

>How Her and her sister, Z-11, escaped the big MT

>That she got shot and left for dead, her sister beaten and taken by slavers

>They keep talking as the sun sets, leaving the lights of the strip to guide your way as your approach it

>Gracie tells of your stay with the brotherhood and the home you made together

>How she smelled "ZX-13" near the gun runners

>That seemed to pique Amber's interest a lot

>She talks about vault 11 and how you took care of her while she was in heat

>"Oh he took are of you?" Amber says looking at you with a smirk

>"She locked herself in a room for a week straight and I brought her food" you say with a frown

>"Uh huh I'm sure thats ALLLL you did" She teases you

>"That IS all he did! He's such a good person to have with me!" Gracie says, blissfully unaware of what Amber was implying

>Your group walks to the strip enterance, a place you had seen before but never bothered trying to get through

>Gracie holds your arms tight against

>Pip and Amber lead you and Gracie Into the strip, past group of securitrons

>Gracie looks up and around at everything

>"Wow Anon it's so pretty! Look at it all! It's like the war never even happened!"

>An unfamiliar voice chimes in

>"It used to be a lot nicer before the war, but this is still pretty good"

>You look around searching for the owner of the voice and see a ghoul

>Was he a ghoul? He looks like a human, his skin isn't withered like every other ghoul You've seen

>You gawk in confusion

>Amber whispers to you "He is a ghoul, stop staring and close your mouth"

>Snapping your mouth closed, you look at her

>"What? How?"

>"We'll explain later" she says as Pip greets the ghoul

>You don't hear the conversation because of all the people around but a lot of nods and smiles from both

>"Raul is letting you guys stay here at the Lucky 38 tonight with us, then we can head to the Madre tomorrow" Pip finally says turning from the ghoul to look at you and Gracie

>You walk forward with Gracie still on your arm and extend your free hand to "Raul"

>"Thanks, I'm Boomer and this is Gracie"

>He shakes your hand warmly

>"Nice to meet you, the Facilities of the Lucky 38 are yours to use"

>you smile

>"Come on you two, Lets get something to eat and then to bed, we have a long day tomorrow" Amber says with a smile, watching Gracie hold your arm

>you nod and follow Pip into the casino and Marvel at how well its been taken care of

>everything looks pristine, like time had never touched it

>you might as well have stepping through a time machine and back to 2077

>"Nice huh? I've been keeping this place running since the Courier took over the Strip" Raul says behind you

>"Yea... nice" you say absentmindedly as you look around

>"Come on! We'll show you your room and leave you two to have some privacy" Pip says beckoning you to an elevator

>an actual working elevator

>This place really is high end

>The ride up is short and they show you to a room

>As you walk in the first thing you notice is the Fantastic view of the whole strip

>"Wow! Look Anon! We can see everything!" Gracie ways excitedly as she runs to the window

>Her hood falls off as she bounds and she presses her paws against the window looking out

>"You two have a good night! there is food in the lobby. See you in the morning!" you hear Pip say as the door closes behind you

>You had to admit the view was wonderful

>But a rumble in your stomach tears you away from that

>When you go to the lobby you find a few boxes of Very well preserved Salisbury steak and Blamco mac and cheese

>You grab 2 of each and 2 forks for you and Gracie

>"Food" you call out as you open the door back to your room

>Gracie sits on the bed in her Pajamas, Looking at you expectantly

>"Anon.. Are you my Mate?" She asks

>You nearly drop the food

>Why is she asking this? Better play it cool

>"Uh, I wouldn't call us mates, we're just best friends I would say"

>She looks at you with her beautifully mismatched eyes

>"Oh, OK Anon. T-thanks for the food"

>You nod and give her a fork and her food

>She scoots right up next to you as you both eat in silence

>The food isn't bad, actually it tastes quite good considering it was over 200 years old

>When you finish you change into your Pajamas

>Gracie had seen all of you before

>And you had seen all of her

>You didn't Peek! But sometimes you would see her in the bunker shower

>Every inch of her body was like a exotic work of art

>One you found on your mind often

>But she was a Snakedog, a nightstalker

>She probably wanted someone of her own species, not some outcast

>That's probably why she asked, to make sure you knew that you weren't her mate

>You climb into the bed and sit with you back against the wall

>Gracie climbs in after you and delicately places her head in your lap

>"Goodnight Anon, Thank you for helping me find Amber" she says with a small yawn

>You gently rub her ears and the scales on her head

>"You're welcome Gracie, Goodnight"

>Her gentle hisses and the feeling of her scales lull you to sleep

>One last thought lingers in the back of your mind though before dreamland takes you

>Gracie and you together like Pip and Amber

>An unexpected hurt