Laughter.

It wasn't something Rose was used to, but tonight laughter filled the air. They were celebrating her 1 year "out of the vault, and into the post-apocalyptic wasteland" anniversary. If someone had told her then, that in a year she'd be in a bar, surrounded by friends, sipping on whiskey and nuka colas, laughing, Rose wouldn't have believed them for a second.

Tonight though, she was doing just that. Gob, the kind ghoul who was now the owner of Moriarty's Saloon after his former employers unfortunate accident (an "accidental" bullet to the head), was keeping the whiskey flowing. Nova, the co-owner, and Moriarty's former entertainment, had her arms slung around Gob, holding him close. As Rose recalled, Nova had never looked happier than when she was with Gob.

And then there was Charon, her loyal friend and ghoul companion. He wasn't the laughing type, but she noticed the smirk etched across his face, and the faint tinge of pink that rose to his rough cheeks as he drank down another beer.

Rose couldn't help but smile to herself, remembering the first time she had walked into the Ninth Circle. She was fresh out of the vault then, eager to track down information about her father. Three Dog had been withholding that information, until she was able to do something in return for him: get the whole damn Capital Wasteland to hear him on the radio again. Her combat had been all but sloppy, but she managed to retrieve the satellite dish from the Museum of Technology relatively unscathed. Super Mutants had been new to her then, frightening even. It seemed silly to think about, how scary the wasteland was to her at one point.

Rose wasn't sure what she had been expecting when she walked into that bar, perhaps a drink to calm her nerves, or maybe some friendly conversation. Anything to take her mind off the vault, her father, how fucking terrified she was. Instead, Rose had managed to find herself a life long friend, even if she hadn't known it quite yet. His silent, brooding stance in the corner of the bar peaked her interest all those months ago, even as she was handing over the caps that would buy his freedom, he had her in a trance, desperate to learn more about the ghoul that kept watch over the bar. Even as she watched him raise his shotgun, shooting his former employer in the head, twice, Rose asked him to join her, as a companion, not as an employee. Charon nodded, accepting this new role. They left the bar together, and never looked back.

A gloved hand waved itself in front of Rose's face. "Hey, Smoothskin. You alright?" Charon had been sitting next to her, looking concerned.

She turned to give him smile. "Yeah, sorry, I was just lost in thought."

"Well, this is your big night Rose, leave the worrying until tomorrow. Tonight, we drink." Charon said, taking a swig of the cold beer in front of him.

Rose laughed again, feeling the warmth from the alcohol in her face. She raised her glass towards her companion, and cleared her throat. "Charon, I don't know how I would've made it this far without you."

"Quite the sappy drunk, you are."

"Don't interrupt me, Charon. I'm trying to be sentimental here." Rose took another long sip of her nuka and whiskey before beginning again. "I just wanted to thank you for everything you've done for me this past year. You've saved my ass more times than I can count, and you decided to stick with me, even after I gave you your freedom back. You are my best friend, Charon. Here's to another year of kicking ass with you by my side."

Her stomach turned with anxiety when she saw the look Charon had given her in that moment. His smirk disappeared, and the expression on his face represented something closer to longing, almost sorrow.

Perhaps it was the fear plastered on her face, because Charon's smirk returned as he grabbed his beer and tilted it towards her own glass, clinking them together. "Here's to you, smoothskin. I owe you more than you could possibly imagine." He gave her a small smile before downing the rest of his drink. He got up from his seat at the bar, and stumbled towards the exit. Rose felt frozen to her seat, anxiety still bubbling insider her. Had she said something wrong? She got up to follow Charon, but Gob called for her attention first.

"To Rose, may you continue fighting the good fight!" Gob was shouting, as the people around her cheered. Patrons who didn't even know her were shouting her name. Rose rolled her eyes. She hadn't even managed to find her father yet, but everyone was still praising her. Gob replaced the almost empty glass that she had forgotten was in front of her.

Before Gob could say anymore, his focus was shifted towards Nova, who grew more handsy with him the more she drank. Rose silently thank Nova, as she thought of Charon, and the look he had given her. After all they had done together this year, after all the late nights they had shared, far away from the home they shared together in Megaton, after all the adventures, she couldn't quite decipher what that look had meant, or why he had abruptly left the party.

Rose shared everything with Charon, filling his head with endless stories from the vault, her plans for what she wanted to accomplish in the wasteland next, which usually involved finding her father, everything. She would ramble on for hours, days, and Charon would always listen. The one thing she couldn't bring herself to tell him, though, was that through all their adventures together, somewhere along the way, she had fallen in love with him.

She couldn't pinpoint the exact moment it happened, but it was sometime during their months spent in Megaton. It was a depressing time, all of the leads she had in search of her father had been unfounded, and Rose was giving up all hope. She spent a lot of time in her room during these days, and never once did Charon complain. He was patient with her, through all of her mood swings, relishing in the good days, and comforting her during the bad ones.

Maybe it was the night she had managed to bring herself to the couch. It had been a rainy day, keeping both of them inside. The rain pelted softly against the tin roof of their Megaton home. GNR was on the radio, the same jazzy, old tunes filling the silence between them. Rose had been nose-deep in an old pre-war book about medicine, and Charon was sitting at the table across from her, cleaning his shotgun. The change in the song had caught her attention, as the energetic sounds of "Butcher Pete" were replaced with the slow, melancholy chords of "Maybe". She looked up from her place in the book to see Charon completely lost in his task. The way his hands worked, the intense look of concentration on his face as he hummed along with the music. Rose couldn't help but smile. In that moment, Charon had transformed from her loyal companion and friend to someone that she realized she cared deeply for, someone she couldn't possibly imagine living without. He didn't have to stick around with her, but for some reason, he did.

Charon had looked up to catch Rose staring at him. "Hey smoothskin, you're smiling. I haven't seen that in a while."

"I know, it…it feels good."

Charon smirked. "It is a pleasant thing to see."

Rose looked away, feeling her cheeks turn crimson. His words lingered a little while longer, both falling silent again.

Carefully, she turned the next words over in her mind. They had heard nothing for weeks. All the information they received seemed to lead to dead ends. Eventually, it was Rose who broke the silence. "Charon, I think I'm ready to look for my father again."

Charon looked at her, the brief look of concern that crossed his face quickly replaced with admiration.

"Absolutely Smoothskin. We'll head out in the morning."

Another swig from her glass, and Rose was up. She didn't know where she was going, but she knew she needed to find Charon. It might've been the liquid confidence the alcohol was providing to her, or maybe this was something she should've done weeks ago, but Rose was going to find Charon, and she was going to tell him how she felt.

Leaving the laughter and celebration behind, she stepped out of the bar and into the cool night.