Promised I'd have the next chapter up today, so here it is! And this story has finally got a review, so thank you very much for that! Hope everyone that's reading enjoys this chapter!


The new apartment wasn't really all that new. It looked exactly like every other apartment in the vault. Metal walls. Metal floors. The same grey, lumpy couch. The only difference was there was only one full-sized bed. The other bedroom was a temporary office, which would one day be converted into a room for a child.

Ana got to the apartment before Butch. She wanted to get out of the dress, but she couldn't reach the zipper. She would just have to wait. She went through all the room and found her personal belongings in a dresser in the bedroom. To her, the bed looked a little daunting. She would really have to sleep next to him? Ana couldn't think of anything worse, other than kissing him again. That could never happen again.

Butch arrived to the apartment shortly after she did. He had undone his bow tie and let it hang loosely around his neck. He sauntered into the bedroom with a stupid smirk on his face.

"Just couldn't wait, could ya?" Butch said as he eyed her up and down.

"Oh please...that will never happen. Not tonight. Not tomorrow. Not ever. This is the only bed here, so looks like you'll be on the couch," Ana retorted.

"Me?! No way! You sleep on the couch!"

"No! I'm the wife in this, I should have the comfort of the bed."

"That's not fair! Just because-" Butch picked up a book that was sitting on a pillow,"What's this?"

The title read, A Vault-Tech Marriage Guide And Manual. Really? They needed rules on how to be married?

Butch sat down on the foot of the bed. Ana sat down next to him, but a pretty safe distance away. Butch began to read it out loud.

"Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. DELORIA on your nuptials today and 4:00 PM. We here at Vault-Tech know you'll have a happy and loving marriage. This manual will tell you the rules and guidelines for a happy, genetically-matched marriage.

Role of the Husband:

Work at least 30 HOURS a week to supply enough money to support yourself and your growing family.

Handle all matters concerning the household money.

Spend time with your family and don't be a deadbeat."

"Role of the Wife:

The woman of the household does not work, she remains at home.

Cook all meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Make sure the apartment is clean at all times.

Listen to your husband when he's had a bad day.

Cater to your husband's needs.

Don't forget to smile!"

"Hold on...I don't get to work?! And why is my list so much longer than yours!" Ana complained.

"Will ya shut up and let me finish?" Butch asked impatiently. Ana sighed at that and allowed him to continue.

"Daily Routine (Before a Child)

Wife wakes up at 6:15 AM to begin breakfast.

Husband wakes up at 6:45 AM to get ready for work.

7:15 AM - Husband goes to work with a full stomach and a smile on his face.

While Husband is away, Wife will clean up any messes and make herself presentable for the day. During this time, it is acceptable for the wife to get a new supply of groceries, get a haircut, or catch up with friends and family.

Wife must begin making dinner at 5:45 PM so it will be hot and ready for the husband when he returns.

Husband returns at 6:00 PM after a long day at work.

After Wife cleans up dinner mess, time is allotted before bed to watch tv, chat about your days, or anything else your heart desires.

At 9:30 PM, Husband and Wife must be in bed. Light generators will go out at 9:45 PM."

"What a load of crap! There's no way I'm living my life on a schedule!" Ana yelled as she got up from the bed.

"I'm not done yet!" Butch yelled back.

Ana grabbed the manual from his hands and began to read it out.

"Sleeping Arrangement Rules," Ana read, "Are they serious?"

"This is life in the vault. We're a post-apocalyptic social experiment, what did you expect?" Butch drawled.

"Sleeping Arrangement Rules:

Be in bed at 9:30 PM.

Husband and Wife must be touching at all times. If not, there will be consequences. This is meant to bring you closer, and bring you on the path to reproduction.

If either husband or wife is not present one night due to injury, illness, incarceration, or death, the rules become void."

"A Step Towards Expansion: A Vault Baby-"

"Oh, Jesus," Butch groaned. Ana glared at him to make him shut up.

"Vault babies are a precious growth to our homes. They keep us strong and fighting for a better future. You were match based on your genetic compatibility and the probability of passing those genes onto a perfect baby.

After the initial marriage, Husband and Wife are awarded a two-year period of "honeymoon." During this period, couples are meant to grow and love each other. They must prepare for the arrival of a baby soon.

After the two years are up, couples will try as much as possible to become "with child."

All vault children must be born around the same time to prevent an age gap once marriage age arrives."

"We only get two years before we have to have a kid?" Butch asked, sitting back down.

"That's...what it says,"Ana responded.

Butch stared at the floor before he got up and left the room. Ana stared at the pages of the manual. Two years? That was hardly any time at all.

When Ana walked back into the living room, she realized Butch had left. God only knows where he went. It was 6:00. She hadn't eaten all day, and now that it was her "role", she decided she might as well make something to eat.


Butch came back around 8:00. He was still wearing his suit. He didn't spare Ana a second glance as he walked through the apartment and into their room to change. Ana was still in her dress. She couldn't reach the damn zipper no matter how hard she tried.

Butch came back into the living room and acknowledged Ana's existence, finally.

"Why are you still wearin' that?" he asked.
"I couldn't unzip it, so I just left it on," Ana replied. She was lying on the couch watching tv and had no intentions of getting up anytime soon.

"Come here," Butch commanded.

Ana raised her eyebrow and stared at him. What on earth could he want?

"Why?" she asked, suspicious.

"So I can help you? Is that such a crime?"

"Since when do you offer help, to me, of all people. You're Butch DeLoria, you don't help anybody but yourself."

"Look, if we have to spend the rest of our lives together, we might as well be civil. Now come here."

He had a point, there. Ana got herself up off the couch and stood in front of him. She felt his hands touch the bare skin on her back before he grabbed the zipper and pulled it down. Finally, she could breath. She let out a sigh of relief.

"Thanks," she mumbled.

Butch quietly laughed and walked into the kitchen. Ana quickly went into their bedroom to change into the vault jumpsuit.

"Did you make anything for dinner?" Butch yelled across the apartment.

"Look in the fridge!" Ana yelled back to him.

She came back in the living room to see him trying to figure out how to use the hot plate to heat up the food she had made. Has he ever cooked for himself?, Ana thought.

"Let me do it. Just...go sit down or something," Ana offered as she took the food from him.

Butch did as she said and took a seat on the couch. She made pork and beans, another vault standard. He ate his food while she sat next to him on the couch watching tv again. It all felt too comfortable, but still tense. He finished his food and set the plate and silverware in the sink. It was only 8:45. They still had plenty of time before they had to go to bed.

"I read more of the manual while you were gone..." Ana began. How was she supposed to tell him this?

"And?"

"Well...there was a part...about..."

"Spit it out, Nosebleed."

"The marriage has to be consummated tonight," Ana felt her face turning red. She really didn't want to have this conversation.

"W-What?"

"That's what it said. And apparently...the Overseer will know if we're not...you know...or if we're not touching at all because we have a microchip in us that's connected to the mainframe. We got it implanted at birth. So, the chip will shock us if we aren't touching."

"This is such bullshit..."

"I know, I know. But there's nothing we can do."

Butch sighed and leaned back into the couch. He looked over at Ana. She was sitting with her legs tucked under her. Her hair was even wavier than usual because of the updo she had at the wedding. She looked...pretty. Her eyes were a little red, too, so he knew she had been crying while he was gone. This wasn't fair, for either of them.

"Ana," he said as he motioned to the spot next to him. His arm was draped over the back of the couch like it had been at the diner only the night before.
Ana took the hint and scooted closer to him until their legs were touching. Butch put his arm around her shoulders and moved her so her head was in the crook of his shoulder. Weirdly enough, it felt natural to be like this. Maybe that "genetic compatibility" thing made a little bit of sense.


The program on the TV ended. It was nine o'clock now. Ana removed herself from Butch's hold and stretched her arms over her head.

"I'm going to get ready for bed," she said as she walked into the small bathroom.

Butch heard the sink turn on as he walked into the bedroom to get out of his vault suit. The water turned off and Ana walked into the bedroom to find a shirtless Butch looking through his dresser drawers. Woah, Ana thought. She hadn't expected him to look like that. Butch turned around to face her and smirked as he saw that her eyes were not looking at his face. Ana realized she was staring and quickly averted her gaze.

"We are married, ya know. You can look," Butch said as he walked towards her.

"Oh...shut up," Ana said as she pushed passed him to get to her dresser.

Butch laughed at her on his way out of the room to the bathroom.

Ana quickly changed into her pajamas before Butch came back. The clock on the wall read 9:25. Oh no, she thought before climbing into her side of the bed and grabbing the stupid marriage manual.

Butch came back into the room and noticed she was already in bed. He didn't want to make it awkward so he just got under the covers next to her without a fuss.

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. This wasn't so bad.

The clocked ticked to 9:30 and the light generators went out. The darkness engulfed them except for the small light seeping into the living room from the main hallway.

"Well...goodnight then," Ana whispered into the darkness.

"We're not touching. Can't you feel the shock?" Butch asked.

She hadn't really noticed it, but now that he'd said something, she felt the full force of it. It was beyond painful, like being stabbed with a billion knives over and over again. Butch grabbed Ana's hand under the cover. The pain stopped, thankfully.

Ana's eyes adjusted to the light and she looked over at Butch. He was staring at the ceiling. Ana turned on to her side so she was facing him, not letting go of his hand. He felt her eyes on him and turned his head towards her.

"Aren't we supposed to be doin' somethin'?" Butch asked.

"Yeah...we are," Ana responded.

Butch turned onto his side and pulled her close to him.

"Have you ever done this before?" he asked.

Ana shook her head but realized he probably couldn't see her.

"No," she said quietly.

Butch gulped loud enough that she heard it.

"Okay...don't worry about it. I'll...help you," he whispered.

And with that, he leaned in and kissed her again, wrapping his arms around her.


And there's chapter three! The next chapters will probably be shorter than this one, but the rest of this story will be posted this week. Thanks again for reading and reviewing!