Turned out, taking Smash along with us through the rest of the tunnels had been the right choice. Not only were there mole rats, but there were an alarming number of feral ghouls to contend with as well. Smash and Charon were up to the task, I'd only had a chance to fire off a few rounds before Charon gunned a dozen down or Smash, well...smashed them. He seemed to be having the time of his life, laughing aloud as blood and guts exploded into the air. Eventually, I decided just to sit back and watch with Jebs. He had no way to join in the fight anyway, unless he planned to scoop them to death with his plastic spoon. "So, Jebs." I began casually, but I didn't really know what else to say. How do you chat up someone who was sent to kill you? That was exactly what Charon was sent to do, but I had no trouble talking to him, "hows life?" Hows life, that's what I'd decided to go with? Jebs probably didn't even know how his life was going with how much he slept through it.
"Am I a prisoner?" Jebs asked slowly. What, did he think I was trying to interrogate him or something? Jeez, can't even ask a simple question without the suspicions being raised.
"Of course not."
"Well then. I guess...life is..." He started with lethargy as he stretched his arms and yawned. I waited for him to finish but he never did. I glanced over at him to find his eyes shut, though he managed to continue walking right alongside me. Oh, brother. Well, if he wasn't going to talk, I'd have to occupy my time some other way. I turned my attention back to Charon, who was still going to work on the ferals. His eyes were set into a determined glare, lips pressed into a flat line. His strong, muscled arms gripped tight around his rifle as he fired unerringly into his targets, I couldn't help but be mesmerized by the scene. Before I knew it, we'd reached our destination: the southernmost exit of the metro station. Charon took one final look around, then holstered his weapon. He raised a hand to wipe the sweat from his brow, then noticed me gawking at him. I quickly looked away.

"Smash told you he help." Smash bounded over to us and beamed down at me. He was completely covered in feral and mole rat entrails and the smell was awful. I forced a smile onto my face anyway.
"And help you did. Thank you, Smash."
"Tiny human have to leave now?"
" 'Fraid so, buddy." He seemed saddened by my reply. He slumped his shoulders and gazed down at the ground. Poor guy, my heart went out to him. It must have been a terrible existence, sitting around in a dark tunnel all day by yourself. "Maybe I'll come back sometime." I offered. That seemed to brighten his mood. He nodded his head vigorously to show his consent. We said our goodbyes and left the tunnels and Smash behind. Call me crazy, but I was sort of sad to leave him back there all alone. Obviously, he couldn't go with us into Rivet City. The guards would likely fire on him the moment they saw him. I decided that I really would come visit him after everything settled down. Maybe he'd like a big slab of brahmin meat or something, since my fruit hadn't seemed to impress him. I practically ran up the stairs after barrelling through the doorway. The musty smell of the wasteland was welcome to my nostrils as I inhaled deeply. I also immediately spotted a huge grey ship almost directly in front of where I stood: Rivet City. My giddiness was at an all time high as I marveled at the enormous construct. My dad was in that boat somewhere, it was just a matter of finding him. The three of us made our way to a large tower with a bridge extending all the way to the ship.

As a surprising change from what I was used to, the guards let us in without much of a fuss, other than telling us to keep our weapons holstered. We decided to enter the door marked 'Market District'. Surely my dad had met some of the merchants, and they could point is in the right direction. The inside of the ship was just as magnificent as the outside. I walked to the railing that overlooked the room. Large white tents littered the floor, dozens of people were haggling for different merchandises that the tents held. We went down the stairs and into the thick of things. Everywhere I looked, there were people busily chatting away with one another. It seemed that no one even noticed us as we moved down the isle.
"Move it lady!" A boy with shaggy brown hair and a white and red jacket demanded as he ran up and pushed passed me.
"Hey!" I protested, grabbing the boy by his collar and spinning him around to face me. He glared up at me angrily. What a rude little thing! "That wasn't very polite."
"Take a leap off the flight deck, asshole!"
My mouth fell open. I wasn't even sure I knew that word when I was his age.
"I can't imagine your parents would want you talking like that." I scolded.
"My dad's dead and my mom doesn't give two shits about what I do, so piss off!" He ripped himself free from my grasp and dashed away, disappearing from sight.
"Little shit." I muttered under my breath. Though, I can't say I didn't feel sort of sorry for him. Children like that always had a reason behind their behavior. I was reminded of Butch back in 101. He was a total jerk, but his mother was a useless drunk that didn't even care about her own son. I couldn't imagine growing up like that.
"You're great with kids." Charon commented. I ignored him. A delicious smell permeated the air, making me realize just how starving I was and causing me to quickly forget about the rude little boy. A quick meal break couldn't hurt. Besides, how was I supposed to work on an empty stomach? I allowed the scent to pull me along until we found a little makeshift diner. Behind the counter stood a tall fridge and several shelves filled with various foods. A large pot of soup was bubbling and a young, blond haired woman tended it. I slid up to a stool behind the bar, Charon and Jebs taking a seat on either side of me. A man with a greying military cut approached us. "Hey, welcome to Garys Galley, I'm Gary, haven't seen you three here before. What can I getcha?" Well, that was a pleasant enough welcome. Didn't get many of those these days. Then I remembered, we still didn't have any caps! My heart sank as I looked wistfully at the bubbling pot that had emitted such an intoxicating aroma.
"Anything sounds great right about now, but I'll have to pass. Mind if we sit here though?" I pulled the bags of fruits from my pack and set them down on the counter as well as three purified waters.
"Not at all. If you three need a place to sleep, the Weatherly Hotel is on the upper deck." He pointed to a set of stairs opposite to the ones we'd come from. I didn't have to wonder what caused him to say that for when I looked over at Jebs, he had his face pressed against the counter, his eyes shut. Maybe all he really needed was a good nights sleep, uninterrupted. I decided that would be my next stop after Charon and I finished eating, hopefully the owner would be willing to do some sort of trade.

"So many people here." Charon muttered after he took a drink of his water. I rested my hand on my chin and watched him. The more I looked at him, the more appealing everything about him became to me. My gaze roved over his intense eyes, his rough lips, and his muscled arms. I wanted nothing more than to reach out my hand and touch him, to feel his lips on mine again. To have those big, strong arms wrapped around me in a tight embrace was like my own piece of heaven. What was I: an animal in heat? Control yourself, Lily!
"Making you uneasy, big guy?"
"A lot of places for a Talon merc to hide. Security isn't exactly strict about who they let in."
"Don't worry so much. I'll protect you from the big bad mercs." That made him laugh. We finished off our water and some of the fruit. I put what remained away, planning on leaving it with Jebs in the hotel for when he woke up. We said goodbye to Gary and made our way towards the hotel. Charon resumed carrying Jebs on his shoulder, I didn't feel it was necessary to wake him. Upon entering the upper deck, we were met almost immediately by an old man with a grey hair, a large mustache, and a tan checkered vest. He seemed rather eager to speak to me. "Why, what a beautiful young woman! I am Father Clifford, I run Saint Monica's church. Would you like to hear about our lady?" Uh oh, the religious type. Don't get me wrong, I didn't mind religion, it just wasn't something I counted as a priority in my life, I was too busy trying not to die every day to worry about who I would be meeting when my demise finally came. I suppose he could tell by the way I looked at him that I wasn't interested. "Perhaps you need help finding something? You look a bit lost."
"Weatherly Hotel?" I asked with a shrug. The old man's face beamed and he motioned for me to follow him.
"Interesting company you keep." He commented, obviously talking about my ghoul companions. I smiled.

"Oh, they're great. The KO'ed one is Jebs, and this is my-" I gestured to Charon. My what, exactly: my everything, my light in the dark, my best friend? "Charon." I said simply. Father Clifford's thin brows raised high into the air, but he smiled anyway. I grinned at Charon, who was mirroring my expression as he gazed down at me. The corridors were just as impressive as the marketplace had been. Each room bustled with people walking in and out. It was still strange seeing so many individuals in one place that didn't all look suspicious of one another or want to kill each other. We still attracted a lot of attention, I caught many of eyes glancing our way as we went down the hall. I had noticed that there were no ghouls on the ship, none that I'd seen so far anyway. At least these people weren't behaving like the Tenpenny residents. I liked this place already.
"What brings you to the great Rivet City, dear?" Father Clifford asked. I explained that I was searching for my father, when I mentioned he was a scientist, he replied, "there are many scientists here, I am certain he is among them." That lifted my spirits even further. So he was on the ship somewhere, I could run into him at any moment! The anticipation was killing me. It'd felt like I hadn't seen his face in so long. When we finally reunited, I was going to give him the biggest hug possible. Then, I was going to yell at him for leaving me in that horrible vault with an insane Overseer and ask why he hadn't just taken me with him! Then I'd hug him again because of course I would forgive him! He was my father, and after trying so hard to find him, there was no way I was going to run him off by nagging him to death. I couldn't wait to introduce him to Charon, that was going to be interesting. Father Clifford and I continued to discuss all the different events that'd led me to Rivet City. He was especially interested in the story about Charon, though I omitted the part where he'd been under contract to kill me. He looked ready to faint when I told him about Smash. At length, we reached the Weatherly Hotel. The main room was comprised of a large, circular counter in the center with a woman and a Mr Handy behind it and a few benches pushed against the walls.
"You just wait here, I'll try to use my amazing charms to get Jebs a room!"

Lily gave Charon a wink, then sauntered over to the counter. "She is a beautiful young lady." Father Clifford said. Charon gazed at the vision before him. Lily truly was beautiful, inside and out. He never thought a human could have such a radiance about them, but when he looked at her, it was as if she really was glowing, like some sort of other-worldly being. Before her, Charon had despised humans. He never would have imagined that he would find himself traveling with one, or having such feelings about one for that matter.
"Yes." He replied simply. The man moved to Charon's side.
"Such a lady should have the best, don't you agree?" Charon agreed completely. Lily deserved everything she wanted in life, and he would do his best to make that happened. "If you do, I believe you know what needs to be done." Father Clifford gave him a meaningful look. No, Charon didn't understand what the old fool was going on about. He didn't know Lily, how could he possibly know what was good for her? Did he think that after a few minutes of discussing her life, he had some say in it? "You care for her, and she for you, I can tell. But does something like you truly deserve her?" Charon allowed the words to sink in. So that was what he'd meant. Charon had done his best to keep Lily safe, to help her, but in the end, he was a ghoul. That was the only thing everyone saw when they looked at him. She was the only one to ever see something more but nothing he did mattered, a monster like him would never be good enough for her. He'd been selfish for even trying anything in the first place. He, after all, was the one that had kissed her. "Sometimes, people don't understand what they really want. Poor Minx is under a lot of stress from her ordeals. She has been put through much, and has a good, caring heart. She deserves a normal life, or, as normal as ones life can be." The man went on. It was clear where he was going with this, but Charon listened intently to the his words anyway as he watched Lily, who was busy twirling her hair around and shifting her weight from foot to foot. He wondered if she noticed how much she moved around when she talked.

"Some decisions must be made for us, so that we may appreciate them later. I know you want to do right by her. She may hate you for it, but perhaps it is better that way. Do you really want her to be treated as you are? That's the road she is heading down." Charon mulled over what he'd heard. It was clear that Father Clifford understood what was happening between himself and Lily. He hadn't exactly been doing the best job keeping distance from her. In fact, lately he had done the opposite, but what Charon wanted wasn't fair to Lily. Ghouls and humans did not mix, the idea was completely unheard of. She was the shining example of perfection while he was a brainwashed murderer who couldn't even remember his life before that damn contract. The way she'd looked after he'd killed all those raiders: she didn't belong in the wasteland, and Charon was the embodiment of it. He didn't want people to treat her the way he was just because of their association with each other, Lily was too good for that. He noticed the looks people gave her when they saw her with him, he wasn't blind to it. There was only so much he could give her, and still it felt inadequate to what a normal man could do. Perhaps Father Clifford was right. Maybe the best thing for Lily was to let her go, even if it would destroy him.

"Thank you so much!" I told Ms. Weatherly as I spun back around and skipped over to Charon, two keys in my hands. The look he gave me seemed sad. I couldn't imagine what'd caused it. I also noticed that Father Clifford was no where in sight. He seemed like a nice enough man, I'd have to go by his church sometime and see him and thank him for his help. Maybe I'd humor him about this Saint Monica person. "She was kind enough to give us two rooms! I thought it might be nice to rest before we go see my father." After all, we hadn't slept in almost two days. Besides that, I wanted to be alone with Charon. Jebs was great and all, but three was becoming a crowd.
"We need to talk, Lily." Charon said, his face serious.
"What about?" I questioned. Why was he acting so strangely? He was beginning to worry me. Perhaps he'd seen something that'd put him on edge.
"Let's talk in private."
I agreed readily enough. We left Jebs in a room by himself. I saw to it to fluff his pillow myself before I allowed Charon to lay him down in the bed. He immediately looked at peace when his head touched the feathery soft bed. After Jebs was settled, we made our way to the other room. Charon went in first and I followed behind him, locking the door as I went. The room was small. It had one queen sized bed at one end and a small table with two chairs at the other. Charon sat his rifle down on the table, then moved to stand in front of the bed, but he didn't turn around to look at me. "Lily." He began quietly. His next words came slowly, it seemed like he had to force each letter out, I could hear the pain in his voice. "I need to leave." My breath caught in my chest. What did he mean by that? Where did this even come from? Had I said something wrong, stepped out of bounds? My mouth fell open, but I could only get a single word to come out.
"Why?"
"I don't want to hurt you."
"Then why are you saying this!" I accused. Charon flinched at my words. I admit, my outburst surprised even me, but if he thought that I was just going to sit there and let him walk out of my life, he was wrong!
"This can't happen, Lily!" Charon spun around to face me, his eyes blazing. "It's my own fault. I got too close to you." So that was what this was about? Things had gotten too serious for him, so it was time to cut his losses? I scoffed.
"You've got to be kidding me." I stormed over to stand before him and poked him hard in the chest. "Typical! You know, you may be a ghoul, Charon but I guess deep down you're just like a regular old human man! Just have to up and leave before you allow yourself to feel real emotion?"
"That isn't it." He countered.
"Then what is it?"
"I'm not good enough for you!" He shouted, grabbing hold of the hand I'd used to shove him and staring down at me with intensity. All the anger within me disappeared all at once.

"Charon." I whispered. His eyes softened as he let my hand go to fall limp at my side. Whatever could have given him such an idea, I had no clue. Charon may not be 'bring home to daddy' material, but I doubted I was either. I didn't care if he was perfect, I didn't want him to be. "I want you." Charon turned away from me.
"You shouldn't say things like that."
"Why not, if its the truth?" He scoffed.
"It doesn't make sense." I rolled my eyes at that. Here we go again. I forced him to turn around and look at me once more. He stared down at me, his eyes unblinking.
"How many times do I have to explain to you that I don't care about making sense! I care about how I feel, and WHAT I feel..for you." His eyes softened as my voice faltered. I had never felt this way before. Charon knew that I was falling in love with him: that was why he wanted to go, it was the only explanation. He was too late though, because I was fairly certain that I'd already fallen. Water welled in my eyes. I couldn't imagine going on without him. If he left now my world would shatter into a thousand pieces. I let the tears fall, there wasn't any point in hiding them. He brought his hand to my cheek, brushing away a falling tear.
"Please." I whispered hoarsely, pleading with my eyes. His own orbs stared back at me with a mixture of longing and restraint as he fought to withhold his impassive demeanor, then he sighed.
"I'm so sorry Lily. You are too beautiful for a ghoul." He said, smiling sadly. He lowered his head slowly until his face was inches away from mine. He moved forward and our mouths touched briefly, his rough lips grazing my trembling ones. He started to pull away and an uncontrollable desire surged inside of me. What if this was the last time I would get to taste those lips? I grabbed the back of his head and forced his mouth back onto mine. At first he refused to meet my kiss, but I persisted on until he was moving his lips right along with me. He could have stopped me if he wanted to, but instead he hoisted me into the air and pushed me against one of the walls. I wrapped my legs around his waist as we kissed, our tongues exploring each others mouths. A growl escaped him and he jerked away from me, roughly setting me back on my feet. I gasped for air, not realizing I'd been holding my breath.

"What's wrong?" I asked breathlessly. He backed away from me slowly shaking his head.
"This," he said with anger in his voice, "I'm saving you. From making the biggest mistake of your life. People will treat you like you're scum just because of me." My heart fell, his words stinging like a physical slap. He was really going to leave me. Disappear from my life just like that and I knew if he didn't wanted me to find him, I never would. All because he was worried about what people would think of me? I didn't even like people! I closed the distance between us again, reaching out to grab hold of his massive arm.
"If it's a mistake it's one I want to make, one I'll never regret."
"You don't-"
"I love you, Charon!" I cried, not letting him finish. He looked shocked, as if he truly hadn't known this. He shook his head, his expression blank amazement. I persisted anyway, what else could I do? I couldn't let him just walk out of my life without knowing the truth. "I do. I have for a long time now. You love me too don't you, at least, I think you do." I faltered. Did he? How was I supposed to know? His face was a myriad of emotion like I'd never seen before. His breath was coming in short, shallow gasps, his fists clenching and unclenching at his sides. I dared to inch closer and he didn't move away. I traced a finger across the leather strap at his abdomen. "Do you?" I asked, staring up into his eyes. He looked me over longingly, his gaze devouring all that I was. Then he nodded.
"I love you." I sighed with happiness, his words felt almost unreal to me.
"Then take me as yours." I commanded in a sultry voice, pressing my body against his. "I want you to be my first and only." He groaned softly, but couldn't bring himself to pull away from me.
"Why are you making this harder than it has to be? I'm not a human. I don't deserve you." I laughed. As if I cared if he was a ghoul, in fact, him being a ghoul made me want him even more than if he was human. I wasn't sure if that was considered strange, and I didn't care.
"You can try to convince me all you want," I told him, "but that doesn't stop me from wanting every bit of you" I wasn't sure what I was doing, I'd never attempted to be seductive before, but I tried my best. I raised a finger and traced his bottom lip. "You want me too, don't you?" What little fight he was trying to put up was crumbled by his own desire. His eyes burned hot as he smiled in a way that wracked my body with shivers. He grabbed me up in his strong arms and dropped me down on the soft bed, towering over me.

"Are you sure?" He asked and I nodded my consent. He tore at my jumpsuit, ripping it into shreds and tossing it on the ground.. I shivered as my half naked body came in contact with the cool air, the only clothing left being my undergarments. I couldn't help but feel embarrassed, no one had ever seen me this way before. Charon appraised me with a pleased he slowly removed the rest of my clothing until I was completely nude. My hands instinctively went to cover myself, but Charon stopped me with just two words. "You're beautiful." His hands glided from my breasts to my stomach, then lower. A sigh of pleasure escaped me as he came in contact with my most sensitive area. Charon smiled, then set to work removing his own clothing. I examined him with admiration. His body was built, corded muscles rippled along his arms and legs. His chest was hard, well sculpted just like the rest of him. I dared to look lower at his large, swelling manhood and couldn't withhold my blush. He chuckled softly as he moved on top of me and pressed his body against mine, kissing me and groping me in places that had never been touched by another. I moaned with pleasure as his fingers played, his lips moving to bite down and suck on my neck. I arched my back and sighed heavily, feeling blissful. I could feel myself getting wetter as his fingers touched me. His moves became fervent and more aggressive as he growled out in my ear, "Can I.." I knew what he wanted, and I was craving it just as badly. I nodded. He wasted no time as he encased me in his arms and moved slowly into me. I gasped as he thrusted forward. I could feel a part of me ripping, my warm blood escaping my body. My nails dug hard into the skin of his back, and he sighed with pleasure. He began slowly, allowing my body to get comfortable to him. For my first time, it didn't hurt as badly as I'd been told it would, though it did hurt terribly. Gradually though, the pain subsided and he began to move faster and faster. Just like that, all the discomfort was gone, replaced by an almost animalistic urge for him to go quicker, drive deeper into me.

"Oh, Charon...harder." I growled out the demand in his ear as he breathed heavily into my own. I wrapped my arms and legs around him, pulling him down to crush his lips against mine. Soon, too soon, I climaxed. My body quaked all over as I experienced pleasure I'd never felt before. He didn't stop, bringing me to ecstasy once more before he finished as well. He removed himself and laid down on the bed next to me, both of us panting. I moved to rest my cheek against his broad chest.
"You're the strangest human I've ever met," Charon said, wrapping his arms around me. I snuggled closer to him. "...falling in love with a ghoul. As if humans didn't hate us enough. Do you know how pissed they'll be to see you with someone like me?" I rolled my eyes. Not caring in the slightest what the rest of the world thought of Charon. To me, he was perfect.
"Let them." I whispered sleepily. Charon's grip on me tightened.
I heard him say one final thing before dreams overtook me. "I love you."
When I finally woke up, Charon was gone.