Leah sank down to her knees, pulling the bit of twine out of her bag with a soft tug. The grenade pins tinkled as they fell onto the tile floor.
"Charon," she murmured, tears almost welling into her eyes. She ran her fingers over the pins he must have added, stopping when she came to a new knot tied in the twine. He must have had trouble taking apart the first one. She giggled and unwound the string, thinking of her ghoul's frustrated expression as she retied it around her neck. God, she really loved him. He was the best thing in the whole wide world, better than Tesla cannons and Gauss rifles and every other good thing that existed. In fact, she wouldn't be surprised if –
"Smoothskin!"
Her head snapped up to see Charon come skidding into the room, out of breath and grinning. "Come!" He grabbed her hand and pulled her onto her feet before she could even protest. Making sure to sling her back over her shoulder, she followed as best she could without falling, his longer legs and 99% muscle mass making that a feat in and of itself. They ran all the way through the Outcast impound and into the elevator, where Charon slapped the button to start it.
He tapped his foot impatiently as it jerked slowly to life. Leah raised a brow at him, gasping for breath. "May I ask what is so damn important that you had to tug me around like a ragdoll?"
Charon's smile was breathtaking in its excitement. "No. It is something you must see to believe, smoothskin." He roughly kissed her and she laughed against his lips. The elevator came to a stop and Charon was already pushing the doors open, the metal groaning in protest against his strength. When Leah did not move fast enough for his liking, he scooped her up into his arms and threw her over his shoulder.
"God damn it, Charon," she griped, barely keeping her face from bumping into his back and her bag from dropping into the dust.
"You will see!" he called happily. He carried her at a jog through the courtyard and up the long ramp.
"You didn't need to grab Leah and sling her up here like a sack of potatoes," she heard Rockfowl's voice snark from over Charon's shoulders.
Her ghoul simply snorted and lowered her gently to the ground. She shook her head to help the blood flow return and he carefully fixed her clothes. "Ready?" he asked eagerly, eyes alight with excitement. He gently took her shoulders in his hands and turned her around.
"I don't understand what could possibly be –," she began to complain, and then she fell silent as she saw it.
The truck had a very faded camouflage design that was almost imperceptible after the years of wear and tear. A large cab was shielded by thick doors, but no windshield or windows. The long bed was protected by short walls on the perimeter, to keep what was inside in and what was outside out. Leah tentatively approached the vehicle, holding out a disbelieving hand.
"You like it, Vault Girl?" Rockfowl asked in a teasing voice. There was no way she didn't like it.
She turned to him with wide eyes. "You guys made this?" she asked of him, McGraw, and the few Outcasts that had remained faithful.
McGraw shrugged, puffing on a cigar in his mouth. "My boys and I have scraped through the wreckage and found tons of parts for old army vehicles like this one. We've managed to pull a few of 'em back together. After the help you've given us, the least I could do is make sure you get back home safely." He nodded at the vehicle with a proud jerk of his head. "This is an MK25 Cargo Truck. It'll carry anything that needs to be carried, I can guarantee you that. Also – oh!"
Leah had sprinted forward and thrown her arms around the Protector's neck. "Thank you," she said, her voice muffled and tinny against his power armor. "This is amazing." She pulled away with a twinkle in her eye. "Can you show me how it works?"
McGraw snorted. "Like I have time for that. Defender Rockfowl offered to teach you how to use it. I've got a ton of work to do after I lost the other two Defenders. Have fun with it, Vault Girl. And don't fucking wreck it." With that as an eloquent farewell, McGraw turned on his heel and led the rest of the Outcasts away.
"I cannot wait," Leah said, nearly bouncing on the heels of her feet. She looked up at Charon and laughed. "No wonder you were so excited."
Charon smirked back. "Now you just have to learn how to drive it."
Leah's smile disappeared. "Oh. Right." She frowned. It felt strange to not know how to do something. For the first time in a very long time, she felt nervous. "Do you know how to drive?" she demanded defensively of her ghoul.
He chuckled. "Yes, smoothskin. As a matter of fact, I do. I was in the great war, after all."
"God damn it."
Rockfowl rolled his eyes. "Come on, Vault Girl. It's not so tough. I'll show you."
Leah followed dutifully after the Defender as he rounded the front of the truck, Charon's soft footsteps crunching behind her. Rockfowl pulled open the driver's side door. The cab was a good amount of feet off of the ground and there were no running boards to help her up. Rockfowl made to grab her waist and lift her.
She slapped his hands away with a smirk and backed up a few steps. Still smiling, she sprinted forward and vaulted herself up onto the seat with a whoop of excitement. Rockfowl chuckled, shaking his head. With one swift movement, he lifted himself up beside her. She scooted out of the way, hands stuffed impatiently into her lap.
There was a sharp thud of metal on metal and they jumped, turning to look through the back window.
Charon had leapt easily into the bed of the truck and smirked at them, blowing Leah a kiss.
Rockfowl scowled, turning back around. Leah's cheeks were pink as she looked at him. "First step, Rococo?"
"Turning the truck on," he informed her curtly, inserting the keys and turning them. With a roar so loud that it startled Leah into jumping again, the engine rumbled to life.
"Jesus," she muttered.
Rockfowl laughed. "Then you put it in drive." He indicated a straight level between her legs where she sat in the middle seat. "You make sure your foot is on the brake. That's the left one here." He pointed down at his feet. Leah nodded to show she understood. "Then you grab the shift and put it into drive." Mindful of a deadly glare hot on the back of his head, Rockfowl put his hand over the round head of the lever and lowered it until an orange tab appeared beside the letter D – awfully close to Leah's thighs.
"Got it," she confirmed, too focused on the task at hand to notice.
Rockfowl pulled his hand back and placed it on the wheel, not wanting to get himself killed the instant he set foot outside of the car. "Then, you gently release the brake." He made sure Leah was looking before he slowly lifted his foot from the left pedal. The car began to roll forward and Leah grabbed at the dashboard, shooting him a frantic, panicked look.
He laughed. "Calm down. It's fine. We're on a flat surface, we will only roll so far. To get us really going, you have to use gas." He moved his right foot to the right pedal and applied pressure. The vehicle roared and began to move forward with more speed. "You have to be really gentle, or else the car will buck like crazy!" he called over the sound of the engine.
Leah was grinning like a madman, teeth white and glinting as wind whipped through the opening where the windshield would have been. "This is incredible!" she cried as they picked up speed. She could faintly hear laughter behind her and glanced over her shoulder to see Charon's smile.
Rockfowl drove them over broken building debris. "It's an army vehicle, so it'll drive over almost anything," he informed her as the car crawled expertly over fallen walls and windows. They broke out into the open wasteland, the tires crackling over dry dirt. "Would you like to try?"
"You bet your sweet ass, I wanna try," Leah gasped excitedly. Rockfowl slowed the car to a stop and threw it into park. "Get outta the way!" she snapped, nearly pushing him out of the cab. He stepped carefully down onto the ground, laughing. Leah took the driver's seat with a wild grin. She cried out when Charon swung through the back window into the seat beside her.
"You like it," he observed with a smirk.
"I fucking love it. You'd better hold on, Coco!" she called back at Rockfowl as he hastily climbed into the bed of the truck.
"We're good, Vault Girl!"
"Goooood," she purred, pushing down the brake pedal. She maneuvered the lever into drive and clenched the wheel in her hands. Charon put a supportive hand on her thigh and kissed her cheek. "Thanks," she muttered. "Here we go!" She released the brake and the car began to roll forward. With a whoop of laughter, she punched the gas. The truck jumped and then flew into motion, shoving Charon and Leah back into the seats with the force of it. Rockfowl cursed loudly as he grabbed onto the back of the cab.
"Jesus Christ, Leah!" he roared at them.
Leah couldn't hear him. Over the sound of Charon's laughter and the engine's feral growl beneath her body and her heartbeat rushing wildly in her ears, there was nothing else.
She and Charon had been a force to be reckoned with before, but now, now, with this monster of a truck . . . there was literally nothing that could stop her.
Joseph ran a hand over his face, closing the door to the room he shared with Penny. His sister was finally starting to sleep through the night. Her nightmares had been horrible the first week. He moved silently down the stairs, tiptoeing carefully around the ones he knew would squeak. Nobody was in the bar. It was probably three in the morning, but he couldn't sleep. Penny's nightmares had thrown off his sleep cycle.
He stepped out into the cool night air, pulling a box of cigarettes from his back pocket. He didn't like the smell of the smoke, but it was relaxing going through the motions. The cigarette was between his lips and he was just flicking his lighter on when footsteps alerted him to a presence behind him. He whirled, holding his lighter out like a weapon.
A pretty, pale, feminine face smiled back at him. "I know it's been a while, Joseph, but you don't need to be frightened of me." Her dulcet murmur crawled over his skin like a shot of gin, hot and overwhelming. Brown eyes glinted at him through the darkness, black in the dim light. A slender hand pulled the unlit cigarette from his mouth – fingertips grazing his lips – and broke it in half. "And stop that. You know I hate when you smoke."
Joseph shrugged, trying to play it cool as his pulse skyrocketed and his stomach twisted into anxious knots. "Just trying to relax," he said softly.
Her lips tugged up at the end into that crooked smile that sent shivers down his spine. "There are other ways to relax, Joseph," she whispered huskily. She insisted on using his full name and god damn it, he loved it when she did. She let out a small laugh as she stepped forward, pressing her body fully against his. He was just inhaling to ask her if she was okay when her lips met his.
The first thing that went through his mind was that she tasted sweet, like bubble gum. Her fingers wound around the collar of his shirt, pulling him – perhaps impossibly – even closer to her. When he remained frozen in uncertainty and insecurity, she laughed and kissed the left corner of his mouth. "For such a cocky bastard, Joseph, you can be so adorably doubtful."
"Just hedging my bets, Mags," he muttered, running his hands down her bare shoulders. "I like your dress."
"I bought it for tonight." Her fingertips traced his collarbone, exposed as it was over the top of his shirt. "For you."
"Oh."
With another soft laugh – one that shocked his nerves – she trailed her hand down to wrap around his and pulled him away from the railing. "Come on. I have something to show you."
Joseph let her draw him forward, his head swimming with the taste and feel of her. Her body was perfectly outlined in moonlight, hips swaying as if calling his name. He was so entranced that he nearly knocked her over when she came to a stop outside of her house.
"Now you're eager?" She giggled, kissing his cheek as she pushed the door open and stepped inside.
"But what about –?" he began uncertainly.
"Billy is out of town for a week," she replied easily. Joseph closed the door behind them as she stepped into the dark dining room. She turned and smiled at him. "Would you like a tour of the house, Joseph?"
He swallowed hard. "Isn't that just what girls say when –?"
"They want to get you in bed?" she finished for him with a smirk. "Absolutely. So come on. We're wasting precious night time." He followed her up the stairs and into a room to the left. A small bed was surrounded by the glow of candles and the smell of lavender permeated the room.
"Is it too much?" Maggie asked quietly from beside him, showing self-consciousness for the first time that night.
Joseph smiled, pulling her back into the circle of his arms. "Never," he murmured before he kissed her. Her small moan got muffled into his lips as they fell backward onto the bed. Maggie began unbuttoning his shirt as his tongue brushed tentatively against hers. She responded in kind and, for the first time, they explored each other's mouths with the hesitant pleasure of new lovers. Her hands spanned the warm muscles of his chest and she sighed in appreciation. When he broke away for air, ducking his lips to her throat instead, he took the opportunity to curl his hands around her back and unzip her dress.
There were a few moments of awkward fumbling before they were both bare in the dim candlelight, hot skin pressed against skin. Joseph ran a hand down her curves, mumbling his pleasure into the curve of her neck.
"I love you," he whispered against her lips as he brushed his fingertips over the wet folds of her center.
Maggie's breath hitched and her hips jerked against his. "I love you, too."
Those were the last four words Joseph needed to hear before their bodies became intertwined, and then there was really no need to speak after that.
Leah hugged the Defender in farewell. He sighed as he held her, shaking his head. "Bittersweet, isn't it, Vault Girl?"
She smiled understandingly as she pulled away, blue eyes glinting. "We'll see each other again, I'm sure. It's not that big of a Wasteland. Especially not with this huge truck." She jerked her head at the Vehicle behind her, Charon waiting impatiently in the driver's seat.
"Thanks for dropping me off, anyways," Rockfowl muttered, lighting himself a cigarette as he turned to the old building of Fort Independence. "It won't be fun seeing Casdin again, but I've still got some shit here of mine I need to pick up before I can disappear into the Wastes."
"Good luck."
"To you, too, Vault Girl." He paused, glancing over her shoulder. "And to your ghoul. If that doesn't work out, you come and find me."
Her lips quirked up into a crooked smile. "I'll keep it in mind."
"Good," he grunted, turning and walking down the hill toward Fort Independence. Leah watched him go until he disappeared into the door, smoke trailing after his dark silhouette. She crawled back into the truck beside her ghoul and kissed him softly as he started the engine.
They disappeared into the Wastes.
Joseph whistled a tuneless song as he picked up some food from The Brass Lantern. Jenny Stahl smiled at him, and he smiled back. God damn, it was a good day. He grabbed the tray of brahmin steak and turned to make the long trek back up the catwalks to Billy Creel's place, where he had a very hungry and hopefully still very naked woman to attend to.
"Hey, pisshole!"
His brow furrowed and he turned to see who was yelling. Harden Simms was walking towards him, his hands on his hips. "Excuse me?"
"Yeah, you," the sheriff's son called, stepping aggressively up to Joseph. "What the fuck is it I hear about you and Maggie Creel?"
"I hope you've heard that it's none of your business," Joseph replied coldly, mentally calculating where he could put the tray so he could slide his blade from its sheath on his leg and thanking God that Leah and Charon had taught him to always keep it on him.
Harden smacked the tray from his hands and it went flying away, Jenny Stahl crying out in shock from where she stood behind the counter.
Joseph moved so quickly that the motion in and of itself could have stunned Harden. He added a strike to the equation for good measure, grabbing the sheriff's son by his arm, twisting him, and delivering a punch to his stomach before letting him drop.
Harden crumpled, the wind knocked out of him, unable to form any words.
"You leave Maggie and me alone," Joseph said calmly, an undertone of warning in his voice as he picked up his tray and its contents again. He looked over at a very worried Jenny. "I'm sorry to disturb your restaurant in this way, Ms. Stahl." With one last seething glare at Harden Simms, Joseph turned on his heel and walked away.
The truck rolled up to the big gates under a full moon and came to a stop with a screech of old brakes and a cloud of dust.
Stockholm pushed his goggles up from his face and rubbed his eyes, disbelieving. When Leah and Charon hopped out of the cab, he couldn't say he was surprised. Who else would have found a humongous fucking truck out in the Wasteland?
"Heya, Stockholm!" the Lone Wanderer called up to him as she headed for the gates.
The lookout waved back down at her, shaking his head.
Charon and Leah strolled into Megaton in a good mood. They'd made excellent time thanks to the truck and they were excited to see the rest of their family and inform them of their move. Leah had just made it to the bottom of the hill when she was accosted by a furious Lucas Simms.
"Leah!" he cried, straightening his cowboy hat with a glare. "You know I think the best of you, but when my kid comes home with a bruise the size of an eyebot, that's when I get pissed!" he accused.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Leah said, holding her hands up to calm him down as Charon growled threateningly behind her. "I wasn't even here for the past –,"
"I'm talking about that snarky fucking kid of yours," Lucas interrupted in a hiss, swinging a hand to point up at Gob's Saloon above them.
"Joseph?" Charon demanded, putting a hand on the sheriff's shoulder to stop his movements. "Joseph attacked your son?"
"I don't know who started it," Lucas admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "All I know is, my son came home punched in the stomach and said it was your boy. You keep a hold on that kid or I will, you hear?"
Leah nodded, silencing Charon with a pointed glance. "Let me go talk to him, Simms, before I agree to anything. Joseph is hardly a troublemaker."
Lucas Simms snorted but walked away, his arms crossed fitfully over his chest.
"I don't understand," Charon said through gritted teeth as they hurried up the nearest catwalk.
"Me neither, but we'll get his side of the story. Joseph would never act unprovoked, we know that," Leah reassured him quietly. She pushed open the door to the saloon, frowning in concern. "Gob?"
The ghoul looked up from behind the counter. "Hey, Leah. You missed Joseph beating up that Simms kid." Dogmeat perked up from where he lay beneath a barstool and ran at them to rub against Leah's legs. She absentmindedly stroked his ears, glancing worriedly at Charon.
Footsteps on the stairs made them all turn as Penny climbed slowly down to the first level. She shot Leah a tentative smile. "I think Joseph is next door . . . at Maggie's house," she told her shyly. "He didn't do it on purpose, either."
"I believe you, Penny," Leah replied with a smile, grateful that she had opened up a little. "Thanks." Taking Charon's hand, she crossed the catwalk to Billy Creel's house and knocked on the door. "Joseph?" she called.
There were rapid footsteps down a staircase and then the door was pulled open. Joseph peered out at them and grinned. "Hey, you guys are back!"
"Who is it?" a female voice called from a room up the stairs.
"Leah and Charon," he called easily back. "Come on in."
The couple exchanged a wary glance and accepted his invitation. "Where's Billy?" Leah asked carefully.
"Out of town for a week or so," Joseph replied, returning to the stove where it appeared he was frying a brahmin steak. "I was just making dinner for Mags and myself."
"Did you really hit that child?" Charon demanded, gunning straight for the point.
Joseph sighed, his shoulders slumped as he turned back to his father figure and leaned back against the counter. "I did. I was getting food from Jenny down at the Lantern and he comes up out of nowhere, demanding to know about Maggie and me. I told him it was none of his business and he smacked my tray out of my hands. I gave him a quick punch. Just enough to let him know to leave me the hell alone. That was it. It's not my fault if the baby can't get over a small hit to the stomach. You can ask Jenny if you don't believe me," he offered solemnly.
"I believe you," Leah said quietly, tugging on Charon's hand. He looked down at her with a stony expression.
"I do as well," he muttered reluctantly, turning back to Joseph. "But no more fights."
"Done deal, pops," Joseph said with a shrug.
Maggie came running down the stairs, her face flushed in embarrassment. "Sorry I didn't come greet you guys. I was getting dressed."
Leah blanched as Charon let out a laugh. He and Joseph exchanged a glance. "Erm, it's no problem," Leah said awkwardly. "Charon and I just wanted to get to the bottom of this beating-the-crap-out-of-Simms business. Joseph, Charon and I have some news so if you'd come by the saloon tomorrow morning?"
"Good news or bad news?" Joseph asked curtly.
"Depends. Mostly good. It may or may not affect you, though, given your . . . current situation." She glanced warily back and forth between him and Maggie and turned for the door, her hand around Charon's. Joseph followed to let them out.
Light spilled out onto the dark catwalk as they moved through the door. Leah made off for her house, but Charon lingered, waiting until she was out of earshot.
"Did you do what I think you did?" he asked in a low voice.
Joseph smirked and nodded. "You bet."
Charon held out a fist and Joseph smacked it with his own. "You'd better get going before you lose the chance to do the same tonight," Joseph advised, eyeing Leah's frustrated march.
The ghoul snorted and shook his head. "Impossible. But that's something you pick up over time." He was still chuckling darkly under his breath as he walked away, leaving Joseph staring after him with equal parts admiration and envy.
When Charon reached the house, Leah was waiting perched on the edge of her heart-shaped bed, making a face as he entered and closed the door behind him. "I –," she began, holding a finger up in the air.
She didn't get a chance to finish her thought. Charon lurched forward and in the next second they were tangled on top of the bed, his hot mouth finding hers in the motion. Leah had intended to hammer out all the logistics of their move tonight, plan out the trip and where they would stop to let the kids walk around, how much food they should pack, the best way to ensure their safety during the journey.
Instead, she spent it screaming variants of curse words, prayers, and Charon's name. When they were both spent and finished, limbs strewn haphazardly over the large bed, panting and staring at the ceiling, Leah surmised that they could talk it all out in the morning and, all in all, couldn't bring herself to call it a wasted night.
Can I just say, I love arrogant Charon.
DaLover, sorry for the wait! I had a 7 page paper to write for my classes, but now it's spring break and I can spend it doing what I love to do most ;) As for whether or not Leah was a cocktease . . . that's up for interpretation!
Anastasia, thanks for reviewing at all! It's always a pleasure to know someone likes what you've written! And yes, Rockfowl is lucky Charon wasn't there haha.
ManInAMask01, I'd never brought it up before but it's a sad truth for Leah and Charon :(
- An eternal thank you to Pattyn, as always! :D