Okay so I'll cut to the chase. Thing is I kinda wanted a reason to end the story due to lack of motivation. The other reason is... well, you'll see at the end! There's still more of their tale to tell and it's far from over! I'll be writing their story still- but in a more interesting perspective. I hope you've come to love this story as much as I enjoyed writing it, and I hope you'll look forward to the next installation. The next part of the series will be called Revelation of the Inherited.

Chapter 14: Missing Pages

The inside of the cave was dark and treacherous, claw marks scraped across the walls and blood splatter across the floor. Carcasses of several dead animals lay strewn about, and among it all a human lay in an unnatural position his head turned to the side.

Grace felt her stomach churn as she looked at the disaster before her, before looking back at her companion. She looked scared but she wasn't about to back down from something that could help her find her father. With a deep sigh she looked back at the entrance one more time.
"Okay so there's the exit, if we run into trouble we just run back right?" she gave half of a chuckle though it was more out of fear than anything else.

Charon's hands twitched around his gun. If need be he was ready to fire at a moment's notice. His icy eyes darted around in the darkness not missing a single movement- not even the flecks of dust that floated by missed his gaze.

After a long few moments of just staring at the darkness he spoke, "Be careful alright?"

Grace merely nodded her response, as they continued to enter the cave.

Twists and turns around every corner, a smell of rotten flesh coated the air in a smell so foul it was surprising the two didn't vomit. Grace had honestly begun to second guess herself, but with them already being so far in the cave she decided it would be pointless to turn back.

However there was a bit of paranoia stirring in the back of her mind… Why did none of the beasts that lived here emerge yet? Were they lying in wait for an ambush? Did they even know they were there? Or perhaps they had gone out hunting and had not come back yet?

Either way it chilled the young wanderer to the bone. She reached over delicately and grabbed her companions hand, giving it a light squeeze. It not only made her feel safe, but probably the other as well. It was hard to read Charon but she could tell that he was frightened…

Not that she could blame him. Deathclaws were the most frightening creature in the entire wasteland. Not even the most skilled people in the Brotherhood of Steel would tangle against one unless they had to. That thought sent a shiver down her spine the more she thought about it.

There is an ominous glow from the back of the cave and as they approached closer they noticed a rather large gun among a pile of broken bones. Grace smiled from ear to ear -excited to have found their treasure! Reaching forward she gripped the handle…

"RAWR!" it was too good to be true…

With both of them turning around as fast as they could, three large lizard like creatures stood before them. Sharp fangs dripped over large maws, thick scales coded large muscled bodies, razor sharp claws lay across long slender fingers… Truly the greatest monster in the wasteland.

The two on either side where a bit smaller than the one in the middle, it must have been the Alpha. Grace readied her sniper rifle- ready to fire in the blink of an eye. However Charon stood there petrified his eyes wide with fear. His hands wouldn't move and his body shook.

"Charon?" Grace stared at her companion- he was not moving, whether it be to run or fight.

His mouth opened and closed but still no sound came out. It was as if he was trapped in a nightmare he couldn't escape.

Grace took this time to ready her gun and fire a bullet right into the eye of one deathclaw- which let out a monstrous roar as it stumbled back. It didn't take long for the other lizards to follow suit- long slimy tongues wagging in the air- hungry for their next easy meal.

Claws like razors whipped at the wanderer- and left tears in clothing long since beaten by the sun and radiation. The deathclaw with the missing eye hissed and leaped forward between it's sisters, whipping her rough tail against the small woman. With a gasp and a few raged breaths she slid across the floor.

She felt ill. Heaving up her lunch the smell of vomit permeated her nostrils. Eyes watering she struggled to lift her rifle again, aiming at the beast once more. BAM! Missed the lead but hit the second. The deathclaw wailed in agony as it pawed at its face in anger- the pain from the high caliber bullet ricocheting through its body. This gave Grace an opportunity to scramble back up and fire another round into the one beside it- in the leg this time- crippling the enormous creature. The lead was still angry however, as it rammed itself hard into the young snipers side. She let out a gasp of pain. "C-charon! I… Could use some help…!" she pleaded but he stayed frozen in fear.

With a flash before his eyes… He saw another memory.

Salas was nursing a bottle of Nuka Cola, a smile spread wide across her face. They had been hanging out in her bar, not a care in the world. Reaching out across the table she took his hand in hers, letting her digits run over the rough calluses on his fingers. Charon shivered and let her do so. They had been together for a few years now and he could never stop getting used to the feeling of her touching his skin so carefully. She treated him like he was glass, when he was the exact opposite.

He loved that.

"So do you have any plans for the future?" she seemed to ask him out of the blue.

"Plans?" he merely shrugged, " Besides being here with you not really,"

Another hearty laugh and she patted him on the shoulder, " One day we should travel, cross the wastelands together and everything! We can help people, make it a better place even! Maybe purify this nasty water right?" even if she knew the last part was impossible she still dreamed about it.

Charon smiled softly, and nodded, "If that is what you wish,"

She slugged him hard in the shoulder, " Hey what did I say about that? You have your own free will remember?" she hoped with some encouragement he would eventually stop the whole slave thing altogether… But he was brainwashed, and it would take time.

As soon as a sweet moment had begun it ended, as a fellow ghoul ran into her bar. Her eyes were wide with fear and she took breaths in with heavy heaves. "They… They're back! The ghoul haters are back…!" she cried.

Salas stood up immediately and grabbed her gun. She motioned for Charon to follow but he was already at her side. That brought a warm smile to her face, but was quickly replaced with her serious one.

Making her way outside she was met face to face with about ten people donned in armor and carrying weapons of high caliber. But still, she did not back down, and neither did her companion who was more upset and angry than anything else.

Charon regained his composure before slamming his gun into the Deathclaws face, it's teeth mere inches from Grace's head. His eyes flashed red- like a monster- not a man. His bod acted on it's own, like a puppet being pulled at it's strings.

The crippled deathclaw made it's move- only to be met with a shotgun blast through the skull. The splatter of brain hit the floor with a sickeningly soft squelch.

Seeing her companion fall the leader Deathclaw gave a roar before motioning for her sister to retreat. Charon almost gave chase-

"Charon…?" the small and fragile voice caught the merc off guard as he turned, his head snapping in her direction.

Grace was wounded.

"Gracey," he almost whispered as he gathered her up in his arms, the small woman clinging to him through pained gasps.

"I wanna go home Charon," she sighed, "Please?"

Charon merely nodded in agreement. His fear had almost cost her, her life.

There was no questioning it. Grace would be bedridden for the next few weeks according to Doc. Barrows, who was one of the only Doctors Charon trusted near her. Barrows had treated many of Charon's wounds free of cost, a thousand different times- it was just another bit to add to his debt he supposed.

"It would be best to find a safe place to rest," Barrows replied as he took off his gloves and washed them of any remaining fluids.

"Here is safe isn't it?" Charon grumbled as he held the woman's hand.

"Not for a mother to be it's not," he snorted back a laugh, "How you two managed that is beyond me though,"

Wait. Did he hear that right?

"Wait, what?" Charon's eyes went wide as saucers, his breath catching in his throat, "She's….?"

The doctor gave a curt nod and returned to his computer- typing rapidly on his findings.

Grace didn't even stir as she lolled her head back and forth in her sleep. Obviously having some sort of odd dream, or possibly even a nightmare.

"Damnit…. Gracey… I…. I'm so sorry," he frowned, clasping her hand in his and resting the bridge of what was left of his nose on her hand. He fucked up.

That was all that was written….

No matter how many times the redheaded woman turned the pages of the journal in her hand- she could only stare in anger at the missing pages. A journal found in the old shack where the wanderer and her ghoul companion used to live- long since abandoned.

"Damn it!" she cursed as she threw the book across the room, gripping the top of her messy hair with both hands.

After a moment, she let them loosen, her fingers falling down the shaven sides before going limp at her side once more. She was so close.

Standing up, she crossed the room before picking up the tattered journal and tucking it away into her knapsack once more. She needed the damn thing, no matter how much it pissed her off she couldn't use it as of current. Her shimmering silvery waters, stared at her back pack one more time before she heaved a sigh and slung it onto her back.

"It was worth a shot…. Back to Sanctuary for now I suppose?" she let out a groan.

"Percy? Did you find what you needed?" Gob called into the house, his eyes staring with a worried expression.

"No, I did find something, but it's not too useful-" she tugged at her gloves, and dusted off her leathers before she awkwardly crossed the floor to the door.

"Sorry you couldn't find more," he frowned, giving the young woman a pat on the back.

"Nah, s' not yer fault Gobby," she smiled as carefully as she could- the guy was so skittish after all.

There was a moment of awkward silence.

"They're still out there- I'll find em," she gripped the bags strap tightly, "I just gotta find dem pages to my ol' man's journal,"

Gob gave a gentle nod.

"An my brotha?" she inquired before she decided to head out.

"Made his own way like you, out to the Mohave," he frowned.

Percy nodded again, "Well…. If dad's made a record o' tings while he was sittin' round- I'm sure there's more…. I'm sure they're…. Well, I'll be seein ya Gob,"

"Take care Percy!" he called after her, his eyes filled with worry.

"No worries, 's jus' like I tol ol' uncle Roy! S' in mah blood, I'll be fine!" the red headed wanderer waved before heading off, "I gotta find mom n' dad… they're out there somewhere- question is- where? Why? Where've they been fo' ten long years?"