Everything went to hell in that instant. Fawkes burst through the doors at the base of Eden's computer set-up.

"Hello friends!" he called.

"Fawkes?!" Percy looked over the railing, then immediately clung to it as the entire structure shook beneath their feet.

"Human, I am relieved to see that you are relatively unharmed. We must save catching up for later, however. It seems that both the Brotherhood and the Enclave are intent on blowing this place to the sky."

As if on cue, another explosion shook the tower of technology that was President Eden. They swayed to and fro until the pylon lurched to one side. Before Percy realized what was happening, Charon gathered her in his arms and tossed her over the edge. Fawkes caught her before she could hit the ground, and Charon followed after her, rolling as he hit the ground to minimize impact.

"Eden set the entire rock to self-destruct; we gotta get out of here!" Charon explained, whistling for Rex, wherever the pooch was.

"The dog is safe back in a vertibird by Paladin Lyon's orders. In a harness this time."

"Like that will stop him," Charon grumbled as they ran through the halls.

The robotic guards that lined the halls had completely turned against the enclave soldiers and staff, who were running for evacuation as the Brotherhood stormed the fortress. Suddenly, Nathan Vargas from Megaton burst out from one of the holding cells; his arms were bound behind him and he was running for the protection of the Brotherhood. Wide eyed and terrified, he spied Percy. Too scared to notice the ghoul and mutant flanking her.

"They're not who they say they are! Get out while you still can!"

The next moment, they were covered in smoking ash, and Vargas was…gone.

"He…he wanted help," Percy said, shell-shocked.

"He wanted help!" She screamed, running for the Brotherhood soldier who had shot him.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but he picked the wrong side," the soldier said gruffly, holding onto his rifle more tightly.

"He was bound! He was wearing civilian clothes, you bastard!"

Charon had to pull her off the militant. "We have to get out of here first!" He whispered into her ear, trying to calm her down.

They ran out of the Enclave's stronghold just as it caved in behind them.

"Are you coming back with us?" Charon asked Fawkes as he and Percy climbed into the Vertibird. Cross immediately tended to her visible wounds, but Percy refused to look at her, or answer any of her questions.

"I'm afraid not, friend. As I said before, I do not like to fly, and I trust the driver even less now," he said, a heated lowness to his tone. "Now my debt has been repaid and this is a war I do not wish to continue to wage. After all, 'if I can't dance to it, it's not my revolution'."

With that, he headed southward, towards Little Lamplight. They would need a guardian more than ever in these uncertain times.

Charon held her hand through the flight. He was the only one she would respond to.

"They're as bad as them…" She muttered, such that only he could hear her.

He squeezed her hand, trying to avoid the rings around her wrists. Rex strained in his harness to try and curl his body around her, as if to protect from her from the negative feelings that seemed to surround her.

Percy ignored Sarah when she tried to question her more about the Enclave and the state of the G.E.C.K.

"Percy…I'm sure you've been through a lot but we need to act fast! If they have the G.E.C.K., then it's only a matter of time before they guess the correct access code."

Percy rounded on her, and the fully armored paladin, who was half a head taller than Percy, actually backed up a step.

"I'm currently covered in the remains of a man who ran to me for help. Who your men killed. I'm taking a shower. Then I'm taking a nap. I'll give you all the precious information you want tomorrow."

Charon stopped Sarah from pursuing her further down the hall. She only flinched a little when he touched her armored shoulder.

"Their leader is dead, and their main base is gone. They will need more than a few hours to regroup. She's done enough for your people to earn a break."


Rex followed Percy to their new accommodations. Cross didn't say a word as she led the three to their room, and Percy was grateful for that, even if she didn't voice it. She scanned the room before getting into bed, checking the walls and under the bed for cameras and recording devices. The room they were given was much nicer now than last time—probably Sarah's doing. Apparently having the same idea, Rex sniffed all across the room before he was sure it was safe, then left to wander the rest of the citadel.

In the shower Charon's arms wrapped around her as the blood and ash was washed from their bodies. He watched in mild interest as the bruises and rashes littering her body slowly disappeared, leaving behind old wounds, but otherwise soft and smooth skin. He didn't ask about the barcode tattooed on the back of her neck. The Brotherhood must have had a strong reactor, because no matter how long they stayed there, the water never grew cold. Percy did as much as she could to be close to Charon even if all they did was wash up. Every so often she would grow very still then look up at him, as if to remind herself where she was and who she was with...and who she wasn't with. It wasn't until they were lying in bed almost completely dry that Percy finally opened up to him, face buried in his chest as he stroked her hair and along her back.

"They tortured me in there. They got me hooked on psycho and used some sort of truth serum on me for a week…at least I think it was a week. It was hard to tell time when my meals were given through a tube and the lights never went out."

'That explains the track marks…'

Percy stiffened but slowly relaxed as Charon's mouth found her neck. It felt so good to have her back, he felt like he could breathe properly again, and all he wanted was her.

His lips were cracked and dry, but warm. His hot breath warmed her and she continued, "He…Colonel Autumn… He had installed some sort of chip in my neck to hurt me if I did anything he didn't like…he didn't like how resistant I was to his methods. When the truth serum didn't work, he was going to make me like you."

That caught Charon's attention.

"Apparently there were some implants left over from the experiments done on you…from back before the war. Not enough for a complete procedure…but enough to make me compliant with the help of this." She rubbed the bumps and numbers on her neck.

"All of that is over now." He whispered, rolling them until she was on top of him. She sat back, fingers playing along his chest. He felt delicious between her legs, and Percy began grinding slowly against bulge that became apparent in his underwear. Her sighs were music to his ears.

"I thought…I thought I'd never get out of there. I thought I'd never see…you again."

He tried to be strong for her. He really did. But as Charon looked up at her, safe here with him, he couldn't stop the hand that tangled in her hair and brought her closer.

"Percy…Percy, oh Percy," he groaned. Her mouth opened readily for him. The kiss was intense and sloppy. Desperately, Percy pulled his dick out of his briefs, pushing aside her own sheer panties to take him all in. She needed him—desperate for that wholeness that only he could give her.

There were many things in her life that she regretted, but telling Charon she loved him was not one of them. In uncertain times like these…

If she hadn't told him how she felt…If she hadn't come back from Raven Rock…

Percy let out a choked moan as Charon bucked up and into her, thumb rubbing circles against her clit. She watched his face, lost in the feeling of her velvety warmth enveloping him. As she bounced her hips against his, Percy's toes began to curl. The ragged skin of his cock was rubbing all the right places.

"Ahhh mmm—Charon! Oh, Charon, hold me!"

Charon swallowed her moans and gave his as he rolled them over, pressing her into the worn mattress.

"Don't scare me like that next time, okay, Perse'?" He grunted, as his thrusts became more urgent, fueled by his own need for release as she fluttered tightly around him. Hoisting her legs over his elbows, he spread her legs farther apart.

"No, no, no, never! Never, I love you, Charon, I…love…youuuu!"

Charon came deep inside her, face buried against her shoulder, ravenously licking her neck. The sweat from their lovemaking was enough to get him going again, if he weren't so tired. He hadn't slept, hardly, since she was taken. It was only now that she was back, under, and around him that Charon himself actually felt safe.

When did this happen? How did he become so dependent on this beautiful smoothskin?

How did he get so lucky?

Charon watched her cross the room, dragging their bags closer before bending down to dig through it.

Her ass was just a few inches away…so round so soft…

Just as she found the crinkled pack of cigarettes, Charon wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her back into bed, covering her back in kisses as gave her rear a good squeeze.

Percy couldn't stop the squeal and giggle that escaped her lips, twisting around to try and kiss him back. But he was more concerned with the breasts that were suddenly thrust in his face. He wanted to show them a gentleness that they'd missed, judging by the bruises that had been there only an hour earlier.

She sighed, stroking the back of his neck as he massaged her chest with a gentleness that contradicted his morbid appearance. Leaning over to grab the pack and a lighter, Percy lit one cigarette. They shared it, enjoying the afterglow together.

"I figured out the access code. After they gave up on the truth serum," she said, taking a drag. She blew rings, dissipating them with her finger before they got too far away. The nicotine helped take the edge off, but she needed detox from that psycho first thing tomorrow.

"After all this time… Revelations twenty-one seven. 'I am the alpha and the omega…'…James was always one for symbolism, but this?"

"I'm sure the Brotherhood will be relieved to know," Charon said, watching the embers burn away until ash fell against her breast. He swiped it away before she could notice; the last thing she needed right now was to be reminded of Vargas' fate.

"I'm not sure they should know the access code either." She passed the smoke to him, turning to trace the line of his jaw. "Who's to say the Brotherhood is any better? What have they done for the Capital Wasteland? Hoarded resources and kept to themselves, and now they're acting all high and mighty? What if the Purifier actually works, and they keep all the fresh water, or worse, distribute it selectively?"

She had a point…

"Sarah is next in line to be the Elder. The Brotherhood might be a bunch of bigots wrapped in tin foil, but she's different. She, Cross and maybe a couple others."

"So, what? Worst case scenario we just wait for the current Elder to die and Sarah take his place?"

"When you're as old as I am, you learn to think long term, doll."

"Two hundred years…" Percy shook her head, lighting up another cigarette. "I can't even imagine getting old, much less living that long. I'd be lucky to make it to a hundred…"

That left a terrible taste in his mouth, which even tobacco couldn't fix.

Eventually, Percy would grow old and die. Then he'd be alone again. Free, but alone. He'd heard of some ghouls going feral long after they'd turned, but it was insanely rare. Thinking about Percy dying…It wasn't so hard to imagine anymore.

Charon felt the gentle press of her lips against his as her hand cupped his face.

"You looked miles away…" she said softly. "I missed you."

Blowing smoke through his nose, he gave her a tired smile. "Thanks for bringing me back."

"Always…" She returned his smile but it quickly turned sly as an idea popped into her head. She began kissing down his jaw to his neck, returning the hickey he had surely left on her earlier. Her breath caught as his thumbs played with her lower lips, spreading them and stroking her slit. Determined not to get distracted, she moved away, kissing lower and lower, moving the sheets away as needed. She looked up to watch his face as she slowly stroked his length, the tips of her fingers brushing teasingly along the top of his balls. Charon seemed to have a similar idea, taking his fingers in his mouth to savor her taste.

Percy licked the pre-cum from his tip, exhilarated to realize that he tasted much better now than the first time.

"Are all ghouls an acquired taste, or is it just you who requires a refined palate?" She asked, trying to put on an air of innocence as she pressed hot wet kisses up and down his hardened cock.

"You'll have to ask Nova," he said, leaning back. As the sweet of her faded from his tongue, Charon couldn't help but miss it. Sitting up, he stroked her cheek until she stopped what she was doing. He watched the string of saliva stretch as her flushed lips left him.

"Did I do something wrong?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

Charon chuckled. "Never. I just had an idea. Ever heard of sixty-nine?"

Percy paused, trying to figure out what he was talking about. Her face went red as it dawned on her.

"How would that even work? You're a little big."

She slapped his chest when Charon smirked. "You know what I mean! Taller. Two feet taller, I might add."

"Let's try it out. I'll eat, you'll drink," He helped her get into the right position: on her knees with her rump facing him. He rubbed the creamy globe before him, admiring one of the few places on Percy's body where fat hadn't been replaced by lean, hardened muscle. "And we'll both be merry."

"For tomorrow we may die," Percy said, reminding him of the last line of that particular saying.

"Wouldn't be the first time that was a possibility," he replied, taking her ass in one hand, and leaning forward as Percy placed her hand on his thigh for support. He felt her breath puff against his tip, and Charon couldn't wait any longer. Strumming her clit with his thumb, he pressed his tongue into her cunt. He could taste some of himself still inside her, but that didn't deter him. If anything, it excited him more. The noises Charon made were as intoxicating as they were obscene, enjoying how her walls squeezed around his tongue with each swipe his thumb made against her pearl.

Percy was soon a mess, hardly able to keep herself upright, much less return his pleasure. He had tasted her plenty of times before, but this was…

She felt a jolt as Charon bit down on one of her lower lips, sucking gently while his tongue swiping quickly over the aching wound. His fingers dug into her inner thighs to keep her from squirming, but it only made her muscles tense more.

"Oh, Charon…" She massaged his balls before taking as much as him as would fit into her mouth. She had done it before, surely she could do it again, right? It was difficult to not get jostled about as Charon bucked slightly despite himself. She moaned against his dick, making swallowing motions as he used one hand to hold her steady while the fingers of the other pushed into her, curling into that one spot that made her shake all over. Charon shifted forward until he could latch onto her pulsing bud. Percy tried to sync the bobbing of her head to the movements of his fingers, growing dizzy as he pushed another finger in to stretch her clenching walls.

'Too much…this is too…much...!'

A sharp smack across her ass make Percy squeal, nearly choking on his girth.

They fell to the side, Percy's thighs clamping tightly around his head. Her nails dug into his buttock before her own head began to bob up and down on his cock before sucking slightly on his tip.

Charon let out an animalistic groan as her cum coated his face and her thighs rubbed silkily against his ears, lapping up as much as he could. Her orgasm sent him over the edge and Percy managed to take in all of him just as his seed shot down her throat.

Charon was putty in her hands as Percy continued to stroke his length, sucking gently on the over sensitive skin. All he could do was lick languidly along her inner thigh, drinking up whatever of her juices he could find.

Throwing one arm over his eyes, he smiled down at her as she tried weakly to support herself on both elbows.

"That was…fuck…" Percy said, gasping for air with her head on his thigh.

"The vault didn't teach you that one?"

"The vault didn't have much in the way of spank mags," she laughed, rummaging through her bag for some water. "And what they did have, was more…procreation focused."


"I'm glad you're feeling better today; Sarah told me what happened at Raven Rock. That poor man…" Cross was taking Percy's blood pressure. Her heart beat was a little erratic, but that was only to be expected from Psycho withdrawal. She grabbed an inhaler and tin labelled 'Fixer' from the counter, shaking the inhaler before handing it to Percy.

"Take a puff of this every half hour. It's called addictol. That should help with the craving, but you should also drink as much water as you can handle to flush your system. Take one pill of the Fixer every hour. If you still feel the need to take psycho after that, just come back and I'll get you another tin." She noticed Percy's wrists, or rather, the lack of rope burns.

"You heal…fast."

"Very." Percy said shortly. "When does Sarah want to discuss the purifier?"

"As soon as possible, I'm afraid. She wants the Brotherhood to secure the Purifier before they can guess the access code correctly. Our men have been preparing all morning. In fact, we have something to show you over in the Lab. She also wants me to fit the both of you out with some power armor."

"I prefer armor that's easier to move around in," Percy said, taking her first puff from what looked like an oversized jet inhaler.

"You might take that back when you see what we have in store for the Enclave. Now, is there anything else I can do while I have you?"

"Actually…I need you to have a look at something."

Percy pointed at her neck, and Cross took a closer look.

"Oh, my…" She pressed her fingers around the slight lump the implant made in Percy's neck, trying to derive its shape and size.

"Do you mind if I numb the area? I'd like to make an incision and see what I'm dealing with here…"

Moving to lay down across the med-bay bed, Percy replied, "Sure, go ahead."

Charon turned away as Cross grabbed a sterilized scalpel. Rex stepped forward, putting his head in Percy's lap and whining quietly as Percy scratched behind his ear, thankful for the distraction.

"Hmm…" Cross walked over to a tool box nearby, pulling out a pair of wire clamps.

It only took a few minutes for the paladin to remove it. Charon refused to look back until Cross had resealed the cut with stitches and a stimpak. It wasn't that he was squeamish—he'd seen far worse even before the war. But it was different with Percy. He hated to see her take any sort of damage.

"I can't do much about this tattoo, I'm afraid. But that device is out," she said, washing her hands. "Can I ask how you got that? What was it for?"

"You can ask, but I'd prefer not to answer," Percy said, putting her shirt back on.

Cross shooed Rex away as he followed her to the sink, growling at the device while she washed the blood off to get a better look. The tech was nothing like anything the Brotherhood had worked with and she had a feeling this was one piece of tech that should be lost to the ages, rather than preserved. After Percy, Charon, and Rex left, Cross crushed the implant beneath her boot, pouring the remains into an old soup can. Putting on a power fist, she bent the can until the top was completely sealed before throwing the whole mess into the garbage. With a sigh of satisfaction, she washed off and left the med-bay to go find Sarah.

Cross wasn't sure how it happened, but a part of her was fairly certain the death of Sarah's last partner had something to do with it. Now, more than ever, the Brotherhood was turning to Sarah, even though she felt just as lost as the rest of them. Although she couldn't really see it in herself, she was flattered, no…honored that Sarah had turned to her for some level of stability, some level of comfort and closeness in these uncertain times. Cross had thought herself a little too old to find herself in Sarah's bed every morning, the two blushing like a couple of new recruits. But Sarah didn't wince away from the parts of Cross that were no longer flesh and blood. If anything, she clung to the woman that sometimes felt more machine than human. Cross smiled despite herself, picking up the pace. No, when she was with Sarah, she might not be able to forget the enhancements she needed to survive, but she never felt anything less than complete.