Pain shoots through my body. I've been in this situation enough times before, to know I'm not dead. But…if I'm not dead, then where am I? Opening my eyes, I look around at the familiar walls of the room Casdin confined me to.

"Dogmeat?"

I whisper, trying to sit up. It brings me unimaginable pain, but I do so anyways. A whimper at my feet, tells me he's safe, he's alive. I smile a bit, holding my chest as I prop myself up against the single pillow I'm allowed. I guess Casdin thinks I could use more than one as a weapon. Don't judge, I probably could.

"Hey…Dogmeat."

I say, reaching up and patting his head. It hurts to move my arms. I can't figure why. Looking down, I see that I'm tightly wrapped in gauze. It presses down on me annoyingly tight, and constricts my breathing. I see the formation of a large bruise coming up from under them, stretching to my collarbone. Hm. Charon made a choice. Bastard. My best guess, is he just hit me really good with the butt of his gun. By the feelings of it, I think he might have cracked or broken a couple of ribs. The Outcasts know of my dirty little secret about radiation, and I guess they just don't want me running around at full health. Fair enough.

"You are awake."

The familiar sound of Charon's voice causes me to jump. Which in turn, makes me cry out in pain. Clutching my chest, I wince and look down. Yeah, a few broken, I'd say.

"You should not try to sit up."

He says, as he walks over to me. I look at him, through slanted eyes. He didn't kill me. That's how many times now? I've lost count. He wraps his hands around my shoulders and presses me back into the bed. I listen to him, and lie down. Dogmeat moves over, allowing him to sit on my bed. He takes his head in his hands, and rests his elbows on his thighs.

"You didn't kill me."

I tell him, stating the obvious. It does start conversation, though.

"No. I did not."

"Why? Those were your orders."

Charon looks around the room. He doesn't look at me, and his fingertips rest on his chin and mouth. Pain shoots through me with each deep breath I take, and try to sit up again. He feels the movement of my legs, but still doesn't look at me. Whatever's going on in his head, I'm not sure how I feel about it.

"I am not supposed to be in here. Gather your belongings, and dress quickly."

"What?"

Charon doesn't reply. He simply stands up, and gently tosses me my top. I hold it in my hands, unsure of what he's getting at. Dogmeat looks at me, and nudges my leg with his nose. Two against one, I guess I have to listen. My top won't fit right over my bandages, and the extra-tightness makes the pain worse, but it's bearable. After all, this is minor compared to some of my other injuries.

When I get my shirt on, I look at Charon. He hands me my notebook, and a small pistol. I don't bother to ask where he got it from, I simply take it. I want to say the Charon I once knew is back. That he's returned and now we're going to blow this place to holy hell just like we have twice before…but…I can't. The man in front of me isn't Charon, the one I knew, the one I loved. He's only that person in body, not in mind. I don't yet trust him fully, but I have no other option. Whatever reasoning he had for sparing my life now, won't be granted again.

"Come on."

He says, pacing, walking over to the door. Suspiciously, but loyally, I follow him.

"Everyone is asleep. We must hurry. Do not stop until I say so."

"Charon, what's going on?"

"Let's go now."

He opens the door to my room, and grabs my wrist tightly. I feel his muscles rubbing against my own, and I smile at it. I've missed his touch, more than I've ever missed anything else before. I've missed how powerful his grip feels, when he's dealing with me. How safe I feel, when it's us against the world, and his arms are the only things keeping the devil away. For now, I can't think of that. I have to remind myself this isn't Charon, and I have to concentrate on whatever plan he's concocted. My heart says to hope, but my head says to move, and move fast.

Ignoring the pain inside my chest, both from ribs and loss, I move my feet as fast as I can, while Charon pulls me. Dogmeat jogs beside me. At first, I'm wry that he's bringing me to Casdin, but when we pass his door, I start to wonder. Is he helping me escape? Why? He's under orders to watch me, not aid me. Moreover, he was under orders to kill me if I didn't cooperate. Not knock me silly and bring me back down. Charon, if you're not the person I once knew, then who are you? Who have you become? More importantly, do you still love me?

To my surprise, we in fact go through the main entrance. I expect to slow down, and do, but Charon pulls me to speed up. So I follow him. With his hand wrapped around my wrist, I really have no other choice. He's dragged me places before, he'll drag me now if he has to. The warm, but cool, night air feels peaceful in my face. The moon lights everything up. You only ever realize how much you miss something, when you're unable to see it. Stars shine above, the dirt shifts beneath my feet. For a minute, I lose myself in the sensations of being outside. I imagine Charon is who he once was, and we're running from an evil Deathclaw. When we get to safety, I pretend we'll hold one another close, by the warm heat of a dying fire, and kiss until the sun comes up.

But that silly daydream is interrupted when Charon stops. I stop, and Dogmeat stops, too. Looking around, I see Fort Independence off in the near distance. We've only run a few hundred yards, but it feels like miles. The pain in my chest is near unbearable, but I can take it. With the moon shining down, Fort Independence looks like something out of a pre-war horror movie. I don't like it. Not one bit.

"You need to leave."

Charon says, as his hand falls from my wrist. Instinctively, I reach for it again, but I pull back once I remember who he is now.

"What? What do you mean? Tell me what's going on."

I demand, taking his shoulder and forcing him to face me. In the dead of night, as Charon turns his head away from my view, I can't help but wonder...who did this?

"You have to leave this place. I suggest you take advantage of this opportunity."

I fold my arms in front of my chest, the wind blows my hair in my face. I'm not going anywhere without him.

"Charon, tell me what is going on. Why didn't you kill me?"

I want to know, because I still believe he's in there somewhere. The Charon that saved me from myself the first night we spent together. The Charon who would mercilessly slaughter anyone who even looked at me the wrong way. The Charon who carried me to safety, and calmed the demons and voices in my head. The Charon…who held me close in the abandoned house, as we both felt at peace for the first time in our lives. He still doesn't look at me, his head turned so that I can only see his profile. His back is to the moon, and it covers his body in shadows.

"…I do not know. I do not know why I chose to even do this. It is against my orders, and I expect dire consequences in the morning. There is…something about you. Something that prevented me from killing you. To follow through with what I was ordered to do. I can not explain it."

"I'm not leaving without you."

He looks at me, for the first time since I woke up.

"Why?"

He asks, as if my statement is unexpected. I guess it is, because he doesn't remember me.

"I won't leave you here. Come with me. I'll help you remember. You've disobeyed this much, a mile more and you'll be free."

"I can not. You must leave the Capital Wasteland, Dez. Run, and do not look back."

The tone in his voice tells me he's not coming. There's no use in begging, but I want to try anyways.

"Charon, please. Please, come with me."

I tug on his arm, urging him to go while the window of opportunity is still open. Tears build in my eyes, as I know the truth. He pulls from my grip, looking away from me again.

"No."

"I'll come back for you."

He looks at me as if I've just told him I hung the moon.

"What?"

"I'll come back. I'll come back here, with better guns, with more people. I'm not leaving you in this place."

"If my employer orders me, I will have to tell him of this."

"Tell him whatever you want. I don't care if they're waiting with bows on. I'm coming back."

"Why?"

"Because I can't do this anymore without you. I don't care if you don't remember. I do. I remember. You never left me behind. You never gave up on me. You always came back. You always chased me, and stuck by me. I'm not letting that all be for nothing."

Charon doesn't say anything for a bit. I'm not sure what he's thinking of, he's not the easiest person to read. Tears fall from my eyes, and down my cheeks. I didn't want to cry, but saying goodbye to Charon, always makes me.

"Go. Go now."

He says, his voice deep and guttural.

"I'm coming back for you."

I tell him, and he nods. I'm not sure if he wants me to, or if he even cares, but I don't care. I'm coming back. I am. I will. Without thinking, without realizing it, I wrap my arms around his neck, and painfully lift myself up to him. I kiss him. I press my lips against his, and I can taste him. I can taste him, and he tastes just the same as he always has.

"I'm coming back."

I whisper, as I pull away from his stiff body. He looks at me, his face, expressionless. The pain in my ribs doesn't matter. The warmth and comfort of the night doesn't mean anything to me. Nothing does, if Charon isn't here to share it with me. Dogmeat barks, and begins to growl in the direction of Fort Independence, and Charon lightly pushes me.

"Go!"

He hisses, and I nod, tears streaming down my face.

"I'm coming back."

I say again, as I begin to run. I don't look back to see if he watches me go. I don't look back, as I hear Dogmeat's feet catching up to me. I don't bother to look back, because I know I'll turn around. I know, I'll run back to him, to his arms, and beg him to let me stay. I don't care if I'm a prisoner for my entire life, so long as he's with me. I can take any blow, hit, abuse, anything…so long as he's there. It's been me against the world my entire life. When Charon came into it, it became us, against everyone who didn't agree. It became…something so much more important.