Twenty-Four Years Ago

The shick from his lighter reverberated in the alleyway as he took a quick pause to light his smoke. It had only been a year since the bounty hunter had decided to make a quick stop back through the city of ghouls- normally, a couple handful or so seemed to pass before a revisit, but a certain pink ghoul had wandered his feet.

There was a slight commotion in the gloom behind him- something was attempting to remove the boards from inside the abandoned building he was leaning against. The cigarette was removed; a careful blow to the side as he watched a radiation suit emerge.

"What the fuck, fuck you come from?"

The figure halted at the sound of his voice.

"Oh, you're one of those weirdo scavs, huh?"

Penny had mentioned something over their drinks that evening about the latest additions to Braxton's golden community- humans; harmless, but seemingly clueless as they wandered around the rubble, taking notes on Pip-Boys while ignoring the general public as a whole. No one knew where they came from, and no one asked where they disappeared to.

His glowing eyes blinked through the darkness of night as the figure started running straight towards him. There was a flurry of movement, and a scalpel slashed through the air; he disarmed them with a simple brunt wave of his arm. It gave a clatter on the concrete at their feet.

"Fuck are ya doin'?!" Cross growled, taking a threatening step forward as the masked stranger began a startled retreat. He nabbed at their forearm, noting just how dainty the individual was. "Whoa, easy-" They struggled, and he tightened his grip, reaching his other hand inside his jacket for his gun. The barrel was pointed, and the safety clicked. "I ain't goin' to ask again."

They immediately froze.

"Alright, damn. You good?"

A few moments of silence, and then a slow bob of their head, their breathing heavy behind the masked ventilator.

"You're a smoothskin, right?"

Another minute passed before they spoke, tone unsure. "That is what you refer to humans...this smoothskin?"

Well, their voice was definitely human, and female, at that. He noticed the Pip-Boy strapped to her other wrist. "You from a vault? Fuck you doin' in Braxton?"

"…I…I need help." Her voice was tight, as though she was about to cry. "I need to get away from this place, as soon as possible."

Slowly, his grip loosened, and he reset the hammer of his gun to stow it away. It was well past midnight, and he was honestly looking forward to returning to that cute rosy ghoul's bed…but-

"You got the caps?"

"That's…that's the currency, correct? I'm sorry, but I don't."

A disgruntled sigh from the merc, and he flicked his spent smoke. "Look, I'll get ya safely out of the city, and you're on your own, capeesh?"

She seemed to consider his offer before giving a sharp nod. She then gave a half-turn, whispering ironically loudly into the shadows. "Sophie!"

A Miss Nanny emerged through the makeshift entrance, whirring softly as it hovered to them. "Oui, Mademoiselle."It was carrying something cloaked in its mechanical arms, and the merc gave a puzzled glance as he scratched the back of his bald head.

"Alright then," Cross coughed, and he gave her a curt thrust of his thumb over his shoulder. "C'mon."

The city was relatively quiet, the hum from the floating robot muffling the sounds of their shoes against the asphalt. They came to the front gate, bypassing around a large, spray-painted corrugated sign reading BRAXTON- CITY OF GHOULS.

There was no moon, and all the stars were out in full display. The woman paused past the walls as she drank in the sight of the milky way, and her gloved hand came up to remove her mask.

"Mademoi-!"

Finally. After all of these long months- months of secrets, lies, preparation, heartbreak, diving into the unknown- it was for this exact moment.

A deep inhale was given, and the merc felt his breath hitch in his chest as she gave a half-turn to him. Her long, white-blonde hair seemed to glow in the dark as it waterfalled over her shoulders- she was one of the most beautiful women he had ever laid eyes on.

"What is your name?" Her voice had lost its former fear, and the sound of her reminded him of soft wind chimes in a gentle breeze.

He could only stare at her stupidly, before realizing his gawking as he grunted in embarrassment and tore his gaze away. "Cross." She then roved her eyes over him in a rather calculative way, and he shifted in spot uncomfortably. "Do ya need-"

"No. I don't." She then began to march confidently into the darkness of the wasteland, the Miss Nanny with its burdened package dutifully at her side. They soon were swallowed by the weight of the night.

Cross just remained in his spot, breathing in the cold night air, and thrust his hands inside his pockets.

…never got her name...

The Present

The ferryman's voice was like a boom of thunder- deafening, powerful, and final. "No."

The smaller woman at his side gave an almost bored huff; anyone not well acquainted with the hulking ghoul would have kept their mouths shut and heads nodding in agreement, but their relationship had far extended past initial courtesies.

"Don't mind Charon- he has a limited vocabulary, under certain circumstances." Evelyn gave a twirl of her hand, her tone as flat as her expression.

A warning snarl erupted from the said ghoul beside her; the blue flame of his eyes were smoldering. "I will not allow this."

"If I had to listen to you every time you said that, I wouldn't be allowed to leave my own room, probably ever." Another dramatic flair of her fingers, with a soft poke aimed at some remnant skin along his forearm.

The ghoul snorted, his demeanor now slightly amused. "I do not see the problem with it." There was an underlying message of and I don't think you do either that she happened to understand, and she quickly flit her flustered gaze down.

Charon bent his neck in both directions to the side, popping the vertebrae with a pleasing crack. A roll of his sculpted shoulders, his attention now fully committed to the glowing ghoul standing in the hallway. "You do not have my approval."

Evelyn made a high-pitch humph, a single finger beginning to create a whirlpool of tawny hair around itself. "When should he turn me in?"

"First we'll-" Thomas never had a chance to finish his delegation, as the ferryman clenched his jaw and proceeded to slam the doorframe shut with violent force. It was then followed by a ruckus of raised voices, and the glowing ghoul merely gave a sigh.

"Do you have any better ideas?!" Evelyn snarked.

"Yes, we leave. Now."

"I'm not going without him!"

"Then I will bring him back and we shall go together, does that satisfy you?" he growled.

A look of complete bewilderment was his answer. "Um, no?! I'm doing this! End of discussion!" A flash of her palm towards the handle, it was intercepted at the forearm, tightly. "Charon-"

He merely shook his head- how was she so stupid?

"Charon, I shouldn't have to ask-"

Why was he so in love with someone that drove him up the fucking wall?!

"Hey." The tone of her voice was heartbreakingly soft; it instantly drew his focus away from the crumbling chaos of his thoughts. The fingers of her other hand were traveling lightly over his naked chest, and then they reached imploring for his face- he bent down, and felt them glide along his jawline. "It'll be alright. I know you're scared…everyone gets scared sometimes, and that's okay."

His grip loosened, and his hand fell away to his side. A glance down; there was a reddened handprint emboldened on the pale skin of her flesh from his carelessness. It was brought closer for him to analyze as she stroked the right side of his face with her freed hand. How did someone as strong as her seem so fragile at times?

"I won't be on this earth forever, big guy…it could be in thirty years, or the next twenty minutes. And…I'm sorry you'll be left behind…but that's how the world works, whether we want it to or not."

He knew that- he knew that fact of life very exceptionally well…but, still, every reminder was somehow just as difficult to process as the last one. Her inevitable death was something he did not choose to think about…but a preventable one was a topic he was more than glad to address.

A turn of his head to the side, and he released a shaky breath, unable to meet her patient stare. "Whether it is thirty years, or twenty minutes, I wish to be at your side for it." Now her calm resolve shattered in his arms, and she had nothing but grief for him to look upon.

"A…" It had been so long since he had uttered his name; it somehow felt foreign on his tongue. "Adam made a choice- I cannot say it was the right or wrong one, but it was his, and I am the one to live with it."

He licked his lips, drawing her closer to himself as he felt his legs begin to tremble. "I do not know for certain whether or not his choice changed my life for the better…but it has led me to you. Evelyn, you are naïve, reckless-" There was a furrow of her brows, and a slight droop of her lips into a frown. "-arrogantly foolish, violent, stubborn-"

"Are you trying to win me over or insult me?!"

"-and I am honored to be in your service, even though these endeavors you task yourself with leave me wondering how much longer that will be-"

"Rude!"

"-I only ask of you that you allow me to perform my duty to you, in combat, as well as death. I cannot make your decisions…I only ask that you allow me to make mine."

There was a pause as she studied him scrupulously. "Maybe if you weren't a brainwashed slave, we wouldn't be having this conversation." A threatening snarl escaped him, but it only broke her into a bright smile. She leaned upwards on the tips of her toes, planting a full kiss on his cheek. "I've told you- just be yourself…in every way possible."

After a few moments, he gave a single nod. He then reopened the door, blinking down at the ghoul waiting patiently on the other side.

"Have we come to terms?"

"I would like to revise your plan…to something we both can agree on," Charon compromised flatly.

Thomas just gave a brief glance to Evelyn being protectively cradled against him. He sighed. "Very well, then we should-wait, are we not-?"

Charon was already closing the door again. "We will be just a few minutes…I will meet you downstairs." There was then a click of the lock, and Thomas was left alone in the hallway, muttering under his breath.

Evelyn gave him a confounded look as he walked to the bedframe, but bypassed the remainder of his clothes. Rather, he took a seat on the edge and began to unlace his boots. He didn't bother to meet her questioning stare, or even look at her, until he stood and unbuckled his pants, dropping them to the floor.

Even though she had already witnessed the ghoul naked, she still instinctively spun around, the sound of his chuckles at her abashment drifting from across the room. "Uh, what are you doing?"

"Being myself. Come here." Meekly, she turned around, slowly walking forward until she was within the reach of his arms. She tried to keep her eyes on his face, but a bulge in her peripheral down below made her visibly gulp. "Do I make you nervous?"

"A little," she confessed in a small voice. There was a smug look on his face, and it made her stomach tighten in anger. "I'm sorry, does that, turn you on, or something?!"

A shrug of his shoulders, and he stretched out an arm to stroke his rough fingertips down the smooth skin of her forearm. "You are always very sure of yourself…I like that I make you doubt that."

Her jaw dropped at his brute honesty. Now that they had traversed through that door of their sexuality together, she briefly wondered if there was another side to Charon she was yet to see…or rather, experience.

"Ex-excuse me?"

"I want you to take off your clothes, and touch yourself."

OH MY GOD-

The ghoul leaned back on his elbows slightly, an unfamiliar glimmer to his smoldering eyes that she had never seen before.

"Would you rather I take them off, for you?" he mused.

"We-we don't have time for this! Cross-"

"Is fine," Charon growled. "No harm will come to your bounty hunter- he is smarter than you give him credit for."

"But-"

"I will give you to the count of five." His voice was so serious she flinched.

…was he like this with his previous experiences?

Slowly, her fingers began to unbuckle the leather straps at her waist as she kicked off her boots. A few articles began to pile on the floor until she was left completely naked. She curled her toes and cracked them against the floorboards, nervously fidgeting her hands along her sides. The glow of his eyes slowly roved over nearly every inch of her; it was a canvas the ghoul had seen aplenty. But for some reason, it was as though he was absorbing the gallery she had to offer for the first time, and it was with such blatant want that it made her shiver.

If Charon had been like this outright in the beginning of their partnership, she was not sure she would have been able to handle his presence at the time. It was much akin to a predator- voracious.

The rosy flesh of her nipples came to be in-between the clasp of her fingers, and she half-heartedly gave a squeeze. The ferryman noticed her timidness and raised an eyebrow muscle at her. "You did not seem this reluctant, earlier."

The flash to the awkward moment they shared at the station was being heavily implied, and she bit her lower lip shyly and looked down at her toes as she wiggled them.

"I'm just not used to this…from you."

His face was stoic as he regarded her silently. "…would it make you more comfortable if I started?" A bashful nod of her head, and he nabbed her wrist to pull her close until she was aligned between his knees. He then held out a flat palm to her, almost expectantly, and she gave him a look. "Spit."

A massive dribble was given as requested, and it wasn't until he began to stroke himself that she felt the blood rush to her face. This wasn't what she had thought he had meant-!

His other hand was freely exploring over her body- lightly tracing scars and giving experimental rubs in certain areas. Dependent on the face she made or the sounds she gave, he would slow down or apply more pressure…and his expression was sharp as he explored her with the rough texture of his palm. She had the feeling he was, learning, about her. Compared to Cross, it was obvious Charon did not share the same expertise in expending confidence to a woman's sexual desires, but as he did with pretty much anything, he committed himself to discover the inner workings through trial and error- he was an adept learner, that way.

The wet, sucking noise of his masturbation suddenly stopped. Her eyes flit downwards- his fingers were tracing over the bullet scar on her bicep she had garnered from their first enemy encounter together. They then traveled slightly upright to her shoulder- a jagged line, from a raider trap that had taken them by surprise just a few weeks after. But the one that brought both hands down was the newly tight, scarred pink skin inside her inner thigh. It was one he knew wasn't given in his term of service to her- 'You are lucky she did not go into shock from that much blood loss. She would be dead'

His arms came to wrap themselves around her waist, and he buried his face into her chest. Gingerly, her hands rested on his shoulders, and she propped herself up to swaddle his lap. "Are you okay?" she whispered.

With careful consideration, he picked her up by the waist and set her down gently a few steps away from himself, grabbing at his pants to redress.

"Did you, not want to…?" Evelyn started uncertainly. In a heartbeat, his persona changed to that of being coldly stoic, and she began to wonder if she did something unintentionally wrong. "Did I-?"

"We should make haste if we are to retrieve your bounty hunter," he replied indifferently.

"Oh…yeah, you're right." She turned around, tucking her hair behind her ears.

Charon was now adjusting some satchels to his side, ignorant to his employer's reserved nature due to his sudden standup. The folds of her shirt came over her head, being shimmied into place as she observed the ghoul recheck the stock of his shotgun. He was extremely intense, and the atmosphere around him seemed to darken from his underlying wrath.

"I'm sorry, if I did something wrong," her voice wavered, the courage she finally mustered to address his hostility flying out the window when he snapped his head to her. "I just don't know what I-"

"It is not you," he replied in that same flat tone. His hands then seemed to slow their adjustments to his murderous array, and he gave a deep sigh. "I did not mean to frighten you."

"Then why are you so angry?"

He unsheathed his combat knife for a moment, inspecting the edge in the light. "I did not repay your bounty hunter the favor of that…incident. I wish to make amends."

Her brain clicked for the correlation, and then the light bulb visibly lit. "Are you…serious?! You're still upset over that?! You're not going to kill him-"

"That is not my intention," Charon rasped. "I only mean to show him the error of his ways."

"By beating the shit out of him?!"

He paused, as though in considerable thought, and then gave a nod. "That is one way."

"Charon- I'm being serious."

"I as well." His arm was grabbed, and she turned him to face her.

"Charon…please-" The timbre of her voice almost cracked. "Whatever happens…take care of him, will you?"

A Few Hours Prior

"To be honest, I don't even know where to begin with you."

A loud scoff, and the merc kicked his feet up on the coffee table. "How about, thank you?"

"What on earth would I thank you for?" The glowing ghoul growled from behind his desk. "For assaulting Rick? For terrorizing half the citizens? For having Evelyn-"

"First off: Real prick of a mayor ya got- no wonder this city's a shithole," the merc began. "Second: Half the citizens are pricks- no wonder this city's a fuckin' shithole, and thirdly-"

"If you care for Evelyn in the slightest you will tell me what is going on." Thomas's voice was like steel, and it made the bounty hunter shed any form of good nature. "I know you do not wish to see her come to harm, but I cannot form a proper plan without inside information first."

Cross's raspy voice was low and serious. "Who told you?"

"No one…yet. I've had my doubts ever since the incident between you and David those years ago…when Evelyn appeared in the city, I began to wonder if it was just coincidence, but then you came in search of her." Thomas thrummed his fingers on his desk. "Was it David?"

"No."

"There's someone else?"

"…yeah. Some cunt by the name of Liam. Last I heard, he was in Boston."

"When was this?"

A shrug and he scratched at his jaw, the rattle from his chains melding with the scritch scritch. "Right before I left the city…he's the one who had me whack David- the real David. Didn't know about the synth."

"Did you know about the vault?"

Now the merc appeared angry. "Fuck no- think I'd play dumb over her?"

"I wasn't sure," Thomas admitted rather faintly. "Who are the others? Rick…Carmen?"

A grunt. "That obvious?"

Thomas gave a nod. "I've had my suspicions for some years, now…did you know about the smoothskin trafficking operation?"

A deep sigh. "Yes. I didn't know where, just knew wind of it."

"I can't imagine the two of them helping David with the entire operation on their own, even with Roman- who else?"

The merc rubbed at his eyes. "'bout half the police department."

Now Thomas appeared genuinely concerned. "Please tell me that is a humorous exaggeration."

"No."

The glowing ghoul cursed softly under his breath, and then stood to pace about. "I suppose it was a worst-case scenario…" He then half-turned. "I was hoping to have reviewed most of David's files from the Pip-Boy…but, time does not seem to be on my side. You were originally supposed to bring her here. Is that true?" Both hands planted on the desk surface, and he leaned forward. "Why in God's name did you allow her to come this far if you knew what they wanted?"

Cross sat quietly for a moment, avoiding his question. "I'm goin' to drag her ass to the fuckin' west coast and stay there." His shrouded eyes glowed from under his hat. "And if you know this much, you're lettin' us go, now. I'm damn sure Carmen and the others are stagin' some shit to take her-"

"And what makes you believe they will not just follow you? Clearly, this Liam has some form of network to be able to keep the operation here proceeding for so long just in wait for her. From what I perceive, she is valuable data to them. David had asked me eleven years ago to bring her here...which I refused. But now she's here...and I am sure they will not let her slip past so easily this time." Thomas regarded the merc thoughtfully. "They don't know you've switched sides, do they?"

Cross titled his head back and narrowed his eyes. "Switch sides? Look, I ain't on no one's fuckin' side, anymore-"

"Well for just a few hours, I need you to be on mine," Thomas persuaded. "This city is going to be in shambles here very soon- to save whatever is left of it, I need to have those conspiring against it brought to the light."

Cross barked out a gruff laugh. "Then you're just burnin' half the fuckin' city, then! These creeps ain't fuckin' worth it, and you know it."

"Rick is still in holding- I've already questioned Carmen, and I am quite certain they will attempt to free him before they begin a coup. I need you to be in a cell-"

"Whoa now, hold on-" The merc held up his chained hands.

"-and I need you to 'play' the part you were designated." Thomas strode to the window to draw the blinds closed, and the merc gave a cough.

"-okay, look, before you go all, Napoleon, on me, I'm goin' to make it very clear I can give a shit less if this city goes up in fuckin' smoke- good riddance- and that I'm goin' to go back to her room- not some radroach infested cell- and get fuckin' laid, capeesh?"

Thomas had a look on his face. "Are you finished?"

The bounty hunter tilted his head to the side, thinking. "…yeah, think I am."

"Good. Now listen very carefully."

Roman's contract was handed over the desk.

Cross regarded the piece of paper for a moment before stowing it away. "You better have a place for him here- I ain't lookin' to haul his ass with us." Thomas had an internal debate written over his face, and the merc blew out a breath. "What?"

"I am going to request you to be…mindful, of how you use his service."

A barked laugh rasped out. "Guy's a total creep- fuck should I care? It's his damn job, isn't it?"

"I do not think Evelyn would be happy if his death transpired over this," the head of security explained quietly.

Cross groaned. "Look- I already told her, he's-"

"He's her brother- twin, brother."

The merc's mouth was left wide open, and a gurgling cough erupted before he clicked it shut.

"She doesn't know…I am sure she is unaware she even had a sibling, to begin with."

"The fuck…? What?!" He rubbed his hand over his mouth. "How did you…but he's…how?!" Besides Roman being a ghoul, they didn't even look anything alike.

"They are fraternal- I have extensively reviewed her file from David's data…there is a lot to her that I was hoping to discuss when the time was right, but, I thought you should at least know beforehand. Don't get him killed."

"Does he know?"