She met up and sat with Amata in the dining area, where Amata had lain out a map on the table. She looked it over; the vault wasn't so far away from Megaton as she originally suspected.
"We'll head over there tomorrow, I think." She murmured, and was surprised by Charon's voice behind her.
"That area's not very safe; there were some old military convoy here, last time I was over there." He reached over her shoulder to point, and the feeling of his skin brushing up against her face gave her goose bumps.
"Alright, so what do you propose?" He sat across from her, by Amata, while Butch slid right next to her.
"I say we come in from here. It'll take a night of camping, but it'll be a lot safer."
"So, Ana, where do you usually stay?"
"I've got a house here, in Megaton." She said, circling it.
"So, when I come out of the vault…"
"Sorry, but I've got myself, Charon, Dogmeat, and my robot. There's really no room. There's a community sleep house you could probably stay at, and you can probably find a safe place in Rivet City, here." Butch nodded.
"Do you need this map, Ana?" Amata asked.
"No, I've got all this programmed into my Pip-Boy. Keep it, and maybe you can come visit me sometime. Megaton's really close, you've just got to look out for mole rats and giant ants around here." Amata nodded and rolled up the map.
"I'm going to call an early curfew tonight. I think everyone needs it. You all head to your rooms, and I'll be there to see you off tomorrow."
They parted and headed down to the sleeping quarters.
"Hey, Ana, I'll catch ya tomorrow." Butch said, hugging her. Charon grumbled. She smiled.
"We'll see. I'm an early starter." Butch walked off and Charon watched him go.
Competition my ass.
Anastasia stretched and yawned as the intercom buzzed to life.
"Due to the recent events in the vault, we will have early curfew tonight. Lights out in five minutes, please return to your living areas. Thank you." Anastasia sighed.
"You want my dad's bed or mine?" Charon shrugged.
"Whatever you wish."
"I'll decide later." She said absentmindedly, entering the bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror.
She'd changed a lot since she last paid attention to her appearance after leaving the vault. Her hair, which had been about down to her chest was almost to her waist now, long, golden curls less bouncy than they had been once. She had lost weight and developed some mildly pronounced muscles, which she was rather proud of. Her skin was more tan, although she was still amazingly pale for a wastelander, a result of years in the vault.
She turned from the mirror and noticed Charon's armor. She picked it up and carried it into the living room and looked around. Finally she heard a shuffling in her old room and saw him looking through her old pictures.
It was surreal, Anastasia thought, to see this part of her life now in her past.
Like a character from a movie standing in your living room, you can't bring yourself to believe it.
He looked at her and set the pictures down, and reached for the armor. She shivered slightly as his fingers met hers, only for the briefest of moments.
"Thanks."
"You may want to have it ready. I plan on leaving early tomorrow."
"Without Amata or Butch?" Anastasia looked down for a moment.
"I…I don't want another goodbye like that. I really hate that kind of thing."
"I understand." She looked at him for a moment.
"Charon, I-"
The lights went out and suddenly they were surrounded by darkness.
"You O.K.?"
"Yeah, thanks Charon. I-oh, was that your foot?"
"…yeah."
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry! Wait is…is that you?"
"That's my arm."
"Ok, oof-no, that's the wall…right?"
"No, that's me again. You know, if you didn't make me quit smoking, I may have had a light on me."
"It was for the better. Disgusting habit. Hold on, I think my Pip-Boy has a light." Suddenly a dim glow came from her arm and Anastasia found herself mere millimeters from Charon. She took a step back, blushing.
"Lead the way." He said, and they slowly, carefully made their way to her father's queen size bed. Neither of them spoke a word; they just clambered into opposite sides. As soon as she turned her Pip-Boy light off, Anastasia sighed.
"Man, I have missed pillows and blankets." She heard Charon snort softly, and she looked over in the blackness. "Come on, admit it; this is great. I say we take this stuff when we leave. They've got extras."
"How many?"
"Blanket and pillow for me, blanket and pillow for you. All my pictures, search my dad's old office for anything I want there, and then maybe raid the kitchen for some real food."
"Damn, you wanna clear it out?"
"Yeah. I'll never come back so they can kiss my ass when I walk out the door. I hate half these people anyway."
"That's not true." Anastasia was silent, and Charon knew she was just angry about getting kicked out after she'd saved the vault.
"Why is it," She whispered, "that when something good comes along, people want to destroy it?"