"Hey, you still hangin' with this old ghoulie?" Butch said, looking past Anastasia with a smirk on his face. She turned and saw Charon, then laughed.

"Don't expect me to get rid of him any time soon! I paid good money for him." She laughed again, all smiles. "I'm so glad you made it out here! I was pretty worried you'd be slaver meat by now!" she turned to face Charon again. "Isn't this great? Come on over here Charon; sit down with us! Hey, I'll be right back; I'll go grab some beers." She jumped up and practically skipped over to the bar. Charon sat.

"Hey, Charon, ain't this just great?" Butch asked, egging him on. Charon grimaced, feeling his teeth grind as he spat,

"Fan-fuckin'-tastic." Butch grinned.

"What's da matta? Afraid of a little…competition?"

"Alright. Beer for Charon, beer for Butch, cola for me!" Butch's smirk was immediately replaced by an over-the-top smile.

"Aw, geez, Ana! This is great. You're a real doll, ya know?" He exclaimed, taking his beer. Charon noticed him scoot closer to Anastasia after she sat down. He took his beer from her silently. Anastasia didn't seem to notice, however, she was just glad to see Butch safe.

"So what've you been doing?"

"I opened my own hair dresser's, and business is booming! This lady even brings her kids down once a week for da old once-over."

"Oh, that's great, Butch! I'm really glad you're doing well out here!"

Charon stopped listening to them. It was all "I'm so happy for you!" "Aww, you're da best, Ana!" "Do you remember, back in the vault…?" Rather than listen and get angry at Butch, he drank his beer and watched Anastasia's smile. But eventually it dawned on him; she's actually into him, isn't she? That's what all of this is about.

Finally, the market closed, and a security guard asked them to leave.

"Hey, I'll catch ya later, Ana." Butch said, pulling her into a hug. He winked at Charon over her shoulder, and then headed back in to close up his shop for the night.

"It was nice to see him again." Anastasia said as they made their way back to their hotel room. Charon said nothing, and Anastasia stopped abruptly, turning to face him. "Tell me what's on your mind." She demanded; he couldn't refuse her, his contract didn't allow it, so he said it.

"You like Butch, don't you?" He asked, feeling more like a schoolgirl than a six foot five ghoul. Anastasia frowned, confused.

"We're friends…"

"No, kid. You know what I mean." Anastasia smiled coyly.

"Oh my, is that…jealousy? Are you jealous of Butch?" Charon grimaced, but Ana smiled and took his hand. "I'm kidding, Charon. I'm not in love with Butch Deloria. I have more refined tastes. Besides, I already found somebody that I'm doing very well with, if you must know. He's a mile better than Butch, and I've never had to beat him up. Not yet, at least." They'd reached the room, which Charon unlocked, letting Anastasia in, and closing it behind them. Anastasia was behind the far end of the bed, taking off her armor and placing it in her pack. He sat down on the other side, doing the same. As he peeled the biker gloves off his hands, he found Anastasia standing in front of him. She took his pack and placed it on the floor with one hand, not taking her eyes off of him. She was, again, in a tee shirt and shorts, but there was something in the way she stood, in every movement, every curve, that sent electrical waves through Charon. She stood between his legs, looking down at him.

"What do you need, kid?" he asked. Anastasia pushed him down onto his back, and crawled onto the bed so she was on all fours, her body over his. She looked down at him and softly whispered,

"I need to show you that I don't need Butch Deloria, or anyone else."

She reached over without another word and flicked off the lamp, leaning down and kissing him. Her hair cascaded down from her shoulders, shining in the moonlight coming in from a small, round window on the other side of the wall. He placed his hands on her hips and let himself go with it. After a bit though, she rolled down onto the bed, pulling him over her, effectively switching positions. "Charon," she murmured, "is it just me, or am I doing all the work?" He smiled.

"You wish, kid." He ran his hands up to her waist, tugging at her shirt. She reached down and took it off, revealing her wrapped chest. She took his shirt off then, and ran her hands down his scarred and burned chest. He moved her hair aside carefully, and kissed his way down her neck, aware of every movement. He unclasped her bra and it fell away, onto the floor. He ran his hands down her body, kissing her neck, her stomach, her breasts, her mouth. She kissed him back; they hardly stopped to breathe, caught up in the moment, in the passion. She finally lifted his head so he was looking at her.

"Promise me you'll never doubt me again." He kissed her, slowly and softly on the lips.

"I promise you." Charon rasped breathlessly, and she smiled, kissing him again.

xXx

The sunlight was in Anastasia's eyes, and it was making her uncomfortable, so she grabbed Charon's shirt and put it over her face, snuggling into him. Wait, that's not Charon… She felt around with her hand and found what she'd been snuggling into was Charon's pack. She opened her eyes and found him packing both of their bags. He looked over at her and plucked his shirt from her face, trading it out with her own. He put his shirt on, and then looked at her lying on the bed, sleepy and half-naked.

"You…you weren't drunk, were you?"

"No, Charon, I wasn't." he allowed himself a small smile.

"Just checking." She rolled over, and then sat up, stretching; he couldn't help but look her over; long blonde hair a mess, pale skin red with hickeys, breasts exposed, shorts skewed. All that, he thought, and she's still beautiful…

She wrapped her breasts, it turned out, because of two things; a shortage of bras in the wasteland, and so she could wear armor more effectively.

"If it comes down to being good looking or living, I think I'd choose life." She said with a smile, pulling her tee shirt on after wrapping her breasts tightly. Charon stood ready, not knowing what to do. She looked up from lacing her boots. "If you're ready to go, then grab some caps and get us some food, please." He nodded and stepped out.

Walking down the hall balancing two bowls of noodles and some water, Charon could hear voices from their room. Butch and Anastasia were having a discussion about something, what he couldn't hear. He grimaced, pushing the door open with his boot.

"What do you think?" Anastasia asked him. Hair pooled around her; at least two feet worth, and now her hair curled around her face like a golden lock sunburst, just long enough to stick to her shoulders. "It's a lot easier to take car of, and I think it looks better…" Butch stood aside, putting his barber's tools away, a smirk on his face. "Well?" Anastasia asked impatiently, and Charon replied,

"Yes, I like it." Anastasia burst into laughter, happily bouncing up to him, relieving him of her breakfast with a kiss on the cheek. Charon immediately noticed Butch become rigid back in the corner, and his smirk falter for a moment.

"Well Ana, I gotta jet—the market's opening soon. See you around?"

"Of course! Come visit me in Megaton anytime! Just don't get yourself killed on the way there. Travel in groups, have spare ammo, the lot."

"Thanks Ana, you're da best." He grinned and walked out the door. Ana hopped into the bathroom, and Charon stepped out after Butch.

"Hey, Deloria." Butch turned to him. "Fuck off. She's mine."