Anastasia walked slowly down the steps leading into the science labs, wearily eyeing her father, who hadn't yet noticed her presence and was talking animatedly with Dr. Li. She glanced at the stark white tables; most of them were covered with fruits and vegetables, fresh and delicious looking, each with their own respective clipboards. Anastasia had only ever read of these things; they weren't readily available in a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
"Sweetheart, hello! How are you doing?" James asked when he finally noticed her.
"I'm fine, Daddy. I came to say goodbye." He frowned at her.
"What? But we've just found each other! There's still so much to talk about! You have to stay here a few days at least, let me talk with you more!" Ana smiled, and she kissed her father on the forehead.
"Dad, I have a lot I need to take care of. I have people to save, lives to make better. I'll keep in touch, I swear, but dad, I have to keep moving. It's my way." James smiled sadly.
"When did you change so much?" He murmured.
"Things can never be the same, dad. You know that." He nodded.
"I'll come visit you. I'll send letters."
"I know you will, dad. I love you."
"I love you too," he said, pulling her into him, "I love you so much, Ana." A tear slid down Anastasia's cheek.
She pulled back and smiled at him sadly, knowing it was her time to move on. Feeling the eyes of the entire science team on her, she turned and left the lab, comforted slightly by Charon's boot steps right behind her, the sound of his raspy breaths. She didn't say a word as they left Rivet City, walking into the sun across the loading bridge.
The rising sun outlined her body, and Charon walked in her shadow, into the wasteland.
Charon and Anastasia made it back to town around three in the evening, the sun in mid-decent over the wasteland sky. Anastasia told Charon to go on to the house and start to unload their packs and to take a nap to rest up.
"I've got some things to do first. I'll be there soon." Charon unloaded their packs the usual way, and lay down in his little extra bedroom, watching the sunbeams that shone through the holes in his walls creep along as the sun went down. When he woke up, he heard the sound of Anastasia making dinner; the light was pink from the sunset. They sat outside and ate across from each other, a small lantern adding light to their meal and adding its glow to the lights of Megaton, along with the stars and moon.
"I used to dream of the sky." Anastasia said, suddenly. Charon looked at her, unsure of what to say. "I'd never seen it before, and I had no idea how I knew what it looked like. It must have been a primal memory from when I was a baby." She looked up, eyes bleary with tears. Charon could hear her voice quivering. "I never thought it'd end up this way." She gave a soft laugh, and looked down again, moving her mashed potatoes around as she fought back tears. "I don't know what I was expecting…to stay in the vault with my father forever? I can't even imagine it now, yet it was so close to being a reality." She smiled at her own naivety, then stood up, taking her plate with her. "I'm going to go to bed early tonight. I have a lot to do tomorrow. I suggest you rest up too." She opened the door and stepped inside, pausing only to murmur a soft, "Good night, Charon." He sighed.
Charon, even in his pre-ghoul days, Charon wasn't talkative. Sure, he chatted with his buddies, and talked to his girl every day, but when someone else was in need of deep conversation, when they wanted someone to help them through their troubles, he never had anything much to say. What could he say? His life was a piece of crap; he never had anything helpful to say.
However, as Anastasia closed the door and turned down the lanterns in the living room, he felt stupid for not speaking up.
I know, he wanted to say. I know how it feels when your life doesn't turn out quite like you expected. I know how it feels when it turns out you're a different person than you used to be, and you can never go back. When you're in pain and you feel like there's nowhere else to go, nothing left to do. I know how it feels; you can lean on me. We'll get through together.
However, he sat silent, thinking over those words time and time again until he finally stood and went into the house. He put his plate in the sink, blew out the lanterns, and walked upstairs. He fixed up Dogmeat's dog bed and set Wadsworth into 'recharge' mode. He opened Anastasia's door silently and looked over her sleeping figure and whispered, almost inaudibly, "I know."