(Dez)

"They should be here soon, Charon…"

I say, quietly, sultry, as Charon's hot breath hits my neck. He's not dead, Cain just underestimated him. A bump on the head, a small fire, is far too little, to stop this man. Given what we've lived through, you'd be surprised, how much it takes to bring him down. Especially at this point in his life. Charon has a family now. He has a little lady, and a daughter, to come home and take care of. There isn't time to die, with two important women in your life, and a son, who isn't your son anymore. Gob and Zack are here, too. They're in another room at Vera's. We're waiting for Cain to arrive with Dizzy, so that we can begin the drive back to Megaton. So that we can go back, and start rebuilding it. Doc Barrows of course, will want to check in on Cain and Dizzy before we leave, though. He's already fixed up Charon, but that isn't hard to do. A little radiation, goes a long way.

"And how do you know they'll show?"

Charon asks me, kissing the side of my neck. Together, we lie on a small cot rented from Vera. It hasn't been a long time, since we were here. But right now, as we wait in the darkness, it feels like a lifetime. I feel nineteen again, as the ship moans and groans with steel scraping against steel.

"Because Dizzy is my daughter, Charon. And I provoked Cain a bit. I know they're coming. It's a mother's intuition."

"Yes. I agree."

"You can feel Cain when he's close, or when something is wrong, can't you?"

"Sometimes. It is hard to describe."

I sit up, and light a cigarette. Charon sits up beside me, and takes it from me, helping himself. Used to this, I light another one with no argument.

"Do you think I should get my scars removed?"

Barrows told me of a doctor nobody knew about. An old one, who helped fix androids forever ago. Barrows is the only one left in Rivet City who knows of him. He said that he's the best plastic surgeon around, and cheap, too. That he can fix some of my scars, if I want them fixed. Barrows says his name is Horace Pinkerton, and he suspects he's been around a lot longer than he's letting on.

"I think you should do what makes you happy."

Charon has no opinion on the matter. When I first asked him about it, he said he didn't care what I did, because he loved me for who I was. Which is great to hear, don't get me wrong, but I re4ally want his input.

"I want this removed."

I tell him, my hand touching the torn muscle at my neck. It's the ugliest scar I have, the only one I want to get rid of. The only one that bothers me. It's from the Deathclaw that almost killed me, years and years ago, when Charon was a human. It's the one that changed my voice.

"Well, when the children arrive, we can travel next door to see."

By that, Charon means the broken bow of Rivet City, where Barrows told us this doctor lived. He said since it was infested with Mirelurks, nobody had ever bothered to investigate it. That by chance, he had met Horace Pinkerton. Chance or not, I consider it lucky. Even if the good doctor can't fix me, I want to ask. It wouldn't hurt, after all.

"It feels like forever ago…"

I mutter, quietly as I ash my cigarette on the floor. Charon slides an arm around my waist, pulling me closer.

"What does?"

He asks, and I yawn.

"Since we had alone time."

Charon is quiet for a minute, his grip on my hip tightening. Looking up at him in the dark, I see the whites of his eyes. I see him slowly inhaling his cigarette, and exhaling smoke.

"Charon? What is it?"

He shifts uncomfortably. Throwing my cigarette on the steel floor, I let it put itself out. There's nothing flammable in the room, what with it being you know, metal.

"Cain."

Remembering that Charon and Cain have that freaky twin sense, I stand up and look at him while he remains sitting.

"What is it? Is something wrong?"

If Cain is hurt, Charon will know. And we will have to go find him. Because he is with Dizzy, and that is my daughter. I know in my heart, strong as she pretends to be, she cannot survive out here alone. Not yet. She needs Cain. Charon blinks, slowly, and then tosses his own cigarette to the ground. His eyes meet mine in the dark, and I swear I see him smirk a bit.

"No. Nothing is wrong. But…"

"Charon, you're worrying me. Do we need to get them?"

"Dez, they're perfectly okay. But, Cain will never, survive without Dizzy now."

I raise an eyebrow, and feel Charon's hand touch mine. His fingers wrap around my hand, and he pulls me onto his lap. Wrapping his arms around me, he lets out a long, exhausted sigh.

"They'll be perfectly okay. We have nothing to worry about, ever."

"Charon? You're talking nonsense…"

"They're together, Dezbe. Neither one of us, will lose sleep over Dizzy and her safety again."

I look into Charon's eyes. I don't doubt what he's telling me, but I want to know how he knows this.

"How do you know?"

"I can't describe it, Dez. I just…feel it. I feel when changes occur within Cain. And I feel it now. It feels…the same as when I first realized, I cared for you."

"It could be the hormones. We did just have sex."

"No, Dez. Trust me. They're safe, and they're together. They'll be here soon enough."

"And what about the people? The ones who set our home ablaze and took me?"

Charon hugs me, and lays me down on the cot. He lays beside me, kissing my cheek.

"In time, Dez. We should wait, until Dizzy leaves."

"Leaves?"

"She will go to New Vegas. When Cain and her depart, I will deal with that man. Until then, I want my daughter safe. I want her out of harm's way, before going and starting trouble."

"Really? Because I think it would be great bonding to go slaughter that man together as a family."

"No, Dezbe. This is a happy and confusing time in both Cain and Dizzy's life. We must make it as easy for them, as we possibly can.

When I was younger, I wanted a son first. I wanted a boy, with dark hair and blue eyes. I wanted him to look just like Charon, and be a lady killer. When Dizzy was born, I was ecstatic to have a little girl. She was everything I wanted, with tanned skin, blue eyes, and my mother's black hair. Since Cain was in my life, I didn't feel as if I was missing out on having a son. Childbirth hurts, too, so I made the choice to not go through it ever again. Although, I may want to once Cain and Dizzy leave. After a while, it'll get boring with just Charon and I. I mean, we're going to have a blast when those two finally get the hell out, but it'll get old, as do most things with our extended life do. Maybe when that happens, Charon will be for the idea, of bringing another baby into this world. Maybe, he'll even think of it first.

"So when they show up, we act stupid?"

"Yes. I don't think they would understand how I know. And I want to keep our parental knowledge out of their way. It would be another thing for them to rebel about, anyways."

I laugh, and curl into Charon's body. He's right, on a lot of different levels.

"Charon?"

"Yes?"

"Do you remember when you brought me here when I was sick?"

"How could I forget?"

I smile, as my nose touches his bare chest.

"I just wanted to know if you remembered."

"I do. I remember everything about us, Dez."

"You do?"

"Yes. I never want to forget. I never, want to forget, like I once did."

Charon to this day, not only kicks his own ass over when he was human and a total dick, but also still over the welts he gave me when we first began this adventure together. His memory is so good and detailed, that sometimes I make him tell me stories of us. He remembers the smallest of things, and I love hearing it. It helps keep the romance alive in our relationship. Although without the stories, I don't think our relationship would lack much. We're still just as in love as we were decades ago. If not more. I feel extra lucky to be alive these days. Extra lucky, and extra happy.