A/N: Thank you all for the reviews and reading. This chapter is told from Charon's pov.

Chapter 23: Pipes and Kisses

Standing there in the hallway watching Eleanor leave brought on a new feeling of regret. How could I have said those things to her?

She doesn't even want my contract anymore. She's only keeping it to prevent another Azrukahl.

My legs felt like deadweight until I couldn't stand any longer. I slid down the wall onto the floor. I pulled my knees up and rested my head in my hands. This day started off so well.

An hour passed as I sat on the floor in silence. Eleanor hadn't come back and I didn't even know what to say if she did.

I was supposed to protect Eleanor for good or ill. I've hurt her before and I have yet to learn to keep my hands off of her with ill intentions. And for God's sake, she's pregnant.

She's pregnant and I threw her against a fucking wall. Azrukahl wouldn't have even done that. I yelled at her, insulted her unborn child, and told her she was a pathetic, attention seeking skank.

I really am the monster.

She was right. She had serious problems with feeling wanted and I manipulated her. I made her feel special to me, and then broke her all over again. She needed my help and I basically told her to go fuck herself when she needed me.

I slid my hand through what was left of my hair and sighed. I needed to find her. Just because she's pissed off at me doesn't mean the contract is void and I don't have to protect her.

If anything, she'll be even more careless when she's upset. And being upset, pregnant, and armed didn't sit well in my stomach. I stood up on heavy legs and headed towards the door. I opened it and light flooded the memorial with blinding fury. I covered my eyes.

I stepped outside and looked around. She was nowhere in sight. Panic ebbed my conscience as I searched frantically. She wasn't near the water. She wouldn't go to Rivet City willingly. She wasn't stupid enough to head to downtown alone. My legs ached as I ran circles around the memorial looking for her. She couldn't be gone.

"What the fuck are you doing?"

I stopped immediately and looked for her voice. My neck twisted in all different directions.

"Up here, asshole."

I looked up and spotted her on a pipe. Her slender legs dangled over the side and kicked mindlessly. She brushed her hair back from her forehead. "Again, what are you doing?"

My throat felt dry and my hands clenched in the hot air. "I was looking for you."

She took a bite of a potato she must have taken from Dr. Li's lab. "Why?"

"Because you hold my contract and even if you are pissed at me, that doesn't mean I do not have to do what the contract requires of me."

"So," she took another bite of the potato, "if it weren't for the contract, you wouldn't come looking?" She asked with a raised brow.

She was playing with me. I better choose my next words carefully. "I never said that. I still have a duty to protect you and my feelings do not override the contract. I came to apologize. I was angry, wrongfully so. I said some disgusting things that I am not proud of. I don't know why I even said some of the things I did. I only said them to hurt you and I didn't mean them."

"And?" She looked away.

"I don't know how to express how sorry I am about my behavior. I have hurt you physically, mentally, and emotionally. The contract states that if I lay my hands on you, you are permitted to punish me with any means you find suitable." I stared at the ground in shame.

"No."

My head shot up. "What?"

"No. I'm not going to punish you."

"Why not?"

"Get up here." She patted the pipe under her.

I humored her and trudged up the stairs. The grate under me squeaked in protest. She didn't take her eyes off of me as I made my way to the pipe. I swung a leg over the rails, planted a foot on the pipe and pulled the other leg over. I held my arms out for balance as I stepped across the pipe. I sat down next to her but far enough for her comfort.

"You know there was a ladder on the other side of this pipe, right?" She bit the potato again.

I rolled my eyes. "Seems like that was sort of a punishment."

"Fuck off. What something to eat?" She pulled her bag open and dug around. She looked at me from under her bands. "Well?"

"Uh, yeah. Sure. Whatever you find first." I clasped my hands together in my lap.

"How about a big bag of dicks?" She grinned.

"You are still angry."

She scoffed. She tossed an apple at me. "No. You just told me everything I already know."

"That is not true." I wiped the apple off on my pants.

"I already know I'm pathetic, attention loving, and a huge slut. I did fuck every guy that showed an interest in me and I did get knocked up."

"I'm so sorry, Eleanor. I don't think you are any of those things." I stared at my apple.

"But I know it's true." She said matter-of-factually.

"Why do you do that to yourself? I know you said it's because you feel you deserve it, but you don't and no one else thinks you do."

"It doesn't matter what everyone else thinks that gets me down. As long as I believe it, I'm going to keep believing it." She looked at her potato and handed it to me.

I shook my head. "What can I do to make you believe otherwise?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. Just give it time and maybe it'll sink in. For now, I will believe the things I do."

"Good God, you are such a pain in the ass." I smiled and took my first bite of the apple.

"And you're stuck with me." Her face fell and she looked away. "I didn't mean what I said before I left."

"I understand if you regret ever getting my contract."

She glanced back at me. "Look at me," I did as she said. "I will never regret getting your contract. It was a terrible thing for me to say and I only said it because it was the worst thing I could think of."

"I'm sorry for being such a dick today. If it weren't for me, neither of us would be like this."

"What can I say? We're both broken." She gave me a sad smile.

"I really am a monster. I threw you against the wall. I don't want you to forgive me for any of this. I don't deserve it."

The sun was setting over the memorial now and the wasteland was cast in oranges and reds. The Washington Monument stood tall and draped its shadow across the ruins. The sight was one of the few times the wasteland looked decent.

"That doesn't mean I'm not going to forgive you. We both made mistakes. I'll forgive you if you ignore my last order."

"I don't want forgiveness, Elle." I turned the apple over in my hands.

She leaned in close. "And I want you to touch me whenever you want."

Her eyes were scorching under her lashes and her cheeks were tinted lightly. She was beautiful. But she couldn't forgive me for the things I said. "You don't want to do this."

"I order you to touch me when you want."

"I-," my hands grasped the air as I tried to keep from touching her. She jut had to fucking order it.

"Charon, do you want to touch me?" She purred.

My chest ached from the restraint. I was going against orders to protect her.

"I can't hear you." She leaned in closer. She was inches away from my face.

The apple rolled out of my hands and tumbled down to the ground. She gasped in surprise when I pulled her closer and into my lap. She smiled up at me and I cupped her face. I pressed my lips to hers. She was so fucking soft. She wrapped her arms around me, deepening the kiss. I broke off and hung my head. I sighed into her chest. "You don't want this, Eleanor."

"I know what I want."

"You're too young to know what you want. Hell, you're too young to even drink. How did any of this shit ever happen to you?"

She giggled. "I guess a long string of bad luck."

I shut my eyes tightly and sighed into her neck. "Does that include me?"

She pulled my face to hers and kissed my cheek. "You are seriously the only good thing to happen to me since I got out of the fucking vault."