Paedogenesis of Solace

FALLOUT 3 – Paedogenesis of Solace
By The Great Shaggy


Readers Discretion is Advised.


The stench of decay was nearly overwhelming as Anya walked through the double doors into a magnificent grand concourse beyond. She started to dry heave as the rancor bouquet assaulted her nostrils and felt her breakfast threatening to climb out of its restful digestion and back out the point of entry that it entered her body. Bending over at the waist, the auburn hair teenage girl took a few shallow breaths as she placed her hands on her knees to steady to trembling form. To her side, her faithful canine companion Dogmeat was also going through his own violent struggles to overcome the rot that permeated the atmosphere. She felt sorry for the poor dog since the canine's sense of smell was a thousand more times acute to that of a human so the stench that had nearly overwhelmed her must've been like getting buried in a mound of decomposing raw sewage for him. After a minute the wheezing feeling in her stomach subsided and she was able to stand upright again, taking a deep breath. The rancor odor wasn't nearly as over powering as the first time she had stepped into the Ghoul-ran city of Underworld.

Located inside what once was the Museum of American History, Underworld was one of the largest concentrations of ostracized sapient ghouls in the entire Washington DC area. Anya had stumbled upon it during her first trip into the downtown DC ruins during her search to find Galaxy News Radio months ago. She would've gone right past it without realizing it was there had she not ran into a sizable Super Mutant War Party as it headed down the Mall to engage the Brotherhood of Steel outpost at the Washington Memorial. Outgunned, she'd ran for her life and utilizing the cover of darkness managed to duck into the Museum without being seen. It was here that she discovered Underworld and was even more surprised when they welcomed her in, suspecting that they would either kick her out or simply kill her for just being a smoothskin. It was also here that she discovered the comatose form of Reilly and managed to revive her without doing any permanent damage, which she had to thank all her father's private lessons on medicine when she was growing up in Vault 101. Having agreed to help Reilly in locating her missing men, but before she could however she was approached by Winthrop, who identified himself as the engineer in Underworld and offered her a proposition to her. Mechanical equipment that made it possible for the city to survive were in desperate need of repairs and he'd already salvaged all the available components and scrap metal in the museum. And since it was too dangerous for him to venture out to find more he was looking for someone who would be able and willing to lend him a hand and search the surrounding ruins for repair parts and bring them back to him. He was willing to pay and it sounded like a good deal, so she agreed to his proposition.

That was months ago and now here she was, bringing in four carts she managed to latch together filled with every imaginable part and piece of metal that she could find during her voyage back to Underworld through the DC ruins after having taken a month's worth of rest after the results of her last adventure out to a little town called Girdershade on the far western reaches of the Capital Wasteland. Pulling the last cart inside, she let out a loud and exhausting breath as she wiped the sweat from her brow. Staring at the carts, she couldn't wait to be finally rid of them once and for all as she made her way down the hallway to the second door on the right. Stepping up, she knocked firm but gently on the ancient door and had to wait only a few seconds before it open to reveal the decaying features of the ghoul she needed to speak too.

"Well and here I thought I'd never see you again, smoothskin," announced Winthrop. "Did you bring me any of that scrap metal I ask?" Anya grinned as she stepped back and waved her hands. Stepping out, Winthrop gasped as he saw the four carts filled to bursting with metal and components. "Jeez, you didn't have to bring back that much," he said as he moved to the carts.

Anya watched as the ghoul rummaged through the carts, commenting on various pieces and parts, stating that he could finally fix this or fix that. "I brought back a little bit of anything of everything. You never really told me what you needed more than anything else," said Anya.

"Didn't matter since I never thought you could find it. I fabricate most stuff in my shop. Holy shit, you even brought a kitchen sink. Now I've seen everything. Boy, me and Cerberus are going to busy for a while with all this stuff," he comment before turning back around to regard Anya. "Okay, you did me a huge favor and now I'm going to reply. Our previous agreement doesn't hold any weight anymore since you've far surpass it. Tell you what, what do you need and I'll get it from Tulip. That'll make her happy to have a customer these days."

"I need medical supplies, weapons, ammunition, perishable items. The more the better."

Winthrop nodded his head as he listen to Anya's request and then scratch his chin which peel a piece of loose skin from. "Let me see what I can do. Might take a few hours but I'm sure I can get most of the stuff that you requested."

"Okay. Got a place for me to wait?"

"You got either Carol or Akzrukhal's that you can wait in. Both are upstairs and affordable. I prefer Carol's but it's up to you, not my choice to make. I'll come and get you when I got your stuff ready."

Offering her thanks, Anya with Dogmeat by side went upstairs to the places in question to wait. Deciding to try the first place on her left, she opened the door and walked inside the Ninth Circle. The place wasn't much to look it with a bar situated on the far side with shelves stacked with various bottles of liquor. A couple of tables were scattered around the area and with an adjacent room that contain a few beds on the far side. There weren't many patrons inside, almost all of them were ghouls with a sprinkling of smoothskins here and there.

Making her way over to the bar, she slipped onto a stool as a well dressed ghoul approached her, "Well now, lookee here. We got us a smoothskin that ain't ever seen before. I'm Akzrukhal, and this...this is the Ninth Circle. Folks got problems and I got liquor to sell to 'em...well, liquor and a few pick me ups. You need anything, you just let me know."

Catching motion out of the corner of her eye, she watched as a smoothskin man came out of the adjacent bed area, refastening his trousers as a female ghoul wearing a transparent lace nightgown followed right behind him huffing away on a crudely rolled cigarette. The sight caused Anya to shudder at the mere thought of a 'few pick me ups' that Akzrukhal mention. "Thanks for the offer. What you got to drink?"

Akzrukhal snorted before waving his hands to the shelves behind him. "What are you, blind? I stack some of the finest liquor found in the DC Ruins here. But if you prefer the local moonshine or distill crap, we got that shit as well."

"I'll take just some water if you got it. Purified water, none of that dirty or centuries old crap."

"Ah, the good stuff. That's going to cost a bit extra for yea. Fifty-five caps."

Hearing the cost, Anya couldn't hide her surprise. "For a bottle? That's flat out robbery."

The well-dressed ghoul chuckled. "What does it matter to a ghoul what we do or don't drink? Not like we got to worry about irradiated water sources or particle gamma radiation as you smoothskins have too."

Sighing, Anya related as she slung her pack from her back. "Fine. Give me two purified bottles."

Smiling, Akzrukhal grabbed two bottles of clear liquid that was marked with a yellow label and set them done. Anya grudgingly handed over the hundred and ten caps before making her way over to a vacate table. Sitting down she poured one of the bottles into a bowl and set it down on the floor for Dogmeat. She pat the canine as he lap at the cool liquid vigorously before she turned her attention to her own bottle. The explosion of refreshing moisturizing tingle on her sun baked lips was a God send before it disappeared down her scratchy throat. She closed her eyes at the sensation and allowed a sigh to escape her peeling lips. As the feeling past, she slowly open her eyes and was startled to see a ghoul leaning up against the wall in front of her staring down at her. He seemed different than the other ghouls that she'd meet during her travels; he still possessed most of his brown hair although some patches appeared around the locks, his brown eyes were constantly moving and scanning the interior of the Ninth Circle, and his demeanor radiated a confidence yet longing. He locked eyes with her again and she couldn't help but shudder as she broke contact with his. In her travels, she'd learned that you could tell a lot about someone by just looking into their eyes and this ghoul in front of her was someone you didn't want to mess with.

Still it didn't mean that she couldn't be sociable. She nodded her head to the ghoul when his gaze came back to her. "Hey there, how's it-"

But the ghoul suddenly cut her off by stating loud and forcibly, "Talk to Akzrukhal."

That startled her even more. "I just-"

"I said: Talk to Akzrukhal."

"Yeah, but-"

"I don't care!"

Figuring she wouldn't get anymore than a few words out before being cut off, she decided to drop her attempts at conversation. Shaking her head, she patted Dogmeat's head again, saying what a good boy he was for drinking all his water before replacing his bowl back into her knapsack. As she came up did she realize that the ghoul's attention was riveted back onto her and Dogmeat. Glancing up, Dogmeat barked twice at the ghoul, but it wasn't a threaten or warning bark, more like he was saying hello. The ghoul grunted in response, but said nothing. Who are you, Anya wonder, her curiosity suddenly perk.

"Stay here, Dogmeat. I'll be back," Anya said as she rose from her chair and went back over to the bar.

"Ah, don't you look absolutely...miserable. Pull up a stool and lay down a few caps, tell Uncle Akzrukhal all about it," the well dressed ghoul was saying to another patron who'd just entered the Ninth Circle. Seeing Anya motioning to him, he made his way over to her. "What can I get you, smoothskin. More water for you and the pup?"

"Who's that guy in the corner?"

Following her gesture towards the ghoul clad in leather armor leaning up against the wall, he waved his hand. "That's Charon. Let's just say...well he's a loyal employee. Don't mess with me, and he won't mess with you."

"He's a loyal employee? What do you mean?

"I hold his contract, which makes me his employer. He will do what I ask when I ask, without question."

Anya was appalled at hearing the explanation. "So he's a slave?"

Akzrukhal narrowed his eyes as he leaned over on the bar towards Anya. "Do I look like the type that would keep a slave?" When Anya shook her head, he leaned away and explained, "You see, Charon grew up around a very interesting group of individuals. They...well, I guess you could say that they brainwashed him. He is absolutely loyal to whomever holds his contract. Unfailing, unflinching, until the day that employment ends. Don't get me wrong, I have no doubt that he holds no end of animosity towards me. But so long as he is my employee, he is as gentle as a teddy bear."

Hearing the explanation it still didn't seem right to Anya as she glanced back over her shoulder to see this Charon fellow looking back at Dogmeat who was in front of him wagging his tail. If there was one being in the entire Capital Wasteland that could sense the inner soul of a person in the Capital Wasteland Anya knew it would be Dogmeat for he never growled or attack anyone that was good or kind of heart. Anyone that would or did harm to innocent people he was extremely vicious nor would he allow them to get anywhere near him without taking a chunk of flesh out of them. There was something to this Charon that Dogmeat could sense and she knew no matter what he didn't deserve to be indentured to this scamming Akzrukhal in front of her.

"I want to talk to you about Charon's contract," she stated as she turned back around to regard the well dressed ghoul.

That surprised Akzrukhal that he stopped yelling at one of his working girls that he deemed was slacking. "Oh? Would you, now?"

Anya nodded her head. "How much is his contract worth?"

Akzrukhal folded his arms across his chest and thought for a few minutes before saying, "He is a highly valuable asset to me and to the Ninth Circle. What did you have in mind?"

"Five hundred caps."

The ghoul snorted. "What, are you looking for a free hand out from me today? Five hundred ain't going to cut it. Up the offer or stop wasting my time."

"One thousand then."

"Getting there."

Biting her lower lip as she took another glance over her shoulder towards the ghoul and Dogmeat she wonder if this would be worth it. She didn't have much in the way of caps these days with each one being painstakingly difficult for her to come by. Jobs weren't as plentiful as they had been a few months ago and she flat refused to sell herself to make some additional income. Was the price for one ghoul's freedom worth it? Then she remembered a lecture that her father once gave her when she asked about how come no one ever questions the words of the overseer: All beings, no matter who they are or where they came from, should always be free to make their own decisions. And no one has the right to deny them that. That's what makes us civilized, Anya. I hope that you never have to learn that lesson, but if that day comes, I'm sure you'll make the right decision. She didn't understand what her father was getting at when he told her that since it counterclaim everything she'd ever been told about obeying the Vault's Overseer. And now she knew why her father had said what he had said to her.

"I'll give you two thousand for him," Anya said, turning back around. "Take it or leave it."

Hearing the amount, Akzrukhal stroke his chin again. "I suppose that could work...yes. Yes...here's the contract. And I'll take my payment in full." After the passing of items, he grinned as he waved his hand towards his former employee. "And now I'll give you the pleasure of informing Charon yourself."

Holding the flimsy piece of paper, Anya gave it a quick once over to make sure that Akzrukhal wasn't trying to pull a fast one on her. Satisfied that it was indeed legit, she made her way back over to Charon. "Excuse me, I-"

But Charon cut her off yet again. "Talk to-"

However Anya replied in kind. "Slow down, there, Charon," she said as she smiled, showing him the contract. "I have good news. You're no longer employed to Akzrukhal. I'm your new employer."

The ghoul didn't even look shock or surprised when Anya told him this. To Anya he look as if he was released from a burden. "If that is true, then I will follow and serve you. But first, I must take care of something. Wait here."

Before Anya could mutter a word, he pushed himself away from the wall and strolled right over to the bar and to where his former employer was. " Akzrukhal, I am told that I am no longer in your service."

The well dressed ghoul nodded as he said, "Yes, your services are-"

The words were drown out by the roar of a shotgun that rip Akzrukhal's cranium into flying chunks. Anya watched in horror as Charon leveled the smoking barrel of his shotgun and fired two more shells into the headless corpse before shouldering the weapon and returning to her side as one of the working girls exclaimed, "He shot Akzrukhal!"

"Alright. Let's go," he said.

But Anya was speechless at the scene she'd just witnessed. It took her a few tries to finally find her voice. "Whoa! What the fuck... fucking what was...fucking what...the what fucking did... fucks... why the fuck did... fuck... fucking...Why the fuck did you fucking... fuck!"

As she finally finished her stammering, Charon cross his arms and said, "Well you surely illustrate the diversity of the word. But as to your question that you were meaning to ask, Akzrukhal was an evil bastard. So long as he held my contract, I was honor bound to do as he commanded."

"So you blasted his head off in retribution?"

He nodded. "As you are my new employer, which thus freed me to rid the world of that disgusting rat. And now, for good or ill, I serve you."

Anya shook her head. "No, you don't serve me. I bought that contract so as to free you. No one has the right to hold anyone in servitude."

She held up the contract for him to take. He looked at the piece of paper for a moment, then up to Anya's smiling face, and then back down to her offering before he placed his hand onto her arms and proceeded to push it back towards her. Confused, Anya's smile dropped as she shook her head.

"I'm offering you you're freedom. Why won't you take it?"

"For my honor will not allow me," explained Charon. "If what your words that you said to me are true then, perhaps one day, I will accept your offer. But until that day, I will serve you for better or worse."
**********

Winthrop had come through on his promise and much to Anya's dismay found that he'd replaced all the junk that were in the carts with everything that she'd asked for. Only wishing to be rid of the rotten carts but not wanting to offend the ghoul, she thanked him and with Charon dragging two of them, they departed Underworld for the long journey through the ruins of downtown DC and then across the surrounding Wastelands for their final destination. Her new companion didn't utter or say a word after leaving Underworld as they traveled. Normally she wouldn't find that offense for she knew that one should remain quiet and keep noise to a minimal while traveling through the downtown ruins so as to not give away their presence and position to potential predators, bi-pedal or otherwise.

However when they'd stopped for the evening, barricading themselves in the ruins of a two story townhouse in the lower south side of Georgetown did it start to bother her when he didn't even mutter more than a 'yes' or 'it shall be done'. Now sitting in front of the crumbling red brick fireplace that adorn one side of the family room watching the evening meal of radroach meat sizzling over the crackling yellowish orange flames Anya couldn't take the silence any longer.

"You know you haven't said more than four words since we left Underworld," comment Anya as she rotated the cooking stake. She glanced at the ghoul who was busy cleaning his shotgun, wiping down the parts with a rag. "Where are you from?"

"Does it really matter?" he replied back in his raspy tone of voice.

Anya shrugged her shoulders as she fed another board to the hungry flames. "Thought that me and you could get to know one another better is all."

"Where are you from then?"

Reverse psychology?, wondered Anya. "From a vault to the west of here."

"Why you leave?"

"Didn't have a choice."

"Why?"

"Things happened. A lot people died and they blamed me for it."

"Were you?"

"Were I what?"

"At fault?"

Anya sighed. "Charon, not everyone is an evil bastard, as you put it, that will only manipulate you for their own gain. I'm not one of those people."

"I've heard that before," he griped as he slide a rod down the weapon's barrel.

"I helped those in Underworld by getting Winthrop the repair parts he needed."

"And got paid hefty for your troubles," he comment, rapping the end of the rod against one of the carts.

Rotating the stack again, Anya explained. "Those aren't for me. There for a town way out in the wastes towards the northwest, four day journey from here give or take." Charon grunted but said nothing. Okay, that's it, thought Anya. "Let me tell you about one of my first adventures I had and then you can judge me afterwards all you want after hearing it. I'd only been out of the vault for a few weeks and was still learning on how to survive in the Wastelands. I was heading back to Megaton from a errand run to Arefu to give some bad news to someone when I had my first run in with a Super Mutant...."
**********

Fear.

It had replaced the adrenaline that she'd felt at first and was now a cold, icy feeling flowing through her blood stream that kept her feet moving as she struggled violently with the bolt handle on her piece of shit bolt-action rifle. Ducking behind a rock outcropping, she slammed herself against the face of the limestone facing. She tried to control her rapid breathing, but it was pointless as an avalanche of sweat ran down her face, stinging her eyes as she gripped the handle with her hand and put every ounce of strength she could muster into prying it upwards. It moved, just a fraction of an inch, but it was enough to give her hope as she yank on it again, this time succeeding in her endeavor. Working furiously to clear the spend round casing from the barrel's chamber, flinging it to the ground, she rework the bolt back and forth to make sure it was still functional before placing her last five rounds into the mag well feeder. Chambering the first of the rounds, she felt the vibration in the rock face as she slunk down to a kneeling position.

With her heart pounding in her chest, she very cautiously peered out from around the corner and fought to control the fear that threaten to explode from her mouth as she caught site of the creature that stalked her. It was humanoid in appearance but much taller, bulkier and muscular than a normal human being. Instead of having pale or brown skin pigment, it was a saturation of mostly green and yellow and judging from the way the ground shook when it walk could easily weigh half a ton. It wore a combination set of junk metal and other items that was attached by straps of leather and rubber and was nearly devoid of clothing minus heavy wrappings on its feet and tattered trousers. Streams of crimson blood stream from almost half a dozen holes on various parts of its form that were caused by Anya's rifle fire. It seem undaunted to the pain it must surely be feeling as its head canned the surrounding area.

"Hello. Stop hiding and come out," he exclaimed in a deep, baritone voice. "The sooner you die, the sooner I can eat."

Hearing that comment caused Anya to duck back behind cover as her hands started to tremble. Oh God, oh God, oh God, I don't what to be eaten by this thing, she thought as she inch her away around the opposite side of the rock face and cautiously glanced out. Her heart skipped a beat as she laid eyes upon a town that resided just down the hill from where she was at and it looked inhabit judging from the wisp of black smoke she saw raising from within. If only she could make it there without being seen by whatever this creature was she would be safe for the time being...maybe. She was about to break from cover when she heard something fall next to her and as she turned her foot caught on a loose piece of limestone that laid at the base of the rock outcropping causing her to slip and fall. And it unexpectedly saved her life as a nail board slammed into the vacate spot her head was just at.

She let out a scream as she scurried backwards on her hands and ass away from the towering brute as it laughed down at her. "Found you," it shouted as it raised its crudely made melee weapon above its head for the killing blow.

There was no time to think, no time to aim as she leveled her rifle upwards towards the bearing giant and fired off a desperate shot from the hip. The creature let out a gasp as its head snapped backwards and Anya thought she'd only graze the side of its cranium as it slowly came back forward. Then to her horror it started to lean forward and collapse down on top of her, threatening to crush her. She rolled to her side just in the nick of time as the yellowish-green skin brute slammed into the sun baked ground, causing a dust cloud to kick up as the ground tremble beneath her. She didn't move for the longest of times, fearing that at any moment it would suddenly reach out and crush her head in its massive palms. When it didn't, Anya finally found the willpower to rise to her feet and scamper away as fast as she could towards the town below.

She rounded the perimeter of the town until she found the entrance, a crudely strung rope bridge over a moat. Still shaken from the encounter with the mammoth creature up the hill, she didn't realize that there was someone on the other side of the bridge until he called out, "Hey! Who are you?"

Glancing over she saw a leather clad man wearing a helmet with visor pointing a rifle at her. Quickly, she raised her arms in front of her, palms open. "I mean you no harm. I'm just a simple traveler looking for refugee," she replied.

The guard gave her a quizzed look as he said, "Right, sure you are. What do you want?"

"I was attacked by some massive creature just up the hill when I saw this town and figured it would be safe place. Don't worry about me, I won't hurt you or anyone else here."

"Up the hill you say?" Anya nodded her head. Seeing the terrified look in her eyes, the guard sighed and waved his hands. "Well, you can never be too careful. Be warned it's not safe here either. Super Mutants have attacked recently and carried off some of our friends. You can come in, but just don't cause any trouble, okay?"

"I won't and thank you," replied Anya as she crossed the remaining expanse of the bridge and let out a sigh of relief as she stepped into the town.

As she strolled into the town while catching her breath did it start to dawn on her that there was hardly anyone around. This would've unnerve her had she not just came from Arefu. The town wasn't much to look at; just a former sprawling suburban residential housing before the Great War consisting of seven houses that were transformed into a makeshift fortress, with surrounding walls made up of cars, debris and rubble. The dilapidated homes were also fortified with sandbags on their porches and windows while strands of barbwire a meter deep stretch across the roofs. To the far southern corner was a junkyard and a couple burning barrels placed in the open area of the town. Other than that, there wasn't anything else about the place.

Approaching one of the rundown houses, Anya saw a crudely, hand painted sign that said 'Clubhouse' dangling from a nail from one the porch's post. Stepping inside, she was appalled at the lack of anything inside. Glancing into the rooms quickly all she saw were some discarded mattresses and a old pre-war refrigerator unit that was missing it's door. What type of town is this?, she wondered as she stepped back outside and nearly ran into somebody.

"Hey, watch where you're fucking going," he growled. Then he realized that the person he was speaking too wasn't anyone he knew. "A visitor? Who'd want to visit this hell?"

"Seemed to be the safest place around," said Anya. "What is this place?"

"This is Big Town where everyone who is kicked out of Light Lamplight comes," he answered. The he became suspicious and took a few steps back away from her. "Wait a sec? You ain't from around here and you surely didn't just come from Lamplight. What are you, another wasteland asshole here to take advantage of us? Oh I bet you're here to rape and pillage us. Aren't you? Aren't?!"

Shocked by the man's sudden hostility, she raised her hands to show that she was friendly just as she did with the guard at the gate. "Look, I'm not here to hurt anyone. I was just looking for a safe place to rest for a bit before moving on."

The man snorted. "Yeah, just like I figured. You wasteland bigots are all the same. Stop in for a quick nap and then book it at the first sight of a upcoming attack. Not that it matters anyway. We're all Super Mutant snacks anyway."

Snacks. Super Mutants. Maybe that was what they called that thing that attacked her up on the hill, figured Anya. "What do you know about these Super Mutants?" she asked.

"The only thing you need to know is that we're all doomed," he nearly shouted at her. "Sooner or later they'll get every last one of us. And what are you suppose to be anyway? Some kind of hero here to rescue our friends from the Muties? Bah! You're just here to cause trouble."

With that he pushed past her into the dwelling and slammed the door behind him. Anya stared at the wooden panel for a few seconds before deciding it might be a better, and a safer, bet to get some answers from the guard at the gate. Making her way back to the bridge, she overheard the guard near the sandbag fortification whispering silently to himself.

"They're out there, I can feel it. Don't be distracted by the size. Stay calm; shoot straight." Stopping behind him, Anya cleared her throat to get his attention. "Oh, what," he said as he glanced over his shoulder. "You? I gave you the welcoming speech."

"I know," replied Anya. "It's just that I ran into some guy that went off on me."

"Sounds like Pappy," comment the guard. "Don't worry about him, he's harmless. Just scared shitless like the rest of us are. Name's Dusty if you're wondering."

"Anya. So you're under constant threat?"

"There was a Super Mutant attack recently and where there is one big ugly, there are ten more just waiting to grab you by the throat," explained Dusty. "Then the slavers will come and pick off what's left of your carcass and drag any survivors to Paradise Falls."

"Paradise Falls?" inquired Anya. "Where's that?"

But the leather armor clad guard just shrugged his shoulders. "Nearby. Slavers move quick and come from all directions. Someone else might know where they nest."

Best to move to another topic, she figured. "What are these Super Mutants that everyone keeps talking about?"

That caused Dusty to fix her with a skeptical look. "You're telling me you don't know what a Super Mutant is?" Anya shook her head and Dusty sighed. "Then you must be either really lucky or fortunate enough never to run into them. They're yellowish-green skin behemoths that look like they step out of page of a Grognak comic book. They weigh a ton, move fast, and are extremely hard to kill. Oh, did I mention that they like the taste of us as well?"

Oh shit, maybe this wasn't the safest place to come too. "So where do they come from?"

"Where they come from or what they are is anyone's guess. But a trader that stopped by here a few days ago informed us that he was skulking up around Germantown when he saw a bunch of them making their way into the old police station. I guess that's where this group that keeps attacking us is from since they always come from that direction."

Anya nodded as she made a mental note not to trek up that way anytime soon. "Um, I ran into some problems out there and used up pretty much most of my ammunition. You got a store or anyone willing to trade here?"

"There isn't anything here that hasn't been destroyed or dragged away," explained Dusty. "You're better off scavenging the dead out in the wasteland. Holy shit, you're bleeding."

"What?" Glancing down, she realized that she was in fact bleeding from her side. Oh shit, shit, shit, she silently cursed as she carefully pried open the harness of her Vault Security Vest. Sure enough one of the rounds that the Super Mutant had fired at her had penetrated the kevlar protective mesh and a chunk of skin was dangling from a gaping wound on the side of her stomach. "You have any doctors?"

Dusty shook his head. "Red was our doctor, but she was taken during the last Super Mutant attack. She was teaching Kimba a little bit on medicine, best try her. Last house on the right."

Pressing her hand to the wound, Anya made a beeline for the house and nearly crashed through the door when she got there. "Hello, anyone here," she called out.

When she got no answer, she wander through the house which appeared to be a crude medical clinic in nature. Turning into one room, she halted when she spotted an unmoving form of a young man laying on what look to be an operating table. Cautiously Anya made her way over and pressed her fingers to his neck, relieved to find a low, but steady pulse. Worry about yourself first, she told herself as went to some of the nearby cabinets. Pulling open the drawers, she rummaged through the contents pulling out the needed items that she would need; instrument tray that was filled with different scalpels, forceps, scissors, clamps, pincers, and probes, a stature kit, a bottle of what she guess was antiseptic, and a mirror. Walking over to the desk, she stripped out of her gear and pulled off her shirt. Remembering the various lessons that her father had taught her, she prep herself for surgery by first cleaning the wound and the area around it. Then she used a scalpel to make a small incision to increase the size of the hole for the probe. She gritted her teeth and shriek with pain as she dug around the interior of the wound with the elongated probe, finding the bullet which wasn't that deep, but had embedded itself into her abdomen wall.

Keeping the probe pressed firmly against the bullet, she brought a pair of pincers up to and inserted it into the hole. This time she let out a high pitch scream as pain raced through her body as her legs threaten to give way as she grasped the foreign object with the pincers and pulled it free from the interior of her body. Breathing heavily, she angrily tossed the bullet to the ground before cleaning the area once more before she could close the wound. Again she cried out in pain as she painstakingly stature the wound closed and nearly collapsed when she finished dressing the wound. Steadying herself with a hand, she lowered herself down to a sitting position on the floor and wiped the sweat from her brow.

"Whatever the hell you do, don't ever get shot again," she muttered to herself when she heard the door to the clinic opening.

A dark skinned young woman with short cropped dark hair and brown eyes ran into the room and glance in all directions before spotting Anya's surgical site and then befalling onto her. Without a word, she ran over and hoisted her up into her arms and brought her over to a mattresses. Laying her down, she disappeared into another room and soon came back with a bottle of water, which Anya greedily accepted. It wasn't pure and tasted like musky socks, but she didn't care as the liquid slit down her perched throat.

"Thanks," she croaked but stopped the woman when she tried to exam her wound. "It's okay. I'm fine now."

The woman gave her skeptical glance but didn't press the issue. "Dusty told me that you came here. He didn't tell me that you knew medicine or surgery."

"Family trait," Anya replied. "I take it your Kimba?"

The girl nodded as she stood up and strolled over to Anya's surgical area and started to clean it up. "I guess Dusty already gave you the 'Welcome to Big Town' speech. Not that there's much of a town left with those Super Mutants keep kidnapping people."

"So I've heard," said Anya. "How old are you?"

"Nineteen or twenty I think. Average age here is eighteen," replied Kimba. "Dusty is the oldest at twenty-three with Flash and Bittercup being the youngest at sixteen."

"Flash. Pappy. Bittercup? You all got some strange names."

"They are? Guess I never paid them much attention. We never went by Mungo names at Lamplight."

"Is that where you all came from?"

Kimba nodded as she check the comatose young men on the table, changing out one of his many bandages. "Those were fun times back then when me, Pappy, and Flash played together without a care in the world. We had Super Mutants threatening us back then too, but we had gotten good at keeping them out so they pretty much left us alone. But as I got older to the Age of Banishment, I started to get tired of the childish games at Lamplight and starting to think that growing up was a good thing. You got to leave and explore the real world." Pausing, she let out a sigh. "Well, what nobody tells you is that the real world sucks!"

Gritting her teeth, Anya managed to prop herself up against the wall. "What is this Light Lamplight?" she asked.

"It's large underground settlement way out to the west of here in Lamplight Caravans. What makes it unique its inhabitant only by kids and no Mungos are allowed, excuse me, I mean adults. When you reach the Age of Banishment, which is sixteen, they throw you a birthday party and at the end, they toss your ass out while ridiculing as a no good Mun... adult. Everyone here came from Lamplight at some point. Most of them are dead or haul off by Super Mutants or slavers now."

"How many of you are left here?"

"Well there's me, Pappy, and Flash. You've meet Dusty and the poor fellow on the table is Timebomb, he got hurt pretty bad a few weeks ago during an attack. Red did her best but she doesn't think he's going to make it. Bittercup comes out only at night, don't ask I'll let her tell you why. She's a weird one. There was Red and Shorty but they got captured a few days ago by the Muties. Other than that, everyone else is dead or gone."

Anya couldn't believe that the whole town consisted of only eight people. Granted Arefu had less, but it was a smaller town than this one. "Why do then stay here if your under constant threat?"

"And go where?" Kimba half shouted. "Arefu thinks we're to blame for their recent problems with The Family. Megaton won't take us and Rivet City is just too damn far." She sighed again as her angry subsided. Throwing herself into a chair she stared at a wall. "Whether we like it or not, we're stuck here. Things weren't always this dire although. At first we just paid the Slavers to leave us alone, but when we ran out of money Red found other ways to convince them to leave us alone. But now she's gone and we don't know what they're going to do when they find out about Red's lie. Pappy says they'll probably just come and take us all before burning the town down. That is if the Mutants don't get us first."

She covered her eyes with a hand and a few seconds later Anya could hear weeping sounds coming from her. Great now look what you've gone and did with your constant questions. Really smart move, dumb ass, her subconscious voice said ridiculing her. Feeling guilty, Anya rose to her feet and made her way over to the crying woman. Kneeling down in front of her, she took her into her arms and held her tightly. She wanted to say something to comfort her but nothing came to mind. How can I tell her everything is going to be fine when it isn't, she wondered as she stroke the dark-skin woman's short hair. After all she was just as scared as she was.

"I'm so tired of being frightened all the time," Kimba wept. "Why can't they just leave us alone?"

What she wanted to say was that everything was going to work itself out in the end, but that would've been a lie. Well not exactly a lie, more like a half truth but the end results wouldn't have been beneficiary to the Big Town's remaining inhabitants. She'd only been wandering the vast Wastelands for a few weeks now, but she quickly learned that it was a cruel, unforgiving, merciless helter-skelter of a world that gobbled up the innocent and the unfortunate while creating the barbaric populace that resided in it. Chances were that Kimba was going to die before she saw another decade and the same went with her, more likely she would die before Kimba while looking for her father. It wasn't an exactly pleasing thought, but it was one that she was coming more and more to accept. Even hiding in a town wasn't even a guarantee of survival for it could be wiped out in a Raider or Slaver attack, or now even by Super Mutants.

Her stomach ached, reminding Anya of her close encounter with death and also reminded her that she could die just as easily tomorrow as she did almost today. Why think to the future when you should live in the present and live each day as it could be your last? The thought seemed to sooth her for she loosen her hold on Kimba and pulled back slightly. The darker skin woman smiled at Anya as she rubbed her hand across her face and before Anya knew what she was doing, she'd leaned forward and pushed her tongue past Kimba's lips and explored lewdly inside. Kimba's eyes went wide, unsure want she should do; fight it or enjoy it. The suddenly horny teenage girl pushed her nude upper torso against Kimba's face, rubbing her soft mounds across the woman's moist lips. Kimba found herself groaning as Anya's flesh pressed into her mouth, then she shrugged to herself and began sucking hungrily on the topless girl's breast. She wasn't a lesbian and enjoy having her pussy throttled by Dusty, but that hadn't stopped her from experimenting with Red. Anya moaned loudly with pleasure as she stroked Kimba' short, dark hair and watched the girl bite her nipples until they were hard and erect. The two young women kissed each other passionately, entwining their delicate tongues together, then Kimba licked the panting teenager's slim neck and in between her round tits. Anya undid the fasteners on Kimba's leather outfit. then began squeezing and caressing the lovely girl's heaving breasts. The dark skin girl groaned pleasantly, then slid her right hand down Anya's waist and over her warm crotch.

The auburn-haired girl moaned, then stood up enough for Kimba to pull off her trousers and toss them into the corner. Anya then squeezed her tits together as Kimba leaned up and licked her auburn-haired snatch with a wet tongue. The naked girl shivered with excitement as Kimba licked and lightly sucked the folds of her labia, then plunged her tongue deeply into her vagina. The former Vault Dweller yelled with pleasure as the dark skin girl tongue-fucked her throbbing cunt. Kimba ran her hands over the naked teenager's slim legs and firm thighs, then reached below her own waist to stroke her wet muff. Anya grasped Kimba's head and panted for breaths as she grinded her pussy against her sucking mouth. Drops of sweat fell from the younger girl's tits and face as the older girl burrowed into her honey box, licking the cum-soaked walls of her fuck tunnel with lustful abandon. The naked teenager gasped loudly as she shook with orgasm, spurting warm fluids into Kimba's open mouth and across her face. The dark skin beauty giggled as she licked Anya's honey from her lips and cheeks, then raised her head up so that the standing girl could lean down and kiss her hungrily on the lips.

Pulling her to her feet, Anya guided Kimba over to the mattress and help her remove the remainder of her clothing before they lower themselves to the soft material below. Laying flat on her back, Kimba spread her thighs open, revealing her soft, dark-haired snatch. Lowering a hand to her crotch, Kimba began to rub her clit lightly as Anya leaned down to suck hungrily on her breast, biting her nipples roughly. The older girl moaned softly as she caressed her warm pussy, watching the younger teenager licking the flesh between her breast and then moved up her neck slowly, causing her to run harder against her sex. Anya kissed the naked woman deeply on the lips, plunging her tongue past the girl's slack lips and into her warm throat. Kimba moaned as she returned the passionate embrace of her lover, caressing her tongue with her own as she inserted one of her slim fingers into her throbbing snatch. Saliva dripped from the girls' mouths as their lips parted, then Anya returned to sucking on Kimba's tits. The dark skin beauty plunged another finger into her wet pussy, then pumped them back and forth into her cunt, relishing the sexual pleasure that assaulted her slim body. Anya squeezed the girl's dark breasts, then kissed the tender flesh of her stomach and thighs before she knelt in front of the horny Big Town resident. Leaning down between the Kimba's open legs, Anya inhaled the black beauty's sweet scent, then licked around the girl's thrusting fingers. Kimba gasped as Anya sucked deeply on her pussy lips, then plunged her tongue into the warm lovehole. She groaned with pleasure as she thrust her crotch onto the teenage girl's lovely face and enjoyed her probing mouth. Shudders wracked Kimba's dark skin body as she orgasmed, spurting cum into Anya's open mouth.

Licking her red lips wantonly, Anya resumed tongue-fucking the naked girl, holding her legs open with her hands. Kimba's round breasts heaved as she gasped for breath, and sweat made her mane glisten and sticky. "Wait, wait a second," panted Kimba as she pushed herself away from Anya. "I need something."

"What?" asked Anya as she watched the girl disappear into an adjacent room and return a few moments later holding a make shift dildo.

Giving the teenager girl the device, she lay back down on her back and propped her waist upward, spreading her legs further apart. Kissing the naked woman passionately, Anya rubbed the fake cock across her wet, red lips, and brought it down towards Kimba's waiting love lips. She watched as the dark skin woman began to suck lustfully on the dildo and brought her snatch up to the woman's hungry mouth. Kimba attacked eagerly on the head of the artificial cock, then licked across its shaft till she reached her lover's crotch. Anya brought the cock up her own mouth and licked back up the shaft with her soft, red lips and tongue, then she plunged the rubber penis down her graceful throat. Anya moaned as she sucked deeply on the dildo, making loud gulping noises as Kimba sucked hungrily on her dripping snatch. Withdrawing the cock, Anya lowered herself back to Kimba's snatch and tease the moisten folds of her dark pussy lips before plunging it deep into her pink interior. Kimba cried out in pleasure as the walls of her love snatch clinched tightly against the rubbery sides of the dildo. Anya fucked the girl's warm moist tunnel for several minutes as she fingered her own snatched, then gasped as an orgasm took her at the same time Kimba cried out as her snatch erupted in its own. Panting heavily, Anya wiped away a strand of sweat-slick hair as she pulled out the cock and rubbed its jism-laced head across Kimba's lips and breasts. The naked woman moaned softly as Anya lay down next to her and hugged her beautiful body tightly.

Stroking the Anya's auburn hair, Kimba whispered, "Thank you for that."

"The same goes for you," answered Anya before falling into an exhaustive asleep.
**********

Awakening with a start, the first thing that Anya realized that it was completely dark inside the clinic. The second thing was that Kimba was gone and she was alone. Groping blindly in the pitch darkness, she managed to find her Pip-Boy 3000 and activated its display illumination panel, casting out a green light that bathe the interior of the room in eerie green shadows. What time is it, she wondered and silently curse as she glance at the chronometer shown on the display face of her Pip-Boy. She'd slept the remainder of the afternoon and all evening, now it was in the middle of night just barely past two.

"Terrific," she muttered as she rose to her feet and dressed herself back into her clothing but left her body armor vest on the desk.

Her stomach groaned from a mixture of pain and hunger that she felt and decided to head out and see if she could find anything worth edible in the town. As she step outdoors, she turned off the Pip-Boy display and stared up into the star-filled heavens above. The moon was at its highest peak, bathing the town in pale, white light. Only the barrel by the bridge was still a lit and the cool, night air caused Anya to shiver. Wrapping her arms across her chest, she made her way across the town square towards one of the other buildings when a voice cried out in the darkness.

"Hey, who is that?"

Anya spun around in a full circle, searching for the source of the voice when she spotted a bi-pedal form detaching itself from the shadows by the far side building closes to the perimeter fencing. Stepping out, the pale moon light revealed a bleach blonde hair of a teenage girl sporting dark eye linear, mascara, and lipstick. Her skin was pale and gave off an impressive halo when struck by the moon light.

"Oh hi there! You must be the fucking new girl that Dusty was telling me about. I'm Bittercup," she introduce but didn't offer any other greeting gesture towards Anya.

"Nice to meet you, Bittercup. Name's Anya," she replied.

"Finally! Someone who doesn't judge me," the pale skin girl said. "You know, the people here are just so quick to assume that they know everything about you. I mean, like, just because I'm different doesn't mean that I'm some sort of freak, you know? It's like, hello this world sucks! No one gets that, they're all like 'blah blah blah blah, what's wrong with that girl?!'."

Bittercup was speaking so fast that Anya found it hard to keep up. So she just nodded her head and said, "I know the feeling. No one understands me either!"

Of course by agreeing with her sent her off again causing Anya to strain her hearing to keep up with her words. "Good! It's nice to have someone who understands. I mean, sure, when I left Little Lamplight, I was happy to be out of there. I was dating Pappy then, you know. I got here and he was all like 'Big Town will be safe', but it wasn't! This place is always under attack! But I don't date liars, so I dumped his ass and got with Flash. But that didn't last very long. Me and Timebomb were a thing for a whole, too, and-"

"Who in this town haven't you dated?" cut off Anya.

That caused the girl to fall silent for a second before she said, "Shorty. He's got a thing for guys, you know, but he won't admit it. So what are you doing out here so late. Shouldn't you be asleep or something?"

"Just trying to find something to eat is all," answered Anya. Then asked hopefully, "Got anything?"

Bittercup nodded and waved her hand. Anya followed the pale skin teenager over to the junkyard to where another burning barrel was that had three sticks suspended over the flickering flames. Picking one up, she offered it Anya. "Burnt lizard. Might be a bit crunchy, but it'll fill you up," she said.

"Thanks," said Anya as she took the stick and attack the roasted carcass hungrily, not caring about the taste.

That caused Bittercup to smile as she took one of the other stacks and nibbled on the meat. "You know, it actually feels good to have someone to talk to out here. It gets pretty dull out here on guard duty at night."

Anya nearly choked on the meat when hearing Bittercup's comment. 'You're on guard duty. Aren't you suppose to be up by the front gate in case of an attack?"

"Yay, but it's boring up there," comment Bittercup. "Besides nobody ever attacks this dump at night. Too dangerous I take it."

Oh you got to be kidding me. You're putting everyone's lives in jeopardy because you think it's too boring to be up on guard duty at the main gate. "You know what, I've got something to say to you, Bittercup."

"Oh, yeah what is it? Oh, not like I care what you think," she said.

Anya opened her mouth to chew her out for being a lazy, childish girl, but thought better of it and instead said, "I like your makeup. The pale white really reflects the lighting."

Bittercup smiled at Anya's comment and went on to explain, "That's why I never go out during the day. The moon has such a better shine to it then the sun. Don't you agree?"

Has a point there, thought Anya. "Moons are nice. The calm nights of the Wastes are a great time to relax." And she meant it since during the daylight hours you were just trying to survive while at night, when hunkered down in a safe place you could reflect on the beauty of the moon and stars above. It was probably the only thing of night hours that Anya actually enjoyed.

"You're not...uh, seeing anyone right now. Are you?"

Bittercup's boldness at asking the question startled Anya for a brief second as her eyes widen in surprise. "Wait, what? Did you just hit on me? I'm not even going to tell you what's wrong with that question... "

The younger teenage girl grinned at her as she interrupted her. "Oh don't act so innocent. Kimba told me everything you two did earlier on."

"She did, huh?" Bittercup nodded causing Anya to sigh. Great, now everyone here is going to think I'm a slut. "Did she tell anyone else."

"Of course not," replied Bittercup. "That is probably the only thing I like about this place is that we girls can tell each other things and they won't yap about them to the boys. So are you seeing anyone?"

"Well, no, not at the moment."

That seemed to surprise Bittercup. "Really. Not a guy or girl?"

Anya shook her head. "No."

"Have you been close to a guy?"

A smile crossed Bittercup’s face as she watched the question pour over the features of the seventeen-year old girl, the smile growing at the blush that appeared upon the Anya’s cheeks. With little effort the smile was forced away once as Anya replied.

“Yes, there has been one,” she admitted quickly, hoping that line of questioning would end there. It did not.

The sudden shyness of Anya provided Bittercup a much-needed distraction from all the other things on her mind, and she took full advantage of it.

“Oh?” she questioned. “How close? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“Hugging close,” came Anya's response, her cheeks glowing much brighter than before.

“Just hugging?” exclaimed Bittercup, a wide-eyed wonder about her for a moment, only herself knowing that it was an act. She wasn’t surprised at all.

“And kissing,” Anya added shyly, embarrassed partly because she never told anyone that she'd actually kissed Butch DeLoria, not even to her closest friend Amata.

“That’s a lot you two have done,” Bittercup replied, though the smile on her face didn’t quite seem to fit the words she was speaking.

"And you?" Anya asked sharply, happily to turn the tables on the pale skin teenager.

But what she got wasn't the response she wanted. "Yes," she answered giddily. "Quite a bit more. It’s wonderful. That’s why I’m surprised you haven’t done more with guys and keeping yourself only for the girls to savor the taste of you."

“Do what?” Anya asked.

“Sex. You know, them ramming the shit out of your pussy,” Bittercup answered simply.

“But you’re only sixteen,” a shocked Anya blurted out before she could stop herself.

“I’m not. Well maybe, but I really don't know my age. Heck I could be older than you,” Bittercup said with a faint smile. "But that doesn’t mean I can’t have sex."

"Have you done…it… a lot?" Anya asked hesitantly, unsure if such a question was appropriate. Sure Nova had explained so much to her about sex during her private lessons and of course all the times her, Amata, and a few other girls in the Vault talked about how they would like to lose their virginity and to whom. But never had she talked to another girl roughly her same age that was claiming to have more sexual experience then she.

“Every guy here and then some,” she answered.

"And women?"

Her smiled vanished. "I...well...okay not that many?"

Now it was Anya's turn to smile as she cross her arms. "Not many or not at all?"

She watched as the pale skin girl sighed and kicked a rock at her feet. "Not one. I know Kimba and Red did some experimenting from time to time but they never allowed me take part. And I was wondering, okay look I know how to fuck a guy and can screw them really good, but what I want to know is how do you please a girl. A guy is easy, suck 'em or fuck 'em, but a girl is different, you know? And since Kimba has some sort of grudge against me and won't tell me shit, I was wondering maybe you could tell me?"

"So what do you want me to tell you about it?"

"What is it like?" the obvious next question arrived from Bittercup after a moment of quiet consideration. "How do you do it, you know, do it?"

A different sort of smile spread across Anya’s face, as thoughts rolled through her mind. Describing it would be a difficult thing to do, it was best off to be shown as Nova had once told her. Slowly she slid a bit closer to Bittercup, one arm encircling the girl’s shoulders in a sort of half hug. Her other hand moved boldly to lay on the heavy fabric of the girl’s jacket. For just a moment it occurred to Anya how hot the garment must be, yet it was also very practical due to the coldest of Wasteland's nights.

“Women aren't as different to make love to as guys, you'll learn. Each are different, all wonderful in their own special way,” Anya answered slowly, her fingers pressing against Bittercup’s stomach where they began to trace small circles. A peek stolen from the corner of her eye pleased Anya when it revealed a more pronounced blush coming to Bittercup's cheeks.

“Some girls like to start off slow while others go into a frenzy. It's just the same way with guys, I suppose," Anya continued to tell before Bittercup could ask anything else, as her fingers continued to trace and then seek a way underneath the jacket. They did so, only to find themselves on the thick purple undershirt the young girl wore.

“But that was fine. Because it made it more exciting,” Anya murmured, her voice dropping down to almost a whisper. “Made me wonder what they would do next...”

As those words left her lips, Anya's persistent fingers made their way lower until they could slip beneath the hem of Bittercup's shirt, pleased at last to come upon the girl's soft, warm skin. When Anya met Bittercup’s deep blue eyes, she found them both curious and distant, the teenage girl’s chest rising and falling rather quickly. This discussion had awakened within Bittercup her adventurous side, fueled by a curiosity that had begun long before Anya ever came to Big Town. And that side of Bittercup willed Anya to go on.

“And then?” she asked, almost breathlessly, anxious to hear more, wanting her to do more to her body so she could learn.

Which she found Anya to be more than willing to accommodate. “Then,” Anya started, her fingers sliding up along Bittercup's smooth stomach, coming to rest just beneath the swell of the girl’s breasts, her fingertips teasing along the curve of their underside. Anya completed her sentence by leaning over and placing a soft kiss upon Bittercup's lips, finding them to be soft and smooth. The kiss was feather-light, and carried within it the promise of so much more.

When Anya's lips touched hers, Bittercup thought for sure the other girl would feel her heart pounding in her chest. As fast as it beat, she wouldn’t have been surprised if Anya could somehow hear it as well. Her eyes closed at the tender caress of the auburn hair girl's lips and she felt her body responding, her lips moving to return the kiss, just as they had done with the boys. Yet this time she was kissing a girl, another girl, and found it to be extremely exhilarating. Finding her own self to be delighted when she felt Bittercup starting to respond, it took a conscious effort for Anya to keep some semblance of restraint upon herself, as her desire for the girl grew stronger. Soft fingertips dragged up along Bittercup’s pale skin, running over the firm swell of her small supple breasts, lightly grazing the girl’s perky nipples, the soft caresses coaxing them into hardness. The kiss deepening, Anya let her lips spread apart, her tongue sliding out to gently push at the union of Bittercup’s lips, trying to get the girl to allow her tongue inside her mouth. With her arm over her shoulders, Anya pulled Bittercup down onto the dirt ground, not carrying if she did her in the middle of open town square as she moved to get on top of the younger inexperienced girl. Once Bittercup's shoulders had touched the dirt ground, Anya wasted little time in throwing her leg over the girl, positioning herself on top.

"Maybe… maybe we should do this someplace else," the teenage girl squirmed slightly, trembling at the touch of Anya's fingers along her stomach, her chest, her breasts. The moment her nipples were touched, Bittercup gasped, head spinning as she was lowered back to the ground and Anya's weight upon her became comforting in some strange way.

"You said it yourself, everyone else is asleep," Anya whispered. "Just relax and let me show you what you’ve been missing…."

The auburn hair beauty lowered her head to Bittercup's pale face, resuming their kiss. At the curious presses of Anya's tongue, Bittercup opened her mouth as it slid inside. The opening was all Anya needed, quickly taking advantage of the younger girl's curiosity. Thrusting her wet tongue into the girl’s mouth, she made herself acquainted with each side before trying to get her own tongue to come out and play. While her tongue did its exploration, Anya's hands did not remain idle. The one inside Bittercup’s shirt pinched her nipple hard enough to draw a little moan from the girl before cupping her breast totally. Her other hand moved downwards, rubbing along her ribs before crossing to her stomach and making its way ever downwards. The pinch at her nipple got the reaction she was looking for, the sweet sound of Bittercup's moan as she felt the touch of another woman for the first time. Bittercup's tongue finally began to play back against Anya's, not daring to venture out into the other teenager's mouth just yet, but moving enough so that Anya's wet organ could massage the underside of her own, a new sensation that made Bittercup's toes curl in her boots.

Pulling her shoulders back instinctively, Bittercup eagerly offered her breasts to Anya, her breathing becoming hard around the older teenage girl's invading tongue until she realized enough to breathe from her nose. It was then that she became aware of Anya's hand down at her waist, moving lower still, pushing at her pants, working their way inside. Abruptly a tremble went through the girl’s body as she realized that Anya intended to touch her in the most intimate of places. Delighted as the younger girl's tongue became more active, Anya did not let up with the kiss at all, her experienced tongue playfully teasing the one that was quite new to this game. Just as she began to knead the soft, pliant skin of her soft breast, Anya finally managed to get her hand down within the girl’s pants and undergarment, and with but a bit more wriggling to get the girl's legs apart, Anya's fingertips inched down slowly, oh so slowly. From where she lay, on top of Bittercup, Anya could feel the girl anxiously squirm. Her fingers slowly moved through the soft curls of the sparse hair that tried in vain to conceal Bittercup's treasure, but at last Anya's fingers at last completed their journey, the very tips of her fingers brushing against the soft, fleshy petals of the girl’s blossoming flower. They moved faster then, aided by the slippery wetness they found there.

Bittercup cried out into the kiss, her hips lifting up from the ground as her sex got their first touch from another woman's hand other than her own. The wondrous sensation that traveled up from between her legs seemed to caress every nerve in the young girl’s body with its electric touch. More excitement stirred within her as Anya slowly let her fingertips run over the length of the girl's wet sex, collecting her slippery sweet dew upon them to ease further movement. With her fingers coated, Anya purposely drew them up to the very top of Bittercup's womanhood; a quick exploration all that was needed before her slick fingers purposely ran across the spot where the girl’s firm nub shyly hid from view. Finding her clitoris, Anya's slippery fingers slowly massaged around it, her lips pulling into a smile even as she broke the kiss with Bittercup. It was as though Anya had set every nerve within the young girl’s body on fire, Bittercup thought, or rather felt, something that no man had ever been able to do. Her whole body leaped, a cry escaping her lips before she could even think to hold it in as Anya's persistent fingers brushed the horribly sensitive nub. When it did not end, and those fingers began to encircle that precise spot, Bittercup could only lay helpless as she moaned and made small cries, her body becoming a slave to Anya's every little touch. When those fingers moved away, the cry that came from Bittercup was not of pleasure or happiness, but of desire and displeasure of having that magical touch suddenly taken away from her body.

Despite her very best efforts, Anya could not keep the smile off of her face as the younger girl squirmed beneath her, the girl’s desires awakened so easily by her touch. Satisfaction touched that smile knowing that Nova would be pleased that she'd learn her private lessons well from her as Anya took her hand away and slid it free from Bittercup’s pants, watching the girl struggle to regain her breath as her body cried out for more. Waiting until her clouded eyes finally opened to look confusedly at her, Anya brought her fingers to her own mouth, her pink lips spreading as she gently placed her index there, closing her lips around it. Closing her eyes, Anya moaned as she gently sucked Bittercup’s sweet taste from her finger. She shivered as her first taste of the younger girl awakened a stronger appetite within her, which she moved to sate immediately. Shifting herself back from the girl, Anya offered a reassuring smile to Bittercup as she undid the pale skin girl’s black tattered leather jacket and purple shirt, then rubbed her hands along the girl’s waist, a prelude to hooking her fingers under the band over her pants and slowly pulling them down.

"Lift up," Anya spoke softly.

Finding herself all too eager to comply, Bittercup did as Anya asked, lifting her hips from the ground, letting the auburn hair girl pull her pants and underwear down from her hips, down to her thighs and then down to her ankles. It took a bit of working to get the pants all the way off, and Bittercup realized with a small giggle that it was due to her boots still being on. Working the younger girl's pants off, Anya drew her eyes up the now bottomless girl, and she was delighted in what she saw. Buried beneath the heavy clothing was revealed to be a shapely young woman, her legs smooth and flawless and bearing a equally pale tone to her exposed face. If she had any shortcoming, Anya mused, it was that her skin was just too pale from being hidden from the sun for so long. She dismissed such thoughts as her eyes came to rest upon the true prize that had been revealed: the beautiful opening between the girl’s legs, barely hidden by the small covering of curly bleach blonde hair. For whatever reason, it made Anya happy to realize that the girl must take good care to keep herself trimmed down there. Maybe she wasn’t completely hopeless after all as Kimba had stated early in the day.

"You’re very beautiful, Bittercup," Anya said.

Bittercup blushed and shifted some as she came under Anya's gaze, with nothing covering her naked lower half. She did not know if it was the fact that she was laying naked on the dirt ground or if it was because she sensed Anya inspecting her… either way it made her feel a bit uncomfortable. Maybe the sudden nervous feeling she felt was because she never had another girl judging her nude form before. For that reason and much more, she was grateful when Anya moved. Her breath caught in her chest as the older girl's hands came to rest on her thighs, then started to push them apart. Anya merely smiled up at Bittercup when the girl's eyes widened from what she was doing.

Giggling softly, Anya started to move down between Bittercup's spread legs, then stopped for just a moment, "Why are you so nervous? Don't tell me nobody has done this to you before," Anya asked Bittercup with a wink.

"I'm not nervous. It's just that I've never had another woman do what..."

Her words trailed off as Anya dipped her head to the young girl’s sweet sex. Bittercup's body jumped with more force than ever before and her cry louder as Anya's wet tongue licked across her sex, her cries exploded from her mouth and they did not stop, for Anya felt she had teased her long enough. Anya closed her eyes, for she did not need them, merely letting her tongue do the exploring of Bittercup's sweet, young slit. She was more than a bit excited as she licked the younger girl's lovely flower from bottom to top, each time teasing the little nub, getting it ready for when she’d bring it out to play later. With each lap of her tongue, it seemed that Bittercup grew slicker, partly from her own saliva and also from the girl’s ever-increasing arousal.

The younger girl just could not keep her mouth shut, her cries coming often and loud. She finally had to put her hands over her mouth to keep anyone from hearing, for the amazing touch of Anya's tongue made it impossible to keep quiet. New feelings washed over her body the likes of which she had never imagined or felt before. As she moaned and cried into her hands, all Bittercup could think about was how wonderful this felt and how much she wanted it to never end. All of a sudden Anya stopped licking, waiting just long enough for the younger teenager to wonder what had happened. Then she attacked her again, this time her lips pressing right to the swollen nub of the girl’s clit, sucking the sensitive button to where she could tease it with her tongue. Bittercup's hips bucked wildly, and even through the buffer of her hands, Anya could hear the girl’s squeals. Her arousal and pleasure affected her just as much, and as she resumed licking the girl's now soaked sex, she found she could barely stay still herself. Moving one hand down over the soft fabric of her own top, Anya's fingers dipped inside the fold at her chest for a moment before trailing downwards, a little moan flowing out from deep within her as her fingertips fell upon her bare stomach. The moan transferred to a small vibration of Anya's tongue against Bittercup's swollen clitoris, the brief sensation making the girl’s hips jump, pushing herself into her face.

Hearing all those sweet, muffled sounds coming from Bittercup, Anya knew she could come up with a much better way to occupy the young girl’s mouth. Sliding her hands further down, she pushed her trousers down from her hips and then lower. She wore nothing under them, for she had to discard her undergarment when she'd soiled them weeks ago, going bare skin until she either managed to find another pair or afford them. Pushing her trousers from her body, Anya took her mouth off of Bittercup, leaving the girl panting for breath. Bittercup's head spun as the older teenage girl stopped pleasuring her, acutely aware for the first time of the tension that had seeped into her muscles and felt pressure building in the pit of her stomach. She opened her eyes when she felt Anya moving around and couldn't help herself but smile as she saw the older teenager in her current state, her trousers gone, leaving nothing but beautiful skin that she knew was as soft as it looked. Her thighs, her amazingly small waist, and she gasped when her eyes came between the girl's legs and saw Anya's beautiful sex, wet with her arousal and completely bare. Smiling as she saw Bittercup's wide-eyed and appreciative gaze roaming over her body, Anya did not explain to her what she was doing. She merely threw her leg over the girl's body and scooted back, straddling her face before lowering her head back down. Her tongue attacked Bittercup's needy sex this time with long aggressive strokes, feasting on the girl's sweet juices, gorging herself for a moment, completely forgetting that she was trying to please the helpless girl.

It was impossible for Bittercup's eyes to get any wider as she watched Anya's each and every movement. When the older girl straddled her, Bittercup's heart skipped a beat as she watched Anya scoot backwards, her gaze filled with the prize that only a handful of other women before her had seen. Curiously, she was struck by how beautiful Anya's glistening slit was. Yet as the older girl's tongue began moving between her legs, her thoughts seemed to evaporate. Swaying her hips slightly as she licked the younger girl's moisten slit, Anya shifted her weight to her elbows and brought her hands down between the girl’s legs. She gently pried the vaginal lips apart, revealing the glistening tunnel hidden there. Fully extending her tongue, Anya thrust into the girl, wriggling her wet organ within Bittercup's slippery folds. Pursing her lips, Anya messily sucked at her juices, drawing them into her mouth. Her hands no longer covering her mouth, Bittercup was able to freely moan and whimper, sounding out the passion that bubbled within her body as a powerful energy began to build within her, getting ready to explode inside her. As she looked up at Anya's juicy cunt, she lifted her head from the dirt ground and pressed her lips to those puckered folds, having little clue what else to do and considering it an accomplishment to do just that.

Gasping loudly as Bittercup unexpectedly put her lips on her sex, Anya looked down, smiling for a moment as she caught a glimpse of the girl with her eyes closed. Anya felt lucky that she was the first woman to ever have those sweet lips on her cunt, and even though the inexperienced girl didn’t have a clue what to do with another woman's sex, Anya was determined to make the most of it. Sweeping her hair so it once more rested on her shoulders, Anya again bent down and put her mouth to Bittercup's tender creamy folds, taking one more savory lick before she moved and seized the girl’s clit between her lips, sucking it fiercely. When Bittercup felt her sensitive nub attacked with such ferocity, her mouth opened to cry out in ecstasy and that's when Anya dropped her hips down, settling her sopping wet pussy directly on top of her mouth. Breathing through her nose, Bittercup deeply inhaled the scent of Anya's sex, sending a powerful tremor through her body. Anya brought herself down on top of the pale skin girl's face, giving her her first taste of another woman's sex, another woman's arousal.

Knowing full well how much Bittercup enjoyed her tongue, just by the way the girl's body moved, Anya was shocked when she felt Bittercup's mouth open and the girl's own tongue lick her. Moaning loudly, sending vibrations into Bittercup's sex, Anya shifted her hips and rubbed herself fiercely against her sweet pale face, covering her lips, her chin and cheeks in the slippery nectar of her pussy. Anya gently spread the petals of the girl's dripping flower once more, only this time she pressed her fingers at the girl's slippery entrance, and slowly those fingers slid within Bittercup, past one knuckle and two before it was fully inside of her. Anya then slid them out to nearly the tip before plunging right back inside of her, adopting a fast rhythm of spearing in and out. With each lick of her tongue, with each taste of Anya, Bittercup moved faster, her heart pounding fiercely against her chest, the heat rising within her body as the beautiful symphony of sounds and smells of two women's union lingered in the cool, night air around them. As Anya's finger slid within her, Bittercup seized, holding her breath as she just had enough of time to press her wide-open mouth to Anya's pussy before her orgasm washed over her and she screamed.

Feeling Bittercup's velvet walls close in tight around her fingers, Anya opened her mouth expectantly as she recognized the signs of the girl's orgasm. As Bittercup's body went through its natural course, trying to draw her fingers in deeper and almost trying to milk the digits, Anya was shocked with the thick, sweet explosion of the girl's honeyed nectar that gushed from her pleasured sex. Most of it flowed freely into her mouth. Eagerly she consumed the sexual feast, pleasantly surprised when it seemed that more and more of the girl's cum was to be had. With the onset of her intense orgasm, Bittercup felt like she had just experienced the most wonderful feelings she had ever felt before. Tingly sensations rushed through her body as her juices flooded into Anya's hungry mouth. Amidst her cries and whimpers, Bittercup still tried to lick at Anya's tasty slit and it was only by accident that her wet tongue grazed across the woman's swollen clit. Struck with the excitement of devouring the fruits of what was probably Bittercup's first true orgasm, Anya's whole body tensed when the younger girl's tongue found her special spot. Jerking on top of the young girl, even as she continued to slurp and devour her cum, Anya felt the familiar ripples of orgasm run over her body and light her senses on fire as her hot, slippery sweet juices flowed.

Caught off guard when Anya suddenly reached her climax, only partially aware that it was the same thing that happened to her, Bittercup found her mouth being filled with the abundance of the girl's carnal release. Swallowing instinctively, Bittercup trembled as Anya's pussy juices filled her throat and flowed down to her stomach. Trying to swallow all she could, Bittercup's pale face was bathed in Anya's delicious cum. Slowly but surely her orgasm subsided as Anya took her time gently licking the girl's sex clean, eagerly lapping up every last drop of the girl’s sweet honey. Bittercup, for her part, did the same for Anya, at least until she slid off of her. Smiling down at the teenage girl, Anya realized that her pale face was a glow as the moon light shine off Anya's glistening juices as Bittercup basked in the afterglow of her own climax. Moving up beside Bittercup, she gently nuzzled against the girl, kissing her cheek before licking her face, shamelessly cleaning her of her own juices.

"I take it that your curiosity has been satisfied now," called out a new voice. Both teenage girls jerked their heads upwards startled, both fixating on the features of Kimba and Dusty who was standing off slightly to the side, their arms folded across her chest.

"Aren't you suppose to be on guard duty?" Dusty asked.

Bittercup was a blur of motion as she tried to cover her nude self. "I.. well... yeah, I am." Then quickly she tried to change the subject. "What are you two doing up?"

"Your screaming is what," answered Kimba. "And here I thought you were being devoured by a Radscorpion or wild dogs. Guess I was right on the devouring part but not the culprit." She flicked her hand back towards the main gate. "Best get back to your post if you know what's good for you."

The teenage girl was a blur as she grabbed her clothing and hustled away. Anya felt sorry for her as she pulled on her own trousers, surprised that she didn't find herself to be embarrassed by being caught in the act. "Don't be too harsh on her. She was just curious is all."

"Oh, don't get me started on you," fumed Dusty. "She's suppose to be on guard duty, watching out for Super Mutants and Slavers. Not getting lessons on how to eat out a Wasteland Tramp such as yourself."

Anya jumped to her feet, getting right into the man's face as she jabbed a finger into his chest and growled, "Don't you ever call me a Tramp, you worthless piece of shit. You're so inept that you cower at the mere mention of a Super Mutant."

But he didn't back down as he shoved her away. "And you're any
better? Oh I saw that look on your petrified face when you first got here. So don't you go accusing me of being a coward."

"Yeah, well at least I killed mine that attacked me. How many have you killed?"

"Enough, both of you," Kimba shouted, coming between the two of them. "If we fight amongst ourselves we'll have no chance of survival here."

"What, you think this Wasteland whore is going to help us, Kimba?"

The words were barely out of his mouth before he went reeling to the ground, his jaw aching from Anya's fist. "I told you not to call me that," she shouted as Kimba pushed her back.

Rubbing his jaw, Dusty rose to his feet and grumbled underneath his breath as he walked away, "Should've check her for a tramp stamp before letting her in, fucking Wasteland asshole. She'll leave us just like the rest of them."

"Don't take it to heart what he said. He's scared, just like the rest of us," explained Kimba.

"Well he's lucky I don't blow his brains out for what he said to me. Calling me a tramp and a whore could've gotten him killed if he wasn't here," replied Anya and then took a deep breath and let it out as her anger subsided in her. "And he better not take it out on Bittercup or so help me."

"He won't, I'll make sure of it. Bittercup might be a pain, but we're in all of this together," reassured Kimba. "I meant to ask you earlier on but you feel asleep before I could. I was wondering that since you know your way around the Wastes, and fairly good at it judging that you've survived this long, could you help us out here?"

"Help you out? With what?"

The dark skin woman shuffled her feet nervously before saying, "I was wondering if you could rescue our friends."

Anya blinked her eyes in bewilderment as it registered with what Kimba was asking her to do. "You want me to go on a solo rescue mission to save your friends?" Kimba nodded and Anya couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Are you fucking kidding me? Fighting one Super Mutant is bad enough. But a whole building full of them, that's suicide for one person. Why don't you just ask me to take out the Slavers instead? I'm sure that would be much easier then what you want me to do."

Kimba's shoulder sagged as Anya fell silent and shook her head. "You know what, maybe what Dusty and Pappy said are true. Wastelanders are just assholes who think of themselves first and care nothing about anyone else. We're better off without you." Then she spun on her heels and stormed off.

"Kimba, wait," said Anya.

"I want you out of here at first light," she shouted back over her shoulders, "or I'll shoot you myself."
**********

Perched alone on top of building, Anya gazed silently out over the surrounding waste to the north. She knew she'd royally screwed up this time by alienating the whole town against her. But what was she suppose to do, stay and help defend the town from an onslaught of Super Mutants and Slavers for the rest of her life or until she was killed or enslave, or take the suicidal mission to rescue the captive residents of the town from the Mutants' stronghold up in Germantown? Or she could just leave as Kimba had stated to her and be banished forever from Big Town or until the town finally fell to whoever. Only the strong and cunning survive in the Wastelands and everyone else can either die or serve those stronger to survive, that was the unwritten creed in the Capital Wastelands. That was one of Nova's last lessons to her before she set off in search of her father while doing errands for people willing to pay her for the job and she'd lived by it, never stopping to give a helping hand to those in need that she'd encountered. She'd watch people being murdered and women being raped by Raiders, and others being killed or devoured while screaming for help by the hideous mutated creatures that inhabited the land.

Some of those images continue to haunt her even now, the ones she knew she could've saved but chose not to. Why didn't I do something, she wondered at great lengths during her travels or during those long, lonely nights. She wanted to believe there was nothing she could've done but she couldn't. She could've help those poor people, could've saved their lives. And the guilt remain and continue to fester within her. Now she was going to repeat all those past mistakes she'd made and allow a whole town to wither and die when she could help them. But could she? Taking on Raiders or one mutated creature is one thing, but these Super Mutants were by far tougher. The one alone she'd face she'd put half a dozen rounds into it and yet it still didn't fall. Only a lucky shot to its head was able to put it down for good. Could she surely hope to take on entire building full of those things and have any hope of surviving?

If you can set a goal, and put your very heart, soul, and mind to it; then you can accomplish anything. Her father's words echoed her head and she couldn't help but allow herself a soft chuckle. How did he know that so many of his lessons would relate to this hellish new world she found herself now living in? But she knew if she walked away from this town tomorrow she would never be able to forgive herself. All evil needs to win is for good people to do nothing!

Glancing up into the star filled sky above her as a single tear rolled down her cheek, Anya silently whispered, "Dad, if you were here right now I wish I could ask you a thousand questions about what to do. But I think I know what your answer would be. Please forgive me, but I have to do this for better or worse."

Raising to her feet, she made her down from the roof top and proceeded across the town to the building that was marked Town Hall. Opening the door, it didn't take her long to find what she was looking for. She spent the rest of the night preparing what she needed for the long road and possibly her last adventure. As the sun crept above the horizon marking a new day, she came out of the Town Hall loaded down with various weapons and carrying all the ammunition and explosives she could manage on her new combat vest. She saw both Dusty and Kimba standing by the bridge, their gazes ice cold as she approached them.

"What? Just because you're leaving gives you the right to raid or small arsenal leaving us defenseless?" snorted Dusty. "I should've known."

"I'll need it more than you will," comment Anya as she stopped in front of them. She looked at Kimba and said, "What you said to me made me remember something my father once told me. All evil needs to win is for good people to do nothing! And unfortunately its true, I haven't done anything to prevent it from winning." She then look at Dusty and said, "I was wrong to call you a coward. I'm the coward, not you. You're more bravery than me to stay here regardless of the threats around you. I don't know what the future holds for me in the coming days, but I'm going to prove to the both of you that not all Wastelanders are evil people who care only about themselves."

Her words left them speechless as she walked past them and started across the bridge. When she was halfway, she halted and turned back towards them and pointed to the north.

"You said they always came from the direction of Germantown, right?"

Kimba nodded her head vigorously, a sense of sudden hope appearing in her voice. "Yes. They took them to the north, to the police station or something."

Anya nodded. "Then that's where I'm headed. Wish me luck."

Even as she walked away down the deteriorating roadway she could hear Kimba screaming at the top of her lungs behind her. "She's going to do it. She's going to rescue them. She's going to rescue them all!!!"

Don't jump to any conclusions. I just want to make it through this in one piece, she thought as she walked off towards the north and to a uncertain future.
**********

Anya took a long pull from her water bottle as she finished her story, wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead as she pulled the carts behind her. She told the ghoul the whole story of what happened after leaving Big Town as she traveled to the north towards Germantown; coming across a Raider encampment and two Super Mutant outpost that she took care of and freed the held captives before she managed to reach the ruins of the police station and the long drawn out fights between her and the twenty or so Jolly Greens that inhabitant the station or was outside patrolling around the perimeter. Even after freeing Red and Shorty, the only two remaining survivors, and the long trek back to Big Town, she explained how she stayed on to help them defend the town from a upcoming attack by first training them how to properly use firearms, then to funneling the opposition into pre-determined kill areas, and finally how to mine the approaches to the town. The battle was quick and short when it came but in the end the last of the Muties lay dead at the feet of the joyful inhabitants never to bother them again.

Charon took a few minutes to think over the story that his new employer had been telling him for the better part of three days. It sounded like a miracle had happen, but he began to wonder how much of it was true and how much of it was utter made up bullshit. "So you single handily killed almost thirty Mutants and a handful of Raiders to free a bunch of captive and then lead a whole town in defense during a follow up attack without losing a single inhabitant. And when it was all said and done, you didn't even accept an reward that they offered you?"

"That's right," Anya said, not bothering to turn around so she could mask her grin that appeared on her face as she recalled the reward Red insisted she receive along with Kimba and Bittercup, but figured it was better off not telling Charon until she got to know him a bit more.

"Why do I find that hard to believe," he snorted. "Don't get me wrong, Boss, but that was a great story, even although certain parts were a bit too far-fetched for even me to believe."

"Which ones?" she asked.

"You single handily raiding a Super Mutant infested station to rescue two smoothskins. Then there is the thirty some odd dead ones and not to mention you walking away without taking a reward for your troubles."

She couldn't help but chuckle as she saw the settlement of Big Town appear in the valley below. "Want to make a bet on it?" she asked.

"I don't need too," growled the ghoul and left it at that.

The young teenager girl just couldn't wipe the grin from her face as the trio made their way down to the settlement below. As she neared the bridge, she spotted Dusty still perched in his normal spot by the sandbag fortification on the opposite side of the bridge. Raising a hand, she waved to him as they approached, which he replied in turn before jumping to his feet and rung the bell that was beside him. Crossing the bridge, Charon watched in awe as people came running out of the houses and streamed towards them; some clapping and others cheering.

A dark skin woman wearing a red coveralls with a matching bandanna and glasses greeted Anya with a embrace. "So our heroine returns again. It's been awhile," she said.

Anya laughed as she broke the embrace. "Well I've been busy lately, Red."

"We've heard all about it. Three Dog can't stop talking about you these days," said Red before shifting her attention to Anya's companion. "Wow, what's this? The Lone Wanderer traveling with companions? Oh wait until we send word of this to Three Dog, he's going to have to change your nickname now."

"Oh, excuse me. Everyone this here is Dogmeat. Don't worry, he's really friendly," announced Anya, waving to her canine companion. And then she motion to the ghoul beside her, "And this here is Charon. He doesn't say much, but I'm working on getting him to open up and be more friendly."

Charon found himself being a bit uneasy as everyone shouted greetings to him.

"So is this for us?" inquired Red, motioning to the carts.

Anya shrugged her shoulders as she claimed, "Nah, I just found them unattended and decided that I enjoy dragging them behind us." Red playfully slugged her on her shoulder as she motion towards the carts. "Lot more people here since the last time I swung by," comment Anya.

"We've grown a bit, mostly from those that you rescue from either Raiders and Super Mutants, but one or two came from Lamplight. Oh, which reminds me. Kimba, looks whose here."

Out of the crowd Anya watched as her friend push her way through and then giggled upon seeing her startled expression. "Surprised?" she asked.

"A little," stated Anya as she gaze at Kimba's bulging mid rift area. "How long?"

"Six months," replied Kimba as she rubbed her stomach. "I got a feeling she's going to be a handful after she's born. She already likes to kick a lot. I think Dusty is more excited than I am. 'The first child of Big Town' is what he's calling her."

Embracing her, Anya gave the dark skin woman a gently hug, careful not to press up too tightly against her stomach. "I'm happy for the both of you. I take it Bittercup still doesn't come outside?"

"Well that's the only thing that hasn't changed since helping us with the Super Mutants. Although she did finish that shrine to you, but her idea of starting a religion hasn't pan out too well," answered Red. "I'm sure she'll want to see you before you leave. You are going to stay for a while, right?" she asked with a wink.

"Oh I think I can spend a few days here," Anya said with a grin as she walked off with her friends towards the Town Hall.

Standing dumbfounded, Charon found himself in a bewildered state as he watched his new employer walking off hand in hand with the other female smoothskins that he took to be the town's leadership. Maybe he was wrong about her, maybe everything she had told him was true. Maybe, just maybe, she would be different from all the previous holders of his contract. If that was the case then he decided he might not mind working for her in the lease bit. But that didn't mean he had to like all the other smoothskins as he grumbled silently to himself as he and Dogmeat move to catch up with their female companion. It was going to be a long, tedious few days, he reckon.


THE END