Mmmm, alcohol. Even the diluted piss liquor Moriarty sold was savored when Gob could get his lips around some. It may not have gone down as acrid or burning as he'd hoped for, but it beat about everything else he managed to enjoy. But that was a very small list of things. One of those things, on the top of his list actually, was in town. He hadn't seen her yet, but he knew she'd be in before the night rush left. She never missed coming by and seeing him when she was in Megaton, especially not after her little admittance last month.

So even though the night drug on - patrons dwindling by the minutes, each staggering out in some form or another – Gob didn't worry. After all, she never left without at least a "hello, how are you?".

He sat back, taking the insults; increasing the more the assholes drank. He took swigs of watery whiskey each time all eyes left him. No one would have thought Gob had the balls to do such a thing, but no one bothered to see anything but his lack of skin anyways. In the end it was good for everyone to just think he was too much of a pussy to try anything, it would make Moriarty's eventual murder that much more pleasant.

Another hour passed and no sign of her. Only two people were left in the bar besides himself, Nova and Moriarty, who was counting caps in the back. Jericho was among the still boozing individuals, along with sappy Lucy West who cried into her glass as much as she drank from it. Gob would have felt sorry for her if she hadn't acted so disgusted when his fingers accidently touch her own when he'd handed her that very drink. She was bigot like all the rest, all except….her…It was late and there was a part of Gob that knew the night wasn't going to end well..

Gob looked to the door, unable to keep the worrisome look off his face. Where was she?

Nova seemed to catch it, even in her drug stupor and decided that it would be nice to tease him. Good ol' Nova.

"Looks like she's a no show Gob. You know...sometimes it's best to not act so smitten all the fucking time." Her husky voice grated on in his head. She said a few more uncaring things but he ignored them. It was easy not to hang on her every word anymore, not after he now knew there was someone that actually cared for him...even was attracted to him for some reason.

He'd liked Nova, even loved her in a fanciful way, until he realized how little the whore deserved his affection. They'd been in this hell hole together all this time and normally you'd think people would stick together through hardships, but apparently Nova didn't class him as people anymore…or maybe she never did. She'd decided that drugs were better company than him, and in the end she was probably right...but then again there was at least one person who found that not to be the case.

Gob looked to the door again, not caring that Nova probably thought he looked like a lost matted puppy.

Gob huffed. The radio was turned off by Moriarty an hour ago so he was left with Nova egging him into a depression. He dragged the familiar cleaning rag over the counter; not that it cleaned anything really, but it felt better to do than just standing with his arms at his sides. If he couldn't smoke anymore then he could at least clean the counter until his arm burned.

Lucy West left precisely eight minutes before Jericho took his leave from his own table. She returned the glass to Gob, to his surprise with a cap in it. He waited till the coast was clear before pocketing the currency. Lucy said she was "sorry" under her breath, giving him a tiny, probably fake smile with tears still in her eyes and then promptly left. He stood there, feeling guilty for his previous attitude until eight minutes later Jericho decided it was time to leave. The clock read three thirty three, oddly enough, when the ex-raider took Nova upstairs. The normal look came, the sick arrogant smirk Jericho always gave Gob before deposing the caps on the counter in front of him.

"Enough for ah' hour, ah' whoh'l hour." Gob sneered, watching Jericho pat Nova's ass, following her up the stairs. Sometimes Gob thought that Jericho had just as much fun fucking Nova as he did rubbing it in Gob's face, which probably wasn't true.

"Bastard..", he spit the word out as soon as he heard the door shut. The bar was now officially empty of paying customers….well, except Jericho, but he'd already paid. So Gob dropped the bag of caps Jericho had given him into the register before going into the backroom to let Moriarty know the place was dead.

"Ah, norm'ly happens around these times." Moriarty said from his terminal, not taking his eyes from the glowing screen. His boss typed away at a few things, so Gob stood there like it was expected of him, shifting as little as he could in the door way. This time was the worst; the time before he counted the caps for the day, and sometimes…sometimes Gob came up short for no reason at all. The nerves started to set in and he wished he'd had a glass to clean right now.

Most of the time Gob suspected Moriarty just wanted to pocket a few caps for fun so he had a valid excuse to beat him if anyone asked. In truth though, he could do whatever he wanted to Gob without anyone really caring, but Moriarty was sick and sick men did weird shit.

"Alright! Lets see what I brought in tonight. Nova working?" Moriarty shoved passed Gob, his tone pleasant but Gob knew better.

"Yes. Jericho. For one hour." Gob spoke meekly, and it wasn't a show. He hated Moriarty as much as he feared him.

"Good, good. That bitch ha'hs more to pay off this week. Now…let us see about these cah'ps."

Gob stood behind him, hearing the register open and the caps clink together as he stacked them on the counter in tall neat piles. Gobs stomach twisted, remembering what happened a couple days ago and still feeling it in his face when he lay on his cot at night. He twitched his left eye involuntarily when Moriarty turned around. The look wasn't good, but wasn't bad either.

"Empty up, boy'oh." Moriarty's voice was dark and dare he say, excited. Gob didn't worry until he stuffed his scarred hands in his pockets and felt the teeth of the solitary cap. He'd forgotten about it, and just the touch of it on his fingers made his throat constrict. To say he felt fear was an understatement. Horror was closer but still not there…and he froze, eyes looking up at his boss. Moriarty was smirking, knew just by the look on Gob's face and even through the fear Gob could hear Moriarty's knuckles crack.

"Put it with the others."

Gob placed the cap on the table slowly, afraid Moriarty would grab his arm right then and there and snap it. But the terrifying silence and anticipation was the worst. It seemed like ages until the air dissipated and bony, skin covered knuckles slammed into his cheek. The first blow didn't hurt, the shock making sure of that, but the second, the third, the forth, and all the countless ones after that felt like the world was shattering around him.

Once he hit the floor the blows stop though. No kicks or stomps, just an Irish chuckle and then silence.

Gob's mouth hung open, jaw locked with throbbing pain. It wasn't the worst beating he'd gotten, but the healing cheek he'd been nursing was what Moriarty had paid special 'attention' too.

A glob of wetness hit his bloody cheek, and it was then he realized, as he was blinking back the pain that Moriarty had spat on him. The cock sucker…

He didn't see his boss leave, but heard the caps being pushed into a pack and boots walking away.

"Lock up before you clean up. Boy'oh."

It was like that.

Gob took little time getting up, pushing up on his palms while blood splattered down on the floor under him. His nose was gushing, but he didn't think his head was bleeding…but he couldn't be sure, not with all the fucking pain. He closed his eyes, feeling them sting with tears. He just wanted something good to happen, a semblance of pleasure or happiness. Was that too much to ask for? He had refused to cry all these years, and he wasn't about to start now. So he pushed the tempting fantasy of curling up into the vault girl's bosom away and picked himself up.

He moved around the bar in a fuming daze. He spit a glob of blood out of his mouth that had ran from his nose. It was filthy but all he had was the wash rag to clean his face off with. Behind the bar again he heard the ratty door slam and lock, signaling that Moriarty had checked out. Gob let out a shaky sigh, reaching down under the counter, behind a piece of old metal which hid his stashed whiskey bottle. He soaked the rag in the alcohol and patted his face.

He winced, dabbing and groaning as he headed to the door. What he had hoped would have been a good night had turned into one of the worst he'd had in months. It was a mixture of spite, pain…but most of all disappointment. He couldn't help feeling a bit of resentment at the fact that she hadn't shown up, almost more than the resentment he felt for Jericho, Nova and Moriarty; after all, he expected them all to screw him over, but not her.

She knew what it was like in this bar, what he had to deal with, and how much of a deal it was having her pop in from time to time, especially after she'd told him he was cute. Cute...someone thought he was cute.

If she had just come in and said "hello", maybe he wouldn't mind the throbbing in his face right now.

He dabbed at the blood coming out of what was left of his nose, lost in his own self loathing; a dangerous thing.

The door swung open, just as his fingers grazed the lock. Gob winced, pressing the rag into his face and taking a few stumbling steps back. She was standing there, door handle still in one hand, covered in wasteland dirt.

It was silent. His fingers felt wet; blood soaking through the rag he was trying to cover his battered face with. This wasn't how he wanted her to see him; so weak. Why did she bother coming around now?

The silence was broken with creaking and banging upstairs in Nova's room. Gob's eye twitched again, at the sound, the pain and the sight of her actually standing there while he looked his worst.

Then it dawned on him. This was the first time he had been alone with her…well technically alone, in that Moriarty wasn't behind him and customers weren't watching in disgust while she smiled at him.

"Gob…" He looked down, unable to look at her anymore when her face changed from surprise to one of sympathy and hatred. For some reason he couldn't deal with that look right now, not when he had just been doing his hardest to despise her for his own selfish needs.

"What…why? Why did he do this to you?" He took another step back when she reached for him, something she'd only done once and that time it had been for his hand, not his face. Gob removed the rag, taking again another step back when she advanced on him.

"What are you doing here?" He managed to croak out, cursing himself for how his voice stuck in his throat.

She winced, seeing the damage to his already damaged face.

"To see you..why else?", she said as if it was a stupid for him to have even asked. Her eyes were big and shiny in the light of the bar and he wanted to just hold her. The urge to grab onto her and burry his face in her soft hair was overwhelming. To be able to feel some sort of human contact that wasn't there to cause him pain was all he wanted. Gob let out a shaky breath, calming down his aching heart while he smeared the last of the blood from his face with the back of his hand; the rag no longer acted as anything more that a painting brush of blood. Guess he couldn't do anything to take back the last few moments so he just sniffed up the rest of the blood and swallowed it.

"Oh god...Gob..", her voice was so painful on his ears and her eyes tilted as they roamed over his face. He hadn't known what he was doing until he was cradling her in his arms. His grip was tight and desperate but she did little more than gasp and embrace him as well. It felt good, so good that he pushed his busted lips against her neck; kissing. but just barely.

She stiffened against him, but he refused to move from her. He'd gotten this far, and was this close, no way was he going to deny himself of this contact easily. Besides, this was also a good way to see if she was just yanking chain about the whole adorable and flirting thing. He breathed her in, she was dirty but underneath the wasteland smell he got a trace of sweet musk.

When she pulled against him his heart sunk, but whether it was the concussion thinking or the pain flooding his thoughts he couldn't let her go.

She made a weird huffing noise against his shoulder, warm breath flooding his muscles and flesh; dampening it. Gob breathed in deep again. He couldn't help it he had to do it, he had to even if she hated him afterwards. He couldn't hold back anymore. Not now that he'd felt his limit already breach; the pain, the need and the loneliness had just gotten too much for him. He could blame her for instigating the action later.

So, with firm hands on her back, he let her scoot away from him, only for him to capture her lips as soon as he got the opportunity. She resisted, like he figured, but god...was it just as he imagined. Soft lips and warm breath flooding out of her nose against his face. She stiffened, not struggling anymore so he pulled her lips harder against his with a weathered hand on the back of her neck, bringing her body closer as well.

She had to know that flirting with him, a ghoul and a slave, was going to have its repercussions.

Maybe he was hallucinating, and Moriarty struck him harder than he'd thought. She had come in at the perfect time, and he was holding her, kissing her and she hadn't punch him yet. It had to have been a delusion, right? Then again, if was a delusion she would have been throwing herself at him even more than he was to her..or...

He tested it.

Gob scooted her backwards, sandwiching her body between his own and the metal door. The heat coming off her was exponential, flooding him like the waters of life she'd mentioned last time she visited. Please, he hoped she wasn't too disgusted by this. For him this innocent kiss - well...it was actually turning anything but innocent - was the best thing that had happened to him since he could remember, and for some reason the fact that he was battered and bruised just made it all the better.

Gob stopped though. She wasn't returning the gesture, just allowing him to touch her and that wasn't what he wanted...yes, but not quite. He could only glance at her face; hard eyes, bloody mouth and flushed dirty cheeks.

He opened his mouth to say something but just found himself kissing her again, and again; each one more passionate than the last...and what shocked him the most was that she had yet to push him away. Maybe she wasn't just toying with him this whole time. He knew though that kissing a ghoul must have been weird, even if you did like them.

To Gob, the message was clear, she obviously didn't find him as appalling as much as he'd feared, and he was going to work with that, meekness be damned.

When her lips moved against his own his heart stopped, then picked up like a jackhammer. He knew she deserved better than to be ravaged by a ghoul against the entrance to a bar like Moriarty's, but he couldn't stop himself. The situation was too perfect for him to break it and possibly never get the chance to do this again. As far as she'd let him go he would go, even if he ended up penetrating her against this very door. Moriarty could kill him afterwards for all he cared. She was all he needed and wanted, the only one who ever showed him more than a cap and a sneer.

She kissed him back, nothing special but enough for him to moan like a virgin, which Gob wasn't but if time reversed the status then anyone was welcome to call him one. It had been so long that he couldn't remember what it felt like to be inside a woman. It wasn't that he expected to get that far with her, but he couldn't help himself from thinking about it when a wet tongue pressed against his bloodied bottom lip. Her tongue darted back in her mouth the moment she hit a rough edge of scar tissue, but he followed it with his own, getting a hitching sound out of her.

Suddenly the little noises of their lips smacking and her almost hushed moans made him hurried and nervous. He grabbed a fist full of her hair and smashed her mouth along his, snaking his arm around her back and arching her into him. His head still hurt, but the pain turned dull and far away when her fingers graced his cheeks.

It was the second time she'd touched him, the whole time he'd known her. It was simple but it made his stomach knot up as if she'd done something incredibly sexual. He might die after this if Moriarty found him, so he did the only thing he thought was right. Gob slipped his hands down her body, clumsily grabbing her thighs so he could pull them up around his waist, promptly molding her against the door. It was too perfect, all the way down to the way her ankles hooked around his back, anchoring herself to him as she threaded her fingers behind his neck.

By now her tongue was running around in his mouth as much as his was in hers, and it made him shamefully hard. Gob knew she knew too, what with his stiffening flesh right under her bottom.

Gob just hoped Moriarty killed him after she was done with him whether that be soon or much later, just not right now...not now...

Gob gulped, a tremor starting low in his stomach when her hips rolled along over the stiffness between his legs. All he could do was press her further into the door, balancing himself in order to not drop her then and there. The feeling it elicited was almost too much for him.

He told himself he wouldn't push her father than she was comfortable, and he wouldn't...but he couldn't help reaching down, grasping and kneading her flesh from her ribs along her hip and down to her knee. The fabric of her vault suit did little to hid what he knew was underneath; soft skin and dense muscle.

It felt like he had music in his head, a giddy jingle as her shaky fingers rubbed against the mishmash of muscle, skin and hair on his head. He hadn't pulled his mouth from hers yet, almost dreading the idea that he'd have to feel the cold bar air against his lips, especially after warming them on hers.

She moaned, and the noise was akin to yanking the key from a grenade in Gob's head. His explosion was too pin her to the door by his hips, quickly ripping the zipper at her neck down in one fidgeting swipe. It got a gasp out of her, but she didn't yell or push him away. When he looked down, seeing her bare breasts and stiff nipples, he could have understood if she'd hit him. She wore nothing underneath...

Maybe he built her up as too innocent in his head all this time.

Gob took a second - more out of shock really - to stare. The heat swam between them now, making the flesh of her chest shimmer in the dim light of the bar.

He exhaled, blowing more hot breath on her before grasping her arms and dipping his head down. His tongue was centimeters from the skin between her breasts when a creaking noise signaled upstairs.

"Oh shit."

He hissed out a whisper, both of them frozen in place. He had a mild moment of panic, just as she did, judging by the way her chest suddenly started to heave and ho against his cheek.

Jericho...

It must have been an hour already.

Gob didn't know how long he'd been fuming before she came in, and how long he'd been savoring her, but it seemed like the assholes time had run out. The shadow of him roughly exiting the room fell against one of the walls. A muffled drunken slur was all that Gob needed to hear before he got moving.

With her pushed and heaved partly over Gob's shoulder, he crept as fast as he could behind the counter. She made a few surprised noised but he could hear her muffling them with those white teeth of her, now on swollen lips. He groaned as well, placing her down on her feet as he scrambled against the counter. Her head had just ducked down when Jericho popped off the last step of the stairwell.

"What the fuck are you lookin' at Gob?"

"N..nothing..just cleaning is all."

Gob gave himself a mental parade, there was barely a trace of fear or draining lust in his tone. How? He didn't know, but he wasn't going to question a miracle.

The bastard made a grinning face, shaking his bald head before fumbling with the door handle and exiting the saloon. It was a brief encounter, but that was good.

Gob didn't know if he could have handled a longer spite filled conversation with him, especially with her heat against his legs. Oh god...it had been too close and the boner he'd had was all but gone...that is...until a tugging at his pants pushed him back to the present.

She was a dangerous girl.

Fully naked now with her vault suit wadded up in a corner by the liquor shelves. Fuck if he hadn't put in enough hellish time to deserve her, right? He deserved this, didn't he? His button unclasped between her fingers and he didn't even have the wits to moan. Her bare breasts bounced just the slightest when her arms moved by the grace of her fingers zipping his pants down. Gob could just make out the soft area between her legs, but the side of her full hips and long legs was - too say the least - was just as good.

"Dorothy...", he said, grabbing at a hand that was ready to pull his pants down. This was at least the holy grail of confirmation he need. She obviously wouldn't want him to stop at second base if she was already trying to get him out of his pants.

Gob knelt down in front of her, kissing her again and this time she was kissing him back with more furry than himself.

She got his shirt up and over his head, barely breaking the lip lock in little more than a few seconds. Hands ran over his scarred chest, making him shiver. Gob did the same, touching her anywhere he could reach, until her back was against the bottom of the counter and he was kneeling between her legs.

Normally, he would have worried about the place; how filthy this was, not to mention dangerous; how Moriarty could easily open his door and turn his head to see just what Gob was doing to one of his most famous customers, but surprisingly the possibility of being caught just made Gob's body ache. This was wrong, in many ways, but neither was stopping and if anything it made them both that much more delirious.

It was hot; her skin slipped against his fingers when he grasped her thighs to pull her into him. Her legs wrapped around him, and her bottom landed in his lap with a jerk of his arms. Gob groan, but she just gasped and rubbed at the balls of his shoulders. A tentative kiss here and there against his chest made him tighten in so many ways he knew she wouldn't ever understand.

Gob never did managed to get out of his pants. She didn't bother trying again and neither did he. The pants could stay on, and they did. Even when her body was arching up along his so he could pull himself from what little barrier he had left. Just his own hand on his stiff flesh was enough for him to choke on a breath.

It wasn't very sweet, or tender, but she whispered to him that they'd have plenty of time for that in the future.

Gob shook, just hearing her voice promise something like this, nay, even better than this in the future almost made him come. He had to swallow down a few steady breathes before he could move any further.

They both knew they had to be quiet, and Gob reminded her as best he could given his shaky voice before her wet sex rubbed along his cock.

He hissed, trapping another guttural groan before it got too loud. Suddenly he got nervous; hesitant. How could he do this without Moriarty hearing it. Would there even be a next time...not if he had his face caved in or a bullet in his head.

He could have gone on and on about the countless ways Moriarty could silence him for good, but little of that made anymore sense when she was stroking his face and placing little kisses along his neck and jaw. Maybe he didn't deserve this...something so sweet, soft and perfect as her.

Truth be told she wasn't perfect.

Her morals could be a bit skewed, but to Gob she was the wasteland's angel. Nothing was more unobtainable to him than her, and yet here he was...with her flesh so close to encompassing him that it was hard to remember how to breath.

When he finally eased her down around him; with her near virgin heat surrounding the very flesh no one else on earth wanted anything to do with he had to kiss her to keep from growling. A little girlish noise crept out of her and into his mouth as he sucked and nibbled at her lips. It took little for him to finally hilt inside her; she being so wet and ready for him. The whole idea sounded absurd, but here they were, joined on the floor of the saloon.

"Oh Gob...", he shook at the sound of her voice, saying his name like that made his stomach lurch in the best of ways. He pulled at her hips, starting to move her up and down on him in very unsteady manner. "...I love..you."

He paused, her half off him and dripping. Gob felt his heart squeezing hard with each beat. Did she really say that? What in the world..would...

He grunted, driving her down on him, getting a gasp and a love bite on the sensitive skin of his neck. Gob thrust up into her, hard and hurried. He set a furious pace, unable to qualm the growing desire to sink into her over and over again. It wasn't enough, he just couldn't get far enough or lost enough inside her.

She loved him.

Her breath flooded his neck, lips sucking, kissing and occasionally biting as he drove her harder against her counter.

"..Gob...g..gob"

He pushed his face between her breasts, lapping at the sweat as he hoisted her further up so he could pin her backside against the wall of the bar, each thrust pushing her harder against the metal. Her skin was salty in his mouth, but never had he tasted anything more addictive.

Gob wasn't being as quiet as he should have, but he didn't care, knew he should have, but didn't.

One of her arms reached up to grab at the edge of the counter, supporting herself up as he pivoted his hips at another angle, going deeper. They both moaned, relishing in the sensation.

Gob couldn't last much longer, he wished he could have, but it had been too long for him. He slipped one hand from her hip and pushed it between her legs trying to find the little nub he remembered from so fucking long ago. The tips of his fingers slipped along her, unsteady with the erratic thrust of his hips. God, he wasn't going to make it.

He hitch a breath, held himself back as best he could as he took a stiff nipple in his mouth with the turn of his head. His thumb found the ball of nerves and her body lit up instantly.

Gob felt her legs twitch around his hips, fingers that were grasping onto his shoulder dig into his skin farther. If he was lucky he could tip her over the edge just as he...as...he...

He gave her breast a nip and a rough suck, mouth already going lax as the sharp pleasure shot from his belly to his groin. With the last of his resolve he bucked inside her, fast and deep, his thumb swirling just as fast. He came a second later, cursing himself as he emptied himself inside her.

Holding back his shaky long groan wasn't possible, it felt too good and the previous throbbing pain in his head just became a throb that made him feel as if the world was pulsing around him.

Around his sputtering cock a spasm clamped down around him. Gob's already sensitive flesh going into overdrive as she came just a few moments after him, just as hard as he did.

It was all unreal, and he didn't disappoint her either; the thing he feared more than being caught and murdered.

He pressed his body to hers, sticking to her as she withered against him with the last throws of her orgasm. Still inside her, he petted back her hair, laving her skin with his hands. She was damp and mewling with heavy breathes. It was the best thing he'd every experienced.

To think that just months ago he'd only ever though this thing could have happened with Nova, and he had no doubt that it would have never been anything like this. Here he was, still buried deep inside her...and she'd even said she loved him.

Suddenly he panicked. He hadn't told her he felt the same way.

God looked at her. Her eyes were hooded and everything about her looked exhausted and satisfied. He would have been proud of himself if he wasn't beating himself up over three little words right now. His milky eyes widened and his mouth opened, ready to tell her just how he felt, but something horrible happened...

The door behind him, Moriarty's door unlatched.

A terrible ice cold pain shot up Gob's spine when he heard the door open. Still booted feet stepped forwards on the metal flooring. This was it, he was going to die, and he still had his cock inside her...

That thick, baffled irish tone came drawling out behind him and all the heat drained out of him.

"What the fu-"

A loud shot rung in Gob's ears, deafening him for a moment, but he felt no pain. He knew he heard a gun fire, but he could not yet feel the sting of a bullet hole anywhere on him.

A thud landed soon after behind him, not too far away and it was then he realized, as he opened his eyes, that it wasn't him that had been shot.

She was alert now, body still flushed pink in areas. Her eyes were slanted, eyebrows furrowed and mouth parted. Her vault suit was between them, a pocket gaping open in the material...and...when he looked to his side he saw a gun in her hand. A small compact pistol, still smoking at the tip.

Swirls of grey discharge lilted up to the ceiling as everything clicked together.

"Fuuck.."

It was all he could say, knew he could have said something better but the combination of emotions almost made him stupid. He was still feeling the endorphins from his recent orgasm, and the pain lingering from the beating and now...now...he knew that just behind him Moriarty was bleeding out; dead or at the very least dying.

Nova's footfalls hurried down the stairs, stopping mid-way. Gob didn't look at her, just turned his attention back to Dorothy, who was dropping her arm, gun clinking against the floor. She looked about as shocked at him, but a little curve to her lips was slowly evolving into a sad smile. God, he loved her. He knew that before all of this happened, maybe the first time she smiled at him before asking for her first drink. Either way he had to tell her.

Now.

His hands ran up her arms, still shaky but not as bad as he'd thought. Gob touched her neck, her cheek and back down to her shoulders.

"I love you...", he couldn't help sounding like the lost puppy everyone compared him too, but in light of the circumstances he figured he could get away with it; because right now, nothing mattered but her - not Moriarty's dead body of Novas confused and shocked gaze...or the fact that he was soft but still inside her. She was all that mattered...

...and she smiled, pressing her lips to the corner of his mouth.

It was all Gob needed.