It had been a good day for Gob, infact it was a good week. Moriarty had left town to pick something up and as secretive as ever no one knew what it was. Nova had even taken a peek on his terminal but came back with nothing, all they new was that it would take a week to get there and back and that he would be travelling with caravans to stay safe.

Gob leaned on the bar, it was mid-day and not particularly busy so he allowed himself to daydream whilst he lazily pushed his dead cloth around the bar surface. He listened to the radio and reflected on how that kid from 101 had them all duped, said she was gunna save the world but ever since she'd fixed the radio signal all Gob heard about her was bad news. He only kept giving her discount stimpaks because honestly he was scared of her now. He sighed as Jericho approached the bar.

"Boss still not back asshole?" Jericho snapped waking Gob fully from his daze.

"Uhh, no." Gob stiffened, ready for a slap of some kind. If Moiarty wasn't around to be doing it, it would be this asshole to take his place.

"Maybe he's dead" Jericho mused. For the slightest of moments Gob thought he felt bloatflies in his stomach, how good would that be... But Jericho finished "Rough old journey to Paradise Falls and back - bastard tried to hire me as a bodyguard, i'm no bodies bullet vest."

Gob raised an eyebrow and Nova left her perch on the wall to join them at the bar.

Her sultry voice filled the air, "Why the hell would he wanna go there?" she mused.

"New blood" Jericho grinned then looked almost maliciously at Gob, as if he needed reminding of his predicament. Nove broke the tension by huffing and rolling her eyes.

"What's the matter Nova, scared of the competetion?" said Jericho slapping a hand on her backside.

She peeled it off, "Oh please any help keeping you away would be gladly appreciated".

They'd flirt like this every time, a chase fo him but work for her and Gob was always the one who had to listen to it all night and have it rubbed in his face in the morning.

Getting bored with their charade, Gob picked his cigarettes out of his pockets and waved them at Nova, she nodded and he left the bar. Being outside was a rarity for Gob and as soon as he felt the breeze and the sun's rays he felt like a wilted flower being brought back to life. He lifted the cigarette to his mouth and lit it. Leaning over the rail he stared out across Megaton.

'New blood'... Moriarty definately wouldn't be bringing another man back... atleast that's something to be thankfull for, no new guy to smack around the zombie.

Gob took another drag and scratched his head that would mean a new girl, unless Moriarty had huffed it all the way there to get them collars to kick them while they're down. It'd be just like the sick fuck.

Gob enjoyed the sun and cigarette before he went back to work the same hard, long shift he always did. Every day. Fifteen years. But atleast Moriarty hadn't been around to trip him up and make it more hellish than needs be.

Dark fell and Gob cleaned down the bar and moved the chairs back as neatly as he could. Jericho had 'finished' and left not long but an hour ago and Nova was just slinking down the stairs. He looked up at her and she had the same cold, distant bitch look on her face she did after every night she worked.

They'd been here together a long time but Gob still wasn't sure where he stood with her, he couldn't even comfortably say they were friends. Some nights she would spend the night chatting to him about the guys round town other nights she'd snap at him and leave him downstairs by himself. One time he recalled she said she'd 'scheduelled time' for them to be together, but ofcourse nothing came of that - she'd even recoiled that night when he'd tapped her shoulder. He was starting to come to the conclusion that she, just like everyone else, was put here to make him feel like shit. But then again she'd faced just about as many hells as him and had a particularly nastier fate when it came to the customers.

I guess I'll never understand what goes on in her head.

She came and sat on a bar stool as he returned to his spot behind the bar.

"Think it's safe for us to share a drink?" she cooed.

Gob grumbled and picked up a half empty bottle of vodka, they'd started it at the start of the week when Nova let Gob in on her clever idea. She'd realised that with Moriarty gone they would get to keep their tips, by the end of the week they'd of had enough for that bottle of vodka without Moriarty noticing caps missing from the takings and stock.

Two shot glasses clinked on the table and then a bottle. Nova poured. Both picked up their drinks and shot them down. Nova immediately poured again, it must have been a rough night. They sat drinking and discussing what sort of present Moriarty would bring back for them.

Nova took it as she was old news and seemed rather defensive about it, Gob saw it as someone else to make him feel so small.

"I bet she's some pretty young beat up slave girl, all timid and no bite" Nova snapped.

"You forget that was you once" Gob laughed.

"I'm still not that old" she seethed jokingly.

"I can't argue there Nova, I'll always be atleast three times what you are" he meant to poke fun at himself, but it didn't distract from the fact he was different. He was a monster here and that's all he'd ever be now. Thanks to the radiation he' be it for a long fucking time too.

Just then the door swung open followed by loud thuds. It was too late to hid the booze. They were back.