I got over my father's death at the hands of The Enclave. It took me a while to do so, but after realizing and acknowledging that the feeling of lost was still there, and a bit of support of Moira, my girlfriend, I was able to be at peace with the fact.

However, that still didn't mean there weren't times I didn't miss him. Specifically, I tended to miss during times when I needed some fatherly advice.

See, as I said before, I'm in a relationship with Moira Brown – a beautiful woman with a beautiful mind. Some people would call her crazy… and maybe they were right. But, more than that, she just looked at things differently than most people. And that was something I learned to appreciate. She and I grew very close, and we've slept together often.

That wasn't a euphemism – we literally just slept together, just holding each other while we slept.

So, one early morning, we were just lounging around my bedroom, just talking about different happenings, like the time we hosted Lyons' Pride for dinner, and how The Brass Lantern started serving this drink from out west called Black Coffee, which Moira was eager to try. After some time, she stood up.

"Well, I best get going," she said. "I have a store to run, and I'd rather not tick off some needy customers."

"Yeah," I said with a nod, stretching my arms out. After a small grunt, I lowered my arms. "I have to swing by The Citadel today, anyway. Apparently, there's a Deathclaw infestation that needs to be handled. See you tonight?"

"Of course, Sweetie."

That would usually mark the end of the normal morning occurrence. She'd grab her clothes from the drawer I set aside for her in the dresser and be on her way. While she did move to the dresser and pull open her clothes, she didn't grab her clothes first and go. Instead, she took her clothes, placed on top of the dresser, and then started strip off her sleeping clothes.

I opened my mouth to say something, but was left speechless as she took off her shorts, leaving her bottom half in just her panties. I continued to watch her as she undressed. For the first time, I was seeing her in her underwear. I was mesmerized by it. I then became more distracted when she grabbed her jumpsuit and turned around. Without paying me any attention, she gave me a whole front view. All of a sudden, I felt my blood flow redirect. I couldn't keep my eyes off of her. Underneath that jumpsuit... underneath her sleepwear… underneath the usual clothes she was wearing was a rather beautiful figure. She was a bit toned – not as toned as some of the trainees I saw, but was definitely becoming of someone who stayed pretty active. Her legs were shapely, her core was a bit defined, and her chest was just large enough to catch my eye.

I want to be perfectly clear – I love Moira. I knew it and she knew it. But that was the first time I've had feelings of want… or desire towards her..

I felt my face heat up as I looked away. If she noticed, she made no indication. After a minute, she was in her jumpsuit. After that, she came over and hug me. I hugged her back, fighting the urge to just pull her into bed and just… well… I didn't know what it was I wanted to do, but I knew that I wanted to do it. After a brief kiss, we bid each other goodbye for the morning.

The image of seeing her in her underwear that day… it was seared into my mind. The only time I wasn't thinking about it was when I, along with the rest of the Lyons' Pride, Fawkes, and Dogmeat, laid waste to a bunch of Deathclaws that were a little bit too close for comfort for the residents of Arefu. And that was only temporary as I decided to bring back a Deathclaw's hand as a gift for Moira, which led to me thinking about that morning again.

After being dismissed from The Citadel for the day, I made my way back to Megaton. During the trek, I started to think about what I should do about what happened. And then I realized that I didn't know what to do. That's when I wished my father was around – I could've talked to him about stuff like that, even if I would've been a bit embarrassed while doing so.

I started to think about who I wanted to talk to. I thought about Gob and Nova, but figured they'd be the last resort. I thought about the others… until a name flashed into my head.

So, once I got into Megaton, I made my way towards one of the houses and knocked on the door. After some seconds, a door opened up, revealing Sheriff Simms.

If I could be honest, he was the closest thing I had as father figure during my father's absence. He taught me a few things about how to take care of myself out in the wasteland, and when I joined The Regulators, he made sure I knew how to maintain my duster and how to properly remove a finger from a mark.

"Hey Denzel," the man said heartily. He then tilted his head. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything is fine," I said. "I… you have a minute to talk… in private? I need some advice."

So, after he poured both of us a glass of scotch, we sat down at his table. He then listened as I told him what was on my mind. After I said everything I needed to say, he sat there quietly, looking at me. I could see the gears turn in his head. He then spoke.

"…Denzel… are you a virgin?"

"…Yes…" I said reluctantly. At that he chuckled. The chuckle then turned into a laugh as he palmed his face. I stared at him for a few seconds before I started sucking teeth. "Wow, Simms. Wow."

"I'm sorry," he said, still chuckling a bit. "I'm not laughing at the fact that you're a virgin. It's just that… well, it's so easy get caught up in your reputation as The Lone Wanderer that it's sometimes easy to forget that you're still a bit of a kid and new to quite a few things." He then tilted his head. "Though I figured you've had sex before, given your closeness to Nova."

"Nova is a beautiful woman," I said. "But between still being hung up on a girl back in the vault and feeling very alone out in the wasteland, I was just desperate for a friend. While I did pay her, it was just for her time – nothing else. And besides, it'd be pretty weird, since Gob is my friend and all."

"…Are they really a thing? I thought she doesn't sleep with ghouls."

"Between you and me? She only tells people that since, apparently, people get a bit… reluctant to pay for the 'services' of a woman who has slept with a ghoul."

"…I see…" Simms nodded his head a few times.

"So what do I do?" I asked.

"Well, what do you want to do? Do you want to give it up to Moira?"

"No. I mean, I do… but not yet. The things is… while I do have those types of feelings for Moi', I don't know if she has those types of feelings for me. And, on top of that… I don't want to end up doing something that neither one of us are ready for, you know?"

"Maybe you should tell her that," Simms suggested as he leaned back in his seat.

"But how?"

"Were it any other woman, I'd tell you that you'd have to figure it out yourself. But, Moira strikes me as a lady who appreciates the direct route."

"…You're not wrong…" I said.

"Listen, just be honest with her. I'm more than sure that she'll understand and appreciate the sentiment. Something tells me she doesn't often get told that she's attractive."

I let those words sink in for a bit. I then downed the rest of my scotch and stood up. "Thanks Sheriff."

"Anytime, Denzel.

After I left his place, I went back home… and just waited, sitting on the stairs as I did so. Eventually, Moira came in through the door. I looked over at her, trying to put on a smile as I walked down the stairs to meet her.

"Hey Moi'!" I said a bit too happily for my liking.

"Hey Sweetie!" she replied. She walked over and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. She then placed her hand on my forehead. A look of confusion came over my face. "I see you got over your fever."

"…Fever?"

"Yeah. You were quite warm when I hugged you this morning. I figured it's nothing a doctor can't fix."

"…Moira, I wasn't having a fever," I said slowly. She looked at me in confusion.

"…So you weren't sick?"

"No, I…" I trailed off for a bit, trying to figure out what to say. And then I remembered Simms' advice. "Moira… this morning… was the first time I saw you in your underwear…"

She raised her eyebrows for a bit. Then a look embarrassment came across her face. "I'm sorry! Did I make you uncomfortable?"

"…I wouldn't quite say that." I paused for a bit. "…Look, when I saw you in your underwear, I realized how attractive you are. And then I started desiring you… as in I want to… make love to you." I cringed when I said that. In all honesty, it felt weird saying it. "I've been thinking about you all day. The only time I wasn't thinking about you was when I was killing Deathclaws. And then I started thinking about you again when I removed a Deathclaw's hand as a gift for you – which is wrapped up in a bag in the fridge for you, by the way. It's just something I'm not ready for and I don't want to rush it. Especially since… I've… never had sex with anyone before."

Once I finished, I waited for Moira to respond. She looked at me with a blank expression. She then smiled.

"You think I'm attractive?"

I blinked a couple of times, surprised that was what stuck out to her. Simms was right.

"Well, yes, but… MMPH!" I didn't get a chance to complete my sentence. Her lips were against mine as she quickly closed the small gap between us. During this kiss, she pushed me back against a wall. I was afraid that she was going to kick things into high gear – especially when her tongue, for the first time ever, ended up inside of my mouth. But as she rested her hands against my chest, it became clear that she wanted to do was kiss me. I eventually let myself get lost in the kiss as I held close against me. My blood was running again, and I fight the urge to start taking off clothes.

Eventually, we broke the kiss. I remained against the wall as I tried to fix my breathing. Moira rested the side of her against my chest as she sighed in contentment.

"…Goodness, Moira," I huffed out. "Where that did that come from?"

"You're the second person whoever told me I was attractive," she said quietly. She pulled away a bit before she looked at me, small smile on her face. "People don't usually tell me that. They tell me I'm crazy, out of my mind, and a general threat to the public safety of Megaton, but almost never attractive." Her smile became a bit wider and face became a bit flushed. "And since we're being open here… I want you, too. But don't worry. I won't rush you. We'll take it slow."

"Oh Moi…" I pulled her into a hug and held for several moments. I turned my head and kissed her on the forehead. After that, I released her. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Sweetie."

I smiled. The smile then shrunk a bit. "…Um, color me curious… but who was the first person to tell you you're attractive?"

"Oh, it was Nova," Moira said casually as she walked over to the fridge.

"Oh," I said as I nodded a few times.

I then raised my eyebrows as I thought about what she just said.

"Wait, what?!"