I think I've been updating quit quickly but still, this one took me longer to do then I thought. Been enjoying writing my other story too much I suppose. I think the building tension is almost better then the sex. Any-hoo. Thank to XxCheshireGrinxX, Ninth Lady, Nem and Penny Bloodlust for the inspiring reviews. Enjoy this one.

They had reached Little Lamplight near the middle of the night, the children welcomed her with open arms and great big smiles. Though they remained cautious around the ghoul, pointing at him, asking her questions about him. Luckily the Vault girl had a natural gift of dealing with kids. She said all the things they wanted to hear, some of it made no sense to him at all. Which was the way he liked it. They loved her, even played a game with her. Some sort of 'tag your it!'. Sooner then she wanted though, the game was over, and they found themselves standing infront of a lopsided sign.

A sign that read, Murders Pass. Very unwelcoming one at that.

"What a lovely name.." she sounded sarcastic, but he didn't show that he was anywhere remotely amusement. Not that she expected him to say anything back, but he did.

"Lets not let it live up to it's name." he grumbled behind her. She nodded.

The ghoul eyed her with vague interest as she padded herself down, checking her supplies and ammo. It paid to be diligent, she thought.

His eyes lingered on her breasts. Imagining them bare and in his hands. Soft and warm. He was acting like an adolescent and he knew it. The game between them was getting better each round, he thought as he remembered the feel of her. Again the desire swelled in him, but this time he felt a tingling sensation in his stomach with it. Like summersaults in his belly. She moved forward, and with that her bosom left his sight. He frowned, as if it was rude by taking herself from his vision without asking.

He followed her swiftly.

Before her hand had time to grasped the chain link gate, he was there, opening it for her. For a moment they both just stood there. He hoping she wouldn't make a big deal over it. She shocked, mildly but still taken aback. He opened a door for her, without her commanding him. Her brows lifted, and he looked equally surprised as his eyes shifted nervously. He wished she would just go in and leave it at that. Accept the small favor for what it was, nothing. It was nothing after all, he told himself.

Luckily she did just as he wanted, except give him that small coy smile of hers.

"Thanks.." her voice was promising.

He looked away from her and down the dark tunnel of Murders Pass. She didn't press him any further, thankfully, and walked into the decrepit caves. The ghoul made a grumble and push himself into the darkness behind her, slamming the gate behind him. He saw that the 'rattle' of the gate caused her to flinch, immediately he regretted the act, but why. He followed her blindly, at odds with himself, as the strange sensations gathered in his chest. The kind of sensations that made him not want to even slam a door around her. Fuck.

She paid special attention to her feet, careful not to trip. With a 'doomp' her Pipboy light came on. The area was now illuminated with a faint greenish glow. Not much better, she realized, but it help keep her focus on something other then her toes. A soft sigh escaped her as she came down a harsh slope. She stopped and so did her ghoul companion behind her. He didn't ask why. Just stood watching the back of her.

Noises began to grow, louder. Shuffling and a few soft 'slams'. It must have been the super mutants the children had mention, she thought. What else could it have been?

For enemies like this she had her Alien Blaster out. Only seven more rounds left. She knew she should have been saving them for a serious emergency, but now she felt too tense for her own good. The way the children spoke of the caves made her uneasy, though they were just children after all, and she was much stronger. The feeling wouldn't go away. Having the gun with her gave her just that extra bit of assurance. Besides, with a good shot she could put a mutant down and he would stay down.

The idea of killing caused the corner of her lips to turn up, a sinister smirk. She turned that smirk over to Charon, he gave her a deadly grin in return.

They locked eyes as he cock his shotgun in the air with one hand. It was the little things he did that made her squirm with desire, and the way he cocked his shotgun was one of them. The sharp sound didn't make either flinch. The battle was about to begin. The battle they fought every goddamn day, and there was no loosing.

Before the frankensteins followed the sound of his shotgun they both charged. The ghoul hung to the left of the wide tunnel, lightly grazing against the rocky wall as his eyes lingered on the growing opening on the right wall. She was on his right, now hidden against the rocky wall right before the passage way. The super mutants were in the next room, she couldn't tell if they knew they were their or not.

Apparently Charon didn't want to play sneaky, she didn't stop him when he came towards her and through the passage with his shotgun laying against his shoulder. His head was hunched, taking aim. A blast of his gun went off and with it a pained growl. He had obviously hit his marl, she thought as the bloodlust began to build in her.

Right after his shot she was turning around the corner and into the room behind him. Her eyes caught sight of a mutant reloading his weapon. Perfect opportunity, she happily thought. He was unharmed it looked like, making him a wonderful target. She grinned and lifted up her Alien Blaster.

The blue energy cell shot off as she pulled the trigger, finding its enemy right in the temple.

As soon as the mutant she shot turned to ash, Charon's victim slumped forcefully against the back wall. It's right arm was missing, and it was still gushing blood on the floor. Charon couldn't help but enjoy the 'pitter' 'patter' of the blood. The sounds echoed in the confined space as they both stood, guns still poised. It was all over in a matter of seconds it seemed. She was the first to recline to her normal stance, moving the gun back against her shoulder.

It was the noise of her securing her gun that caused him to blink and relax. He flipped his shotgun over his back like it was a twig and turned to her.

"Are you harmed?" he asked. Dragging his eyes around her, checking her over.

"Mmm.." she looked around herself in a unnecessary manner, "Not within that little amount of time." she looked quit 'chuffed' with herself as her hands came to her hips. She was infectious, he knew. That's why he couldn't help the small smile, that almost mimicd her own.

It had been 30 minutes of none stop attacks, ambushes, and flanks. The mutants here weren't as stupid as they were normally used to. One even made a disgusting remark involving her and a baseball bat. She couldn't recall ever hearing them grunt more than a 'Die!', or 'Kill!'. Charon was equally unprepared. One was behind him, shooting. Luckily she made another direct hit with her Blaster in the mutants right eye. He fell like the rest in a clump of wet ash. In that moment she felt wetness seep down one of her legs. What? She turned, causing intense pain from her waist which went like dull pain to the rest of her body. Another shot 'wizzed' right past her. That one was too close.

She used her last shot on a Behemoth mutant, with that and a few of Charon's shots it was down on the ground. Two still remained out of six. They were nearly unharmed and seemed to have an unlimited supply of ammo, which they gleefully shot in all directions.

"No ammo?!"

She had no ammo she realized as she attempted to shoot one of the two mutants. "Fuck!" she cursed. Quickly as she could she pulled out a .44 magnum revolver, shooting at the face of the mutant. Charon she noticed wasn't taking very much damage. He crouched behind a stalagmite, reloading.

"Get behind cover!" he growled at her, seeing she was in direct line of fire. With his demand she began to walk backward, still shooting. She had tried to make it for a jutted part of the cave wall. Good cover, she figured.

Before she had time to duck behind the rock a shot hit her calf. Then another, almost right after went through her arm. The force caused her to stumble back, luckily behind her intended cover. Even in her state she felt the irony of her actions sink in. Charon watched her fall back, sink into the ground as blood became her dominant color. A feral yell came from him. Loud. Loud enough for the mutants to take pause. With a rip of his teeth he uncorcked a frag grenade and tossed it. Perfectly.

The grenade rolled in between the both of them. As it exploded one died the instantly. The other however remained standing and began to made its way towards them. Towards her. Anger and rage boiled in in his vision. He had never seen in red before, until now. He sharply withdrew him combat knife. Almost mechanically he moved the knife over his head, the sharp point aiming like a scorpions stinger. He was going to slaughter the bastard.

Which is what he did.

Charon come on the last remaining mutant so quick it didn't even have time to shoot before multiple stabs had been placed in its neck and chest. Over and over the ghoul brought the long, jagged knife in and out of the frankenstein's thick green skin. The action made soft 'ripping' noises that Charon determined felt more satisfying even then it's guttural cries. It fired a few shots in its last few breaths that sprayed the walls to his right. Dangerously close to the fallen smoothskin.

Even when the mutant was on the ground, lifeless, Charon gave it a few more stabs through its face. Leaving a gory mess before him.

As much as he may have wanted to continue his mutilations, his smoothskin was hurt, badly he reckoned. His head whipped in her direction. He saw her legs poking out behind her cover. Motionless and pale.

"No." his tone sounded strange, even his movements were shaky and strained. Before he knew it he was in front of her, staring at her. His eyes widened, making him appear more like a feral and not a sane ghoul. He stared, afraid to touch her, thinking it could be the last straw that killed her. Her eyes were barely open, all he could see was the whites of her eyes, making her look even more un-alive. For that moment he had no idea of what to do. He was afraid.

The sound of his own teeth grating brought him out of the fog he had drifted into. He inhaled deeply and a wave of determination crossed his face.

He watched himself in slow motion, his fingers removing clothing, then injecting stimpacks. He did all he could, pushing her hair from her face, rubbing her cheeks. He leaned her on his lap, cleaning the shot in her waist as best he could. The sound of her heart thumping was causing his own to begin beating. Soft and slow, but still beat nonetheless. He watched her chest rise and fall like a hawk, feeling that any moment it would stop and she would be gone. The only good thing that ever happened to him would be gone.

The lights flickered, he peered down at her Pipboy. It was shutting on and off. He didn't know what that meant, but soon after, her beating heart began to take on a erratic pace. He felt the light quakes of her muscles as they tensed and un-tensed.

"No..no...." he held her as her body began to spasm. "Stop."

"Stop it!" he screamed at her face.

Her eyes shot open as if on command. The color of her irises were blocked by her large pupils.

He leaned back at the sight of her eyes, a deep noise in his throat swam out. Her eyes stared at nothing, they were just open. Another wave of utter fear coursed through him. He thought for a moment she was dead, but her breathing came out slow and deep through her nose. Please, he repeated in his head. Her eyes closed and the sound of her heart began to smooth in its rhythm. The ghoul still felt small tremors travel through her but they too began to die down. He was left with an out-of-body feeling, like he was hollow.

The Pipboy light remained solid and bright. Illuminating the haggard face of a very, very weary ghoul.

"....oh god.."

So? What do you think?