I do not own anything Fallout related, obviously. I only write Fanfiction. Please Read and Review, even if anonymous, any little critique or compliment is much appreciated.

| Chapter Two – Pondering |

The tone of his words were vile and nearly as full of spite as the pistol which he carried. Completely ignoring his soft pleads for help, the ghoul turned his back to the wounded and dying Tribal on the ground and walked quickly towards the large doorway in between the two staircases that led up towards the second floor of the mansion, two canines were patiently waiting and watching their master, seemingly used to this sort of systematic execution. Heads tilting curiously and both of the animals wagging their tail in slight joy as the man phrased them both.

"Good work pups. I sincerely believe that is the last of those cocksuckers we'll see today! Don't you two agree? Of course you do."

The two dogs stood up from their relaxed positioned on the wooden floor and walked towards their master, happily sniffing at the mans bloodied suit as the ghoul paid them no mind and walked inside of his little office. But of course, not before turning back to the still breathing body of the tribal laying behind him.

"…Stupid fuckers will never learn. I guess it is doing the world a favor though. Putting every last one of them down… fucking inbreds."

Desmond gave a slight shrug, he didn't care for the fact that he had killed many men over the past few days. He also didn't care that death was now littered all around him. So long as it meant getting the fucking point across. The more those goddamn Tribal's showed up on his doorstep, the more fucking tedious it was all becoming. The 'Great Game', this disgusting 'New World'… His life.

Hmph.

No matter. As long as it got him closer to killing the one responsible for this whole mess. Then he was quite alright.

"Rest up, Geri, Freki. For there will be many more inbred bastards to deal with in the morning. Oh… joy. What bloody ol' fun we will have when the time comes again…"

The two dogs stared up at the ghoul with content looks on their faces, and while Desmond knew damn well they didn't have a fuckin' clue what he was saying, he once again didn't care. Because the sound of his own voice, was at times what kept him sane.

He made his way toward his solitary chair facing a large group of many surveillance cameras scattered around the premise of his home. Sighing in boredom before leaning forward a bit. His elbows fell down to the wooden desk in front of him and his chin slowly followed to rest in his hands. Keeping a close eye on the monitors in front of him, trying to see if another small horde of Tribal's were marching their way toward the mansion.

"…"

Slowly, while staring blankly at the bright lit and uninteresting screens, the ghoul began to ponder. Something he had thought of before, many times in his youth. What happens when a person dies? While the logical side of his brain believed that upon death, all there was left was just an eternal oblivion of nothingness, that didn't stop the old man to hope that maybe beyond this life was a much more blissful existence. A happy place where people who led good successful lives went to. But that notion always caused Desmond to scruff about how absurd that idea was. As much as he did hope it existed, and he bloody well did, he knew he wasn't going to be the first one in line to walk passed the golden gates of heaven. Or whatever it was called nowadays. Besides, he always leaned towards the idea of a much more suitable place for him. A place of eternal damnation and misery. A place he surely fantasized all of the enemies and rivals he had taken down in his long life had surely perished. And when his time came, Desmond would gladly except that fate.

But, hell, the thought of him ever dying was an absurd notion in itself.

He put that thought out of his mind, though, as those cloudy eyes of his glued themselves on monitor number three. A ruined brow slowly raising in curiosity as he quickly stood up from his chair and leaned closer towards it to get a better look at the screen. For on the monitor, a young girl (He mused at the fact that almost everyone was damn young compared to himself) Walked aimlessly around the ruined and forgotten pier just down the hill from where his house stood.

The girl quickly caught his attention. Maybe it was due to how she looked. Very clean. Her skin seemed spotless, almost. Pale and untouched. No scars or dried dirt caked on her face. Her hair was also quite neat looking. Not dirty and knotted. Not dead and tangled. It was quite clean. A prim and proper look to it, actually. Something he hadn't seen since before the Great War.

Or maybe it was her clothing. She wore a strange looking blue jumpsuit with a heavy black coat that went a little past the back of her knees. And a generously full ammo belt tightly wrapped around her petite waist.

But, even though those things were the most noticeable features of her oddity, those were not what caught his attention. It was her expression. She was different and misplaced. She didn't look like she belonged here. To this Wasteland. She almost looked like she had never seen it. Curious and oblivious to it's dangers. She was… innocent.

For long moment, Desmond found himself enthralled by the girl. Staring at her as she looked worryingly at his home, as if wondering if she should risk advancing toward it, or just go explore somewhere else. Slowly, he peeled his eyes off of her and looked back towards his two resting dogs and spoke to them in a tone that they have become quite familiar with. One with anger.

"Bah! Seems like the fucking bastard got himself some more hired help. And he has the bloody nerve to be sending me some damned little princess after me. Does he think I'm that fucking weak! Fool!"

Sitting himself back down on his chair, a nasty snarl on his face, cloudy eyes flicked angrily across the rest of the screens. But, that angry snarl slowly flicked into a wicked grin on his disfigured face as his eyes landed on monitor number seven.

"Seems like the fat one hasn't bled out yet. He should fucking thank me because he is finally losing some of that weight, right pups…"

It wasn't a question. Not like the dogs would be able to answer him, anyways.

After taking a quick gander of every one of his monitors, his eyes found the girl, still walking around aimlessly in monitor three. Her eyes now directed to what he would guess was the ocean. His head tilted this time, wicked grin not entirely leaving his face but becoming slightly crooked. He didn't understand why her appearance bothered him so damn much. He knew that simply killing the bitch would end all speculations and would put his mind at ease. But for now, he wasn't quite sure that was what he wanted.

"… Little princess's shouldn't come to this shithole, you know… they should stay put to whatever little settlement their from… Idiot…"

During that little statement he mumbled to seemingly no one this time around, the ghoul absentmindedly brought his hand toward his brow, trying to rub the annoying headache away but only managing on bumping his fingers into his glasses. He flinched a bit, grunting before slipping them off.

He stared down at them. Tilting them around in his hand. Small scratches adorn the lenses and small dents on the temple arms causing them to become slightly bent… one of the very few items which he owned before the Great War.

"Congratulations sweetheart! I told you that if you worked hard at it you could earn that fucking promotion." Beautiful green eyes were overjoyed as their owner wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Bringing the tall man closer to her form as he too embraced her.

The couple stood like that for a few moments before separating, but still holding each other tightly.

"Look at me now."

"Look at you now! You showed those bastards that you belong to the best!"

"How could they have doubted me? Imbeciles!"

"Oh now, sweetheart." The woman pulled away from him. A pretty beige dress adorn her form as she walked across the room. Ebony hair pulled upward in a proper and sophisticated bun as she made her was toward a cupboard. A mischievous grin adorned her lovers face as he watched her sway. A small chuckle leaving his throat as he stalked after her.

"Hey… Where are you going, darling? If you're as proud of me as you say you are… perhaps you can indulge me…"

A slight chuckle came from the pretty woman as she turned her head to face the man, who was now leaning against the doorway hintingly.

"Oh, Lockheart… You say that like I don't indulge you every damn night."

"You have such pretty language."

"Oh, fuck off! Like you don't enjoy it."

"Never said I didn't it. But, it does things to me…"

"Will you be patient! I got you something!"

A dark brown brow rose slightly. Dull blue eyes blinking in slight surprise as the man peeled himself from the doorway and walked slowly towards his lover.

"What do you mean?"

"A gift, you limey! What else?" This time the pretty dark haired woman twirled around with a small box in her hands. Red lips pulled upward in a happy smile as she slowly motioned him to take it, which he tenderly did.

"I… I got you a new pair. I know you're essentially blind with out some specs, so I figured that you could throw those old ones out and that you'd like these new—"

A small squeak escaped the woman's mouth as she was brought into a heated kiss and tight embrace. Slowly, getting over the sudden act of affection, the dark haired beauty slowly returned the kiss as once again, her arms wrapped around her lovers neck and shoulders.

He had dosed off. Eyes closed as he leaned back against his chair. A content and relaxed expression on his face as his eyeballs moved behind closed lids. That memory was one of many that haunted him daily. And every time he remembered them, he wanted to end this wretched 'Great Game' even more. Desmond didn't care what it took to finish it, so long as he was the last one remaining and all the other players were put in the ground. As long as he turned out to be the victor.

Desmond sat up, easing his glasses back on his face, groaning lazily as he looked back at monitor three, only to see that the girl that was once standing there, was fucking missing. Cloudy eyes widened instantly. Quickly scanning over all the monitors, hoping to spot her on any of the rest, but it seemed she had gotten herself in a blind spot.

"Bloody hell! Where the fuck did she go?" He stood up from his chair instantly, walking towards the front door of his domain. "Pups! Come on!" He yelled to them as he finally reached the double wooden doors. "I want you to find that broad and scare her off my fucking property. GO!"

Freki and Geri had followed after their master the minute he had walked out the room. At the command they were given, they quickly obeyed and walked out to the front of the mansion as Desmond opened one of the doors for them. He watched blankly as the two dogs began to frolic playfully in the yard and trotting around slowly as if they were on a fucking walk in some goddamn park. Desmond closed his eyes in frustration and shook his head, before slamming the door shut.

He quickly made his way back towards his office, his mind drifting back to the young girl and how she reminded him so much of his own…

'Fuck! Why the hell does this girl have to be here? Fucking bitch had to show up right in the middle of a goddamn war. If those damn pups don't show her what happens when someone fucking trespasses she is going to wish they had.'

While Desmond was thinking, he settled back into his chair and stared at the monitors. He noticed that the bigger man he had shot earlier had finally died. But, what really caught his attention was that the little princess had now entered the frame of monitor two. Slowly working her way across the front lawn toward the doors. But she seemed to be hesitated. Young face looking uncertain as if she half expected a monster or something to pop out.

'Where are those bloody dogs… they should have been gnawing on that bitch by now!'

Getting visibly annoyed now, after fucking realizing that he was by far the only reliable thing left in the Wasteland, he ran his decrepit hand down his scarred face. Glaring at the monitor the girl was in before noticing that on monitor five, another group of Tribal's were marching towards the mansion. Staring intently at the monitor with a glare so full of hate that if looks could kill that whole group would have been nothing but a bloody pulp by now.

He hurriedly rose from his chair and quickly grabbed his shotgun and exited the room. Walking towards one of the many windows and stared out into the Wasteland. From a distance he could see the group progressing towards the mansion, something he wouldn't have noticed hundreds of years ago due to his horrible eyesight, but becoming a ghoul did have it's perks.

Desmond looked out the window frame and noticed that the Tribal's were spreading out a bit, probably to surround the house. But all that really meant to him was that he'd be able to blast each one of their heads off one by one without much of a problem.

The ghoul hid to the side of the window and pressed his back against the wall. Grunting as he cocked his gun and slid down to the floor, right under the windowsill. He was waiting. Waiting for one of those cocksuckers to burst into his front doors. Quickly, he peered out from the slant of the window, and was surprised that instead of a goddamn Tribal outside, the girl that he had sent his dogs after, was now nearing his front door instead.

"…Got to be fucking kidding me… Damned idiot is going to get herself killed…"

As quickly as he had said that, cloudy eyes widened as they spotted one of the Tribal's with a hatchet in hand, slowly sneaking up on the oblivious girl, who seemed to be staring at the mansion with some sort of idiotic look of awe, none the wiser that her head was about to be chopped off.

Suddenly, with out any hesitated, the ghoul hopped up from his hiding place and cleanly shot the bastard right between the eyes. Teeth gritted and eyes wide in confusion. He slowly lowered his gun, panting.

'Why the fuck did I just give my position away for…'

But before he could even finish that thought, the sound of the girls shrilled scream rang out through out the entire fucking property. No doubt getting the attention from the rest of the tribal's. She must of felt the bullet past right by her face, because now she was fucking bolting toward the doors. Most likely trying to find cover from the gunfire.

"Oh goddamn it!"

Desmond quickly dashed towards his office, plucking as much ammo from his desk that he could, before going towards his intercom.

"YOU!"

His eyes were on the monitors, teeth gritted in fury at the sight that most of the Tribal's had found their way inside different sections of his house, their figures now clouding most of the screens. But quickly stealing the chance to flick his eyes on monitor one, the one that showed the girls shocked and wide eyed expression as she stared at the door, obviously hadn't expecting to hear anybody.

"YOU'RE NO TRIBAL! GET IN HERE AND HELP BE FIGHT THESE BASTARDS OFF, GODDAMNIT!"

DaLover – Thank you for being my first reviewer and I hope you'll be a constant fan of this lil story of mine. :B And I hope so too! Thanks honey.