She didn't know how SHE would react. Her. Sarah.
She'd been thinking about her all the time.
It had taken her so long to wake up. Why? Why had it taken her so long to wake up?
Reagan hadn't known how to handle it and had just left. After that... Turing on the purifier.
Sarah had offered to go in. She hadn't insisted, but... Reagan couldn't do that. Her dad had just died. She had nothing. Of course she was going in. Her father's dead body still lay on the ground. Sarah had the entire Brotherhood. Reagan had nothing.
"I'm going," She had said, chin raised high and Sarah's face fell slightly. She had been ready to go in.
"You don't have to," She said, not quite pleading, but almost. They still barely knew each other.
"Sarah..." Reagan had whispered. Then she'd leaned in. Almost a kiss. A thunderous rumble shook the building. "I have to go," Reagan blurted and slammed her fist against the button. Everything in her mind shut down and all she could see was the keypad in front of her. She stumbled, everything blurring. It didn't even hurt.
She only found out later that when she went in, Sarah had watched her. Sarah's own panic rising. She had jabbed the button over and over again, trying to open it again. Finally, it had responded after the timeout and Sarah rushed in. Reagan had already collapsed and Sarah picked her up, desperately trying to save someone she didn't really know.
Reagan woke up in the Citadel later. She was in the same room as Sarah.
She just... She had been so ready to die.
She lingered for a while. She sat by Sarah's bed, but she didn't know what to say. Finally, she left.
She was traveling through Rivet City when she heard from Three Dog that Sarah was back in action. Her heart immediately picked up and she left that day. It had been five months.
Now she was here. The Citadel. Sarah...
At first, she couldn't find her. She had to ask around.
She was alone, fixing up a gun of hers.
"Hey," Reagan greeted, a timid smile on her face.
Sarah turned, eyes going wide. She dropped the gun with a clatter on the ground.
She jumped to her feet and looked like she wanted to run to Reagan, but she held back, nervous.
The two sort of stayed there, neither knowing what to say. Then, Sarah took a hesitant step forward.
"You doing okay?" She asked. Her blonde hair wasn't up in a pony like it usually was and it fell softly around her face.
Reagan nodded, a blush creeping over her face. "Yeah. You?"
"They say I'm getting better everyday."
Reagan nodded and another silence weighed over them.
There were so many things Reagan wanted to say. So many things she could say. But she wanted to be careful. She didn't want to say the wrong thing.
Her heart was beating fast. Okay, fuck it.
She took several steps forward and closed the distance between them.
She cautiously gathered Sarah into a hug. The woman was taller than she was, but Reagan just rested her head gently on her shoulder, her hair tickling her face.
Sarah returned the hug, both arms wrapping securely around Reagan.
"I'm glad you're okay," Reagan whispered and Sarah nodded.
"You too."
Neither of them moved away. It was warm and soft and comforting. Reagan turned her head, and Sarah seemed to take that as an indication that the other woman was uncomfortable and wanted to break the hug, so she pulled away. But Reagan caught her arms and they stared into each others eyes, fronts still touching, their warm breath filling the space between them.
Sarah was the one who initiated it. Her lips pressed to Reagan's and suddenly she was being pulled closer to the Sentinel's body.
Sarah was strong and secure, tall and protecting and she felt safe in her arms. She returned the kiss in earnest, fingers slipping through her soft hair, hands brushing over the skin of her neck.
Sarah's breathing picked up. "I thought you were going to die in there," She choked, breaking the kiss. "I... I thought I was going to never see you again and I just... I couldn't imagine that. I..." Her shoulders started to shake and her bottom lip quivered.
Raegan tugged her back down, clutching at her. The only thing running through her mind was Sarah.
Raegan might have lost her vault and her father, but she still had Sarah. Sarah was the only reason she was still going, and for now, the only reason she had to keep going.