The sharp crack of a gunshot jolted Alex awake. Her eyes snapped open, staring up at the ceiling through the darkness. She lay in bed unmoving, every muscle in her body tense as she tried to determine the source of the sound. Nothing. All was quiet in her house, except for soft, intelligible mumbling as Piper turned away from Alex, pulling the covers tighter around her shoulders. She realised, to her chagrin, that she must have jostled Piper during her sudden awakening. Taking care not to disturb the woman any further, Alex sat up, trying to remember why she had awoken.
She covered her face with her hands, concentrating on the gunshot she had heard. It was…a dream. Little pieces started trickling back, falling into place as she collected herself. It was Vault 111, where her dream had taken place. No, not dream. It was a memory. A nightmare. One that she had visited a few times before.
She is back in the cryostasis pod again, trapped, with nothing to look at but her husband frozen in his own pod, Shaun still safe in his arms. Then Kellogg enters her field of vision, standing at ready as another figure thaws Nate out and tries to take Shaun from him. She beats her fists futilely on the glass window of her pod, yelling at Nate to let go, at Kellogg to stop. She watches as Kellogg raises his pistol slowly at Nate. The killer turns his head back, gives her a cold smile, and shoots Nate without looking. Then Alex screams, hands throwing themselves at the glass until blood trails down from the knuckles, as she watches Shaun get carried away again.
It usually ended here. The last images she would remember after waking up, was Nate's body lying limp in his pod, while Kellogg followed his companion out. But this time, he did not leave. Kellog remained, never taking his eyes off Alex as he strode over to her. He stopped when they were face-to-face, meeting Alex's hateful glare through the glass.
"Did you think I would leave you alone?" His voice sounded loud and clear in her ears, as though he was in the pod with her. "Did you think I would allow you to kill me and walk away scot-free? No."
He stepped away from her then, and returned to Nate's pod. Only this time, Nate was not in it. Piper stood in his place, struggling against the restraints that strapped her to the icy prison.
"I want you to feel pain." Kellogg raised his pistol again and fired. Piper's pained yell rang out through the vault as a bullet burrowed into her thigh.
"I want you to feel weak." Another shot. Red blossomed over the fabric covering Piper's stomach.
"I want you to feel despair." A new patch of blood on her chest.
Kellogg stepped forward, placing the barrel of his gun under Piper's chin, lifting it so Alex could see her face in full. Piper's eyes were glazed over from pain. Her lips were parted, short and shallow breaths condensing into mist. Colour was starting to drain from her skin. Alex shouted Piper's name through her tightened throat, but nothing came out.
"I want you to die." He pulled the trigger.
Alex lifted her head, the gunshot fading from her mind for the second time. Her gaze fell onto Piper's sleeping form, where it stayed for a few minutes to make sure Piper was still breathing. It's just a dream, she told herself, watching Piper's chest rise and fall. But logic succumbed to paranoia, and Alex wanted to make sure. She reached forward, placing her fingers on Piper's neck to feel her pulse. Satisfied with the regular beat, Alex's fingers trailed up to under her chin, where a wound – thankfully – did not exist. Alex let out a breath she did not know she was holding. She moved her hand, resting it on Piper's shoulder as she gazed down at the woman's profile. The image of Piper's dying expression was still imprinted in her mind. But it was fading, faster now as reality took a stronger foothold.
Running her fingers through Piper's hair, Alex leaned down, pressing her lips on Piper's temple.
"I love you," she whispered, waiting a few seconds even though she knew there would be no answer.
Then she lay back down, pressing herself close to Piper's back and wrapping an arm around her midriff. Piper's warmth brought the heat back to her cold skin. It took a long time, but she was eventually lulled to sleep by the steady rhythm of Piper's breathing.