She blinked. She swore she only blinked, maybe blinked a few times, but still, she only fucking blinked.
"Blue? Are you feeling okay?"
Blue. There it was. The answer.
"You're really starting to freak me out here."
"Sorry, I'm fine. Just lost in thought." Renee quirked her lips into a small smile. "We should head back."
Piper nodded with a wink. "Don't think I haven't caught on to you, missy. I know exactly what you're after."
"And I was trying so hard to be subtle." Renee laughed as Piper playfully smacked her shoulder.
It felt so normal, and yet…so wrong.
The guards at Diamond City's gate watched them as they entered; but everyone knew their eyes were on Piper. Renee made sure long ago that if she and Piper were together, the guards left the reporter alone. She wasn't causing any trouble.
Did… Did I make sure? Or…
"Piper! Vaultie!" Nat jumped down from her crate and ran to meet them.
"Hey kiddo!" Piper grunted as Nat leapt on her. "Miss us?"
"Yeah!" Nat grinned as she pulled away. "Also Mr. Zwicky wants to see you but I swear it wasn't my fault," she said, forcing the words out all at once.
Piper caught it anyway. "Natalie Wright!"
As the sisters began to argue, Renee let her gaze wander. The streets of Diamond City were bustling with life, as usual. She watched a traveler get irritated with Takahashi and chuckled. Though she couldn't fault the man; she'd done the same thing when she first met the robot.
Her eyes caught a flash of black and brown. "Hm?" She saw a woman with short black hair in a bomber jacket walking through the middle of the market. "Piper, I'll be right back."
"Sure. Anyway—" Piper gave her a nod before turning back to her sister.
Renee jogged to catch up with the mystery woman. The faces of the Diamond City citizens blurred together as she went along. "Hey!" She reached out to her. "Wait!"
Someone taller than herself knocked into her. Once she was back on her feet, the strange woman from before was nowhere to be seen. Renee stopped and glanced around, searching. Her brow furrowed. What…was she searching for, exactly?
She went back to the newspaper office. Nat and Piper finished their argument and were talking when she arrived. "There you are." The reporter smiled. "So, should we head home?"
"Yeah. I don't know about you, but I'm starving." Renee grinned.
"Renee, you know I can't do this without you."
"Can't do…what?" She blinked, rather taken aback by Piper's sudden outburst.
"Dinner! You know my cooking isn't as good as yours." Piper gave a sheepish smile. "You always manage to make something good."
Renee nodded and turned to head to the Homeplate. "Right. Sorry."
The trio went right to the marketplace where her apartment was. As they walked, Renee glanced around and noticed she couldn't quite make out anyone. She stopped and rubbed her eyes. The faces of everyone surrounding her were still fuzzy. Maybe I…hit my head when we…
She realized she couldn't remember what she'd been doing before coming to Diamond City. "Piper, wait."
The reporter turned. "Hm?" She tilted her head. Unlike the citizens around them, her face was crystal clear.
"What were we doing out in the ruins?"
Piper arced an eyebrow. "Uh, looking for clues on where your son is? Like usual?" She stepped closer. "Are you feeling all right?"
"My…"
Right. Her son. That made—No. No, that didn't make sense.
"I miss you so much."
She whirled to see a couple embrace.
Piper put her hand on Renee's shoulder. She turned the woman. "Short stack, you're acting really weird again."
Renee staggered back. "You… You don't call me…"
Beyond her, Renee saw the woman from before. That same shoulder-length ebony hair, the brown bomber jacket… She shoved past the reporter. "None of this is right!" She shouted over her shoulder.
"Blue!" Piper called after her.
But Renee didn't care now. She ran after the woman, blasting past other citizens. She was nearly close enough to grab the woman's arm but then someone else pushed her back. "Wait!" She scrambled to catch up to her.
The woman went into a store Renee couldn't remember ever seeing. She stopped to catch her breath and looked up at the sign. Wicked Aesthetics.
Renee opened the door and stepped inside. A blue Assaultron stared at her, as well as a strange animal that looked like a cross between a snake and a dog. She ignored them.
"Gene."
The woman turned.
At once Renee realized where, and what, she was. "This is all a dream, isn't it? I'm dreaming." She shook her head.
"Short stack, I'm so sorry…" Gene's sapphire eyes filled with tears.
"No, no Gene, it's fine! I'm okay! I'm fine!" She reached out to her.
Gene looked away. "It's all my fault."
Renee tried to get to her, tried to grab her. The space between them grew and soon she was running. "Gene!"
"I never should have let you love me."
The floor fell out from under her. Renee reached to grab anything but there was nothing. Nothing but a black, endless void. She looked up to see Noodle and Z0E peering into the hole. "Gene!"
All at once she landed.
"Hey Ren, time to get up!"
Her eyes snapped open and she found herself in a very familiar bed. She sat up and looked to the doorway.
"Olivia?!"