A/N:This story has been rolling around in my head for a little while, and I finally decided to bring it to life with a little encouragement from some friends. If you are curious about my other ongoing fanfic, I haven't forgotten about it; I am just suffering from a little writers block.
The skirmisher sat at the bar listening to Elliot retell anyone within earshot of his epic victory they had this evening. He had two kills with 353 damage. She thought to herself as she sipped on her appletini. *Danger, Move!* The legend jumped and looked to the side at the blonde who was leaning next to her. I didn't hear her approach. She frowned as she gave her attention to the intruder. "I wanted to congratulate you on your amazing victory today." Natalie cheerfully said. "It was nothing, really." The skirmisher tried to downplay what happened. "Mon cheri, eleven kills with 2,500 damage was an amazing feat. No?" Natalie waited. She blushed at the attention. "It really wasn't anything, Just luck." She said as she reached for her glass.
*You're not safe there.* She gulped down the rest of her drink before standing. "Thanks." She said as she turned and left the electrical engineer on her own, walking to the restroom to compose herself. She took a deep breath as she was looking at herself in the mirror. Get it together. She is just another legend. She tried to convince herself. *You like her. This is dangerous. You'll just get her killed.* The voices boomed in her head. "Shut up." She whispered to herself trying to calm her inner demons as she walked back into the bar area waving at Elliot to get his attention. "Renee, this will be your fifth one are you sure you want another?" He asked cautiously. "I'm fine." She smirked as he handed her another glass while she continued listening in on the conversation of the rambunctious legends at the end of the bar.
Season five starts in a few weeks and everyone started to tweak their approaches to the games when it was announced they would be returning to an altered Kings Canyon. "Your fence placement during the last match was great." Anita pointed at the defensive legend. "Thank you. Papa would have been so proud." Natalie fidgeted with her hands. That's right her dad died. Renee furrowed her brow at how uncomfortable the young blonde looked as the other legends continued the conversation about game tactics. *Don't!* The voices murmured. "Natalie, How about getting some fresh air….with me?" She cleared her throat, " I can walk you home." Renee called out from the end of the bar. All the other legends turned towards her with their mouths open. Shit. She thought as her heart sank to her stomach. *Now look at what you did.* The voices all screamed at once causing her to flinch. "That would be nice." The blonde's voice snapped her out of her head. Renee nodded and stood, leaving her drink on the counter unfinished. She didn't acknowledge the silent group of legends as she followed the young blonde out of the bar.
The walk home was silent as the two women made their way back to the legends gated community. Renee walked over to wave her keycard carefully against the gate when she jumped, "The stars are so beautiful." Natalie broke the silence. Renee stopped what she was doing and couldn't help the smile that tugged on her lips. Renee nodded as she opened the gate waiting for Natalie to walk through. "Merci." Natalie quietly said as she waited for Renee to close the gate. "So are you ready for season five to launch?" Renee asked, trying to keep the conversation going. "Yes. I can't wait to see what they have done with some of my new inventions." Natalie replied. Renee looked at the young blonde, "Things to make the games harder?" Renee asked. "In some ways harder and in others easier." She stated as she stared off in the distance. Renee's mouth lifted in a small smile as she lightly waved her hand in front of the young blonde's face. "You okay?" She inquired. "Ma faute, I was thinking of some of the concepts they may have used. It's going to be so much fun." Natalie eagerly stated as they walked up towards her door. "Merci, Renee for walking me home. I'll see you at the training gym." She leaned forward to kiss Renee's cheek before unlocking her door to slip inside. Renee stood there for what felt like hours holding her hand to her cheek. She kissed me. She thought as she turned to walk across the street to her house stumbling in the walkway. Shit. She thought as her cheeks darkened.
Each of the houses were similarly built, two bedrooms, one bathroom, one car garage with a small yard. The only difference in the neighborhood was each house was painted a different color matching the personality of the legend that lived there; she looked up and sighed at her grey house. Here goes another night of boredom. She thought to herself as she opened the door to a sparsely decorated house. She sat down on her couch and let her mind wander to the games. I wonder if the new legend will be any good. She thought as she reflected on the ass that started the games in season four. He is annoying, and the way he looks at you. She thought as her void crackled on her hands. She took a deep breath and leaned back on the couch to close her eyes reflecting on the light kiss she received from Natalie. *You won't be able to keep her safe. You don't even know all about yourself. You could be the one that hurts her.* She sighed and turned over not liking the cold feeling sinking in her bones. I won't risk her safety for my own selfishness. She thought as she let sleep pull her away.
After a restless night of sleep she groaned at the light from the early morning sun. She pushed herself into a sit and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Coffee. She repeated her single desire as she walked in the kitchen to reach for the bag when someone started banging on her front door. Who the hell? She thought as she opened the door. "What do you want?" She glared at the intruder. "You had a lot to drink last night just making sure you got home okay." Elliot stood waiting for an invitation inside. "I said I was fine last night. I'll be at the training gym in about an hour." She grumbled closing the front door. Coffee. Once again filled her head as she started the coffee pot.
Renee was leaning against the wall catching her breath after a sparring match with Anita. "You did good, kid." Anita praised as she slapped her hand on Renee's back. "You need to work on protecting your core though." Antia laughed as she walked away. Renee closed her eyes and rolled her neck. I am sore. *Someone's staring at you.* She snapped her eyes open. "Mon Cherie, I was wondering if you wanted to spar with me?" Natalie inquired. "Yeah sure." She pushed off the wall, following the young blonde to the center ring. "Don't go easy on me." Natalie smirked. "I won't." Renee rolled her eyes as Natalie started the match. She easily moved from left to right to avoid the strikes. Natalie had her hands on her knees trying to catch her breath. "You are using your voices aren't you." She said between breaths. She was met with silence. "Can you try not using them?" Natalie wiped the sweat from her face. "Okay." Renee answered as she rushed forward to connect her fist to Natalie's jaw. The sparring match continued until both women were hunched forward catching their breaths. "That was impressive." Renee said as she wiped the blood from her nose. Natalie blushed at the compliment. "I've been working with Anita and Elliot to build my stamina." She replied. "We will have to do this again sometime; it's been awhile since I've been challenged." Renee smirked as she walked towards the locker room. She would have stayed in the shower longer if her stomach hadn't made itself known. What to do for dinner? She thought to herself as she rounded the corner, stopping dead in her tracks. *Don't look, Look, She is hot, Run.* Her voices were drowned out from the sight before her. Natalie was in the process of shedding her clothing. Whoa. She couldn't peel her eyes away in time before Natalie looked up. "You look like a walking bruise." Natalie gasped out. Renee's face turned tomato red. Shit. She quickly turned towards her locker. "It's nothing that won't heal." She said quickly, trying to figure out a way out of the awkward situation. I could punch a void tunnel. She smirked at the thought. "I'm going to grab some dinner. Would you like to join me?" Natalie asked as she pulled a shirt over her head. Renee shook her head slightly trying to regain control of herself. She's just another legend. She tried as her voices had at her again *A hot legend who you can't stop thinking about.* They rang in her head. "Stop." She murmured to herself as Natalie looked up with confusion on her face. "I was going to grab a burger or something anyways." Renee answered as she pulled her hair up in it's signature bun. "Let's go." Natalie eagerly said as she walked out of the locker room with the void walker not far behind.