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God, McAllister thought, Bobrov's moonshine really packs a punch. The jug was only a quarter empty, but he felt like he had no mass, like his body would float away if he didn't make an effort to keep it down. He rolled, or attempted to, towards his left, making sure Piper was still in the bed. She was, curled in a ball of flannel and ebony hair. She was lightly mumbling as she shifted and rustled her way into his side. With a half-hearted smile and a yawn, he set the bottle on the floor and threw an arm over her, tucking it beneath her chin.
He woke up cold and lonely, and found his bed empty. There was no evidence that Piper had been there at all, as the blankets were pristine. He yawned and sat up, trying to find his Vault suit through his sleepiness. After bumping the radio and sliding the table a few feet, clammy palms wrapped around the familiar fabric. He stood and slid his legs into the suit one by one, then zipped the torso up. Rubbing his eyes with the the knuckle of his thumb, he proceeded out of his bedroom and into the diner of the Red Rocket station. It, too, was barren. With no prompting whatsoever, his Pip-Boy lit up and crackled with sound.
"Good morning folks, it is one a.m. here in the Commonwealth. I'm your host, Travis 'Lonely' Miles bringing you the sweet sounds of music, all day, all night. We've been given a holotape with a song new to Diamond City Radio. This one is a little Pre-War tune called "Walkin' After Midnight" by Miss Patsy Cline. I found it appropriate to play it now, so here she comes."
"What the hell?" McAllister asked aloud.
I go out walkin', after midnight, out in the moonlight, just like we used to do. I'm always walkin', after midnight, searchin' for you.
The words were beautiful, without a doubt. McAllister found himself thinking, missing, Nora more than he ever had. He longed to see her auburn hair, her spring-green eyes. The ache to smell her sweet scent, honey with the slight hint of coffee and lavender, was incredibly powerful. God, it truly hurt to feel alone, even though he had Piper. She was great, a true catch in this living Hell. But, she wasn't his first love. He met Nora back in high school, his senior year. She was new, and he got the lucky chance to escort her around the campus. When he asked her to go out on their first date, he was so nervous. He choked and his voice cracked, and, somehow she said yes.
They stayed up well past midnight at a local coffee shop, talking about the small things at first. Her favorite color was teal, his was navy blue. She was taking night classes to kick-start law school. He had been thinking of joining the Army, specifically the Ranger Corps. She spoke of her older sister, who had just finished her eight years of schooling to become a doctor. McAllister didn't have any siblings, and his father (just like his grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-great-grandfather) had retired from the Army. When the barista came around to collect their dues, Nora tried paying. McAllister playfully swatted her hand away and pulled some bills from his wallet.
Nora mentioned that she didn't quite want to go home yet, so they walked to the park near the Sanctuary Hills neighborhood. The moon glistened against the autumn shade of leaves peppering the small park. Trickles of silver clung to the grassy hills and speckled the glassy surface of the pond. The only way to describe the scene would be anything beyond beautiful. They wandered for what felt like hours, though really it was only half an hour. When he leaned in to kiss Nora's lips, which were painted a dark maroon, she obliged and met him. Their lips fit together perfectly, like two puzzle pieces made to interlock into one another.
The feel of cold dirt beneath his feet shifted McAllister back into the present, where there was no Nora to hold and keep warm at night. All of his turrets were gone. There wasn't a guard post by the road, and there was neither MacCready or Cait taking watch over their home. The sudden spark of the spotlight both took him by surprise and blinded him. As his focus slowly returned, along with his sight, he noticed a slender figure standing in the soft glow. A teal, sequin dress hugged her curves perfectly, and complimented pale skin radiantly. Curled, elegant auburn hair flowed down to her upper back, and when she turned around, McAllister saw a faint glow of jade in her eyes.
"McAllister." her voice purred, a painfully familiar piece of a life he wanted nothing more than to go back to.
"Nora. Are you...?" he asked, voice just a click above being inaudible.
She put her finger to her lips, sliencing any questions he was dying to ask her. She put her hand out, the gesture she used to use any time she desired to dance. He accetped without hesitation as Pasty Cline slowly faded away, much to his chagrin. With a sigh he put his left hand on Nora's hip and smiled as he drank in her features. He lingered on the depth of her high cheekbones, the slender curve of her nose, and all the way down to the slight pout of her plump lips.
"My, my, ladies and gentlemen. That song was absolutely beautiful. Let's say we hear it one more time? If any of you out there are with a loved one, feel free to take this time to dance, courtesy of me: Travis 'Lonely' Miles. Maybe, just maybe, I'll find someone too."
The song kicked up again as Nora's hips swayed with the tune, the duo gracefully moving from place to place as McAllister led. A million emotions swept the area, reigning in and taking the wheel as they danced. She twirled, and he'd never seen a sight so nostalgic. It was just like their wedding night, the dancing and the music, the unspoken bond they shared. As the song died down once more, Nora stopped moving and wrapped herself up in McAllister's arms. They froze in time, each keeping their gaze held on the other's eyes.
"I love you, McAllister." Nora said, tears welling in her eyes.
"I love you too, Nora." he said, kissing her one last time.
She faded during the kiss, he could feel her presence moving away. Her tears were still damp on his cheeks, but it was a mixture of his too. He felt them run over his lips, leaving a salty taste of what was once the perfect life. He opened his eyes to see turrets lining the yard of the station, and Cait and MacCready cuddled together in the guard post, both sound asleep. He'd have to scold them later, because he just didn't have the strength to do it now.
"Blue?" he heard a familiar voice call.
McAllister turned and melted into Piper's arms, tears falling from his rainy-blue eyes. She kissed his forehead and ran her hands through his short hair, asking him if he was okay.
"She seemed so real, Piper." he said, voice rough from the crying. She immediately knew who he was talking about.
"Oh, Blue. I'm so sorry...I, uh...."
He cut her off with a rough kiss that begged her attention as he said, "Just promise me that you won't leave me."
"I promise, Blue. I'm not goin' anywhere. You're mine, I'm your's. I love you."
"I love you too, Pipes."