Title: Sensible Shoes
Author: exbex
Fandom: Due South
Pairing: Ren(ee) Turnbull/Ray Vecchio
Length: 385 words
Rating: G
Warning: you have to squint to see it, perhaps, but there's implied long-ago bullying/harassment in Turnbull's past
A/N: genderswapped Turnbull AU, same 'verse as I Sank Your Battleship, but stands alone



Frannie had picked out the dress for her, declaring that a little black number is a staple of every woman’s wardrobe. It’s nice; cut tastefully and in a flattering fashion, easy to move in. Frannie had also picked out shoes (flats, because heels are always a disaster), but Renee had returned them to the store, albeit apologetically, because they had pinched her feet, and if she’s thinking about her feet during her date with Ray, nothing will go well, she’s sure of it.
And it has been a long while since she has dared to hope for anything to go well.
She had let Frannie do her hair in soft, simple curls, and they had only briefly argued about makeup. Makeup is a disaster; Renee can’t concentrate, among all her nervousness, over not leaving lipstick on her glass or making sure her eye-liner doesn’t smudge.
Ray’s due to arrive in fifteen minutes and she’s still barefoot. She bites her lip and finally reaches for a pair of red canvas shoes with white laces. They’ll look incongruous, but maybe she can pass them off as quirky and cute. Besides, if something were to happen, and she needs to walk a distance, or possibly run away, she’ll be prepared.
(Renee sighs inwardly and chides herself. Depot was a long time ago, after all. But they’re still a better choice than her high browns, so she puts them on over a pair of socks, tying the laces tightly).
**
Ray looks up from the street outside of Turnbull’s apartment, watching her through the window. He can’t help but look at her with an assessing gaze. Her dress shows off her figure, the one that’s hidden behind serge all the time, but tastefully. Her hair is different, but looks touchable. Ray suddenly wants to bolt. Renee’s a sweet girl, a contradiction who bites her lip nervously but knows her own mind and doesn’t take any crap. Ray has a feeling that she’s exactly what he needs, and that’s terrifying. If he screws this up, he’ll feel like a jerk.
That, and Frannie’ll kill him.
Ray squares his shoulders and wills himself not to sweat bullets. He’s going to take Renee out, treat her like she deserves, and make her feel like a million bucks, even if it kills him.