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:: Winifred - Chapter 2 ::
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During her years away Fred was aware she'd became more cultured and sophisticated then she would ever have thought possible, and she attributed a good bit of it to Greg and his help. She'd put on some weight, which she had badly needed, since when she came back from Pylea she had been nothing but skin and bone. She dressed in fashionable clothing, but only those that flattered her figure. And everyday she applied a small amount of makeup that made her look natural and radiant. Her hair that had once been an unruly mess was cut up to her shoulders and she often had it straightened or tied in a bun to stop it from falling into her eyes. In short she had grown up in England, and learned there was a life outside Los Angeles and Angel Investigations.
Despite all these changes she remained steadfast in her love for Charles, even though she had not seen him since the night of her party. The truth was she hadn't been back to LA since she first left for Oxford. She still wrote to Cordelia and she knew she belonged there and they expected her to return but she usually spent her holidays with her family or staying with Catherine and during the summer she'd travelled England and Europe, visiting all the great cities, Paris, Rome, Brussels, Venice and many others. The two years she'd spent in Oxford where probably the happiest of her adult life. She adored it and was sorry to leave it. She'd left there a happy woman ready to return to life back home in LA with her friends.
So here she was standing outside the old doors of the Hyperion, and leaving her suitcases on the top step she went inside.
"Can I help you miss? We help the helpless." Charles said as he looked over the attractive woman who had entered the hotel.
"Charles!" she beamed, a look of happiness on her beautiful face. He was taken aback.
"Do I know you?"
"Yes. You don't recognise me? Well that's understandable I guess, I have been away for a while."
"You're from around here? And I thought I knew every good-looking woman this side of LA."
"I could have sworn you took in more territory then that."
He frowned in contemplation, "I know I know you, I just can't quite remember how. Why don't you tell me who you are?"
"Oh no, this is much more fun." She giggled.
"Well, if you know me then I guess you'll be coming to my party tonight?"
"Party?" she asked gleefully.
"Yeah, birthday party, you'll come won't you?"
"I'd love to!"
"Great, that's great."
Hearing a noise Fred looked over Gunn's shoulder and saw Wesley descending the stairs his nose as usual in Rhinehardt's Compendium.
"Gunn I think we're dealing with a Holc'atoss demon."
"Huh?" Gunn replied his gaze fixed on the woman before him.
"I said I think we-" Wesley stopped and looked up seeing the young woman and a smile crossed his face. He came over and gave her a brief awkward hug. "Fred, how are you? We weren't expecting you back until next week."
"Fred?"
"I got an earlier flight, saved me waiting around, besides I couldn't wait to get back to you guys."
"This is Fred?"
"Fred!" Cordelia squealed as she ran down the stairs and embraced her friend tightly. "Wow, you look great! That English lifestyle sure agreed with you! So have you met any rich English guys?" Cordy asked a glint in her eyes.
"Not in the sense you mean Cordy, no."
"Oh well. Where are your bags?"
"I left them just outside the door."
"Angel." Cordy yelled.
"Fred?" Gunn said again.
"Why does he keep saying that?" Wes asked
"Yeah?" Angel said as he entered the lobby, "Fred! Great to have you back!"
"It's great to be back."
"Angel grab her bags and bring them upstairs will you?" Cordelia asked, "I've got the room all made up and ready for you. I even redecorated with Lorne's help. We'll get you settled in and you can tell me all about your European adventures." Cordelia babbled as she half dragged Fred up the stairs followed by a baggage laden Angel.
"Mmmm hmmm." Gunn said appreciatively as he watched her ascend the stairs, "That ugly duckling has certainly turned into one hot little swan."
"Yes, pity your spoken for Gunn isn't it?" Wes said entering his office and closing the door behind him.
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“Oh Angel, thank you.” Fred said to the vampire as he dropped her bags just inside her newly painted bedroom. “Now wait until you see what I brought you back from England.”
“Where’s Cordy?”
“I dunno, she said something about checking catering or something.”
“Oh, right.”
He shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably as she rooted around in one of her suitcases before smiling in triumph as she draped a tie over his shoulder and gave him a rather large bottle of cologne.
“Thanks.” He jingled the bottle in his hand lightly before placing it down on a nearby chair. “So, how are you Fred?”
“Great, I’m so happy to be back. I never realised how much I missed y’all until I walked in those doors!”
“So, you’re okay with Faith? I mean she and Gunn have been…close since she arrived.” He told her carefully.
“Oh I know. Cordy told me about her.” She smiled unpacking.
He grinned; this was too good to be true. “Great, that’s…great. You’ll have to meet her, she’s out training with Spike at the moment so…”
“Spike? Who’s Spike?”
Angel stiffened a little and grimaced. “Nobody important, he’s a…uh, he’s a vampire.”
Fred’s eyebrows shot up. “A vampire. You guys taking in vampires these days?”
“No, he’s,” Angel rolled his eyes and muttered. “He’s got a soul now.”
“A soul?” her eyes lit up and she smiled as a thought came to her. “So he’s like a mini-Angel? Oh, how cute!”
“No, no. He is *not* a mini-Angel. He’s not a mini anything. He’s annoying and cocky and…peroxide.” he finished lamely. She was still smiling and he shook his head. “Anyway, so you’re okay with all that Faith stuff then?”
“Okay with what Faith stuff?” She asked frowning.
Angel sighed. “Fred I’m sorry, I-I thought you knew, but…Gunn and Faith are getting married.”
“Oh I know that, Cordy wrote and told me.”
Angel sighed in relief sending up a silent prayer of thanks before she continued.
“But as my Mama always said, a man’s single until he says ‘I do’.”
“Fred that’s, that’s crazy. I mean really…Gunn and Faith are getting married, he’s…he’s spoken for.”
“He didn’t look very spoken for when I walked in the door Angel.” She closed the dresser door and turned to him. “Angel don’t worry, it’ll all work out alright in the end. You’ll see.”
“I hope so.” He whispered silently leaving her to unpack in peace.
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The party was in full swing by the time Fred decided it was time to make her grand entrance. If she was going to meet Charles’ fiancée, she was going to do it in style. She was not going to look like a dowdy country bunion beside the sexy slayer. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest as she surveyed herself in the mirror. It was a simple A-line black dress, off the shoulder and a low neckline, but not too low, she didn’t want to look like a streetwalker after all. She looked good in it and knew it. Greg had said once it was his favourite. She swept her hair up in a smooth roll, pinning any stray hair discreetly in place. With a final nod to her reflection she took a deep breath and prepared to start the evening that she hoped would change the rest of her life.
There were people on her way down the first few flights of stairs; most who didn’t even pay her any attention, not that she cared. There was only one man’s attention she wanted tonight. Smoothing any little ripples in the dress she took a deep breath and walked as elegantly as possible down the stairs.
Immediately her gaze locked on Charles dancing with whom she presumed was Faith but his eyes roamed around the room until he saw her and his eyes widened just slightly a grin spreading on his face. She smiled back. This was going good so far.
“Whoa, Fred.” Cordy walked around her shock on her face. “That’s some dress.”
“Thanks Cordy.”
“This her then?”
A man dressed in a black leather duster with pronounced cheekbones and eyes that roamed every inch of her body lounged casually against one of the many stools in the place. Cordelia rolled her eyes.
“Yes Spike.”
“Spike?” Fred smiled and walked forward. “You’re the vampire with a soul. Like Angel.”
“Angel?!” he straightened, sputtering wildly. “Listen pet, I’m nothing like that ponce. I’ve actually got a sense of humour, not like Master Dark And Brooding.”
She giggled and he grinned. “Can hardly deny it’s true love.”
“Fred!”
She twirled around seeing Charles dragging the brunette behind him. Fred’s smile grew even wider and beside her Spike’s eyebrow rose as he looked pointedly towards Cordelia who frowned crossing her arms.
“Charles!”
“Uh Fred, this is Faith.”
“Hi.”
“Hey.” Faith’s head cocked to the side, as she looked her over before looking her straight in the eyes. “You never said she was cute.” She grinned looking over at her fiancée.
“Musta slipped my mind baby.”
“Yeah, I bet it did.”
“It’s nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.” Fred smiled uncomfortably at her.
Faith looked past Fred to Cordy. “From Queen C? I’d believe every word of it. But I ain’t like that anymore.”
“Oh, well, she never said anything really very bad-”
“It’s cool Fred, don’t worry about it. We’re bestest buds now, right Cordy?”
Cordelia rolled her eyes. “Yeah, sure.”
Across the floor Angel and Wesley lingered at the edge of the floor trying to slink back into the shadows.
"She's certainly changed." Angel commented waving in the general direction of where the others stood.
"Yes, she has." Wesley frowned and Angel glanced at him.
"I'm guessing your thoughts are going in the same general direction as mine then." He sighed leaning back against the doorjamb. "Gunn."
"Yes," Wesley admitted quietly. "It could be a problem."
"Could be?," Angel said wryly, "He can barely keep his eyes off her, and the last thing we need is him going off with Fred leaving a jealous slayer who still has certain violent tendencies."
"Perhaps it won't come to that."
"The eternal optimist Wes?"
Wesley chuckled drily. "I don't think I've ever been called that before." He paused for a moment watching as Faith dragged Gunn back onto the dancefloor while Fred's eyes followed their movements. "I just hope it's not going to be an issue."
"I think it already is."
He glanced at Angel, his forehead was creased into worried little lines.
"How do you mean?"
"Fred and i had a little conversation earlier." He shifted uncomfortably. "The gist of it was until Gunn has a ring on his finger, he's still single, and I get the feeling she'll be taking advantage of that."
Wes frowned and let out a frustrated breath. "Then something will have to be done." He said determinedly watching as she conversed with Spike and Cordy but her eyes constantly drifting to the couple on the dancefloor.
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Fred watched as Gunn manoeuvred Faith around the floor suddenly bumping into one guy with a beer bottle who was carelessly waving it about. As expected, it poured all down her top and leather trousers. Fred tried to hide a smile, unsuccessfully if that raised eyebrow of Spikes was anything to go by, and watched as Gunn apologised to his fiancée trying to mop it up using the napkins. She pushed him off obviously telling him she’d do it herself and weaved her way through the crowd and up the stairs.
“Um, I think I’ll get a drink.” Fred smiled at Spike and Cordy and moved away towards the courtyard. She didn’t have long to wait.
“Care to dance?”
She turned around and found Charles smiling down at her. She grinned and placed her hand in his outstretched one.
“I’d love to.” She told him.
He lead her back to the dance floor and she could feel her pulse race as he placed an arm around her waist and drew her closer to him. She kept her eyes level with his throat, his Adam’s apple bobbing occasionally. She wanted to remember every second of this. She consciously memorised the feel of his shirt beneath her fingertips, the smell of the fresh aftershave he wore, and the way it felt to have his arm wrapped so securely around her as they swayed in time to the music. She quickly relaxed and rested her head against his shoulder.
“Fred, where have you been all my life?” he murmured against her ear.
“In a hell dimension for a good part of it.”
He chuckled appreciatively and she grinned feeling it rumble through his chest. “What say you and me take this little party of ours to a more…private location.”
She nodded willingly pulling back to look at him. “Why don’t we?”
“You just go on ahead out to the end of the courtyard. There’s a cosy little alcove down there and I’ll-”
“Get the champagne and Lorne to sing ‘Isn’t It Romantic’.”
“You really were paying attention.” He commented smiling down approvingly at her.
She dipped her chin and blushed. “I’ll be waiting.” She whispered to him as she waltzed past him knowing he was watching her every move appreciatively but stopping herself from actually looking over her shoulder and checking. She couldn’t help the giggle that bubbled out of her as her step quickened veering her towards the end of the garden.
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Wes watched as Fred disappeared out of view and Gunn whispered in Lorne’s ear before picking up two champagne glasses and burying them deep in his back pockets and winked at an old client before grabbing a bottle of champagne. He jogged towards the exit but just as he reached it Wes caught up to him.
“Gunn.”
“Wes, hey. Enjoying the party?”
“Oh, you know me and parties.”
“Yeah,” he grinned impatiently.
“Gunn, Angel would like a word in the office.”
“Angel? About what?”
“I think you know.” Wes raised an eyebrow and looked pointedly towards the bottle in his hands.
“Oh. Right.” He grimaced and Wes followed as they left for the office.
Angel paced waiting, as he’d agreed with Wesley, within the confines of the office. He looked up as they both entered.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“Look Angel, I know how it looks but-”
“You know how it looks?! Can you believe this?” He asked Wes who remained silent. “Four months ago you came into this very office with Faith and told me you were going to marry her. When I didn’t exactly pop open the champagne bottles you spent weeks telling me she was the only girl for you, the only one you could see spending the rest of your life with, growing old with. Like a fool, I believed you.”
“Angel perhaps you should calm down.”
“Don’t start Wes, you saw how he was behaving and he is damn lucky Faith didn’t come back down to see that little public groping session with Fred.”
“Come on man, it was just a little dance. Besides I, I love her.”
Angel stopped pacing and looked wide eyed at him while Wes frowned in the corner looking at the projecting glasses out of Gunn’s back pockets.
“You love her. Well isn’t that just wonderful.” Angel smirked sarcastically. “You hear this Wes? He’s in love. With Fred.” He glowered back at Gunn. “She’s not even back twenty four hours, and you love her?” He planted his fists on the desk and leaned over threateningly at him.
“Yeah, it’s always been Fred, I’ve just been too blind to see it. You know what they say about looking for what’s right under your nose.” Gunn had a small smile on his face that soon fell when he saw the murderous look on Angel’s face and instead backed away a few steps holding his hands up, the champagne bottle left forgotten at the corner of the desk.
“She wasn’t right under your nose, she was in England for two years. And what about Faith?”
“She’ll get over it.” He shrugged. “Come on man, you know she can have any guy she wants.”
“Get over it?! Yeah, you’re right, she will. Right after she grinds you and Fred into mince meat and quite possibly half of Los Angeles!” He leaned back and rubbed a tired hand over his eyes. “Wes.” He pleaded turning in the direction of the ex-watcher.
Wes pursed his lips before stepping forward and regarding both men. “You may not like what I’m going to say Angel.”
“What?” He asked in disbelief.
Wes walked over to Gunn and pulled up two chairs. “If Gunn’s in love with Fred and she’s in love with him, as would seem to be the case, we need to calmly sit down and discuss it. Deal with it properly.”
“Wes.” Angel said dangerously.
“Trust me.” Wes replied his eyebrows raised keeping his gaze on Angel as he spoke to Gunn. “Sit down Gunn.”
“Oh no I can’t. I gotta go, she’s waiting for me outside.”
Wes turned and placed a hand on his shoulder. “She’s waited nearly three years for you Gunn another few minutes won’t matter. Not when you’re going to spend the rest of your lives with each other.”
“Fine but Aggggghhhhhhhhh!” Gunn sat down on the chair and yelled as the smashing and crunching of glass echoed through the room. Wes turned to smother a satisfied smile before turning to face his friend.
“What happened?” Angel asked now standing beside the chair.
“Champagne glasses!” Gunn said breathlessly. “I sat on champagne glasses.”
“Champagne glasses? On the chair?” He turned to Wes who shrugged.
“They were in my back pockets!” Gunn replied moving restlessly.
“Oi, what’s all the commotion?” Spike asked walking in the door followed by Cordy.
“Oh my God! Gunn!” She rushed over to his side, crouching beside him. “Are you all right?”
“I’ve got two champagne glasses sticking outta my ass Cordy, what do you think?”
Spike laughed earning him a glare from most of the occupants of the room. “Sat on champagne glasses? You pillock.”
“Here, help me get him over to the couch.” Angel told him grabbing hold of one arm while Spike grabbed hold of the other sniggering as they laid him face down on the cushions. “Cordelia call the doctor.”
“On it.” She hopped up and picked up the phone.
“Spike get out.”
“Oh come on! Can’t a vampire have some fun around here? This plonker just sat on glass. It’s the funniest thing I’ve seen this century.”
“Out!” Angel growled dragging him by the collar out of the door. Wes made to follow but was called back.
“Wes.” Gunn called pleadingly to his friend.
“Yes?”
“Fred, she, she’s waiting for me but I can’t go see her like this.”
“Of course not.”
“Go tell her what happened. Well not exactly what happened, make it sound more macho.”
“I’ll tell her you stood up for her like a man…and sat down like a fool.” He commented dryly.
“Thanks man. You’re one in a million.”
He looked sideways at Cordy who was still talking on the phone. “I’ll take care of it. For now though, I’ll leave you in the capable hands of Cordelia.”
“Thanks man. Appreciate it.”
Wes smiled smugly to himself. Now onto phase two.
----------
Fred twirled around excitedly. Her stomach fluttered and her nervous excitement was nearly overwhelming. She couldn’t seem to stop smiling to herself. Charles was coming to her. At long last the man she had loved would finally see her as the woman she was and not the demented, hyper-active, crazy woman whom they’d rescued from Pylea.
It may have taken two years away in a foreign country and a lot of growing up and maybe even a vampire slayer, but finally she would get what she wanted, and she knew instinctively that what was going to happen would all be worth. All the pain and humiliation, the separation, the jealousy…everything that had happened was leading up to this moment. The moment when she would finally be with Charles Gunn. And he loved her. He virtually said as much when they were dancing together. Life couldn’t get much better, could it?
Her eyes widened in shock and she felt herself flush as she twirled around and found Wesley standing a few feet behind her, a crooked smile on his face.
“Oh please. Don’t let me interrupt you.”
She frowned when she saw the glasses in his hands and the bottle tucked berween his arm and his chest.
“I’m meant to be meeting Charles here.”
“Yes, I know.” He moved towards her and placed the items on a small table nearby. “I’m afraid he can’t make it tonight. He’s been unavoidably detained. But he sent me instead. I hope I’m not much of a disappointment.”
“Of course not.” She smiled uncomfortably. “Unavoidably detained?”
“Yes. He had an accident….with some champagne glasses.”
“An accident?” Her voice pitched higher then normal and he smiled reassuringly at her.
“He’ll be fine, don’t worry. He just sent me out here to tell you he couldn’t make it and let you know he’ll be fine.”
“Oh, well that, that’s nice.” She glanced towards the hotel, the soft voices of the crowd still audible. “I guess we should get back.”
“Oh, there’s no rush.” Wes popped open the bottle and poured the golden liquid into the glasses, handing one to her. “There’s really nothing to worry about Fred."
"If you say so."
"I do." He smiled at her. "Come now Fred, I'd hope that considering you've spent two years away, you'd have forgiven me by now?"
"Wes, I'm not angry with you. Really. Maybe I was at first, but I loved England. I had a great time and met a lot of great people. But I'm back now and I think it's only right I tell you, I won't let you stand in the way of my happiness or Charles'." She told him forcefully, standing her ground.
Wesley shook his head. "Gunn and I are friends. I’d never do anything to hurt him. I have only his best interests at heart." He stepped closer to her so she could see his eyes. "We are friends Fred. Friends look out for each other. Friends share and share alike. That's why he sent me out her to see you.”
“You weren’t sent out here to deal with me?” She asked archly.
“Deal with you?” he grinned brightly at her making her lips tickle into a small smile. “Honestly Fred. Why would you say a thing like that?”
She shrugged and looked down at the bubbles rising up in the glass. “I dunno. I guess, well, before I left y’all didn’t seem to like the idea of me and Charles being together. It seemed like it was the most awful thing that could happen as far as you guys were concerned.”
He looked at her earnestly, his eyes never wavering as he looked at her. “I assure you Fred, our only concern was you and Gunn. You’d just returned from a hell dimension, experienced something that none of us could even imagine. We didn’t think you were ready to jump into something serious, especially not with Gunn.”
“And who are you to make these decisions for me Wes?” She challenged, her anger rising.
“You’re friend. And Gunn’s. He barely looked at you Winifred. It hurt all of us to see you in pain, and you were. Despite how you tried to hide it. We thought we were doing the best we could. We didn’t send you away Fred. We gave you the freedom and time you needed to develop and discover the woman you really are.”
“You’re incredibly arrogant.”
His lips curled derisively. “You wouldn’t be the first woman to tell me that.”
Faintly the sound of music drifted across the cool night. Fred half turned as she heard the opening strains. Charles' song. The song that he got every girl to dance to.
When she turned back Wesley stood just in front of her his arms open. “I believe you were here waiting for a dance?”
“Oh no, no Wes.”
“Please Winifred.” He smiled down at her. “I know what we did may have been wrong, but you’re back now and I care about both of you too much to let my past mistakes overshadow our future. He says he wants you Fred. You’re the only girl for him. I won’t stand in your way.”
“You promise?” She asked uncertainly.
“You have my word.” He answered solemnly.
Moistening her lips she stepped into the circle of his arms and danced nervously with him at first. It seemed so different from the last time she’d danced with him. The night before she’d left.
Then she’d been angry at Charles for not even bothering to dance with her. Now, well now his arms were around her waist and she felt strangely nervous being this close to him. But not bad nervous. No not that. Her awareness of him was heightened, she could feel his warm hand resting against the small of her back as he pressed her close to him, the musty smell of him that could only be Wesley. It only occurred to her then that she’d always known how Wesley smelled. It sounded strange, but he was unique. She’d never met anyone else who smelled like Wesley.
Her eyes fluttered closed as she rested her head against his shoulder and felt his own rest above hers, if only for a moment. He brought their intertwined hands up to her face and brushed his finger down her cheek. Her eyes opened straight away and looked up at him. His face was so close to hers…
He leaned down, brooking the final short distance between their lips and kissed her. It was chaste, merely a brush of skin on skin, but it made her breath leave her body in a rush. When he finally pulled back she knew she must have looked like a kid seeing Santa Claus for the first time.
“Friends share and share alike.” He whispered quietly to her.
Finally she pulled back, stepping behind her towards the better lit courtyard. Only then did she wonder why she hadn’t done so before. “I, I gotta go. Bye Wes.”
She turned on her heel and made her way as briskly as possible back up to the hotel, through the crowd and up the stairs. She heard Spike call her name but didn’t pay any attention, not stopping for anything until she reached her room and locked the door behind her. Finally she leaned back against the door and touched her lips in wonder.
What the hell just happened?
Part Three
© 2003, 2004 Copyright held by the author.
© 2003, 2004, 2005 Copyright held by the author.
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