Fred's been sitting in the deserted lobby of the hotel for hours now, just
her, the cobwebs and a few odds and ends that were left during their rapid
departure from the hotel. She loves her new life, having everything a
scientist could ever desire at her disposal, being called 'Miss Burkle',
having staff, Knox running around after her like a slightly demented puppy.
It's busy, always something to keep her busy, renewable sources of power, a
special kind of acid that will dissolve Vorkev demon spawn, a cure for
malaria, it's almost enough to keep her mind off Charles. Almost.
She'd been telling the truth when she'd told Charles she just wanted to put her mistake with Wesley behind them, she'd been convinced that they'd work it out eventually but ever since they've taken over Wolfram and Hart he's been so distant, so unfeeling, so cold, and Fred's so lonely without him. Especially since Wesley isn't interested in anything that doesn't involve an ancient apocalyptic prophecy, or that witch Lilah. 'Or an apocalyptic prophecy involving Lilah,' Fred thought managing a weak smile that vanished as she looked wistfully up the stairs towards her/their room.
"Can't you people afford a cleaner, saving the world not paying like it used to?"
Fred turned sharply towards the source of the mock sympathetic voice and found Gwen lounging in the doorway; there was something different about her. It wasn't her sprayed on PVC clothes or her superior smirk, it was- Fred unconsciously took a step back as she realised that the long gloves that prevented Gwen from frying everything she touched were missing.
"If you want to ask us for help again you can't." Fred stated categorically. On one level she knew she was being unfair to Gwen after all she had helped them out (very) occasionally, on the other hand killing Charles that one time did give her a very valid reason to resent The Freak.
Gwen just laughed and tossed her hair, which Fred noted was sporting scarlet highlights. "Unless it starts raining fire again I don't think I'll be needing your kind of help. No, I've had a job offer, I'm relocating to Rio, just thought I'd pop in and say goodbye."
"They're not here, we've relocated as well. Y'know onwards and upwards." Fred gabbled with a nervous glance at Gwen's uncovered hands.
"Oh," Gwen took in the overturned office, dust and general dishevelled appearance of the lobby, "Forget to pack you when they went cherry?" She hopped down the few steps to the main lobby.
"I'm just here to collect a few things," Fred lied making a vague gesture towards the empty office, "So there's no one around that you can trick into helping you steal from people."
"Gunn told you about that huh?" Fred nodded, technically she'd overheard Charles telling Lorne but she wasn't about to let Gwen in on that, "I gotta say you're taking this much better than I would be, if I found out that someone I was in love with was screwing behind my back something would fry. Literally."
"What are you talking about?" Fred snapped, did she mean Wes and Lilah? That was stupid, she didn't love Wesley, he was sweet but-
"I'm talking about me and Denzel babe." Gwen said with a shrug, "after I 'tricked' him into helping me steal."
"You're lying," Fred's voice was low and full of conviction.
"Am I?" Gwen questioned, enjoying the sight of the tightly wound physicist standing before her, looking righteously angry, tiny hands balled into fists.
"Yes, even if-," Fred choked out the words, "-even if Charles wanted to, you couldn't, you can't touch people." Fred looked on nervously as Gwen flexed her uncovered fingers. "You're making it up, get out of my way." Fred took a step towards Gwen; the other woman obligingly took a step to the side giving Fred an unobstructed path out of the lobby.
Fred cast Gwen a slightly anxious look as the other woman stepped aside and made a bored wave towards the door. Fred stalked past not looking at her, concentrating on the door. She was at the steps when she was grabbed roughly around the waist, she could feel Gwen's fingertips through her sweater, dangerously close to her bare skin. She swung her elbow back, trying to catch Gwen in the ribs; the thief used the motion to spin Fred around to face her. Fred's body went rigid as she waited for the agonising electric shock that she was sure to come, Gwen gave her a small smile and pressed her lips firmly to Fred's, who braced herself for a bolt of pain that never came and left only Gwen's hands gripping her black sweater and Gwen's soft, berry flavoured lips pushing insistently against hers. Gwen's hands drifted to the narrow strip of bare skin between Fred's jeans and sweater, still no shock, the only pain coming from Gwen's half-moon nails digging into the other woman's flesh, and Fred's mouth opened to Gwen's persistent tongue as her hands drifted to the red PVC covering the other woman's hips. Fred sighed around Gwen's sweat slicked lips, as Gwen hooked one leg around Fred's sending her sprawled horizontally on the steps. Gwen followed her down bracing herself over the brunette she took up exactly where she'd left off, sucking deeply on Fred's bottom lip as her hands, freed from the constraint of a lifetime behind leather gloves, worked at undoing the buttons at the bottom of Fred's sweater. Fred's hands moved up to curl into the waves of Gwen's hair as her sweater shifted and the skin of her abdomen pressed against Gwen's bare midriff. Fred moaned as Gwen pulled her lips away, trailing butterfly kisses along Fred's jaw, sucking briefly on her earlobe before pulling back a little.
"Still think I'm lying?" she whispered.
Fred froze. She was lying on the steps of the abandoned lobby of the hotel that used to her home, a stair was digging uncomfortably into her shoulder and Gwen Raiden, who had once murdered and later slept with Charles, was lying on top of her with lust filled eyes and kiss swollen lips.
"Get off me." Fred snapped. Gwen didn't move, "Off, now!" she squirmed underneath the thief, kicking her legs up to push Gwen off of her she scrambled to her feet, trying frantically to pull her sweater closed as she scampered towards the door.
"Give my love to Denzel won't you cherry," Gwen's laughing voice followed Fred out the door.
She'd been telling the truth when she'd told Charles she just wanted to put her mistake with Wesley behind them, she'd been convinced that they'd work it out eventually but ever since they've taken over Wolfram and Hart he's been so distant, so unfeeling, so cold, and Fred's so lonely without him. Especially since Wesley isn't interested in anything that doesn't involve an ancient apocalyptic prophecy, or that witch Lilah. 'Or an apocalyptic prophecy involving Lilah,' Fred thought managing a weak smile that vanished as she looked wistfully up the stairs towards her/their room.
"Can't you people afford a cleaner, saving the world not paying like it used to?"
Fred turned sharply towards the source of the mock sympathetic voice and found Gwen lounging in the doorway; there was something different about her. It wasn't her sprayed on PVC clothes or her superior smirk, it was- Fred unconsciously took a step back as she realised that the long gloves that prevented Gwen from frying everything she touched were missing.
"If you want to ask us for help again you can't." Fred stated categorically. On one level she knew she was being unfair to Gwen after all she had helped them out (very) occasionally, on the other hand killing Charles that one time did give her a very valid reason to resent The Freak.
Gwen just laughed and tossed her hair, which Fred noted was sporting scarlet highlights. "Unless it starts raining fire again I don't think I'll be needing your kind of help. No, I've had a job offer, I'm relocating to Rio, just thought I'd pop in and say goodbye."
"They're not here, we've relocated as well. Y'know onwards and upwards." Fred gabbled with a nervous glance at Gwen's uncovered hands.
"Oh," Gwen took in the overturned office, dust and general dishevelled appearance of the lobby, "Forget to pack you when they went cherry?" She hopped down the few steps to the main lobby.
"I'm just here to collect a few things," Fred lied making a vague gesture towards the empty office, "So there's no one around that you can trick into helping you steal from people."
"Gunn told you about that huh?" Fred nodded, technically she'd overheard Charles telling Lorne but she wasn't about to let Gwen in on that, "I gotta say you're taking this much better than I would be, if I found out that someone I was in love with was screwing behind my back something would fry. Literally."
"What are you talking about?" Fred snapped, did she mean Wes and Lilah? That was stupid, she didn't love Wesley, he was sweet but-
"I'm talking about me and Denzel babe." Gwen said with a shrug, "after I 'tricked' him into helping me steal."
"You're lying," Fred's voice was low and full of conviction.
"Am I?" Gwen questioned, enjoying the sight of the tightly wound physicist standing before her, looking righteously angry, tiny hands balled into fists.
"Yes, even if-," Fred choked out the words, "-even if Charles wanted to, you couldn't, you can't touch people." Fred looked on nervously as Gwen flexed her uncovered fingers. "You're making it up, get out of my way." Fred took a step towards Gwen; the other woman obligingly took a step to the side giving Fred an unobstructed path out of the lobby.
Fred cast Gwen a slightly anxious look as the other woman stepped aside and made a bored wave towards the door. Fred stalked past not looking at her, concentrating on the door. She was at the steps when she was grabbed roughly around the waist, she could feel Gwen's fingertips through her sweater, dangerously close to her bare skin. She swung her elbow back, trying to catch Gwen in the ribs; the thief used the motion to spin Fred around to face her. Fred's body went rigid as she waited for the agonising electric shock that she was sure to come, Gwen gave her a small smile and pressed her lips firmly to Fred's, who braced herself for a bolt of pain that never came and left only Gwen's hands gripping her black sweater and Gwen's soft, berry flavoured lips pushing insistently against hers. Gwen's hands drifted to the narrow strip of bare skin between Fred's jeans and sweater, still no shock, the only pain coming from Gwen's half-moon nails digging into the other woman's flesh, and Fred's mouth opened to Gwen's persistent tongue as her hands drifted to the red PVC covering the other woman's hips. Fred sighed around Gwen's sweat slicked lips, as Gwen hooked one leg around Fred's sending her sprawled horizontally on the steps. Gwen followed her down bracing herself over the brunette she took up exactly where she'd left off, sucking deeply on Fred's bottom lip as her hands, freed from the constraint of a lifetime behind leather gloves, worked at undoing the buttons at the bottom of Fred's sweater. Fred's hands moved up to curl into the waves of Gwen's hair as her sweater shifted and the skin of her abdomen pressed against Gwen's bare midriff. Fred moaned as Gwen pulled her lips away, trailing butterfly kisses along Fred's jaw, sucking briefly on her earlobe before pulling back a little.
"Still think I'm lying?" she whispered.
Fred froze. She was lying on the steps of the abandoned lobby of the hotel that used to her home, a stair was digging uncomfortably into her shoulder and Gwen Raiden, who had once murdered and later slept with Charles, was lying on top of her with lust filled eyes and kiss swollen lips.
"Get off me." Fred snapped. Gwen didn't move, "Off, now!" she squirmed underneath the thief, kicking her legs up to push Gwen off of her she scrambled to her feet, trying frantically to pull her sweater closed as she scampered towards the door.
"Give my love to Denzel won't you cherry," Gwen's laughing voice followed Fred out the door.