Title: A Parallel Universe - Charles

Author: Strella Smith

Pairings: Charles/Lizzy, Eventual Fred/Lizzy

Rating: PG (mild references to sexuality)

. . .

Charles Lance did not leave Lizzy's side for the entire rest of the evening. He flirted with her and flattered her. He possessed the kind of smooth, self-confidence which women find irresistible. Lizzy certainly seemed to be taken by him. She let him guide her around with his hand on her back, listening to him talk about art and wine, blushing when he waxed eloquent about how enchanting she was.

Fred followed them at a safe distance, watching balefully. The old familiar feelings of jealousy and depression were crushing his heart, but as he watched Charles swan around with Lizzy, plying her with wine and charming her with compliments, Fred felt something else seep into his mixture of unhappy emotions. Fear. Not fear for himself, but fear for Lizzy. There was something about Charles which set off every alarm bell his brain possessed.

He was too smooth, too charming, the proverbial silver-tongued devil. The way he looked at Lizzy, as though she were a delicious morsel he might like to eat, made Fred's blood run cold. His mind flashed back over the years, far, far back, back before he had come to Lizzy. He had met men like Charles before, handsome, honey-tongued scoundrels, enticing as sirens and dangerous as adders. Some of them had been the fathers of children he had played imaginary friend to. He had seen first hand the kind of damage these men did to their families, their wives and children. They were so empty and selfish, they were incapable of ever truly loving or giving to anyone.

Fred took Charles's measure within the first hour, and he knew him to be one of those men. He could almost smell the taint on him. The man oozed charm and glibness and artificial sincerity like a canker sore oozing pus. And Lizzy followed him around, gazing up at him with her dark eyes as though she thought he was the most wonderful thing in the world.

Fred wanted to scream at her for being taken in by Charles. He wanted to make her open her eyes and see the kind of man she was enthralled by. He wanted to snatch her into his arms and spirit her away from there, far away to someplace safe.

But he could do none of those things. He could only stand by and watch helplessly as his beloved Elizabeth fell under a treacherous spell. This was far worse than Lizzy's foray into the wild side with Kyle. She had known what she was doing then. This was Lizzy going blind and innocent down the rabbit hole of infatuation with a handsome, narcissistic man, fully believing herself to be safe.

Desperately, Fred ran his mind over all the different pranks he could pull to make Charles look ridiculous, to perhaps break the spell he was casting over Lizzy, but he rejected every one. Lizzy would know who was responsible for the pranks, and he knew it would only make her angry. More than likely she would push him away and turn to Charles more. He considered using the old tactic he had tried when he wanted to stop Lizzy from dating Micky Bunce, that of making Lizzy look insane in the hopes of repelling the unwanted suitor. But somehow, he couldn't bear to humiliate her this night, this night when she was so utterly luminous and happy. He had an inkling that if he tried something like that again, it might drive Lizzy away from him forever.

He found he was rendered futile in the face of one of the greatest threats he had faced since becoming Lizzy's imaginary friend.

Janie did not seem to posses any of Fred's sixth sense about Charles. She was quite pleased with all the attention Lizzy was getting from Charles. "He's absolutely smitten by you, honey!" she breathed to Lizzy in the powder room where they were freshening up. Fred had hid himself and was watching unseen, loath to let Lizzy out of his sight. "He's so handsome! And Cooper says he's rich! Well, not rich exactly, but he does very well for himself! He sells cars. Has a nice apartment uptown and a boat and some sort of insanely sexy car. He's quite a catch! If you can snag him, well..." Janie gave Lizzy a look which indicated that all her problems would be solved if she "snagged" Charles. Fred almost picked up the vase of flowers on the vanity and threw it at her head.

"Goodness," said Lizzy. "I've never dated a man like him before. He's so much... older, more sophisticated than the boys I've dated in college."

"Well, you're about to be a college graduate yourself," said Janie, linking her arm through Lizzy's as they left the powder room. "Maybe it's time you graduated to a different kind of man."

"You don't think he's a little out of my league?"

"Out of your league? Lizzy, have you seen the way every male at this shindig has looked at you tonight? It's like there's not another woman in the room! Every single one of them would kill to have you on his arm, and every single woman here hates you! When you can have that kind of effect on people, you most definitely belong in the major leagues. Nobody is out of your league, Elizabeth."

"I'm not sure I want to be in that league," said Lizzy, looking a little alarmed. "Why do all the woman hate me?"

"Because you've managed to turn all the male attention away from them and onto yourself."

"I didn't mean to."

Janie stopped and looked at her keenly. "Yes, I know you didn't," she said slowly. "And that makes you doubly dangerous. You're absolutely stunning, but you don't know it, do you?"

Lizzy shrugged, looking even more discomfited. Janie nodded sagely. "Beautiful and sweet, and innocent as a newborn baby. You've not got an ounce of vanity. Men can hardly resist a combination like that."

"Well, I don't want the women to hate me," said Lizzy a little unhappily.

"Oh honey, it's nothing to worry about. It's the way of society. Beautiful woman hate other beautiful women."

"Sounds like my mother," muttered Lizzy.

"Exactly," Janie didn't seem to be listening anymore. "Look, here comes Charles."

Fred wanted to be sick. He was beginning to regret that he hadn't ever protested Lizzy's friendship with Janie. He didn't like the ideas she was putting in Lizzy's head. He loved his sweet, innocent Snotface exactly the way she was. He didn't want her turning into some sort of man-eating beauty queen.

Janie probably would've kept Lizzy at the party until the wee hours of the night, had not Lizzy reminded her that she had class in the morning and finals to study for.

"Ooh, a serious student," said Charles with flirtatious relish. "I love serious students." He took Lizzy's hand and looked deep into her eyes. "Because I so enjoy teaching them all about the pleasures of life."

Lizzy blushed and giggled. Fred thought he just might vomit all his cheese and chocolate covered strawberries. But then he noticed that Charles was asking for Lizzy's phone number, and he felt his stomach churning with real dread. "Yours is one voice I most definitely look forward to hearing again," said Charles significantly.

Lizzy smiled her sweet smile. "I had a lovely time tonight," she said shyly.

"Likewise, Elizabeth, likewise." He kissed her hand and watched with an admiring half smile as she followed Janie out to the dock where the cars were parked.

Fred opted not to ride back home with Lizzy in Janie's car. He didn't think he would be able to stand all the giggling and gloating. He willed himself back to the Cronin house and curled up in his armchair, trying to control the horrible forebodings which were assailing his brain. Imaginary friends were very intuitive about people and situations surrounding their charges. Fred had become so attuned to Lizzy over the years, his perceptions of her bordered on the psychic. He sensed, with dreadful certainty, that if Lizzy became involved with Charles Lance, it could conceivably ruin her life, ruin everything they had worked toward.

He felt Lizzy's signal draw near as Janie's car pulled up in the driveway. He thought broodingly, how dearly familiar that signal was to him. It was like a part of himself now, as essential to who he was as his own blood running through his veins. Lizzy came up the stairs to her room. She smiled when she saw him, curled up in the chair.

"Hi Fred! I wondered where you got to."

"I thought I would let you girls have the car to yourselves," said Fred quietly.

Lizzy sat down at her dressing table and began to remove her earrings. She was smiling faintly and humming a little tune to herself. "Did you have fun at all, Fred?"

"It was alright."

"Well, I thought it was wonderful! I know those sort of things aren't really your cup of tea, but I really appreciate you coming along."

Fred said nothing.

Lizzy went on, oblivious to his unhappiness. "I met a lot of great people tonight, art connoisseurs and some collectors. Janie's friend Cooper said if my work is good enough, he might be able to get a venue for me. I'm so excited!"

"That would be wonderful, Snotface," Fred mustered a smile.

"Cooper's friend Charles is interested in my work too," Lizzy went on carefully. "He wants to get together soon so he can see some of it."

"It seemed to me that Charles wasn't interested in just your work," said Fred quietly.

Lizzy turned faintly pink and tried not to look too pleased. "Well... nooo, I think he was kind of interested in me too." She unfastened her necklace and laid it in her jewelry box. She glanced covertly at Fred. "He asked for my phone number tonight."

"Yes, I know."

Lizzy gave him an appraising look, and went to the bathroom to change into her pajamas. She came out and set about hanging her dress and putting away her heels. "I'm really glad I went tonight," she said. "I think I made some good connections. Charles said he wants to have dinner sometime next week. He wants to talk about my art."

Fred had risen from the arm chair and crossed to stand by the window. His back was to Lizzy so she couldn't see his face.

"It was so nice to be noticed," Lizzy went on happily. "I feel like maybe I'm finally getting somewhere, like I'm actually going to get to do my own thing and be somebody in the world." She sat down at her dressing table again and began to brush her dark hair.

"Elizabeth, please don't go out with him," said Fred quietly.

Lizzy stared at him, caught off guard. "What?"

"Please don't go out with Charles Lance."

Lizzy slammed her hairbrush down on the table and got up irritably. "Aw, Fred don't start!"

"Please don't go out with him," he repeated, still quietly.

Lizzy began to bang noisily around room, putting things away with more force than necessary. "I knew this was going to happen," she said crossly. "Fred, you always do this! Every time I get involved with a new man, you get all prickly and crabby and make everything uncomfortable!"

Fred turned to look at her. "I know," he said heavily.

Lizzy looked a little taken aback. She had been expecting Fred to respond with a blatant denial. It wasn't like him to give her such a straightforward answer. She glared at him, a little uncertainly. "Well, I wish you would stop! I wish you wouldn't be so resentful of every man who comes into my life. You do this every time! Why can't you ever be happy for me?"

The question flew from her lips and hung in the air between them like an unexploded bomb. Fred said nothing, but his blue eyes met Lizzy's dark ones and held them for a long moment. She suddenly blushed dark red and looked away from him.

"Elizabeth," said Fred, choosing to ignore her question. "I know I've never been exactly – enthusiastic about the boys you date, and it's mostly been for selfish reasons. I won't pretend that it's not. But please listen to me this time. Don't date Charles Lance. He's... he's not a good man for you."

Lizzy scowled and crossed her arms. "Oh really? And why do you think that?"

"I know his type," said Fred darkly. "He's – a taker."

"A taker? Really? You gathered this from observing him for a few hours?"

"Yes."

"Well I thought he was absolutely charming to me at the party! He didn't act like somebody who's a taker."

"They never do at first," said Fred through clenched teeth. "But he will in time."

Lizzy stared at him incredulously. "Fred, you are unbelievable! I cannot believe that you are actually standing here, predicting the future after observing me with a man for a few hours! It's ludicrous!"

She started to turn away, but Fred suddenly took her by the shoulders and turned her forcefully toward him.

"Elizabeth, look at me! I know I don't have the best track record for being supportive of your love life, and that's my own fault. But this time, I'm begging you to please listen to me!"

"Fred stop it!" Lizzy's eyes were wide with shock. "Let go of me."

"No!" said Fred savagely. "You are going to stand here and you are going to listen to me."

Lizzy was white and shaking with anger. She tried to pull free from Fred's grip, but he held her firm, his eyes fierce.

"Listen to me! Charles Lance is a selfish, smooth-talking player. I'm not an idiot, Elizabeth. I've seen a few things in my time. I've been around men like him. He will suck you dry and spit you out and move on. I do not want to see that happen to you!"

Lizzy was staring at him almost fearfully. In all the years she had known Fred, she had never seen him like this. His blue eyes blazed in his white face and there was not an ounce of humor in them. He was so deadly serious, he hardly seemed like the same person. Lizzy pulled free and backed away from him.

"You're jealous," she whispered. "You've hated every man I've ever brought around because you are jealous of them. You don't like Charles and you are trying to drive him away because you are jealous!"

Fred looked at her with flinty eyes. "Yes," he said grimly. "I am jealous. I won't deny it. I get jealous because you are my best friend in the whole world and I can't bear the thought of anyone ever taking you away from me. But that is not why I am warning you away from Charles Lance. I want you to stay away from him because he is dangerous."

Lizzy glared at him, but he could see uncertainty gathering in her eyes.

"Elizabeth, I am trying to protect you," said Fred harshly. "Have I ever asked you not to date anyone before?"

"Not in so many words," muttered Lizzy. "But you practically ooze disapproval every time I do."

"I know that. But I have never point blank asked you not to date someone, have I?"

Lizzy looked at him stonily.

"You know I haven't," said Fred. "I may get jealous and crabby, but I've never tried to stop you from dating. That's because I'm a big believer in letting you figure your own life out as much as you can. I want you to make your own decisions and learn from your own mistakes. So far, I think you've done a terrific job. But this time, this one time, I have to say something, because I am genuinely afraid for you."

"That's ridiculous," said Lizzy. "You're basing all this on watching Charles for one evening."

"It was enough," said Fred grimly.

Lizzy groaned and rubbed her hands over her face. "Look, Fred, I don't know what you want me to say. I'm not going make any promises to you. I really liked Charles. He made me feel special and – and pretty. It's been a long time since anybody made me feel like that." (Fred winced at her implication.) "You say you believe in me learning from my own mistakes? Well, if there's a mistake to be made here, let me make it and let me learn from it. You may be completely wrong about Charles. I want to find out for myself if you are."

Fred looked at her wretchedly. "I don't want to see you get hurt. You've been hurt so much in your life."

"I may not get hurt," said Lizzy unbendingly. "I may have finally met someone who can make my life better."

For some reason, this hurt Fred more than anything else she had said that evening. He had poured himself out, body and soul, trying to make her life better. Somewhere along the way, he must have fallen short. With a sinking feeling, Fred realized that he was defeated. There was nothing more he could say. Lizzy had already fallen down the rabbit hole.

He crossed over and sat next to her on the bed. "I hope you're right," he said softly. "I hope he's everything you've ever dreamed of. But Lizzy," Fred gently took hold of her and turned her to face him. "If he's not, if he lets you down, please don't push me away. Let me be there to catch you if you fall."

Lizzy looked up at him, and her expression softened a little. "Okay Fred," she whispered.

"Okay." He cupped her small face softly in his large hand and gently stroked her cheek with his thumb. For the briefest moment, Lizzy let him caress her. Then, she pulled away and the wall slammed between them again.

. . .

Lizzy went to dinner with Charles Lance the very next week. Fred said nothing to her one way or another, but as he watched her leave, dressed prettily for her date, he felt the jealous lover and the protective guardian in him merge into one single-minded entity. He determined that he would never, ever leave Lizzy alone with Charles Lance. He wouldn't be obvious about it, as he had been with Kyle. He would follow her unseen, watching over her like a vigilant guardian angel. He pinpointed Lizzy's signal as she climbed into Charles's red convertible, and followed it like a bloodhound.

Charles took Lizzy to the fanciest restaurant in town. Fred watched them unseen. They drank wine, ate expensive food and talked. Charles went to work immediately, sweeping Lizzy off her feet. He resumed his flattery which he had begun on the yacht. He confessed to her that he had been "utterly smitten" by her that night, that he "doubted his heart would ever be his own again" and did she have any idea incredibly sexy she was? Fred cringed. For some reason he hated hearing Lizzy described as "sexy". It seemed to him a cheap way to describe her beauty.

Lizzy blushed and smiled, seeming pleased. Fred watched her miserably. She was falling for him, falling for Charles Lance, the stupid popinjay. She was in deeper every minute. Fred wanted to shriek at her to not be taken in by all of the smoke and mirrors, but he knew it would do no good. He couldn't afford to alienate Lizzy now.

All evening long, Charles charmed and cajoled her. When he wasn't expounding upon Lizzy's good looks, Fred noticed that he mostly talked about himself. The subject of Lizzy's art never came up. Charles spent a large portion of the conversation pontificating on his job selling cars. Lizzy did not seem to notice his neglect of her artwork. She seemed too dazzled by the glamor of the atmosphere.

After dinner, Charles took Lizzy the local art museum and they walked around discussing and admiring. Fred noticed that Charles didn't really seem to know much about art in comparison to Lizzy, but he managed to work a lot of compliments into the conversation, using lines like "that painting there is incredible, but it pales in comparison to your beauty," or "these sculptures didn't know what they were missing out on when they didn't use your curves for a model." Lizzy giggled and drank it all in. Fred longed to smash the nearest Ming vase over Charles's head.

By the time the evening was over, Charles Lance had done a thorough snow job on Lizzy. When he dropped her off at the door, he gave her a long, passionate kiss and she wished him goodnight with stars in her eyes. Fred had never seen her look at any of the other boys she had dated with precisely that look. It was the look of a woman in love (or at least a woman infatuated). Fred observed it with growing dread in his heart. He felt like crying. It struck him as odd though, that the only times he had ever seen such an expression on Lizzy's face, had been a handful of moments when she was looking at him, when her guard was down and her true emotions seemed to be shining through. Fred scowled inwardly, wondering if there was any possible way to decipher this phenomenon, but he quickly shook his head and abandoned the idea. Sometimes Lizzy's moods and desires were too complicated even for him to interpret.

Lizzy was on cloud nine when she came in from her date. Polly was already asleep, so she crept quietly up to her room without waking her. Fred did not follow her. He did not want to watch her being so happy over something that filled him with such disquiet.

But soon, he felt Lizzy's voice in his head, calling for him. Reluctantly he materialized in her room. She was sitting cross legged in her armchair. She smiled a little nervously when she saw him.

"Hi Fred."

"Hi."

"I was – I was wondering where you were. I was afraid you might sabotage my date."

Fred said nothing.

Lizzy bit her lip and looked at him from under her eyelashes. "Fred, I just wanted you to know, I had a wonderful time with Charles tonight. A really, really wonderful time. I'm going to keep seeing him."

Fred looked at her, his face unreadable. "Okay, Elizabeth. I'm not going to try to stop you."

She frowned at him incredulously. "You're not?"

"No."

"That's... not very like you."

Fred shrugged. "Well, clearly, you've made up your mind. I don't think anything I say is going to change it. So I'm not going to waste my breath trying."

Lizzy was very still, watching him, a slight frown on her beautiful face. "You really don't like him, do you?" she asked softly.

"I think I've made my feelings pretty clear," said Fred evenly.

Lizzy got up from her chair and began to pace the room. "Fred I think you're wrong about him."

"Do you?"

"Yes. He couldn't have been sweeter or more romantic than he was tonight. He treated me like a princess."

Fred crossed his arms. "Tell me, did he ask you anything about your art?"

Lizzy looked at him. "What?"

"Did he ask you about your art? I thought the whole purpose of the dinner was to discuss your art."

"Oh... well, it didn't really come up..."

"No, I'm not surprised. Lizzy, it didn't come up because he doesn't care one whit about your art. I doubt he really cares one whit about you. I think he's the kind of man who doesn't care about anybody but himself. I have an idea he's only interested in you because he wants to get you into bed with him."

Lizzy flushed crimson. "That is NOT true. He was a perfect gentleman tonight."

"I'm sure he was. I'm sure he will be until he gets what he wants."

"Oh, there's absolutely no talking to you!" said Lizzy angrily. "I'm going to bed."

Fred passed a sleepless night. He lay awake, going over hundreds of different scenarios which might be effective in drawing Lizzy away from Charles, but in his heart, he knew none of them would work. He was going to have to let this play out on its own. When Polly got up that morning and shuffled into the kitchen to make coffee, Fred stumbled in, bleary-eyed after her. He was so tired, he didn't even attempt a prank. He just drank all the coffee from the pot while she wasn't looking. Her subsequent confusion over where it had all gone cheered him up marginally.

Lizzy gave him the cold shoulder when she came into the kitchen, pointedly telling her mother all about her date with Charles and how wonderful it had been. Fred knew she was trying to irk him, but he was so worried about the situation, he didn't respond. He just sat and listened to her sadly. Lizzy shot him a disagreeable look and banged the door when she left for class.

Fred spent the morning in the back garden, doing nothing in particular. He sat pondering ways he could make Lizzy see reason. He agonized over it over it until his head was aching and he thought he would go take a nap. He was just going upstairs to Lizzy's room, when he felt something he had not experienced in a long time: the call to Limbo.

For the briefest of moments, Fred considered disobeying it. He had not been before Judge Fair and his panel for so many years, he wasn't even sure he would remember how to act. He did not know why they were summoning him now, but the possibilities sent fear tingling down his spine. Then he thought that if he did ignore it, they might take it as a sign of insubordination and remove him from Lizzy immediately. That thought was so horrifying, he instantly closed his eyes allowed himself to be pulled back to his old home.

He materialized right outside the walled garden. He looked around, blinking in the soft, whitish light. He had come here very little in the past few years and he found himself looking at it with new eyes. Nothing in Limbo had changed. The streets and houses and lawns all looked exactly the same. They still floated about whimsically, nothing staying fixed except for the wall, the garden, and the white building. The epicenter of the place, thought Fred grimly, and then he thought how strange it was for him to have even used such a description in his own thoughts. Ten years ago, he probably wouldn't have known what that word meant. It all came of helping Lizzy study for exams.

The constant movement of the buildings and landscape made him feel very vaguely dizzy. He had become thoroughly used to the laws of nature which bound Earth. The flexible atmosphere felt odd and unstable to his feet. He realized with jolting clarity that though Limbo had not changed, he had changed drastically. In what once had been his home, he was now a stranger in a strange land.

He slowly made his way into the garden, resisting the temptation to find Lizzy's portal and watch her for a moment. He knew she was probably in class or studying. He went through the garden which was exactly the same too, right down to the hydrangea bushes which grew all along the foundations of the central structure. They were so perfect and unchanged, he found himself wondering if they were real. He broke off a leaf and examined it carefully. It was a true plant, but far more perfect than any specimen he had seen on Earth. He was noticing things he had never thought to question when he had lived here before.

He went up the steps of the white building and pushed through the painted wooden doors – how many years had it been since he had done that? Into the counsel room he went and then stopped before the long table.

All of the counsel was there, seated silently before him. Judge Fair in his tall chair at the center, the other counsel members seated on either side of him. Fred realized that none of them had changed either. It had been twelve years since he had seen them, but there was not one iota of difference in their appearance. Fred was feeling more and more an alien by the second. His eyes sought Sagacity, someone comforting and familiar. She gave him a faint smile.

Judge Fair cleared his throat. "Greetings Drop Dead Fred."

Fred had forgotten how incredibly pompous the Judge usually sounded. He bit back a smile. "Judge Fair," he said amiably. "It's been a long time."

"Indeed it has," said the Judge gravely. "Do you know why we've called you here after all this time, Fred?"

"No I don't."

"We have been watching the progress of the situation with Miss Cronin and Charles Lance. We have cause for great concern."

"Well, you're not alone there," muttered Fred.

"Indeed," said the Judge again. "We want to talk to you about it. We foresee that if Elizabeth Cronin stays with this Charles Lance, if he becomes a – er – permanent fixture in her life, great harm will come to her. I would venture to say that all the hard work you have put into Elizabeth's life for the past twenty years (had it really been that long?) will be completely undone."

Fred felt stricken. He had known from the very beginning that this was true, but somehow, hearing it spoken aloud by another being, made it grim reality.

"Elizabeth had made wonderful progress," continued the Judge. "Far more than I ever dreamed she would make. I am not too proud to say, that twelve years ago, I think you made the right call when you insisted on staying with her, Fred. You have truly helped her to grow and overcome some very difficult obstacles. I would never have imagined it of you. You have outstripped yourself in truly remarkable ways."

"Thank you sir," said Fred, nervously.

"However, Lizzy is still very vulnerable in many ways. She grew up in an unstable and abusive home. She has a sweet and compliant nature. She will be naturally drawn to people who can control and use her. It is harder for someone like her to recognize cruelty and mistreatment because she has lived with it for so long. It is, sadly enough, her norm. Abuse will feel familiar to her. This is why this situation with Charles Lance is so very, very dangerous."

"I'm glad I'm not the only one who recognized it," muttered Fred.

"We saw it at once," said the Judge. "Charles Lance has all the earmarks of an abuser. Not a physical one, perhaps, but definitely an emotional one. He is a charmer and a manipulator. A very dangerous combination for Elizabeth Cronin. It will feel different to her than her mother's abuse. She will find it very sweet at first, but it will turn sour on her quickly. If she doesn't find the strength within herself to resist Charles Lance's influence, she will be in danger of losing herself."

"So this is your charge, Drop Dead Fred: do everything in your power to help Lizzy hang on to who she is. I don't think that trying to dissuade her from dating Charles will do any good. It will only make her want him more. I believe the most effective thing you can do right now is to encourage Elizabeth to be herself. She may start trying to change things about herself to please Charles. Help her to steer away from that if you can. Support her artistic endeavors, remind her of her own desires, prompt her toward independence. If anyone can do it, it's you, Fred. I have confidence in you."

"I will do my best, sir," said Fred.

"Good man. I have to say, I have followed your case with great interest, Fred. I've never observed anything like it in all the many years I've been in this... position. I shall be most interested to see how it all plays out. Perhaps if Elizabeth can successfully navigate the perils of this relationship, it will be the catalyst which will finally push her toward letting go of you."

"Yes sir," inwardly Fred winced away from the pain those words cause him. He wished himself a million miles away. He was gripped with a sudden terror that the Judge's icy blue eyes would see right down into the depths of his soul, exposing all his blackest fears, his most desperate desires. He did not dare look at Sagacity.

"Well, well, you are dismissed," said the Judge, as though reading his thoughts. "We shall be keeping a close eye on you Fred. Keep up the good work."

"Thank you sir." Fred forced himself to walk calmly out of the counsel room and out the garden gate. He stopped for a moment to locate Lizzy's portal. She was no longer in class. She was sitting on a bench on the grounds of her art college, looking over papers. Fred was seized with an idea.

He hastily gathered a large handful of brilliant flowers from a bed in the garden, homed in on Lizzy's signal and appeared nearby her in a shower of sparkles. He said nothing, but she immediately sensed his presence and glanced up. Her eyes hardened.

"What do you want?" she asked brusquely.

He held out the flowers to her. "Truce?" he asked entreatingly.

Her eyes softened a little. She sighed. "Don't say horrible things about Charles anymore. And don't make horrible assumptions about him either."

"Alright. Please don't push me away when I only have your best interest at heart," said Fred quietly.

She rolled her eyes.

"Can I please come sit by you?"

She sighed again, but she scooted over to make room for him on the bench. He offered her the flowers again and this time she took them. Fred resisted the temptation to put his arm around her. His trip to Limbo had rattled him so much, he longed to touch her and comfort himself with her nearness. But he could sense she was still too prickly for that.

"I don't want to fight with you, Elizabeth," he said gently. "I really, really don't."

"Then don't interfere with my love life."

"I'm trying very hard not to."

"I want you to give me your word that you won't try any funny stuff with me and Charles. You've done it in the past and I want you to promise this time that you won't."

He sighed hard. "Okay, Lizzy, I promise. I solemnly swear that I won't try any "funny stuff". And that is asking a lot of me."

"I'm going to hold you to it."

"I'll do my best."

And he did. But he found it to be the most trying task he'd ever been faced with. Fred soon came to grips with the fact that he had never hated anyone as much as he hated Charles Lance. He had despised all of Lizzy's boyfriends on principle, simply because they were competition for himself, but he found that his loathing for those boys paled in comparison to the abhorrence he felt for Charles Lance.

The man literally made his skin crawl. He was so smooth and smarmy and flirty and shrewd, Fred half-expected to see a forked tongue flicker out between his lips. He charmed his way into the Cronin household with the ease of a plague oozing in through the cracks. Fred could only watch in horror as Lizzy fell more and more under his spell.

Polly adored him. The first night they had him over for dinner, he charmed and flirted with her so much, she was actually giggling like a girl before the evening was over. When he left, Polly practically fell over herself gushing her approval to Lizzy.

"Elizabeth you've finally found a man with some class! Handsome! Well-bred! And rich! Oh my dear," Polly put her hand to her breast in a dramatic gesture, "he will take care of you, oh yes he will! So different from those artists you've been going with for so long."

Fred expected Lizzy to pique at this type of approval, but to his surprise, Lizzy just smiled. "I'm glad you approve, Mother," she said quietly. "I think he's quite a catch myself."

"So your mother likes him?" said Fred incredulously that night when they were alone in Lizzy's room.

Lizzy shot him a warning glance. "Don't start, Fred."

But Fred was so upset, he couldn't stop. "Elizabeth, your MOTHER, the Mega-best, likes your new boyfriend! Don't you think that should tell you something about him? Aren't you bothered just a little bit?"

Lizzy began to turn back the covers of her bed. "No," she said shortly. "In fact it's a relief to finally have something in my life she approves of."

Fred closed his eyes and hid his face in his hands. "Lizzy..."

"Fred! You gave your word!"

He shut up, but he was so distraught, he went into the dining room and viciously smashed a vase of gladiolas against a wall to relieve his feelings. Polly was crying about the Poltergeist again in the morning. Fred sat at the other end of the couch and cried too, but for different reasons.

He had reason to cheer up a few weeks later however, when Lizzy graduated from college. She graduated cum laud with a degree in art history. Fred was incredibly proud of her, but Polly said coldly that she couldn't understand why Lizzy hadn't graduated summa cum laud. Charles still had not expressed any interest in Lizzy's art, but he did come to the ceremony. "Well that was a bore, but you certainly do justice to that gown," was his comment. Fred bounced a rather large pebble off the back of Charles's head. He was rewarded with a yelp of pain and a glare from Lizzy.

The first few months of Lizzy's romance with Charles seemed to go well, and Fred heard "I told you so" in many different forms. He did not say much, knowing that Charles's true character would manifest itself in time. Meanwhile, Lizzy got a job as an art teacher at her old high school. Simultaneously, she said goodby to her job at the diner and began to search for her own place to live.

This process turned out to be a very happy one for Fred. Lizzy started looking for apartments during a time when Charles was very busy at work, and Janie was away on a business trip. Lizzy did not want Polly involved, so Fred ended up being her sole companion in the apartment hunting.

"Do you still want me to come live with you, Snotface?" Fred asked a little shyly, the day she told him she was going to get her own place. He was filled with apprehension that she wouldn't want him there now that Charles was on the scene.

But Lizzy looked at him as though he were crazy. "Of course I do, Fred! You don't think I'm actually going to go live all alone do you?"

"Just checking," he said, but his heart was singing for joy.

Charles was all for Lizzy getting an apartment in one of the new, expensive complexes on the edge of downtown, but Lizzy said they were outside her budget. She wanted something small and affordable.

She and Fred had a lovely time searching for just the right place to live. The excitement of finally getting away from her mother's house had put Lizzy in a wonderful mood, and she forgot to be prickly with Fred over Charles. It was early fall, and the days were still warm and sunny. After Lizzy was done with her classes, they took off in her car and scouted the surrounding neighborhoods for suitable prospects. Their old comradeship returned as they drove around in the golden sunshine discussing the criteria for Lizzy's new home.

Fred really didn't care where Lizzy lived as long he got to come with her, but he found himself developing opinions on the places they looked at. He had never really considered himself to have certain "tastes" in living quarters, but as he talked about it with Lizzy, he realized that he did. He knew nothing about architecture or style, but he decided that his preferences tended toward the more "old fashioned". Lizzy agreed. She loved old buildings with "character" as she put it. It gave Fred a warm, comfortable feeling that their preferences in housing was so similar. He reminded himself sharply that this didn't matter one iota, but he couldn't make the feeling go away.

The little place they eventually chose, was tucked in an old neighborhood near Lizzy's childhood home. It was in a row of old townhouses with steep front steps and ivy covered brick walls. They were surrounded by huge, ancient trees. Lizzy fell in love with the little row of apartments the moment she saw them. She called and inquired and found that the price was very reasonable. She signed a lease and began packing that night.

Polly was not happy about Lizzy moving out. She came up with any number of excuses to keep Lizzy at home: it would be less expensive, it would be safer, she would have her mother for company ("worst argument in the history of the world" said Fred), she would keep Polly from getting lonely. Lizzy listened to her mother's arguments, but she remained firm. It was time to leave the nest. "Mother you should get yourself a friend," she said, when Polly began guilt tripping her about leaving her all alone. To this Polly had no reply. She had no friends, had never had any real friends in her life.

"I'll be close by, Mother," said Lizzy patiently. "Just a few blocks over, really. You can walk from this house to my apartment. You'll be alright."

Lizzy bought furniture a few pieces at a time from second hand shops and garage sales. Polly turned up her nose at getting used stuff, but Lizzy did not care. "I'm not going to break my bank buying brand new furniture," she told Fred. Lizzy and Fred moved the majority of her things into her new home by themselves. Lisa and Janie helped some, Charles very little. Fred moved things only when there was no one else around. "They would only see boxes and bits of furniture floating around," he chuckled to Lizzy. "Your mother would probably demand to have an exorcism."

Fred and Lizzy spent the first evening in their new home unpacking and organizing her belongings. Fred never thought he would enjoy something as "grown up" as moving and unpacking, but he was so elated over helping Lizzy get out of the Mega-beast's house at last, he was as happy as a child with a mud pie.

They ate a supper of chinese take out and soda, sitting on the floor, surrounded by boxes. Lizzy smilingly raised her styrofoam cup toward Fred's. "To new beginnings," she proposed.

"To escaping from the Mega-beast's domain," Fred agreed. They tapped their cups together and slurped from their straws contentedly.

"So where's Charles tonight?" inquired Fred, crunching his fortune cookie.

"At a thing," said Lizzy vaguely. "I didn't invite him over."

"Really?" Fred was intrigued by her tone. "Why not?"

Lizzy poked around in her noodles. "I don't know... I just sort of wanted it to be me and you tonight, Fred."

Fred stopped eating. "Why?" he asked again. He could feel his wayward heart beginning a staccato rhythm in his chest.

Lizzy shrugged and looked around at the clutter of boxes and furniture. "I don't know," she said again. "This is such a big step for me, getting out of Mother's house, getting out on my own... it's been such a long journey, and you're really the only one who's been on it with me. I couldn't have done it without you, Fred. It was really you who made all this possible." Unexpectedly, her eyes filled with tears. "You helped me survive all those awful years in Mother's house. Nobody else was there for me. You kept my spirit alive..." she choked suddenly and put her hand to her eyes.

Fred was stunned.

"I know I get mad at you sometimes," Lizzy went on, wiping tears from her cheeks. "And I'm sorry if I get too harsh with you..." she reached across and clasped his hand tightly in hers. "You're the best friend I ever had. Nobody else knows what it took to get here except you and me. That's why I didn't want anybody else here tonight. I just... didn't want to share it with anybody else."

"Come here," said Fred huskily.

She scooted across the floor to him, sniffing and rubbing tears from her eyes. Her put his arm around her hugged her tightly to him. "I'm proud of you," he whispered in her ear. "I want you to know that. I'm proud to have been your best friend all these years. It was worth every second."

Lizzy leaned her head on his shoulder and squeezed his hand. "Thank you. I still don't know where you came from or why," she whispered, "but I'm thankful every day that I have you... even on days when I want to kill you."

Fred chuckled softly and kissed the side of her head. She turned and brushed a kiss against his neck. Love washed over him, and he was about to gather her into his arms, when the doorbell rang.

Lizzy lifted her head from his shoulder. Fred inadvertently tightened his grasp around her. "Who can that be?" said Lizzy crossly.

"Ignore it," murmured Fred, brushing his nose against her hair. But Lizzy scrambled to her feet and made her way to the door, hopping over boxes and shoving furniture out of the way. Fred sighed and leaned his head defeatedly back on the box against which he was seated. Lizzy opened the door and a hated voice floated through the air to Fred's ears.

"Hey Lizzy," came Charles's usual smooth tones. "How's the move going?"

"I thought you were at that thing for your friend tonight?" said Lizzy. For the first time she didn't sound happy to see him.

"Oh... that, well, it was kind of turning into a drag, so I thought I would come over here and see how you were getting on."

"It's going pretty well, thanks," said Lizzy. Fred was unabashedly pleased that she still sounded put out.

"Well... aren't you going to invite me in?" inquired Charles.

"It's such a mess," said Lizzy reluctantly.

"It certainly is... and so are you. What are you wearing?"

Lizzy glanced down at her dirty jeans and tee shirt. "Work clothes."

Charles chuckled and pushed past Lizzy into the apartment. "Well, I guess we all have to dress down sometimes."

Lizzy followed him unenthusiastically into the box strewn front room. "I'm really busy right now, Charles," she said, glancing at Fred, who was watching dispiritedly from his seat on the floor. "I want to get as much done tonight as I can. I've got three classes to teach tomorrow."

"I think you've done enough for tonight," said Charles catching Lizzy by the hips and swaying rather suggestively around the room with her. "I think you should take a break, get out of those atrocious clothes, and come out with me."

"Charles! Not tonight! I've got a billion things I need to get done. I haven't even found my bathroom stuff yet. I'll need it to take a shower in the morning."

"I've got an idea," said Charles, taking Lizzy by the hands and drawing her to him, "Why don't you blow this joint, and come stay with me tonight? You can shower at my place in the morning and you won't have to unpack any more boxes this evening."

"Charles..." Lizzy was blushing dark red.

"Oh come on, Goose, you know you want to." Charles had chosen the moniker "Goose" as his term of endearment for Lizzy. Fred hated it violently. "I've got a water bed... with silk sheets... and something else that can give you a lot of pleasure..."

"Charles, please! Not tonight!" Lizzy was becoming visibly uncomfortable. "This is my first night in my own home, and I want to spend it here."

Charles suddenly dropped her arms. "Fine," he said cooly. "I guess you're not as into me as I thought you were. I'll get going then."

To Fred's horror, Lizzy was instantly contrite. "Oh Charles, no, I didn't mean it like that. Look, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound like that, okay? I'm sorry."

Charles gave her an icy stare.

"I'm sorry," said Lizzy again. "Of course I'm "into you", I'm just really, really tired right now. I've been moving all day. Don't take it personally, please?"

Charles looked mildly pacified.

"Look," said Lizzy. "I really want to sleep here tonight, okay? But I'll come out with you for a drink. Okay? Can we do that instead?"

Charles gave her a mollified half smile. "Alright, I guess I'll settle for that. But if you ever want me to introduce you to my water bed, I'll be happy to."

Lizzy giggled a little nervously. "Okay. Here, let me change real fast, and I'll be with you in a minute." She disappeared into her bedroom.

Fred was so furious, he wanted to throw the rest of the Chinese take away at Charles and stuff the styrofoam containers down his throat. But he controlled himself. Instead he popped into Lizzy's bedroom where she was standing in front of her closet, feverishly looking for something to wear. She turned as he materialized.

"Oh Fred, I'm really, really sorry about this."

"Are you really going to go out with him after that?" Fred demanded.

"After what?"

"Elizabeth! He insulted you. And then he tried to get you to go to bed with him, and then he made you feel guilty when you didn't want to. Didn't you hear a word he said?"

Lizzy didn't seem to be listening. "I don't think he meant it like that, Fred."

"Yes he certainly did! He meant every word!"

"I think he's just been missing me," said Lizzy evasively. "I've been so busy with the move."

"He said you were a mess," said Fred through gritted teeth.

"Well, I am a mess."

"No you're not! You look great! And you shouldn't go out with a man who doesn't think you always look great! Because you do..." He trailed off, feeling his own face grow warm.

Lizzy looked at him with soft eyes. "That's really sweet, Fred. But most men don't think a woman always looks great. I certainly don't right now, though you're really, really sweet to say that."

Fred was silent. He was afraid he had said too much already. Lizzy came over to him and laid her hands beseechingly on his chest. "Please don't be so upset. I'm just going to go out with him for a little while."

"I thought you wanted to spend the evening with me," said Fred, a little sullenly.

"I do. I do. But I think it would be good for me and Charles to just have a couple of hours together tonight, just to kind of reassure him, you know? I won't be out long. I'll come back soon, and it will be just you and me, Fred. Okay?"

"Yeah, sure," he muttered, not feeling very charitable.

Lizzy slipped her arms around his waist, nestling closer to him, looking up at him with pleading eyes. "Don't be mad, Fred, please? You're going to live with me, remember? We'll have lots of other nights together. An infinite number of nights."

"Will we?" said Fred sadly.

"Of course we will! We're going to live here together, and mother won't be around and we'll have all kinds of fun! I promise!"

But Charles will be around, he thought despondently. It's never going to just be you and me, Lizzy.

"Please don't be mad," Lizzy rested her head on his chest. "I hate it when you're mad at me, Fred."

He wrapped his arms around her, unable to resist her closeness. "I hate it when you're mad at me," he muttered. "But you are a lot."

She sighed. "I know. I'm sorry."

There was a sharp tap on the door. "Lizzy?" came Charles's impatient voice. "What are you doing in there? Are you talking to someone?"

"Sorry Charles!" Lizzy called. "I'm – I'm just trying to find something to wear. I'll be there in a minute!" She looked up at Fred and whispered, "please say you're not mad at me."

"Okay, Snotface, I'm not mad."

"But you're disappointed, aren't you?"

"I can't really help that."

She reached up and kissed him softly on the cheek. "I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"How?"

"How do you want me to?"

He tried to shut his mind against the responses which suddenly filled his head. I want you to break it off with Charles forever. I want you to let me take you to bed tonight and make mad, passionate love to you. I want you to let me make love to you every night for the rest of your life...

With superhuman effort he, slammed his guard down against the insane yearnings which took siege of his imagination. He could not think like that! Especially since he was going to be living alone with Lizzy now. He had to be constantly vigilant. If the Powers-That-Be ever knew...

He put Lizzy gently away from his body, knowing her close proximity would only add fuel to the fire. "Just spend a day with me, sometime," he said quietly. "A whole day, just the two of us. We hardly ever do that any more."

"Okay, Fred. Someday soon, I promise we'll have a whole day. Just the two of us."

She started to come near him again, but he side-stepped her and said, "You'd better get ready. I think your charming date is chomping at the bit."

Lizzy nodded. When she was finished, she went to Fred and kissed him again, despite his best efforts to keep his distance. "I'll be back soon," she said softly.

"Yeah, yeah, you go on and have fun. Maybe I'll do a little more unpacking."

And he watched with a heavy heart as the love of his life left him yet again for the company of the man he detested most in the world.