"Oh, I like that one." Fred smiled. "It's a very pretty shade of blue."
Cordelia frowned. "No...I think...you should go with red. It'll bring out that lipstick we just bought for you." She rummaged around, looking intently. "Ah-hah!" She grinned.
"Did you find something?" Fred walked up to her.
Cordelia held out a simple red dress that would hang just above her knees. It had spaghetti straps and an elegant pattern on it in dark red.
"Oh, I think that's much too pretty for just a dinner with all of you. I mean, I don't think we should be so formal around one another when we've all been around each other doing rather embarrassing things like swinging at big ugly bug things with golf clubs." Fred smiled. "I don't think anyone would care to see me like that."
"I think someone would..." Cordy handed her the dress. "Go, try it on." She pushed her towards the dressing room.
Charles Gunn was frustrated. He glared over at Wesley. "Look, man. It's just going to be a little get together for fun, okay?"
"I really don't feel the need to be frolicking about wearing fancy clothes at a dinner party when we should be finding out what attacked Fred and why." Wesley turned the page in his book.
Gunn sighed. "Fine, you don't want your chance at Fred? That's just peachy with me." He stood up and walked towards the door.
Wesley looked up, removing his glasses. "Chance with Fred?"
"Yes, chance with Fred." Gunn replied, mocking Wesley's accent. "Everyone knows you're in love with her except her. This dinner was just a set-up. Angel, Cordy, and I are all going to Caritas to help Lorne with some re-decorating. We thought we'd just leave you two here...alone." He smiled. "C'mon English. You need a good 'shagging', don't you?"
Wesley's jaw dropped. When Gunn began to laugh, Wesley closed his mouth, turning red. He cleared his throat. "Well..." He was clearly insulted.
"Just kidding, man. Don't take it so personal. Just be here at seven, look nice." Gunn walked out the door.
Angel scratched his head. He took another good look at the plans left for him by Cordelia and crossed his arms. The table setting was baffling him. He didn't know fork from fork, plate from plate. Turning the page, he smiled at the makeshift drawing she'd left.
"Ah, Cordy...you know me well." He covered the table and began working. The darkened room was beautiful. A room they'd never used out of fear of messing it up. It had been, at one time, a dining hall used for big ceremonies. The aubergine color on the walls was very regal looking. The dining set that Cordelia had put together matched well. Angel carefully lit the candle sconces on the walls and the candelabra on the table. He smiled with the reassurance that everything would work, and Cordy would be proud.
Fred cocked her head to the side, staring into the mirror. She frowned.
"I'm still not sure about this." She smoothed invisible wrinkles from the dress and looked down at the stiletto heels on her feet. "I don't think I'll be able to walk in these."
"Don't worry hun." Cordy said with a smile. "You're sitting, not walking." She pulled a few sections of Fred's wavy chestnut hair back, placing sprigs of baby's breath inside the messy bun she had created. "There." Cordy placed her hands on Fred's shoulders and looked around her to see her in the mirror. "You look great."
"What about you? What are you going to wear?" Fred turned around.
"I...have to go to my apartment to get it. I already told everyone I was going to be late, so they're expecting it." She looked at her watch. "Seven o'clock. Ready?"
Fred smiled. "I think so. Well...that is if I don't fall down the stairs."
Cordelia rushed out the door, leaving Fred in the lobby.
"Right into that room that we never use. I'll be back shortly. Don't worry." She said as she ran.
"Right." Fred sighed. She walked carefully towards the back of the Hyperion. Through the glass French doors, she could see a flickering of firelight from the fireplace. She walked in to see that she was the first to arrive. Deciding to head back to the lobby and wait, Fred turned and ran right into Wesley.
"Oops." She giggled. She looked up at him. "Sorry."
"My fault...standing too closely." He smiled down at her. He wore a nice shirt and a sweater vest with a tie. His hair which was usually a mess had been gelled but not slicked back. It stood in short spikes all over his head.
"I...um...like your hair." She said.
"Likewise." He looked in the dining room. "Nobody else is here?"
Fred shrugged. "Cordelia said she'd be right back."
"Oh. Okay. Why don't we sit down then?" He offered his arm, and with a smile, she gladly accepted it.
Fred and Wesley walked into the room to see two covered dishes, one on each end of the table. There were only two chairs. Fred frowned and looked up at Wesley.
"Wesley...there's only..." She trailed off, seeing a note on the table. She picked it up and read it aloud. "Dear Wesley and Fred, sorry that we had to deceive you like this, but we thought you two deserved to have some fun. The night is yours. Cordelia, Angel, and Gunn." She looked up at him with a frown.
Wesley laughed slightly. "Well now...that was unexpected." He removed his glasses and looked at her with a smile. He began cleaning them nervously.
"If you don't want to stay, I'll understand..."
Fred smiled and shook her head. "No, Wesley. They're right. We should have some fun. I'd love to stay with you for dinner tonight. We'll call it a date."
Cordelia frowned. "No...I think...you should go with red. It'll bring out that lipstick we just bought for you." She rummaged around, looking intently. "Ah-hah!" She grinned.
"Did you find something?" Fred walked up to her.
Cordelia held out a simple red dress that would hang just above her knees. It had spaghetti straps and an elegant pattern on it in dark red.
"Oh, I think that's much too pretty for just a dinner with all of you. I mean, I don't think we should be so formal around one another when we've all been around each other doing rather embarrassing things like swinging at big ugly bug things with golf clubs." Fred smiled. "I don't think anyone would care to see me like that."
"I think someone would..." Cordy handed her the dress. "Go, try it on." She pushed her towards the dressing room.
Charles Gunn was frustrated. He glared over at Wesley. "Look, man. It's just going to be a little get together for fun, okay?"
"I really don't feel the need to be frolicking about wearing fancy clothes at a dinner party when we should be finding out what attacked Fred and why." Wesley turned the page in his book.
Gunn sighed. "Fine, you don't want your chance at Fred? That's just peachy with me." He stood up and walked towards the door.
Wesley looked up, removing his glasses. "Chance with Fred?"
"Yes, chance with Fred." Gunn replied, mocking Wesley's accent. "Everyone knows you're in love with her except her. This dinner was just a set-up. Angel, Cordy, and I are all going to Caritas to help Lorne with some re-decorating. We thought we'd just leave you two here...alone." He smiled. "C'mon English. You need a good 'shagging', don't you?"
Wesley's jaw dropped. When Gunn began to laugh, Wesley closed his mouth, turning red. He cleared his throat. "Well..." He was clearly insulted.
"Just kidding, man. Don't take it so personal. Just be here at seven, look nice." Gunn walked out the door.
Angel scratched his head. He took another good look at the plans left for him by Cordelia and crossed his arms. The table setting was baffling him. He didn't know fork from fork, plate from plate. Turning the page, he smiled at the makeshift drawing she'd left.
"Ah, Cordy...you know me well." He covered the table and began working. The darkened room was beautiful. A room they'd never used out of fear of messing it up. It had been, at one time, a dining hall used for big ceremonies. The aubergine color on the walls was very regal looking. The dining set that Cordelia had put together matched well. Angel carefully lit the candle sconces on the walls and the candelabra on the table. He smiled with the reassurance that everything would work, and Cordy would be proud.
Fred cocked her head to the side, staring into the mirror. She frowned.
"I'm still not sure about this." She smoothed invisible wrinkles from the dress and looked down at the stiletto heels on her feet. "I don't think I'll be able to walk in these."
"Don't worry hun." Cordy said with a smile. "You're sitting, not walking." She pulled a few sections of Fred's wavy chestnut hair back, placing sprigs of baby's breath inside the messy bun she had created. "There." Cordy placed her hands on Fred's shoulders and looked around her to see her in the mirror. "You look great."
"What about you? What are you going to wear?" Fred turned around.
"I...have to go to my apartment to get it. I already told everyone I was going to be late, so they're expecting it." She looked at her watch. "Seven o'clock. Ready?"
Fred smiled. "I think so. Well...that is if I don't fall down the stairs."
Cordelia rushed out the door, leaving Fred in the lobby.
"Right into that room that we never use. I'll be back shortly. Don't worry." She said as she ran.
"Right." Fred sighed. She walked carefully towards the back of the Hyperion. Through the glass French doors, she could see a flickering of firelight from the fireplace. She walked in to see that she was the first to arrive. Deciding to head back to the lobby and wait, Fred turned and ran right into Wesley.
"Oops." She giggled. She looked up at him. "Sorry."
"My fault...standing too closely." He smiled down at her. He wore a nice shirt and a sweater vest with a tie. His hair which was usually a mess had been gelled but not slicked back. It stood in short spikes all over his head.
"I...um...like your hair." She said.
"Likewise." He looked in the dining room. "Nobody else is here?"
Fred shrugged. "Cordelia said she'd be right back."
"Oh. Okay. Why don't we sit down then?" He offered his arm, and with a smile, she gladly accepted it.
Fred and Wesley walked into the room to see two covered dishes, one on each end of the table. There were only two chairs. Fred frowned and looked up at Wesley.
"Wesley...there's only..." She trailed off, seeing a note on the table. She picked it up and read it aloud. "Dear Wesley and Fred, sorry that we had to deceive you like this, but we thought you two deserved to have some fun. The night is yours. Cordelia, Angel, and Gunn." She looked up at him with a frown.
Wesley laughed slightly. "Well now...that was unexpected." He removed his glasses and looked at her with a smile. He began cleaning them nervously.
"If you don't want to stay, I'll understand..."
Fred smiled and shook her head. "No, Wesley. They're right. We should have some fun. I'd love to stay with you for dinner tonight. We'll call it a date."
