A/N - Thanks very much to Net girl for reviewing this. These next to are the conclusion, but there is a sequal! Look for it! And reviews are encouraged, people!
Letting the Bad in with the Good
Part 9
"About what?" Gunn asked Fred as she sat across from him. There was only a table separating them, but to Fred it felt like an ocean. "About everything that's happened, Charles," she replied. "We can't keep our feelings buried." Gunn wasn't looking at her anymore. It was very clear to Fred that he didn't want to talk at all.
"Are-are you mad at me? Is that why you can't even look at me?" Fred asked him as he looked back up at her. "Or, is it because you think I'm some kind of...I don't know...some slut or some-" "Hey, no! Calm down, OK?" Gunn interrupted. Fred took in a breath and waited for him to continue.
Exhaling heavily, he continued. "I don't think that about you. You are anything but a slut, understand that." "Then what is it? Why won't you touch me?" Fred asked him. It took Gunn a while to reply. Fred wondered what he was thinking now, and suddenly wishing she could read people as well as Cordelia can now.
"I'm afraid." Gunn finally responded. "Of what?" Fred asked eagerly. He looked away again. "What happened back at the Hyperion, what we did, I should have known better, and I'm afraid that I won't be able to use my judgment when it comes to you. I should have stopped, Fred. I should have known better."
"What we did was not your fault. If anything it was-" "Do not take the blame for this," Gunn told her. "I couldn't control myself." Fred didn't know why, but she was getting angry, angry that he couldn't see that this was being blown way out of proportion. "Neither could I, Charles. We're human, we make mistakes...some are just bigger than others, but we're supposed to make them.
"And because of this mistake, you don't want to be near me. Look at you, you can't even look at me." Gunn looked up at her. Fred could tell he was fighting the urge to look away. "All I know is that I miss you." Fred told him. Gunn remained quiet for a while before saying, "I miss you too."
They both practically jumped and ran to each other. They embraced and held on to each other as if they haven't seen each other in months. "We're OK then?" Fred asked as she tightened her hold on him. Gunn pulled away and kissed her. Fred had thought that she would never experience this again. She thought that she would forget how it felt to have Gunn kiss her, and now all thoughts left her head.
Fred wasn't too sure how long they kissed, but it must have been a while. Connor cries finally broke them apart. Gunn wasn't happy about that, but Fred figured Angel and Cordelia needed time to themselves. "So de we." Gunn teased her as she lifted Connor out of the play pin. She rubbed his back gently and within minutes, he stopped crying.
"Can we put him back now?" Gunn asked eagerly. It only caused Fred to erupt in a fit of giggles. Gunn took Connor until Fred stopped laughing. Gunn put Connor back and grabbed Fred by the waist. She managed to get away and run into the living room. Gunn gently tackled her to the couch, where they soon settled in together. Fred had rested her head against Gunn's chest, listening to his heartbeat and falling asleep to the rhythm of his breathing.
Gunn absently played with Fred's hair before sleep took him as well. They had hardly slept since everything happened and this was a well-deserved break.
***
Wesley decided after long consideration to go back to Cordy'a apartment and wait for Angel to wake up like the others were doing. Lorne was fine, but had said he needed his beauty sleep. Walking up the stairs and heading towards the door, Wesley suddenly felt nervous. Fred was there, and they hadn't talked about what happened. Again he was taken over by a horrible thing and almost forced to hurt the girl that he cared about so much.
For some reason, he pushed the door open quietly. He wished he hadn't. Wesley wished that he had walked heavily the whole way up here and he wished he had banged on the door. He wished this because the first sight he saw was Fred and Gunn together on the couch. Not anything intimate or dirty, but it was heart wrenching to him.
It made what was going on between their whole little triangle end, and it was clear whom Fred wanted. At first, Wesley thought she may have changed her mind, especially when she didn't know he was under the force and she didn't pull away when he kissed her.
Now that was shot to pieces. Wesley shut the door behind him and decided to go back to his place and try to erase the picture he now had in his head of Fred snuggling up to Gunn. Just as he was half way down the hall, he felt a hand lightly touch his shoulder. Wesley turned and found that he was staring at Fred.
"Fred." He breathed out. "Why didn't you come in?" Fred asked with a smile. Wesley stared back at her with an untrusting look. "Do me a favor," Wesley started in a clod tone. "Don't treat me like I'm stupid. I know what's going on." Fred put up her defenses. "OK Wesley...educate me."
He sighed and shook his head. "You said I was a good man, you said that you forgave me for what I did when Billy's blood infected me. You lied to me." Wesley exploded. Fred's face was clouded with confusion. How could she not see it by now? "Lied?" she echoed. "Yes, lied," he shot back instantly. "You made me think that you cared about me, and then..."
Letting the words trail off, he focused on her face. She was deep in thought now, trying to make sense of what he was saying. "What did Gunn do that I didn't, Fred?" Wesley could imagine the light bulb clicking above Fred's head. "Wesley," she started off softly, but Wesley wasn't ready to hear it. He turned away from her and began to walk down the rest of the hall.
"Wesley!" Fred called after him. This time, she fiercely grabbed his arm and made him look at her. "Do you think that it's fair for you to say what you have to say and me not getting to say what I have to say about what you said?" Fred said very quickly. Wesley stared at her with a dumb founded look on his face. "I suppose...not?"
"Exactly, so get ready to listen."
Letting the Bad in with the Good
Part 9
"About what?" Gunn asked Fred as she sat across from him. There was only a table separating them, but to Fred it felt like an ocean. "About everything that's happened, Charles," she replied. "We can't keep our feelings buried." Gunn wasn't looking at her anymore. It was very clear to Fred that he didn't want to talk at all.
"Are-are you mad at me? Is that why you can't even look at me?" Fred asked him as he looked back up at her. "Or, is it because you think I'm some kind of...I don't know...some slut or some-" "Hey, no! Calm down, OK?" Gunn interrupted. Fred took in a breath and waited for him to continue.
Exhaling heavily, he continued. "I don't think that about you. You are anything but a slut, understand that." "Then what is it? Why won't you touch me?" Fred asked him. It took Gunn a while to reply. Fred wondered what he was thinking now, and suddenly wishing she could read people as well as Cordelia can now.
"I'm afraid." Gunn finally responded. "Of what?" Fred asked eagerly. He looked away again. "What happened back at the Hyperion, what we did, I should have known better, and I'm afraid that I won't be able to use my judgment when it comes to you. I should have stopped, Fred. I should have known better."
"What we did was not your fault. If anything it was-" "Do not take the blame for this," Gunn told her. "I couldn't control myself." Fred didn't know why, but she was getting angry, angry that he couldn't see that this was being blown way out of proportion. "Neither could I, Charles. We're human, we make mistakes...some are just bigger than others, but we're supposed to make them.
"And because of this mistake, you don't want to be near me. Look at you, you can't even look at me." Gunn looked up at her. Fred could tell he was fighting the urge to look away. "All I know is that I miss you." Fred told him. Gunn remained quiet for a while before saying, "I miss you too."
They both practically jumped and ran to each other. They embraced and held on to each other as if they haven't seen each other in months. "We're OK then?" Fred asked as she tightened her hold on him. Gunn pulled away and kissed her. Fred had thought that she would never experience this again. She thought that she would forget how it felt to have Gunn kiss her, and now all thoughts left her head.
Fred wasn't too sure how long they kissed, but it must have been a while. Connor cries finally broke them apart. Gunn wasn't happy about that, but Fred figured Angel and Cordelia needed time to themselves. "So de we." Gunn teased her as she lifted Connor out of the play pin. She rubbed his back gently and within minutes, he stopped crying.
"Can we put him back now?" Gunn asked eagerly. It only caused Fred to erupt in a fit of giggles. Gunn took Connor until Fred stopped laughing. Gunn put Connor back and grabbed Fred by the waist. She managed to get away and run into the living room. Gunn gently tackled her to the couch, where they soon settled in together. Fred had rested her head against Gunn's chest, listening to his heartbeat and falling asleep to the rhythm of his breathing.
Gunn absently played with Fred's hair before sleep took him as well. They had hardly slept since everything happened and this was a well-deserved break.
***
Wesley decided after long consideration to go back to Cordy'a apartment and wait for Angel to wake up like the others were doing. Lorne was fine, but had said he needed his beauty sleep. Walking up the stairs and heading towards the door, Wesley suddenly felt nervous. Fred was there, and they hadn't talked about what happened. Again he was taken over by a horrible thing and almost forced to hurt the girl that he cared about so much.
For some reason, he pushed the door open quietly. He wished he hadn't. Wesley wished that he had walked heavily the whole way up here and he wished he had banged on the door. He wished this because the first sight he saw was Fred and Gunn together on the couch. Not anything intimate or dirty, but it was heart wrenching to him.
It made what was going on between their whole little triangle end, and it was clear whom Fred wanted. At first, Wesley thought she may have changed her mind, especially when she didn't know he was under the force and she didn't pull away when he kissed her.
Now that was shot to pieces. Wesley shut the door behind him and decided to go back to his place and try to erase the picture he now had in his head of Fred snuggling up to Gunn. Just as he was half way down the hall, he felt a hand lightly touch his shoulder. Wesley turned and found that he was staring at Fred.
"Fred." He breathed out. "Why didn't you come in?" Fred asked with a smile. Wesley stared back at her with an untrusting look. "Do me a favor," Wesley started in a clod tone. "Don't treat me like I'm stupid. I know what's going on." Fred put up her defenses. "OK Wesley...educate me."
He sighed and shook his head. "You said I was a good man, you said that you forgave me for what I did when Billy's blood infected me. You lied to me." Wesley exploded. Fred's face was clouded with confusion. How could she not see it by now? "Lied?" she echoed. "Yes, lied," he shot back instantly. "You made me think that you cared about me, and then..."
Letting the words trail off, he focused on her face. She was deep in thought now, trying to make sense of what he was saying. "What did Gunn do that I didn't, Fred?" Wesley could imagine the light bulb clicking above Fred's head. "Wesley," she started off softly, but Wesley wasn't ready to hear it. He turned away from her and began to walk down the rest of the hall.
"Wesley!" Fred called after him. This time, she fiercely grabbed his arm and made him look at her. "Do you think that it's fair for you to say what you have to say and me not getting to say what I have to say about what you said?" Fred said very quickly. Wesley stared at her with a dumb founded look on his face. "I suppose...not?"
"Exactly, so get ready to listen."