Wesley woke up a little sore, but fully rested. He yawned and stretched, reaching onto the bedside table for his glasses. Slowly, he stood and walked towards the bathroom. He closed the door and turned on the shower. After only a few moments to let the water heat up, he stepped under the steaming hot jets. He closed his eyes and leaned into the water, letting it cleanse his face. Ever since a few days ago, his thoughts had been nothing but Fred. Fred this, Fred that. Never a thought about anything else. Was she an obsession or was it love?
The phone rang. Wesley jumped and snapped back to reality. He realized what it was and relaxed again. Turning off the water, he got out and wrapped a towel around his scarred and beaten body. The shrill ring of the phone stopped. Wesley looked at the door as if he could see through it. //Machine must be broken.// He opened the door and walked out, heading for the dark closet.
* * *
Fred woke up to a ringing phone. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and looked around. She found the phone and picked it up.
"Hello?" She croaked into the reciever.
"Fred? Sorry, hon...I know you're supposed to be on vacation and all, but Angel and I are going out tonight. Do you think you and Wesley could come over and watch Connor for us?" Cordy's voice answered.
Fred yawned. "Sure." She smiled and hung up the phone, pulling her pillow over her head and attempting to fall back to sleep.
As she closed her eyes, Fred heard the sound of a door opening. She froze and let her eyes dart around in the darkness underneath her pillow. She stopped her breathing for just a moment to listen. No more sounds. Fred sighed at herself and turned over.
//You're just being your crazy old self, Fred.//
* * *
Wesley emerged from the closet, fully dressed. He walked towards his bed and began to make it, tugging at the sheets, trying to fold them down. He frowned as a lump on the opposite side decided to be particularly stubborn. He tugged one last time and the side of the bed moved. Wesley jumped back, seeing a bare arm fall over the sheet.
//Oh my Lord...there's a body in my bed.// Wesley tiptoed around to the other side of the bed and swallowed hard, preparing himself for the worst. He squinched his eyes closed and threw back the covers, opening his eyes quickly.
Fred jumped and screamed, staring at Wesley. Wesley's eyes met her as he screamed as well. They both stopped. Wesley blushed and turned away, catching a glimpse of Fred's not-so-covered body.
Fred snatched the covers back and caught her breath. "Wes - Wesley! What are you doing here? And...and throwin' off my covers like that?"
"I'm sorry, Fred...but you seem to be in *my* apartment." He looked back at her, his gaze just as confused as hers, just a little more apologetic.
"Your...?" She looked around, realizing that none of the things in the apartment belonged to her. "I...how...I..." She shut her mouth and looked underneath the covers. She gasped when she realized that she was almost completely naked. She pulled the covers back over herself and looked back at Wesley again. "You didn't wake up like that too, did ya?"
Wesley's eyes were full of dread. "Umm...sort of...yes." He looked down at his feet. "Did we...?"
Fred's eyes became wide in realization. "Oh no." She ducked underneath the sheets of the bed and mumbled something.
"What?" He asked, kneeling down at the edge of the bed.
Her head popped up from underneath the covers. "I dreamt that we did. I thought maybe it was just a really detailed dream or somethin'. You know, one of those dreams where it really feels like you're really there? Well...I guess I was..." She blushed.
Wes looked down at his feet. "I'm so sorry, Fred. So sorry." He stood up again and looked around for some clothes that would belong to her. He found none.
//What in the blazes did I do with them?// He thought. He walked into the closet again, this time turning on the light. He searched through some of his clothes which looked a lot older than they used to. Then he turned to look at the other side of the closet. He grabbed what looked like a shirt and walked from the closet with it. He handed it to Fred, who had fashioned a dress for herself from the bedsheets.
"Thank you." She headed into the bathroom to change.
Wesley sat down on the bed and scratched his head. He tried to remember the events of the night before in exact order. None of it was coming to him. Nothing. The only thing he remembered was the baby, then taking Fred to her room and kissing her goodnight. He smiled in reflection of the kiss, having done exactly what he wanted to at exactly the moment he wanted to do it. Then, his mind went blank.
Fred came out of the bathroom. "Wesley? Do you just happen to have nice dresses lying around your closet?" She asked.
He looked up and saw Fred wearing a beautiful yellow sun dress that perfectly complimented her figure. "No...that must be what you came in...even though I don't remember anything."
"I only remember last night with the baby...the kiss..." She blushed, "and then my dream."
Wesley looked at his feet and sat down on the bed as Fred walked toward the door. "I'm sorry, Fred. If it was my fault, I'm sorry."
Fred stopped and turned around. "No, I'm sorry. I wouldn't have...I mean...if I didn't want..." She sighed, "I'm just...still uncomfortable. Something weird is going on. This isn't like either of us. You don't just...sleep with someone after you've only known them for a short while, it's just wrong."
Wesley nervously removed his glasses and began cleaning them. "Right. Wrong." He placed them back on his face, but his hands continued to fidget, his conscience battling itself.
"Wait! Cordelia called! She didn't act surprised that I answered the phone, so she must have known something!" Fred grabbed Wesley's hand and pulled him out the door.
The phone rang. Wesley jumped and snapped back to reality. He realized what it was and relaxed again. Turning off the water, he got out and wrapped a towel around his scarred and beaten body. The shrill ring of the phone stopped. Wesley looked at the door as if he could see through it. //Machine must be broken.// He opened the door and walked out, heading for the dark closet.
* * *
Fred woke up to a ringing phone. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and looked around. She found the phone and picked it up.
"Hello?" She croaked into the reciever.
"Fred? Sorry, hon...I know you're supposed to be on vacation and all, but Angel and I are going out tonight. Do you think you and Wesley could come over and watch Connor for us?" Cordy's voice answered.
Fred yawned. "Sure." She smiled and hung up the phone, pulling her pillow over her head and attempting to fall back to sleep.
As she closed her eyes, Fred heard the sound of a door opening. She froze and let her eyes dart around in the darkness underneath her pillow. She stopped her breathing for just a moment to listen. No more sounds. Fred sighed at herself and turned over.
//You're just being your crazy old self, Fred.//
* * *
Wesley emerged from the closet, fully dressed. He walked towards his bed and began to make it, tugging at the sheets, trying to fold them down. He frowned as a lump on the opposite side decided to be particularly stubborn. He tugged one last time and the side of the bed moved. Wesley jumped back, seeing a bare arm fall over the sheet.
//Oh my Lord...there's a body in my bed.// Wesley tiptoed around to the other side of the bed and swallowed hard, preparing himself for the worst. He squinched his eyes closed and threw back the covers, opening his eyes quickly.
Fred jumped and screamed, staring at Wesley. Wesley's eyes met her as he screamed as well. They both stopped. Wesley blushed and turned away, catching a glimpse of Fred's not-so-covered body.
Fred snatched the covers back and caught her breath. "Wes - Wesley! What are you doing here? And...and throwin' off my covers like that?"
"I'm sorry, Fred...but you seem to be in *my* apartment." He looked back at her, his gaze just as confused as hers, just a little more apologetic.
"Your...?" She looked around, realizing that none of the things in the apartment belonged to her. "I...how...I..." She shut her mouth and looked underneath the covers. She gasped when she realized that she was almost completely naked. She pulled the covers back over herself and looked back at Wesley again. "You didn't wake up like that too, did ya?"
Wesley's eyes were full of dread. "Umm...sort of...yes." He looked down at his feet. "Did we...?"
Fred's eyes became wide in realization. "Oh no." She ducked underneath the sheets of the bed and mumbled something.
"What?" He asked, kneeling down at the edge of the bed.
Her head popped up from underneath the covers. "I dreamt that we did. I thought maybe it was just a really detailed dream or somethin'. You know, one of those dreams where it really feels like you're really there? Well...I guess I was..." She blushed.
Wes looked down at his feet. "I'm so sorry, Fred. So sorry." He stood up again and looked around for some clothes that would belong to her. He found none.
//What in the blazes did I do with them?// He thought. He walked into the closet again, this time turning on the light. He searched through some of his clothes which looked a lot older than they used to. Then he turned to look at the other side of the closet. He grabbed what looked like a shirt and walked from the closet with it. He handed it to Fred, who had fashioned a dress for herself from the bedsheets.
"Thank you." She headed into the bathroom to change.
Wesley sat down on the bed and scratched his head. He tried to remember the events of the night before in exact order. None of it was coming to him. Nothing. The only thing he remembered was the baby, then taking Fred to her room and kissing her goodnight. He smiled in reflection of the kiss, having done exactly what he wanted to at exactly the moment he wanted to do it. Then, his mind went blank.
Fred came out of the bathroom. "Wesley? Do you just happen to have nice dresses lying around your closet?" She asked.
He looked up and saw Fred wearing a beautiful yellow sun dress that perfectly complimented her figure. "No...that must be what you came in...even though I don't remember anything."
"I only remember last night with the baby...the kiss..." She blushed, "and then my dream."
Wesley looked at his feet and sat down on the bed as Fred walked toward the door. "I'm sorry, Fred. If it was my fault, I'm sorry."
Fred stopped and turned around. "No, I'm sorry. I wouldn't have...I mean...if I didn't want..." She sighed, "I'm just...still uncomfortable. Something weird is going on. This isn't like either of us. You don't just...sleep with someone after you've only known them for a short while, it's just wrong."
Wesley nervously removed his glasses and began cleaning them. "Right. Wrong." He placed them back on his face, but his hands continued to fidget, his conscience battling itself.
"Wait! Cordelia called! She didn't act surprised that I answered the phone, so she must have known something!" Fred grabbed Wesley's hand and pulled him out the door.