SPECIAL NOTE: This story does not have Evil Fred in it at all, this is more along the lines of what I normally write and is kind of sad.
TITLE: Anyone But Me: Stop This
AUTHOR: Annabelle
DISCLAIMER: I don't own them. I just like to write. Don't sue, please!
SUMMARY: Wesley gets one last look at the people he loved.
DISTRIBUTION: FanFiction.Net, Hello World: Fan Fiction Is Fun, anyone
else please ask first
RATING: PG
THANK YOUS: Candace for being a very kind person and beta-reading this
for me at the last minute. Thank you Candace!
FEEDBACK: Lots of it please! Send to Annabelle_felicity@hotmail.com
Anyone But Me: Stop This
by Annabelle
Nervousness filled my brain. I looked around the small lobby room that I was sitting in and watched, as everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. Even every breath that Rabbit, the small fox that was my guide at Stage One, seemed to last forever. It was like time had come some type of strange halt. My head started to feel dizzy from watching everyone in the lobby move at a pace that was slower than a snail. I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes trying to get rid of the feeling of uneasiness caused by this strange warp in time.
When I closed my eyes though strange things started to happen. I felt like I was floating around in some strange place, I opened my eyes to try to see where I was but all that was there was darkness. But it wasn't just dark but the air was thick and heavy. As I started to adjust to the floating feeling I felt myself start to fall. Slowly at first but gradually as the air around me started to shift my body picked up speed until I was falling so fast that I started to grab around trying to find anything that would help stop me but there was nothing. Pressure filled my lungs and build up so much that I felt like I couldn't breath. Then I started to see a small white light and it grew bigger and brighter as I feel towards it, so much so that I closed my eyes shut to try to keep it out.
It all stopped though, the falling, the pressure, it just stopped as soon as it had started. I could not feel anything though, it felt like I was still floating so I again opened my eyes and winced at the harsh lighting. After blinking a few times I saw that I was, for all intents and purposes, standing at the foot of my own hospital bed, even if I could not feel the ground underneath my feet. I saw the typical life support machines hooked up to my body, tubes coming in and out of my body, a breathing machine that rose and fell, and I could hear monitors beeping in time with my supposed heart beat.
Until that moment I had never experienced real utter terror. It was not from seeing all the tubes that were being stuffed in me, or from the fact that I knew that the only thing keep that hollow body alive were the machines, no. The simple truth was that I did not want to watch myself die, because I knew that that was what was going to happen. I turned away. I could not bear to look at myself, to see how weak I actually was. Every second I spent looking at my body I could hear my father's voice inside my head, telling me that I was a failure, that I was a good for nothing waste of skin that should have never been allowed the pleasure of breathing. Looking at myself I knew that every word he said was true.
Part of me wondered why I was being forced to see this. I knew that I did not want to go back, there was nothing left for me here. I had no friends, no family, and no one that actually cared about me. Being here was completely pointless and I started to try to come up with a way to get myself back to Stage One, where people actually still talked to me. "Rabbit," I yelled to the heavens. "I've had enough. I want to come back now. I know what my decision is." Nothing happened. "Please," I started to beg but still nothing. "I can't stand this," I threw my arms up. "I know it is part of protocol and what not but can't we just say that I have done the whole vision thing?" Again nothing and the lack of responses were starting to make me feel weak and helpless, like I was being forced to live a nightmare. I fell to my knees. "Please," I felt the tears start to come down my face but I didn't care. "I just want to go back."
"Wesley," a soft voice murmured from behind me. "I am sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep on ya. I promise it's not because the book is boring."
"What?" I turned around to see a familiar head of brown hair lift itself from where it had been settled on my bed.
I watched her use one of her small slender hands to push the hair from her face and the rub her neck. "Oh," she groaned. "I really shouldn't have fallen asleep like that. My neck is going to hurt me forever now." She smiled at my body, "Although sleeping on that cot isn't that much better. Just don't tell the nurses that."
Dumbfounded could not even begin to describe the state of shock that I was in. "Fred," I moved closer to her. "What are you doing here?"
"Well let's see," she looked through me at the clock on the wall. "It's just about dinner time then. I guess Mike will be by soon with his daily tray of goodies for me." She made a face. "You know if you don't start to get better soon Wesley I am going to start wasting away from this hospital food," she gave my body a rather pointed look. "I know, I know. It's not your fault that you are lying there in that hospital bed, but you could at least try, for me, please. I would like to eat tacos again some day."
"You've been eating hospital food," I gave her a strange look. "Why on earth would you subject yourself to that." I knelt at beside her. "Fred?"
"You know I am not asking for anything soon," she went on, "but we do only have until the end of the week. Not to push you or anything, but if you just gave us some sign, anything. That way I could contest that stupid as-" she stopped herself and took a breath. "I am sorry Wesley," Fred shook her head. "I didn't mean to get you upset, it's just that lawyer. Oh god, but Angel said he would look into it. I don't know what he can do, or why he is doing this, frankly though I don't care. If I have to pay him back for the rest of my life I will."
"Fred what are you talking about," I pleaded with her to hear me. "What lawyer? What is Angel doing?"
"Hey there Ms. Burkle," a low voice came from the doorway. "I got your dinner."
"Oh thanks Mike," Fred gave him a sweet smile. "What is it tonight."
"The usually," he smiled and set up the small pull out counter to put the tray on. "White slope with some green stuff on the side." He lifted the tray. "But I sunk an extra jell-o cup for you. Figured you might need it on a day like today."
Fred nodded. "Thanks Mike," she sighed. "Today was. Well it couldn't get any worse even if it tried."
"Yeah I heard," he nodded. "I am really sorry to hear that your fiancée signed that living will. You know I stay away from that stuff, it seems like just a trend to me, that or something for older folks. Not for someone who is young and has good chances of recovering like your Wesley here."
"What!" I bolted up. "Your Wesley? Fred what is he talking about?"
"I have thought about signing one a couple of times but now," she shook her head. "My friends say that they are going to try to find something to stop this but honestly I don't know. I mean the only thing that will is if he shows some sign before five o'clock this Friday afternoon."
Mike gave her a weak smile, "Don't you worry Ms. Burkle. He if really loves you he won't let you down."
"Wait a minute here," I told the man. "She was dating another man. In fact as far as I knew they were still dating when I left. Something is obviously wrong here." I started to try to piece together everything that was happening around me. "This is a dream," I started to pace around the room. "Yes that's it. This is some sort of weird afterlife dream of some sort. I must have fallen asleep in the records office and now I am dreaming." I took a breath and then started to think again. "But if this was a dream wouldn't I wake up to be happy with her? No," I shook my head. "This has to be a dream there is no way that Fred would ever tell anyone that we were engaged, why would she, what purpose would she have for doing something like that?"
"I just wish," Fred sighed. "I just wish he knew how much I miss him."
Before anything else could be said I felt a tugging sensation at my body. I didn't try to resist, I think I was in shock. As I was being lifted back up I kept watching the scene below me, I couldn't hear anything but I could clearly see the worry on Fred's face. The fact that it seemed like she hadn't had a good night's sleep in weeks. There were dark circles under her eyes, which were puffy and slightly red, as if she had been crying even in her sleep.
A small paw nudged me and I opened my eyes. "What happened," I asked Rabbit.
"You had your viewing," she replied. "How did it go?"
I shook my head, "That was really? All of it?"
"Yes it was," she replied.
Slowly I stood up, "I can't… I don't know what to say."
"Well you better think fast," Rabbit hopped off the chair she was sitting on. "It is time for you to see the council." She started to walk down a long hallway.
"Now," I followed her. "We are going now?"
"Yep," Rabbit replied. "If you didn't notice Wesley you don't have that much time left there. You know that living will you signed and all."
I cursed silently. The truth was I had no idea what I wanted now. Part of me just wanted it all to end, the pain, the suffering, but there was another part that needed to go back, so that I could look in Fred's eyes at least one last time. Only I kept hearing Rabbit's words in the back of my mind. The decision wasn't really mine, what I wanted would only factor into what was actually going to happen.