"Cessation"
Distribution: CD as always. Anyone else please ask.
Summary: Will and Francie's burgeoning relationship takes a pause.
Rating: PG/PG-13 for language
Classification: Drama/Angst/General.
A/N: Thanks to Robin, as always, for the wonderful beta, and not disowning me. I don't know what I'd do without you.
Feedback: Yes
Email: jch114@hotmail.com
Disclaimer: Um, Alias isn't mine. I don't own any part of it. If it was mine, I'd be honored, and sitting in award show audiences with Michael Vartan on one side, David Anders on another, and Bradley Cooper in the front. Anything Alias related is the property of ABC, Touchstone Television, JJ Abrams, Bad Robot, and anyone else who gets a paycheck from the show.
*****
Will stepped back in surprise. What the hell is he doing here? "Um. Hey, Alex, is Francie here?"
Will heard Francie's voice calling out from the living room, "Whoever it is, Alex, tell them we don't want any."
"It's Will, Francine," he called over his shoulder as he stepped to the side. "Come on in."
Will followed Alex into the living room where she was sitting. His heart sank when he saw her sitting on the couch in her pajamas, looking disheveled and embarrassed. As if she had been caught doing something he didn't want to believe that she would do after their fight.
Unlike last night, Alex seemed to receive Will's silent Go away. Alex looked at him and looked back at Francine. "I'll be in the kitchen, Francine, if you need me." He picked up some plates from the coffee table and walked away.
"Fran?" Will said to her tentatively. He caught his breath when he saw her shoulders tense up as he stepped closer to her.
"What do you want, Will?" she said quietly.
He sat down in the chair across from the couch and looked at her intensely. He saw some sort of emotion in her eyes. He felt his heartbeat slow down as he studied at her. He already missed her smile. "Look, I want to apologize for acting like such a dick last night."
"Yeah, I know. I got your message," she replied quietly, her shoulders still rigid and her voice hard.
"You did? Well, why didn't you call me back?" he asked, confused.
"Unless you are here to tell Sydney about us, then your apology while necessary isn't really important," she replied, returning his gaze.
"Fran, I can't tell Sydney about us. It's not time, yet," he said.
"Will, that's a load of bullshit. We've been sleeping together, and seeing each for entire month. It's okay to sleep with me, but you can't tell Syd about us? That makes a lot of sense," she responded, bitterness filling her voice.
He looked at her with his eyes widened; it wasn't like her to sound so upset. It wasn't Francie. She was the more upbeat one. "It's complicated, Francie. There are too many things to think about."
"What's there to think about, Will? 'Sydney, Francie and I have been seeing each other the past month together. Deal with it.' See, it's not that hard," she said sarcastically.
***
Alex watched with interest the body language between Will and Francine. His mother had always taught him not to be so nosy, but ever since he had ran into Francine last night-- Surprise, Surprise. He had been about the relationship between the two of them. Of course, he wouldn't ask; it wouldn't be proper. However, he hoped that there was nothing besides friendship between them. Seeing her again had brought back fantastic memories, and he intended to capitalize on them.
While watching them, he didn't notice the butter, which had gotten on the front of his shirt. He cursed inwardly when his hand touched the growing greasy stain on his shirt.
"Francine, where's your bathroom?" he asked. "I've gotten butter on the front of my shirt, and I'd like to try to get it out."
She turned back to him, and her eyes were shining as if she were crying. He looked at her . What is going on?
She cleared her throat and said, "Go around the corner, and it's the first door on the left."
"Thanks," he mumbled as he walked by the couch. He looked back at Francine who was staring straight ahead, and at Will who seemed to be dealing with something himself.
***
"What's he doing here?" Will asked. Will looked at Francie who was continued to look straight ahead at some spot over his shoulder.
"I don't think that's any of your business, Will. Like I told you last night, Alex is my friend, and I can have friends over."
"In the morning, Francie? I walk in here, see some strange man, and you in your pajamas looking embarrassed. And I'm not supposed to ask why's Alex here?" He felt that simmering anger from the night before returning.
"First of all, Will, for you to ask me would imply that I'm your girlfriend," she said quietly. "Last I checked, you hadn't told our best friend about us, so I'm not really your girlfriend. If you had paid attention, instead of immediately assuming that I was embarrassed, you'd notice that my ankle is up on a table," she said, pointing to her left foot. "Alex is here to make sure that I'm okay."
"Your--your ankle?" he stammered, feeling ashamed of his previous accusatory tone. "What happened?"
"I slipped on a rock last night coming up the walkway. It's a slight sprain."
"Why didn't you call me? I would have been over here to see if you were okay," he said.
"I couldn't call you, Will, because Sydney was here. Don't you see?" she asked her voice, shaky. "There shouldn't have been a reason why I couldn't call you. I want to tell Sydney what's happened with us, but I can't because you hadn't found the right time to tell her."
"I promise that I will, Francie," he said quietly, looking down at his hands.
"No, no. I think it's too late for that, Will; I had to break things off with you for you to get that fact through your head. It's not fair for you to ask me not to say anything to her." It tore at his heart to see her in such pain; it was his fault, and telling Sydney wouldn't fix this.
"Francie, I know it's not, but all I'm asking is that you give me a little more time."
She looked at him with sadness reaching her eyes. "I can't, Will. I just can't."
He felt his world stop. He was sure that coming over here, seeing her would change her mind, and they could go back to being Will and Francie. "Fran? Please?"
"You should go, Will. Sydney will be home soon," she said, looking away from him.
He stood up from the couch. "Francie, I'm here if you want to talk about this." Please, tell me to stay. Tell me something. Yell, cry. Do something.
"I know you are, Will," she replied, still looking away. "You really should go."
His hands dropped to his side, and he could hear the sadness in his own voice as he said, "This isn't right, Francie. Me and you. We're supposed to be together."
"Will," she said, meeting his eyes again, "Do you remember a month ago, the first time we slept together?"
"How could I ever forget, Francie? That night was special to me."
"I told you that I felt like you are going to wake up and realize what happened between us was a mistake, and that I wouldn't go through that again. Do you remember that?"
"Yes, I do. What are you getting at?"
She ran her hand over her hair, and she sighed loudly. "I know my saying this is going to hurt you, and I'm sorry for saying it: I'm starting to regret it. Before that we still were friends, and we got along. Now, I just don't know. Can you please just go?"
Unable to speak, hurt more by her words than her actions, he turned on his heels and left.
