"Cessation"
Email: jch114@hotmail.com
Distribution: Cover me and Alias fanfiction list
Summary: Will and Francie's burgeoning relationship takes a pause
Rating: PG-13
Classification: Drama/Angst/General, au
Feedback: Constructive Crit or positive feedback
Disclaimer: Alias and all its elements belong to ABC, JJ Abrams, Touchstone Television, and anyone else who gets a paycheck from the show. Alex Cooper is all mine.
A/N are at the end.
*****
"Have a seat," Alex said to Francine, leading her to a concrete bench. He sat down next to her. "I wish I wasn't right about you, Francine."
"What do you mean?"
Alex caught his breath as he looked at her. "Do you know that Charlie used to tease me when he realized what I felt about you? He said that I'd taken too long. I'm starting to believe that I have some of the worst timing."
A sad smile came to his face as he watched a look of realization appear on her face. "Alex, wait a minute, I—"
"Just let me finish, okay?" he said quietly, taking her hand in his. "When I ran into you again, it was like I'd come to LA at just the right time. But it didn't take long for me to figure out that Will was someone important to you, and when you two started arguing, I told myself that he wasn't significant, that he didn't deserve you, but I was lying to myself."
Francine opened her mouth to speak, but he stopped her with a shake of his head. "You're in love with him, Francine. I knew it then, and it's more evident now."
"I don't know what you're talking about," she said, looking away from him. He heard the pain in her words and knew that she was lying to herself more than him.
Bringing his hand to her face, he turned it to loot at him. "You're still a bad liar. If you aren't in love with him, why did you react the way you did when you saw him?"
"I told y-you it doesn't matter to me that he's here; I'm here with you, Alex," she said. "I care about you."
"And I care about you, Francine, you know that, but you don't care about me the same way you do for Will. It's obvious, but I didn't want to face it." As he looked at her, he could hear Charlie's voice in his mind. What are you doing, Alex? Another missed opportunity. "I can't believe that I'm doing this," he mumbled.
"Look, Alex, it doesn't matter to me that Will is here. Honestly. I'm here with you," she said as she stood up. "So, let's go back inside."
He sighed as he looked at her. It would be so easy to allow her to ignore her feelings for Will, and for him to ignore what was had been so apparent the first time he had seen them together. "Francine," he said, standing up to face her. "I'm sorry, but I can't. It wouldn't be fair to either of us to go back in there and pretend that Will isn't there. It just wouldn't be right. Straighten things out with him, and if you still swear that you don't have feelings for him, then give me a call." He leaned in and kissed her on the top of her head. I hope he knows how lucky he is.
***
Will looked through the crowd for another glimpse of Alex and Francie. Convinced that they had gone off together, he turned to the bartender again. "Just a glass of water, please." As he paid for his drink, he turned and was face to face with Alex.
"Oh, hey, Alex," he said, trying to hide his surprise.
"A whiskey sour, please," Alex said to the bartender. "Hello, Will."
"Great speech," Will said, looking around for Francie. Where is she?
"Thanks," he mumbled. "If you're looking for Francine, she's not in here; she's out on the deck," Alex said as he paid for his drink.
"Is everything okay?" he asked, worried.
"Everything's fine," Alex responded, taking a taste of his drink. He put the glass back on the bar and turned to face Will. "Do you know how lucky you are?"
Will thought about his Francie. He thought about the woman he loved dating another man, dancing with him, letting him hold her close. "How am I lucky?"
"To find someone who cares about you the way Francine does. It's a rarity nowadays."
As Will started to respond, Alex held up his hand. "Look, if I were any other guy, I would've done whatever it took to get her to forget about you. And as badly as you messed it up, Will, it would've been easy."
Will opened his mouth and started to protest, but shut it quickly realizing that Alex was right. It could have been that easy. Francie loved him, he was almost sure of that fact, but he had hurt her badly. "I don't know what to say."
Alex picked up his drink and looked Will over. "Say you'll treat her right, because if you don't, I'm not letting her walk away again. I know that I can treat her the way that she deserves to be treated. Like I've already said, if you're looking for her, she's out on the patio." He turned and walked away.
Will looked towards the open patio door, and then back towards Alex's retreating figure. Will admired the man. He knew that if he were in Alex's position, he couldn't have just walked away from Francie. Now he needed to go find her and try to make everything right again. He's right. Placing the glass back on the bar top, he went outside.
***
Francie tried to stop the tears that were falling as she looked out into the night. She cursed herself for being so obvious when she saw Will standing near the bar. She had missed him, more so than she had allowed herself to believe she could.
"Francie?" Her shoulders tensed as she heard a familiar voice behind her. Will.
She looked over her shoulder and saw him standing there looking at her concerned. "Hey," she said stoically.
"Hey," he said quietly, sitting down next to her. "You okay?"
She wiped at her eyes and turned away from him. "I'm fine."
"You're a terrible liar, Francie," Will said, looking out into the night. Francie winced as he unknowingly echoed Alex's earlier words.
She shrugged and turned to face him. "What do you want?"
"I did it," Will said as he continued to look out into the night.
"Did what?" she asked.
"I told Syd about us," he replied, turning to face her.
Francie let her shoulders relax a little bit. He'd actually done it. "There's an us now?"
"I hope so," Will answered as his eyes searched hers.
Silence was the only response she could give him.
"I told Syd that you thought I was still in love with her. I even had the guts to tell her that you're the one I'm in love with. Completely and totally in love."
As she looked at him, she realized that it would be so easy to let this go; to forget how he had hurt her, but she couldn't. She stood up and turned to face him. "Will, you have no right. You can't expect to come in here like a knight on a horse, tell me that you love me, and expect everything to be okay."
He looked up at her. "Francie, as much as I want to think it, I know that this isn't going to be an easy fix, but I do love you. I really do."
"Why did it take me breaking up with you for you to tell Sydney about us?"
He ran his hand through his hair and sighed. "It wasn't about Sydney. Okay it was, but it wasn't."
She looked at him, confused. "What are you talking about, Will?"
"The way I felt around you was really like nothing I'd ever experienced before. I was at ease, never having to pretend to be someone I wasn't. To tell the truth, Fran, it scared me. It was too good to be true, and I thought if we could keep the world away, it wouldn't bust my bubble."
He grinned and shook his head. "I know that it doesn't make any sense, but it's true. I wanted you all to myself—I didn't even like sharing you with Sydney."
The smile faded from his face, and he looked into her eyes, letting her see everything that he was feeling. "And I didn't want to tell Sydney because I thought she would be the one who would pop that bubble."
"Will—" Francie started.
"Just let me get this out, Fran. I need to say this: I've spent years putting Sydney up on this pedestal. She was so perfect, but she never chose me. I wasn't even allowed to get into the running, and I couldn't help but wonder why."
She felt her heart softening as she looked down at him. "There is nothing wrong with you, Will. I can't believe that you thought that there was."
"Well, I did. Yearning for someone who never returns your feelings wears you down, Francie. It makes you start to doubt yourself, makes you wonder why can never do enough or be enough to get her attention."
A bird chirped in the distance, and Will sighed. "I was afraid that she would sit you down, ask you what happened to your common sense, and point out all the reasons why Will Tippin wasn't enough."
She sat down next to him, and laid her head on his shoulder. "Well, she'd have a hell of a time convincing me that you aren't enough."
"I'm glad to hear that," he murmured as he ran his hand down her arm. "I missed you, Francie."
"I missed you too, Will," she replied, moving closer to him. "So, you're in love with me?"
****
Will smiled as he looked down at the woman that he was in love with. "Yes, I am. I'm sorry it took all of this for me to realize it."
"No one ever said you were quick," she said, with a small chuckle. Her smile faded as she looked up at him. "Will, I have something to tell you."
He felt his heart drop as he thought of the one thing she could tell him. I don't feel the same way.
She laid her hands out in front of her. "First, let me say that I'm glad that you told Sydney about what was going on between you and me. I don't feel like I have to sneak around her any more. Thank you for doing that. Second, I kissed Alex this week at his house."
Will's head snapped to attention. "You kissed him? You guys didn't—"
She shook her head and smiled sadly. "No, we didn't. Most guys would have taken advantage of that situation, but not him. He told me that 'my heart wasn't clear.' I tried to deny it at the time, but seeing you here tonight convinced me otherwise. Alex is a good guy."
Will thought back to what Alex said to him. "Say you'll treat her right, Will." "Yeah, he's a decent guy."
"And there is something else—something that I couldn't even believe until tonight."
"What is it, Francie? You can tell me."
"I feel the same way about you. I—I love you too, Will. I've been in love with you for some time now, which is why this thing with Sydney hurt so much. I wanted to be able to share how I felt with her, and I couldn't. It killed me," Francie said, tears starting to form in her eyes.
Will wrapped his arm around her and pulled her towards him. "I'm sorry that I put you through this, Francie." He wiped the tears from her eyes as he titled her face towards him. "I love you so much. I need you to understand that."
"And I do, Will," she said softly. "I love you too."
He leaned in and kissed her gently. "I'm never going to get tired of hearing that."
"You better not," she replied, returning his kiss. "We should get out of here."
Will looked around and noticed that there were people glancing at them through the open French doors. He chuckled as he stood up and held his hand out to her. "Let's go."
****
He couldn't take his eyes off of her as they walked into the apartment she shared with Sydney. It was like he was looking at her for the first time.
"Have a seat," she said, pointing towards the couch. "Do you want something to drink?"
Will took off his suit jacket and sat down. "Water, please." He looked at the picture of the three musketeers: Sydney on one side, Francie on the other, and him in the middle. "Good times," he murmured.
"Here's a bottle of our favorite wine to celebrate you and Will. I love the both of you. Sydney," Francie said loudly from the kitchen.
"What did you say?"
She walked into the living room with two glasses and a bottle of wine. "Sydney left us a bottle of wine," she said, handing him a piece of paper. "I think she's on another trip for the bank."
Will read the note over quickly and smiled. "She's happy for us."
"I'm happy for us, too, Will," she said as she handed him a glass of wine.
He took a drink of wine, and looked at her again. He watched her as she started taking her hair down, and took a sip from her glass. He was amazed that a simple movement could interest him so much.
She looked at him from the corner of her eye. "What?" she said with a slight smile on her face.
He tried to slow his racing heartbeat as he looked her over. "You are so beautiful."
"Thank you, Will," she said as she finished taking her hair down. "You aren't looking half bad yourself. So, now what?" she said as she took another sip. "What happens with us now?"
"Well, there are two ways we can handle this," he said as he sat his glass on the table. "We can call it a night and talk tomorrow, or we can take advantage of the situation."
Francie smiled. The look she was giving him reminding him of the first night they had made love. He had taken her out to experience sushi, and she had gently seduced him, opened him up to new experiences, new possibilities. With a Cheshire grin, she slid around on the couch and straddled him. She leaned down, putting her lips next to his. "Normally I love talking, but tonight sounds like a good time to take advantage."
He shivered, enjoying the feeling of her breath across his lips. "Really?"
She nodded. "Yeah, I've never gotten to show you my bedroom before. Did you know I have an old four poster bed?"
He nodded. "Yeah, I mean I've been in it--"
Putting her finger on his lips, she shook her head. "You've never been in it as my lover, Will. You've never been a man wanting to join me in that bed."
His pants were cutting off his circulation. "Francie--"
"Have I told you that I own all kinds of silk scarves?" she sighed into his ear.
"Silk scarves," he gulped. He remembered what she had done with his belt that first night.
"Yeah," she said with a grin.
He leaned forward, putting one hand behind her head. He kissed her. "I'm all for you taking advantage of me, too. So the vote's unanimous."
She laughed as he stood up with her in his arms. "I love you, Will."
"I love you, too, Francie. And I plan on showing you just how much," he answered her with a grin as they walked through her bedroom door. He used his foot to slam it shut behind him. Just in case Sydney hadn't left overnight. Tonight was all about them.
******
A/N: Just to quell any questions, a LOT of this fic refers to Appat, Konwvate, and Regen. Those can be found here and Konwvate can be found at Cover me or my fanfic page: http://www.geocities.com/drubaby61/
Woohoo! It's done. A big sloppy thank you to Robin for helping me with this fun fic; it's been an absolute blast. Thank you Celli for the encouragement amongst other things, the title of this fic still belongs to you, m'dear. Thank you to everyone who has helped with this fic in their own way. I can't remember everyone, but you know who you are. Thank you to everyone who reviewed this fic, I appreciate it. One down, two more to go.
