Protected
Chapter Seventeen
Home
Fred sighed loudly. "It's good to be home."
Angel gave her a slight grunt and immediately locked himself in his office to commence brooding. Fred sunk into the couch, closed her eyes, pulling her hair behind her shoulder. She glanced down the hall and Gunn's door winked back at her. Wesley watched her walk carefully to the room. She examined it just like it was, before picking up a leather jacket, breathing deeply. It still smelled like Gunn's soap and cologne. She slipped it on and laid down on the bed. She shot Wesley a guilty look when he entered the room.
"I'm sorry, Wesley. It's just..."
"I know you loved Charles, Fred. I don't mind. I know you love me. It's natural to mourn him. We were all friends before all of this happened."
Wesley sat down next to her, staring at his hands. Fred whispered quietly, "I just feel so guilty. I should have saved him. I saw the monster coming, but I wasn't fast enough. I was never fast enough."
Fred sobbed. Wesley suddenly understood what exactly was wrong with Fred. She blamed herself for the massacre. He knelt in front of her, running his hand down her silky skin.
"Winifred, Darling, this is not your fault."
"It was my job to put up the barriers. It was my job to save them. I failed."
"No! You did what you could! You saved as many as you could. You saved me. You saved Connor. You saved Dawn. You saved Angel. You saved Spike."
"It wasn't enough, Wesley."
Wesley wiped away the tear drops, leaving only moisture in her eyes.
"Please don't do this to yourself. We could spend every day of our lives thinking what if I was faster? What if I had moved by them? Why am I still alive? We can't do that. None of us can."
Wesley stood up, edging his way back onto the bed next to her. Soon she was sobbing on his shoulder, letting it all out. Wesley held her tightly, kissing her forehead, murmuring to her. Slowly the floodgates closed. Wesley stretched her out on the bed and watched as Fred snuggled into Gunn's pillow. Wesley tucked her in, brushing her long hair away from her face. Fred was long asleep before anything else happened.
Mercy had found several boxes of her things at the Hyperion. She'd drug each box up the stairs to her new bedroom. Connor had immediately taken over the lifting of the boxes, so she was already unpacking. She did it with a fury, not stopping. She was distracting herself. Connor creeped up behind her, slipping his arms around her waist.
"Mercy, baby, slow down."
"I can't."
"Why?"
"Because all I can think about is Sunnydale or my dad. If I stop, I'll think."
"Your stuff is here. That's a good sign."
Mercy shook her head at his optimism.
"Not necessarily. My father is tricky like that. He may want us to have an unreal sense of security."
Connor leaned forward, capturing Mercy's lips.
"Mercy, we got-sorry to interrupt."
Mercy jerked away from Connor to meet her older brother's eyes. He looked upset, but at the same time, amused.
"It's come, Mercy."
"What?"
"A subpeona for our court date. We're to appear in two days."
"You and I?"
"Yes."
"I'm coming, too." Connor informed, putting his resolve face in place.
"I'll have to second that one." Fred said from the door jam.
"Angel will want to come, too. Lorne will have to stay here." Connor said.
Wesley nodded. "We'll have to leave tonight."
"I just unpacked." Mercy commented as she headed to her suitcase.
Wesley sent her a small smile.
"Hopefully we won't have to stay in dreary, old England for long."
"I've never been out of the country before." Fred said, almost excitedly. At their looks, she finished, sheepishly. "Out of this dimension, yeah. But never out of the country."
Wesley slung an arm around her small shoulders and led her out to tell Angel and pack another suitcase.
Chapter Seventeen
Home
Fred sighed loudly. "It's good to be home."
Angel gave her a slight grunt and immediately locked himself in his office to commence brooding. Fred sunk into the couch, closed her eyes, pulling her hair behind her shoulder. She glanced down the hall and Gunn's door winked back at her. Wesley watched her walk carefully to the room. She examined it just like it was, before picking up a leather jacket, breathing deeply. It still smelled like Gunn's soap and cologne. She slipped it on and laid down on the bed. She shot Wesley a guilty look when he entered the room.
"I'm sorry, Wesley. It's just..."
"I know you loved Charles, Fred. I don't mind. I know you love me. It's natural to mourn him. We were all friends before all of this happened."
Wesley sat down next to her, staring at his hands. Fred whispered quietly, "I just feel so guilty. I should have saved him. I saw the monster coming, but I wasn't fast enough. I was never fast enough."
Fred sobbed. Wesley suddenly understood what exactly was wrong with Fred. She blamed herself for the massacre. He knelt in front of her, running his hand down her silky skin.
"Winifred, Darling, this is not your fault."
"It was my job to put up the barriers. It was my job to save them. I failed."
"No! You did what you could! You saved as many as you could. You saved me. You saved Connor. You saved Dawn. You saved Angel. You saved Spike."
"It wasn't enough, Wesley."
Wesley wiped away the tear drops, leaving only moisture in her eyes.
"Please don't do this to yourself. We could spend every day of our lives thinking what if I was faster? What if I had moved by them? Why am I still alive? We can't do that. None of us can."
Wesley stood up, edging his way back onto the bed next to her. Soon she was sobbing on his shoulder, letting it all out. Wesley held her tightly, kissing her forehead, murmuring to her. Slowly the floodgates closed. Wesley stretched her out on the bed and watched as Fred snuggled into Gunn's pillow. Wesley tucked her in, brushing her long hair away from her face. Fred was long asleep before anything else happened.
Mercy had found several boxes of her things at the Hyperion. She'd drug each box up the stairs to her new bedroom. Connor had immediately taken over the lifting of the boxes, so she was already unpacking. She did it with a fury, not stopping. She was distracting herself. Connor creeped up behind her, slipping his arms around her waist.
"Mercy, baby, slow down."
"I can't."
"Why?"
"Because all I can think about is Sunnydale or my dad. If I stop, I'll think."
"Your stuff is here. That's a good sign."
Mercy shook her head at his optimism.
"Not necessarily. My father is tricky like that. He may want us to have an unreal sense of security."
Connor leaned forward, capturing Mercy's lips.
"Mercy, we got-sorry to interrupt."
Mercy jerked away from Connor to meet her older brother's eyes. He looked upset, but at the same time, amused.
"It's come, Mercy."
"What?"
"A subpeona for our court date. We're to appear in two days."
"You and I?"
"Yes."
"I'm coming, too." Connor informed, putting his resolve face in place.
"I'll have to second that one." Fred said from the door jam.
"Angel will want to come, too. Lorne will have to stay here." Connor said.
Wesley nodded. "We'll have to leave tonight."
"I just unpacked." Mercy commented as she headed to her suitcase.
Wesley sent her a small smile.
"Hopefully we won't have to stay in dreary, old England for long."
"I've never been out of the country before." Fred said, almost excitedly. At their looks, she finished, sheepishly. "Out of this dimension, yeah. But never out of the country."
Wesley slung an arm around her small shoulders and led her out to tell Angel and pack another suitcase.