Slow Dance
By Yasashii Tsubasa
Disclaimer: Angel is not mine. The song 'I'll Make Love to You' is by Boyz II Men, and come to think of it, my Motown Hits CD that has that song isn't even mine, either…I stole it from my mom last time I saw her...so, really, all I own is my ability to create fluff. Enjoy.
Not meant to be sad, by the way, just a little Wes/Fred loving for a good shot of fluff.
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" I can't believe that it's raining," Fred sighed. She was perched on the stairs of the Hyperion, looking out the window, her book long forgotten. The power had just blinked out a few minutes ago because of the storm, a rarity in Los Angeles.
Wes smiled. " Reminds me of home," he said, lighting candles around the lobby. " If you think this is rain, you haven't seen anything."
" Nor do I want to," Fred replied. " I'm perfectly fine with the sunshine, thank you. Rain—especially rain like this—is downright unnatural." As if to emphasize her statement, there was a sudden flash of lightning through the lobby of the hotel followed closely by a rumble of thunder. Fred yelped in surprise and jumped off the stairs and onto the floor of the lobby, falling into Wesley's arms. He dropped the lighter in surprise, hearing it skitter across the floor.
Wes found himself holding Fred tightly, her skin soft against his. Clearing his throat nervously, he helped Fred to stand upright again and reluctantly let her go. " Why are you so scared? It's only a bit of thunder…perfectly normal, really." He stooped to pick up the fallen lighter and moved to the last patch of candles.
Fred sighed and flopped down onto the circular couch. " I'm not scared! I just got spooked."
Wesley chuckled, lighting the last few candles and admiring how Fred's skin glowed in the soft light from the various tapers. " Right. Hitting demons with gold clubs doesn't scare you, but thunder does."
Fred scowled playfully at him. " Anyhow, when do you think Angel's getting back?"
Wes began to absently flip through Angel's CD case. " I imagine that he's being held up by the rain…after all, he does prefer to take the sewers, even at night, and I can't imagine that it's very comfortable. I hope Charles and Cordy made it home alright."
Fred rested her head and arms on the top of the couch, sighing. " I'm really glad that you couldn't go home because of the power outage, Wes. It's always nice to have company on a night like this," she murmured. Wesley turned around to face her.
" Well, at least you're glad," he replied jokingly, a sly smile alighting his features. " I must say I'd much rather spend the night alone in my apartment, especially when the heat's broken and my landlord's on vacation."
Fred giggled, then noticed the CDs. " So, what sort of music does Angel have?"
Wes took the CD case and sat down beside Fred, trying not to notice how good she smelled. " Mostly classical…a bit of rock…wait a minute, he has this one?"
He lifted a white CD from the case and grinned at the sight. Fred cocked her head to one side.
" What's that one, Wes?"
A plan began forming in Wesley's mind. Without letting Fred see the CD, he went over to Cordy's battery-powered CD player on the counter and put the disc in, setting it to a song and letting the sound drift through the empty lobby.
Close your eyes, make a wish,
And blow out the candlelight
Fred's eyes grew wide, and she laughed. " Oh, I know this song… my first slow dance was to this. I used to love it in high school. It's nothing about the lyrics, just the melody and the harmonizing are so gorgeous."
Wes nodded and swallowed. " It is beautiful, isn't it?" Just like you.
For tonight is just your night
We're gonna celebrate,
All through the night
Fred closed her eyes and was visibly swept up in the memory. " I remember that first dance…I came alone, and it was the last song of the last dance of the tenth grade, and I was so desperate to get one slow dance that I asked Hubie McFish to dance with me…he said yes, of course, he was just as desperate as me and not nearly as hygienic. He sweated like he was running a marathon, and he barely touched me, and he was so nervous that halfway through he had to stop and use his inhaler…but it was still the best dance I ever had," she looked up at Wesley, blushing, smiling with embarrassment. " Isn't that pathetic?"
Wes shook his head slowly. " No," he murmured. " I think it's marvellous."
Acting on sudden impulse, inspired by the glowing candlelight and the song, Wesley crossed the room and held out his hand to Fred, who looked up at him, confused.
" Wes?"
He smiled slightly. " May I have the honour of this dance?"
Fred grinned, her smile brighter than the candles, and placed her hand in his. Wesley pulled her from her seat and curled one arm around Fred's tiny waist, holding her hand tightly. Fred sighed happily, resting her head on Wes' shoulder, curling into him naturally; Wesley, in response, tightened his hold a little and brought his head down to nuzzle Fred's neck ever so slightly. She smelled amazingly sweet, like roses.
They danced slowly in the soft yellow glow of candlelight, swaying in time to the music, suddenly unaware of the storm outside. To Wesley, it seemed as though he could hold Fred forever.
As the song began to wind down to its end, Wesley pulled back his head to look at her, to let himself drown in Fred's glittering eyes, trying to perceive her thoughts. She seemed to be sharing Wesley's reluctance to end the dance, and there was something else, something that told him: go on, take a chance. Wes nodded and, without a word, lowered his head again and softly touched his lips to hers.
The song had long stopped, and the rain was beginning to let up, but it no longer mattered, because they were still dancing. It was still one long slow dance by candlelight, a never-ending waltz of life and love, entwined forever.
.
Fred and Wesley in love, dancing together in the dimming light, holding the memory eternally.
The candles fade.
Another kiss.
A happy ending.