Author's Note: I want to thank Gennie Kag's and Sess's Child, Penname wa
Silver B, and Jaded Angel for their reviews. As always, I appreciate
encouragement and feedback. Chapter 10 is on its way!
Chapter Nine – Rodney's Arrival
Fry sat in silence in the Planet Express kitchen as he ate his breakfast. The other's moved around him, carrying on with their lives. But for one of the few times in his life, Fry was in deep thought. Leela's had sported a seemingly perpetual smile since the day Rodney had said that he would be arriving. It hadn't gone unnoticed by Fry. Of course, neither had the fact that she had been almost outright avoiding him since the night at the restaurant.
To the naked eye, it would have seemed that Leela had only attempted to use their friendship as an excuse for a one-night-stand to curb her longing for Rodney. Fry shook his head. Leela had her tendencies to be downright cruel to him, but she wasn't that kind of person, and there was something about the situation that didn't sit well with him. She loved Rodney, he was sure of that, but he was still bothered by her reaction to a few things in the past three months, namely the night she invited him home to her apartment. She had had definite plans that evening and now he was left wondering a few things and feeling extremely used.
And that was just the start of things. There was something about the whole engagement ordeal that was unsettling to him as well. Rodney was a nice guy and Fry liked him well enough. Leela was unabashedly crazy over him and he treated her like a princess. But there was still something about the arrangement that bothered Fry. Why was Rodney so unsure that Leela didn't return his love? He made a mental note to ask Rodney about it when he arrived, but knew he never would.
Voices could he heard in the lobby and when Fry looked around the kitchen and suddenly realized that he was alone and the sound of a door opening."
"Rodney!" Leela's voice drifted in from the lobby and Fry cringed. He knew that he should be out there with her, supporting her like any best friend would, but it was exceedingly hard these days. Still, though he had to force himself, he got up from the table and walked into the lobby.
"Fry!" Rodney exclaimed as Fry entered the room. Fry smiled and shook Rodney's hand when he offered it. He was startled when Rodney drew him into a tight bear hug. Rodney liked everyone and everyone liked him. The thought suddenly nauseated Fry.
He was the same as Fry had remembered, around six-foot with jet-black hair and icy blue eyes and as much muscle as charm. Seeing the way his charm hypnotized everyone, especially Leela, Fry suddenly realized what kind of competition he was up against.
"How've you been, Fry? Taking care of my princess for me, eh?"
Fry managed a weak smile and failed, "Leela doesn't need taking care of," he said in a flat tone.
Rodney laughed nervously and walked back over to Leela, putting his arm around her waist.
Fry's face darkened and he sat himself on the couch, propping his feet on the table. He was surprised no one said a word to him.
"Well, if no one minds," Leela heard Rodney's charismatic voice say, "I intend to steal this beautiful goddess for the remainder of the day."
She looked up at Rodney and smiled and he kissed her lips tenderly. There was a little voice in the back of her head telling her to pull away, to not kiss him in front of Fry. She ignored it, knowing that she would probably regret it later.
Fry rolled his eyes and flipped on the television and tried to drown out the rest of the conversation. He was through being supportive. That had just been sickening. First Leela tries to make love to me, then she ignores me and now she rubs the fact that she will never be mine in my face.
Fry ignored the rest of the conversation and sat on the couch, watching a blank television screen. Leela's eye never left him. She wanted to be mad at him, so badly she wanted to hate him right then. He was being an ass and a jerk. But her hand was in Rodney's and she knew that she had no one to blame for the tensions but herself.
"Come on, my sweet," Rodney said, kissing Leela's forehead, "I'm taking you to Elzar's for lunch."
Leela shot him a large smile and her spirits lifted. But as she left the room, her hand in Rodney's, she caught a look at Fry's face and for the first time saw the pain under the anger. A part of her wanted to stay, but the professor's advice resounded in her mind. Do yourself a favor and forget about him, Leela, she told herself as she turned away and headed out the door behind Rodney.
"Leela?"
She heard Rodney's voice breaking through her thoughts and looked up into his face, full of concern. She remembered Fry having that look on his face when she woke up in the hospital after the bee had stung her. Mentally she kicked herself for thinking of him at that moment. It was the first time she had seen Rodney in three months and here she was thinking about Fry.
"Leela?"
"Hmm?"
"Leela, are you okay? You haven't even touched your food...Is something wrong?"
"Oh...um...no...nothing's wrong. I, uh, I just missed you so much and I'm...I'm just so happy to see you," she said, smiling.
"Really," he said, laughing and pulling her next to him in the booth, "Could have surprised me, you haven't said nearly ten words to me since we left Planet Express."
She closed her eye and tried to steady her voice as she started to speak, "It's just that...I missed you so much and seeing you is so wonderful and...and I just can't believe that you're here."
He smiled at her warmly and she realized that she was crying when he bent his head down and started to kiss the tears from her cheeks.
"I love you so much Leela," he said, caressing her face with his hand, "You don't know how much I've missed you and...to be honest with you, my heart soared when I saw that you're still wearing my ring." He kissed her softly on her head as she subconsciously touched the ring on her finger.
She smiled weakly and laid her head on his chest. Though she fought it, her mind turned to Fry and the look of hurt and anger in his eyes. His touch had been so soft and so gentle that night and...and he hadn't taken advantage of her. He had left. She couldn't understand why suddenly, after years of turning him down, insulting him and incessantly embarrassing him he still tried to hold on. But now, she knew that if she hadn't hurt him before she had hurt him now. Her tears had slowly turned into silent sobs.
Rodney held her close to him, burying his face in her hair, "What is it, love? There's something wrong, please tell me."
She grabbed onto his arms and held him close to her, "I...I just don't want you to leave again," she said between sobs.
"I don't want to leave you, Leela, you don't know how much it killed me to come down here today. It wasn't that I didn't want to see you, but it was hard enough to leave you the first time. Leaving you this time might just kill me," he said, chuckling softly in an attempt to make Leela smile, but she saw the tears brimming in his eyes and instantly felt guilty for lying to him.
Chapter Nine – Rodney's Arrival
Fry sat in silence in the Planet Express kitchen as he ate his breakfast. The other's moved around him, carrying on with their lives. But for one of the few times in his life, Fry was in deep thought. Leela's had sported a seemingly perpetual smile since the day Rodney had said that he would be arriving. It hadn't gone unnoticed by Fry. Of course, neither had the fact that she had been almost outright avoiding him since the night at the restaurant.
To the naked eye, it would have seemed that Leela had only attempted to use their friendship as an excuse for a one-night-stand to curb her longing for Rodney. Fry shook his head. Leela had her tendencies to be downright cruel to him, but she wasn't that kind of person, and there was something about the situation that didn't sit well with him. She loved Rodney, he was sure of that, but he was still bothered by her reaction to a few things in the past three months, namely the night she invited him home to her apartment. She had had definite plans that evening and now he was left wondering a few things and feeling extremely used.
And that was just the start of things. There was something about the whole engagement ordeal that was unsettling to him as well. Rodney was a nice guy and Fry liked him well enough. Leela was unabashedly crazy over him and he treated her like a princess. But there was still something about the arrangement that bothered Fry. Why was Rodney so unsure that Leela didn't return his love? He made a mental note to ask Rodney about it when he arrived, but knew he never would.
Voices could he heard in the lobby and when Fry looked around the kitchen and suddenly realized that he was alone and the sound of a door opening."
"Rodney!" Leela's voice drifted in from the lobby and Fry cringed. He knew that he should be out there with her, supporting her like any best friend would, but it was exceedingly hard these days. Still, though he had to force himself, he got up from the table and walked into the lobby.
"Fry!" Rodney exclaimed as Fry entered the room. Fry smiled and shook Rodney's hand when he offered it. He was startled when Rodney drew him into a tight bear hug. Rodney liked everyone and everyone liked him. The thought suddenly nauseated Fry.
He was the same as Fry had remembered, around six-foot with jet-black hair and icy blue eyes and as much muscle as charm. Seeing the way his charm hypnotized everyone, especially Leela, Fry suddenly realized what kind of competition he was up against.
"How've you been, Fry? Taking care of my princess for me, eh?"
Fry managed a weak smile and failed, "Leela doesn't need taking care of," he said in a flat tone.
Rodney laughed nervously and walked back over to Leela, putting his arm around her waist.
Fry's face darkened and he sat himself on the couch, propping his feet on the table. He was surprised no one said a word to him.
"Well, if no one minds," Leela heard Rodney's charismatic voice say, "I intend to steal this beautiful goddess for the remainder of the day."
She looked up at Rodney and smiled and he kissed her lips tenderly. There was a little voice in the back of her head telling her to pull away, to not kiss him in front of Fry. She ignored it, knowing that she would probably regret it later.
Fry rolled his eyes and flipped on the television and tried to drown out the rest of the conversation. He was through being supportive. That had just been sickening. First Leela tries to make love to me, then she ignores me and now she rubs the fact that she will never be mine in my face.
Fry ignored the rest of the conversation and sat on the couch, watching a blank television screen. Leela's eye never left him. She wanted to be mad at him, so badly she wanted to hate him right then. He was being an ass and a jerk. But her hand was in Rodney's and she knew that she had no one to blame for the tensions but herself.
"Come on, my sweet," Rodney said, kissing Leela's forehead, "I'm taking you to Elzar's for lunch."
Leela shot him a large smile and her spirits lifted. But as she left the room, her hand in Rodney's, she caught a look at Fry's face and for the first time saw the pain under the anger. A part of her wanted to stay, but the professor's advice resounded in her mind. Do yourself a favor and forget about him, Leela, she told herself as she turned away and headed out the door behind Rodney.
"Leela?"
She heard Rodney's voice breaking through her thoughts and looked up into his face, full of concern. She remembered Fry having that look on his face when she woke up in the hospital after the bee had stung her. Mentally she kicked herself for thinking of him at that moment. It was the first time she had seen Rodney in three months and here she was thinking about Fry.
"Leela?"
"Hmm?"
"Leela, are you okay? You haven't even touched your food...Is something wrong?"
"Oh...um...no...nothing's wrong. I, uh, I just missed you so much and I'm...I'm just so happy to see you," she said, smiling.
"Really," he said, laughing and pulling her next to him in the booth, "Could have surprised me, you haven't said nearly ten words to me since we left Planet Express."
She closed her eye and tried to steady her voice as she started to speak, "It's just that...I missed you so much and seeing you is so wonderful and...and I just can't believe that you're here."
He smiled at her warmly and she realized that she was crying when he bent his head down and started to kiss the tears from her cheeks.
"I love you so much Leela," he said, caressing her face with his hand, "You don't know how much I've missed you and...to be honest with you, my heart soared when I saw that you're still wearing my ring." He kissed her softly on her head as she subconsciously touched the ring on her finger.
She smiled weakly and laid her head on his chest. Though she fought it, her mind turned to Fry and the look of hurt and anger in his eyes. His touch had been so soft and so gentle that night and...and he hadn't taken advantage of her. He had left. She couldn't understand why suddenly, after years of turning him down, insulting him and incessantly embarrassing him he still tried to hold on. But now, she knew that if she hadn't hurt him before she had hurt him now. Her tears had slowly turned into silent sobs.
Rodney held her close to him, burying his face in her hair, "What is it, love? There's something wrong, please tell me."
She grabbed onto his arms and held him close to her, "I...I just don't want you to leave again," she said between sobs.
"I don't want to leave you, Leela, you don't know how much it killed me to come down here today. It wasn't that I didn't want to see you, but it was hard enough to leave you the first time. Leaving you this time might just kill me," he said, chuckling softly in an attempt to make Leela smile, but she saw the tears brimming in his eyes and instantly felt guilty for lying to him.