Author's Note: I would like to thank DOTLP, Denise Simpson, Jaded Angel, Ravine8BB, emeraldLINX, and Penname wa Silver B for their reviews. Chapter 13 will be up soon...

Chapter 12 – Questions Without Answers

Fry walked the streets to his apartment, his hands in his pockets and his shoulders sagging. Exhaustion was suddenly taking its toll on him and he longed for his bed. Seeing Rodney already that morning hadn't helped matters much, either. He had put Leela out of his mind for the moment and then tall, dark and handsome had to show up. After he had driven off, Fry had been tempted to walk back to the diner and get a date with Rae, but had decided against it. He himself, though, was unsure of the reasoning behind that one.

Fry walked into the entrance of Robot Arms apartments and took the elevator to his floor. He walked down the hall to the apartment he shared with Bender and unlocked it, walking in. He stood for a moment in Bender's room. It suddenly hit him what day it was. Monday. There was an important Planet Express meeting this morning at eight that he was supposed to attend. He shrugged his shoulders and walked into his own room. The clock read 9:15. He was already late anyway. What was the point in even showing?

He undressed and showered and the climbed into bed. Walking back to his bed, Fry grabbed a beer and popped the top. He needed one right about now and in a few gulps, it was gone. He threw the can on the floor by his bed and went to reach for another, but thought better of it. Shrugging his shoulders, he climbed into bed.

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Leela walked into Planet Express with a concerned look on her face. When she got up that morning, Rodney had already gone and had failed to leave a note or any indication as to where he was. It was his third night home after three months of absence and then he had left with no indication as to where he was going. It was completely unlike him.

As she entered the Planet Express lobby, she saw Bender sitting on the couch alone. Though, at the time, she didn't pay much attention to it and walked to the conference table to see the meeting well underway. Strangely, though, Zapp wasn't there.

"Professor, what happened to the negotiations?" Leela asked, taking her seat. She noticed that Fry's was empty, but disregarded it for the moment.

Hermes scoffed, "That buffoon doesn't know the meaning of negotiations. Thanks to him, Earth is now at war with Omicron Persei 8."

Leela nodded understandingly. Brannigan had been the one talking; there was no need for explanation. Half the things that came out of his mouth could offend any given person in the universe.

"Did Rodney come by," she asked, reservedly. She didn't want to appear desperate for his presence.

The Professor shook his head, "I don't know, he didn't come to the meeting this morning."

Leela's eye narrowed as she crossed her arms and slumped down into the chair.

Rodney watched out the window as their ship sped away from Earth. He knew that he would have to tell Leela at some time or other, but he just didn't know how. It would have been much better in person, but now he knew that it was next to impossible. When he had set up the engagement, he was fairly sure that he would coming home alive. Now, going into war again Lrr and his army, he was beginning to have his doubts.

"You found the love of a sexy alien captain, didn't you Jones?" Rodney turned to see Brannigan's smug smile of satisfaction, "I had her love once, Jones, it's a hard thing to hold. But then, I probably was a bit much for her."

Brannigan's voice was drowned out by Rodney's thoughts. Even though Zapp was being an ass and bragging in his own way that he had laid Leela before him, he couldn't help but thing how right he was. Leela's love was impossible to hold. That is, unless you were Fry. Then it was given to you on a silver platter.

"I'm calling off the engagement, sir," Rodney spit out, not really knowing the reasoning behind that one.

Brannigan spun around, "You're what?!?!"

"I'm calling off the engagement, Captain Brannigan. My love is in love with another."

Zapp looked at him in astonishment and the smugness, "Ah, yes, I knew it would only be a matter of time before she came crawling back to the Zapper. So sorry about the Jones, but you know how it goes. The best man – "

Rodney turned to Brannigan, a look of annoyance in his eyes, "With all due respect, Captain, it's not you she's in love with and thank God for that." He returned to his view of now empty space and stars as far as the eye could see.

Brannigan was unusually quiet as he walked up next to Rodney. He stood beside him for a few minutes before asking the question that seemed to be burning his brain, "Well who is it, then, Jones?"

"It's Fry, sir."

"Fry...Fry...the delivery boy?!?!"

Rodney chuckled and nodded, "The delivery boy, sir."

Brannigan shook his head, "That I will never understand."

Rodney stared into space, nodding and agreeing inwardly. He would never understand what she saw in him. He had a job that was going nowhere, no ambition, and he was definitely lacking in the intelligence area and the times that he had met with Fry, the young man had seemed very rude and insecure. And yet her heart belonged to him. He shook his head. There was no point in even trying to figure this one out.

Leela stood outside Fry's apartment, tempted to knock, but afraid of what she would find on the other side. She knew that he had been angry with her after the little episode with Rodney, but she had to talk to him. There were a few things that she had to know.

Courage didn't find her that night, though and she walked out of Robot Arms Apartments with tears in her eye. She had finally gotten rid of Fry's annoying pestering and she was going to marry Rodney, her life was perfect. Just perfect.