Fred sighed. She was working in an office in another part of the building from her lab, as she was now 6 months pregnant. Most of the W&H staff (herself included) had decided to move her to a safer environment until the baby was born. But that still didn't make life much easier.

Every minute he had off, Wesley was with Fred. In fact, even when he didn't have time he was with her, checking to make sure if she was comfortable, checking her symptoms to make sure they were normal, asking her all types of fatherly questions. Every time he saw her it was 'Has it kicked again?'. When he wasn't with her he was bouncing around the office like an idiot, and people were always looking at him oddly.

How had she gotten herself into this, Fred wondered. She loved Wesley, she loved the baby...she didn't love her work. Well, she loved working with the lab, sure. But she didn't like the firm that she and her other beloved coworkers now controlled. Sighing, she got out of her chair and paced herself as she walked towards the break room. She generally avoided people because she hated looking the way she did, but she was starving.

Wes found himself walking towards the same place. Somehow, he knew that that's where she'd be. He was glad when he reached the break room before Fred, as he'd been hoping that he could take her to lunch.

For the past couple of months, Angel had been letting them use a limo for transportation, because he too was afraid something dangerous might happen to Fred and the baby, and would do everything he could to protect her. He'd never admit it – and really he couldn't -, but he feared that Fred would wind up in the same position as he had with Conner.

Spike was a little less up front about his concern for Fred though. He was always peeking into her office to make sure no one was bothering her or hurting her. He followed her and Wes around Wolfram and Hart to make sure demons didn't attack. He was always embarrassed when he was caught, and Eve loved to tease him about it.

Seeing Fred enter the break room, Wesley grinned at her. "Hello there."

"Wesley, hi! I didn't expect you to find me here...how did you know where I was?" she asked him. "Did you rig the security cameras again? You know they don't like it when you do that," she teased. Even if she wasn't in the greatest mood, she'd never admit it to Wesley. She couldn't bear to watch him try to make her feel better all the time, particularly when he wasn't the cause of her frustration. The poor man could only do so much.

"I don't know. I just took a guess." He looked her over, trying to sense if she was upset or not. He concluded that she wasn't angry or...or even worse, emotional. "I was wondering if you wanted lunch. The food here is awful." he commented, coming up to stand beside her.

Fred laughed. "I'm starved. You know how much I hate coming all the way down here, but I didn't want to bother you. I know how busy you are."

"No not at all. Anything for you." he paused. "An' the baby, of course." Wesley sighed. He liked the sound of 'you and the baby'. It was also strange seeing her tummy so big. He was used to her tiny little form, and now she had put on a little more weight, not that he minded in the slightest. He loved her cheeks most of all, how cute they were when she was all puffy. Of course, he would never say she looked 'puffy' for fear of her breaking down.

Fred beamed at Wesley when he mentioned the baby. "Do you want it to be a girl or a boy?" she asked him excitedly. This was her favorite game to play with him. "And what should we name it? I don't like calling it 'it'..."

"Honestly, Fred, for the millionth time, I really don't have a preference. A boy or a girl would be lovely. He or she will be perfect and spoiled and loved like no other child on this planet, so it really doesn't matter." He told her with a delighted smile on his face.

"I love you," she sighed, her hand absently moving to her stomach. "And I'm also kinda hungry. Can we get there a little faster?" Fred wasn't moody...yet. She was going to try not to snap at Wesley today. This was her daily goal, one that she hadn't met in the past week.

"Sure, darling of course. The limo's already outside."he said happily as he walked her to the elevator.

"Do you ever feel special, getting treated like this? Or does it make you feel incredibly stupid? I know I'm just being paranoid, but sometimes it makes me feel awkward..."

"It does. But hopefully it will only be for a little while..." he paused. "..maybe we could...move or. or something." He suggested quietly.

"Wha….Wesley are you crazy! If we leave Wolfram and Hart they're all going to be on our tails until they kill us! And where would that get us!" Fred snapped, astonished that Wesley of all people would suggest such a thing.

"...Well, we don't have to leave now. Whenever... this is over...if it ever is..." he struggled for the right words "...I-I wasn't thinking...never mind it."

Fred calmed down a little. "I know what you were thinking. I thought about that too, but there's still no way out. I'm sorry I yelled at you. I feel so horrible about all this." she held Wesley's hand in her own, looking at it.

He silently held her hand; afraid he would make her mad or something. He opened the door to their limo. Now that sounded funny in his head. 'Their limo.'

Fred smiled her thanks. "You know...I think we should do something. Not now, but we should go for dinner or something some night. When you're not stressed out as much. Time for just us, with no doom looming over our heads the next day?"

"Oh, be sure, there will be no doom looming over anything of yours. Ever, ever again." Wesley vowed, looking a tiny bit angry. Not at her of course, he could never be angry with her. Well. Not when she was pregnant anyway, and not without some sort of misunderstanding.

She scooted away from him a bit. Angry Wesley frightened her, especially since she knew he was dangerous when angry.

He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry Fred. I'm just...upset that you have to live like this, especially with our baby. He or she will be brought up by two people who work at the most evil law firm in the universe. And that's bad, considering that most law firms are evil as it is." Wesley hoped that his last comment would lighten things up.

Fred took it a step further. "At least since we work for them, they'll probably want him or her to be taken well care of, so when he or she grows up, they'll have another employee... right?" she asked hopefully.

Wes smiled a little. "Yeah." He put his arm around her protectively.

"We can get through this." she snuggled into his side as best she could. "Are we there yet?" she asked softly in a jokingly obnoxious voice reminiscent of a small impatient child.

"I think so, yes." He squinted to see out of the window, and then he turned back to her to confirm. "Yes, only a few minutes away."

"I never even thought to ask... where are we going? Does Angel know we left? I have a million other questions to ask you, only I'm too lazy to actually ask you." Fred wondered aloud.

"Just a little restaurant. You'll like it. They have tons of different things. I know that around this time you're getting a craving for an odd mixture of things," he said. It was clear that he spent some time reading parenting books and pregnancy books.

"Wes...Wesley you are such a nerd!" she told him, laughing. "You're my nerd though. Only you're not a nerd, you just like to be well informed and take care of those around you. I appreciate it, but shouldn't I be the one knowing all this?"

"...I just want you to be spoiled...and…and possibly, lavished with gifts as well." 'That part comes later,' Wes thought.

"Just spending time with you spoils me! Wesley, you need to be taken care of too. This isn't all about me." she smiled sweetly at him. "You're just as deserving of special treatment as I am. I'm just the one who gets to get fat."

"Oh please, Winifred. If you kept the weight on, you'd still be smaller than most women." he paused, hoping that she didn't get upset. "Of course, I love your size. I've always..." he struggled for words "You know what I mean."

"I know... it's just...I used to be so small? And now I'm not. Please don't think I'm vain, but I lived that way for over 20 years, so this still new to me and..." she ceased her babbling, not wanting to make the situation worse.

"Of course it is. It's normal to feel that way, Fred. And you'll get back to your normal size. But for now, don't worry about it." Wesley said gently. As he finished, the limo stopped and he smiled at her and got out, holding open the door for a minute as he helped her get out.

"Thank you," she said, looking directly into his eyes. This was more of a 'thank you for everything you've ever done to help' thank you than a "thank you for getting me out of the car' thank you. Something she didn't do often. But she loved Wesley so much.

Wesley held her for a moment, and then stepped away to shut the door. He took her hand and led her into the small restaurant.

"This place looks cozy. I've never been here before. Wesley, how far from Wolfram and Hart are we?"

"Only about ten minutes." he told her quietly, looking around. A waiter seated them, and of course, Wesley, always the gentleman, made sure Fred was comfortable before he sat down.

Looking at the menu, Fred had to comment. "This place looks kind of fancy, Wesley..." Well. Fancy by their standards. They usually frequented small cafes and the Chinese food place. This was a step up from their usual, and it made her fidgety. Not that she wasn't appreciative; anything Wesley did would please her. She knew he knew that too.

"Its nothing. We work at a huge law firm, darling. Its not like I don't get paid well." He gave her a little smirk.

"Why though? I mean, I know your salary, and I know that if you combine it with mine we make more per year than the average American will make in 5 years. But you do know that you don't need to spend anything on me, right? That I already love you?" Fred bit her lip.

Wesley smiled. It was just like her to be concerned for anyone but herself. "Of course. I just...I just want to...Make sure you know that I love you, is all." He blushed and looked away, pretending he hadn't reiterated what she'd said.

"Will you help me spoil our child like this? Not taking him or her to fancy places of course, but in showing him or her how much we care?" Fred asked, her hands finding their way back to her belly.

"Of course. Spoiling you and our child will be my only goal in life. Aside from spoiling you, that is." Wes grinned.

"But you'll see to it that you allow me to spoil you too, right?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Flirting was fun.

"Didn't know you'd want to," he admitted. "It doesn't take much. Just you being around is enough to spoil me."

"Wesley, I don't love you just because you're taking extremely good care of me. I love you because you've been hurt, Wes. Because you think you're so strong. Because even if you won't admit it, you need me. Like I need you." she smiled and reached for his hand.

He held it tightly "I'd die without you." he said simply.

"I'd die without you. Which brings me to my next point; can we order food now? My stomach's making all these hungry noises." Fred made a funny face as she looked at her stomach.

He grinned. "Yes, we just have to wait for a…waiter." Wesley looked around and spotted their waiter coming towards them.

Poor Fred was practically bouncing in her chair as she placed her order. Wesley grinned at her, and placed his order last. It wasn't much; he wasn't very hungry.
As the waiter left, Fred looked down. One might assume she was obsessing about her stomach, but this was not the case.

"What's wrong, darling?" Wesley asked, concerned.

"Talking about the baby got me thinking..." she was clearly upset and obviously didn't want to share, though she needed to anyhow.

He waited for her to speak, sitting back in his seat for a moment. He was clearly nervous about what she was going to say.

"What... I mean, after the baby's born... what's going to happen to...you know... us?" she asked nervously.

"...Wh-what do you mean?" he asked her curiously, not quite grasping the question.

"Well..." she blushed bright red. "Wesley? We've been dating for half a year. A little more, maybe. And now…and now I'm carrying your baby. What's going to happen in the future?"

Wesley silently cursed. That was for later, and she had unknowingly ruined it. He tried to cover his disappointment. "Lets...lets talk about that later, all right?" he smiled.

Fred looked alarmed and frowned, but nodded and went back to poking and prodding at her stomach.

"So...erm...how's...how's everything in the lab?" he asked curiously.

"I...wouldn't know. You know they stopped letting me down there last month after the false emergency..." she smiled a little, glancing up at him for a moment.

"Yes. Well. Perhaps...perhaps they could be a bit more...lenient, I suppose. But soon you wont even be at work, so you don't need to worry about it." he glanced up as the waiter brought their food.

Fred smiled at the man as she began the dutiful task of pushing her food around on her plate. She was worried. Wesley had blatantly refused to talk about their future, suggesting that he wanted nothing to do with her after the birth of the baby. She knew he'd care for the child, but she was worried that he didn't need her.

"Darling, you were complaining about starvation ten minutes ago." He joked lightly. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing. I'm being a baby," she said forcefully, not looking up.

"Fred, its not that I don't want to talk about that. I just...well, not right now. I promise promise promise that we will later, all right? I'm still coming over tonight, and that's the first thing we will talk about, all right?"

"...Okay..." She had to give in. They were in public anyhow, and she didn't want to upset Wesley. She looked at him, gave him a ghost of a smile, and began scarfing down her food.

He only nibbled at his food, glancing at her once in a while.

"Is it good?" she asked him five minutes later, after she'd consumed everything on her plate.

"Its all right. I'm not all that hungry though." he smiled at her. "Yours was good, I assume?"
"It was." she looked up at him. "Thank you. I mean it."

Wesley smiled "anything for you."

"I'm sorry for being grumpy. Didn't mean it," she pouted.

"It's all right, Fred, really. You don't need to worry about anything." Wes said as he walked with her out to the limo.

"Back to work..." she whined. She really didn't want to go back there yet.

"Don't worry, only about three more hours, and you can go home." He kissed her on the lips gently.

Fred kissed him back. "You're too good at convincing me to do things I really don't want to." she smirked.

"I have that effect." Wesley said with a smirk.

"So you'll come get me after work, right?" Fred worried out loud.

"Of course. Wouldn't leave my princess unprotected, would I?"

"Oh knock it off!" she giggled. "Princess was Cordy's nickname!"
"But you're MY princess." Wes told her, and then sighed in mourning. Poor Cordy was still in her mystical coma.

Fred knew where he was coming from "I know...but she can still wake up. And then she'll yell at you for giving her nickname to your girlfriend. I'm just trying to save you the pain and aggravation now."

Wes chuckled. "Good point you got there." he said with a slight nod

"Cordy's gonna flip when she wakes up and finds out what's happened since she's gone…" Fred commented quietly.

"Yes, I suppose she will. Everything's different now." He said sadly with another sigh.

"Wesley, what's wrong? I'm sorry you don't want to talk about her, but she's not dead!" Fred complained.

"...I just...I suppose I consider Angel, Cordy and myself three of the originals. We effectively began Angel Investigations. It hurts to know the strongest of the three were taken down." He told her. Fred frowned; as one of the newest members of the team, she couldn't really relate.

"She'll be back Wesley. She's strong. Just don't underestimate her." She soothed.

"I know she will...I know." They arrived at Wolfram and Hart and he walked her back to her office, and then went to his own, waiting for word on a new case or something.

In her own makeshift office, there was nothing to do. Everyone kept taking things from her, claiming they didn't want to stress her out. But taking everything and leaving her nothing to do was what WAS stressing her out. Fred turned on the TV on the wall (similar to Angel's) and fell asleep at her desk.

Around 3:30 that afternoon, Wes went to check up on her again. He found her asleep, and kneeled down beside her chair, quietly whispering into her ear, "Fred." He gently squeezed her shoulder. "Fred, its time to go home."

Fred, poor thing, never was a sound sleeper. She awoke almost immediately, but was still exhausted. She yawned and stretched, and asked in a slightly whiny voice "Can't I just stay here? Its all warm..." her eyes half closed again as she started dozing off.

"I suppose you could, but then you'd have a nice little crick in your neck to wake up to. You don't want that, do you?" Wesley's voice was soft and hesitant, as though he didn't want to alert her and set off the mother of all mood swings from cute-half-asleep-Fred to Don't-boss-me-around-I-can-take-care-of-myself-Fred.

Fred sighed, and gave Wesley her "I-REALLY-hate-this" looks, but managed to pull her slightly bulky self up and leaned on Wesley slightly for support. She didn't care where they went, so long as she could sleep. And of course, Wesley should sleep too, because sleep was important and EVERYONE needed to sleep. She continued babbling in her head as she stifled a yawn.

Wesley put his arm around Fred in a protective sort of way, of course trying not to let himself puff up with pride as he walked her out of the building. The elevator took them down into the garage and then he walked her to their limo, opened the door for her, and got in beside her. "Now, don't start telling me about how you hate this attention. I know you do, but Angel insists this is for your safety. All right?" he asked before she could complain.

Fred batted her eyelashes at him, clearly enjoying the attention they were getting at the moment. Sleep forgotten, she rested her head on Wesley's shoulder contentedly. "You're right...and, to tell you the truth, I really do like the attention. You spoil me too much, Wesley."

He sighed in relief, and smiled. "I try, darling, I try." The rest of the ride to her apartment was pretty quiet, and Wesley liked it that way. He sometimes liked to just listen to the sound of her soft, gentle breathing.

Fred groaned and shifted in her seat. She really wanted to bring up the issue of what would happen once the baby was born, but she really felt like she didn't have the patience at the time to deal with Wesley avoiding her question.

When the limo pulled up to her apartment, he waited to get out. "Do you want me to stay over with you again?" He asked her, pulling away to look at her.

Fred tilted her head, as if she thought he was mildly insane. Before she could utter a sarcastic remark, she calmed down and reminded herself that this was her love. "Of course you're staying, Wesley..." She didn't want to admit that it was more because she was afraid he was going to leave her because of the baby, than because she needed the comfort and security. Though she needed both of those, and only Wesley made her feel like she was truly safe from harm.

Wes smiled. The only real reason he'd even asked was because sometimes...she got in one of her moods and just wouldn't talk to him, and that made him a tad uncomfortable. "Alright." He opened the door and helped her out.

When they got into her apartment, Fred looked at Wesley and asked him politely, if not stiffly, if he'd like anything to eat or drink.

"No thank you. You just go and rest all right. Is there anything I can get you?" Wesley asked, shocked that she would dare ask if she could get him anything.

"Of course not," she said, clearly put off by something. Seeing Feigenbaum on the table, she picked him up and in a rare moment of pure fury, threw him against the wall.

"Fred...d-did I say something...wrong?" he asked, quickly trying to make everything right.

"No," she whined plainly, walking over to the sink to wash some already spotless dishes.

Wesley walked up behind her and gently pulled her away from the sink. "Sweetheart, tell me. Please." He begged softly.

She glared at him angrily, but the expression faded after a few moments, revealing a clearly sad and worried Fred. Stubborn as she was though, she just continued looking at him.

"Please Fred...I want to make it all better..." he said softly.

"You can't," she said bitterly. "The damage has already been done and there's nothing we can do to save it,"

Wesley sighed and his shoulders sunk in defeat "alright then..." he whispered.

"Hold me?" she asked timidly.

Wes looked at her in shock. "Of course..." he put his arm around her cautiously and led her into her bedroom-

"Wesley..." she trailed off, knowing she had to go through with this, but it didn't make it any easier for her to say.

"What is it?" He asked her, looking nervous.

"Why don't you just break up with me right now?" she asked emotionlessly and bluntly.

'"W-what?" Wesley's eyes widened and he shook his head "I'd never Fred, never. I love you."

"The conversation we had at the restaurant this afternoon. And the way you avoided it, Wesley. It's okay, really. I can...I can deal with this..." she was upsetting herself, even though that thought never actually made it to her mind. She was too busy being concerned about what was going to happen.

"Fred...I didn't...want to talk about it…because..." Wes fumbled slightly, sticking his hands into his pockets. He pulled out a black velvet box. It took him a few moments to open it though. Inside was a small diamond ring, perfectly proportioned for her little fingers.

Fred couldn't be more confused. "What's this all about?" her anger and sadness and worry was now replaced by confusion and curiosity.

"I-I didn't want to...talk about it...because I was going to ask you to marry me...but… I wanted it to be at the right moment, Fred."

Suddenly everything made sense to her. She'd read all the signs wrong, dragged Wesley through hell because she thought he was going to break off their relationship...all so that he could propose to her. And he WAS proposing to her. Fred opened and shut her mouth a few times, trying to find words to express her thoughts, her apologies, and her acceptance. In the end however, she settled for crying.

"Fred...d-don't cry...please... I know...its not the right time...but...I'm sorry." He leaned in and kissed her tears away, hugging her tightly.

She slapped him lightly. "Sorry for what! Wesley...I messed everything up for you! I-I mean, I d-didn't know it at the time, b-but..." she sniffled, clinging to him. "I'm so, SO sorry, Wesley..."

"Don't be...I'm alright...just as long as you're happy, I'm happy." he whispered.

"I love you, my Wesley," she whispered back, burying her head in his shoulder and weeping. Some of her emotions were due to mood swings and whatnot, but the majority of this was caused by her guilt over how she'd treated him.

"I love you more, Winifred." Wesley stroked her hair lovingly, thinking of all the hell he put her through, not for once even considering that she had hurt him.

"I... I can't believe... you still love me?" she asked, positively guiltily.

"More than anything I've ever loved in my life." He said with a straight face.

"... Can I get you something to eat?" Fred asked blankly. "I...I should make something for you. When was the last time you ate?"

"No, no Fred, I'm all right. You should get some rest though. I'll order something if I get hungry. Are you hungry?" He spoke quickly.

"Not unless you are," she said with a cute pout. She no longer had any reason to doubt Wesley's love, and would do anything and everything in her power to prove to him that she was still worthy of his affections.

"You should eat, you know. Pregnant women usually...eat more than you do." Wesley told her in a matter of fact way.

Fred pouted even more. "Will you make me a taco? Everything's in the fridge..." the pout dissolved as she tried to fight the smile that appeared on her face.

Wesley found himself repeating what he'd told her earlier. "Anything for you." He kissed her forehead. "Just give me a few minutes." he said, and left the room to make her a taco.

"And make one for yourself!" she called loudly after him. "I want to see you in here with TWO tacos! You hear me?" she giggled; something she hadn't done in quite a while. She rubbed her belly comfortingly...and suddenly she had a greater respect for the future.

Wesley quietly went about making the tacos, crafting them as perfect as he could, or at least the one that was hers. He brought the two tacos in on a plate, and then rushed back out to get her a drink.

She was very pleased that he'd made himself a taco as she'd asked. Just because she was pregnant didn't mean her Wesley didn't need constant attention. She eyed the ring, still in its box, forgotten on the bed. She stared at it for a while.

He came back in with her drink and sat it on her bedside table, then sat at the end of her bed at her feet, looking at the tacos.

"So...you're...you're serious about wanting to marry me? I-I mean, it's not a joke?" she asked quietly. She'd eat her taco. She just had to work through this again.

He looked up sharply. "A joke? Why would I ever do that to you?" he asked her, shocked.

"I was just making sure..." Fred gently handed him the box containing the ring.

Wesley plucked it out, and held it out for her, waiting for her to put it on. "I would never do anything like that, Fred." He whispered to her.

Fred giggled and held out her hand. "You're supposed to do it, Wesley. It's not tradition if I put it on..." she smiled sweetly.

He smiled at her sweetness and took her hand lightly, and sliding the ring over her finger "Perfect fit." He said, pulling her hand up to kiss it.

Fred blushed a light pink. "It feels so special..." she said quietly, looking at the ring on her hand and then up at Wesley. "Thank you."

"Anything for you, my darling." He reiterated, and picked up his taco, studying it for a moment.

Her eyes gleamed as she practically dove for her taco. Had her belly not been so large or carrying 'precious cargo', she WOULD have dove for it.