Author's Note It's me again, sorry for the wait. This is just a little peek into Fred's daily life without his dear Gene, so it's shorter than the first two chapters. Hope you still enjoy it.

P.S. - Thank you all for your lovely reviews! I had no idea there were so many closet Fred/Gene shippers out there. And yes, doesn't Gene just make the unhappiest uke in the world? xD

If Only I Could Make You Mine

Everyone has a dream; a goal, a desire, a wish, a hope. The name doesn't matter, for they are all of the same nature: deemed unattainable by those that lacked the will to reach for their own dream. But persistence is not all that is necessary in achieving that distant goal - though certainly, it doesn't hurt.

- - -

'This won't be easy.'

That had been Fred's first thought after having decided to pursue Gene. And so far it had proved to be quite true. But Fred never wanted what was easy to obtain; he was a merchant by trade and by mindset. The rarer catches always came at a higher price because they were so limited in number and so highly sought after.

Even so, sometimes it was difficult to remain optimistic about his prospects with Gene Starwind. In spite of the fact that he could list off all of the traits they had in common with each other at the drop of a hat (and in his sleep), there was one glaringly huge obstacle in the way of their coming together: Gene Starwind really, really, really liked women.

Fred hated it. Gene always made it perfectly clear that he thought of Fred as only a friend - a perverted and horny friend at that, not to be taken seriously. He never really saw the looks Fred gave him. Of course he took every opportunity he had to undress the grappler ship captain with his eyes, but only because he couldn't do it with his skillful hands.

But Gene never saw the other looks - the ones that took in the sparks that flared in his eyes when he was excited about a new adventure; the looks that memorized every long, dark eyelash lining those eyes as Fred imagined what it would feel like to have them brush against his cheek. Looks that, to everyone but the one to whom they were directed, shone with something far deeper than lust or infatuation.

Fred had liked Gene from the very beginning, that much was obvious to anyone with enough living cells left to be classified as alive. But he had tried his damnedest not to actually fall for the redhead. He honestly cherished the friendship they had, the history they shared. He had never wanted to put that relationship at risk.

But the day had come a long time ago when he had had to admit to himself that what he felt for Gene was more than just a liking for the man; that he wanted much more than a simple friendship with him. That day he had gone to the bar with Gene, both fearing the other man would figure out how he felt and wishing that he would.

Fortunately or unfortunately, Gene was rather dense about it all. Fred had realized that no, pursuing a relationship with this man would not be easy; nor would it be something that could be done subtly.

A week after Fred had come to terms with his feelings for Gene, he had made his move. Specifically, it had been a nip at the other man's ear during a visit to Fred's office. And the results hadn't been…exactly favorable. 'Almost disastrous' may have been a better way of putting it. Nerves had been shattered, tables had been knocked over, and in a panic Fred had said it had all just been a joke - words that still formed a strained barrier between the two of them, an excuse to fall back on, another thing that Gene would never take seriously.

Fred had messed up, and he had yet to fully forgive himself for the slip of the tongue (both figuratively and literally). But it did serve as a driving force, something that would keep him trying to bag the redhead, even years later.

But that was just the thing - it had been years now, and with little to no progress to speak of. Fred had had his small victories and precious moments here and there, but it was getting to be too little to go on. He was losing patience.

The yearning that had settled within him so long ago had become a permanent fixture, it seemed. Some days, days like this one, he sometimes wondered if it was all worth the trouble. It was on days like these that he felt a tiny niggling doubt about whether he would succeed, if he had made the right choice in giving up the total comfort of their friendship in trying to turn it into something more.

It was days like these that Fred looked for any and all excuses to give Gene a call on the videophone.

Jobs, information on bounties in the area, anything that he could pass along to Gene that would interest the man would do. Because all it took to regain his determination in chasing after the redhead was a few short minutes watching his favourite man and hearing his voice. Just those few minutes could bring a smile back to Fred's face - the sly smile that meant he was plotting how he could make it so that he woke up to that voice every morning.

Sometimes Fred was rather grateful for those days of doubt; the nights following his reaffirmations always gave rise to some very…enjoyable dreams. And his first thought upon waking from such dreams would prove to be just as true as the one he had had after deciding to chase after Gene.

'They won't be dreams forever.'