Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
Spoilers: See Chapter 1
To Hell With The World
Chapter 2: Taking Fred Home and Using the Offered Help
Later that same day, after Angel and Spike had left for the resting place of the Old Ones, Wesley had taken Fred back to her apartment. She requested it after Wesley had found her out of her hospital bed. She was in the lab trying to find a cure. This was difficult as the sickness began shutting her body down one system at a time. Wesley had sworn, on his very life, that her friends would prevent her from dying.
Wesley had carried Fred into her own bedroom so she would be more comfortable as she waited for the two en-souled vampires to get to the to Deeper Well and find the thing that would assuredly save her.
She had slept fitfully and painfully, and he had attempted to comfort her by reading to her. She had convulsed in agony and Wesley had tried to give her medication only to watch in horror as her skin had hardened to the point where he couldn't even inject anything that might dull the pain. He had decided to use the first spell he got from the message.
Fred had just come out of the convulsion and seemed to be tolerating the pain better "I'm with him!" she yelled and indicated Wesley as if to show that this is why she should live. As if to emphasize this point she pleaded "He won't leave me now. We're so close"
Wesley had to summon a great deal of strength to keep his voice steady and calm, he couldn't afford to be sorrowful now as it would just make a bad situation worse, "I will never leave you." He looked into her eyes and hoped she understood just how earnest that vow was.
He placed his hand over her heart after another bout of pain had come and gone "That was bad, but it's better now. You won't leave me?"
That would she even ask the question just showed Wesley how bad things were getting. "I won't." while thinking 'Never, for anything, will I abandon you. As surely as the sun will rise, I will be with you."
Fred smiled at him and he found it amazing that she could still manage to comfort him, even when she needed to be reassured that the pain and the impending death would stop. "Fred, do you trust me?" She looked at him in surprise, as if the question was unnecessary, and nodded with a pained smile.
Wesley stared at her for a bit and made a decision, "Fred, I received a message earlier today, I didn't tell Angel or Spike about it because they needed to focus on their own task, part of the message included a spell that could take some of your pain away."
Fred's smile turned and she gasped, "No, please, you can't take this Wes, I know how it feels, I don't want you to hurt. Not like this."
Wesley pleaded with her "Fred, I swore to remain with you and to help you survive, don't force me to watch you die, helpless and hopeless. I beg you, please allow me to do this." His eyes were glistening with unshed tears and Fred realized that she couldn't dissuade him from using the spell.
Wesley became determined and instructed, "No matter what happens during this, keep my hand over your heart." Fred nodded and folded her hands over his own, ensuring it wouldn't move. Wesley began the repetitive incantation and focused on the intent of the spell with the repeated thought behind it 'By the love and light of my life, let me bear your pain for a time'
As the spell went on, a gold-tinged white light began to encompass his body, it moved down to the hand that was connected to Fred. As it made contact with her, she shivered a bit before a cyan light moved into Wesley's body. He felt the pain, and oh, the message was right, this was worse than anything from before. If this was only a portion of the pain that Fred was enduring, what must she be suffering. He was astounded that she was still holding on 'No, not her, of any of us, she does not deserve this suffering.'
He slumped forward into Fred and began trembling from the pain. Fred had regained some of the clarity from before the pain had seized her and held Wesley with tear-stained cheeks "I told you it would hurt Wes, you insisted, it's better now but I can still it feel what it's doing to me."
Wes looked at her and with a pain-filled gasp affirmed "Fred, dear lord, if this is what you're going through, I would gladly take all of the pain myself if I could, but I can't and I'm sorry, this is just one more failure tacked onto a life full of them."
Fred frowned at him, "Wesley, I know you care about me. Stop blaming yourself, I'm the one who opened that lousy sarcophagus. I couldn't wish this on you. Wait as sec, this message you got, did it tell you how to rescue me?"
Wes responded with a purpose "There is a chance, but there were no promises." Although he hoped, somehow, that there would be some certainty to come with the remaining spells. Unknown to both of them the connection that had been created from the spell and the pain was still open.