Chapter 7

Alex realized the gravity of the situation of giving Fred her card only when she was about to get on stage a week later at the bar. What if Fred showed up? How would she explain him to David? How would she explain David to Fred? She wasn't sure how this would play out, but she knew the minute she stepped on stage she would see him. Alex just knew it.

He was there, sitting at a table directly in front of the stage. She glared at him when she came on stage.

After the show, she went backstage and hid in her dressing room, refusing to face him. She had promised to talk to him, but she didn't want to talk to him now. There was a knock on the door and she held her breath.

"Hey, can I come in?" David asked, peering around the door.

She let out a sigh of relief. "Oh it's only you."

David frowned and shut the door behind him.

"Well it's nice to see you too." He said unhappily.

Alex frowned. "I'm expecting someone and I don't know if I want to talk to him or not."

"Him?" David's eyebrows rose dramatically. "What do you mean him? Who's him?"

Alex rolled her eyes. "An old friend."

David frowned. "A friend, or a friend?"

Alex glared at him. "I can meet men in my dressing room if I want David, who are you to tell me I can't?" She asked threateningly.

"Your boyfriend. That's who. I don't like it." David crossed his arms.

"You don't have to like it." She snapped.

"So sorry if I don't want my girl talking to some guy alone in her dressing room with me not here!" David bristled.

"What I have to say to him is private." Alex fumed.

"Oh private! I see!" David waved his arms around, red in the face. "Private. I get the hint." He walked toward the door and opened it and came face to face with a broad chest.

Alex, who was sitting at her makeup table, put her head on her hand and groaned.

Fred stood there awkwardly with one hand raised to knock at the door that had just opened.

David stepped back and had to look up at Fred who stared at him with an eyebrow raised.

"Is this the bloke?" David asked angrily, thrusting his thumb behind him.

"GO AWAY! BOTH OF YOU!" She screamed, throwing the first thing she could grab toward the door. David shoved Fred out of the way and slammed the door behind them.

The two men stood awkwardly outside in the dim hallway looking around.

"What did you do to her?" Fred asked.

David frowned. "I didn't do anything. Who are you and what business do you have with my girl?"

Fred tried not to laugh. "Your girl?"

David's chin went up. "Yea, my girl."

"The one who just threw you out of her room?" Fred asked. "That girl?"

David glared at him. "You going to tell me what you want with her or what?"

"Well I was going to gag her and bind her arms and legs, throw her over my shoulder and kidnap her, bringing her back to my lair where I'd hold her ransom for several hours, but you seem to have ruined my plan and now I'll have to kill you both." Fred said with a completely neutral face.

Before David could respond the door opened and Alex stood there glaring at them both.

"Bane of my existence. Both of you." She mumbled.

"You didn't tell me you had a boyfriend." Fred said, crossing his arms.

"I didn't have to." She retorted.

David glared at them both. "I knew it! Bloody hell, you're sleeping with him aren't you!"

Alex rolled her eyes. "No, David. I'm not. And for the record I'm not sleeping with you either. So now that we all know my personal business, would you two care to leave me alone?"

"You invited me here!" Fred cried.

David threw up his arms in frustration.

"Look we could always meet in Hogsmede or something couldn't we? Why here? This is a muggle bar." Fred looked around and frowned.

David looked at him, confused. "A what bar? Look just because you're new around here doesn't mean you can go around calling this place foul names!"

Alex smacked her face.

Fred smiled wickedly. "He doesn't know does he?"

"Know what? What is going on here?" David demanded.

Alex gave Fred the most heart stopping glare he'd ever received in his life.

"Fred is an old friend that I haven't seen in a while. David if you'll excuse me, I'll be going now since neither of you will take a hint." Alex pushed past the two of them and walked out of the bar.

"Now look what you did!" David screamed at Fred.

Fred laughed, despite himself. "I can't believe she hasn't told you." He said in awe.

David fumed. "So why don't you tell me?"

Fred shrugged with a smile on his face. "Tell you what?" With that, he walked off, whistling to himself.

Alex sat outside on a bench, brooding. Fred came around the corner and stopped in front of her.

"Why didn't you tell him?" He asked quietly.

"I didn't want to." She answered.

Fred sat down next to her and stared at the pavement beneath their feet.

"He'll probably come bumbling around the corner any minute to make sure I don't take you right here in the street." He said with a grin.

Alex shook her head. "I don't know what I'm doing Fred."

He frowned and grabbed her hand. "Come back home Alex. That's where you're wanted."

Alex laughed hollowly. "Home? I don't have a home. The only home I've ever had is my cheap apartment a block away from here. Besides, I'm pretty sure after the damage I did at the wedding, I'm not wanted anywhere near your family."

Fred sighed and shook his head. "Look I know why you left and I know you thought it would help but it's clearly not doing anything but making you more miserable."

Alex frowned. "Either way I'm miserable Fred. I can't be with you, I don't have anywhere I can go, I'm in a band I can't just leave that here and forget about it and David…."

A shadow crossed Fred's face and he dropped her hand. "Yes there's David to think about." He said bitterly.

Alex couldn't help but smile. "Jealous are we?"

"Of course I am." Fred said angrily. "He's a muggle! Not that I have anything against muggles but…really, come on Alex. You can do better than a muggle!"

"I find him blissfully ignorant and that's exactly what I need right now. Someone who doesn't know my past. Someone who can't judge me for what I've done." Alex hugged herself tightly and looked up, trying to will away the tears.

"You didn't do anything wrong Alex. I was wrong. I was so damn wrong, and I hurt you in the process." Fred brushed back her hair off her face, and cupped her jaw, forcing her to look at him. "If I have to spend the rest of my life begging for your forgiveness I will."

"Mind telling me what this is then?" An angry voice pierced through the moment.

Fred removed his hand from Alex's face and leaned back on the bench. Red in the face, Alex looked up at David.

"You're impossible." She muttered.

"I'm impossible? You're out here blatantly flirting with this guy and trying to get rid of me so you can be alone with him. Yes, I'm completely irrational for intruding." David crossed his arms.

Fred stood up. "I'm sorry for giving you the wrong impression, but I don't believe you have any idea what this is. I've known Alex since she was eleven years old. She probably didn't mention that."

"I haven't mentioned much of anything since you two have been doing most of the talking." Alex said quietly to herself, still sitting on the bench in the shadow of the two men.

They ignored her.

"You may have known her longer but I'm with her now, which obviously means something." David retorted.

"She's only with you because she won't forgive me." Fred snapped.

"Well sorry to say mate, but she's coming home with me." David said with a smile.

"She could come home with me if she wanted!" Fred argued.

"Of course she wouldn't go home with you! She's with me!" David yelled.

Alex shook her head and stood up, completely aggravated.

"Well as much as I love sitting here listening to you two decide what I'm allowed and not allowed to do, I'm going to go home." She said as the two men continued their argument.

Without acknowledgement, Alex walked off. They didn't even notice she had gone.