The Study
by Minion

RATING: FRC [AU]

LOCATION: They Hyperion Study

DISCLAIMER: No Wes and Fred are not mine, and I didn't create them, but I am taking them out of the toybox for awhile and such.

+ Best Vignette

Having to be as quiet as possible, Wesley rounded the corner into the study. He was on a different kind of hunt today. Not demons, not vampires, just Fred. She had been eluding him for days now ever since they had taken on a Gilla Demon down in the sewer system beneath the City of Angels. Nothing happened on the hunt itself, but for some reason, Fred just was not making herself available to talk to anyone which bothered Wesley to no end.

She was curled up on the couch that sat in the middle of the room, her half-opened book resting against her side as her glasses were in her hand that had fallen to dangle off the edge of the couch. Wesley crept up to kneel beside the arm of the chair and looked down at Fred, wondering what was troubling her, knowing that he would do anything to make her feel better. He had to admit that ever since she had started to see Gunn that she was no longer the shy wall flower and was gaining confidence quickly.

Part of Wesley was envious of Gunn's part in Fred's life, but there was not much he could say about it. Whatever he might feel for Fred would have to be his secret and his alone. Fred was happy with Gunn, and her hapiness was all that mattered. Leaning down, he placed a kiss to her forehead and watched a slight smile spread across her face in her sleep. It made his heart ache.

Later, Fred awoke to find herself draped over the couch in much the same way she had been since that night. It was beginning to take a toll on her body; her neck was stiff,and the rest of her limbs cried out for the soft bed that was up in her room. It really was silly to think that there could be monsters in a closet or under the bed, but with their line of work, it was more than possible - it was known fact.

Stretching out her tired, overused body, she fought a yawn as the doors to the study opened and Wesley walked in carrying a cup of coffee in his hand. "I thought you might like this. I know you and your coffee are inseperable." Fred laughed and thanked him as she took over the cup while watching Wesley go to his desk and hit the books. "What are you researching now, fearless leader?"

Wesley chortled and motioned her over. Fred draped an arm over the back of his chair and peered over his shoulder. "Oh, I see. Always food. I mean come on, men eat far too much. It's like it was what you all were preordained to do. Kind of like God created man, then realized that he would eat out the entire world if he didn't stick someone down there to stop him." Fred moved to sit on the edge of Wesley's desk. "Be honest, though, Wes. I bet you've already had your morning tea, some scones maybe even a little bit of something and now your going to order some huge elaborate feast."

Wesley took his glasses off and sat them down on the desk before turning to face Fred. "Actually, I was thinking that you might be hungry. You know, your rumbly tumbly."

Fred laughed, almost spilling her coffee. "You always make me laugh. I don't know why but you do and I find that I like it. Maybe I like it too much."

Wesley leaned back in his chair uncertain of what Fred was meaning by that. "You mean you find my sense of humor some what witty?"

She nodded and slid over toward's Wesley careful to move the glasses out of the way so that she could sit in front of him. Wesley tugged on the collar of his shirt nervously. "I meant that you always find a way to be there for me. Even when I am having one of my moments," she said, her voice falling down to almost a whisper as she reached for his hand. "I have to tell you something. It's not easy, and I don't expect you to say anything, but it has been driving me crazy. Not like I'm not anyways, but you know what I mean. Or at least I think you do."

Fred ran her free hand through her hair and then rested it down to hold Wesley's hand in between hers. Wesley was shifting in his seat, wondering if he should listen or run for the nearest interdimensional portal. "I have been thinking a lot lately. About things since I got back. Been talking to my parents a lot and well everyone that I know now. I even talked to Gunn the other night." Fred began her head rolling in circles to try and loosen the crick that she had gotten from the couch.

"Gunn? Is this about the demon we faced? You have not been sleeping well since then," Wesley interrupted for a moment as his fingers moved to lock with hers.

It was such a small gesture, but one Fred had hoped she would get. Had hoped that she would be able to talk to Wesley like this. "I have been having nightmares. Ones that I do not like the ending of. I know it's not something that a grown woman such as myself should worry about, but I do." Wesley understood where Fred was coming from. He himself had nightmares on occasion that rattled him and was grateful that Fred would choose to come to him for help. "When the demons were puddles of goo on the sewer floor and we all came back, I started to thinking. I maybe overthink things, but I realized something then, and it kind of...well, I don't know," Fred said, pausing, having not thought it would be this hard to talk to him about this.

She had already talked to Gunn and made it out of that conversation okay, but this was much harder. Wesley rubbed the back of her hand in small circles with his thumb. "You don't have to tell me. If you're not ready." She looked up, and her eyes met his. "We can order Chinese and just spend the day reading over some of the newer books. No problem. I cleared my busy schedule." Wesley gave her a tentative smile and looked away towards the stack of papers off to the corner of his desk.

He really did have work to do or was that an excuse to get out of what was going on now. He had feelings for Fred, that much was obvious, but he knew that they were unwanted. It was becoming more difficult for him to sit by and watch all of the late night moviethons in the living room. Or the dinners that everyone went on with Gunn stealing Fred away for a moment alone.

Her hand came to rest on his cheek and turn his face towards her. "I do have something to tell you. I thought about it a lot, and well, I have everyone's blessing kind of. Well at least the one that matters." Wesley's eyes went wide,wondering if she was going back to Texas, back to her home. "What? Tell me what's wrong. I mean I just want to tell you something that you have to know. It's not like I am dying of some wierd demonic disease." They both laughed and the tension eased a bit before Wesley fell head long into the shining pools that were her eyes.

"I can't take much more of this," he told her finally.

"Of what?" she asked, scooting forward on the desk so that she was as close to him as she could get without falling into his lap.

"Of denying that I care for you. I know you do not need to hear that and that you are perfectly content with your relationship with Gunn." Wesley watched Fred blush before him as she released his hand to rest her hands against his face on opposite sides.

"I am not content."

Her words caused his heart to beat at a blistering pace, his mouth almost falling agape with shock. "I figured out what was up with me. That Gunn was a buddy, Wes. Just my buddy," she told him shyly before standing up, his face still her hostage. "That you are the one I have feelings for." He watched as she stood between his legs and moved her hands to his shoulders. "I realized that when the demon was slain, when everyone celebrated, I wanted to be with you. Not at the movie house or at the Pizza Hut. I wanted to be right here. Where I am now."

Wesley wanted to say something, but all that came out was a puff of air followed by blinking eyes. "I care about you a lot, Wes. It's kind of hard to talk to you about this. I mean I don't even know if you like me. I mean I know that you take care of me all the time and that we know each other real well. Heck, we even like the same stuff. I just don't know if you like me in...um..." Fred's voice trailed off as Wesley snapped out of his shock enduced coma. Reaching across the short space between them, he took her hands in his and tugged her towards him.

"Winifred," his voice tight with emotion. "I do care about you. I have for a long time now." His admission lifted the dark cloud from above Fred's head as a smile lit up the room. "What about Gunn?" he asked, uncertain about the future.

"OH! Did I forget to mention that he and I talked, and well, he already knew what it took me forever to figure out?" Wesley leaned back in his chair, a smile forming at the corners of his mouth.

"Does this mean that we are, I suppose..."

Fred cut him off mid sentence. "Yea." She laughed as Wesley tugged her onto his lap, her feet falling over the side of the chair as his arms wrapped around her waist.

"Good," they said together before Fred leaned closer to Wesley for a whisper of a kiss that led to several before their lips stayed together, the kiss turning into one that seemed endless while Cordelia and Gunn peeked around the corner into the study, then to each other. Knowing grins, they high-fived each other and left Wesley and Fred to their study hour.

© April 2002

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