Her Saving Grace, 13/?, Spike/Fred, R

[authoressnebula.livejournal.com]

Trying to get this out fast before my net times out again. Grr!

Title: Her Saving Grace
Rating: R
Pairing: Spike/Fred, mentions slight Fred/Wesley
Spoilers: Angel S5
Chapter: Thirteen of ?
Prompt: #33 - Hopi for tamingthemuse
Warnings: Character death (not the permanent variety)
Summary: An accident one night changes Fred's entire world. Shunned by the people who should care the most, she turns to the one person who does care, and finds something beyond friendship.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Seriously. Not even my mind these days.

Warning: I did a quick beta, but I've been trying to get this out on my net's time, so there may be problems with it. If there are any, please let me know!

Word count: 2378

Previous parts here



Pretty by garnettrees

Chapter 13: Fertile Seeds A'Growin'

Fred stared. She really couldn't do anything else. Lorne was standing right there in the doorway, in her doorway, in their doorway, and thinking, speaking, moving...all went out the window. There was nothing she could do except stare.

She felt rather then heard Spike come up behind her, and in her view of staring, Buffy finally appeared with the two barstools. The Slayer's eyes darted from Lorne to Fred, then back again. “I didn't see him come up,” Buffy said, glancing beyond Fred to where Spike was no doubt glaring. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and though it was a gentle grip, it was still a grip, and a firm one at that. The message was fairly clear. Touch her and you'll mess with me.

At the same time, though, Fred realized Spike wasn't saying anything. At this point, she'd have expected him to start mouthing off extravagantly, yelling and putting a lot of anger and fury behind his words that would make anyone quake. Not that she'd ever had it directed at her, but she'd seen him go off on Angel. He could be pretty ferocious when he wanted to, and she remembered the barely veiled anger when she'd first awakened in his apartment and when he'd left the room in her retelling of it all.

Yet he wasn't speaking up at all now. He was keeping a silent vigil, and she realized suddenly that it was completely up to her whether they spoke with Lorne or not. Spike knew it was her call, not his, and despite his own feelings, he was giving her the choice of what happened.

The knowledge of that gave her the strength and courage she needed, and she nodded at Lorne. “Yes. You can come in.”

She backed away to allow him in, and Spike moved with her effortlessly, almost as if he were dancing with her. She stepped, he stepped to match, and they moved backwards from the door that way. Not very far, just a few steps, but it was still neat. His hand never left her shoulder either, and she could almost imagine them in a glowing ballroom, gliding across the floor, he in a tuxedo, she in a beautiful gown.

Right now, though, she was in a ratty t-shirt and jeans, and he was dressed in a much more casual black, and the room around them certainly wasn't glowing.

Buffy set the barstools down at the counter and turned to Lorne, crossing her arms. She made a very intimidating figure, and Fred was again extremely thankful that she was on Fred's side. “How did you find them?” she asked, getting right into it.

Lorne winced, then turned to Fred and Spike. “Don't bite her or anything, but it was actually you, sweetcakes,” he said, turning back to Buffy.

Buffy blinked, all intimadation gone. “Me? How? I never said a word...!”

“You didn't need to,” Lorne said. “You hummed as you left the building the other day. It was enough.”

It was Buffy's turn to wince. “I didn't say anything to anyone, though,” Lorne assured them. “This demon knows when not to sing.”

“I didn't...I forgot that he could...I'm sor...” Buffy stammered, and it was Spike who answered her.

“It's all right, pet. No harm done. Don't fret over it, all right?”

Buffy didn't look convinced. “I think we're okay,” Fred told her with a small smile. She wasn't one hundred percent sure about Lorne, but the ever hopeful part of her wondered if Lorne was here to say he was sorry. To maybe restore the friendship they'd had.

“I hope we can be,” Lorne said, turning to Fred with a small smile of his own. “I don't even know where to begin.”

“The beginning is often the best place,” she said, reminded of when she'd told Spike the very same thing. The hand on her shoulder loosened a fraction, and she glanced back behind her to see Spike smiling at the memory.

When she turned back, Lorne's own smile looked a lot broader and, for some reason, relieved. “That's all I needed to see,” he said. “I actually came over here wondering if I could get you two to sing for me, maybe let Angel know, but you don't need me in this equation. You guys have got it all worked out.”

“Let Angel know what?” Fred asked, frowning.

“That you're you, and that you're okay with Spike,” he said. “I've felt so horrible over that one night. I've been trying to reconcile it like Angel and Wesley explained, but...I can't,” Lorne confessed. “Because it isn't right, not to them or to you, but especially to you. I'm so sorry, Freddles. You've still been your beautiful, Southern self this entire time. And honestly, does it matter if you're a vampire? I'm a demon too, in case anyone's forgotten. So's Angel, but he's got his issues. Being a demon doesn't do an InstaEvil growth spell on you, obviously. And I'm sorry I bought into that with the rest of them.”

Fred stepped once, twice, and then launched herself at Lorne, wrapping her arms tightly around him as her smile threatened to hurt her face, but she didn't care. When his arms wrapped just as tightly around her she felt tears start, and closed her eyes as they rolled down her face into the corners of her smile. “Oh I've missed you,” Lorne said softly. “The entire place just isn't the same without our light.”

“I've missed you too, Lorne,” she said, pulling away. He immediately reached into the pocket of his yellow suit and pulled out a hankie, dabbing at her tears even when she giggled.

“I'm glad you came by,” Spike said, and Fred didn't have to glance at him to know he was being sincere. She could hear it all in his voice, and she knew if anyone could truly understand that, it'd be Lorne.

Lorne nodded just like she thought he would. “I'm glad I did, too. But I think I made the right call with your Angel problem: it's not something I can fix. You kiddies are on your own for that one.”

Fred's eyes widened as her jaw dropped. “But...but...I could sing! I don't like to, and I think I'm horrible at it, but I could! And then you could tell him and...”

“Let him know that I know where you two are, and I haven't told him, and do you honestly think that Angel'll listen to me?” Lorne finished sadly. “The big lug means well, but unless he sees it for himself, I don't really think he'll believe me. I'm the soft-hearted one, and he knows that. You two are gonna have to convince him yourselves.”

Fred felt like she was on a roller coaster with her emotions: up down up down up and now down again. She'd really hoped that Lorne might be able to be the perfect peacemaker and get Angel to understand. She knew what Lorne meant, though. Angel was a tough person to convince sometimes, but when you finally had him on your side, he wasn't likely to leave.

It was just the getting him on their side she didn't know how to do.

“There is something I think I can do for you guys, though,” Lorne said, and her head darted back up. Lorne wasn't looking at her, though: his gaze was locked with Spike's. “Angel's got a big thing he has to do at a club called The Dive in two days time. The whole gang should be there, myself included. We've got to seal a deal, and the demons feel more comfortable there than anywhere else. You know the place?”

Spike nodded. “Not too bad a club. Pretty well lit for one, too, which helps.” He glanced at Buffy who was frowning. “Think The Bronze, except a bit more orange-y and with more lights. Two floors and everythin'.”

She blinked, before she nodded. “Layout's pretty much the same?” she asked.

Spike gave a small nod. “Good. That'll make it easy to navigate,” Buffy said, leaning back against the counter. “I'll go check it out before the meeting, though, just to really get myself into the area. It's been awhile since I was even in The Bronze, remember.”

Now Fred understood why Spike had told Buffy about the specifics. It was like they were laying out battle plans, which she supposed they sort of were. The only thing that Fred didn't want out of this battle was just that: a battle. She didn't want anyone hurt from either side, and she hated that there were sides at all, but if this went right, then there wouldn't be sides.

She turned back to Lorne, putting herself in the action. “Do you know where the meeting will take place exactly?”

“The second floor that hangs over the first,” Lorne said immediately. “They'd definitely want to meet up in the loft. It's a little more secluded, not as bright as the dance floor below, but loud enough that no one around will be getting an earful concerning the mating practices of a certain demon race which, by the way, isn't anything anyone would want to hear about anyways,” Lorne said, scrunching his face up.

“Why would there be a problem with that?” Fred asked, not really sure she wanted the answer.

“Well, if they could stop doing it in various public places, it'd be nice. Angel's going to try to set them up somewhere that's not the sewers, but somewhere that's not an open park either. Thus the meeting.”

Buffy and Spike made faces, and Fred knew how they felt. She wanted to know just which parks it had been so she could avoid them in the future, but at the same time, she was afraid of the answer. What if it had been all of the parks?

“It starts at ten, but Angel wants to get there about twenty minutes early to scope the place out. Whatever you two want to do, you might want to make it before the meeting, and I mean right before. It's a big, crowded club, which means Angel really can't make a scene, and he's got a meeting that takes top priority for the sake of our eyes and ears. Which means you two can do your magic as the main attraction, then close the curtain on the show and get the hell out of there,” Lorne told them.

“What if they follow?” Fred asked. “Is only Angel needed for the meeting? He could send Charles.” He could send Wesley, she thought, and the thought of facing either of them, especially Wesley, made her heart twist.

Lorne shook his head. “They're needed, too. Charlie's got the right language to offer the greetings at the beginning to get it off to a good start, and Wesley's needed to show knowledge and might. Though, I'm not sure if that'll work these days,” he added with a small frown. “Wes has gotten a tad odd. Odder then we all already were. I wouldn't mind hearing him lay a few notes out for me, if just to see what's going on in that British head of his.”

“It might be his own feelin's on Fred,” Spike said. “You might not be the only one givin' that night a second thought.”

“Could be,” Lorne agreed. “It'd be nice. I'm not good at this double-agent stuff on my own. At any rate, if they do decide to excuse themselves, I'll take care of them, long enough for you two to skedaddle out of there. You I don't think I'd have to worry about,” he said dryly, glancing over at Buffy. Buffy just grinned.

“And how much longer is this 'vacation' of yours gonna last?” he added, turning Buffy's grin into a giggle.

“However long I need it to. I certainly think I deserve one,” she said. When Spike gave her a look, she simply shrugged. “How else did you want to explain my sticking around? Plotting with you two to escape Angel's evil clutches?”

Fred just shook her head, her smile coming back. The plan was like balm to her heart, a hope that maybe she could really reach Angel. Add Buffy's light joking, and the room did look a little on the glowing side again.

“I'll leave the final decisions up to you guys,” Lorne said. “This demon's got to get back to the firm before my next client calls. Hollywood needs help, seriously. But you know my number, Fredkins. Give it a ring when you need me.”

She hugged him again before he headed for the door. “We'll do tacos again, I promise,” she said, smiling.

“Good,” he said, digging in his jacket for something. He smiled when he found it, and pulled out a small statue. “This is for you two,” he whispered. “I thought he might help plant the seeds for something beautiful.”

Fred's smile broadened to the point of being painful again, and she finally couldn't help but giggle. With a wave Lorne headed off, closing the door behind him.

“I swear I did not intend for anyone at Wolfram and Hart to find out,” Buffy said immediately, glancing over at Spike defensively. “Lorne'll keep it to himself, though. And I've got someone else on the inside finally.”

“I'm glad. I'll only kill you a little bit,” Spike deadpanned, and the two blondes exchanged a grin. He turned to Fred then, who was still giggling softly. “And what, pray tell, did he give you that's got you oh so giggly?”

She turned, holding out the metal statue. The figure was rust-colored, playing a flute while his wild hair flew out above him like rays of the sun. “Kokopelli,” she explained. “A god of the Hopi people. He's a fertility god mainly, but one of the things he does best is bringing couples together for marriage.” And that was something that was meant to be eternal.

From the way Spike began to smile, she knew he'd understood. Lorne had done more then given them his approval: he'd given them his blessing, and his hope that they'd be happy together. Forever.

~Nebula

Comments

[lilithbint.livejournal.com]

Squee!
I love Lorne so much.
Now I'm worried about Wesley though.

[authoressnebula.livejournal.com]

I love Lorne too, so I was really worried about not doing him justice. I'm glad I was able to though! ^_^

Thanks for the fb!

~Nebula

[velvetwhip.livejournal.com]

This is just lovely! What a swell chapter! Great way to bring Hopi into things, by the way.


Gabrielle

[lit-gal.livejournal.com]

The memories only go up to ten, and I don't want to read out of order. Any chance I could get the other links?

[cafedemonde.livejournal.com]

Yay! Always happy to see more of this. Wonderful chapter. Lorne's voice is dead on.

Looking foward to the meet and greet with the gang and how that turns out.

[thismaz.livejournal.com]

Oh that was good. So glad Lorne was there to be friendly, not that I really doubted it -- it isn't in his nature to go seeking confrontation, where it is to seek reconciliation. That was nice. Good use of the prompt too.