CHAPTER TEN

Fred felt the bed sink beside her and turned automatically to snuggle closer.

"How is Anne?" she murmured, her voice heavy with sleep.

"She's fine," Gunn said, but his voice was grim.

Fred blinked sleepily and peered at him. "What's wrong?"

Gunn sighed and snuggled closer to her. "You're right."

"I am?"

"About life being a mess right now."

"Oh that. I thought you meant the equations I was trying to crack this morning."

Gunn laughed. "You can always make me laugh. You're amazing, you know that?"

"Hmm," Fred snuggled closer and gave him a peck on his cheek. "I know because you tell me that every time I smother honey on my pancake."

"How are we gonna kill the demons?" Gunn wondered out loud.

"Slice and dice?" Fred suggested.

"It usually works with most demons ... but it didn't work on these, remember?"

"Oh, yeah ... you cut off his head-"

"And he said 'it tickles'."

Fred was pensive. "Do you think if we cut them into little pieces they would say "Ow...?"

"Maybe you were right about Wesley too."

Fred stiffened and then studied his eyes.

"We need him," Gunn said.

When Fred didn't answer him, he said, "In an emotions unattached kind of way."

"Charles..." Fred said after a moment, "...if I did something like Wesley did, would you close me out and hate me too?" she asked in a small voice.

Gunn was shocked. "No! You'd never do something like that!"

"How do you know that?"

"What?" Gunn frowned.

"I mean, we didn't know Wesley would do the things he did, did we? So how do you know if I won't betray you one day?"

"Because..."

"Because I'm your girlfriend? Please, Charles. Do you know me that well?"

"Fred ... don't talk like that."

Fred sniffed, turned away and snuggled deeper into the blanket. "Sorry. I...don't know what got into me. I just ... I guess I just miss him. A little. Very little. Like maybe 10% little."

Fred shifted, and soon after, her breathing evened out and grew slower. She was sound asleep.

Gunn had more trouble sleeping. He lay his head on the pillow and stared at the ceiling.

He wanted Wesley out of his life. Permanently. But his ghost was around, bothering him and Fred.

"Can't sleep?"

The loud, pounding music of the discotheque did nothing to drown out the smug, smooth tones of Lilah Morgan's voice.

He didn't bother to entertain her with an answer. Instead, he stared at the mass of revelers below, nursing his tenth shot of liquor.

"Mine if I join you?" she purred seductively.

He got up and moved away.

"You know," said Lilah who caught up with him, "I was trying to start a conversation here," she said coyly.

Wesley stopped and leaned against the banister. He lifted his shot and downed it.

"I'm trying to end it," he grated.

"My, you're in a bad mood today," Lilah teased.

He glared at her.

She ran a hand up his arm, bringing back unpleasant memories of their sweaty tryst. "I thought, after the little nasties we whispered to each other the other night, we would have some kind of connection..." her hand caressed his neck, tracing his scar. "...but here you go, leaving me without a forwarding address."

He gripped her roving hand in a tight grasp.

Against her will, Lilah gasped, her face pale. She stared at his hand with a mix of puzzlement and fear, but quickly tried to look nonchalant.

"Been working out?"

Instead of answering her, Wesley gripped her waist and flung her to a nearby wall. He placed his hands on her shoulders and pinned her to the wall.

"Watch those dirty looks," Lilah whispered, staring into his stormy blue eyes. "You're getting me going again," she said.

She would never admit this to him, but she couldn't stay away. She knew he was the key to Angel, but there was something else there that she could not identify. Something that was drawing her to him. Lust? Who would have thought that the English pain in the ass would be so good in bed?

Her eyes widened when his hand traveled down her body to-

She closed her eyes and bit her lip in pleasure.

"Do you want entertainment, Lilah?" Wesley whispered harshly. "Because I'm up for some cheap entertainment," he mocked.

Lilah stiffened and willed herself to smile. "In your new place? So we can break in your new bed?"

"I just cleaned the place. Don't want to bring filth in so soon," he responded smoothly.

Lilah flinched. He could talk nasty alright. Sometimes his words pricked more than she wanted them to.

He didn't let her say anything more. He crushed her against the wall and moved in for the kill.

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