Martin had come into to ask her some questions about his project, and then Stephanie had come in. She had finally made her breakthrough and wanted to have Fred look it over as the department head. So Fred had found herself unable to call Rupert after taking a look at her schedule and e-mail. She hoped that he wouldn't be too upset that she wasn't able to call right away.
After finishing reviewing Stephanie's work, which was very good, Fred returned to her office and e-mailed Charlotte to let her know that Stephanie was ready to meet with one of the Council solicitors about the patent procedure. She had just finished and had been reaching for the phone when it rang, so she scooped it up after it rang again and was about to ramble off her professional greeting when she heard Rupert on the other end.
"Really? You talked to her?" Fred grinned broadly while doing a little tap dance at her desk. She didn't care if any of the others looked in and thought she looked crazy. "Oh, that's great news!"
She noticed Martin glance in as he walked by, so she smiled and motioned a request for him to close the office door. Giving her a grin, he did so, and she flashed a thumbs up as thank you before turning her full attention back to the man on the other end of the phone line.
"Willow, Buffy and the others have said they'll be coming over after work, so the debriefing is on. How are you doing? Not suffering from malnutrition yet, I hope. Still stuck in bed watching bad soap operas and going nuts from having to rest?"
Giles chuckled at Fred’s enthusiasm over Charlotte asking Willow out. He just hoped Charlotte went through with it or he was going to have to speak with her again. “Yes, we had a nice chat about it. She didn’t know how to approach Willow but I gave her some, uh, expert advice,” he said as he sat down on the sofa in the parlour. “I miss you.”
When Fred mentioned that everyone was coming over for the debriefing, Giles nodded. “Could you tell them to take their time? I have something I want to give to you without all of them, standing about,” he said, starting to get worried about what he’d gotten her. What if she thought he was a total git for getting her such a thing without asking first.
“And I’m doing all right. I managed to get dressed but I couldn’t bathe. I suppose I’ll have to either hire a nurse or what for you to come home,” he said with a smile.
Fred grinned at the idea of Rupert giving Charlotte advice. "Then I'm sure she'll go through with it."
Her curiosity was piqued when he mentioned that he had something to give her, and suddenly, she really wished that the day was almost over. Although, she was supposed to get a ride back with Willow and Buffy, which wasn't good if he didn't want anyone to be around. Maybe she'd see if Andrew could get her a car back to the flat before everyone else left. "I'll tell them," she promised. "I can't wait to see you tonight. I miss you too. It's weird being here on my second day without you here."
She was glad to hear, though, that he was doing all right. At least he wasn't going to die of malnutrition before she got home. "Well, I wouldn't want a nurse coming in and making eyes at you, so...I could always pretend to be a nurse and take care of you when I get home."
She looked up and noticed Martin motioning to her through the window to her office. "Oh, damn it. I think they need me out in the lab."
Giles swore he felt himself twitch when Fred suggested she could play nurse. He wanted to groan but held it back. “I look forward to you helping me, love,” he whispered. When she said she was needed out in the lab, he frowned and tried hard not to sigh. “I understand. I’ll see you when you get home. I love you, Fred.”
He placed the phone down and stood from the couch. He was getting a bit hungry so he made himself some toast and jam before checking on Fred’s present. Satisfied, he took up with pacing around the flat, wishing it wasn’t so quiet. He couldn’t believe just weeks before he liked the peace but now he wanted Fred there with him.
Giles went upstairs and took a short nap before coming back downstairs. He decided to ring his parents to tell them he was coming by that weekend with Fred. His sounded pleasantly surprised that her son had a nice girl in his, while his father wanted to know what was going on with the Council. After ringing off, Giles sighed and decided to pace the flat as he waited for Fred to return home.
Martin was getting closer with the antidote to the Enverenti poison - they had found something that seemed to work for a short time before the poison adapted and reasserted itself, but Martin was sure he could use what he had figured out to create something that would stop it for good.
Fred went to lunch in the cafeteria with the others that day. Willow was late in arriving, but when she did, she had the biggest grin on her face that Fred had ever seen.
"Hey, what's up, Will?" Buffy asked when she sat down. "Will? Earth to Will, are you there?"
"Huh...oh...I'm good. Better than good. So good." Willow looked like she was about to float away on a cloud. "Charlotte asked me out."
"Charlotte?" Xander asked. "Charlotte Charlotte? That Charlotte?"
"You said yes, didn't you?" Fred asked.
Willow's eye suddenly got wide. "Oh, Goddess! I don't remember answering her!" She suddenly bolted out of the cafeteria, the others watching after her, trying to keep from laughing.
"Finally," Buffy said with a sigh of relief. "I thought they'd never get out of the giggling 'round each other stage. After all the phone calls I've gotten from Will about her, I was almost ready to march her to Charlotte's office and make her ask."
When Willow came back a little while later, Fred told them that they didn't have to rush over to the flat, and then they spent the rest of the lunch hour talking about different things. After lunch, she stopped by Andew's office to ask about a car back to the flat.
The rest of the afternoon went slower than Fred would have liked, but she spent it reading up on some new science breakthroughs and dealing with some paperwork that had gotten backlogged with no real head in charge of the department. Finally, Andrew called and said the car was waiting for her, so once she had checked through the lab to make sure everything was locked up, she headed out, hoping that Rupert hadn't gone completely stir crazy that day.
When she got home, she thanked the driver and then headed into the flat, smiling when she saw Rupert. "Hey, there," she said with a smile. "I missed you so much today."
When Giles heard the car pull up, he quickly went to the parlour to make it look as if he hadn’t spent the last two hours pacing the house. He sat on the sofa but got off to step into the foyer when he heard the door click shut. “Hello, love,” he said with a goofy grin. He moved over to her and cupped her face with his good hand and softly kissed her.
“I’ve missed you too,” Giles said as he pulled away from the first kiss. He went in for another, this one a little more deeper than first. “And you aren’t allowed to leave the flat anymore without me.” He pulled her into a tight hug and sighed. “Can’t you feel my ribs? I could’ve bloody well died without you here!”
Giles chuckled a little and ticked his eyes over toward the guestroom door. He supposed it was time to find out if Fred liked her present or not so he removed himself from her arms. “Stay right there and close your eyes,” he said, taking a step back.
He went to the room and picked up the present. Charlotte was right and it hadn’t leaked like he thought it would. Giles would have to thank her in the morning. When he came back out, he went back over to Fred and asked her to hold her arms out. After she did, he placed the squirming present in her arms.
“It’s, uh, it’s a puppy. Charlotte’s father breeds Beagles and this one was returned because the family moved and they couldn’t keep her. Her name is, um, Molly and she’s already house trained,” he said, getting nervous. He should’ve asked if she liked dogs before getting one. “I, I figured we could get a bit of practice and if we do well, then we could think about having children. But if you, uh, don’t like her, I could have Charlotte take her back.”
Fred laughed softly as she embraced Rupert. She knew was just teasing her, but he still felt just perfect to her.
When he told her to close her eyes, she did as he asked, wondering what exactly he had gotten for her, especially when he told her to hold her arms out. A moment later, she felt something soft...and moving being placed in her hands and opened her eyes in surprise. A little face was looking up at her with big brown eyes, and Fred felt her heart melt.
"Take her back?" Fred said. "No! I mean...no! She's wonderful, Rupert; I love her! Thank you!"
She leaned forward to kiss him deeply while Molly began to yip, almost as though she was cheering. Once she broke the kiss and pulled back, Fred then found her face being licked, causing her to laugh.
"I think that means she wants to stay too. Oh...it's been so long since I've had a puppy." She smiled up at Rupert again. "This was a wonderful idea. Practicing and all."
Giles laughed when Molly started to lick Fred’s face, relieved that she liked the gift. “I don’t think I would be able to give her back. She was sleeping on the bed in the guestroom and looked so adorable,” he said as he scratched the puppy under the chin. Giles then leaned forward and placed a kiss on Fred’s forehead. “We should take her outside before the others get here.”
He took Fred’s hand and led her out to the back garden. It was a mild day and Giles was looking forward to summer being upon them again. He had a feeling that this was going to be his most enjoyable summer ever. Sitting on the back stoop, Giles watched Molly as she ran around the garden. And when she grew tired, she came back over to them and wiggled between them.
“I do suppose we should head back in. The others will be here soon,” he said before picking the puppy up and helping Fred stand. “Let’s try to get this over as soon as we can. I still need that bath, Nurse Fred.”
Fred grinned when Rupert suggested they go outside. After being in the lab and her office all day, that was definitely the best idea she had heard all day. Once she had put Molly down, she sat down next to him, leaning against him and resting her head on his shoulder.
"Don't think I could ever tire of spending time like this with you," she said. Molly was amusing herself by pouncing on grass and chasing after bugs, and Fred liked the fact that they could sit there wihtout needing to talk to fill the silence.
When Molly returned to them and Rupert suggested that they should go in since the others would be arriving soon, Fred nodded. "Then we'll keep this as short as possible. Strictly on medical grounds, of course."
Inside, she went upstairs and washed her face, wanting to freshen up a bit. When she came downstairs, she suddenly remembered something she had forgotten to tell Rupert when she had come in. "Oh! Meant to tell you - Charlotte did ask Willow out. Willow was so excited, she almost forgot to accept, but she did."
While Fred was upstairs, Giles fed Molly some puppy chow before retiring to the parlour. He figured they could have the debriefing there. When Fred came back down and told him that Willow and Charlotte had their a date planned, he grinned. “I’m glad. Both of them need to work less and socialize more,” he said as Molly came running in.
A few seconds later the doorbell rang and Rupert got up to answer it with Molly on his heels. He pulled open the door to see Buffy, Willow, Xander and Andrew standing there. Molly yipped and sniffed their shoes.
“Oh my Gods! You got a puppy!” Willow said, bending to pick her up. “And a cute puppy too!”
Giles led them back to the parlour and when Buffy saw Fred, she smiled. “Giles with a puppy. Never thought I’d see the day. You’ll have to share how you made him such a softie,” she said before sitting down.
“Hey Giles, remember your dead cat?” Xander asked with a grin.
“It wasn’t my cat,” Giles muttered.
“Sure. That’s why you had it in the library, feeding it kibbles through it’s cage,” Willow added.
“I was researching it,” Giles said as he sat down beside Fred. “Now, I do believe we’re here to talk about last night and not about undead cats.”
After finishing reviewing Stephanie's work, which was very good, Fred returned to her office and e-mailed Charlotte to let her know that Stephanie was ready to meet with one of the Council solicitors about the patent procedure. She had just finished and had been reaching for the phone when it rang, so she scooped it up after it rang again and was about to ramble off her professional greeting when she heard Rupert on the other end.
"Really? You talked to her?" Fred grinned broadly while doing a little tap dance at her desk. She didn't care if any of the others looked in and thought she looked crazy. "Oh, that's great news!"
She noticed Martin glance in as he walked by, so she smiled and motioned a request for him to close the office door. Giving her a grin, he did so, and she flashed a thumbs up as thank you before turning her full attention back to the man on the other end of the phone line.
"Willow, Buffy and the others have said they'll be coming over after work, so the debriefing is on. How are you doing? Not suffering from malnutrition yet, I hope. Still stuck in bed watching bad soap operas and going nuts from having to rest?"
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When Fred mentioned that everyone was coming over for the debriefing, Giles nodded. “Could you tell them to take their time? I have something I want to give to you without all of them, standing about,” he said, starting to get worried about what he’d gotten her. What if she thought he was a total git for getting her such a thing without asking first.
“And I’m doing all right. I managed to get dressed but I couldn’t bathe. I suppose I’ll have to either hire a nurse or what for you to come home,” he said with a smile.
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Her curiosity was piqued when he mentioned that he had something to give her, and suddenly, she really wished that the day was almost over. Although, she was supposed to get a ride back with Willow and Buffy, which wasn't good if he didn't want anyone to be around. Maybe she'd see if Andrew could get her a car back to the flat before everyone else left. "I'll tell them," she promised. "I can't wait to see you tonight. I miss you too. It's weird being here on my second day without you here."
She was glad to hear, though, that he was doing all right. At least he wasn't going to die of malnutrition before she got home. "Well, I wouldn't want a nurse coming in and making eyes at you, so...I could always pretend to be a nurse and take care of you when I get home."
She looked up and noticed Martin motioning to her through the window to her office. "Oh, damn it. I think they need me out in the lab."
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He placed the phone down and stood from the couch. He was getting a bit hungry so he made himself some toast and jam before checking on Fred’s present. Satisfied, he took up with pacing around the flat, wishing it wasn’t so quiet. He couldn’t believe just weeks before he liked the peace but now he wanted Fred there with him.
Giles went upstairs and took a short nap before coming back downstairs. He decided to ring his parents to tell them he was coming by that weekend with Fred. His sounded pleasantly surprised that her son had a nice girl in his, while his father wanted to know what was going on with the Council. After ringing off, Giles sighed and decided to pace the flat as he waited for Fred to return home.
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Fred went to lunch in the cafeteria with the others that day. Willow was late in arriving, but when she did, she had the biggest grin on her face that Fred had ever seen.
"Hey, what's up, Will?" Buffy asked when she sat down. "Will? Earth to Will, are you there?"
"Huh...oh...I'm good. Better than good. So good." Willow looked like she was about to float away on a cloud. "Charlotte asked me out."
"Charlotte?" Xander asked. "Charlotte Charlotte? That Charlotte?"
"You said yes, didn't you?" Fred asked.
Willow's eye suddenly got wide. "Oh, Goddess! I don't remember answering her!" She suddenly bolted out of the cafeteria, the others watching after her, trying to keep from laughing.
"Finally," Buffy said with a sigh of relief. "I thought they'd never get out of the giggling 'round each other stage. After all the phone calls I've gotten from Will about her, I was almost ready to march her to Charlotte's office and make her ask."
When Willow came back a little while later, Fred told them that they didn't have to rush over to the flat, and then they spent the rest of the lunch hour talking about different things. After lunch, she stopped by Andew's office to ask about a car back to the flat.
The rest of the afternoon went slower than Fred would have liked, but she spent it reading up on some new science breakthroughs and dealing with some paperwork that had gotten backlogged with no real head in charge of the department. Finally, Andrew called and said the car was waiting for her, so once she had checked through the lab to make sure everything was locked up, she headed out, hoping that Rupert hadn't gone completely stir crazy that day.
When she got home, she thanked the driver and then headed into the flat, smiling when she saw Rupert. "Hey, there," she said with a smile. "I missed you so much today."
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“I’ve missed you too,” Giles said as he pulled away from the first kiss. He went in for another, this one a little more deeper than first. “And you aren’t allowed to leave the flat anymore without me.” He pulled her into a tight hug and sighed. “Can’t you feel my ribs? I could’ve bloody well died without you here!”
Giles chuckled a little and ticked his eyes over toward the guestroom door. He supposed it was time to find out if Fred liked her present or not so he removed himself from her arms. “Stay right there and close your eyes,” he said, taking a step back.
He went to the room and picked up the present. Charlotte was right and it hadn’t leaked like he thought it would. Giles would have to thank her in the morning. When he came back out, he went back over to Fred and asked her to hold her arms out. After she did, he placed the squirming present in her arms.
“It’s, uh, it’s a puppy. Charlotte’s father breeds Beagles and this one was returned because the family moved and they couldn’t keep her. Her name is, um, Molly and she’s already house trained,” he said, getting nervous. He should’ve asked if she liked dogs before getting one. “I, I figured we could get a bit of practice and if we do well, then we could think about having children. But if you, uh, don’t like her, I could have Charlotte take her back.”
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When he told her to close her eyes, she did as he asked, wondering what exactly he had gotten for her, especially when he told her to hold her arms out. A moment later, she felt something soft...and moving being placed in her hands and opened her eyes in surprise. A little face was looking up at her with big brown eyes, and Fred felt her heart melt.
"Take her back?" Fred said. "No! I mean...no! She's wonderful, Rupert; I love her! Thank you!"
She leaned forward to kiss him deeply while Molly began to yip, almost as though she was cheering. Once she broke the kiss and pulled back, Fred then found her face being licked, causing her to laugh.
"I think that means she wants to stay too. Oh...it's been so long since I've had a puppy." She smiled up at Rupert again. "This was a wonderful idea. Practicing and all."
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He took Fred’s hand and led her out to the back garden. It was a mild day and Giles was looking forward to summer being upon them again. He had a feeling that this was going to be his most enjoyable summer ever. Sitting on the back stoop, Giles watched Molly as she ran around the garden. And when she grew tired, she came back over to them and wiggled between them.
“I do suppose we should head back in. The others will be here soon,” he said before picking the puppy up and helping Fred stand. “Let’s try to get this over as soon as we can. I still need that bath, Nurse Fred.”
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"Don't think I could ever tire of spending time like this with you," she said. Molly was amusing herself by pouncing on grass and chasing after bugs, and Fred liked the fact that they could sit there wihtout needing to talk to fill the silence.
When Molly returned to them and Rupert suggested that they should go in since the others would be arriving soon, Fred nodded. "Then we'll keep this as short as possible. Strictly on medical grounds, of course."
Inside, she went upstairs and washed her face, wanting to freshen up a bit. When she came downstairs, she suddenly remembered something she had forgotten to tell Rupert when she had come in. "Oh! Meant to tell you - Charlotte did ask Willow out. Willow was so excited, she almost forgot to accept, but she did."
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A few seconds later the doorbell rang and Rupert got up to answer it with Molly on his heels. He pulled open the door to see Buffy, Willow, Xander and Andrew standing there. Molly yipped and sniffed their shoes.
“Oh my Gods! You got a puppy!” Willow said, bending to pick her up. “And a cute puppy too!”
Giles led them back to the parlour and when Buffy saw Fred, she smiled. “Giles with a puppy. Never thought I’d see the day. You’ll have to share how you made him such a softie,” she said before sitting down.
“Hey Giles, remember your dead cat?” Xander asked with a grin.
“It wasn’t my cat,” Giles muttered.
“Sure. That’s why you had it in the library, feeding it kibbles through it’s cage,” Willow added.
“I was researching it,” Giles said as he sat down beside Fred. “Now, I do believe we’re here to talk about last night and not about undead cats.”
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