When Rupert and Wesley got up to leave, Fred knew that it was because Angel wanted to talk to her about this. She didn't care what it involved, though - if this was the way to lift the curse from Angel and let him live...unlive...be without the threat of Angelus coming out just because he had a moment of perfect happiness, then she was ready to do it. Angel had given her her life back, she wanted to do the same for him.
So when he turned to her and cupped her cheek, she looked into his eyes as he tried to tell her that he didn't want to risk her. Before she could tell him that she wanted to do this, he seemed to realize that himself, a small smile crossing his face. She returned the smile and leaned forward to rest her head against his.
"Angel, last year you saved me, not once but twice - from getting my head chopped off and from living the rest of my life in that cave. You gave me my life back as well as happiness - I never thought I'd have those again ever," she told him as her hand crept up his collarbone to his neck. "I want to give those back to you now if I can. I mean, I know that I can't give you back your life because you're a vampire and that's sort of not possible, but we can still have a life together and happiness, and you deserve that."
Leaning forward, she kissed him gently. She liked kissing him - it always felt so nice. When she pulled back slightly, she rubbed his neck with her thumb and took his hand with her free one.
"I love you, Angel, so much. Please, let me do this if I can."
Looking into Fred's eyes, Angel knew she was determined to help him, no matter what. He wasn't going to argue with her because he knew he was going to lose. "Okay," he finally said. "We'll do the trial, but, if it gets too dangerous, then we're going to back out." Having the curse lifted would be like a dream to him but he wasn't going to risk Fred's life.
"Have you decided then?" Giles asked as he came out of the office.
"We're going to do it," Angel told him. "How are we going to get there though."
"Driving and a boat," Wesley said as he came out of the office. "We'll drive from here to New York City and catch transport on a boat to England. Not the sort of boat you probably rode on before, Angel. This one will have a cabin for you to stay in." He walked around the counter before he continued.
"We'll get a van of sorts and Fred and you can sleep in the back during the day and drive at night. When we get to New York City, we'll get you some fresh blood and catch one of the boats that leaves at night. They'll arrive in London at night and from there we'll drive to Romania."
"You have all of this planned out," Angel said with an impressed look. Wes shrugged and blushed. Angel grinned and looked at Fred. "Sound okay with you?"
Even though she didn't want to think about giving up on the trial, she nodded when Angel said they would if it was too dangerous. She didn't want to lose him either...even if she knew that she'd lay her life on the line for him.
Looking over at Rupert and Wesley when they returned to the office, she listened as they explained their plan for getting to Romania so they could find the clan. It was obvious that they had thought this through because there was no way they could have taken a plane or even a train, and at least they'd be in an actual cabin and not a freighter or something like that.
"I think it sounds good," she said with a nod, giving Angel a smile. They were really going to try this. If it worked... "When would we leave?"
"We need a couple of days to get things sorted out here, finish translating the spell and check on a few leads we have regarding the exact nature of the trial," Rupert said. "They may not pan out, but we should look into it. So what do you say to just before dawn the day after tomorrow?"
Fred nodded, feeling both anxious and excited at the same time that they may have actually found the answer for Angel. She just hoped that when they go to Romania, that the clan actually did still exist and they'd be able to find them. "Is there anything I can do to help?" she asked. "Anything with the research or getting things ready to go?"
"Well, you could use your knowledge from all that time you spent reading the yellow pages when you got back and find us a rental place with a drop-off point in New York," Wesley told her with a smile.
Angel couldn’t believe this was happening. Soon he could be able to make love to Fred completely. Angelus scared him more now, than he ever did before. He remembered the damaged his alter-ego did in Sunnydale, and how devastated Buffy had been. Angel knew he’d always have a place in his heart for the Slayer, but what he felt for Fred was much stronger, and he wanted to be with her without worrying about Angelus coming forth and hurting her.
While Fred was helping Wes and Giles, Angel picked up the cordless phone and stepped just outside the side door. He stayed under the roof and dialed a familiar number and smiled when Cordy answered. “Cordy, it’s Angel. I need to talk to you,” he said.
“What about?”
“Giles and Wes has found a lead about the curse on my soul. We’re going to Romania in a few days,” Angel explained.
“Angel! That’s great news!” Cordy squealed before telling Groo.
“Don’t celebrate yet. It may not work. Look, the reason I’m calling is - could Groo and you take care of the hotel while I’m gone?”
“Sure!” answered Cordy.
The two talked for a few more minutes before Angel ended the call. He then called down to the local cafe and asked them to deliver the usual, knowing they wouldn’t have time to run down there. When he was finished, Angel walked into the office.
“I ordered breakfast,” he said before reaching into the small fridge and pulling out a jar of blood.
"Is this everything you're bringing?" Rupert asked Fred as he took her bag from her and put it in the back of the van they had rented.
She shook her head. "I still need to go back for the blankets and pillows since it really wouldn't be nice to sleep back there without them. It was bad enough sleeping on the cold ground for five years."
He nodded and smiled before reaching out and touching her arm. "Fred...are you sure about this? I know that Wesley and I are hoping that the journal we're going to pick up in London will give us the answers about the trial that we haven't been able to find, but there are still a lot of questions. I know how much Angel loves you. None of us, especially him, want to see anything happen to you. You mean too much to us."
"I know," she told him softly. "But I want to do this." She glanced toward the back entrance to the hotel and smiled when she saw Angel inside with Wesley. "I love him so much, Rupert. I've never felt this way about anyone before."
"I know what that's like," he replied, glancing in the same direction, only Fred knew he was looking at Wesley, not Angel. "We'll help you are much as we can. You're not going through this alone."
"Thank you, Rupert."
Giving him a quick hug, she then slipped back into the hotel to go get the blankets and the pillows. She smiled at Angel and Wesley as she passed. "I'm almost ready. Just one more trip," she told them before hurrying upstairs. Everything was sitting folded on the bed, so she grabbed the pile and took it downstairs, ready to get going.
“Did you get all the weapons you wanted in the bag?”
Angel looked over at Wes and nodded. “I think so. I’m not sure if the clan will allow us weapons though. Or, they might have weapons for us to use,” Angel said with a slight shrug. “But, I think we have enough incase something happens on the way to New York.”
“And Rupert placed a protection spell on the bag so no one can open it,” Wesley explained as he put it on the counter. He glanced outside at Giles and Fred. “Are you ready for this?”
Angel glance in that direction also and nodded. “I have to be, Wes. I can’t allow Angelus out again and I can’t allow Fred to live in fear that he might. And I won’t give her up, no matter how selfish it sounds,” he said.
Wesley placed a hand on Angel’s shoulder and squeezed. “I understand,” he said as Fred came in and went upstairs. When she returned with the blankets and pillows, Wesley grabbed the rest of the things and they headed outside.
It was morning, but they’d parked the van close enough to the front door so Angel wouldn’t have to step in the sun. He reach up and opened the back door of the van while Wesley put the rest of the bags in the backseat. When Lorne got wind of what they were doing, he found them a foam mattress to stick in back, along with some battery operated lanterns, so they’d be more comfortable.
“I think we’re ready,” Giles commented.
Angel climbed into the back of the van and then held his hand out to help Fred up. Once she was in, Wesley closed the door. “It’s dark back here,” Angel whispered before pulling Fred against him and holding her close.
Once Angel had gotten into the van, Fred took his hand and climbed in behind him, settling while Wesley closed the door. Already, she was very grateful that Lorne had insisted on finding the mattress for them because even with the blankets and pillows, it would have been very uncomfortable crossing country on the van's hard floor. She smiled as she cuddled up against Angel and rested her head in the crook of his shoulder. "I think that's sort of the idea - don't want any sunlight getting in at all because that would make this trip all for nothing."
Reaching over, she felt around until she found one of the latern and picked it up, turning it on. As a soft glow filled the back of the van, she looked over at Angel.
"There we go...now we can see each other," she told him. "I guess we're gonna need to sleep sometime soon since we get the night driving shift, but at the moment, I'm a little too anxious to sleep."
She wanted all of this to work out. She wanted them to get to England and find the book would help them, then get to Romania and find the clan and make it through the trials. She wanted to be able to with Angel in every way. She wanted no one to be afraid that Angelus might return every again.
Leaning up, she gave him a kiss before pulling back slightly and looking into his eyes as she took his hand in hers. "I've never actually been to another country before," she told him. "Been to a different dimension but never another country. How strange is that?"
Pausing, she bit her lip and laughed softly. "I think I'm just going to apologize now because I have a feeling I'm going to be babbling for the entire trip, so if I annoy you, I'm sorry."
The van started to move just as Fred was telling Angel he could tell her to shut up if she started to talk too much. Angel grinned at that and said, "I can find over ways to keep you quiet." He then leaned forward and softly kissed her. He knew she was right - they needed to get some sleep. Over the past few days they'd gotten used to staying up all night and sleeping all day in preparation for the type.
Angel kicked off his boots and started to take off his jacket when he heard Wesley's voice. "Angel? What side are you sitting on? I need to open the curtain a bit and give you two something," he said.
"The right," Angel answered.
The left side of the curtain opened a crack and Wesley slipped a walkie talkie in. "Rupert and I are going to put a silent charm on the curtain so we won't disturb you and vice versa," he explained. "If you need anything, just call us over it."
Wesley then slipped back and closed the curtain. Angel could hear him muttering some words and then it went silent. Wesley's voice came over the end of the walkie talkie, asking if the spell had worked and Angel told him it had. He then tossed it to the other side of the van and grinned at Fred.
"Now they can't hear you scream," he said before pulling her closer and attacking her neck with kisses as he tickled her sides.
When Angel told her that he could find ways to keep her quiet, Fred found herself blushing something fierce, knowing the kind of ways he was talking about. It had become sort of a running joke in the office that Angel would kiss her whenever she started rambling on about something and lost the point, and when they were alone, the other ways he did so were so much more...intense.
Reaching down, she pulled off her shoes and set them to side, then took the walkie talkie when Wesley passed it back and handed it over to Angel. A silence charm. She bit her lip to keep from laughing, wondering if it was for Angel and her or for themselves. They had caught the two of them in rather compromising positions at times - Rupert and Wesley loved each other very much.
Once the charm was in place and Angel and Wesley checked that the walkie talkie worked, Fred smiled before gasping as Angel attacked her. "Angel!" she squeaked breathlessly, giggling helplessley and squirming underneath him as he tickled her and kissed her neck. "Oh God...I...Angel!"
She grabbed onto him, holding on tight as her body responded to his touches. The tickling was both arousing and almost torturous. She pressed up against him, feeling his body and knowing how badly she wanted to be with him. Soon. Soon they might have the chance.
"Angel, too much...please," she begged. She grabbed one of his hands and held it while nudging his head with hers so he'd look at her. "You know I'm ticklish and your touch makes me jell-o anyway."
She kissed him deeply before looking into his eyes in the dim light. "You know no matter what happens I'll always be yours."
Angel knew how much Fred liked it when he kissed her neck. Whenever she would start rambling about things, he would kiss her there and soon she was moaning, instead of talking. Of course, there were a few times when she acted like it was the worse thing ever - kind of like she was doing at the moment.
"You love me, and you love it when I tickle you," he murmured against her skin. He could smell her arousal and he growl before scraping his teeth over his neck. When the squirming became too much, he stopped and looked down at her. "I know you will, Fred." There were times when he wished he could keep her forever but he couldn't, and knew he couldn't be jealous.
Lying down beside her, Angel pulled her close to him. "Since you're done molesting me, we should get some sleep. Unless there's something else you want," he said as his hand slipped under her shirt. It snaked up and he lightly ran his fingers over her breasts. "I could probably stop and sleep if you don't want me to continue."
So when he turned to her and cupped her cheek, she looked into his eyes as he tried to tell her that he didn't want to risk her. Before she could tell him that she wanted to do this, he seemed to realize that himself, a small smile crossing his face. She returned the smile and leaned forward to rest her head against his.
"Angel, last year you saved me, not once but twice - from getting my head chopped off and from living the rest of my life in that cave. You gave me my life back as well as happiness - I never thought I'd have those again ever," she told him as her hand crept up his collarbone to his neck. "I want to give those back to you now if I can. I mean, I know that I can't give you back your life because you're a vampire and that's sort of not possible, but we can still have a life together and happiness, and you deserve that."
Leaning forward, she kissed him gently. She liked kissing him - it always felt so nice. When she pulled back slightly, she rubbed his neck with her thumb and took his hand with her free one.
"I love you, Angel, so much. Please, let me do this if I can."
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"Have you decided then?" Giles asked as he came out of the office.
"We're going to do it," Angel told him. "How are we going to get there though."
"Driving and a boat," Wesley said as he came out of the office. "We'll drive from here to New York City and catch transport on a boat to England. Not the sort of boat you probably rode on before, Angel. This one will have a cabin for you to stay in." He walked around the counter before he continued.
"We'll get a van of sorts and Fred and you can sleep in the back during the day and drive at night. When we get to New York City, we'll get you some fresh blood and catch one of the boats that leaves at night. They'll arrive in London at night and from there we'll drive to Romania."
"You have all of this planned out," Angel said with an impressed look. Wes shrugged and blushed. Angel grinned and looked at Fred. "Sound okay with you?"
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Looking over at Rupert and Wesley when they returned to the office, she listened as they explained their plan for getting to Romania so they could find the clan. It was obvious that they had thought this through because there was no way they could have taken a plane or even a train, and at least they'd be in an actual cabin and not a freighter or something like that.
"I think it sounds good," she said with a nod, giving Angel a smile. They were really going to try this. If it worked... "When would we leave?"
"We need a couple of days to get things sorted out here, finish translating the spell and check on a few leads we have regarding the exact nature of the trial," Rupert said. "They may not pan out, but we should look into it. So what do you say to just before dawn the day after tomorrow?"
Fred nodded, feeling both anxious and excited at the same time that they may have actually found the answer for Angel. She just hoped that when they go to Romania, that the clan actually did still exist and they'd be able to find them. "Is there anything I can do to help?" she asked. "Anything with the research or getting things ready to go?"
"Well, you could use your knowledge from all that time you spent reading the yellow pages when you got back and find us a rental place with a drop-off point in New York," Wesley told her with a smile.
She grinned. "I think I know just the place."
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While Fred was helping Wes and Giles, Angel picked up the cordless phone and stepped just outside the side door. He stayed under the roof and dialed a familiar number and smiled when Cordy answered. “Cordy, it’s Angel. I need to talk to you,” he said.
“What about?”
“Giles and Wes has found a lead about the curse on my soul. We’re going to Romania in a few days,” Angel explained.
“Angel! That’s great news!” Cordy squealed before telling Groo.
“Don’t celebrate yet. It may not work. Look, the reason I’m calling is - could Groo and you take care of the hotel while I’m gone?”
“Sure!” answered Cordy.
The two talked for a few more minutes before Angel ended the call. He then called down to the local cafe and asked them to deliver the usual, knowing they wouldn’t have time to run down there. When he was finished, Angel walked into the office.
“I ordered breakfast,” he said before reaching into the small fridge and pulling out a jar of blood.
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She shook her head. "I still need to go back for the blankets and pillows since it really wouldn't be nice to sleep back there without them. It was bad enough sleeping on the cold ground for five years."
He nodded and smiled before reaching out and touching her arm. "Fred...are you sure about this? I know that Wesley and I are hoping that the journal we're going to pick up in London will give us the answers about the trial that we haven't been able to find, but there are still a lot of questions. I know how much Angel loves you. None of us, especially him, want to see anything happen to you. You mean too much to us."
"I know," she told him softly. "But I want to do this." She glanced toward the back entrance to the hotel and smiled when she saw Angel inside with Wesley. "I love him so much, Rupert. I've never felt this way about anyone before."
"I know what that's like," he replied, glancing in the same direction, only Fred knew he was looking at Wesley, not Angel. "We'll help you are much as we can. You're not going through this alone."
"Thank you, Rupert."
Giving him a quick hug, she then slipped back into the hotel to go get the blankets and the pillows. She smiled at Angel and Wesley as she passed. "I'm almost ready. Just one more trip," she told them before hurrying upstairs. Everything was sitting folded on the bed, so she grabbed the pile and took it downstairs, ready to get going.
Romania. They were actually going to Romania.
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Angel looked over at Wes and nodded. “I think so. I’m not sure if the clan will allow us weapons though. Or, they might have weapons for us to use,” Angel said with a slight shrug. “But, I think we have enough incase something happens on the way to New York.”
“And Rupert placed a protection spell on the bag so no one can open it,” Wesley explained as he put it on the counter. He glanced outside at Giles and Fred. “Are you ready for this?”
Angel glance in that direction also and nodded. “I have to be, Wes. I can’t allow Angelus out again and I can’t allow Fred to live in fear that he might. And I won’t give her up, no matter how selfish it sounds,” he said.
Wesley placed a hand on Angel’s shoulder and squeezed. “I understand,” he said as Fred came in and went upstairs. When she returned with the blankets and pillows, Wesley grabbed the rest of the things and they headed outside.
It was morning, but they’d parked the van close enough to the front door so Angel wouldn’t have to step in the sun. He reach up and opened the back door of the van while Wesley put the rest of the bags in the backseat. When Lorne got wind of what they were doing, he found them a foam mattress to stick in back, along with some battery operated lanterns, so they’d be more comfortable.
“I think we’re ready,” Giles commented.
Angel climbed into the back of the van and then held his hand out to help Fred up. Once she was in, Wesley closed the door. “It’s dark back here,” Angel whispered before pulling Fred against him and holding her close.
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Reaching over, she felt around until she found one of the latern and picked it up, turning it on. As a soft glow filled the back of the van, she looked over at Angel.
"There we go...now we can see each other," she told him. "I guess we're gonna need to sleep sometime soon since we get the night driving shift, but at the moment, I'm a little too anxious to sleep."
She wanted all of this to work out. She wanted them to get to England and find the book would help them, then get to Romania and find the clan and make it through the trials. She wanted to be able to with Angel in every way. She wanted no one to be afraid that Angelus might return every again.
Leaning up, she gave him a kiss before pulling back slightly and looking into his eyes as she took his hand in hers. "I've never actually been to another country before," she told him. "Been to a different dimension but never another country. How strange is that?"
Pausing, she bit her lip and laughed softly. "I think I'm just going to apologize now because I have a feeling I'm going to be babbling for the entire trip, so if I annoy you, I'm sorry."
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Angel kicked off his boots and started to take off his jacket when he heard Wesley's voice. "Angel? What side are you sitting on? I need to open the curtain a bit and give you two something," he said.
"The right," Angel answered.
The left side of the curtain opened a crack and Wesley slipped a walkie talkie in. "Rupert and I are going to put a silent charm on the curtain so we won't disturb you and vice versa," he explained. "If you need anything, just call us over it."
Wesley then slipped back and closed the curtain. Angel could hear him muttering some words and then it went silent. Wesley's voice came over the end of the walkie talkie, asking if the spell had worked and Angel told him it had. He then tossed it to the other side of the van and grinned at Fred.
"Now they can't hear you scream," he said before pulling her closer and attacking her neck with kisses as he tickled her sides.
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Reaching down, she pulled off her shoes and set them to side, then took the walkie talkie when Wesley passed it back and handed it over to Angel. A silence charm. She bit her lip to keep from laughing, wondering if it was for Angel and her or for themselves. They had caught the two of them in rather compromising positions at times - Rupert and Wesley loved each other very much.
Once the charm was in place and Angel and Wesley checked that the walkie talkie worked, Fred smiled before gasping as Angel attacked her. "Angel!" she squeaked breathlessly, giggling helplessley and squirming underneath him as he tickled her and kissed her neck. "Oh God...I...Angel!"
She grabbed onto him, holding on tight as her body responded to his touches. The tickling was both arousing and almost torturous. She pressed up against him, feeling his body and knowing how badly she wanted to be with him. Soon. Soon they might have the chance.
"Angel, too much...please," she begged. She grabbed one of his hands and held it while nudging his head with hers so he'd look at her. "You know I'm ticklish and your touch makes me jell-o anyway."
She kissed him deeply before looking into his eyes in the dim light. "You know no matter what happens I'll always be yours."
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"You love me, and you love it when I tickle you," he murmured against her skin. He could smell her arousal and he growl before scraping his teeth over his neck. When the squirming became too much, he stopped and looked down at her. "I know you will, Fred." There were times when he wished he could keep her forever but he couldn't, and knew he couldn't be jealous.
Lying down beside her, Angel pulled her close to him. "Since you're done molesting me, we should get some sleep. Unless there's something else you want," he said as his hand slipped under her shirt. It snaked up and he lightly ran his fingers over her breasts. "I could probably stop and sleep if you don't want me to continue."
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