Fred grinned and reached up to softly stroke her husband's cheek. "It's okay, sweetie. It's to be expected. After all, she is our daughter," she said. When Regan had been born, they had discussed how much of their lives they would tell their daughter. They had decided they didn't want to hide it from her and train her on how to protect herself. "And I'm sure she knows not to do it again."
Regan nodded and softly yawned. Fred noticed her eyes were closing and reached out to softly brush her hand through her daughter's hair. "I think I'm ready for bed. Will you tuck me in?" Regan asked as she looked up at her mom.
"Sure," Fred said. She softly kissed her husband and then stood from the chair. She followed Regan to one of the guestrooms and watched as her daughter got into the bed. "Are you sure you don't want to sleep with your daddy and I?"
"I'm sure. Daddy should have you for a while. He really missed you. I missed you too," Regan said as her eyes started drift shut. "I love you."
"I love you too," Fred said as she softly kissed Regan's forehead.
Once Regan was asleep, Fred slipped out of the bedroom and made her way to the living room. She stopped in the doorway and looked at her husband for a moment. "She's asleep already. All of this must've taken a lot out of her." Fred moved across the room and climbed into Wesley's lap, like she always did when she was tired and upset.
"I wanted to stay," she whispered as she laid her head against his shoulder. "You know that, right?"
Fred's touch to his face did more to sooth his worry than anything could have. Without her, he had been so afraid that he would fail Regan and had fought so hard to make sure he didn't. Even though he had thought his wife gone, he hadn't wanted to dishonor her memory by allowing something to happen to their daughter. Her touch told him more than words that in her eyes, he hadn't failed. And it meant the world to him to know that.
When Regan asked Fred to tuck her in, Wesley turned and watched the two most important girls in his life head upstairs. A knot formed in his throat for a moment as he realized how lucky he was. His wife. His daughter. His family was together again.
Standing up from the table, he cleared the table, putting the plates in the kitchen sink to deal with later, and the leftover pizza in the refrigerator. Knowing Fred and Regan, one or both of them would be down in the middle of the night looking for it. Once he was finished, he walked back into the lounge and sank down onto the couch. He thought about going upstairs to see how they were getting along but then decided that they probably needed some mother and daughter time.
When Fred appeared a few minutes later, he watched her cross the room, still somehow amazed that she was there, really there. When she slipped into his lap, he closed his eyes for a moment, bringing his arms up to wrap around her tightly.
"I know you did, love," he told her when she told him she had wanted to stay. "I know how hard you fought."
Crooking his finger under her chin, he raised her face up and brought his lips to hers, kissing her gently. He felt that familiar stirring, which he had thought he would never feel again, deep down inside himself, but he forced himself to keep it under control. Not until Fred was ready. She had just come home - he didn't want her to feel pushed.
"I love you," he told her. "And I plan on telling you that until we're old and grey."
Fred wanted to believe she'd done everything possible to stay with her family. She wanted to believe she'd fought hard enough but she couldn't help but to think of her final moments. Wesley begged her to fight but she hadn't. Instead, she left herself die. Her family had suffered because of her and she looked at Wesley, tears rolling down her cheeks.
"I'm so sorry," Fred said, her voice quivering. "I tried but I didn't try hard enough. I don't know how you could ever forgive me for leaving Regan and you with that thing. I could feel the both of you and you were so lost and I'm so sorry for that. I don't see how you can even look at me."
She buried her head against the crook of his shoulder again and started to sob. All of this was too much and she didn't think she deserved to be there with her family. "I'm afraid something else will happen and I don't want to leave you or Regan again. I want to see our daughter grow up into a wonderful and intelligent young woman and I want to be with you for the rest of my life. And I want to have more babies but I don't even know if I can!"
Pulling back, Fred looked at her husband. "Please don't let anyone take me away again. Please," she begged.
"Oh, love, no...please don't blame yourself," Wesley whispered as he ran his hand over Fred's hair as she sobbed against his shoulder, hating to see her this upset when they finally had her back. He remembered how at the time a part of him had been upset at her for leaving them behind, but then he had realized that had been his grief talking. He could never blame Fred, not after what she went through and to protect their daughter. "There's nothing to forgive you for. We all went through a hard time, but we're together again now. That's what's important. That's what will always be the most important thing."
Cupping his hand to her face, he gently nudged it up so he could look into her eyes while wiping away her tears with his thumb. "I won't let anyone take you away from us again, Fred. I promise. I'm pretty sure Regan won't either, and we both know how stubborn she can be."
He leaned forward and kissed her gently to seal his promise to her. He had failed her and Regan before, and he swore that he wouldn't let it happen again. He loved his wife and daughter more than life - there was no way he was going to let either of them suffer or be taken away from him. Never again.
"And if we can't have any more children the old-fashioned way, then we'll adopt," he told her. "There are plenty of children out there in need of good homes. But let's wait and cross that bridge when we come to it, all right? We might be perfectly able to have more children."
He continued to hold her on his lap, his arm wrapped tightly around her as he caressed her face with the other. "Would you like to try to get some rest?" he asked her softly. "Or do you want to stay here for a while longer?" Either way she wanted it, he was prepared to hold her all night. He didn't want to let her go - not now, not ever.
Fred looked at her husband and slowly nodded her head. She knew she had to have faith in Wesley, and had to believe everything would work out. "I know," she sniffled. It felt strange to her to be in his arms again, and it almost felt weird to be back with him and Regan again. She'd been gone for over a year and had started to think she would never see them again.
"I-I don't know if I can sleep or not. I'm afraid if I do, I'll wake up and be dead again." Fred shook her head, knowing she was being silly. "I know I shouldn't be scared but I only feel safe with you and I don't want to be clingy with you. I just..." She ran her fingers over his neck and smiled a little. He still felt the same. He was still her Wesley.
"This may...I don't...Wesley..."
Fred took a deep breath, not knowing how to say what she wanted, what she needed. "I need you. I know you probably think it's too soon but I need to feel you to make sure I'm really here." She leaned forward and gave him a slow, deep kiss. She was sure Regan was smart enough to know her parents needed time alone so she wasn't worried about her disturbing them.
"Make love to me? Please?" Fred asked, looking into his eyes.
Regan nodded and softly yawned. Fred noticed her eyes were closing and reached out to softly brush her hand through her daughter's hair. "I think I'm ready for bed. Will you tuck me in?" Regan asked as she looked up at her mom.
"Sure," Fred said. She softly kissed her husband and then stood from the chair. She followed Regan to one of the guestrooms and watched as her daughter got into the bed. "Are you sure you don't want to sleep with your daddy and I?"
"I'm sure. Daddy should have you for a while. He really missed you. I missed you too," Regan said as her eyes started drift shut. "I love you."
"I love you too," Fred said as she softly kissed Regan's forehead.
Once Regan was asleep, Fred slipped out of the bedroom and made her way to the living room. She stopped in the doorway and looked at her husband for a moment. "She's asleep already. All of this must've taken a lot out of her." Fred moved across the room and climbed into Wesley's lap, like she always did when she was tired and upset.
"I wanted to stay," she whispered as she laid her head against his shoulder. "You know that, right?"
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When Regan asked Fred to tuck her in, Wesley turned and watched the two most important girls in his life head upstairs. A knot formed in his throat for a moment as he realized how lucky he was. His wife. His daughter. His family was together again.
Standing up from the table, he cleared the table, putting the plates in the kitchen sink to deal with later, and the leftover pizza in the refrigerator. Knowing Fred and Regan, one or both of them would be down in the middle of the night looking for it. Once he was finished, he walked back into the lounge and sank down onto the couch. He thought about going upstairs to see how they were getting along but then decided that they probably needed some mother and daughter time.
When Fred appeared a few minutes later, he watched her cross the room, still somehow amazed that she was there, really there. When she slipped into his lap, he closed his eyes for a moment, bringing his arms up to wrap around her tightly.
"I know you did, love," he told her when she told him she had wanted to stay. "I know how hard you fought."
Crooking his finger under her chin, he raised her face up and brought his lips to hers, kissing her gently. He felt that familiar stirring, which he had thought he would never feel again, deep down inside himself, but he forced himself to keep it under control. Not until Fred was ready. She had just come home - he didn't want her to feel pushed.
"I love you," he told her. "And I plan on telling you that until we're old and grey."
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"I'm so sorry," Fred said, her voice quivering. "I tried but I didn't try hard enough. I don't know how you could ever forgive me for leaving Regan and you with that thing. I could feel the both of you and you were so lost and I'm so sorry for that. I don't see how you can even look at me."
She buried her head against the crook of his shoulder again and started to sob. All of this was too much and she didn't think she deserved to be there with her family. "I'm afraid something else will happen and I don't want to leave you or Regan again. I want to see our daughter grow up into a wonderful and intelligent young woman and I want to be with you for the rest of my life. And I want to have more babies but I don't even know if I can!"
Pulling back, Fred looked at her husband. "Please don't let anyone take me away again. Please," she begged.
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Cupping his hand to her face, he gently nudged it up so he could look into her eyes while wiping away her tears with his thumb. "I won't let anyone take you away from us again, Fred. I promise. I'm pretty sure Regan won't either, and we both know how stubborn she can be."
He leaned forward and kissed her gently to seal his promise to her. He had failed her and Regan before, and he swore that he wouldn't let it happen again. He loved his wife and daughter more than life - there was no way he was going to let either of them suffer or be taken away from him. Never again.
"And if we can't have any more children the old-fashioned way, then we'll adopt," he told her. "There are plenty of children out there in need of good homes. But let's wait and cross that bridge when we come to it, all right? We might be perfectly able to have more children."
He continued to hold her on his lap, his arm wrapped tightly around her as he caressed her face with the other. "Would you like to try to get some rest?" he asked her softly. "Or do you want to stay here for a while longer?" Either way she wanted it, he was prepared to hold her all night. He didn't want to let her go - not now, not ever.
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"I-I don't know if I can sleep or not. I'm afraid if I do, I'll wake up and be dead again." Fred shook her head, knowing she was being silly. "I know I shouldn't be scared but I only feel safe with you and I don't want to be clingy with you. I just..." She ran her fingers over his neck and smiled a little. He still felt the same. He was still her Wesley.
"This may...I don't...Wesley..."
Fred took a deep breath, not knowing how to say what she wanted, what she needed. "I need you. I know you probably think it's too soon but I need to feel you to make sure I'm really here." She leaned forward and gave him a slow, deep kiss. She was sure Regan was smart enough to know her parents needed time alone so she wasn't worried about her disturbing them.
"Make love to me? Please?" Fred asked, looking into his eyes.
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