Walking away
"I'm not going to Wolfram and Hart. This isn't us. We're supposed to help the helpless, not work for the enemy."
Three years.
It'd been three years since Fred had walked away from her friends, and the city she thought she would live in for the rest of her life. She knew she couldn't stay there and walk into their enemy's nest willingly. Fred didn't care what Lilah had said - there was always a catch, and she didn't survive for five years in Pylea to be killed by stupidity.
After leaving, she went to Texas and spent time with her parents. It was there when she found out she was pregnant...with Wesley's baby. They'd slept together during Jasmine's reign, because of the feelings she made them feel. Fred didn't know if it was love or not. She knew Wesley had feelings for her, and she cared about him but didn't know if it was love.
When she found out she was pregnant, Fred felt her world crash down around her. The first person she called was Lorne. The demon tried to get her to tell Wesley, but the more Lorne spoke about the things they were doing at the firm, the more anxious Fred became. She couldn't bring herself to tell Wesley he was going to be a father. She couldn't bare to think of what might happen if she and her unborn child was brought into the world Wesley lived in.
She left Texas a few weeks after receiving the news. Fred wanted to do all of this on her own. Using the money she still left over from when she was in school, she moved east. She ended up in a small town by the name of Greenvale. It was small and friendly, and close enough to New York City if she ever wanted to go there.
Fred found herself a small house for a good price and moved in. During her pregnancy, she kept in touch with Lorne. She still felt guilty about not telling Wesley, but she couldn't; especially after she found out Cordelia had died. Fred didn't want to blame any of them but she couldn't up but to wonder if things would've been different if they had stayed away from Wolfram and Hart.
Weeks later, Fred went into labor and on a snowy night, gave birth to a little girl she named Katherine Cordelia. It seemed fitting since Cordy was the first, and only female friend she'd ever had. And once again, after Katie's birth, Fred pondered calling Wesley. She almost did until that night when her mind was flooded with memories she forgot she had.
As the memories flooded her mind, Fred finally knew she could never tell Wesley about Katie. They had taken her memories of Connor, and everything that had happened. She was sure it was because she had refused to go with them. They were punishing her. There was no way she would could ever let Wesley know about his daughter. Not after what he allowed Angel to do to her.
She stopped calling Lorne and moved on with her life. She opened a tutoring service in her home so she could stay close to her daughter. Soon after, Fred found herself home schooling several kids. It was good money and it helped her pay the bills and buy things for her daughter. Plus, Fred enjoyed having the kids at her house and liked teaching them.
Things changed again shortly after Katie's first birthday. While in the living room, the baby made one of her toys move from one side of the room to the other. At first Fred thought it was just her imagination but as the weeks went by, more things started to happen. She didn't know what was going on so she took a daytrip to New York City, and found a coven. One of the witches told her Katie held magic.
The witches figured it was because she was conceived near the mystical energy Jasmine was giving off. They guided Fred the best they could, telling her Katie's powers would grow as she got older. They suggested she keep her daughter close to her until she was able to control her power.
It was two weeks before Katie's second birthday when representatives from Wolfram and Hart showed up at her door. They said they were from the Rome office and were there to speak to her about Katie. Fred, with help from her neighbors, got them to leave. The following week, people from the Watcher's Council showed up, wanting the same. It was then that Fred enlisted the help of the coven to protect her house and child.
"Cookies?"
Fred blinked and looked down. Her daughter was standing by her in the kitchen, her tiny fingers pointing toward the cabinet. Fred grinned and shook her head. "No cookies yet, sweetie. We need to go get some," she said.
"Go?" Katie asked, her blue eyes widening a bit. She then smiled and Fred could feel her breath catch in her throat. It was moments like this when Katie reminded her so much of Wesley.
"Yes. Go get your shoes and jacket," Fred said.
Katie toddled off and went to her room. A few moments later, she came back, her arms full with her shoes and jacket. Fred laughed a little when she saw the shoes didn't match. She went back to her daughter's room, which was filled with books and stuffed toys, and found a matching shoe.
Once Katie and her were both ready to go, Fred carried her out to her car and buckled her into her car seat. They then went to the grocery store and went inside. "We'll get your cookies in a minute. We first need to get you some new diapers," Fred said as she sat Katie down on the floor, not realizing her daughter was wandering off.
The young girl walked down the aisle and grinned when she saw a display of cookies. She went over to them and held her tiny hand up and looked around. "Cookies?" she asked the man that was walking by.