A Date

by Kaz

Copyright © 2003

kardeb97@yahoo.com

Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I own nothing, except two dogs. But they're murder on the carpets.
Distribution: Near Her Always /nha.magical-worlds.us/
The Mystic Muse /mysticmuse.net
Feedback: Yes please.
Spoilers: Through series finale of S4 of Angel.
Author's Note: Just a quiet fic. Not beta read so all mistakes are mine. Also my first time writing Fred and second writing Lindsey, so tell me what you think. Yes, I should have gotten a beta, but it's late and I want to post this. :)
Dedication: To Kayleigh. 'Cause secrets can be fun.
Pairing: Fred/Lindsey

Summary: While at home on vacation, Fred has a roommate.

Fred stepped off the plane and sighed. The flight hadn't been long, but there had been enough turbulence for her to feel like she had a one-way ticket back to Pylea. It was funny how even after all this time, she still felt flashes of fear about being transported back.

Looking around for her parents, she smiled when she saw their frantic waving. Hurrying over, she dropped her bags at their feet and was pulled into a hug.

"Hey there, baby girl," Roger Burkle said, holding his daughter close.

Trish pulled away and looked at Fred. "We've missed you, honey," she said softly, noting the weariness on Fred's face. Smiling, she gestured for Roger to pick up the suitcase. "Come on, sweetie. Your room is waiting for you."

Fred smiled. "You mean you got rid of the guy living there?"

Roger chuckled and suddenly seemed very interested in the bags. "Yeah, about him –"


Fred closed her eyes in mortification as she looked around her room. When her parents had visited her in L.A. they told her they had kept everything the same, except for the guy renting the space. But she hadn't expected that they really had kept it the same. The walls were still a pale pink and the frilly curtains still framed the windows. There were traces that someone else had lived here; a guitar was leaned carefully against a window and some of her knickknacks had been replaced with a shaving kit and a few odds and ends she couldn't identify.

"How on earth did some man live in this room?" She asked herself quietly.

"It's not too bad. Sure, the pink kinda threw me at first but I got used to it," a male voice drawled from the door.

Spinning around, she dropped her bag, hand going for the stake she had kept in the waistband of her jeans. She flushed when she met the amused eyes of a man of average height. Her eyes roamed over him, taking in his jeans, cowboy boots and blue button down. He had the bluest eyes she'd ever seen and his brown hair was long enough that it fell over eyes. She met his gaze, blushing as she realized she had missed what he had said next.

"I'm, I'm sorry, what did you say?" She asked, her cheeks flaming.

He grinned at her. "I apologized for not having my stuff out of here by the time you got back."

Fred swallowed as his smile caused hundreds of butterflies to erupt in her stomach. Pushing down the feeling, she smiled back hesitantly. "It's okay. I mean, you've lived here longer than I have with me being gone and all."

He shrugged. "Only lived here two years. Don't know who lived here before that," he replied.

"Oh," Fred said. She mentally racked her brain for something to say.

The man stepped forward and held out his hand. "I'm Lindsey," he introduced himself.

"Oh! I'm Fred, well, Winifred actually but everybody calls me Fred. But you already knew that," she finished, looking at him apologetically.

He smiled at her and leaned toward her. Her eyes widened as his arm reached out and grabbed his shaving kit from the bureau. He stepped back, his eyes never leaving Fred's. She swallowed and forced a smile back.

"Oh, good! I see you've met Lindsey," her mother said peering in.

Fred jumped. Her blush increased when both her mother and Lindsey looked at her oddly. "Um, yep, we've met," she answered lamely.

"So, Lindsey, have you offered to take my daughter to Joe's yet?" Trish asked the handsome young man.

Fred's eyes widened in horror. "Mama!" She whispered furiously in protest. She had died. She must have 'cause this was obviously hell. She hadn't felt this mortified by her parents since the eighth grade square dance where they tried to convince Billy Amble to dance with her

Lindsey shook his head regretfully. "I haven't had a chance yet, ma'am," he said. He turned to Fred. Bowing, he continued in a posh, upper-class accent. "Would you care to join me for a drink tonight at Joe's?"

Despite the situation, Fred found herself giggling. She glared at her mother's grinning face for a moment before turning her attention to Lindsey. "Sure," she agreed.


"You know you don't have to take me out tonight. I mean, I know my parents convinced you but I'm sure you have other things you'd rather be doing," Fred said as she sat in the cab of his pale red truck. They pulled up to the bar.

Lindsey shook his head. "Nope, no plans for tonight except with you. I've been looking forward to finally meeting you," he told her.

They were silent for until they pulled into the parking lot. Shutting the car off, the two got out and headed for the bar.

"So, you're from L.A.?" Lindsey asked, hoping to draw the woman out.

Fred nodded. "Yep! I used to work in the library but then I – I moved away for a bit. But now I'm back! I'm the head of the science division of a law firm there," she said, mentally cursing herself for almost telling him about Pylea. She smiled at Lindsey as he held the door for her and then followed her in.

"I used to work in a law firm in L.A.! What a coincidence," Lindsey said walked to the bar. "A beer for me," he said to the bartender.

Fred smiled at the bartender. "Hey Pete," she said shyly. "Remember me?"

"Why if it isn't Fred Burkle!" Pete said loudly.

Eyes turned to look at her and Fred blushed furiously. When grins were sent in her direction she managed a smile and a wave back. She turned to Pete and scowled. "Thanks a lot. See if I come here again."

Pete winked at her as he put Lindsey's drink in front of him. "So what'll it be, little lady?"

Fred fought a smile. She had missed this. True, small towns were prone to gossip and everybody was always in everyone else's business but it was also home. "Beer, please."

"Coming right up!"

When Fred was sipping her drink, Lindsey turned his attention back to her. "So what firm do you work with? I probably know them."

Fred glanced at him, hesitantly slightly. Would he think she was a horrible person if she told him the truth? Even in L.A. Wolfram and Hart had a take no prisoners reputation and to those who knew what really went on after dark, that reputation was even more unsavory. Shrugging internally, she answered truthfully. "Wolfram and Hart."

As Lindsey's face paled, Fred cursed herself for telling the truth. "You've heard of it?" She asked weakly.

Lindsey nodded shortly.

Fred sighed and put down her drink. "Listen, I'll go. I'm sorry, I didn't mean – you won't –" She took a deep breath before continuing. "You obviously know about the firm, but please don't tell my parents. Things have changed but I don't want them to worry."

"Changed?" Lindsey asked skeptically. "I find that hard to believe."

Fred frowned. "It's – it's under new management!"

Lindsey snorted. "It's under new management every few months as the junior partners get – eliminated," he said quietly, looking around to see if anyone was listening. When he was convinced that there were no eavesdroppers, he continued. "I worked there, I know what it was like."

Fred looked at him in surprise. "You're that Lindsey?" She asked incredulously.

"That Lindsey? They've been talking about me, huh? What was it? The old 'evil hand' incident? Or the fact that we never brought Angel down?" He snapped.

"Um, neither," she said almost apologetically. At his querying look, she shrugged. "I work for Angel."

Lindsey blinked and sat back on his stool, leaning his arm on the bar as he gazed at her. "Excuse me?"

Fred blushed. "I work for Angel. You know, tall, dark, handsome? Well, except maybe you don't think so, but he is," she rambled.

Lindsey shook his head. "And you can work for Angel and Wolfram and Hart at the same time how?" He asked.

"Oh, Angel's head of Wolfram and Hart now. Well, only the Los Angeles branch, Lilah was very prickly on that point but – Lindsey?" Fred waved a hand in front of the man's face. "Are you okay?"

She cocked her head as Lindsey raised his glass to his lips and drained the beer in several long gulps. She winced. "Lindsey?" She asked again, quieter.

"How did this happen?"

"Well, it's a long story," she began, gesturing for Pete to refill Lindsey's glass.


"So – how are you taking it?" Fred asked when she finished. She had told him everything she knew. How

Lilah had appeared to offer them the branch after Jasmine was destroyed by – she couldn't remember who had done it but that didn't matter. She cocked her head and looked at him.

Lindsey glanced at his glass and saw that it empty once again. Sighing, he shrugged. "It's – hard to believe," he admitted.

Fred grinned. "You should have seen our faces when Lilah told us! I mean, first she's dead and all, so we were kinda surprised to see her. Especially Wesley, of course. But then, wow! We didn't want to take them up on it at first because they're evil but after seeing the facilities we couldn't say no. Well, Angel couldn't say no so he accepted before we could all talk about it. We just kinda went along."

Lindsey finally chuckled. "That I can believe," he said, his lips quirking. He looked at Fred. "Well, this certainly wasn't the night you were expecting!"

Fred shrugged. "To tell you the truth, I wasn't expecting anything really," she answered truthfully. "So what have you been doing since you left?"

Lindsey shook his head. "Dance with me."

"What? No, no. Me and dancing don't mix. Dancing and I are like – chlorine and ammonia! So why don't we talk? You can tell me what you've been doing!" She answered, hoping he would go along with her.

Lindsey grinned. "If you dance with me, I'll tell you," he said, standing up and holding out his hand. "Please?"

Fred's eyes widened in surprise. She was vaguely aware of a slow, romantic song playing on the jukebox. She blushed and bit her lip. "If you're doing this just because my parents –"

"I'm asking because I want to," he interrupted firmly.

She smiled hesitantly at him. Searching his face for the truth, she finally nodded and put her hand in his.

"Oh, that's okay then." Fred allowed herself to be led to the dance floor and into Lindsey's arms as the two swayed to the music.

The End

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