18 Years of Bonnie & Clyde

[30] Circus Act

Year 15...

"Alice, is this serious?" FP whined from the other side of the phone, already not looking forward to her proposal.

"Yes, he really insisted." Alice told him, firmly.

It had been a year since Alice started dating Hal and therefore a year since FP had accidentally punched him in the face. Though the two men remained civil around one another, it didn't take a rocket scientist to feel the tension every single time the two were together in a room.

Alice figured that it would always be like this, considering at one side she had her boyfriend and the other side the father of her son, but now Hal had proposed to have a three course dinner with FP, Fred and Hermione to really bond. It had been a surprise to her too, but she was glad that he was making an effort to change things.

"Sorry, but I'll pass on dinner with him." He told her, rolling his eyes because he was lucky enough that she couldn't see him.

"So I am going to have to tell him that you don't even want to try?" Alice asked, feeling insulted by the fact that FP was too stubborn to sit through a few hour dinner with her boyfriend.

"Al, we've tried all year. We just don't like each other." FP argued, his voice a little bit softer.

He had a valid point. What could a dinner change about tension that had been there for over a year? Sometimes people just don't get along and he didn't expect for anything to get better just because he would cook a meal.

"Maybe you're not trying hard enough." Alice said, both disappointed and bitter.

"It's bad enough that we see each other when I drop off Charles." He said, sighing deeply.

The two men avoided each other at all costs, which was impossible when there was a woman in their life that was extremely important to both of them.

"I had actually expected more from you, FP." Alice was done talking about this with him and hung up the phone.

"Al..." FP said, until he heard the beep from the other side. She was gone.

"Fuck." He whispered, knowing that this time he really screwed up.

**

It had been a long night for FP, because ever since his fight with Alice on the phone he had been having a knot in his stomach. The thought of them not being on good terms was killing him, so there was only one way to solve things. If she wasn't going to pick up the phone, he needed to meet her face to face.

So, he had made his way over to the studio and rushed passed the receptionist (which he usually had a little talk with) and ran towards the set, where Alice was about to get ready for her broadcast. When she noticed that he was coming her way, her eyes grew wide.

"FP, what are you doing here?! I'm on the air in a few minutes." She quickly pulled him to the side, making sure nobody would overhear any kind of argument that would follow.

"I just came here to apologize. I've barely slept all night because of the thought of you being mad at me." He confessed, with pink blushes on his face. Alice arched her eyebrow.

"And I know, that is my own fault." He added immediately, the guilt slowly tearing him apart.

"I'd love to have dinner. I'll try, genuinely. No act." FP promised, with a soft smile on his lips that was meant to show her that he was being sincere.

"If it's important to you, then it's important to me." He placed his hand on her upperarm and squeezed it gently. Alice face softened and she even managed to give him a warm smile.