Wesley hugged Fred tightly, glad that he was seeing her after so long seeing only Illyria. He just held her for a long moment, breathing in the sent of her hair and letting it calm him down. He had missed her so much. Even though she'd been right there, it had felt like she was gone...and it had hurt more than he could ever say.
"I couldn't look at you," he said softly, "without seeing her. I knew it wasn't real...that it was all in my head...but it didn't change what I saw. It felt like losing you again. I'm sorry, Fred. I'm so sorry."