|
|
|
TITLE:
Breathing
Breathing “Alone again,” Wes thought, turning slowly to face where Fred lay
asleep on one of the sofas. Somehow he understood her reasoning for sleeping
down here where he was still working. She didn’t want to be alone, needing the
reassurance of the soft noises that he made while researching to comfort her
now. If their relationship was different, he’d hold her in his arms, kiss her
breathless. Reassure himself that she was still alive in the oldest way known to
man. Fred shivered, curling tighter
in on herself. Wes didn’t know if she was actually cold or if that merely a
suppressed emotional reaction but she was shivering on the sofa. Turning away
from her, Wes slipped into his office, retrieving the afghan that was tossed over
the back of the office sofa. Returning to the lobby, he carefully draped the
afghan over Fred where she lay on the couch. Instinctively, she curled into the
warmth of the cover, one hand grabbing the edge and pulling it closer. Wes knelt on the floor beside
her, resting an arm on the edge of the couch and leaning his cheek against that.
He couldn’t resist watching her sleep. The innocence that she projected during
the day was accentuated by the way she slept, curled in on herself with a hand
under her cheek, so like a child. He could have lost her today. It was easy to remember the sight of her bound to that chair with a sword at her throat.
It had scared him to the depths of his soul. The fear that she would die before
he could rescue her haunted him even now. Fred’s soft, slow breathing as
she slept calmed Wes, relaxing him, and he drifted into a hazy state of almost
sleep. Just the knowledge that she was there, sleeping in the lobby, allowed him
to put the day behind him. To organize his thoughts, set aside the stress and
worry, to dream that perhaps she did feel about him the way that he did for her.
|
|
Disclaimers: All original material, including fan fiction, artistic renderings and essays on this and associated pages is copyright 2002 by Merzibelle. No infringement on the rights of Mutant Enemy, Inc., Greenwolf Corp., Lazy Dave, Kuzui Enterprises, Sandollar Television, Twentieth Century Fox Television, UPN or The WB, or any other legitimate holders of copyright for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, or any characters contained therein is intended. All photographs and caps have been taken from several sites, including but not limited to YesWes, Forums4Fans (where pictures are posted without notation as to original sites) and the WB. |
