Music Of The Heart

By Merzibelle

Underneath Your Clothes

Fred came awake slowly, stretching and wincing as muscles that she'd never used before protested the movement. She lay there for a moment, a soft, dreamy smile on her face as the memories of the previous night flitted through her mind. "Wesley," she breathed, smiling in the pre-dawn light. Shifting a bit, Fred turned on her side to smile at the man currently sleeping in her bed.

Apparently Wesley was a restless sleeper; she was lying on the very edge of the bed, with most of the covers, while Wes was sprawled beside her on his stomach. The covers, what he had of them, rested low on his back, and Fred raised a hand to her mouth to stifle her instinctive cry. Who hurt you, Wesley? Fred thought, reaching a hand out toward him, pausing with it inches from his skin. She watched him sleep, her eyes tracing the lines that marred his skin. Some she recognized, like the scratches her nails had left across his shoulders. That caused her to blush at the memory of how she'd begged for him to take her. Other marks, that she didn't easily recognize, angered her for they were very faded, almost as if he'd carried them for years.

Fred scooted a bit closer, before allowing her fingers to carefully trace some of the scars that marred his soft skin. She wanted to cry as it dawned on her--some of these were from when he was a child, like the very pale one that trailed from his shoulder to his hip. Unable to help herself, Fred leaned over, pressing a gentle kiss to his shoulder before curling up against him. She wrapped her arms around him, holding him as best she could and resting her head on his back.

Wesley forced himself to stay still, to not betray that he was awake. He had heard her sigh as she woke, having always been a bit of a light sleeper. He smiled, loving the feel of her pressed up against his body and hearing her soft breathing in his ear. He shivered a bit when she trailed a hand over the scar that wrapped around his ribs so that she was resting her hand on his chest. Is she…? Wes thought. She is. Oh, my precious.

Fred sniffled, trying to stop herself from crying. She knew she was failing, but it made her hurt to see the remnants of what had to have been some very painful times for him. That's how he knew what had happened to me, she thought, sliding her hand over his skin so that she could feel his heartbeat. She gasped, startled out of her tears when Wes' hand covered hers, pulling it away from his chest to press a tender kiss to her wrist.

Wes shifted, rolling slowly onto his back so that he could look up at her where she knelt on the bed beside him, having moved to sit up when she realized that he was moving. He held out his arms to her, gathering her close to him when she collapsed against him. He stroked her hair and her back, speaking softly to her as he did so. "It's all right, precious," he murmured.

Fred shivered, her tears returning as she cuddled into him, one of her hands curled around his neck, the other resting on his side over the scar from his gunshot wound. That sleepy, not quite awake yet, husky purr of his was causing short-circuits in her brain, even as the knowledge of the scars he hid under his clothes caused her to cry. She tucked her head into the side of his neck, letting the tears come for there was nothing she could do, even as she swore to herself that no one would ever hurt him again.

Wesley let Fred cry. He had known that she was likely to when she found out about the things he hid from everyone. His past wasn't the prettiest and he found himself actually envious of Fred and her loving relationship with her parents. He held her, determined to comfort her and not show how much her tears were upsetting him. He ran his fingers through her hair and over her back, murmuring nonsense to her until she calmed a bit. When she started to pull away from him, he slowly, reluctantly, released her.

Fred propped herself up on one arm, her fingers absently tracing the few faint scars that were scattered across his chest. If she hadn't known what to look for, she never would have seen them. She allowed her hand to rest over his heart, leaning close to press a gentle kiss against one of the larger, deeper scars. "No one will ever hurt you again," she murmured against his skin. "No one." She shifted until she could reach him, leaning toward him. When she was a hairsbreadth from his lips, she paused and breathed, "I won't allow it. I love you." She tentatively licked his lower lip, causing him to gasp and give her the access that she wanted to give him a proper improper good morning kiss. She had just started to trail a hand down his body, caressing him, when a noise in the corridor outside her door caused them both to groan, then tense. Fred held her breath, hoping that whoever it was would just go away, but her wish was not to be as a firm knock came at the door.

"If you two are quite through in there, there's work to be done."

Angel's almost laughing voice came through the door, causing Fred to blush and Wes to curse. She reached for the alarm clock on the bedside table, throwing it at the door, even as Wes called back.

"We hadn't done… nevermind."

"Hey, I don't care. I won the pool," Angel retorted through the door. "I'll see you two downstairs in fifteen. Cordy called with another vision."

"Pool?" Fred moaned, hiding her face in Wes' neck as he groaned with her. Shaking her head, she climbed out of bed, offering Wesley a hand before leading him to her bath so that they could at least be presentable when they faced the others.

~Fin~