Cordelia fell asleep in his arms, clad only in the plain white panties she'd put on that morning. And Wes held her, feeling her breath against his skin, her sweet body resting so trustingly against him.

He prayed that he never did anything that would break that trust.

"I think I'm falling for you, Cordy," he whispered, his fingers trailing across her cheek to push one long strand of hair from off of her face.

She murmured in her sleep, snuggling closer to him, her hand sliding down over his stomach to rest against the waistband of his jeans. Her naked breasts pressed into his side, rousing the hunger that was never far from the surface when she was near him.

Wes forced himself to stay still. To relax.

Finally, he fell asleep.

OoOoO

When the dream came.. It was different to him.

It was more vivid. More real.

Wes was in a place he knew.. his apartment.. sitting in his living room. He noticed the television on.. he watching one of the dreaded soap operas.

Then he heard the noise.

At first he thought it was one of his cats, but then it came again. And louder.

It sounded like a thump but he swore he heard a cry.. like someone was being hurt.. but muffling their pain against something.

Wes got up and he reached for his pistol. It had been left of his coffee table. Next he crept slowly and cautiously towards his bedroom door, feeling as if it were miles away instead of just a few feet.

"Stop!"

He heard the cry and then another shriek followed by what sounded like a slap.

And Wes knew that voice. It was Cordy.

He was terrified.

'Had that bastard of a husband managed to somehow sneak in?'

Wes gripped the gun tighter and pointed it toward the floor as he quickly made it those last few inches to the door.

OoOoO

The door was left open a crack and light was showing into the dark room.

Wes turned, looking back at the television that was left on, looking as though suddenly the characters were watching him instead of the other way around. His eyes narrowed and one of them stepped forward.

"Hurry! You have to save her!" the girl cried at him.

One of the others laughed. "Or he could just open that door and watch instead."

Then the two of them got into a fight.

Wes shook his head then turned back to the door, pushing it open.

OoOoO

The bedroom was torn apart.. it looked like some huge battle had just taken place inside. Lamps, picture frames, knick knacks.. and so on.. all broken and shattered on the floor. Furniture was knocked over. The mirror where he had taken Cordy to, to show how beautiful he thoguht she was, now was shattered as well. His comforter was on the floor, the sheets tangled up with it.

And under the naked body of a man.. there was Cordy.

Cordelia's legs were parted and her attacker was sawing away at her, banging hard into her. So hard he was shaking the bed. The headboard was slamming hard into the wall.

Wes felt shocked and numb by what was going on before him. And for a moment, he found himseful unable to breath, think or move. He just stood there.. watching as this man dug his cruel fingers into her flesh. Watching him twisting and bruising her.

When she screamed again, it shook him out of the shock and he hurried over to the bed, his gun coming to press against the side of the unknown man's head.

"Get the fuck off of her asshole," he growled, wanting nothing more than to just yank this prick off of her and beat him to death with his bare hands.

For starters.

And suddenly, it was like a spotlight came out of nowhere.. shining down on the three of them. The rest of the room turned to nothing but darkness and shadows.

The man slowly turned his head and grinned wickedly at Wes.

"Come on now, you really don't want me to stop. Now do you?"

The voice.. the face.. it was one Wesley knew all too well.

After all.. it was his own.