Will & Tessa \ Wessa

Tessa's Dream

Will's side of the bed was empty and Tessa run her hand over the cool sheet as if she needed to make sure he was really gone.

She walked barefoot to the adjoining room of their bedroom. There was a fire in the hearth and Will was standing in front of it, also barefoot, staring into the flames as if they held all the secrets of the world. He was shirtless and the firelight threw shadows and licks of light on his naked torso.

He was beautiful. How often that word was used to describe Will, thought Tessa, and yet it was the most fitting. It was the absolute truth. The dimness of the room softened his hard edges, the muscles of his body seemingly relaxed in the low light. An Angel at rest, and one could imagine his wings trailing behind him as he stood still.

Tessa watched him for a while, because it was a joy to watch Will. Each day she marveled at this man who was hers, the father of her children, her everything. He was gilded in angel fire and in light, and each day she had the absolute joy of basking in it.

"Did I wake you, Tess?" Will looked up at her and his eyes caught in the firelight, blue and sharp against his pale skin.

"You know I'd rather have you next to me." Tessa replied. She remained by the door, letting the space between them press against her like a barrier she needed to destroy.

Will smiled, "Sorry." He shrugged on a black shirt, this muscles in his arms rippling with the simple fluid movement.

The space between them caused Tessa physical pain and she stretched out her hand to him, "Come to bed, please."

Will gazed at her as he moved, tall and imposing. "Tessa."

"Are you real?" Tessa asked, her voice heavy with hope.

"No, Tessa. I haven't been for a long time. This is just another dream."

"I never let you go." Her voice shook. "You're still here." And she took his hand and placed it over her beating heart.

Will smiled, "Is there still room for me in there?" He teased. His hand was cool pressed against the swell of her breast. The steady rhythm of her heart against his palm.

"More than you could ever know." Tessa's hand slipped over his shoulder, her fingers gliding up to the back of Will's neck and into his hair. She remembered the unruly silk of it and closed her hand into a fist, pulling his head down and he buried his face in her neck. She pressed her lips to his skin and tried to remember the scent of him.

She moved her head, her lips finding his, grazing his. They held each other tightly and the room felt warmer, the heat pressing against their bodies, the air around them sizzled with familiar energy. Tessa felt dizzy with memory, a sweet sensation that move through her and was all at once overpowering and exhilarating.

Tessa jerked suddenly and blinked, "Lucie's crying." She whispered against his skin.

Will took a step back, his arms falling to his sides. He regarded her thoughtfully, "Our children are grown up, Tessa, and they've moved on." He inclined his head towards her. "Go... it's not our Lucie."

As the child's crying became louder Will seemed to recede from her view, "Go." He said again, and Tessa's eyes flew open.

Her head was swimming with memories but she pushed the covers off, trying not to wake Jem up beside her, and she headed to Mina.

She picked up her daughter and held her and Mina's crying stopped.

The faces and names of those from the past that Tessa kept in her heart rattled in her chest for a moment: Will, James, Lucie... Will, James, Lucie. They were hers and hers alone, and Tessa smiled as she held Mina.

Wilhelmina.

"I never let you go, Will." She whispered to herself. "We never did."