Title: Whisper
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Shosanna/Fredrick, some Shosanna/Marcel and mentions of Fredrick's sisters
Rating: R; violence, sex, and death
Word count: 2859
Summary: Shosanna's mind goes to dark places. An AU situation in the projection booth.
Warnings: I've been toiling away on my continuation of King For A Day, but I decided to work on a couple of fics as a present to piecesofalice because it's going to be a while before what I sent her gets there. I didn't entirely intend to write this, but I was inspired after reading a not very well-written fic and to purge my brain of it, I wrote this. Basically, Whisper is fic brain-bleach. So far, this is the smuttiest fic I've written.





Come back and look for me
Look for me when I am lost
- A Whisper, Coldplay


Her broken body lay sprawled on the floor, racked with excruciating pain. He reached out to her, taking her by the hand and pulling her up and against him. Her body fell limp as he cradled her in his arms and her vision blurred as her mind screamed incoherently.

I should be dead. Aren't I dying? Oh God, oh mother, is this how it is? Am I dead? Oh, mother, mother.

She allowed herself to crumble against him and buried her face into the curve of his neck. If this was death and he was her comfort, then she would accept this. Nuzzling his face against hers, he whispered into her ear, like a mantra,

"Shosanna, Shosanna...."

~


"How can we be certain this will work?"

Marcel was understandably concerned and apprehensive about her plan, and though there were still those delicate parts of herself that Shosanna kept hidden from him, Marcel was fully aware of her faith, of her tragedy. It was ingrained in her, it drove her from a farmhouse in the French countryside to the city streets of Paris and into his arms; it kept her awake at night, making her distant and overly cautious of those who crossed her path. And it was in those private moments that it made her fall apart. Marcel was the only one she trusted, and the fact that he could not recognize the importance of this split her heart in half; Shosanna could not help but feel she was being undermined. Her face was a cool mask of stoicism as she composed herself and took her place upon the stairs before him.

"We cannot be, but we will do our damnedest." Shosanna replied bluntly.

She knew that if she must, Shosanna would rain Hell down upon them herself.


~

She circled her arms around him, startled by the feel of his warm, sticky blood running down his back; blood from wounds she had inflicted upon him. Fredrick continued to hold her securely, repeating her name like a mantra,

"Shosanna, Shosanna…"

~

That night, as Marcel slept beside her, like so many times before, Shosanna dreamt of the farmhouse; of Monsieur Perrier LaPaDite, of Landa's vicious pleasantries and of her brother Amos by her side. Unlike so many times before, as she scrambled over the corpses of her butchered family to escape the machine-gun fire, the splintering floorboards were peeled back. And there stood Fredrick, unarmed and innocent, his beaming face greeting her. She watched, wide-eyed, as he then extended his hand to her. Without hesitation, Shosanna took it, letting him pull her out from the blood and decay she was mired in. Together, hand in hand, they walked out of that farmhouse, through the front door and out into the open, without looking back.

~


Finding her bearings and placing her hands on his shoulders to steady herself, Shosanna pulled herself back and regarded him curiously; as she did so, she could not help but notice - and marvel at - how their blood intermingled and marred his pristine, white uniform. Fredrick's hands slid down to rest on her hips, as they had done so many times before; and like so many times before, his dark eyes locked intently with hers. Fredrick's expression was serene and his lips formed a beatific smile; whereas her eyes searched his for answers, he was watching her, studying Shosanna with eagerness. Her breath caught in her throat and her lungs seized. Shosanna's mouth was set in a thin line, her brows knitted together and she tilted her head the side, perplexed; she was still far from understanding.

His voice came hushed, low, yet re-assuring,

"It is over now, Shosanna."

Fredrick then removed his hands from her hips and brought them up to cup her face and tenderly wipe away the droplets of blood staining her skin. The simple, loving gesture coupled with his words helped to calm Shosanna, even as the heat intensified.


~


Fredrick studied her face; his own was set in concentration as his hands gripped her hips. The sight of each other's nudity never ceased to be breath-taking: She was luminously pale, her body slender, with soft curves. He was lean, yet strong and hard; his body betrayed his handsomely boyish face. But for as resplendent as Shosanna's body was, Fredrick's focus was in the depths of her haunting, green eyes and in the refined contours and bone structure of her gorgeous face, stunningly framed by her golden halo of hair. Her fragile beauty was almost too much for Fredrick to take in, and his reverence of her almost made Shosanna's heart burst. It was never simple for either of them, as everything they felt for each other was far too overwhelming; their passion put them on edge, always threatening to devour them both.

Taking her hand in his, Fredrick brushed a kiss across her knuckles before pressing a much more intimate kiss to her palm; taking in with satisfaction the sight of Shosanna's eyes fluttering shut and feeling a shiver run down her back. Hearing her take in a sharp breath, desire lanced through him and he drew her closer to him, clutching her against him. Fredrick's voice was rougher, deeper,

"Liebling."

Lowering his head, and tipping her face up, he touched his lips to hers. Fredrick adored Shosanna's sensuous mouth, her lush lips. Relishing the feel of them against his, he increased the pressure, brushing lightly; responding in kind, Shosanna traced his lower lip with the tip of her tongue, parting them. Fredrick quivered as her tongue slid between his lips, and he opened his mouth for her, deepening the kiss as he gathered her into a tighter embrace. It was within moments such as these that the world outside of them felt so alien; only with each other did they ever feel so safe.

Fredrick's arms caged her protectively, his chest a wall of comforting solidity against her breasts. Shosanna relaxed against him; there was a fervor in their exchange, persuasive and tempting. Raising a hand, she lightly traced his cheek and gloried in his response as Fredrick returned her caresses. Shosanna's hands then came to rest against his chest; she found a half-smile and lightly pushed him back.

She smirked playfully at him, and turning away, Shosanna led him to stand beside the bed. Taking the initiative, Fredrick ran his palms over her shoulders, then slowly down, over and around her breasts, her stomach, her waist, her hips, and thighs. Tilting her face up to meet his, their lips met once more; there was an uncomplicated hunger in their kiss as he took all she offered and she took all she needed. Pushing her arms up, Shosanna wrapped them around Fredrick's neck, shuddering slightly as his arms tightened in response, drawing her fully against him, her breasts against his chest, her hips against his thighs. His hands, so long-fingered and lovely, which Shosanna adored, spread over her sides, grasping, then easing and moving over her back, spreading a distracting warmth that traveled its way through her every nerve ending.

Fredrick's hand then moved down to the back of her waist, pressing there and locking her to him, as his other hand glided up to curve over her shoulder, and close to her throat. Then smoothly, his hand slid down to close over one breast; as another shudder racked her, Shosanna snaked a hand into Fredrick's hair, holding his head steady as she kissed him even harder. His artful fingers continued fondling her breast as his other hand eased from her waist, moving down over her hips, over her bottom, and then bringing it between them, he slipped his fingers between her thighs. Shosanna parted herself for Fredrick, giving him access to her most sensitive flesh; he stroked her gently at first, then grew more and more persistent. Her knees buckled and he held her as insatiable need flared and spread under her skin; with mouth, tongue, and hands, Fredrick fed the conflagration. Shosanna fisted her hands into his hair, kissing him back as the urgency rose to its breaking point and her body went up in flames.

~

Shosanna's senses pricked, nervously flickering as the flames surrounding them rose at their backs. Fredrick's attention remained on her - as it always did - and despite their situation, he was unwavering. His hands still holding her face and his eyes meeting hers, he smiled brightly.

"It's time."

They no longer felt fear.

~

Her heart expanded in her chest; it seemed to slow, then start to thud. Shosanna's body was heated and she was left wanting even more from Fredrick; he was more than willing to give her all he could of himself. She offered her hand to him, taking him into her arms and into her bed. Completely enveloped in each other, Fredrick lowered his mouth to hers, their lips melded and their tongues twined. Drawing back from the kiss, he nudged her chin up and trailed kisses down her throat, nipped at her collarbone and then traced a path to her breasts. Sharp sensations coursed through Shosanna and she moaned and arched beneath him; Fredrick was fascinated with every inch of her, and it was almost unbearable.

Taking hold of him, Shosanna brought Fredrick's mouth back to hers, pressing a blatantly inciting kiss upon him and refusing to let go. Smiling against her lips, Fredrick trailed his hand back down to her hip and then further down, coming to rest against her inner thigh. Very lightly, he skimmed his fingers over her, setting her nerves aflame and causing her hips to lift, wanting more. Shosanna's skin was flushed, her body tense with anticipation. Resting his palm against her, cupping her, Fredrick regarded Shosanna with total adoration; no matter how many times before this has happened, they both managed to bring the other to a standstill. In these moments, it made them want to laugh, it made them want to cry.

Silently, Fredrick kept his eyes on her as he deliberately ran his hand upward, from her calf to her knee, up her thigh and over the swell of her hip, sliding through the curve of her waist, to over her breast, then her shoulder and so on, even up her arm and to her fingers. He then reversed the direction, sweeping his fingers around her face and then spreading his palm, now burning hot, below her throat. Staying on course, Fredrick ran his hand more heavily, possessively, down and over the center of her body, fingers trailing back over her breasts, then over her navel and taut stomach.

Returning back to the junction between her thighs, Fredrick's attention was now on Shosanna's face, watching as her eyes darkened. Shifting his body, Fredrick leaned over her, claiming her mouth with his as he parted her thighs with his knee. Feeling the weight of his erection against her inner thigh, Shosanna broke the kiss, her fingers clawing into his shoulders. Fredrick was now poised above her; it was the weight of his naked body, the feel of his hands, his mouth, that always sent the realization of her vulnerability flowing through Shosanna. Fredrick understood this, as he could feel it, as well. Rising above her, he adjusted himself between her widespread thighs; bracing his weight on his arms, Fredrick entered her.

Like so many times before, their breath caught and for a moment, all was still. Shosanna gasped as Fredrick flexed his spine and thrust into her, hard. Finding her lips, he covered them with his own; Shosanna returned his kiss with all of the yearning she possessed. With Fredrick, she knew what she needed, what she wanted; sliding her hands around his body, she clung, and he moved in her. Fredrick thrust deep in her, and she was with him, rising beneath him, urging him on. Shosanna wanted more, she wanted it all; if she had to give him all, then she would have the same in return.

And so she did.

Fredrick groaned and surrendered himself fully to her, as he always did; all control evaporated. It was this time spent together, in this act, in which all between them was laid bare. The fever overtook them, its heat pouring over and through them and pulsed with ferocity between them. Fredrick's body moved over hers, into hers, repetitively stroking inside and out; Shosanna knew the rhythm, and she moved with him and against him without conscious thought. The tempo steadily escalated into a crescendo of motion and searing intensity, which pushed them both into a fiery climax. Gasping and nerves coiling, their eyes were fixed on each other as every sensation spiraled and coalesced. Fredrick drove deeply, powerfully into her, and as he moved against her, Shosanna's body responded ardently and eagerly, every nerve ending alive. Beneath Fredrick, Shosanna rode each thrust, every forceful penetration.

And then, she broke apart.

Her every nerve unraveled, her hips bucked and her back arched into him, as her body claimed his. There was no holding back - not with Fredrick - and Shosanna cried out, channeling every pain, every pleasure, and all of her remorse.

Each time Shosanna and Fredrick did this, it seemed more intense than the last, giving up more and more to each other until small tremors overtook her body and she lost her breath. Within each other, they had found their solace, their sanctuary from the outside world.

"Doesn't it frighten you sometimes?" Fredrick asked of her, softly, earnestly.

"Oui," Shosanna murmured against his skin, as she left a trail of kisses along his jawline, "but it lets us know we're alive. We cannot have love without fear, Fredrick."

The feel of Fredrick's skin against hers reminded Shosanna that she was alive, even if just barely and only with him. It drove her to bring her plan to fruition, to make use of the revenge he had unwittingly given her. Le Gamaar was no longer necessary to Shosanna.

Fredrick was her comfort now.

~


Shosanna's eyes burned with tears she could not shed, her parched throat choking back sobs. She made an attempt to speak, but she felt as though her mouth and lungs were filled with ashes. Nodding her head, Shosanna placed her blood-stained hands - His blood! - on either side of Fredrick's face, and brought his mouth down to meet hers. Their kiss was at first gentle, almost chaste, but it grew more demanding and passionate as the fire consuming them grew more and more severe, tearing away at their flesh and cutting through to their bones. For all of the sweltering chaos and agony that was all around them, neither felt it. All that mattered was the feel of each other and nothing else; finally, all of their suffering and all of their longing was at an end.


~


"Shosanna?"

Fredrick's voice was small, quiet.

It was early morning, pre-dawn. It had been one year since that unusually cool night in June in Paris; some mornings, it took Shosanna a moment to collect herself and adjust to the view of the Manhattan skyline. Every morning, however, she was both relieved and grateful to find herself in the arms of her lover, Fredrick; it took a split-second decision that July night in 1944, to not pull the trigger of her pistol, and to explain to him - body trembling, voice unfaltering - everything. That night, the then nineteen year old German War Hero and the then twenty-two year old Jewish Girl escaped with each other and their lives and returned back to his sisters, to his home in Munich. After much saving and his sisters' generosity, Fredrick and Shosanna made it to New York, to another theater, another life. After living lives comprised of a series of near-escapes, they were now finally acquainted with tranquility. However, for the first few months, she found her nights plagued with dreams of another possibility, one she could not fathom.

Brushing a few stray strands of hair from her eyes - Oh, how he adored them! - Fredrick then brought his hand to rest over her heart, which was now coming back down to a calmer, rested state. Shosanna did not have to discuss it, as he knew; their understanding of each other went beyond words. They lay there in silence, holding each other's gaze. With time, her dreams became less violent as Fredrick featured more prominently in them, so much so that he was her guardian, her savior. And now, those dreams came few and far between as they settled into the new, beautiful routine of their lives. Shosanna knew that Fredrick had similar dreams to hers; on certain nights, she would be there in the bell tower with him, she was his guardian, his savior.

Her lips curved into a smile as she placed her hand over his and in return, Fredrick smiled widely. No matter how lost the other felt, they knew that all it would take to find their way back was a whisper. Reaching for him, Shosanna took Fredrick into her arms and they made love as the sun rose, her name upon his lips like a mantra.

"Shosanna, Shosanna…"