*A/N: I haven't written anything in quite awhile so I'm a bit rusty. Here I'll begin to tell the tale of the dream life that I envisioned for Elsa and Massimo since the story we got for them in actuality was so tragic and painful. The characters aren't mine. Disclaimer disclaimer blah blah blah. Y'all know the drill. Enjoy! (I hope.)

Germany 1934

"Massimo... you can't." Elsa said softly. These were not the circumstances that she had envisioned delivering such important news to her beloved, her savior, her EVERYTHING. No. She had imagined a much more pleasant occasion to deliver such a wonderful tidbit of information, but considering the current state of turmoil and siege that Germany was enduring and Massimo's determination to avenge her by making those that had harmed her suffer, Elsa was no longer sure that her wonderful announcement was so wonderful.

Elsa often wondered if she had been a horribly wretched person in a previous life and if she were making up for the transgressions that she had accrued then in her current one. She supposed her childhood had been ideal enough, though she had never been a good enough replacement for her long deceased older sister in the eyes of her parents. The first war had left her country in shambles and she had to squeak out a living any way that she could; she had always coveted fame, and her work as a dominatrix had made her infamous throughout Europe. She followed her own rules, and never allowed any of the pathetic men that sought out her services to even touch her, let alone put their filth inside of her. Infamous as she was, that was just not enough for Elsa Mars so she began her career in pornography. Thought it was as degrading a thing as she had ever done; to her it was just a job which was more than most Germans had and the money was nice, but the fame was even better.

What she thought to be just another little job and another little film altered the entire course of her life. Those monsters had lured her into a situation in which she was alone and vulnerable; they sawed off her legs and kept the cameras rolling, intending to make a snuff film to appease the sickest of sick individuals. When they were finished they left her to die, and die she would have had a soldier that she often entertained not came calling. He delivered her to the doorstep of the most wonderful man that she had ever been privileged to know, her darling Massimo Dolcefino.

Massimo was unlike any other man that she had ever known; she found most of them disgusting, barbaric, and stupid but Massimo was everything that was good in the world. He took her in with no hesitation, nursed her back to health when she was knocking on death's doorstep, built her a new set of legs with his own skilled hands, and taught her to walk and dance once again. He taught her that men could be gentle and caring, and every time he looked at her love radiated out of his kind eyes in a way that she had never known before. Every kindness that he gave he offered expecting nothing in return, not that she had anything of value to give him. All that she had left was what remained of her broken heart and soul, but even that Massimo had begun to make whole. It wasn't much, but for the first time in her life Elsa knew that she had found someone that she could truly love, and she gave all that she had to him.

He had been hesitant to begin a physical relationship with her in fear of hurting her already fragile body. As time went on, Elsa's strength and spirit returned to her through Massimo's prodding, encouragement, and love. Though he had his reservations, their close proximity and intimacy inevitably bloomed into a love so tender and passionate and sweet that Eros himself must have had a hand in it. Elsa's fervor and strength for him quickly alleviated Massimo's fears and concerns. In fact when they were together, Elsa's prosthetic legs almost became an after thought.

Lovers they became, and loving they did plenty. Alone together in his apartment that they made their home they Elsa and Massimo were living in their own Shangri-la. Outside his door, things were not so picturesque, however. It was becoming dangerous to be in the Rhineland and this danger was never far from their minds. They had plans to escape to Switzerland where both of their native languages were spoken and things were much safer. Elsa wanted to leave as as soon as they possibly could, but Massimo had unfinished business that he desperately wanted to attend to before they made their escape.

Thus, her lover was quite confused when Elsa has stated that he could not take care of the matters at hand that should have already been taken care of long ago. Just a few days prior, Elsa had been in complete agreement with the plan and he wondered what had changed her mind.

"What do you mean mi amore?" Massimo asked in his confusion. "You know that I need to do this."

Elsa closed her eyes and nodded. "Yes, I know that you feel the need to avenge me, but-" She said before he interrupted her.

"But what, my darling? Those monsters hurt you and they need to pay and I am going to be the one to see that they own up to their debts." He insisted, raising his hand and gently brushing the back side of his fingers down the side of her face.

"I don't need to be avenged, Massimo." She answered, lifting her own hand to rest on his. "Not anymore. As long as I have you by my side then I have all the revenge I need. I was supposed to die but you gave me a life worth living."

"But how can I live with myself or look into your beautiful eyes knowing that I let those monsters go? I could not live with that myself, Elsa. They have to pay." Massimo replied, turning away from her in an attempt to conceal the anger that he felt coursing through his veins.

Elsa felt tears brimming in her eyes and fought hard to keep them from falling before finally speaking up. "They are monsters, yes, awful, lecherous, dangerous monsters. But you, Massimo, you are an angel; my angel. It is too dangerous for my angel to be dealing with monsters who are so insignificant. They do not matter at all anymore, my love. I know making them pay matters to you, but it does not matter to me. There are three of them and none of them are worthy of even shining your boots. Getting justice from even one of them is not worth putting my angel in danger, not for my sake. Not now, my darling."

Elsa's words softened the hardened anger that Massimo felt deep within his soul. "Why not now, my love?" He asked, pulling her into an embrace and holding her head in place on his shoulder with his large hand. "Why now? You wanted vengeance as much as me not three days ago."

She looked up at him with tears glistening in her eyes. "Because liebchen... things have changed and I cannot risk losing you now... not when we have so much at stake. We need to get out as soon as we can."

"What has changed, bella flora? What is so different that our escape cannot wait until I defend your honor?" He asked, his voice softening.

A soft smile spread across Elsa's face. "Because it is not only you that I have to worry about now, Massimo."

Massimo let out an audible gasp. "You mean..." he began, pulling her even closer to him.

Elsa nodded. "Si. Yes. I'm going to have a baby."

"Elsa, ti amo." With gentle force Massimo pressed his lips to hers and Elsa knew that all thoughts of revenge had left his mind and soon they would be on their way to Switzerland and safety. All of them.

Translations

Mi Amore- My Love

Liebchen- Sweetheart, Dear.

Bella Flora- Beautiful Flower