27 February 1933

Amelia rocked her baby boy in her arms, humming to the tune of 'Rock-a-bye Baby' in an attempt to calm him. He had cried on and off all day, her little Hans. That was what she and Ludwig had decided after a full week of debate. She had wanted to name him Theodore for Theodore Roosevelt, partly because he was one of her favorite presidents if not a bit frightening with his aggressiveness, but mostly so that she could call him Teddy for short. Ludwig had refused outright, which resulted in the two of them giving each other the 'cold shoulder' for nearly thirty minutes.

Gilbert had brokered an exchange between them through the use of sausage or 'wurst', as the two German brothers called it. So the three of them had sat down at the table three weeks ago now, Amelia holding the tiny unnamed baby in her arms, and decided upon a name for the child. Gilbert's only suggestion had been Gilbert II, which both Amelia and Ludwig rejected, causing the Prussian to huff and cross his arms over his chest. It had brought the two together, however, in deciding on a name, making Amelia suspect that it had been more of a plan of Gilbert's than a true suggestion. Then again, knowing Gilbert, it probably was what he wanted to name the baby.

Hans, Ludwig had suddenly suggested, issuing a raised eyebrow from Amelia. She associated the name Hans with Hans Christian Andersen, the author, and he was Danish, not German. But then Ludwig had explained the meaning of the name, God is gracious, which issued a smile from her. Once she mulled it over for a minute or two, Hans sounded adorable for a little boy. However, it was clearly German. And she was an American, no matter what. So, he also needed an American name, which was silly to say, really, because American names came from Europe and other parts of the world, not the United States.

It was not silly, however, Ludwig had calmly stated after she said so aloud unintentionally. He would be jealous too, he said, if the child had only an American name. And so they decided to also give him the name Derrick, which was German in origin, but sounded American, according to Amelia. Hans Derrick Belschmidt, her little 'Hansi' as she had already taken to calling him. Ludwig shook his head at the nickname, but Amelia was sure she could get him to use it too soon. If only he could have been like Gilbert, who took to the nickname immediately, then she wouldn't have to work so hard at gaining his acceptance of it.

Hans squirmed in her arms out of discomfort. This made Amelia frown, because she knew she was holding him properly, but wondered if it was just her that made him act so disgruntled. Maybe he didn't like her. She was sure all mothers had this thought at some point after giving birth – that their child, the one they had carried for nine months, did not like them. It was a terrifying thought. She didn't dare tell anyone, not even Madeleine or Maria. They wouldn't understand and would say things like, 'That isn't true', 'You're worrying too much', or 'He loves you, you're his mommy'. Those were not things Amelia wanted to hear. She had told them to herself so many times already.

It was quite late, she noticed, from gazing out the window to see the pitch blackness that now covered the sky. "Daddy will be home soon, Hansi," she spoke to the baby softly, not wanting to make him more upset. And she really did hope she was right in saying that Ludwig would be home soon. He had been at a meeting with the new Chancellor, Adolf Hitler, since early in the morning. Amelia didn't know much about the Chancellor, only that he had what she considered a 'funny' name and became Chancellor on the same day her baby was born. What that meant exactly, she wasn't sure. She had no idea what had occurred the day she was born, if anything at all. Maybe it didn't mean anything. It was a confusing matter, her having a baby. Was it normal for nations to have babies, she wondered. She didn't know who to ask and was too afraid to ask one of the older nations, like China or Greece; for fear that word would get around to others. It could be dangerous, Gilbert had warned. He, unfortunately, did not know about nations giving birth. All he could remember, he said, were nations suddenly popping up, not being born. But nations had to be born, Amelia believed, which meant they all had to have parents.

It was such a confusing matter. Looking into the face of her baby boy washed that confusion away though. It did not matter if it was normal or right; she had given birth to a beautiful baby and loved him dearly – nothing could ever change that.

"What's wrong, Hansi?" She asked the baby, knowing she wouldn't get a response from a baby that was not even a month old. He had started to cry again, this time louder. Big, salty tears were pouring from his dark blue eyes and his body suddenly felt a bit warmer than usually. Quickly, she removed his blanket, checking to see if he had anything noticeable signs of something being wrong physically. His chest was perfectly clear, no bumps or rash. But it was warm, just like the rest of his body.

The front door slammed open, followed shortly by Ludwig's yell, "Amelia!"

She turned, holding Hans closer to her chest than usual, now fearing that something was gravely wrong. "Ludwig, something's wrong with Hans," were her first words to the out-of-breath daddy as he came into view.

"The Reichstag is on fire!" Those had been Ludwig's first words at seeing Amelia, spoken only a second or two after hers. And then his eyes widened once her words registered in his brain. Something was wrong with Hans? Now, of all times, something was wrong with him. Why?

"What is it," he asked, taking long steps across the room to check the baby over for himself.

"I don't know. He's all warm and – did you say a building is on fire?"

"Yes," Ludwig nodded, feeling the little baby's skin for himself, "the Reichstag. It is where Parliament meets."

Amelia's eyes, much in a similar fashion to Ludwig's, widened at this new information. "This couldn't be what's causing Hans to be ill, could it?" Her hands shook slightly now, making Hans cry more at the sudden vibrations. If the building – the Reichstag – burned down, did that mean Hans died? No! She didn't even want to think that, but she had. It was a horrible thought and it would never be true – it couldn't be.

Noticing the shaking of Amelia's hands, Ludwig carefully removed the baby from her arms and into his own, giving her a soft smile as he did so. "Hans will be fine." He was lying, of course. "I do not believe the fire has anything to do with him." And another lie was added. "It is probably normal for babies to be warm at times. And they cry often – nothing to worry about." So many lies he was telling tonight. He wondered if Amelia could tell they were lies. Maybe; he had sounded more stiff than usual when speaking, he noticed. But if she did notice they were lies, Amelia did not show it. She simply nodded at his words, and sat down in a nearby armchair.

"Maybe it's me. He doesn't like me."

This was the first Ludwig was hearing of Amelia making such a statement. How could she possibly think Hans didn't like her? It was such an absurd statement. He wanted to tell her that, but there were tears in her eyes and he knew he could not write this declaration off as some trivial thought. "Why do you say that?"

She looked up at him with those crystal blue eyes swimming with tears now. "How could I not think that?" A pause here for her to take in a deep, shaky breathe. "He cries when I hold him, and it doesn't matter what I do to make him stop…he doesn't." A few sniffles could be heard now, with Amelia wiping profusely underneath her nose at the snot that was threatening to drip downwards. It was a nasty business really, crying. "Then you hold him and he doesn't cry at all."

Ludwig did not know what to say to this – he was trying to work it out though. But Amelia did not give him time to think of the perfect words to soothe her. She was always impatient.

"It's only me." She brought the sleeve of her sweater up to her face and started to wipe at some of the wet spots on her cheeks and chin. "Why doesn't he love me?" Her face did not lift to look up at Ludwig; instead, she faced the floor, staring at the beige carpet.

"Amelia," Ludwig sighed, preparing for the long semi-speech he was about to deliver, "You are Hans' mutter. He lived inside of you." He knelt to his knees, taking care not to cause discomfort to Hans as he did, and placed a hand over Amelia's belly. "The two of you share a connection, one that he will never have with anyone else. Because of that, he reacts to your feelings." Amelia stared down at Ludwig, her fingers raking through his hair. It was always so neat, until she got her hands on it (Literally).

"You are worried for Hans, I know. And Hans feels that. He reacts to it by crying." He held her hand now, rubbing his thumb comfortingly over the top. "It is not that he hates you. More than anyone, he loves you." Bringing his head forward slightly, he kissed the top of her hand, and then looked into those eyes that allowed one to read her like a book.

Amelia smiled softly at him, wrapping her hand tightly around his. "And that, Mr. Beilschmidt, is why I love you."


History Time! XD

The Reichstag Fire, an arson attack on the Reichstag building (the assembly location of the German Parliament) in Berlin, is often seen as a pivotal point in the establishment of Nazi Germany. At 21:25 (or 9:25 P.M.), the Berlin Fire Department received the call that the building was burning. By the time they arrived, the Chamber of Deputies was overcome with flames. This fire was used as evidence by the Nazis to say that the Communists were plotting against the German government. That would be because Marinus van der Lubbe, a young, Dutch council communist, was found inside the building. He and four Communist leaders were immediately arrested. And at Hitler's urging to the President, the government instituted mass arrests of Communists, including all of the Communist parliamentary delegates. This allowed the Nazis to go from the relative majority party to the actual majority party, permitting Hitler to consolidate power.

Marinus van der Lubbe claimed that he acted alone to protest the condition of the German working class, something that is debated by historians to this day. Some people suspect the arson may have been planned and ordered by the Nazis themselves in order to get the Communists out of their way. It's still unclear, really, as to who started this fire, though the Communist were blamed. Some food for thought is that Hitler had previously asked the President to dissolve the Reichstag and call for a new parliamentary election. The date for these elections was supposed to be 5 March 1933, and Hitler's aim was to acquire a majority for the Nazi party and eliminate opponents (Communists). The Reichstag fire allowed Hitler to accelerate the banning of the Communist Party, which he had planned to do through the Enabling Act anyway.

I've decided that the name of Amelia and Ludwig's son shall be Hans. It means 'God is gracious'. I don't know if Germans put that much emphasis on the name meaning, but my parents did for my brothers and I (my first name means 'victor' or 'honor' and my middle name means 'young child', meaning my parents want me to have a child's heart and be victorious in life but with honor), which is why I took into consideration name meanings. His middle name is Derrick (meaning people's ruler), which sounds a bit more American (because Amelia would have wanted him to have an 'American name' too) than Hans, though it is still German. So, the explanation for the name Hans Derrick is that his parents believe him to be a gift from God (I'm assuming both would have been Christian at the time…I don't really know how religion works for representatives of a country) and want him to grow up to be a leader of the people (though I also look at it as he will become the literal 'ruler' of the people due to what he represents).

Does anyone else think the Disney song from the Lion King 2 'One of Us' totally fits little Hans?