{Melchior}

That night I went in and took a shower at Wendla request. Once I got out of the shower I saw Wendla in the kitchen snipping scissors she had in her hand. "What are you doing?" I asked with my eyebrow raised.

"Well you did say I could give you a haircut." She smirked.

"No I said I would get one soon, soon did not mean right after I take a shower." I said while slowly backing away from her.

"Aw come on Melchi, afraid of scissors? I thought it was only needles." She taunted

"What a fear of scissor, that is ridiculous! I mean it just makes me uncomfortable having scissors near my face,neck and ears." I felt a chill up my spine after I made that statement."

"Aw Melchi come on just a couple snips, I promise it will be real quick." She said as she moved closer to me, I knew then I just had to run. Soon she began to chase me around our loft with scissors in her hand.

"Wendla put those down you can get hurt." I said.

"Well I wouldn't be running with scissors if you were being such a baby." She said as she began to slow down. "Oh.." She dropped the scissors and put her hands over her stomach. I quickly ran over to her side.

"What's the matter?"

"My tummy feels weird." She then placed my hands on the spots that were bothering her.

"It's the baby." I said right as the baby gave another kick. "That's going to happen, it just means the baby is fine and moving well." Before I could look up I heard snipping and saw a smirk on Wendla face.

"What? It got you distracted at least, now you have to let me finish it." She smirked and I gave in to letting her finish. After about 10 minutes she was done. "Take a look" I went over to the mirror that we had in our bathroom. It wasn't too bad at all, she actually did a pretty good job. "Well?" She said with a smirk.

"It looks great, thank you." I gave her a kiss before retreating for the night into our bedroom.

The next morning I was up bright and early I had to be for work. I kissed Wendla on her head as she continued to sleep and then I kissed her stomach before heading out the door. As I walked through town on my way to a farm that I had a secured job at I saw him. I stood there frozen, the sweat starting to fall from my forehead. It was my father, I had to act fast before he could see me. I began ran as fast as I could not looking back behind me. I hid behind a corner and poked my head out to get a better look. He was probably in town to sell at the farmers market. As soon as the coast was clear I was able to slip away I ran straight for work. I was already late and if I get fired I would just let Wendla down, let our child down. I won't do it. I will try to keep this job as long as I could. I know I don't want to be doing this for my entire life, it's only temporary. I think I want to become a teacher, I know the ones I had were morons, maybe I can be better at them? Soon the day had pass and I found myself making my way back home. When I opened the front door I could see Wendla at the stove making dinner. I closed the door behind me and she turned around and smiled.

"Welcome home." She came over and took my coat off and hung it up. "How was your day?" She asked as she went back to whatever she was making on the stove.

"Interesting actually." I said as I sat down at the table.

"How so?" She said as she handed me a plate of roasted chicken with potatoes.

"I saw my father this morning on my way to work." I said before stuffing my face with food. Her face had turned white and she had began to panic.

"Did he see you?! Did he follow you?! Does he know about us?" She very fast,I could hardly understand what she was saying.

"No Wendla,please now calm down." I said as I wiped my face with a napkin.

"No I will not calm down! You could have been spotted, we could have been separated again." She said taking a big gulp as she was ready to cry. I grabbed her hand and held it.

"No one will ever tear us apart again, we will be together for the rest of our lives."

"Oh Melchior." She wrapped her arms around my body, squeezing me very tightly. I kissed her forehead, then she gave me that smile I loved so much. She really didn't know how happy she makes me feel. "Melchior, I love you." she said, the words falling from her lips. I never thought I would hear those words from her.

"I love you Wendla." I said as I leaned in to kiss her. After dinner I went out to collect firewood for the burner. When I came back inside I saw Wendla in our bedroom naked. I dropped the wooden logs and got this feeling I haven't had in a long time. It was the same feeling I had that night in the hayloft. I slowly opened the door wider.

"Melchi?" She turned around and looked at me with those beautiful brown eyes of hers. I flinched didn't know what to do, I couldn't repeat the hayloft incident that's what got us here in the first place.

"Come here Melchi" She said as she pulls on my arm, pulling me close to her. I was still frozen, not knowing what she was doing. Then she whispered to me "I believe". Before I knew it, she was unbuttoning my shirt, was she really going through with this? I ended taking the rest of my clothes off and well you know what happened next.

{Wendla}

This time it wasn't crazy, it was sweet and known. It was never a sin to love, love is a feeling you get inside that you want to express and that is what Melchior did that night in the hayloft. That is what I did last night. Everything I was taught as a child was wrong, all the things Melchior was talking about were true. Everything finally made sense in my eyes. How would making a child be a sin, especially to someone you love. I found a new meaning of life that night and something really had changed within me. I woke up that morning to swollen feet again, Melchior said it will probably last throughout the rest of my pregnancy. He also said different things will happen during this whole process, I was eager to learn more through this whole process. Throughout the day of my normal day was washing clothes and harvesting vegetables from the garden. Then Ilse would come up from the taven for her lunch break.

"Wendla you wouldn't believe what I saw in the village while I was there." She said.

"You went back to the village?!" I started to feel nausea from the idea of going back home.

"Everything has changed Hanschen and Ernst is in a relationship and the town is in a frenzy about it. Also your mother has the police looking all over town for you and Melchior. She knows you ran off with him and his parents found out that he broke out of the reformatory. They are determined to find him and send him back. It's a good thing we're here and the village is a 3 day trip." Ilse was explaining.

"How could all of this be happening, we've only been gone for two months."

"You know things change in time." Ilse had muttered before Melchior came in the door.

"Ilse, your back from the village already?" he said while bringing grocery. As Ilse explained Melchior face turned pale knowing that his parents are looking for him.

"Everything will be alright Melchi" I said rubbing his back to calm him down.

"We need to go now." He said under his breath.

"What?" I looked up at him.

"We need to leave right now." He said as he frantically began to gather all of our belongings.

"Melchior please calm down." I tried to plead with him.

"Wendla." he put his hands on my shoulders. "Do you know what they would do to us if they found us? You could end up like that girl in the abortionist office and I could end up back in the reformatory. I just can't bare being away from you." He said as he had the look of fear in his eyes. I never really had seen Melchior like this, he alway seemed so fearless. Now he resembled a frighten child.

"We must lay low for a few day, I will not leave the house and you will only leave for work. I can ask Ilse to bring us groceries and firewood, she probably would not mind that for a few days. Just until things settle down." He soon pulled me into a hug.

"I love you."