A/N: I'm beginning to realize that I'm a bit of a review whore. I get terribly giddy when I open my e-mail and there are little bits of praise from you guys. I can't tell you how great it makes me feel that this story is actually being read, and the reviews are icing on the proverbial cake! I only wish that I could post faster than I've been able to. This whole thing is based on one stupid dream I had and it's blossomed into far more chapters than I was expecting. Thanx so very much for reading and even more for actually following me this far. Anywho. *Fluff* ahead.
London, England 1939
Familiar faces greeted Evie as she and Himura strolled the shopping districts. They stopped to welcome her home, inquire as to her health, her whereabouts, her father. They laughed and shared brief stories of past-times, people they once knew; everyone had to be introduced to Himura. He was always a "friend from the continent" though he supposed that was his own fault. He hadn't proposed yet and as such he was not "fiance"-and one certainly could not introduce one's companion as a Nazi lover. However, in his own defense, he was out shopping with her for her engagement ring. She just didn't know it yet.
He was about to chauffeur her into a small jeweler as they were absconded by a tall strawberry-blond woman slightly older than Evie, with such bulbous breasts, he was sure it was a sin.
"Evie, Darling! Where have you been?" the woman demanded, obscuring his petite companion from view with a generous hug. "Your father simply would not tell anyone where you'd run off to! I've missed you so! Jack Harlingwell's been asking after you forever...Oh, dear! I'm so rude; where are my manners? How do you do?" she asked, sticking her hand out to Himura. She cut her eyes to Evie and said under her breath, "No wonder you never gave poor Jack the time of day. Who's your gorgeous friend?"
"Harley-dear, this is Himura Eberhardt," Evie started and he reached out for her hand. Gallantly, he tipped his head to her knuckles and bit back the smile of amusement making its way to his face. He was no stranger to the advances of women; he supposed he wasn't bad looking, but it was his hair that drew their attention. In fact, one of the things that made him fall for Evie so fast and so hard was that she wouldn't give him the time of day when they first met. "Himura is a friend of mine from Germany. I've been in Germany all this time."
"Dear God, what for?" the woman named Harley exclaimed. She blushed a pretty smile at Himura, then turned her ire on Evelyn. "You know what's going on over there? God's Teeth, woman, what were you thinking?" The woman snatched Evie by the elbow and spun her away from Himura, lowering her voice. "And beautiful or not, you brought one home?"
"He was an officer in the German Reich," Evie happily pointed out. Himura wondered if she and this Harley woman must have some past issues. He stepped back, crossing his arms over his chest and settled in to watch the debate.
"He and I met while I was in the Fuehrer's employ." Evie's face lit up with a bright smile. "He's absolutely breath-taking in those black SS uniforms. All the buttons, and cords, the bars and medals pinned to him—I've never seen anything so sexy..." Himura choked back a snort of laughter. "We went to all the galas and functions and operas, him in his uniform and me in slinky evening gowns...we turned Berlin upside down. It was so much fun! The Fuehrer himself urged us together. And if I keep going, Darling, you're going to explode! Dear God, Harley, breathe!" Evie lightly punched the other woman on the shoulder, peels of laughter escaping her. Harley fought for breath; she was in fact about to explode. Her face was red and her eyes bugged out farther and farther as Evie went on.
"All that...all that was a joke?" she gasped, her hand going reflexively to her throat. "You bitch," she sneered, her own face cracking with a smile. "How much of it was true?"
Evie cut her eyes back to her beau; Himura stood with his hand over his mouth, his shoulders shaking with mirth. "Every last bit of it, Harley. But it's more than what it seems. I'm not a supporter. Neither is Himura. I'll tell you everything over dinner, if you'll come."
"And hear the greatest story I'm ever likely to hear? When's dinner?"
"How's seven sound?"
"Fabulous. At your father's?"
"Absolutely. Authentic Japanese cooking...since it's the only thing Japanese I do well."
Harley laughed and they embraced again. This time Himura thought how disturbingly alluring the scene was, now that Evie was an active participant in the embrace. He kept his comment to himself and bid the other woman goodbye. Easily draping an arm across her slight shoulders, he steered her into the jewelry shop.
Evie had no idea what they were shopping for; Himura had simply stated he wished to buy her something "nice"-she presumed to match her bracelet. It never occurred to her that he might propose to her. Quite honestly, the thought of marriage hadn't flitted though her brain just yet. They were together and she supposed they always would be, what with her bearing his child and whatnot. But getting married just hadn't clicked in her processes. It would be nice, though she thought, browsing over the wedding sets in the glass case before her. There was a beautiful set in the far left bottom corner and she pointed at it childishly. Glancing over her shoulder at Himura who was hovering nearby, she said, "Please don't think me silly, but may I try that on?" He turned and gazed over her at the ring she was pointing to and smiled.
"Not silly at all, leibling. By all means." He motioned to the jeweler and the old man removed it, sliding it easily over Evie's knuckle. It was gorgeous and actually matched her bracelet quite well. Set in white gold, a huge marquis-cut aquamarine was nestled all around by diamond baguettes. The set was completed by a ring-guard style wedding band also filled with diamonds, that the engagement ring sat neatly in-between on one's finger. The wedding band's diamonds were round and flawlessly cut, giving the whole ensemble a gaudy fire that, when the light touched it, flashed over the walls of the small store in prismatic display.
"I'm not usually one for disgusting displays of jewels, but I love it!" Evie exclaimed, clasping her hand to her chest. Himura smiled and nodded to the jeweler who retrieved a box from beneath the cabinet. "Oh, no! Darling, you can't possibly-"
"I can and I will, leibling. It makes you happy. You'll have it." He gathered her into his arms and pressed a kiss to her crown.
"You didn't even ask the price..."
"Doesn't matter. Our former...employer...paid me very well." Himura thanked the old man as he passed a wad of bills over the counter to him. The jeweler peeled off a sum—one that Evie didn't want to think about too much—and returned the majority to Himura. He handed the black velvet ring box over the counter and Himura shook his head. "I don't think she needs that. She won't be taking it off for a while yet."
The old man smiled knowingly and wished them well. Turning to Evie at the exit, Himura paused before pushing the door open. "May I see that ring, leibling?" Quizzically, Evie pulled it from her right ring-finger and held it out to him. "We haven't done anything in quite the order one should," he explained, taking her left hand and lifting it to his lips. He pressed a gallant kiss to the back of her hand and slid the ring on her left finger. "But I want you to marry me. We can take that trip to Ireland you want—but as our honeymoon."
Evie's eyes grew wide, her elegantly arched brows nearly disappearing into her hairline. Her mouth formed that amusingly adorable "O" of surprise and she flung her arms around Himura's neck, her ability to speak somewhat disabled for the moment. The old man behind the jewelry counter smiled approvingly; sneaked into the back room to retrieve his wife to witness the joyous moment. He stood behind the glass cases, his thin arm wrapped tightly around his plump wife's shoulders as they watched Himura propose. The old woman swiped tears from her eyes. Himura sank down to one knee—which surprisingly wasn't all that easy due to being shot in the knee some years previous—after he'd disentangled himself form her exuberant embrace.
"Maybe this isn't the perfect timing or even the best place...but I love you very much. Evelyn Yukimura, I want you to be my wife."
The sound finally found its way back to Evie's voice and the little "O" of surprise uttered one shrill squeak, followed promptly by "Yes!" She felt the tears gathering in her eyes and she flung herself at Himura again as he stood, nearly toppling them both through the entrance. He lifted her easily off her feet and she buried her treacherous eyes in his collar; he carried her, feet dangling, right out the door.
Himura sat Evie down on the sidewalk, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pressing her in the direction of home. She didn't say anything, merely nestled herself comfortably against his side and took refuge from the harsh winter wind blowing at their backs, a contented smile plastered rather dumbly on her face. She stared down at the ring for nearly two blocks, not allowing her concentration on its beauty to be broken in any way. As such, she did not see the man coming out of the shop door on her left and accidentally bumped into him, his shoulder colliding with her rather forcibly.
"Excuse me, I'm so sorry!" she cried, spinning to face him. He cut his eyes at her blankly; nodding once, he turned, heading in the opposite direction. Himura's gut clenched at the contact, and the bastard didn't even utter a response! But briefly his eyes met the other man's and his heart did a little jump in his chest. He knew those eyes...those soulless gray orbs staring at Evie, so abruptly yet so full of malice, and yet...and yet, nothing matched. The eyes were the same. The hair was too long, unkempt, straggly. The clothes haphazardly pieced together, the coat wrinkled; the cheekbones too high, the brows too furrowed. The face was almost right...almost. Enough to make Himura doubt himself. Enough doubt to decide not to pursue the stranger.
Two hours after dinner, their bellies full of sukiyaki, their cups full of rice wine, Harley, Himura, and Evie sat at the kitchen table; the elder Yukimura had retired to bed, bidding all a good-night. Evie taunted Harley with elaborate stories of her exploits in Berlin, including the bombing and the giddiness she had felt when she discovered Himura had been her contact in the mansion; Himura poured over his files and loose documents, searching for clues on the man that had haunted his dreams of Evie's well-being. He'd immediately located the folder containing the officer's file; now he was searching for other pictures that may have been taken while he'd been on sabbatical—something to give Himura an idea of what he may look like out of uniform, unkempt.
The man Evie had run into earlier had sent a warning bell off in Himura's head, but stupidly he'd ignored it. He'd been too content, not diligent enough to act on his gut instinct. His focus had been on Evie, not her security and since there had been no adverse reactions to their contact, he'd shuffled the ill feeling off to coincidence and decided against pursuit.
As if Evie had read his mind, she reached across the table and put her hand on his, keeping him from flipping through another file. "Darling, I know you're concerned, but can that wait? We're here and I'm safe. We have a guest."
Himura looked up from the paperwork and stared blankly at her for a moment, then nodding he folded his hands over the stack and focused all his attention on the women. It was like telling a hyper-active dog to "stay", Evie thought, seeing the restlessness and worry reflected in his eyes as he tried to follow conversation, but glanced erratically between them and the files. She was trying desperately to get him involved in her story telling but, she mused, she couldn't fault him for worrying about her. She was just about to tell Harley about their ride on the zeppelin when a strange feeling hit her low in her stomach. It was almost déjà-vu, but something about it was far more foreboding than a simple sense of recognition. The man she'd bumped into...she'd seen him before.
"Oh, God," she mumbled out of nowhere, and Harley looked curiously between the two of them. She reached for his hand again and snatched it to her. "That man from earlier...the one I bumped into-"
"You know him?" Himura nearly shouted, leaning forward over the table. "Where have you seen him?"
"It may be nothing...but he was the steward on the zeppelin," she said, suddenly very curious over the file that Himura kept revisiting over and over again. He instantly snagged it from the stack and slid it across the table to her. She flipped the cover and stared for a long while at the photo clipped to the records.
"Do you think that's the same man?" Himura asked, wondering himself if he was reading too much into the similarities.
"If you don't mind my asking," Harley started, easing her rear to the edge of her seat, "what the hell is going on?"
"Evelyn has...somewhat of an issue. It's why we left Berlin so abruptly."
"You make it sound as though someone's trying to kill her," Harley stated, trying to glance at the open folder.
"Someone is," Himura replied, standing from his seat and stretching. He was not accustomed to sitting for such long periods of time and his rear end was killing him.
"Good God, Evie, why didn't you say anything?"
Evie opened her mouth to answer but Himura cut her off. "The less you know, the better, I assure you. We will not be in London long and if anyone asks after us, you'll have no answer to give them."
"Evie..." Harley sighed, her eyes pivoting to her saki cup.
"It's all off," Evie muttered, tilting her head at the photo and ignoring Harley's voice. "It's him, I think. But it doesn't look like him. The facial structure is...well it's off."
"That was my initial assessment, as well. I've been looking for other photos; to see if there's anything close."
"He never tried to serve any of the other passengers champagne," Evie thought aloud, recollecting their service on the airship. "He offered us champagne, we refused. He went about the rest of the tables but I never saw him give one single glass to anyone else."
"It's possible that perhaps no one else simply wanted any champagne?" Harley found herself caught up in the mystery.
"It's possible that the drinks had something in them particularly for the two of us..." Himura plotted, re-stacking the files and setting them back in his briefcase. Evie continued to stare at the haunting photo.
"I want with all my being to say that this is him. But I just don't know," she said, lifting her eyes to Himura. "It's just...off. It's like looking at a pair of identical twins that aren't quite identical."
"It's very late, I'm stuffed, and you two are scaring the hell out of me. I think I'm calling it a night, and I will call on you tomorrow. Provided that you're still here, of course," Harley said, standing and gathering up her coat and bag.
"You're right, dear. It's bed-time for me, too." Evie flipped the last file closed and handed it to Himura who tucked it away with the others. "You come by tomorrow morning and help me pick out baby names," she said simply, hugging the taller woman.
"Baaaaby...n-n-naames?" Harley sputtered, pulling away to stare Evie in the face. "You're not..." she looked down at Evie's middle and grabbed her around the waist, pressing into her abdomen under the loose fitting dress. "Oooh my God."
Himura bit back a chuckle at the new development. He would worry about the assassin in the morning. The doors were locked, his gun was within reach and there was nothing more they could do about it that night.
Evie saw Harley out and bolted the door closed behind her. "She'll be fine, right?" she asked him, turning around and letting him engulf her in his arms. "I mean, no one's going after her because of me?"
"She'll be fine. I doubt there are any tabs being kept on your circle of London friends. More likely the assassin has followed us directly from Germany and has no idea of your social circles here."
Evie sighed, contented now to be alone with him, and buried her face in his neck. "I want you to come to bed with me..." she mumbled, pressing her lips against his pulse point. "But I don't want Papa to have a conniption fit, either."
Himura smile despite himself and nodded. "I'd rather not be on the receiving end of his fist, myself." But he tilted her face to his and covered her mouth with his own, anyway. She leaned into him, parting her lips beneath his crushing mouth and shivered when he snaked his tongue inside to tease her own. She would have to be content with his kisses, she thought, pulling away and looking longingly at the sofa where he slept.
Himura took her chin between his thumb and forefinger; forced her to meet his gaze. "Go to bed, mein leibling. Before you start something that I cannot finish." He pressed another kiss to her mouth, this one much more chaste, and turned her toward the staircase, swatting her on the bottom as she went.