February 28, 1933

Berlin, Germany

"Oh no!" Liam exclaimed, knowing he really messed things up this time. He must have accidentally taken one of the papers from the man he bumped into, leaving the manuscript of the article with the stranger. This would surely get him fired, and not to mention that this note could have meant something to the stranger. "I bumped into someone on my way here. I dropped everything. That must be his, and he must have your manuscript. I am really sorry. It was near the train station! Maybe he is still there! I can go check!"

Before Liam was able to leave, there was a knock on the front door.

Theo knew he shouldn't be nosey, but as he walked to the address listed on the paper, he couldn't help but to read the contents of the article. It was titled "Is She Anastasia?: German Woman Claims to be Lost Princess" accompanied with the phrase "Exclusive Interview with Anna Anderson". Theo was intrigued by this for sure. Anna Anderson was somewhat of a celebrity, especially in Germany. Some years back this woman claimed to be the surviving daughter of Tsar Nicholas II. After spending some time in Germany and gaining a following, and moved to the United States. However, a few years back, she returned to Germany.

Truthfully, Theo was interested in the woman's story. How could he not be? He too lost his parents in the Russian Revolution, so all of the details about the revolution interested him. That being said, he was not convinced this woman was Anastasia. He's read articles about her before, and he could not really tell why, but he just got this gut feeling that she was not Anastasia. Not that he would know either way. He does not even remember Russia when she was alive, let alone even known her. But still, something about Anna Anderson felt off. If there were any merit to her story, Theo thought, surely Stalin would have her assassination. He was a powerful man, surely killing a woman in Germany is not far out of his reach.

Either way, Anderson was still pretty famous, so an exclusive interview with her did sound interesting. The article detailed Anderson's claims, as well as what she has been up too since arriving back in Germany. The woman thanked the German aristocracy for their support, but to Theo, it sounded more like she was free-loading off of them. The article was well-written, though a bit far-fetched, but Theo blamed that more on Anderson than the article's author. Theo did not know much about the murder of the Romanovs, but he did know that the Bolsheviks would not have let anyone survive. Anyone claiming otherwise is most certainly a fraud.

Theo then stopped in his tracks when he reached the building he looked up at it and took a deep breathe. He stopped in his tracks when he saw a policeman plaster a poster onto the wall, before moving on and placing another one a few buildings down. Theo jogged up to the poster and read it to himself. In summary, the poster announced a new law has been passed, suspending the constitution and banning communists, with threat of imprisonment. Theo knew he needed to get out of Germany, now. All he needed was his letter.

Dammit! He thought to himself. The letter was in Russian. Theo had a natural talent for languages, that his family never understood. They always intended for him to learn languages and be educated. However, as a child, he was able to demonstrate impressive abilities in German, English, French, as well as his previously native Russian, with very little tutoring. Theo always just assumed it was a natural gift, but he did know, his grandmother who wrote that note, who ever she was, was Russian. In Hitler's Germany, Russia is synonymous with communist. If he admitted to having a Russian letter, he could be accused of being a Russian spy, but he was willing to take that chance.

Deciding to risk it, he quickly knocked on the door. The young man he bumped into earlier opened the door, and this time, Theo got a better look at him. He was am inch or two shorter than Theo, browish-blonde hair, and deep blue eyes. Not too bad looking, Theo thought to himself. Theo was attracted to men and women, although this was not common in his society, he learned to accept that about himself. However, Hitler and the Nazi party often spoke cruelly about homosexuality, so his days of sneaking off to different parts of town with men were over.

"Perfect timing," the young man said, in English, confirming Theo's previous suspicion that he was British.

"I am assuming this belongs to you?" Theo asked, speaking in perfect English.

"Actually," Another man, older, around thirty, spoke up and took the paper from Theo, "It's mine, this is just imbecile who lost it. Now, I think you should come inside."

Theo nodded, feeling that every second he could feel the darkness covering Germany, and it was becoming increasingly less safe to be out in the open. Stepping inside the office, he noticed a third person. She was the same age as the older man, give or take a year or two, with strawberry blonde hair, and she stood there frozen, like she'd seen a ghost. Theo tried not to stare the woman, but her tense demeanor made it difficult.

"I am Stiles, journalist for the New York Times! The imbecile is Liam, and this is Lydia," Stiles said, speaking quickly and erratically, as Americans often did. When he turned to introduce Lydia, he noticed her strange demeanor. "I'll be right back." He walked towards Lydia, taking her arm and pulling her into the other room. "So you see it too right?"

Closing her eyes and shaking her head, as if snapping out of a trance she gave Stiles a confused look, "Wh-what are you talking about it?"

"C'mon Lydia, don't be that way," Stiles pleaded, peaking back into the other room, but remaining out of sight, "That man looks just like! You see it too, I know you do!" Stiles ran to the desk and shuffled a few papers around before grabbing a picture of the last Czar and his two sons. "Look! If you add a few years to this kid, he could look just like that man! The note is in Russian, signaling for him to come to Copenhagen, right where the Dowager Empress is!"

"Shhh! Do you want him to hear you?" Lydia chastised him in a hushed tone. "Just because a few things line up together, does not mean he is the long lost prince. Just a month ago you were telling me that the imperial family is not out there, and now you think he's the prince? Besides, that note is probably a coded communist message signaling for a rendezvous. He is probably a spy, and if the police find him in here with us, we could all go to jail!"

"No no no, I did not say that. I said, if they were out there, they would not have come out of hiding. He is clearly trying to return to his grandmother," Stiles said to her with a wide grin and with excitement in his eyes. Lydia knew it was nice to see such happiness in him again. "Besides, we are American. They wont throw us in jail, just him." Stiles then rushed back into the room and tried to play it cool and calm. "We never got your name?"

"My name is Theo," He replied, looking at Lydia following Stiles back in the room, and she forced a smile.

"Is there a last name with that?" Stiles asked, almost eagerly, which confused Theo.

Theo narrowed his eyes a little bit, deciding to refrain from giving his last name. If these people were going to report him, he did not want to lead the police back to his mother. "None that I would like to share. I just stopped by to see if Liam might have picked up something that I dropped when we bumped into each other."

"You mean this?" Stiles asked, holding up the note with a smile."A lovely little note, interesting though, that its in Russian. Listen kind, we are not snitches. We are journalists, and we love a good story, we aren't here to turn you in. In fact, we can get you to Copenhagen, and while we go, you can tell us about yourself, how does that sound?" Stiles did not want to volunteer all his information. He wanted to see what this man would reveal if he did not know Stiles was onto him.

"Why would you help me get to Copenhagen?" Something told him that he might be able to trust these people. After all, they were not German, he did have proof that they were journalists, because of the article. Perhaps they could help him. He had not yet secured his train ticket, and part of him was worried that the new decree could make travelling more difficult.

"Because it would be a great story," Stile replied with a smile. When Theo stood in silence, Stiles took that as a yes. "Lydia, Liam, get your bags, we are going to Denmark tonight!"

"Wait a minute, why do I have to go?" Lydia objected as she approached Stiles, "I am not the journalist, I was assigned to this office, and so was Liam. If we leave, we could be fired!"

"Lydia, I will not leave you or Liam in this country alone with everything that is going on. The situation here is getting more dangerous by the second. Besides, if we get a good story, then the bosses will probably send you back home and let you run the damn company," Stiles winked, knowing that she knew what story he was talking about. It was true. If Stiles was the one to discover the legitimate lost Romanov Prince, the story would make millions for the company.

Lydia signed and then nodded. "Fine. Liam, get packed."

The team quickly packed up the office with only essentials and went to their apartments. With this new regime taking power, it was likely that the press would be a target for attack, American or not, so they felt it safest to leave the office altogether. Lydia and Stile went to go gather things from their apartment and Theo joined Liam in his. Part of Theo was still weary of these new found friends. None of them were German, so they likely would not report him, but he also knew there was an ulterior motive for them helping him. He just did not know what. Theo already had his belongings packed, so he simply sat at the able as Liam packed what few possessions he had. "How did you come to work for an American newspaper?"

"The New York Times is one of the most famous newspapers in the world," Liam replied, packing his clothes into a suitcase. "They have a station in London, and I love politics, so I thought this would get my up close to the action. I worked as an assistant in the office for a few months, but when Mr. Stilinski got transferred to Berlin, they needed a translator. I speak German, so I applied or the transfer too and was accepted."

Theo nodded, sounded reasonable enough. He was aware the the New York Times was famous and stationed reporters all around the globe. After all, Germany is exploding with news, although, so is most of Europe. "I noticed your German was exceptional. Did you take it in school?" Theo asked. Learning other languages was often a privilege of the upper class. The only reason that he knew many languages was because his parents invested the extra money. They wanted Theo to be able to leave Germany, if necessary.

Liam shook his head, closing his suitcase and securing it closed. "No, my mother was German, so we often spoke it at home." He said shortly. Something about his tone made Theo think that Liam's mother might not be alive anymore, so he did not push it. However, he was intrigued by his new friend.

"Why is he helping me?" Theo continued, realizing that Liam did not like Theo prying into his personal life. Besides, as interesting as Liam seemed to be, this was the actualy answers that Theo was after.

"Mr. Stilinski is always up for a good story," Liam explained as he joined Theo at sitting at the table. "A young man from Germany, fleeing in the midst of a borderline revolution in order to rendezvous with a Russian relative in Denmark? Who wouldn't want to read about that?! Besides, I think we all know there is more to your story than just that, if and when you're willing to share. So he has to sneak you out of Germany to get that story. Its worth it."

"I guess," Theo replied. He never thought his life story would be that interesting. Although part of him could understand. The United States was so isolated from the rest of the world that these changes in Europe would certainly interested him. Theo just wished he remembered his life before he was found. Perhaps that would make for an interesting story too, but probably not. No Russian orphan had a noteworthy life, especially not him. Then, Theo noticed Liam pull out his passport, and Theo was surprised to see that it was a Danish passport. He decided not to say anything. He had done enough prying.

"Come on, we need to meet them at the train station," Liam replied, picking up his bag and passport. "Its best if we leave this country as soon as possible."

Marching down the stairs of their two bedroom apartment, Lydia slammed her suitcase down on the table. "I am not getting fired for this," she proclaimed at Stiles who was packing away all of his papers. She was unsatisfied with his lack of a reply, so she continued, "We were sent here to report on the Nazi Party's rise to prominence. Headquarters let you interview with Anna Anderson, and travel to Copenhagen to meet the Dowager Empress, but this is going to get us fired."

"Or this is going to get us the best-selling story the Times has ever published," Stiles corrected, looking up at Lydia. He knew Lydia meant well, and he loved her practical mind. It was a good balance with his impulsive personality, but he just wished this once she had a bit more faith in him. "We will be able to break the biggest story in the history of the world. You and me... and to a lesser extent Liam, but you and me, Lydia. Isn't that why you joined me? When I met you, you were as obsessed with the deposed European Royalty as I was what happened?"

In a way, he was right. His focus on royalty was the whole reason she applied to work for him all those years ago. She was drawn to their stories of exile and their attempt to make it in a modern world, while still being living embodiments of antiquity, but something did change. Seeing how these attention seeking vultures surrounded that Anna Anderson, who was clearly mentally ill, made Lydia feel an extreme sense of guilt. No one cared about these people anymore, other than to gain fame and fortune from their trauma, and Lydia refused to be a part of it. "I grew up. Thats what happened Stiles. This, this world unfolding around us is what really matters, not some people who used to be somebody," She took a deep breath. "Besides, you don't even know I this boy is the Prince. And even if he was, he has stayed secret this long. Maybe he wants it to stay that way."

"Lydia, he is going to meet his grandmother in Copenhagen, which is the exact location of the Dowager Empress. Perhaps they are waiting to reunite before going public," Stiles said, closing his suitcase and standing up to leave. As he and Lydia walked out the door, they briskly walked to the train station. "But he could also have amnesia. When i met Anna Anderson, she said she suffered from amnesia, which is why she didn't come out sooner."

Marching beside stiles, as the flurries of snow fell around them, Lydia scoffed, "Please don't tell me you think that woman is Anastasia!"

Stiles stopped in his tracks and turned to face Lydia, as the bustling crowds pushed past them, "Why do you even care? Are you afraid that would make me fall in love with her?" He teased, before grabbing her suitcase to carry it for her, and continuing the walk to the train station.

"Oh please, you should be so lucky!" She shouted back to him, rushing to try and keep up with his long strides. "The way I see it, you're both crazy, so you'd make the perfect match."

Once they reached the train station, the saw Liam and Theo already standing there, "Shhhh, we have to keep playing it cool. If he thinks we are on to him, this could ruin the whole plan," He said and walked over to the two males, Lydia obediently following him. "Hello boys, lets not waste anymore time. To Denmark we go! Don't worry Theo, we can do the interview on the train." As they entered the train station, he looked around and saw Nazi flags being erected on street corners. Part of him agreed with Lydia, that what was going on here would affect the world in ways they did not yet understand, but he knew the story his heart wished follow, and that story was going to Copenhagen.

The train stations gave Theo a little trouble getting a ticket, but seeing as he did have travel papers and he was traveling with foreign journalists, they allowed him to get a ticket to leave. Boarding the train meant Theo was saying goodbye to the only home he'd ever known. He was essentially leaving as a refugee, leaving his mother behind to sufer the consequences of whatever was to come.

A/N: Sorry things are moving slow! The history nerd in me is obsessed with incorporating as many easter eggs as possible lol. Part of me is just extremely fascinated with the fact that the any surviving Romanov child would be able to witness the rise of nazi Germany. It's just two things not commonly associated, but it just goes to show how little time had actually gone by! To put it simply, i am really trying to set the scene and make it really feel like these characters are in 1933, so i am getting carried away lol.