Chapter Nine

Gabrielle came out of the Polish children's hospital. It was the third one she had been in. It had been three long painful months since she last saw Joe Liebgott back in Zell Am See, Austria. She realised after he left she hadn't told him she loved him.

It had been hard to say good-bye to all her friends, but it would have been harder to leave any hope of finding her brother behind.

Gabrielle pulled her black leather gloves over her hands that matched the black belt that was over her red wool suite. She finally looked like what she had looked like before the war started, only more grown up, much more grown up.

The older nurse standing beside her spoke in atrocious German, "Are you alright miss?" Gabrielle looked at her and gave a small smile.

"Yes, it appears that I am going to Russia." The nurse smiled and walked back into the hospital.

Gabrielle had been upset to find out that her grandparents who lived in Sweden had passed away, but had been even more surprised to find out they left her their assets, which gave her the means to search for her little brother.

"GABRIELLE!" Gabrielle turned to head back to the street when something hit her full force around her middle. She looked down to see to her shock that her little brother was hugging her waist. Gabrielle was standing stock still, in case if she moved he would disappear. When she seemed to come back to her senses. She knelt down and held him by his arms. He had an enormous smile on his face. "GABRIELLE!" He yelled again.

"Jacob…but how?" was all she managed to say tears filling her eyes. He was so thin and his thick brown hair had been shaved and was slowly growing back in a peach fuzz fashion, but he was alive.

"Joe said we would find you, but I didn't believe him, but we did and now I am here with you, Joe is great! He bought me a lot of candy and I mean a lot of candy! I said I wasn't aloud candy before dinner but he let me eat it all on the train! I knew I would find you! Joe let me hold his gun!" Gabrielle struggled to take in all of what Jacob was saying in rapid succession. She shook her head, her heart catching in her throat.

"Wait, Joe?" Her heart was pounding. Jacob smiled and turned pointing at a man a little ways away.

Gabrielle stood and saw Joe Liebgott standing leaning against a statue. He was wearing a pair of black slacks, a white shirt and a black jacket. He was smiling at her. She took her little brothers hand and dragged him behind her as if afraid to loose him again.

She stopped right in front of Joe. He glanced at the ground then back at her saying, "I told you I loved you." She stared at him for a second before throwing her arms around his neck.

He wrapped his arms around her body. "I love Joe!" was all Gabrielle managed to say then something occurred to her. She pushed back from him and looked at him. "You let my little brother hold your gun?" Joe opened his mouth then looked at Jacob. He swatted Jacob on the back to his head.

"You swore not to tell!" Jacob smiled guiltily at Joe.

"Come on, or we'll miss the train!" said Jacob jumping up and down. Joe looked at Gabrielle.

"Your brother can't handle sugar." Gabrielle smiled.

"Like gas on a flame, what train?" Joe cleared his throat and looked at Jacob who stared back blankly then seemed to remember.

"We are going to San Francisco! On a boat!" Jacob told his big sister proudly. Gabrielle looked at Joe.

"I told you, I am taking you with me, and I'm going home." Gabrielle smiled at him.

"We don't want to be late do we?" Joe put his arm around her waist and Gabrielle took her brother's hand as they walked off towards the train station.

"Hey, Gab,"

"Yeah?"

"Can I have the car?"

"No,"

"Why not? I told Sandy I would take her to the drive in!"

"Sorry, Joe and I are going to his parents for dinner." Gabrielle yelled up stairs at her brother in their two-story apartment. Her seventeen-year-old brother practically fell down the stairs he went so fast.

"Do I have to come?" He said panic in his eyes. He hated going to Joe's parents.

"No," he sighed and went back up stairs.

Gabrielle rolled her eyes. She went back into the living room looking around, she glanced at the clock. Joe was late, no surprise there.

"Where is Nate?" Jacob shouted down the stairs.

"Nathaniel you mean? He is with Joe, he wanted to go out in the cab."

"That smart?"

"Oh it couldn't do any harm." Nathaniel was Joe and Gabrielle's six-year-old son.

"Except to Joe's sanity." Gabrielle rolled her eyes. The door opened, and the eight month pregnant Gabrielle turned to see Joe walk in with Nate in toe.

"That is it no more trips!" Nate sat down and started playing with his trucks ignoring his father.

"Joe what's wrong?" Joe looked at Gabrielle.

"He wouldn't sit still. He kept jumping around and asking the people in the back questions. He asked a priest if he was Jewish, when the priest said no Nate made a low whistling noise and said the priest was in trouble." Gabrielle giggled at Joe's words.

"Sounds funny too me." She said kissing Joe's cheek.

"Yeah well it wasn't." He turned to Gabrielle. "How are you? The twins give you any trouble?" She laughed.

"Aside from not liking a tuna sandwich I had at lunch them seem fine." Joe smiled at her then glanced at the clock.

"Jesus!" He said. Nate looked up.

"Moses daddy, we like Moses." Gabrielle and Joe both looked at their son.

"Where did you learn that sweetie?" Gabrielle asked amused with her son.

"Aaron's dad is making a comic book for Aaron and he showed me some. Mommy Moses wears this neat purple cape and has a magic staff that has super powers."

Joe opened his mouth to say something but Gabrielle gently put her fingers over his mouth. He looked at her. "It is worth it," She said in German, "At least he is taking an interest in his religion." Gabrielle could sense that Joe was about to argue that a super hero Moses wasn't Judaism so she distracted him. She pointed at the clock. "Is that the time." Joe glanced at the clock his mouth open.

"Come on, we're late." He grabbed her hand and dragged her towards the door.

"Jacob?" Gabrielle yelled up the stairs as Joe helped her into her coat.

"Yeah?" Jacob asked sauntering casually down the stairs.

"Don't let Nate out of your sight, no candy, and make sure he is bed by eight, no waiting up, oh and if Sandy come over I want you to have a healthy dinner, no pizza. Understand?" Jacob nodded, before she could get him to swear it, Joe had shuffled her out the door.

Nate came running out onto the porch. "Bye Mummy." He said, with a little difficulty Gabrielle knelt down and hugged her son and kissed him on the cheek. Joe hugged him and then continued to badger Gabrielle towards their car.

"Come on," He said. Gabrielle looked at her husband.

"I love you," He looked at her. He smiled.

"I love you too." He kissed her forgetting about the time.

A/N: So that is my story and I hope everyone like my second band of brother's fan fic. Thanks!