Hi, so here is another chapter so please let me know what you think. There is a time jump within this chapter so please keep that in mind.

Please Read and Review.

Disclaimer-Nothing here is mine just this chapter, the character of Jon and the character of Edith.

Also any inaccuracies with the city of Melbourne are my own, I have done some research into the city but any inaccuracies I fully own.

Also please keep in mind some historical accuracies as well.

The speech at the end was what was said by Neville Chamberlain on the 3rd September 1939 and it was replayed throughout the empire including Australia heralding the start of the Second World War.

A Sister's Love

Chapter 9-A Few Good Men

Time goes on as it always does. It's 1939 and the world is on the brink of war and Liesl and Brigitta must find a way to carry on. Regardless.

Time goes on. Even when you think it doesn't. Even when you think that there is no conceivable way that it can go on.

Time goes on.

Even towards the unthinkable.

It was 1939. It was the third of September 1939 and for Liesl it was almost a normal day. It had been months—nearly nine since they had come to live with Jon and his grandmother and though she thought she would hate it in truth she found that she loved it.

They had not gotten an annulment. Jon had wanted to but the situation in Europe had gotten significantly worse. Even throughout the whole 'Peace Of Our Time' scenario that had made Brigitta furious over her dinner, they had still not going the annulment. It had not been because of anything that had happened between them, she was now seventeen and still a virgin as much as she was when she was sixteen but the complications that came with a marriage such as theirs and the fact that their documentation had not come yet (no doubt due to an intense backlog) meant that they were still married but not married all at the same time.

And yet at something that should be so utterly terrible instead turned out to be rather nice. Edith, Jon's grandmother had taken the news of what had happened better than Liesl had expected. All things considering. Liesl did not know what her father would have done if the roles were reversed but she was guessing he would not have taken to the news as well as Edith did. After Jon had calmed down she had ushered all three of them into a sumptuously decorated living room and had sat down to hear the story. A couple of times Brigitta had made to interrupt but Liesl had shushed her and allowed him to speak the story as truthfully as he could. Edith had listened and then had poured herself a scotch and then another downing both of them in quick succession turning her face from them all for a second. When she had turned around though her face and her hands had been perfectly steady and her smile kind.

"Well" she said into the silence. "Thank God your alright Jon"

"Grandmother—" but she held up a hand and he fell silent.

"I do not want to tell you what I went through when I found that you had gone and your passport with you. But you are here and you are alive. I can mourn…I will mourn in private. But you are here my boy and for that I am thankful in a way that I cannot put into words."

Jon watched her for a second but then nodded.

Edith sighed.

"Of course this—" she said pointing at Liesl who made an effort to shade Brigitta somewhat from view.

"This takes the cake."

"I know."

"Honestly I don't even—god you are so like your mother. It used to be birds with her, cats, mongrels, now it's bloody child refugees"

"Liesl is sixteen"

"Oh sixteen? Oh well sixteen makes all the difference!"

She smacked Jon on the head ignoring his yelp.

"Stupid boy. Do you want to know what I was doing at sixteen?"

"Probably hitting all the boys?"

"Don't tempt me boy"

There was a sense that this could go on for a while so Liesl had thought that she better step in.

"Mrs Van—"

"Webster dear. Mrs Webster and look I don't blame either one of you. I've heard what that dreadful little man is doing, I assume you have a reason for escaping and I assume there is a reason that at sixteen there is no adult with you but this one…" she pointed her figure at Jon.

"What was the plan? Get them papers and then what—have you compromised this child?"

"What?" Jon cried at the same time Liesl cried "No" and Brigitta piped up "What's been compromised?"

Edith Webster rolled her eyes.

"Never you mind my dear. Well?"

"No nothing has happened. I just thought that it was the only way. And if they could stay with you until we found their family…"

Edith Webster said nothing.

"Alright" she said softly. She turned to both of them.

"You'd better sit down" she said quietly. "And I do apologise for my rudeness. But dealing with the men in my family takes a hell of a lot longer than one assumes"

Liesl ushered Brigitta into a chair.

"I think" Mrs Webster said finally. "That we should have some tea and then you can tell me everything" she said looking at Liesl.

"Thank you Mrs Webster"

She'd paused and then looked at Liesl as if trying to see something beyond seeing and Liesl was suddenly aware that she was tired, in old hand washed clothes that were un-ironed and that the closest thing that she and Brigitta had come to a bath was a wet rag in the sink of the shared toilet on the ship. When she spoke again her voice was considerably softer and her smile gentler.

"My friends call me Edith dear. You and your sister can also call me Edith"

And with that she had bustled off to get tea.

She had heard the story—Liesl had to be honest with her and when she had been finished she'd nodded.

"Well we can certainly help" she said as proficient as if she was a banker. If Liesl had not seen her when she had been mourning her granddaughter a second ago she would have thought that nothing would shake this unflappable woman. Even a war.

"You and your sister can stay here. We can forgo rent for help around the house for a bit if your both amenable. Also we can look at schooling. It might take sometime—now let me think—smoothing over this marriage should not be too great an issue if I can explain to the Feminist Society that Jon's saved you from certain and terrible death—"

"Told you" Jon muttered out of the corner of his mouth and Liesl had, had to hide her smile.

"But then again—now certainly nothing is going to happen until you are eighteen but then—how do you wish this marriage to proceed?"

Liesl nearly choked on her tea.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Dear were all friends here so I'll put it more bluntly. Do you intend to fuck my grandson in my house and have a regular marriage?"

Jon inhaled half his scotch. Brigitta gasped.

"Err…" she shot Jon a look.

"Grandmother we don't need to discuss—"

"Oh yes we do. I don't hold to all that nampy-pampy wishy washy bollocks that children need coddling. I speak my mind in my house and I don't care who knows it. So…"

"I don't intend to do anything shameful." Liesl said shaking her head. "I was brought up better than that Mrs—Edith. And I have my sister to think about. I know I am incredibly lucky to have met your grandson but he told me that an annulment was possible if we had a—friendship instead of a marriage. And I hope that is still acceptable"

Jon nodded.

"Hmm…well…ok. But for appearances sakes you must try and appear in public together. I don't want anyone suggesting this was what it is. A marriage to get through the gates. We can work on an annulment based on how young you were and the fact that no parent signed off when the papers are in and we've found your family. Until then you will both share separate bedrooms and you will both keep your doors shut at night"

Liesl nodded. Jon nodded too.

"Now then…let's you too sorted out. And you—" she pointed at Jon. "Can go down to the butchers and get me a haunch of pork. I think we all need a good dinner tonight."

"Isn't Evans—"

"He took the week off—my butler and cook" she said to Liesl "And he'll be back from Victoria on Monday. Now shoo"

And that had been the end of that.

That night Brigitta had slept soundly and Liesl had crept back to her own room opposite the hall and had slipped under clean cool sheets and had slept as she had never slept before. She locked all the paperwork and money she had with her in a box under the floorboard that she found loose and she was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

That morning she had woken up to find Brigitta in Edith's library surrounded by books. Edith in long trousers her greying hair swept elegantly back was handing her books. Brigitta looked to be in her element and Liesl knew that the fact that she was in a house surrounded by books, an educated woman and maps of the world had convinced her that she was in the right place.

Australia as it turned out was a warm and welcoming place. There were huge swaths of immigrant communities in Melbourne and Edith seemed to know them all. Liesl went to the local church to pray for thanks only to find the local father, Father Blake to be wonderfully welcoming. Afterwards she had gone for a walk to see the local places with Edith and the markets and the woman had taken her to get new clothes for both her and Brigitta and then had taken her into a local coffee shop that was so charmingly elegant it wouldn't have looked out of place on a newsreel showing Paris.

"You know" Edith said as she stirred the sugar in her coffee.

"It is not you. I know Jon…I practically raised him after his mother. I knew he'd have to do something. And I feel for you my girl I do, and if it was a genuine love match—"

"I understand"

"Do you?"

Liesl shrugged. "I am not what you wanted for your grandson, a clandestine marriage with someone he barely knew. I know we raise questions"

"Oh it's not that" she said waving aside the questions that were surely bound to come up in situations such as this.

"I have never been one for societal norms and I am not one to start now. And I will do all that is possible to reunite you with your family. But…but I will not pretend that I am happy with what Jon has done"

"He was ashamed" Liesl said. She felt compelled to defend him. After all sexual relations or not he was her husband.

"He was ashamed to come home to you without his sister. He thought…I do not know what he was thinking but I know that he saved me. He saved Brigitta. And for that I will always be his friend. He does not deserve your condemnation if I may. Besides. The way I think he left things with his father…he took a shot at him"

Edith put down her cup and drummed her fingers on the table.

"Are you finished?" she asked.

"Yes"

"Good. I need an actual drink. What do you want?"

"Err…"

Edith rolled her eyes and walked her firmly over to the nearest pub where she ordered a stiff whiskey for herself and what she called a vodka tonic for Liesl. It came with ice and she sipped it. Rolfe had once brought her wine and she had been dizzy after a mug of it though she had never known if it was the wine or Rolfe. But she sipped her drink as Edith stared into space and said nothing for a long time simply drumming her fingers on the wooden table the sound, sounding like the distant beat of the drums of war.

"That bastard" she said finally.

"Who?"

"My son in law, I told Elisa, my daughter not to trust him. But…but I had grandchildren so I told myself what did it matter and then the pestilence took my daughter and…oh that stupid boy" she said shaking her head.

"What you must think—I didn't ask him to do anything. And I want him here regardless of weather or not he found his sister. One of them safe is better than nothing. But there is a special place in hell for men like my son in law"

There was a long pause.

"I don't think badly of you" Liesl said quietly. "I don't know what you think of me either"

"I think you are rather impressive" Edith said finally. "I am not sure if there was something else I could have done that you did not. And…and if you do choose to take a step forwards in your marriage…then I will not mind, nor will I mind if you choose to take your pleasure elsewhere. But I do not want secrecy behind closed doors. We are women. We do not share secrets"

Liesl thought that she was perhaps the strangest woman she had ever met.

And that included the time when the nun turned up at the gates of her house and turned her life upside down.

"I thank you" she said finally.

"Oh no dear. Thank you. If you got him home, then thank you"

She patted Liesl on the hand and carried on drinking in silence.

That was the day that Liesl decided she liked vodka.

That was 2nd February 1939.

And now it was September 3rd 1939.

They were up already. Brigitta had been convinced since the day before that this was going to happen. The invasion of Poland had dominated all conversations and that night Edith had locked the doors to the house and had insisted nobody go out the next day until they knew what was happening. Jon had come down to breakfast with a grim expression and as the radio was turned on he reached out and grabbed Liesl by the hand.

"I am sorry that I didn't get you back to your mother and father" he said softly. Liesl kissed him.

It was on the cheek but she was suddenly aware that this was her husband, that she was seventeen and that everything was about to change.

In the next few months she would look back at this moment and remember it.

Jon picked up her hand and kissed her.

It was not the first kiss they had shared—after all they had kissed the day they had gotten married. But this one…this one was different.

It was gentle and soft and when he pulled back his eyes were very bright.

"Perhaps we don't need an annulment" he said finally. "Perhaps a war widow I will make of you"

"Do not joke" Liesl said finally. "Please do not joke about that"

Jon smiled that twisted sardonic, dark smile and then he was gone and she was left in the kitchen feeling oddly like she was about to cry.

But the broadcast was starting so she followed him into the living room. Evans who was the butler as well as a trained cook was also there. She liked him. He had come home from visiting his mother to find them there and had never so much as batted an eyelid or voiced an opinion but had instead made them meal after meal declaring only they were much to thin and he didn't trust European food.

Brigitta came and sat next to her and Liesl was painfully aware of a time when she used to be able to pull her baby sister onto her lap. Now Brigitta was eleven and there was no pulling her anywhere. She went where she went regardless of the consequences and right now she was gripping the edge of the seat with white knuckled fingers. Out of all of them Brigitta had been the one who had seen this coming. Prying her fingers off the couch she took her sister's hand in her own as the radio crackled finally to life and Neville Chamberlain, Prime Minister of Great Britain spoke to the country and all the dominions.

And Liesl took a breath.

"I am speaking to you from the cabinet room at 10 Downing Street. This morning the British Ambassador in Berlin handed the German Government the final note, stating that unless we heard from them by eleven o'clock that they were prepared at once to withdraw their troops from Poland, a state of war would exist between us.

I have to tell you know that no such undertaking has been received and that consequently this country is at war with Germany"

And Liesl breathed again.

There was nothing that could be done. Brigitta next to her was like a stone. Edith had her hands on her mouth and Jon, cigarette in his own mouth was watching from the doorway his hands shoved in his pockets. Even Evens was watching.

Liesl looked at him, at her husband and she thought of her brothers, of her friends in Austria, of all the other young men in this world whose world had been turned upside down and who would be asked to give the greatest sacrifice a country can ask it's population to give for the second time in many a person's lifetime.

World War Two had begun.

Time moved on.

Even for her.

Even right now.

And there you go, let me know what you think and I will do all that I can to bring you the next chapter, sooner rather than later.

Next Chapter-As World War Two begins for most of the world Jon is given an offer he is not sure he can refuse, Liesl is caught between her feelings and Brigitta wants to plan out her life.