Hi, so here is another chapter and with this one there are only eight more left! We are getting there slowly but surely so please all hang in as we go towards the ending with full steam.

Disclaimer-Nothing here is mine.

Please Read and Review.

And the Garvey's are just a complete joy to write. Especially Susannah.

A Sister's Love

Chapter 22-Whistlin Past The Graveyard

Liesl is decidedly pregnant, the Garvey's come to stay, Brigitta gets a special first something, Friedrich is on borrowed time (but still manages to have some fun) and a new year begins as the war takes another sharp turn.

Eugene and his father and his sister came as Liesl's pregnancy hit four months. Also as Friedrich finally got his clean bill of health. He had been involved in the training exercises that so many of the other men had been but so far he had manged to escape being shipped out back to some small holding island in the Pacific while they waited for the powers that be to get their shit together (his words not Liesl's or Brigitta's though it had made them both laugh) and therefore he was able to spend Christmas with them.

Christmas was a small but joyous affair made more so by the Garvey's who came to stay with them and by the fact that Friedrich had finally managed to get his post confirming to their father that they were both alive onto a plane that was going back to the States. He warned them that, that was no guarantee that it would actually get back to their father as post was often delayed or destroyed by enemy action but it was better than anything they had managed to grab, borrow or steal in the last four years. Indeed as 1944 drew to a close and 1945 beckoned on the horizon it seemed that they had much to celebrate.

For once it looked like the war was going to go in their favour. The Americans and the British and the rest of the Allies had made a tremendous push since D-Day. They had smashed through France and had taken Holland and were now embroiled in Belgium, the Germans were putting up one hell of a fight but they were getting increasingly battered and that was nothing compared to what was going on, on the Eastern Front. News there was few and far between because of the nature of the Russian forces but Brigitta knew that they were decimating everything they came into contact with. Stalingrad had been a whisper of a rumour in Australia but if even half of what they were saying about it was true then the Soviet Union was putting up one of the most brutal fights that anyone had ever seen.

And that was before you looked at the Pacific. Even Friedrich had to admit that things were looking up if only marginally. The Japanese Army too was significantly weakened by prolonged conflict, the Americans were pumping troops into islands with a terrible cost but they were holding their own. As Friedrich had pointed out everyone was exhausted and the problem was everyone had different views on what surrender looked like. And the men who were going through the shit were the ones that were suffering and there was nothing that could be done.

But there was a sense as Christmas rolled around that the war was nearly at the end. There was a taste of victory in the air that was almost infectious even though there was so much still at stake.

This was the first Christmas that they could official celebrate. Friedrich was with them, Liesl was pregnant and on December 20th the Garvey's came to visit. It was nice to be with them, nice to know that they had friends in this strange world that they had been living in and the best part of all was Eugene bounding up the path with that smile on his face that made something inside her twist a little.

"Hello" he said beaming. "Merry Christmas. You look nice"

He said all of this extremely quickly.

"Thanks" she said smiling back. He didn't need to know that she had spent time—a considerable amount of it at that—on making sure that her hair and her dress was perfect. She felt like an idiot for it but it was what she had and she showed the Garvey's in and introduced them to Friedrich who was sat chain smoking his way through a packet of cigarettes with a far off expression as Liesl her stomach curving with pregnancy came down the stairs.

It was what you would call an easy Christmas. Friedrich refused to come to mass saying that he'd had enough of praying that the war had ended but the rest of them did on Christmas morning. They had managed to find a turkey and even if Liesl didn't know how to cook it Luke Garvey did. They lit candles and toasted the end of the war as if it was happening right now instead of just a dream and it felt like a Christmas, a proper Christmas even if there were gaping absences where their family should have been.

There was a sense that this was a good Christmas. Luke Garvey had heard from his son Jack in Burma and things seemed as well as they could be there, in fact he was confident which was a first apparently. Wine was opened and drank and at the end everyone was in a good mood. Brigitta offered to clean up before desert and Eugene offered to help her. Somewhere along the way he had started out in a nice suit and tie but like all of them he had gotten decidedly more informal ditching the jacket and the tie and opening up top buttons in his shirt. He had hung on Friedrich's word for most of the time that her brother had been talking which Brigitta had chalked down to boys being boys or some such stereotype that she knew existed. Now however he was taking a dishtowel with a somewhat determined expression and she turned to wash the plates under the tap. It was Edith's best dishes. It was hard to believe that it was almost two and a half years since she had died. It was terrible how easy life moved on and yet like with their own family there were days…many of them in fact when she felt like it was yesterday.

"It's been a good day" Eugene said grinning.

"Yes"

"I know sometimes Christmas can be hard" he said conversationally. "Dad get's sad in the morning, cause Mom's not here you know? But he got a letter from Jack so it made his day, and I know that you must miss your family terribly even though your brother is here"

"I do."

And then because she was feeling brave she carried on despite the pitter patter of fear that was gripping her heart.

"He seems nice. Certainly Susannah seems to like him"

Brigitta kept her giggle to a minimum. Friedrich and Susannah had been de facto flirting since they had laid eyes on each other. She was absolutely sure that her brother was not interested in anything serious but she couldn't help but amused with his charm that nine times out of ten only existed whenever company was around. Friedrich had been a charming boy. He was now a charming man.

"He's going to get called up soon" she said quietly. "He's said nothing but we know it. There's talk of a major offensive in the new year"

"I know" Eugene said softly. "At some point there going to redeploy Jack. Everyone knows it's just one more push but the death toll…" he shook his head and Brigitta found that she was covering his hand with her own. She knew what he was thinking she was thinking the same thing, there had over the course of the last four years been so much death. So much talent had been lost…so many people including her had had their lives shattered and sometimes she felt guilty for feeling that way because despite all the odds she and Liesl had managed to carve out something that was a life for themselves, a good life…

"My family are based in Wisconsin" she said finally. "When the war is over…I think we might be going back there"

"You think?"

"I don't see them coming here" she said with a shrug. "I don't know…I don't know what their life has been like, I don't know what Jon will want to do or if the baby makes a difference to his plans with Liesl or even if they have a plan"

"But do you want to leave?" he asked quietly.

"No" she said softly. It was not a hard thing to say, she had been thinking about it for a long time after all. Australia was her home as much as Austria was. She didn't know if they could ever go back to Austria and if she was being honest she didn't think she ever wanted too. So much of that place was tainted with unhappiness both before the invasion and after it. She was not sure she could walk back in that house that she had grown up in and start her life over again. That golden period in her life was over. She had papers now, she went to school here, she knew people, she had a community, she had Eugene…well…kind of…

"Australia is my home" she said truthfully. "I have people here I have—" she cut herself off abruptly. She didn't know how she stopped herself from saying that she had him when she didn't actually have him.

"What?" he asked watching her with those intense dark eyes. Had he come closer at some point? Or was it just that her eyes had gotten sharper and now she could see the freckles that were dusting the bridge of his nose.

"I…I have you…I think"

God it was like she was wading through treacle.

Eugene nodded looking at her with a very unnerving expression. He was still holding her hand and their fingers were suddenly linked together. She could feel the heat coming off his body and she was achingly aware of how close she was.

"Should have brought some mistletoe" he said softly.

"No" she said smiling. "Too much of a cliché"

"Yeah" he said softly and then his lips were on hers and they were kissing.

Her first kiss.

At first it was dry and chapped but then his mouth opened a little and his tongue probed hers. She had no idea if she was doing it right but it felt right even though Brigitta thought her brain was being scrambled into egg. Instead she went with what felt right and so she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer.

It was great…it was perfect even.

She thought she could have stayed like this forever but—

"Eugene"

They broke apart and whirled around and even as her heart rate struggled to get back to normal she could feel the blood rush to her cheeks.

"Dad"

"Hello son" Luke Garvey said with a perfectly controlled tone holding his cup of coffee.

"Dad I can—"

"Oh don't worry son" he said with a smugness that Brigitta was not sure about. "You and I will have a long talk about this and everything else that comes with it some other time. But in the meantime I think we would all like desert or at the very least I would like a large brandy"

"Er…sure Dad"

"Good" he beamed at them both. "My little boy" he said beaming. "All grown up"

Eugene went scarlet his mouth dropping open in all the horror of a fourteen year old boy that had just been caught red handed by his father. Brigitta couldn't help but giggle though that might just be delayed mortification.

"Dad!"

"Ah son let your old man have this one"

"Oh Dear Lord—" Eugene said rubbing his free hand over his face as his Dad left the room. "Sorry about that"

"Don't be" Brigitta said finally. "It's…it's cute"

"Cute" Eugene muttered with an eyeroll and a scowl. He looked so adorable that Brigitta couldn't help but kiss him on the cheek.

"Cute" she said grinning. "Now come on and help me find the cake that your sister brought with her"

He hadn't wanted to tell them on Christmas Day. Hell he didn't want to tell them period even though he knew that it would come out.

They had called him back up. He was going to spend New Years on a boat and he was going to have to say goodbye to his sisters and go back to that blood and that sand and all that fucking death.

This was going to be bad as well. Call him crazy or call him superstitious but Friedrich liked to think that he knew when it was going to be bad or really bad. This tie he had a feeling that it was going to be really fucking disastrous.

But he had not said so, it was one more day with his sisters, a perfect Christmas, or as perfect as it could be since his whole world had gone topsy turvy.

There was a knock at the door.

"Yeah" he said softly.

It was dark now, everyone had gone to bed, this house was big enough for them all to have their own beds so when the door opened and that blonde girl slipped in in her dressing gown he found he was sitting up.

"Can I help you?"

"Yes" Susannah said quietly. "But I think I can help you too"

Friedrich eyed her.

"I don't want you hurt" he said softly. "I'm not looking for marriage or children—"

"I don't want either" she said rolling her eyes. "I just want…I want to get out of my skin, I want to feel something and do something that doesn't involve blood and guts, I don't want you to fall in love with me and I don't expect you too and—oh Jesus Christ do you want to fuck or not?"

He laughed. It felt good actually, Friedrich could not remember the last time he had laughed in genuine amusement and somehow she had managed to make him laugh. He stubbed out his cigarette and pushed back the covers. He had pants on but nothing else and his dog tags suddenly felt cold against the bare skin of his chest despite the fact that for December it was quite warm.

"Your not like most girls you know"

"It's called being modern. A modern woman for a new modern world. It's the only good thing that comes out of this. And unlike your sister I am prepared"

"That's what it's called?" he asked and she smiled.

"It's called family planning actually. I take precautions and I live my life with no regrets. I am not looking for a man but I am looking for a good time"

"Oh. Bet your Dad loves that"

She rolled her eyes again and stuck one hand on her hip and he saw the outline of her body underneath the silk and found that he was almost giddy with desire.

"You really wanna talk about my Dad right now?"

"Not really" he said standing up.

"Good" she said and then she undid her dressing gown and let it fall to the floor and Friedrich felt that tell-tale swoop of pleasure that came when you had a beautiful woman in your arms and then she was pushing him back onto the bed, climbing on top of him, her blonde hair falling over her shoulder and his hand found her face to pull her downwards and he knew that he was in for a good night with a woman he liked and respected and who was willing and he found that it drove everything out of his mind.

Even the war.

And there you go, bit of a filler chapter but I hope you like it anyway. Next chapter will see the return of a couple more characters.

Next Chapter-It's 1945 and Europe is slowly being liberated. Jon in his new post comes across something so utterly horrific that stuns everyone around him and meets a girl that reminds him rather terribly of his wife.