Berlin, 1939

John blinked, smiling at the sight of Anna above him. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to wake you up." She straddled him, leaning over to kiss him while putting some of her hair over her ear. "You've got a deadline to meet."

"It's Easter."

"I know what it is." Anna rested her arms on his chest, bending her body over to kiss around his face. "And we need to go to church so I can confess my sins."

"What sins have you got to confess? You're an angel."

"I've been sleeping with a man who's not my husband for some time now." Anna bit at her lip, "It's not only against the laws of God but it's also against the impositions of the Fuhrer."

"Perhaps he instituted that rule because he's jealous he could never get someone as beautiful as you to look twice at him."

"Maybe." Anna winked and then pushed off his chest. "But we're going to church all the same."

"After," John wrapped his arms around her waist. "I intend to give you a bit more to confess about first."

"Do you now?" Anna giggled, leaning over to kiss along his jaw line.

But she gasped back as John's fingers, teasing under her nightdress, slipped under the line of her knickers. Twisting to escape him, Anna tipped forward toward John and caught herself with her hands on either side of his head. As his fingers slipped between her folds, drawing back and forth across her, he grinned and she kissed him.

Their tongues tangled with one another, John using his hand on her hip to try and push her nightdress higher so he could gain more access to her skin. Anna, on the other hand, seemed content to use her hands to hold his head steady so she could sweep his mouth. John tried to push past the moans and groans escaping from his lips so he could gain the upper hand in their teasing but Anna kept up her relentless attacks. With her teeth and tongue, she left John almost dizzy for lack of air.

Focusing the one corner of his mind he had left, John drove his middle finger into Anna. Her gasp broke their kiss and John forced her nightdress higher as he sat up to kiss over her exposed torso and breasts. Anna's finger dug into the hair at the back of his head, sliding through the strands to hold him steady, but abandoned her grip to tear her nightdress from her.

It fluttered to the floor, unnoticed, as John stroked his other fingers along her folds. Flicking with his wrist he managed to place his thumb at her bundle of nerves while guiding his other hand to her ass to hold her closer to him. She writhed against him, desperate in her scrape of nails against his shoulders and neck. When his mouth closed around one of her breasts she called out with a throaty moan.

John shifted, trying to get deeper with his fingers but they could only drive so far. He groaned against her breast and drew away in time for Anna to force his head up so she could kiss him again. Her hips bucked against him, driving toward his arousal and rubbing herself against his occupied fingers to send him higher and harder the longer she continued moving.

It was her fingers wrapped around his wrist that pulled him from her, just on the verge of her climax, and John turned to look in her eyes. She winked and used her fingers to untie his sleep trousers and force them down his legs. John lifted his hips, scissoring his legs to expose himself, and then tugged Anna closer. Slipping over the sheets she tried to settle above him but John slid under as he pulled her forward.

Anna's hand grabbed the headboard and held herself steady as John dragged her down to his mouth. Her whimpers drove John to send her higher and higher. She twisted and tried to get closer to him until her quivering muscles spasmed to finish. Anna's head hung lower, her gasping breaths giving John a smile as he twined them like a Mobius strip to place her where he needed her.

But he did not move. Just rocked gently against her, the fire in her sensitive flesh twitching and gyrating her as their eyes met. The haze in hers had John leaning forward just enough to meet his lips. No hurry was left in their movements as Anna put her hands on his shoulders, keeping the kiss going, and sank down on him.

Their foreheads met, the kiss broke, and they basked in the eternal second of first joining. John wrapped an arm around her, his hand coming down to hold her ass steady. Anna gasped, hitching up on him to send a spark of pleasure through John that had him gritting his teeth. A moment was all he gave her to flash her wicked grin before his work began.

The steady drive of his hips to snap against hers let the blood thump in his ears. Anna's lips and teeth worked over his skin, moving his head where she wanted so she could chase sensations of pleasure with her nips along his jaw or the suck of his earlobe into her mouth. John kissed the skin he could, following the line of her neck to her shoulder or back to her lips for a moment until they separated again.

Her legs shifted and she sank deeper, the guttural sound at the back of her throat dragging a groan from John. He bent his legs enough to increase his speed and risked a look at the sight of them. Even in the weak morning light he could see the slick streak she left on him as he drove as deeply into her as he could manage. John forced his head up and took Anna's lips again.

With a hand still holding her tight to him, John used his other hand to snake between them and press at her nerves. Anna keened against his lips and brought a hand to his cheek, pushing him away so she could stare at him as she came again. Her eyes rolled back into her head and John could only sacrifice a moment to a smug smile. In her flailing finish, Anna rocked against him and John grunted.

All sense drove from him when Anna pulled his ear close to her mouth and whispered, "Are you going to join me or not?"

The primal desire, at the back of his mind, took over and John pounded out his finish. In the afterward of the frenetic motions, he sagged back to stutter a finish. His fingers lost their secure hold as he lay back but Anna followed him. Her head settled on his shoulder and she breathed with him until she found the strength to slip loose.

John turned them enough to place her gently on the bed and smiled at her serene expression. "Will you confess that too?"

"I'll have to." Anna drew her finger down his nose and then lifted herself enough to see the clock on the table beside the bed. "And I'll have to get myself decent enough to go."

"You could miss it."

"Miss the day we recognize and praise the rising of our Lord?" Anna pulled her dressing gown from the floor and wrapped it over herself. "I think it's the worst day to miss."

"Aren't they all the same?"

"As a Catholic you should know that no, they're not all the same."

"I only remember," John pushed himself to sit up, "All of the masses were in Latin and my mind getting fogged with all the incense."

"You're just making excuses." Anna picked up her things, moving them to either the hamper for the clothes she needed to wash or returning the ones she wanted to wear later, and pulled out her Sunday best. "Are you coming with me?"

"Do I have to confess my sins as well?" John slid off the bed, gathering his clothes and laying a kiss at the base of Anna's neck when she turned her back to him.

"No." Anna sighed as he wrapped around her from behind. "I just wanted to show the church where I want to get married."

John stopped, "Married?"

Anna turned, stepping out of his hold. "I'd hoped… with all of our talk…"

"That's not what I meant," John waved his hands to stop her eyes from filling with tears. "It's… in England I can't get married in a church because I've been divorced."

She sighed, "I don't think that matters here."

"Why?"

"Because your wife's back in England or Ireland or somewhere not here." Anna took his hand, "If you're staying to hold the station here, I want us to do it as man and wife."

"I want that too." John kissed her forehead, "But it won't help you get out of here if things continue to escalate."

Anna frowned, "Why would that matter?"

"Because if you're my wife, I'd want to take you with me." John shook his head, "I couldn't leave and abandon you here and England's not taking non-nationals anymore."

"And?"

"I want us to be safe." John took both of her hands in his. "I've got some connections willing to help us get to Switzerland. They're willing to take anyone fleeing this mess and I think we should go there. Or Spain or Sweden. Anywhere but here."

"We can't leave. Our lives are here, John."

"What if there won't be lives to live here soon?" John waited, squeezing her hands before dropping. "Just, think about it. Tell me where you want to go and we'll go there. We'll escape together and that'll be it. Just you and I far from all of this."

Anna laughed, putting a hand to his cheek and kissing there. "You'd never be able to leave John. It's in your blood to stay where the story is and report until they toss you back."

"Not if you're in danger." John shook his head, "You're more important to me than any story. It's you that matters to me, no one else."

Anna studied his eyes before hers widened. "You're serious."

"Very." John took a breath, "I'll only propose to you, Anna Maria Schmidt, the moment I take you away from here. That's my promise."

"I'll take it." Anna kissed him, "Now, let me get on. I've got a service to attend."

John smiled to himself and hurried to gather his own clothes.

Kandahar, Present Day

Anna took a breath and pushed into the office, "Sir?"

"What is it Anna?" Colonel Crawley did not look up from his paperwork, scrawling his name on one sheet as the man at his side took it in a second to put it in a folder.

"I'm here about my request for leave." She entered the cooler office, the constant thud of the aircon in the corner worrying her with its occasional bucking belches of air and shudders. "You've seen it, yes?"

"I-" Colonel Crawley looked up, pausing before turning to the man. "Carson, I think I need a minute alone with the Major, is that's alright."

"Of course sir." Carson saluted him and then Anna. She returned it and stepped to the side so Carson could leave the office.

Taking a deep breath, Anna moved to Colonel Crawley's desk. "I don't want to sound… impertinent, sir, but I've been run ragged since I got here and I've recently learned you've brought on another doctor without informing me."

"Yes," Colonel Crawley drew the word out, worrying the pen in his fingers. "He arrived this morning. But I don't want him in the rotation until-"

"Sir," Anna interrupted, risking it. "I've already been here longer than the original agreement for my posting. As such, I'm feeling worn and weary. I'm running back-to-back surgeries for the humanitarian efforts and taking care of this base. I need the leave I requested and I need to start considering a transfer back to my posting at Harrogate."

"I thought you liked it here."

"That's a relative term." Anna managed another breath. "I understand that I was brought here for the article Mr. Bates is writing. You were hoping my lovely face and equally pleasing personality would send a better message home and I'm happy to fill in for that. But Doctor Clarkson's due back next week and that'll take the strain off your new doctor. More to the point, with a new doctor then it's my obligation to return to my post, sir."

Colonel Crawley put down his pen, studying Anna across his desk. "Am I to assume you're telling me you'll request a transfer if you're not granted leave?"

"I've been working non-stop here for six months sir. I'm entitled to leave in the interim and I need to take it for my health." Anna shrugged, "If you're taking my statements as anything more than fact then I'll leave the insinuations to you."

They waited, the stuttering coughs of the aircon the only disruption.

Finally, Colonel Crawley spoke. "Do you want to return to Harrogate?"

"Not as yet, sir." Anna pulled at the fingers of her left hand with her right. "There's a development here I believe I should see through to the end."

"Development?"

"There's reason for me to believe we've got someone causing some medical trouble." Anna winced, "Some of the local girls I've been treating are expression signs of syphilis."

"They are?" Colonel Crawley went to pull the receiver of his office phone to his ear but Anna held up a hand.

"Someone gave it to them, sir. Someone I believe is one of the soldiers on this base."

"You think one of my men did this?"

"With all due respect, sir, they're only your men for this deployment. It's not a reflection on you as much as on them and their personal lack of morality." Anna took a breath, "From what I've discovered, whoever it is doesn't have much to brag about in the size department and he's expressing a decreased sperm count. I'd hazard he's got a history of juicing."

Colonel Crawley pushed a hand through his hair. "You want leave in the middle of this crisis?"

"There's always going to be a crisis, sir." Anna met his raised eyebrow without losing her nerve. "Better take a break and then come back with the rest I need to tackle this problem."

"You think a week away will solve that problem?"

"I do sir." Anna ground her teeth a moment, "I'll be accompanying Mr. Bates on his trip to Berlin, sir."

"Excuse me?"

"Mr. Bates and I, during his shadow of me for his article, have been discussing his other work and he's invited me to see the next stage in his search."

Colonel Crawley snorted, "You mean his hopes he finds something about that couple from World War II?"

Anna frowned, "Yes sir but how do you-"

"John's been working on that story for years. Dug through my family archives for scraps when he found out my grandfather owned the office where the reporter worked before they closed it in '39."

"How fascinating."

"It's just history and digging through those records is his pointless passion." Colonel Crawley dug a paper from the stack and signed it quickly. Holding it out to her, he nodded. "You get your week. But I expect you back here with results on what you just told me before your tour ends."

"Another six months, sir." Anna took the paper, "And I'll be back on time, bright-eyed and bushy tailed."

"I do hope so." They saluted and Colonel Crawley waved toward the door, "Now make yourself scarce or I'll assume you were having me on about the leave."

"Yes sir." Anna ducked out of the office, avoiding Carson as the other man entered and held the paper up to show John. He jumped out of his seat, snatching at the paper to read it before grinning. She nodded and took it back. "We're going."

Berlin, 1939

John pushed through the crowd, growling and shoving a bit when they tried to back him into a wall. Papers and passports flailed in the air at the end of manically waving arms trying to crowd the train station. He ducked under the careless arm of a man and worked out of the crush to find Anna by the edge of the platform. She turned to him, her eyes hopeful and then falling to tears as he shrugged.

"I'm sorry. They… No one's giving the papers or passports for you to leave. I couldn't get us anywhere. It was my last hope." John glanced over his shoulder, noting the hovering presence of an officer in a dark uniform he thought might be Grün before noting the man's blonde hair. "I don't know what else to do."

"They already checked your flat and mine." Anna's hushed voice hissed at him, dragging him toward a pillar as the melee near the booths caused a few police to rush over and try to control the crowd. "They'll tear the office apart if they think you defied the order to expel you."

"They might have to physically drop me over the border."

"John," Anna chided, "You've heard what they've done to those who tried to defy them."

"And they're the noble ones."

"They might be the dead ones." Anna's voice caught, her head shaking violently, "I couldn't… I can't bear the idea that they might…"

"Anna," He soothed, taking her hands. "I won't put myself to the hazard if it might hurt you. I'd never do that. You're too important to me."

"I wish we had a way to stay together." Anna's fingers stroked over the empty spot on his finger and John sighed.

"They wouldn't even take the license from the church."

"We're still married in the eyes of God, John."

"But not in the eyes of the government and I'm worried…" John took another furtive look around them. "It's not a coincidence that Grün's been the one stalking me while I'm here. He knows Anna and I'm worried for you."

"I'll be fine." They both jumped as the loud whistle rang in their ears and a train pulled and puffed its way to the platform. "But you won't be if you don't go."

John shook his head, interlacing their fingers. "I'm not leaving you, Anna."

"If you don't go you'll be a prisoner of war, John. They'll put you in a camp or force you to swear allegiance to the regime and I know you won't do that." Anna tried to stop her sob but it cut through John's heart. "England's at war with us and you're the enemy to them."

"I'm the enemy to any tyrannical regime that would suppress freedoms and-"

"John," She stopped him, "There's nothing else for you here. You need to go."

"You're here. That's enough for me."

"If you stay you'll be killed or worse. Either way, we'll not be together."

"We could-"

"No, John," Anna shook her head. "We've not got time for schemes."

"Maybe-" John stopped, his eyes narrowing, "What do you know?"

"What?"

He did not answer. Turning on his heel and tightening his grip on her hand, John pulled Anna behind him. With his shoulder, John forced his way through the crush, with Anna dragging behind him. They found a path through the crowd to the booths or, more specifically, a man at the side.

Before the man could react, John grabbed his arm, forcing him to face them. "Fancy meeting you here Mr. Sampson."

Sampson paled, "I swear I was going to pay you back but then a Gestapo agent took my wallet and-"

"I've not got time for whatever excuse you have for me." John cut through the explanation, "You owe me a favor, Mr. Sampson, and I hope you're ready to help."

"What?"

"I need a passport, right now." John nodded at him. "I know you've got the tricks of your trade tucked away but you can make papers to give my wife here so she can get out of the country on that train."

Sampson's eyes darted to the side before he answered. "I've got none left. I gave the last ones I had to a Jewish family just-"

"Don't lie to me. You've not got the heart for that."

"I didn't say I gave it for free." Sampson pulled at his lapels, sniffing as if John insulted him with the idea of generosity. "They paid for them but the rest of my equipment's in pieces or tossed away. Think I want to end up in a ghetto or a prison when they know what I did?"

"Then find something for us."

"I've got nothing to give you." Sampson tried to get past them as the whistle blew. "I'm sorry but you need to get on that train with me to leave or you'll be trapped here."

"You need to help." John grabbed his coat but Sampson got loose.

"I've got no way to help you." He shrugged and offered a nod at Anna. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but there's no hope."

John struggled for something to say, turning to Anna, but she just squeezed his hand. "You've done all you can John."

"There's got to be something else."

"There's not." Anna pushed him toward the train. "I understand and I need you to go. I can't have you here."

"I won't go Anna." John tightened his hold on her. "I can't leave you here."

"John," Her tone brooked no argument, "I won't have you trapped in this country when you can leave and find a way to free us from out there."

"If I stay I'd be with you."

Anna sighed, "We've been over this. We both know you wouldn't and we can't risk it."

"We'll find someone to smuggle us out of here. We'll escape over a border if we have to walk. We'll-"

"John!" She interrupted him and John noted the level of insanity to his words. "You need to leave so you can find me when it's all over."

"Over?"

"Of course." Anna tried to stay strong but John felt the flutter in her fingers. "It'll resolve itself quickly, you'll see."

John could not find the words to say as the whistle blew again. Instead they hurried over the platform, stopping a door to a train carriage. The man there tried to argue but John glared him down and the man retreated.

"Here," John dug into his pocket and held out a box to Anna.

She took it, opening it and almost dropping the box in shock. John rescued it, pulling the ring loose to slide over her finger. Her delicate fingers he could not stop himself kissing.

"I know the government didn't recognize our marriage but I do and this says as much." John met her eyes. "I wanted to give it to you on bended kneed, making sure there was candlelight and soft music, and the chance I could make you happy."

"You already do." Anna kissed him fiercely, holding him to her in a crushing hug before releasing. "I couldn't be happier than I've been with you."

"Then know this is a promise." John held up her hand, making sure she focused on the ring. "It promises that I'll be back. However, whenever, whatever it takes so I can be back by your side."

"I know." Anna kissed him again, pushing him into the train as it sent a final whistle and lurched. "But if you don't leave now you won't fulfill that promise and I won't see you anywhere else but with me."

"I'll be back Anna." Their fingers pulled apart as the train moved. He raised his voice, "I love you Anna. I'll be back for you."

"I love you John. However, whatever, whenever."

"I love you!" He watched her nod as someone grabbed his coat and yanked him into the carriage so the door swung closed. "I love you forever!"

She waved, to signal she heard or just to wish him off it did not matter. Anna was all John could focus on until the train pulled too far from the station. And, for every moment until they could be back together, she was all his mind knew.