Berlin- 1945

Talbot raised a hand in greeting as the group at a back table called over to them. John and Branson kept close, avoiding the carousing soldiers and the women with them. Women, John suspected, where there for the money they could get for whatever favors they had to perform to feed their starving families. He shuddered and followed Talbot to the table.

"John, Tom, let me introduce you to a friend from training in England, Jack Ross." Talbot gestured to a black man sitting between two other officers, all of whom stood up so they could shake hands. "He's the one liaising with the SOE here to try and find all the Nazis."

"Can't say your side hasn't been generous in their efforts." Ross nodded at them, motioning to the empty chairs for the three newcomers to take. "Blake and Napier here've been beyond helpful."

"We're all just doing our part." Blake, the one with the darker hair of the two other British officers, shook hands with the new trio before Napier took his turn. "Although I'm wondering what we can do for the famed John Bates."

"About as much as I can do for you, I'm sure." John turned to Ross, "Talbot here told me about something you're doing called 'Paperclip'."

Ross stopped, taping the ash from a fag into a tray. "I do hope you're not too exhausted digging through rubble in this city that you're already turning to exposing an operation still in progress."

"This is personal, not professional."

"Got yourself a little side woman you want to take back with you so you're bed's not lonely?" Ross motioned to the other officers with the women on their legs in the room. "Get in line. They've all got someone they want to make their war bride or their mistress in their cookie cutter homes. I've not got time to tell you how ridiculous it is."

"It's not like that."

"It never is." Ross blew out a stream of smoke and sat back in his chair. "What makes your woman different?"

"I married her in nineteen-thirty-nine." John held up his hand and Ross pulled a face but then shrugged.

"Forgive what'll sound callous, because it is, but you might have to think about living in whatever bombed out hovel she's got here until you can move back to England. At the rate things like this are going, everyone marrying everyone to try and get around the restrictions."

"Her husband's a Nazi."

Ross, Blake, and Napier all exchanged looks before Ross leaned forward. "What's his name?"

"Alexander Grün."

The trio put their heads together, muttering back and forth as Napier thumbed hurriedly through a notebook he pulled from a pocket. After a moment he found the name and Blake pulled a file from a case under the table. They discussed it another moment before opening the file and showing John the contents. Ross's finger tapped on the photograph they had.

"This man?"

John only needed a moment to nod, "That's him."

"Where did you see him?"

"Last? Watching the newspaper where I worked when I worked here." John hurried to continue when the other three men all groaned. "But I've made contact with his wife and she might know where he is. If I can get the information and pass it on to you I want assurances you can help denazify her."

"You think we're going to give you denazification papers for a song?" Ross laughed, "It's more complicated than that."

"How?" John watched them, the color in his cheeks rising. "Tell me how it's more complicated and maybe I can simplify it for you."

"Officer Grün was part of a top secret program after he proved himself a capable Jew killer." Blake shuddered, "The man is a monster and they used him to frighten and pressure a number of German scientists they forced into their nuclear program."

"The Nazis don't have a nuclear program." Branson argued but Napier shook his head.

"They wanted one and we're trying to get those scientists before Stalin can."

"I thought we were all allies." Branson went to say but Blake shook his head.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend but now the enemy's defeated we've got to make sure we don't arm our future enemies."

"What does this have to do with Grün?" John cut off their conversation, focusing on Ross.

"He knows the whereabouts of a few of the top scientists. People they're trying to hide from us." Ross bit the inside of his cheek. "If we don't get to them first then the Soviets do and they won't ask questions. They'll take whomever'll go, kill the rest, and burn everything else down."

"Then what do you need?"

"We need Grün so he can tell us where they're stashed so we get them first." Ross gave a wry smile. "Tell me, Mr. Bates, who do you trust with the bomb, really?"

"It's a difficult decision." John did not drop his gaze. "The country that dropped two of them on a sovereign nation or the country willing to kill its own citizens to succeed."

"War is ugly, Mr. Bates."

"It's Captain Bates and you don't need to lecture me on the troubles of war. I've fought in three of them." John took a breath and waited a beat. "Mr. Ross-"

"Major."

"Major Ross, I'm getting my wife and her son out of Germany. I can either do that to the benefit of your government and get rid of a despicable human being in the same blow or I can find another way that uses contacts I'm sure you'd rather see in prison. The choice is yours."

Ross held his gaze for another moment and then laughed, showing all of his gleaming white teeth. "Let me buy you a drink, Captain, and we'll discuss the particulars."

John gave his hand for Ross to shake, which he did with gusto. "I'm all ears."

Kandahar- Present Day

Anna put on her sunglasses and snapped into a salute at the sight of General Crawley. He returned the motion and Anna dropped her hand, the other still holding onto her duffle. "How are you sir?"

"Better now that you're back." He grumbled and Anna caught the frown turning down the sides of his mouth. "The new doctor's… not working out like we hoped."

"We can't afford to lose him, sir."

"I didn't…" General Crawley stopped himself, shaking John's hand as he joined them.

Anna bit down on her lip, catching sight of John's jacket billowing to expose the black shirt that still wrinkled as if someone had used it for a secure hold. She turned away from them, her fingers flexing on the handles of her duffle so the ring there rubbed against the nylon material. It took three calls of her name to bring her back to the present.

"Sir?"

"John's telling me you've got news to share with me." General Crawley's brow furrowed in a way that almost kept Anna quiet. "Care to enlighten me?"

"I need to request permission for the base chaplain to marry us." Anna switched the hand on her duffle to hold up the ring. "We've not got much time."

General Crawley's jaw could only have dropped faster if the velocity and direction of the earth suddenly changed. "Excuse me?"

"We've got something we should probably tell you." Anna looked around the tarmac, "But not here."

"I'd think not." He marched them to his office, Anna and John exchanging looks before shivering in concert at a blast of cold air.

"I should've taken a coat. I forgot it gets cold here."

"Mine's probably not what I'll need in a minute." Anna muttered back at John. "He'll be so pissed."

"We were nothing but professional on duty."

"It's the idea that we pulled anything over on him." Anna allowed John to open the door and left her duffle with his suitcase outside General Crawley's office. She winced at the raised eyebrows of Carson before she and John went into the office.

"Close the door." General Crawley took his seat and Anna took 'at-attention- pose while John stood off her left arm. "I want to know one thing before you give me any details."

"Sir?"

"In the six months he's been shadowing you for this article, have you engaged in any inappropriate behavior?"

"No sir." Anna kept her focus forward, avoiding John's eyes and General Crawley's. "We've been nothing but the picture of professionalism in our everyday engagements."

"Engagements…" General Crawley laughed, "What a word to choose."

"Sir, Mr. Bates and I met one another in Bangkok two years ago."

General Crawley blinked, "On that trip where Gwen was the one telling me my daughter got herself blackout drunk?"

"With all due respect, sir, Mary never passed out. She broke down into tears and had a very heartfelt conversation with her now husband about something that happened a long time ago. She was never close to blacking out."

"She drank enough to intoxicate herself."

"That's not a crime, sir." Anna waited and then cleared her throat to continue. "Mr. Bates came to my unintended rescue when he helped me get away from someone trying to accost me near…"

"Near?" General Crawley prompted and Anna swallowed back her dissatisfaction.

"Near the red light district."

"Excuse me?"

"It was a dare, sir. I was there for a bachelorette party."

"You took my daughter to the red light district?"

"No sir." Anna frowned, meeting General Crawley's eyes for the first time. "Lieutenant Dawson escorted Mary back to the hotel when she indicated she was feeling poorly and I completed the dare on my own."

"Why do I not feel better?"

"If you've not been taking your ulcer medication then-"

"I don't need lip from you." General Crawley snapped and Anna shut her mouth. He turned to John, "Anything you want to add?"

"Only that Major Smith and I had a lovely time for the two days we spent in Bangkok and hen continued to email one another afterward. We visited once while I was in Manchester and she was back at Harrogate but when you brought her here six months ago that was the first time we'd seen one another in a year."

"And you'd swear to me on our service together that nothing happened between you two while you've been on base?"

"Despite the desire, we've been celibate as monks." John cringed, "Can I still say that?"

General Crawley shut his eyes, grinding his knuckles into the skin of his forehead. "You're giving me a migraine."

"There's something for that sir." Anna risked and then turned her focus to the back of General Crawley's wall at the glimpse of his glare.

"Was this little holiday leave to Berlin part of a plan to seduce one another?"

"The seduction itself didn't take much planning." John shrugged, "It was really easy."

General Crawley addressed Anna, "Did you plan your holiday for that reason?"

"My leave was for personal reasons, sir, which is allowed and not subject for speculation unless I acted in violation of my uniform, which I didn't." Anna finally met his eyes again. "I took leave because I was worked to the bone and I wanted to take Mr. Bates up on the offer he extended."

"To propose?"

"I thought we were just going to look through some archives together."

"You didn't know he planned to propose?"

"It'd have been a pretty shit proposal if the surprise was gone." Anna finally looked toward John, wanting nothing more than to intertwine their fingers but keeping her position steady. "But I did say yes, sir."

"The ring's on your finger so I'd assume you did." General Crawley finally stood and Anna snapped her gaze back to the point above his head. "John's still here for another three weeks. That means you'll have to wait until his assignment is officially over to get married because I won't have any talk on this base of impropriety. Am I understood?"

"Yes sir."

General Crawley turned to John, "That means she sleeps in her quarters and you don't."

"I know what it means Robert."

"Good." He sighed, "And here I was thinking the only things giving me gray hairs at this point would be my children."

"Sorry?" John offered but General Crawley only shook his head.

"You're back on duty tomorrow, Major, and I expect you to be a hundred percent focused. If not I'll have you transferred back to Harrogate or somewhere else I think might be unpleasant."

"I'm a professional sir."

"Good. Dismissed."

Anna snapped her salute and waited for General Crawley to return it before leaving his office. She grabbed for her duffle but John beat her to it. When she tried to glare at him, John only shrugged and made as if to kiss her before stopping himself. "If I can't kiss you then I'm going to carry your bag."

"You're ridiculous."

"I'll still let you kick the door in, remember." John followed Anna to her quarters, leaving the duffle on her bed and sneaking a quick kiss as his fingers moved over the ring on her finger. "This looks good on you."

"Too bad I'll have to put it on a chain since I can't have it showing."

"Then isn't it a good thing I got you this for all your surgeries?" John dangled a thin leather strap between his fingers. "Thought you might need something like this."

"How'd you know?" Anna took it, sliding her ring onto it and slipping it under her clothes.

"I was married once, remember?" John shrugged, "I used to dangle my wedding ring on something similar."

"Was that the same one you had melted down when it all ended?"

"You make me sound so petty."

"We can all be a little petty." Anna tipped forward, kissing him with her hands on either side of his face. "But I like you the way you are so I'm not too bothered by it."

"I'd hope not." His finger rubbed over her now bare finger before kissing her knuckles. "You're everything to me."

"And you're everything to me." Anna snuck one last kiss before pushing him away. "I don't want General Crawley thinking we're ignoring his orders already."

"Then you've got plans to ignore his orders?"

"His restrictions are that we can't get married until your assignment's finished and you can't sleep in my quarters." Anna grinned, "There are loopholes for a reason."

"If we risk them we might lose them."

"Maybe." Anna shrugged, "But it'd be fun to test the limits wouldn't it?"

"Always." John kissed her and then ducked from the room.

Anna smiled to herself, unzipping her back, and starting to arrange her things in her locker when someone slapped their hand on the side of the wall. She turned and grinned when she saw Gwen. "I hope General Crawley didn't call you in about Bangkok."

"Even if he did I didn't see anything so I can't say anything." Gwen took a seat on Anna's bed. "Did you have to tell him?"

"If I was going to explain this then yes." Anna pulled the ring out and stood still as Gwen jumped to her feet and squealed with glee when she saw the ring.

"He proposed to you?"

"Last night." Anna waited for Gwen's investigation to finish and then tucked the ring away. "It was rather romantic."

"Explains why you're moving a little stiffly." Gwen ribbed but Anna ignored her, continuing to put things away.

"I've been cramped in a plane for a bit."

"And having mad crazy sex I'd guess."

"It's not mad crazy." Anna folded her duffle and stuffed it into her locker. "More than I've had in awhile but not mad crazy."

"I guess we've all got to learn somehow." Gwen took a breath, "I should probably warn you about the new doctor though."

"Why?" Anna's eyes narrowed. "I was gone for a week, what could he've ruined?"

"Oh no, he's impeccable. His accent makes it a bit difficult for some of the translators but we're getting his Irish trimmed back a bit." Gwen shrugged, "It's more… He and Sybil hit it off."

"And that's a problem?"

"He's a civilian and so he's not too chuffed about all the rules. He keeps all the ones he finds important, and maintains a really professional attitude about the everything when in surgery, but he's… He's a bit flagrant about what he thinks are useless rules."

"Like?"

"Fraternization." Gwen cringed, "He's not too into the idea that he can't have officers and enlisted in the same places. And he's made it no secret that he fancies Sybil."

"That's only my problem if he's harassing her."

"It'll be a bigger problem if he doesn't knock it off because the General knocks his head off." Gwen stood, "It's… I'm glad you're back so you can try and help him get his head around some ground rules."

"If he's not taking to the rules already in place-"

"It'll be different when you're giving them than taking the General's bluster."

Anna lifted a shoulder, "I guess that's fair."

"Just rest up and be ready for tomorrow. We're hitting the ground running and it's only getting worse now that it's getting colder."

"Tell me about it." Anna paused, "Any more information or cases related to our victims?"

"Nothing so far but I don't think that's the kind of news we want in either direction."

"Probably not." Anna rolled her shoulders. "I'll be over at the office in a minute. Just to look over the notes and papers, not to work. I need to get up to speed and if I don't work then I'll fall asleep and my whole sleep schedule'll be ruined."

"Not to mention you're back on a cot, alone, and with a wrecked schedule already."

"I'm not dignifying that with a response." Anna pointed at the door, "Go on. And don't tell anyone, it's a secret."

"What's a secret?" Gwen winked and then vanished.

Berlin- 1945

John paced the area, waving off Branson and Talbot as they made another circuit. Branson nodded and steered the car to the other side of the street and parked it, giving them a good view of the alley and the surrounding buildings. He sighed, pacing back down the alley and turning when he heard the sound of heels on the pavement.

Anna stood there, holding a shawl over her shoulders, and smiled at him. Without a second thought he went to her, wrapping his arms around her so they could embrace. Her fingers clutched at him, pulling herself closer to him as they both breathed in the scents that were inherently the other. After a moment he let his arms loosen and Anna pulled back.

"I'm sorry." He hurried to say but she put her hand over his mouth.

"Only English."

He nodded and took a breath, "I've a way to get you, and Johann, out of Berlin."

"To the countryside?"

"To England." John lowered his voice as Anna's eyes widened. "It comes with contingencies but we can get over those."

"What kind of contingencies?"

"We'll have to find your husband and hand him over to the Americans." John shook his head, "He was the head of a-"

"The scientists." Anna nodded and John blinked at her. "He's with them most days. He only stops by the flat when the lights are off for food and updates. I barely see him."

"Then you know where he is?"

"No and I can't guarantee when he'll be back but I could tell you the flat across from mine has been empty since the family living there started to make their way to Italy, trying to escape the bombing."

"You're offering us a place to watch for him?"

Anna nodded, "It's the least I can do."

"Anna," John took her hands, "You shouldn't have to do anything. I should've gotten you out when I had the chance."

"We both knew you couldn't." Anna kissed his fingers. "But I loved you for trying."

John nodded, staring at her until he shook himself. "Grün won't be part of the deal. He'll not get papers to denazify him."

"Good."

"What will Johann say to that?" Anna frowned and John hurried to explain. "He's his father and he-"

"Alexander's not Johann's father." Anna interrupted and John stopped. "Johann's yours, John."

"What?"

"I married Alexander to hide the pregnancy." Anna took a shuddering breath. "It kept us both safe. He looks enough like a combination of Alexander and I to fool him but Johann's your son, John."

A crack of lightning sounded with a rumble of thunder and John urged them under an awning in the alley, blocking them from view. "And you've kept it to yourself all this time?"

"I had to." Anna put her hand to John's face. "Every time I looked at him I saw you and it made my heart ache."

"I'm so sorry." He put his hand over hers and they stared at one another a moment before they touched.

It was like someone lit a spark. Her hands framed his face and he lifted her into his arms. Their lips touched and they tried to drink the other or breathe them until their lungs screamed for real air. But even then they only broke for seconds to pant and gasp while they rubbed and moved over one another.

John pivoted them, putting Anna's back to the wall, and lifted her with a motion made easier by the fact he could barely feel if he had legs. Hers wrapped around his waist, holding him close to her as her tongue sought all the crevices and corners of his mouth. Each brush of their fingers or lips on skin drove John closer and closer to mad with relief and excitement and joy.

She spread her hands over his chest, feeling through his uniform for his skin and eventually settling for opening his trousers. Her fingers taunted near his rising erection and John responded by rucking up her skirt to find her skin. His calloused hands rasped over her skin in what he might consider a violation of her beauty but Anna keened into the sensations before matching the sound with an unrestrained whimper as he teethed at her neck.

They fumbled and grasped for one another until John finally slicked his fingers through her folds. Anna's fingers clenched in the material of his uniform and her head went back to the wall, exposing her neck to him. John laid his plan to tease and taunt her between the care of his lips over her neck and his fingers stroking her from one end to the other. When he trailed a path to her breasts he did not even open her blouse, just mouthed her through the dampening fabric to bite and tease until she cried out.

Her walls clung around his fingers while his thumb flicked at her clit and Anna broke in a moment. Wrapping an arm around his shoulders, she left his uniform rumpled and crunched, while her other hand finally finished exposing his erection to the air. John barely had a moment to think before Anna wrapped her hand around him and stroked before squeezing.

He buried his reaction between her breasts, groaning as he rutted into her waiting hand. His own fumbled with her knickers, puling them to the side and perhaps even tearing them if he heard correctly over the beat of blood in his ears, before he thrust forward. Anna tightened her legs around his waist to take him as deeply inside her as she could manage.

They stayed still, both breathing hard enough to press their chests into the other, and finally looked at one another. John raised a hand to her face, running his fingers slowly over her skin, and kissed her as gently as possible. Anna ran a hand through his soaked hair, sending droplets to further dampen his collar as the rain broke through the torn awning above them to drench them both.

But none of it mattered. All that mattered was the movements between them. The frenetic energy of a moment ago dissipated to a gentle friction that kept them close and connected. Even with the chill, the rain, and the lingering reality of the uniform he wore or the child in the building above them or her Nazi husband, they maintained their pace until Anna clenched her walls around him.

Her whispered words, in German, licked against his ear as he allowed the frenzy to take them over. Each motion drew sounds from her that only made John want to move faster, strike harder, and take them higher. And eventually she fell over the edge again, the cling of her walls around him sending him into his own climax.

His hand dug into the brick wall, slick with water and grime but stable enough until Anna's legs could disentangle themselves from around him. He helped her to the ground, restoring their appearance as much as they could, and bent to kiss her again. She sank into it, holding him close before stepping away.

"He just came last week so he won't be back for another few days, at least."

"Right," John nodded, trying to get his mind back on the task at hand. "Do you know what he's doing with the scientists?"

"Just keeping them trapped, as far as I know." She shrugged, "He's never told me anything about what he does and I haven't asked."

"I wouldn't think-"

"Because if I ask what he's done then he'll ask what I've done and I couldn't…" Anna stopped herself. "That's for another time."

"Yes." John held her close, "We'll have time for all of that."

"Just not now." Anna extracted herself, kissing him one final time before backing away. "The flat right across from mine is the empty one. I'd move your people in there tomorrow and keep a watch for Alexander. I'll put something on my door as a sign."

"That'll be good."

"I hope so." Anna went to touch him again but stopped herself.

"What's wrong?"

"If I touch you then I won't be able to let you go."

"You don't have to let me go."

"For now I do or we'll never be together, not really." Anna nodded toward the building. "I need to get Johann in bed before he gets worried."

"Got yourself a brooder so you?"

"He's many things that remind me of you." Anna smiled, "And many more things of his own."

"I can't wait to meet him."

"You will." Anna returned to her building and John waited a moment, looking for a light in her window, before leaving.

He climbed into the car, soaked to the bone and shivering, to see Talbot and Branson grinning at him. "What?"

"Multitasking?"

"We've got a place to wait for Grün." John pointed, "Let's get me somewhere I can rinse, change clothes, and start plans for our trap."

"Nazi catchers," Branson started up the car, "What a reversal for them it must be. On the other end of the knife, as it were."

"As it were."