A/N: There's a lot that will be going on in this chapter with many ups and downs, so you've been warned. Also from now on, there will be a lot more time jumps than before.

This chapter does go into a part of Nazi Germany that is not often talked about, but it did happen, and I felt it important to be mentioned. As always, I hope you all enjoy!

This wasn't the first time Helga woke up in Arnold's bed. She had grown so accustomed to it in Krakow that now she felt awkward going back to her bed after comforting Harold from one of his nightmares. But this was the first time she woke up in his bed with him still in it. As she peeked behind her eyelids, she noticed the different hue of blonde hair next to her.

She didn't mean to stay all night. Her intentions were to apologize for avoiding him for so long and not taking the time to listen to his side of the story, which she did. He forgave her as she forgave him, and they spent the whole night talking about him being drafted.

Arnold explained how scared he was when he received the letter. It was immediately after his grandparents died when he got his orders, and his mind wasn't in the right frame of mind to deal with it. The only thing he could think of was to flee. He wanted to tell Helga, but he knew that he would be risking her life, so he remained mum about his predicament. But he had to tell someone. It was eating him up inside to not tell anyone. That was when he decided to tell Harold. When Arnold mentioned his plan, he asked Harold if he wanted to come with him as well. Harold agreed, but only if Patty and Eugene could come as well. Arnold agreed, and the next day, they fled to Paris. Shortly after, both blondes ended up falling asleep.

Helga rubbed her eyes and sat up on the bed, causing Arnold to stir and wake his eyes.

"Good morning," Helga said, stretching her arms.

"Morning," Arnold replied. He sat up and kissed Helga tenderly on the cheek. "I guess you slept over?"

"No, I just woke up extra early to come here and try to scare you when you woke up," she replied sarcastically, flexing her fingers to look like claws. "Grr."

She playfully swiped at Arnold, who clutched his heart. "Oh! You got me!" he moaned dramatically and fell lopsided on the bed, pretending to be dead. Helga couldn't help but laugh.

"We are so weird," Helga chuckled. Arnold laughed as well and sat back up. He pulled Helga into his lap and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"But I wouldn't trade it for anything else," he replied, placing her hair behind her ear and kissing her shoulder.

Helga looked at him and smiled sadly. "I know we are in a better place now, but it's still difficult for me to trust you," she confessed somberly.

Arnold sighed. "I know I screwed up," he said, rubbing her back. "And again, I'm sorry for that. But I know apologizing isn't going to fix it. I'm willing to do what it takes."

"I know you are," Helga said, turning her head away from him. "It's going to take time to rebuild that trust."

Arnold lowered his head and nodded. "I understand."

Helga looked to see his melancholy expression. It broke her heart seeing him so distraught, but she couldn't change how she felt about the whole situation.

"I still love you, though," she whispered to him and kissed his cheek. He lifted his head and kissed her nose.

"I still love you, too," he replied, holding her tight. Helga wrapped her arms around Arnold's neck and buried her face in the crook of it. "I promise I'm going to make it better somehow."

Over the next few months, Arnold did all he could to earn Helga's trust back. He continued to give her flowers once a week. When he came home from work, he would talk about his day, telling Helga every single detail. Some of those details Helga didn't wish to know, but she appreciated his effort. She was excited, however, to find out the Swedish government refused Germany their railways to transport troops and war materials.

Arnold also made sure not to take up all of her time. When she wanted to spend time with other people, he graciously stepped aside and let her enjoy herself. The group saw the changes between Arnold and Helga and did all they could to get the two blondes back to where they were before the fight.

One week in September Helga had fallen ill, and Arnold acted as her nurse. He brought her soup and fed it to her. He read her books and told her about the current events. There was one in particular that piqued Helga's interest.

"So they're all evacuating Berlin?" Helga asked hoarsely, then coughing.

"Not everyone," Arnold said, handing her his handkerchief. "Just the civilians. Government and military will still be there."

"This is incredible," Helga coughed into the handkerchief. "Are things in the war really changing that much that they feel the need to evacuate the city?"

"Well, the Allies are starting to make their way to Italy," Arnold explained. "According to Sid, Italy dropped out of the war."

Helga just stared at Arnold, unsure if she had just hallucinated what Arnold said. "Are you serious?" Helga asked.

"I don't know if it's true," Arnold raised his hands up. "I'm just telling you what Sid told me." Helga leaned her head back in shock. An important ally to Germany is now out of the war, and this could crumble their hold on Europe.

"What happened to Mussolini?" Helga asked.

"The last thing Sid heard was he's in hiding. There's also a rumor going on that he was picked up by the SS."

"Of course Hitler wouldn't leave him behind," Helga muttered under her breath. "I remember when Mussolini came to Berlin and the two of them were practically joined at the hip."

"Hey, take it easy now," Arnold ordered. He massaged her scalp. "Getting worked up about this isn't going to help you get better."

"Yes, Mom," she joked. She placed her hand over his free one and looked at him lovingly. "Thank you for everything."

Arnold smiled and kissed her forehead. "You know I would do anything for you."

"I know, and I appreciate it," Helga cracked out.

"Shh," Arnold hushed his companion. "Don't talk anymore."

"But-"

"No buts," Arnold insisted. "You should be getting some rest. The medicine should be kicking in soon." He began tucking Helga even more into bed. Helga, finding herself getting drowsy and about to pass out, placed her hand over his mouth.

"I trust you completely again, Football Head," she croaked as her eyes began to droop.

Arnold lowered her hand and smiled. "Are you sure that's not the fever that's talking?" he joked.

"Shut up," she slurred as she fell asleep.

October 1943

Harold, Patty, and Eugene grew busy at the synagogue. Hitler had just issued orders for the evacuation of Danish Jews to the camps, and almost all of them fled to Sweden. A large group ended up relocating in Stockholm, and the trio was finding it difficult to help all of them. As a result, the rest of the house pitched in at the temple to help with the influx of members. Arnold was able to get some of them jobs in shipping. Sid, Gerald, and Nadine was able to get them some food from the market as a startup while the men in the family searched for jobs. Curly referred them to the best doctors in town, and the rest of the girls would find homes for the new families and help move them in.

One night, the group was relaxing in the lounge. It had been a hectic day, but several pieces of news had them in the mood to celebrate.

"I don't know what to be more thrilled about: the fact that Italy is now at war with Germany, or that you two are engaged," Sid admitted while pouring drinks for everyone. Gerald had gotten a head start and was already on his third.

"Definitely the engagement," Rhonda squealed as she was handed a drink. "I get to help with the wedding!"

Phoebe took a small sip. "I'm sure they're going to want to keep it traditional, Rhonda. And Gerald, please don't drink too much."

"But I still want to help! This is my specialty."

"I have to admit," Nadine said, "this is very sudden. I wasn't expecting it."

"Neither was I," Helga admitted, taking a drink. "It just came out of nowhere."

"I think it's sweet," Curly butted in. "And all that matter is that they're happy."

"I'll drink to that," Arnold agreed. "So when's the wedding going to be?"

Harold and Patty looked at each other and blushed at the responses from their friends. Although they only maintained a friendship this entire time, they felt that their love for one another and their connection was so strong that they decided to get married.

"Not until the spring," Patty answered. "I don't wasn't to get married when it's cold and snowing."

"This is ever so exciting!" Lila said in her overly sweet voice. "Our first marriage in the group!"

Eugene raised his glass. "To Harold and Patty on their engagement. May they find happiness together."

"Cheers!" The group clinked their glasses and drank to the happy couple.

"And here's to hoping you have tons of babies," Gerald piped in, slurring his words. "Because everyone knows that a Rhineland bastard can't."

The Germans and half-Japanese girl in the group were about to drink again before that last comment made them stop halfway. They looked at each other in discomfort at that one certain phrase.

"Um, Gerald?" Helga was the first one to speak. "What exactly do you mean by Rhineland bastard?"

"I meant what I said," Gerald stumbled over his words. "Or I said what I meant. Either way, I, Gerald Johanssen, am a Rhineland bastard."

Those who knew what it meant dropped down into nearby seats. It certainly wasn't what they were expecting.

"I'm sorry, but is a Rhineland bastard?" Rhonda asked.

"I'm ever so certain I have never heard of that before," Lila mentioned.

"Let me tell you," Gerald said, pulling up a chair and sitting in it backwards. "Back during the Great War, many German Aryan women got married to African soldiers in the French colonies in the Rhineland. Two of these people just so happened to be my parents."

"Wait, so you're mixed?" asked Sid.

"Exactly," Gerald replied, pointing his index to Sid.

"I've worked with you for years and you never told me that," Sid crossed his arms, obviously offended.

"It's not something I brag about," he explained. "But continuing with my story, my parents had three kids. I had an older brother named Jamie-O and a little sister names Timberly. We lived in Africa until I was seven. It would be another four years before Hitler would rise to power. My family lived in Hamburg. It was difficult. Not a lot of people were thrilled to have us there. Soon enough, my siblings and I were called Rhineland bastards, as were every mixed child living in Germany."

"Was it really like that?" Rhonda asked the others in the room.

None of the Germans said anything, but merely nodded. They all remembered when they heard those laws mentioned about the other minority in Germany, but none really thought much about it.

"When Hitler took over, he made it difficult for us to live," Gerald continued. "In 1935, the Nuremberg Laws prohibited any mixed people from marrying at all, and considered my parent's marriage illegal."

"That's oh so terrible!" Lila said, clutching the arms of her chair.

"That's not the worst of it. Six years ago, the Nazis assholes decided to take… precautions to prevent any mixed children from procreating."

"What do you mean?" Sid asked.

"They gathered all the Rhineland bastards who were under eighteen and told us they had to do a 'procedure.' Jamie-O was already over the age, but Timberly and I had to go. The Nazis would take us into this room with a surgical table in it. They made us strip down and lie on the table. They didn't give us any anesthetic, so I felt when they started cutting into me. They had me strapped down so I couldn't move. I can still feel the pain of the knife slicing into my skin."

"Where did they cut you?" Sid asked.

Gerald didn't say. He just merely looked down at his body, right between his legs. Rhonda, Nadine, Patty and Lila blushed. Helga hid her head in her hands. Once the men realized what he meant, a stunned expression appeared across their faces and crossed their legs. Phoebe remained expressionless.

"Phoebe, did you know about this?" Sid asked, seeing that she didn't react to this news. "Did you know that he was… was…"

"Sterilized against his free will?" Phoebe finished. Sid nodded. "Yes, I did. He told me while we were still in Krakow. It was a few weeks before we left for Stockholm."

"This is unbelievable," Harold said.

"What happened afterwards?" Eugene asked.

"They finished up and sent me on my way. Others weren't so lucky. Some didn't make it out. It was later said some were killed while others were kept for medical experiments. Both Timberly and I were able to get out, but by the time we got back to our house, our parents and Jamie-O were gone. We didn't know where they went, but we knew we had to get out of Germany."

"Where did you go?" Lila asked.

"We were headed for Warsaw," answered Gerald. "On the way, we were stopped by the Gestapo. We weren't doing anything, but they attacked us. I tried to fight them off, but the sons of bitches held me down. A few went for Timberly. They forced her down to the ground. They began to pull her dress up and-"

He scrunched his face up held his hand over his mouth. The group could see the tears slide down his cheeks. Some cried along with him, while others just gazed at him in horror.

"Right there?" Rhonda gasped, bring part of the latter group.

"Right there," Gerald parroted, his voice choking on the words. "Right in front of me, those sick bastards. When they finished, they called her a whore, and… shot her in her head."

Gerald rested his head on the back of the chair and sobbed. Phoebe immediately rushed over to him and held him close. He wrapped around Phoebe and sobbed into chest. The others couldn't begin to fathom what he just said. Helga felt sick to her stomach. She remembered when Patty told them about her rape and how disgusting it was. But she couldn't imagine how it would be to watch someone's sister be raped and then murdered without hesitation.

"He was arrested for one year after that," Phoebe continued the story. "When he was released, he fled to Poland. He was able to find some work, but lost it when the Nazis invaded. He couldn't find any other work until he met Sid, who introduced him to the underground." She motioned to Sid.

"He started out at the market with me," Sid mentioned. "Then we found out his true talent was finding out information. He said he knew a guy called Fuzzy Slippers who knew people all over Europe."

"Gerald met him after getting out of prison," Phoebe explained. "Fuzzy Slippers said if Gerald ever needed help, to call him and he can set him up in information. He gave Gerald his phone number and left."

"When I called him," Gerald said, managing to compose himself to continue on, 'it turned out he was also part of the underground."

"I knew about Fuzzy Slippers as well," Sid said. "I never met him, though."

"He said he needed some more help in the Krakow/Oswiecim area, so I agreed. And I've been doing that ever since. That is, ever since we left. And that's the story of the Rhineland bastard." Gerald took another swig of his drink before leaving the room while the rest sat there in shock.