Howdy y'all! (Guess who just saw Country Strong!) The bit in Italics is a flashback/dream sequence in case you happen to be a newb who is unaware of such things. Enjoy! Oh, and I don't own S.A. If I did, I wouldn't be writing Fanfiction on it, now would I?

I didn't waste time sorting out my school papers. It had been perhaps the longest day of my life and I needed to see Hanschen rightthisinstant. I was just heading out when my father entered with a slam of the door. "ERNST!" he bellowed, voice echoing terribly with anger.

I came forward at once; fearing what might happen if I didn't. "Yes father?"

He stalked forward menacingly. "I had an interesting conversation with one of my colleagues today. Can you imagine what we might have spoken of?"

"N-no Father."

"He claims he saw you engaging in intimate, physical contact with a classmate." his voice rose threateningly, "A male classmate." His face twitched in irritation and my heart pounded. "I told him that this surely could not be so, that MY son was a good Christian boy who had read the Bible, a King James' edition no less, and was aware of the good Lord's word on the matter of homosexual relationships. Now tell me boy," he bent over to make complete eye contact with me, "was I correct in saying so?"

I lowered my eyes, shaking in terror. There wasn't an escape route, my father would know immediately if I lied. As Melchior would put it, I was totally fucked. Nothing left to do now but own up. "No father," I squeaked, "you weren't. I have been…involved with a m-male classmate of mine."

My father's hand collided with my cheek, immediately forming a bruise. "Who was it, boy? Tell me who!"

I gave no answer, merely shivered in terror as his father half-dragged me by my wrists to the outside yard and stripped me of my shirt, forcing me against the shed, and snatched an old whip off its rusty hook. "I'm giving you one last chance, boy." he hissed, "Give me a name and we can correct this…momentary loss of judgment."

Images flashed through my mind of intense blue eyes and pale hands and I knew that even if I wanted to betray Hanschen, the necessary words would catch in my throat. I gritted my teeth and prepared for the blow, filling every thought with his effortless perfection.

I didn't have to wait long. The whip cracked as it flashed across my back, drawing blood with sickening intensity.

"Was it Melchior Gabor? Moritz Stiefel? Otto? Bobby? Georg?" The whip struck anew with each name, trying to carve the truth out of me. And then- "Was it Hanschen Rilow?" I tried not to show any emotion for you Hansi, I truly did, but there was no stopping the whimper that escaped my lips. "WELL, WAS IT?" he leapt on my weakness.

"No Father! I swear, it wasn't, Father PLEASE!" I cried as he redoubled his efforts.

"You're making me do this, child! You bring misfortune upon yourself when you stray from the path of God!"

Pain, red, red pain, is all I remember after that.

"HANSCHEN!" Ernst bolted awake with a scream.

Hanschen pulled his lover's thin, shaking frame into his chest, refusing to let him go until the sobs subsided. "You're safe here Ernst, darling, it's over now. Never forget that I love you." he whispered into the raven curls.

The room was blanketed in silence until Ernst felt he could trust his vocal cords again. "We…we can't stay here, can we? Not now that they know, I mean…they must be looking for me, I think they're just waiting for your parents to return so they can raid the place."

Hanschen sighed wearily. "You're right, I suppose. It's only a matter of time before they come for you, and I don't want to be here when they do. So where do we go, darling? Berlin? Munich? Dusseldorf?"

"I don't think both of us can go."

"Why ever not?" concern crept into Hanschen's voice.

"They don't know about you, Hanschen. If you vanish they'll put two and two together and end up with four, they aren't total idiots. You won't ever be able to come back. You still have a chance at a normal life now, you'll find a way to deny everything, get married, have a family, forget me. And then-"

Hanschen's lips cut him off, the kiss feeling almost angry.

"Ernst Robel, don't you dare ever tell me to forget you. You ought to know how utterly impossible that is." He smirked a little as the dark-haired boy in his arms quivered under his touch. "We'll figure this out in the morning, trust me, but for now…" he kissed him again, gently biting Ernst's lower lip in the careful way he knew drove him crazy. "I think for now we should make the most of an empty house."

Holy. Crap. That was a LOOOOONG chapter! Thanks for hanging in there, I hope you enjoyed it!