Hurrrrrr oh god.

Once again ... SO MUCH HAS HAPPENED IN THE OTHER REALITY OH GOD. ... this is so weird to write ... ! ... but I love it?

I'm just derping so hard over here ...

Zombiegirl777: Hehehe. Just imagine writing it … it's so ridiculous! XD I hope you enjoy this next little chapter, and thank you so much for reviewing my dearest! *huggle*

WickedIntentions: Gut! And … as you suspected, it looks like it's gonna be more than three chapters … :D It's just too fun to write! And so easy to write … It's silly and comes to me so easily! X3. As always, I hope you enjoy this update; and thank you for gracing me with your lovely review!

Rose of Dusk: ;) It's SO much fun, right? XD

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Between Two Realities
A "Between Dream and Reality" Spinoff

CHAPTER THREE

die Wahrheit herauskommt
"The Truth Comes Out"

As I stepped through the doors of The Bean Machine, I kept an eye out for people I knew.

Luckily, no one seemed to be out today.

Richtofen trailed behind me, peering around the coffeehouse. "Strange," he muttered.

"Follow me," I hissed, walking toward the back of the room. There was a set of booths back there that seemed mostly deserted, which suited my purposes. Picking one, I gestured to the seat, giving Richtofen a meaningful glance. He stared at me in loathing.

"You expect me to sit now, ja?" he asked, condescending.

"Yes," I snapped. "Sit down and I'll go get us some coffee."

He sat down slowly, his eyes never leaving my face. "I prefer my coffee black und bitter," he hissed.

"Of course you do," I grumbled, walking back across the room.

The barista grinned at me when I got to the counter. "Hey, Kitty," he said companionably, a lock of blonde hair falling across his forehead. He brushed it back. "You want the usual?"

I nodded. "Make it a double today, though," I said. "And I'll also get a tall cup of the house, black."

As he went to work making the drinks, he gave me a sly glance out of the corner of his eye. "Surly date?" he asked jokingly, knowing full well I never dated anyone over thirty.

I groaned. "Oh god no, Jake," I muttered. "Never a date."

He laughed. "I knew he wasn't your type." He winked at me.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Keep makin' the coffee," I said, chuckling. "Just because you've dated everyone in town doesn't mean you own the manual." I leaned against the counter, reading the snazzy names of today's specials.

Jake was grinning to himself as he foamed my latte. "Since he's never a date, what's the story on him anyway?" he asked, trying to start up our usual banter. Normally, I was more than up for it. But today…

I combed a hand through my hair, raising my eyebrows. "He's new in town," I muttered, sticking to our story. "Found him wandering around campus at Millford, babbling in German." I shrugged for effect. "I dunno."

"German?" he said, his brown eyes sparking with interest. "You know my dad's from Frankfurt, right? You think I could talk to him or something when I'm on break?"

Shit. "Uh, I'm not sure he'd be up for that," I muttered unconvincingly. "He's really freaked out right now."

Jake raised an eyebrow at me. "What's the deal?" he asked, suspicious.

I bit my lip. "What do you mean?"

He gave me a deadpan stare. "You only act weird like this when you're up to something," he muttered. "So tell me. What's the deal on this guy?"

I shifted between my feet. "It's … complicated," I muttered, avoiding his eyes.

"Shit," Jake hissed, handing me my latte. His eyes were huge. "You are dating him."

I started to protest, but then I realized that I had no other explanation. Instead, I lowered my eyes, trying to look bashful. "Um…"

Jake's face was devilish as he poured the black, bitter coffee for my uninvited guest, smiling mischievously. "I knew you'd fall to the dark side someday, Kitty," he said, his voice low. "Being a sugar baby feels good, doesn't it?"

The thought of Richtofen as my sugar daddy made me shudder. In a bad way.

"Look," I hissed, glancing back at my fake date. "Don't tell anyone, okay?"

After he placed the coffee on the counter, Jake lifted his hands dismissively. "Okay, okay. I won't." But he was still grinning. "I knew you had it in you," he said, shaking his head. "I always said you were too hot to settle for someone your own age."

I blushed, grabbing the drinks. "Shut up," I mumbled, stalking away as fast as I could without spilling.

Richtofen was watching me, unblinking, as I approached the booth.

"Vhat vere you talking about?" he asked, frowning.

I put his coffee down in front of him and took my seat, flustered. "That's none of your business," I snapped. "This is my world. You don't have the right to keep tabs on me anymore." I took a sip of my latte, closing my eyes.

"Your cheeks are flushed," he muttered spitefully, picking up his coffee.

I fought the urge to splutter and set my cup down on the table. "Thanks," I said, sarcastic. "I hadn't noticed."

He took a sip of his coffee, looking at me over the brim of his cup. "Hmm," he mused, swallowing. "Zhis taste is interesting."

"It's house brew," I muttered. "Best in town."

"It is pleasing," he said, taking another sip. "Und so delightfully bitter."

"God forbid something isn't pleasing to you," I mumbled.

He narrowed his eyes at me. "Indeed. Zhat vould be unpleasant for all parties."

I sighed, exasperated. "Speaking of unpleasant… What are we going to do about this? I mean … You being here." I drank my latte without even tasting it, preoccupied. "There's no way anyone's gonna buy your immigrant story, especially if I'm the one telling it. Jake made that clear to me just now."

"Jake?" said Richtofen, curious. "So zhat is ze name of zhis boy at ze bar…"

"Do not talk to him," I said, furious.

He grinned. "I vill do as I please," he said, sinister.

"No you will not," I hissed. "You aren't supposed to be here. This world isn't like anything you're used to."

But he wasn't looking at me anymore. He was looking at the end of the table, where Jake was standing. He held a bill in his hands, grinning at us. "You forgot to pay," he said, looking sly.

I groaned. "I was gonna close up when we left, smartass," I said, looking at him with tight eyes.

"Whoops," said Jake, unrepentant.

"Hallo," Richtofen said brightly, affecting a horrible, thick German accent. "Wie geht es dir?"

"Fantastisch!" bellowed Jake.

"No no no," I muttered, jumping up and grabbing his arm. I dragged him across the coffeehouse, frantic.

Jake was staring at me, frustrated. "What is your deal?" he hissed. "I'm just playing with you."

My face crumpled. "This isn't a game," I snapped, groaning at the irony.

His brows gathered, and he looked between my eyes, solemn. "Dude, Kathleen. What aren't you telling me?"

I sighed, giving up. I dragged him back to the table, pulling him into the booth beside me. "If I tell you the truth, you have to promise not to freak out," I muttered, ignoring the huge grin spreading across the doctor's face.

Jake frowned "What if you're already freaking me out?" he asked, suspicious.

"Then we're gonna get nowhere, because this is major," I grumbled.

He sighed. "Jesus," he said, brushing a hand through his hair. He glanced back toward the bar, checking to make sure no one was in line. The place was pretty empty. Then he turned back, fixing me with his eyes. "Alright, lay it on me."

"Zhis vill be fun to vatch," Richtofen said, gleeful.

Jake froze for a minute, turning to look at him. Then he laughed, glancing back at me. "You know, when he speaks in English, he sounds a lot like the German guy from Nazi Zombies," he said, grinning. "Can't get enough of him in the game, huh?"

I could see the doctor's eyes flashing at me from across the table, intrigued. I groaned.

"Shit, Jake," I snapped. "You have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh, fuck," he muttered. He turned to Richtofen. "I'm sorry, that wasn't some kind of slur or anything. My dad's straight from the motherland. No worries." He grinned his winning smile at the doctor, who grinned back.

"No offense taken," said Richtofen, his voice smooth and dangerous. "But I vould like to know more about zhis 'Nazi Zombies' you mentioned."

"No," I snapped. "No you do not."

"Ja, Kazhleen, I do indeed," hissed the doctor, glaring at me.

Jake looked between us, perplexed. "We play it all the time," he said, clueless. "Kitty's gamertag is based off of one of the characters. He's this crazy evil Nazi doctor who loves blood and shit. He's epic." He chuckled. "He says the most hilarious shit."

Richtofen stared at me with hard eyes. "Vhat is a gamertag?" he muttered.

Before I could stop him, Jake answered. "The name you use online, when you play the game. Mine's something random, but she loves the doctor so much that she made a new one based off his name."

I avoided the doctor's eyes. My voice was strained. "Jake …"

Even though I was pointedly trying not to look at Richtofen, I could still see the amusement flooding his features.

"What?" Jake asked, still completely lost.

My eyes were tight. "I was playing the other day, and my Xbox broke," I muttered, trying to explain.

He cut me off. "Oh shit, Kitty. I'm sorry," he said, misunderstanding. "I didn't mean to add insult to injury or something."

I shook my head. "Please shut up and let me finish," I grumbled.

Richtofen chuckled.

"So my Xbox broke," I continued, "And when I went to get my Black Ops disc out, it shocked me."

Jake nodded, keeping his mouth shut. It was hard for him. I could see it in his eyes.

I sighed. "When I went to unplug the bastard, I passed out," I muttered. "And when I woke up…"

Jesus this is gonna sound so dumb.

Jake interrupted me. "Let me guess," he said, gesturing to the doctor. "This guy was there to save you?"

Richtofen gave a wild laugh, sounding exactly like he did in the game.

Jake stared at him. "Dude, that was a creepy laugh," he said, very serious.

The doctor just grinned at him, even creepier.

"I woke up in Kino, Jake," I muttered.

He looked back at me, confused. "Where?"

"Kino," I grumbled. "Kino der Toten."

"Wait," he muttered. "So like… you had a dream?"

"No," I hissed. "Tank Dempsey actually found me and woke me up, and I was in a zombie-infested theater."

Jake smiled. "Nice sarcasm," he said approvingly.

"I'm not being sarcastic!" I snapped. The few people in the room turned to stare at me, and I lowered my voice, looking desperately at Jake. "I really woke up in the real Kino der Toten. With real zombies. And…" I glanced at Richtofen. "Real crazy men."

The doctor smiled at me confidentially.

Jake was just staring, confused. "Kitty… I really don't understand what you're trying to say."

"Look," I hissed. "I said it. That's all I can do. Put on your nerd cap and try to accept it."

"It's true," Richtofen murmured.

We both stared at him.

"What's true?" Jake asked.

"I am Doctor Richtofen," said the man himself, raising his eyebrows.

Jake frowned. "I thought he didn't know what the game was," he said, still refusing to catch on.

I grabbed his shoulders, turning him to face me. "Jake. If I have to take you back to my house and show you his gory nasty swastika shirt, I will. There's a ray gun under my bed. A real ray gun. And I have one of Nikolai's vodka bottles, too."

"You're scaring me," Jake muttered. "I think you've played enough of that game."

I stared at him, frustrated. "Jake," I moaned. "Please. Just listen to me."

"I don't think I want to," he said, avoiding my eyes.

"Listen to her," hissed Richtofen.

Jake froze, looking at him.

"She's telling ze truth," continued the doctor, angry. "You of all people should realize zhis, as I assume you are her friend, und avare of ze fact zhat she is a miserable liar." He scoffed. "Vorse zhan miserable."

Jake was quiet, staring. "Yeah," he conceded, his voice quiet. "She's pretty bad at lying."

"Terrible," muttered Richtofen.

I folded my arms on the table, shoving my face against them.

"So," Jake said, "You're saying … she's telling the truth. And that means you're … really the doctor?"

"Ja," Richtofen hissed. "Und do not make me prove it."

They were both quiet for a moment before Jake spoke again. "How is that even possible?"

"Quantum mechanics und alternate realities," said the doctor, flippant. "Not surprising."

I lifted my head to see Jake staring at him, incredulous.

"Welcome to my world," I muttered, groaning.

"Well, fuck," said Jake. "I see what you mean about putting my nerd cap on."

"I shtill vant to know more about zhis gamertag," muttered Richtofen, staring at me.

I stared at the ceiling, horrified.

"And I want to die," I moaned.

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lul lul lul ...

I feel like this story is so self-indulgent (like, I love torturing my own characters, so it's fun for me as the author) ...

I really hope that it continues to be indulgent to you guys, too! XD

I'm definitely going to write more than three chapters ... !

Ze Doctor Says: "Ah, reviews ... Nozhing goes better vith coffee! ... except for death ..."

Reviews bring him JOY!