Hammelburg, West Germany
Troy was glad everyone had been able to come on a day where the restaurant was at its most quiet. Obviously, no one could discuss what had happened the previous week, but it was still a good chance to reflect and celebrate just how far everyone had come. The restaurant in question was situated in downtown Hammelburg, right across from a busy bus stop. Their table was the only large party the restaurant had that day, and luckily for their employees, everyone was on their best behavior, though it did get a bit loud when Hitch and Tully started discussing their own fondest memories of Dietrich, who had his hair messed with more times than anyone could count that day. Despite looking a lot happier than usual, Dietrich also seemed distracted, though Troy pinned that down to Dietrich being uncomfortable in large group settings outside home.
It was nice seeing everyone happier. Dietrich was a given, but also Moffitt. It was nice knowing Hitch and Tully weren't worried about the three of them anymore. It was nice seeing Carter laughing and talking with them and not looking so shy. Hogan looked a lot more relaxed out of uniform. Troy wondered if Hogan had never really worried about the prophecy in the first place because he had so many other things to think about. At least this was one less thing to worry about.
Even Anah seemed happier—well, as happy as a snake could look. Troy wondered if Anah was tired of keeping so many secrets from those she claimed to love. As far as he knew, the only secret she was keeping now was whatever this surprise for Dietrich was, and Moffitt's fiftieth birthday, which Troy had found out was going to be a hike in the Atlas Mountains in Morocco. He drank his beer slowly, as he didn't want to get too loose and accidentally let the cat out of the bag about Moffitt's birthday.
The table was quickly filled with plates of large soft pretzels, mugs of beer, a cup of tea, bratwurst, schnitzel, and a bowl overflowing with a generous helping of dipping cheese for the pretzels, which had given Anah an idea.
"This may be a bit silly, but—" She slithered to the middle of the table, twisting herself into a shape. "Burnt pretzel."
"I'd say that's a very charred pretzel," Moffitt said. "Like the unfortunate Christmas puddings."
"How do you burn pudding?" Tully asked. "You just mix it and chill it in the fridge for a couple hours."
"Not that kind of pudding."
"This is the fancy British pudding," Hitch added.
"That ain't pudding! That's just nice-looking bread!" Tully argued.
"It is pudding," Moffitt said.
"Troy, what's pudding?"
Troy wanted no part in this discussion, but just to annoy Moffitt, he said, "Jell-O."
"That is not pudding! That is liquid custard!" Moffitt exclaimed.
"Very good liquid custard," Dietrich said.
Moffitt looked incredulous. "Dietrich, I expected better from you."
"Come back to me after pudding is the only thing you can eat while you are suffering through a sore throat."
"I stand by my words, and I don't care what it says on the bloody box—that's not real pudding."
"Pudding is so versatile," Carter added.
"It makes cake come out so much better," Tully said.
"I can't believe you," Moffitt muttered.
"Come on, Moffitt, relax a little," Hogan said. "And the rest of you, stop picking on him. That's an order."
"How did this start from me making a 'burnt pretzel?'" Anah asked.
"Because you burnt the Christmas puddings," Moffitt replied.
"Nothing beats the legendary deep-fried Christmas goose, though," Tully said with a grin.
"That was a disaster," Troy said.
"Hey, no one got hurt, no one's house burned down, and no one's cars got damaged. We can laugh at it."
"Yeah, but I nearly lost my hat."
"Oh, the hat was fine, dear." Anah lightly flicked Troy with her tail. "You bring that up every time someone says, 'deep-fried goose.'"
"It nearly went up in flames because of you."
Anah sighed, shaking her head. "I was trying to help."
"You? Help?"
"Remember your wife, Troy," Moffitt said with a slight giggle.
"Yeah, yeah. I remember Anah got me and Shauna together, and I also remember her driving my truck, and sending those fake invitations which she forged my signature on—"
"She did also forge Shauna's."
"I know. We both gave Anah a stern talking-to when we found out."
"But I still accomplished my goal of getting you two to fall in love," Anah said.
"Yes. You're a natural cupid. A snake cupid."
"Indeed." Anah glanced at Dietrich, who was looking out the window at something.
Rain started running down the windows, and Dietrich's attention had turned completely to something outside. Troy didn't want to yell across the table at him, so he stood, patting Moffitt's shoulder as he went by to get to Dietrich. "Hey, what're you looking at out there?" Troy asked, quietly.
Dietrich looked unsure at first, then stood. He motioned for Troy to follow him to a spot where the others wouldn't be able to hear, and gestured out the window. "Do you see the woman on the bench across the street?"
Troy looked. There was indeed a woman, bundled in a dark-gray raincoat. Her amber hair fell and curled just below her ears. "Yeah. What about her? You know her?"
"No, but… I have seen her somewhere before, in a dream."
"You know it's creepy to stare, right? I mean, she's pretty, but eventually you gotta stop staring and go talk to her if you're interested."
"It is not that I am interested in her. It is that she has been sitting at that bus stop since we arrived here, and possibly before that. We have been here over an hour."
"It's a bus stop. She's waiting for a bus."
"This is a busy area. Surely, her bus would have arrived by now."
"Maybe she's at the wrong stop."
"Maybe." Dietrich grabbed his coat from the back of his chair. "I am going to see if she needs help."
Troy watched him leave the restaurant, and a strange feeling started poking in his gut. He turned back to the table, seeing Anah reared up on Moffitt's shoulders to get a good view out the window. "Oh, you gotta be kidding me," Troy said. "There's no way."
"What?" Anah asked.
"Is that the surprise? Are you playing matchmaker with Dietrich and this random woman?"
The table fell silent.
"Wait, what?" Hitch said.
"Anah, it doesn't work like that," Tully muttered, gnawing on a pretzel.
"Are you really that bored?" Moffitt asked.
"No," Anah said. "I have seen this coming for a very long time."
"Oh, have you now?" Troy gave her a dirty look.
"Yes. I foresaw this exact moment many years ago, in a dream. The woman looked exactly like the one outside."
"How do you know this is even gonna be good for Dietrich?" Tully asked.
"To be honest, I do not know, but I know he is ready, and he will certainly try to make this work."
"So, you didn't plan this?" Troy asked.
"No. I saw it in a dream. That is the surprise."
"How can we be sure, because you are a sneak at times."
"'Sneak' does become 'snake' if you switch some of the letters around," Carter said with a grin.
Troy went back to observing Dietrich, who was now talking to the woman across the street. He couldn't make out anything being said, as it was too far away to lip-read and he couldn't lip-read German even if he could see.
He hadn't realized Moffitt came up next to him, also looking like he was trying to understand what he was seeing. "The woman looks upset," Moffitt said.
"At Dietrich?" Troy asked.
"No, I don't think so." Moffitt glanced up at Anah. "Can you make out what they're saying?"
"I cannot," Anah said.
"But you can read their minds, can't you?" Troy cast an accusing glance at the cobra.
"I would, but that would be less fun, and quite invasive."
Troy stopped, and wondered if he was going to have a stroke right then and there. "You are a huge hypocrite, Anah."
"Would you two stop going at each other's throats for five bloody minutes?" Moffitt rubbed his face.
Troy immediately lost interest in Anah when he saw Dietrich opening his umbrella and holding out his hand to the woman to help her stand. They began walking together further into Hammelburg, disappearing into a crowd of people. "I'll be damned," Troy said.
"Seconded." Moffitt's jaw had dropped, and he gave Troy a thoroughly confused look. "What did we just witness?"
"I don't know. Hopefully Dietrich will be back. He did say he's paying for everything."
Over an hour passed before Dietrich returned. He was soaking wet from the rain, and didn't say a word as he hung up his coat and sat back down. When he noticed Troy and the others staring at him, he grunted, "What?"
"Who's the woman?" Tully asked.
"Her name is Esther Spahn. I walked with her back to her apartment after she told me she had been waiting for her drunkard boyfriend, who apparently regularly makes a habit out of claiming he will be on time, and never is, and he is not exactly good to her."
"Is she okay?" Hitch asked.
"For now, yes."
"People like that don't tend to take kindly to their lover walking out," Tully said. "Does this guy know where she lives?"
Dietrich nodded.
"Well, now you can't just leave her alone," Troy said.
"I do not want to become an intruder."
"Dietrich, this guy might hurt her." Tully motioned to the door. "Do you want us to come with you?"
"I doubt she will appreciate me bringing a bunch of strangers and a snake to her apartment, and I am worried she will get the wrong idea if I start regularly checking on her."
"That sounds familiar," Troy muttered.
Moffitt elbowed him in the ribs. "Taking her home won't do much good if she isn't even safe in her own home. At least visit once in a while to make sure she's okay."
"I will." Dietrich looked deep in thought for the rest of the group's lunch. As everyone began leaving, he stopped Troy. "Would you come with me to Esther's apartment?"
"Sure. Why? Think you might need backup?"
"In a fistfight, I would rather have you at my side."
"You're only saying that because I fended off a bunch of unruly drunk guys in the bar in Douglas when you first visited."
"And you did a fine job of it."
"Wouldn't you rather have someone, you know, younger?"
"No."
Troy waited for Dietrich to elaborate, but when he didn't, he grabbed his jacket. "Alright, then. Your choice. Lead the way."
As they walked down the streets of Hammelburg, Dietrich said, "I am wondering what this surprise is that Anah was going on about."
"Oh, I don't know." Troy bit his lip, and figured it was better to, in the words of Carter's old friend and former Stalag 13 guard, Sergeant Schultz, say nothing.
Hammelburg, West Germany – December, 1960
There had been no fights on the day Dietrich met Esther, and for that he was glad. He still took everyone's advice and checked on Esther regularly, once she was comfortable with him and convinced that he wasn't anything like the man she just ended a relationship with. It took some work, and a lot of patience, but he didn't mind, as he understood exactly how she felt. He gave Esther space when she asked, and stayed when she wanted him to. The days and nights she asked him to stay were difficult at first, as Dietrich was afraid of overstaying his welcome. At first, he provided nothing aside from his presence and conversation, but eventually began asking if Esther wanted him to cook anything or do any chores for her.
In the months following that odd day, Dietrich found himself enjoying the time spent with Esther. His visits remained regular, but eventually became more frequent. They had quite a bit in common; both had moved from Munich, shared horrifying experiences from the war, and were both quite shy. As Esther grew more comfortable with Dietrich being around, she eventually showed more of who she was. Her naturally calm and gentle nature allowed Dietrich to be a bit more vulnerable, whenever Esther was vulnerable with him. He took things slowly when he realized he was beginning to care for her as more than just a friend, fearing that something that good would never last.
The biggest test came when he felt he could trust her enough to tell her more about his past. After all, she trusted him with hers. He figured it was time to do the same, and he would never forget the day that he sat on the couch in her apartment and asked if she ever noticed the scars on his wrists.
"I have noticed them," Esther replied. "I did not want to ask as I was afraid of upsetting you. I… have seen scars like those before, on others."
"So, you have an idea of what could have caused them?" Dietrich asked.
"Like I said, I did not want to ask, but if you are willing to discuss it… you hurt yourself, did you not?" Esther looked at the floor. "If you do not wish to discuss it further, you do not have to."
Dietrich shook his head. "No, I will discuss it with you. I did hurt myself. It was a long time ago, but it is still a difficult thing to discuss with people, especially those I do not know very well. I felt… I felt you should know, because you have been very honest with me about your past, how people have taken advantage of you because of your kindness and shy nature. I feel I owe you an explanation of my own past."
He spent the next several hours discussing what had happened, though for now, he left out the prophecy. By September, Dietrich finally worked up the courage—with help from a very eager Troy—to ask Esther out on a date. A small and simple one, as they were both were more comfortable in a place with fewer people. He took her on a long walk along the Franconian Saale, just as the trees were beginning to change color for the season. Not that long after, he felt she could be trusted to know the full truth about him and the prophecy, and contacted Moffitt so he could bring Anah and show Esther that he wasn't crazy. Much to his surprise, Esther took well to Anah being a snake.
They continued dating through the autumn, where Esther had the chance to meet more of Dietrich's strange little family. Despite Dietrich's initial fears, everyone was on their best behavior, and welcomed Esther with open arms. The only somewhat awkward moment came when Jules blurted out, "Are you going to become Mrs. Dietrich?" during a visit. Thankfully, Esther didn't take that seriously, though Moffitt was thoroughly embarrassed and kept apologizing for the rest of the trip, even though everyone, including Esther, insisted he didn't need to.
It was now December, and it was Christmas Eve. The streets of Hammelburg were lined with lights, adorning windows and doors. Snow had been falling all day, and into the night. Dietrich and Esther walked close together, almost in step, her arm looped in his, as they left a late-night church service. They paused once to observe the Nativity scene in the church's garden, as well as the huge, decorated tree nearby, then kept walking to see how the rest of the town looked.
"That was a lovely service, Hans," Esther said, softly.
"Indeed it was. I am glad you talked me into going," Dietrich replied.
"I know you usually just read the Christmas story right from the Bible itself tonight, but this church always has such pretty lights and displays. I wanted you to see it."
"I appreciate the thought, and… I would not mind coming again next Christmas." Dietrich hated to admit it, but he had been distracted during the service. After the last few months, he felt he was ready to fully confess his feelings for Esther.
They kept walking, the only sound being the light brushing of Esther stroking Dietrich's arm with her gloved hand. It seemed that they were the only people out at that time, and Dietrich was alright with that. When they left the town itself and headed toward his home, Dietrich paused at a bridge overlooking another section of Hammelburg, where more lights were visible. He felt this was the perfect place, so he turned to face Esther, gently taking her hands in his. "There is something I would like to say to you, Esther Spahn. We have been seeing each other for many months now. When I saw you sitting at the bus stop, I did not think this would be the result."
"I thought you were just going to drop me off home and not come back," Esther replied. "I do not think I have ever expressed how much I appreciated your company. Well, not with words."
"You are the first stranger that I have told my…" Dietrich glanced down at his wrists, "story to, because I felt I could trust you. Earlier this year, I told a friend of mine that I doubted I would ever find a woman who would be able to understand me and the things I have gone through. You have experienced great pain yourself, and I am glad that you felt I could be trusted. I promise to never break that trust."
Esther squeezed Dietrich's hands, smiling up at him. "I would not dream of breaking your trust, either, Hans."
Dietrich nodded. He glanced down at Esther's hands, then looked back in her eyes. "So, what I would like to say to you is… I love you. It is difficult for me to express at times, and I believe that I have shown my love for you through my actions, but now I think I should tell you in words."
There was silence between them for a few long minutes. Dietrich was beginning to wonder if Esther didn't actually feel the same, but she remained where she was, massaging his hands. Eventually, she looked him in the eye, her own green eyes sparkling. "I have thought about telling you as well, for quite some time. The last thing I expected after you walked me home was for you to come back, and since you did, I have never felt more safe and cared for in the presence of another human being. I love you, too, Hans."
I love you, too, Hans. A sweet and light feeling suddenly spread through Dietrich as her words echoed in his mind. It was a feeling he had never experienced before, one that could only come from someone he knew deep within his heart that he loved, and they loved him back. He had felt the cozy, warm love of family, and now the sweet, tender love of a woman he hoped that he would eventually spend the rest of his life with.
He hadn't been very physically affectionate with Esther apart from holding hands and the occasional goodbye hug. She had been handled a bit too roughly before, so he never did anything without her permission. When she threw her arms around him, Dietrich wasn't sure what to do next, but he eventually hugged her back, gently pressing her as close to him as possible.
Snow continued to fly around them. Even though it was cold and getting very late, Dietrich didn't want to move. He only looked up when he sensed they weren't alone anymore.
"Well, Merry Christmas, Dietrich," Troy said. He was walking arm-in-arm with Shauna.
"What are you doing here?" Dietrich asked.
"We're visiting for Christmas, remember?"
"I assumed I was not going to see you until tomorrow."
"Shauna wanted to see the lights." Troy looked at his wife. "But I think we found something even more pretty."
Dietrich sighed, and looked back at Esther. "I apologize for this."
"Oh, no, it is alright," Esther said with a grin. "You told me he was part of your family."
"Yes, somehow he is."
Moffitt and Vanora approached from behind Troy and Shauna. "Don't you know better than to interrupt a loving embrace, Troy?" Moffitt asked.
"I wouldn't miss this for the world. Dietrich is in love."
"Yes, we can all see that. Now give him some privacy."
They were joined shortly by Tully and Mabel, Hitch and Molly, and Carter and Hazel. Part of Dietrich wanted to be annoyed with everyone barging in all at once, but somehow, he couldn't bring himself to be upset.
"It is nice to have everyone here," Esther said.
"I suppose so. I wish they could have waited until tomorrow," Dietrich replied.
"It is Christmas Eve, Hans. It is a time for family and friends, and this is the most romantic place in all of Hammelburg."
Dietrich sighed. "If you say so."
Anah poked her head out of Moffitt's scarf. "This is a lovely scene, is it not?"
"Oh, not you, too," Dietrich groaned.
"Yes, me too."
"She climbed into my coat before I had a chance to stop her," Moffitt said.
"It is fine. She is… She is family, too." Dietrich looked back at Esther. "I guess that was another way I knew we would stay together—you are alright with Anah's presence."
"Of course. My uncle brought back a cobra statue from his trip to Egypt before the war."
"Your uncle went to Egypt?" Moffitt walked over.
"Jack, not now," Vanora said.
"Oh, please, darling, I must hear more."
"Tomorrow. Let's just enjoy tonight, love."
"Alright." Moffitt pulled his wife closer, then leaned down to kiss her. "Your nose is cold."
"So is yours. Shush."
Dietrich shook his head as he watched them. His gaze then shifted to Tully and Mabel, who were pressed close together. Mabel then lightly tweaked Tully's nose, prompting him to kiss her forehead. Hitch was kissing Molly full on the lips, occasionally pausing to breathe and tell her that he loved her just as much as he did on their wedding day. Carter was leaning over the side of the bridge, his arm over Hazel as he whispered stories to her about whenever his time at Stalag 13 would bring him to this exact location.
"It was always pretty in the wintertime," Carter was saying, "but it's even prettier now, with you here."
Lastly, there was Troy. Shauna kept nudging him, her grin getting bigger with each nudge. "Come on, Sam."
"What?" Troy said.
"Kiss me."
"Kiss you? Now? I thought we were saving that for later."
"Sam—" Shauna was abruptly silenced by Troy kissing her.
Dietrich shook his head, then returned his attention to Esther. It was funny to think that earlier that year, he would have looked at everyone being so affectionate with their spouses and felt a painful sense of longing. The longing was no longer present, and neither was the dread of the prophecy, which had been absent for months. He put his arms back around Esther, whispering, "May I?"
Esther had to stand on her toes in order to reach, but she put her arms around Dietrich's neck to kiss him. A blissful feeling burst inside him, and he wished that feeling would never end.
It was hard to believe that there was a time where Dietrich wanted to feel nothing. It was somewhat understandable since all he had really felt throughout his life was pain, sadness, anger, frustration, and grief. Awful, heavy things. He knew those feelings would return, as they were a part of life, but at least now he knew that there were other, happier, lighter things he could experience, and he hoped he would continue to experience them for as long as he lived.