PLEASE NOTE: I do not give permission for any reproduction, re-imagination, or re-adaptation of this story in any way, shape, or form.
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July 16th, 1943; Friday (10:39 PM – Berlin, Germany)
The still of the night surrounded Hans, a sheer blanket of clouds hanging unfathomably high above. He longed to be beneath the Paris sky once more, encapsulated by wafts of rose perfume and curtained by a veil of blonde hair. The loving press of her lips and the soothing warmth of her body was what he desired now more than anything. Just one more sleep though, and he'd get his wish.
Hans placed a hand on Hotel Kaiserhof's glass lobby door, and pushed it open. Even at this hour, the wide open restaurant within was with loud and chock full of way too many people. Hans laid his eyes on an empty table, and slipped into one of the chairs at it. He wasted no time in removing his cover and tossing it to the table and lighting up a cigarette. His eyes closed for a moment as the nicotine worked its way into his blood stream through his lungs. "Standartenführer Landa," purred a voice that he hadn't heard in years. "I heard you were in the city, and I had to see for myself."
"Frau Von Hammersmark," he murmured, finally opening his eyes.
She was dressed head to toe in Louis Vuitton, a white gauzy blouse tucked into her tan skirt. "I was hoping I could catch you before you left." She helped herself to the chair opposite Hans, and placed her sparkling silver clutch on the table beside Hans's cover. She plucked a folded drink menu from the table and scanned over her options.
"You're in luck. I'm leaving tomorrow afternoon." A French inhale curled into his nostrils as he looked across the table at the blonde woman with neatly curled hair. "What brings you to this part of town?" He questioned, tapping the ash from his cigarette off into an ashtray.
She glanced up from the menu for a second with a raised eyebrow, then offered him a lazy shrug. "I was in the area."
He sighed, closing her menu with one hand and placing it face down on the table. He leaned across the table and lowered his voice. "You only come to me when you want something, Bridget. Out with it."
Bridget rolled her eyes dramatically, and leaned back in her chair. "I was hoping that you could find a way to get me to Paris." She toyed with the Cartier diamonds that dangled from her ear as she fluttered her long lashes.
He let out a breathy laugh through closed lips. "I'm not going to do that."
"Come on, Hans... Please?" she asked sweetly, dragging the toe of her heel up the side of his leg.
"Absolutely not."
"Why?" she asked, turning herself so she was sitting sideways in her chair. "Do you have someone that you don't want to know about me?" Bridget rested an elbow on the table, and gazed across the table at Hans.
He stayed quiet. He could see her gleaming smile in his head. "I do."
Bridget leaned back again in faux shock, clapping a hand to her chest. "I never thought I would see the day."
"Nor did I." Hans finally crushed out his cigarette that he hadn't even been smoking and crossed his arms atop the table. "You wouldn't be jealous, would you?"
"Me? Of course not. I'm not that type of woman," she said, but the tone in her voice painted a much different story.
He shook his head slowly from side to side. "Oh, you're so jealous. This is fun to watch."
Bridget pursed her lips, because he was right. "Fine... I am jealous. But who wouldn't be? I remember a time when you'd whisper in my ear and I'd become your toy. Is she the same?"
He titled his head. "Quite frankly, I don't think that's any of your business."
She still pressed on. "She must have you wrapped around her finger," she muttered unpleasantly.
"Jealousy isn't a good look for you. It'll make you age faster," he mentioned sarcastically.
"Well, excuse me for being curious," Bridget defended. Nosy better described her questioning. An awkward silence fell between them when she realized her plan of hitching a ride to Paris with him was clearly off the table and smashed on the floor. "What does she have that I can't give to you? I know you still miss me."
"Honestly, Bridget, I don't miss your materialistic princess requirements. And for the record, she's given me love. I don't know that you're capable of that."
A disgusted expression claimed Bridget's face. "I can't believe you let someone tame you."
He shrugged, picking up his cover from the table and standing up. "I don't have the patience to argue with you tonight." He walked over to Bridget and leaned down to her ear. "I burned the bridge between you and me for a reason. I have no interest in digressing in time." He pulled out a few banknotes from his pocket and placed them on the table in front of Bridget. "Get yourself a drink, and leave your past behind. Abandon the idea that you have a chance with me. Goodnight, Frau Von Hammersmark." He ignored her last eye roll and left the table with his cover firmly in his hand.
His legs carried him up to his room on the third floor, and he freed himself of his boots and tunic. Laid out flat on the bedspread was the vibrant ultramarine lace up gown that he'd finally picked up from the seamstress down the road. The front was simple; nothing but smooth satin. The back was more intricate with delicate beading and a long ribbon laced like a corset from the shoulders down to the lower back. It would surely fit her body like a glove, and he could already imagine it hugging her curves. Maybe he shouldn't have gone thought the trouble of ordering it and having it tailored to her, but he found great pleasure in spoiling the ones he loved.
He combed a hand through his hair in the bathroom mirror before flopping down on the bed. It was plush and held him like a warm hug.
The only thing that could improve his mood now was Krista's nude form lying beside him, tangled in the sheets. He closed his eyes and there she was again, a devilish gleam in her eyes as her dexterous fingertips grazed his chest and down the front of his body. Just as his vision of her prepared to unfasten his belt, he forced his eyes open again.
His pants were painfully tight now, but that was to be expected. He hauled himself into the bathroom and ran a shower.
His left hand was planted firmly on the tile that lined the shower as hot water streamed down his back. Quieted moans of pleasure tore from his lips as he stroked himself deliberately at the image of Krista's tongue tracing its way along the veins on his cock and the sensation of him filling her mouth. That flicker of enjoyment in her doll-like eyes when he twisted her hair into his fingers would be his undoing every single time. With a series of desperate, choked groans, he neared his peak with the almost lifelike visual of himself looking down deep into her eager eyes as he spilled himself down her throat. The fingers of his left hand clenched into a fist against the wet tile and he continued to stroke himself until consuming tremors of release wracked his body and he was left throbbing in his hand. Hans shuddered and panted, curses along with Krista's name carried on spent breaths from his lips.
For a couple of minutes, he simply stood there as steaming water poured over waves of euphoria washed over him like the unceasing waves of the ocean. He took in a handful of ragged breaths as he willed his heart to return to its resting normal rate.
Hans scrubbed his hands through his wet hair after he caught his breath and regained his bearings. God, it was unbelievable how that woman left him breathless even when she was a country away.
Hans wrapped a towel around his waist and ventured back out to the bed. He lay down, not caring that the pillow was getting soaked from his wet hair. A smile blessed his lips as he imagined Krista curling into his side as they both rode out their blissful highs. Her breath would lick at his chest as her fingers danced in circles along his ribs.
For what felt like the thousandth night in a row, he was falling asleep with the ever so vivid image of Krista Jäger on his mind.
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July 17th, 1943; Saturday (11:04 PM; The Saint James – Paris, France)
"Hello, boys," Krista said with a pleasant smile as she approached the very neatly dressed Dieter and Jonas duo. They were like... bros. And that was hilarious to her; she loved that for them.
"Milday," Dieter said, taking her hand and brushing his lips over her knuckles. "You're late," he teased.
She moved one of her Dutch braids behind her back and switched her wristlet to her other hand. "Hey, I had to sneak out the back. There was someone at the desk."
"I'm just messing with you," Dieter said, putting an arm around her in a friendly manner and tugging her to his side.
Dieter was such a doll. "So where's this bar at? Have I been there?"
"I guarantee that you haven't," Jonas said, standing to Krista's left side as the traversed down the sidewalk. "It's sort of... exclusive. You can only get in if you have the password," he added, trying to sound mysterious again.
Krista nodded, looking over to her cousin. "Oh, so it's like a speakeasy." A real speakeasy? This was the sort of thing that you only read about during the prohibition chapters in US History. It was surely going to be a surreal experience.
"Exactly," Jonas concurred. "It's a bit of a walk, but it will be entirely worth it."
A walk was an understatement. It felt like they'd walked for ages.
The music was loud, and German officers and their girls were crowding the dancefloor dancing like they cared not about tomorrow. It was so alive and filled with joviality. Krista could confirm: The walk was worth it.
More officers sat at tables, swaying and tapping their boots to the beat of the music. There were so many people inside that breathable oxygen felt scarce, but she supposed that that was simply part of the experience.
"Do you want a drink?" Dieter shouted over the noise from all around them. "They have a drink here called a 'Manhattan' and it's absolutely delicious," he suggested.
She was familiar with Manhattans. They were her usual order when she wanted to give the illusion of classiness that she didn't have. "I'd love one," she answered as she followed behind Jonas to an open table.
"I'll be right back." Dieter smiled to them and set off for the bar counter toward the back of the dingy basement.
The vibe inside The Smoking Room was reminiscent to Krista of a welcoming small town bar on a Friday night. Everyone was just there to drink and be social and just all around have a good time. It was a place where officers could unwind and loosen their ties. Krista waited patiently for Dieter to return, and she was given a chance to let her eyes free roam around and do some light people watching.
A group of three captains and a very scantily clad woman were in the corner adjacent to the bathroom rolling cigarettes with piles loose tobacco scattered about the table. One of them jostled the table about, knocking the half rolled cigarette out it its roller's hand. Krista couldn't help but laugh when the roller pushed the other captain in a way that toppled him, chair and all.
Two men stood at the bar, the one on the left slipping the one on the right a dime bag that looked to have a few pills in it. Then she realized that also didn't feel too much different from some of the sketchy urban clubs she had given her time to in the past. A glass half full of alcohol appeared in front of her with a maraschino cherry bobbing around in the bottom at the same time a young redhead perched herself neatly on Jonas's knee. He had... a girlfriend? She was learning so much. She swiped his cover from his head, and placed it atop her own with a giggle and dropping an affectionate kiss to his lips. "Anastasia, this is my cousin Krista. She's from The States," he explained.
Anastasia offered Krista a shy smile and turned to Jonas's ear to tell him something that was out of earshot. "She thinks you're pretty," Jonas said, raising his glass to Dieter and Krista.
"What should we drink to?" Krista asked loudly, shifting her eyes between the two men at the table.
Dieter spoke up after rubbing his chin in deliberation. "How about friendship?"
It was cheesy, but she'd take it. "Friendship," she said, letting her glass collide with the other three. They took sips simultaneously, and delved into light, humor driven conversation.
-
The drinks continued to flow for the next two hours, wild laughter erupting from their table every so often.
"How you doin'?" Jonas tried, mocking a New York accent.
Krista shook her head. "No, no, no... It's... 'How you doin'?" She corrected with a laugh. Should she be teaching them Joey Tribbiani's iconic line from Friends? Probably not, but it was beyond entertaining.
All of a sudden, Anastasia hopped up from the table excitedly and began tugging on Jonas's sleeve. "Let's go dance babe!" Jonas agreed, standing up with her and taking her hand.
"Are you two coming?" He asked, looking between Dieter and Krista.
They exchanged glances, and she offered her hand to him. "I'd love to."
She allowed Dieter to take her to the dance floor and she watched as a smile lit up his face. He twirled her around, dipped her, and brought her back up repeatedly to punchy and swinging beats of the music. They were chest to chest, and the bar quieted around them for a time. She slowly swept her eyes upward, meeting his immediately. Her heart was beating erratically, but maybe it was just the bourbon talking. Krista fell into his eyes and just couldn't look away.
He brought his head down to her, their lips only divided by centimeters. "What if I want to see what happens when I try to go too far?"
His liquor soaked words pirouetted over her lips like a drunken ballerina. Her head was beginning to spin... She knew what would happen next. Just as she suspected, his fingers found the underside of her chin and tilted her head upward. Their eyes met more easily, but she had to stop Dieter before he successfully overstepped boundaries. "I'll stop you," she replied firmly.
"Come on... Just once..." He leaned down once more, his nose brushing hers before she pressed her index finger to his lips.
"You've already kissed me once," she reminded him with a soft laugh.
Dieter laughed and pulled her back to the floor to continue dancing. "You're no fun!"
For the first time that night, she wondered how Hans was getting along in Berlin armed with only his thoughts of her and a photograph of her contorted split on the pole. She hated to admit it, but she actually missed him.
-
They'd all had their fun, and now they needed some rest. Krista downed the last swallow of her final Manhattan, but unfortunately, it was high time she broke the seal. "I'll be right back guys. I'm going to run to the ladies room."
When Krista stood up, she reached her hand down to steady herself on the table as she swallowed down a wave of nausea. "Whoa..." She mumbled under hear breath. She felt wasted, but she'd only had two drinks.
"Darling, are you alright?" Anastasia asked with a voice of concern.
Krista waved her off and stood up straight. "I'm alright... Thank you..." She forced a weak smile and weaved through the crowd to the back. She reached for the bathroom's doorframe to keep herself from doubling over in stomach pain, and took a few deep breaths before slipping herself into a stall.
The world was beginning to spin around her violently fast. Her eyes refused to focus and she felt like she couldn't catch her breath. Nausea finally did her in, and she released the contents of her stomach into the toilet. Her breathing turned heavy and shaky as she vomited a second time. Her knees ground into the tile on the floor as she retched a third time. She spit out the remnants of bile from her mouth, and sat hunched over with her sweating forehead resting on her arm.
When she stood up, she felt another round of sick rising in her throat. Krista's eyes watered but she swallowed it back down before flushing the toilet.
Krista was well acquainted with her body. She had been drunk before on Maker's Mark... Blackout drunk. But this felt so much more intense. Her limbs began to tremble with no explanation. Something wasn't right.
After dragging herself to one of the sinks, she clutched at cold porcelain with a white knuckled grip and let her eyes fall closed in an attempt to slow the spinning world. That only made matters worse. She felt that she couldn't loosen her grip as vibrational tingles originated in her fingertips and rose up her arms, like she had undergone a mild electric shock. Standing up straight was becoming a chore by now, and she needed to leave.
With shaking fingers, she turned on the faucet and cupped her hands beneath it to catch some water. She rinsed her mouth out twice before taking a decent sized swallow. When she finally looked up to see her reflection, she looked like she'd been crying for hours. Her eyes were bloodshot and trails of her mascara dripped their way down to her chin. With a sniff, she wiped her ruined makeup from her face with the collar of her blouse and took a deep breath before wobbling her way back out to the table.
Her stumbling and unsteadiness was getting worse by the minute. She placed a hand firmly on Dieter's shoulder and squeezed as she leaned down closer to him. "I think I need to go..." she said squeezing his shoulder hard as she felt even more nauseous now than before.
Dieter turned around quickly, his concern growing when he saw the paleness in her face and her reddened eyes. "What happened?" he asked, his eyebrows drawing together.
She blinked a few times, but goddammit, her eyes still wouldn't focus, and she was seeing double. "I think..." she started, leaning into his chair. "I think someone put something in my drink," she forced out as she began to sway back and forth on her feet.
Dieter all but jumped from his seat and looped her arm around his shoulder for support. "Jonas, time to go," he said across the table.
"Oh shit!" he exclaimed, jumping up as well when he saw Krista's eyes flutter closed and slump against Dieter. "Here, I'll help you." Jonas scrambled around to the other side of the table, spilling his drink in the process. He slung Krista's other arm around his shoulder to help hold her up.
"Krista? Krista? Hey... Can you walk?" Dieter asked bringing her back to lucidity for a moment.
"Barely," she breathed, on the verge of passing out.
Sweat was beading up on her back and her forehead and she just wanted the room to stop spinning and sit still.
"That's good. Just stay awake, Okay? You'll be alright," he assured. "Take her outside. I'm going to see if Kaiser drove here tonight." Dieter gently released himself from her arm and rushed off to find whoever this Kaiser guy was.
"Babe, could you give me a hand?" He asked Anastasia how was quick to take Dieter's place at Krista's side.
They walked Krista up the stairs to the exit but she felt so weak, she collapsed in the alley just outside the door. "Krista! Shit!" Jonas knelt down, tapping her cheeks gently to bring her back to consciousness. Her eyes fluttered back open slowly as she lifted her head from the ground.
Anastasia knelt beside Krista as well, and brushed a soothing hand over her braided hair. She was a woman of few words, but she was so sweet that it made her happy that Jonas had her.
"Where the hell is Dieter at?" By the time Jonas started to pace, Dieter burst through the door with a ring of jingling keys in his hand.
"Give me two minutes. Tops," he said while he sprinted past them down to the end of the street.
Krista brought herself up to a seated position but immediately wished she hadn't. The familiar burn of vomit was making itself known, but she couldn't allow herself to throw up in the street. "What the hell is going on?" She wiped the tears that had welled up in her eyes away and swallowed. Everything was going so well, and then it fell apart in the blink of an eye.
"I think someone put something in your drink... We'll find out who did it." Jonas walked to the curb and waited for the glow of headlights heading his way.
Finally, there was the car. "Jesus... it took you long enough!" Jonas called through the open passenger window.
"Hey, I can only drive so fast! Would you rather fucking walk?" Dieter snapped.
The Mercedes idled on roughly on the street as Krista used the wall beside her as leverage to help her up.
Jonas and Anastasia helped Krista into the car. Anastasia slid into the backseat with her, and she barely had the door closed before Dieter was pulling off the curb.
On the outside, Dieter was keeping his cool, but on the inside, he was filled with panic. It was his idea to have Krista tag along with them, and she was drugged on his watch. He should probably start getting a will in order now, because Hans was most likely going to kill him for this.
Hans entrusted him with one job: Keep Krista out of harm's way. Well, he fucked up. And he'd never hear the end of it... if he managed to survive that long.
The lamps that lined the street blurred past them, and Krista tried to focus on them to keep herself from slipping from consciousness again. The struggle to keep her eyes open was growing more difficult and every bump in the road that Dieter hit made her stomach jolt painfully.
"Five more minutes," he told Krista, glancing up in the rearview mirror at her heavy eyes. "Stay awake."
They were the longest five minutes of her life. Needle like stabbing pains radiated from her stomach and she drew herself into a fetal position. "Fuck..." she breathed, squeezing her eyes closed as the car screeched to a stop.
Dieter cut the engine, and didn't even bother closing the door before hustling to open the back door. It swung open, and he took her hand to help her out of the car.
Krista's legs felt like they were boneless and made of Jell-O as she hiked her way up to the penthouse. At long last, her hand fell onto her door, and she fumbled with the key before she finally unlocked the door.
The guys walked her to her bed, and she climbed in, falling flat on her back. "Can someone get a glass of water please?" Dieter asked, sitting down beside her to wipe away the sweat that lingered on her forehead.
Jonas returned with a glass of water and handed it to Krista. She took slow sips from it, but it didn't do anything to ease the pang of nausea. "I think I'm gonna throw up again," she said, rolling herself down from the bed and stumbling to the bathroom with her hand clasped over her mouth.
"Do you think we should stay?" Anastasia asked curiously with a hushed voice.
"I'm going to," Dieter said, standing up from the bed. "You don't have to."
"She's family. I'll stay. There's a loveseat. Ana and I can both fit." Dieter offered Jonas a nod and sighed to himself, cradling his face into his hands.
Krista said nothing as she shuffled back to bed and laid spread eagle in the middle. The tangible world around her was beginning to fade away as a black vignette closed in around her vision.
Dieter stood up then, giving Krista a glance over. She was out cold. "I'm going to go take Kaiser his car back to him. Make sure nothing happens while I'm gone, please." He emphasized 'please' before taking his leave.
Dieter couldn't even begin to imagine how fucked he was... What if Krista wakes up and she's livid because of what he let happen to her, and she tells Hans, and he absolutely flies off the handle?
On the curb, the driver's side door of Kaiser's car was still hanging wide open with the key still in the ignition. He slammed the door closed, and pounded his fist on the steering wheel out of frustration. He was angrier with himself than more than anyone, because he had failed at what he'd be instructed to do, and now Krista had suffered as a result.
-
Dieter was back at The Saint James within the hour, and he had returned with his uniform shirt unbuttoned and looking like a disheveled mess. When he quietly entered the dark room, he noticed Jonas and Ana sleeping soundly on the loveseat. Krista hadn't moved; she was still spread out in the middle of the bed. He shrugged off his tunic and draped it over the chair that sat in the corner and crossed the room back to the bed. "I'm sorry, Krista," he whispered. She couldn't hear him, but he still wanted her to know that he was there.
He placed a tender kiss to her cheek before letting his thumb graze over the skin there. He unbuttoned his shirt fully and pulled it from his pants before settling into the chair. Insomnia was rearing its ugly head, and he doubted that he was going to get any sort of shut eye.
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July 18th, 1943; Sunday (6:14 AM – The Saint James)
Birds were chirping happily outside Krista's balcony as the first rays of bright morning light peeked over the horizon. Dieter looked down at his watch, and was flabbergasted by the time it displayed. Holy shit... he actually never slept. He looked up when he heard Krista stirring in the bed, but she was only trying to get more comfortable. He closed his eyes finally, and let a shallow slumber overtake him.
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7:25 AM
Dieter jolted awake to the sound of hurrying feet padding their way to the bathroom.
Jonas stirred on the loveseat groggily, opening his eyes and stretching his arms. He nudged his girlfriend awake so that he could drag himself to the proper position to sit on a couch. "How is she?" Jonas asked, sleep still thick in his voice.
Dieter leaned forward, massaging his sore eyelids. "I don't know. I think she just woke up." He sat up and stretched his arms before finally standing up and unsteadily making his way to the bathroom. He pressed his hands to the door frame, and leaned in. "Are you alright?"
Her braids were a shredded mess, her skin pale and clammy. She dry heaved one last time before flushing the toilet and slumping over onto her arms. "I feel like shit," she mumbled. When she stood up, she reached for the sink so she wouldn't topple over from the dizziness. "I don't remember getting home. I remember going to the bathroom, and that's it. Nothing else," she admitted, running some cold water to splash on her face and rinse her vile tasting mouth out. She braced herself against the sink and leaned forward so the droplets of water from her face would fall gently down the drain. "Did you stay all night?" Krista finally turned to him as she began to undo her destroyed braids.
"We all did," he said, finally straightening up. "I'm so sorry, Krista. I told you that you could trust us."
She shook her head dismissively. "I should have known better than to leave a drink sitting out in the open." She tugged her fingers through her braids to loosen them and sat back against the sink. A quick look down and she noticed she was a hot ass mess. Her skirt was twisted a full one hundred and eighty degrees, and her blouse was stained with sweat and twisted to shit just like her skirt. Her fingers pressed into her temples in a weak attempt to calm the pounding in her skull.
Krista had survived her fair share of binge drinking nights and the miserable hangovers that followed, but she'd never had a hangover this intense. She felt like she couldn't think; everything was like thick soup in her head. Her dizziness refused to subside, and her confusion only amplified her nausea. Her limbs felt numb and heavy, but at least she was coherent.
Dieter lowered his sleep laden voice as to not agitate her obvious headache. "I'm still sorry. I shouldn't have let it happen... Hans asked me to keep an eye on you and keep you safe while he was out of the country. And I didn't do that."
"Listen. The night ended pretty shitty, but I actually had fun. You guys are awesome. Don't beat yourself up." She winced and stood back up straight. "Thanks for asking me to tag along." She finally looked up to meet his eyes, and she tried her best to not get distracted by the toned muscle that lie beneath his fully unbuttoned shirt. "You should probably get out of here. I don't know when Hans is coming back." Krista ran a shaky hand through her tangled, now wavy hair before slipping past him.
Her arm brushed over his abdomen, as he was blocking the doorway and he felt an exhausted lopsided grin on his lips at the insignificant contact. He began to button his shirt up as he turned back into the room, walking back over to the chair he had been uncomfortably sleeping in. "Do you need anything before we go?" Dieter buttoned his last button, and slung his tunic over his arm.
She managed a head shake, and slowly crossed over to where the other three were now standing. "I'm alright. Thank you though," she said wrapping her arms around Jonas in a friendly hug.
"I hope you feel better," Jonas said, giving her a soft squeeze. "I'm glad that we finally got the chance to meet."
"I am too," she said, moving over to the cute as a button redhead and giving her a hug as well.
She stood before Dieter and let out a drawn out sigh. "What are you going to tell him?"
He shrugged before pulling her into him tightly, but not too tightly. "I don't know yet. He'll probably kill me though." He dropped a kiss to the top of her head before leaning down to her ear. "If he does kill me though, at least I spent my last night on Earth with you," he whispered in German.
Oh, Dieter. He had such a way with words. He was just too sweet for her.
He released her from his arms and guided her back to the bed. "I'm glad you're alright... Now try to sleep. You'll feel better when you do."
She saluted an American salute to him as her weighted eyes fell closed. "Can do," she said with a breathy chuckle.
They all headed for the door single file, and Dieter let his eyes fall onto her curled up, miserable body in the bed. He loathed the idea of leaving her by herself in the state she was in, but she had a point. He closed the door tightly behind them and they marched down the royal blue rug that lined the walkway.
Early morning sunshine poured in, glinting and glaring off of the glass lobby doors as they finally pushed their way outside. It was already too warm out, and it hadn't struck even nine o'clock. "Let me have a smoke," Dieter told Jonas as he pulled a lighter from his pants pocket.
Jonas fished out the crumpled pack and looked inside. It was crushed and bent in the middle, but it would probably still smoke. "There's only one left."
"Let me have it," he demanded, taking the pack from Jonas and lighting the mangled cigarette.
Ana sank down to the ground, extending her legs out in front of her with crossed ankles. "I'm hungry, guys," she complained, covering her eyes from the sun with her left hand.
"Le Cristal should be open," Dieter said before taking a long enough drag to make him cough. He leaned against the gate and cleared his throat. His eyes were trained on the ground, with so many what ifs pacing uncontrollably in his mind.
The sound of heavy boots pounding against the concrete and Dieter snapped his head up, squinting at the shine of the sun.
"Well aren't you two a sight for sore eyes?" He said before turning to Ana and nodding politely, acknowledging her presence. "Sturmbannführer Hellstrom. Why in God's name are you out of uniform?"
Not even a hey, hi, hello, how is Krista... nothing. "I'm sorry, sir, it's just so warm..." Dieter answered, hoping that it didn't come off as too whiny.
"That's no excuse," Hans said, his eyes raking down Dieter's untidy appearance. "I trust that the week sailed smoothly?"
Yeah... We'll go with that...
If he only knew the half of it. "Yes, sir," he nodded, overlooking the palpable awkwardness between the four of them.
Hans looked over to Jonas who was standing beside his seated girlfriend. "It's nice to see you back in Paris, Obersturmführer Fischer."
"Likewise sir," Jonas nodded and reached down for his girlfriend's hand.
He turned to Dieter and held his eyes firmly. "I will be reaching out to you in the coming days for a full report. Good day, Sturmbannführer." Hans turned on his heel, and Dieter followed him with his eyes until he was out of sight.
They all exchanged knowing glances. They'd dodged that bullet for now, but Dieter knew it would come back with a vengeance.
-
Author's Note: Hey everyone! This chapter was very loosely inspired by the song 'Emergency Contact' by Pierce the Veil. I just felt like that song fits my view of their relationship nicely.
I also wasn't going to add Bridget into the mix, but I've put close to three hundred hours into my 'B.VonHammersmark' Elden Ring character, so I felt like I needed to add her into the story. (Find her at a Summoning Pool near you!)
The line 'Oh, you're so jealous. This is fun to watch' came from a tumblr dialogue prompt post, but I can't find the original post to give the creator proper credit...
Phew that was a lot.
Thank you all for reading and continuing to read!