Something about the young recruit standing in front of Dietrich was familiar, and he wasn't sure if it was a good feeling or a bad one. The longer he studied the man's face, the more confused he became.

He and a few other Bundeswehr officers were leading a group of privates, fresh from graduation, in a tour of the barracks where they would receive their first assignments. The familiar man was already assigned to begin training in an M41 light tank, and as the tour continued, Dietrich wondered if that would be a good way to break the ice and get some questions answered.

"You there, Private," Dietrich said. "What is your name?"

"Armin Enzenauer, Lieutenant Colonel," the private responded sharply.

"At ease, Private. I see you are going into the Panzers. Good choice."

"Thank you, Colonel."

Dietrich noticed Enzenauer studying him. Where have I seen this man before? "May I ask, what city you were born in, Private?"

"Würzburg, Colonel."

"I used to live in Würzburg, after… the war. It is a very pretty town." Discomfort wrapped itself tightly around Dietrich's stomach as he thought back to the three years he was living in an apartment in Würzburg. He left after he started healing from his attempted suicide, feeling it would be best to leave the memories behind, though they still reappeared at the worst times. Unconsciously, Dietrich kept his wrists out of sight from the soldiers around him.

He noticed Enzenauer kept glancing at him for the rest of the tour. At one point, he saw the younger man whispering to himself, "It cannot be…"

When the tour broke for lunch, Enzenauer anxiously approached Dietrich when the rest of his formation got in line at the mess hall. "Permission to speak freely, Colonel?"

"Go ahead, Private," Dietrich replied. "You do realize you have broken formation, correct?"

"I understand, sir, but… I must know the truth."

"What truth?"

"Are you… Are you the same Dietrich who helped my mother and my siblings in Würzburg after the war? We lived on the fifth floor of a cramped apartment building, a few doors down from him. He looked very similar to you."

Dietrich looked over at where General Preisner was chatting with two other officers. "General? I am taking this man down to my office. There is something we need to discuss in private."

"Take your time, Colonel," Preisner replied.

"Thank you, General." Dietrich motioned for Enzenauer to follow him. They went through the maze of the building to reach his office, situated where he could watch troop and armored exercises easily. His desk had several framed photographs of his wife, the members of the Rat Patrol, and their families. The wall, too, was covered in pictures, and there was a Boston fern sitting on its own little desk, next to another desk with an electric kettle. "Have a seat, Private. This is an informal talk. No need to stand so stiffly." Dietrich motioned to the kettle. "Would you like something to drink?"

"A cup of tea would be nice, sir," Enzenauer replied, nervously.

As he waited for the water to boil, Dietrich felt like he was stalling. He gave a heavy sigh when he poured the water into a cup, holding a bag of black tea, then looked over at Enzenauer. "I am that same man who helped your family."

Silence and the smell of hot tea filled the room. Enzenauer looked like he was struggling to find words and hold back tears. "All this time, my mother thought she would never see you again. It was like you disappeared."

"How is your mother?" Dietrich asked.

"She is well, physically. She was able to find better work when West Germany became its own nation."

"That is good to hear. And your siblings?"

"All doing well." Enzenauer looked down at his lap, adjusting his uniform sleeves. "You helped us quite a bit. My memories of that time are a bit blurry, but I remember… I remember being hungry until you showed up to give us food. You were so generous, and… I want to thank you."

Dietrich wasn't sure how to respond. He pretended to focus on his own tea, but couldn't help glancing at the scar running across the inside of his wrist. He drew in a breath before looking at his wedding band, picturing Esther's smile in his mind. A lighter feeling filled his chest as he thought back to the previous night, sitting on the couch in the living room, snuggled up with Esther. He could still hear her saying, "I love you so much, Hans," before nuzzling his face and kissing him.

"I love you, too, Esther, my dear angel," Dietrich whispered back, nuzzling her as well.

I was alone for so long, yet I cannot imagine being without her, he thought, returning to the present. Dietrich looked at a photograph of himself and Troy on his desk. They were on Troy's property in Wyoming, in the middle of summer. Troy was grinning with his arm around Dietrich's shoulder, while the skinny German's smile was a bit weaker. Somehow, after being on the opposite sides of a war, and constantly at odds, this is the result. I never thought of all people, Troy would be the one I go to when I need help with the "demons in my head," as he likes to call my depression. Dietrich allowed himself to smirk a little. With those thoughts in mind, he felt strong enough to talk about what really happened with Enzenauer. "I know to you, and your family, what I did was extremely generous, but there was… something more behind my actions."

Enzenauer frowned. "What do you mean?"

"The packages I gave your family were sent from…" Dietrich paused. He didn't consider the Rats to be his friends when he was living in Würzburg, but they considered him one. "They were sent from friends who were concerned about me. I was not in a very good place, in my head. I was in the army, during the war, in France, North Africa, and then back to France. I lost a lot of men. Hundreds, maybe even thousands by the end. I felt guilty over losing so many, and when I returned to Germany after serving about a year in a prisoner-of-war camp in America, I did not know what to do with myself. To put it bluntly, I wanted to simply lay down and die."

"I… I am sorry to hear that, Colonel."

Dietrich shook his head. "You have no need to be sorry. Things have gotten much better. When I met your mother, and saw that she was taking care of four small children, I did genuinely want to help, but I was also motivated by guilt. I was deliberately starving myself."

"My mother said a few times that you were looking very thin just before you disappeared. I… also remember after you left, men in coveralls came with very strong-smelling cleaning supplies. A few days later, another man—" Enzenauer pointed to a photograph of Moffitt and his family, "this one, actually, came to the door and said you had an accident. What… happened?"

Dietrich took a sip of his tea. "I did not have an accident." He set his cup down, and showed Enzenauer his wrists. "My depression had gotten very bad, and I listened to the voices of the men I lost, screaming in my head that I was a failure, so I tried to end my own life."

"That is awful, Colonel."

"I do not want you to feel guilty for accepting what I gave you. You had no idea what was going on, and I did not want anyone to know what was going on. There was once a time where I would not have been able to have this conversation with you."

"I would have thought that this was something you would keep to yourself, because of how… deeply personal it is. You do not even know me, Colonel."

"No, but you are a remnant of my past, before I pulled myself from the abyss." Dietrich looked back at the picture with himself and Troy. "Well, I had a lot of help. I could not have gotten out on my own. Regardless, it is something that haunts me occasionally."

"If I do not help, should I leave?" Enzenauer asked.

"No. I figured it was best that you were made aware of the truth, since you recognized me."

"I understand, Colonel."

"I want to be able to move forward. That is all."

Enzenauer nodded. "Still… I cannot imagine this was easy for you to discuss."

"It never is. There will always be some degree of discomfort that comes with it, but I have gotten better at not letting that discomfort rule over me. I will still ask that you keep this conversation between us."

"I will, Colonel."

"Thank you. You are dismissed. Go on back to the mess hall, Private."

"Yes, Colonel." Enzenauer finished his tea, then left the room.

The door had been left open. A moment later, General Preisner approached, knocking on the door before taking another step inside. "Colonel?"

"General," Dietrich said. "You are always welcome. Come in."

"Thank you." Preisner closed the door behind him. "I… overheard your conversation with Private Enzenauer, and I wanted to know if you were alright."

"I am perfectly fine, General. There is no need to worry about me," Dietrich replied.

"I try not to, but I wanted to be not just a good commanding officer, but a good friend as well, and make sure you really are alright."

"I appreciate it, General."

Preisner nodded. His smile was a bit sad. "I had no idea that you… did that for his family, even though it was not under good circumstances."

"He probably would not be here if I had not given away so much of the food my friends sent me."

"Friends?" Preisner's grin lightened. "I thought they were your family, Dietrich."

"They are, but at the time, they were just friends."

"I know. You are very lucky to have them. Anyway—" Preisner sobered, "are you coming back to the tour?"

"I will. I just needed a moment to collect myself, General." Dietrich stood. "The fact that he enlisted and came here is remarkable."

"The odds of such a thing are astronomical," Preisner replied, walking with Dietrich out into the hall. "I would say it could be a coincidence, but I know you do not believe in coincidences." He lowered his voice. "After what happened last year, I do not believe in them much myself anymore."

"They do still happen, but I believe they are much rarer than most people assume. Perhaps there is a reason young Enzenauer is being placed under my command."

"Maybe, but it could be quite simple. Perhaps it is you being given a chance to confront your past and make amends with it."

"It is funny you say that, General, because I told Troy before I moved into my current home that I would one day check on the people I helped. It has been thirteen years since then, and I did not bother to visit. I think… I was afraid of memories coming back, and that I would not be strong enough to stand against them."

Preisner laughed a little. "And yet—" he kept his voice low, "you were strong enough to keep me from attacking East Germany and potentially plunging Europe into nuclear darkness."

"Indeed I was," Dietrich replied, grinning. "I think that was different, though."

They were quiet until returning to the mess hall. Preisner went around talking with some of the new recruits, and Dietrich noticed him taking Enzenauer off to the side when the private finished his meal. The conversation ended with the two of them smiling and shaking hands, then Preisner dismissed Enzenauer, letting him rejoin his unit. The general, still smiling, headed back to the table where Dietrich was slowly working through his own meal.

"What was that about?" Dietrich asked.

"Oh, nothing much. I told Enzenauer that he has a very good commanding officer in you, and that he should not hesitate to go to you with any problems."

"I probably will not see him much, General."

"No, but I have a feeling you will want to check up on him every now and then."

Dietrich's water glass was halfway to his mouth when Preisner said that. He set the glass down. "Is that a problem, General?"

"No. Just keep in mind that we cannot have favorites. I trust you not to do that."

"I understand, sir. I had no intention of giving Enzenauer any favors." Dietrich took a few swallows of water, and watched the unit of new soldiers get ready to leave. "I am curious about his career, though. It is amazing how… at one point, I would have been afraid that a new soldier under my command would be… doomed not to have one. Now, I can watch them grow and learn without fear."

"And they are learning from the best."

"You are among the best commanders I have had the pleasure of serving under."

Preisner laughed. "No, Dietrich, I am talking about you! Come now, give yourself some credit. As admirable as your humbleness is, you still need to learn to see when you truly excel. Your rank has certainly not stopped you from interacting with the lowest enlisted ranks. You are a brilliant tactician, and you will stop at nothing to make sure your troops are safe and well cared for." He let out a sigh. "You still gave all of us a scare when you ran into that burning building to pull the wounded out during that exercise earlier this year."

"My own safety was not on my mind during that incident, General. Only that of my men. They survived. That is all that matters to me." Dietrich finished his meal, then stood. "Shall we continue the tour, sir?"

"Indeed we shall."