This is just a sweet little side piece that came up.

A Great Man, A Hero, And the Legend of Papa Bear

The City of Italica, Three months after the Earthquake:

It had taken entirely too long to get here, the large man thought as the Mercedes followed the leading Hummvee of his escort detail. It wasn't every day that a self-made millionaire and his chief accountant opted to take a trip across the GATE. Getting permission from all the bureaucracies involved had been a nightmare but finally, they were here. Having spent three days in Alnus, getting to meet the locals had been an eye-opener. He had left one of his managers behind to start planning the company's first off-world expansion. Technically it was any company's first off-world expansion as Wilhelm pointed out. It could also be his company's salvation in an age when online shopping had combined with mismanagement to destroy larger companies. This was far from his mind; however, as his main impetus for coming here was in the letters written by his youngest son, Willie, who was a lieutenant in the Pioneers. Fortunately, Willie still had the same slim and muscular shape his father now only recalled in memories and old photos. Of course, that had been before marriage and his wife's superlative cooking had entered the picture. He knew it wasn't the healthiest way to live but he couldn't say he hadn't enjoyed it! But the point was that Willie was serving as an engineer as part of the German contingent of the Janus Expedition and his letters had been very detailed.

Of course, evidence from those letters also suggested Willie had fallen very much in love with a local girl, a teacher, as he recalled. Grace... A lovely name. Though I wonder just how his mother will feel. She did always want him to find a nice Lutheran girl to marry. He mentally shrugged. Everything would work out. For the moment, he waited as a young woman dressed in honest to goodness plate armor motioned them through the city gate. Perhaps he ought to inquire if she would mind her likeness being cast in one-eighth scale. He always had an eye for a good idea. It was one of the reasons the Schatze Toy Company was still in business. That and the fact that he was still the sole owner of the company. He had no board of investors to please. The only focus groups he cared about were the children who played with his toys. And that was the real reason his son had asked him to come. For Hans Schultz, nothing was more important than the children and the children in this world, Willie believed, could use the sort of joy that his father so loved to bring. Willie had once bragged to his peers that the only difference between his father and Santa Claus was that Hans Schultz was on the job a full 365 days a year.

Being so successful allowed Hans to do things like taking whole truckloads of toys to children who would probably never see one of his stores just for the smiles. There was also a refrigerated truck carrying the highest quality candies... At least the things that the experts deemed safe since Willie had warned his father that many of Grace's charges were of races other than normal earth-type humans. Hans bet that they smiled all the same.

Of course, the elder Schultz had timed his visit so that he would be able to see his son. Willie enthusiastically hugged his father. For his part Hans laughed, patting his youngest on the arm.

"So now where is this young lady of yours?"

Willie smiled, taking the hand of a young inferni woman. She was a tiny thing, especially compared to the elder Schultz. Her pink hair done up stylishly with blue and white flowers in her hair. Her horns tastefully accessorized with black and white ribbons and she wore a lovely black and red dress that matched her delicate-looking wings. Her rose-colored eyes reflected a shy smile.

"Ah! You are Grace?" You are every bit as lovely as Willie has written! Willie tells me you are a teacher and that you care for the children who have no families of their own?"

"Yes," Grace replied." She gathered her children around, a little wolf-boy holding onto her protectively.

Hans noticed him and waved. "And who is this?"

"We call him Amadeus, Father," Willie put in.

"Amadeus! Ah! a fine name! For a moment, I was afraid you were going to tell me he was named Wolfie, like your cousin!"

Willie smiled and then introduced Countess Myui, whom Hans thought was probably one of the prettiest little girls in God's creation.

"My Lady." Hans addressed her properly. His family had a long tradition of being Imperialists. "I wonder if you have time to join us and all the little ones... No... EVERYBODY... Please gather! I would tell you a story!"

Willie grinned. Telling stories was where his father was at his absolute best. With a look of curiosity, the Countess took a seat as Grace's charges and many others gathered around.

"Normally, I would tell you a tale of a great German hero. Such as Siegfried, who fought a MONSTEROUS dragon!" Schultz's hands became expressive as he emphasized the size of the beast. His eyes going wide. But today I will tell you of an American hero. A great man who was one of their greatest leaders. His name was Theodore Roosevelt. Not only was he one of their great leaders, but he was also a MIGHTY hunter. But he also believed in fair play and good sportsmanship! One day, as he was on one of his many travels, people organized a great hunt for him! They were going to hunt BEARS! The biggest, most powerful beasts. They could run fast as a horse and stand bigger than a man!" Hans stood up like a lumbering bear himself.

"As other hunters killed many of the beasts, Roosevelt had yet to catch one. The people, fearing he would be disappointed, determined they would bring him a bear to kill. They found one and cornered it with dogs, they wounded it and men tied it to a tree so it could not get away. Proud of themselves, they brought the great man to where they had tied the bear and told him to kill it!"

Hans waggled a finger. "But Roosevelt was NOT happy. He was NOT pleased AT ALL! For he could see the bear was in great pain and undoubtedly very frightened. This was no contest of hunter and beast! No! He said that no hunter worth his name would take pride in killing such a wounded and helpless creature! He had hunted and slain a great many things in his days but there had to be a challenge. This was death for death's sake. He would have no part in it." Schultz nodded to Wilhelm, who passed a stuffed bear to him.

"To celebrate the Great Roosevelt's compassion for life, we now have Teddy Bears." He passed the one in his hands to Amadeus, who clutched it like a treasure. "They will always be truest of friends. And, unlike real bears, they also give very good hugs. This is important."

Soon, he, Wilhelm, and Willie were all passing out Teddy Bears. Many of them were dressed in uniforms like those the alliance soldiers wore, so as to reinforce the image of the Allied soldiers as friends. Finally, Hans noticed Countess Myui still sitting, looking much like a child wishing she could play like the others but remembering that she was Countess Formar. Being like other children was one thing she could not be.

Hans took one particular bear and, nodding to Kaine and Mamina, presented it to Myui. The bear wore what was still called a 'Bomber jacket ' with the insignia of a colonel. "This one is very important. Like you, he is VERY most important! He will guide all the other bears in these walls as they watch over the children of this city. This one knows how to keep a secret, and will always be there when you need him."

Myui looked at the bear appraisingly, something like the ghost of a smile on her face as she finally allowed herself to hug the stuffed toy.

"Yes, this one is very special. This one. This is Papa Bear."

A/N: Any liberties taken in Schultz's telling of Roosevelt's encounter with the original 'Teddy Bear' are strictly the result of Schultz using poetic license.