Chapter Forty
Turn and Turn Again - All Thieves

"Why?" she muttered.

"Weil ich dich liebe."

Her heart stopped. The words sounded different, but she was almost sure it meant what she thought it meant.

"Because-" he started, but now she interrupted him.

"-you love me?" she asked with incredulity.

He nodded slowly.

"Why did you never try and find me?"

He watched her in a strange way.

"What would you want from a wounded soldier?"

Her lips parted, but she was tongue tied.

"Let's go to the inn," she said after finishing the tea.

"Yes, of course," he said.

They walked in silence to a small building, but the reception held a very nice lady.

"Young love?" she asked.

Jasper laughed a little, putting his hand on the small of her back. Her body froze, though this touch was so much smaller than their previous hug.

"One room, please," he said.

They exchanged money for a key.

He handed her the key, as if she was the one who held all the power. Together they followed the direction she'd given her. First up the stairs, then the third door on the right. The hallway was very narrow, and the carpet on the floor was a simple black.

She found the door, room number 19. She pushed the key inside and turned to the left.

"Why didn't you correct her?" she asked, pushing the door open and stepping in.

"It was either that, or telling her I'm you're Dad. People in general don't like a man and a woman spending a night together while being unwed.

"Does this mean we can do the things that wedded people do?"

When he didn't answer, she turned to face him. He was standing in the open doorway and staring at her with surprised eyes.

"I didn't see that coming," he said eventually, throwing the door shut.

"Well," she said, her lips trembling. "Surprise?"

"Do you do this often?" he asked.

"What? God, no! Never."

The words had flown out and Alice looked away.

"I just know that..."

She heard him step forward, until he stood before her.

He took her chin and raised it up. She looked him in the eye.

"That what?" he asked.

"That I love you too."

"No, Alice, you really don't."

He started taking off his clothes. First his jacket. He threw it on the ground. Then his sweater, landing on top of his first clothing. Underneath he wore a sleeveless white shirt, which he also tore off.

He was fast to untie his belt, buttons, then push the top of his pants down. He left them on, but she saw what he was trying to show her.

Her eyes saw his chest, but she quickly looked away.

On his chest, from neck to the top of his underwear, there were deep, very visible scars. More scars covered the top of his legs.

"They're an ugly sight," he said, "and a constant reminder of the war."

She turned her eyes back to the scars. They were present, yes, but she never thought of them as ugly.

"I only see a brave soldier, wounded during war."

His face showed disbelief, as he also shook his head.

"That's all I see," she whispered.

"This will be a constant reminder of the war."

She stepped forward.

In her short life, Alice had lived on the streets when she was just a child, she'd joined the war and was captured by a Nazi. All that together didn't outweigh how nervous she felt right then.

She reached forward, before she could change her mind and pressed her finger against his lower abdomen. It's where several small scars started. They were less prominent, especially to the big one going from his right side to his left chest.

Her trembling finger followed the line.

"They don't bother me," she said.

"Then why are you shaking?"

She looked up when her finger was at his collarbone, where she found a few round scars.

"This is the closest I've ever been to a man."

Her hand went to a scar which she knew. It was the wound that she'd attended to. It was at his side, perhaps one, two inches tall.

She leaned down, placed a soft and quick kiss on his scar. As nervous as she was, she raised her eyes up to him. She inhaled sharply when she saw his were closed tightly, as if he was in pain.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

She was about to walk past him, mortified she caused such distress on the poor man.

"You didn't hurt me, Alice. You made me feel alive again."

He leaned down and pressed his lips against hers.

It was unexpectedly and perfect. It felt like everything made sense again.

Gently he released her lips.

"Would we go to hell?" she breathed.

He raised his eyebrows.

"If we made love?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Not if we're married."

"But we're not."

"No, we're not."

"So we would go to Hell, because we're not married?"

"I don't know," he said. "I don't care so much. I thought you were the firm believer."

She nodded.

"I am, but...God knows our time is limited, right? Especially ours."

"True."

"I mean, we went to war. We survived against all odds. Between all those deaths, we made it. Don't we deserve happiness without the fear of going to Hell?"

"No need to try and convince me."

"And, even if I went to Hell, would it really be so bad? At least I'd have known what it's like to be with the man that I love."

"If you're going to Hell, I'm coming with you."

He brought his pants up and buttoned it close. Alice watched how he stepped forward and took her hands in his.

"But what if...I could get pregnant, right? Then what would I do?"

"Marry me."

"Yeah, but I'm not so sure if I even want to get pregnant."

He shook his head and said, "I wasn't answering your question. I was proposing."

She stared at him in shock.

"Why?" she croaked.

"I like how you believe in God. Maybe it was your God that brought us together. If so, I don't want to interfere with such powers. I'll marry you."

He went down on one knee and looked up at her.

"That is, if you'll have me as your husband, Alice Brandon."

"Jasper..."

"I don't have a ring yet, but I'll get one for you as soon as I sell all the awards."

She watched him with a confused feeling in her chest.

"I'll marry you on one condition," she eventually said.

Jasper stared at her until she continued.

"I don't want you to sell The Purple Heart."

"What's so special about this one anyway?" he said, taking it from his pocket and staring at it like it was something meaningless.

"Because you served, while wounded. It's the thought it holds."

He got back up on his feet and sighed.

"Alright, Alice, I'll keep it," he said, despite pinning the medal on Alice's coat. "Why don't you hold unto it for me?"

"Are you sure?"

He nodded.

"Alice?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad you looked me up."

She smiled, remembering how it all started just a few hours ago.

"Do you want to go to church?"

"Church?" she asked, looking left and right as if it was in the room with them.

"I know a priest and a church. If you want, we could get married tonight."

"Sure," she said with wide eyes, partly liking the idea, partly freaking out.

But then a thought crossed her mind. It came to her briefly.

"How do you know a church and a priest?" she asked, voicing her confusion.

A small smile formed on Jasper's lips and that's when Alice knew that he had been lost, but he had never lost hope.

The End

AN: Thank you dear readers for the support, I hope you like the story :)