Ilse looked at her watch. It was past midnight and Melchior was probably getting impatient and more than a little worried. She held no real affection for the current Melchior, but the boy of her childhood she still wanted to protect, and he needed to be at peace about Wendla. She was Ilse's best friend now, but she could not lie to the father of her child forever. He had a right to know what had happened.

She approached the cemetery and soon saw Melchior crouching by Moritz's grave. He looked guilty and for good reason. He had been unable to see that his friend was in so much pain. He was part of the reason Moritz was dead.

"Melchior," she said as she stood behind him.

"Wendla!" she whipped around then when he realized it wasn't his beloved, "Ilse?"

"I'm sorry Melchior,"

"Where's Wendla"

"She couldn't make it."

"You told her, didn't you," his tone was accusing and defensive. As if Ilse would truly prevent Melchior from speaking to the girl he loved because of her own anger.

"Of course I did" she said, "Wendla couldn't come."

"Did her parents forbid her from sneaking out?"

Ilse could tell that Melchior would not be satisfied with whatever lie she told about Wendla. They had only spent the one night together, but Ilse could tell that they loved each other with all their hearts. Nothing was going to keep Melchior from her.

"Wendla isn't pregnant, Melchior" she said as gently as she could.

"How did you know about the child?"

"Wendla told me. We're friends."

Ilse kneeled next to him and looked at Moritz's tomb stone. It had almost been Wendla in this graveyard. What she had suffered so far was horrible, but at least she was alive.

"What's happened, Ilse?" Melchior asked, "What are you not telling me."

"She told me not to tell you," she began, "But you must know so you can understand what she's going through.

"Fraulein Bergman found out Wendla was pregnant. Rather than have her marry or be shamed for having the child, she decided that the pregnancy should be terminated."

"No," Melchior said. No. his child there was no way.

"Wendla didn't know what was happening, Melchior," Ilse said "She tried to fight it, but she had the procedure done and the child is dead."

Melchior put his head in his hands. There was no way this could be happening. Everything was finally starting to go in his favor. He was going to marry Wendla and they were going to be a family. How did everything go so wrong?

"I need to see her," he said as he suddenly stood up.

Ilse stood up with him, "You can't Melchior" she said, "She doesn't want to see you,"

"Doesn't want to see me? She loves me and I love her."'

"She loves you and she is overcome with shame for what had happened. Seeing you know will only hurt her. Go back to school, Melchior and give her time to heal."

"She's not hurt, is she?"

"She nearly died, Melchi, but she's getting better physically. Emotionally" she sighed, "She has a long way to go"

"I can't leave without seeing her, Ilse"

"It would go against your nature I know. Just wait until she sends for you.

"How long will that be?"

"I don't know, but if you truly love, you'll wait as long as it takes."

Ilse walked back to Wendla's house thinking through what had just happened. She hadn't been certain that Melchior truly loved Wendla. There had been a small part of her that thought he was just using her friend for sex, like the other men in Ilse's life had been prone to. But now that she'd spoken to him… there was no doubt in Ilse's mind that Melchior was completely devoted to her.

She also knew that Melchior truly wouldn't leave until seeing her. What should she tell Wendla? Ilse could see that she wasn't ready to see Melchior again, but the boy would only wait so long before asking matters into his own hands.

Before she knew it, Ilse was back at Wendla's house and she had no real idea how to proceed. She walked through the door, not bothering to knock. Fraulein Bergman would know who it was.

She walked into Wendla's room. At first, she thought she was asleep. She had an emotional day and it was past midnight, it would make sense for her to be exhausted. But Ilse saw Wendla's body shake and she realized the girl was crying.

Ilse was at her side in an instant, "What's wrong Wendla?" she asked gently.

"Nothing," she sobbed into her pillow.

Ilse ran a hand through the younger girl's hair. Ilse knew that Wendla would tell her what was when when she was ready. In the meantime, she laid down next to Wendla and wrapped her arm around her.

Wendla wasn't sure how long it took her to fall asleep, but when she awoke it was daylight and she was wrapped protectively in Ilse's arms. It wasn't the first rime she had woken up like this and every time she felt grateful for the friend she didn't deserve

Ilse was always by her side even when Wendla didn't tell her what was wrong. She shouldn't have made Ilse go to cemetery that later. She should have just left Melchior there or explained things herself. But Wendla knew that if she saw Melchior, she would lose it again and she didn't want him seeing her weakness.

She turned to Ilse and hugged her back, content for the moment to just feel safe.

When Ilse woke up, Wendla was gone. She panicked for a moment until she heard the sloshing of water from the bathroom. She relaxed and laid pack down in the bed. It wasn't until she saw the bloodstains on Wendla's side of the bed that she realized what had been wrong last night

Wendla spent as long as she logically could in the bathtub just cleaning the blood off of her legs. She shouldn't be surprised that this was happening again. It showed that she was at least healing from her procedure. There had been a part of her that was worried she would never physically be able to have children even if she'd wanted them. But… it was the final proof that her child was truly gone and would never return...

When she couldn't justify sitting in cold water anymore, Wendla got out a quickly braided her wet hair into a messy braid.

When she left the bathroom, she saw Ilse sitting on her bed waiting for her.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, gesturing at the stain.

"It was a stupid thing for me to cry about" Wendla shrugged, "I knew this would happen eventually."

"Now you didn't" Ilse said as she stood up, "You didn't know"

"I knew my child was gone, Ilse, this was just further proof"

Ilse could see that she was putting on a brave face, so she didn't push Wendla. Instead, she moved back to bed and began to remove the dirty sheets.

"You don't have to do this, Ilse" Wendla said as she began to help.

"I want to, Wendla," she said

"Why do you care for me?" Wendla asked after a few moments

Ilse thought carefully before answering, "Because I know what you must be going through," she said, "I know what it's like to have your body violated and I know what it's like to feel alone.

"I didn't want you to feel the same things I did. I didn't want you to feel what Moritz felt."

Ilse felt tears begin up well up in her eyes. She thought she was done with crying for her lifetime. The last time she'd cried had been the day of Moritz's funeral the day she had supposedly lost her last friend. She thought she was done caring about people she would eventually lose. Sure, she and Wendla had been friends as children, but as soon as Ilse was kicked out, she pretty much lost all of her school friends. And the people she knew in here colony could hardly be called friends. They took care of each other, but loved each other? No, Ilse was alone until she realized Wendla needed her.

"What are you thinking about?" Wendla asked after the bed had been stripped of its soiled sheets.

"Everything that has happened," Ilse said.

"To you or to me?"

"Both."

"It's the best, Ilse," Wendla said, "The past can't hurt."

"Yes, but it haunts us," she said.

"…Yes."

"And sometimes it returns."

"You're talking about Melchior, aren't you?"

"He loves you, Wendla," she said, "He truly does."

"He loved sinning with me," Wendla said, "But he does not love me."

"Why else would he come back?"

"He was just being honorable"

"He got a 14 year old pregnant, I can't imagine he had much honor," Ilse deadpanned. Wendla couldn't think of a retort for that one, so she simply remained silent. Ilse could see that she was gaining ground, "He told me that he would not leave until he saw you."

"Did you tell him what happened?" Wendla asked quietly, then said again louder, "Did you tell him the child was dead, Ilse?"

"I was left with no choice," she snapped, "Melchior demanded answers and I couldn't lie to him."

"So you betrayed my trust?" Wendla said, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

"I told you there was no guarantee I could hide the truth from him."

"Liar," she screamed, not caring that her mother could probably hear her, "I asked you this one thing, and you betrayed me."

"Wendla, please see reason," Ilse said, "Melchior had a right to know."

"Melchior left me, Ilse" Wendla sobbed, "Melchior… I need some space. When I come back… be gone."

"Wendla please," isle begged finally letting her tears fall, but Wendla was already gone.