18th September, 2026
Andaz Maui Resort at Wailea Resort
Wailea, HI. America
I walked up to the front desk still a little groggy from the flight. I've been on many planes in my life but ever since flying with Derrick and Elena, every landing felt a little less smooth than before.
"Good morning sir! May I help you?" the lady at the front desk asked. She was wearing what I assumed was the uniform of the workers at the resort. Her name tag read "Kalea."
"Uh yes," I said, for some reason forgetting how to speak English for a moment. "Checking in."
"And what's the name on that reservation?" Kalea asked and began typing on the computer.
"That would be Weiss. Lukas Weiss," I answered. Kalea stopped typing and slowly looked up at me. I smiled. I figured this would happen. I don't think I've told you yet but I was part of a very successful cover band when I attended Berklee over in Boston. By successful, I mean we had toured a little bit around Boston and the surrounding areas and had a few self released albums. We split up on good terms (except for the other guitarist, he got expelled for drug use in my junior year) and went our separate ways for a few years. Recently, after joining Rainbow and by sheer coincidence, the 3 other members (Nate, Gavin and Jackie) happened to live near where I was stationed and we had reformed the band with Derrick joining. Thanks to the advent of the internet and music streaming, the 5 of us found it extremely easier to record and produce songs. While we were all on the West Coast, we didn't all live in the same state. In addition to our old cover stuff, we had started to release some original music too. Our sound was comparable to 80s-90s hard rock or metal. Our first original album "Promise Me Hell" was recently released and got a good amount of favorable reviews by Time Warp fans. Especially my "face melting guitar solos." The band did make some money but Derrick and I took very little of it due to our actual professions. Meanwhile, Kalea was staring at me as if I was a god.
"Lukas…Weiss? Like from…from Time Warp?" she asked quietly. I nodded.
"Keep it on the downlow though please," I said and pointed to my hat and sunglasses. Didn't want to be accosted on my honeymoon. Ela had sauntered over dressed in beach wear. Surprisingly, she loved the beach. I was indifferent to it myself. Kalea looked from Ela, to me and then to her computer again.
"The Deluxe Ocean View Suite? And are you with him Miss?" she asked. Ela answered that question by grabbing my arm. She loved to do that around women who recognized me from Time Warp. Basically, she was saying "tough shit, he's mine." I know Tina does it too and I believe Gavin's wife is also guilty of it. Kalea smiled and nodded.
"Honeymoon?" she asked. I nodded. Ela tightened her grip on my arm and I saw her eyes narrow under her sunglasses. Kalea typed a few more keys and then handed Ela and I our room keys.
"Enjoy your stay," Kalea said and waved. "And congrats Miss, you snagged a real winner!" What a nice interaction. I should leave her an autograph later. She seems to be a big fan. Ela and I made our way to the elevator and stepped in. It was thankfully empty because Ela looked a little angry.
"Yes?" I asked her as the doors slid closed and we began to ascend with our bags.
"Nothing," Ela said but I caught the annoyed tone in her voice.
"Ela, you gotta stop thinking every woman I talk to wants to take me away from you," I said.
"They seem to recognize you a lot more nowadays," she muttered looking at the floor.
"Is somebody jealous," I taunted. Ela glared at me.
"Watch it," she warned.
"Ela, none of them have the benefit of being my wife do they? I chose you," I said and touched her shoulder. She looked up at me and then smiled.
"Good answer," she said and kissed me on the cheek. "How'd you manage to get this vacation for us?" I grimaced.
"Nate made me take some of the funds we made on the album. Plus you know, savings and a generous gift from my parents and siblings," I answered.
"Really?" she asked.
"Yeah, we apparently made bank on that one," I said. "Derrick and I agreed to have the others take most of the earnings but after we got married, Derrick and Nate forced me to take some to, and I quote, 'spoil the wife'." The elevator doors opened and the pair of us walked towards our room at the end of the hall. The room was about 850 square feet or, in the measurements I'm used to, pretty much 80 square meters. There was a living area with a table and a few chairs along with a couch and a flat screen TV mounted on the wall. Out of the window, the view of the ocean stretched across the horizon. It was currently gorgeous outside. I took off my "disguise" of sunglasses and a hat and brought our bags to the room. Ela had already taken advantage of the complimentary mini bar as I heard a soda can pop and fizz. I watched her down the beverage in a few gulps. She tossed the can in the receptacle and then turned to me.
"Considering we had a stupid early flight today, I didn't get a chance to shower. I'll be in there if you need me," Ela said, kicked off her sandals and made her way to the master bathroom. I watched her take her shirt off and shut the door, blocking my view. Rude. Ah well, we had all week with each other. I pulled out my phone and checked my messages. Had one from Derrick which said that Ryad would be in touch with me about the Tournament of Champions soon. I figured that would happen. I don't want to give anything away yet in case it doesn't pan out but just know that I will be participating this year. The tournament was postponed last year due to that whole Chimera Parasite situation. You don't have to worry about that anymore. REACT eradicated it but the team still remains active. Most of the operators had moved back to regular Rainbow duties since then. Most of the old Portland crew remained at the new San Francisco base. Tina's role was a little reduced due to Zoey and I think she preferred it that way according to Derrick. He often says she gets a little antsy whenever she's away from Zoey for a long period of time. That's the mark of someone with exceptional motherly instincts if you ask me. Anyway, back to my messages. I also had one from Monika asking me (3 times no less) if I had arrived in Hawaii with no issues.
Me - "Yes Mon, we're fine."
Har-Monika - "Good! I was worried!"
Me - "Wow, color me surprised. Next you're gonna tell me that Eliza doesn't like Kali."
Har-Monika - "Ha ha. Have fun! I love you Brüderlein!"
Me - "Love you too sis."
"Lukas, can you come help me with this? I hate American showers sometimes," Ela's voice called through the door. It had just occurred to me that I had not heard the shower running for the past few minutes. Frowning, I placed my phone on the table and walked in the direction of the bathroom. When I got closer, I did in fact hear the shower running.
"Looks like you figured it out ya?" I said through the door.
"I got it turned on dummy, I just don't know how to change the temperature. Can you help me please," her voice called back. Still frowning, I opened the door to the master bathroom and flinched a little. It was a lot bigger than I expected. Plus I heard the shower running just fine. Ela's clothes were folded on the floor off to the side and I turned to my left. I was greeted by my naked wife standing with her arms crossed off to the side of the water. She was smiling devilishly. Uh oh. She made a "come here" gesture with one finger. I stuck my hand out under the water. It was warm. Perfect actually. I went to tell her that but before I knew it, I was pulled into her embrace. Thankfully, away from the water. She planted an open mouth kiss on me and started rubbing my muscles. I gently pushed her away before smirking myself.
"What's that for?" she asked a little sadly. Don't worry Ela. You soon won't be.
"I have just realized you are a dirty little liar. I do not like it when people lie to me, especially when it's my girlfriend…or rather wife now," I said and folded my muscular arms. Ela stared hungrily at them. I even saw her bite her bottom lip. Internally, I was trying my hardest not to stare at her boobs….What?! I'm a MAN! I know what I like dammit!
"What do you have to say for yourself?" I asked, still with my arms folded. She stared at me incredulously. Probably thinking "dumbass, take me. Right now. I want you." Thankfully, I happen to be a little better at reading signals as opposed to Derrick. I recall one time, while a bit drunk, Tina had recounted a time where she basically told Derrick she was in the mood but he had said, and this is a direct quote, "That's a nice outfit. Looks good on you." Apparently it took him a grand total of 30 seconds to realize his mistake. Tina says he turned on a dime, did that one face from Ace Ventura when Ace realized he had thrown that package down the stairs behind him and literally swept her off her feet. Ela huffed and then I heard her mumble "I'm sorry." I closed the bathroom door and then took off my shirt exposing my chiseled body that usually made most women swoon. Ela inhaled sharply before she had caught on.
"Oh no. What have I done?" she began and cupped her hands on her face. "I have lied to my husband! I'm so so sorry." Her eyes widened in excitement as I took off my shorts leaving me standing there in my boxers. Before you ask, yes. I was, to use the American phrase, "pitching a tent." Again, I know what I like and you'd have a raging boner too if there was a naked woman standing in the shower biting her bottom lip in sheer lust. Dropping the whole act, Ela walked over, grabbed my shoulders and said "Give it to me. Now." I smiled, kissed her and led her hand under the waistband of my boxers. She grabbed me, began stroking and she moaned in pleasure.
"Fuck me," she whispered.
"Naughty words now eh? Well, someone needs to teach you a lesson then," I whispered back. Ela pulled down my boxers and pulled me into the shower. I only just managed to kick them off from around my ankles before she pressed her wet naked body against me.
"I said fuck me. Now," she whispered in a sultry voice. I smiled and followed her orders.
Later, after a nice dinner at a local restaurant, Ela and I proceeded to watch movies for the rest of the night. She had cuddled up against me wearing nothing but one of my old concert shirts. During a commercial break, she had looked up at me and asked me a question I never thought she would ask.
"What happened between you and Monika all those years ago," she said in a smaller voice than usual. I could tell this question was burning inside of her for a while. I wasn't mad however.
"Didn't I tell you that already," I asked and played with her hair a little. "We had a falling out cause I was an immature young man."
"Well yes, you told me that story back in Portland. I meant what did you do in the meantime. You really avoided her as much as you could?" she persisted. I nodded and proceeded to tell her everything that I could remember. Quick summary if you forgot or don't know. Monika had found out I was going to join the BKA and she didn't like that. Always obsessed with my safety. She had confronted me at the family Christmas party about it and I lashed out at her and said things I still regret to this day. Afterwards, it was an absolute mess. I remember returning to my apartment where my phone was ringing nonstop. I simply let it ring until annoyance got to me and I picked it up.
"WHAT?!" I had shouted into the receiver.
"Luke bud, what the hell? Why did you do that," my older brother Richter said in hushed tones. In the background, I could hear Monika's voice saying "he hates me!"
"You know damn well why I did that!" I shouted back. "Always trying to control me, telling me what to do and all that fucking nonsense! I've had enough Richter. I am in my 20s! I don't need a babysitter anymore! Don't call me again!" I slammed the phone back down and crashed on my bed. The next day I hadn't bothered to go back to my parents for Christmas. The phone rang so much I eventually just put it on silent. I spent Christmas alone that year. Not caring about my family because I knew all they would do was try to get me to talk to Monika. This theory had turned out to be true because later that night, a knock on my door had stopped me from listening to some angry metal music. I opened the door to see Monika standing there. Without saying so much as "hello" I slammed the door in her face and turned off the light outside. Didn't even care that I could hear her crying and begging for me to talk to her. I'll be honest, I almost called the police on her but the sensible side of me told me to not do it….plus you know, she IS the police. Afterwards, I don't recall most of the nights but I do recall the cases of beer. More days than one, I woke up hungover as fuck and covered in cans. Most times, there were also old photographs of me and Monika as children. One of the more infamous ones in my house is one of a 1 year old me hugging a teddy bear that Monika had just given me on my birthday. According to her, that was the first time I had called her by her name too. My mom says I had told her "Tank you Monika!" and gave her a hug.
"I assumed you wanted more details right? Why do you ask anyway" I asked after recounting what I could. Ela nodded and wrapped one of her legs around mine.
"I mean, she's my sister in law now and I was curious. Are you still haunted by what could have happened if she hadn't saved you?" she asked. I shook my head.
"It's in the past. You've seen how we are now. Now if you'll excuse me, I would prefer it if I didn't have to talk about my sister when my half naked wife is lying next to me," I answered. Ela smiled before she kissed me.
"I'm flattered but no more tonight," she asked seductively.
"Rats," I said comically.
"I need a break after this morning. That was incredible. You'll get more on this trip. After all, I'm being spoiled by a lead guitarist that can shred a guitar solo without even thinking too hard about it," she responded.
The pair of us drifted off to sleep afterwards but, much like what happened to my best buddy, the past always seems to find a way to remind you that it happened.
24th January, 2O15
HeIIraiser Concert HaII
Leipzig, Saxony, Germany.
"Dude! Powerwolf's coming back to play at Hellraiser again!" my friend Max's voice said over the phone. "You in? We missed it the first time! It's in about an hour but I managed to get some tickets," I scratched my head and looked at my work calendar for tonight and grinned. I was free! Yes!
"Yeah man! I'm in! Who else is coming…besides your girlfriend," I asked.
"Good guess. Mia is indeed coming. Along with her sister Susanne. Eh? Eh?! Come on Luke! She's single! And you're a good lookin' guy. I think Stefan and his boyfriend of the week are coming too," Max explained.
"Oh really? He dumped Klaus?" I asked as I started looking around for my pants. Cans smashed together as I rummaged around for them.
"Wait, Klaus is the same guy? Huh…he looks different…whatever, we'll meet you there chief!" Max said and hung up. I managed to find my pants and pull them on. I glanced at the photos of me and Monika again and grimaced. What the fucking shit was my problem? She was my sister and I had said a lot of hurtful things to her face in front of most of my family. I pulled on a clean shirt and pulled up Monika's contact information on my phone. My eyebrows raised when I saw that I had 56 unread messages from her at this point. Against my better judgment, I looked at the most recent one. It read "Lukas, I just want you to know that I still love you very much. I always will. Please. Please talk to me when you get the chance." I sighed. It was about time to make amends I think. I had acted like an ass for too long. My phone rang while I was reading old messages. It was my dad.
"Hey dad," I said.
"Hi Lukas," he answered. "Just calling to check in with-"
"Dad, I know why you're calling." I interrupted. "Yes, I plan to talk with Monika later tonight." My dad faltered on the other line.
"Really?! Why not now?" he asked in a voice that barely contained his happiness.
"Going to see Powerwolf over at Hellraiser with the crew," I answered.
"Wunderbar! Well then, have fun and be safe!" my dad said.
"I will dad, see ya," I replied. I hung up and then pulled up Monika's contact information. I hovered over the call button before I remembered something. She had most likely gone back to the GSG9 after the holidays and therefore might not be able to answer my calls. Whatever, I'd try later. I grabbed my wallet and keys and hurried out the door of my apartment.
Later, I found myself outside with Max and his girlfriend Mia. Max looked exactly like how a metal head would look. Long hair, a few tattoos and always wearing black. He looked scary but he was genuinely a nice guy. Very accepting to all new metal fans. Mia was the female version of him except her hair was bright red.
"There he is!" Max shouted and pointed at me. I waved back and looked around the area.
"Where's everyone else?" I asked.
"All three of the others couldn't make it," Max answered and handed me a ticket.
"Bummer dude," I said and took my ticket. "These are legit right? You remember what happened last time? Junior year of high school to be precise," Max scoffed.
"Yes they are legit," he said exasperated.
"Dunno about you Mia, but I don't want to spend a night in a holding cell again cause Captain Fun over there took some bogus tickets for a premium," I said and folded my arms. "My parents were not happy with you after that stunt." That was a downright lie. Monika had actually been the one that picked me up late that night and never told my parents about it. I was just mad at Max for a few weeks. She always used to tell me to call her at any time of the night if I needed help for any reason. Thinking about that reassured me that I was going to call Monika after the concert and apologize for being such a fucking asshole.
"I wasn't either," Mia added. She had been dating Max for years at this point. Neither of them showed any signs of falling out of love. How cute. The 3 of us hung around outside before the staff let us in. Max had been correct, the tickets were legit and we were let in without so much as an "Enjoy the show." Hellraiser Leipzig wasn't a huge concert hall, it could hold about 500 people and there were about 400-450 in here right now. Powerwolf was a power metal band from Germany that had been getting quite the following over the years. I myself was more a fan of the classic metal bands from the 80s but I still liked a few modern metal bands. Max, Mia and I were near the back but that was fine as all 3 of us were over 6 feet tall and towered over most of the patrons in front of us. My mind was still what I would say to Monika as Powerwolf took the stage and the crowd cheered loudly.
"I hear that they might play some new stuff tonight. Apparently their 6th album drops this year," Mia managed to say over the noise. The band played through "Lupus Daemonis" and "Sanctified with Dynamite" with perfect accuracy. I was enjoying myself immensely…until shit hit the fucking fan. And I mean shit. During the first chorus of "Prayer in the Dark" was when chaos erupted. Armed men took to the stage and started firing wildly into the crowd and at the band. The band members all escaped as did Max, Mia and myself as we were standing near the back. They were panicking. Like more so than I have ever seen them before. People were screaming, gunshots were going everywhere but I had noticed something upon getting outside. Not everyone had made it out. It took me about 30 seconds to decide on what to do.
"Dude! What the fuck are you doing?!" Max shouted at me as I ran back towards the gunshots. I had barely registered the sounds of sirens in the distance. Someone must have called the police already. I walked back inside to see that the ones that hadn't made it out were being held hostage by the armed men. They hadn't seen me re-enter the building. A few patrons near the back did though. They had spotted me and pleaded that I help them but there was a guy standing near them with a rifle. Thinking quickly, I picked up a piece of drywall that had been shattered by a bullet and tossed it across the room. It smashed on the ground near the stage.
"The fuck was that?!" one of the armed gunmen shouted. I took the opportunity to motion to the patrons to come over to and I would escort them outside. I did so without any opposition. Except whenever I came back, there were less and less people still breathing. I then repeated this maneuver 2 more times until…
"Hello, hero," I heard before a loud popping sound which was followed by pain going through my shoulder. I yelled and fell forwards. The guy that had shot me picked me up, which was a feat cause I was a rather big dude.
"Now that's naughty, leading all of my new friends to safety," he said menacingly and pinned my injured arm behind my back.
"Boss, it's the GSG9!" another voice shouted from the back followed by more gunshots.
"Perfect, this guy looks like a good hostage," the guy holding me said and started to lead me forwards. I passed many bodies with gunshot wounds. I got angry. All these people had wanted to do was to enjoy a night at a concert and these fuckers had taken that away from them. As soon as I got onto the stage, a squad of GSG9 officers burst into the room. 4 of them. 3 of them looked male but the other was a lot slimmer…and had some hair coming loose from their balaclava in front of their eyes. Plus I knew who it was the moment I saw the eyes widen.
"LUKAS!" Monika shouted and tried to rush forward. Her squadmate grabbed her.
"Oh ho ho ho! You know this man little girly? Do you wuv him? Is he your boyfriend or something? Oh better yet, what if he actually was your family! Yeah! That seems more likely! What would you do if I did this?" the guy taunted and fired another shot into my shoulder. I yelled in pain again but yelled louder when the guy had jammed his thumb in the wound and twisted it. I begged and pleaded for the pain to stop. For it to end. For my big sister to save me like she always had. But she was still being restrained by her colleagues. Even at this distance, I saw complete fury in her eyes…and then she screamed. I have never, never in my life heard her scream like that before. Her squad mates were starting to lose control of her. The guy holding me laughed again and I felt cold steel against my temple.
"Looks like I was right! Aww, that's too bad. I was starting to like hi-"
"NOW!" another voice shouted and then a blinding flash came from off to my left. I only caught some of the flash but the guy holding me had caught a full blast of it. I managed to wiggle free but that didn't stop him from pulling the trigger. The bullet missed splattering my brains on the wall by millimeters. I felt it go right through my long hair. That was the breaking point for Monika. I heard her screaming again followed by the rapid firing of the assault rifle she had in her hands. I glanced over to see every single bullet hit this dude. All of them. Monika didn't miss. She must have fired 30 shots into him.
"WEISS, WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING!" Monika's squadmate yelled. He sounded and looked like the one that was in charge. Guy had what looked like a car battery on his belt for some reason. Monika rounded on him.
"THAT IS MY BROTHER BANDIT!" she shouted in his face. "SO YOU SHUT THE ABSOLUTE FUCK UP!"
"Jeez bad move there Dom," the guy with the blinding shield muttered but I still managed to hear him. His partner was sweeping the area. That guy was wearing a helicopter pilot's helmet and he was also muttering to himself.
"TAKE CARE OF ANYTHING ELSE," Monika shouted at the guy apparently named "Bandit". "I AM TAKING HIM OUTSIDE AND YOU BETTER STAY OUT OF MY FUCKING WAY!" Monika started storming towards me while Bandit put up his hands in defeat. Monika got to me and through the eye hole in her mask, I could see that her face was red with anger and wet with tears.
"Outside. NOW," she ordered and started marching back the way she came. I glanced at the shield dude and his partner. He motioned for me to go. Seeing no other option, I followed Monika outside.
Monika was leading me to an ambulance because I could see the words "Der Krankenwagen" at this distance. People started to crowd around me with some of them thanking me for helping them escape. Monika however was not impressed. She kept saying "Move. MOVE. GET OUT OF MY WAY" Wow. Note to self, never make Monika this angry again. Eventually, we got to the ambulance and she opened the back doors. It was filled with medical supplies. She made me sit down and I could tell she was shaking with anger. She examined my wound and started to apply first aid. She didn't tell me to brace myself as she used some pliers (sterilized) to pull the bullets out of my shoulder.
"Ow," I said as she pulled the 2nd bullet out.
"Shut up," she growled. I winced. She noticed. And then yelled again.
"I SAW YOU RUN BACK INTO THAT BUILDING WITH ACTIVE GUNFIRE! YOU WERE SAFE OUTSIDE! WHAT IN GOD'S NAME WERE YOU DOING?!" she shouted.
"I couldn't let them die like that!" I retaliated but Monika was not deterred.
"YOU COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED! IF I HAD TO BURY YOU…" Monika's voice faltered on the last statement. I figured out who she was really mad at. Not me. Herself. She was blaming herself for something that wasn't her fault. I had also noticed she had started crying. Not in anger either. She thought I was going to die. I'll be honest, I did too.
"Mon…hey, look at me. Don't think like that," I said softly and tried to put a hand on her shoulder. She moved away from it and continued crying.
"You didn't tell those people to attack us. You didn't tell me to go back in there, which I'll admit was stupid. None of this was because of you," I reassured her but still she cried.
"Why…why do you hate me?" she said softly. I forced her to look me in the face.
"Monika, I don't hate you. I never have," I said and put my hands on her shoulders. She allowed me to do so this time.
"But…but you said…" she began.
"Yes, I did say that I wanted you out of my life. I was wrong to say that to you. That's a downright lie. You wanna know something? You are the best big sister ever and you just saved my life," I said and hugged her. She hugged me back. Just as tightly.
"I love you Monika," I said.
"I love you too Luk-" BANG! Another gunshot sounded and I felt Monika go limp and some liquid started trickling down my back. I panicked. I pulled her off me and saw that there was a bullet hole going through her head. It was still smoking. She was dead.
"No…no…NO!" I shouted and shook her now lifeless body. Someone was laughing. A high cold laugh filled with no remorse. I turned to see a figure standing there aiming a gun at my now dead sister before they raised the gun at my head and fired.
Early Hours of 19th September, 2026
Andaz Maui Resort at Wailea Resort
Wailea, HI. America
"Gahhh!" I shouted and woke up with a start. It was still dark outside but hearing the splash of the ocean's waves had reminded me that it wasn't 2015, Monika was alive and I was on my honeymoon with my wife. Speaking of my wife, she had been woken up by my shout of fear.
"Lukas…" she asked tiredly. "What happened? What time is it?" Glancing at the clock, I saw that it was 2 am.
"Nothing, just…just…horrible dream," I answered and started rubbing my eyes.
"What happened?" Ela asked again, this time more alert. I didn't listen. Monika. I needed to make sure. I got out of bed and picked up my phone.
"Lukas," Ela began but I was already out in the living area. Should I text her? Yeah, she might be up.
Me - "Monika, just text me something. Anything."
Nothing happened. Seconds ticked on as I stared at my phone screen. Ela arrived as I felt her naked body against mine.
"Lukas, what happened? Tell me," Ela said.
"Nothing," I answered a little too quickly.
"Bullshit nothing. You woke up in a cold sweat and screaming. When have you ever done that?" Ela ordered. I opened my mouth to answer but my phone pinged.
Har-Monika - "Why, what happened?! Are you ok?!"
I breathed easy. She was alive. I sent her another quick message "Yes. Fine. I will explain in the morning." before I turned to my wife. She was giving me the "you tell the truth or no sex ever" look.
"I relived the concert attack. Almost to the smallest detail. Except there was a different ending," I explained. Ela relaxed and then started to lead me into the bedroom again.
"Come on sexy, we don't want to flash the whole resort," she said softly. I allowed her to lead me back into the bedroom. We got back under the covers and she cuddled up to me.
"Monika got shot didn't she," Ela asked. My mind flashed to the image of the dead Monika from my dream.
"Yes," I answered. What was wrong with me? Why the fuck did that happen? That figure I saw looked like the one I saw at my wedding too. Fuck!
"It's alright Lukas. She's alive and back at home," Ela said tenderly. That made me feel at ease. Knowing she used that voice only for the man she loved. Me.
"I'm sorry I woke you," I said and kissed the top of her head.
"It's alright. I just wanted to know if you were ok. I love you so much Lukas," she said and kissed my chest.
"I love you too," I answered. I stayed awake for a few minutes after Ela had fallen back to sleep. I stared at the ceiling before my eyelids closed as well. Monika was fine. She always would be. I had nothing to worry about. With that happy thought and with Ela's hand laying softly across my chest, I drifted off to sleep and experienced no more past trauma.
19th September, 2026
Andaz Maui Resort at Wailea Resort
Wailea, HI. America
I woke up alone about 6 hours later. Frowning slightly (and squashing a ludicrous thought saying that Ela had left me), I checked my phone and saw I had a message from her.
Engel - "I'm at the gym downstairs. Be back soon. Then it's beach time!"
That was sent about an hour ago now so she must almost be done. Figured I should take a shower and wake up a bit more before I call Monika and tell her what happened. I stepped into the shower and started to relive last night's events again. As I told Ela, I relived that concert attack almost down to the slightest detail. The only thing that was different was the ending. In the real version of events, Monika, rather than getting her brains blown out, hugged and cried against me for almost 15 minutes straight. Bandit had come over and asked me to tell him what happened from my perspective and I did so. Then I mentioned the BKA and he had told me about an old friend of his who worked there and he'd put in a good word for me. I have a feeling Bandit helped Monika accept the fact that I was going to be part of the BKA. My first collaboration with the GSG9 came a few months after I had been accepted as an officer. Elias (Blitz, the guy with the blinding shield) and I were on security detail for some German politicians who had been getting some death threats at the time. My first collaboration with Monika was a bit of a laugh for me. Apparently she had only been informed that a Federal Police Officer was going to assist her with escorting the German President at the time to a meeting. I still remember her face when she saw me pull up on a motorcycle in full combat gear. She hadn't recognized me at first until I had pulled her into a one armed hug and gave her a noogie. I smiled when I remembered that as the water splashed down my back.
"Mmm, beautiful," Ela's voice said from behind me. I turned to see her laying on the bed with her head propped up by one of her hands. Right…for some weird reason, there was a window into the shower behind the bed. Don't ask me why.
"Hey! This show ain't free!" I retorted and jokingly tried to cover myself.
"Shoot, I don't have any money. Will this cover it?" Ela said, stipped naked and joined me in the shower.
"I mean I guess," I said as she wrapped me into her arms. Man, 2 days in Hawaii and I had showered with my wife twice already! I LOVE this state!
"You seem to be better this morning. Are you sure you're ok after what happened last night?" Ela asked about 30 minutes later after we had both dressed. I nodded.
"Call her," Ela said. "Then we can get some food." I pulled out my phone and dialed Monika's number. She picked up on the second ring.
"Lukas, are you going to tell me why I got a text from you at 2 in the morning," she said, rather concerned. She must have been anticipating this call for a few hours.
"If you answer my question as to why you were awake at 2 in the morning," I answered.
"I wasn't. You woke me up."
"Oh…sorry about that," I said.
"It's alright. Remember what I told you when you were a teenager? That still reigns true now. And it's much easier for me to help you now that we live in such close proximity again," she said. I then proceeded to tell her what happened to me last night. She had gasped when I said "concert attack" and I heard her sniff slightly when I recalled the moment we had shared afterwards.
"Then….you got shot…." I managed to choke out. Monika didn't answer for several seconds.
"Oh…oh…oh my…and then what happened," she asked. I could hear the concern in her voice.
"I saw some figure laughing at us then it shot me and I woke up. I panicked and thought you actually died so I wanted to make sure you hadn't," I explained.
"Ela was with you right?"
"Yes, she's right across from me reading," I answered. Ela looked up from her book. I gave her an "it's ok" gesture with my hand. Ela nodded and went back to reading.
"I understand why you wanted to see if I was alright but you don't have anything to worry about. I'm perfectly safe here," she said. In the background I could hear Meghan humming New Found Glory to herself.
"Ok good, thanks sis. Everything alright with you and Meghan," I asked.
"Oh yes we're fine. Craig agreed to officiate our wedding in a few months…will…will you be my…"
"Yes Monika. Best Man or Man of Honor or whatever you wanna call it," I answered smiling.
"Yay! Get back to spending the week with your wife. Try not to think about what happened ok?" she said. "I gotta go, Meghan's parents are in town and we have a breakfast appointment with them."
"Alright, have fun," I said and hung up. I breathed easy again. Ela marked her page and walked over. She planted a kiss on my cheek. Man, I loved this woman. She was always so tender and loving whenever we were alone. Granted, while she was in public she kept up that infamous "fuck rules" persona I've heard about.
"Ready?" she asked. I grabbed my hat and sunglasses from off the table and put them on.
"Yes," I answered. Ela locked her arm in mine and together we walked out of the room and down to the beach.