Since his ranch had been spared by the tornado's wrath, Troy made it his first order of business to see if anyone who lived near him needed help. It distracted him from the rapidly draining sensation of his earlier panic leaving his body. There was shockingly little that needed cleaning up, but Troy, Shauna, and Dietrich still worked late into the night to assist anyone who needed it. They didn't return home until around eleven that night.

"No deaths. That's good," Troy said.

"I am impressed that pig survived being carried all the way to the river," Dietrich added.

"Wouldn't be the first time I've seen that."

"I kind of wanted to keep that little pig," Shauna said quietly. "He looked so happy when we found him trotting out of the water."

Troy looked at her. "Oh, no, sweetheart, we already have the chickens. We're not getting pigs, too."

"That would mean bacon, though," Dietrich said.

Troy thought for a moment. "You know, I wouldn't mind producing my own bacon."

"And with the chickens, you could have bacon and eggs every day."

"That does sound good."

Shauna glared at both of them. "That's another thing you two have in common—you both think with your stomachs sometimes." She changed the topic. "Did you see how much damage was done to the northwest side of the forest, Sam? Looks like we won't be doing any walking there this coming fall."

"There're other places we can go. Besides—" Troy grinned, "we'll either be engaged or married by then."

"Sam, did you not hear what the pig's owner said before we left?"

"No."

"He asked if we were married because we act like it."

"And what did you say?"

"I said, 'we're planning on getting married.' His reply was that no one would be able to tell because we act like we've been married for years. Also—" Shauna looked at Dietrich, "his daughter was giving you some interesting looks."

"I never noticed," Dietrich said. "And I am not interested in dating at the moment anyway."

"Well, when you are interested, don't hesitate to ask one of us for advice," Troy said.

"I know. Thank you."

After Shauna returned home, Troy and Dietrich stayed up for a little longer. They sat in silence for some time, pondering what had happened that day.

"At least I know I can rely on you to keep me sane in a situation like that," Troy said, breaking the silence.

"I would not necessarily say I kept you sane. It took a while for you to get a grip on the situation. Honestly, I probably should have tried something else first," Dietrich replied. "Knowing you, though, I realized force or the threat of force would be the only way to get you to not go out there and needlessly risk your life. It… may not have looked it, but I was frightened, too. I can see why tornadoes scare you."

"You still kept your head screwed on."

Dietrich smirked. "I have been around you for the last few days. I am pretty sure some screws have come loose." His smirk faded. "Anyway, I was definitely scared. I had no idea what was going to happen, but I still made sure to grab you and drag you inside."

"Shauna's right—you did save my life. Twice. Once with carrying me inside, and with ordering me not to go after her. Even though you had to threaten me first. No hard feelings. You did what you had to."

"I appreciate your forgiveness."

"And I suppose it's payback for me pointing a gun at you when you startled me out of a nightmare."

"Maybe. Maybe not. I would rather not see it that way."

"Fair enough. Still. Thank you."

Dietrich became quiet, then shook his head while smiling. "No problem, Troy."

"What? What's so funny?"

"I still am not planning on moving to Wyoming. Not yet, at least. But, at least this gave me a taste of what to expect living here."

"Are you going to come out here every time there's a report of a tornado?"

"I might have to."

"Just don't try driving in the storm. Or, better yet, you can live with me."

"Troy, I will admit that I like you, but I do not like you that much. I would like my own space. We would both drive each other crazy."

"Nah. It'd be fine."

"Right. You have already gone crazy. What more is left to lose? I would like you to not drag down my own sanity."

"I think you'd hang on one way or another."

"I hope so. This will not be for a long time. Hopefully."

"Dietrich, that hurt."

"Sorry."

Troy poked Dietrich's shoulder. "Whenever that day comes, I look forward to it."

"I suppose… I look forward to it as well."


As promised, Dietrich stayed to witness Troy finally proposing to Shauna. He kept Shauna distracted while Troy went out to Casper to pick up the ring, and did a decent job of concealing his excitement when he looked out the living room window to see Troy's truck pulling into the driveway. The only thing Dietrich wasn't sure of was how exactly the proposal would play out.

Troy entered the house with a heavy-looking, unmarked paper bag. "Sorry I took so long. Got a little caught up, talking to people about the tornado last week." He set the bag on the floor, and got on one knee, pulling out boxes of ammunition. "I got more .45 ACP, bit of .30-06, some 12-gauge… oh, and there's one more thing I got."

Dietrich hid his smirk upon noticing how red Troy's face was turning.

"Shauna, I need your help with something. I found this neat little thing, and I want your opinion."

Shauna stepped closer, giving Troy a suspicious look with her arms folded over her chest. "What did you do?"

"Oh, I didn't do anything. I just… found something that I thought you might like." Troy pulled out a small velvet box, and opened it, revealing the platinum ruby ring. "I wanted to know… will you marry me?"

"You already know the answer."

"Yeah, but you wanted to hear those 'four little words.' Now I want to hear you say, 'yes.'"

"Oh, alright." Shauna got on her knees to hug Troy. "Yes, I'll marry you, Sam."

"Also… surprise! I told you it was a rock."

Shauna sighed. "Alright. Tell me what's special about the gemstone."

"Your birthday is in July, and the ruby is July's birthstone. I didn't want to get you an ordinary ring—"

"Why not?"

"Because you're not an ordinary woman. I wanted you to have something special, and the jewelry store in Douglas didn't have what I was looking for, so Dietrich and I went to Casper, found this, and here we are now."

Shauna turned to Dietrich. "So, you did know something!"

"I knew nothing until Troy told me," Dietrich said. "I did help pick out the ring, for the record."

"So, you've been helping both of us with things for the wedding."

"Wait, both of us?" Troy asked.

"Uh… yes." Dietrich flushed red. "I know about your wedding presents to each other. I helped Troy with the ring, and…" he sighed heavily, "I will be your best man, Troy."

"Thanks, Dietrich."

"Someone has to keep the wedding somewhat organized."

"And I appreciate that, buddy."

"Do you have a date in mind?"

"No, not yet."

"I was thinking sometime in October," Shauna said.

"Alright. October it is, then. We'll mail out invitations with a more specific date at some point."

"Do you want me to just pick a date for you?" Dietrich asked.

"No, we'll figure it out."

"Fine."

Over the next few days, Dietrich was finding it harder and harder to decide when he should return to Germany. He made his decision one morning that he would stay one more day. He wasn't at all surprised at Troy and Shauna's disappointed expressions when he told them during breakfast, and he was disappointed too.

There was nothing stopping him from moving to Wyoming, but he thought back to everything he had brought up with why he wasn't ready to make such a decision just yet. Germany was still home, and he wasn't ready to leave it behind.

Troy took Dietrich back to Red Fisher that night. Dietrich tried being a little more talkative, but he was having a hard time enjoying himself when he knew that this would be it for a while. It was difficult for him to sleep, and he found that Troy wasn't sleeping, either. They stayed up late that night, talking, laughing, playing cards, and trying their best to make the most of every moment.

In the morning, Shauna presented Dietrich with a huge gift basket—full of sweets and pastries.

"You remember telling me you like cake and cookies, Hans?" Shauna asked.

"I do," Dietrich replied.

"Well, I made—" Shauna lifted a box of chocolates to reveal a container of pastries that resembled extra-thick chocolate chip cookies, "cookie cake bars. The best of both worlds."

"They look good. I will try not to eat all of them before I get to the airport."

Troy snorted before taking a sip of his coffee. "Yeah, right."

"Oh, be nice, Sam." Shauna poked him.

"I promise, all of this will last," Dietrich said, grinning. "I… wish I had a better way to thank you for everything you have done for me, Shauna. When I arrived, I did not expect such hospitality."

"The best you can do is come back soon."

"You know you will see me again in October for the wedding."

"Yes, but the next few months will be quite boring without you."

"Shauna, you are getting married to this lunatic—" Dietrich patted Troy's shoulder, "you have all the entertainment you will ever need."

"That's true. I do. Regardless, though… we'll miss you." Shauna looked like she was trying not to tear up.

Eventually, Dietrich was standing on the front porch with his suitcase packed. Facing the house, he felt like it was the day he arrived, uncertain of how this little adventure would go. Now, he was leaving with a newfound sense of belonging. He wasn't looking forward to returning to his lonely home in Germany, but he didn't feel so lonely himself anymore. Looking over his shoulder, he pondered the idea of moving once more. The landscape of Wyoming was, although remote, truly beautiful in its own way. He wondered what it would be like to wake up there every morning. With a sigh, he thought, Not yet. Maybe someday. Just not today. He turned back to the house, seeing Troy and Shauna in the doorway. "I guess this is goodbye for now," he said.

"Unfortunately, yeah," Troy replied. He glanced at Shauna. "Ladies first."

Shauna's face was red from her trying not to cry. Dietrich set down his suitcase and let her tightly hug him, and he hugged her back. "You're always welcome back here, Hans," Shauna said.

"I know." Dietrich looked down at her. "There… really is no need to cry."

"I'll miss you. That's reason enough to cry."

Dietrich sighed. "Alright. I will miss you, too, Shauna. Take care, and keep Troy out of trouble."

It took a moment for Shauna to let go. She stepped back to give Troy a turn.

"You take care of yourself, buddy." Troy held out his hand.

Dietrich took it. "I will give it my best effort."

"I know you will, but, if your depression starts trying to kick you around again, don't hesitate to call us. We'll come over and help you."

Dietrich nodded a little. He was then grabbed in yet another hug, and surprised Troy by actually hugging him back.

When they pulled apart, Troy playfully squeezed Dietrich's shoulder. "Good luck. You should get a wedding invitation in the mail pretty soon."

"Thank you. I wish you, and Shauna, the best of luck, too." Dietrich picked up his suitcase, and the gift basket, and turned to leave. At no point did he look back as he walked down the porch steps, as he was afraid he would simply decide to stay for good.


October, 1949

Troy and Shauna decided to hold the wedding reception at the ranch, since there weren't going to be a lot of people attending. The fireplace was lit, hot drinks were poured, food was served, and there was an overall atmosphere of love and warmth celebrating the newlyweds.

Moffitt, much to Troy's surprise, wasn't holding a cup of tea, but instead a cup of cocoa, when he strolled over to where the groom was giving his bride a kiss by the refreshment table. Since there really was no dress code for this wedding, Moffitt had opted for a heavy knitted gray sweater to shield his skinny frame from the brutal Wyoming cold. "May I steal your husband for a moment, Shauna?" Moffitt asked.

"Okay, but just a moment," Shauna said.

Troy was reluctant to let her go, but did anyway. "Alright, what is it, Moffitt?"

"I came to say congratulations. Now the only one of us who needs to find himself a wife is Hitch."

"Two, actually. Dietrich's single."

A concerned and confused expression came over Moffitt's face as he scanned the crowd, and located Dietrich at the other end of the refreshment table. "Dietrich seems far more interested in that loaf of banana bread."

Troy looked past where Tully and Shauna had struck up conversation to see Dietrich taking a bite out of half a loaf of banana bread.

"He knows you're supposed to cut it into slices like regular bread, right?" Moffitt raised an eyebrow.

"Uh… I don't think he cares. At least he's eating now."

"True, but… I thought the mission was for him to develop better eating habits."

"We'll work on it."

"Right." Moffitt took a sip of his cocoa. "You two must have had quite an experience when he visited for you to consider asking him to be your best man."

"Yeah. I wasn't expecting him to show up, but I'm really glad he did. Things are definitely changing for the better, for both of us."

"He apparently knows your history now."

Troy nodded. "Are you mad?"

"No, but I am still curious about what made you the way you are."

"I had feeling you'd say that, and… I do owe you and Hitch and Tully a lot of explanations."

"I wouldn't say you 'owe' us anything. It's up to you whether or not you want to discuss your history with us."

"No. I'll talk to all of you—individually—about… me. You guys do deserve to know."

"Well, you know you're always welcome in my home. Stop by anytime."

"Yeah." Troy looked back over at Dietrich. "Speaking of which, the next time he visits you, I think you should teach him how to ride a horse."

"Why?"

"Because he wants to learn, and I don't feel like I can teach him. You're better with horses than me."

"Oh, nonsense! Did you forget everything I taught you when you were having trouble with Castner?"

"No."

"Then you're more than capable of teaching Dietrich."

"I don't think so."

Moffitt sighed, smiling while shaking his head. "Never thought I'd see the day where you aren't confident."

"Nope. I never wanted you to see me not-confident."

"The war's over, Troy. I told you this when we were helping you build your ranch, you don't have to hide anymore."

"Shauna's said the same thing."

"And she's right. It's not good for you."

"Trust me. I know. She and Dietrich helped me see that."

"I'm glad they did. Your behavior didn't exactly go unnoticed, and admittedly, it's still surprising that your former adversary was the one who played a role in helping you."

"Well, you did tell him a little while back that I found a kindred spirit in him, and you're right. Dietrich and I do have a lot in common."

"Nobody would've expected that when we were fighting him."

"Nope." Troy noticed Dietrich walking over to them. "Hey, buddy. You having fun?"

"I am," Dietrich said. "Hitch was asking when you and Shauna are going to open presents."

"We can do that now, if that's what everyone else wants to do."

"I will go ask." Dietrich turned and disappeared into the small crowd.

"I think you'll like what Vanora and I put together for you," Moffitt said. His smile faded. "Anah, on the other hand, decided she wanted to be funny with her gift to you."

"Oh, of course she did," Troy said with a snort. "Did she at least get something nice for Shauna?"

"She did."

"Well, lucky Shauna."

"Indeed." Moffitt's smile returned. "She is quite lucky, though, and I think you are, too."

"Thanks. I love her more than I can express. So much so that I was willing to go out in a damn tornado in order to see if she was safe. Dietrich had to hold me at gunpoint so I didn't actually do it."

Moffitt nearly spit out his mouthful of cocoa. "He what?!"

"Yeah. When we were in my basement, sheltering from the storm, I said I was willing to risk my life to check on Shauna. Dietrich said 'no' and took my keys. I said I'd walk. Dietrich opened a gun safe, pulled out one of my Remington shotguns, and aimed it at me, saying he would do what he had to in order to keep me from getting myself killed. Now, I knew he wouldn't actually do it, but I didn't want to test him."

"Good gracious."

"Shauna asked him to keep me from doing anything reckless, so—" Troy shrugged. "He did a good job. We're still here."

"Amazingly."

About ten minutes passed before the group was gathered in the living room to give the newlyweds their gifts. The majority of the gifts were practical and sweet—and then there was Anah's gift to Troy. He gave the Egyptian cobra a dirty look when he opened a small box and pulled out a Christmas ornament in the shape of a donkey. Anah was smiling as broadly as a snake could smile, and the rest of the guests looked to be hiding smirks of their own.

"You're an ass, too, you know!" Troy waved the donkey ornament in Anah's direction.

"It is a symbol of your unending stubbornness," Anah said, still smiling. "Which we are all quite fond of."

Moffitt pretended to cough. "Mostly."

"Stubbornness is right," Dietrich said.

"I think the donkey's cute, Sam." Shauna rested her head on Troy's shoulder. "It'll look nice on the tree this year."

Troy sighed heavily. "Oh, alright, if you like it, Shauna, we'll keep it," he grumbled.

"I love you." Shauna kissed his cheek.

The final gifts of the night were the couple's gifts to each other. Troy had put the Springfield rifle in a case when it was finished and didn't bother wrapping it, so he had Dietrich go into the basement to get it. While waiting, Troy noticed Shauna's present to him, wrapped in brown paper, looked like a large, heavy disc of some kind.

Dietrich returned a moment later with a rifle case, and handed it to Shauna. "For the record, I knew about this months ago."

"Oh, please tell me this is what I think it is—" Shauna eagerly opened the case, then covered her mouth. "Sam! It's beautiful!"

"Now you can stop using my rifle when we go hunting together," Troy said. "You have your own, and it's uniquely yours."

"I'd really like to fire it now."

"In the morning, sweetheart. Promise."

"Alright." Shauna set her rifle back in its case, and picked up her gift for Troy. "This is for you. Hans helped me out with one particular design on it."

Troy glanced over at Dietrich while taking the paper off. Underneath was a rounded cut of wood, with a gorgeously detailed depiction of a jackal, wearing a slouch hat between two olive trees in front of Mount Olympus, burned into it. "Wow. Did you… Did you make this yourself?"

"I did."

Troy couldn't imagine how long it had taken Shauna to make this. A dull ache started in his heart. "My grandparents would've loved this," he said quietly. "What… What did Dietrich help you with?"

"He suggested adding the hat."

Dietrich grinned a little. "She showed me her design sketches, and the hat was the only thing missing."

"I was afraid you'd hate it because of the jackal."

"No, I don't hate it," Troy sighed. "I'm kinda learning to accept it."

"We've been over this before, Troy," Moffitt said. "The supernatural doesn't care whether you want to accept it or not. The jackal will always be a part of you."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Troy gave Shauna a kiss on the cheek. "I love it. We'll find a good spot to hang this up."

"Thanks." Shauna kissed him back.

"Wish you told me you did wood burning earlier. I would've cleared out space in the garage for you to use."

Dietrich coughed.

"We can always clear out space tomorrow when I bring my things over," Shauna said. "We might need a little help—"

"I will do it!" Dietrich raised his hand. "Has the garage been kept in decent shape since I left?"

Troy blushed. "Uh… maybe?"

"I will take that as a 'no.'"

"It shouldn't be too bad."

"I will take that to mean the garage looks like a bomb exploded again."

"I wouldn't say that. It's a little messy."

"How do you define 'a little messy,' Sam?" Shauna asked.

Troy shrugged. "I don't know. Dietrich probably thinks a single wood shaving on the floor means it's a disaster."

"There's a lot more than one wood shaving on the floor."

"It just needs to be swept. That's all."

Dietrich snorted. "Oh, I highly, highly doubt that."

It was late when the guests decided they were ready to head to their hotel rooms, though not without helping to clean up first. The only one who didn't leave with the others was Dietrich, who was absentmindedly drying dishes in the kitchen.

"Did you not book a room?" Troy asked.

"No," Dietrich replied. "I… was wondering if I could stay a little while."

"Is everything okay?"

"Yes. I know you probably want time alone with your wife—"

"You can stay. Stay as long as you want. Shauna misses you anyway."

"Thank you. I did not realize how much I missed this place until arriving with Moffitt this morning."

Troy grinned. "You missed us?"

"Yes."

"We missed you, too." Troy paused to think, wondering if it was a good time to ask this, but he did anyway. "So… does that mean you're thinking about—"

"No."

"Oh." Troy's grin faded. "Okay."

Dietrich was quiet as he continued drying dishes. "I have been hearing rumors that West Germany may be allowed its own military in the future. Nothing definite, but… when the idea crossed my mind, I began thinking about it a little more seriously, and wondered if I should give a military career another try."

"You're sure that's what you want to do?"

"Not fully sure, but it is on the table."

"Even though… when you were in the military, that was when things got worse."

"Things were different. I am willing to try again." Dietrich gave Troy a curious look. "Do you think I should not?"

"If you do decide that going back in the military is your calling, we'll support you. I just want to know if you feel you're ready."

"Like I said, these are just rumors. I have no idea if they will turn out to be true. I may change my mind, even if they are true." Dietrich set his towel down and walked over to a cabinet to put a serving dish away.

"Can I ask one thing, though?"

"Go ahead."

"I know… one of the reasons you wanted to die was because so many men were killed under your command. You were convinced that you failed to protect them. Do you think you can hold a command position again?"

Dietrich didn't answer right away.

"Do you still feel like it was your fault they died?"

"Some days, yes. Others, no." Dietrich became quiet again. "That… probably means I should not consider a new career in the military should the opportunity arise."

"No. I think it means that you shouldn't consider a new career in the military if the opportunity came up right now. You still need a little help, but we'll get you there."

More silence. Dietrich looked at the counter before glancing at Troy. "I… appreciate that."

"Can I ask how you've been doing the last few months?"

Dietrich nodded. "I have good days and bad days."

"More good? More bad?"

"More good, recently. I… did have a week about a month ago when… getting out of bed was almost impossible. When I managed to get out of bed, I had no energy. No amount of sleep seemed to help. I did not want to eat at all. The only thing I took in was water. Somehow, I managed to drag myself to the telephone and picked one of you to call, because something deep inside was telling me this was not good and I needed help, even though I just wanted to lie down and do nothing."

"Who'd you pick?"

"Tully. I did not have to go into detail when I said that I needed company. He told me to sit tight and that he would be there as soon as possible. Granted, it took well over a day, but the knowledge of him coming got me through."

"That's good. Definitely a step in the right direction."

Another nod. "I know it will take time, but things are certainly different now, compared to last year."

"They are."

"I have all of you to thank for that."

"No problem, Dietrich. We'll always be here when you need us." Troy looked over the kitchen to make sure there were no dirty dishes hidden anywhere. "You can go get a shower and go to bed if you want. There's nothing else to be done."

"I know this is your first night sleeping with Shauna. You are not going to—"

"No. We're not. Not with guests in the house."

"Alright. Just making sure."

"That's okay. I promise, we won't make things awkward for you."

"Well, you did just get married. I understand if you want to enjoy yourselves."

"Still. We'll wait."

"I will take your word for it." Dietrich opened one of the cabinets and pulled out one of the containers holding leftover chocolate chip cookies from the party. He took a couple of cookies, then put the container back. "Good night, Troy."

"Good night, Dietrich." Troy thought for a moment. "Hey, Dietrich?"

"What?" Dietrich asked with his mouth full.

"Remember that hike we took when you first visited?"

"The one I ruined because I was upset over you asking if I wanted to move?"

"Yeah. It's really pretty up there now with the fall colors. I know tomorrow will be a bit busy, moving the rest of Shauna's things here, but we could go the day after tomorrow."

"If you are offering. Should we invite Shauna to come with us?"

"Sure. We'll even go to the same bar I took you to."

"That would be nice." Dietrich turned to head upstairs, then looked over his shoulder at Troy. "You know, you and Shauna can come visit me in Germany. I have found a few places in Hammelburg that I enjoy visiting on occasion."

"We'll take you up on that offer at some point."

"I would enjoy it." Dietrich gave him a warm smile. "Good night."

When Troy finally went to bed, he realized it would definitely take some getting used to with having another person in bed with him. Shauna was already waiting for him, grinning from ear to ear. She cuddled up next to him and rested her head on his shoulder once he was in bed and the bedside lamp was turned off.

"Hi," Troy said.

"Hi," Shauna replied. "You're very warm."

"Well, I don't think I'm sick."

"No, you're just warm in general. You'll be perfect for snuggling when it gets colder."

"Ah."

Shauna draped her arm over Troy's chest. "I've been looking forward to this."

"Aw. I've been looking forward to this as well, sweetheart."

They lay in silence for a moment. Shauna jolted when they both heard someone sneeze in the next room. "Is there someone else in the house?"

"Oh, yeah, Dietrich's staying for a little bit." Troy sat up and called out, "Bless you!"

"Thank you!" Dietrich called back.

Shauna breathed a sigh of relief as Troy settled back down. "When was this decided?"

"About an hour ago. Sorry."

"Don't apologize. I'm glad he's staying. I just wish you told me beforehand."

"Well, I told you now."

Shauna sighed. "Yes. Yes, you did, Sam." She shifted to get comfortable. "How has he been doing?"

"He's been doing better. He missed us over the summer."

"Aww. I missed him, too, and I know you did as well."

"He's good company."

"Yes, and he said he'd help me move my wood burning stuff into the garage."

Troy sighed. "Yeah, and you two can make fun of my organizational skills all you want tomorrow."

"We won't be too mean, I promise." Shauna kissed him. "I'm glad we've been able to help Hans out."

"Yeah. He's still got a ways to go, but he's getting there." Troy pulled Shauna closer to him in order to kiss her, then rested his head on the pillow. He looked over in the direction of the guest bedroom, hoping that Dietrich had a restful sleep, unburdened by nightmares. He knew Dietrich wasn't the only one on a path of change. Sooner or later, Troy would tell the rest of his team why he had been so closed off, but regardless of when he got around to doing that, at least he knew he had someone to help him out if it ever became difficult.

As time passed, it gradually became harder to think that there was a time when Troy and Dietrich were enemies.