Hi guys! Sorry it took so long to update! I'm on vacation and THERE WASN'T ANY INTERNET...until now :) hope you enjoy! please review

When Liesel woke up this morning, she felt quite different. She guessed it was safe to say she felt strange.

On regular mornings after the bombings, she woke up to this numb feeling that burned all the nerves inside her. As hours passed by, she got used to it and later on referred to it as the "normal" feeling.

But not today. No, today was different.

Liesel turned her head towards her window to greet the cloudy weather that had always been. Instead of just getting another view of a stormy sky, Liesel saw a black marble on her windowsill.

And that's when she remembered.

"It was all true," she quietly whispered to herself.

She rushed out of bed and ran into the bathroom to brush and change. Immediately after that, she hurried down stairs to the Hermann's kitchen. Liesel saw Frau Hermann sitting next to the window staring out at the dull grey clouds. As soon as Liesel entered the kitchen, she turned to look at her.

"Liesel?" she asked looking a little worried. She was wearing her hair in the usual fashion with a magenta robe. Liesel had noticed that ever since she had been staying with the mayor and her, Ilsa looked less weary and more active. She guessed that Liesel was a distraction for her and helped her keep her mind of her dead son.

"Yes, Frau Hermann?" Liesel asked.

She stood up and took a closer look at the unusually cheerful girl. Ilsa managed a smile. "You look quite well this morning."

Yes, Liesel thought. Because my Rudy will be coming back. But she couldn't say that so instead she replied, "I don't know why, but I feel much better."

"Well that's good, Liesel. Have some breakfast." Ilsa said.

To explain the Hermann's kitchen was quite hard. It was obviously grander than Rosa Hubermann's and had many more cupboards and compartments. What Liesel especially liked about the kitchen was its color. It was a soft yellow, but not like the sunshine. It was almost the color of honey and every time Liesel entered the kitchen, she swore she could taste the sugar slightly on her lips.

The dining table, which had six chairs, matched the color of the cupboards exactly. Liesel loved sitting there because it was placed right next to window, and it gave her a beautiful view of the city.

Liesel quickly gulped down breakfast, which consisted of some bread, cheese, fruit and a glass of orange juice. She looked at the clock- 11:30. Death had told her to appear at 12 at the Amper River. She figured that if she started now, she would get there by 12.

"Frau Hermann?" Liesel asked as she placed her dishes in the sink. "I'm going down to the Amper River, okay?"

Ilsa Hermann, who was still staring out the window, replied with a faint nod.

"Alright, dear. But be careful."

She didn't ask why she was going there, and Liesel was grateful for that.

Liesel dressed for the weather by putting on a rain jacket that the Hermann's had spare. After she stepped out the door and into the cold German air, she started scolding herself.

What the heck am I doing?

How am I expecting to see Rudy?

Am I going mad?!

She sat down on the last marble step and covered her face with her hands. Above her, thunder rumbled and tried forcing her back inside the house.

But she couldn't give up right there. Because something inside her told her that Rudy Steiner was waiting for her.

So she carried on with her plan.

As soon as she reached the Amper River, she took of her shoes and rolled up her jeans. She placed her feet in the water and allowed the coldness to enter her veins and consume all the warmth inside her. Death had told Liesel that at exactly 12, all documents and memories of Rudy's death would be erased. That also, it had said, would be the time that he would appear.

But Liesel had no idea how he would look.

Or what he would say.

But she knew that she loved him.

And that was enough to keep her waiting.

She passed time by watching the little water waves dance across her feet and roll away. It felt soothing mostly because it were as if little fishes were swimming on her toes. Liesel didn't know how long she waited but soon, a pebble slammed across her foot and left an aching mark.

"Hey, Saumensch!," a familiar voice called out to her. "What are you doing here?"

Liesel looked in the direction where the voice was coming from.

And he stood there. Yes, he was standing right there with his lemon colored hair and blue eyes. His hands were on his hips giving her the sense that she wasn't supposed to be there. He was wearing the same purple shirt and tan shorts that he died in. He was looking absolutely gorgeous. And looking absolutely real.

Liesel's head starting spinning. She was speechless, just for a moment.

"Rudy?" she finally said. "Is that- is that really you?"

He took a step closer to Liesel after stumbling across the water.

"What are you talking about?" he asked while searching for another pebble in the water. "I told you I'd be here, Liesel. And I also told you I wanted to be alone. " He picked up a little stone and threw it across the water. He watched it sink underneath the waves. "I see you don't understand what 'I want to be alone' means." He started glaring.

Liesel knew she had to play along. There was no time to act surprised or be shocked. She rubbed her forehead and shook her head slightly. She looked into Rudy's bright blue eyes and said, "I don't get it. Why do you want to be alone?"

Rudy sighed and stepped out of the water. Liesel noticed he still had his shoes on. He landed on the big rocks and took them off and placed them to the side. He covered his face with his hands. Liesel didn't know if she should say something or put her arm around him. But, at that very moment, Liesel realized that she'd never seen Rudy Steiner this upset.

"I've lost everything," he said, his voice slightly trembling. He rubbed his eyes slightly.

"So have I," she replied quietly.

Pure silence.

"I'm sorry," he said.

Liesel didn't say anything for a moment. But her heart started aching for a moment and it yearned for her to tell him something.

"I love you, Rudy," she told him almost inaudibly.

Rudy was kept quiet for a moment. It was a deadly kind of quiet because she had admitted her love and didn't know if he would requite it. He slowly lifted his head from his hands. His eyes were a slight red from crying. He looked at her in absolute disbelief.

"Wh-what did you say?" he stammered.

Liesel laughed. She laughed a whole-hearted laugh that made her feel light headed but good. Really good.

She threw her arms around him and looked directly into those striking blue eyes and whispered, "I said I love you, Saukerl." She leaned in close and she kissed him, and he surprisingly kissed her back. When she pulled away he held her close.

"Well, if we are coming clean," he told her, "then I love you, too. I loved you from the start."

Liesel gave him a forlorn smile because both of them knew what she thought of him when they first met. Rudy was just an assembled set of bones with a crooked smile and just-well absolutely annoying from the core of the core.

But right now, next to the blue water and the drizzle of the rain tickling their faces, when both of them had lost everything except each other, he was the one and only thing Liesel wanted and would ever want. And Liesel loved him so much for being that.

He suddenly stood up and reached out his hand to her. "Come on, Saumensch. " he said to her. "Let's get out of here, shall we?"

Liesel smiled that smile she only got when she was with him and took his hand. They didn't notice the rain tumbling down as they ambled, despite the harsh conditions of the water, through it holding hands and laughing. All Liesel knew, at that moment, is that Rudy was hers and she was Rudy's.

And she thought they would live happily ever after.

And he was absolutely glad that he was able to confess how much he loved Liesel Meminger.

And no one remembered Rudy's death.

And Rudy didn't remember to put his shoes on.

And Liesel forgot about her sacrifice.

Good? Please review!

-Emma