A/N: I'm so sorry for the long wait. I had writer's block :) Anyway, enjoy and please review!

"Rudy."

Arrayed in dark jeans and a blue checkered shirt sprucely tucked in with a belt, he stood out the door promptly at five and not a second later to Liesel's dismay. She glared at him, the shock still dangling inside her, while Rudy appeared to have no clue what was going on. A brief conversation arose from the shocking event that went somewhat like this:

"What are you doing here?"

His eyebrows furrowed. "Uh, aren't you ready?"

"It's five."

"I said I'd be here at five."

"I didn't expect you to be on time."

"Well look who's wrong."

Liesel scurried to her room and threw on the first piece of clothing her eye caught, which happened to be some blue jeans and a purple top and a black jacket. Before she stepped out the door, she called out to Ilsa Hermann.

"Frau Hermann? I'm leaving."

Ilsa stepped out of her dressing room, her head tilted to one side, trying to adjust an earring. She smiled when she glanced at Rudy whose shirt was ironed for the first time in who knows how long.

"Have fun," she said. "And, Liesel," she added, "Remember, we'll be back quite late. The keys are under the doormat. Verstehen Sie?"

Liesel nodded. "I understand, Frau Hermann."

As soon as they stepped outside, the cold air slapped Liesel right in the face. She buried her arms underneath her jacket and followed Rudy. He apparently was too cold to talk as well. As soon as she was able to feel her arms again, she commenced a conversation.

"I don't get it," Liesel stated with a hint of mock seriousness. "You were on time today. " She coughed- a poor attempt to cover a laugh. "Anything wrong?"

A smile slowly aroused from Rudy's pale white face in the dark.

"What?" he answered. He straightened up and held his head high. "I'm a gentleman. And gentlemen are always on time."

Liesel halted in the middle of the road and crossed her arms. "No, seriously."

Rudy sighed and gave up his "gentleman" act. "You stupid Saumensch," he mumbled to himself quietly. He looked directly at her and wrinkled his nose in disgust. "My dad left by 4:45 and he told me to get out of the house so he could lock up."

Liesel laughed knowing that Rudy wouldn't show up on time on his own terms. She caught up with him and kissed him on the cheek. He turned bright red.

"That's the Rudy I know."

The sound and smells of the fair was noticed before the sight reached their eyes. The smell of the greasy food danced on Liesel's tongue. She didn't even care to realize she was slightly drooling.

"Whoa there, Saumensch," Rudy said to Liesel. "I haven't got that much money."

Liesel rolled her eyes and gave him a menacing look. "Shut up, Sie Idiot. I'm not that hungry."

After paying for their tickets, they emerged into the crowd with peeled eyes. Music and happy people were singing in the air.

"It's so colorful and," Liesel sniffed the air. "Oh, it also smells so good."

Rudy laughed. "Well stop sniffing the air. People are staring." He tugged on Liesel's arm. "Come on, let's go to the Ferris Wheel."

The line was in the shape of a snake- long and- well it was just long. Rudy cursed to himself quietly. "This is probably going to take the entire day." But they still stood at the back where the front wasn't even in sight.

Liesel and Rudy munched on popcorn while they were debating on what to do after the Ferris Wheel. Rudy wanted to win a prize at the booths but Liesel wanted to see the clown show. As they were getting closer to the beginning of the line, Liesel saw something peek out of the corners. Someone with dark hair stared at her from behind the booth. Her blue eyes pierced through the night. She stared at her cutting of all other noises surrounding them.

After a couple of moments, she disappeared.

Rudy had apparently not seen the girl but noticed the distressed look on Liesel's face.

"What?" He slightly shook her shoulders. "Liesel? What's wrong?"

But something was quite familiar about that face to Liesel. She had seen it. But where?

She thought for a moment.

The day on Green Strasse.

What was she doing here? Who was this girl? Why was she following her?

Her mind trailed back to that night during her nightmare. Liesel was sure it was the same girl. But she couldn't ponder any longer because Rudy started yelling straight into Liesel's ear.

"Liesel!" Rudy bellowed. "Come on, it's our turn."

Liesel was dragged by Rudy into their car of the ride. As soon as they were buckled up, Rudy faced her.

"What's wrong?"

Liesel turned away, facing the crowd. "Nichts, Rudy. It's nothing."

But he wouldn't give up. He put his hand underneath her chin and forced her to look into his eyes.

And as soon as she did, she melted, because it was something in the shape, in the color of his eyes that took of her shield. It forced her to surrender.

She gave him a weak smile and patted the top of his hand. "I just saw someone, Rudy."

He frowned. "Who was i-"

But Liesel stopped him. "Don't ask," she whispered. "Because I don't know."

And even though that halted conversation for a little bit, Liesel could see the confused look on Rudy's face. He wasn't used to vague information.

As soon as they reached the top of the Ferris Wheel, Liesel's jaw dropped at the view. She had never been so high in her entire life. She could see the entire carnival. The streamers, the lights, the food, the colors. Everything. Across from that, the city. The street lights and the small houses of Molching.

"Isn't it beautiful?" asked Rudy." He folded his hand into hers and gazed at Liesel. She didn't notice, but he was thinking of how lucky he was to be with her. To share the view with a beautiful girl.

Unconsciously, his hand reached up and touched a blond strand of her hair. Liesel turned around to look at him. She smiled when she say her hair in his hands. She leaned into him and put her head on his chest.

"Thank you," she whispered quietly to him.

Rudy chuckled. "For what? Taking you to the fair?"

"No, Saukerl," she replied. "But for just being you."

The rest of the evening passed by quickly with puppet shows, clown shows and other rides. Liesel couldn't believe the fun, because she had never enjoyed herself as much. When the park announced closing, both Liesel and Rudy were disappointed, but proceeded with the crowd towards the exit.

As soon as they had left the colorful air and gleeful music, it was already 10 and Ilsa Hermann and her husband weren't bound home.

"My dad, too," said Rudy. He kicked the rocks on the road. "He wouldn't tell me where he was going but that he'd be back by tomorrow morning."

It was undoubtedly a cold night, but Liesel couldn't feel it, after the excitement of the fair. They entered Grande Strasse and walked to Liesel's home.

Rudy put his arms around Liesel. "I'll see you at school, okay?"

But Liesel didn't want him to leave. She didn't want to be alone without him.

"Could you stay for a while?" she asked Rudy.

He considered this for a moment and started a laughing really hard.

Liesel covered his mouth with her hand. "Shut up, you idiot. You're going to wake everyone up!"

Rudy wiped his eyes. "You're afraid aren't you, Saumensch? Staying alone in that ginormous house of yours. God, can't they hire some security if their that rich?" he started laughing again.

Liesel face turned bright red. "Okay fine. Go home. I'm pretty sure you've forgotten the keys to your house any way. But what do i care?"

She turned and walked up the stairs to the door. She lifted the doormat and found the keys underneath.

Rudy rolled his eyes. "I was joking, Liesel." He walked up the stairs and grabbed the keys from her . "Now, sweetheart," he said as if he were talking to a three year old. 'Let me show you how to open a door."

A blanket of darkness covered the house as they stepped inside. It was like a fast open nothingness that had swallowed all the light. Rudy felt his way across the wall and turn on the light.

"God," he mumbled to himself after taking a glance around. "This place is seriously huge."

As they walked to the kitchen, Rudy stopped to peek into the library. He walked in with his arms crossed and examined the books. He let his fingers glide around the bindings and sniffed the air. "It's smells like book." he observed. "But god, Liesel, have you read all these books?"

Liesel suppressed a smile and glanced around at all the books. If she wasn't at school, doing homework, or with Rudy, she was reading. Books after books- marking her favorites and the ones she disliked. She was always bound to find a new one, every time, even if it felt as if she had read each and every one.

But Ilsa Hermann's library had never disappointed her.

She ran her fingers threw her hair. "I really don't think so, Rudy. But I'm going to."

"Doesn't it feel though?"

"Huh?"

A smile perched on his face. "You know, you were stealing books from here at one point and now the entire thing is technically yours."

Liesel had never thought of it like that, but she couldn't challenge the truth. "Yeah," she said finally. "I guess so. Come on," Liesel told him. "I'll show you my room."

They were walking up the curvy staircase when Rudy finally declared to Liesel what he was thinking, "One day," he informed her. "I'm going to buy a house like this, but even bigger."

Liesel laughed even though she was thinking something else. "Good Luck with that. Where are you getting the money? From a lemonade stand?"

He followed Liesel into her room and propped himself onto her bed, his back leaning against the wall. "No, I'm serious." He closed his eyes as if he were dreaming. "I want to show them that even the people from the poorest parts of town can become successful."

Liesel sat next to him and studied him carefully. She understood why he wanted a big house, because he felt as if he were forced to. She looked at his face, his eyes, his nose, they all looked different. She realized that even though she had fallen in love with the hungry and hyper boy from Himmel Street, he had changed tremendously.

And so had she.

Rudy sighed and opened his eyes. "I don't know." He tugged on the bed sheets. "It feels so far away now. But that's where I want to be. That's where I see myself years from now. And I'll do anything to get there."

Liesel crawled across the bed and sat next to him. The moonlight shined through the window and lit up the back of their hair. She put her hands on Rudy's cheek and leaned in to kiss him. He kissed her back- a slow, soft one ever so gentle on her lips. His hands caressed her hair as she put her hands around his neck.

She stared into those crystal blue eyes. "Is that all you want to do with your life, Rudy? Make loads of money and buy a huge house?Is there all there is to it?" she whispered in a hurt voice.

The greed in his eyes broke right then and there, it melted into tears across his cheek. He kissed her nose and placed his forehead on hers. He took her hands of his neck and clutched him tightly, as if that was his only way to hold on to life. "And," he breathed sharp notes through the icy air. "I'm going to marry you, and we're going to get out of here- out of Germany. Out of the country that killed our loved ones by hating on others. We'll go anywhere to get away from the bad memories. Switzerland, London, America, we'll leave. And I won't go without you. As long," his voice broke slightly," as long as you promise you won't go without me."

Liesel's lips trembled as he spoke to her. No one, no one ever had promised to stay.

And no one had.

Mother, Father, her brother, Rosa and Hans.

Even Rudy had left her once.

But right there, in his arms, hearing those words that healed the scars that others had left on her, she realized how much he loved her. And how much she really loved him.

Tears were rolling down her cheek now. She sniffed. "I promise, Rudy." She smiled and laughed at how stupid she sounded. "I really do promise."

And she had promised to stay with him.

But he had not promised to stay with her.

A/N: I'll be updating soon! Please leave your thoughts and comments in your reviews! Thank you!