for louise.
thank you for giving me a spark to write again!]
The Trans-Europa arrived at the Station in Vienna in the early afternoon, and the group dispersed to find something to eat before reconvening in the evening. Ralf as always accompanied Johannes, who delighted to have some company in what to her felt like a nice afternoon stroll in the city. Florian and Elizabeth went arm in arm to find a small bistro, while Karl and Anneke grabbed their cameras to take pictures.
Wolfgang and Rebekah meanwhile wandered about to another part of the town, not necessarily talking to each other as they were stuck on their own separate trains of thought. At one point the mensch-maschine glanced at a group of charming women which caught his eye, paying no attention to his companion who, meanwhile, wandered a few more feet ahead of her. For her, she was fixed more on fears that the Dark Strom would find not just her and Wolfgang but all of them, and destroy them either all at once or one at a time just to watch the suffering. She couldn't think of much else after that...
until she stopped after wandering a bit to ask a question...
"Wolfgang...?"
and did not hear her companion's voice. She turned around in alarm, glaring at the surrounding area. Where the hell'd he go!? she thought to herself, This isn't the time for getting lost!! So much surged through her mind as she started retracing her steps to find the semi-human being. Where could he have gone?
After about maybe five minutes or so, her eyes fixed on him, who was now flirting with the women lightly. But she couldn't tell if he was only kidding... or if he meant it. Quietly she turned away and started to walk again, this time feeling a little numb. Inside her very spirit, overflooding her mind, was the feeling of seeing herself only as a platonic, momentary love interest. That he perhaps was using her as a means of returning home to Düsseldorf. She fought the tears that began to fill her eyes.
Meanwhile Wolfgang glanced around, asking "Rebekah??" One of the women, Andelina, asked if that was his girlfriend. He nodded.
"You should find her then!!" the woman replied. "I think she was staring at you earlier in trembling emotional chaos."
"Wait--what!?" he asked. "Did you see where she went?"
"No but, we'll help you find her" she replied, and the women set out with the mensch-maschine to find the younger woman.
As hours passed she wandered further into the heart of the city, lost in memories of the past that haunted her. She remembered going to school and accompanying Johannes who's only a year older than her. Most of the girls in school would pick on the blind girl for not being able to see and thus being unpopular, but Rebekah would always stick up for her neighbor and, as a result, suffered the insults as well. The guys would always ask her out, as a joke, and then deny that they had any plans because, as they would say, she said she was busy taking care of her blind neighbor. The insults hurt Rebekah to the core, and thus her self-esteem and her outlook on life in general was well affected. And then came the Darkstrom...
"Fräulein Rebekah!!" a kind voice yelled out to her, and she turned around to see one of the women Wolfgang was with run to her. It was Andelina, who stopped just a few feet before her to catch her breath.
"Fräulein Rebekah" the woman spoke, "Wolfgang is looking for you."
"For me?" the Clandestinian responded. "What for, if he was obviously more interested in you than in me?"
"No, seriously, your boyfriend is looking for you" Andelina insisted. Her face was more of concern now than humor.
Rebekah examined her face for a moment, and nodded.
"Who are you?" the young woman asked, feeling a bit disillusioned.
"I am a Clandestinian, Andelina," the older woman replied politely. "Wolfgang looked out after my daughter Rinalee, who's since died. We have not seen each other in years. Or, at least, since before the accident that almost killed him."
"What... what happened... to Rinalee...?" Rebekah asked further.
"Rinalee was killed by the Darkstrom. They shot her point blank, between the eyes" the woman responded, her face a bit more somber now. "How've you come to know Wolfgang?"
"He is accompanying me on the Trans-Europa back home to Düsseldorf. Him and his friends the mensch-maschinen with me and the Quartet" the younger one said softly.
"Wait... you're of the legendary Düsseldorf Quartet?" Andelina asked, her eyes widened. As Rebekah nodded the elder smiled warmly. "Then you are in good hands with my longtime friend. The girls that were with me, we all went to the same school together. He was a bit of the playboy sort but, he would be undoubtedly true to you. He spoke of you quite a bit while we were catching up earlier."
"What... what did he say of me?" the younger woman asked, curious now.
"He was blessed to be accompanying a sweet nurse, a kind conversationalist, a bright thinker, and a warm soul. He's head-over-heels for you, Rivka!! You might be the one bold enough to make him quit his playboy ways for good!!" the older woman answered brightly, addressing her in the Hebrew name.
"R-really?" the young one pondered.
"Really, Miss Rivka" Andelina answered.
The two became acquainted and, realizing they had a lot in common than they expected, exchanged cell phone numbers.
"What part of the Rebellion are you from, Andelina?" Rebekah asked.
"I am from this very city of Vienna" she replied proudly. "If you and your friends ever need anything while you're here, just call. My gals and I shall be more than thrilled to assist you." With that she smiled.
And suddenly, Rebekah didn't feel so discouraged anymore. She smiled back at her new friend, a tear or two in her eyes.
After walking her back to the cafe she worked at, Rebekah bade Andelina farewell for time being.
"You should stop by later on!" the woman insisted. "We are open very late and we wouldn't want you guys to leave without trying some homemade sweets."
"We'll definitely have to stop on in tonight then!" replied the youngster with a hug.
The elder hugged back. "We have live music too. Maybe you and Wolfgang can have a waltz or two?"
"Definitely!!" Rebekah answered with a big grin.
Andelina hugged her tightly. "Wolfgang was right--you are adorable!"
After the two wished each other a good evening Andelina contacted her friends to update them, that the girl was found and all was at last well. Rebekah meanwhile wandered about through the city until she heard a familiar voice calling out...
"Rebekah!!"
She turned to see Wolfgang, now at a distance before her. "What happened!?" he asked as he ran to her. "You could've been killed!! What the hell possessed you to just disappear like that!?"
"When..." she said softly, "when you were talking with Andelina. And the girls. And I..."
The semi-human being's face softened from upset to worried. "You got jealous, didn't you?" She nodded in reply, and he hugged her tightly to him. "No, Rebekah... nothing to get jealous over... she's a friend I hadn't seen in years... I used to watch out after her daughter until the accident that almost killed me..."
"I know" she answered sadly. "We got to talk. She's a Clandestinian too. And... she's very nice..."
"But she's not you" he retorted. "She's not the one person I've actually fallen for."
She finally lifted her head from against his chest, where it had rested. Her eyes met his and realized that, he was telling the truth all along.
"I... I had my share of being miserably heartbroken..." she spoke at last. "I've had a hard time trusting men fully with my heart after being teased horrendously in school. So... it was hard for me to accept at first when I saw you with those women... but after meeting Andelina..."
Wolfgang listened on, his eyes not leaving hers for a moment.
"...I realized... maybe I shouldn't be so paranoid over...
"...over you."
And with that she sobbed against his chest. He sighed and looked around; the sun had set for the evening and he knew she would want to meet up with the gang later on at the cafe. With that he wrapped his arms around her waist and carried her to the nearest park at the outskirts of the city. With that he sat her down on a park bench as he knelt before her, wiping tears off her cheeks with his hands.
"Es ist gut, Schatz... it's alright, sweetheart" he whispered as he dried her tears and looked up at the pale, rosecheeked face and the pale green eyes that adorned them perfectly. "It's okay... my days of being Mr. Flirtatious have ended the moment I saw you courageously step out from behind your friend that day... at the station..." His train of thought died when he lowered her head to kiss her lips. All was well until he lost his balanced and fell back, pulling Rebekah with him. She fell on top of him blinking, but he didn't wince in pain as he wrapped her in his arms.
"You okay there, Wolfgang?" she asked. He nodded and, with a smile, kissed the tip of her nose. She wiggled her nose, giggling as the mensch-maschine laughed softly.
"Ich bin so in der Liebe mit Ihnen, Rebekah," he whispered, "so much in love and... there isn't a damn thing to be done to change that."
"You mean this?" she asked, a curious smile crossing her face.
He nodded--"My life and my wires on it, sweetheart."
Her smile faded a little and, tears filling her eyes, she sighed. Wolfgang could not understand what suddenly crossed her mind, but she lifted her face to heaven for a moment, then back down her her eyes to meet his. Helfen Sie mir so Gott... das mein Herz überwältigt wird she thought to herself as she fought the tears in vain.
Wolfgang waited patiently to wipe any more tears that would spill on her face, but that thought was dashed when she smiled faintly. "So help me God... my heart is overwhelmed" she whispered, the mental confession spilling out at last as she took his face in her hands and planted sweet, delicate little kisses on his face. For him, this was completely unexpected of her. But for her, it was a token of gratitude and love, somehow unable to be spoken.
He wondered if he could've just kissed her back, to repay her dearly, but finally gave up on the thought and held her body to his, relishing in the little kisses that, coming from a young woman who often was more to panic and hold on dearly to whatever hope remained, rendered him at her most beautiful mercy...
