Chapter 33: Geduld Bewilligte. [Patience Granted.]

Good gracious, it's good to be home!

Rebekah smiled to herself as the thought crossed her mind. A handful of days before, everyone had recovered fully in the Spacelab, the Mensch-Maschinen now with their own hearts, and Johannes with her sight. Later on that afternoon they were given the all-clear to go to their homes, and the guys opted to stay with their girlfriends than head to their oft-hectic headquarters they codenamed KlingKlang. For the youngest of the Quartet, however, it was more than just a humorous thrill to have Wolfgang staying over--she'd never had a guy stay over at her place before!

All had been quiet when the gang returned to their homes, but for the first few days it was a sad day for both her and Anneke, as they returned to find their parents had died in the hands of the enemy. Wolfgang hugged Rebekah tightly while she sobbed against his chest; Karl shed tears beside Anneke, then contacted the rest of the gang to notify them of what all went on.

"So... we have only us to carry on some legacy" Rebekah whispered quietly. Wolfgang just sighed and hugged her tightly. It wasn't fair that they should return home to find no family to welcome them, no close kin to greet them--it wasn't fair. In the back of his mind he felt as if he was the only family she had now, close to her as he was.

But now all was well, the gang fully recovered from returning home [or, in the guys' case, moving in with the Quartet], and for the first time in days Rebekah truly felt like all was simply well. Time for a morning shower! she thought to herself with a whimsical smile as she tiptoed to the shower quietly, as she usually did, so that she wouldn't wake Wolfgang up unnecessarily. However, that proved a wasteful effort as he silently opened one eye to catch her leaving the room.

...and just where does she think she's going? he thought to himself as he blinked his eyes open and fixed them to the door. But quickly it all came back to him as he could hear her singing before she turned the water on--

"Ein frohes Picknick heute, welche Freude!
Mit allen meinen Freunden--welche Freude!"

--sweet Mother of God! he thought to himself. The picnic's today!? ALREADY!? Surely the days hadn't passed by this quickly, yet alas! the gang had all planned a picnic two days before, to celebrate Fritz's birthday. And Andelina and her two best friends, Faith and Ingo, were going to visit from Vienna for the party!!

Wolfgang smacked himself in the forehead. "Damnit, Wolfgang!! How the hell could you forget Fritz's birthday, you dork!?" he scolded himself in a quiet whisper. With a sigh he sat up and looked over to the pillow where his girlfriend had slept. And then, another memory returned as he heard the shower running--

His eyes caught through the slightly open doors to both their room and the bathroom that she was busy preparing for the long day ahead. But the sight of her was what made his eyes widen in even more shock, and he buried his face in his pillow for a moment.

"Bloody hell, Wolfgang!!" he mentally scolded himself. "Reki. In a towel. And nothing freckin' else!?" This was quite more than enough torture for him.

He got up from the bed and started walking to the bathroom quietly as the thought crossed his memory again--that's right, she still owed him some time from Athens, and now that they were no longer in harm's way...



"Alright, I've already informed Lexi of the situation. He's got Fritz in good hands." Anneke grinned hanging up her cell phone; she called up Alessandro to let him know about the surprise picnic for the Trans-Europa conductor, and sighed in relief that the conductor had no idea what all would go on later on that night in the Spacelab's garden.

"...Lexi?" Johannes asked with a questioning look to her friend as they and Elizabeth talked for a while in Anneke's kitchen, with Ralf sitting beside Johannes, his eyes fixed to the newspaper. Karl was also with them, sitting on the counter, drinking a cup of hot cocoa and listening in on all the conversation.

Anneke giggled. "That's my nickname for Alessandro" she explained. "He loves it."

"Ohhh. Gotcha" the purple-eyed replied with a nod. She then smiled to her older sister. "What should I bring to the party?"

"I'd say you bring yourself" Elizabeth replied with a shrug. "I still have to teach you to cook sometime soon!"

"Don't teach her to cook--she'll burn the house down" Florian chided in sarcastically. He entered the kitchen with a grin to Elizabeth. But his sweetheart shook her head.

"How 'bout she burns you in the butt first, moron?" Ralf said to his best friend, as nonchalantly as can be. Anneke giggled after the comment.

"But she's still got a ways to go before Eliza attempts to even show her how to write love poetry, let alone cook!" Florian retorted.

Finally, Johannes spoke--"Eh um... Florian?"

"Yes, Johanne?" the flutist said, looking to her with a polite smile.

But she looked at him unamusingly, raising a brow. "Bite me, quirkface."

*PFFTT!!* Karl spit out his cocoa and blinked before glancing to the young dark-haired woman and her very first insult. Ralf lowered his paper to look at her, his eyebrows raised. Elizabeth had a surprised yet amused smile on her face and Anneke had to control her giggling. But Florian stood still, quiet, a stunned look on his face, which ended up having Ralf joining Anneke in trying to silence giggles.

"Listen, dear, dear Florian" Johannes spoke further, "keep in mind that I just got my sight, and I'm pretty excited about learning all there is to know about this charming world. Now if you want to go ahead and be a smart-aleck you can but, rest assured, I will gladly be the woman with the last laugh.

"Now, have I made myself clear?" she smiled politely at him.

Florian nodded hesitantly. "Y-yes ma'am!" he stammered, and quietly walked out the kitchen with his finger over his mouth. A couple of seconds later Karl finally bursted into laughter, with Anneke and Ralf unable to hide their giggling any longer. Elizabeth shook her head, laughing at what she had just witnessed.

"That, Johanne, was the best thing to come out of your mouth!" Karl laughed.

"Sure was better than what I had to say!" added Ralf.

"Now THAT is how you should insult the boys from back in the day!" Anneke cheered.

"And just how in the world did you learn to talk like that!?" Elizabeth asked with a chuckle.

"Simple" Johannes answered with a grin. "I learned it all from you."

Elizabeth shook her head. "Well then damn!" she laughed. "I think I taught you well!"

"By damn, I think you did!" Karl affirmed with a grin that matched Johannes' cheerful own.



Rebekah stepped into the shower, the warm water hitting her slightly shivering skin. One thing about home was, she didn't miss how cold it was. Since her childhood she always wore long-sleeves, never cared for any short-sleeved shirt or dress. For her, it was always cold, and she even wrapped herself in her blanket tightly at night. But a memory reminded of the one time she ever stood out of her comfort zone, a present from so far back yet worn not so long ago...

In her quiet demeanor she emerged out of the bathroom wearing her dark-blue night skirt and, which she never really wore, a blue sleeveless corset which her neighbors' mother had made for her birthday some years back. At first the youngest of the Quartet swore to herself she'd never wear something so daring, no matter how pretty it was. Yet the memory of her neighbors' mother provided enough reason for her to wear the corset. A lopsided smile crossed her face as she tried it on and saw her reflection in the mirror just moments before she exited the bathroom.

"Daaammmn, Reki-Nova!" she thought to herself, "that actually looks and fits and feels pretty damn good!!"

She grinned to herself at the nice momentary change in the weather, the change in attire. Self-conscious as she usually was from the faint scars that ran along her upper arms, she never let the thought cross her mind that one night in Athens. In fact, she had completely forgotten all about them. But around Wolfgang she had no reason anymore to worry herself about the scars of the battle that almost killed her close friend Anneke all those years ago; she felt beautiful around him, and it was through him that she learned how to truly accept herself for the bright, green-eyed, redhead angel that she truly was. He told her she was beautiful and, for a while at first she wasn't too sure to believe it, but it all changed that night in Vienna, and truly realized that he'd truly loved her. And then, for a moment, it felt as if all was lost...

She sobbed quietly against his chest, her own hands gripping his shirt. Why... why did he have to give up his own life so she could live, when there wasn't much meaning to life now that he was gone? She had lost the courage that kept her strong in the face of chaos; he had been the reason why she stood her ground, became the daring woman he fell for as he'd fallen for the cowardly woman-child she once was. But even worse than cowardice was what she felt as failure--failure to heal his injuries, to fix his wounds, to keep him alive.

"I could not save you" she whispered sadly, "I've failed you. I'm so sorry, Wolfgang... I'm so sorry."

He'd truly given his life, his wires now worse for wear, entirely all for her. Up until he met her, he'd only thought of himself and his best friends, his fellow Roboter. But then she came into his life... and he miraculously changed for the better. Andelina knew this. Karl witnessed it firsthand. The youngest of the Quartet had been the brightest influence of his very life.

But her light of hope had dimmed as his life faded away before her.

"Wolfgang..." she whispered, "you were always kind to me... you looked out for me like no one else had. You inspired me to be strong, to never back down again.

"I never thought... I'd have to watch you die in front of me.

"So... the great Creator has decided to... to further my misery, to try to test my courage... by having to go through this world without you in my life. But I... I don't want to...

"I don't want to live in this world alone!

"I don't care if we're in Düsseldorf--what all does that matter to me anymore if... if you're not here with me..."

After sobbing to herself some more, she lied down on her back, clasping his hand in hers, and closed her eyes.

"If the Creator wants to take you from me" she mourned, "then don't forget the other half of your soul... please, take me with you..."

Patiently she waited for him to die, waited for her own death to pass beside him.

She sighed with another smile as she recalled how he woke up, and how she realized he was alive and well. How he promised her he'd marry her. The thrilling promise of forever warmed her to the soul, even more so than the water that warmed her not-as-chilly flesh. She fought with the soap, scrubbing her body for a couple of minutes, and finally she washed her face. Shutting her eyes she stood under the shower and rinsed off the soap from her body before feeling her hand along the wall for the washcloth. Grabbing it she realized as she rubbed the water from her eyes that, wait a sec! that wasn't where the washcloth usually was!! Which meant that either something wasn't right or... that someone was here...

"You almost knocked the shampoo over, it would've hit your foot and that wouldn't be good now, would it?"

Rebekah quickly opened her eyes as she recognized the voice that spoke--

"WOLFGANG!? The hell are you doing here!?" she spoke in a hushed whisper. Their eyes met and as he touched her cheek with his hand, she quickly remembered a situation similar to this... not so long ago.

"...well, if my memory seems proper" Wolfgang answered, "we're not in harm's way anymore, are we?"

Rebekah took a deep breath and blinked for a moment--he was right. She'd told him that, perhaps, when they were back home and all was well. She'd begged him to be patient for her sake, and he'd gladly obliged. But now that they were back home, now that the Darkstrom was no more, he wasn't sure how much longer she'd have him waiting and, in the back of her mind, it was time enough she'd had him upholding patience. But the train of thought rightly derailed as Wolfgang quietly stepped in the shower and, holding her face in his hands, kissed her.

For a moment she could've sworn her cell phone was ringing, but for the moment it didn't matter as her boyfriend trailed kisses along her body. She'd felt this before, back in Athens, when she stepped out of her usual manner and surprised Wolfgang with her daring nature in the process. But this wasn't what she'd expected. Not while she was still in the shower, and certainly not while she had a picnic to prepare for!!

Yet, he kept stringing patient kisses along the scars of past fights that adorned her fragile body. How could anyone so delicate fight and bear scars like this? he thought to himself as he kissed one scar that ran across her abdomen, then looked up to catch her eyes in his.

"You... you fought when necessary, didn't you?" he asked.

"Yes" she said hesitantly. "Why?"

"You've got quite a bit of scars there, sweetheart" he answered, trailing a finger along one of her scars that ran along her upper arm.

"Yeah... I know" she sighed. "I had to. I couldn't simply stand by idly and watch my best friend and her older sister and Annie on their own. I may have been the nurse, but even Florence Nightingale took risks and took on challenges, didn't she?"

Standing up he took both of her hands in his. "Bad enough you fought, then you unexpectedly captured my heart" he said as he kissed her along her jaw. "In honesty, I never expected this. Never."

"Give me a break" she retorted with a smart smile and a raised eyebrow. "Whatever happened to those days of being the playboy?"

"I may have flirted shamelessly then" he admitted, "but you're different. You're special. You're... you. I can't figure out what else to say about it. The other girls back then, they may have been pretty, but I didn't expect to fall for a young lady reaching just up to my eyebrows, red hair and green eyes, bright and courageous in shades of blue that would make the sky rightly jealous.

"I didn't expect to fall in love with you, but I'm so damn glad I did."

A soft smile crossed her face just before he kissed her sweet mouth, and all the thoughts that ran through her mind--her past battles, his past flirtations--died as quickly as they had arrived. But she'd gladly die in this moment, she'd want nothing more than this, until--cautiously--he entered her. At that second she'd bit his lower lip a bit and he blinked his eyes open.

"Ouch, Reki!" he whispered. "What gives!?"

"Just that bit of pain" she admitted, biting her lower lip lightly.

"...ohhh, okay" he noted with a nod. "Yeah, you get the bit of pain and I have to restrain myself a little. Remember--I love you too much to ever want to hurt you."

She rolled her eyes. "Isn't that the fun of a first time or what?" she said sarcastically.

He shrugged. "I have better things to worry about."

"Like what?" she asked.

But he lightly nibbled her lower lip and, as he then kissed her warmly, she felt no further question needed to be said as she carefully, yet sweetly, welcomed all of him.



"...got no answer!" Anneke said, hanging up her cell phone. She sighed. "It's not like Becca to not answer her phone. She usually answers it within the first two rings!"

"Maybe she's finally discovered the joys of sleeping in?" asked Johannes with a giggle.

"Maybe!?" Ralf chimed in, his face one of surprise.

"Yeah, she's always the early riser, or so I've been told" she answered. "She never sleeps in, even on Saturdays!"

"What happens on Saturday?" Ralf asked.

"It's usually our sleep-in day!" she replied with a grin. "That's tomorrow!" Ralf grinned back, excited about sleeping in for the first time in quite a while.

But Elizabeth felt a quiet warmth, in her own heart, something familiar, yet she realized also what all went on. She'd felt that same warmth when Anneke and Karl were together that one night. She'd felt that on her own when she was with Florian. Quickly she looked to Anneke and pulled her aside for a moment.

"No... maybe she...!" she told her best friend quietly, biting her lower lip to silence herself.

"...no way, not... not Becca!?" the practical jokester of the Quartet whispered in an effort to hide her shock and silence any further giggles.

"It's the only strangely warm feeling I know of in my heart, Anophelia" Elizabeth whispered back. "I'd felt it when you were with Karl. I'd felt it when I was with Florian. And that was back in the Spacelab."

"...so the youngest has had her maidenhead breached then?" Anneke asked in a hushed whisper, an amused smile on her face.

Elizabeth nodded. And the two shared a secret, knowing smile.



Silence had fallen between them with the exception of the shower. Two souls had gladly, finally, merged into one; two anxious bodies sought and found their worth-waited-for release. Wolfgang in his exhaustion fell to his knees, resting his head against her lightly-scarred abdomen. Never had he expected to make love to anyone, yet this was perhaps the most unexpected yet thrilling moment he'd waited for, and rightly so. He'd truly loved Rebekah, and had been patient with her until, at long last, he gladly gave all of himself to her.

Rebekah miraculously stood against the wall of the shower, where he'd pinned her as he loved her with all he had. She closed her eyes for a moment, letting everything sink in, every kiss and every touch that went on. She then bit her lower lip recalling that moment they'd found each other's release, their whispered names drowning in each other's kisses--it felt so strange yet, so wonderful. She never imagined, never thought, that this could happen to her. But there they were, still in her shower, in each other's arms.

Finally she was overwhelmed and slumped to her knees as the aftershocks set in. Wolfgang caught her in his arms and held her to him.

"It's alright, sweetheart" he whispered softly in her ear, "I'm here. You're safe with me."

"I know" she said with a warm smile. "I know." Then, after a moment more she held his face in her hands and looked him in the eye. "You know we have a picnic we should be at later, right?"

He nodded.

"Alright," she spoke again. "Just making sure. I still have to help with the cake and set-up later on. Just that... I'm not wanting to go there looking like something happened in here... between us... y'know?" She gave a light, lopsided smile.

All her life she never expected what happened in her shower to happen, but as he shut off the shower and helped dry her off with a towel she'd realized that, this was no dream. That situations like this were meant to happen to cowards and playboys that could rightly love each other no matter what the odds were. They'd faced the odds, they'd overcome the odds. Their battle against society was gladly won. And they'd found each other, different as they were, perfect for each other.

"Trust me, Reki love" he said, "they'll never know what all went on in here." He smiled and carried her back to her bedroom, where he laid her down on the bed and lied down on top of her, and for the first time in Rebekah's life, she didn't feel the chill of her home--all she could feel was a warmth that overtook her entire soul, that same warmth that overtook all of Wolfgang. Truly, this had to be what true, unexpected bliss felt like; and it was well worth the wait, a patience perfectly granted!

"I love you, Reki" he whispered as he looked her in the eye.

"Love ya too, Wolfgang" she whispered back with a smile.

Gently they held each other as he kissed her on the mouth, then trailed kisses along her neck and a wound on her shoulder blade; all she could do was smile, plant kisses along his shoulder, and simply bask in the love that consumed each other whole.



*writer's note--memory excerpts for athens and the spacelab are from, respectively, Chapter 24 [Temptation] and Chapter 27 [A Light That Never Goes Out].*