The Postlude: Dieses ist Haus [This is Home]

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan.
Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone.
Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow upon snow,
In that bleak midwinter, long, long time ago...

~ In the Bleak Midwinter, tr. Catherine Winkworth

...six months since the funeral...

"…und führen Sie uns nicht in Versuchung, aber liefern Sie uns vom Übel. Für Ihr ist das Königreich und die Energie und der Ruhm, von Alter zu Alter. Amen."

The Düsseldorf Quartet and their Mensch-Maschinen had all held hands and prayed the Lord's Prayer before the graves of Rebekah and Anneke's parents. Earlier upon arriving at the cemetery they said proper prayers for the parents that brought Elizabeth and Johannes to the world. In all their humility and respect the men kept their silence until the prayers were said and they had all left the cemetery.



Andelina and Gregorio moved back to Düsseldorf, so to start a new life with their son Alessandro. Every now and then the boy would get a visit from their deceased daughter Rinalee, and they would have funny conversations, which in turn amused their parents whenever the boy spoke of them. For Andelina, however, it was even more special to her, that her new son would speak with his guardian sister and find many a topic to talk about. Like Mother's homemade spaghetti...

Andelina's friends Faith and Ingo also moved to to that same town to help out their fellow Clandestinian family out in making the most out of life. Together the two women started a late-night cafe, while Ingo and Gregorio would help out in civil affairs throughout the city, and in keeping the peace.

Professor Henning and Conductor Fritz continued to oversee the Spacelab, and received many a visit from the Quartet, Mensch-Maschinen and friends. Henning himself had received a few visitations from Rinalee, who felt it was best to stick around for more than an hour to talk about life and all its humors. Fritz however thought that, perhaps, ghosts could fall for the living, and would joke with his friend the Professor after Rinalee left for Heaven.



Rebekah finished making Matzo-ball Soup, using Mother's recipe, and placed the pot on potwarmers in the center of the dining room table. Afterwards she grabbed two bowls and two spoons. She was about to sit down when Wolfgang entered the kitchen.

"Reki, can I see you a second?" he asked.

"And I thought you were coming to sit down for lunch, hun" she answered as she stood up and walked to him. "What is it?"

He sighed for a moment. "Remember back at the Spacelab when I swore that I'd marry you?"

"Yes, I remember quite well. I know I was in a bit of shock too. Why?"

He handed her a small, blue box. "Well... remember when Mother left you her jewelry to wear from time to time?"

She nodded. "Yes. There was that one small ring I loved that she wore."

"And it had a star on it, correct?"

"Ja, it did."

Wolfgang sighed again. "Well..."

Rebekah raised a brow at him and opened the box, and there it was--the special ring that Mother wore, a simple silver ring that was adorned with a small star-shaped cubic zirconia. The nurse blinked back tears--she hadn't seen the ring since before she was deported to Lisbon. Then she looked up at him.

"Wolfgang... you..." she whispered, but words failed her as he got on one knee and took her left hand in his.

"Rebekah" he said, with adoring eyes fixed upon hers, "before we sit down to lunch and Matzo-ball Soup, will you marry me?"

But she, at a loss for words, could but only hug him close to her heart for a moment and, taking his face in her hands, kiss his lips. He held her tightly to him, to drown in the kiss for that moment, and then he smiled at her.

"I'd marry you this very moment if we but just grab the Minister and the gang" she answered.

"And deny the girls the honor of fitting you out for a bride!?" he laughed as he placed the ring on her finger. "I'd rather a proper ceremony instead of a shortened eloping, hun.

"That and, the soup is getting cold."



Anneke glanced up at the bright blue, white and purple menorah for Hanukkah, which was a Jewish holiday that the Quartet celebrated. Not that the Quartet was Jewish--they weren't, they were Anglican, but they felt proper to celebrate a holiday so rich in roots and tradition. In a couple of nights they would begin the festivities with a party at Rebekah's, and with the traditional exchanging of presents. A few weeks later it would be Christmas, complete with Anneke's favorite service--Weihnachtsmitternacht, or Christmas Midnight.

But for now, she smiled at the Hanukyah, and returned upstairs from the family room to her bedroom, just as Karl arrived home from grocery-shopping. She could hear his "Hallo Anya, I'm home!!" and she giggled as she sat down at the side of her bed, just taking in everything that she'd been through up to now. After Karl finished putting the groceries away he went upstairs to the bedroom and smiled when he saw her. "Anya, stop thinking so darn much" he laughed a bit, but she looked up at him and smiled.

"I can't stop thinking how I've come a long way up to now in over three years' time" she spoke, the smile not leaving her face. "Have I ever told you just how happy I am to have you in my life, Karlos?"

He shook his head. "Nein, not that I know of." He then walked over to her. "Why?"

"Because, I really am happy to have you in my life" she answered as he stood before her. The smile never left her face, which caused him to raise a brow in curiosity.

"...okay Anya, what is up?" he asked finally, giving up the thinking process of just what could possibly be up with her.

But she simply grabbed his hands and, in one quick swoop, she got him on the bed and happily took the tie off of him. Karl, stunned at the quick move, was speechless as she took his wrists and tied them with his tie in the same manner he'd once tied her hands with a ribbon back in Venice.

"Dear God, Anya--" he laughed, but she put her finger to his lips and smiled.

"Tonight, it's Mistress to you" she answered.

Karl looked at her, wide-eyed, still smiling. "You can't be serious."

"Remember that night in Venice, when you had me all tied up and at your mercy?" she asked. He nodded hesitantly.

"Well" she said, "this is going to be the best case of payback I've ever attempted on anybody. And you wanna know the best part?"

He simply blinked, smiling nervously.

Anneke licked his lips for a moment, then smiled again. "I think we're going to like every moment of this."

Karl rested his head back on the bed, his eyes rolling back with a sigh as she fought with his shirt buttons, the smile not leaving his face--this form of payback was going to be such good torture...



Elizabeth and Florian sat in her parents' library in the basement, cross-legged, facing each other. It was, for the first time since their moment in Athens, another staring contest, and the same rule applied that, they could smile, they just couldn't laugh.

The ante was upped again when Florian began to make funny faces, and Elizabeth would follow suit. He'd smirk, she'd smirk. He'd pout, she'd pout.

Best part was, they'd been at it for a couple of hours now...



Johannes and Ralf were upstairs in her room, taking a much-needed nap from the whims of the day. Wrapped in her favorite blanket that Elizabeth gave her younger sister, the couple had to keep warm from the snowy chill outside, and fell asleep to her music box playing Funkeln, Funkeln, wenig Stern [Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star].

A moment later Johannes blinked her eyes open, a smile crossing her face as she looked at her beloved's sleeping face. He then opened his eyes and smiled--their quiet moment slightly interrupted by the sound of laughter coming from downstairs. The young lady giggled.

"Sounds like Elizabeth and Florian have found an end to their staring contest, Ralf" she whispered.

"Ja, sure sounds like it" he replied softly, still smiling.

Johannes closed her eyes for a moment, remembering how she felt this wasn't meant to happen to people like her. And then came the blessed Trans-Europa, with the sweeter company of Ralf and his friends.

"Ralf" she whispered, raising a brow softly.

"Yes, Johanna?" he said.

"Ever heard the phrase... home is where the heart is?"

He nodded. "Why?"

She smiled adoringly. "Because whenever I'm with you, my heart feels like it's at home. I'm sure that... Elizabeth, Rebekah and Anneke would agree with me... about the ones that they themselves truly love and adore."

Ralf smiled back at Johannes--no words were needed as he took her face in his hands and kissed her lips. She was right--the girls had found something sweeter than just being at home in beloved Düsseldorf, they'd found a home in the hearts of the men they loved, just as they found in the young women that went out of line for the sake of Eastern Europe's freedom. With the Mensch-Maschinen in their lives, in their hearts, there was no telling what was possible for the Quartet of the Düsseldorf Chapter of the Clandestine Rebellion...



~ trans-europe express ~ the end ~

Chapter 36: Requiem ~ An ewig Frieden [Requiem ~ Unto Everlasting Peace]

ברוך אתה ה' א‑לוהינו מלך העולם, דיין האמת
Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu melekh ha'olam, dayan ha-emet.

[Blessed are You, LORD, our God, King of the universe, the True Judge.]

~ traditional Jewish blessing upon receiving news of a passing ~



Requiem æternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis.

In memoria æterna erit justus, ab auditione mala non timebit.

Absolve, Domine, animas omnium fidelium defunctorum ab omno vinculo delictorum et gratia tua illis succurente mereantur evadere iudicium ultionis, et lucis æterne beatitudine perfrui.

Domine, Jesu Christe, Rex gloriæ, libera animas omnium fidelium defunctorum de pœnis inferni et de profundo lacu. Libera eas de ore leonis, ne absorbeat eas tartarus, ne cadant in obscurum; sed signifer sanctus Michæl repræsentet eas in lucem sanctam, quam olim Abrahæ promisisti et semini ejus.

Hostias et preces tibi, Domine, laudis offerimus; tu suscipe pro animabus illis, quarum hodie memoriam facimus. Fac eas, Domine, de morte transire ad vitam. Quam olim Abrahæ promisisti et semini ejus.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona eis requiem sempiternam.

Lux æterna luceat eis, Domine, cum sanctis tuis in æternum, quia pius es. Requiem æternam dona eis, Domine; et lux perpetua luceat eis.

[Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.

He shall be justified in everlasting memory, and shall not fear evil reports.

Forgive, O Lord, the souls of all the faithful departed from all the chains of their sins and may they deserve to avoid the judgment of revenge by your fostering grace, and enjoy the everlasting blessedness of light.

Lord Jesus Christ, King of glory, free the souls of all the faithful departed from infernal punishment and the deep pit. Free them from the mouth of the lion; do not let Tartarus swallow them, nor let them fall into darkness; but may the sign-bearer, Saint Michael, lead them into the holy light which you promised to Abraham and his seed.

O Lord, we offer you sacrifices and prayers in praise; accept them on behalf of the souls whom we remember today. Make them pass over from death to life, as you promised to Abraham and his seed.

Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world, grant them rest eternal.

May everlasting light shine upon them, O Lord, with your saints forever, for you are faithful. Grant them eternal rest, O Lord, and may everlasting light shine upon them.]

~ from the Requiem Service ~

Alessandro took a deep breath and held the Processional Cross high, only glancing back once at the processional party behind him before starting his solemn march down the aisle. Behind him were Elizabeth and Johannes, serving as Torch Bearers. Ralf followed with the Paschal Candle, with Florian right after bearing the banner of the Martyrs of the Union.

Following them were, side by side, Rebekah and Anneke, dressed in traditional Clandestinian Mourner's attire--black coats, gray skirts. In their hands they held candles, black because of the nature of the service. And then were the many officers of the Düsseldorf Chapter, dressed in their Mourners uniforms, serving as Pall Bearers--
Among the Bearers for Rebekah's father, Gregorio and Henning;
Rebekah's mother, Andelina and Wolfgang;
Anneke's father, Ingo and Fritz;
Anneke's mother, Faith and Karl.

At a distance the ghostly angel Rinalee kept vigil, watching from a corner near the back of the Church. It returned her memory to her own funeral--she was much too young to die at the hands of the Darkstrom. But this... four souls lost at the hands of Hell's hounds. This was more than she could bear, more than she could comprehend. More than she could fathom as she remembered the night before...

Rebekah sat on the floor, beside the main door of the funeral home, hugging her knees to her chest. Sleep was impossible in situations like this. In merely hours she would have to bid her final fare-wells to her parents. She rested her forehead against her knees, struggling to fight the tears that welled up in her eyes.

Wolfgang had slept on one of the couches in the parlor where her parents' caskets were there. But he opened his eyes knowing the young woman herself was not in the room, and looking around a moment stepped out of the parlor. His gaze fixed to the left, and there she'd sat. Quietly he walked to her and, kneeling down, placed a hand on her knees.

She lifted her head to look at him, rivers of tears falling down her cheeks. Their eyes met, and he realized this was hurting her more than healing. He sat down beside her, took her into his arms, and consoled her in her tears.

As the Processional approached the altar, the caskets were lined up side by side, the Paschal Candle placed in the middle of the solemn row, and all took their proper places at the altar and pews.

Karl held onto Anneke tightly, as he done for so long since the night they returned from Alessandro's adoption festivity. He helped her through all the pain of the past two days, the long hours of the past night. His glance went around to the faces of the entire Düsseldorf Chapter present, to the Priest and Deacon, then to Ralf and Florian with their girlfriends, Alessandro who stood at attention. To Rebekah and Wolfgang, and finally to Anneke. Then his gaze fixed to the Paschal Candle, the symbol of victory over death, and he closed his eyes in the memory of the night's painful vigil...

"Mind if we join you, Becca?"

Rebekah and Wolfgang looked up to see Anneke and Karl, who were unable to sleep as well, and the younger woman nodded in acceptance of further company. Anneke sat beside Rebekah, holding her hand tightly.

"We're all in this together, Reks" Karl whispered as he sat beside his beloved. Rebekah smiled sadly and squeezed Anneke's hand tightly.

"The grief is shared amongst the entire Chapter" Wolfgang said quietly. "They will be present, considering that the parents to be buried gave birth to two of their finest officers among us. They have all found it fitting to stand beside us in a fond, proper and final send-off."

"This... is the darkest hour that we have ever faced" Rebekah finally spoke as she hugged her three friends close to her. "All we have now is each other, so help us... so help us Father above--"

Wolfgang could but only hold her close as she sobbed, the embrace made sweeter through Anneke and Karl. They knew in their hearts, the youngest of the Quartet was right.

Anneke's eyes looked back towards the darkness of the funeral home, the haunting of it all. She hadn't been to a funeral home since the passing of her best friend's parents, she vaguely remembered anything from the vigil. But this...

this truly weakened her more and more, the longer she suffered in its walls.

Elizabeth stood at the pulpit on behalf of the Düsseldorf Chapter, giving a proper eulogy for Rebekah and Anneke's parents, and at its closing gave the two friends a proper Jewish greeting--

המקום ינחם אתכם בתוך שער אבילי ציון וירושלים
Hamakom y'nachem etkhem b'tokh sha'ar avelei tziyon viyrushalayim

Rebekah smiled at Elizabeth sadly, knowing the meaning of the greeting--The Place will comfort you among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem--and how much it meant to her that such a greeting would be said. Through her mother she made many Jewish friends, and while they were not as close as her tightknit Quartet, they shared in the grief of the passing. She glanced to one of her mother's friends, who was a Jew and in the Chapter, and they shared a grateful, knowing smile--that all would be well in the end. That all things began and ended rightly so in God.

The Priest continued with the service, which included the Prayers for the Deceased and Prayers for the Mourners, and then the Passing of the Peace. Then followed the Communion, with the Lord's Prayer. After Communion, Anneke and Rebekah stood up and, hand in hand, approached their respective parents' caskets. Ralf, Johannes and Elizabeth joined them and, taking each a permanent marker, inscribed the following on each casket--
Rebekah: זכר קדוש לברכה [zekher kadosh livrakha], which meant May the memory of the saintly be for blessing
Anneke: To my blessed family, here and in the life to come
Elizabeth: Our family, we grieve, we rise above, we thank God
Johannes: Requiescant in pace [Rest in peace]
Ralf: From the Clandestine Rebellion, the Düsseldorf Chapter, with all our love, honor and respect

Afterwards they were joined by Florian, Wolfgang and Karl and, huddling together, Rebekah led the Mourner's Kaddish, the traditional Hebrew prayer for the deceased, which praised God. Then the huddle turned into a group hug, and just as quickly they dispersed back to their proper places for the final blessing and Procession to the Cemetery.



The iron bells tolled throughout Düsseldorf as the Procession reached the Cemetery. Alessandro stood behind the small grave markers, in the middle, facing the approaching crowd. He watched throughout the entire service, his faces looking to those of the mourners, his family present to be there for their friends, the daughters of the deceased comforted by their loved ones. His own parents never received a proper funeral--they were cremated by the Darkstrom soldiers, and their cremains sunk into the sea.

As the party approached the open graves, the Pall Bearers placing the caskets in their respective graves, the boy's face lifted to the sky.

"...clouds" he whispered as he lowered his head to the four caskets, the gathering of mourners.

The Priest spoke the final prayers, and all joined in the Final Commendation, just before the first casket--Rebekah's father--was being lowered. Rebekah watched bitterly as first her father, then her mother returned to the earth. Wolfgang stood behind her, watching the caskets being lowered, unable to hold back the tears. His girlfriend closed her eyes for a moment, then reopened them, tears spilling at last over her pale cheeks.

The casket of Anneke's father soon was slowly lowered, and the girl herself forced herself to watch through this. "Don't if you can't handle" Karl, standing behind her, whispered in her ear.

"I have to, Karl" she whispered back as she began to cry. "They brought me into the world. I cannot turn away. This is the least I can do for them now."

Karl held her in his arms, watching as the casket of her mother was soon lowered to the grave. Blessed be the ones whose love brought Reks and Anya to us he thought, wiping a tear from his face. The caskets now being lowered, Anneke looked to the youngest of the Quartet, who was on her knees and sobbing, being comforted by Wolfgang.

The rest of the mourners dispersed, but the Quartet, Mensch-Maschinen and Alessandro remained. One of the gravediggers asked if everyone was alright, and if anyone needed a hand. Alessandro simply looked up and asked for a shovel.

"A... a SHOVEL!?" the gravedigger asked.

"Yes, Sir. A shovel."

"But... why!?"

"Because this is family you're trying to bury. We will proudly bury our family ourselves."

The gravedigger simply smiled and handed the former orphan the shovel and pointed him to the mound of dirt, and told him of extra shovels if needed. Seconds later the boy ran back with his first shovelful of dirt. Anneke raised a brow at him, but Alessandro wouldn't have any of it as the rain began to fall.

"This is family, you guys" he insisted. "I'm not going to let strangers' hands place the ground over loved ones."

Anneke looked at the mound of dirt and shovels for a moment--the child was right. If you're gonna bury your parents, best to do it with your own hands. And what better way than to lead by example--she stood up and straightened out her skirt.

"What is it, Anya?" Karl asked, looking up at her.

"This is family, and there is huge debts owed to those who gave us to the world" she replied. "This is the last proper favor we can do for them." And with that she followed Alessandro and, taking up a shovel, returned to help seal the graves.

Then, one by one... the rest of the gang followed. The graves were filled within an hour. And as they stood before the graves of their loved ones, wiping sweat and tears from their faces, their eyes, Rebekah and Anneke smiled, clasping each other's hands tightly. For despite now being rainsoaked through the storm, there was a proper sense of closure in their being. All was going to be just fine.

Then the gang went back to the church to change and dry off, and then to the Spacelab, for a luncheon and rejoining of the rest of the mourners from the Union.

In paradisum deducant te Angeli; in tuo adventu suscipiant te martyres, et perducant te in civitatem sanctam Ierusalem. Chorus angelorum te suscipiat, et cum Lazaro quondam paupere æternam habeas requiem. Amen.

May angels lead you into paradise; may the martyrs receive you at your coming and lead you to the holy city of Jerusalem. May a choir of angels receive you, and with Lazarus, who once was poor, may you have eternal rest. Amen.

*writer's note - much of the chapter was inspired by the funeral traditions of the christian and hebrew faiths.*

Chapter 35: Eine Korrekte, Süßere Liebe [A Proper, Sweeter Love]

*to the few lurkers that read this story.

for louise and faith, my two beloved fellow passengers as i tirelessly tried to finish this crazy story.

and with all my love.*
Elizabeth knelt at the grave of her parents, Johannes standing beside her trying to take it all in. For the older sister, as she lost herself in prayer, it was the only way she could keep updating her parents on what all had gone on since before they were imprisoned. For the younger sister, however, it was simply a visiting to the parents. She could only remember their voices, but that was about as much as she could get from them. Her heart broke as she watched her older sister, then looked to the gravestone. Finally her gaze took in all the cemetery. In another couple of days Anneke's parents would be finally given a proper funeral, with Rebekah's parents' funeral following right after. The thought of it overwhelmed Johannes a little, as she'd never seen a funeral, and she didn't really remember anything from that of her parents'.

She closed her eyes, fighting tears as she looked back to her older sister. Elizabeth finally stood up and, wiping a tear or two from her face, looked to her younger sister.

"...what is wrong, Johanne?" Elizabeth asked.

"I just don't understand... why people have to die" Johannes replied looking to her with a sigh. "I don't... I just don't get it, you know?"

Elizabeth nodded. "I know, kleine Schwester. I know."

"And when it's time for Anneke and Rebekah's parents to be buried..." Johannes started, but couldn't finish.

"Not now, Johanne" Elizabeth interrupted. "Let not the sorrow be near on such a day as this." With a warm hug she helped her younger sister out of the cemetery and towards the Spacelab, where the rest of the gang awaited them.

"How are Mother and Father, Eliza?" Florian asked as the sisters entered the Meeting Room.

Elizabeth sighed. "They're doing just fine, Florian."

"You know, I still can't believe what happened to Anya's parents" Karl said somberly.

"Nor I for Reki's" Wolfgang chimed in, holding onto his girlfriend in an embrace. She looked up sadly, then hugged him tightly.

"We are all the family these girls have now, guys" Ralf said quietly from where he stood, in the back corner, his gaze fixed out the window to the cemetery in the distance. "Just as they are all the family we have." He then lowered his head as a few tears fell from his eyes. Then, with a sigh he lifted his head back up and fixed his gaze to the cemetery again. "After this, we have two funerals to be strong for. And we know this is going to be the hardest time that we can ever face.

"But, for now... at least... another family will be born. Let us rejoice for that" he finally said, looking to the rest of the gang. Johannes nodded.

"He is right" she said softly, "we'd better get going for Alessandro's adoption ceremony. We have to be there in 15 minutes."

En route to the main Clandestinian Rebellion HQ, Karl held Anneke in his arms as she took a decent nap. She'd been napping for the better part of the afternoon and, like Johannes, didn't wish to fall asleep mid-ceremony. The Mensch-Maschine looked out the window for a moment as they past the cemetery, and a tear or two fell from his face as his eyes caught four open caverns of earth, side by side. His heart sank as he knew whose graves were those, and his eyes quickly darted to Wolfgang, who held Rebekah to him. Rebekah's eyes caught Karl's and, for a moment, he reached out and held one of her hands tightly, mouthing "I'm so sorry, Reks."

"Danke, Karl" Rebekah whispered back with a sad, but grateful, smile. Wolfgang nodded his thanks.

Karl then let go of her hand and held on tightly to Anneke again, planting a tender kiss on her forehead. It was only a matter of time before he and the rest of the gang would put four dear souls to their final rest. But for now the thought of it all subsided as he looked at his beloved, then straight ahead as the gang arrived at the HQ.



"Everybody's here!!" Alessandro cheered as the Mensch-Maschinen and the Quartet walked into the Meeting Room of the HQ. Elizabeth's eyes met those of Gregorio, and her jaw dropped.

"Süße Mutter des Gottes…" she said, as Johannes looked to her, then to Gregorio. But the former guard walked to her and gave her a big hug with a smile.

"Yes, I am back in the neighborhood!" he said with a grin. "And I take it you've all met my wife Andelina?"

"Wait--WHAT!?" Rebekah asked in shock.

"So you mean... wait... Andy is...?" Anneke asked, trying to take it all in.

"Gregorio, you smart bastard!" Wolfgang laughed, hugging his old friend. "What are you doing here home in Düsseldorf?"

The guard smiled. "Andie and I are going to be parents again. To make up for the one we lost." His smile faded. "We couldn't allow Alessandro to be without parents, not if he's in need of a good family."

Wolfgang's eyes filled with tears. "Wait--you two are adopting Alessandro!?"

Gregorio nodded as Andelina joined him at his side and her face met Rebekah's. "You again!" she said with a grin.

"Andy!!" Rebekah cheered as she ran to hug the elder Clandestinian.

Gregorio meanwhile looked to Elizabeth. "How is your younger sister, Miss Korinn?" he asked.

Johannes peeked at him from behind her sister. "That sounds like Gregorio, Elizabeth" she chimed in.

"That's because it is Gregorio!" Elizabeth laughed. "He and Andelina are adopting Alessandro today!"

The young Italian Mensch-Maschine meanwhile ran into the arms of his soon-to-be parents, hugging Andelina tightly as Gregorio beamed with pride. The boy then turned to Johannes with a grin. "I'm so happy you all can be here" he said. "If not for you guys...!"

The ceremony, led by the General of the Düsseldorf Chapter of the Rebellion, went off perfectly, the entire gang--Mensch-Maschinen, Quartet, Fritz and Henning, Andelina's friends Faith and Ingo, and of course the proud family--celebrating the simple joy of belonging to a family. Alessandro, Andelina, Gregorio, Faith and Ingo were all accepted into the Düsseldorf Chapter by the General. And in turn, Elizabeth was named Captain of the Chapter, with Anneke as First Lieutenant, Rebekah as the Nurse. And Johannes herself was given the title of Chaplain-in-Training, which amused Elizabeth but it was fitting--for if not for her hope the gang would not have hung tightly to the fight for the freedom and safety of Eastern Europe.

After the proper Inquisition, the taking of vows and the signing of the documentations, the General "by the power invested and granted by the Solemn Court of Germany and the Clandestinian Union" declared Gregorio, Andelina and Alessandro a family, and that by right the child had every proper reason to have a family. The family got into a group hug, which was added by the rest of the gang. Johannes, with tears in her eyes, looked to Alessandro, who beamed at her.

"Miss Johannes!!" Alessandro said. "I have a family!! My wish for a family has come true!!" His eyes then met Florian's, and the two shared a smile that could only mean that, had Florian not allowed the boy along, this would not have been. And all the while the gang relished in the group hug.

Then Anneke caught a glimpse and, towards a distance, she turned her face to meet the ghostly figure of Andelina's daughter.

"Rinalee" she whispered, "you've come to bless us again, haven't you?" The young girl simply smiled and nodded in reply. No words were needed.

Anneke smiled back at her, as Karl looked to her. "What is it, Anya?" he asked quietly.

"Rinalee gives us her blessing, is all there is to it" she replied softly, smiling back at him as everyone prepared for the party which followed immediately. And everyone had their fill of cheer, and more than enough to go around.



Back home Anneke lied down on her bed with a sigh, looking out her window in her upstairs bedroom. If there was one crazy thing she and her three best friends had in common, it was that their bedrooms all looked alike in structure--wide windowsill bench, a few steps to the left of their beds, and at the other side of the rooms were the doors and, beside the doors, their desks. Closets at the wall opposite the bed. To the direct left of the bed was the bedside table, then the dresser. What was different were the pictures that graced the walls, the portraits on the desks, the colors that reflected their personalities.

Exhaustion had finally overtaken her as she sat up on the bed and took her coat off, leaving on only her sleeveless gray dress. Placing the coat on the foot of the bed she lied back down, facing the window. The braids had all been undone--first thing when she got home--and while she was happy that Alessandro had a family, it was still hard to take in the fact that she couldn't tell her parents in time that she'd loved them, that she was thankful for being there for her when they could. They'd been working class parents, working so hard to take care of her daughter as she bravely faced the world, for the most part, on her own. When the Darkstrom took over, after she and the girls were captured, there wasn't much else she could do--she didn't even get to say good-bye to her parents. She didn't get to tell them she loved them that final time before she was transported. Finally she closed her eyes, trying to sleep, tears of regret filling her eyes.

Karl had searched all over the house for Anneke, and finally he checked the bedroom, and became still when he entered the room. His face was fixed to the open window, then to the still figure on the bed. He knew she'd been exhausted from all the festivities of the day, he just never realized how much. But it all sank in the moment he looked at her, resting after a long day, as if nothing else mattered but sleep. With that he closed the door to the room and sat down on the side of the bed, turning to face her.

Anya he thought to himself, you've gone through so much in this life, haven't you?

Lying down behind her he took her into his arms, holding her tightly. They hadn't spent a lot of time together since the return to her home, with Fritz's birthday and Alessandro's adoption. But the time between it all, she'd spent the better part of her days with Rebekah at the HQ, settling the documentations and the funerals for their parents. Karl was with Wolfgang trying to figure out how else to console the girls, for they themselves hadn't really felt the pain of losing their own respect parents. But for Karl, the most important person in the world to him was in his arms, and so help him God if he couldn't see to it that he was there for her at every moment, every second that she needed him.

Except, inasmuch as she needed him, they'd been so apart because of all that had gone on, that he realized just much they truly needed each other. With that he held her to him even tighter, kissing her right ear.

Anneke opened her eyes, knowing that Karl was with her, and she turned to face him. And for a moment as their eyes met, all was still. And then finally she spoke.

"I've missed you, Karlos" she whispered, still lost in exhaustion.

"As have I, Anya" he whispered back as she held him to her.

"I have no idea what to make of all this anymore, Karlos" she whispered as she kissed the top of his head. "So much has happened... I never thought I could suffer such pain and still survive. I never thought what would've happened if I ever lost my parents. And now... I'm just... alone." Her eyes fixed to the picture of her with her parents--an impromptu, lighthearted portrait of her only family by blood. It was the last picture she'd taken of her parents before she was deported to Lisbon, the last picture of her parents alive.

"Anya, you're not alone" Karl whispered back, kissing along the scar on her neck. "You have Elizabeth, Johannes and Reks. You have Florian, Ralf and Wolgang. You have Andelina, Gregorio, Rinalee and Alessandro. You have Fritz and Henning.

"Anya... you have me."

Anneke was quiet for a moment as she looked at the picture again, then to him. He was right--she wasn't alone, even as the pain of losing her parents was getting to her. For now, she was in the sweeter company of the man she loved, and God forbid she'd dare to let her pain get in the way of this very moment. Not while he was with her now, and not while the next at least 48 hours were to be the hardest time she'd have to face.

"Karlos" she whispered, "I love you."

But Karl lifted his gaze to her face, took her face in his hands, and smiled. "I know, Anya, and I love you just as much but, no."

Anneke raised a brow. "Beg pardon--?"

"Not another word tonight, Anya" he whispered as he kissed her full on the mouth, and she finally understood why--that her words would only keep her somewhere in her misery. He didn't want to see her in such sorrow, not while he still had a moment to simply spend time with her. He then rolled onto his back so that she was on top of him and, breaking the kiss for a moment looked her in the eyes.

Outside the lanterns of the houses would be aglow, a lantern for each of the girls that remained alive through the chaos of the Darkstrom. Rebekah would take care of her lantern, then to that of Anneke, and then for Elizabeth and Johannes. Wolfgang would light four candles on the metal table in the living room of Rebekah's home, one for each of the parents soon to be buried. Florian and Ralf would keep their respective girlfriends company, the gang would soon reunite for the funerals, and that was to be their darkest hour.

But, not tonight. Not now.

"Angel," Karl spoke quietly, "not another word be said tonight, please. All I wish is that tonight, let's just... let's just be. All I want to do is to just love you tonight." He then held her face in his hands again and kissed her forehead. She then looked at him, how his eyes simply held that one plea. And then, she smiled softly. She couldn't say another word, didn't dare to. That one smile was all the affirmation he needed as their lips met again, her arms wrapped around him and his hands fighting the buttons on the back of her dress to take into his senses all of her, simply nothing more than to love her and for them to drown in that sweeter love that not even death could destroy.

Tonight, they would make up for some lost time...

Chapter 34: Mein Geliebtes [My Beloved]

A couple of days had passed since Fritz's birthday celebration, in which all went well. Rebekah succeeded in convincing Wolfgang to not keep her in bed all day, so while she helped Anneke and Elizabeth with making the cake the boyfriend hung with the boys and Johannes to help pick presents. And then the next two days, it rained. And rained. And rained.

But this time, though it rained, Johannes opened the window to her room and sat on her wide windowsill bench. Her face took in the soft rain, the cool breeze that blew in the flowers that clung to her dark hair. She'd never seen rain for most of her life, but it fascinated her to the fullest. In her curiosity she even stuck out her hand to catch a few raindrops and smiled as they lightly fell upon her hand.

Carefully wiping her hands on her black skirt she got up and stretched for a moment. Now on a day like this there wasn't really a lot to do, as the Quartet usually declared it a day off to simply chill. But Johannes, busy as she was, didn't mind the extra time off. In fact, she loved it--extra time off meant more time to explore the world around her. Rainy days however were the best excuse to simply stay home and sleep.

She lied down on her bed and faced the window, still open as the scent of rain crept in. She loved the smell of fresh rain, wondering how she in all her blindness never really noticed it until this moment. Closing her eyes she drowned in its scent, even as Ralf entered the room quietly.

...what in the name of... he thought to himself when he saw the open window, but the worrying ceased when he saw Johannes half asleep on the bed. He knew she had fallen in love with the rainy weather since she'd gained her sight yet he didn't know how much until now. He gently closed the door and, removing his coat and tie to place them on one of the two chairs in the room, walked to her bed.

Johannes' eyes opened when she sensed that he was in the room with her, but she smiled to herself and closed her eyes again to rest some more. Ralf sat down on the bed beside her and looked over her adoringly, the flowers strewn about her hair, her black long-sleeved corset top and long skirt that made her light skin seem even paler, her face set at peace--a certain calm overcoming her. He couldn't help but realize how far they'd come since they'd first met all those months ago. But not even the blindness she'd been born with could stop her from finding love at last.



"I wonder how Joey's doing" Wolfgang sighed as he and Rebekah sat on her front-porch swing, watching the rain fall down. "I haven't seen her since Fritz's birthday party a few days ago."

"Joseraph's doing alright" his girlfriend answered. "She's just been enjoying the rain. She hasn't slept much lately, so she was going to try to make up for it today before we meet up with the adoption officials tomorrow with Alessandro."

Wolfgang's eyes widened. "Oh snap! The adoption is tomorrow!? How'd I missed out on that part of the memo, Reki!?"

Rebekah shrugged. "The hell would I know, Wolfie?"

Her boyfriend chuckled, raising an eyebrow at her. "Time out. Wolfie!?"

"Yes" she replied with a grin. "Get used to it."

He shook his head smiling. "I'm gonna love having you for my wife, Reki" he said. "Just you watch."

But she simply replied with a wink and a grin, and resumed watching the rainfall.



"Johanna?" Ralf whispered in her ear as he lied down beside her. "Are you still awake?"

"I've been having trouble sleeping lately, to be honest" Johannes replied softly, opening her eyes. "I hoped to catch up on sleep so I wouldn't fall asleep in the middle of Alessandro's adoption tomorrow."

Ralf held her close to him. "Why didn't you tell me, Johanna?"

"I didn't want you to worry so much about me" she answered, clasping her hands with his. "There'd been so much going on, but I just... I just couldn't sleep well. Between Fritz's birthday a couple of days ago and Alessandro's big day tomorrow... yeah. I've been hectic." She sighed, her eyes fixed to the open window. "Maybe a little too hectic. I hadn't seen you in days, Ralf. We'd all been so busy."

"I know, Prinzessin" he sighed as she turned to face him. "And I'm sorry. I really wanted to spend some time with you. And with all that had been going on and will be going on I guess we..."

"We didn't have much time to spend together... did we, Ralf?" she whispered lightly.

He nodded. "Nein" he whispered sadly, "we didn't, Princess. And I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too" she apologized humbly and hugged him tightly.

For a while they held each other tightly until Ralf blinked his eyes and looked into Johannes' own. Then, realizing he didn't have a lot of time left to spend with her until another whirlwind of activity would commence again, he took matters to his own hands and, holding her bright face in his hands, kissed her full on the mouth.

"...what in the world's come over you, Ralf!?" Johannes whispered, amazed at the power of his kiss.

"I'm making up for lost time, Johanna" he simply answered as he fought with the ribbons of her corset, the ribbons on her skirt. But the thought didn't register fully for her at first until she realized, he was right. They hadn't been with each other in a few days, and even that was much too long for them to be apart. And she knew he was right when he started trailing kisses along her shoulder, down her pale body that the clothing of darkness concealed for so long...



A few minutes later Elizabeth almost dropped her bowl of soup, a warmth in her chest arising again. But it was stronger than she'd felt the past three times before. Florian stood up from his place in the table at Anneke's kitchen and walked to her.

"Eliza, are you alright?" he asked, helping her hold onto the bowl.

But she nodded hesitantly. "Yes, I'm alright, love" she assured him. "I just feel a strange warmth in my chest... that only I can think about. I... I couldn't tell you what it was for the life of me. You wouldn't understand." She gave him a humbling smile.

He sighed softly. "Understood" he answered with a smile. "If you need me to help with anything, just ask."

"Got it" she spoke again, smiling.

He then kissed her forehead and left the kitchen, and carefully Elizabeth placed the bowl in the sink. She then took a deep breath, and realized fully what all could've gone on.

Johanne she thought to herself, you've become one soul with Ralf, haven't you? But she clutched her chest tightly, realizing that it felt warmer because of the outside chill of the wind that blew in from the open kitchen windows.

And then, a tear or two down her cheek, she smiled. She knew her sister's heart, at last, was full. And she sighed wistfully, wondering if her little sister could get any sleep after this new situation Ralf started.



Johannes opened her eyes after a much-needed few hours' rest and looked at Ralf. She was able to get some rest, relaxed as she was even as her senses were in overdrive some hours ago. Whatever crossed his mind as he undid the ribbons that held her clothes together, whatever crossed her mind as she fought carefully with his tie and shirt buttons--it must've been enough. But she still drowned in the memory fresh from earlier in the afternoon; she still tasted every kiss, she still felt every last inch of his skin upon hers, and as she closed her eyes she still felt their eyes meet when they finally found their release. There wasn't much else to do now, as all had been said and done.

She traced a finger along his cheek, his mouth. "You're so beautiful, Ralf" she whispered softly with a loving smile. "I simply don't... I just don't deserve you."

"No, you do deserve me, Johanna" Ralf whispered back, opening his eyes to look at her. "Just as I deserve you." He wrapped her tightly in his arms, lightly kissing her shoulder. "We deserve and belong to each other, Johanna."

Johannes sighed and looked to one of the healed wounds on his shoulder from that fateful, final fight against the DarkStrom. She never could understand fully how he, in the end, survived the fight... how he and the fellow Mensch-Maschinen survived. But she was grateful and thrilled that they'd survived.

"You know... I don't think I'll ever figure out how and or why we met" she admitted humbly. "But whatever the circumstances, I'm thankful for them all."

"How so, Princess?" Ralf asked with a smile.

"Because I'm here, in the loving arms of my beloved Prince Charming" she replied nonchalantly.

Ralf smiled again and wrapped each other in the blanket. "Well, if I were you, I'd still be resting up after what all went on in here" he suggested.

"Ja, that was... well... yeah" she laughed gently. "By the way... Ralf?"

"Yes, mein geliebtes Prinzessin?" he asked, his blue eyes looking into her purple own.

"I love you" she whispered, smiling.

But Ralf simply kissed her forehead and rested against her heart, whispering "I love you even more" as he planted kisses along her heart. Johannes held him tightly to her and closed her eyes to resume catching up on some much-needed yet rightly-blissful sleep, simply drowning in their love...

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].*

Chapter 32: Nicht mehr Vorhang. [No Longer Blind.]

The morning had been well-spent for Ralf and Johannes as they stood at the window, the purple-eyed child once blind now looking towards her hometown, her beloved Mensch-Maschine behind her with his arms around her. The two smiled as their eyes glanced over the busy streets outside their window, as Fritz and Alessandro ran out of the Spacelab's doors and through the gates to capture the day ahead of them.

As life began to unfold in Düsseldorf, Johannes closed her eyes, letting the memory sink into her soul--a while ago Ralf had kissed her until they were dizzy from lack of air and their senses rendered numb. But what sealed the memory even more were the words he said, who he was to her,

"Meine liebe Prinzessin... my dear, sweet Princess..."

A content grin crossed her bright face as she opened her eyes to catch the city glowing in sunlight. She'd never seen a city so full of life before, and it was only a matter of time before she and Ralf would join in the joyful outside world. But for the moment, it was only her and her beloved, happy in each other's company.



"Elibeth, you look like you're half asleep!!"

"Yeah, so do you, Annika."

Inside the Spacelab's meeting room, Elizabeth and Anneke laughed in conversation as Florian, Karl and Wolfgang talked amongst themselves. Rebekah helped Professor Henning in checking up on the healing status of the Maschinen and she smiled in the thought of the guys having healed for the most part. But all became silent when two familiar voices were heard in the hallway, heading for the room.

"Okay, so this is the hallway..."

"Yep, and we're about to approach the meeting room, straight ahead."

"Alright, that room we're about to enter is the meeting room."

"That's it, princess."

All seven turned their heads to the door to look at Johannes enter the meeting room without hesitation, followed by Ralf. She smiled walking into the room, and went to the nearest empty chair at the table.

"And this...?" she asked, looking to Ralf, who nodded but once.

"That's a chair" he explained.

"A chair!" she noted. "I sit in a chair!" And with a proud grin she sat down on the chair.

"Correct, Johanna" Ralf smiled with glee. "And do you remember what that is over there?" he asked, pointing to the window.

Johannes nodded. "That is also a window, Ralf?" she said, curious.

"Yep" he nodded. "That's also a window."

"Yay!" she cheered. He simply smiled at her in adoration.

"And how many fingers am I holding up!?" Karl asked, holding up a hand with four fingers.

The young woman blinked and counted for a moment. "Ein... zwei, drei... vier!" she counted with a bright, cheerful grin. "Four fingers!!"

Elizabeth and everyone--except for Ralf, because he already knew--stared in wonder at what they could only call a miracle.

"Is that Karl, Ralf?" Johannes asked, pointing to Karl, who smiled in joyful affirmation of what was to be the best treat about returning home.

"Yes, that's Karl" her beloved explained. "Can you figure out who else is everyone here in the room?"

The young woman blinked and, taking a look around, looked to Rebekah. But the youngest of the Quartet looked with a glowing smile and spoke only a sentence:

"You... you can see us, can't you, Joseraph?"

Johannes grinned. "You are Rebekah!" she whispered enthusiastically. The redhead nodded, tears welling in her eyes. The purple-eyed woman stood up and carefully walked to Florian, who gave her his hands.

"This is familiar, is it not?" he asked smiling.

She closed her eyes, remembering the train ride to Athens, and nodded smiling. "Yes!" she answered, opening her eyes. "You must be Florian!" But he said not another word as he hugged her. Her eyes then met the pale green eyes of her older sister.

"Jo... Johanne" Elizabeth whispered, tears falling down her cheeks.

"...meine geliebte ältere Schwester" Johannes whispered to her, tears falling from her own eyes; "mein Elizabeth."

Elizabeth immediately knew--the only person to ever address her as her dear older sister had to be Johannes. But the younger used to address her as that when she cried in the elder's arms. Now... there was only joy, that the younger was blessed with sight. With that the elder sister went to her younger and hugged her tightly.

"How sweeter the sight... that you've been blessed to see!" Elizabeth whispered as she smiled admirably into her younger sister's eyes.

"So I'm guessing you're recognizing voices and matching them to everyone?" Wolfgang asked with a grin.

Johannes nodded with a smile to him. "I'm trying to remember... we haven't talked a lot, have we?"

"Yeah, sorry about that, Joey" he said apologetically.

She giggled. "You must be Wolfgang then!!"

"How the heck!?" he laughed.

"Because you're the only person I know of that calls me Joey!" she explained with a grin.

"Damn... busted" laughed Karl watching the scene. But Wolfgang laughed with his best friend--Karl was right. But, it was a good humor for everyone, because many a miracle had passed within the first half of the new day.

"Well surprise, I'm not gonna kill you because your eyes are my favorite color!" a familiar voice chimed in. Johannes turned her head to look at a grinning Anneke, who had her arms open to hug her best friend's little sister that they all loved so dearly.

Johannes smiled and, letting go of her sister, walked to hug Anneke tightly. "Annika!" she laughed as they hugged and cried. "I can see you, all of you, Annika...!"

"Well I'll be supershorted!" Henning laughed as he watched all the events unfold in the meeting room. "The Robots have their hearts, Miss Johannes is no longer blind. Miracles abound! What sweeter way to return home than to have this all occur?" With that he stood up and added to the hug.

Then, one by one, starting with Ralf, they all joined in the hug until Johannes was surrounded by people she loved, they who cared about her because they knew she couldn't live without them. For a moment her eyes locked with those of everyone, one at a time. Finally, she whispered as she relished in the hug, "This is what hope does to all of us. This is what love allows for all of us!"

All was in silence as Fritz and Alessandro returned and entered the meeting room. Their eyes watching the group hug, smiles were on both of their faces. Then, with a nod to each other, they added to the hug, with little Alessandro scooting in the center to hug Johannes.

"Noi tutto l'amore voi, Signorina Johannes" the orphan whispered, a smile to catch Johannes' cheerful face as he hugged her. "We all love you--very, very much!"

Chapter 31: Erste Liebe, Letzte Liebe. [First Love, Last Love.]

Elizabeth blinked her eyes a bit, wrapped tightly in Florian's arms, as the sun shone in the room later on that morning. The sun had finally risen, but she wasn't sure she wanted to fully get up and deal with the world yet--not after all had happened between them. Later on that morning she'd be concerned over her sister's state of being, as well as those of Anneke and Rebekah; with her beloved alive and well she began to hope against hope that, perhaps, the other Mensch-Maschinen were alive and well, basking in the love of their dear companions. But for the moment, it was to be the last thing on her mind as she began to replay in her mind a newly fresh memory, only a while after she'd fallen asleep in his arms the first time around.

She was still in some sense of disbelief at first when she woke up a few hours ago to look at him, who was still asleep at the time.

Turning to face him she remembered what had been said earlier that morning, only a short while past midnight, how he promised her he'd never leave her alone. A small smile broke on her face as she ran her finger along his cheek--he'd looked so peaceful sleeping, without a care in the world. She became half-tempted to kiss him, but the thought quickly perished as she closed her eyes again. Then, seconds later she opened them again and, realizing that the best course of action was to never waste a second with him, gave in to her minor temptation and kissed him on the lips--but it wasn't the usual short-and-simple kiss this time. Quickly he blinked his eyes open and smiled in the kiss a bit, a tiny bit amused that she'd stepped out of her comfort zone again. But he closed his eyes and held her in his arms while she held his face in her hands--it felt so wonderful just to be in his arms, to kiss his lips again.

He attempted to break the kiss, to ask her what in her right mind she was thinking to kiss him this sweetly, and succeeded in the first of the two. She opened her eyes and smiled a bit, their faces so close they could've touched nose-against-nose.

"What... what rightly possessed you to kiss me... like that?" he asked, blinking as they sat up and faced each other. His curiosity was revived at an alarming rate, but it wasn't a simple curiosity he once had about her since the beginning--there was something stronger about his curiosity, and by damn he had every right to question almost everything he'd once knew, once thought about her.

But she simply smiled and replied softly, "Just... that simple reminder to never take anything for granted."

She sat up and, hugging her knees to her chest, looked out the window at the vibrant city outside. Home sweet home she thought with a warm smile. She hadn't seen home in over three years, and now she was home. She was back in beloved Düsseldorf, with her sister and their best friends, with the ones they truly loved, and with the one she herself loved selflessly.

Closing her eyes for another moment she dwelled on the memory of a few hours ago, her forehead now resting against her knees as the morning sun slowly made its path beyond Düsseldorf's horizon...

Florian shook his head gently, amazed at the honesty of her answer. One thing he knew about her was, she was brutally honest in everything she said, everything she did. That was one thing about her that would never change.

"What is it, Florian?" Elizabeth asked in a hushed whisper, but she dared not say another word when he ran his thumb along her lower lip. She lowered her eyes to the thumb for a second, then met his curious but longing eyes again. Her simple courage revived, and keeping up in doing what must be dared, she lightly bit the flesh at his thumb.

He kept his silence as she bit his thumb, but the torture was enough for him to snap back his thumb from her. She gave him a questioning look, her pale green eyes still fixed upon him. But he gave no answer as he leaned over and, locking hands with hers, kissed her sweetly on the mouth, nibbling gently on her lower lip.

"You've no idea... just how much... I've really missed you," Elizabeth whispered inbetween kisses as her fingers tangled against his tie and blouse buttons. But Florian knew in his heart how much she'd missed him as his fingers fought her coatbuttons.

She sighed, halfway drowning in the memory. Lifting up her head she glanced to the clothes strewn in a neat pile on the floor beside the bed and chuckled quietly. Who knew--who in their right mind knew!--that everything that had happened since they'd met in Lisbon would lead right up to this? For certain, she had no idea this would happen, and she was sure that the man she loved would gladly agree with her on the very thought.

In her younger years she swore she'd never fall in love, that she'd focus her attention towards the freedom of Eastern Europe, her sister and two best friends, the safety of her own life. Never did she dream of falling in love... never did she dream of meeting Florian.

Despite this, in all her recollections and past wishful thinking, the bold Captain of the Quartet smiled to herself again as she rested her head, chin to knees, eyes fixed to the window and the glowing world outside the Spacelab's walls. She sighed thoughtfully as her thoughts returned to the memory she was, last she recalled, drowning in...

"I already know, Eliza... I already know" Florian whispered back as their clothes quickly were put aside and the line between common sense and uncommon behavior blurred. Neither he nor Elizabeth could think straight yet, despite whatever could be going on outside their room, nothing else mattered at the moment. She shut her eyes and held him tightly, her senses in overdrive and planting kisses along the shoulder where he'd suffered both of his bullet wounds that Rebekah healed. If even Johannes were to have attempted to wander about and find Ralf, that wouldn't have kept her older sister from losing herself in the moment she had found herself in.

Her eyes reopened as he entered her and, for a moment, she was still. Perhaps, a bit speechless as well. Sure, she'd think that the first time would hurt, except it didn't quite hurt as much as she'd thought.

"...you okay, Eliza?" Florian asked, blinking as his eyes shifted to her and he kept still.

She nodded once, a quick one. "Yep" she answered. "I'm alright."

"Any pain?" he asked, biting his lower lip a bit.

"No pain" she replied.

One careful thrust and she winced a tiny bit--"Ouch!" she whispered and he stopped again; quickly he glanced to her face, still holding her to him. Did she actually feel any pain, try as he might to make this as painless as possible?

"...on second thought, just a little" she admitted with an embarrassed face. Their eyes locked for a moment, and a second later she broke into a grin. Then and there the two broke into a fit of giggles, holding each other tightly.

"You sure know how to say you're in pain" Florian laughed, kissing her shoulder.

"Well, it was either that or keep quiet and stay too serious for our own good!" Elizabeth replied in a hushed whisper, kissing his ear.

He gently lied her back down on the bed, not leaving her for a second, and hugged her tightly with a giggle. She turned her head to smile at him but her lips met his, and at that minute their giggling died down as their lips locked again.

Her eyes fixed to the necklace with her parents' wedding rings on it, as it had spilt out of one of her coat-pockets. The first thing she did, the day her parents were killed, was to remove their wedding rings. The night before the funeral she strung the three rings along a shotbead chain she rarely wore. The next morning she wore the rings to the funeral, but she always wore them under her coat.

Closing her eyes she continued to reminisce--a warm smile as she recalled to mind how wonderful, how strange yet... right... it all came together...

A calm silence overcame the room as the two made love, their lips lost in a long and bittersweet kiss. The outside world would have no clue, and they'd be damned if their friends ever overheard what had gone on in this very room. God forbid Johannes should accidentally stumble in on them but, as her intuition was in check she knew than to stray for whatever--whoever--it was she'd look for... which in this case would be Ralf.

Elizabeth however held Florian's face in her hands gently as she kissed him as willingly as she gave all of herself to him. Occassionally she'd open one eye to fix to the door in case of anything, but it was the last thing she was concerned about. All that mattered to her was the one person she loved more than anyone else.

But as minutes silently passed in untold bliss, their bodies sought and found their release, their souls drowning in each other, thoughts ran through each others mind. The lovers could hear their own hearts pounding in their heads, but they held each other gently, somewhere lost in their morning bliss. All the while their eyes were to each other, amused but worn-out half-smiles on their faces as they caught their breaths.

"...so... any pain, Eliza?" Florian asked inbetween catching breaths.

"...Florian... you smartass" Elizabeth retorted with a chuckle.

She giggled to herself at the memory as she lied back down on the bed with a sigh. Turning her head to look at her beloved she smiled, wondering how she'd come this far. She couldn't imagine life without him now--they were two equal halves to one soul. When the sweat turned to cold and all was said and done, they'd become so much more alike than when they'd first met all those months ago.

Florian finally opened one eye and smiled. "So, how'd you sleep?" he asked.

Elizabeth sighed happily. "Quite nicely, thank you very much."

"Any pain?" he asked with a grin.

She shook her head. "Florian" she replied, "I swear you're lucky I'm in a good mood!"

"Well then" he said as he pulled her into his arms, "shall I take advantage of said good mood?"

Elizabeth was beside herself--did the idea of making love again pass through Florian's mind!? Surely he's lost his mind! she thought to herself, but the thought was pushed aside when he kissed her with resolve--his resolve to always be there for her when she needed him, no matter what. After he broke the kiss she smiled at him warmly.

"Florian..." she said shaking her head, "what the hell am I ever going to do with you?"

But he smiled and, lying on top of her, held her hands in his. She raised a brow, her face fixed in a humble, amused half-smile.

"Simple, mein Liebling," he answered. "Consider me crazy but love me anyways."

Giving up the fight then and there, she chuckled. "Well, could you do me a favor, crazy little Roboter of mine?" she asked.

"For you, Eliza, anything."

She touched her nose to his for a moment and smiled. "Shut up and kiss me already."

Florian raised both eyebrows and, with a grin, replied, "Gladly!" Pushing her head back on the pillow he kissed her on the mouth, which itself still wore the smile since she relived the memory. But Elizabeth kept to herself, in her heart, that warm memory of her first time; her heart felt its sweetness. She'd never forget it, and rightly so--he was, to her, her first time, her last crush, her only love.