Fraternizing with the Enemy ( Liesl )

[Liesl Von Stauffenberg]

Liesl didn’t know what to say to him at this point…she figured she might as well stay silent and let John justify why things will be better after the war. She knew nothing will be the same; she will be discriminated against other countries just being associated with the Germans. But, she didn’t have the heart to say that out loud to John. He needed something to believe in…and perhaps something worth surviving the war for. If it meant dreaming of a better future with then so be it.

She jerked slightly when she felt his hand over her’s…she looked down hesitantly then back into his eyes. Something about him made her feel that she could trust him, “ Verzeihen Sie mir, dass ich ein wenig skeptisch bin ... ” she replied faintly, “I just hope what you say comes true…” she laughed lightly as a smile played on her lips.

“That’s umm…” she stammered looking off to the side. She didn’t know how to quite answer John when he said he meant what he said. She really did want to believe him…but she couldn’t quite bring herself to fully comprehend what he was saying, “I’m just having a little hard time processing this…” she said in a rather confused tone. She looked up at John hesitantly, blushing a little, “Umm…” she mumbled looking away, “ Ja ich hoffe, ich werde reisen können nach diesem Krieg…” she replied simply trying to change the subject so he wasn’t so focused on her.

“ Hmm ... Sie müssen ein großer Führer dann ... ein sehr guter Qualität sein. Sie müssen wirklich geben Ihre Kameraden hoffen.” she said softly, “That is what this war is about…you Allies give some of these oppressed people hope….something that was deprived of them since the beginning of this war.” She said in plain English, she stumbled on a few words here and there but, it wasn’t as noticeable. She couldn’t help but giggle slightly when he spoke about his training, she was certainly surprised how well trained he was. When she heard about the Americans she never would have suspected them to be this prepared.

Still not noticing John’s hand was till on her’s she nodded, “Well…It would be rude of me…if I didn’t write back….” She said quietly. Her gaze found his as he spoke about what he was going to write to her, “I suppose I will look forward to seeing your letters…” her voice trailed off a little when he said he would be wishing to see her again. She smiled bitter sweetly, “ Ich nehme an, wenn das gibt Ihnen einen Grund zu leben zu halten ... Ich habe keine Beschwerden.”She said timidly as a blush warmed her cheeks again.

Translation:

“ Verzeihen Sie mir, dass ich ein wenig skeptisch bin ... ” - Forgive me that I'm a bit skeptical…

“ Ja ich hoffe, ich werde reisen können nach diesem Krieg…” - Yes I am hoping I'll be able to travel after this war

“ Hmm ... Sie müssen ein großer Führer dann ... ein sehr guter Qualität sein. Sie müssen wirklich geben Ihre Kameraden hoffen.” - Hmm...you must be a great leader then...a very good quality. You must really give your fellow soldiers hope.

“ Ich nehme an, wenn das gibt Ihnen einen Grund zu leben zu halten ... Ich habe keine Beschwerden. - I suppose if that will give you a reason to keep living...I have no complaints

[2nd Lt. John P. McCreary]

“It will.” John answered immediately. That’s what they—he and the other Allied soldiers—were fighting for. Their war was not only to defend their way of life, but also to create a free and liberated Europe. That all depended on them winning. It was funny, however. He never really thought about why they were fighting the war. He hadn’t joined up out of patriotism or being drafted—he had been at West Point since 1938 and had only been deployed on D-Day. The reason why he had decided to have a career in the Army was for adventure, and so that he could see the world while doing some good. He—of course—like the rest of the class of 1942, had wanted to jump into the fight right after Pearl Harbor. Then he had really had a sense of duty to his country.

But as soon as he entered combat, it wasn’t even about patriotism—it was about survival. It was about the man on either side of you, and protecting him, not the folks back home. He had seen men jump on grenades in order to protect their squad members—their brothers. Often times the sacrifices they made were to save their comrades. No one was trying to be a hero.

“Why?” he asked in confusion when she said that what he was saying was hard to process. It no longer even occurred to him that they were enemies. “You’re a swell girl and I’d like to take you out on a date when this mess is over.” he repeated seriously. “I know the perfect place—the Stork Club in New York. It’s the best spot in the city…you know Hemingway and Bogart frequent there?” He paused, realizing that she might not be as familiar with American culture as he was. “The writer and the movie star…my father knows the owner…so even during the Depression, he would take my mother there every once and a while—I had been there a few times on leave from college. They have excellent food and music—I think you’d like it, Liesl.”

“Danke. Ich versuche mein Bestes ... sie sind alle gute Jungs. Ich wünschte ich könnte mehr für sie tun.” John answered quietly. He wished he could have saved the ones that had died. He wished that his letters home to their parents really could convey that their sacrifices had meant something, that they were heroes without sounding cliché and superficial. He wished that he could make it all stop. But they couldn’t—not until they had chased Hitler into Berlin.

“Thank you, Liesl.” John replied when she again indicated that she would write back to him. “It means a lot…I don’t really have anyone to write to aside from my folks…” he explained. He had not really had anyone else to write to before the war. He had been so focused on his career and touring the world that he didn’t really have time for any relationships. “Es wird.” he responded softly, squeezing her hand gently and gazing into her eyes. “I can’t thank you enough.”

Translations
Danke. Ich versuche mein Bestes ... sie sind alle gute Jungs. Ich wünschte ich könnte mehr für sie tun. – Thank you. I try my best...they're all good boys. I wish I could do more for them.

Es wird. – It will.

[Liesl Von Stauffenberg]

Liesl stared up at John. He seemed so hopeful that there would be a change once the Allies have won the war. She desperately wished she had the same optimism as him, but what could she do? After the Anschless…all hope for a better future seemed rather bleak. Everyone seemed to turn on one another, friend against friend…brother against brother…the whole war had changed the way the people of “pure” Germanic decants viewed others. It nearly changed the way Liesl looked at others. She could never bring herself to hate someone for no apparent reason…but the German soldiers and some of the Allied soldiers scared her. They seemed to not care how much innocent blood they spilled. Men like that scared her for she did not understand why they did what they did and somehow being scared of that fact made her angry.

Why was he making such an effort to make her believe that things will get better? “ Wenn du es sagst John” She said looking up at him with a bitter sweet smile on her soft pink lips.

“W-why?” she repeated after him, “B-Because...” Her voice trailing off into silence…She didn’t know how to exactly explain why she kept denying John’s compliments, frankly she didn’t understand why she was in the first place. She stayed silent, letting John finish what he had to say to her. A small laugh escaped her lips when he mentioned that she might like the Stork Club in New York, “Alright…” she said hushing him, “ Ich habe bereits gesagt, ich würde mit dir gehen nicht tat ich?” she mused lightly, giving his hand a slight squeeze to reassure him, “I’m sure…whatever you have planned…I’ll like…” she said nervously.

“But…you already do a lot for your men…” she replied simply, “ Ich wohne in einem hypothetischen Sinn mehr sprechen ... aber, ich glaube, Ihr Männer schauen zu Ihnen ... Sie geben ihnen Hoffnung ... du bist so mutig John und ein guter Mensch. Bitte zweifle nicht daran, sich selbst oder verlieren das letzte Gefühl von Menschlichkeit in dir überlassen ...” she said softly in an almost tender tone.

“It’s alright, I only write to my parents…once in a while that is…” she said with a smile, still gazing back at John, “Again…you really don’t need to…umm…thank me.” She insisted quietly. She smiled lightly as he gave her hand a gentle squeeze…was it the gravity or just some cosmic pull that drew her towards John….like she stated he is a good man and brave. She jerked her head abruptly, trying not to make it too obvious. She could hear German soldiers getting closer….they weren’t too close…but it wouldn’t hurt to be careful, “ Glauben Sie mir vertrauen?” She said interrupting John. She didn’t know if John heard them or not, but it would kill her to see John killed.

Translations:

“ Wenn du es sagst John” – If you say so John.

“ Ich habe bereits gesagt, ich würde mit dir gehen nicht tat ich?” - I already said I would go with you didn't I?

“ Ich wohne in einem hypothetischen Sinn mehr sprechen ... aber, ich glaube, Ihr Männer schauen zu Ihnen ... Sie geben ihnen Hoffnung ... du bist so mutig John und ein guter Mensch. Bitte zweifle nicht daran, sich selbst oder verlieren das letzte Gefühl von Menschlichkeit in dir überlassen ...” - I'm speaking in a more hypothetical sense...but, I believe your men look up to you...you give them hope...you're so brave John and a good man. Please don't doubt yourself or lose that last sense of humanity left in you...

“ Glauben Sie mir vertrauen?” – Do you trust me?

[2nd Lt. John P. McCreary]

John nodded when she acknowledged his statement that things would be better. He lay his other hand over hers and gazed into her eyes again. “I promise you that I’ll do all I can to make sure that things are different after the war.” Of course that simply meant that he would fight harder and more savagely. Fighting of course entailed killing Germans. Again he reminded himself that they were on opposing sides. But it seemed as if she wanted things to be different. And she had saved him—proving that she wasn’t as fanatically dedicated to the Axis cause as some were. She valued human life and evidently his life, making her far different than the rest of the Axis forces he knew—not that he really knew any of them. Ninety-nine percent of the time they were shooting at him.

“Sie haben - und nicht vergessen! Ich weiß, werde ich nicht.” he repeated with a grin when she cut him off. When she said that she would like whatever he had planned, he smiled again. “I’m looking forward to it, Liesl. I can’t wait.” he answered softly. Their plans were most certainly an incentive to making it out of this thing alive. He would live to see her again. They would have that dance, and that date—and they’d be able to talk like this again, without seeing each other as enemies, except that time they wouldn’t have to worry about being caught.

He didn’t want to consider the possibility that they would not meet again. He wasn’t afraid to die…he had accepted the fact that he could at any moment a long time ago. But what he did fear was not seeing her again. They may have only just met—and she may have been a nurse for an army that was trying to kill him, but he didn’t care. He felt a connection with her that he couldn’t necessarily explain. It was rescuer and the rescued to be sure, but it was also a lot more than that. Whatever it was, it was strong…stronger than the war.

He looked down at her in surprise when she tried to assure him that he did do a lot for his men, and that he was a good leader. She then went on to say that he was a brave and good man, before asking him not to doubt himself and lose his humanity. His humanity…he valued it almost as much as his life. He could be forced to resort to animalistic instincts in war, but the thing that made him different, that defined him was his humanity. As long as he still had compassion and a capacity for good, he was human. “Ich werde nicht ... danke.“ he replied, staring down into her eyes.

That someone could have that much faith in him after only just meeting him was touching—especially considering the fact that she was Austrian. And yet she saw him as good—not as American, not as the enemy—but good. It meant so much to him because if she—who would under normal circumstances be classified as his enemy—was able to see that, then perhaps he wasn’t as far gone as he thought. Perhaps he would make it out of this thing alive with his sanity, as well as his humanity. Perhaps he had not yet lost himself completely.

He glanced at her when she said that she wrote to her parents once in a while as well. “I don’t write as often as I should…I’m not…I’m not quite sure how to communicate all that’s going on here to them. I just don’t think that they’d understand it.” he stated, looking down at their hands as he spoke. He then looked up and shook his head. “I don’t think anything back home will…” He trailed off when she spoke again, her tone desperate. He could also hear other voices in the distance, speaking in German—which meant that soon they would have to separate. He had been dreading this. When she suddenly asked him if he trusted her, his brow furrowed in confusion. They had just met, how was he supposed to answer? The only thing he could think to do was respond with the truth. “Mit meinem Leben…”




Translations:

Sie haben - und nicht vergessen! Ich weiß, werde ich nicht. – You did--and don't forget! I know I won't.

Ich werde nicht ... danke. – I won’t…thank you.

Mit meinem Leben. – With my life.

[Liesl Von Stauffenberg]

“ Ich weiß, du wirst John ...” she said quietly…it seemed like she was just saying empty words to reassure him that she “believed” what he was saying. She really did want to believe him…but, the war could change it’s course drastically…Liesl didn’t want to bring her hopes up too much and end up being disappointed in the end.

She had an urge to make him stop—but, how could she…there was so much life and hope practically beaming off of him. He truly seemed grateful that she place their differences aside to help someone like him. The thought of a better future…she assumed was probably the driving force of most of the Allies…besides mindlessly the excitement for slaughtering the “Evil” Germans. Just a few moments ago John was pointing a gun at her…possibly with the intent on killing her, but as of this moment; she didn’t see him as her enemy.

In her mind she couldn’t help but think, this may be the last time she will ever meet this American…her chest ached a bit. She wondered why it was hard to think that she would have to part ways with him soon…it seemed as if she had known him for years. But, because of the war it seemed like a stupid thing to even think about that she had grown slightly fond of the American. The fact that she let herself grow a very small attachment to him made her feel that maybe there was something more between them. Liesl raised her eyebrows slightly when John stated that he was looking forward to their date after the war. A brief grief-stricken smile appeared on her lips…God…why does he have to sound so optimistic… she thought.

Liesl shifted a bit kicking some snow off her faded boots. She didn’t really know what to say to him at this point…even though she had just met John…the thought that he could be killed once she mustered up the courage to let go of his hand was killing her emotionally. She cursed at herself under her breath…why was she growing so close to this man who was suppose to be her enemy, “Infatuation…” she muttered under her breath. As soon as she came to that conclusion she felt her chest ache a bit more. Of course…why didn’t she think of that in the first place? She felt quite silly thinking what she felt may have been it might have been something more. John was pretty easy on the eyes and truthfully not too bad of a guy; she assumed she was just infatuated… then again Liesl was known to over think things…regardless she did feel something for John. She just hadn’t quite figured it out yet.

Liesl shook the thought out of her head, staring back into John’s eyes after he said he will try to keep his humanity after the war. She smiled lightly trying to show that she is happy that he was going to keep his promise, “Well, I suppose I can…errr…sleep easy knowing that…” she mused with a smile.

“Ja, Ich denke, es wird schwer sein, zu meinen Eltern als auch von den Ereignissen, die zu Tag passiert erklären ....” laughed Liesl slightly, her gaze followed John’s as he looked at their still joined hands. A deep blush burned her cheeks, “Umm..John..” she began, she closed her mouth quickly snapping out of her brief daze. Biting her lower lip slightly, she squeezed John’s hand tightly…for some reason, she couldn’t conjure up the will or effort to let go. Her mind began to race hearing the German soldiers getting slightly closer. Why only now…at this moment…when German soldiers are closing in, made it so difficult for her to say goodbye to John?

Her gaze slowly fell to the snow below her boots. Her eyes then shot up to the American’s face as John stated that he trusted her with his life fluently in German. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, knowing they would have to depart from eachother. She sucked in a deep breath before meeting John’s gaze, “Y-you need to go. Now.” She said clearly in plain English. Her voice cracked a little at the end, her eyebrows furrowing again as she tried to pry her hand from his grip.

Translations:

“ Ich weiß, du wirst John ...” – I know you will John…

“Ja, Ich denke, es wird schwer sein, zu meinen Eltern als auch von den Ereignissen, die zu Tag passiert erklären ....” – Yes, I think it will be difficult to tell my parents about the events that happened today…

[2nd Lt. John P. McCreary]

He didn’t catch on to the skepticism in her voice, though if he had, he would have understood. He didn’t know what made him feel so suddenly optimistic. Was he really convinced that he would survive? Or maybe it was just the fact that he now had more incentive to survive. He knew that the odds were stacked against him—the only reason he was still alive now was simply luck. He could be well-trained, he could be calm, hell he could be Audie Murphy and he could still die in combat. There was no telling whether he would live to go on that date.

But he kept the guise of optimism. He needed it, for his own sanity. Though he was always aware that his life could end at any moment, he tried to push it into the back of his mind. If he kept that at the forefront of his thinking, how on earth could he perform his duties as a soldier without being paralyzed by fear? It was an unsettling thought, one that did not need to be at the forefront of his thinking. He was optimistic for both his men and himself—for their survival as well as his own. He needed to be focused and unafraid, so he appeared that way in order to inspire the troops under his command.

John knew that he had to leave if he wanted to survive—which he did—but he was having a hard time walking away. He looked down at their hands when she gripped his tighter, and that was when he knew that she didn’t want him to leave either. It was odd…considering that they had just met—and even stranger that he had feelings for a woman serving in the German Army. However at that moment neither of those things seemed to matter. He fully realized that this may be the last time he ever saw the woman, so he kept staring at her intently as if he were trying to memorize what her face looked like. In a sense, he was.

He smiled at her comment in response to his promise not to lose his humanity. It was, without a doubt, a difficult promise to keep. But he would keep it—not only for her, but for himself. His humanity, his dignity was the only thing he had, the only thing that would help him retain his sanity. He wasn’t going to lose either. His humanity was even more valuable than his life. If he died, he wanted to die with his mind and soul intact. He wanted to die a good man—not an inhumane beast. Even though war had stripped him of innocence and yes, sometimes his dignity, he wanted to believe—he had to believe he still had a conscience.

“Meine auch.” he answered with a chuckle. He could just imagine the scenario—if he were to introduce her to his parents…he would imagine they would be unsettled indeed. Not that they had anything in particular against the Germans—or rather Austrians—but they would at the very least be confused. It would probably be best if he kept this incident out of his letters.

“Yes?” he asked when she spoke again. He could hear the jackboots trudging through the snow, and the voices got even louder. They didn’t seem to hear them, but he knew that he shouldn’t stay much longer. She apparently did too, as the next words she uttered were a warning. He glanced behind his shoulder and then behind the other before letting go of her hand. He started to put on his helmet but paused, glancing back at her. Finally he turned around and seized her shoulders, pressing his lips to hers on a whim. The kiss was short, but fervent on his part.

He released her and donned his helmet. “Good-bye, Liesl. I’ll…I’ll find you!” he promised as he clapped his hand to his helmet and ran into the woods. He didn’t know what possessed him to do that—maybe it was the fact that the odds were he would never have gotten a chance to any other time. He knew that he did care for her—and perhaps if not for the war things would be different—but he wasn’t going to dwell on it right now. He would write his letters, once he returned to friendly lines.

A twig snapped and his rifle was off his shoulder immediately. “Daily.” a voice said.

“Planet.” he responded, and a private in an OD uniform stepped out from behind a tree. He saluted him, and John returned the salute. “What’s your name, Private?”

“Baker, sir. Third Infantry.”

“McCreary, 3ID. I’m looking for headquarters.”

“It’s just down the hill, sir. You can’t miss it.”

“Thank you.” He nodded at the man and started down said hill, clutching his side. It still hurt, but it would have been a lot worse had Liesl not found him. He glanced over his shoulder again before continuing down the hill to the nearest tent.

Translations

Meine auch. – Mine too.


( OOC: Ready to wrap this one up? )

[Liesl Von Stauffenberg]

Liesl felt as if something stabbed her in the chest when John relinquished his grip on her hand. The warmth of their hands seemed to slip away and into the cold…she felt utterly confused why she felt this way. Why she wanted to keep his hand in her’s…why she didn’t want to let go. She watched quietly, looking for any signs of the German soldiers as John prepared to leave…not noticing the clear worry written all over her face.

She watched ache in eyes as John began to pull on his helmet. His back was turned to her…she couldn’t see his face fully. She felt a slight lump grow in her throat, it seemed to constrict and tighten at the thought that John was leaving. Seeing that this may be the very last moment she may see him ever again. She tried to remember everything about him, from his face, to the way he stood…to the warmth of her hand in his…anything to keep his memory from fading away. In truth she didn’t want him to leave…maybe part of her wanted to see him again…alive perhaps. But, she knew that hoping to see someone like him again would be impossible…especially with a war like this going on.

Their eyes met briefly when John turned to look back at her. Liesl instinctively took a step back when John approached her again. Though this time he closed in the space between them easily, only to her surprise he took hold of her shoulders; Liesl didn’t quite understand what was going on…everything was happening too quickly for her to react. Before she knew it John’s lips met hers.

The fist thing that crossed her mind…even though the kiss was short, it was warm...almost enough to compare it to the soft warmth of the sun. Though, she could never have imagined her first kiss to be in the middle of the woods during a war…especially with an Allied soldier.

When John released her she looked up at him, “J-…” again her words seemed to fail her. She watched him slip on his helmet trying to form some words to convince herself that what just happened happened. Her gaze fell on his as he promised that he'd find her again...somehow. Liest felt herself grow cold...she could only muster a slow nod, holding back threatening tears that wanted to spill down her face. An overwhelming sense of emotions was flooding her.

With nothing else to say she watched him disappear into the trees. Liesl stood there for a few moments… “ Auf Wiedersehen, John…” she said exhaling a breath, she tucked John’s handkerchief into her white apron pouch, with the intent on cleaning it later; then began to make her way back to the German lines.

Once there the German soldiers didn’t seem to care much that she had been gone for sometime. Instead of questioning her they gave her a request to ask her superiors for another supply of morphine and bandages. Liesl nodded in reply following a soldier to a Kübelwagen. As she walked…she looked around seeing the dead bodies of German soldiers littering the ground and stain the snow red. The whole scene made her stomach churn a bit; she quickly turned her gaze away from them and hopped into the Kübelwagen. The soldier started it up and began to drive her back to the hospital. Liesl leaned silently against the door of the Kübelwagen, her gaze falling on the disappearing line of trees. Somewhere John was in there…hopefully back on his side of the lines...and hopefully safe.

As soon as they arrived at the hospital, a light blanket of snow began to fall. Liesl hastily got out of the Kübelwagen and made her way to the snow covered stone steps of the building, only to be stopped by an acquaintance at the door way. She smiled happily to see that Liesl was alright; She quickly asked if something exciting had happened, “ Aufregend?” repeated Liesl as she thought about John…his face still clearly burned in her memory…feeling the slight warmth and tingle from the kiss still danced on her lips, “Ich würde nicht sagen, ein wenig Schusswechsel spannend zu werden ... aber auch andere aus dem Nichts ..." she said with a wavering smile.

The other nurse gave her a curious look, thinking Liesl would elaborate more on the exchange of gunfire between the Allies and the Axis. When she stayed silent the other nurse eventually gave up trying to prod her for more details, "Du bist kein Spaß Liesl ...." She stated a teasingly before letting her pass.

Liesl silently pressed her gloved fingers to her lips concealing a smile on her face as she walked past the other nurse and into the hospital itself. All she needed now was her journal.

Translations:

“ Auf Wiedersehen, John…” - Good bye John...

“ Aufregend?” – Exciting?

"Ich würde nicht sagen, ein wenig Schusswechsel spannend zu werden ... aber auch andere aus dem Nichts ..." - I wouldn't say a little exchange of gunfire to be exciting...but other from that nothing...

"Du bist kein Spaß Liesl ...." - You're no fun

(OOC: lol Ok, sorry I didn’t reply…;A; I didn’t know you replied before you left on vacation.)

[Heiko Alkema]

Moderation[/b]

John McCreary[/i] - 22CP

Liesl von Stauffenberg[/i] - 22CP
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And 2 skill points for all