one last time

viii

You didn't know how long you had slept when you woke up the following morning. It took your eyes a moment to adjust to the bright haze pouring through the window. What time does the sun rise in the winter in LA?

Your body ached as you stretched against Hans.

"Morning," he groaned.

"What time is it?"

"Half past ten."

"Can we stay in bed until noon?"

"I'd love that," he muttered nonchalantly. Looks like someone woke up grumpy.

You snuggled up to his side, pecking his neck with a chaste kiss.

"Darling please brush your teeth before you kiss me."

"What- are you scared of a little morning breath, Hans?"

"You disgust me."

You giggled, pulling him flush into your arms.

"I really do want to stay here until noon. I could stay here all day," you confessed.

"We both know I have business to attend to."

You chanced a glance at his face, expecting to see tears in his eyes. Instead, he was looking at the ceiling with an icy glare. You buried your face back into his neck.

"We have to get up."

"Please... five more minutes..."

"No."

Hans sat up and took a drink from the glass of water you had left beside him late last night. He reached for his housecoat and pulled the satin sheets over his side of the bed. You shifted to lay in the warm spot he had left behind.

"Get up," he commanded, tossing you your silk robe, "please," he added, not wanting to sound entirely like an asshole this early in the morning.

You slipped into your robe, leaving it untied. Hans padded into the kitchen to brew some Ethiopian coffee and dress in an expensive black suit. You set off to the bathroom to scrub the sleep from your eyes and brush your teeth like he told you to do.

A knock on the door startled both of you. You shut the door to the bathroom and put your ear to the crack.

"Come in."

"Mister Gruber?" came a young voice from the hallway. You recognized it immediately as belonging to Theo- he was a recent addition to Hans' collection of goons, and you had befriended him the moment the two of you met.

"Karl wanted me to tell you... actually... I don't remember exactly what it was that he wanted me to tell you, he's just getting really impatient and wants to head out. I think he was threatening to shoot something... or someone, but I don't speak German."

"Thank you, Theo. I will be right down."

Hans pinched the bridge of his nose and lowered his face into his hands.

"I have to go now."

You stepped out of the bathroom.

"Okay, love. I'll see you later. You'll do great, Hans. Go get those bearer bonds."

He looked as if he might be sick.

"Oh- baby..." you slid into the kitchen to give him a hug. You could feel his heart racing in his throat, and his entire frame was rigid.

"Everything will be fine. I promise. We'll be somewhere new tomorrow, and we can have Christmas day entirely to ourselves. We can go to the beach and build little snow people out of sand and pretend we're back home, okay?"

A small tear rolled off of his nose, landing on your face. Hans looked entirely torn into pieces.

"I have to go now," he repeated. His voice sounded entirely too cold and formal.

You cupped his face into your hands, giving him a deep but gentle kiss on his soft lips. You closed your eyes, leaning into him. He pulled away.

"I love you, darling."

"I love you too, Hans."

He grabbed a long olive coat and his pistol from next to the door, and looked back at you, hesitant. Settling in his resolve, he tossed the coat over his shoulder, quickly tied his red tie, and stepped into the hallway.

"Lock the door behind me. Someone should be here later this evening with further instructions for you. Don't open it for anyone you don't know. There are two more pistols in the bedroom if you need them. You shouldn't."

You met him in the door frame to give him a kiss on the cheek.

"One last time," you kissed his beard, "see you later, Hans."

The torrent of pain on his face was the last thing you saw as you shut and locked the door.