The Book Thief | Don't Leave Me

Luck for the Steiners

;) Hey Jessica, are you finished yet??? 

Picture of their house to the side, above for mobile :)

5 months later June 17th-18th

Rudy had just returned from work and had come to the train station to collect Liesel. He wanted to surprise Liesel before their wedding next week.

Her back was turned to him; she was standing with a book in her hands leaning against a post with her suitcase beside her, rested on the ground.

She spun around when she heard his giggle with a grin and stared at him with her dangerous brown eyes. Rudy took out a bunch of flowers that he'd hid behind his back. "Hallo Jesse Owens."

"For your Majesty." He grinned in return handing then to her. "Danke Schön." Rudy pulled her into a hug and spun her around. "Come here." Rudy said placing back down on her feet and taking her hand.

He started leading her out the station, taking the flowers from her to allow her to put a coat on. "Put it on, it's a bit chilly." He said wrapping the coat around her.

"Where are we going?" Liesel asked him as they walked out the door. "It's a surprise." He smiled eager to see Liesel's reaction. Taking her hand, he began speaking about where they were going. "Why did you want me to take a train to Sunbury instead of Mount Hotham?"

"Papa's got a loan and Max is helping me pay it off." He started. "What did you do?" Liesel asked him. "It's nothing to do with the police. So you don't trust me?" He asked a little taken back. "No, I just can't think where we're going." Liesel replied giving his hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Well you know how Max has been teasing us a lot about things..." She noticed him turn his head to hide his embarrassment and she giggled.

"Ja. What did you do?" She asked looking at the street as they walked. "You see this house?" He asked her. "I'm not blind am I?" She asked cheekily.

"I never said you were. Let's go inside, it's for sale." Rudy said yanking her hand. "Rudy nein!" She protested. "We can't just walk in a strangers' house."

What Liesel didn't know is Rudy had planned the whole thing.

"Come on its fine." He said dragging her closer to the door. "Nein! Rudy!" She continued protesting. Rudy picked her up by the waist to make it easier to force inside. "Rudy!" He placed her on the floor after walking in through the doorway.

"I come back from Sydney after two days and now you're acting funny and breaking into strangers' houses!" She hissed at him. "Hey Liesel, look around." "What did you do, is this all our furniture?" She questioned looking around listening to Rudy laughing.

"Come to the kitchen." He said taking her hand again.

"Hallo, welcome home Liesel. Would you like a cup of tea?" Max grinned from their new kitchen table.

"Home?" Liesel wasn't exactly confused but shocked with excitement. "So you moved from Mount Hotham to; where are we right now?" She asked.

"Kilmore." Alex smiled.

"That's miles away!" Liesel said. "How did you afford this?" She asked.

"I've been saving up and Papa got a loan from the bank. Max helped too." Rudy replied. "That new job me and Max have is going to help a lot."

She took a step closer to Rudy and wrapped her arms tightly around him. "Thank you." She gave him a peck on the lips and turned to give a hug to Alex next. "Not that I mind, but why did we move?" She asked pulling away from Alex and walking over to Max next.

Max pulled her into a hug and said, "So you had room for children, there's a spare room upstairs." "Don't you start again Max." Alex warned him. Liesel laughed at them and looked to Rudy. "Well then show me the rest of the house." Liesel said to him.

After walking upstairs and showing the bedrooms, he showed her the spare room. "And this one's the largest. It's meant for a nursery, but we can use it for whatever we like." Rudy said mumbling the last sentence with a light blush.

"And your use is for five kids." Max said walking past in the hallway. "Max!" Alex warned.

Stepping into the room, it had a large space in the middle from where you walked in. Either side there was an add-on to the room to keep beds for children leaving the large space for toys and desks. There were also two closets by the door.

"That side is for Rudy junior and that side is for Liesel junior." Max said walking in. "Do you want me to get rid of him yet?" Alex asked from the doorway. Liesel giggled, "Nein." Alex came over and hugged her. "This room is for my grandchildren right?" He asked. He pulled away and watched Liesel look down at her feet. "Vielleicht." She blushed. "What do you mean maybe?" He teased.

Later in the evening

In bed Liesel and Rudy lay tangled with each other, in the dark of the cold autumn night. "Goodnight, Buch Dieb." Rudy said. "Goodnight fish." She replied stroking her fingers through his hair.

"Are you nervous about the wedding next week?" He asked. "Ja." She replied. "I'm going to make sure it's perfect." "Well it doesn't matter if it's not. As long as I get to stay with you, that's the main thing."

"Ja I know. I just don't like to disappoint you." He said. "You have never disappointed me Rudy, only the time I saw you giggling with that other girl when we were sitting by the lake."

"Admit it Saumensch, you were jealous." Rudy grinned cheekily.

"I was!" She admitted.

"So you loved me this whole time?" He asked.

"Ja, I suppose. I just never realised it until you stopped asking for that kiss after you jumped in the river." She chuckled at the memory.

"Goodnight Saumensch." He said kissing her deeply. After pulling away she replied. "Goodnight Saukerl."

The next Morgen
Liesel's POV

I was sat on the bed of me and Rudy new room. Honestly I love this house, but I'll miss Mount Hotham. It's a funny name really for such a cold place that it is. I was staring out of the window and I was holding 'Die Bücherdiebin', and my mind at the time was clear of thought, but I had many things on my mind.

In five days time, I would no longer be a Meminger or a Hubermann, but a Steiner. One thing that scared me is what if I can't have children? What if I'm damaged? I know it's what Rudy wants. He's great with children too and I want him to be happy.

I thought about what Alex said. "This room is for my grandchildren right?" I know he'll be happy if it ever happens. That made me think about my Mama and Papa, Rosa and Hans. Thinking of them made giggle, but it gave me a chill down my spine to almost feel their presence.

"Liesel!" I heard Rudy call from downstairs. The voice was in the back of my head, but after Rudy called for a third time, I stood and called back. "Ja?"

"I want you to come with Max and me to pick you a desk!" He answered. "Can't it wait Rudy? We don't have the money for a desk." I said this time walking to the stairs to talk rather than shouting.

"We do now. Let me buy you desk and you can write more stories and share them with the neighbourhood children. You'd like that hey Saumensch?" He replied.

"Okay. Is it the same as your old job?" I asked. "Same job, but a higher position. Come on, if you don't like any I'll get Shay to make one." Shay was one of Rudy's friends he'd made and he's great and carpentry work since his father worked in a wood shop. The go to work together and even got the job transfer together.

"Okay." I replied following them down the street to a timber furniture store.

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