The Touch of Germany

*9*

"Did you talk to him yet?" he asked Marie as he pressed his head against her bare breasts.

"I talked to him yesterday before you came home." she said, her fingers playing with his hair.

"So, my idea worked then." he smiled as she nodded to him.

Since he had made up the stone for her two months ago, her needs had slowed too little to no cravings. She had spoken with Marissa and Juliet at most three times a week, slowly dwindling down to once a week and of course she always spoke with him when her memories plagued her the worst. He was glad she was over the harder part of the withdrawal, it was now keeping her focused on staying on that line. Yet he was nowhere near his own calm with himself. He knew she still had the one nightmare, could feel it as her own trembling shook the bed and he awake. After the meeting in England, his mind couldn't leave the battlefields of WWII. If only he fully knew, maybe things would've been different.

"You ok Ludwig?"

"Ja, why you ask?"

"Because you're squeezing me tight enough that I can't breathe."

Ludwig looked down at her, noticing he had a death grip on her as his past came to mind. "Sheisse Marie, I'm sorry. I didn't realize."

"I'm fine but the bigger question is, are you?" her blues stared up at him, question and worry laying within them.

He couldn't answer her, he didn't really know if he was himself. He was a mess of things really and knowing the past that lays within Marie, especially them.

"Luddy? Süsser, was ist los?" she asked, cupping his cheeks.

It was eating at him to speak to her, he just didn't know how or the outcome of it. He moved off her, throwing his legs over the edge of the bed. He wasn't sure where to begin either with her, the memory itself was hell. Ludwig felt her naked frame lean against him, rubbing his shoulders and back.

"It's alright." she spoke softly to him, "Take your time."

She knew what was rolling through him, she was just waiting for him to talk. He pushed his hands through his hair, as he remembered everything and found the words for her.

"It started in 1939, when WWII fully began after the invasion of Poland. Hitler appointed me to run the military invasions and captures of nations. I believed that what we were doing was the right cause, I never really knew what it was for. For years, I did exactly what he asked; after Poland, I hit Norway and Denmark, then Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg. It was just that really, going in and doing what I was ordered. I commanded the troops to go for the specific targets and captured leaders.

"I remember hitting France and cornering Francis on the Eiffel Tower. He was talking his fight with me there, his last stand at fighting me, giving whatever help he could to Arthur and any other Ally. I'll give the fancy bastard credit, he could fight when he needed too. He was determined to fight me till the end, which he did but it's because it donned on him the truth. He tried to tell me, tried so hard but I overpowered him at that moment. I think that's why he was the gentler one of the Allies when we were captured.

"After France, I captured Greece and Yugoslavia then the Soviet Union with the help of Gilbert, back then he was still Prussia and eager to fight like he once did years ago. After those, Japan hit America and then he joined in. There was our downfall, between Alfred and Arthur we slowly were pushed back, as they got Francis free and Yao and Ivan joining them, we were surrounded. During that whole ordeal of years, I could still hear Francis, 'You don't know?' his face written with shock, like he couldn't believe I didn't know. But he wasn't wrong, I didn't really know.