I Got A Story Book Of My Own • Tank Dempsey

11

Primis walked through the portal right back into Love's home. The same as they left it, dark and blank.

"Frauline Hannah." Richtofen was the first to speak once they all came back, very quietly.

"I'll be okay." She said looking at the four of them then nods "I'm sure." Without saying anything else she walked away from them. Leaving them concerned, Takeo was concerned the most.

"As I said before, Love will be okay." Takeo broke the silence again "shes a strong woman. No less"

"We need vodka for a moment like this" Nikolai said, even tho it would be good for Love he just wanted alcohol to drink too. They heard the trap door for the basement close, it seemed Love beat Nikolai to it.

"This is on Dempsey." Nikolaï then says, Richtofen and Takeo did agree

"On me?"

"Ja, for some odd reason Love feels attraction towards you. You got tzo go down there and talk to her." Richtofen patted Dempsey's back, he spoke in a tone that was serious. Though Dempsey knew he was right. "Now stop being a dumb American und go talk tzo her, only Gott knows how she's feeling right now."

From his pocket Dempsey pulled out one of his cigars and his lighter, surely she had a ashtray down there. "See ya." He walked away from the three of them, pulling open the trap door and closing it when he got inside. "Hey uhh..Love?" He spoke up cautiously looking around. The basement was full of barrels full of alcohol, against the wall was a couch with a coffee table. There indeed was a ashtray. In front where a tv should be there was the Kronorium closed sitting on a crafting table, it seemed Richtofen spent his nights down here.

"This is déjá vu." Love said when she seen the soldier walk by, he sat down next to her. She didn't seem bothered though she was just drinking the first alcohol bottle she seen.

"Yeah well, I like it" Dempsey snickered lighting his cigar setting the lighter on the wooden coffee table then taking a puff, he waited for her to place the bottom of the bottle on her thigh before he handed the cigar over to her "Common, you know you want to"

"Of course I do" she couldn't lie, she took the cigar taking a light suck before she puffed smoke out. "I know what you're going to say, I know Herr Richtofen, Takeo, and Nikolai sent you down here to talk to me." Dempsey seemed kinda hurt with that sentence, maybe she hadn't considered that he wanted to talk to her himself.

"Actually I came down here by myself." Dempsey said to her "they just liked the idea."

"YEAH RIGHT DEMPSEY YOU LYING OX HAHAHAHA—I'm so bitte" they heard Richtofen scream from upstairs, it was a silent moment for them.

"Anyways..." Dempsey scratched his neck looking over at her shoulder, relaxed and lowered. "I can hear your chest is pounding miles per second, you can talk to me." He sucked on the cigar and puffed out smoke, handing it right back to her.

"Hmm..." she hummed she sucked on the cigar "I'm not ashamed of killing myself, I don't regret it, she needed saving. I don't know, when I went into that laboratory a lot flashed back, not enough to know fully what's going on, but some things."

"What do you remember now?"

"Umm...he had an obsession with something, a person. I don't know who the person was, he carved some symbol on the back of his hand with his knife. He lost his mind. "

"Ah, so another Richtofen...but American." Dempsey sighed "that's going to be fun..."

Love shook her head giggling quietly, she let out a sigh looking down. "They're the same, Richtofen is the nicer one though..."

"Are you sure were talking about the same Richtofen?" Love giggled again at his comment.

"In the lab, I seen our pictures on the desk and I felt my adrenaline kicking in and the past flash back kicked in harder. So I lost myself in a way, I could've killed him then and there, but not yet. I didn't want him to die there, I know he has plans for me so I got a plan for him." Hearing her talk this way it surprised Dempsey, she talked so violent, he liked it. She set the vodka bottle down looking over at him sucking the cigar.

"You amaze me sometimes" Dempsey admits shaking his head with a slight chuckle "like back in France, you jumped off the tank so clean on ledges without a flinch and just ran to the staff pieces."

"Bet that attracted you huh?"

"Well..." Dempsey blushed with a light chuckle looking down he puffed the smoke out before giving her his cigar for her turn "maybe a little"

"Only a little?"

"Okay well maybe a lot."

"Uhh huh" she hummed sucking on the cigar and leaning forward, she handed him the vodka bottle, so he took a drink of it. "So glad your honest about it, with all three of them trying not to be obvious about giving their hints I expected you to try to hint at me that Richtofen liked me like that."

"Oh definitely not he doesn't have enough brain cells to know what love with a real person is." Dempsey scratched his neck

"SPEAK FOR YOURSELF YOU BIG OAF WITH THE BRAIN OF A ANT!" Richtofen screamed from upstairs

"LEAVE THEM ALONE, GERMAN!" They could hear Takeo yell, they seem to be fighting now from it.

"Y'all are more fun to be around then my last group" Love chuckled "ugh I'm so glad their dead." She then yawned handing the cigar back to him and leaned back on the couch tired eyes getting heavy. She sighed holding her hands on her gut leaning on Dempsey's shoulder, he's a pillow now. Dempsey blushed pressing the cigar in the ash tray and setting the vodka bottle down at the table then he leaned back on her but first he took his leather jacket off and wrapped it around her as a blanket for her.

He held his arm around her waist laying his head on hers. She was his pillow now. No blanket needed he felt warm with her feeling safe. He watched her sleep for a while he listened to Richtofen, Nikolai, and Takeo arguing upstairs. It didn't end for a while but once it finally did it was bliss for sleep. Dempsey continues looking at her until he got tired himself, he kissed her hair before laying his head back and falling asleep himself.