31 pics. This is the other half of Chapter 8, made into a new chapter. No triggers that I can think of, other than talk of heavy, emotional things between brothers and mention of domestic abuse.
While the clash of wills was going on on the back porch, a much different encounter was happening in the kitchen as Karena and Lothar, on opposing ends of the counter, sipped at their coffee.
Lothar left his coffee on the counter, unfolded his long legs from the stool and sauntered over to Karena, fixing her with a low-lidded, sultry gaze. He took the coffee cup from her hands and brought her close, tilting her chin up.
“C’mon, jest one, my dear. You know you want to. All the things we said to each other over the board, and now I’m here… gimme some of that…” he purred.
Karena sighed at the tall man holding her and gently removed herself from his warm embrace.
“Lothar, I can’t. Walter.. he..” she attempted to explain as Lothar reached for her again.
Lothar paused mid-grope and reached for his coffee. He’d have to play this differently, he thought.
“Oh, what is he other than some bourgeois banker’s boy?” he said derisively.
Karena leaned back against the counter and shook her head.
“We had a history together.”
Lothar raised his eyebrows. He didn’t remember her telling him that via the board.
“You were his wife? Well, that sucks.”
Karena shook her head again. She should have told Lothar and Manfred the full story of what she had learned about her past life with Walter, she thought, but she hadn’t honestly thought she’d be in the situation she was in now. This might pose a problem between them, and she'd have to tell them each, separately, not knowing how either of them would react.
“No, a mistress. Things...got complicated and when the Allies liberated France, I.. paid for it with my life.”
Lothar set his cup down again and leaned against the counter himself, situating his body in such a way as to show off his wiry musculature and, he thought sneakily, his ordinance.
“Well, shit, babe. Then there’s no problem if I sneak me a little sugar, then. I mean, why are you involved now with the ass that got you killed then? I’m sure he didn’t even try to rescue you, either, when they came.”
Karena tried to ignore Lothar’s obvious seductive posturing, her thoughts turned what he had said.
“No, he didn’t, because he was dead! But come to think of it, I didn’t hear from him after he left for his new command. It was always through Baer, Never did find anything in my research about it other than what I have now.”
Lothar smirked slightly at Karena’s partially failed attempt to ignore what he had clearly on display and shifted back to a less obvious position as he reached for his coffee.
“When’s the last time you did any searching?” he asked.
Lothar now knew how he’d proceed and win this contest between him and Vogel. Lothar, while not stupid by any means, was a bit naive when it came to how others lived their lives. He assumed that because he was a ladies’ man and had had several mistresses, as had his friend Udet, that Vogel was the same, and that all men were the same. He also knew that women assumed that their men were faithful and it was shocking to them when they weren’t. All he’d have to do was get Karena to find out about Vogel’s other dalliances, and he’d win her attention, and Vogel would have to return to the other side. He had disliked the smug, stocky little bastard in the aether, and no love was lost here, back amongst the living.
Karena set her cup down and replied “Oh god, not in years. The internet here is pretty shoddy.”
Lothar tried to modulate his tone to something akin to friendly concern. “I think you should. Who knows, there might be new information.”
Karena frowned slightly, a bubble of anxiety rising in her stomach. She was worried that Lothar might possibly be on to something, but a part of her was hoping he was wrong.
“I... don’t know if I want to. What if…”
Lothar saw her anxious look and felt a little bit guilty at causing it. He wanted to win, yes, but not if it was going to hurt Karena. He knew what anxiety was like, at least from his prior life. He preferred to have all his ducks in a row, however, and knew that despite the pain it may cause, knowing was better than not knowing. He’d deal with the aftermath later, he thought.
“Look, if there’s something horrible, better to know it now and deal with it now, rather than not know it and be blindsided by it in the future, right? I told you everything about me, darling. EVERYthing. Every mistress, every fuck up, hell, even how I nearly was court-martialed after Manfred died because of some stupid mess-up with HQ. I hid nothing from you. Has he? Are there things he avoids talking about, like Manfred and the subject of girls?”
Karena pondered this information, her frown increasing.
“I’m sure he’d tell me.”
Lothar closed the gap between them and caressed Karena’s shoulders, trying to lessen the sting of what he was going to say next. He was beginning to feel uncomfortable about the tactics he was using, but knew that he’d have to see this one to the end if he was going to win against Vogel. His competitive nature would not allow him to quit now.
“Honey, he’s a man. Like me. NONE of my mistresses knew about each other. If a man doesn’t want you to know, you are not going to know.”
Karena gave a shuddering sigh and leaned into Lothar, seeking comfort from the anxious feelings the conversation had raised.
The back door slammed suddenly and the two jumped apart, guilty looks crossing their faces.
Walter saw the two jump apart, and his anger bubbled up and threatened to boil over. Death felt the air change around him and winced, anticipating the explosion.
Manfred speared his brother with a flint-hard gaze, making the much taller man gulp in apprehension. Not completely sober yet, Lothar decided to try to defuse the threatening situation with humor.
“Who pissed in your cornflakes, brother?”
Manfred knew Lothar was up to no good, simply by the fact that he had tried to deflect the look he had shot him with a joke. His head throbbed in pain, and Manfred tried to not let it show.
“It’s nothing. What are you up to, Lothar?”
Lothar knew that Manfred knew exactly what he had been up to, and was giving him a way out. Lothar saw the clearly hostile look Walter was giving Karena and he did not like it one bit. Now this one, he knew he could deliver a decent insult to and get results.
“Noooothingggg, Manne-manning. Jesus, Vogel, didn’t your momma tell you if you made a face like that, it’d stick? Guess not, because GOD-DAMN you’re ugly.”
Karena groaned at the situation, resting her face in her hands.
“Is this going to be the norm now? Because I can’t work in this sort of environment.” she complained to no-one in particular.
Death looked sternly at the three men in succession, seeming to fill the room with his presence in an attempt to rein things in.
“It had better not. Am I understood?”
Walter turned on his heel and stomped up the stairs at this, figuring it was better if didn’t say a word to anyone, including Karena.
Karena watched him go, and hoped silently that he wouldn’t be a prick when she finally got herself to bed. She debated sleeping on the couch tonight rather than be drawn into a confrontation with Walter.
She noted both Death and Manfred still looking at her and Lothar, but Manfred’s face was paler than she remembered it being earlier in the night.
“Is this going to be the norm now? Because I can’t work in this sort of environment.” she complained to no-one in particular.
Death looked sternly at the three men in succession, seeming to fill the room with his presence in an attempt to rein things in.
“It had better not. Am I understood?”
Walter turned on his heel and stomped up the stairs at this, figuring it was better if didn’t say a word to anyone, including Karena.
Karena watched him go, and hoped silently that he wouldn’t be a prick when she finally got herself to bed. She debated sleeping on the couch tonight rather than be drawn into a confrontation with Walter.
She noted both Death and Manfred still looking at her and Lothar, but Manfred’s face was paler than she remembered it being earlier in the night.
“Manfred, what did you two say to each other?” she asked softly.
Manfred came to the side of the counter opposite Karena and refilled his coffee cup before replying.
“We had a difference of opinion on command and the mission at hand. I do believe I lost my temper.” he rubbed his temple again, his lips held tight against the pain.
Karena looked worried as she saw Manfred’s gesture.
“Headache, Manfred?”
Manfred heard the worry in her voice and smiled wanly.
“I am sure it is just exhaustion or indigestion. This was a very strenuous night, and I may have also overindulged at dinner maybe a little bit. Where is my room? I probably just need to go to bed. Come, Moritz.”
The large dog groaned as he rose from the couch where he’d been silently observing his master argue with the fat man through the back porch windows. The small gray cat still glared at him from the mantel, and he whuffed at him before he butted his head against the underside of Manfred’s hand.
Manfred came to the side of the counter opposite Karena and refilled his coffee cup before replying.
“We had a difference of opinion on command and the mission at hand. I do believe I lost my temper.” he rubbed his temple again, his lips held tight against the pain.
Karena looked worried as she saw Manfred’s gesture.
“Headache, Manfred?”
Manfred heard the worry in her voice and smiled wanly.
“I am sure it is just exhaustion or indigestion. This was a very strenuous night, and I may have also overindulged at dinner maybe a little bit. Where is my room? I probably just need to go to bed. Come, Moritz.”
The large dog groaned as he rose from the couch where he’d been silently observing his master argue with the fat man through the back porch windows. The small gray cat still glared at him from the mantel, and he whuffed at him before he butted his head against the underside of Manfred’s hand.
Karena smiled at Moritz’s gesture, noting how the dog had behaved well while Manfred was outside. She slid a bottle of ibuprofen over to Manfred and gestured for him to take two of the small, orange pills before he retired.
“Top of the stairs, third door on the right, double bed. Made sure you had room for that dire wolf of yours.”
Manfred took the pills with the last of his coffee and warmly regarded his now-adult charge. She had changed so much, but he could still see the little girl she had been in her smile.
“You do think of everything, don’t you?”
Karena met his warm gaze with one of her own.
“You watched over me, I watch over you now. Pancakes for tomorrow’s breakfast.”
Lothar watched the interaction between his brother and Karena, not surprised by the depth of friendship between the two. It made him feel secure and safe; that he was where he was supposed to be.
“Oh, she is SPOILING you, brother. You lucky dog. I haven’t even had my kiss yet, and here she is with the double bed and the pancakes… pfft.” he joked, putting the empty cups in the sink.
Manfred felt a warmth overtake him at Karena’s reply and Lothar’s gentle joking. The tension of his headache seemed to dissipate slightly, but he didn’t know if it was the pills or the feeling of safety and peace this house seemed to have.
“Thank you. And I still am watching over you, Karena. That has not changed.”
“I know. Rest first. We’ll see if your headache goes away by the morning.” Karena said.
“Good night, Manfred.” said Death over his shoulder from the living room, where he had gone to comfort Greyson.
Manfred gave a nod before he turned to go up the stairs, his dog following closely behind. He went through the middle door and noted that someone had already put his suitcases in place. There was a soft, thick robe hanging on the wall next to the door, which he knew wasn’t his, and he assumed that Karena had placed it there for him. He removed his clothes, hung them up in the small closet and put on his pajamas. He removed his diary and a pen from one of his suitcases, and laid on the bed.
Moritz leapt easily onto the other side of the bed and settled down with a sigh, closing his eyes.
Manfred opened his diary and began to scribble an entry. This had been a day, he thought.
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Lothar turned to Karena and waggled his eyebrows suggestively. “So, where am I sleeping tonight? Your bed?”
Karena knew the question wasn’t serious. She still gave a short exasperated sigh as she responded, “No, your bedroom is the one next to Manfred’s, second one from the North end of the hall. The bathroom is at the other end of the hall. I forgot to tell Manfred that. When you go up, please do.”
Lothar stubbed out his cigarette and shifted position to take the pressure off of his right leg, his leather brogues creaking slightly.
“So you’re not going to bed?” he asked.
Karena shook her head as she turned to clean out the grounds from the coffeemaker. “No, I’m going to wait for Gabe to come in from the barn. Grim, are you staying here tonight? I can get the guest room ready.”
Death rose from the couch and brushed the dog hair off of his coat. “No, I do have some business to attend to, ferrying this year’s Honored Dead to their pickup point. Thank you for the dinner and my cake. I’ll be back in the morning for breakfast, and by breakfast, I mean more of my cake. I do hope none of your young men eat it all on me.”
Lothar leaned down and gave Karena a soft, chaste kiss on the cheek before leaving the kitchen to go upstairs.
“Good night, then. I will see you in the morning.”
Karena sighed and leaned on the counter, more tired than she let on. Her stomach roiled with anxiety at the confrontation that she, honestly, sort of anticipated between Lothar and Walter. She was suspicious of the reasons Lothar brought up the questions about her and Vogel’s past life together, and knew that she’d have to research it before she went to bed, or it’d eat at her all night. Plus, she wanted to have some space at the moment from Walter, knowing that he was probably still angry and waiting to confront her when she went to bed. Memories of her past arguments with Sean bubbled up in her mind, and she gave a small, involuntary shudder as she walked to the office, Greyson following close behind.
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Manfred shifted slightly in bed, capping off his pen and placing his diary on the side table. A soft knock on the door followed by the appearance of his brother did not surprise him. He knew Lothar would be wanting the complete report on the confrontation with Vogel, and the worried looks his younger brother was giving him said that his own face was still cast into a frown. Moritz thumped his tail on the bed as Lothar closed the door behind him.
“Hey, Karena forgot to tell you where the bathroom is. End of the hall… say, you okay?” Lothar whispered.
Manfred looked up at his younger brother. “I’ve been better. Why do you suddenly care?”
Lothar sat heavily on the edge of the bed, Manfred quickly moving his feet to the side to avoid them being sat on.
“Oh, cut the shit, brother. I’ve always cared. You looked like you wanted to run Vogel through when you came in.” Lothar said quietly in their native Silesian dialect. He knew that there was a little pitcher with big ears across the hall, and he wanted to keep this debriefing as private as possible.
Manfred noted the volume and dialect his brother was using, and responded in kind. He rubbed at his eyes and then ran a hand through his close-cropped hair. “He’s … he’s sharing her bed.”
Lothar leaned forward, his bronze eyes betraying his irritation. “Yeah, I know. Fat little bastard. That isn’t what pissed you off, was it? What did he say? You GOTTA tell me.”
Manfred frowned again.“He called me an uptight Junkers prick, a virgin, for Christ’s sake!”
Lothar shrugged and gave a small, soft, chuckle. “That’s not new news. You ARE uptight, brother.”
Manfred wrinkled his nose at his brother’s affirmation of Vogel’s insult. “I noticed you left off the virgin accusation, Lothar.”
Lothar gave a small, conspiratorial smile, leaning in towards his brother.
“But of course.. Who do you think had to handle all your correspondence after you died? When were you going to tell Lea about Kate, anyway? Hm?”
“Those were private!” Manfred hissed sharply, his cheeks burning in embarrassment.
Lothar shrugged and gave a small, soft, chuckle. “That’s not new news. You ARE uptight, brother.”
Manfred wrinkled his nose at his brother’s affirmation of Vogel’s insult. “I noticed you left off the virgin accusation, Lothar.”
Lothar gave a small, conspiratorial smile, leaning in towards his brother.
“But of course.. Who do you think had to handle all your correspondence after you died? When were you going to tell Lea about Kate, anyway? Hm?”
“Those were private!” Manfred hissed sharply, his cheeks burning in embarrassment.
Lothar leaned back and chuckled. “You were dead. I burned them, you’re welcome.”
Manfred rubbed the back of his neck in agitation. “If Mother had found out…”
Lothar grinned broadly. “She’d have killed you instead of that Lord, yes. So, which one were you going to marry, anyway? I saw the ring. Kept it safe and gave it to my daughter.”
Manfred sighed, relieved. Even after his death, his brother looked out for him. “Lea. Kate was already seeing someone else.”
Lothar scrunched up his face in sympathy. “OOo, I bet that hurt. So why were you arguing with Vogel about him sharing Karena’s bed, then?”
Manfred rubbed the back of his neck in agitation. “If Mother had found out…”
Lothar grinned broadly. “She’d have killed you instead of that Lord, yes. So, which one were you going to marry, anyway? I saw the ring. Kept it safe and gave it to my daughter.”
Manfred sighed, relieved. Even after his death, his brother looked out for him. “Lea. Kate was already seeing someone else.”
Lothar scrunched up his face in sympathy. “OOo, I bet that hurt. So why were you arguing with Vogel about him sharing Karena’s bed, then?”
Manfred looked directly at his brother, trying to get his point across. He was suddenly more tired than he had been in a long time.
“He’s going to hurt her, I just know it. I can see what kind of man he is, just by looking at him. Then we’ll have to deal with the fallout, and who knows what kind of mess that’ll introduce into the mission. I mean, just LOOK at him, would you? Social climbing merchant class, always thinking of the next score, the next step up. Goering was like that, too – I hated that bastard.”
Lothar nodded his head at his brother. “You always were a good judge of character, Manne-manning.”
Manfred relaxed back into the pillows and smiled at his brother. “Why, thank you. That’s the first time you’ve given me a compliment, Lothar.”
“He’s going to hurt her, I just know it. I can see what kind of man he is, just by looking at him. Then we’ll have to deal with the fallout, and who knows what kind of mess that’ll introduce into the mission. I mean, just LOOK at him, would you? Social climbing merchant class, always thinking of the next score, the next step up. Goering was like that, too – I hated that bastard.”
Lothar nodded his head at his brother. “You always were a good judge of character, Manne-manning.”
Manfred relaxed back into the pillows and smiled at his brother. “Why, thank you. That’s the first time you’ve given me a compliment, Lothar.”
Lothar shrugged and rolled his eyes. “Well, not the first, certainly. I am just happy to be with you again. When you died…”
Manfred saw his brother shrink into himself with the last sentence. Lothar was always more open with his feelings, he thought. Even though their parents often strongly encouraged the two to compete against each other, Manfred and Lothar had a brotherly bond that stood the test of time.
“I know. And you followed not long after.” Manfred said, leaning forward.
Lothar pulled into himself, the strong emotions of the night washing over him.
“I was so lost. Everyone that I had cared about, had fought alongside, were either dead or so far gone mentally that dying would have been a mercy. Mother now put the weight she had put on you onto me. I had to marry, I had to carry the burden of being the head of the household, I had to be what Father wasn’t. I had seriously given thought to running away with Udet to America, but then Doris said she thought she was pregnant...I had to do what was proper.”
“I… I’m sorry, Lothar, I had no idea...” Manfred said softly.
Lothar tried to brush off the heavy emotions with a smirk and a shrug, as Manfred knew he was wont to do. “Sorry? For what? Dying in combat like the hero you were? War was a joke, a great cosmic joke. It took you away, took nearly the whole world away and for what? Nothing changed. People continued to starve, they continued to fight, and then the whole world blamed US for the war, when you know damned well it was Austria’s fault. No, don’t apologize for that, dear brother. Our fates were predetermined, like Karena said once, by the spinners.”
Manfred nodded again. His brother may be moody and seem superficial, but he actually had thoughts that ran deep. “Yet none of us can see it, regardless. Not even Karena. She can see other’s fates, but not her own.”
Lothar shrugged and then covered his mouth as he yawned, long and loud.
“Such is the blindness of humanity, and you know it. Now, I’m tired, so I’m turning in. You should too. Good night, brother.”
Lothar rose from the bed, patting Manfred’s right knee as he did so. He closed the door softly behind him and Manfred sank back into the pillows and sighed. What Lothar said ran through his head, tumbling about with the other experiences of the night, and the memories of his past. Sighing heavily, he turned off the bedside lamp and closed his eyes.
Meanwhile, in the shared bedroom, Walter lay awake, staring at the ceiling. He had tried to hear the conversation between Lothar and Manfred, but it was nothing but a soft murmuring in their native dialect and he huffed as he flipped over into a more comfortable position. His anger still burned bright right under his breastbone, and his mind imagined all sorts of situations with Karena and Lothar, preventing him from falling asleep for a good hour.
He let his jealous thoughts take root, the underlying current of guilt at feeling this way eating at him until he rose from the bed and went to the en suite bathroom to find some antacid to calm his anxious stomach. He hoped Karena would come up to bed soon, so he could find answers to his questions, but his wait was in vain. Eventually, sleep overcame him, but his dreams were just as fraught with worries and anxieties.
Downstairs, in the office, Karena absentmindedly stroked Greyson as she booted up her laptop and typed Walter’s name in the search bar, adjusting the search time to reflect the last time she had done any research.
Gabe popped in through the semi-cracked office door, a cup of coffee in his hand. He had briefly seen the interaction between Manfred and Walter, but had not seen what went on between Lothar and Karena. He was ever curious about how humans interacted, and sensed the agitation Karena was feeling. He came to the edge of the desk, petting Greyson himself.
“Whatcha doin? Got the no-sleepies?” The archangel asked, amusement in his tone.
Karena frowned as the results slowly appeared on the screen. “Something I haven’t done in a long time. Lothar mentioned something to me about Walter, and I thought I’d do an internet search like I used to.”
Gabe sighed. He knew Death had said not to interfere, but his curiosity now was piqued. “Stirring up trouble, that one. Are you sure he’s not just trying to stir things up between you and Walter to better his chances with you?”
Karena exhaled roughly, irritated. She pursed her lips as she saw two new results pop up at the top of the list.
“Damn this connection’s slow. Um, well – he had a point. Lothar has always been up front with me about everything. Almost too much, if you understand what I mean, for a man of his social class and era. Walter’s more… guarded, as is typical for his upbringing and culture. I know there was a lot of material to digest when I wrote his biography, but.. oh, what’s this? Someone’s published his early war diary online. Wish I had seen this when I was writing that biography. Dammit! Oh, and here’s another one. Say, you understand Spanish, Gabe?”
Gabriel grinned. “Thirteen Casa Erotica DVDs, I would think I do. Lemme see.”
Karena turned the laptop around to show Gabriel the screen, and watched as his expression changed from a salacious grin to a serious frown. She felt the bile rise in her throat and asked shakily, “What is it?”
Gabriel’s mind raced as he tried to come up with a sentence that wouldn’t betray what was going through his mind at the moment. “Oh, oh my. Oh, this is not good.”
Karena felt lightheaded suddenly, and she tried to keep the tremor out of her voice. “What do you mean?”
The archangel looked at the woman behind the desk, her face pale. Tears had formed at the corners of her eyes. Gabriel wondered if this was what Death had been warning him about and vowed to ream both the Reaper and Balthasar out for this.
He looked up from the laptop, his pale eyes somber. “How much of his early war service did you know of?”
“Pretty much only his military service. I know that he took the long way home and avoided being in a deadly airplane crash, why?”
Gabriel sighed and thought of a way he could lessen this blow. He returned the laptop to Karena. “Read that diary, and then put the Spanish one through the translator. I’m going to go make some tea.”
Karena scratched her head and clicked on the first link. “Okay...It’s only about 20 pages, from what I can see. The Spanish one is only a couple of pages.”
Gabe knew that the Spanish one was going to hurt, and badly. He was glad that out of all the languages Karena knew at least some of, Spanish wasn’t one of them. “I’ll be right back. Don’t read that Spanish one until I get back.” he said over his shoulder.
Karena leaned forward and began to read the first page of the war time diary, the light of the laptop illuminating her frown. “What in the hell?”
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