LAND OF MILK & HONEY

by Mary D. Brooks

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This story takes place in 1946 and is a sequel to the story In the Blood of the Greeks. Many thanks to Tee for being my beta reader and editor.

~~~~~

Originally written: May 2000

Revised: May 2003

—Mary D. Brooks

maryd@runbox.com

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LAND OF MILK & HONEY

Chapter One

THE SUN BEGAN TO SET BEHIND Sydney Harbour Bridge, casting its golden glow over the turquoise sea as it rode the waves up to the large gray bridge where the sail boats bobbed in the quiet calm. Another beautiful summer’s day was ending in the ‘Emerald City’. Sydney was a beautiful town situated on the foreshores of one of the most beautiful natural harbors in the world. Gateway to Australia and the entry point of thousands of immigrants from a war ravaged Europe.

The Emerald City was Sydney’s nickname given to it by Sydneysiders. The name originated from the deep green shimmering waters that surrounded it. To many this was their haven from war-torn Europe and all other places in between. A land of “milk and honey”, as the refugees and immigrants called the great Southern land. To all those that arrived to the new country, it offered them hope for a new life and hope for the future.

Zoe Lambros was sprawled on the grass on a hilltop overlooking the harbor. She brushed away yet another fly that was buzzing around her head. Flies. She hated flies and she discovered Australia had lots of them, especially in summer when they would buzz around her head and she would have to shoo them away. She was certain that Australia was the fly capital of the world and learned how to do, what the Aussies called, “The Great Australian Salute” which was the hand motion of shooing flies away from her face that resembled a salute gone wrong.

Despite the flies, Zoe loved her adopted new home with its harbor and beaches. Being from a small, landlocked farming community which was, opportunities for going to the beach were reserved for long trips. Zoe had found Sydney much different and afternoon trips to the beach or the harbor foreshore were the norm rather than the exception. Zoe turned and lay on the grass, shielding her eyes from the sun to look up at her partner.

The flies didn’t bother her companion, Eva Muller, who sat in her chair, face to the sun, with her eyes closed. Her long legs were spread out in front of her and she had her head tilted back to catch the final rays of the setting sun. Zoe grinned as she noticed that Eva’s skin had acquired a bronzed appearance which suited her. Zoe had more difficulty in getting a tan, since her fair complexion resulted in what the Australian’s called ‘the lobster look’, a look she didn’t particular like.

But Zoe loved this vantage point - it gave them an unrestricted view of the beautiful harbor. They had found the site when they were strolling one day and promptly fell in love with the view. Zoe considered it their place; although Eva did point out the Municipal Council signs all over the place, it didn’t stop Zoe from claiming it.

Their peaceful surroundings were far different from the life-threatening times during the war in Greece for both women. After the war, they had left Greece behind them and traveled to Egypt where Eva recuperated from the injuries she had received in Greece. It wasn’t an easy time for them as they found themselves in a totally different environment. Their time in Egypt had given them time to get to know each other more fully. They stayed with other refugees as Zoe took a job cleaning houses to help with their expenses while Eva recovered.

Zoe was soon befriended by a young Australian soldier who reminded her of her older brother, Mihali. Jason O’Leary was a short man with blond hair and blue eyes. The young man had joined the army to see the world. During the war, he had seen too much of it and was homesick. Jason told them about his home and the beauty of the country. His love for his ‘homeland’ made the two women rethink their plans of immigrating to America and they decided to make the long journey to Australia instead.

“Earl wants us to come for dinner,” Eva announced feeling very relaxed in her chair as the sun warmed her face. She was finally relaxing from the long day at the biscuit factory where she worked to support them both. It wasn’t the ideal job but it was a job and times weren’t exactly easy for two women on their own in a new country. Zoe wanted to get a job but Eva had refused saying she was going to University to study and become the great artist Zoe longed to be. It would be a matter of only a few weeks before the schools would be back in session and Zoe would start on the road that had she dreamed of back in Greece. Eva wanted to give her younger partner that chance, despite the oppressive heat and boredom of the job as a process worker.

Earl Wiggins was their first friend in Sydney and that had come about as a result of Eva’s association with the big man at the biscuit factory.

“Is he cooking?” Zoe asked as she rolled around to face Eva.

“I guess so. He said it was the great Australian barbeque,” Eva chuckled.

Zoe groaned. “It’s not barbequed when he cooks, it’s sacrificed,” she quipped. “He doesn’t understand the idea that ‘well-done’ doesn’t mean ‘burnt to a crisp’.”

Eva laughed as she rose from her chair and lay on the grass next to Zoe. She turned on her side and smiled at the young woman, gently brushing away a strand of Zoe’s hair.

“Do you want me to cook?” Eva asked knowing the answer to that question. Zoe fell back and burst out laughing.

“No! I’ll have sacrificed instead of poisonous, thank you!”

“I’m not that bad,” Eva grinned knowing she was ‘that bad’ at cooking and glad she didn’t have to cook because they would both starve.

“Yes, you are,” Zoe rolled over and looked into the older woman’s sparking blue eyes. “But I love you anyway.”

Eva pulled away with a mock scowl on her face but couldn’t help but smile when Zoe made gagging noises near her. “Just so you know there is a hospital not far from our place.”

They both laughed at the joke. Zoe had found out early in their relationship that Eva couldn’t cook when Eva had decided to make dinner for them one night when Zoe was away cleaning. Getting the recipe from an old cook book she’d found, she tried her hand at Chili Con Carne. The young woman came home to find Eva in the kitchen with a very proud look on her face.

Unfortunately, that night Zoe also found out what happens when you put too much chili powder in Chili Con Carne. Eva was certain that she saw smoke coming out of her partner’s ears when Zoe ate a spoonful of the food. It became their little joke and Eva’s cooking skills had never progressed beyond that point since, from that night on, Zoe made a point of cooking, no matter how tired she was.

“How was work today?” Zoe asked as she tickled Eva’s cheek with a blade of grass.

“Tiring,” Eva replied with a small shrug. “The big fan only circulates the hot air around.”

“You know what I think?”

Eva smiled. “What do you think?”

“Mrs. Jenkins said that she has a friend who is looking for help with her shop. I think it would a lot cooler for you and less painful for your back if you worked in a shop,” Zoe replied not fully understanding why her partner didn’t leave the factory.

“I don’t know Zoe. I know it’s hot and tiring but I hate going into new places.” Eva looked up into the semi-darkened blue sky and sighed.

“Will you at least think about it?”

Eva turned and smiled at the earnest face looking back at her. “I’ll think about it.”

“Good, that’s all I ask,” Zoe grinned. She lifted herself for a moment to check whether anyone was in the area. Seeing that they were indeed alone and hidden from the block of apartments across the street, the young woman leaned down and kissed her partner. Eva put her arms around the slender figure as they continued to kiss until Zoe whispered into Eva’s ear. “You still smell of cookies,” she giggled.

“I think I’m going to smell of cookies for the rest of my life,” Eva laughed. “Do you want to read the letter?” she asked holding the letter up.

“Okay let me get comfortable,” Zoe replied and shifted around to use Eva’s flat belly as a pillow.

“My dear sisters’,” Zoe read, “‘I hope this letter finds you well and happy. I want to thank you for the food package you sent over to me. Some of it was quite tasty. I do have a question about one thing you sent. This jar of Vegemite - am I supposed to eat it, or use it to grease my truck? I tried it, but I think you left out the instructions to use it on my truck. I did and the truck runs really well now! Ha ha ha.”

They both burst out laughing. They could just imagine the look on their friend’s face when he tried the Vegemite. Zoe had learned to love the spread when Jason introduced her to it.

Zoe loved it’s salty flavor, but Eva couldn’t stomach the taste and was horrified every time Zoe spread the black substance on her toast. When they both had stopped chuckling over Thanasi’s new-found truck grease, Zoe went back to the letter.

“Despina sends her love and tells me to let you know she misses both of you and wishes you all the happiness in the world. Paul wanted to know if you ride kangaroos. Well, do you? Everyone wishes you the best in the land of milk and honey. The news from here is not that good. Greece has descended into anarchy. We’ve had the Turks, the Italians and the krauts and now we are our own worst enemy. Brother is fighting brother. My dear sisters, I don’t know what this country will become, but at the moment Greek blood is being spilt by our own brothers. I am so glad I listened to Father Haralambos and got you out of here. I’m quite sure Zoe would have found even more trouble to get into, Eva. I am well. I was wounded in the leg the other day but I’m still going strong although hobbling a bit.

“Dion was killed in the fighting. He was a very brave boy. The monarchists killed the little man. When is this madness going to end? Petracles was captured but we got him back, a little worse than when we lost him but he is a strong boy and he will come through. I will leave you now and again I want to thank you for the parcel, but please, next time no more Vegemite. If I have trouble with the truck, I may use it again. May God bless you, my sisters and know I am thinking of you every day. One day I will emigrate to the land of milk and honey and be with you, but my place for now is here-fighting for my homeland.”

Love, Thanasi.”

They sat in silence, their thoughts and prayers going out to the man they considered a brother. Athanasios Klaras had been the Greek KKE Resistance leader of the communist cell. His friendship with them was born from their mutual love for the village priest, Father Haralambos. The cleric’s death bound them together.

“We’ll go to church tomorrow and light a candle for Dion,” Eva said quietly as she held Zoe’s hand. “Oh, I almost forgot. The letter from the Immigration Department came today.” She held out another letter.

Eva had waited on this letter with some trepidation. The idea had occurred to her during their trip on the ship coming to Australia and it had taken several months for her to actually do something about it. She had decided to change her surname from Muller to Haralambos. She had been using Haralambos ever since Egypt, but she wanted to make it official and remove the last vestige to her abusive stepfather. She knew it was something her real father, Panayiotis Haralambos, would have encouraged, if he was still alive.

Her supervisor at her work in the biscuit factory had started calling her Harry because he couldn’t pronounce Haralambos without making it sound like he was strangling a cat. She didn’t mind, as long as she wasn’t called a ‘wog’. That particular insult had grated on her, her hackles going up automatically whenever she heard the word. She’d found that most new arrivals to this land were called ‘wogs’. She could never figure out what that word meant, but it was definitely intended as an insult since it was hurled at them whenever they found it difficult to communicate.

The Australians had no patience with people from non-English speaking countries, especially Italians and Greeks who were called ‘dagos’ or ‘wogs’. It was far better than ‘Nazi’ or ‘kraut’, as some other German immigrants were subjected to.

“What did they say?” Zoe asked her lover, interrupting Eva’s musing.

“They said I have to fill out one remaining form and then it’s done,” Eva grinned. “Then I have to notify the Immigration Department and everyone else that I’ve made the change.”

“Father H would have loved that,” Zoe said and proceeded to tickle the older woman. Eva squealed and fought with Zoe’s hands as she also tried to tickle Zoe back at the same time.

“Excuse me…”

They paused in their tickle fight at the sound of the intruding voice, both still breathing hard and turned with red faces two see a man standing near the bushes that blocked the road from the outlook. Eva disentangled herself from Zoe and stood up, her six-foot-plus frame easily towering over the man. It would have been easy to be intimidated, Zoe mused, as she watched her partner but she knew that Eva was a gentle soul who was blessed with being tall.

“Yes?” Eva asked, drawing to her full height and looking down at the man.

Friederick Jacobs was a short man of slight build with short black hair parted in the middle. His dark brown eyes were behind his round spectacles. Friedrich stood there for a moment trying to decide which woman to talk to. He had been told to contact them and had followed them for a few days. The tall one intimidated him so he looked at the other woman, but she had a matching scowl on her face. He took out a handkerchief and dabbed it on his sweaty face. He’d made the mistake of wearing a dark suit which only made him hotter despite the lateness of the day.

“My name is Friedrich Jacobs,” he said and stuck out his hand. Realizing he was speaking in German, Eva scowled and refused his handshake.

“Don’t tell us you’re a salesman!” Zoe said from where she still sat cross-legged on the grass.

“Not unless he’s a German salesman,” Eva said in Greek quickly looked back at her.

Friedrich sighed and recognized his mistake. He could understand some Greek and realized that he should not have spoken German to the tall woman; he should have spoken to them in English.

“Can we go somewhere private to talk?” he asked reverting to English, hoping to salvage this first meeting.

“Who’s going to hear you where we are now? The birds?” Zoe challenged.

“Zoe!” Eva turned to her love and wagged a finger at her, but had a twinkle in her eye. She turned back to the man in the frumpy gray suit.

“What is it that you want, Mr. Jacobs?”

“Well it’s a bit difficult to talk out here…”

“We know you can do it. It’s not that hard,” Zoe muttered. Eva glared at her while trying not to grin.

The man didn’t appear to notice. “As I said, my name is Friedrich Jacobs. I work for a group of investigators…”

“You’re a spy?” Zoe interrupted him again.

Friedrich laughed. He couldn’t imagine himself as a spy. He would make a very bad spy and would surely be dead before nightfall. “No, Miss Lambros…”

“How do you know her name?” Eva asked him. She was understandably suspicious, having been raised surrounded by Nazi paranoia.

“I know a lot about you.”

“Oh, you do? Are we going to play question and answer games now?” Zoe retorted, as she got up from her spot and began to collect the picnic basket. “Come on, Eva. I don’t want to listen to this man any longer.”

“No, please wait! There is a good reason why I’m here…”

Eva stopped Zoe and held her arm as she reached for their blanket. “Let’s at least hear what he has to say, Zoe. Okay?” Zoe paused, then nodded and straightened up.

“Look, why don’t I come by your flat later and we can talk?” Friedrich asked, looking at the two women.

“That would be suitable. You can come at 7:00 pm tonight after we’ve had our dinner. I assume you already know where we live?” Eva saw the man nod in confirmation.

“Very well, I’ll see you tonight at seven.” Friedrich smiled at them and tipped his hat before he turned and left.

“I wonder what he wants?” Zoe asked, watching the man walk away.

“I don’t know, but I’m sure we’ll find out tonight,” Eva replied feeling a little apprehensive.

Chapter Two

EVA STOOD ON THE TINY BALCONY of their apartment or what the Australians called a ‘flat’. Eva wasn’t sure why they called it ‘a flat’ but there was a lot of things she didn’t understand about this country. The colorful phrases were often quite confusing. She’d found the Australian accent rather difficult to understand when they had first arrived since everyone appeared to mumble. They’d learned English in Egypt and on the ship to Australia but that didn’t prepare them for the culture shock they’d received. The Australians were laid back people who weren’t bothered about a lot of things. It took her some time to understand what ‘she’ll be right, mate’ meant.

The tall woman held a cold glass of lemonade in her hand as she watched the heavy rain clouds gather and the lightning flashes across the skyline of the city. So typical of summer in Sydney, Eva had learned, where the heat of the day was cooled by a southerly change. It made life bearable when the heat inside of the biscuit factory where she worked topped the 100 degree mark and all Eva could do was wish for relief.

She hated the job and Zoe’s suggestion of getting a job in the shop sounded appealing. But the tall woman hated change. She’d had enough change in her life and now she wanted to settle. The biscuit factory wasn’t the ideal place to work for her but she wasn’t prepared to go some place where she might not enjoy the people she worked with. At least, in the factory she had some friends and that meant a great deal.

“Hey you, what are you thinking?” Zoe asked as she walked out with two bowls of cut watermelon.

“If I tell you, will you kiss me?” Eva bargained and winked.

Zoe grinned. “Decisions, decisions. Maybe.” Zoe looked up at the ceiling as if weighing her options. “Okay.” She reached up and pulled down the tall woman and kissed her. “Okay, now what were you thinking?”

“How much I love you,” Eva grinned.

“So a stormy night makes you think of how much you love me? That’s deep, Evy.”

They both laughed as they settled on the wicker chairs that barely fit in the small outdoor space. Rain drops fell just in front of them and Zoe stuck her legs out catching the cool droplets. Eva smiled indulgently at her younger partner. Her playfulness allowed Eva to relive a part of her youth that had been lost.

“So what are we going to do about that little man?” Zoe asked as she handed Eva a bowl.

“I don’t know. I guess. Let’s hear what he has to say,” Eva answered, fishing a large piece of watermelon from the bowl.

“I don’t like him,” Zoe commented, munching on the watermelon. She spit the seed out and watched it fall down from the balcony.

“I sure hope Mr. Jenkins wasn’t down there,” Eva said as she looked down, relieved not to find their cranky landlord. “He is a strange man.”

“Well I don’t like him either. He’s racist. Did you hear what he called Elena yesterday?” Zoe queried, as she took another watermelon piece. Elena Manheim was their neighbor and a dear friend. She wasn’t much older than Zoe and she was just as outgoing. Eva thought the two women were like sisters.

Elena was the only one in her family to survive the concentration camps and though she didn’t like to talk about the horrifying experience, one could still see the loss had had a profound effect on the young woman. Elena and Zoe had become fast friends while traveling to Australia on the same refugee ship. Elena and their landlord, a cantankerous old man, were always at loggerheads about some issue.

“No, what did he do now?” Eva asked.

“He called her a Jew,” Zoe replied before spitting the seed into her bowl. She grinned when she glanced at Eva who she knew was expecting Zoe to send it traveling down the balcony.

“Honey, she is a Jew. That isn’t racist.”

“I know that. It’s what he said after that made me angry. He told her that Hitler had had the right idea. That little boofhead, he really needs a good whack on the head,” Zoe muttered.

Eva scowled. Their landlord needed to be taught how to be a human being with common courtesy. She had discussed it with Mrs. Jenkins who said her husband was scarred by the war and what the Japanese had done to him. “Everyone was scarred,” Eva had told the older woman, but then had let the matter drop. “We can’t do anything, Zoe. He is just like that.”

“He’s still a boofhead,” Zoe replied, interspersing the Australian term she had picked up with her Greek.

Eva grinned at how easily their conversations were now peppered with slang words from their adopted country. ‘Boofhead’ was the new word Zoe liked to use to describe the various people she thought of as idiotic.

“Mrs. Jenkins asked me whether you wanted to go out with her nephew, Danny.”

“How many nephews does this woman have?” Eva asked, quickly swallowing another mouthful of watermelon. “What did you say?”

The landlord’s wife was always trying to get the two of them to go out with any number of her nephews. Eva liked the old woman, but she was running out of excuses for declining the landlady’s attempts at matchmaking.

“I said Danny’s not your type,” Zoe replied in between munching on watermelon. “He isn’t Greek,” she added with a smirk.

Eva laughed and shook her head. When they’d rented the flat they had told Mr. Jenkins they were sisters. He mumbled something about them not looking the same, but his wife interrupted, declaring that her sister didn’t look anything like her either, which settled the matter.

Eva’s thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. She handed Zoe her bowl and went in to answer. She opened the door and found Friedrich Jacobs standing outside. His gray suit was wet and his hair was plastered to his face.

“Mr. Jacobs, please come in,” Eva said and opened the door wider. “Zoe, Mr. Jacobs is here.”

“Oh goody,” Zoe muttered and walked into the flat holding the bowls. She deposited them on the kitchen counter and wiped her hands on a towel.

“Be nice,” Eva whispered as they both sat down opposite Friedrich. “So, Mr. Jacobs, what is it you wish to discuss with us?”

Friedrich coughed. “Please call me Friedrich.”

“Okay, Friedrich. It’s been a long day, so can you just tell us what’s so important?” Zoe asked and looked at the bespectacled figure.

“You’re not one to beat around the bush, huh?” Friedrich observed and chuckled. “I work for a group of investigators and I’m here to ask for your help.”

Zoe and Eva looked at the man, both wearing matching frowns. “I’m sorry, Friedrich, but I think you lost me. How can we help you?” Eva asked.

Friedrich fidgeted. He had rehearsed what he was going to say all the way to the block of flats. “I’m not sure if you are aware that the Allies are going to be holding a war crimes trial at Nuremberg next year.” It was a statement, but the tone was inquiring.

Eva nodded. She had heard about the war crimes trial. It was ironic that it would be held in the very place that Hitler had held huge rallies, the place where she had first met the evil, charismatic leader. “I’m aware of it. What does that have to do with us?”

“Part of my job is to find Nazi war criminals…”

“Okay,” Eva nodded.

“Are you accusing Eva of being a war criminal?!” Zoe exclaimed, gritting her teeth. “You have no idea what this woman went through. How dare you come into our home…”

Eva’s eyes filled with pride for the fireball sitting beside her. She loved the protective side of Zoe and truth be told, was excited by her fighting spirit. “Zoe, love, take it easy. Let’s hear what Friedrich has to say,” Eva whispered to the angry woman.

“I’m going to toss him off the balcony if he accuses you of being a war criminal,” Zoe whispered back.

“Look, Miss Lambros…” Friedrich looked between the two women and opened his briefcase. He looked inside and produced a folder. “I’m not accusing Miss Mu…”

He didn’t see how quickly Zoe left Eva’s side and stuck a finger in his chest. “She is not Muller, you got me, little man? Her father was Panayiotis Haralambos, a Greek. Eva is as Greek as I am. Now take your bag and get the hell out of our home…”

Eva slowly got up and put her arms around Zoe and held her from Friedrich. “Zoe, calm down, love.” She tried to soothe the angry young woman.

Zoe looked up at Eva. “I’m not going to let them hurt you again, Evy. I’m not. These bastards will never go away, but I’m not a little Greek girl in Larissa anymore. I was helpless then…”

“You’ve not helpless now, love,” Eva said kissing Zoe on the cheek. “Let’s hear the rest of what Friedrich has to say. It’s okay.”

Friedrich watched the two women in silence and he frowned when he saw the kiss. “I’m sorry I used your former family name. I know you changed it and why.”

“How do you know that?” Zoe asked. She was curious to know because the letter had only arrived that day.

“I know,” Friedrich shrugged. He wasn’t about to reveal what he knew about them both or else he wouldn’t get any co-operation from them.

“Spies,” Zoe muttered.

“It’s alright, Mr. Jacobs,” Eva said. “Go on.”

“I’m not accusing you of being a war criminal,” Friederich assured Eva. “We are well aware of what Miss Haralambos has done and her activities working for the Resistance.” This was addressed to Zoe. “Our job is to track down and bring to justice escaped war criminals. We believe that quite a few Nazis have fled to America, South America, England and Australia. The war crimes trials at Nuremberg are important to us.”

“Who is ‘we’?” Eva asked.

“The Allies. We need to convict these people. I work for the War Crimes section of the Immigration Department.”

“They aren’t people, Mr. Jacobs,” Zoe growled. “They are animals. Were you in Europe when the Nazis rampaged through?” the young woman asked.

“No, I wasn’t, but I lost my family in Germany. They were Jews I’m a Jew,” Friedrich answered quietly. “Now, I realize both of you lived through the horror, but …” His words ran down. Then a tense silence invaded the room.

Friedrich was angry with himself. He knew the wounds were still raw and he was told to be mindful of that, but he wasn’t prepared to be verbally assaulted by the younger woman. If anything, he was expecting Eva to be the one to lead the angry barrage against him.

The three survivors sat quietly, trying to recover from the verbal exchange. Friedrich knew if he was going to get their assistance, he would need to have a clear head. He drew in a shaky breath. “Look, Miss Harala…”

“Call me Eva,” Eva asked. She felt sorry for the man who now looked very uncomfortable.

“Eva, our work is very important,” Friederich began again. “We need to bring these people to justice, to answer for their crimes against humanity. We’ve tracked two former Nazis here to Sydney. There are many more, but these two are extra special cases.”

“How does this involve us?” Zoe asked, still somewhat wary.

“Do you recognize this man?” he asked Eva as he passed her several photographs.

Eva curiously took the photos from Friedrich and looked closely at them. Instantly her face paled and her throat dried as she recognized her stepfather, Hans Muller. His face was scarred and his posture sagged, but it was him. She let out a gasp and dropped the pictures.

“I … I thought he was dead,” she muttered.

Zoe looked worriedly at her friend, then picked up the photos. She too recognized the monster and her heart instantly went out to her lover. Holding a shaking Eva, she asked, “What do you want, Mr. Jacobs?”

Friedrich tried to formulate an worthwhile answer. He wasn’t expecting that kind of reaction from the older woman who was now shaking. He was told that her stepfather had ordered her death, but he wasn’t privy to the details. The small man wondered which of the two women was the stronger one, but he realized both were, or they wouldn’t have survived the horrors of the war. Zoe was trying to calm Eva with soothing words, whispering to her. She turned to look at Friedrich and he was sure he would be dead if those daggers she was shooting at him were real.

“Mr. Jacobs, I don’t know what your game is and frankly I don’t care. That animal is dead,” Zoe spat out.

“He didn’t die, Miss Lambros,” Friederich said sadly. “When the building was bombed, everyone assumed he was dead. We were told that he was severely hurt but he somehow managed to escape. Everyone’s focus was on the fighting and no one paid any attention. He got away.”

“Again, what does that have to do with us?” Zoe questioned and frowned.

“We believe that if he knew you were here, it would flush him out of hiding and…”

Before he could finish, Zoe had bolted from her companion’s side and pushed the young man to the floor.

“Get the hell out of our home!” she yelled. “You are not going to use Eva as bait. Hasn’t she suffered enough?”

“Zo, please, it’s all right.” Eva’s senses finally cleared and she reached for her lover before she lost all control. Rubbing Zoe’s arm in an attempt to calm her, she pulled her away from the shocked man on the floor. Friedrich got up tentatively and resumed his seat, watching as the two women whispered to each other.

“Look, Mr. Jacobs, I think we need to talk about this,” Eva said, holding back the angry woman in her arms. “Maybe you can come back tomorrow and we can discuss it further.”

Friedrich looked at both women and nodded. The situation had suddenly gotten completely out of hand. The young investigator recognized the need for a break in the proceedings.

“Same time tomorrow?” he asked, gathering his briefcase and photographs. Eva nodded. She walked him to the door, then went back to the living room. She sat down next to her partner.

“I’m not going to let them hurt you, Evy,” Zoe said and wrapped herself protectively around the taller woman. “I’m not going to let that bastard have another go.”

“He can’t hurt me now, love. I was just shocked to see his face again. It’s all right.”

A knock was heard and Eva went to the door and impatiently opened it. Their friend Elena was standing there with a mop and a smile.

“I’ve come to help…where’s the fire?” Elena asked, grinning.

Elena stood in the doorway wearing her ratty old housecoat with her dark hair pulled back in a bun. She would have been almost comical standing there with a mop in her hands, if not for the tense state she recognized in her two friends. She had rushed over when she heard the yelling, knowing that the two of them didn’t fight and that all the shouting in English was quite unusual. When she saw the little man scurrying down the corridor, she knew she had to go and see if everything was all right.

“Come in, Elena,” Eva said, gesturing into the flat.

Elena walked in, left the mop against the wall and went into the living room. Zoe was on the couch, sulking.

“What’s up, little matey?” Elena asked, mimicking a well-known comedian that all three friends loved to listen to on the wireless.

“Did you see that guy leave?” Zoe asked her friend.

“The one that looked like he was scared witless?” Elena replied and grinned. “Cute, but witless.”

“That’s the one,” Eva said, sitting beside Zoe. “He met Cyclone Zoe and you should have seen him run!” Eva ruffled Zoe’s hair as she got up to go back into the kitchen.

“So everything is okay?”

“Yeah, just fine, Elena, nothing to worry about,” Zoe replied. She didn’t want to involve the young woman in their troubles; she had enough nightmares to deal with. “Why are you looking so frumpy?”

All three friends laughed as Eva went back into the kitchen. She could hear the two women discuss Elena’s run in with their landlord. Eva put the pot of water on for tea and stared outside into the darkness.

Her stepfather was here, in Sydney. She wondered if she would ever have peace from that man. If it weren’t for Zoe, Eva knew she wouldn’t be alive. Muller had ordered Eva’s death for the crime of falling in love with Zoe. A few years before, she had suffered unimaginable tortures at the hands of her uncle because of Muller’s demands that she be ‘fixed’ because of her ‘deviant behaviour’.

Her real father, a priest no less, hadn’t found her lesbianism ‘deviant’ and had accepted her for who she was. She wouldn’t have been surprised if he had rejected her, as well. But Father H hadn’t scorned her and instead Eva had been surprised and delighted.

The tea kettle began to whistle, which brought the dark-haired woman out of her reverie. She looked over her shoulder and watched as Zoe came into the kitchen. Eva smiled at her lover. Zoe reached over, took the kettle from Eva and then gently kissed her. She winked and walked into the living room. Eva shook her head and followed her petite partner back into the living room, carrying the cups.

Chapter Three

THE STRAINS OF A PIANO CONCERTO greeted the man as he entered the small flat. The curtains were drawn and the air in the dark room was thick with the smell of whiskey. It made his nose itch as he put down the bags of groceries and walked over to the bedroom door. Standing at the doorway, he watched his long time friend guzzle down yet another bottle in several swallows.

The man was sitting on his bed, surrounded by other empty containers. The music complimented the melancholy feel to the place.

“Hans, you can’t sit here all day,” Erik Rhimes said to his friend and walked into the bedroom. “Drinking is bad for you. You know what the doctor said!”

Hans Muller had once been a tall, handsome man in his prime, a glorious specimen of Aryan perfection. Now, his once blond hair had turned white prematurely. His wife had died several years before and though he did love her in his own way, he had pretty much gotten over her death. A major in the German army during the war, he’d had everything he wanted - a good command, prestige, power. The war had been the best thing that could have happened to him. He’d had the respect he always craved. He was somebody. He had the world at his feet until that September morning when his world suddenly collapsed around him. Earlier that same morning he had received the news from his second in command that his daughter had reverted back to her deviancy; then, his command center was bombed by the Resistance.

After the explosion, he couldn’t remember how he escaped. All he could remember was his friend Erik hovering above him, yelling orders.

Hans sighed as the last of the music faded and turned to Erik, who was standing there watching him holding the empty bottle. “What else is there to do, my friend,” he retorted with a drunken slur. “I can’t go out…There is a reason I can’t go out, isn’t there?” He was so drunk he was forgetting what he was talking about.

“Hans, the doctor told you not to drink. It won’t help.” Erik tried to get the bottle that was still in the man’s hand.

“I drink to forget,” Muller muttered.

“It’s not over, my friend,” Erik tried reasoning with him. “There is a doctor in Argentina…”

“Why do we have to leave again?” Muller asked, trying to take another mouthful of liquor from the bottle, forgetting it was empty.

“Hans, we need to leave Sydney.”

“Why would I want to do that? Wait… didn’t I just ask that question?”

“I was told by our friends that we are going to be arrested!”

“Arrested for doing our jobs?! That’s a joke, Erik.”

“They write the rules, my friend.” Rhimes sat down next to Muller and finally pried the empty whiskey bottle out of his hand. “I heard that they will be setting up court at Nuremberg.”

“Bastards.”

“Ja, well they are bastards, we are bastards and the Jews thrive,” Rhimes replied. He looked at the bottle in his hand and threw it out the open door. It hit the couch and bounced off. Erik Rhimes had commanded the Northern Greece German forces. He was proud of it. He did his job and followed orders. Then the war had turned against them. Athens fell, Larissa fell and then Thessaloniki. He was lucky to still be alive. They had barely managed to escape and it was a cat and mouse game to try and outrun the Americans.

“Hans, I haven’t asked you this before, but what happened to Eva?”

“Eva?”

“Your daughter, Hans.”

“She was killed by Reinhardt…What happened to Reinhardt?” Muller slurred and then frowned. He had forgotten about his second in command. Reinhardt was an inept fool.

“What?! Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why did Reinhardt kill Eva?”

“Oh. She wasn’t my daughter, you know.” Hans turned to his shocked friend. “Ja, that’s true. Daphne .. oh my Daphne…well Daphne .. you remember my wife?”

“Yes, I remember Daphne,” Rhimes replied. The young, dark-haired woman had captured his heart when they first met, but his friend had married her first. He mentally shrugged off that memory.

“Well, Daphne was a bad girl…she slept with some Greek peasant that her father didn’t like and he shipped her off to Austria. She had the baby…Eva… and I married her.”

“Why?”

“Why did I marry her? Ahh, my friend, that is a very good question…a very good question,” Muller replied. He tried to smile, but with half his face scarred, he could only manage a deformed grimace. “I needed a wife. A good German officer needed a wife…with a baby. A family, every good German officer needs a family…” He trailed off, then turned to his friend. “I can’t have children, Erik.”

Rhimes sat there in shock. This was the first time his friend had opened up to him like this. He had known Hans Muller for fifteen years and now realized he really didn’t know him at all.

“Ja, so here is this Greek peasant, with a daughter and here I am. I need a wife and a child… Too bad she wasn’t a boy. Ah…yes, then it would have been perfect. Well, she sure got it on like a boy!” Muller chuckled at his own crude joke. “She was strange, that one…”

“She was a beautiful young woman, Hans.”

“Ja, I suppose… but she was a lesbian, Erik.”

Rhimes looked at his friend in stunned silence. The man was drunk. Surely he wasn’t aware of what he was saying. His son, Heinrich, had even gone out with the young woman.

“You don’t believe me, huh?”

“It’s not that I don’t believe you, my friend, it’s just that…”

“That’s why Reinhardt killed her…why she had to die. Do you remember Franz’s daughter, Greta?”

“Ja, but what…”

“Greta and Eva were lovers…Ja! Can you believe that?”

“Greta? A lesbian?”

“Ja, she was. A big, honking les…lesbian.” Muller threw another bottle out of the room and it also crashed next to the couch.

“What happened to Greta?”

Muller shrugged. “I don’t know. Franz never told me. What ever happened to Franz?”

“He died at the Russian Front,” Rhimes replied.

“Ah ja, that’s where I would have ended up. The Russian Front… Reinhardt killed her, you know.”

“Why? Because she was a lesbian?”

“Of course! That fool Reinhardt brought the whore to her …sp..special delivery! My house, Erik! Can you believe it?!” Muller opened another bottle and took several long drinks. “My house,” he muttered. “Did you see Reinhardt?”

“I don’t know. We were slightly in a hurry to get out of Thessaloniki.”

“Thessaloniki. They had nice ouzo. Wish I had some…”

“Come on, my friend, I think you need to sleep this off.”

“My face hurts, Erik,” Muller moaned as he sank back on the bed and promptly fell asleep.

Rhimes watched him sleep and shook his head. He needed to get them out of Sydney and quickly.

*

Friedrich Jacobs was tired. He sat at his desk and yawned. The clothes he wore still hadn’t finished drying. His wet jacket hung near the heater. Zoe Lambros had made an impression on him and he was surprised he didn’t have a bruise on his chest from where she had poked and pushed him. He shook his head. He’d handled the whole thing the wrong way and he had underestimated the younger woman. He wouldn’t make the same mistake the next time.

Friederich yawned again. He had been working long hours and he really needed to get a decent night’s sleep. He removed the photos of Hans Muller and Erik Rhimes from his briefcase and looked at them again for a moment before placing them on his desk.

He looked up when the door opened and his colleague, David Peterson, walked through.

“Hey, Freddy! You slacker. Where were you this afternoon? I thought you had gone home for a change. You do remember where your house is, don’t you?” David kidded as he placed more files on Friedrich’s desk.

“Ha ha, funny. I know where I live. Sort of,” Friedrich quipped back, ignoring the shortening of his name, which he really detested. “I was out working.”

“Did you go to Muller’s flat?”

“Haralambos,” Friedrich replied. David looked at him quizzically. “She goes by the name of Haralambos now.”

“Why?”

“Muller was only her stepfather. Panayiotis Haralambos was the natural father,” Friedrich replied and yawned again.

“So where’s the father?”

“Dead. He was killed in a train crash, from what I could find out. The Resistance blew up the train he was on.”

“Did he know she was his daughter?” David asked, taking the seat opposite Friedrich’s desk.

Friedrich shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“So did you tell them?” David persisted as he picked up the photo of Muller from Friedrich’s desk. “He is an ugly bastard, huh?”

“I told them…and nearly got shoved back into last week,” Friedrich replied.

“What? Did Miss H hit you?”

“No, her flatmate did.” Friedrich grinned sheepishly as David laughed.

“So that woman she lives with … is that her sister?”

“Do they look like sisters?” Friedrich questioned with a mischievous look.

“Hardly! Eva looks like a Greek goddess. The other one is cute, but I think she’d tear out my eyes if she didn’t like me. I wonder if Eva would go out with me if I asked…”

“Not your type,” Friedrich shot back.

“I can try, Friedrich my boy, I can try.”

“You can try till you’re old and gray, but she still won’t go out with you.”

“Why? I’m good looking!” David boasted, preening a little bit. David considered himself a good looking bloke with his blond hair and green eyes. He had what women considered to be the ‘good ol’ bronzed Aussie look’.

Friedrich rolled his eyes. “Maybe. You’re just not the right gender.”

“Huh?”

Friedrich sighed. “She’s a lesbian.”

David was surprised and Friedrich had to laugh at the look on his face. “She and Zoe are lovers.”

David whistled. “Huh. I had no clue. Oh well,” he shrugged.

“Any news from Daniel?” Friederich shifted the conversation back to work.

“Daniel came back an hour ago. He’s tracked Rhimes to this address.” David handed a piece of paper to his friend.

Friedrich read the paper in his hand. “Do they both live here?”

“Don’t know. It might be where one of them lives. He didn’t see Muller, only Rhimes entering with some groceries. So, will Miss H. help us?”

“I don’t know. I’m going back there tomorrow.” Friederich placed the paper on top of the photos and leaned back in his chair.

“Why?”

“I showed her the photo and she was shocked to realize the bastard is still alive. Then Miss Lambros got rather upset with me and we ended up not getting much accomplished after that. Miss Haralambos said they needed to talk about it and asked me to come back tomorrow evening.”

“Do you want a bodyguard tomorrow?” David joked.

Friedrich gave him a dirty look. “I think I can handle myself.”

“Oh yeah, like you did tonight.” David was laughing as he picked up his coat and went to the door. “Well I have a hot date tonight, Freddy, so I’m going off to meet and greet this young woman. Go home and get some rest,” David told him as he left the office.

“David, you heathen.” Friedrich muttered as he went back to studying the pictures.

Chapter Four

“ARGH!”

Zoe screamed in frustration that verged on panic. “Damn it to hell!” She had to find that ring. She just couldn’t lose it. She had been searching the entire flat looking for that ring. It wasn’t expensive but to her it was priceless.

“What’s the matter, you silly goat!” Elena asked as she walked in through the open door of Zoe’s flat. Her brown eyes widened when she saw the state of the living room. It looked like a cyclone had hit it. Cushions and papers were all over the floor.

“I lost it!” Zoe yelled from behind the sofa.

“Old news, Zoe. You lost it a long time ago.”

“Oh, you are a funny woman.”

“You think so?” Elena asked and watched as Zoe searched the sofa trying to find whatever she had lost. “What are you looking for?”

“My ring.” Zoe stood and scowled at Elena. “Are you going to stand there and yap, or help me?”

“You are such a grouch.” Elena grinned and walked over to the window to start looking for the tin plated ring. “Have you looked here yet?”

Zoe looked up from checking underneath the sofa. “Over there? No, not yet.” She checked one more spot near the wall and got to her feet. “I’m going in the bedroom to look. You remember what it looks like, right?” she asked over her shoulder as she exited the living room.

“How many rings do you lose around here?” Elena joked. “Is this the ring Eva gave you?”

A muffled agreement followed by a cry of anguish came from the bedroom.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Elena chuckled and continued her search.

The triumphant cry came from the other room, causing Elena to burst out laughing. She walked over to the bedroom door and leaned against the door frame, looking in at Zoe. The young, auburn-haired woman was sitting on the bed beaming and holding up the cheap tin-plated ring Eva had given her. Her disheveled auburn locks were falling over her eyes as she gave the ring a quick polish on her shorts and slid it back onto her finger.

Still standing at the doorway, Elena remembered the night she’d first met Zoe and then Eva. She had been feeling so alone, with no friends or family. She thanked God every day for that meeting.

The smell of the sea greeted Elena Mannheim as she walked out to the deck of the big refugee liner, The Patris. She breathed in the sea air and exhaled loudly, so glad to be out of that cabin. Since it had been necessary to share it with three other people, it didn’t take long to discover that snoring by threes quickly became unbearable. It wasn’t as if she wasn’t used to sleeping in an overcrowded, dormitory-type environment. Having been forced to spend two years in Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp, she was pretty well cured of the need for quiet to fall asleep. There were exceptions, however. The fact that Mrs. Elimbos was snoring loudly enough to disturb the dead buried at sea was the reason she was out on the deck tonight.

“One more month,” Elena chanted as she sat on a foldaway chair on the deck. She sighed. It was a chilly night and she pulled the thin blanket she’d brought around her to protect against the wind.

“Excuse me, miss, but won’t your parents be worried about you, out here alone at this hour?”

Elena turned to find a steward standing next to her and grinned. “I can’t sleep and I don’t have any parents. I’m alone. Besides, I can take care of myself.”

“Oh, I see. I’m sorry…um…Take care you don’t…uh…fall overboard,” the steward said, then turned and walked off.

Elena’s eyebrows raised to her hairline at the strange warning. She shook her head slightly and pulled the blanket the rest of the way up to her neck, then leaned back in the chair to gaze at the stars. She was indeed alone. Her mother had died in her arms back in Bergen-Belsen. Too weak and frail to fight off the infection that ravaged her body, Sarah Mannheim had quietly slipped away one night. Elena had truly been alone after that, even though the barracks were filled to the rafters with women. She had celebrated her fifteenth birthday alone, cleaning out the latrines. But, in the end, although she didn’t know how or why, she had survived.

Sensing something, Elena was startled to find that someone was standing just a few feet from her. “Hello,” she tentatively said, hoping she was going to be able to speak to someone tonight and maybe have some company.

A petite, chestnut-haired woman turned and grinned. “Hi.”

“Have a seat. We seem to have the whole deck to ourselves tonight,” Elena said as she motioned to the chair beside her.

“Thanks,” the young woman said. “I’m Zoe.” She stuck out her hand.

Elena smiled and shook the young woman’s hand and watched as she sat in the next chair.

“It’s kind of cool out here. Want to share my blanket?”

“Thanks,” Zoe grinned, scooting her chair right next to Elena’s and pulled some of the blanket over her legs. “Can’t sleep?”

“Can sleep, Mrs. Elimbos won’t let me,” Elena corrected.

“How come?”

“Her snoring would wake even the dead,” Elena said with a grin. “You have a snoring partner too?”

Zoe laughed. “Actually, I think I’m the one who snores. No, she’s asleep. She was sick for most of the day with that flu bug and she finally nodded off.”

Elena liked the young woman; she had such an open and honest face. “I’m Elena. Where you from, Zoe?”

“Larissa, Greece, for most of my life and more recently from Egypt,” Zoe replied. “Have you got anyone in Australia?”

“No, I don’t have any family. Just me, myself and I,” Elena joked. “How about you?”

“My family was killed during the war.”

“Kindred spirits, huh?” Elena whispered. “So you’re by yourself then, as well?”

“No, not any more. I’m with my w.. uh .. friend.” Zoe corrected herself and smiled at the young woman.

“Your friend?”

“Yeah, Eva Muller. You may have seen her around; very tall, short dark hair, blue eyes. You can’t miss her, she’s like a lighthouse,” Zoe joked.

Elena nodded her head. She had seen the woman Zoe was describing. The tall female had always seemed rather aloof and cold to her. “Mmm, yes, I’ve seen her, but I thought she was a part of the ship’s crew.”

“What made you think that?” Zoe asked.

“She’s not very friendly.” Elena regretted the words as soon as she uttered them. “Look, I’m sorry…”

“It’s alright. You don’t know her. She’s quiet around people she doesn’t know and I’m sure that it looks like she’s not friendly. But she is really the most loving and giving person I know.”

“Look, Zoe, I didn’t mean…well, it’s… she’s so quiet and I don’t think I’ve heard two words from her. I’ve seen her around and I did hear her speak German once. Is she German?”

“She was born in Austria, but her parents were Greek,” Zoe said quietly.

“Oh, she speaks quite fluent German. I heard her speak to a German couple when they were having some problems with their steward. That’s why I thought she was part of the crew.”

They sat in silence for a few moments. “Look, I’m sorry again for upsetting you…”

Zoe was about to respond when she heard someone else come on deck, then frowned when she looked over and realized that it was Eva. “Hey, you! Why are you out of bed and out here in the cold air?”

“I was wondering where you were,” Eva replied before engaging in a coughing fit.

“You shouldn’t be up here, love. It’s too cold in this wind,” Zoe lightly scolded the tall woman, frowning at her.

“It’s too hot in the cabin, Zoe. I’ll just stay out here for a few minutes,” Eva insisted.

“Well, at least bundle up.” Zoe got out of her chair and fussed around the older woman, pulling the blanket that Eva had brought with her up and around her head. “This is Elena.” She motioned to the young woman still seated. “Elena, this is Eva Haralambos, my friend and one sick, little puppy.”

Elena laughed. She was enjoying her night even though she thought she might have put her foot in her mouth about Zoe’s friend. She watched as the two spoke briefly to each other, then Zoe sat back down again.

“Thanks, Mum,” Eva said and gave Zoe a wink. “Hi, Elena. I see you met my mother here.”

“I have, yes. Are you from Larissa as well?”

“Not exactly. But I met Zoe in Larissa,” Eva replied quietly, sitting down in a chair next to Zoe.

“I was just saying to Zoe that I overheard you speak German and I was wondering if you were German?” Elena never believed in beating around the bush and almost always spoke her mind, though it had gotten her into trouble more than once.

“She didn’t take your head off, did she?” Eva asked as she looked at Zoe who was smiling at her. “I speak German, Italian, Greek and English. But I grew up in Germany.”

“Oh,” Elena replied.

“Come on, Evy, let’s get you inside before you get worse,” Zoe said, pulling the older woman to her feet. “Elena, if you would like to join us, I know I would enjoy talking to you some more.”

Elena looked at the two women. She liked them even though she feared she had gotten off on the wrong foot with the younger of the pair. “Okay, are you sure you don’t want to go back to sleep?” she asked Eva.

“Oh no, that’s fine. Come on then.”

Elena followed them back to the cabin as they walked in front of her. Zoe was still fussing over the older woman. She smiled when she saw Eva kiss Zoe on the cheek and slap her on the behind. They invited Elena into their cabin, which was quite small and Elena tried to figure out how the tall woman coped in such a cramped room.

“Welcome to our broom closet,” Zoe joked as she got Eva back in bed. She looked down at her friend in mock exasperation. “Can you please stay here?”

Elena watched the two women interact and she didn’t need to be told they were more than friends. She had seen a few women who preferred companionship with other women in the concentration camp. It was forbidden, but that still didn’t stop them. She had asked her mother about it and her mother said that Elena had enough to worry about and to forget about those women. She couldn’t exactly forget since they shared a bunk beside her.

“Were you married?” Elena asked, hoping that they would say that they had been, because she didn’t want to find out that her new-found friend was a lesbian.

Eva lifted her head from her pillow and grinned at Zoe. “Why do you ask?”

“Well, you’re both alone and you’re sailing for Australia…”

Zoe glanced at her new friend and brought up the blanket to cover Eva’s shoulders. “So are you.”

“Good point,” Elena grinned.

“Why are you going to Australia?” Eva asked a little sleepily as the tiredness overcame her.

“I’m Jewish,” Elena replied and glanced at Zoe to see a reaction. When she didn’t get the response she thought she was going to get, she continued. “Well, after they burnt down our shop, Mama and Papa decided it was too dangerous to stay there and we fled. We went to Thessalonika. Papa had a cousin there so we stayed with them. When Greece was invaded, we were trapped there.”

“What happened?” Zoe asked as she poured Elena a cup of lemonade.

“Hitler’s final solution. He was going to find and kill all the Jews.” Elena’s voice grew slightly bitter. “We were treated worse than animals. I remember the commandant of the camp had this cat… it went all over the place. It was treated much better than we were. I was at Bergen-Belsen camp until the last few months of the war and then we were all going to be shipped to Auschwitz.”

“I’ve heard stories about Auschwitz. Mrs. Hoffman, the lady I was translating for, was in that camp,” Eva said.

“Well, they all are true. All the horror stories are true,” Elena stated quietly. She didn’t want to think about the camps because, if she did, she would lose any control she had over those memories.

“I’m sorry, Elena,” Eva whispered.

“You know, Eva, I think those poor souls that died are the lucky ones; the survivors are the ones that have to live with the nightmares…” Elena stopped. She didn’t want to let those memories take over again.

“How did you survive?” Zoe asked.

“I don’t know. Fate, God, luck…I really don’t know. Everyone was being shipped off to Auschwitz. In the boxcar I was in, well, some of the men managed to get some of the rotten timbers pulled out and they jumped. I don’t think the guards were aware of it. I remember seeing a patch of blue sky and thinking it might be the last thing I’d ever see. I just closed my eyes and jumped. I woke up a few days later. You know the first thing I saw? This ugly shade of green of a tent… I’ve never been so happy to see that particular shade of green in all my life,” Elena said and sipped her drink. “You’re not Jewish?”

“No, we’re Greek,” Zoe replied.

“Eva doesn’t sound Greek,” Elena chuckled.

“No, she grew up in Germany but her parents were Greek. Long story,” Zoe glanced at her sleeping partner and smiled.

“How did you meet?”

“In Larissa, that’s where I’m from. Her stepfather was the German commander of the area and he brought her along.”

“Wow,” Elena whispered. “You became friends with the enemy?”

Zoe looked up sharply. “She wasn’t the enemy.” The young woman’s tone softened. “Well she was but she wasn’t really.” The youthful face brightened.

“And you became friends?”

Zoe grinned. “Yeah, but more than that.”

“Oh?”

“I wanted to kill her because I thought she was the enemy but I found out she was helping the Resistance, so I didn’t,” Zoe replied and gently brushed Eva’s hair away from her face. “I couldn’t kill her.”

Elena watched the young woman and sighed. “You and she are…”

“Lovers,” Zoe supplied. “Partners.”

“Oh,” Elena whispered. The two women sat in silence for a few moments looking at each other. “That’s not normal, is it?”

“It’s normal for me,” Zoe replied a little defensively. “I’m different to you. Do you hate me for that?”

“No, I like you,” Elena replied with a smile.

“That’s good, because I like you,” Zoe returned the smile and Elena somehow knew that a friendship had been born that night. She had just met the young woman and yet she felt she had known her all her life.

*

“You’re a goof, Zoe.” Elena said as her friend looked up. Zoe had tears running down her face. “Hey, what’s the matter?” She went to Zoe’s side. “You found the ring. Why are you crying?”

“I thought I had lost it.”

“It’s only a cheap ring, Zoe.”

Zoe brushed away the tears. “No, it’s not. It’s a part of Eva,” she said quietly. The ring meant a great deal to the young woman. The ring symbolized a love so deep that she couldn’t express it in words.

Elena smiled. For all the brashness and smart-mouthed bravado that Zoe displayed, she had a sweet naďveté to her that endeared her to Elena.

“You are a part of Eva. Now stop being a goof and let’s clean up this place, or your Eva is going to have a major fit when she sees all this mess!”

*

Eva was tired. It was hot and the bus was crammed with people who wished they were elsewhere, just as she did. She stood and tried to hang on as the bus took a turn. Friedrich Jacobs would be coming over to their flat tonight. Her mind went over the previous night’s events and she mentally shook her head. Her stepfather was alive. Eva didn’t want to believe it, but she couldn’t deny it once she’d seen the photographs. The burned and disfigured man in the pictures was definitely her stepfather, Hans Muller.

The bus stopped and Eva got off and exhaled. The weather was stifling hot and she was sure that Zoe would be either in the bathtub or outside trying to cool off. It was exactly where she wanted to be.

She rounded the corner to her street and stopped. Zoe was indeed outside. She was barefoot and wearing one of Eva’s old shirts that hung down to her knees. Eva started toward the flats and saw that Zoe had a hose in hand watering the flowers, although she looked like she had watered herself more than the flowerbed. Her hair was soaked and her lightly tanned and wet skin glistened in the sun. The drenched shirt clung to her petite frame and a darker colored bra was visible underneath. The mere sight of her lover always managed to energize Eva and she smiled at the smaller woman as she turned off the sidewalk and started up the front walk to the block of flats. It was good to be home.

Zoe turned and saw her partner, looking tired and hot, standing there with a grin. Zoe grinned back and turned the hose on her, making her squeal.

“Oh, I needed that, thanks love,” Eva said as she tackled the young woman to the grass. Both women were now thoroughly wet as they fought over control of the water hose. They were interrupted by a throat being cleared. Loudly.

“Miss Harlimbos!”

“Haralambos. God, will she ever get that right?” Zoe muttered as they both paused and faced a portly woman in her mid 60’s. Mrs. Nellie Jenkins was standing there watching the two very wet, young women play with a scowl on her face. She shook her head.

“Mrs. Jenkins, how are you?” Eva asked as she got up and pulled Zoe with her.

“It’s hot,” Mrs. Jenkins said, stating the obvious. Eva had just spent eight hours on a hot factory floor. Of course she knew it was hot, but she bit back a retort.

“Indeed,” she said and gave the old woman a smile.

“Eva, can I call you Eva?”

Eva nodded her head. She was just too tired to start anything with this woman today.

“Eva, there is a dance coming up next week and my poor Harry, you remember I told you about Harry? Or did I tell Mrs. Deakin about Harry?”

Eva noticed the mischievous look in Zoe’s eyes and the hose in her hand and stopped her before she drenched the old woman. Suppressing a chuckle, Eva said, “Of course I remember Harry.”

Zoe rolled her eyes at yet another attempt by Mrs. Jenkins to get Eva to go out with a Jenkins nephew.

“Well, Harry will be in town. He’s just back from the war and everything. A hero, you know. He fought in Greece, did you know that?”

“No, I didn’t,” Eva replied

“Yes, the poor dear got captured by the Germans, although he did say that a nice Greek family sheltered him for a few months before he was discovered. You Greeks are so hospitable. Anyway, he’s back and, well, the dance is next week and he has no one to go with. Your sister told me last week that you only like Greek boys, so I was wondering, I know Harry isn’t Greek, but he does speak Greek and every time I hear him he sounds to me like he could even pass as a Greek.”

Eva gave the old woman a half-hearted smile.

“I know you’re tired, working in that factory all day. I don’t know if your sister told you but my sister Gladys has a haberdashery shop and she’s looking for a sales clerk,” Mrs. Jenkins grinned at the tall woman. “She can’t get anyone who speaks good English and I don’t know why!”

Now Eva wondered if stopping Zoe with the hose had been the wrong choice.

“You would be absolutely perfect for the job,” the old woman continued. “Have a think about it and let me know, all right? And of course Harry will be ever so eager to meet you. I’ve told him all about you. Now, can you tell me who this belongs to?” Mrs. Jenkins handed an envelope to Eva, who took it and smiled.

“That’s for us.” She showed the letter to Zoe.

“It’s foreign! Why don’t they send mail in English so at least we know where it goes!” Mrs. Jenkins muttered. “You know, I should ask my Harry to teach me some Greek!” she laughed. “Now, think about what I said and let me know soon.”

She turned to Zoe. “I’m sorry, Zoe, I don’t think Harry will come with a friend, but I’m sure we’ll find a nice young boy to go out with you to the dance.” She gave Zoe a hopeful little smile, then waved at them and waddled off.

“That fat…” Zoe was stopped by Eva putting her hand over her mouth.

“Be nice, Zoe. Come on let’s get inside.”

Zoe put down the hose and shut the water off and followed Eva back into their flat. When she closed the door, she turned and hugged the older woman.

“You smell like chocolate chip cookies! Well, like wet chocolate chip cookies.” Zoe giggled and kissed her. “Mmm, you even taste like chocolate chip cookies!”

“Ah, thanks, I think,” Eva replied. “I was in the cookie section again today. Must have been over 120 degrees in there.”

“I’ll run a nice cold bath for you,” Zoe offered as she headed for the bathroom. Eva watched her walk off, the shorts she was wearing were still damp and clinging to every curve of Zoe’s hips and rear. She stood there a moment, enjoying the sight, then followed Zoe to the bathroom.

Eva stood at the door watching her younger lover and smiled. It was good to be home after the day she’d had and to be greeted by the most important person in her life.

“So Harry is coming next week… Do you think I should wear the red dress, or the blue?” Eva teased and Zoe stopped what she was doing for a moment.

“So you’re going to dump me for the first pseudo-Greek you meet?” Zoe asked as she poured some perfume into the bath.

“Oh, absolutely!” Eva replied, grinning at Zoe.

Zoe closed the distance between them and, looking up at the Eva’s grinning face, slid her hand under Eva’s blouse. “Well, he can’t have you,” she stated, running her hand up Eva’s back. “You’re mine.”

Eva shivered with delight as Zoe stood on tiptoe to meet her inviting lips.

Passionately, she explored every inch of Eva’s sweet mouth and when her teasing tongue met Eva’s, both their bodies shuddered with electricity. Embraced in the euphoria of the kiss, Eva was oblivious to Zoe’s wandering hand unlatching her bra, or of it falling to the floor. Not until Zoe pulled away did she become aware of the ache in her breasts or the tingling feeling running all over her body. Panting from excitement, she looked down at her bra and grinned at Zoe. “How did you do that?” she giggled.

“Practice,” Zoe mumbled. She slowly unbuttoned each button until Eva’s blouse joined her bra on the floor. Eva returned the favor and reached up under Zoe’s T-shirt and unhooked her bra, then pulled her shirt and bra off with one motion. They continued helping each other quickly undress, until their beautiful naked bodies pressed together in an explosion of feeling.

“I love you, Zoe,” Eva exclaimed with a passionate slur.

“Evy, you talk too much,” Zoe said and took her lover’s hand and led her out of the bathroom and toward their bed.

*

The grandfather clocked chimed six times as Eva came out of the bathroom with a towel around her body and another wrapped around her head. She entered the bedroom to find Zoe stretched out on the bed and smiling up at her. “I could get used to the smell of cookies,” she said as she waggled her eyebrows.

Eva grinned and removed her towel to stand there naked, which got a whistle from her lover .

“You like the view?”

“Oh yeah, very nice.”

“You have way too much energy, young lady,” Eva replied, putting on a light yellow shirt and beginning to button it. She was stopped by Zoe.

“Let me,” Zoe whispered and slowly began to button the shirt. She stopped at the button below the collar and pulled it back slightly to reveal a small scar. “Does that still hurt?” she asked as she traced the scar left by the bullet that had nearly killed her lover. She softly kissed it.

“Sometimes, when the weather changes,” Eva replied, holding the smaller woman. They looked into each other’s eyes, both of them all too aware of how close they had come to losing each other. Eva leaned down and kissed Zoe, putting all her love into the caress.

The knock on the door interrupted any other romantic thoughts and Zoe let out a frustrated groan, reluctantly letting go of Eva and flopping herself down on the bed. Eva grinned at her as she finished dressing, then walked out of the bedroom to get the door.

She opened the door to Elena, who was standing there with a large bowl in her hand.

“Your timing is really lousy,” Eva said and motioned for her friend to enter.

“Yeah, yeah, you should thank me. Zoe will wear you out before your time,” Elena quipped as Eva closed the door.

“Did I hear my name?” Zoe asked as she closed the bedroom door behind her.

“She said you’ll wear me out before my time,” Eva whispered to Zoe and stole a quick kiss.

“Have you been listening through the wall again?” Zoe wagged her finger at Elena.

“Didn’t have to, I saw you two outside earlier, wrestling with the hose. I think Mrs. Jenkins is blind.” Elena put the bowl down. “I bring gifts!” She uncovered the bowl of coconut balls.

“Beware Greeks bearing Gifts,” Zoe mumbled as she ate a couple of the small balls.

“Yeah, but I’m not Greek, Zoe,” Elena replied.

“Honorary Greek,” Eva said as she picked up the letter that Mrs. Jenkins had given her. “Zo, who do we know in America?”

“That nice spunky doctor who saved your life,” Zoe said and winked. “I forget his name.”

“You saved my life, love, he just patched me up,” Eva replied as she opened the letter. Before Eva could start reading, there was another knock on the door. Eva put down the letter and crossed to open it.

Standing at the door was a man with a cane in his hand. His hair was white, with a smattering of black. His clear blue eyes sparkled with a hint of mischief. He was clean shaven and wore a smart suit. Eva didn’t recognize him and figured him for just another salesman. “Zoe, for you.” She let the younger woman handle the salesmen, knowing they’d never return once Zoe finished with them. She turned to go back to her letter reading.

“Aren’t you going to invite your father into your home?”

Eva turned around quickly at the voice. She knew that voice. Zoe quickly came from the living room followed by Elena.

“F..Father H?” Zoe was the first to speak as her partner was rooted to the spot, unable to move.

The man smiled broadly and winked. “What does a man have to do to get a kiss from his daughters?”

Zoe was the first to jump into Father Haralambos’ arms, nearly bowling him over. Eva hung back, not fully believing that the man standing in front of her was indeed her father. A father she thought she had lost. Zoe was all over the big man, hugging and kissing him on the cheek.

“Zoe, you’re going to kill me with kindness!” Panayiotis said and laughed as he was led, almost dragged, through the doorway and into the living room.

Eva watched her younger partner’s exuberance. Zoe looked back at Eva and grinned, then caught Elena’s attention. “Okay, Elena my dear, I think this is the perfect moment to go into the kitchen with me and tell me how you did those coconut thingies.” She took Elena by the arm and steered her into the kitchen, closing the door and allowing Eva some privacy with her father.

Father and daughter stood for a moment, looking at each other. Tears ran down Eva’s face as she closed the space between them and jumped into her father’s embrace. She hugged him with every ounce of her energy.

Panayiotis Haralambos was now content. He held his only daughter in his arms and he knew if he died at that moment, his life would be complete. It had been a difficult time for the older man and his prayers had been answered.

“I love you, my child,” Panayiotis said as he held the sobbing woman in his arms. His own tears tracked down his face. “Here, let me look at you.” He held Eva at arms’ length and looked at her. “You’re a bit skinny. Is Zoe not feeding you??”

Eva laughed through her tears and brushed some of them away. “I’ve missed you so much.” She could still barely speak.

“Can we sit down?” he asked, as he gingerly made his way to the couch. He stretched out his bad leg, which was the lasting reminder of the train crash. Eva knelt beside him on the couch, still not believing her eyes. Her father was sitting in her living room.

Alive.

“You don’t believe it, eh?” the former cleric said, his eyes sparkling with happiness.

“D..Does Thanasi know? He didn’t say anything about it in his last letter! You went back to Greece? How did you escape? Were you on the train when it blew?”

“Whoa, one question at a time!” He put up his hands in surrender at the volley of questions directed at him. “Before I answer those questions, tell me about yourself.” He took Eva’s still trembling hands into his, feeling her fingers wrap around his. “Are you happy, my child?”

She looked down at her hands entwined with her father’s. “Well, I don’t like the heat and the language was hard to learn…” She looked back up into her father’s eyes and a broad smile lit up her face. “But, yes, father, I’m very happy!” She lifted her arms to encircle his neck and placed a kiss on his cheek, then rested her head on his shoulder with a sigh. “Having you here makes me even happier.”

“That’s all that matters. I like your short hair, it suits you.” Her former long hair had been cut into a bob and it framed her beautiful face. Father Haralambos lifted a hand to run his fingers through it. “Your mother had her hair like that.” Panayiotis smiled. Eva looked so much like her mother he would have sworn that it was Daphne who had opened the door. “Now, do you think you can call Zoe back in from the kitchen so I can greet my other daughter again?”

Eva wiped away the remaining tears, then cupped her father’s cheek and gave him a loving look. “Zoe, get out here!” she called. Zoe and Elena came out of the kitchen with a plate of cheese, olives and biscuits.

Father Haralambos roared with laughter at the sight. Zoe’s sense of humor had survived, he thought to himself. He remembered some years ago that he mentioned he hated the sight of feta cheese and olives. He hadn’t thought Zoe would remember.

Elena looked at the three and wondered what was so funny about feta cheese and olives. She put the tray down on the table in front of the older man.

“Hi, since these two are quite rude, I’ll introduce myself. My name is Elena Mannheim,” Elena said and extended her hand with a grin.

Father Haralambos chuckled. He liked this dark-haired young woman. “Pleased to meet you, Elena. You may have guessed that I’m Eva’s father.”

“Wouldn’t have guessed,” Elena quipped back.

Elena sat down and watched as her two friends were all over the older man. She had never seen Eva smile like that before. It reached her eyes and made her look years younger. Zoe was her usual boisterous self, but Elena could tell that she also dearly loved the man sitting between them. She smiled at the two women as they caught up with the large, older man who called both of them his daughters.

Chapter Five

THE CORRIDOR LIGHT BULB flickered on and off which annoyed Zoe since she had asked for it to be replaced numerous times and no one had done anything about it. The two young women left the flat, closing the door leaving Panayiotis and Eva in the living room.

“Thanks for the coconut thingies, El,” Zoe said.

“Are we still going out tomorrow?” Elena asked, referring to their usual weekly excursion to Farmer’s Department Store in the city. They had both discovered they loved to shop and had spent many hours window shopping. It had brought them closer together, in a strange kind of way. Zoe discovered early on in her relationship with Eva that the older woman passionately hated shopping.

“Oh absolutely! I want to buy that blue and white shirt for Evy; it matches her eyes,” Zoe said excitedly. Zoe had found the shirt after countless hours searching for a special gift for her partner. Her birthday was coming up soon and since she hadn’t had the money to give her a gift the previous year, Zoe was going to make up for it this birthday.

“Okay, great. By the way, I love Eva’s father.”

“Oh yeah, I love him dearly. We have a lot to catch up on. I’ll give you all the juicy bits tomorrow. Thanks for coming over,” Zoe said as she watched Elena open her own door and disappear inside with a wave.

Zoe went back into her apartment where she found Eva nestled in Father Haralambos’ embrace. She smiled. Eva had her eyes closed and a look of pure contentment on her face.

“So, Father H,” Zoe asked as she sat next to him. “What happened on the train?”

“Ah, the train. Well, we left the station and I’m not sure how long we traveled. And then I heard an explosion and that was it. I don’t remember much else. I woke up in a tent with people speaking bad Greek,” Panayiotis laughed. “Very bad Greek. It wasn’t until a few days later that I realized it was the Americans. I asked them to forward a note to you.”

“We didn’t get a note,” Eva replied.

“Oh. You thought I was dead,” Panayiotis said sadly. He had tried to send the note with a young medic who assured him he would pass it on. “I guess they had more pressing matters than playing postman.”

“Eva was hurt too,” Zoe said and took her partner’s hand. “Muller tried to kill her.”

Panayiotis was shocked. “What happened?”

“Reinhardt found out about Zoe and me and Muller ordered my death. He would have succeeded if Zoe hadn’t brought half the Resistance with her,” Eva said and smiled at the young woman. “Reinhardt shot me.”

“Oh, my dear child! Are you okay now?”

“I am now. When the weather changes my shoulder aches, but I’m okay. I’ve got Zoe and now I have you,” Eva replied and hugged her father.

Zoe asked the obvious question. “So what happened after you woke up? Why didn’t you come and find us?”

“I got moved to a hospital ship. I didn’t know about it until I woke up again. That’s when I met my angel.”

“You died?” Eva asked.

Panayiotis laughed. “No, I met Alberta. She was my nurse - Alberta Fisherman.” He looked at the expectant faces of his two daughters and grinned. “My wife.”

Eva and Zoe looked at each other and then back at their father. “Your wife?” Zoe asked, as Eva was shocked. She tried to say something but a squeak emanated from her mouth and she decided to shut up.

“Yes, I fell in love with her. She is my angel.”

“Where is she?!” Eva exclaimed as she found her voice. She was happy that her father had found happiness. She was just shocked, as she didn’t think he would ever leave the priesthood. “Is she Greek?”

“No. She’s an American, but she speaks fluent Greek, German and Spanish. She’s at the hotel. She wanted me to come alone tonight and break it to you gently,” Panayiotis replied. He had been quite nervous about coming over.

In fact, he was so nervous that his tie was becoming one huge knot.

“Pany, stop being such a scaredy cat. This is your daughter!” Alberta scolded as she adjusted his tie. “She’s going to fall over when she sees you.”

“Come with me, angel,” Panayiotis begged. He wasn’t sure why he was so worried. He loved Eva with all his heart and it was her face he had imagined as the train left Larissa.

His wife had looked at him with a twinkle in her eye. “You need this reunion to be with you and your daughter. I will meet her tomorrow.”

“Alberta Haralambos, you’re not making my life any easier.”

“I love you, Pany, but sometimes you are such a scaredy cat,” Alberta laughed.

“Why didn’t you come back?” Eva asked.

“The war in Greece was heating up and the Americans wanted the hospital ship out of harm’s way, so we sailed away. I thought you would have gotten my note.”

“The letter,” Eva whispered and picked up the letter they’d received from Mrs. Jenkins.

“I mailed that when we left home. I married Alberta when we arrived in America and we’ve made our home there. I didn’t know you were still alive. When you didn’t reply to my letter, I thought you had gone back to Germany or…”

“That I had died,” Eva whispered.

“Yes,” Panayiotis said. He remembered the pain in his heart when he realized that he wasn’t going to get an answer to his letter. He’d cried that night; Alberta had held him for what seemed like hours. “I lost hope that you were still alive.”

“Oh, father,” Eva said and kissed her father. “I’m so sorry. I was in an American hospital unit in Larissa and then we went to Egypt because you told Thanasi to take us away. We spent a year in Egypt and then we sailed for Australia.”

“How did you know we were here?” Zoe asked.

Panayiotis grinned. “Thanasi told me.”

“You saw Thanasi? When! He didn’t say anything in his last letter!” Zoe said excitedly.

“I asked him not to. Alberta and I ran into a friend of his. You remember Dimitri? Well I spotted him in town.” Panayiotis stopped and took a sip of his tea. That had been a red letter day, as Alberta called them.

Panayiotis was limping towards the bakery to get his wife those little cakes she loved so much, when he turned the corner and froze in his tracks. Just a few feet away was a young man he knew instantly.

“Dimitri?”

The man turned and asked, “Do I know you?”

Panayiotis mentally chastised himself; of course he couldn’t recognize him. He had shaved off his long beard and wasn’t wearing his black robes.

“You are from Larissa in Greece?”

“Yes.”

“My name is Panayiotis Haralambos…”

The boy’s face lit up when he realized he was talking to the man that saved him from being a street urchin.

“Father?! Is that you? Mary, mother of God!” He picked up the priest in a bear hug and began laughing. The people around grinned at his happy dance with the older man gripped in a tight hug. “Father, I thought you were dead!”

“No, I’m alive. How are you my son?”

“Oh I’m great! Wait until I tell Thanasi you’re alive. He is going to flip.”

“Is Thanasi well?”

“A little banged up, but that’s war for you. Eva is going to want to swim here when she hears this news!”

“Eva is alive?” he marveled. He had lost hope of hearing from his daughter, fearing she was dead. “And Zoe?”

“Oh, very much alive. They are in Australia, the land of milk and honey, or so I’m told. You know they have kangaroos that hop down the street there.” The young man laughed. He couldn’t believe his mentor was alive.

“In Australia?” Panayiotis said as an idea came to him.

“As you know, the civil war is still going on, but we managed to get Thanasi a message. He wrote back and he gave me your address.”

“That little sneak!” Zoe vowed to give him a piece of her mind in her next letter.

“So is my stepmother at the hotel now?” Eva asked. She liked the sound of that word. She wanted to meet the woman who had claimed her father’s love.

“Yes, but she isn’t expecting me back tonight, so I’m all yours. Now, where can I rest my weary bones?”

“You can sleep in Zoe’s room and tomorrow I’ll speak to Mrs. Jenkins, she’s our landlady, about getting the spare flat, if you want.”

“Hmm… living near you? That’s perfect!” her father exclaimed, causing both women to smile happily. He couldn’t wait to tell Alberta about this! This was the Eva he knew and loved. But then he belatedly realized there were two bedrooms in the flat and he frowned.

“You have your own room?” he asked Zoe.

Zoe grinned. “Oh yeah.”

Panayiotis looked between the two women. Eva had a serious expression on her face. “You’re not together?”

“She’s married, father,” Eva said and suppressed the grin that was threatening to explode.

“WHAT?!” His eyebrows rose and he half stood in surprise.

“Yep, see?” Zoe showed off the ring.

He took her hand. The simple band was on her ring finger and the former priest frowned. He looked at both of them in shock. The last time he had seen the girls, they confessed to him about their love for each other. He wondered what had happened to cause Zoe to get married.

Eva felt sorry for her father and she grinned.

“Yeah, Zoe fell in love on the ship. She was asked and she said yes.”

“Hey, I was in love long before then, I just got married on the ship. Seems it took ‘somebody’ a long time to get the courage to ask me!” Zoe said with a teasing smile.

“Where is he?” Panayiotis asked, still trying to figure out the change.

“Who?” Zoe innocently asked.

“Your husband.”

“Right here,” Zoe replied and hugged Eva.

“I’m confused,” Panayiotis complained.

Both of the girls lost their composure and burst out laughing. “Gotcha. That will teach you to surprise us!” Eva said and hugged her father. “I asked Zoe to be my partner on the ship and she said yes; we’ve been married now for seven months.”

Panayiotis grinned. “Does that mean I won’t get any grandchildren?” Zoe lost her composure entirely and fell on the floor laughing. “I’ll take that as bad news then,” he said.

“Not unless Harry gets Eva pregnant, you won’t.”

“Who is Harry?”

“Eva’s boyfriend,” Zoe mumbled and then quickly looked away.

Panayiotis was confused again. “You have a boyfriend?”

Eva turned to her father. “Mrs. Jenkins has been trying to get me to go out with any number of her nephews since we arrived. She thinks I’m a good catch. She arranged for her nephew Harry, who was in Greece during the war and can speak Greek, to go out with me. Zoe told Mrs. Jenkins that I don’t go out with men who aren’t Greek so being resourceful, she set me up with a…”

“Pseudo-Greek,” Zoe supplied.

“A pseudo-Greek. So I’m going to the dance with this Harry Jenkins.”

“You are?” Zoe stopped and looked back at her partner.

“Have to, love, or else she will suspect something isn’t right.”

“I don’t like it,” Zoe said and went and sat in the opposite chair. “You could tell him you’re not interested.”

Eva looked at her father. He wisely decided to check out the kitchen, leaving the two of them alone. Eva went and knelt beside her sulking spouse. She put her hand on Zoe’s knee. “Zoe, come on, you know we have to go through with this ruse. You certainly know that I don’t want to go out with Harry or any other man. What’s the matter?”

“I don’t like it that you’re going to go out with him. He’s going to have his hands all over you.”

Eva suppressed a grin. Zoe was jealous. It was the first time she had seen the young woman acting this way and in a funny kind of way, she found it endearing. Zoe had a pout that was so adorable, Eva wanted to kiss her senseless.

“Honey, he won’t have his hands all over me. I promise he won’t. I love you,” Eva said and kissed her partner gently.

“He’s going to think you are available and then…you might…”

“Zoe Lambros, I don’t believe you would even think that I would cheat on you,” Eva tried to calm Zoe. She wasn’t sure where Zoe’s insecurities had come from. “I love you and I always will. I’m here because of you, don’t you know that?” she asked the young woman, brushing away Zoe’s tears that started to fall.

“I’m scared,” Zoe whispered.

“Of what? Harry? It’s just a dance, love. Is that what you’re scared about?”

Zoe nodded. “And Muller.”

Eva gathered her lover in her arms. “He can’t touch us now. We’re not back in Greece.”

Zoe looked up at her partner; her eyes held unshed tears that threatened to fall. “I don’t want to ever lose you,” Zoe said as her voice broke.

“I promise you, I won’t ever leave you,” Eva replied softly and bent down and passionately kissed her partner to reinforce her promise. “Ever.”

Zoe sniffed. She looked into Eva’s eyes and hugged the woman. She was terrified of what Muller would do if he knew that Eva was alive. It still caused her many a sleepless night filled with nightmares. It was always the same dream, Muller standing over Eva’s dead body, pointing at her and yelling that she had killed her lover. Zoe shuddered at the memory of her beloved, dead on the floor. She couldn’t bring herself to tell Eva.

Eva wiped away the remaining tears. “Are you feeling any better?”

Zoe nodded.

“Okay so do you think we can get Father out of the kitchen now?” Eva asked and grinned. Zoe nodded.

“Father, you can come out now.”

Panayiotis limped out of the kitchen holding a plate with some coconut balls. He put them on the table. “These are nice.” He sat back on the sofa.

“Zoe is feeling a little scared at the moment. We found out yesterday that Major Muller survived and he is here.”

“Muller is in Sydney? How do you know?” Panayiotis asked his daughter. He watched as Zoe hugged the older woman.

The knock on the door forestalled Eva’s response and she got up and opened it. Friedrich Jacobs stood there with his hat in his hands.

“Mr. Jacobs, please come in,” Eva said, opening the door wider.

Friedrich entered to find an older man sitting rather stiffly on the sofa. Zoe had moved from her seat and sat next to him. She looked rather subdued and he hoped he would not have a repeat of the previous night.

Eva made the introductions. “Mr. Jacobs, this my father, Panayiotis Haralambos. Father, this is Friedrich Jacobs.”

“Pleased to meet you, sir. Uh, I thought…” Friedrich was confused. He thought Eva’s father was dead.

“Are you Zoe’s boyfriend?” Panayiotis asked. With all the mention of men being used as a ruse, the former priest thought he must be Zoe’s friend.

“Oh no, sir, I mean…what?” Jacobs stammered and then shut his mouth. Zoe grinned.

“Mr. Jacobs is an investigator. He told us about Muller being in Sydney,” Eva explained and sat next to Zoe, putting an arm around her. “He came yesterday to tell us about it, but it kind of got out of control.” She squeezed Zoe’s hand.

“Oh, I see,” Panayiotis said and nodded.

Friedrich sat down and opened his briefcase. He took out the folders. “We have located where Mr. Muller has been living.”

“Why don’t you just arrest him then?” Zoe asked, hoping that was what he was going to tell them.

“We were going to, but they escaped this morning,” Friedrich replied. “We had traced them to a block of flats in Newtown.”

“Who else is with him?” Eva asked.

Friedrich pulled out several photos and handed them to Eva. She looked closely at the men standing beside Muller, but didn’t recognize any of them. That is, until she saw one particularly grim-looking man. “Rhimes.”

“Yes, we know. It seems Rhimes and your fa..”

“Stepfather. Her father is Panayiotis Haralambos,” Zoe interrupted, raising her voice to make her point.

Friedrich couldn’t believe he let that slip. He mentally slapped himself. “I’m sorry, Miss Haralambos…”

Panayiotis was taken aback. He looked at Eva and they smiled at each other. She had taken his name and he was extraordinarily pleased.

“Rhimes and Major Muller are connected with a group of ex-Nazis who have formed a network. The problem for Muller is that he needs medical treatments for his burns.”

“What happened to him?” Panayiotis asked.

“The Resistance bombed his house while he was inside. He survived and escaped to Thessaloniki, but his burns weren’t treated and they got infected,” Jacobs replied.

“Couldn’t have happened to a nicer boofhead,” Zoe chimed in.

“Boofhead?” the former priest asked.

Eva chuckled. “Australian slang for idiot.” She turned to Jacobs. “So what do you want us to do.”

“At the moment, nothing. We have to wait until he resurfaces.”

“But why do you need us?” Zoe asked.

This was where Friedrich feared there would be the major problems. He knew the feisty young woman would react angrily and he steeled himself for it. “We want Miss Haralambos to be the bait.” He winced, waiting for the explosion to come.

“How?” Eva asked.

Friedrich was surprised. He glanced at Zoe who had her head down. “We can put it out on the Nazi grapevine that you will testify at Nuremberg against him…”

“That isn’t true, is it?” Zoe asked. She didn’t want Eva to go back to Germany.

“No. We have enough witnesses in Greece and Germany. We don’t need Miss Haralambos. But Muller doesn’t know that. It will also be leaked that you can testify against Rhimes and others, since you were close to them.”

“I wasn’t ‘close’ to them, Mr. Jacobs,” Eva responded coldly. “I was a witness to their brutality but I wasn’t ‘close’ to them.” She held on to Zoe, who looked ready to pounce on the hapless man. She needed to control her young partner’s anger as well as fight back her own fears. The possibility of Muller coming after her sent shivers down Eva’s spine and she hoped that no one in the room noticed her trembling. She knew she had to do this, so that this monster could not be allowed to roam free, but the weight of impending doom loomed heavy on her heart. Somehow she had to catch the devil himself without getting her beloved Zoe caught in the middle.

“Miss Haralambos, I seem to be putting my foot in my mouth. My Greek isn’t that good, so please excuse me for the poor choice of words. I meant you were ‘close’ in the sense that you were with them…I mean you knew them,” Jacobs tried to explain himself. “I didn’t mean that you were ‘close to them’ in the sense that …” Friedrich tried to get out of the mess he had made for himself. Maybe he should have gotten David to come with him.

He got up and retrieved his folders. “I’ll be in contact in a day or so, after we get the latest field report.” He put his folders in his back. “I’m pleased to have met you, sir.” He shook Panayiotis’ hand.

“Same here, young man.”

Eva walked Jacobs to the door. “I will contact you in a few days,” he told her.

“Looking forward to it,” Eva mumbled as she saw the man out. She turned back towards the living room.

“What a day,” she said and sat down next to Zoe.

“Boring as usual,” Zoe replied and gave her a peck on the cheek, causing the three of them to start chuckling..

*

“YOU! You killed her.”

Muller stood over Eva’s battered body, a gun in his hand. He was laughing at the sight of Eva’s blood splattered on his clothes. In fact, blood was everywhere, on their clothes, the bed and the walls. Zoe looked down at her hands, at the blood on her hands and she screamed.

Zoe bolted upright, freeing herself from the bonds of the nightmare. Her heart ached from the images of her lover, battered and bloody. Her breath came in shallow gasps as she wiped the sweat from her brow. She glanced at the nightstand and grimaced at the clock. It was 2:00a.m. and, as had happened several times before, even in Greece, the same nightmare had invaded her sleep.

‘Eva, my precious Eva’, she thought and turned to look at her lover, who was contently sleeping on her stomach, the thin sheet pooled around her waist, exposing her scarred back. The moon’s soft beams illuminated her broad shoulders, highlighting her silky hair in such a way that Zoe sighed at the sight. Laying back to watch her lover sleeping, Zoe propped herself up on one arm and gently traced the faint scars put there by the hand of her stepfather and uncle. She caught her breath as she touched the scar from the bullet that had shattered Eva’s collarbone and almost taken her life. Zoe softly kissed the scarred shoulder and reaffirmed that she never wanted to lose this woman.

Eva stirred and turned around. She opened sleepy blue eyes to gaze at Zoe. “What’s the matter, love?”

“Couldn’t sleep,” Zoe replied brushing away Eva’s bangs. “I had a nightmare.”

Eva’s eyes instantly misted and she scooped the younger woman into her arms and embraced her. She had woken a few times to Zoe’s screams of ‘NO!’ and she would sit and cradle her until she fell back asleep. But Zoe would never tell her what the dreams were about and she felt frustrated as to how to help her.

“Eva, I’m sorry I got jealous about Jenkins,” Zoe said softly as she laid her head against Eva’s shoulder.

“It’s alright. You don’t have anything to worry about. You’ve already claimed me,” Eva replied and kissed the dark head. “You are the love of my life; why would I need to search for what I already have?”

Zoe looked at the love of her life and softly kissed her. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Zoe” Eva replied as she gave Zoe another kiss. “Please Zoe, please tell me what the dream was. I want to be here for you, but how can I when you won’t confide in me?”

Zoe looked into those concerned blue eyes and knew she had to tell her partner the grim details of her nightmares. Taking a deep breath, Zoe held on to Eva as she shared her darkest horrors. Eva closed her eyes as the tears came, for it was the same dream she had experienced many times herself, but it was Zoe who was killed.

“He can’t hurt us any more,” she whispered “As long as we have each other, no one can hurt us ever again.” Zoe laid her head on her partner’s shoulder and the two held each other long into the night.

Chapter Six

EVA YAWNED. SHE WAS HOT, tired and she wanted to go to sleep. She glanced up at the large clock in the staff cafeteria and sighed. Another six hours to go before quitting time.

“Hey, Eva.” A large man approached her. His white uniform was marred with black smudges, as was his face, making him look like a commando getting ready to drop behind enemy lines.

Earl Wiggins was a technician, fixing the huge machines that kept the assembly line working. He sat down next to Eva and leaned in. “What’s the matter, did Zoe keep you up last night?” he asked and ruffled her dark hair.

Eva looked up at the big Aussie and gave him a smirk. Earl was the only friend Eva had on the factory floor. He was a jovial fellow and had introduced himself to Eva her first day at work. It wasn’t long before he got through her tough exterior with his dry sense of humor. He made Eva laugh; and they soon became firm friends. It was the first time Eva ever had such a close friend, outside of Zoe. Eventually, she invited him and his partner Davey to dinner one night, which turned into a bonding session. Zoe ended up loving the big guy, too.

When they had first met, Earl tried to live up to his reputation on the factory floor as a ladies man, a reputation he had acquired on purpose and wasn’t shy about promoting. Even as they were becoming friends, he still kept asking Eva out within earshot of all the women. Eva eventually said ‘yes’ one day, but only after Earl had finally told her the truth about himself.

“Hey, Eva, can I speak to you?”

“Sure, Earl,” Eva replied. “No, I won’t go out with you,” she quickly added as she stuck her hands in her pants pockets.

“Look, I know you’re not interested, but can you still please go out with me?” Earl begged.

“Earl, I’m not the only woman on the floor… Go ask Alice.”

The big man stood there fidgeting. He took off his protective hat and scrunched it up in his large hands.

“Ah, Eva…look, I…I know you’re gay. I saw you kissing your girlfriend a few weeks ago when she came to pick you up. I know no one saw you but me. I was in the cool room.”

Eva was stunned. She looked down and tried to figure out how she was going to get out of this. The last thing she wanted was for that secret to get out.

“So, what do you want, Earl?” Eva asked defensively.

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?” Eva repeated.

“No.”

“Earl, you must want something. I know if this got out I could be sacked for any number of reasons, so…?”

“Um, look, I’m in a… relationship…with a man. But I have a reputation here at work that I’ve worked years to get. I can’t afford for the big guys upstairs to know I’m gay, or I won’t make supervisor any time in my lifetime. So, please go out with me?” Earl pleaded. “I’m a really nice date,” he added with a wink.

“Kiss me,” Eva had said.

“What?” Earl was confused.

“Kiss me!” Eva hissed, looking over his shoulder.

The big man bent down and kissed her tenderly, to which Eva responded by putting her arms around his neck and returning the kiss.

“Hey lookee… Earl bags another one!” Earl’s supervisor cried out as he came near them. “Listen you two, try and control yourselves until you get to your room, okay?” He guffawed at his own joke and slapped Earl on the back. “Man, that was smooth. You took only two weeks to break the Ice Queen. You deserve a cold beer after work.”

He slapped the man again on the shoulder and left them with the sound of his laugh echoing down to the cool room.

“Thank you,” Earl said and gave Eva a peck on the cheek.

“Don’t you dare tell Zoe what I did, or else she’ll have your hide.” Eva chuckled and headed back to work.

“Hey Earl,” Eva said and yawned again. “Shut up. And wipe your face. You been kissing your machines again?” she kidded him, reaching out to clean a smudge off his cheek and displaying the dirty fingertip.

Earl got up to grab a rag from his back pocket and scrubbed at his face with it, then leaned in close to Eva. “Well, did she keep you up all night? You know, my sweet woman, you should lend me that powerhouse woman of yours so I can teach Davey a few tricks,” he said, then turned the chair around to straddle it as he sat back down.

“Now that’s real macho, Earl.” Eva grinned as Earl playfully slapped her on the head.

“Well, did she?” he whispered in her ear. To those around them it seemed like Earl was nuzzling her neck.

“No, she did not. Why are we discussing my love life?” Eva mumbled back. She put her arms on the table and rested her head on them, stifling yet another yawn.

Earl laughed. “Pocket dynamite, that girl.”

“Wasn’t Zoe.”

“Why are you so tired, then?”

“Let’s go for a walk, maybe it will help wake me up.” Eva got up from her chair, pulling Earl with her. He put his arm around her waist as they left the room.

“Hey Earl, up for some nookie in the cool room, huh?” his supervisor called out and half the room laughed.

“That man only has one thing on his mind,” Eva said disgustingly.

“You have to forgive him; his mother dropped him on his head repeatedly,” Earl replied, getting a chuckle from Eva.

They walked outside into yet more stifling heat, but with the breeze it was more bearable than inside. Earl pulled out a cigarette and lit it and they crossed the street to sit on a brick fence overlooking the factory.

“So… what’s up?”

Eva turned to her best friend and gave him what he called her 1000 megawatt smile. “My father is alive.”

Earl was confused. Eva had confided to him that her father was dead and had also spoken of their adventures during and after the war. “Eva, sweetie, I think you’re confusing Big Earl here.”

Eva looked up with a grin. “I want you to meet him, Earl.”

“Your father? But I thought he was dead?” he said, still confused.

“Well, remember when I told you about the train?” Earl nodded and Eva continued. “Somehow when the train exploded, he was thrown out or something. He woke up in an American medical tent and the next thing he knew he was on a hospital ship heading for America. Do you believe that?!” Eva beamed. “So then, they…”

“Wait, who is they?” Earl interrupted.

“His wife.” Eva enjoyed the look of utter shock on the man’s face.

“I thought you said your father was a priest!”

“He was. He fell in love,” Eva replied.

“Eva, has anyone ever mentioned to you that your life would make a great wireless serial? Yours is better than Dad and Dave!” Earl said referring the popular radio show that enthralled a nation. He shook his head and started to laugh.

“So, do you want to meet them?”

“Does ‘Dad’ know about you and Zoe?”

Eva laughed and nodded. “Dad knows about Zoe and we have his blessing.”

“Really?”

“Hmm, we told him in Greece,” Eva said proudly.

“Well that’s one good bloke you got there, Evy my dear. Yeah, I would love to meet him,” Earl said. He was very surprised that a priest would give his blessing to a homosexual relationship. His own parents didn’t approve but didn’t distance themselves. His father refused to discuss it and his mother lamented the fact that she wasn’t going to become a grandmother. They still supported him and for that he was grateful. He didn’t expect them to approve.

Earl glanced down at his watch. “Come on, we’d better go back inside or else Timmy the Twit will go on the warpath.” He took Eva’s hand as they headed back to the factory across the street.

*

The department store was crowded, as shoppers began to browse and chatter. It had been a lean few years during the war and money was scarce, With the ending of the hostilities in Europe and then the Pacific, people began to spend some of their hard-earned money again.

A portly, middle-aged saleslady was busy with the customers, a smile plastered on her face as she greeted every new customer that walked into her section. She watched as two young women entered and began browsing at the perfume section. She tried to see if either of them had a ring on their finger. Her sales pitch about buying their husbands aftershave had worked like a charm all morning.

The small auburn-haired young woman had a few bags with her and Elise smiled when she saw the ring. “Not expensive, but these young kids don’t have much. She probably got married before he sailed,” she mused to herself.

“Good morning, madam,” the saleslady said as she smiled broadly. “Can I interest you in some aftershave for your husband?”

Zoe looked at Elena and grinned. Elena saw the twinkle in Zoe’s eyes and she started feeling sorry for the poor saleslady. She wondered if warning the saleslady that Zoe was in the mood to play would do anything but decided she would say where this went.

“Sure,” Zoe said and gave her bags to her friend

“Were you looking for a gift?”

“Yes, a birthday gift. I already got some clothes.” Zoe sniffed at the aftershave, crinkling her nose.

“Oh, how wonderful! I’m sure your husband is a lucky man,” Elise gushed. She liked to get to know her customers better and then help them to select more than what they initially came in for. She looked at Zoe with a huge smile.

Elena turned away and rolled her eyes.

“I’m the lucky one,” Zoe replied.

“Of course, of course. Now how old will your husband be?”

“Twenty six.”

“Ah, a young man, with a beautiful wife! Any children?”

“No, none, we can’t have any,” Zoe said, giving the saleslady a sad look.

Elena coughed loudly to cover up her chuckles as Zoe played with the saleslady. She moved further away from her friend, trying very hard not to lose her composure.

“Oh, I am so sorry! You have your husband, though. That’s the main thing,” Elise sympathized. She patted the young woman on the shoulder and wondered how serious his war wounds were. “We have an excellent range of aftershaves and colognes for men.”

“Hmm…” Zoe sniffed at the various bottles. “Hey, El, come over here.”

Elena returned to her side, a grin threatening to split her face as she tried valiantly to control it.

“Yep?”

“Do you think Eva would like aftershave for her legs? Hmm, no, I don’t think so.” She turned to the saleslady as Elena unsuccessfully hid a snort of amusement. “My lover doesn’t shave… well, except for her legs of course…”

Zoe started giggling as Elena finally burst out laughing with tears running down her face. The saleslady had such a look of total shock that Elena let the parcels drop and had to steady herself against the counter. Seeing the saleslady’s face, Zoe was now laughing helplessly along with her.

Elise’s face turned a bright shade of red as Zoe and Elena continued to laugh at Zoe’s joke.

“You said you were married!” Elise said when she finally found her voice.

“I am,” Zoe replied, still chuckling. “I’m married to the most wonderful, loving woman on the planet and she loves me, too. Isn’t that great?!”

“Disgusting…” Elise huffed, turning away.

“Was it something I said?” Zoe asked Elena, who had finally regained her composure as well.

“Come on, El, I hear food calling my name.”

“You’re a wicked woman.”

“Oh, yeah!” Zoe replied and steered her friend out of the perfume section. She turned back to see the saleslady giving her a dirty look, so she stuck her tongue out. “Cow.”

“You know, it doesn’t matter,” Elena said as she placed her arm around her friend’s shoulder.

“Yes, it does,” Zoe replied as she settled into the booth of the little tea house. “It matters. She can’t see past her snout to realize that love is love no matter the packaging.”

“If that woman was accepting of your love for Eva, would it make your love for her any stronger?”

“No.”

“See? It doesn’t make a difference. She’s a narrow-minded old cow.”

“Elena it’s not that simple. I can’t walk down the street holding Evy’s hand and I have to

censor myself from saying how much I love her in case the person gets offended,” Zoe sniffed.

“I don’t know what to say, Zo,” Elena revealed. “There have to be people who are like you.”

“Lesbian,” Zoe grinned. “So I have to go looking for a lesbian glee club?”

Elena chuckled. “Is there such a thing?”

“I don’t know,” Zoe shrugged. “I’m quite sure Evy and I are not the only lesbians in Sydney.”

“I know you’re not,” Elena waggled her eyebrows to her very inquisitive friend.

“Do tell?”

“You know Maggie up in flat 12?”

“Yep.”

“She’s a lesbian,” Elena announced.

“Sounds like we belong to some club,” Zoe grinned. “How do you know?”

“I have eyes and I can see,” her friend said cryptically and then laughed. “So you’re not the only one.”

“How does that help the fact that I can’t hold Evy’s hand in public?”

“It doesn’t but you shouldn’t worry about it,” Elena reasoned. “You won’t be able to change some people’s minds, no matter how hard you try.”

“That’s defeatist, El.”

“No, Zoe, that’s been a pragmatist. People are racist and bigoted and they won’t change.”

“That sure sounds like a defeatist to me,” Zoe frowned at her friend. “Are you telling me that fifty years from now that people would still hate me for being a lesbian?”

“They will hate me for being a Jew, yes, that’s what I’m saying,” Elena replied.

“I don’t think so,” Zoe slowly shook her head. “Fifty years from now, El, things will be different. I bet you that when we are old we are going to marvel at how people have changed.”

“You’re an eternal optimist, Zoe and sadly you’re going to be disappointed.”

“This is not cheering me up, El,” Zoe playfully pointed her finger at her friend in mock rebuke.

“I’m sorry, Zoe,” Elena smiled and patted her friend’s hand. “Let’s talk about something else.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Did you like the blue dress I bought for Evy?”

“Gorgeous. It’s going to match that white sweater you bought for her last week.”

“I wanted to buy her that ring, but it’s too expensive,” Zoe sighed. She had spotted a gold band with sapphire gems a few weeks ago and every time she passed the jeweler she saw the ring in the window.

“Oh, damn,” Zoe muttered, as she spotted a familiar figure approaching and tried to hide behind a menu.

“What?” Elena whispered.

Friedrich and his friend David had finished their coffee break and were just leaving, until Friedrich spotted Zoe and changed direction, heading for their table.

“Good morning, Miss Lambros,” he said, extending his hand.

“Hi,” Zoe replied with a weak smile. She didn’t feel she could trust the man yet, but still politely reached out to give his hand a quick shake.

“And who are these gorgeous ladies?” David asked as he sat down next to Elena.

Friedrich rolled his eyes at David’s comment. “This is my colleague, David Peterson.”

“What’s your name?” Elena asked, smiling at Friedrich. “I’m Elena Mannheim.”

“This is Friedrich Jacobs,” Zoe supplied.

“I’m pleased to meet you, Mr. Jacobs.”

Friedrich was stumped. “Ah, yes…uh…” He stuttered as a pink blush colored his face and ears. Elena looked up at him and smiled. He didn’t know how to speak to women and even though David had coached him, he was still a lost cause.

“What my friend is trying to say is that it’s a pleasure to meet you, too,” David said and sighed. He was going to have to work on opening lines with Freddy again. The man was hopeless around women.

“Would you like to join us?” Elena invited Friedrich, since David was already seated.

Zoe shot daggers at her friend but Elena ignored her.

“I’m sorry, Miss Manheim, but we really have to get back to the office…”

“Oh, that’s a shame,” Elena replied.

“You know, I was just discussing with Friedrich how the dance is coming up next week and we have no dates. Isn’t that sad? Two eligible bachelors and no dates. Would you two like to join us?” David smiled.

Zoe was about to decline when she saw Elena’s face. She was smiling at Friedrich. She turned to see an equally shy smile reflecting back from him. She sighed. Eva was going to go with Harry Jenkins, so this way at least they would be at the dance together. “Sure.”

Elena turned around and stared at Zoe, who gave her a wink.

“It’s very nice of you to offer, Mr. Peterson,” Zoe added.

“Excellent! Come on, Freddy, we have things to do, places to go, people to see. It’s been a pleasure.” He got up, putting his arm around his friend and steering Friedrich toward the door.

“That was a date!” Elena said and turned to her friend.

“Really? Well, what do you know,” Zoe replied and chuckled. “You like Mr. Friedrich?”

“He’s cute.”

“Not my type,” Zoe replied with a smirk. “I like them taller.”

Elena chuckled, then sobered. “Oh, no!”

“What?!”

“I need a dress!”

“Oh, no! What a dilemma!” Zoe joked.

“Hey, what about Eva?”

“You can’t go out with her,” Zoe chuckled. “Eva already has a hot date with Harry Jenkins.”

“So Mrs. J finally cornered her, huh?”

“Yeah. A war hero who served in Greece… She got around my ‘Eva only goes with Greek boys’ line. He even knows how to speak Greek. Go figure.”

“Well, look on the bright side, you’re going with David and I’m going with Friedrich and Eva will be there.”

“Who said David was my date?” Zoe teased and laughed at the crestfallen look her friend was giving her. “Oh alright, don’t make that face! You can have Friedrich.”

“Come on, I want to go and buy a dress and some shoes and maybe some new perfume!” Elena said excitedly.

“Hey, let’s go terrorize that saleslady again!” Zoe said as she pulled her friend up.

“I don’t know if she’ll serve you now,” Elena chuckled, then stopped. “Hey, how do you know Friedrich?”

“Long story. I’ll tell you while you try and get some perfume from the nice lady.”

They paid at the counter and walked away, talking excitedly.

Chapter Seven

ALBERTA HARALAMBOS LOOKED INTO the mirror and sighed. She was a tall, beautiful woman with auburn hair. Bright blue eyes stared back at her as she appraised her appearance and watched a grimace appear. She wanted to make a good impression on her husband’s daughter. It was important that Eva liked her.

“You look beautiful,” her husband said as he wrapped his strong arms around her and kissed her tenderly on the neck.

“You’re biased.”

“Is there something wrong in that?”

“No, but…”

“No buts. You look beautiful. Eva will love you.”

A sigh. “I’m not so sure.”

“What do you mean?” Panayiotis said, leaving her side to sit on the edge of the bed.

“I don’t know if she’d like another mother in her life at the moment…”

“My darling Ally…you are a nut. I love you, but you think too much. Eva is such a loving woman, even despite what she went through with that animal. She gives of herself wholly. Believe me, she won’t hate you.” Her husband gently tugged her over to sit next to him.

Alberta shook her head. “I can’t believe that man is still alive.” She was shocked when Pany had told her the news about Muller. “After all this time… It must be difficult for Eva.”

“It is, but she has Zoe. Zoe is her anchor. And now she has us, too,” he smiled.

“What’s Zoe like?”

Panayiotis laughed. “Zoe is… a force of nature. She can be courageous and strong and then turn right around and surprise you by her naiveté. She gives of herself completely,

unconditionally. She reminds me of Saint Peter. So headstrong. She’s not afraid to speak her mind and rushes in where angels fear to tread.” He chuckled again. “Yes, that’s Zoe. She lives life to the fullest. I’m surprised she survived the war.”

Alberta smiled. It was obvious to her that her husband loved this young woman as much as he did his own daughter.

“How old is she?”

“Eighteen, going on forty!” the former priest chuckled.

“She’s so young!”

“She is indeed. The war didn’t allow her to have a childhood. Her father died after news of her brothers were dead following the Italian invasion. Her mother were killed by the Nazis. She had no one after they died.”

“She had you.”

“Hmm, she had me, yes, but she suffered greatly the first few months after her mother died. We got through it, though.”

“How did they decide to come here?”

“Zoe’s idea. She got friendly with some Australian soldier and he sold her on the idea of wide open spaces and all of that. Eva wants Zoe to be happy, so off they went.”

Alberta sat on the edge of the bed thinking. If she was going to impress Eva, that meant she would have to impress Zoe as well. She sighed.

Panayiotis chuckled. He knew his wife was nervous. It didn’t take a genius to figure that out, but he also knew that Eva would like Alberta. They were so similar in temperament and both were intelligent as well as beautiful.

“Don’t worry. Eva and Zoe are going to love you!”

“I hope so,” Alberta whispered as she got up and went to her wardrobe to select another shirt.

*

Eva got out of the car, locking the door. The white Holden sparkled in the afternoon sun. Earl loved his car and buffed it to a shine every day.

Though the new Holden cars were a beautiful design, Eva still couldn’t see the attraction to what was just a car. However, she constantly heard enough about it from Earl to get an idea of just how much he adored it.

She grinned as Earl gave his car a pat on the hood.

“Is Davey ever jealous?” she asked, leaning around her friend and patting the car herself.

“You know, you are a funny woman when you don’t get any sleep.” He took off his jacket and threw it through the open window. “Hey, is Zoe cooking tonight?”

“Yep. She cooks every night.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot, you even burn water,” Earl laughed

Eva gave him a dirty look and bolted up the stairs to find the flat door open with music blaring out. She entered to find Zoe sprawled on the floor listening to a new record. She froze, staring at her partner, her eyes going wide.

Earl followed her in and also stared at Zoe in shock. “Whooee!”

Zoe grinned back at them. The look on Eva’s face was priceless as her new look registered on her lover’s face. She had decided to cut her hair, which surprised both herself and Elena, since it was a decision made on the spur of the moment. Zoe’s formerly long hair was now cut short, similar to Eva’s style.

“Well?”

Eva was stunned. She loved her partner’s long hair. “Wow,” was all she could manage.

Zoe laughed. “I think she likes it, Wiggy.”

“I love it,” Eva said and bent down to kiss her. Zoe raised a hand to tangle in the hair behind Eva’s head as she kissed her back.

“Hey now … take that to the bedroom, you two!” Earl said and chuckled.

The women ended the kiss and looked at each other with a smile. Zoe clasped Eva’s hands as she straightened back up and let the taller woman help her to her feet, then turned to the big man beside her.

“Hey, Wiggy! How are ya?” She smiled up at Earl and giggled as she gave him a hug.

“Hi there, Stretch. What’s for dinner?” Earl replied, picking up the petite woman easily and engulfing her in a bear hug.

“Wiggy, I need to breathe!” Zoe laughed, trying to extricate herself from the bear hug. Earl ruffled her new short cut as he gently set her back on the floor.

“Love the new look,” Earl whispered in her ear.

Eva had turned down the volume of the record player and put her bag down on the couch. She went into the kitchen and looked into the oven where a roast with potatoes and vegetables were nicely done. “Hey Earl, you wanna stay for dinner?”

“Nup, can’t. I’m meeting my folks tonight,” Earl said from the kitchen door. “It sure smells nice, though.”

“Of course it does,” Zoe said and brushed past him giving him a slap on the behind.

“Hey, now! Zoe slapped me on the bum, Eva!”

“Lucky boy,” Eva said as she passed him, heading to the bedroom to change, seeing Earl stick his tongue out at her in reply.

He smiled as he turned back to Zoe. “So, how are the preparations for the party coming?”

“Piece of cake. We can still use your place, right?”

Earl nodded. Zoe had dreamed up the surprise party for Eva’s 26th birthday and had made sure to invite all their friends to make it special for her partner.

“Thanks, Earl,” Zoe said and gave him a dazzling smile.

“Anything for you, Stretch.” He grinned back at Zoe, then turned toward the bedroom door. “Hey, Eva,” he called, “I gotta go and pick up the folks from Central. Spending the week with them is going to be lots of fun.”

Eva returned to the kitchen as Earl was about to leave. “Hey, tell your mum I loved the chocolate cake she sent us.”

“She sent you chocolate cake?” Earl turned and asked.

“Oh yeah, we overdosed on chocolate,” Zoe replied and grinned.

“She never sends me chocolate cake,” Earl groused.

Both women laughed at their friend. “Thanks for the ride home,” Eva said as she walked Earl to the door and held it open.

“Hey, you rode in the ‘beast’?” Zoe asked. She had nicknamed the car as soon as she had seen it, the first time Earl had brought it over to them to show it off. Zoe loved cars and she couldn’t wait until she was old enough to get her license.

They said their good-byes and Eva closed the door to find Zoe immediately wrapped around her.

“Hi.”

Eva smiled down at her partner. “Hi. The food smells nice.”

“So do you,” Zoe said and grinned. “I made some galaktoburiko for dessert.”

They moved to the sofa and sat down together.

“So, you really like my hair?” Zoe asked, looking up at the older woman.

“Yeah, I do. You look gorgeous, Zoe,” Eva replied. “It’s going to take time to adjust to you with short hair, but yeah, I like it.”

“I was passing this hairdresser and they had a special on, so I did it.”

Eva laughed. This was the impulsive and zany Zoe she loved so much. “Well, it suits you.”

“Thank you,” Zoe replied and stole a kiss. “Guess who we met up with at the shops?”

“Mrs. Jenkins?”

“No, our friend Friedrich Jacobs.”

“Oh great. What did he want?”

“Nothing. He was having a coffee with a friend of his. El and I were shopping and we stopped off to get a cup of tea and he saw us as they were leaving.”

“That’s nice,” Eva said, relaxing back as Zoe settled against her.

“Hmm. You know that dance you’re going to with Harry Jenkins?”

“Yep, how can I forget?” Eva grimaced.

“Well, I’m going, too.”

“Oh? Who with?”

Zoe grinned. She knew her lover so well that the little lift of the eyebrow and the casual nonchalant look really hid avid interest. Zoe wasn’t going to tell her she had figured that out.

“His name is David Peterson, Jacobs’ friend.”

“Huh?”

“Elena is going with Friedrich Jacobs. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head when they met.”

“Elena and Friedrich?” Eva asked, not quite believing her ears.

“Yep. He stammered and ummed and ahhed. El went all shy and demure.”

“Zoe, love, if I had to describe Elena, I wouldn’t use demure in the same sentence.”

“Well, she was. So in the spirit of friendship, I offered to double date with her.”

Eva grinned. “It had nothing to do with me going to the same dance?”

Zoe frowned. “Hardly crossed my mind…” She paused and then gave her partner an impish grin. “Well, not for more than a few moments, anyway.”

They both laughed as the tea kettle began to whistle. Zoe got up to make some tea and Eva followed.

“So what do you think this Alberta is like?” Eva asked, leaning on the doorframe of the kitchen.

“Probably old and fat,” Zoe joked as she poured out the tea. “I wouldn’t worry.”

“Who’s worried?”

“You are,” Zoe said as she poked her in the stomach on the way out of the kitchen. They finished putting the last few items on the kitchen table which was set out for the dinner.

“I’m a little nervous.”

“Why?”

“What if she doesn’t like me?” Eva asked taking a sip of her tea.

“What’s not to like? You’re gorgeous, you’re intelligent, you’re talented. Did I mention gorgeous?” Zoe replied and stole a quick kiss.

“You’re biased,” Eva chuckled, settling into her usual chair.

“Hm. Yeah, I am. Wouldn’t you be in a pickle if I didn’t think you were gorgeous, intelligent, talented and let’s not forget a fantastic lover!” The young woman settled herself on her Eva’s lap.

Eva laughed. “Have I told you today how much I love you?”

“Yeah, this morning.” Zoe waggled her eyebrows.

“You’re going to wear me out before my time,” Eva mumbled. She looked at her spouse with a wicked grin which earned a huge smile from Zoe.

“My mission in life, Miss Haralambos. A difficult and dangerous job, but someone has to do it,” Zoe replied and they chuckled.

*

“Are you sure?” Erik Rhimes asked as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

“Yes, quite sure. Our contact inside the investigator’s office tells me that she’s here.”

“Not possible. She’s dead.”

“Well, sir, our contact said she was here. I could get our colleague to copy the documents…”

“Yes, do that,” Rhimes replied.

The man nodded and walked away. Rhimes watched the street for a few moments and then went inside the block of flats. Entering his flat, he made sure the security bolt was fastened as he closed the door. He sat down heavily in the armchair and sighed. He didn’t want to tell Hans that Eva was alive if he wasn’t certain about it. He would wait until he had the documents in hand. If it were true, he wasn’t sure how he would tell his best friend, or what they would need to do to eliminate her.

He would cross that bridge when he came to it.

Chapter Eight

A LIGHT BREEZE WHIPPED Eva’s hair around as she leaned on the railing of the balcony, gazing off at the distant horizon and trying to relax. The sun had set just moments ago, still leaving the sky suffused with a slowly fading golden hue. She was distracted by a movement below and tore her eyes away from the sunset to see a neighbor wave at her as they left the block of flats. Giving the person a quick wave back, she tried to think if she even knew their name, only having met them once or twice in the hallway. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of soft footsteps behind her.

Zoe came out onto the balcony carrying a cup of tea and settled beside the older woman, leaning against her slightly as she raised the cup up to just in front of Eva’s red lips. “Sip of tea?” she asked and watched as Eva moved slightly to press her lips against the cup for a small sample.

“Mmm, that’s good, love.” Eva gave Zoe a smile and tried to ease into a small stretch of her back.

Zoe watched Eva’s smile turn into a grimace with closed eyes. “Oh, my poor Eva,” Zoe sighed, setting her cup down on the small corner table and holding her partner close. She gently rubbed Eva’s lower back as she laid her head on the taller woman’s shoulder. It was more a show of sympathy and support and while it didn’t ease her pain, Zoe knew it still helped Eva deal with the discomfort. Eva’s occasional back pains, another legacy of her stepfather’s sometimes brutal abuse, required a more thorough massage for her to feel any relief.

“Has it been hurting all day?”

“Almost.”

“It started at work, didn’t it?” Zoe sighed, knowing Eva was stubborn enough to have stayed at work despite the pain. Between fears of Eva getting hurt and the frustration of working a lot of night shifts, she hated Eva working at that factory. Zoe had tried to convince her to quit many times, but Eva was always hesitant, saying they needed the money.

“Yeah…I was lifting some heavy boxes this morning.”

“Eva! Why didn’t you call Earl?” Zoe rebuked her gently, raising her head from Eva’s shoulder to look up at her. They had had this ‘debate’ before. Eva wanted to do things herself and not have to rely on others around her, which Zoe thought was rather silly; and she did not hesitate to make her position known to her partner.

“I couldn’t, Zo. He was busy doing something else and I didn’t want to call Jack. It wasn’t until Earl and I went outside to talk during my break that it started to ache.”

Zoe snorted at Eva’s mention of her boss, Jack. She hated him. He was full of his own self-importance and made sure those under him knew he was in charge. Zoe took an instant dislike to him. He was rude, teasing and insulting Eva whenever he could and he was also a racist. That alone made Zoe see red, but some of the jobs he also made Eva do, like the heavy lifting which aggravated her back, infuriated her.

“You want me to give you some vendouzes?” Zoe asked, still gently rubbing Eva’s back.

“No! They hurt more than my back does,” Eva replied with another grimace. She hated that treatment. Zoe had read about it in a book by a Greek doctor and thought it would help her back problems. Eva was dubious about it since it involved mentholated spirits and overturned cups. Zoe had tried it on Eva despite the tall woman’s misgivings. It wasn’t a success, not to mention that it was also very messy.

“What about I call Mr. Chang and he can try that needle thing.”

“Acupuncture? No, I really don’t feel like being a pin cushion tonight,” Eva joked back to her concerned partner, trying to make her smile. “I’ll be ok, Zoe.”

Zoe looked back up at her partner and wished she could do something more for her. Eva hadn’t told her about her back problems until they were on the ship heading for Australia. They had been in that cramped cabin with its tiny bed and that had aggravated Eva’s back, forcing the confession. Zoe had mildly scolded her partner for keeping that bit of information from her for so long.

Eva was quiet for most of the day as they sat in their cabin. The weather had turned cold and it was raining up on deck. Zoe looked at her partner and sighed. Eva was generally quiet, but something was bothering the older woman as she lay on the bunk with her eyes shut.

“Eva, what’s wrong?”

Eva opened her eyes and turned to Zoe. “My back hurts.”

Zoe was going to admonish her for not telling her about it earlier, but thought better of it since she appeared to be in some pain.

“Can I help?”

“I just need to lay here and rest. I think I aggravated it this morning by helping Mrs. Hoffman with that heavy case.” Eva mumbled.

“Why didn’t Mr. Hoffman do it! Damn, that has to be the laziest man I’ve ever met. Now you’ve hurt your back.” Zoe said angrily. “Okay, I know something that might help.”

Zoe went to their small food supply tucked away with the tea and a small urn. “What are you going to do with that?” Eva asked as she watched Zoe pour a little oil in a cup.

“My papa had back problems and Mama used to rub him down with some warm oil. I’m not sure if it helped, but Mama did this for years so I guess it must have had some benefit.” She brought the cup over and set it on the chair, then helped Eva remove her shirt and turn over onto her stomach. Zoe warmed her hands with some of the oil and began a slow massage of Eva’s lower back.

“I’m not hurting you, am I?”

“No,” Eva’s muffled response came, as the older woman relaxed and let Zoe’s hands ease the tension from her back. “It’s nice.”

“Hey, how about I give you a nice gentle backrub, hmmm? How does that sound?” Zoe asked as she rubbed her hand up across Eva’s shoulders, then down again to her lower back. “I bought some nice rose scented oil today while I was out.”

“A backrub? Just a backrub?” Eva teased with a tiny grin.

“Just a backrub. You’re getting old and I don’t want to wear you out too quickly,” Zoe replied with a smirk. “I was reading the other day that they found an artesian well in a little country town called Moree. Remember I told you about how artesian water is supposed to be good for back problems?”

“Hmm, yeah I remember.”

“Maybe we can take a trip to Moree when you get your holidays.”

“Sure. But I don’t have my holidays for a few months. Where is Moree?”

“About fourteen hours by train. You need some time to relax from that factory and we can do the artesian well thing.”

“That sounds great,” Eva replied as she spotted her father turning the corner and coming up the sidewalk. “They’re here.” She turned around in Zoe’s arms and kissed her gently. “I’m so lucky to have found you,” Eva whispered.

Zoe looked at her partner and wrapped both arms around her, hugging her gently and laying her head back down on Eva’s chest. “I’m the lucky one,” she whispered.

They stood like that for a few moments.

“Come on, let’s go back inside, they’ll be here soon.”

Eva took Zoe’s hand and they walked back into the apartment. She looked at the set table and smiled at the wattle, the red plant sitting squarely in the middle. Zoe loved the plant, which was native to Australia and took every opportunity to cut two or three from the tree outside their building. Zoe loved the colours red. She had set the table with a white tablecloth and red and white napkins. The kitchen cupboards were painted red and white, which amused Eva and they had tried to find dinner plates to match. They had finally found red and white plates when they had gone on a bargain search several weeks before and a delighted Zoe had immediately bought them. These graced the table, as well.

“Okay everything looks great,” Eva said, as she took a final look at the settings and the state of the living room.

“You look great,” Zoe said and reached up to give Eva a quick kiss. Eva had changed into a stylish black pants suit with a baby blue coloured silk shirt, while Zoe wore a white shirt with her favorite jeans. Zoe took Eva’s hand and they both walked to the door, opening it just as Eva’s father and his new wife reached the top of the stairs.

Panayiotis grinned as he and Alberta entered. Eva took their coats and Zoe ushered them into the lounge room.

“Alberta, these are my daughters, Eva and Zoe.” Panayiotis introduced his wife to the other two most important people in his life.

Alberta shook Eva’s hand and was about to shake Zoe’s hand, but Zoe surprised her with a quick hug. Eva grinned at the bemused look on Alberta’s face. They went into the living room and Panayiotis sat down with a sigh. Zoe took his cane and leaned on it, giving the older man a smile as Alberta sat down beside him.

“I’m pleased to meet you finally, after all the stories your father has told me about you,” Alberta said as she tried to break some of the tension.

“I bet he left out a lot,” Eva said and looked at Zoe with a grin. “He told us you’re a nurse?”

“Yes, that’s how I met your father. I was going to be shipped off to go back home, but things didn’t pan out and I stayed on the hospital ship,” Alberta explained as she turned and gazed lovingly towards her husband. It was Fate that had brought them together that day. There wasn’t any other way to describe it.

“I woke up and there was this angel. I thought I was dead,” Panayiotis said, squeezing her hand.

“Would you like some tea before we have some dinner?” Eva asked as she turned to go into the kitchen.

“I would love some, thank you,” Alberta said. As she watched Eva walk to the kitchen, her trained eye could see the discomfort the young woman was in.

Alberta turned to notice a concerned Zoe also was looking at Eva. “Does Eva have back problems?” she asked.

Zoe turned, a frown still on her face. “Yeah, sometimes,” she mumbled. “Excuse me for a moment, please.” Zoe got up and followed Eva into the kitchen.

Eva was at the kitchen sink, having just swallowed two painkillers and washed them down with water.

“Hey,” Zoe said and wrapped herself around the older woman.

“I’m okay. Just needed to take these,” Eva explained as they stood together watching the kettle start to boil.

“You’re not okay. You’re going to see Dr. Stephanopoulos tomorrow, okay? Your back hasn’t been this bad for ages, unless you weren’t telling me.”

Eva smiled. “It must have been the boxes today. A little rest will help. I’ll take a sick day tomorrow.”

“You mean I’m going to have you here all day tomorrow?”

“Yep. All day,” Eva replied, taking the kettle and pouring the water for the tea. She smiled at her grinning partner, who took the kettle from her hand and poured out the rest of the water.

The sounds from the kitchen stopped and Alberta and Panayiotis looked at each other. “I hope she’s okay,” Alberta said. “Pany, do you think if I offered to give her a massage, she would accept it?”

The former cleric smiled at his wife. He was pleased about her offer to help, but wasn’t sure if Eva would let her. Before he could say anything, though, his wife got up and walked towards the kitchen, leaving him sitting alone on the sofa.

Alberta stopped at the door just as Zoe was giving Eva a kiss. She cleared her throat.

“I’m sorry to intrude,” she said with a smile as she saw Eva try to pull away from her younger partner and Zoe keeping Eva right where she was. The dynamics of this relationship are quite interesting, Alberta thought to herself.

“We’re bad hosts leaving you two out there alone. I’m sorry…um…” Eva stammered.

“Isn’t she just so cute when she’s shy?” Zoe smiled at her spouse, turning back to Alberta. “So, Mrs. H, what do we call you, apart from Mrs. H?” she rambled.

Alberta chuckled. “Well, you can call me Ally if you like. That’s what my friends call me.”

“How about Mum?” Zoe suggested with a grin.

Alberta stood there feeling quite surprised. “Sure, if you want to…”

“Hey, I never had a motherin-law before!” Zoe said with glee.

“Motherin-law?”

“Don’t you have them in America?” Zoe asked seriously and then grinned when she saw the puzzled look on Alberta’s face.

“Are you married?” Alberta raised her eyebrows. She would have to speak to Pany when they went back to the hostel and remind him of a small matter that he forgot to tell her.

Eva looked at Zoe with a half smile. It was obvious Alberta knew little about their relationship other than they were lovers.

“Eva and I made vows to each other on the ship coming out here. Sort of like being married. Does that bother you?” Zoe asked. She wondered why Father H hadn’t told their new motherin-law about them being married.

“I don’t know, I don’t think so,” Alberta shook her head. “I don’t understand it but I’m sure there are a lot of things I don’t understand.”

“Does that mean you don’t approve of us?’ Zoe asked putting her arm around Eva’s waist.

Alberta was surprised at the direct questioning. Of all things she thought she was going to be asked this wasn’t high on the list. ‘On your list, Ally?’ she mused to herself. The answer was important to the two women and it was high on their list.

“Do you approve of my marriage to your father?” she asked Eva with a smile.

Eva smiled back. “I have no reason to say no to that.”

“I have no reason to say ‘no, I don’t approve to your relationship’. It’s none of my business and what you two young ladies do in your own home is your business.” Alberta replied thinking she gave the best answer she could give.

Zoe was the only one with a frown on her face. “That isn’t an answer.”

Eva put her arms around her younger partner. “Zoe…”

“No, Eva, she’s right that’s not an answer,” Alberta said with a smile. “I can’t tell you, Zoe, that what you are doing is right or wrong. I can’t be your moral guide. You have to determined that for yourself and look inside your heart. For me, I love your father and that is right for me.”

“I love Eva,” Zoe told the older woman.

“Then, that is right for you,” Alberta smiled.

“Eva, can I ask you a personal question?” Alberta asked, trying to get back to the reason she was in the kitchen in the first place.

Eva nodded and held Zoe’s hand a little tighter.

“Does your back hurt? I’m a trained nurse and I could tell by the way you walked. If you like, I could give you a massage. I know it’s quite forward of me, but I think it would help you. I treated quite a few of the boys with back problems during the war.”

Eva glanced down at Zoe, who was watching her with a questioning look.

“It hurts occasionally. I lifted some boxes at work today and aggravated the problem. Thank you for your offer, but Zoe gives me a back massage every now and then.”

Alberta wasn’t that surprised her offer was refused; Pany had told her Eva was a private person and would more than likely not accept her offer. She wondered what that had to do with declining a back rub and she mentally shrugged.

“Where do you work?” she asked.

“Westons Biscuit factory. It’s not usually heavy lifting, but occasionally I do some,” Eva replied.

Alberta was taken aback. Pany had told her Eva was well educated. She had attended university in Berlin and knew several languages. Someone with such an education didn’t work in a factory.

“I hope you don’t mind my asking, but why are you working in a factory when you have such a high level of education?”

“We needed the work and Zoe is going to school.” Eva replied and held Zoe a little closer.

“It’s a small sacrifice,” she added and glanced at Zoe who was smiling at her.

“Ah, I see. Maybe I can help you there. I’ve been told by the Immigration Department that they are looking for translators to help with the influx of refugees from Europe. You can speak several languages can’t you?”

“She speaks fluent German, Greek, Italian and of course English,” Zoe said, smiling with pride at her partner.

“Excellent. Why don’t you join me? I can speak Greek and rusty German. I’ve got an interview scheduled with them for tomorrow. Would you like to come with me?” Alberta asked expectantly hoping this offer of help wasn’t going to be rebuffed.

“That would be perfect, Evy. You could leave that factory and the night shifts,” Zoe told her, trying to convince Eva of the benefits of quitting a job that she hated and kept.

Despite her reluctance at changing jobs, Eva liked the idea of using her language skills for helping others. It was also going to be less stressful on her back which was a high priority. “I think I would like that.”

Before Alberta had a chance to reply, they heard a cough from the kitchen door and a frowning Panayiotis stood in the doorway.

“As much as I love watching the three of you bond, could you do it out here? And can we eat?” he asked, giving Zoe a wink.

They chuckled as Zoe started to remove the food from the stove.

*

Friedrich leaned back in his chair and a smile played on his lips as he looked at the ceiling. He replayed the scene from the coffee shop in his mind. The young woman had caught his attention even though he was too seriously tongue-tied to give her any indication of his interest. At least David was there to help him out and get him a date.

“Oh, damn!” he uttered when he realized something about the dance that hadn’t occurred to him before.

The door opened and David walked through carrying some files. He set them down on Friedrich’s desk.

“What’s the matter, Freddy old boy?”

“Um, I can’t dance,” Friedrich said rather dejectedly.

“Can you kiss?” David asked as he removed a file from the filing cabinet. When he didn’t get a reply he turned around and looked at his frowning friend. “Oh, don’t tell me you haven’t kissed a girl yet?!”

“Of course I have but, um…”

“But what?” David asked as he laid the file open and began scribbling notes and inserting them into the file.

“What are you doing?” Friedrich asked as he forgot David’s question.

“I’m working on this file.”

“I can see that. Why are you adding notes to my file?”

“For our friend,” David replied knowing from the little information he was getting, Friedrich was a bit annoyed.

Friedrich sighed. “Which friend?”

“Our janitor.”

Friedrich gave him a confused look. “David, have you been drinking too many beers?”

David laughed. He brushed back his sandy blond hair and went back to writing. “I found out our janitor has ties with the Nazis. I thought it was a brilliant strategy for him to work for the government agency that dealt with Nazi criminals. He knew our every move, Freddy. That’s why every time we would find out where these rodents were, they would leave before we got there. I didn’t know who it was before, but I suspected that we had an informer inside the office.”

“How did you find out?”

“Remember a couple of nights ago when Daniel told us where one of the houses was?” David asked as he looked up. Friedrich nodded.

“Well, the next day when the Feds went to arrest them, nothing. The landlady told them that her tenants had left town. We have been working for months, with those rats knowing our every move. I’ve suspected this weasel for some time, but I didn’t have any evidence linking it to him conclusively.”

“How can we use that to our advantage?”

“I’m not only a good looking bloke, but a smart one. Behold what I’m doing.”

“You’re writing in my files,” Friedrich repeated, stating the obvious.

David handed him one of the papers he had written on. It detailed Eva’s testimony against Rhimes and Muller.

“Do you think they’ll buy it?”

“Of course. They already know Eva is alive.”

“How?”

“Janitor Man told them. I let it ‘slip’ in the corridor with Daniel when Janitor Man…”

“Marko,” Friedrich supplied. Janitor Man made him sound like a comic book hero.

“All right, then, Marko. When Marko finished work, I followed him. I couldn’t see who he was talking to, but it must have been about Eva.”

“Why Eva?”

“Wouldn’t you take such a juicy piece of information back as soon as possible?” David grinned. “Of course you would.”

“So you’re going to give him the file?”

“No, I’m going to give him what I want them to see.” He pulled out a file that had been sitting in the pile he brought with him. “I’ve taken out information about Miss Lambros and certain other details.”

Friedrich watched as David continued altering the file. When he had finished, he slipped the new file into the filing drawer and buried the real file in the pile.

“Come on, Freddy, I want to get something to eat,” he urged his friend, picking up the rest of the files. “I’ll teach you to dance as well.”

They turned off the light and David waited as Friedrich locked the office. They walked down the corridor, the single light creating shadows down the narrow hallway. Stopping near the fire exit, they watched from the shadows for a few moments.

“Maybe he isn’t…” Friedrich started to say and then stopped as he saw the janitor stop in front of their office door with his mop and bucket. He looked down the darkened hallway for a moment before unlocking the door and entering their office.

“Okay, let’s go, Freddy my boy. Are you sure you’ve kissed a girl before?” David teased as he ushered Friedrich down the stairs and shut the door behind him.

Chapter Nine

ZOE WAS TIRED. SHE YAWNED again and tried to snuggle up in the downy comforter. Eva had gone with Alberta to the Immigration Department early in the morning and Zoe was having a hard time getting back to sleep.

After she had given Eva a gentle backrub last night, they both had trouble sleeping. Eva kept tossing and turning to get comfortable, which woke Zoe every time she shifted. Almost as soon as Zoe drifted off again, Eva would start moving. It had been a very frustrating night. She heard knocking at the door and grumbled as she got out of bed and put on a robe.

“This had better be good, or else,” Zoe muttered. She opened the door to find Earl standing there in his white overalls. He didn’t bother to be asked in, as he entered and started looking around the flat.

“Earl, what are you doing here?”

“Where’s Eva? Jack is chucking the biggest dummy spit today,” he mumbled.

“Dummy spit?” Zoe asked and then yawned.

“He’s really angry,” Earl explained. He sometimes forgot that his friends didn’t quite understand the slang he used.

“Jack can go and jump off the Harbour Bridge,.” Zoe mumbled and went into the kitchen to put the kettle on. Earl followed her.

“Zoe, this is important. Eva could lose her job.”

“Good.”

Earl stopped and scratched his head. “You guys didn’t have an argument, did you?”

“No. We’re fine.”

“Hey, are you making me a cuppa?”

“No, I was making myself a cuppa…want one?” she asked the burly man and for the first time since he’d arrived, she grinned at him.

“Thanks, mate, I need it. I really need a beer, but it’s too early in the morning for that. So, what’s up? Where’s Eva?”

“Where were you yesterday?”

“Working.”

“Working huh? Did you know Eva lifted those heavy boxes yesterday?”

“Yeah, I know. I saw her,” Earl replied. He wasn’t sure where this conversation was going, but he could tell Zoe was getting a little annoyed with him.

“You saw her and you still let her lift them?” Zoe asked angrily. “Where was Jack or the other guys?”

“Jack was watching her.”

“Bastard. I swear, given half a chance I would deck that stupid malarka!” Zoe was so furious she was fit to be tied. She hated Eva’s supervisor; Earl had heard Zoe’s rants about him many times.

“You just swore in Greek didn’t you?” Earl grinned.

“Where were you?” Zoe asked ignoring Earl’s comment.

“I was busy fixing a machine, Stretch. I couldn’t help her. Why, did she hurt herself?”

Zoe put the tea in front of him, then opened the ice box and retrieved the milk bottle.

“Yes, she hurt herself. I’ve told her a million times not to lift that heavy stuff, but does she listen to me? Noooo,” she rambled, angry with both Eva and Earl. “She tossed and turned all night! It hasn’t been this bad in ages. Even the backrub I gave her didn’t do any good,” she fumed.

Earl shook his head. He had wondered why Eva was being so quiet during their break. He believed it was the reason she gave - that she was up very late and didn’t get enough sleep. He was going to have a word with her when he saw her next.

“I’m sorry, Zoe, I didn’t know. She didn’t tell me about her back,” Earl said, trying to placate his friend. He surely didn’t want to be on the wrong side of an argument with Zoe at any time. He wondered how Eva handled this fiery young woman. “Is she at the doc’s today?”

“Are you kidding? It would be easier for me to fly than to get Eva to go and see a doctor willingly,” Zoe muttered as she sat down.

Earl smiled. Zoe’s usual sunny personality was buried today due to lack of sleep and her worry about Eva. Zoe looked up and caught him grinning at her.

“What?”

“You’re cute when you’re pissed off.”

Zoe broke into a half-hearted grin. “Oh, shut up and drink your tea.” They each sipped their tea as the mid-morning sun lit up the small kitchen.

“Are you sure she didn’t tell you anything about her back?”

“Nope, nothing. We went to morning tea and she kept yawning. She told she was tired because you both were up late, but she didn’t tell me her back hurt.”

“If she wasn’t hurting so much I would smack her,” Zoe muttered into her tea.

“Ooh, sounds kinky,” Earl replied and got a smack on the head for it. He winked at Zoe and they both chuckled.

“So, why are you here again?” Zoe asked after a few minutes.

“I need to find Eva.”

“Why? She’s off sick. They do allow her to take sick days, don’t they?” Earl nodded. “So what’s the problem?

“No one knew she was taking a sick day.”

“Huh? Didn’t Eva call in?”

Earl shook his head. “I don’t know. Jack came up to me and asked me where she was and I said I didn’t know,” Earl replied, not telling Zoe about the rude remarks Jack made in addition to asking him where Eva was. “I had a half day today, so here I am, in search of my missing best mate.”

“Tell Jack to shove his job up his arse.”

“Zoe, I love it when you talk dirty,” Earl said and ruffled Zoe’s already disheveled hair. “Come on, so where is Eva?”

Zoe sighed at Earl’s persistence. “She’s gone to the Immigration Department with her stepmother to apply for a translator job.”

“Hey, that’s great, Zoe!” Earl exclaimed. He had been urging Eva to find another job ever since they had become good friends. “So, what’s the old lady like?”

“She’s nice. We had a great time last night. She’s a nurse and she sure tells funny stories about some of her patients.” Zoe tried to stifle another yawn. “I like her.”

“What does Eva think of her?”

“Eva likes her, too. You know Eva; she takes a bit of time to warm up to strangers, but Mum…”

“Who? Mum?” Earl gently teased.

Zoe slapped his arm as Earl chuckled. “Mum put her at ease and got her talking, which I must say was quite a challenge last night. Father H was his usual funny self. Eva called Mrs. J over and Father H talked to her about the flat downstairs.”

A knock sounded at the door just as she finished speaking. “What is it around here today? Central?” Zoe grumbled and walked over to open the door, finding Elena standing with two dresses in her hand.

“Morning, sunshine! I need your advice,” Elena said as she came in. She caught sight of Earl and waved. “Hey, big guy, how’s Davey?”

“Morning, El. Davey is out of town for a few days.”

“How come? Can’t stand you any more?” Elena joked with the big man. She loved Earl like a brother and had spent quite some time with him and Davey. “Hey, you look a bit rough,” she said to Zoe. “Saw Eva this morning, told me not to wake you until 11 am.”

“It’s not 11 am yet,” Zoe grumbled as she looked at the clock on the wall.

“You are such a grouch in the morning! Earl’s here, so I thought it was safe to knock.” Elena held up the two dresses to display them. “I can’t decide. Do I wear the blue or the red?”

“Didn’t we have this conversation at the shops?” Zoe asked her friend.

“We did, but you didn’t give me an answer.”

“I dunno, ask Wiggy,” Zoe mumbled and walked back into the bedroom to change. When she had dressed and combed her hair, she came back outside to find Earl trying to teach Elena how to dance. She stood and grinned at her two friends, a huge man and a tiny young woman, attempting to waltz.

*

The Immigration Office was full of people waiting their turn; the various chairs were all occupied as the queues were going at a snail’s pace. Eva sat with her stepmother on two very uncomfortable wooden chairs, awaiting their interview.

“How’s the back?” Alberta asked, already knowing the answer since Eva kept shifting to find a comfortable position.

“Aches a bit, but not as bad as last night,” Eva replied.

“How did you hurt it initially?”

Eva sat silent for a moment, not sure what to reveal about herself. Out of respect for her stepmother, though, she decided to let a little of her past surface. “I was beaten by my stepfather.”

“Oh,” Alberta said quietly. “I’m very sorry to hear that.”

“Dad didn’t tell you?” Eva asked shyly. She wasn’t sure what her father had told his wife about them.

“No, he told me you and Zoe had gone through some very rough times with your stepfather, but he didn’t tell me any specifics. It’s okay, Eva. That’s a private thing between you and your father.”

Eva wasn’t surprised to find out her father had told Alberta about their time in Greece, but was grateful that he hadn’t revealed too much. Eva liked Alberta a great deal, but she also liked her privacy. “It’s a long story,” Eva said quietly

“Well, after we finish here, we can go and have some lunch and talk if you’d like,” Alberta offered.

“I would like that,” Eva said and smiled shyly at the older woman.

“Miss Eva Harlambis?” a middle-aged man asked aloud as he called Eva to her interview. Eva shook her head as her surname was once again butchered. As the stepdaughter walked after the short balding man, she turned and gave her stepmother a grin.

*

Erik Rhimes was not in a good mood. He had spent the morning trying to get in touch with his contact at the Investigations Bureau. He had been told not to contact the man unless it was extremely urgent, but he thought that this was urgent. Having had no luck in locating the man, he had decided to go back home. He watched dourly as several trains sped past him. He had just missed his train and there would be a long wait until he could get another. He sat down on the hard bench and lit a cigarette.

“Looking for me, Herr Rhimes?”

Rhimes jumped as he turned to the voice. Marko stood with his hands in his pockets and grinned. He was a middle-aged man with thin graying hair, of middling height and sporting a thin mustache. It was the ridiculous mustache that made him look quite comical, Rhimes thought. Rhimes disliked the man, but he would deal with the devil himself if it meant his safety and that of his friends.

“Where have you been? I’ve been trying to contact you.”

“My day off today. Thought I would take a leisurely walk. It’s quite fortuitous I ran into you, isn’t it?” Marko asked as he sat next to Rhimes on the bench.

Rhimes looked at him and frowned. “What do you have for me?”

“Well, from reading her file, I would say you are in a heap of trouble,” Marko answered, taking out a cigarette of his own and lighting it. He took a drag and exhaled the smoke, watching it as it drifted up.

Rhimes tried to control his temper with the man. “Do you have a copy of the file?”

“You know that’s against the law, Herr Rhimes,” Marko replied with a smirk.

Rhimes closed his eyes and counted until his temper was under control. He couldn’t afford to kill this idiot, not until he had what he wanted.

“How much is this going to cost me?”

“I have a figure in my head. Maybe we can get some coffee and discuss it.”

“Fine, whatever. Lead the way.”

Rhimes followed the man from the subway and across the street into a coffee house. Marko led him to the end table and sat down. He waited until the waitress took their order before reaching into to his pocket and retrieving a piece of paper.

“Before we discuss our little business transaction, why is this woman so important?”

“None of your business, Mr. Berckett. I paid you well for the information you have supplied to us, but I don’t think it’s in your best interests to ask so many questions.”

Marko still retained the little smirk on his face as the waitress came back with their order.

“Herr Rhimes, I have something you want desperately and I can’t figure out why. Was she your mistress or something?” Marko chuckled at the thought of Rhimes being together with the young woman whose photo he saw in the file.

Rhimes refused to rise to the bait and his patience was wearing thin. “No.”

“Okay, so you don’t want to discuss it. How about we discuss how you will make me a happy man and then I can make you a happy man. How does that sound?”

“Fine,” Rhimes spat out.

“I’m assuming you don’t have this much on you?” Berckett asked as he handed Rhimes a note.

Rhimes’ eyes bulged at the number written on the piece of paper. “No, I don’t carry that kind of change on me,” he verified and handed the note back.

“A Nazi with a sense of humour!” Berckett chuckled and watched Rhimes over the top of his coffee cup as he took a sip. “How about I meet you someplace and then we can exchange gifts.”

Rhimes sighed. He would indeed give Mr. Berckett a gift, but he doubted the man would enjoy it. He needed that file, so he would deal with the devil and hope he wasn’t going to burn in hell for it.

“Fine.” Rhimes took out his pen from his jacket pocket, scribbled an address on the napkin, then folded it and gave it to Berckett. “Meet me there at 7 p.m. tonight. I will have your ‘gift’.”

“Excellent. It’s been good doing business with you, Herr Rhimes,” Berckett said as he got up and left the coffee shop, leaving Rhimes alone with his coffee.

“Indeed,” Rhimes said and shook his head.

Chapter Ten

THE INTERVIEWS HAD GONE ON for a hour or so, then they had undergone the physical examination, which was compulsory for all Australian public servants. Alberta had waited patiently in the busy public waiting area for Eva to finish and finally caught sight of the familiar tall young woman. She watched as Eva shook hands with her interviewer and walked towards her with a grin.

Alberta was quite pleased with herself. She had been accepted into the service and now she would have her stepdaughter with her also. She couldn’t wait to tell her husband. Alberta shielded her eyes from the sun’s glare as they left the Immigration Department building.

“How did it go?” she asked as they crossed the road.

“It went well. He brought in a couple of translators to test me on the languages I know, which was quite a surprise. The physical was a bit on the achy side.”

“Why?” Alberta asked. Her physical went quickly and smoothly.

“The doctor prodded my back a bit. He said my duties didn’t involve lifting or anything that would aggravate my back problem, so he didn’t see it as a cause for rejecting my application.”

“That’s good, isn’t it?” she asked her stepdaughter.

“Oh, that’s very good. I don’t mind not lifting heavy boxes or working night shifts,” Eva replied with a chuckle. “Zoe is going to be so happy that I’m quitting the factory.”

Alberta held the door open as they entered the tea house. She had discovered it on one of her explorations of the city. A waiter showed them to a little corner of the room where they were seated at a table with quite comfortable seats and offered the menu. The tea house was nearly empty since their lunch hour rush had finished.

“Can we please have some water?” Alberta asked the young man, who nodded and went to fill her request. She pulled out a packet of aspirin and took out two of the pills. “Now I want you to take these with the water,” she said, as the waiter brought them two glasses. “Those hard chairs gave me a backache, so I can’t imagine what you’re feeling like.”

Eva smiled at her stepmother. Her back was aching a little and she had forgotten to take her painkillers when she left home. She accepted the aspirin and swallowed them down with the water. “Thank you, Ally. That’s sweet of you.”

Alberta grinned. “Nothing sweet about it. If I returned you to Zoe with another backache, she might be a little miffed that I didn’t take care of you.”

Eva chuckled. “I like you.”

Alberta’s grin widened. Pany had told her that Eva would need some time to get to know a new person and that it took a great deal of trust for her to open up and accept anyone into her life.

“Thank you, I like you as well. Your father told me so much about you before we came, it’s almost as if I’ve known you all my life. I hope we can become very good friends, Eva.”

“I would like that,” Eva agreed shyly.

Alberta’s brown eyes twinkled as she watched Eva look at her menu, the tip of her tongue sticking out as she tried to decide what to eat. “Did they tell you where you’ll be working?”

“George Street Immigration Center. They had enough Greek translators, but they didn’t have many for Italian and German.”

“Excellent! That’s where I’ll be as well. I thought I would be going to the Circular Quay office, but I’m so glad we’ll be working together.” She took a sip of her water and gave Eva a more serious look.

“Your father was going to speak to Mrs. Jenkins today about the flat downstairs from you. Does it bother you that we might live so close?”

Eva looked surprised at the question. She wanted them close. She had missed having family nearby. She loved Zoe a great deal, but also wanted to have her father and stepmother around. They would feel like a real family again.

“No! I would love it! I know Zoe would like that as well. I haven’t had much family around since my mother died. I’ve missed it.”

Alberta wasn’t surprised, but she was pleased that Eva’s response had been so enthusiastic. She knew her husband wanted to be near his daughters, so that arrangement had worked out really well. She wasn’t sure what she would have done if there had been a problem.

The waiter came back to take their orders and as he walked away, Alberta looked at Eva. “How old were you when your mother passed away?”

Eva looked down at her menu. “She died less than two weeks before my 18th birthday. The 9th of November, 1938.”

Alberta was shocked. A tragic event on what should have been a joyous occasion for the young girl. “I’m so sorry. If you don’t want to talk about it…”

“No, that’s okay. She was killed by someone who thought she was a Jewess on the Night of Broken Glass. I think that night was a turning point in my life.”

Alberta nodded. She knew about that infamous night. She had huddled beside the radio listening to news reports which made her sick to her stomach. She also heard a first hand account from a Jewish family that had fled Germany with only the clothes on their backs. Their shop was destroyed and all the hard work they had put in to build up the thriving grocery had gone up in flames.

“I heard stories about that night. Tragic,” Alberta replied.

Eva grimaced and kept her head down, staring at the menu. “I participated in it,” she mumbled. She was quite sure with that revelation, her stepmother would be disgusted and not be so quick to like her. She was still disgusted with herself for participating in Germany’s night of shame and the start of a nightmare for many Jews.

Alberta sat watching Eva with a sad smile on her face. The obvious self-loathing Eva was showing made the older woman want to hold her. She knew that all the young people were forced to belong to the Hitler Youth and as the daughter of an army captain, she hadn’t had a choice.

“How did you participate?”

Eva continued to hang her head. “I went with my friends and we burnt down a synagogue,” she whispered.

Alberta nodded at the waiter who had returned with their order and waited until he had left. She sat looking at the young woman. “You didn’t…?” She left the question hanging.

Eva looked up, unshed tears glistened in her eyes. “I was a coward, Ally. I did nothing to save the rabbi or the synagogue. I’m as much a killer as if I had dealt the blows or lit the fire.”

Alberta took Eva’s hands and held them tight. “Oh, sweet child, you aren’t a coward. We all do things that in hindsight would seem to be extremely wrong. But you have to think of what you were like when you were 18 and not look at the past through the eyes of a 26-year old. The woman I see before me is gentle, kind and loving. I don’t think that 18-year old Eva would have been any different. But the 18-year old young woman was doing what her peers wanted her to do.”

Eva sniffed. “If I had not gone with my friends, my mother would still be alive,” she said quietly.

“Eva, look at me for a moment.” She lifted Eva’s chin and brushed away the tears. “If you had been in the house, you would have been killed. I don’t think you being at home would have stopped whoever killed your mother.”

“I’m sorry,” Eva said as she took out a handkerchief, wiping at her eyes and blowing her nose. “I haven’t talked about my mother for a long time.” Eva took a deep breath and took a sip of her tea.

“You have nothing to be sorry about,” Alberta said as she scooted her chair over and gave the younger woman a hug. “You’re not responsible for your mother’s death.”

“My stepfather thought so,” Eva whispered.

Alberta’s heart broke as she watched Eva try to deal with memories that were obviously still painful. She wished she had an aspirin to fix those as well. “Is that when you hurt your back?”

Eva nodded. “He beat me,” she sighed. “He didn’t care that I was out on Kristalnacht, but he found out that I was a lesbian that night as well. It didn’t sit well with him that a German officer would have a deviant for a daughter,” she said bitterly.

“Eva, you are not a deviant. Anyone who loves as much as you do isn’t wrong.”

Eva smiled grimly and wiped away an errant tear. “Not many people think like you do, Ally.”

Alberta sighed. It was true that many people saw homosexuals as sick individuals, but she couldn’t find it in her heart to hate someone because they chose to love another person of the same gender. It was abhorrent to her to think that a God of love would be so cruel as to hate and condemn a soul that loved another.

“You love Zoe and you were willing to travel to the other side of the world to make her happy. You provide for her. You were willing to work in a factory to support her. There is absolutely nothing wrong in that. I know Zoe loves you, too. Her eyes light up like Christmas lights when you’re around.”

Eva smiled. “Zoe was my saving grace. She saved my life.”

“I’m sure Zoe would say the same thing about you,” Alberta replied and gently brushed away Eva’s bangs. “That young woman worships you. I’ve only just met you both, but I could easily see the love she has for you.”

“I never thought I could love anyone so much,” Eva whispered.

“I know. When I met your father, I thought I knew love, but getting to know him and being with him gave me a new understanding. How did you meet that little minx, anyway?” Alberta asked, wanting to steer the conversation back to a happier topic.

Eva chuckled. “Never get Zoe mad.”

They both laughed as Eva went on to relate how Father Haralambos suggested Zoe be hired as her maid and general assistant. Alberta laughed with the young woman as she was regaled with Zoe’s antics.

*

Zoe was slumped on the sofa, her feet up on one armrest as she found a comfortable position to listen to Benny Goodman. She enjoyed listening to his music and closed her eyes to let it wash over her. As the song ended, she glanced up at the clock and wondered when Eva was going to be home.

As if on cue, the door opened and her partner walked through with some shopping bags in hand, followed by Alberta. Zoe jumped up and ran the few steps. She greeted the tall woman with a kiss and a hug much to Alberta’s amusement..

“Hey, you’re back! How did it go?” Zoe asked expectantly as she wrapped herself around her.

Eva grinned as she tried to hold both Zoe and the grocery bags. “We both made it.”

Zoe squealed with delight and kissed Eva in celebration. “Thanks, Mum!”

Alberta beamed at the young woman. “My pleasure, Zoe.”

“So, did you behave yourself?” Zoe asked as Eva attempted to put the shopping bags down. “How’s your back?”

“Fine. And I always behave myself,” Eva replied with a grin.

Zoe snorted. “Oh yeah, like the time…” Her story was cut short by the arrival of Mrs. Jenkins and Panayiotis at the still open door. Eva let go of Zoe as soon as she noticed Mrs. Jenkins and went over to the sofa.

Alberta watched the little interplay and noticed how the two interacted as soon as Mrs Jenkins had walked in. She wondered how long these two young women would be able to hide their relationship from their landlady.

“Nelly, I would like you to meet my wife, Alberta,” Panayiotis introduced her to Mrs. Jenkins, who had taken an instant liking to the older man.

Zoe’s eyes went wide at the mention of their landlady’s first name by her father-in-law. She rolled her eyes when Mrs. Jenkins began to sing the praises of Greeks and their way of life.

“So, Eva, you’re going to get new neighbors!” Mrs. Jenkins exclaimed. She positively adored the older man who had been so charming and flattering. She could easily see where the taller young woman got her dark looks from. They talked for a short while until Mrs. Jenkins had to leave. They watched her waddle down the hallway before she suddenly stopped and headed back.

“Oh, Eva, I nearly forgot. Harry told me to tell you that he will be by at 7:00 p.m. tomorrow for the dance.” She waved again and waddled off.

“Who’s Harry?” Alberta asked.

“Eva’s boyfriend,” Panayiotis replied and watched as his wife’s eyes went round.

“I’m confused,” Alberta admitted and watched as Zoe began to put the groceries away. The young woman had gone very quiet as she walked into the kitchen.

“Dad, I think Zoe is a bit sensitive about Harry,” Eva admonished as she walked past her father and into the kitchen to unruffle some feathers. She stood in the doorway, watching, as Zoe put the shopping away. “Hi, safe to come in?” Eva asked.

Zoe looked up and smiled. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

“You had your ‘pouty face’ on,” Eva replied, stopping Zoe from putting away any more of the groceries and gathering her in a hug.

“I don’t have a pouty face,” Zoe argued, then grinned.

“Yes, you do. It’s usually followed by your ‘look at my woman the wrong way again and I’ll deck you’ face,” Eva joked which got Zoe giggling. “Want to come with me to the factory to hand in my resignation?”

“You bet. Can I tell Jack where to shove his job?”

Eva shook her head. “No. Jack could make life difficult for Earl if you do that.”

“Boofhead. I had this all planned out. We were going to go down there and tell him to shove the job right up his bum,” Zoe muttered.

Eva chuckled. “Nope. Sorry, Zoe, can’t do that. Come on, let’s go back out before Ally and Dad think we don’t like them.”

*

The traffic noise hit them as they jumped off the streetcar. Eva took Zoe’s hand and lead her through the afternoon crowds towards the factory. Eva held the resignation letter in her hand. As they entered the building, they were overwhelmed by the oppressive heat and noise.

Zoe frowned. “I hate this place,” she muttered as they walked through to the main office. A moment later, she saw Jack round a corner, heading straight for them.

“Oh, poop.”

“Well, well, well… if it isn’t Miss I-Hurt-My-Back. What happened, Eva? Did Earl get a bit too energetic for you?” He laughed at his own joke.

Zoe was fuming as she stood next to Eva, who kept a calm expression on her face. She handed the resignation letter to Zoe to hold and took a step forward. Eva would have loved to have told him off but if she did so, she didn’t want Earl to feel the repercussions.

“I quit,” she simply said and smiled.

“Huh?”

“She’s leaving,” Zoe said very slowly. “You know, go bye bye,”

Eva looked down and shook her head before turning and heading for the office, leaving her former supervisor staring at her in surprise.

*

Hans Muller sat on the sofa and watched as Rhimes looked at the clock and paced. He had been watching his friend for over an hour as he wore a path in the carpet.

“You can’t do it here.”

“Why not?”

“You’re going to get blood on the carpet and Mrs. Neiler will be upset,” Muller replied with a grin. Rhimes grinned back at him, despite the seriousness of the situation.

“Hans is right, Erik. Mrs. Neiler is none too happy if we just get beer on the carpet,” Klaus piped up from the corner, waving the gun he was cleaning.

The knock on the door prevented Rhimes from replying as he pulled out his gun and looked through the spy hole on the door. He unlocked the door when he saw Marko Berckett outside and quickly ushered the janitor inside.

“Gentlemen, I’m pleased to meet you.”

Klaus grunted and continued to clean his weapon. Muller nodded as Berckett sat down.

“So, do you have what I asked for?”

“It all depends. Do you have the file?” Rhimes asked.

Berckett smiled as he produced a file from his briefcase and handed it to Rhimes, who flipped through it. He handed the file to Hans.

“Well?” Berckett asked. He was getting a nervous twitch as he looked at Muller’s scarred face, watching him read.

“The bitch is alive. That’s her…” Muller muttered as he stared at the photograph of his stepdaughter.

“Does that mean I get my money?”

“You’re going to get something better,” Rhimes said as he sat down next to the janitor.

“W..what?” Berckett stammered.

“Actually, I’m going to give you a choice,” Rhimes replied as he pulled out his weapon and held it to Berckett’s head. As the man looked at Rhimes, his face went a pasty white. “Okay, choice number one is that I kill you here.”

“Mrs. Neiler doesn’t like blood on the carpet,” Klaus muttered from the corner.

“Bb..blood..on the ca..carpet?” Berckett stammered as he soiled himself.

Muller looked down at the puddle with disgust. “She doesn’t like that, either.”

They were toying with the man, who had by now realized he had walked into a trap and probably wasn’t going to come out alive.

“Choice number two would be for Klaus to take you on a nice scenic trip to the Blue Mountains. Would you like that?” Rhimes asked, still holding the gun to the man’s temple. “Since Mrs. Neiler isn’t going to be happy with us getting blood on the carpet, I think option number two is best, don’t you?” He looked over at the man cleaning his gun in the corner of the room.

“Klaus, please escort Mr. Berckett out.”

Klaus was a mountain of a man and as he stood up to his full height of 6‘5”, Berckett’s eyebrows shot up. He towered over the short janitor and grabbed him roughly by the arm.

“Oh, before I forget. Thank you so much for the file,” Rhimes said pleasantly as he watched Klaus and Berckett exit.

Chapter Eleven

THE BRIGHT SUNLIGHT FILTERED into the bedroom, causing Zoe to open her eyes and then shut them again. She had left the curtains open, much to her disgust. She wanted to sleep in and cuddle with Eva. She was going to spoil her lover today. That was the plan.

She cuddled closer to the sleeping woman beside her and rested her head on her arm to watch Eva sleep. A smile played on Eva’s slightly parted lips which caused Zoe to grin.

They had spent a tender and loving time together last night. After Zoe had finished with a light back massage, she surprised Eva when she began a very slow exploration down her back with feather light kisses and caresses. Eva normally took charge during their lovemaking, but Zoe had decided it was time to reverse that a little and pamper her lover.

Zoe’s grin widened at the memory of the happy little grin Eva usually wore right after what Zoe called ‘all the bells and whistles going off’.

She loved to watch Eva’s face as she slept and lightly traced Eva’s high cheekbones, smiling as Eva stirred at her touch and slowly opened sleepy blue eyes. Zoe smiled as those eyes gazed at her.

“Hi,” Eva said in a rough, sleepy voice.

Zoe replied with a soft, but passionate kiss, which woke her partner right up. “Hi, how’s your back?”

“Back? Oh…no back pain,” Eva replied, scooping up Zoe to pull her close. “I think you found a cure to my back problems.”

Zoe chuckled. “Dr. Zoe to the rescue. You’re staying in bed today.”

“Can’t. I have to…”

Zoe leaned back to face Eva with a scowl. “You most certainly are. Well, at least for the morning. It’s Saturday and that means you have a day off. So I’m going to pamper you,” she said and nuzzled her partner’s neck. “And, you’re going to enjoy it,” she finished, then kissed Eva passionately, as if to emphasize her words.

Eva smirked when they finished the kiss. She didn’t have the luxury of sleeping in on most days and the last couple of months had been tiring, especially with the increased hours she spent at work. She hated the night shifts which took her away from Zoe and she knew Zoe felt very alone not having her there during the nighttime hours. She doubted that the translating section of the Immigration Department worked night shifts.

“Okay,” Eva said to the serious face still hovering above her.

Zoe was taken aback. She had expected Eva to offer at least some resistance.

“Who are you and what have you done with my Evy?” she asked playfully, then raised up on an elbow and brushed a stray, sleep-tousled lock of hair off Eva’s forehead.

Zoe leaned down to give Eva a soft kiss, then raised back up to look at her with gentled eyes. “You need to rest, love. All this work is really stressing you out. I hate it when you come home and you’re just so tired. I hated it when Jack treated you like a pack mule. I hate it when your back hurts, because when you hurt, I hurt,” she said as she caressed Eva’s cheek. “I love you so much.”

A tear escaped and slowly tracked down Eva’s face. “I love you, too, Zoe.”

Zoe gently wiped away the tear. “Hey, I didn’t mean for you to cry. I just want you to relax today. I’ll make you the nicest, juiciest, biggest breakfast and then I’ll give you another massage …”

“But, my back doesn’t hurt,” Eva interjected.

“Who said anything about your back hurting?” Zoe replied in a sultry voice with a smirk. “I read about some new relaxation techniques that involve a lot of kissing,” she said leaning down and again kissing Eva’s sweet lips, “lots of exploration of skin,” and nuzzling Eva’s neck while sneaking her free hand down to gently rub circles over the flat stomach below her, eliciting a little moan from her partner, “and lots and lots of loving,” she finished and moved up for a long sensuous moment of exploring her partner’s lips while her fingers continued to stroke fire over Eva’s belly.

“Oh, I like that,” Eva said a little breathlessly.

Zoe grinned as she watched Eva close her eyes and sigh contently.

“Then that’s settled, you stay here all nice and relaxed,” Zoe told her and gave her a quick kiss before scooting out of bed.

Eva watched as Zoe picked up her robe, put her slippers on and padded out to the kitchen. She smiled. “Whatever I did to deserve her, thank you,” she said as she gazed up at the ceiling.

*

They spent the morning eating breakfast in bed while Zoe read the paper to Eva, then spent a long time exploring Zoe’s new relaxation techniques. By the time the afternoon rolled around, they were both quite relaxed and enjoying their day together.

It was mid-afternoon when they heard a knock and Zoe padded to the door as she put on her robe. She opened the door to Elena standing there all dressed up, ready for the dance.

“El, why are you dressed already?”

“I was nervous,” Elena said as she came in. She frowned when she saw both Zoe and Eva in bathrobes. She shook her head at them.

“What’s the matter, El?” Zoe asked and she gave her friend a smirk.

“Nothing,” Elena replied, moving to the sofa. She was too nervous to joke with her friends. Earlier, she had tried on six different dresses and nothing seemed right.

Eva gave Zoe a grin and sat next to Elena. “You’re nervous.”

“Does it show?”

“Not too much,” Eva replied with a grin. She got up from the sofa and padded into the bedroom, reappearing a few moments later dressed in long tan shorts and white shirt.

Zoe came out of the kitchen and whistled at the sight of Eva’s long legs.

“Nice view. Where are you off to?” she asked as she gave Elena an orange juice.

“Going to Earl’s place to pick up some stuff I forgot from work,” Eva explained giving Zoe a kiss before she left.

“Zoe, can I ask you a question?”

“No,” Zoe grinned and ducked when she got a gentle slap on the back of her head.

“How did you know you were in love with Eva?”

“Have you ever been in love, El?”

“No,” the young woman shook her head.

“You just know,” Zoe fingered the ring on her finger and looked up at her friend. “I can’t put into words. I knew I never wanted to wake up and not find her there. You know what I mean?”

“Sort of.”

“Eva is the most important person in my life and when you find that person then I think that’s what love is. Well I think that’s what love is.” Zoe shrugged.

Chapter Twelve

ZOE LEANED ON THE DOORFRAME and watched Eva as she dressed. A small smile played across her lips. Eva wore Zoe’s favorite dress, an apricot rayon outfit with sequins and beaded trim. Eva hated shopping, but when Zoe had caught sight of the dress she knew it was perfect for her partner and Zoe was determined, almost dragging Eva into the store to try it on.

Eva looked up at the mirror and saw her watching. “How do I look?”

“Gorgeous,” Zoe replied, moving over to give her a hug. Zoe had finished dressing herself moments before. She normally didn’t wear dresses, but she finally agreed (after hours of searching and testing Eva’s patience) on a black silk, faille and white organdy dress with a dropped waist. Zoe would have preferred wearing something more casual but it was a dance and it was ‘dress up’.

“You look great, too,” Eva said to the smaller woman holding her and kissing the top of Zoe’s head. She smiled and pulled Zoe’s body closer, smelling a subtle hint of perfume she assumed Elena convinced Zoe to wear.

Eva sighed, savoring the moment and rested her head atop her partner’s. “Thank you for today.”

“I didn’t do anything special, just got you to relax a bit,” mumbled the smaller woman into her shoulder. “We can do my special relaxation techniques again tomorrow, if you like.”

“Hmm…let me think on that,” Eva replied and closed her eyes, then grinned. “Do you still have some more cherries?”

“Oh, yeah!” Zoe grinned as well, patting Eva’s side. “Lots of them.” She had found some new season cherries and fed them to Eva in bed, in increasingly creative ways, until soon it had turned into a rather interesting, delightful game.

“You have yourself a deal,” Eva said quietly and leaned back a little, cupping Zoe’s face in her hands and tilting it up to gaze into her eyes. She slowly closed the distance, gently pressing her lips to Zoe’s, as she explored the sweetness of her partner. Eva’s kisses slowly became more aggressive, until she could feel her partner’s body start to melt into hers and felt Zoe’s arms slide around her neck, tangling fingers in her hair.

They both groaned when they heard the knock at the door.

“I’m going to kill whoever is outside that door,” a flushed Zoe muttered, as she followed Eva out of the bedroom.

Eva opened the door and a grinning Earl leaned casually against the frame, with his jacket draped over his shoulder.

“Don’t you look squish,” Eva said as she looked at Earl, who wore a black tuxedo with a red bow tie.

“Of course,” Earl said as he leaned down and gave his friend a kiss on the cheek and then spared one for a still red-faced and scowling Zoe, as well. “What’s the matter with you?”

“Nothing,” Zoe muttered. Earl chuckled as he took a seat to wait for his friends to finish dressing.

Eva went back into the bedroom, followed by Zoe, who pinched Earl’s cheek as she passed by. Earl half-whined an ‘ow!’ and gave the retreating Zoe a mock glare. Zoe responded by sticking her tongue out at him just before disappearing into the bedroom.

Earl chuckled and got up from the sofa, going over to check out a few of Zoe’s new records.

“Where’s your date?” Eva asked from the bedroom.

“I’m all alone tonight,” he replied and watched the two women exit the bedroom together.

“You are looking at Mr. Security Man.” He struck a Superman-like pose, which got Zoe giggling. He waggled his eyebrows back at her.

“You clean up nice!” he teased Zoe, getting a hard poke in reply. “So, Miss Zoe, when do I meet this David Peterson?”

“Oh, um…David, yeah…Well, he should be around soon. He’s coming with Friedrich. That’s Elena’s date.”

“And, Eva, of course, your date is…?”

Eva was about to answer when they heard another knock on the door. She opened it to find a young man in an Army uniform. His brown hair was slicked back and his brown eyes crinkled when he smiled. He held a cane in his hand.

“Harry, you old dog!” Earl shouted and engulfed the surprised man in a bear hug.

Eva and Zoe stood together with a confused look on their faces.

“Earl Wiggins! Dear God, man, it’s been a long time!” Harry replied and returned the hug. They both turned to the two women with large grins.

“Eva, this is one of my oldest and dearest friends, Harold Jenkins,” Earl said and slapped himself on the head, realizing that Harry was Mrs. Jenkins nephew. “I didn’t know your aunt was Mrs. J! Harry, this is Eva Haralambos and this is Zoe Lambros - two of my best friends.”

“You poor things, I’m sorry to hear that you have to put up with this man!” Harry said and slapped his friend on the shoulder.

“Pleased to meet you, Mr. Jenkins,” Eva said, ushering the men inside.

“Please, call me Harry. I don’t think I can go through a dance with you calling me ‘Mr. Jenkins’. I’m going to be looking around for my father.”

Zoe liked the man who sat on the sofa and she was quite taken with his charm. “You were in Greece during the war?”

“For a short time. I was captured by the krauts, but I did spend a month with a Greek family, who hid me from the patrols until I got unlucky and they caught me. When did you come back?” he turned and asked Earl. “You weren’t in Europe?”

“No, mate, I was up the Kokoda track fighting the Japs,” Earl replied.

Eva was aware that Earl had spent time in the Australian army, but they never really discussed it. Davey had told her he was in New Guinea during the war and that it had been a tough time in the jungle, repelling a Japanese invasion force.

They were the only defense standing in the way of a Japanese invasion of Australia. A small battalion of Australian soldiers had beaten back 2,000 well-trained and battle-hardened Japanese soldiers. Davey was proud of his partner, but Earl didn’t want to think, or talk, about his experiences.

“Oh, that was rough,” Harry said quietly, knowing the sacrifices made and the men they had lost during that campaign.

“Yeah,” Earl replied quietly and they sat in silence for a few moments. “Okay, enough war stories! You’re taking my best mate here out on a date. What are your intentions towards this lovely young woman?”

“Earl!” Eva said in mock outrage. Secretly, she loved the way he was looking out for her, like the big brother she never had.

“No, wait, I want to hear Harry’s answer to this,” Zoe interjected.

“Yeah, Harry, tell us.”

Harry was bemused. “Well, let’s see…some dancing, a little romancing and…” He stopped when he saw Earl shake his head. “No dancing?”

“That’s allowed.”

“Okay…no romancing?” Harry muttered good-naturedly. “What am I going to do all night if I can’t romance this gorgeous woman?”

“No romancing the shiela.”

“Hey! I’m here, you know!” Eva said as she cuffed him.

“Ow,” Earl quietly moaned. “You’re a dangerous woman.”

“Believe it,” Zoe said.

“Okay, I’m allowed to dance, but not to romance?” Harry asked as he looked between Earl and Zoe. Eva had sat back, watching the two people she loved the most try and act protective.

“Yep,” Earl replied, nodding his head.

“Why?”

Earl smiled broadly. “Harry Jenkins, meet Eva’s lover, Zoe.”

Eva and Zoe were both shocked at Earl, blurting out about their relationship to his friend.

“You two look like your eyes are going to bulge out! Relax, possums. Harry is one of us.”

“So you see you’re safe with me on the romancing section,” the young man smiled.

Eva shook her head as she went to the door to answer it. She opened it to find a man with neatly combed blond hair and green eyes that held a touch of mischief. His attractiveness made Eva take an instant dislike to him. She had seen his type before - men who thought they were irresistible to women.

David Peterson shifted awkwardly, feeling Eva’s blue eyes gaze at him as he played with the bouquet of flowers in his hands. “Um, is Zoe here? I’m David Peterson.”

“Zoe, your date is here,” Eva turned and called out.

Zoe arrived at the door and gave Eva a slap on the rear.

“Behave yourself,” she muttered. “Hi, David, come in,” Zoe welcomed the blond man. She took him by the arm and brought him into the living room as she introduced everyone.

“Would you like to put those in some water?” Eva asked sweetly. Zoe turned and gave her a quizzical look, which Eva ignored on purpose as she gestured David to follow her. As soon as David entered the kitchen, Eva closed the door quietly and turned to the surprised man.

He wasn’t expecting her to be attracted to him, but he imagined she did already see that he had some charm and wit. He cleared his throat and grinned, showing white, even teeth. Eva smiled sweetly at him.

“If you’re thinking about kissing Zoe, forget it,” Eva told him pleasantly as she stood inches away from him. “Understand what I’m saying?”

The man simply nodded as he stood aside and let Eva open the door and walk back out into the living room with the vase. He sighed. He was going to have a very boring night when he couldn’t even kiss the girl. Freddy was going to owe him big time.

*

Muller was furious. He stared down at the photograph in his hand. Eva’s smiling face looked back at him. The photo also showed a blond-haired man laughing and holding Eva closely.

“She doesn’t look like a lesbian to me,” Rhimes said, looking over Muller’s shoulder.

“This is a fake,” Muller muttered.

“Hans, why are you so quick to believe she is a lesbian? Who told you?”

“Reinhardt told me.”

“Both times?” Rhimes asked his friend. Muller nodded.

“Could it be he simply didn’t like being spurned?”

“No. When I confronted Eva with the accusations Reinhardt made, she didn’t deny them.”

“Was she conscious at the time?” Rhimes asked. He knew about the beating Muller had given his daughter and it had shocked him. He hadn’t known at the time why Muller had lost control and he hadn’t asked. Muller just called him and told him he needed a doctor to come to the house and to get someone who would be quiet about what he saw.

Muller glared at him. “This is a fake. I know my own daughter, Erik.”

“Not well enough, if she is a lesbian, my friend,” he replied, softening his jibe. “What does the rest of the file say?” he asked as he picked up the folder. He looked through the statements and shook his head.

“We need to get out of here.”

Muller sat with the picture in his hands and his head down.

“Hans, did you hear me?”

“Ja, I heard you.”

“Well?”

“I want her dead,” Muller replied, scrunching up the photograph.

“Hans, listen to me. They have enough evidence here to have us shot. They won’t catch us if they can’t find us…I’ll get Klaus to..”

“No! I want to do it this time. I sent Reinhardt the last time and the fool probably got himself killed. I need to do it myself,” Muller insisted. His one arm was badly burned, but he was determined to manage to kill his deviant daughter.

Rhimes sighed with resignation. They would have to do what Muller wanted or else he wouldn’t leave. “Alright, my friend. Let’s wait for Klaus to come back and then we will go.”

“Good,” an irritated Muller replied.

*

The group had finally decided to leave for the dance. Earl, Harry and Eva went in Earl’s car, followed by David, with Zoe, in his car and then Elena and Friedrich. They parked under the jacaranda trees and could already hear the music coming from the building.

“It’s a beautiful night, isn’t it?” Zoe said to David as they walked along.

“Yes, very beautiful,” David muttered. He kept his hands in his pockets as he walked next to the young woman. Zoe smirked at him and realized Eva must have had a little chat with him in the kitchen.

“Hey, Zoe, this looks great!” Elena said as she came up behind them, holding hands with Friedrich.

The two friends bumped into each other and chuckled. They entered the big auditorium filled with people. The band was apparently still playing some soft music before getting into the swing of things.

Eva and Harry sat in their seats, which were a few tables from where Zoe and Elena were. Eva winked at Zoe and then turned to her date.

“So, how long have you been together?” Harry asked.

“Nearly two years,” Eva replied.

Harry poured some wine and offered it to her. They sat in silence for a few minutes as the conversation ground to a halt. Eva enjoyed the music and sipped at her wine. She turned to see what Zoe was up to and frowned when she saw Zoe also had a glass of wine in her hand. She knew Zoe normally didn’t drink and never in public since she had just turned eighteen. Eva decided to keep an eye on Zoe.

The night was still going slowly for Eva as Harry tried to get her to talk. He wasn’t such a bad date after all, she’d decided, but none of the subjects he’d brought up so far warranted much conversation from her. It wasn’t until he mentioned his love for photography that Eva’s ears perked up. She’d been an avid photographer when she was in Germany, but hadn’t had an opportunity since then to indulge in her passion as much as she wanted.

Once they found a common interest, they talked for quite a while, the conversation becoming animated and quite lively at times.

David was also having a very dull evening. He danced with Zoe a few times, but also kept an eye focused on what Eva was doing. He was relieved when he was called outside, but his relief quickly turned to real concern when he was told that the police had discovered Berckett’s body. It had been pure luck that a hiker had stumbled on the body as he was making his way up a lonely trail. David excused himself and pulled Friedrich from the dance floor as the band ended their song.

“What is so important that you have to drag me away?” Friedrich hissed. He was enjoying himself; he’d found Elena to be a lovely young woman. He noticed he quickly got over his stammering after Elena had joked with him a bit and he realized she was truly interested in getting to know him.

“Daniel just told me the police found Berckett.”

“And?”

“He’s dead, Freddy.”

“Oh,” was Friedrich’s terse reply.

“We have to go stake out the flat.”

“NOW?” Friedrich hissed.

“Well, I don’t think they’re going to wait until the dance finishes, do you?” David said with irritation. They were close to arresting the Nazis and there was no way he was going to miss this opportunity. “Look, since the girls are here, they won’t be targets.”

“Okay, okay.” Friedrich muttered.

*

The car slowed down and pulled over, right after it rounded the corner. Klaus stopped the car and shut off the lights.

“Wait here,” Muller ordered the driver as he opened the back seat door and got out.

Rhimes got out the other side and followed him down the path, pulling out a paper and checking for the flat number. They wore jackets and kept the collars up and their hats pulled down low to reduce their chance of being identified.

“It’s number 5.”

They casually walked down the corridor and stopped at the door to number 5. “Won’t she be surprised?” Muller muttered. He quietly knocked and they waited. Not hearing a sound after a minute, Rhimes looked down the darkened hallway and was just about to kneel to start picking the lock, when Mrs. Jenkins popped her head out of her door.

“Can I help you, gentlemen?”

“Good evening, um…we’re looking for Eva Muller.”

“Eva Muller? There isn’t any Eva…oh, wait, you mean Eva Haralambos, don’t you?”

Rhimes looked at Muller. “Ah yes, since her husband died she must have changed her name…”

“I didn’t know Eva was married! The poor child… She lives with her sister up in number 12, but I don’t think they are in now. They’ve gone to a dance.”

“Oh. Thank you for telling us. I’m Erik and this is my brother Hans. We’re Eva’s uncles.”

“Oh, how nice!” Mrs. Jenkins enthusiastically replied. “Kali nikhta,” she said in Greek, feeling rather proud of herself. Their accents sounded German to her rather than Greek but who was she to argue when the men spoke Greek to her.

Rhimes gave her a huge smile. “Kali nikhta,” he repeated. “You said you didn’t know when they would be back?”

“No, you know young people these days…staying out ‘til all hours.”

“Yes. Hans and I have traveled a long way to see our favorite niece,” he hinted, hoping she would rise to the occasion.

“Oh, you poor things. I’m sure Eva wouldn’t mind if I let you into their flat. Just let me get the master key. It’s a shame you missed your other brother, he was here just half an hour ago.” Mrs. Jenkins was still talking as she re-entered her own flat. Rhimes looked at Muller and just shrugged. She re-emerged a moment later and began to slowly trudge up the stairs, followed by Rhimes and Muller. She stopped at number 12 and opened the door for them.

“I’ll tell Eva when she comes back…”

“No! I mean…no, please don’t do that. We wanted to surprise her,” Rhimes explained as he placed a kiss on the back of Mrs. Jenkins’ hand. “Thank you kindly, madam, for your help tonight.”

The plump old woman blushed. “Oh, you Greek men are so gallant! Think nothing of it. Have a good night!” She waved before closing the door behind her and making her way back downstairs.

Rhimes watched the door close and could only shake his head at their good fortune.

*

Elena was miserable. Her big date with Friedrich had turned into a total fizzer. He had to leave with David, which left her alone with only Zoe to keep her company. But, by now, Zoe was getting quite a bit of attention from some of the young men, dancing and having a very nice time. Elena just sat glumly, nibbling at a biscuit and sipping her punch.

Eva frowned, watching as Zoe danced. She would have to step in soon and take her home, but Zoe did look like she was having a good time. When Eva noticed Zoe head outside and her eyes narrowed as the young man Zoe had just danced with followed.

Zoe was feeling warm. She’d had a few drinks, which she thought were rather mild and didn’t seem to affect her at all. Her dancing partner seemed a nice fellow and he followed her outside when she decided to clear her head up a bit with some fresh air. It was getting quite stuffy inside the hall.

“Hey, Zoe, how’s about a kiss?” the young man asked with a grin.

Zoe looked at him blankly. “No.”

“No?”

“No.”

“C’mon, just a little kiss…” He caught her and held her against the brick wall. He was moving to kiss her when he felt himself being grabbed and thrown backwards.

“She said ‘No’,” Eva growled and shoved the man aside. She watched him get up and he looked about to charge her, when Earl took hold of his collar with one large hand and bodily dragged him away. Eva turned to her partner and embraced her.

“I don’t feel so good,” Zoe mumbled.

“You’re drunk, love,” Eva said and kissed her brow.

“Eeeva… I can’t feel my legs anymore.” Zoe looked down and wondered why she could see her legs, but couldn’t feel them.

Eva sighed. Zoe was going to have a massive hangover the next morning. “Zoe…”

Zoe looked up and grinned. “I love you.”

“I love you, too, my dearest, but you’re drunk and we need to go home.”

“Oh… ‘kay,” she mumbled into Eva’s chest. “I like it here, it’s so nice and soft…”

“Is everything alright?” Earl asked, as he came back outside after throwing the troublesome young man back in through the door.

“Zoe is drunk and I want to take her home. Can you drive us back?”

“No worries. I’ll just tell Phil that I’m leaving.” Earl turned to go inside.

“Earl, thanks.”

“Anything for you, you know that,” Earl replied and went to arrange for his absence.

Earl told Elena and Harry they were leaving. Harry decided to stay on and have a bit of fun. That’s exactly what Elena knew she wasn’t going to have that evening, so she followed Earl. Once in the car, Eva sat in the back with Zoe, who was starting to get very amorous, while Elena sat up front with Earl.

“How’s she going back there?” Earl said and quickly looked behind him.

“Hanging on,” Eva mumbled, as she once again tried to get Zoe’s hands off her breasts. “Zoe!” she whispered. “Please, not now.”

“But I like your breasts… they’re so very nice and soft… and…” Eva cut off Zoe’s ramblings, putting her hand across her mouth as Earl and Elena snickered.

“I feel sleepy,” Zoe mumbled a few minutes later and snuggled against Eva’s chest, promptly falling asleep.

Earl parked the car in the closest open space, but they’d still have a little walk to the girls’ flats. Eva got out, rearranging her dress and was about to gather Zoe up to carry her inside when she was tapped on the shoulder.

“Let me,” Earl said.

“I can do it,” Eva replied.

“No, you can’t. You’re going to hurt your back again and I won’t hear the end of it from the drunken sleeping beauty, so hand her over. Besides,” he smirked, “it wouldn’t look ladylike.”

Eva scowled. To hell with ladylike. However, she knew he was right about her back. It was still healing and although Zoe wasn’t very heavy, lifting her would probably aggravate it again. She reluctantly stepped aside and let Earl pick Zoe up. The young woman looked almost tiny in his big arms. Zoe just snuggled up against his broad chest and softly snored.

“Oh… she’s going to be one sick puppy tomorrow,” Elena said, trying to sound sympathetic, but unable to stifle a grin. She saw Eva’s head turn, but the tall woman’s glare was spoiled by the twitch at the corner of her mouth. “I know, sorry. It’s just that I’ve never seen her like this before.”

“Actually,” Eva gave up and let her grin show, “neither have I. I hope she doesn’t get too sick.”

“Bite yer tongue,” Earl replied quietly. “Don’t listen to them,” he whispered to the young woman still blissfully asleep in his arms.

Eva shook her head as she walked with Elena, who had a hand clamped over her mouth to quiet her giggles. They climbed the stairs and bade goodnight to Elena at her door. Finally at their flat, Eva put the key into the lock, opened the door and entered.

“Well, well, well… Eva, how nice of you to drop in,” Rhimes greeted them with a gun in his hand. “Please, do come in.”

Chapter Thirteen

FRIEDRICH SIGHED, WITH A disgusted look on his face. Here he was, sitting on a wooden crate in a dark, empty flat. He didn’t want to be here. He wanted to be back at the dance with Elena. Exhaling loudly, he glanced over at David, who was also perched on an empty milk crate. They had managed to get into the vacant number 5 flat without the landlord’s notice and decided to wait there for Rhimes and Muller to show up. They left all the lights off and were keeping their vigil in the bedroom, in case the Nazis decided to kick the front door in and surprise the occupants they thought were there.

Friedrich wondered how Elena was getting along back at the dance. He had been enjoying the company of the young woman very much and then to be dragged away during one of the few times he had enjoyed himself at a dance… He grimaced, thinking about Elena giving up on him and allowing another man to take her home. Turning to the party responsible for his current state of mind, he gave David an angry glare.

“Alright. I know you’re angry with me,” David said quietly.

“I’m not just angry with you, I’m so pissed off I could shoot you,” Friedrich hissed back. They had brought their guns and David was relieved that at least Freddy wasn’t the type to wave his around in anger. Still, David wasn’t sure whether Friedrich was serious or not. He had never seen his friend so angry. Maybe he really did want to stay at the dance, he thought to himself. He and his date did seem to be having a good time and he had to admit that, for Freddy, having a good time going out, not to mention having a date, was rather unusual. He promised himself that when they finished with this problem, he would make it up to his friend by sending them to dinner at the most expensive place he could find. He hoped Friedrich would hold off shooting him for that long.

“Look, mate I’m sorry, but…”

“Just shut up, David,” Friedrich retorted angrily.

David looked at him and sighed. He wanted desperately to try and apologize to his friend, but in the mood Friedrich was in, he knew he wasn’t going to get anywhere. He took his flashlight out and shielded most of it’s glare as he pointed it at his watch. If Rhimes and Muller were coming there tonight, they had better do it soon, or else his only accomplishment for the evening would be having one extremely angry Friedrich on his hands. He wasn’t sure which circumstance would be more dangerous.

They spent the next half hour in silence, sitting and listening, while David also kept watch on the front door. They grew tense several times, hearing footsteps pass by in the corridor, but none of them stopped at their door. They were both growing impatient and still nothing was happening.

Friederich finally broke the silence. “Tell me something, did you have to give Berckett the file yesterday? Couldn’t it wait?”

David frowned. “Friedrich, as much as I want to improve your love life, I don’t think waiting until the dance ended would have been a good move.”

“It would definitely have helped my love life since I didn’t have one before,” Friedrich muttered. “I don’t think they’re going to turn up any time soon, David. It’s already getting late.”

“Let’s wait a little longer.”

*

Eva closed the door quietly, smothering the light from the hallway and leaving the darkened room bathed only in the moonlight that leaked through the windows and the balcony door.

“Please leave the lights off,” Rhimes ordered, motioning for them to remain where they stood.

Earl stayed quiet, still holding Zoe, who was soundly sleeping and oblivious to the danger around her.

“So, Eva, we meet again,” Rhimes said and cocked the gun he pointed at her. “You are looking as gorgeous as ever.”

“I wish I could say it is a pleasure, but it’s not,” Eva muttered. She turned to the noise coming from the shadows near the balcony and knew her stepfather was there, as well.

Hans Muller stepped into the moonlight coming from the sliding balcony door. His face was half shrouded in shadows, but there was just enough light that she could see the scarring on his face and neck. She grimaced.

Rhimes sat down on the sofa with his gun aimed at Earl. Earl planted both feet and held Zoe in his arms, keeping Rhimes in sight but not wanting to blatantly stare at either man, not knowing how they would react. Zoe had curled up against his chest and he could hear her slightly snoring.

“Why aren’t you dead?” Muller rasped as he stood in front of Eva and shoved the gun barrel under her chin.

“Why aren’t you?” Eva replied. She watched his eyes squint and she tensed, expecting to be hit, but it didn’t happen, which surprised her.

“Aren’t you going to introduce your friend to your father?” Muller asked, looking at Earl and the girl he held in his arms.

Eva scowled. “You’re not my father and never have been.”

“Ah, how soon they forget,” Muller said over his shoulder to Rhimes, who was shaking his head.

“Who do you think gave you all the nice things you had as little girl? I did.” He grasped her chin and turned her face towards him. “Who do you think gave you the money to go to university? I did. Who do you think loved you and gave you everything you wanted? EVERYTHING!” he hissed into her face.

“You were a bastard child and you still are a bastard child. If I hadn’t married your mother, you would be a good-for-nothing, uneducated peasant, starving in some village,” he spat out as he yanked her hair back and pushed the gun hard into her throat. “How did you repay me? You brought a whore into my house!” he growled into her ear. “You’re nothing but an ungrateful slut!” He yanked hard on her hair again. “I’m going to kill you and I want you to know that I’m going to enjoy it. It’s just a shame that whore of yours isn’t around. I would have enjoyed killing her in front of you.”

Eva tried not to look at Earl’s precious bundle and prayed that the shadows would hide Zoe’s features from her stepfather.

Muller released Eva with a jerk and stepped over to Earl, who stood rock still with the sleeping Zoe in his arms.

“Who are you?” He pointed the gun at Earl’s face.

“I’m Eva’s fiancée, Earl Wiggins. Who are you?” Earl asked, knowing exactly who the madman in front of him was.

“Fiancée, eh? Well, then, I’ll be your father-in-law,” Muller’s voice rasped and he began to laugh. He leaned towards Earl. “You’re a big, strapping young man. Why would you want to waste your time with this barren bitch?” Muller cruelly watched Eva’s stoic expression. “How much does she pay you to drill her?”

Earl’s jaw tightened as he glared down at the man pointing a gun at him. Then the big man smiled maliciously.

“She doesn’t pay me … sir,” Earl forced the word out. “I do it willingly. Eva is the most satisfying lover I’ve ever had.”

Rhimes chuckled from where he sat.

“Is that so?” Muller chortled sarcastically.

“Oh, yes, sir,” Earl forged on. “Much more sensual than any German woman I’ve been with.”

Muller’s good eye twitched at the younger man’s insult. Then he scratched his scarred chin. “So, tell me, son-in-law-to-be, since you so ‘willingly’ drill her, does your fiancée have a distinctive birthmark anywhere on her body?”

Earl’s initial dislike of the man in front of him had quickly turned to cold hatred. What he really wanted to do was throw Zoe on top of him, then beat the man senseless. However, he didn’t think throwing Zoe at Muller would make either Eva or Zoe very happy. He forced himself to remain calm and took a better hold of his precious cargo.

“She has scars on her back from your hand, if that is what you are talking about…sir,” Earl said through gritted teeth. He wanted to turn and offer comfort to his friend, but he stayed rooted to the spot, holding Zoe a little tighter.

Earl remembered clearly the day when he’d accidentally noticed Eva’s scars. It had been a sweltering, muggy day and the factory floor was unbearably hot. Eva normally wore a T-shirt underneath her uniform, but for some reason that day she hadn’t.

They had been the only two working on the machine and they both sweated profusely. Eva’s shirt was plastered to her back and when Earl noticed the faint scars outlined from inside the cotton shirt, he made a joke about Eva and Zoe being on the kinky side. The look Eva had given him would have killed him on the spot. He still cringed every time he remembered his crass comments. Not until later had Eva told him about their origin, which only made him even more ashamed of his comment to her.

Earl’s response surprised Muller. Maybe Reinhardt was wrong. The Eva he knew would never wear a bathing suit, or any dress which exposed her back. Yes, it was possible that sniveling, incompetent fool had been wrong all along

“Who is that?” Muller pointed the gun at Zoe and Eva shifted slightly, her fears boiling to the surface. She was prepared to rush Muller and hope to God that she wasn’t going to get Earl or Zoe killed.

She was very relieved that Zoe was asleep. She didn’t want her beloved partner involved in this and hopefully they would find a way to get out of this mess without Zoe waking up. If she woke up, their deception would dissolve as soon as she opened her mouth.

“My sister,” Earl said smoothly.

Muller used the barrel of his gun to brush away Zoe’s bangs from her eyes as he took a good look at her. “Hmm, she doesn’t look like you.”

“She says that’s a good thing,” Earl replied as Rhimes again let out a chuckle. “Can I put her in the bedroom? She’s getting a little on the heavy side.”

“Hmm…okay,” Muller replied taking both Eva and Earl by surprise. “Put her down and come back here and be with your ‘fiancée’.”

Earl slowly made his way into the bedroom and laid Zoe gently on the bed. He put the covers over her and smiled when she curled around the other pillow with a grin on her face. He turned to leave when his eye caught sight of a cricket bat in the shadows near the door. He looked back at Zoe and smiled. He had given her the cricket bat a few weeks ago when she had taken an interest in the game. He picked up the bat surreptitiously just before he walked out of the bedroom. He noticed Rhimes sat on the sofa his back to him and Muller was taunting Eva.

“EVA, DOWN!” Earl yelled as he heaved the bat with all his might and smacked Rhimes in the head causing the man to fall from sofa unconscious to the floor. His gun went off before it dropped from his hand.

*

David sighed and yawned. He was bored. Friedrich was right, they weren’t going to make it tonight.

“Freddy, let’s go. I don’t…”

David broke off as a gunshot was heard and he ran to the door, followed by Friedrich. “Oh hell!” he yelled and stopped when he ran into Mrs. Jenkins. She had been awake and unable to sleep. She had also heard the gun shot and then the door of the vacant flat opening.

“Who are you?” she demanded. “What are you?” she followed up when she saw their drawn guns.

“We work for the government, ma’am,” David answered, wanting desperately to run up the stairs.

“What are you doing in this flat?” Mrs. Jenkins demanded. “I had two other men here tonight…”

“What?” Friedrich asked.

“Yes, Eva’s uncles came looking for her,” she began, but David and Friedrich bolted for the stairs taking the steps two at a time. “Humph! How rude!” She stood there for a second listening to the men run up the stairs, then decided she had better go sort out the problem herself.

*

Muller turned at the shout and Eva took advantage of the distraction and punched him on his scarred neck. He let out a scream and turned, then met with Eva’s knee to his groin. The blow dropped him to the floor, groaning. Eva kicked him, picked up the gun and held it against his head.

“Move and so help me, I’ll kill you,” Eva growled into his ear. Muller groaned and stayed face down on the carpet.

And then the door burst open. Earl stood in front of Eva with the bat raised and swung it hard as soon as he saw the gun. The bat slammed into Friedrich’s head and he went down in a heap next to Muller. David followed his friend into the room and stopped dead in his tracks.

“Wait!” he yelled as Earl swung the bat again and David ducked.

Mrs. Jenkins followed David and switched on the lights. Elena came racing into the flat and gaped in amazement at the occupants. Eva knelt on her stepfather, her knee pressed to the middle of his back, She was holding a gun to his head. Rhimes was sprawled on the carpet and Friedrich was out cold.

“I think I missed something,” Elena muttered. “Friedrich?” she asked in alarm, spotting the man lying on the floor at her feet. “Friedrich!” She dropped to the floor, cradling the unconscious man’s head.

Panayiotis and Alberta had rushed from their flat when they heard the shots, as had many of the neighbors. Alberta made her way to Eva.

“Are you okay?” she asked and gently touched her arm. Eva nodded. “Where’s Zoe?” Alberta asked in a panic when she didn’t see the young woman.

“Asleep, in bed.” Eva grinned. “I think Friedrich needs some help, though.” She indicated the young man lying a few feet away. Elena looked up as Alberta knelt beside them.

Panayiotis surveyed the assorted bodies on the floor and looked down at his daughter. “Are you alright?” he asked, going to one knee and cupping her face with his hand. Eva nodded and Panayiotis gave her a kiss on the brow.

“Who is that?” Panayiotis indicated the prone Muller.

“Father, you remember Hans Muller.”

“Well I’ll be.” Panayiotis said he went down on all fours and lowered his head to Muller’s eye level, recognizing him belatedly. “Well, if it isn’t Major Muller.”

“Who are you?” Muller asked and grunted.

“Father Haralambos, at your service. Why is my daughter sitting on you?”

Muller’s shocked expression caused Panayiotis to chuckle. “You’re supposed to be dead!”

“I’m very much alive, thank you.” Panayiotis replied.

“You’re her father?!” Muller looked at him in disbelief.

“Indeed. That is my beautiful daughter that’s kneeling on you. But then, you always were a stupid man, Muller,” Panayiotis said as he used Eva’s shoulder to stand up stiffly.

Eva looked around the room. Alberta and Elena were helping a grimacing Friedrich slowly sit up, as he still looked a bit unsteady. Earl also was kneeling beside him and talking to him. David had just handcuffed Rhimes and sat him up. She shook her head in disbelief at how the events turned out. She spotted Mrs. Jenkins standing at the door with a shocked expression on her face.

“Eva, what is going on here!” Mrs. Jenkins asked, looking around the room.

“Um…” Eva looked up and tried to find a good excuse for having two subdued Nazis and a dazed government investigator sitting on her floor. But, at the moment, she couldn’t find one good reason to offer the older woman except the truth.

“Come with me,” Panayiotis said as he came up behind Mrs. Jenkins and steered her out of the flat. “We need to have a little chat.” He looked back at Eva, who had a very relieved look on her face and gave her a wink.

At that moment, the door to the bedroom opened and a very groggy and still drunk Zoe staggered out, stumbling over Rhimes who was still on the floor in front of the sofa. Eva looked up and saw Zoe kneel beside Rhimes, looking at him in confusion.

“Do I know you?” Zoe asked, leaning into the semiconscious man. When she didn’t get an answer she pushed Rhimes, who promptly fell over. “Humph,” Zoe muttered, stumbling again as she tried to get back up. She decided that since her legs wouldn’t work she’d just sit. So she did, cross-legged, on the floor.

Eva had watched Zoe’s antics with concern, but also with a small bit of amusement. She sighed, seeing her partner’s head start to droop as she sat there and decided it was time to get Zoe back to bed. David had just finished handcuffing Muller so she handed him the gun as she stood up and went over to kneel beside her partner.

“Zoe…”

“Hmm?” Zoe looked up at her with a lop-sided grin.

Eva grinned back at Zoe cute expression. She had never seen Zoe drunk and despite the seriousness of the situation, she couldn’t stop herself from giving the young woman a kiss. “We need to go to bed.”

“Ooh!” Zoe exclaimed and jumped on Eva, who lost her balance and fell backwards with Zoe landing on top of her. “What do you have in mi… um …” Zoe stopped and frowned.

“What’s the matter?”

“I feel sick,” she muttered.

“Hmm. You’re going feel even sicker tomorrow,” Eva said as she stood up with her partner and kissed the top of Zoe’s head.

“Why are there so many people in our home?” Zoe mumbled, blinking as she scanned the room.

“I’ll tell you tomorrow.”

“Okay,” Zoe mumbled and wrapped herself around Eva as the tall woman carefully led her back into the bedroom and closed the door on the chaos outside.

*

Eva sat on the edge of the bed, smiling as watched Zoe sleep. She had managed to get her into her pajamas after Zoe finished getting sick a few times. Eva leaned down and gave her partner’s forehead a kiss before tucking the blanket back around her. She left the bedroom, padding quietly over and opening the door to the balcony. A gentle breeze was blowing as she stood outside watching the stars twinkle above.

It had been quite an evening, one she would never forget. One chapter of her life was now closed, or so she thought. She ruefully considered that every time she had thought Muller was out of her life, he reappeared.

Earl looked out from the kitchen when he heard the balcony door open. He had been busy when the police and the ambulance finally arrived. He had taken over and made sure Eva was with Zoe and that they weren’t disturbed. He and David gave their statements and promised to take Eva down to the station the following day for hers, which appeared to appease the police. He got a call later from Elena that, apart from a mild concussion, Friedrich was going to recover fully. Earl winced at the memory of the bat hitting Friedrich’s head. He would have to make it up to the smaller man with an expensive dinner for the couple when Friedrich got out of hospital.

He stood quietly in the kitchen, watching Eva on the balcony for a few moments, hoping his friend was coping with all the stress of the past few days. He was relieved that his batting practice on Muller and Rhimes had gone so well. If only he could do as well when it came time to bat for his cricket team. At least he could tell Zoe her bat had passed his test with flying colours. He chuckled at the thought.

Earl dried his hands on the towel over his shoulder and walked over to stand behind his friend, putting his arms around her shoulders.

Eva looked up and leaned back into his chest.

“Happy birthday, Eva,” he whispered and kissed her on the cheek.

Eva was surprised. She had forgotten all about her birthday. She looked up at the tall, blond man and smiled. “Thank you.”

“How’s Zoe?”

“She’s sleeping. She was sick a couple of times, but I managed to get her to go to sleep finally.”

“She makes a happy drunk, doesn’t she,” Earl chuckled softly. He was sure his young friend would be mortified when told about her antics of the evening. He was looking forward to seeing her reaction.

Earl cleared his throat. “Um, I have an apology to make to you.”

“Oh?”

“Mm hmm. I’m sorry I was so crude earlier.”

Eva frowned and then realized he was talking about his conversation with Muller. “You have nothing to apologize for, Earl. You saved our lives.”

“I want you to know that I would be a very happy man if you were my wife.”

Eva was touched by his comments. She looked up at him and reached around to cup his face with her hand. “Thank you, my friend.”

“So if Zoe ever decides to toss you away, you know who to come to,” Earl joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Eva chuckled. “I think Dave may have something to say about it.”

“Dave likes threesomes,” Earl chuckled, with Eva joining in.

“I don’t think Zoe would let me come and play at your house any more if you said something like that to her,” Eva replied and gave him a gentle slap on the arm.

“Ah yes, well, it will just be our little secret,” Earl suggested and hugged her.

Chapter Fourteen

EVA WOKE TO THE SOUNDS of someone moving about outside. She could hear voices. She quietly got out of bed, put on a robe and padded to the living room, closing the bedroom door quietly so as not to wake her partner.

Earl was standing at the front door talking with a neighbor. He looked back when he heard a noise and waited until Eva got to them.

“Eva, this is my mate Reggie. He lives at number 20.”

Eva recognized the man she had seen a few times in the hallway. They had a nodding acquaintance. “Pleased to meet you, Reggie.”

“Finally I get to speak with the most beautiful woman in the building,” Reggie said as he gave Eva a huge grin.

“Oh, knock it off,” Earl chided his friend before turning to Eva. “Reggie will fix the door, if that’s okay with you.”

Eva looked at the door which had suffered greatly from the previous evening’s events. The lock was totally destroyed and a massive hole had taken its place.

“Yeah, that’s fine,” Eva said and yawned. “Sorry, it was quite a night.”

“Yeah I heard. Were those really Nazis?”

Eva nodded.

“Wow!” Reggie exclaimed. He had heard the stories going around the building about what had happened at number 12 during the night. The whole place was buzzing with the news. “Is everyone alright?”

“Everyone’s fine,” Eva mumbled.

“Okay, enough gossiping. When can you do it?” Earl interrupted, knowing Eva was tired.

Reggie looked at the door. “Well, I can patch it up so you can close it, but it will be tomorrow before I can put in a new door since today’s Sunday and nothing is open.”

Earl looked at Eva who nodded. “That’s fine. I think we’ll be in for most of the day today,” Eva replied.

“GoodO! Talk to you later, mate.” Reggie said and took another look at the door, jotted down some figures. “Have a quieter morning, Eva.”

Earl closed the door and Eva looked up at him and sighed. “I think the whole building knows we’re here now.”

Earl chuckled. “I think they knew you were here before. Hey, you want some breakfast?”

“Hmm…I would love a cup of tea.”

“Comin’ right up. Is the drunk still asleep?”

“She was when I got up.”

“Go back to bed and I’ll bring you a cuppa. Now shoo.” Earl gently pushed his friend toward the door and watched as she entered the bedroom.

Eva took off her robe and got back into bed just as Zoe was beginning to stir.

“Argh,” Zoe groaned as her head pounded and her stomach did flip flops. She opened her eyes and then shut them against the bright glare. “Kill me now,” she moaned.

Eva scooped her up and cuddled her as Zoe continued to moan from her self-induced drunken bout. “You don’t want to die.”

“Yes, I do. Quickly.”

Eva tried to hide the smirk but wasn’t fast enough as Zoe glared at her. “Don’t look at me like that! How many did you have?”

“It wasn’t the drinks. I think I was run over by the ‘beast’,” Zoe muttered.

“No, love, you were drunk as a skunk, last night.”

“My head hurts!” Zoe continued to moan. “I only had a couple of drinks!”

“My little two-pot screamer,” Eva chuckled and kissed her tenderly.

“Ow. That hurts,” Zoe said and burrowed her head under the covers. “Last thing I remember is someone asking me for a kiss. That wasn’t you, was it?”

Eva smirked. “Nup. Wasn’t me. It was a blond-haired boy.”

“Oh no. Did I kiss him?”

“Nope. I asked him not to.”

Zoe emerged from under the covers and looked at Eva’s smug look. She laughed, which she regretted soon after. “Ow,” she wailed, pressing her palm to her head. “Then what happened?”

“I just convinced him not to try and kiss you. Earl was the one who threw him out,” Eva replied as she brought up the blanket and settled it around them.

“There’s something you’re not telling me.”

“You know, you are very cute when you’re drunk.”

Zoe cringed. “Oh no. What did I do?”

“You get very…amorous.”

“I’m amorous all the time,” Zoe said and waggled her brows which caused her to grimace. “My whole face hurts!” she groaned, rubbing the space between her brows. “OK, let me hear all the gory details.”

Eva chuckled. “Well I thought you’d had enough and were quite drunk, so I decided to take you home.”

“How?”

“Earl.” Eva knew this would cause Zoe to moan and she wasn’t disappointed. “And Elena.”

Zoe’s face took on a pasty white color as the blood drained from her face. Her two friends, whom she loved dearly, were going to torment her about this episode forever. She just knew it.

Eva stroked the chestnut hair as she held her partner, knowing that what came next would probably mortify her. “You were groping me in the car.”

“I WHAT?!” Zoe raised her voice and again regretted the move as she now held her head with both hands. “Please tell me I didn’t do that,” she moaned.

“Yeah, you did. You were undoing the laces on my dress and sticking your hand down my cleavage.” Eva couldn’t stop the chuckle as Zoe’s eyes went wide. “Elena and Earl were up front.”

“Oh, God, this can’t get any worse!” Zoe looked at Eva when she didn’t agree. “Please tell me it doesn’t get any worse.”

“It gets worse.”

Zoe burrowed back underneath the blankets. “I’m not leaving this room ever again!” She uncovered her head, her disheveled bangs askew and Eva grinned and kissed her. “Then what did I do?”

“You told Earl that I had soft breasts.” Eva laughed out loud at the look on Zoe’s face. “You told him they were very soft to sleep on and … other things.” She held Zoe as the younger woman’s face went a bright shade of red. “Then you did the best thing you could have done.”

“I made love to you in the back seat of Earl’s car and I don’t remember it?” Zoe quipped.

“No, although that certainly would have been memorable.”

“You’re enjoying this aren’t you?”

Eva nodded, which got her a slap on the belly from her partner. “Actually, you fell asleep,” Eva said and watched Zoe’s relieved face. “That’s when things really got hairy.”

“Huh?”

“We had a visit from Muller and Rhimes last night.”

Zoe forgot about her hangover and turned towards Eva. “Are you okay?” she asked, checking for obvious damage to her partner. She then noticed the small bruise on Eva’s throat. “You’re hurt!”

“No, love, I’m alright.”

“You have a bruise on your neck and I know a hickey when I see it and that’s not a hickey.”

Eva fingered her neck for a few moments and smiled. “Muller stuck his gun there.”

“Tell me everything that happened.”

Eva began to recount the story from just after they’d entered the flat. When she recounted Earl’s conversation with Muller, her narrative got a sharp snort from Zoe. Eva then filled her in on how Friedrich and David had come rushing through the door only to be met by Earl’s flying bat, which got a chuckle out of her relieved partner.

“Is Friedrich alright?”

“Well, he didn’t look too good last night,” Eva admitted. “David rang from the hospital to tell us that he has a concussion. Elena was most upset and spent some time holding him. I think they like each other.”

“I think El is quite taken with him,” Zoe agreed and wrapped her arm around Eva’s waist. She looked up at Eva and grinned. “Did you really kick Muller in the balls?”

“Yep.”

“Way to go, Evy!” Zoe celebrated with a quick kiss. “Should have blasted him there while you had the gun,” she muttered.

“Things got a little interesting after that.”

“Interesting?”

Eva nodded. “You woke up and stumbled over Rhimes who was lying on the floor and then you sat on the floor grinning. When I tried to get you to go to bed you pushed me over and fell on top of me and you were telling me what you would do to me when you got me in bed.”

Zoe let out a belly laugh despite the pain in her head. “Oh my God! Tell me no one saw that!”

“Um…let’s see; there was Earl, David, Elena, Ally and Dad, Mrs. Howitz from across the hall…”

“ARGH!”

A light tap was heard and Eva called, “Come in.” Earl opened the door and brought in a tray with toast and tea. He put the tray down and looked down at Zoe who had burrowed herself back under the blankets.

“You told her?”

Eva nodded and Earl patted the lump on the bed. “Hey, Stretch, I want to ask you about something.”

“What?” came the muffled replied .

“How do you get Eva to scream out your name? I didn’t quite hear it when you told everyone last night.”

Both Eva and Earl began to laugh as Zoe moaned loudly. “Go away, I hate you.”

“I love you too, Stretch. By the way I have the perfect hangover solution.”

“What?”

Earl took the mug from the tray. “It’s two raw eggs, mixed with…” He didn’t finish as Zoe threw back the blanket, her hand over her mouth and jumped off the bed and raced to the bathroom. Eva hit Earl on the arm as she chuckled and followed Zoe.

“Must be something I said,” Earl muttered as he took the tray back to the kitchen

*

Eva sat on the sofa, Zoe was stretched out, her head in Eva’s lap, as soft music played. Eva had spent the morning tidying up the flat while Zoe was trying to get over her hangover. Earl had stayed around while Reggie fixed the door and then cooked them a light lunch.

“Everything’s done,” Earl said quietly as he leaned over Eva’s shoulder to gaze at the sleeping Zoe. “How is she?”

“She’s okay. I think the headache is gone,” Eva replied and stroked Zoe’s hair. They both looked up when they heard a knock on the door. Earl opened it and then closed it again.

“Earl, what’s the matter?”

“I think you need to wake sleeping beauty.”

“Why?”

Earl came over and cupped her face in his hands. “Humour me.”

Eva shook her head. “Zoe,” she whispered in her lover’s ear. “Come on, love, time to wake up.”

“Don’t want to,” Zoe mumbled.

“Yes, you do, Sport.” Earl said and picked her up and set her on her feet. He leaned down and whispered in her ear.

“Oh,” she replied and rubbed her eyes. Eva got up and was about to open the door when Earl barred her way.

Eva was confused. Zoe gave her a smile and wrapped herself around Eva’s waist.

“Okay, Wiggy.”

Earl opened the door.

“SURPRISE!” Panayiotis Haralambos led the greeting as he entered the flat, followed by Alberta, Elena and Earl’s partner Dave. Eva was surprised, as she hadn’t been expecting a birthday party.

“You did this?” she asked Zoe, who was beaming at her.

“Yep, but I didn’t plan on getting drunk. It was supposed to be at Earl’s place, but he kinda moved everything here.”

Eva looked at Earl who was handing out party hats and streamers to everyone.

“Happy birthday, you old thing,” Earl said and kissed her.

She was speechless. She was usually aware when Zoe was planning something.

“Are you surprised? I wanted to make this special for you,” Zoe said and looked into Eva’s eyes which had started to glisten with tears. “I love you.”

“Thank you, love.” Eva replied and bent down and gave her partner a tender kiss as the party got underway around them.

The End