/Ludwig/

I blushed slightly at our brief contact. I always felt this way around Fritzi, and I almost cried. "We'll be home soon…I wonder what Dr. Stanislaus did without our gracious presence."

/Fritzi/

At the mentioning of Dr. Stanislaus's name, my eyes narrowed sharply and I had squash the feeling of contempt rising within me. "Well, he better have been civil with the patients, including Evangeline and Charlotte. If I found out he raised just one finger on them...ooooh! There's going to be hell to pay!"

/Ludwig/

"Fritzi, Dr. Hermann isn't one to mess with. He's a genius, and he knows what he's doing, okay?" I hoped she'd hold her tongue. I didn't want anything to befall her, and knowing the Doctor, it wouldn't be very pleasant.

/Fritzi/

"And genius can sometimes turn into madness," I riposted, unable to stop myself. Ludwig held more regard for Dr. Hermann Stanislaus than I did but perhaps one of the reasons was he had known that man for all his life. "Ludwig, I have seen what he did to Ashlyn, Charlotte, and even Evangeline... I can never forget their cries, their screams for mercy." Shaking my head, I sat down on one of the crates, my sudden good cheer evaporating.

(Good thing I checked this because apparently, ff.net is lax on their email alerts... .)

/Ludwig/

"He wasn't always like that." I thought back to when I was a boy. 'He and my father were good friends, and he would always tell the strangest stories." I tried to forget what he had done to the girls. I regarded them as sisters, yet Hermann was like a favorite uncle. "Perhaps he is working on something that will cure madness." I treid to come up with an excuse.

/Fritzi/

I snorted at this. "By dunking Charlotte into a freezing tank of water until she drowned? Some cure that'll be." But I didn't say anything else on the matter, I knew how devoted he was to Dr. Hermann--his loyalty practically knew no bounds.

"But it's a pity he's no longer than man you once knew." I added softly, wrapping my shawl around me as a crisp, cool breeze blew past us.

/Ludwig/

"He still can be...he has his moments. No matter what the injury, he will answer his door at all hours, treat now, ask questions later." I realized she was a bit cold, and wrapped an arm around her, shielding her from the elements. "We should get going, we have a cavalry escort to the train."

/Fritzi/

With a nod, I slid off from the crate, replying, "Ja, of course. That is kind of the army to offer us such men as escorts." Tucking the folds of my shawl in, I followed Ludwig as he guided me to our train. I craned my head for Fritz and eventually saw him standing close by, near the train.

Hope he enjoyed his letter from that woman...

(Hey, Rebel, did you receive my PM?)

(Is this the one about the Hermann/Fritzi/Ludwig triangle?)

(Yep, that's the one. It should be the latest PM that I sent you. ^^)

(U mean the broken record one? ^^ JK)

(Hahaha, yes, that's the one. XD)

(U should post this empress right away!)

(First, I have to find her a name... All I have for right now is a rough idea of her personality. ^^;)

(Perhaps for a model u should use Kerry Condon...always had a soft spot for her.)

(Hm, she's not bad of a selection. I'll see once I start playing around with her bio. Right now, I had to finish a chapter of mine... ^^;)

(So...what happens now?)

(I must be going, toodles)

(What a coincidence. So must I...in a few minutes.)

/Fritz/

I continued to reread the letter, then, as soon as I was noticed, I let my smile fade and hid the letter in my coat. I placed a hand on the hilt of my blade, and entered the train, going to my officers car.

/Fritzi/

"There's Fritz! Shall we go join him?" I questioned Ludwig as the cavalry flanked our sides while we made our way towards the train.

/Ludwig/

"I was thinking we should leave him be...he needs some solitary time, darling." I answered, picking her up, though I knew she would protest. "I have a nice little booth for us in the dining car anyways."

/Fritzi/

"Really? Aw, that's mighty sweet of you." I replied, squashing down a squeak of protest as Ludwig gathered me into his arms--he always liked doing that to me.

/Ludwig/

"What would you like to drink?" I asked, setting her down in the seat of the booth. I opened a cabinet to reveal a shelf full of liquor, cola, and some strange fruit stuff.

/Fritzi/

"I will have some scotch, if it's there," I replied, leaning back against the soft, plush, leather-upholstered seats.

/Ludwig/

I looked over to Fritzi, and tossed her a bottle of scotch, taking a plain beer for myself. I sat down next to her, and put an arm around her. "I think I'll drop you off, you can bath, and afterwards I can meet you at the hospital to explain our absence to the Doctors."

/Fritzi/

"Oh how delightful," I grumbled sarcastically. I wasn't exactly too thrilled on meeting the doctors again, particularly Dr. Matthew. I could still remember how him and Dr. Gyozo always harassed poor Ashlyn and Charlotte. Especially Charlotte. When I returned to Bethlem, I would make sure nothing else befalls upon Charlotte. If I could get her out of the Godforsaken place, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

/Ludwig/

"Oh, they're not so bad." I lightly kissed her on the cheek, and whispered in her ear. "Besides, if you're there to keep the patients safe, I think I could help along the way."

/Fritzi/

Arching one eyebrow in intrigue, I answered swiftly, "And I shall hold you to it, Ludwig. Although God help me understand why you're not a least bit worried in what they have going on in their heads." I gave him a coy smile before taking a swig out of the scotch bottle and leaned against Ludwig, watching the faded scenery whizz past us.

/Ludwig/

"Whose heads?" I asked, almost freaking out. I hated it when she put me in the position between Hermann and the patients. I hoped I would have the strength to choose, but I had a feeling it would always be Hermann. I snaked an arm around Fritzi's torso, and gave her a squeeze of reassurance.

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