LIEBELIED
A "Dr. Strangelove" Ficlet

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Since Valentine's Day is just around the corner, I thought I would make a little fanfiction piece to commemorate the occasion. The result is the following ficlet, which features Dr. Strangelove & his wife, my OC Mary Albright. Now, I should warn you that there are some parts or elements of the story that you may not "get" at first, but it'll be easier to understand when you've read certain upcoming chapters of my fanfiction, "The Memoirs Of Dr. Strangelove". In any case, I do hope you enjoy the fanfic.

And, now, for a brief copyright-&-disclaimer...

Dr. Strangelove & all elements & properties belonging to his movie © Stanley Kubrick & Columbia Pictures. I only claim ownership to the above fanfic, my invented first name for Dr. Strangelove, & the character of his wife, Mary.

Oh, & before anyone asks, I did write the song Dr. Strangelove performs for Mary. It did take a few hours to make sure that all the grammar was correct, while also trying to make it rhyme at the same time, but I think the song turned out all right. (If you can't read German, feel free to ask me for an English version of the song, & I'll be happy to provide it for you.)

When you're finished reading the story, feel free to leave a review. I'll take anything from simple comments to constructive criticism, as long as they're not flames or written in a mean, rude, or overly-harsh manner.

And now that my copyright-&-disclaimer is finished, let the fanfiction begin! Happy reading!

Braun Strangelove leaned back comfortably in his wheelchair, as he gently nibbled on the end of the fountain pen that he held in his gloved right hand. A single sheet of paper lay on the surface of his work-desk, only showing a single word in the top-center, written in elegant black script: "Liebelied". Braun was trying to compose a song for his wife, Mary, in honor of Valentine's Day, but he was having trouble getting started. Usually, poetry & songwriting were not very hard for the gut Doktor, but, today, it looked like he had gotten writer's block! And just before Mary was to come home from her shift at the mine-shaft community's hospital! Braun had planned to surprise Mary upon her return home, but with only a couple of hours until she arrived, it didn't seem like his plans were going to work out. Not as long as his writer's block was troubling him.

Great, Braun grumbled mentally as he pulled his fountain pen out from between his teeth, & slammed it down on the partially-written piece of paper in frustration. Just great! He crossed his arms over his chest, & glowered from behind his black sunglasses, pouting like an irritated young boy who had been denied something that he really wanted. Where are those infernal Muses when you need them?

After sulking for a moment or two, Braun picked up the pen from the table, & tapped the end of it against his right temple, hoping to ignite a spark of creativity that would help him get started on his poem. Come on, Braun! the doctor urged himself. You can do this...Just think of something for inspiration! Anything! Braun racked his brains for a little while longer, initially coming up with nothing...but, then, just when Braun was about to give up on the entire project altogether, he suddenly felt a wave of intuitive insight wash over him. A stream of ideas was beginning to flow through his mind, nourishing his thirsty brain-cells with all sorts of stimulating thoughts...thoughts about love, thoughts about beauty & light, thoughts about sunshine & happiness, thoughts about life, thoughts about never-ending joy, thoughts about undying affection...thoughts about Mary...

Braun closed his eyes, breathing deeply as he concentrated on those lovely thoughts & feelings that were filling his mind & soul. He dreamt of Mary's smiling face, her sweet hazel eyes, & her dark-brown hair that flowed down her back like a dunny waterfall...He thought of her laugh, & how it made his ears ring with a pleasant tingle whenever it flowed from her soft red lips...He thought of the way her eyes lit up whenever something (or someone) made her happy...He thought of how soft her skin felt against his whenever they touched...He thought of how much she meant to him, & how he was willing to do anything for her...even to die for her! Those inspiring & empowering thoughts continued to blaze inside of Braun, as he picked up his pen, put it down to his paper, & began writing his love song for Mary...

Later on, early in the evening, the front door of the Strangelove house swung open, & a tall, slender young woman in a nurse's uniform stepped into the living room, the heels of her white shoes gently clacking against the smoothly-packed dirt floor. As she walked, Mary took a look at her surroundings, noticing that the living room looked a lot different than it did this morning. The electric lights had been turned off, & a few logs were piled up together in the hearth, giving off a gentle glow as they started to burn.

In the dim light, Mary could see that the living room had recently been decorated; a few unopened presents, a fresh bouquet of roses, a Valentine heart, a greeting card, a box of chocolates, & a pink heart-shaped balloon (tied down to the wrist of a smiling teddy bear) lay on the coffee table. An old record-player had been taken out, & was now turned on, playing the beautiful waltzes of Strauss. A photo of Mary & her husband Braun, taken on their wedding day, was hung up on the wall to the left of the entrance to the kitchen / dining room, & when Mary went over to take a closer look at it, she could see a square sticky-note posted on the glass protecting the picture, in the lower-right-hand corner. On the note, in neat handwriting, was the following text: "I have plenty of surprises for you tonight...The first one is in the kitchen."

Mary took a few steps to the right, before stopping in the center of the threshold...& when she saw the inside of the kitchen, her hazel eyes lit up with delight. The dining table had been covered with a light-pink silk tablecloth, & in the middle of said table, there was a pair of candles (in silver holders) that gave off a warm, intimate glow, as the scent of roses drifted from their burning wicks. The surface of the tablecloth was adorned with cream-colored silk placemats, along with silver bowls & plates (& utensils, of course), filled with all sorts of delicious morsels...many of which were Mary's favorite foods. And as if Mary wasn't already delighted with what she had seen today, guess who came to make her Valentine's Day even more wonderful?

"Mary, darling!" Braun exclaimed with a big smile on his face, as he wheeled into the kitchen to greet his wife. "You're home!"

"Yes, I am, Braunie," Mary said, returning her husband's smile, as she went over to kneel in front of Braun, & give him a kiss on the nose. "I'm so glad to see you, after such a long day of work..."

"I'm sure you are, liebling," Braun replied, taking Mary by the hand, before leading her over to the table, where Mary took her seat in an adjacent chair. After Braun had wheeled over to the other end of the table, opposite of Mary, he fastened a bib around his neck, then took his silverware into his hands, & looked up at Mary with another smile. "Well," he asked, "why don't we both have dinner, &, then, we'll look at our presents?"

"That seems like a good idea, Braun," Mary responded, tying a napkin around her own neck, before picking up her own utensils.

"All right," Braun said, before looking down at his meal, & taking the first few bites of it. Mary did the same thing, & before too long, husband & wife were heartily tucking into their Valentine's Day supper. As they ate, Braun & Mary both talked about various things--about what had happened to them during the day, who they saw, some of the funny jokes & conversations they had shared with friends or customers or patients...those little pleasures that made each day of their lives so special.

At one point, Braun took his glass of sparkling grape juice, & lifted it up from its porcelain coaster, as Mary did the same. "A toast," the good doctor said as he gazed lovingly at his wife from across the table. "To life, love, & the pursuit of happiness!" Braun & Mary toasted their glasses of grape juice in the air, then took a few sips from their drinks, before placing them back down on their coasters. Then, after having a few more bites of his dinner, Braun looked at Mary again with a smile. "How's the baby?" he asked tenderly, gazing at the noticeable swell in Mary's stomach (covered by the blouse of her white hospital uniform).

Mary looked down at her belly, placing a hand on the bulging flesh. Patting & rubbing this hand over her stomach, Mary replied, "It's doing fine, Braun." Six months ago, Braun had helped Mary get pregnant, & it would only be three more months until their child was born. "Can you imagine, Braun?" Mary whispered as she looked back up at Braun with a sweet, loving look in her eyes, as she continued to rub her hand over her tummy. "It'll only be a few months until our little bundle of joy comes out into the world...I'm so happy."

"I am, too, Mary," Braun said, nodding his head in agreement. "I can't wait for our child to be born."

"It's going to be so wonderful," Mary sighed, before going back to eating her dinner, as Braun followed suit. The two carried on with their dining & chatting for the next half-hour, enjoying the conversations they shared over their meal...& when they were finally done eating, Braun helped Mary out of her chair, then let her sit down in his lap, before wheeling her into the living room, where they could begin opening their Valentine's Day presents.

Mary had been tickled-pink when Braun gave her the bouquet of roses, Valentine heart, candy box, balloon, & teddy bear she had found earlier, &, judging by her reaction, she was sure to go positively over the moon in ecstasy when she saw the other presents her husband had to offer her! One by one, Mary opened up each of the presents, & with each package she opened, she grew increasingly delighted with her gifts--a bottle of rose-scented perfume, a mechanical pair of waltzing figurines (made to resemble her & Braun in lovely evening attire), a book of Mary's favorite poems, a pearl necklace with a matching bracelet, & a set of scented lotions for the bathtub. Mary was so happy with all of her gifts, & she was eager to let Braun know that...but the Valentine's Day celebration wasn't over yet!

"You need to look at the card I made you," Braun said, giving Mary the handmade greeting card that went with her presents. Mary took a good look at the front of the lavender-colored card; it displayed a cartoon picture of an adorable baby Cupid, posing coyly as he held a big red Valentine behind his winged back. Above this picture, was a caption in pretty purple script: "On this special day, you deserve something that's really, really uber-special..." Mary opened up the card to look at the inside flap, where the message on the front continued in the same purple script, "...because you are a really, really, uber-special woman!" On the bottom of the inside flap, in black handwriting, was a more personal message from Braun: "Happy Valentine's Day to you, my darling...Love, your husband."

Mary looked up from the card, then gazed at Braun with those beautiful hazel eyes of hers...before giving her beloved spouse a great, big hug. "Oh, thanks, Braun!" Mary said, nuzzling Braun's neck, as she squeezed her slender arms around his shoulders. "You're the best husband any woman could ever have!"

"And you're the best wife any man could ever have," Braun whispered tenderly, stroking Mary's dark-brown hair with his gloved hand...but, then, he let out a soft gasp, as a wave of realization hit him. "Oh, that reminds me!" Braun said. "There's one last present I have for you tonight, Mary...& that is the gift of song!" With that, Braun cleared his throat, & began to sing his "liebelied" to Mary...

Mary, meine Liebe, meine schöne Braut,
Ich haben Freude, weil ich weiß dass Sie hier sind,
Und Sie werden mir immer helfen,
Wenn ich in Bedürfnis bin

Mary, mein Engel, mein Liebling, meine Taube,
Sie sind mein besonderer Schatz!
Ihre Augen erzählen mir, dass ich Glück habe,
Weil Gott Sie mir gegeben hat!

Ich schätze Ihre Schönheit und Freundlichkeit,
Und ich schätze Ihr süßes, hübsches Grinsen!
Ich bewundere Ihre wohlklingende Stimme,
Und Ihre Haut ist glatt wie Porzellan!

Sie füllen mich mit Gelächter, bringen
Sie freudige Lächeln zu meinem Gesicht!
Sie nehmen meinen inneren Kummer weg,
Damit mein Leben mit Licht gefüllt ist!

Mary, ich schwören streng und ehrlich
Dass ich ein treuer Ehemann sein werde,
Aber versprechen Sie auch, meine Liebe,
Mit mir zu bleiben, bis Sie sterben?

Ach, Mary! Wenn ich Sie verliere, wird
Meine Welt Spannung und Streit haben!
Heiliger Engel, verlässt mich nicht!
Sie sind meine ewige Liebe und Leben...

When Braun had finished singing, he could see that Mary's eyes were watering. Braun smiled tenderly at his wife, & as he reached out his left hand to brush away the tears falling down Mary's cheeks, he whispered to her, "Don't cry, Mary..."

"Oh, Braun, it's fine," Mary said, smiling as she gently took Braun's hand in hers, before lowering it from her face. "I'm just crying because I'm happy...I'm so happy to have you as my husband..." Then, Mary looked down at her large, swelling stomach, before bringing her & Braun's hands down, placing them upon the soft flesh of her belly, & rubbing them back & forth over the area, as she added in a hushed tone, "And I'm also happy to be the mother of your child..."

"And I'm just as happy," Braun said with a beaming face (& a merry twinkle in his brown eyes), "to be the father of our klein Kind...& your husband, of course."

Mary let go of Braun's left hand, then brought her right hand up to stroke the "left" side of Braun's face, as she leaned over to give him a loving kiss on the lips. "You're a good man, Braunie," Mary said, smiling at Braun as she continued to caress his face. "It's no wonder that I became so attracted to you when we first met."

At this point, Mary was about to say more to Braun, but before she even realized what was happening, Braun suddenly took Mary into his arms, & pulled her into a tight embrace. While his arms tightened their grip around Mary, Braun began kissing his wife passionately on the lips, as his hands slid up & down the length of Mary's sides, along the slopes of her feminine curves. Mary couldn't help but moan a little, as she felt the sensation of Braun's mouth pressing against hers, followed by that of his moist tongue tickling her lips as it gently pushed inside of her mouth...Braun & Mary shared kiss after kiss after kiss, &, oh, how good it felt! Every time their lips touched, Mary felt her body tingle with a soothing sense of pleasure that made every nerve, every cell, blaze with warmth!

"Oh, Mary," Braun sighed as he continued kissing & embracing his wife, "I want so much to give you more...more than just presents, more than just kisses & hugs...but that might not be the best thing right now, with you in such a...delicate condition. I-I mean, if we were to do anything, I might accidentally hurt the baby, &...well, things could happen, you know?"

"That's OK, Braun," Mary told her husband with a sweet smile. "I'm perfectly content just to sit in your lap, & talk with you all night long."

"Really?" Braun asked, looking pleasantly-surprised (& also a little flattered).

"Oh, yes," Mary replied with a nod of her head, before giving Braun another kiss on the lips, as she brought her right hand up to the back of her husband's head, stroking his curly mass of light-brown hair. "Just being with you is the most pleasurable experience that I could ever have."

"That's good to know," Braun said, before closing his eyes with a deep sigh, & letting himself surrender to Mary, as she showered him with more kisses & caresses...

Finally, after several minutes, Mary let up on the kissing & touching, & let her lips & arms drift away from Braun...but Braun wasn't quite ready for her to stop just yet. Without warning, Braun grabbed his wife, & brought her back in for another hug, as he pressed his lips firmly, but ever-so-tenderly, against hers. The kiss lasted for several seconds, but when Braun's lips finally parted from Mary's, they whispered the most beautiful words that could ever be spoken to anyone: "Ich liebe dich. I love you, Mary, with all of my heart & soul."

"I love you, too, Braun," Mary whispered back with a fond smile, gazing at her beloved with half-lidded hazel eyes. Those eyes fluttered closed when Mary was swept up into yet another kiss...a kiss that seemed to lift her soul up into the heavens, while her body remained in this world, with Braun...Braun, the love of her life, the man of her dreams, the object of her undying affections!

How Mary hoped that this kiss would never end...How she hoped that she could share this moment with Braun forever! Whenever Braun & Mary were together, the world around them seemed to fade away, & the things that were on their minds didn't matter for a while. Let time stand still, Mary thought as she lost herself in the warmth of Braun's loving embrace. Let everything just come to a halt for a few minutes...Right now, the only person I need in my life, is my wonderful spouse. And unbeknownst to Mary, in the inner recesses of his mind, Braun was sharing those exact same sentiments.

Happy Valentine's Day to all!