A/N: Just to say that in this version of the story I've moved the events of the original play about 30 years ahead in the future so that Hanschen and Ernst first met in 1921 instead of 1891 so that the characters can be the right sort of age for the story. Hoping you'll allow me this bit of artistic license, enjoy!

"You're sure this is ok?"

"Nope"

"Then…Hanschen!" Anna grabbed his arm as they crept down the thin, lusciously carpeted corridor that ran alongside the first class carriages of the train. "Don't you think we should wait until later on, when we're slightly less likely to get caught and sent to prison?"

"Shhhhhh!" Hanschen snapped, peering through the window of another carriage. He turned,

"This one's empty,"

"Hanschen!"

With difficulty, Anna attempted to block the doorway of the carriage and keep the sleeping baby balanced in her arms. "A prison cell is no place to raise a baby and I will not let you get us all thrown in jail because you want somewhere comfortable to sleep tonight!"

"There is no way that I'm staying in 3rd class," Hanschen retorted in a whisper, going to open the door "that dog destroyed my only jacket, how am I supposed to find work with a suit with holes torn in it?"

Anna slammed the door closed again, "This isn't about work, this is about going to visit Ilse, so if you can't endure just a little time slumming it with the rest of us-"

Hanschen raised a hand to his forehead exasperated, "I am just trying to find a place for us to sleep where we are not woken every six seconds by a man dressed as a jester who wants to 'take us to paradise'"

"He was trying to be friendly!"

"Would you just calm down!"

"Umm," A worried voice piped up in the background, Ernst, who has been gazing dreamily out of the window was tugging at Hanschen's sleeve.

"In a second Ernst,"

"But-"

"Ernst, Hanschen and I are just trying to sort something out."

"There's someone coming!" Ernst hissed.

Hanschen and Anna whirled round; a ticket officer was walking straight towards them. Hanschen seized the door handle and, winking at Anna, let the three of them in to the carriage.

"Irresponsible, completely foolish," Anna continued to mutter under her breath throwing the occasional glare at Hanschen, as she settled the baby down in a nest of blankets in the luggage rack.

Ernst smiled and lightly stroked the velvet of the plush seats around the edges of the compartment which could be turned into beds if you knew the right way to turn them. "Not to shabby,"

Hanschen nodded, watching the ticket officer walk on past the door "How are you feeling,"

"Better, although I think I left my paint box in Berlin."

"Don't worry; we'll be back for it." Hanschen drew the curtain across the window that looked out onto the corridor, "is anyone hungry?"

Anna looked round at the hunks of bread that Hanschen was extracting from various pockets in his tatty suit. "Hanschen where did you get those?"

Hanschen looked shifty; sometimes Anna was like the disapproving older sister he'd never had the misfortune to have, "I…found them."

To his surprise, she smiled. "Well I think I'll save my piece for the baby when he wakes up." She lay down on the seat and turned her face to the cushions, "Night boys,"

"Night Anna."

"Goodnight Anna."

Ernst and Hanschen sat for a while on opposite ends of the seat, feet touching. The carriage was lit with the pleasant glow from a single electric lamp that swung from ceiling as the train rocked back and forth towards its destination.

"Do you know what today is?" Ernst looked across as Hanschen, absentmindedly picking the soft inside out of his hunk of bread.

Hanschen shook his head.

Ernst smiled, "it's exactly fifteen years since we met in that vineyard."

Hanschen laughed, "You remember the exact date?"

"Shut up!" Ernst whispered, throwing the last of his bread in Hanschen's general direction, "Of course I remember. My life would be very different if it wasn't for that date."

Hanschen raised an eyebrow, "Good different?"
Ernst shook his head, "Just different."

"Fifteen years…God that makes me feel old."

"You don't look any different to me."
"Love is blind Ernst," Hanschen replied, going to lock the carriage door. As he sat back down again he flicked the light switch off, everything rested in the faint glow of the starlight, "you should know that by now."

Ernst dipped his gaze slightly

"But more importantly," Hanschen grinned, "did you fancy me when we first met?"

"F-Fancy you?" Ernst stuttered, even in the dark Hanschen could tell he was blushing.

"Yes. You know, did you think I was handsome," Hanschen continued, "attractive, good-looking did you want me to-"

"Yes alright I get it," Ernst cut in hastily, "I- I suppose I-"

"I understand," Hanschen interrupted, "It's not really a question."
Ernst spluttered, "You are so full of yourself,"

"Come on," Hanschen took Ernst's hand and kissed it lightly, "so the incorrigible show-off falls in love with the sweet innocent owl," he smirked, "I think we'd make quite a good story."

"Owl?"

"Yes, because you've got big dark eyes. Look I didn't say I was going to write the story."

"Probably just as well with that metaphor,"

"Hey!" Hanschen growled, pulling himself up so that he had one hand either side of Ernst's shoulders. Ernst leant up automatically and let their lips touch. Hanschen closed his eyes and felt Ernst pull away and lean back against the cushions.

"It's nice to have you back," Hanschen whispered, wrapping an arm around Ernst's waist and settling down beside him.

"I'm not that bad when I'm, you know-"

"No, no you're not, it's just I worry about you."

Ernst nodded, there was silence for a minute, and then, "so what did you think of me when we first met."

"Oh Ernst I don't know, it was a long time ago."

Ernst propped himself up on his elbows and turned to face Hanschen. "Don't do that thing where you pretend you can't remember things so you don't have to talk about them." He nudged the blonde boy with his foot, "that's my trick, remember?"
Hanschen brought a hand up to Ernst's cheek and lightly grazed the soft skin, "I don't know, it was just…you were different. You were a bit of a mystery, and I like mysteries.

Above them on the luggage rack the baby was beginning to stir, "Quickly, we should see to him before Anna wakes up," Hanschen whispered.

Ernst nodded and scooped the baby onto his lap, grabbing the last bottle of milk from Anna's battered valise. Hanschen watched him smile as the baby grasped onto his finger with one tiny hand.

"Do you think you would have had children, if, you know-"

Ernst looked up, "I don't know," he smiled, "I can't believe that this one was almost yours though."

"Well he's Anna's now. And if she ever marries he'll have a father too."

Ernst rocked the baby a little, "I always thought she'd make the best mother."

The next morning they woke, stiff from the narrow seats that they hadn't managed to turn into beds, and left the train quickly. The small station was as neat as ever, only the flags that they had come to hate and fear were now hung from the ticket office and from a shiny new sign that stated 'Welcome to Reutlingen' in big black letters.

They hurried beyond Anna's tumbledown cottage, past their former school with its playground full of children, through the tall fir trees and into a small clearing just beyond the church. It had begun to drizzle, Anna clutched the baby a little closer to her chest as she led Hanschen and Ernst to a small grey slab of stone surrounded by wildflowers.

Ilse Neumann

1906-1935

Missing presumed dead.

"Love Will Endure
Until We Meet Again"