This story was originally planned as a stand-alone story about Ty and Bay set 6 years in the future. However, while writing The Return of a Soldier, I had the idea of combining them. In order to do so, I had to write a separate mini-fiction called Germany, Here we Come. The past chapters in this story have been slighly edited to accommodate the story lines of The Return of a Soldier. If you are reading this story for the first time, you might want to start with the other two first. Thank you for reading.

Bay stood at the window of her small studio and looked at the snow falling from the sky. She loved Heidelberg, the small German town that had been her home for the past five years. It was two weeks to Christmas and the first one that she was spending away from her family. The thought made her somewhat sad, but she couldn't imagine herself spending it in a better place than in Germany, the country of Christmas. She spent at least two hours every day strolling through the Christmas market sampling delicacies paired with a cup of hot Gluehwein, the German version of mulled wine.

She smiled and ran her hand over her flat belly. No more Gluehwein from now on. The doctor had confirmed it today. She was eight weeks pregnant. The thought of the life growing in her belly made her feel all warm inside. She hadn't told anyone yet, not even her husband. When she had been late for the first time in her life, she had bought a pregnancy test at the drugstore, which tested positive. Wanting more reassurances she had gone to the doctor who had smiled and confirmed the news.

Bay looked around the small studio, which had served as her working place for the past two years. The workers from the gallery had just left and her artwork was packed in crates and ready to be shipped off the New York. She wistfully ran her hand across one of the crates and felt tears stinging in her eyes. She felt a sudden sadness to be parted from her art pieces. Bay shook her head and ran her sleeve across her eyes. "Stop it" she thought to herself "you are getting too hormonal here."

She was woken up from her daydreaming by a forceful knock on the door. She looked out the tiny window and say the yellow bicycle of the German post against the tree outside. She opened the door and smiled at the postman. He rustled through his bag and took out an official looking brown envelope.

"Frau Bay Mendosa?"

"Ja, das bin ich" Bay said in a slightly accented German.

"Koennten Sie bitte hier unterschreiben?" He held out a pen.

Bay scribbled her signature next to the cross. He took the paper back and handed her the envelope.

"Frohe Weihnachten" he said and held his hand against his cap.

Bay smiled and replied "Frohe Weihnachten." She had used the German expression for Merry Christmas countless times for the past week.

Bay picked up her coffee and made her way the small love chair in the back of the studio. She sat and opened the envelope carefully. She found another envelope inside and when she opened it she held a cheque in her hands.

It was made out to her name and the amount was $750,000.00. Bay looked at it for a long time with a big smile on her face. She would have to mark today's date as her lucky day. First the news about the pregnancy, now the money that would allow them to return home and make a good living.

Ty was finishing his eight year enlistment in April and was leaving the Army. They would go back to Kansas City then, where Bay would continue to work on her art and Ty was planning on opening a garage next to her dad's car wash and put his eight years of working on Humvees to good use.

Her cell phone rang and Bay answered. She recognized the booming voice of her agent on the other end immediately.

"Bay, darling how are you?"

"Hi Michelle, I'm very well thank you. In fact I couldn't be better."

"I trust then that the highly efficient Germans delivered the mail already?"

"They certainly did. And what good news that was."

"Sweetie, you are on a roll. At 24 and with your first major showing in Chelsea. It can only go up from there. Is the stuff ready for shipping?"

"Yes, half the art work is being collected tomorrow and the other half will be ready in two months as agreed."

"That's great news hon, we'll have it all ready for your showing at the end of March. Let me work the PR machine from this end. You'll be the next Frida Kahlo by the time I'm done with you."

Bay laughed "I wouldn't say that, but thank you!"

"Ah well, you haven't seen the mighty Michelle Adams at work yet. Gotta run. Take care."

Bay smiled. That was Michelle; always on the run. She had so gotten used to her laid back and low profile life in Heidelberg that she wasn't able to keep up with the pace of a New York art agent.

She picked-up her keys and locked up the studio. She made her way to the car and got ready for the 15 minute drive to her home at the army base.

She was thinking of how to break the news to Ty. He would be over the moon. Having grown-up with no family, he had always been eager to start his own but Bay had objected, wanting to sort out her career first before she embarked on a new adventure.

She thought back on the past five years of their marriage. They had managed to re-kindle their relationship after Ty had returned from Afghanistan severely injured. It had not been easy but worth it in the end. Bay was able to concentrate on her school work and graduated with honors. She was accepted into the Arts Program of the University of Kansas and after six months Ty had been deployed to the US Army Garrison Base in Heidelberg. The initial deployment was for 36 months. Three days before he was due to leave he had asked Bay to marry him. She accepted and they had a rushed wedding at City Hall on the day he had to leave, followed by a small reception at her parent's house with their closest friends three months later. Bay had moved to Germany soon after.

It had been a big change for her as she had hardly been out of the US before in her life. Heidelberg was a lively University town and after she arrived she threw herself into learning German with as much enthusiasm as she had put into learning to sign.

In the mean time the University had allowed her to follow the classes that were provided with ASL interpretation. Her efforts paid off and after eight months she passed the language exam and joined the Arts Program at the University of Heidelberg with full swing. One year ago during the annual University Arts Expo in Frankfurt her work had caught the eye of Michelle Adams, one of the most renowned art dealers in New York and the rest was history.

Angelo had given her some money to rent a small studio where she could work away from the base and that was where Bay spent most of her days. She was going to miss this sweet little town and the friends she had made here. On the other hand she was ecstatic to see her family and friends back home and having their baby surrounded by their families.

She focused back on the present and on how to tell Ty. She wanted to make this special. She decided to cook him diner. Ty normally did all the cooking, which was a good thing as the cooking gene had not passed down from Angelo to Bay. This time though, she decided she would cook diner. She looked at her watch and saw that she had another two hours before Ty got home, so she stopped by the supermarket and bought a chicken, some potatoes and a salad. She would do a roast chicken. Ty loved it.

When she arrived at their small one-bedroom home on the base she went on the computer and looked for a recipe. She found one and got to work. When her chicken was in the oven she went into their bedroom to change into a red dress and she put on some discrete make-up. She then picked-up her sketch pad and sat on the bed. She became so engrossed sketching a picture of Ty holding a baby, their baby, that she lost track of time.

She looked-up after a while and wrinkled her nose. What was that smell? Then she heard the door slamming shut and Ty's voice.

"Bay! What the hell! The kitchen is on fire."