"Oh no," Josef said as they approached the German restaurant he had planned to take her out to. The pair had met at the back door of the War Office as soon as the last meeting of the afternoon had been dismissed, and had walked the few blocks to Katerschmaus, a small German restaurant that had opened to accommodate the influx of German soldiers now living in Den Haag. "Well," He peered through the window into the dark, empty diningroom. "Looks like they're closed for the evening," He sighed, giving the door handle one last pull before turning to face her.

"I suppose you'll have to treat me to an old fashioned German meal some other time," She shrugged, giving him a reassuring smile.

"Maybe not..." He replied, furrowing his brow in thought.

"What are you thinking?" She asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Come with me," He replied coyly. Grabbing her hand, he led her down the street. Walking hand in hand, they traversed a few more blocks until they had arrived on the East side of town, stopping when they reached a one story, brick house.

"Where are we?"

"My house," Josef answered, fiddling with the keys in his pocket. "If I can't take you out for some good German food, we'll just make it," He continued, slipping a key into the lock and turning the knob.

"We?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You're going to help me," He smirked, opening the door, motioning for her to enter.

Climbing the front steps, she walked through the door, taking in her new surroundings. His house was quaint; the walls painted a shade of light blue. A forest green sofa sat in the middle of the room atop a thread bare rug, a dark oak coffee table stationed in front of it. The room seemed barren, the walls stripped of any decoration other than the drapes that hung over the windows. The coffee table and end tables were free from the books and photographs one would expect to see. It was as if the character of the house had been stripped, leaving only the bare necessities.

He was probably renting, she thought, running a hand over the velvety fabric of the sofa. Or, her chest tightened as a darker thought crossed her mind, this had been a house seized from a Jewish family who had been forced to move to the ghettos. Images flooded her mind of frightened people grabbing up every sentimental possession they owned, leaving the things too large to carry or too trivial to make the journey with.

"Its not much," Josef's voice called, pulling her back to reality. "But its home."

"Its lovely," She replied, forcing a smile.

"Come on," He motioned for her to follow him. "The kitchen's this way."

"So what are we going to make?" She asked, rounding the corner into the kitchen.

"Sauerbraten," Josef called from over the fridge door. Shifting things around, he began pulling out various ingredients, sitting them down on the counter.

"And just what on Earth is that?" She asked skeptically.

"You'll see," He chuckled, closing the fridge.

"You know, I can't very well help you if you're not going to tell me what it is we're making," She replied, picking up a bottle of red wine vinegar Josef had pulled from a cabinet.

"Well I assume you know how to peel these?" He shot back, taking the bottle from her hand and replacing it with a carrot.

"Fine," She huffed in mock frustration, taking the knife he had extended to her. "Have it your way." Turning towards the counter, she went to work peeling the carrots and cutting them into quarters. "All done," She called, gathering up the bits of carrot with two hands once she had finished.

"Put them in here," Josef instructed, pointing to the large cast iron dutch oven that had appeared on the stove top.

Dumping the chopped carrots over into the dutch oven, she eyed the dark liquid resting at the bottom of the pot. "What's this?" She asked, her nostrils filling with the strong smell of vinegar as she sniffed the mystery concoction.

"Its the marinade for this," He replied, holding up the cast iron pan he had been working over, the sizzle of cooked meat resounding throughout the kitchen. Sliding the seared beef into the dutch oven, he placed the lid on top. "Put that in the oven," He instructed, setting the pan back onto the stove before opening the oven.

Grabbing the heavy cast iron, she heaved it off the stove and slid it onto the bottom rack, closing the door once she was done. "What now?" She asked, looking to Josef for further direction.

"Now," He began, slipping an arm around her waist, pulling her gently towards him. "We wait."

~

"That was amazing!" Mila said, sitting her fork down on the table. Dinner had finished nearly a half hour ago and they had wasted no time setting the table and eating once it had.

"I told you," Josef chuckled, sitting his fork down as well.

"You could've just told me we were having the German version of pot roast you know," She cocked an eyebrow, taking a sip from her wine glass.

"This way was much more amusing though," He smirked, standing to his feet, picking up their empty plates. Turning on his heel, he disappeared into the kitchen, reappearing after a moment with the bottle of wine they had been enjoying. "More?" He asked, gesturing towards her half empty glass.

"Just a little," She smiled, holding out her glass for him to refill. Tipping over the bottle, he filled hers before topping off his own.

"Come on," He said, sitting down the bottle and holding out his hand.

Taking his hand, she stood up, following him back into the sitting room. Sitting down on the sofa, she placed her glass down on the end table, watching as Josef walked over to the record player in the corner, one of the only personal affects in the entire room. Flipping it on, he picked up the needle and placed it on the record, soft jazz music beginning to play. Turning around, he walked back to where she sat, extending a hand once again.

"Come on," He repeated in response to her questioning look.

Taking his hand, she stood once again. "What are you doing?" She laughed as he sat his glass down and pulled her in close.

"Dancing with you," He grinned, placing a hand on her waist.

"I'm afraid I'm not much of a dancer," She chuckled, tilting her head up to look at him.

"Nonsense," He shook his head. "Have you ever tried it before?"

"Of course I've tried it," She shot back, narrowing her eyes in a mock glare.

"Well then I'll teach you," He smirked in amusement at her. Grasping her free hand, he placed it on his shoulder. Slipping his arm back around her waist, he pulled her even closer, bringing their interlocked hands up to chest height. "Now," He spoke against her ear, sending a shiver down her spine as his breath touched her neck. "Just move your feet with mine." Slowly, they began to sway back and forth, their feet stepping in sink with one another's. "There you go," He smiled down at her.

"I don't suppose its that hard," She replied, returning his smile. Relaxing slightly, she slipping her hand off his shoulder and around his neck as they continued to sway. Leaning in, he rested his forehead against hers, his eyes still locked with hers. She glanced down, the nervous knot within her stomach tightening under his intense gaze. Unclasping her hand, he placed it against his chest before grasping her chin, gently tilting her eyes back up to his. He studied her, his eyes traveling over her face, taking in each and every one of her features as if she could disappear at any moment. Her heart was pounding, the air within her lungs as heavy as cement as she worked to keep her breathing controlled.

"You seem nervous," He said softly, his thumb tracing small circles over the small of her back.

She gave a breathy chuckle, "I don't think nervous is the right word." Taking a deep breath, she averted her eyes back to the floor. "You make it hard for me to think straight."

"I can stop," He replied, pulling his arm out from around her waist.

"I don't want you to," She admitted, returning her gaze to his. He looked down at her, his eyes searching hers for certainty before slipping his arm back around her waist, pulling her towards him. Cupping her cheek in his hand, he leaned in, their noses nearly touching. She closed her eyes as their lips met, his hand on the small of her back pulling her even closer, their bodies pressed against one another.

His lips left hers, leaving a trail of kisses down the hollow of her neck, her breath hitching in her throat as they traveled up her jaw, to her ear, and back down again. Her mind began to go hazy, the fog growing with each kiss he planted against her skin. Bringing her hand up from his chest, she wrapped her other arm around his neck, intertwining her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck. His hands gripped her hips firmly as he drew his lips up to meet hers, kissing her harder, more desperately than before.

BANG! A loud explosion sounded from outside, their lips parting as their heads turned to identify where the sound had come from.

"What was that?" Mila asked breathlessly, her heart still racing as the room around them began to come back into focus.

"I don't know," Josef replied, stepping towards the door, though he kept one arm firmly around her. They stood in silence for a moment, listening for any other signs of trouble, the only sound filling the room now, the soft music of the record still playing in the background. "Wait here," He said after a few more minutes of silence.

Letting go of her, he made his way towards the front door, picking up the pistol he had drawn and placed on the end table when they had arrived. Turning the knob, he disappeared outside, the door closing silently behind him.

Mila stood, glued to the spot, her heart now racing out of fear rather than the nervous anticipation from before. What had caused that explosion? Were they under attack? She drew in a deep breath, trying to silence the fear within her mind. After a few more minutes of agonizing silence the door knob turned, the door creaking open as Josef walked inside.

"Is everything okay?" Mila asked quickly, taking a step towards him reflexively.

"Dutch Resistance set off a bomb across town," Josef replied, sitting his gun down in its former spot on the table. "The building was abandoned so no-one was hurt, but they're instituting a town curfew until we catch the people behind this.

"Oh..." Mila trailed off, glancing at the clock - 9:30. It was getting late anyway. "I suppose I should get home then."

"I'm afraid that's not going to be possible," Josef replied, giving her a sympathetic smile.

"What do you mean?" She asked, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion.

"The curfew is effective immediately. Everyone is to shelter in place for the night," He shrugged.

"What am I going to do then?"

"I suppose you'll have to stay here tonight."