The Red Banner (Aussie & Jannah)

[The Australian]

Tiergarten, Berlin, Großdeutsches Reich.
May 2nd, 1945.

Captain Nikolai Solokov had been in some of the toughest fighting of his life. His battalion had gone up against the toughest of the tough. The remnants of the Waffen-SS. He didn't get the luxury of mowing down Volksstrum units. Oh no, he got to face the brunt of the Germans. But, when they reached the Tiergarten, it was all the more worthwhile. When his battalion reached it, it was all but over. He could see that many of the men where just sitting around. There was still the ever-present pitter-patter of gun fire, but the battle was practically over.

He dismissed his company to go around and inspect the area. In his rucksack was a golden Reichsadler and a Waffen-SS helmet, and clipped to his belt was a ceremonial sword. Around his arm were two watches. As he walked through the crowd, he spotted a familiar face, leaning against a obelisk, which was still left standing. Irina. Nikolai dashed over to her, knocking into many men, and when he reached her, grabbed her by the waist and locked their lips in embrace. It had been two year since they had seen each other. Far too long.

[Jannah]

As soon as Nikolai ran up to Irina she embraced him as hard as she could. The years of fighting had toughened her up, but she knew it wouldn't be anything he couldn't handle. All that mattered now was that they were together. Their forces had engaged in an final offensive on the city and it was clear now that the Germans couldn't hold it off. She felt it was only a matter of time before they surrendered.

"It's relieving to see you again." Irina said before kissing Nikolai. There wasn't really much at all to say to him at that point. She just wanted to hold him. It had been far too long since they last saw each other and she realized that now. At least she was in better shape now than she had been during their last encounter.

[The Australian]

Nikolai wrapped his arms around her as he pulled his lips from her, "Oh, Irina. Promise me, no no, swear to me that you will never leave me again. Everyday, from that time that I left the hospital to just a minute ago, I thought of you." He kissed her neck, nuzzling his nose on her, "I know it sounds like something out of a bad romance novel, but I've missed you every single day that we were apart. But, the war is over now. The Germans are defeated, the Reich is no more, and Hitler is hopefully dead."

His thoughts of fear and dread that he or Irina would die seemed to just...fade away at that moment. Any sort of concept that he would die tomorrow, or that he would never see Irina again, left his mind.

[Jannah]

"Never. We can return home and just hopefully forget about all this." Irina again kissed Nikolai. She promised to never leave him again and she meant it. They could return home and make a life for themselves. They would surely be respected as war heroes now so would be well off. There would be nothing to worry about.

Irina continued embracing Nikolai even as the cheering in the square began. The word was getting around fast. The Germans had surrendered! Even the Soldiers who were on the ground from exhaustion had begun cheering. She looked up atop the Reichstag and noticed the crimson banner of her homeland being risen for all to see. A sure sign of victory. "Nikolai, look!" She shouted and pointed it out. He had to see it for himself to finally believe it.

[The Australian]

"I don't want to forget this. No, no....I'll never forget this war." Nikolai whispered into her ear, and as she looked to her right, she shouted for him to look. There, up on the Reichstag, he could see it. The banner of the Soviet Union, rose high above the Reich. It was over. Finally, after four years of wretched fighting, it was all over. This prompted him to just kiss Irina, as hard as he could. He didn't care about victory, he cared about the fact that now, their lives together were guaranteed. No war would touch them again.

"Irina, Irina..." He said, reaching into his pocket to find a golden ring which he had bought in Lvov from a shop-owner, who insisted that it was free. He got down on his knees and presented it to her, "Junior-Lieutenant Irina Davydova, will you marry me?"

[Jannah]

Nikolai had proposed! Irina couldn't believe it. The very thought had been on her mind but it hadn't even occurred to her to do it right here and now, but of course she couldn't refuse. She loved him deeply and knew this is what she wanted. "Of course, Captain Nikolai Solokov." She leaned in to kiss him once again. At that very moment everybody else in the square began moving in to witness the proposal. Nothing else seemed to matter for them at this moment so they all stood in silence and began cheering once again. Not for victory this time, but for eternal romance.

Irina enjoyed this romantic moment with Nikolai and then again began to think of home. She couldn't wait to introduce everybody to Nikolai. She was sure he felt the same. Perhaps she would finally get to see the real Moscow. Red Square was just calling her name.

[The Australian]

"Irina, Irina..." Nikolai wrapped his arm around her after he fitted the ring onto her finger. He led her to one of the trucks, the first to depart back to the Motherland. He helped her onto the back, and climbed on with her. Sitting at the very end of the truck, looking at each other, it seemed very reminiscent of the beginning of the war, where the truck convoy was headed to Smolensk. How long ago that was. He was just a young lad, scared of himself and everyone around him. The war changed that. He went from the naive little boy to the hardened soldier, twice awarded the HSU and highly decorated. His thoughts went to the men that he served with. Andrey, Dima, Aleksandr, Commissar, even the wounded NKVD officer. He hadn't seen any of them in years. They were the best of his friends. They had seen him at his best, at his worst, and everywhere in between. He hoped they all survived this war. Perhaps, one day, they'd share a pint, talking about the times.

The truck rolled through the streets of Berlin. He could hear a voice, General der Artillerie Helmuth Weidling if he was correct, announcing Germany's capitulation. The fighting was over. Nikolai looked over the end of the truck, to see civilians lining the streets, looking at the convoy of trucks, cars, and tanks rolling to leave Berlin. They must have been confused, or perhaps even relieved. He genuinely hoped the best for these people. They deserved that much.

Nikolai took Irina's hands, "I have so many ideas for us." He smiled, and pulled her in for a deep, embracing, passionate kiss. He cared not who saw it. They had the war, and came out of it for the better. As their lips locked, the sounds of planes overhead came to pass, and the laughter and cheering of the men in the convoy sounded like music.

"I love you."

The war cost millions of lives, and for the ones that survived, many of them never truly recovered. But, on a convoy destined for the Motherland, as the German Reich surrendered, two soldiers - two lovers- came out of this war at least somewhat for the better.

The End.