Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread III
- Thread starter Peabody-Martini
- Start date
Part 114, Chapter 1897
Chapter One Thousand Eight Hundred Ninety-Seven
1st January 1969
Moscow, Russia
It was cold in the apartment just after midnight as Gia snuggled against Fyodor in the bed they were sharing tonight. All she could think about was how Alexei was probably sleeping soundly in the warm, spacious apartment she normally lived in, in the center of Moscow. She was here out in the suburbs as a protest as she had for the prior two weeks. The construction company that had built this building had refused to finish the job and Gia had decided to put what people said about her to proper use by living in the building until the construction company was shamed into acting because the media had taken an interest in Gia’s cause, even if it was mostly as a human interest story. The oddsmakers had told the even press that they were not going to make bets as to how long Gia would stick it out because they knew not to bet against her after some of the things that had happened in the past.
Fyodor and a couple dozen of his men had tagged along as security. The result was that Gia and Fyodor shared the bedroom while the people in the rest of the building looked with no small amount of fear at the Spetsnaz soldiers who were among them. That was until the local toughs who had been terrorizing the residents fled the district after their leaders had been found in the building’s entry with their arms and legs broken.
Gia had learned a lot about this building and the ones that surrounded it in recent days. They were of prefabricated concrete construction, capable of being thrown up fast and could, in theory, help alleviate the housing crisis that had plagued Moscow for decades. The construction type had also been expressly banned in Germany with the rest of the Europe following suite with the exception of Serbia and England for some incomprehensible reason. Gia personally found the buildings to be uniformly soulless and boring.
“This reminds of something I was thinking about the other day” Fyodor said, “What if you had remained Gianna Strobel instead of coming home and taking back your identity? What would our life be like?”
“What do you mean our life?” Gia replied, “I would have been a reporter for the BT and the Mirror as well. I might not have ever met you.”
“Some things are just meant to happen” Fyodor said, “I would have come to Berlin on a task for Georgy, we would have met, and the rest would be history.”
“I fear that you would have found yourself with a rival or two for my affections” Gia said, and Fyodor just shrugged.
“We all know who the best man is” Fyodor said jokingly.
“If you only knew” Gia joked back. For years she suspected that he knew about her relationship with Asia but had the good sense not to mention it. That was just the sort who Fyodor was.
Mitte, Berlin
“She is a complex young woman” Louis Ferdinand said, “For all her evasions and protests, have you noticed what Kristina is not doing?”
“If you say so” Ben said. As much as he loved Kiki, her manic behavior at times could be aggravating. Often it felt like she had to be maneuvered into doing something and whether or not it was something she wanted never seemed to be a factor.
Ben sipped from a bottle of soda water that was from the small refrigerator behind Louis’ desk. He’d had no idea it was even there until Louis had opened it and pulled the bottles out. Louis had said that they were in for a long night and would need to keep their wits about them while they waited. For lack of anything better to do, they were talking about what was generally going on and the subject of Kiki’s reaction towards the announcement of their eventual marriage came up.
This was because Kiki had dropped everything, including whatever plans she might have had with Ben hours earlier when she had received word that Victoria had gone into labor on New Year’s eve and had rushed off to the airport to catch a flight to Munich. Ben was disappointed, but he understood that Kiki had made a solemn promise to her sister that she would be there for her. Oddly, because Kiki had been continuing her education by working in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of the University Hospital, she was the perfect person to help her sister. Louis had left the festivities that were going on in the Old Winter Residence and had returned to his home office to wait for news. Freddy and Ben had been invited to accompany him. Freddy had declined, saying that someone would need to play host in Louis’ absence.
Shortly after midnight, the phone finally rang.
Munich
“You are the sister who facies herself a Doctor who Victoria mentioned” Frau Aue said when Kiki had introduced herself to the elderly Midwife. The way she said that suggested that she felt that Kiki’s medical knowledge made her a mere apprentice. None of this was helped by Frau Aue looking like the very stereotype of a witch. Doctor Berg had warned her that she would encounter those like Frau Aue in her career, at best she should try to learn from them because they had probably forgotten more than Kiki knew, which was why they had been hired to assist the birth. Otherwise she would be well advised to keep out of their way.
When Kiki had rushed into the hospital she had been out of breath after running from the car to the ward in a sprint. Frau Aue had laughed and told her that this was her sister’s first baby, so there was no need to hurry. That had been early in the evening. Kiki had found herself among the team of surgeons on standby in case of an emergency. They were observing Frau Aue and her two assistants, both cut from the same cloth and were likely to be one of Frau Aue’s daughters and granddaughter if Kiki had to guess.
The baby finally came at around midnight.
Frau Aue turned and looked at Kiki and said, “You are his kin so introduce him to his mother.”
Kiki had a so far nameless baby wrapped in a blanket thrust into her arms. The look on his face reflected the mutual confusion that both he and his aunt were feeling. There was a commotion in the waiting area as Frau Aue and a Surgeon who Kiki had not been introduced to were looking at what Kiki realized was the placenta as it was being expelled. Taking her eyes off that, Kiki focused on Vicky who looked completely dazed. She’d had a rough day by anyone’s standards.
“You’ve a little boy Vicky” Kiki said with a smile.
“Max” Vicky said absently as she took him from Kiki. “I told Albrecht that we had agreed that if it were a boy, we would name him Maximilian Joseph, it made him happy.”
“Max then” Kiki said to Vicky and then she saw the celebration that was ongoing in the waiting area. “What is going on out there?” Kiki asked Frau Aue.
“Typical stupidity” Frau Aue replied as she washed her hands with isopropyl alcohol, the tone of her voice one of disapproval. “The Registrar thinks that the boy might be first child born in the New Year, in Munich at least. Good omens or some other manure.”
Kiki had not thought of that.
1st January 1969
Moscow, Russia
It was cold in the apartment just after midnight as Gia snuggled against Fyodor in the bed they were sharing tonight. All she could think about was how Alexei was probably sleeping soundly in the warm, spacious apartment she normally lived in, in the center of Moscow. She was here out in the suburbs as a protest as she had for the prior two weeks. The construction company that had built this building had refused to finish the job and Gia had decided to put what people said about her to proper use by living in the building until the construction company was shamed into acting because the media had taken an interest in Gia’s cause, even if it was mostly as a human interest story. The oddsmakers had told the even press that they were not going to make bets as to how long Gia would stick it out because they knew not to bet against her after some of the things that had happened in the past.
Fyodor and a couple dozen of his men had tagged along as security. The result was that Gia and Fyodor shared the bedroom while the people in the rest of the building looked with no small amount of fear at the Spetsnaz soldiers who were among them. That was until the local toughs who had been terrorizing the residents fled the district after their leaders had been found in the building’s entry with their arms and legs broken.
Gia had learned a lot about this building and the ones that surrounded it in recent days. They were of prefabricated concrete construction, capable of being thrown up fast and could, in theory, help alleviate the housing crisis that had plagued Moscow for decades. The construction type had also been expressly banned in Germany with the rest of the Europe following suite with the exception of Serbia and England for some incomprehensible reason. Gia personally found the buildings to be uniformly soulless and boring.
“This reminds of something I was thinking about the other day” Fyodor said, “What if you had remained Gianna Strobel instead of coming home and taking back your identity? What would our life be like?”
“What do you mean our life?” Gia replied, “I would have been a reporter for the BT and the Mirror as well. I might not have ever met you.”
“Some things are just meant to happen” Fyodor said, “I would have come to Berlin on a task for Georgy, we would have met, and the rest would be history.”
“I fear that you would have found yourself with a rival or two for my affections” Gia said, and Fyodor just shrugged.
“We all know who the best man is” Fyodor said jokingly.
“If you only knew” Gia joked back. For years she suspected that he knew about her relationship with Asia but had the good sense not to mention it. That was just the sort who Fyodor was.
Mitte, Berlin
“She is a complex young woman” Louis Ferdinand said, “For all her evasions and protests, have you noticed what Kristina is not doing?”
“If you say so” Ben said. As much as he loved Kiki, her manic behavior at times could be aggravating. Often it felt like she had to be maneuvered into doing something and whether or not it was something she wanted never seemed to be a factor.
Ben sipped from a bottle of soda water that was from the small refrigerator behind Louis’ desk. He’d had no idea it was even there until Louis had opened it and pulled the bottles out. Louis had said that they were in for a long night and would need to keep their wits about them while they waited. For lack of anything better to do, they were talking about what was generally going on and the subject of Kiki’s reaction towards the announcement of their eventual marriage came up.
This was because Kiki had dropped everything, including whatever plans she might have had with Ben hours earlier when she had received word that Victoria had gone into labor on New Year’s eve and had rushed off to the airport to catch a flight to Munich. Ben was disappointed, but he understood that Kiki had made a solemn promise to her sister that she would be there for her. Oddly, because Kiki had been continuing her education by working in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of the University Hospital, she was the perfect person to help her sister. Louis had left the festivities that were going on in the Old Winter Residence and had returned to his home office to wait for news. Freddy and Ben had been invited to accompany him. Freddy had declined, saying that someone would need to play host in Louis’ absence.
Shortly after midnight, the phone finally rang.
Munich
“You are the sister who facies herself a Doctor who Victoria mentioned” Frau Aue said when Kiki had introduced herself to the elderly Midwife. The way she said that suggested that she felt that Kiki’s medical knowledge made her a mere apprentice. None of this was helped by Frau Aue looking like the very stereotype of a witch. Doctor Berg had warned her that she would encounter those like Frau Aue in her career, at best she should try to learn from them because they had probably forgotten more than Kiki knew, which was why they had been hired to assist the birth. Otherwise she would be well advised to keep out of their way.
When Kiki had rushed into the hospital she had been out of breath after running from the car to the ward in a sprint. Frau Aue had laughed and told her that this was her sister’s first baby, so there was no need to hurry. That had been early in the evening. Kiki had found herself among the team of surgeons on standby in case of an emergency. They were observing Frau Aue and her two assistants, both cut from the same cloth and were likely to be one of Frau Aue’s daughters and granddaughter if Kiki had to guess.
The baby finally came at around midnight.
Frau Aue turned and looked at Kiki and said, “You are his kin so introduce him to his mother.”
Kiki had a so far nameless baby wrapped in a blanket thrust into her arms. The look on his face reflected the mutual confusion that both he and his aunt were feeling. There was a commotion in the waiting area as Frau Aue and a Surgeon who Kiki had not been introduced to were looking at what Kiki realized was the placenta as it was being expelled. Taking her eyes off that, Kiki focused on Vicky who looked completely dazed. She’d had a rough day by anyone’s standards.
“You’ve a little boy Vicky” Kiki said with a smile.
“Max” Vicky said absently as she took him from Kiki. “I told Albrecht that we had agreed that if it were a boy, we would name him Maximilian Joseph, it made him happy.”
“Max then” Kiki said to Vicky and then she saw the celebration that was ongoing in the waiting area. “What is going on out there?” Kiki asked Frau Aue.
“Typical stupidity” Frau Aue replied as she washed her hands with isopropyl alcohol, the tone of her voice one of disapproval. “The Registrar thinks that the boy might be first child born in the New Year, in Munich at least. Good omens or some other manure.”
Kiki had not thought of that.
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Yes,
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Now that Kiki's sister Victoria has given birth, successfully, with no negative consequences, let alone drama, thus showing Kiki that having a child or children isn't a horrific event, something to fear, at least not in her immediate family. Perhaps then some of her neuroses will decline. Perhaps she'll feel more accepting of impending nuptials with Ben. Or is that too much to hope for ITTL?
You meant Freddy.
Now that Franz and Vicky have a son much to the delight of King Albrecht, they are now more free then ever to live their own lives and depending on how Vicky takes to motherhood if they want any more spares excuse me children then it will be on their own timetable.
Gia with her own wealth and experience should start building a series of Templehof style projects in and around Moscow with each having their own unique style and have her cousin the Czar help out with the transportation infrastructure to make them work.
Indeed indeed. Time to relax a bit for the pair of them, methinks, and do some things for themselves.
...and yes, I know ‘relax’ and ‘newborn baby’ is an oxymoron, but that’s one advantage of being rich and royal: servants can help out. No need for sleepless nights
Oh yes...
If Gia reaches out to Kat for advice, then there's a strong chance JFK will have to learn Russian. That won't be easy at his age.
Kat may also find a way to launder some more of her Father's estate.
JFK served in Russia with the Reisimint Ilchríochach and works for Kat; there's a damn good chance he already speaks it.
Good point, or at the least has a working knowledge. Enough to get around, as well as every profanity Russian has to offer, plus a few inventions of their own, (Irish profanities translated to Russian).
Those stereotypes must have came from somewhere, no matter how inaccurate...
(Waits for @Peabody-Martini to retcon in a youthful Father Jack serving along side JFK: "ARSE! FECKING GODLESS HEATHEN SWINE SPILLIN' ME DRINK! FECK THE LOT O YOUSE!!!")
Maybe not. The Catholic Church ITTL has had its reputation shattered in Ireland far earlier than in OTL.
Part 114, Chapter 1898
Chapter One Thousand Eight Hundred Ninety-Eight
7th January 1969
Los Angeles
It was early Tuesday morning and Ritchie had been unable to sleep. Going down to the donut shop for a Pershing and a cup of coffee was an ironic way to go out and not get hassled by the cops. For lack of anything better to do he was reading a magazine that a prior customer had left in the shop. Celebrity gossip, mostly implied speculation about who was fucking who in Hollywood and the latest about European Royalty. Ritchie wondered why anyone cared, it wasn’t as if anything printed on these pages truly impacted the lives of the readers. What did the latest antics of Princess Margret or Rock Hudson once again being voted the best dressed man in Hollywood have to do with anything. The closest thing to actual news was the birth of a Bavarian Prince photographed with his mother and three aunts. The difference there was that Ritchie had actually met Kristina von Preussen when she had been the Liaison Officer for the German Army when the 1st SFG had been in Laupheim and had done a fairly good job of it. Unlike some of the other wastes of oxygen featured in this magazine she wasn’t wasting her life. Instead of focusing on Kristina, the magazine spent an astonishingly inordinate amount of ink speculating about her younger sister Marie Cecilie and the rumors that she was gay. Ritchie threw the magazine back into the bin on the wall where he had found it in disgust. Where was the newspaper that was supposed to be there?
“That is no way to treat that sort of thing” A man wearing a depressingly familiar uniform said, “The trashcan is over there.”
He gestured towards the front counter.
“If you are here to give me the talk about how your Department is looking to stomp me to death if you get the chance I’ll save you the trouble and let you know I am going back to New York next week” Ritchie said, glancing at the man’s name tag he saw Capt. Evans and wondered what he had done to draw the attention of the LAPD’s Brass.
“It’s the Detective Bureau who has the beef with you” Evans said, “They really don’t like there to be unfinished business. I am from slightly more enlightened Division of the Department.”
Ritchie took a drink of his lukewarm coffee because he didn’t trust himself not to say what he thought of that. Enlightened was the last word he would use to describe any part of the Los Angeles Police Department.
“Oddly, it is because of that beef that we’ve had our eye on you for a very long time Valenzuela” Evans said as he pulled a business card out and slid it across the table. “How you just happen to be a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army Airborne Special Forces. But just how long do you expect that to last? Which do you think will give out first, your knees or your back? I’m sure your CO has already mentioned that you need to start planning for what comes after.”
“What do you care?” Ritchie asked.
“Lets just say that I know what I am talking about and John Casey had nothing but good things to say about you” Evans said, “Let me know if you have any questions, so enjoy your coffee and have a good day.”
With that, Evans got up and left. Looking at the business card, Ritchie saw that it had the words Tactical Response Division printed on it. Ritchie knew exactly what that had been, and the irony of the situation was profound.
Kreuzberg, Berlin
The Russian diaspora to Germany had come in three separate waves. The first composed of those fleeing the Bolshevik Revolution. The Second being those who had been taken prisoner during the Soviet War and afterwards had been unable or uninterested to return to Russia. The third was ongoing and it was composed of those seeking economic opportunities. The result was an odd culture that had sprung up in all the major cities.
That was never clearer than when the Orthodox Christians celebrated Christmas Day. To the rest of Berlin it was just another weekday.
Kiki figured that with the birth of her nephew and finally getting her Doctorate, it would look odd if she blew off Church Services that morning and wherever Kiki’s mother had ended up, going would make her happy for a minute or two. Fortunately, she didn’t have to go alone because Anya was more than happy to come with her. In a twist that Kiki had not expected was that she would feel envious of her friend.
“So, I got another invitation for this afternoon” Anya said, “Supper party, holiday themed of course.”
“Have you figured out which ones you are going to go to?” Kiki asked, wishing she were so bold and had the freedom to go from party to party meeting friends, then going out and singing in the streets once the sun set as had become a tradition in the Russian community. Kiki couldn’t change who she was any more than she could go without the security detail that surrounded them as they made their way from the car.
“I am still trying to decide” Anya said as they walked through the doors of the small Orthodox Church that served Kreuzberg.
Kiki was instantly recognized, and the Priest said he was honored that someone of her stature had made the choice to attend services here. Always a fucking political angle, Kiki thought to herself as she had graciously thanked him for his welcome.
7th January 1969
Los Angeles
It was early Tuesday morning and Ritchie had been unable to sleep. Going down to the donut shop for a Pershing and a cup of coffee was an ironic way to go out and not get hassled by the cops. For lack of anything better to do he was reading a magazine that a prior customer had left in the shop. Celebrity gossip, mostly implied speculation about who was fucking who in Hollywood and the latest about European Royalty. Ritchie wondered why anyone cared, it wasn’t as if anything printed on these pages truly impacted the lives of the readers. What did the latest antics of Princess Margret or Rock Hudson once again being voted the best dressed man in Hollywood have to do with anything. The closest thing to actual news was the birth of a Bavarian Prince photographed with his mother and three aunts. The difference there was that Ritchie had actually met Kristina von Preussen when she had been the Liaison Officer for the German Army when the 1st SFG had been in Laupheim and had done a fairly good job of it. Unlike some of the other wastes of oxygen featured in this magazine she wasn’t wasting her life. Instead of focusing on Kristina, the magazine spent an astonishingly inordinate amount of ink speculating about her younger sister Marie Cecilie and the rumors that she was gay. Ritchie threw the magazine back into the bin on the wall where he had found it in disgust. Where was the newspaper that was supposed to be there?
“That is no way to treat that sort of thing” A man wearing a depressingly familiar uniform said, “The trashcan is over there.”
He gestured towards the front counter.
“If you are here to give me the talk about how your Department is looking to stomp me to death if you get the chance I’ll save you the trouble and let you know I am going back to New York next week” Ritchie said, glancing at the man’s name tag he saw Capt. Evans and wondered what he had done to draw the attention of the LAPD’s Brass.
“It’s the Detective Bureau who has the beef with you” Evans said, “They really don’t like there to be unfinished business. I am from slightly more enlightened Division of the Department.”
Ritchie took a drink of his lukewarm coffee because he didn’t trust himself not to say what he thought of that. Enlightened was the last word he would use to describe any part of the Los Angeles Police Department.
“Oddly, it is because of that beef that we’ve had our eye on you for a very long time Valenzuela” Evans said as he pulled a business card out and slid it across the table. “How you just happen to be a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army Airborne Special Forces. But just how long do you expect that to last? Which do you think will give out first, your knees or your back? I’m sure your CO has already mentioned that you need to start planning for what comes after.”
“What do you care?” Ritchie asked.
“Lets just say that I know what I am talking about and John Casey had nothing but good things to say about you” Evans said, “Let me know if you have any questions, so enjoy your coffee and have a good day.”
With that, Evans got up and left. Looking at the business card, Ritchie saw that it had the words Tactical Response Division printed on it. Ritchie knew exactly what that had been, and the irony of the situation was profound.
Kreuzberg, Berlin
The Russian diaspora to Germany had come in three separate waves. The first composed of those fleeing the Bolshevik Revolution. The Second being those who had been taken prisoner during the Soviet War and afterwards had been unable or uninterested to return to Russia. The third was ongoing and it was composed of those seeking economic opportunities. The result was an odd culture that had sprung up in all the major cities.
That was never clearer than when the Orthodox Christians celebrated Christmas Day. To the rest of Berlin it was just another weekday.
Kiki figured that with the birth of her nephew and finally getting her Doctorate, it would look odd if she blew off Church Services that morning and wherever Kiki’s mother had ended up, going would make her happy for a minute or two. Fortunately, she didn’t have to go alone because Anya was more than happy to come with her. In a twist that Kiki had not expected was that she would feel envious of her friend.
“So, I got another invitation for this afternoon” Anya said, “Supper party, holiday themed of course.”
“Have you figured out which ones you are going to go to?” Kiki asked, wishing she were so bold and had the freedom to go from party to party meeting friends, then going out and singing in the streets once the sun set as had become a tradition in the Russian community. Kiki couldn’t change who she was any more than she could go without the security detail that surrounded them as they made their way from the car.
“I am still trying to decide” Anya said as they walked through the doors of the small Orthodox Church that served Kreuzberg.
Kiki was instantly recognized, and the Priest said he was honored that someone of her stature had made the choice to attend services here. Always a fucking political angle, Kiki thought to herself as she had graciously thanked him for his welcome.
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Looks like it.
I hope he takes it, if only to make the guys who harass him utterly choke.
Rea's little gambit to make sure nobody suspects Vicky sure seems to have worked...
"Oh no, two of our detectives have been taken hostage, best call in the TRD".
"Who is on duty?"
"Lt Vallens"
"The ex Green Beret badass"?
"Yeah, him. Poor bastards"
"the perps or the hostages"?
"Yup".
Having Ritchie join the LAPD and the Tactical Response Team make great sense and is very logical, he would increase the professionalism of the team and ironically make it less trigger happy at the same time by reminding every one that the goal is to de-escalate the situation by showing overwhelming force.
Lucia will be of two minds on this as she would be happy about Ritchie having a steady job in SoCal but then again it is LAPD we are talking about.
Kiki should know by now that virtually her every public gesture has some political ramifications and that by going to a small Orthodox Church in what I presume is in a working class area has inadvertently reinforced the "People's Princess" image that she has.
Kiki should have some fun with Anya by crashing some of parties that Ayna was invited to as it will increase the social standing for Anya.
Lucia will be of two minds on this as she would be happy about Ritchie having a steady job in SoCal but then again it is LAPD we are talking about.
Kiki should know by now that virtually her every public gesture has some political ramifications and that by going to a small Orthodox Church in what I presume is in a working class area has inadvertently reinforced the "People's Princess" image that she has.
Kiki should have some fun with Anya by crashing some of parties that Ayna was invited to as it will increase the social standing for Anya.