Chapter Text
San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina
April 1955
The night was wet and cold, the temperatures dipping low as winter approached. The moon broke through a break in the cloud, lighting upon a cozy chalet in the mountains, smoke curling up from the chimney. Inside, a fire crackled in the hearth, an occasional pop spitting out sparks. In a big, cozy chair nearby, Hochstetter held his son in his lap.
"El… prínz—eh, príncipe—cabalgó hasta el castillo," he said, his tongue tripping over the Spanish words. Wolfie didn't seem to mind his poor grasp of the language. "Él… llamó, eh, gritó a la ventana de la princesa: '¡Oh, hermosa princesa, yo he… matado el… Drache? No, no, dragón!' La princesa… aparece—eh, apareció y… arrojó una rosa nach unten—eh, hacia abajo. Su príncipe había… regresado, el reino estaba seguro, y pronto ellos… casarían—eh, se casarían. Ellos… sí, se casaron y fue un día… glorioso. Y los dos… vivieron felices para siempre—eh, por siempre."
Wolfie clapped. "You did much better this time, Papa," he said cheerfully.
"Thank you, Wolfie." Hochstetter blew out a breath. Forming the story had almost been as painful as the stitched up wound in his side, but he had done it. Partly for Wolfie, mostly for Elsa. An attempt to show her that he was trying to change. From her spot on the couch where she was knitting a scarf, Elsa looked up and nodded before turning her attention back to her project.
Hochstetter clenched his hand. Elsa had only just started to thaw since their escape from America over a month ago. Money, contacts, and luck had paved the way for their safe return to Argentina. Hochstetter had hoped they could go back to normal. But Elsa stubbornly held on to the image she had painted of him in that shed. He'd tried to explain, but she wasn't ready to hear the truth. He supposed he was lucky she hadn't turned him over to the police, but he needed more from her. He needed his warm, loving goddess back. And his patience was growing thin.
At least Wolfie had moved on. Hochstetter was still his Papa, his hero. The scene in the shed seemed to have only reinforced that.
"Now," Hochstetter said, forcing cheer into his voice. "It's late and time for bed. Give me a hug and a kiss my little wolf and off to your room."
Wolfie obediently threw his arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. "You'll be here in the morning to take me to school, right, Papa?"
"Of course," Hochstetter said, ruffling his hair. "I may even come for breakfast if your mama will make kuchen."
Wolfie twisted in Hochstetter's lap to look at Elsa. "Will you, Mama?"
Elsa set aside her knitting and stood. "Off to bed, Wolfie," she said, holding out her hand. Wolfie pouted and slid off Hochstetter's lap. He ran to Elsa and took her hand. She led him to the doorway and then knelt, kissing him on the cheek. "Buenas noches, mi amor." Then she stood and patted him on the bottom to send him away.
Hochstetter got up and slowly came up behind her. "Elsa," he said slowly, not bothering to hide the longing in his voice. He put a hand on her shoulder, causing her to tense. "Elsa, when will we stop this nonsense?" he asked. "Will you really send me away tonight?"
"Tonight, tomorrow, for as long as it takes," Elsa answered quietly as she hugged herself.
Hochstetter frowned, furrowing his brow in frustration. He momentarily tightened his grip before forcing himself to let go. "Elsa, if you would just listen to reason…"
Elsa pulled away and put her hands up to the sides of her head. "You don't understand, Wolfgang. I can't stop seeing it in my head. And until I can, I can't let you stay here."
Hochstetter pushed down the anger that threatened to bubble over. "Will you have lunch with me tomorrow?"
"Maybe," Elsa said.
Hochstetter grabbed her arm and turned her to face him. "Please, Elsa. How will we ever get past this if you won't give me the chance!"
Elsa pulled away, face remaining impassive. "I let you come to spend time with Wolfie. Let that be enough for now."
With a sigh, Hochstetter dropped his head. "Thank you for that, my love. I will… try to be content with that. But, Elsa, I love you. My life isn't complete without you. Wolfie is only here because of the love we shared together. And I can hardly bear to see him knowing that that love might never be real again."
Elsa's lip trembled as she looked away. "I… I suppose we could have lunch," she finally whispered.
A smile tugged on Hochstetter's lips, but he tempered it with a sigh of relief—he didn't want Elsa to misinterpret it as something she might consider sinister. "Thank you." He resisted the urge to kiss her. Instead, he stepped back and nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow then," he said as he moved to the door. He grabbed his hat and coat.
"I'll make kuchen," Elsa said, turning to watch him.
"I'd like that," Hochstetter replied with a small smile. He tipped his hat to her. "Buenas noches, my darling."
With that, he opened the door and stepped out into the rain. He paused as the door closed behind him, looking up to Wolfie's window. "My prince, I'll come back," he murmured. Then he hurried down the steps to his car.
The chalet was on the edge of town where he was temporarily renting a small apartment. Not many people came out this way. Still, it didn't alarm him when a set of headlights pulled onto the road behind him. His mind was more consumed with Elsa and his frustration. How much longer would she punish him? When would he finally be allowed to explain his side of the story? And when would he ever get another chance to bring Hogan to justice?
Oh yes. Despite any promises he had or would make, he was still determined to find Hogan. No doubt Hogan was hunting him even now and Hochstetter had to beat him to the punch.
The headlights got closer. Then the car swerved out from behind, coming along beside him. Before Hochstetter could even look over, the car veered into his side. Hochstetter gripped the wheel and slammed on the brakes, trying to regain control, but the tires could find traction on the slick road. Hochstetter cursed as he careened off the road and into the ditch. The car came to an abrupt stop, slamming Hochsetter's face into the steering wheel.
Blood trickled from Hochstetter's nose as shook his head. His head pounded, his vision momentarily blurring. He heard a car door slam. The driver of the other car was coming to check on him. A cold feeling prickled the hair on the back of his neck. Yes, the driver was coming, but not to help him. He knew who it was. Knew without even having to look.
His door was wrenched open. Hochstetter slowly looked up. A dark smile spread across his face.
"Hogan. It's been a long time."
END