AN: I know it has been a very, very long time and I hope that there are still some readers out there. I had a rough time the past few months and hit somewhat of a roadblock as far as my writing goes.

Over the weekend I got a chance to go see the new Broadway revival of the show and was inspired to start writing again. If you get a chance to see the show I highly recommend it.

Anyway, I know this is long over due, but here is another chapter, hope you enjoy!


Melchior sat for a few moments watching Wendla's dress disappear. He smiled softly at the thought of her. He had forgotten how much he'd missed her. She had a way of making him feel so calm. No one, not even Moritz, made him feel that way.

"Moritz!" he said aloud, suddenly remembering his previous engagement.

He ran home as fast as could, trying not to trip and fall over the large rocks on the path. As his house came into view he saw the gloomy arch of Moritz's form.

"I am so sorry, I lost track of time" he apologized as he reached his best friend.

"Huh?" he asked dazedly "Oh, it's alright, I hadn't rang the doorbell yet."

Melchior laughed and opened the door leading into his home. They walked down the small hallway into his room, which was cramped with books and papers. They both sat down, Melchior at his desk and Mortiz on the bed.

"Melchi, is your mom home?"

"Uh, I think she went to the market to get some ingredients to make dinner."

"Oh. Ok."

"What? Are you disappointed? You can stay for dinner if you'd like."

"No, my father wants me home tonight. He thinks I stay out too much."

"But you come study with me everyday, he knows that!"

"Ya, but he sees my grades..."

"We can fix that ok Moritz?" Melchior urged his friend softly. Moritz simply nodded sadly in reply and returned to his work.

They worked for an hour, Melchior helping Moritz after finishing most of his work. They heard the door open, Moritz jumping in surprise and Melchior smiling at his mother's return. A few moments later the door opened followed the the small frame of Melchior's mother.

"Moritz! Good to see you again! Will you be staying for dinner"

Moritz swallowed nervously before answering.

"No, actually I must be on my way. My father will be mad if I'm late."

"All right dear," she said, bringing him into a tight hug, "take care of yourself, all right?"

Moritz nodded with a small smile playing at his lips.

As she exited the room, Melchior stood and crossed to his friend, "Remember, we are helping build the storage space at the church. Be on time or Her Sonnenstich will have your head."

"I know Melchi. I'll see you tomorrow."


Wendla awoke impatiently, excited for her friends to arrive. With her mother's permission they had decided to gather at her home to bake some treats for the boys.

Ilse was the first to arrive. She looked a little battered, the dark circles under her eyes and her thin, pale, complexion gave her a deathly look, but none the less she smiled. The two girls talked mindlessly before the others showed up. Martha and Anna arrived together, the duo carrying small bags of flower to bake the pastries with. Thea showed up a few minutes later, supplying the bread for the sandwiches.

They cooked in concentrated silence, making sure that they did not mess up the ingredients. Martha was in charge of the kitchen. She barked orders to the other girls telling them which ingredients to add. This continued for a while. After finishing the sandwiches, the easiest part of the meal, they moved on to the baking. Each girl was assigned a different pastry. It wasn't until everything was in the oven that the girls finally relaxed.

"I really hope the boys enjoy this," Anna commented nervously.

"Of course they will" Thea retorted, "Melchior will love the special treat I made him."

Wendla rolled her eyes as the rest of the girls giggled. She didn't understand how Thea could be so open about her infatuation with Melchior. She herself felt so ashamed for thinking of him as anything more than a friend. Did he think the same way, she questioned, then a thought popped into her head, a thought that made her stomach revolt.

I see her in my mind and realize how much I truly miss her.

That's what he had written. Could he have been talking about Thea? She clenched her jaw unconsciously.

"Wendla what do you think?"

Ilse's words snapped Wendla out of her sudden rage. She looked around the room at her friends' expectant faces.

"Who do you think is better, Melchior or Moritz?" Thea answered Wendla's questioning look. "Melchior is so much smarter. He's almost a man. Moritz is always so distracted."

"But Moritz is sweet" Martha pipped up. "He seems like a guy that would love you no matter what."

"And Melchior wouldn't?" Wendla asked, surprised. She had always felt so protected by him. He spoke so poetically that it was hard to imagine him not caring for someone.

"So you pick Melchior"

Wendla's cheeks filled with colour.

"I didn't say that!" she answered with growing panic in her voice. Luckily Ilse caught on to her embarrassment and stepped in to save her.

"I agree with Martha. Sure, Melchi is sweet, but Moritz seems like he would love you unconditionally."

"Ilse, you're such a romantic!" Thea chided, "Melchior is a man. He would care for me, for our child. Moritz would probably faint the first time he saw the baby."

"Who's the romantic now? Fantasizing about you and Melchior's baby!"

The fight might have continued it had not been for the faint smell of burning that was staring to emit out of the oven. The paused for a millisecond, all turning their heads in unison to look at the piece of machinery that was making the smell, then they burst into action: Anna and Martha ran to the oven to get the pastries out of the oven, Ilse and Wendla rushed to grab platters, while Thea screamed about her gift for Melchior being ruined.

They managed to salvage most of the food and after they packed everything they made their way to the church.


All the boys walked with varying amounts of wood for the shed. It was early in the morning, the sun barely rising, as they made their way from the school house to the church. It was cold, but most of them had dressed lightly, knowing that the warmth would have them shedding their clothes by noon. They reached the church within a few minutes and starting setting up their tools for the work ahead. Herr Sonnenstich assigned the boys to work stations and they began their jobs.

As predicted the sun rise brought a wave of heat with it. A few hours in and most of the boys had lost some of their clothing. Melchior took of his coat off before lifting the next piece of wood while making the roof. His stomach grumbled slightly and he mentally regretted the decision to skip out on breakfeast. Lunch must be soon he thought and, as if on cue, the girls walked by. Herr Sonnenstich moved to them quickly, protesting their entrance. Melchior stopped for a second to watch as the girls argued with his teacher.

"Girls, you are not allowed here! Please remove yourselves immediately!"

A couple of the girls turned to go back, but Wendla and Ilse stood their ground as Thea spoke up.

"We brought lunch for the boys. We thought they might be hungry."

"Well you thought wrong didn't you, little girl" he replied rudely.

Thea's temper was about to get the best of her, so before she could say anything to get her in trouble Wendla spoke up.

"Sir, we meant no disrespect, we just thought the boys would enjoy some food for their hard labor. We brought some pastries for you too" she signaled at Martha to bring the basket holding the cakes. Herr Sonnenstich looked inside doubtfully, but his stomach revealed his true feelings when it gave a loud grumble at the sight of the food.

"Well, I suppose it would be all right, but just for a short while. Boys!" he said, slowly picking up the a small roll with strawberry marmalade. Thea moved to protest his choice, ready to defend the special treat she had made for her crush, but Wendla caught eye of her intentions and pushed her away slightly. By the time Thea had regained her balance it was too late, red marmalade coated Herr Sonnenstich lips.

The boys hurried to the smell of the warm food. They eat their sandwiches happily, but quickly, knowing the Her Sonnenstich's pleasure would soon end and they would have to work again. Melchior made his way to Wendla to thank her for the food, but just as he reached her he felt a tap of his shoulder. He turned around to meet its maker.

"Thea!" he smiled with surprise, but a hint of disappointment coated his words.

"Melchi, I just wanted to say I'm sorry."

"For what?" he asked, surprised.

"The pastries. They were burnt. We lost track of time and left them in the oven for too long. I'm really sorry" she pouted a little looking at him sadly.

"Oh Thea, it's alright! Everything was still delicious and we are all very thankful for the food" he reassured her, lightly touching her shoulder before turning away to return to his previous task, but before he could, Thea spoke again.

"I had a special pastry made for you."

He returned unwillingly to the conversation.

"Really?"

"Ya, it was a tart with strawberry marmalade, your favorite."

"Where is it?"

"Herr Sonnenstich ate it" she said hotly, which caused him to laugh loudly.

"Well I am glad you put the thought into it and I am sure I would have enjoyed it very much. Thank you."

As she was about to reply Herr Sonnenstich finally lost his patience and yelled for the boys to return to work. They hurriedly ran to their labor as the girls picked up after them. Thea moved over to Wendla and started talking about her conversation with Melchior. Wendla was excited for her friend, but the anger that had crept into her in the morning was returning. She looked up to spy on the subject of their conversation, watching Melchior for a few moments. He had his sleeves rolled up and his shirt hugged him tightly. His hair hung over his eyes before he took the moment to push it away. He glanced over to something and Wendla followed his gaze over to Moritz, who was standing staring into nowhere. Wendla noticed what was about to occur only a moment after Melchior did.

"Moritz, move!" he yelled as he ran, pushing his friend down away from the large piece of wood that Hanschen swung blindly as he turned around. Melchior barely saw the piece of wood before it hit his right temple. For a moment he felt a stunned numbness before everything went black.