Ghost of you

A/N: Thank you for reviewing; teeta, Mits, Yblue and Adam! Made me so happy again =)
Here's what you've been waiting for ;)

This chapter has been betad by teeta, once again thank you so much!

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Chapter 11.

Once again he had managed to lose the track of him, but Alexander should have known better by now. He should know that he could never hide from him for long, because he would always find him no matter what. He checked into a small hotel, smiling to himself as he started unpacking. He was back here again and expected to find the pleasure that he had craved for

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“Happy 16 th brother.” Aino whispered to Olavi’s ear. He woke with a smile, turned and looked at her.
“Thank you,” he muttered while sitting up. Aino placed a breakfast tray on his lap. She had even picked some wild flowers for him.
“It’s not everyday that my baby brother turns 16.” She smiled. “Almost a man now, how does it feel?”
“What? Being a man?” He grinned. She raised her eyebrow, a smile on her lips. “It doesn’t feel any different from being 15 really, but it’s only been…” He glanced at the clock; 8.30am. “…like two hours, so one can’t really tell yet.” He started eating his breakfast. Aino sat down on his bed side, looking at him quietly.

“What?” He asked taking a sip of his tea.
“I was just thinking how handsome brother I have and why he has stopped talking to me like he used to.” Olavi blushed slightly.
“I do talk to you,” he said, “nothing has changed.”
“I feel as if it has, it’s like you keep a secret from me. I’ve seen you smile the way you’ve never smiled before. And all I have been able to think about is why my brother isn’t telling me the name of the person who has captured his heart.”
Olavi gulped down the food in his mouth.
“There’s no one…” He said quietly, hating to lie to her; he had never lied to her before about anything and he would have liked to tell her, more than anything, and he would have liked to tell everyone, but it would not be accepted and would only cause trouble. He knew that she couldn’t understand it, and he wasn’t sure which would make her more mad; the fact that he was in love with a man, or the fact that this said man was a Russian.

“Really?” She asked.
“Really, no one at all, I’ve just been happy for other reasons.” He said and she sighed.
“Alright, I won’t bug you about this any longer. I love you. I’ll go and finish your birthday cake.” She smiled.
“Love you too Aino, and thank you.”

There was a bigger party later, with people coming over. Dining out, music, even some dancing. Olavi was dancing with Hanna, and Alexander watched him from the distance, smiling as their eyes met. Olavi glanced at him every once in a while, seeming to hold back a laughter. Sometimes he shook his head, distracted from the dance because he knew that the man was watching him. It was obvious to Alexander how smitten the girl was with Olavi, poor girl, he thought.

“My brother is nice to look at, isn’t he?” Suddenly a woman’s voice asked from beside him. Alexander turned his head to her. Cold blue eyes of the young woman stared into his.
“Your brother is handsome, there’s no denying about that.” He replied.
“He is beautiful, much like my older brother was and you are not the only man that I’ve seen looking at him in such a way.” Aino told him.
“ I have not…” Alexander started, but fell silent after the look that she gave him.
“Why did you come here Mr. Volkov?”
“I came here for work.” He answered.
“Did you now?… Why here? Why this place?”
“Why not here?” he asked and they stared at each other for some time.

“I’ll be blunt with you if I may.” Aino said then, not waiting for his answer. “I do not like you, I do not like your people and I know that there’s more about your coming here than just work. I am going to uncover your secret sooner or later, you can count on it Mr. Volkov.”
With that she turned and left. Alexander looked after her, worrying a little, then he turned his head towards the dancing area, meeting Olavi’s worried eyes with his.

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Later that night they escaped from the others, into an old hay barn.
“What did my sister want from you?” Olavi asked as they sat down.
“She suspects.” Alexander told him. “We should be more careful.” He added then. He saw the worry on the boy’s face.
“I don’t want to stop seeing you.” He said then.
“I don’t want that either,” Alexander assured, took his hand and kissed his palm. They looked into each other’s eyes.

“Happy birthday sweetheart, may there be many happy years ahead of you.” Alexander whispered and kissed his lips. “I have something for you.” He took out a silver pocket watch and placed it on his hand.
Olavi looked at it.
“It’s beautiful.” He said, looking at it more closely, admiring the Russian engravings on it.
“It’s quite old, it belonged to my great great grandfather, passed from fathers to sons. This…” He showed the engraved picture of an eagle on it. “…is my family’s crest and this; Ne bylo by schast'ya, da neschast'ye pomoglo, “ He read out loud, “Means; Would have had no luck, if not for misfortune.”
“But it belongs to your family, how could I take it?” Olavi asked, blue eyes wide open.
“Because I want you to have it. I will not have any children to give it to and I like the idea of you carrying something of mine with you.” He smiled. Olavi beamed at him.
“Thank you.” They kissed. “I can just imagine when I’m old and Aino’s grandchildren will find this and they are going to wonder why I had this Russian family watch.” He chuckled to himself. Alexander just continued smiling and stroking his hair.

Soon the kisses between them deepened and slowly the clothes were shed. They made love, right there in the dim hay barn. Never realizing that they had someone spying on them.

Aino gasped for breath, slowly stumbling backwards. This was not what she had wanted to see. This was like a nightmare! They were sleeping together?! That man was fucking her brother! It could not be… She felt sick. She ran, throwing up into a nearby bush. She was sweating, the images in her head refused to leave, mixing with the old horrid memories.
“Olavi… no…” She whispered. She had to fight with herself not to rush in and throw the man off of her brother. But she had seen it all, heard it all… They were in love? She felt really nauseated. The man had seduced him, made Olavi believe that he was in love with him when he really wasn’t. How dared he?! She trembled from sudden anger. She would not let this rest.

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‘’’Get off, do not touch me!’’’ He yelled in anger.
‘’’What’s the matter Sascha, heart broken? Pining over that slut? I can make you feel better.’’’ The other man said as he grasped him, pulling him into a kiss. ‘’’Such a great fuck he was, shame to have him gone.”
“Go away, just go away and let me be.” He pulled himself free and left the room.

Alexander woke with a startle, breathing fast. He calmed down as he looked at the boy sleeping next to him. He touched his bare shoulder, his smooth cheek. Suddenly he felt scared, restless, he could feel something lurking, a bad feeling, an eerie thought. Fearing that he had gotten the boy in grievous danger by coming here. He rose, careful not to wake the boy. He searched the letters that Elias had given him, sat down on a stool and started reading the one for him, not remembering how many times he had actually read it already during these years.
Once he finished reading, he looked back at Olavi. ‘’’I really need to tell you this.’’’ He whispered to himself.

Early in the morning, as Olavi was about to leave his room to go back to his own. Alexander stopped him by taking his hand in his.
“I want to talk to you today, after work. Could you meet me by the lake at six this evening?”
“Of course. Is this something serious?” The boy asked.
“It is.”
“You want to end this?” He asked with fearful voice. Alexander laughed softly.
“No, silly boy, it’s not that. Something else, but I tell you about it then. Alright?” Olavi smiled, and kissed him quickly.
“Alright, I’ll see you in the evening then.”

**^^**^^**^^^**^^**^^**

Aino sneaked into the room. She was determined to find some proof, anything that would tell her who this man really was. She searched his clothes, his books, found some old pictures and then, then she found the letter; hidden between the pages of an old book on the bedside table.

Her hands trembled as she recognized the handwriting. She began to read.


“Dear Sascha.
The time is running out, I've been washed, brought into the office of your lieutenant. I wish that I knew the right words, I wish that I could write everything that I've wanted to tell you, but I'm afraid that I can't. I'm afraid, that in this state of mind that I'm in, it's not even possible. I'll try my best.
I want to thank you, because you brought light into my last moments. Am I crazy, if I tell you, that I love you? Maybe, but that is how I feel and I believe, that you care about me as well, otherwise, you wouldn't have been so good to me. You wouldn't have done what you did, if I meant nothing to you at all.

My last name is Lahti, I was born on September 23th in 1927. My parents are dead, my mother was weak when I left and I believe that she died soon after. I have two siblings that are still alive. My sister Aino, who is 6 and a brother, Olavi, who is 4. I do not know of their fate, and they can't be certain of mine. In my heart I feel that they have survived, still alive, somewhere.

Why am I telling you this? Survive Sascha, you simply must; for my sake. I hope, that someday, after the war ends, you'll find the remains of my family, and tell them about my death. They suspect it already, but if they cannot find the body, (yes, it feels strange to write like this) and if no one tells them the truth, they will always wonder.

I want them to know, so that they can get their peace in this matter. They'll ask for details, they'll ask if I suffered: lie. What good would it make, for them to know of my suffering? They'll doubt you, they'll ask questions, wanting to know if you truly knew me. Tell Aino about the day that she and I were on the seashore, we ate ice cream, it was warm, we visited the circus and ate some cotton candy. People were all happy, we spent the whole day together, the war didn't exist, no one knew of it. Tell her, that if she truly goes to India someday, I'll walk every step with her; sheltering each of them. I doubt that Olavi remembers much of me, he's still so young. Tell them that I love them, tell them, that I'll wait for them with our parents, once it’s their time to come.


Another person, that I wish for you to find; a girl named Emma, she was my best friend. Emma moved to Sweden, in the summer of 1939, her mom got married there and their last name got changed from Koivu to Lindgren. I'll write a second letter to her, which I enclose with this one. If you can't find them, I'll understand, it might be difficult.

She had to sit down, feeling like she could faint at any minute. She felt like she couldn’t breathe, like something inside was choking her. She trembled, the letter falling from her hands. ‘He is dead, he is dead.’ Elias had been crying so hard, the pain, it had not ended that night. How long? What was this? Who was this man? A demon sent to ruin them?! ‘Am I crazy, if I tell you, that I love you?’
She broke down in tears, desperate tears. What had they done to him? Who was this man? ‘They’ll ask if I suffered, lie…’ Oh dear God.
“I have hidden some food, remember when I show you where it was?” Aino looked around in the room, whispers of the past filling her mind.. “…Remember that I love you two, always. The ones we love, are never truly gone, even if we can`t see them. I`ll always be with you” She couldn’t breath.

The hurt changed into anger. How dared this man, how dared he come here and take her baby brother like he had taken the elder? She wanted some answers and she wanted them now. Taking the letter with her, she took off to confront him.

**^^**^^**^^**^^

“What is this?!” She screamed showing the letter to the man. Alexander looked at her with surprise, he had just been about to finish his work and leave to meet Olavi down by the lake side. “Tell me what is this?!” She cried.

“I-…”
“You knew my brother? Elias?” He could only nod his head. “Why didn’t you tell us?! Who the fuck are you?”
“Please calm down, let’s go inside for a talk, alright?”
She only nodded her head and followed him in.
“What happened?” She asked, once they had walked in.
“Yes, I knew Elias.” He sighed, seeing the anger burning in her eyes.
“Your people forced themselves on my brother and then they took him with them and all these years, we have had no idea what his fate was and then I find this among your things!” Again she pushed the letter close to his face.

“I was a young man back then, they brought him into our camp and…”
“Did you rape him?” She asked trembling, her hands clenched into fists at her sides.
“No, I did not.” He close his eyes, this was not the way he had wanted to tell this. “I loved your brother. And not a single day goes by without… Without me hating myself for failing to save his life.” His voice was almost a whisper.
“Loved him?!” She screamed. “You used him, you… oh my god. You sick pervert! Do not tell me that you loved him, not after what I saw you doing with my younger brother!”
Alexander looked at her with shock. “Yes, I saw you two last night. So are you going to tell me that you love him as well?” She almost laughed, tears clouding her vision, anger so clear in her entire being. “He doesn’t know, does he? He doesn’t know that you’ve… that you have been with our brother the way you have been with him.” She looked at him, not needing an answer because she could see it. “Do you realise how sick this is?!”
“I was going to tell him tonight.”
“Were you now? Well, it will make him happy, it will make him terribly happy to know that he has been violated by the same man who did it to his brother.”
“The last thing I want to do is to hurt Olavi.” Alexander told her. “And yes, I do love him.”
“My God, are you even listening to yourself?!” She looked at him in disbelief. “Olavi is a 16-year old boy, Elias was only 15. Did Olavi even know what he was getting himself into? And Elias… “ She started sobbing. “This is so sick…”


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Emma sat on the porch as a strange car parked in the driveway. She looked at it with interest. A brown haired man stepped out and smiled politely to her.
“Good evening ma’am. I am here to look for a man named Alexander Volkov. I’ve heard that he’s been staying here, am I correct?”
“Yes, he is, but he’s not here right now. He’s still working.” She told him and that was when Olavi stepped outside, ready to leave to the lake. The man turned his eyes to the boy, who looked back at this stranger.
“Where could I find him then? I’m afraid that my business with him is rather urgent.“
“The house is not far from here, just 3 kilometres or so,” Emma replied.
“Well then… Perhaps you could come with me, to show me the way, if it’s not too much trouble?” He asked the boy who had stepped down from the porch.
Olavi glanced Emma and then back at the man.
“Um, sorry, but who are you?”
“Oh, how rude of me; I’m Sadova, Vladimir Sadova an old friend of Alexander’s. I’m bringing news from home to him and it is very important I get to talk to him.”
“Oh, okay, well, I was on my way there anyway so…”
“Great.” The man smiled and opened the car door for him.

“Will you be back for dinner in time?” Emma asked with a shout, somehow feeling slightly uneasy.
“I will.” Olavi answered before the car door slammed shut.

TBC.

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