Chapter Text
Lenore Jacobs checked her reflection, smoothing her blonde hair, which was pulled into a ponytail high on her head, and smudging her eyeliner just a bit. The camisole/miniskirt combo she was wearing was more revealing than her typical attire, but this was her first night out in Berlin and she wanted to do it right.
Adding her black knee-high boots, Lenore snatched up her purse and made sure she had everything. She breezed from her hotel room, scrolling through her texts for the directions Nicole had sent her that morning.
Lenore had been in Germany for almost two weeks. She had decided to visit on a whim, lured here mostly due to her love of the music that hailed from either Berlin or Hamburg. Her parents had thought it a ridiculous reason to travel out of the United States, but Lenore didn't care. She had never been anywhere, really, and at twenty years old she was more than ready for some life experiences.
Her first few days had been spent in her hotel room. She finally went out to explore. There were plenty of tourist traps that she'd read about online, and she had planned to visit the true Berlin once she was more confident navigating the foreign city on her own. However, her fifth morning venturing out had brought her help in the form of a lovely brunette named Nicole.
Nicole had spotted Lenore studying a map on her phone, utterly bemused, and decided to step in. She had introduced herself in English, immediately recognizing Lenore as an American, and offered to clarify the directions the other girl needed. After nearly fifteen minutes, Nicole had looked at Lenore and said "Fuck this. I will show you around. I would hate for you to get lost."
Lenore had been grateful for the company, and even more so when she discovered how much she and Nicole had in common. Nicole had taken her to several of her favorite places, including a beer garden -- "A must for tourists." At the end of the evening, the two women exchanged numbers. They had hung out for the entire weekend and following Nicole's shifts at the bookstore on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. As they prepared to part ways on Thursday, Nicole invited Lenore to meet her friends. "We are going dancing Saturday night. You should come."
Lenore had agreed. She had been nervous about hitting the bars or clubs alone, something she wouldn't even do back home, but she was more than willing to drink and shake her ass with a group of people who weren't exactly strangers.
The club Nicole had chosen wasn't too far from Lenore's hotel. She wondered if that was why Nicole picked it. Attempting to look like she belonged at least a little, Lenore approached the door. She was barely inside before she heard her name being called from near the bar.
Nicole was there, eye-catching in her corset and pants that appeared painted on. Vibrant red lips lifting into a smile, she hugged Lenore in greeting, then introduced her to the others: two more girls and a guy who would have been more at home in a UFC octagon.
Jenn was a tall strawberry-blonde with a peaches-and-cream complexion. Callie had hair the color of an amethyst and a multitude of piercings. Their male companion was Victor. He had short sandy hair, a neatly kept beard, and tattoos covering his forearms.
"Lenore is miles and miles from home," Nicole announced, "so it is our duty to make her feel welcome."
"We can do that," Victor said, his words much more accented than Nicole's. He gestured to the bottles of alcohol arranged behind the bar. "What will you have?"
********
Several hours later, Lenore was pleasantly drunk and sandwiched between Nicole and Victor. She was sure the club would close soon and that was depressing because she wasn't ready for the night to be over.
"I have a great idea!" Nicole shouted. Her voice carried to Jenn and Callie, who were dancing together nearby, and they shot her questioning looks. Lenore and Victor were waiting for her to elaborate, too. "Let's crash at my dad's! He's not home, so we can do whatever we want."
Jenn, Callie, and Victor agreed, leaving Nicole regarding Lenore expectantly. "I don't know..." the blonde said. Being in a public place with them was one thing. Letting them take her to a private residence seemed foolish. Hadn't she seen numerous horror movies and true crime shows that started like this?
"You will be safe," Nicole assured her. "If it will ease your mind, we will sleep upstairs and you can have the first floor guest room." Smiling faintly, she added, "The door locks and everything."
Lenore hesitated, but soon found herself nodding. She felt like she could trust Nicole not to put her in a dangerous situation, and Callie, Jenn, and Victor did seem really nice.
They left the club and piled into Victor's car. He had obviously been to Nicole's father's house before, as he set off without asking the way. Loud music blasted from his sound system and Lenore let it pulse through her, face turned to the wind blowing in the open window.
They reached their destination after nearly forty-five minutes. Nicole led the other four inside. Even in the pitch dark of three a.m., Lenore could tell that the house was huge. "Come on," Nicole said, grabbing Lenore's hand. "I have some pajamas that should fit you."
Lenore followed her across the expansive foyer, up a wide staircase, and along a hallway. The room at the very end, to the right, had been Nicole's when she lived here, and she still spent the occasional weekend with her dad when he wasn't traveling for work.
Nicole gave Lenore a T-shirt and shorts, then she took her back downstairs and showed her where the guest room was. "Yell if you need me," she said. "Gute Nacht."
"Night," Lenore replied. She kicked off her boots and padded to the en suite, where she changed into the pajamas, washed away most of her makeup, and rinsed out her mouth. Yawning, she trudged to the queen-size bed and crawled beneath the blankets.
********
Lenore awoke to dull sunlight streaming through the window, the angle and quality indicating that it was still quite early. She groaned, wanting nothing more than to go back to sleep. Unfortunately, she had to pee and she was uncomfortably thirsty.
She heaved a sigh and climbed out of bed. She relieved her bladder before tiptoeing to the bedroom door and cracking it open. The house was silent around her.
Biting her lip, she briefly considered whether or not she could put off getting some water. She almost convinced herself she could, until her stomach softly growled. It was impossible for her to sleep if she was hungry. Damn. She didn't know how long Nicole, Callie, Jenn, and Victor would be dead to the world. Surely Nicole wouldn't care if she had a snack?
Lenore walked down the hall, staring around in awe. The floors were hardwood and the ceilings were high. Looking through an archway to her right, she saw a spacious living room. The decor was very masculine and the contents of the entertainment center alone probably cost as much as her dad's new car.
A sudden sound caused her to freeze in her tracks. It had emanated from beyond the kitchen, which was to her left. Heart pounding, she crept to the threshold and peeked into the room. The kitchen spread away from her, divided from the dining area by a bar and a line of high-backed chairs. Adjacent to the massive table was a door -- and it was open.
It's Callie, Lenore told herself. The purple-haired girl was the only one in their small group that smoked. Why would any of the others be outside right now?
She was still standing there when a man stepped through the door and shut it behind him, a man who definitely was not Victor. He had a cigarette in hand and was wearing a plain black T-shirt and loose gray sweats. His short black hair was damp, as if he'd just taken a shower.
Nic's dad. It had to be. Who else would be here at this time of morning, fresh from the shower and enjoying a cigarette on what Lenore presumed was a patio or deck? Nicole had said she wasn't exactly sure when he was due back from his business trip...
Lenore's mind blanked as the man turned toward her and she got her first look at his face.
Oh. My. God.
Chiseled jaw, high cheekbones, bright blue eyes. He was incredibly handsome, but that wasn't what had her breath stuck in her throat. She recognized those features, having admired them often over the last eight years or so.
Nicole's dad was Richard Kruspe, the lead guitarist for German industrial metal band Rammstein.
"Oh." He stopped short upon spotting the young blonde in his kitchen. "Hallo."
"Hi," Lenore said quietly.
"American?"
She nodded.
The charmingly crooked smile that melted hearts all over the world graced his lips. He paused at the bar, stubbing out his cigarette in a heavy glass ashtray before approaching her and offering his hand. "Richard."
"Lenore." It was positively surreal to have his hand enveloping hers, the warmth of his skin sending tingles up her arm.
"You are friends with Nicole?"
"Yes."
He retreated a few paces. "Did you need something?"
"Um." Lenore's cheeks were burning and her heart rate hadn't slowed since his appearance. "I just wanted water."
Richard gestured to the refrigerator and watched her open one of the doors. "May I ask what brings you to Germany?"
"I was bored, so I hopped a plane to the first place I thought of."
His eyebrows rose. "And that was Germany?"
She twisted the cap off a bottled water, trying to figure out how to answer without mentioning his band. "I find your country fascinating. There's so much history here. Besides, shouldn't everyone visit Berlin at least once?"
He studied her for a full ten seconds, then he chuckled. "Nein, but you almost had me." Resting his backside against the edge of the counter, he folded his arms over his chest. "Why is it that you find my country so fascinating?"
Lenore sighed. "For the same reason most American kids who listened to industrial metal in the late 90s do. Rammstein. But I didn't know you had a daughter close to my age. Nic didn't--"
"She never does," Richard interrupted. "Relax, Liebe. I am not accusing you of ulterior motives. Believe me, this is not the first time I have surprised a house full of Nicole's hungover friends."
Lenore nodded. "So...you were on the road?"
"Our final show was last night. I flew back at an unholy hour."
"I bet Nic's gonna be thrilled."
He shrugged. "It is not so new to her."
Lenore frowned. How could he doubt that Nicole missed him while he was gone, no matter how used to it she was? Lenore knew she would have missed her father every time if he'd had to travel for work. Hell, she missed him now. I should call him today.
"Lenore?"
She looked at Richard. "Sorry. I was thinking. Umm, I guess I'll go back to bed and leave you alone."
"Okay. It was nice meeting you."
"That sentiment is a massive understatement from my end."
He laughed and her heart fluttered in her chest. How could he be even more beautiful when he laughed?
"See ya," she said, and somehow, she managed to walk calmly from the room.