Heather left me to sort out our travel arrangements while she beat the hell out of some pork for her Scottish influenced version of schnitzel.

Getting back home would be a bit easier than it was getting to Baden-Baden. We would take a local train to Karlsruhe then an ICE [1] to Paris. Just over three hours on that train and after a short walk from Gare L’Est to the Gare du Nord and we’d be on a Eurostar heading for London.

My big problem was all around my identity. I had to decide two things… well one thing which would decide the second. When should Tony re-appear? Before or after we use the Eurostar.

I’d made little progress on that decision before it was time to eat.

Heather saw through my fake cheerfulness.

“Dithering about when to bring Tony back to life?”

“Yep.”

“Do you have a passport for Steffi? A real one I mean.”

“I do.”

“Then travel to the UK as Steffi.”

“What about you? Won’t your name be on a watch list of some sort?”

“Maybe, but as I have not broken any laws there is no reason to stop me.”

“And afterwards?”

“That is another matter. My former employers might want to keep tabs on me and then by implication, you.”

“We have nothing to hide. We are going to visit Jonjo in prison. End of story. Besides as soon as we apply to see him, it will be a matter of public record.”

“That’s true.”

“Then don’t worry about it.”

“When…?”

“When will we travel? Two days’ time would be good.”

“No… I meant when will Tony re-appear?”

“Oh that?”

“Yes that.”

“We’ll need a hotel in the Glasgow area. Don’t even think of us staying with your family. That would attract a good deal of attention back in your old haunts.”

“I’m ahead of you in that respect. I agree about staying with my family. We could stay outside Glasgow and travel to the prison just for the visit?”

“That seems like a good idea,” I replied smiling.
“That’s when Tony will come back to life… for one performance only you understand?”

“Good. I’ve grown to love Steffi.”

I smiled.
“That’s good to know!”

“Oh you!” said a smiling Heather as she punched my upper arm.

---

“Glad to be back?” asked Heather as we walked out of St Pancras Station and into Kings Cross Station which is right next door.

“Yes, but not for the rain.”

We both looked up at the leaden sky. A light drizzle was falling. It had been a fine morning when we had left Baden-Baden.

Heather looked at her phone.
“We had better get a move on, our train to Edinburgh goes in ten minutes.”

“Relax Heather. We only have a short way to go. Platform 6 is right there.”
I pointed at the display above the barrier.

“Ok genius.”

“I’m not a genius. Just practical.”

---

“I’m beat,” said Heather as she sank onto the large bed in our hotel room in the middle of Edinburgh.”

“It has been a long day but we knew that it would be before we started.”

“Yeah but… Sitting on a train all day is tiring.”

“Never mind. We can lie in tomorrow, take in a few sights have a nice meal or three.”

Heather laughed.
“Or three?”

“Haggis, haggis and neeps and haggis and tatties,” I suggested.

Heather looked around for something to throw at me. Luckily, there wasn’t anything suitable at hand.

---

Now that we were in Scotland, we submitted our request to see Jonjo. Because Heather was a close relation it should not be a problem, but there was the possibility that he’d blow his top when he saw my name on the request for a visit. I went out early… well fairly early and bought a PAYG phone and sim card. Our German phones were switched off and packed away in cooking foil for the duration. While I was out shopping, I bought some clothes for my brief outing as Tony Spencer. I was not looking forward to being him again. I’d become very comfortable as Steffi. A lot of that was down to the hard work of Heather or as she wanted to be called while we were out of the country, Avril.

I finally found some suitable clothes and shoes after an hour of searching. I headed back to our hotel in plenty of time for us to check out before the 11:00 deadline.

I found Heather literally pacing up and down in our room.

“About time. I was getting worried.”

I smiled back at her.
“Don’t worry my dear. Let me pack these things and we can be off. Our train isn’t until half past.”

“I know but…”

I stopped her complaining by giving her a brief kiss. This was proving a very effective method of stopping her whining.

---

“There you are… we are in plenty of time,” I said to Heather as we walked through the grand booking hall of Edinburgh’s Waverley Railway Station.

“I bow to your superior wisdom,” muttered Heather in a slightly sarcastic voice.

I just returned a glare.

Heather just laughed and headed towards the platform for our train to Stirling. We’d booked a hotel near the Castle for a week. I’d protested about us staying in one place for so long but I was overruled by a very determined Heather.

I rather liked it when she was firm with me.

---

It took four days for us to receive notification that our visit to the prison had been approved. I just had to hope that the Scottish Prison Service was not in direct contact with the West Midlands Constabulary. The last thing I wanted was to have my collar felt while already in a prison.

“Stop fidgeting,” said Heather to me as I scratched an itch right at the top of my back.

“These shirts are just uncomfortable and downright itchy.”

She laughed.
Serves you right for buying new stuff. I hit the charity shops and got some almost new stuff. All of it has been washed.

“I know, I know.”

We'd agreed that she should not wear any of the clothes that she'd bought in Germany while for the temporary reappearance of Tony, I needed some male clothes. I hated dressing as him again. To me, he was my past, not the future.

Heather rented a car for our trip to the prison. It was a relatively short drive down the M80 from Stirling and into Glasgow even so, I was a bit nervous about going into a prison of my own free will.

---

“This way,” said the Prison Officer.

The sounds and smells of the prison were turning my stomach. I was determined not to venture into one ever again. Heather seemed oblivious to the angst that I was feeling. Her eyes were searching for the first glimpse of her brother.

The last set of doors clanged shut behind us and there he was.

Jonjo saw us and waved at Heather. He glared at me. For the time being, I was safe as there were two Prison Officers close by.

“Hello Sis,” said Jonjo.
At least he was smiling.

He didn’t greet me. At least he hadn’t tried to kill me… yet.

“You are looking good Sis,” said Jonjo.

“Thanks. You don’t look too bad yourself considering.”

“Cut the bluster Sis. I’m in here for the rest of my natural. Even if I’m found not guilty up here, I still have a lifetime in some high security nick down south to look forward to.”

He turned to me.
“So… Sis here hasn’t got tired of you yet then?”

“I didn’t rat you out Jonjo.”

“I know that laddie. The DI from West Midlands gave me the lowdown. It was my effing driver for Christ’s sake. I would have never believed it that he was the filth, a plain-clothes one at that. I had him on my crew for over two years.”

“What about that thing you wanted to do to me.”

“All sorted. The DI was insistent on that. He’s a good cop. God knows, I tried to bend him if you know what I mean but he wasn’t for turning. At least you know where you stand with ones like him. Those insurance policies of yours hurt but after a week in here, I came to understand that I’d gotten sloppy… very sloppy. I trusted all sorts of people that a few years ago I’d not have given them the time of day. Almost all of them tried to screw me but for some reason Tony, you played it straight down the line and to my shame, I let my head be told that it was you who’d dobbed me in.”

“Are you positive about that? The last I heard, there was a big price on my head.”

“Not any longer. I put the word out through my lawyer that the contract was cancelled and that anyone even thinking about going after you would meet a nasty end. You can thank the DI for giving me the lowdown on sis here. I never thought that she’d end up giving rehab to you and the fact that she’s on your side told me that I needed to accept that she is her own woman.”

“Thanks, Jonjo.”

“Those goons who trashed your home have been dealt with. It was canny of you to invest in some art. It was a shame that those numpties didn’t appreciate good art.”

“It was a risk that I took. I’ve sold the place and moved on with my life.”

Jonjo looked at me and then at his sister.

“Are you two for real? As a couple I mean?”

I looked at Heather and smiled.

“We want to give it a go,” said Heather.

Jonjo smiled and looked at me.

“Look after her. She is a one in a million. She had the balls so to speak to get out of the family cocoon down in the city. When she became a spook, we thought the worst about her but she turned out good. She was always the only one of my kin who stood up to me, her Da and even her Ma. That takes guts believe me.”

“Thanks Bro,” said Heather.

Jonjo stood up and took a step towards the door that would take him back to his cell. He stopped and addressed both of us.

“Just stay off the radar ok. There are a few… well more than a few out there who might think that they can get one over on me through you. Understand?”

We both knew what he meant. I'd seen Jonjo make enemies of some nasty people at first-hand.

“Thanks bro. We’ll do our best to keep our heads down.”

---

Once we were safely outside the prison, Heather said to me, “Don’t believe a word that he said.”

“Why? He seemed pretty contrite?”

“I know his tells. The only really truthful thing he said was right at the end.”

“So, we are screwed then?”

“Not if we keep our heads down.”

We were both pretty quiet during our drive back to Stirling. I was trying to grasp what Heather had said outside the prison. I had sort of hoped that we could come back here and live our lives together but it looked like that it was Germany or nothing.

---

“Penny for them?” said Heather when we reached our hotel room.

“Sorry darling. I was trying to comprehend what Jonjo had said right at the end as well as what you said about him lying through his back teeth.”

“Sorry about that but it had to be said for both ourselves.”

I sank onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling.
“It looks like we’ll have to stay in Germany for the time being.”

“That isn’t so bad, is it?” asked Heather.

“We’ll have to find a job. Your nursing qualification should be good but I have nothing.”

“That’s for the future. What are we going to do for the next few days?”

That was Heather down to a tee. She was brilliant at changing the subject to stop an impasse.

“We could go to the Trossachs or should we just call it quits and head back to Germany.”

“Have you forgotten what is happening tomorrow?”

“Oh… that. Neither of us voted so what difference does it make?”

Heather shook her head and gave me a look that said, ‘how can be you be so stupid?’

“If the vote says leave, then we might find it hard to stay in Germany.”

“I already have residency. All we’d need to do is get hitched.”

“You make it sound so simple?” argued Heather.

“Isn’t it?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never been in this position before.”

I smiled.
“Let’s wait and see. If the polis are right then we won’t be leaving anytime soon.”

“Polls? Since when have they ever been right about anything eh?”

“Ok. Why don’t we just see what happens, but I kinda like the idea of getting hitched.”

---

We watched the result of the BREXIT referendum in silence. We both knew that things were going to change as soon as the ‘Leave’ vote came out ahead.

“That settles it doesn’t it?” said Heather.

“It does rather. I think that we should head down to London, get all our documents together and get married. Then we go back to Germany and get you registered. Then you can see about getting a job at the local hospital… if that is what you want to do?”

Heather took hold of my hand and smiled.

“Yes, Steffi, I think it is. Sod this dead-end country. But what are you going to do for a living in Germany?”

“As Tony, there would be a limited number of things I could do. But as Steffi, I’m hoping to get some work as a translator or secretary or something like that. The local agencies seem to be wanting that sort of person if their adverts are anything to go by.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

[two months later]

I returned from my job as a receptionist at a small engineering company to find Heather sitting in the kitchen. She was still wearing her nurse's uniform which was out of the ordinary. As soon as I saw her face, I knew that something was wrong and her red eyes told me that she had been crying.

I pulled up a chair and sat next to her. I took her hand in mine.

“What’s wrong my darling? Why have you been crying?”

She pointed to a document and a photo that was sitting on the table.

I read it and had to read it again before what it said sank in even a little bit.

“That is great news my darling.”

She remained impassive.

“I know it will change things, but isn’t it what we both wanted?”

“I… I just didn’t think that it would happen so soon.”

I kissed her before saying,
“All that I know is that we’ll make great mothers.”

Our fresh start was soon going to turn two into three.

[the end]
[1] ICE = German Inter City Express, their version of the TGV.