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"So what do you have in your bags, big man?" Tatiana said one parched su with his rucksack and the ly took out all of his things one by one Tatiana was thirsty It had been very hot in Lazarevo Hot in the ht under the new moon They slept naked under thin sheets with the s open They swam constantly Still, they were always hot

Alexander was sawing two long logs down to size "Nothing at all of interest," he replied, his back to her

Tatiana took out his se papers, two books, two boxes of arenades

She became immediately interested in the maps, but before she had a chance to open the to her, saw in his hand, cigarette in his renades from her "Tell you what," he said "Why don’t we not play with explosive devices?"

"All right," she said, juht me how to shoot from the P-38, can you teach me how to fire from your rifle?" She stared at the maps on the blanket "How many rounds can it fire one after another?"

"Thirty-five," replied Alexander, sarette

"You could teach me how to shoot from your mortar, but you don’t have a hed "No, I don’t carry my mortar around with me in my ruck"

"You carry all your ain

"So?"

"Shura, I wish you wouldn’t stay on heavy weapons," Tatiana said, hugging hi? Can’t you tell hiirl who can’t live without her soldier?"

"All right, I’ll do that," he said

Tatiana led hi it on the ground

"I haven’t finished," he said, pointing to his logs

"So? You’re my husband, aren’t you?"

"Yes? So?"

"Don’t I have so naked on top of Alexander, pressing the palms of her hands into his chest

"How does a ork?"

"A mortar Didn’t you tell Vova you operated a s I operate What do you want to know?"

"Does it have a short barrel like a cannon or a long barrel?"

"It’s got a long barrel"

"I see So you have a long barrel, and what do you do?"

"You point it up at a forty-five-degree angle--"

"And then?"

"Then you pop a bo pin, the propellant charge explodes, and--"

"I knohat happens next The bo like that"

"So letbarrel Point up Drop Fire Pop"

"I knew you’d understand"

"Again Long Up Drop Fire Pop I’m a quick learner"

"That you are"

"Shura?"

"M?"

"To improve muzzle velocity Do you knohat that is?"

"I have some idea"

Back outside, Tatiana had a quick drink and went straight to Alexander’s relief s She was even hotter now; she needed to dunk her body in the Kama Fascinated, Tatiana studied the maps "Shura, why are all your maps only of Scandinavia? Look, there is one of Finland and one of Sweden and one of the North Sea between Norway and England Why?"

"They’re just can maps"

"But why of Scandinavia?" She looked over at hi Finland"

"Oh, and here’s a ht in the Karelian Isth, in the Winter War of 1940?"

Alexander ca her shoulder "I did, yes"

Tatiana was quiet for a moment "At the start of the war last year, didn’t you send Dimitri on several reconnaissancetheI say to you?"

"Not a word," she replied

"I wish you would have told ain

"It’s just Finland, Tania," Alexander replied, getting up and pulling her up "Are you hot?"

"And Sweden, Shura I am hot, yes"

"A little of Sweden" He blew on her forehead and her neck

"And Norway and England, Shura" She closed her eyes, leaning against him "Your breath is hot"

"What’s your question?"

"Sweden is neutral in the current war, isn’t it?" she asked

Alexander led her inside their house "Yes Sweden is trying to stay neutral in the current war Anything else?"

"I don’t know" Tatiana sot?"

"You’ve seen it all, you’ve had it all -- in spades," Alexander said softly, lifting her to their bed "What do you want?" He smiled "What can I do for you?"

"H the droplets of heat all over her body "Can you do that thing where you ht, Tatiasha," Alexander said, bending over her "I’ll do that thing where I ether"

Scorched and soaked, they fell away from each other Breathless, they lay on their backs, and then they panted, and then they turned their faces to one another and set them a drink, and when soain, she gently pleaded with him to tell her how he received his first medal of valor

For a few minutes Alexander was h the curtains, but the breeze was hot Alexander’s body et Tatiana’s body et They needed that Ka off the bed until she heard about Karelia

Finally he shrugged "It was not h the swa We pushed the Finns back to the city but then got bogged down in the swamps in the woods The Finns were very well entrenched and hadIn the terrible battle near Vyborg we lost more than two-thirds of our men We were forced to stop and retreat"