Title: One More Day

Pairing: StiglitzXOC

Rating: Teen

Disclaimer: Inglourious Basterds is not mine, it's property of Tarantino.

Summery: Everyone has a reason for why they are the way they are, a story of their life, and this is his. Pre-IB.

Notes:This may be complete crap, but I felt like writing and it seemed like a good idea at the time :]. Enjoy. Also, the lyrics I'm using just struck me, I normally don't use lyrics, but I think they set the mood. They're from the song "Could It Be Any Harder" by The Calling, which is my inspiration for the story. :] Maybe a little OOC for him, but I tried, and I like it so I hope you do too =D.

"Well I'd jump at the chance
We'd drink and we'd dance"

XOXO

I was always told one could see your life flash before your eyes as you died. I never gave into thoughts of that nature, seemed too simplistic, too human. For everything I'd seen recently, nothing seemed human about the world anymore. She hadn't crossed my mind in a few days, I thought that strange. She was in a better place, she didn't have to pace the floor of our home, wondering what had happened to me, nor did I have to worry for her safety…not anymore.

Adelaide Albatross. She'd been many of the men in my small town's dream girl. Personally, I never paid much attention to women, but she seemed to be so far beyond everyone's reach I felt a personal tug to try to reach out and talk to her. One conversation was all it took. Happened by mistake too. Some of my schoolmates were crowded around her, apparently too close to her for comfort.

"Ade, love; just a second, why so fast?" One of them cooed, touching her side. She didn't like it,

"Please just leave me alone." She asked, trying to get past the group. As the men closed in, I couldn't just let them keep bothering her, it wasn't right.

"Hey! I think she said leave her alone." I growled. Most of the men backed up a few steps, shocked to hear anyone behind them, I'm guessing they thought they were alone, they were wrong.

"Think you can do something?" The one who had touched her asked. I could see her pull her coat tighter around her thin shoulders, and recoil some. She didn't seem to like shouting. I lowered my voice a bit.

"I believe so." I said calmly as I could. I didn't realize my temper before now. There was no need for a temper, they were no threat, and I just had to dispel them. The leader stepped forward and tried to grab me, but was pinned to a wall behind us before he could get a few steps more in. After a whispered exchange, he was gone, and Adelaide and I were alone.

"Thank you." She whispered, seemingly shy all of a sudden.

"Was nothing." I said, as I started to walk off, I felt a hand on my arm,

"I disagree." She said with a smile. I felt the corners of my mouth turn up lightly. She really was something to look at; bright brown eyes, curly russet hair, gentle smile to match her demeanor. Any man would be lucky to be in her life. And it soon became apparent, I was that man.

"Good Morning Hugo." I was greeted with every morning on my walk from home to any destination. Some mornings I had nowhere to be, I simply walked past her father's house so she would speak to me. What was happening to me?! I couldn't explain it. But, one morning, I was awoken by my father's voice outside my window conversing with another man about marriage. I hated the fact my parents still insisted on marrying me off, but I guess it was how they had done it, and their parents before them, and so on, so who was I to argue? As I listened more, I could hear a man's voice I knew, and a name drifted past me that made my heart flutter womanishly, and I hated it, but loved it all at once.

That summer, Adelaide and I were married. We hardly knew each other, but it made no difference to us. I was shaking the entire service, she could tell through my vows, and I believe she even laughed at me. Our honeymoon was to Berlin; not very far, but far enough. I had never spent so much time talking to one person, our first night together, we did not make love or have sex, however one wanted to look at it, we talked. She was very gentle, shy and wanted to know anything she could about me. I told her anything she wanted to know, and she told me we could start to act like a married couple, and she was sorry for her childish actions, and I told her part of marriage was love, and we would wait until it got to that point, which I was sure would happen, because I was beginning to feel it; stronger then anything else I'd felt at any point in my life.

We didn't wait long, she told me she was ready one night a few months after we came home. It was very sudden, but she wasn't joking, and she showed me she wasn't. It was worth the wait.

The years past too quickly. Far too quickly. Soon, we had been married for a little over 5 years, and she was expecting our first child. We had moved to Munich not long before, and I had enlisted in the German army. It was apparent to everyone a war was coming; and I felt I should be there to fight; for me, for Adelaide, and for our unborn child.

I had always believed there was a God, that he took care of those who deserved it. I knew he had been on my side my entire life, or I thought he had. One night, I knew I had been forsaken. I was out drinking one night with a Superior from work, and he had commented on me having a beautiful wife, and I took the compliment as such, but it was a challenge, and I soon realized that, but by this point it was far too late.

My Major came to dinner one night, and we ran out of wine, so I went around the corner to get some from a pub that would still have been open at this hour. I came back, and my world as I knew it collapsed. He was on top of Adelaide, who wasn't the right color; she was too blue…she was dead by his hands. Before I could stop myself, I'd shot him in the back of the head.

"Ade.." I cried, but she was gone. And, I soon realized, I was too. She was buried, and his death was ruled self defense. I lied, said he'd broken in while I was away. He wasn't well liked, so I got off with it, but I knew after that, there would be blood. These bastards would bleed for their companion's transgression.

And there was blood. I went after Majors in particular, but regardless of rank, the men suffered. I made damn sure of that. And, one day they caught me, but it was worth it. By then, I didn't care. Then, the Basterds had me, and I had my hands on more Nazis. The carnage never got old, so I was right at home with the Basterds, but no place would ever be a home with Adelaide.

So, I accepted any mission without a second thought. And, this one had turned out to be a death trap. So, now, here I was, knocking on Death's Door, and I couldn't have cared less. In my last breath, I looked up, and could have sworn, at that moment she was there with me, glad to see me; even after all I had done; even after the blood on my hands outweighed the blood flowing through the open wounds I had.

"Ade.." I breathed, and I was greeted with the smells that screamed retroactively of "home" to me; spices from that days cooking, fire from the hearth, and lilac from her perfume. I knew, for certain, I was home.

XOXO

"And I'd listen close to your every word,
As if it's your last, but I know it's your last,
Cause today, oh, you're gone."