A/N: Hey there, starting a new fanfic today, because how could I not with such a brilliant show and characters (can't believe season 3 is in 2 days!) ! For those of you reading my other fic What It Takes on the Walking Dead, I sincerely want to apologise for the lack of post, I assure you that I am NOT giving up on it. The writer's block has been real and I'm hoping to get back at it when TWD returns, so very soon.

Edelweiss

Chapter 1

The street was quiet, dead. As was George Dixon. In her ears somehow, the thundering sound of the bullet kept echoing. She had just killed a man. Killed him, one single round in the back as he was walking away from her. Yes, he was going to do something despicable. Yes, he was about to have a son and potentially his dad killed in the name of the resistance but that didn't help. Juliana had always imagined herself to be a good person. She tried her best to be, everyday. Not that she considered that she was standing on the right side or anything like that, but whenever she could help someone, she did, and it had just led to her killing a man.

Her hand was frantically pushing the tape deep inside her pocket vest, almost tearing it. As she was slowly coming back to her senses, it occurred to her that she couldn't stay here and most of all, that the damn tape had to be destroyed. Juliana hurried back in the stash, there had to be some matches somewhere she thought. For some reason, as her eyes roamed over Susan's body and the resistance's guard, she didn't feel anything. However, no matter how angry she was against them, she couldn't bring herself to actually think they had deserved it.

There was a poor excuse for a kitchen at the back but she managed to find everything she needed in it. A pan, one tiny box of matches and even some alcohol just in case. She thought that she could use some spirit right now but resisted. A perfectly functional brain was what she needed to figure out what to do next, where to go.

Soon, the material was melting in the fire, all traces of Thomas' deficiency gone. She watched until there was practically nothing left and finally, she breathed. At least she had achieved something, she thought. The boy was going to live.

Juliana left the gun on a nearby table, she didn't want to have to use that weapon again . Ever.

Going back to her assigned apartment seemed to be the safest choice for now. Later she would continue to search for the man in the high castle. For now she simply wanted to rest and take a step back from all this mess. She had lost a lot recently. Many had died, others, well she wasn't sure. Frank hadn't contacted her for weeks, her parents were on the other side of the country, where she couldn't go. And Joe…he hadn't given any sign of life since she had helped him escape on that boat. A lot had happened since then, too much perhaps. She had been lucky though, being granted asylum by the Obergruppenführer in person is not a bet she would have taken back then. In a way she still wondered why he had welcomed her. He needed informations on Hawthorne Abendsen and his all too famous films, informations which she honestly didn't have, or didn't know she had. Now that she was thinking about it, she realised that she hadn't helped him much if at all. But one thing was sure, if he kept her around, he needed her.

After all she had just killed a man for him, hadn't she ?…

The more she reflected on it, the more it frightened her. She had helped a nazi. A fucking nazi and not just some random one. The most powerful man in the American Reich.

John Smith was a clever man, she knew that. Maybe he had actually introduced her to his family in the hope that one day, without even needing to order her, she would help them. Save them.

What would he say if he learnt, she wondered. Would he be grateful ? Impressed ? In a twisted way she wanted him to be. He didn't strike her as a man who held many in high regard, and the thought of potentially being part of that restricted list somewhat was appealing to her. Mentally slapping herself for thinking that way Juliana started to climb the stairs, she seriously needed some fresh air.

The noise of a car parking in the alley stopped her in her tracks. She didn't dare move.

And then she saw them, men in black uniforms, those black nazi uniforms. For a moment she hesitated. Fleeing back down was not an option, they would obviously search the entire area and unmistakably find her. Without really thinking, adrenaline and courage guiding her, she informed them of her presence and emerged from the stairs.

A flock of orders suddenly rained down on her and she wasn't sure if she had to kneel or lay on her stomach, her hands on her head or up in the air. There were five guards, five weapons drawn towards her. Nothing different was to be expected, they had just found a dead man dressed as a nazi and a woman hiding near the crime scene. Two of the soldiers approached her and grabbed her roughly.

"Wait ! I need to speak with John Smith ! Please, he'll tell you who I am, I work for him. Please, I need to talk to him !" She screamed, struggling against them, a vain effort really.

The soldiers looked at each other and laughed

"Yeah, and we wanna bang his wife. Can't have everything you want, lady," one of them sneered at her, "the Obergruppenführer is in Berlin so…you're stuck with us." Now she was panicking. Berlin ? What on earth was he doing in Berlin ? If the Führer had died, it was essential that he stay in America. Something was definitely going on. Before she could give it more thought, a bag was thrown over her head and everything went dark.

Berlin, later that day

John Smith's throat was a bit too dry for his liking. Receiving national thanks from Himmler in front of a very full Volkshalle had been a…shaking experience to say the least. The silence and yet the power of this room was something else. He couldn't decide if he had liked it or not. During the speech the only thing he could think about was his son. He regretted leaving him in those circumstances. What Thomas needed now was his mum and dad, to support him, reassure him, and the first thing John had done was taking a plane to the other side of the ocean. He hated himself deeply for it.

He was standing in the very expensive corridor, looking at nothing. In a few days, a great celebration would be held in New York, with him at the center. No need to specify that he wasn't exactly in the mood for any of that. But he would play his part, as he often did so well.

Someone cleared his throat behind him and he turned around to see Major Klaus Hein

"Obergruppenführer, Sturmbannführer Erich Raeder for you on line 3. He says it's urgent" said the man with a distinguished German accent. John simply nodded and strode towards the phone. His Sturmbannführer was very rarely the one to call for official cases, he suspected that this was maybe a personal matter. He checked briefly that no one stood too close and picked up the device.

"Erich ?"

"Sir ! Everyone is talking about your appearance with the Reichsführer, you made it !" The younger man said enthusiastically

John shifted uncomfortably "Yes, it was this close but Martin Heusmann has been arrested and taken into custody," he cleared his throat, "I suppose you didn't call just to congratulate me ?"

"Huh no, Sir," he cleared his throat, a bit embarrassed, "we might have a problem. I have it on good authority that a part of our wiring network has been hijacked. It might be the resistance's work."

"I see…" John said pensively. It was not the first time if he recalled correctly. Normally, the authorities would have fixed the problem, they didn't need to go through him to take action. "Why are you telling me, Erich ? Is there anything particular I should know ?"

"When she arrived, you told me that Miss Crain was a special case and that I had to report to you directly for everything that involved her." John made an acknowledging sound. "It appears that her apartment as well as the entire residence were the targets".

There was a moment of silence, and John felt like the earth would open below his feet and swallow him whole. If they had listened within the past week then they knew. They knew about his son and soon, his entire family would be thrown under the bus. What he knew was that he had to act quickly, what he didn't know was what the hell to do. He was a rational man, realistic, and the way he saw it, he was fucked. However, it had already been a few days since Thomas had visited Juliana and nothing had happened. Maybe they had missed it, maybe they hadn't listened to the footage yet. If there was the smallest chance for him, he needed to seize it.

On the other end of the line, Erich was going a little confused

"Sir ?"

"Hum, yes, I'm still here. Erich, you haven't told anybody else, right ?" He knew he had given him the order not to, but he needed to be sure on this

"No, Obergruppenführer"

"Good, let it stay that way. I will be back as soon as possible, you need not worry about it"

"But, Sir-"

"Erich," John warned in a authoritative tone. He knew the Sturmbannführer didn't mean to upset him but he really needed his entire support here, "I'll get it fixed. They were only interested in Miss Crain and I know exactly what they were after. Trust me, the Reich isn't in danger. I need this to stay between us, do you understand."

There was a slight pause but as expected, Raeder agreed with his superior

"Yes I understand, Obergruppenführer".

"Thank you Erich, I will not forget this. We'll speak soon."

"Sir, there is-" But John was in a hurry and had already hung up.

Erich was a good man, trustworthy, and John was thankful to have a person like that working for him. The young man admired him, worshipped him even. He had learnt so much after years at his side. Sometimes, he worked more for John than he did for the Reich. It was not the first time he had helped him on unofficial matters.

John also realised that he was saving his life, for the second time. He had to make it count.

He needed to go back to New York as soon as possible. Although he didn't have anything resembling a plan yet, it would be easier to deal with the problem from there. He would tell his troops that an important tape had to be retrieved and that it was simply one of the man in the high castle's work. Hopefully they would find it in time and return it directly to him without asking questions, as they always did. It was a risky plan, yes, but it was the best available for now and he was pressed for time. He was at stake, but that wasn't the most important. The life of his son was at stake.

It didn't take much time before he excused himself to Himmler and booked the first plane available to New York.

New York, Greater Nazi Reich

Thrown in a car then into a dark cell, if you could call this that, Juliana had seen better days. At the moment she couldn't see anything. The soldiers had left her alone in the room but had decided to leave the bag over her head. It was slowly getting hard to breathe. Repeatedly she tried to call for somebody, but there was absolutely no sound nearby. The room was closed, there were no bars.

If they needed something from her, they would have started beating her already. She was here for homicide apparently. George Dixon was a member of the resistance, surely it wasn't considered an actually crime to kill one of them. Oh how awful that sounded, she thought. That is true, she had hated them, hated him for planning to sell Thomas Smith to the authorities. But using George's death and potentially pretend to be proud of it in order to be released was…cruel. It was not something she could have ever thought of a month ago. It wasn't her and it was wrong. But after all, what was left of right and wrong in this world ?

Her wrists were hurting, her shoulders too. The ground felt unbelievably cold against her bare calves. Next time she'll wear pants. Through the stitches of the bag she could discerne a bluish light coming from above. She doubted there were any windows but maybe there was an opening on the ceiling. To be honest, she didn't have any plan to escape, she was just passing the time. How long had she been there ? Hours ? Probably just minutes actually.

When suddenly a door swung open, Juliana couldn't help but jump. Her senses had been so aware of every single sounds in the room, it felt like a gun had been triggered right next to her ear.

The door closed, slowly, and footsteps made their way towards her.

"Stand up, please" a man's voice said above her. It was commanding but not aggressive.

It was easier said than done though, with her hands tied to her back. But she had strong legs, she managed to get up without much trouble. The man then slowly lifted the bag from her head and the air, actual air, finally filled her lungs. The room was still very dark and her guess had been right, there was indeed a window in the high ceiling that let natural light come in. There was nothing but a simple table with two metallic chairs in the middle of the room. Those guards truly had been assholes by making her sit on the ground. When her eyes finally adjusted to the new setting, the face of the officer looked familiar, and as he went behind her to undo the handcuffs, she tried to recall his name but it didn't turn out to be very fruitful.

"I apologise for the rough arrest, Miss Crain. Our men can be quite ungracious when misinformed. Please, have a sit," he suggested as he pulled out a chair for himself. Juliana wasn't sure if it was a good or bad thing that he knew who she was but she would find out soon enough. Hopefully he was a friend.

Under the table, her hands were shaking, she had often been under pressure recently, with her work for the resistance. What she hoped for was a little time for herself, to simply live. Now she realised how much she missed the Pacific States, the mornings at the dojo, breakfast on the Bay. New York was…exhausting and busy. The high buildings were so oppressing, she found, like a well disguised trap.

The officer cleared his throat and she met his eyes

"I'm Sturmbannführer Erich Reader. I believe we met before, when you were seeking asylum into the Reich," he said suggestively and she automatically remembered. The tension in her muscles wore off a little. Whenever John Smith was around he was too. She knew they were close and that Smith trusted him with his life. As long as she was under his watch, nothing should happen to her. She hoped, more than she believed.

"If this is about the person your men found in the ally, I will not lie to you," Juliana said plainly, gathering all the courage she had, "It was me who killed him."

The expression she saw on Erich's face was unexpected, as if he already knew and didn't care. He shook his head.

"You mean George Dixon ? He was an important member of the resistance, Miss Crain. As far as I'm concerned you did the Reich a great favor. You will not be charged for this." It was reassuring news of course, but then why had they bothered arresting her in the first place, and mostly kept her locked in this room. She shifted in her seat, should she ask him ? That would give away that there was indeed something she had that they wanted. Fortunately he saved her the trouble.

"Miss Crain, we have solid reasons to believe that the resistance was spying on you through bugs placed in your apartment. Did you have any knowledge of that ?" Juliana had to be very careful now, although the Sturmbannführer was loyal to John, he would probably wouldn't agree on the idea of him hiding his son's decease to the Reich. Moreover, there was Dr. Adler's death. Anyone with a functional brain would easily understand that John was no stranger to it. Juliana decided to remain as vague as possible.

"I would suspect they would try something like that but no, I wasn't aware…Why would they seek to listen to me ? I'm nobody, really."

"You were granted asylum by the Obergruppenführer himself, that tends to draw attention. Even to me I must admit, I don't know the exact reason as to why he accepted your request…" Erich was expecting her to enlighten him a little, but she simply smiled and remained silent. "Is there anything you've done, said, or know that could have caught their interest ?"

She acted as though she was reflecting deeply on it, knowing pertinently that she wouldn't give anything to him. In a way, she was thankful it was not John's face she had to lie to. He always knew, he always was the smartest person in the room. Whatever she talked about, he always seemed to be able to tell wether it was true or not.

"I'm sorry, I really don't see." And it was enough for him. He got up from is chair and motioned for her to follow him.

"Please, we need you to write a full statement on what happened with George Dixon. It's a formality so feel free to skip the details."

After apologising again for the handcuffs and the treatment, he took her to a much more comfortable waiting room, with soft chairs and she sat at the table to write. Erich excused himself and exited the room to make a phone call.

For a moment, Juliana experienced a sort of writer's block. How to write about a murder you had just committed ? What to say ? She didn't know where to start, where to end more precisely. The scene played on repeat in her mind as she wrote it. The gruesome details came back but she didn't write most of them. People would say whatever they want, it was as the Reich worked. The truth was always and exactly how the Nazis wanted it to be.

She signed the paper and dried her teary eyes as Erich walked back in. Just as she was about to ask him if she could leave, she noticed the doubtful expression on his face. There was a problem, a change of plans, maybe she couldn't get away with murder so easily after all. He took the statement and cleared his throat

"Thank you. Hum, I'm sorry, Miss Crain, but I'm afraid I can't send you back home right away."

"Is there a problem ?" She asked worriedly

"No, I mean not exactly." He took one step forward so that he was almost whispering in her ear "I just had a call from the Obergruppenführer, he's requested that you stay here at the headquarters until his return. He asked me to escort you to his office." As he backed away, he looked just as surprised as her. Perhaps even more.

"I don't understand" Juliana stammered

"I have to confess that neither do I, but it sounded very important."

Without another word, they headed towards John's office. They exchanged curious looks in the elevator, neither of them knowing what other adventures this day was to bring.

Juliana tried to recall any personal business she had had with John, because clearly, if even Erich didn't know what that was about, then it was about something only her and Smith were involved in.

Only when Erich opened to door to his superior's office did Juliana acknowledge she had never been in it. It was enormous, with an incredible, probably the best view possible over New York.

"The Obergruppenführer should be in his plane by now. He won't be here until a few hours so make yourself comfortable and if you need anything, just ask Major Klemm, he's right outside the office."

The Sturmbannführer exited the large room and closed the door, didn't lock it. Juliana sat on the nearest couch to reflect on what was going to happen now. No answer seemed to come to mind however.

A/N: Here was my take on tmithc, hope you enjoyed it. This will very probably won't be a long fic (around 6 or 7 chapters maybe), unless I have a lot of plots in mind (which is unlikely). As you can see I dropped the Julia Mills stuff because it would have made things complicated: who calls her Julia ? Who calls her Juliana...Also, this won't be very sci-fi, if at all, because I'm not good at writing it and that would mean writing a veeeery long fic. BIG WARNING here, I am not a very fast writer so please be patient, I'll make it worth the wait ;)

PS: I'm not a sucker for reviews, but if you have any thoughts, let me know