Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Band of brother aside from the characters I created so ha to you HBO!
A/N: Okay so this isn't exactly a sequel per say but Isabelle is in this story so if you want to learn more about her I suggest you read Lost in You. If you have read it good for you! So Anywho I hope you enjoy this story! Please review and tell me what you think…I am babbling aren't I? Oh well enjoy!
Chapter One
Gabrielle could hear yells up stairs. She would have jumped…screamed…done something if she wasn't so tired, or in so much pain. She just stared at the trap door in the ceiling.
The commandant's visits had all but ceased which Gabrielle thought was a blessing, maybe he would even shot her, to get rid of her. She didn't care anymore.
There was a gunshot. Gabrielle flinched but didn't scream. Long ago she had stopped screaming what was the point? No one was going to save her; no one even knew she was alive.
The voices were muffled and there was a scuffle, then the footsteps stopped, the people must have gone outside. Gabrielle started to panic. What if they weren't coming back? She knew that the Commandant wouldn't tell any of his colleagues about her…. oh no that would be his ruin and his death.
She slowly, stiffly moved from her huddled position on the small wooden cot to sitting on the edge of it. She opened her mouth to say something but stopped. What if they were Germans? They would certainly shot her once they found out who she was…what she was. It was funny that death seemed like a blessing.
"Hello?" She said her voice gravely from screaming and lack of use. Not her normal, silky voice. Mind you she wasn't the same person she was five years ago.
Instead of its silky beauty her hair was matted and greasy. Her skin was dried out, she was thinner, much thinner, and she knew she was malnourished. She could feel big bags under her eyes and she also knew she must smell. Once long and beautiful her nails had been bitten to the farthest extent.
Footsteps sounded from the wooden floor above her head. "Help!" She squeaked grabbing her throat from the pain of using it. The footsteps stopped. There was more shuffling and what sounded like a rug being moved above her head. The trap door rattled.
Gabrielle crawled back onto the cot and pulled her knees up to her chest. There was another gunshot, this much louder and it went through the trap door. Gabrielle knew there was a lock on it, so who ever was doing this certainly wasn't the Commandant.
The trapdoor opened and sunlight flooded in. Gabrielle squinted her eyes, she was used to the thick darkness that surrounded her constantly. She heard footsteps and her heart caught in her throat.
She saw boots coming down the steps that lead down into her hell on earth…or rather under it. The boots jumped the other stairs and a full body appeared in front of Gabrielle's eyes. She squinted to try and take him in.
He was young, about 5'11" maybe 6' with dark hair. He was in an American uniform. He was holding a pistol in his hand.
"See anything down there Joe?" A voice came from up stairs.
"SHH!" Joe answered back. He seemed to be squinting at Gabrielle. She had frozen when he jumped down into the cellar. Instead of a rescuer she saw one more man. She didn't like men any more she hated them in fact. She was trembling, he was going to hurt her… she could practically feel it.
To him she probably looked like a pile of clothing. Gabrielle figured if she lunged at him he would shot her out of instinct. Gabrielle wanted nothing more then to die. She couldn't lunge though, she was too unused to movement, and so she just sat there staring at him.
He was squinting into the darkness right a Gabrielle. He took a step closer and Gabrielle held her breath. He put his other hand on his pistol as well. He took another step, still squinting. "WEB!" Gabrielle jumped at his loud voice. He didn't notice. "Throw me down a flashlight!"
A flashlight was tossed down the stairs on to the floor. This Joe person bent down and picked it up not taking his eyes away from where Gabrielle was huddled. Whether he thought she was someone or not she didn't know. He flicked the flashlight on and pointed it at her.
She shut her eyes tightly as the unnatural light hit her full in the face. "FUCK!" Joe yelled dropping the flashlight and coming over to her. She stared at him her eyes getting bigger and her heart pumping faster as he knelt before her. She pulled her arms around her knees tighter.
"JOE! WHAT!" That same voice came down the stairs and another pair of boots appeared on the stairs. Gabrielle shook her head frantically. Joe seemed to understand.
"NO! Web stay there, I'll be up in a minute." He was speaking in English. The boots disappeared and Joe continued to stare at her. He said something in Austrian but she couldn't understand him. She shook her head. His brow furrowed and he changed to German. "Who are you?" She opened her mouth to respond but only coughed. "Here." He handed her a canteen.
She drank the cold water slowly letting it roll over her tongue. She looked back at him; he was digging through his pockets. "Here." He said again handing her a bar of chocolate. "Just a sec." He took it back and broke it into tiny pieces. He handed her a smaller piece. "There."
Gabrielle took the chocolate, looked at Joe then put it in her mouth. If he had wanted to hurt her he had had many opportunities to do so before now, she decided to trust him, what did she had to loose? The chocolate was unbelievable yummy. She had underestimated her hunger.
He was still looking at her. "I am Corporal Liebgott." It was terribly formal introduction for someone he had just found in a basement. "Joe," He added.
Gabrielle swallowed the last of the chocolate. "My name is Gabrielle Loehmann." He looked puzzled at her words. Her surname was a Jewish one but her golden blonde hair was defiantly misleading... even if it was greasy.
"Well, we can sort that out later. Come on." He reached for her and she flinched away from him. He looked at her. "I am not going to hurt you." His voice had an American accent that was amusing but spoke almost perfect German. "I swear." He added. She looked at him for another minute. Before nodding.
He slipped one arm under her knees and the other around her shoulders. He picked her up as if she weighted nothing. Gabrielle was surprised she weighted anything at all. She put her arms around his neck. Her arms were grotesquely thin. She felt ashamed to be seen like this, there was nothing she could do, but she was filthy. She blushed as he walked towards the stairs.
