A/N: I'm back! :D And I have a longer than usual chapter for you. I am sure that makes you happy. Lol In other news, Taratino's lawyer has not contacted me so I guess that means that he isn't challenger me about my lack of disclaimer. I can't decide whether I am happy or disappointed.

Lena

Chapter 4: Getting to know you

I glanced at my 'guards' and Wicki smiled when he caught my eye, though his sweet smile did little to calm my nerves. However, I did find some peace in that there were two German speakers and one of them would be keen on talking to me. Baum Mann didn't bother to look my way, but he was obviously aware of my presence. It was amazing, and creepy, that he seemed to be watching my every movement for signs of threat without ever actually looking at me. I found it more than a little unnerving. I was so busy observing my personal guards that I hadn't noticed a new presence that had come to sit down next to me.

"Hallo," said a heavily accented voice. It startled me and made me jump. It was Hirschberg that had come to sit next to me. "How you are?" He said trying to speak German. The attempt was quite endearing.

"Good," I replied simply. He knew that was not true but he smiled knowing that I was using small simple words so he could understand.

"Sorry," he said with his head hung low. I just gave a small smile, trying to say it was okay. He seemed to understand. He suddenly stood up, confusing me. I watched as he rushed over to Wicki and ask him something. Wicki seemed to be explaining something to him. Hirschberg rushed back over to my side.

"I believe you," he said with the upmost sincerity. I realized that he was asking Wicki to translate for him. He reminded me of papa. Impossibly nice to people, stranger or not. Momma always called papa foolish to take people at face value and believe that everyone is kind hearted, and maybe it is foolish to be naïve like that, but I had always admired him for it.

"Danke." Hirschberg looked over at Wicki for a translation. Wicki said something in English and Hirschberg looked back and with a big toothy grin. I giggled and he blushed. I felt that, even as weird as it sounded, I have just made a lasting friendship.

-o-

For the next two weeks, Wicki and Hirschberg were my constant companions. The only English words I managed to pick up on was yes, no and a plethora of curse phrases from the loudest Basterd, Donny.

Hirschberg had managed to learn some basic German conversation, due to Wicki's help. I was surprised on how quickly he was picking it up. I had once wondered why he was trying so hard, so I had asked him. Wicki translated with a knowing smirk, and Hirschberg went cherry red. I took that as my answer.

I would tell them stories about my life, well telling Wicki while he would translate for Hirschberg. Ranging from life before the war, to France, and then the three years spent in the woods. I told them about the narrow death escapes. About how I had almost froze to death during the first year. I told about how I basically lived in a snow hole for the winter with a small fire. They laughed when I told them I had to fight off a badger. I huffed and puffed. They thought it was funny but badgers are some vicious little buggers. They asked about bears but I had fortunately have avoided encountering one.

I knew that Wicki and Hirschberg were relaying everything I told them back to Aldo and the rest of the Basterds. I was not angry or felt betrayed. I knew that they had to do it, so I told them what I didn't mind everyone else knowing. Though I avoided talking about why I left my momma in Germany, I didn't tell them that I the family I talked about was not my actual family, and refused to talk about who plagued my nightmares. I was not ready for theses still strangers to know everything about me when I knew nothing other than their names. There were wounds and scars I was not ready to share.

I sat by the dying fire watching the embers die. I wanted to stretch my arms but they were bound for the night. I was allowed to have free hands during the day, but at night, they had to be bound. I thought it was silly because there was always someone awake keeping watch, so it is not as if I could do anything to harm them. All that achieved is making it difficult for me to get some decent sleep. Donny was the one insisted that I be bound, he was the only one I considered hurting. Not kill per se, but maybe maim or injure.

I was kicking the ember when I heard the distinctive sound of a knife behind me, I tried to warn the others but my mouth was covered. I heard the knife cut the ropes and my sore wrists were free. I tried to claw at the hand that was covering my mouth, I knew it was strange that an attacker would free but I could not help my natural defense mode. The hand just gently pulled my head back, it was Baum Mann that loomed over me. I sighed in relief as he removed his hand and took a seat next to me.

"Where are you from?" he asked simply. It was extremely bizarre, since I have never heard him talk to the others much and he has never talked to me.

"Berlin. You?" I asked politely, not really expecting to answer.

"Freiburg," he said. My eyes lit up.

"That is where my papa was from," I whispered excited.

"What was his name?"

"Milo Zimmerman. You might have heard of him. He was considered a war hero during the World War, as they are calling it now."

"He died," Hugo said simply. He was not making a dig, just stating a fact. I guessed that this was just how he spoke, but it still hurt.

"Yeah," I choked out. "Though on some level I am glad he is gone."

"Why is that?" he asked poking the dead fire with a stick.

"Because if he saw what his Germany had become, it would have broken his heart. Papa was a man before his time. He was always harshly judged by, what momma would call, respectable society. He never thought that color or beliefs mattered. All people were created equal, he always said. He would never judge you, well maybe he would if you couldn't handle your beer," I said giggling.

"Your father sounded like honorable man."

"He was. I think he would have liked you. You look like you can handle your beer,' I joked. Baum Mann gave a rough chortle. He stood and looked down at me.

"Get some sleep, Lena," he said before returning to his post. I laid down on the rough ground. My last thought was, before I fell asleep, if I had a brother would he have been like Hugo.

-o-

I trudged behind Wicki as we walked through the forest. I winced as a sharp pain throbbed in my lower back. I hated to admit it but I was not as young as I used to be. I will be thirty next June. My life seemed to have flown past me without any sign of slowing down. I watched as Hirschberg slow his pace so he now walked beside Wicki. He looked at him and said something. I wasn't sure but I did hear him say Aldo then my name.

Wicki grabbed my arm and pulled me away from the group. We walked up the hill, till we were out of the trench. He pulled out a gun and handed it to me. I was utterly surprised that Wicki was giving an object that I could kill him with.

"You know how to use one of these?"

"I only ever had to use one once. Papa wanted to teach me but Momma wouldn't hear of it."

"Aim for the torso. You will be less likely to miss. Now Aldo wanted me to stay here with you but Hugo spotted a small platoon of Nazis up ahead, so I am going to leave you. Hide and shoot anything with a swastika." Wicki patted my head as if I was a little girl even though there was not a big age gap between us. Shosanna once said that I should get used to how people will always see me as a little girl. She liked to tease me about girlish features, even going as far as calling my baby face.

I listened for any movement as I hide in thick underbrush with my back to a tree. I gripped the handle so tightly my knuckles were pale white. My eyes closed tightly when I heard the first gun shot. The first shot was followed by a mass of shots and shouts from both sides. The shouts were a mixture of German and English that sent my head reeling. I heard movement close by and I prayed it would be a familiar face. My eyes shot open when I heard the click of a gun loading a bullet into its chamber.

At the edge of the top of trench laid a Nazi with a sniper gun. I pointed my gun towards him but I couldn't pull the trigger. I knew that if I didn't shot him one of the Basterds would die. I thought of them. I pictured the men that I had just met not even a month ago. Men that could have killed me, but had spared me. They were freedom fighters and I couldn't fail them like this. I thought of Wicki, Hirschberg, and Hugo. I closed my eyes and heard the pop of a bullet leaving its chamber. I wasn't even sure if it was from my gun. I peeked through one eye and then through the other. I noticed that the shooting had stopped. How long did I sit there with my eyes shut?

I army crawled from the bush. I felt a sticky wetness seeped through my dress. The ground was soaked with blood but there wasn't a body. I glanced down the trench and sure enough there was a Nazi body with a sniper rifle. I felt faint as I looked down at the body. I wondered where Wicki was. I saw a couple Basterds up in the distance. I crawled over closer. They were scalping them! I felt bile rise from stomach but I fought it down. I looked down to where Hirschberg was, surrounded by dead bodies. He had three Nazis at gunpoint.

I had always had distaste for Nazis. It was why I left Germany and came to France. I had once thought that I had seen the worst of what war could give when I first lost my papa, then my adoptive family. But this is what war was. Those were personal deaths. This was the battlefield. And it seemed that it was only to get a lot worse before it got better.

Aldo caught my attention when he called over one of the Nazis too him. I gasped when I saw the man. Uncle Warner! Not my blood uncle, but he fought with papa during the war and they were good friends. I watched as Aldo ask him a series of question and point towards a map.

Wicki noticed me and gave me a look that clearly said to stay put. I ignored the look and slid down the trench. The Basterds looked towards the noise and where surprised to see me. I knew that Uncle Warner did not recognize me. The last time he had saw me was when papa was alive and that was a long time ago. I was a grown woman now. Though his eyes widened when he saw that an armed woman was headed his way.

I had never felt this angry before towards someone before. This was a slap to my late papa's face. Aldo was ordering Wicki to tell me to stand down. I recognized a few curse words in the command. I heard Wicki's voice but it faded into the background. I was too focused on the bastard that taught me how to play chess because papa didn't have a knack for it. I stood in front of him and stared at him. He was not the man I once loved as an Uncle. He was murderer. He was no different from the soldiers who killed my adoptive family. My right fist drew back and it made contact with his face. It sent him staggering. Blood gushed out his nose and I hoped his was broken.

"That is for Milo Zimmerman courtesy of his daughter."

"Milo?" he asked confused as he pinched his nose to stop the bleeding. He looked at me closely and a sense of realization overtook his features. "Little Lena?" He asked in disbelief. I just answered him with another fist to his face.

"It is just Lena now," I told him curtly.

"So this is where you have been. Your mother thinks you are dead. How could you just disappear on her? And then join these Jew dogs. What would your father…" I didn't allow him to finish his sentence. This time I slapped him. My knuckles hurt too much to punch him again.

"What would my father thought of me?!" I yelled asking him if that is what he was going to ask. In the back of mind I heard Wicki translating my words for the group. Also Donny had come out of his hole to see what the commotion was all about. They all seemed to be listening intently to Wicki's translations. "Well I will tell you Uncle, what Papa would have thought of me. He would have been proud of me! He would have been proud of these men. These men are heroes for what they are doing! They are risking their lives to stop the evil you are committing. If he was still alive, I can guarantee you that it would have been asking you questions right alongside Lt. Aldo. It should not be I who should fear judgment, it is you! However, you shall never face papa's judgment. Unlike him you will burn in hell alongside all the other Nazis for your sins!"

Uncle Warner sat quietly through my wrath. I knew that he would never give Aldo the information. He would die in this trench and that sat fine with me. It disgusted me that Uncle was the one that was allowed to live while papa died. It only seemed fair. I nodded at Aldo and walked away. Not even looking back when I heard the sound of a baseball bat cracking bone and Donny's cheers.

A/N: How was it? I know that she seems a little rough at the end there but she was just overcome with anger and betrayal. Those of you wondering about Hellstrom, yes he WILL be a part of this story. He was significant in Lena's life and she won't easily forget about him. Especially when she saw him again as a Nazi. Till next time! -Macbeth