Sunday's seem to be my update day though I haven't planned it that way, I just keep falling behind with school work. Steve Buscemi didn't win for Boardwalk Empire unfortunately but Martin Scorsese did! This is another Donny/Lucy chapter and I hope you all like it!

Thanks to my beta reader Hyperia who helps me get everything perfect for the readers!

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Lucinda.

I turn my key into the front door after a vigorous day of Christmas shopping. Parcels and bags are starting to slip from my arms so I hurry inside and drop everything on my sofa. A big, tired puff of air escapes me as I sit next to my packages while propping my feet onto the coffee table. The sun was turning the clouds orange over the horizon as it started to set. I hadn't realized the whole day had been blown away from shopping but I was very specific when choosing the gifts for certain people. The holiday's started next week so I had to get gift's wrapped and sent out to everyone, including my aunt and uncle along with Oliver. It had been over a week since my visit with the Basterds and I hadn't heard from them since. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not but my life felt somewhat lack luster without Donny's visit. Heaving a sigh, I stand and take my gifts into my bedroom to put away until later.

Once there, I decide to change into sleepwear for the night. I pull out a large shirt from my dresser and start to slip off today's outfit of dress slacks and a blouse. When I have my pant's and blouse off, I grab the shirt to put on but I let out a shriek when I look out the window. Standing at my window, grinning like a mad man was no other than Donny Donowitz. I scowl while rushing to change into my shirt and open the window. I smack him on the head first before I let him in.

"Oww, what was that for?", he asks tentatively.

"Oh, like you don't know!", I say with my arms crossed in a condescending manner.

"Hey, what did you expect, you had no clothes on, of course I was gonna look", he returns with a sheepish grin.

I roll my eyes while walking away, into the sitting room with him following me. "So I expect you have some reason for coming here at this hour", I mean with a knowing look while starting tea on the burner.

"Just here for an update was all."

I shrug. "Like I've said previously; I won't know anything until the movie is done. I hardly see my brother right now."

"Well, do you have any idea when it will be done? The guys are getting antsy waiting."

"Not my problem, and no I don't know when it will be finished so stop asking", I respond with a huff.

"You're bitchier than usual, what's up, Luce?"

"Luce?", I question the nickname.

"No good?"

"No, it's fine, I just wasn't expecting it was all." He nods and we stand in awkward silence. "Do you want something? Tea maybe", I ask offering.

"Umm alright, since your asking and all", he replies while rubbing the back of his neck. I give a crooked smile and pull out a second mug just for him. I wait, leaning against the counter while he takes a seat on the sofa.

"What's all this?", he means while looking over papers on my coffee table.

"Oh, I was going to do some grading, I teach Sunday school", I reply passively.

"What do you have to teach?", he asks attempting to read the German language.

I think about the possibility of telling him the truth but it may cause distrust so I make something up. "Cooking, history and reading mostly."

He chuckles. "That was a test; you're a good liar but I already know what you have to teach them. Hugo and Wicki know about the school system and how it belittles Jews", he says in a bittersweet manner.

I hesitate before replying gently: "I didn't want to tell you incase . . . it offended you."

"Nah, I'm used to it by now. Why do you think I'm here in Europe? Definitely not to sample the scenery", he returns with a head shake.

"Yeah, I suppose not." The kettle whistles and I pour us two cups of tea, grabbing some biscuit too. I sit across from him in the sitting chair and put the tray of food between us on the table.

"You know, I only asked for tea you didn't need to go that far", he remarks.

"Just me attempting to be nice; I'd take it if I were you, I'm not too kind often."

He shrugs and reaches for a biscuit while I sip on my tea silently. "I think you're nicer than you give yourself credit for", he means after a while and I put my mug down in curiosity.

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, you are helping us out and over all you are pretty fair when I come over here."

"Except when you annoy me", I point out and he chuckles.

"How often is that?", he asks.

"Oh, all the time", I reply with a grin.

"Well, you drive me crazy, too."

I gasp. "No, I do not!"

"Yes, you do! You are the most difficult person I've ever met and I used to think I was bad after my ma always lectured me on being difficult."

"Maybe she was right."

He opens his mouth to rebuttal but nothing comes to mind and he scowls at me while I giggle. "See, I told you."

"So you're an insufferable know it all too, huh?"

My brows furrow. "I am not! Just stating the obvious."

"I'll forgive you just once since you gave me food", He says, nibbling on another biscuit.

I watch with keen interest when he eats. It must have been forever since he has had real food and I felt good for helping. He catches me staring and frowns.

"Can you not watch me eat, please?", he remarks rudely.

I'm taken back by his words. "I'm sorry, does it bother you?", I ask innocently.

"Yes, I feel like I'm being graded on my manners."

"Like you have any of those", I mumble.

"What was that?"

"Nothing", I reply quickly, getting up and putting away the dirty dishes. I look outside and notices the snow storm starting.

"So the weather has taken a turn for the worse", I notice, walking back to my chair. I see him lean over and look outside.

"Ah shit, I gotta walk back in that", he blusters with a disgruntled face.

To my better judgment, I speak up before I could stop myself. "You could stay here for the night." He gives a confused look and I pull one at myself, too. 'What were you thinking, Lucy?', I ask myself.

"Umm . . . really?", he asks hopefully.

I sigh. "Why not, you can have the sofa", I say gesturing to it.

"Did you hit your head or something? You're being unusually kind."

"I could kick you out in the snow", I return with a frown.

"Yeah no, I'll take the couch", he mumbles, plopping back down.

"I thought so", I nod. I walk down the hall and into the linen closet to get him pillows and a blanket. I'm not entirely sure what brought on my sudden helpful surge; maybe the holidays were getting to me. I walk back into the main room and throw the pillows at him. He catches them clumsily from shock.

"Pillows?", he questions.

"And a blanket", I add on, handing it to him.

"I'm seeing a whole other side of you, Luce, and I must admit it's freaking me out", he grins.

"Oh, shut up or I'll come to my senses", I threaten with hands placed firmly on my hips.

He holds his hands up. "All right, no need to get cheeky", he means smirking which annoys the hell out of me.

"Make sure you're up early in the morning to leave and no snooping around", I spit, pointing a finger at his chest.

"Jeez, what's to snoop? I've already seen everything, including you without clothes", he says grinning and I huff while throwing my hands in the air.

"Unbelievable", I mumble while walking to my room. I shut the door halfway so I can hear if he gets up in the middle of the night. I may have let him sleep on my sofa but I still held distrust for the man. The night was still relatively young so I decide to go through the gifts I'd purchased.

My gift for Fredrick was a golden pocket watch. Every time I was with him he would insist on asking the time and it irked me that he was always late, so hopefully this can help him.

Dieter was hard to shop for but I think my choice was superb. I had my old locket shined and replaced the old chain while putting a photo of myself inside. Many soldiers had pictures of their sweethearts and I thought it could always bring that wonderful smile to his face every time he glanced at it.

Secretly I had bought something for Donny but now I ponder on throwing it away. The idea seemed juvenile that I bought him something, knowing he would never do the same for me. Not that I wanted a gift but it was the idea of buying something for someone you barely know that struck me as odd. He would probably laugh in my face if I tried to give it to him. I go into my bathroom and drop the small package in the trash bin; turning out the lights and not looking back.

I walk over to my bed and lie down while grabbing more paper to grade. I bite my pinky nail while going over the work but the ink is just empty words on the paper. My mind keeps drifting to the stranger on my sofa. Was he still a stranger or were we friends now? No not friends, more like acquaintances; that was the better word. Was he already sleeping or was he tossing and turning in thought the same as me?

I think I was putting too much thought into what he was doing but my mind needed closure so I rise from bed and tip toe to the door. I just needed one peek to satisfy my curiosity. Silently I go through the hall and peek around the corner to see what he is up too.

My face softens when I see him sleeping peacefully on his back while his arms are crossed over his stomach in contentment. I walk over silently towards him and get a look at his features closely. His face is tanned darker from being outside while his long black lashes spread out on the tops of his cheeks. All the lines from stress are whisked away while he is sleeping. Thick, dark chestnut hair is tousled from being in the wild but it still looks soft to the touch. His arms are above the blanket and they are very broad and bulging with muscles. He is an empowered being and I had a sneaking suspicion he was the Bear Jew I had heard about from Fredrick. I never asked him incase my guess was wrong because I liked living with the idea of having the Bear Jew come visit me. He may not have been the most polite person or even the kindest but I know in my heart now that I would feel guilt if I let him and his men walk into a trap.

"Are you just gonna sit there and be creepy all night?", his deep voice asks in the dark and I jump, startled that he caught me. His one dark eye is opened, eyeing me and I can see him smiling. I redden, feeling truly embarrassed and slightly flushed.

"Umm, just making sure you weren't up to anything", I say excusing.

"Sure you were", he grins with a triumphant smile while closing his eyes again.

My mouth hangs agape. He didn't believe me, the nerve of him. "Excuse me, but that is the truth!", I snap.

"Nah, you were checking me out in my sleep cause you were afraid to do it when I was awake", he returns while his eyes remain closed.

I stomp over to him and pull the pillow from under his head causing him to crashes down on the arm of the sofa.

"Argh, what was that for?", he says, sitting up and rubbing his head. I smack him in the face with the pillow.

"Du bist so ein egoistischer Arsch." (You are such an egotistical ass.)

"English, please", he responds with a small frown.

I shake my head before going to the kitchen and grabbing my whiskey. I had full plans on finishing the bottle tonight. I tip the bottle back and take a long swig. From the corner of my eye, I can see Donny staring in astonishment. I breathe heavy when I put the bottle down.

"Feeling any better?", he asks from the side.

"Loads, thanks for asking", I say, wiping my mouth on my arm. I trudge over to the armchair and plop down. We sit in silence.

"So you're all out of words now?", I ask.

"I'm afraid to say anything else. You have a bottle in your hand and I don't want glass shards messing up my face", he replies in all seriousness.

I roll my eyes. "I'm not going to do anything to your face."

"Cause you like it too much", he mumbles but my ears catch his words.

I frown. "Don't make me change my mind."

He chuckles. "Oh, you're fun to bug you know."

"Glad I amuse you", I say, sitting back.

"Well, I'm up now so do you wanna talk?", he asks.

"About what?", I reply confused.

"You know family, friends and all the shit. Anything really", he means nonchalant.

"Like get to know it each other in a sense?"

He shrugs. "Yeah, why not? You might want to know some things about a person before you let them sleep on your couch you know", he returns jokingly.

"You're not a crazy murderer, are you?"

He pauses with a grin. "Well, I do beat Nazis heads in with a bat, so that could qualify as crazy."

I jump up from my seat in excitement. "I knew it! I knew you were the Bear Jew!" His eyes widen to ten times their size from my sudden outburst and I think I managed to surprise myself as well.

"That's the most excited I've ever seen a German to be about my persona", he says awkwardly and I sit down while trying to keep the rest of my pride.

I place with my hands in my lap. "Sorry . . . that must be the whiskey", I apologize with a wry smile.

He laughs at me. "You're a light weight, huh?"

I scrunch my face together in confusion. "What does that mean?"

"It means you get drunk easy; can't take your liquor."

"Oh", I answer dumbly.

"So, did you buy something for your son for Christmas?", he asks, looking over at the photo.

"I did actually. What made you think about him?"

"I think I've been trying to figure you out lately and I kept going back to when you told me about him so openly. Why did you do that?"

The question catches me off guard. I open my mouth but words don't some out. I frown and try to form a coherent sentence. "I guess it was better than telling a lie. I somehow knew you wouldn't judge me for it."

"True. I can't judge anyone on that matter, with all the stupid things I've done", he responds absent mindedly.

"What have you done?"

"My whole life is a series of screw ups. The first thing I've done right was enlist. I thought it would help mature me a little."

"And has it?"

"I think so. I feel so tormented out here though; after all I've heard and seen. It's what keeps me going I suppose."

"Look at us, having a real civil conversation." I point out with a small smile.

"Yeah, don't jinx it", he grins. There is a pregnant pause until I remember to answer his question.

"I bought him an art set; my son Oliver. He loves to draw and paint, and my aunt sometimes sends me some of his pictures", I smile that lights up my eyes with admiration.

"You sound like you miss him", He notes.

"I do, very much."

"Than why don't you go back to him?"

"Because I promised to help you first."

"Now I feel like an ass. We're holding you away from your kid."

"Don't be like that. I came here to grow up and I think helping you will do this. Besides, I know he is safe away from France and he has real structure right now. It's not my time to raise him yet."

"How will you know when you are ready?", he asks.

"In my heart I'll know", I reply with a sad smile of realization.

"You're bumming me out here, let's drink something. You got anything else besides that whiskey you finished?", he asks to lighten the mood which I'm grateful for.

"Umm, let me check." I walk over to my cupboards, reaching over to the top cupboard and pull out a bottle of wine that has started to collect dust on the bottle.

"Well, I have a really old, disgusting peach wine", I say while handing it to him.

"We'll drink until we can't taste it", he means with a toothy grin. I plop down beside him and pull out the cork. I take the first swig and pull back a disgruntled face.

"Urgh, that's terrible, now I remember why I didn't drink it", I say, passing over the bottle.

He takes a big gulp and pulls it back while smacking his lips. "Just have to ignore the after taste", he returns with a soured expression. I laugh and we continue drinking the swill of wine. When half the bottle has been drunk I start to nod off. Wine always made me sleepy and I would use it as a remedy often to get out of a party early that Fredrick took me to. Donny is still droning on about something but his slurred words become a faded sound in the distance as I lie my head down on something hard and I fall into a dream filled sleep.

My eyes open and yet all I see is darkness. Am I awake in a dream? I stand on my two feet and I look at my surroundings. The orange light of the clock tower is behind me but when I look down there is no city to be seen. My eyes catch the dark figure in the distance watching me. I walk to the edge of the building and open my mouth to call out but the words don't leave me lips. They start to turn around slowly and walk away as I become frantic to get their attention. I scream until my lungs burn but the sound falls on deaf ears as the world is silent. My mind goes blank and I turn around and approach the face of the clock. I watch as the iron hand hits minute and the bell starts to ring. After the twelve strokes, everything is silent. I feel a breath on the back of my neck and someone whispers my name in my ear. I go to turn around and my eyes widen in horror at who I face.

A loud pounding at the door jolts me from my sleep and I stand up harshly, causing Donny to fall in a loud thud. Evidently I had fallen asleep on his shoulder last night while his head rested on top of mine. He's about to open his mouth but I shush him with a finger while I wait for the knocking to proceed. The pounding comes again and I call out with a shaky voice: "Who is it?"

"It's Fredrick", a voice says muffled from behind the door. My eyes widen and I rush to help Donny stand.

"One second, I have to throw something on!", I call out, shoving Donny down the hall and into my room.

"Don't make a noise and try not to touch anything", I hiss, shutting the door before he can get a word in through all the commotion. I rush back to the door and calm myself before opening to see my brother.

"What took you so long?", he asks with a raised brow while siting down. He takes note of the empty wine bottle. "Did you have company last night?"

"Just my neighbor."

"The weird cat lady?", he asks in disbelief.

I huff. "She is a good friend, now be nice, I don't make fun of your friends", I remark irritably.

"I'm sorry. I actually came here to ask if you wanted to go for lunch today; we haven't seen a lot of each other recently."

I play with my hands nervously behind my back. "Alright, but I need some time getting ready", I reply with a grin while he gives me a suspicious look. I walk back to my room slowly so as to not draw attention. I push back the door which sends Donny flying back while I shut the door quickly again.

"What were you doing?", I snap in a hushed voice.

"Eves dropping mostly", He says honestly. "I guess I should leave, huh?"

"No!", I shriek and he holds his head in pain.

"Jeez, I have a massive headache from that shit wine you gave me; keep it a little lower pitch. Why can't I leave?"

"Because my brother would have had an escort driver take him here and if you try to leave outside he'll see you. You're going to have to wait until we leave first."

"So I can let my self out when I want?", he questions, looking around my room.

"No snooping, I don't want you touching anything," I give him a serious look.

"Fine but I have to ask; you still have to get ready and I can't leave this room", he grins mischievous.

I roll my eyes, guessing what he is hinting at. "Nope, you can wait in the bathroom", I say while pushing him over there.

"You always ruin my fun", he replies with a pout.

"Just shut up and no peeking", I hiss, closing the bathroom door. I dig through my wardrobe and find an outfit in record time. My make up is rushed but looks decent while I comb out my hair, trying to hurry so I can get my brother away from Donny. I walk back to the bathroom and open the door and I see him sitting on the counter looking bored and annoyed.

"That was fast." He's looking me over. "You got ready in ten minutes and you still look killer", he adds on and I can't help but blush slightly.

"Well, just promise to leave before I return", I say strictly. He nods and I see him give a small smile which confuses me but I shut the door again and go to rejoin Fredrick.

My brother is perched up while reading the paper. He looks surprised to see me return so fast.

"I thought we'd be waiting here for an hour so I brought a paper but look at you; all speedy this morning", he means with approval.

I shrug carelessly. "Just thought we'd get a head start on things, I don't want to waste anytime of our time together."

He stands again while I fix my coat. "What was that loud thud when I got here?", he asks.

I pause in motion but quickly recover. "I had passed out on the sofa and I fell and hit my head on the coffee table", I lie.

He shakes his head in bewilderment. "Just don't knock yourself unconscious next time."

I give a shaky laugh while we exit my flat. We walk in line together, down the hall and through my lobby. Fredrick's driver holds the door open for me while I get in and he enters on the other side. I give one last nervous look to my flat window before it completely disappears from view.

I had so much fun writing this chapter and I hope it was just as much excitement to read. Many questions were left unanswered this chapter, like what was her gift for Donny and who was it she saw in her dream? Long ways to go yet and I appreciate the reviews! Next chapter has a lot of everything and should be more informative!