A/N: Watching the last few minutes of Inglourious Basterds, god I can NEVER get sick of this movie :D ANYWAY...this is one of my favorite chapters I've writte so far, we've finally got some romance with Hans :D *YAY!* I'msure you will all love this chapter
Disclaimer: I still don't own any of the characters in IB, although after this chapter I SO wish I owned Hans *sigh*
When we had gotten to the bar, Hans had held the door open for me, I nod a silent 'thank you' to him as I move past him, before looking around the room, seeing only one other woman, other than the waitress, here. My eyes widen when I see Bridget Von Hammersmark sitting across the room, and my heart stops when she locks eyes with me, she sees Hans beside me and gives me a quick smile and a wink.
"One of Bridget's countless fans, are we?" the sudden sound of Hans' voice startles me, for that brief moment I had forgotten he was even with me,
"You're on first-name terms with her?" I ask him, sounding somewhat dazed as I don't take my eyes off of Bridget as she happily laughs with the four men she is with, and holding a lit cigarette between her fingers,
"I should be, she is an old friend of mine, I'm sure much older than she would care to admit," he laughs to himself, "she was one of the few women I have met who didn't hate me at first," he smiles playfully when he brings up one of the first conversations we had shared when he had tad taken me to our first dinner.
"She's been one of my favourite actresses since mother first showed me her movies, after my 5th birthday," I admit, still watching as she takes a drag from her cigarette and a sip from her glass,
"Come with me, mein suesse" he murmurs into my ear, and offering me his arm again, I force my eyes away from Bridget to stare at it idiotically, before linking my own arm around his,
"Where are we going?" I ask him, somewhat confused,
"You're meeting her."
My legs suddenly stop working as I stare at Hans dumbfounded,
"What? A-are you serious?" I stammer, taking another brief glance at Bridget taking a drag from her cigarette and a sip from her glass, before excusing herself from the table.
As Hans begins weaving me between the others in the bar, my knees begin to shake, I move my free arm into a more supportive position to keep myself from dropping the floor as I see Bridget making her way toward us.
I see Hans' eyes drift down to me and I see him smirk, making me roll my eyes, and ending with him laughing light heartedly.
"Hans Landa, you old dog. Who is this beautiful, young girl?" I blush madly over Bridget calling me 'beautiful',
"Fraulein Von Hammersmark, may I introduce Rosalie Stiglitz," he introduces us, she smiles down at me kindly and holds out her hand for me to shake, "who just so happens to be quite a fan of yours,"
"Is she now?" Bridget responds, looking down at me and smiling kindly, "well, it is good to know some people have good taste," she laughs, "it is very nice to meet you, Rosalie. How do you and Hans know each other then?" she asks me curiously, raising an eyebrow slightly. I swallow air, feeling my throat drying up out of nervousness and finding myself speechless,
"We me through her mother when she was 15. We are to be married after her 20th birthday," Hans answers for me, seeing that I could not speak for myself at the moment.
Bridget gives us a confused yet somewhat disturbed look,
"You're getting married? Hans, are you sure you are not...what's the American saying? Robbing the cradle?" she questions him, he chuckles cheerfully,
"If you choose to see it that way, I suppose I am. However, in three more years, Rosalie will be old enough to marry whoever she chooses." Oh I do wish that was true, if it was then I would not be spending my precious time with you of all people.
"Well then, I wish you two the best of luck. Unfortunately I have to be leaving now, it's a shame you couldn't have arrived earlier." I watch, disgusted, as Bridget shares an air kiss with Hans, completely confused on how anyone can be friendly with him.
Sitting at the bar with a half full glass of whiskey in my hand, I sit, listening to the stories Hans has of Bridget, something I am much more interested in hearing than his work as a detective. I begin to feel uneasy that I find myself actually enjoying the conversation, I attempt to forget it, and take a large gulp of my whiskey, when a tall, thin, clearly intoxicated man who appears to be in his mid twenties comes up beside me and puts his hand on my thigh,
"Wha's a girl like you doin' wiv a guy like 'im? Come on darlin', come 'ave some fun with me and me boys," he slurs, swaying gently on his feet, I can smell the alcohol on his breath.
I give him a horrified look, slapping his hand away from my leg and pushing him back, I turn towards Hans, who is now clenching his fists tightly and gritting his teeth behind his lips; is someone jealous, keeping the man out of my sight. But the man simply moves around me,
"Come on, mein baby, ditch 'im and come wiv us," he begs, moving his hand back up my thigh, I push him away again, before Hans stands and clears his throat,
"Ich glaube, dass sie ihre Entscheidung getroffen hat. Verlassen Sie sie und gehen Sie Ihren 'Jungen' zurück, bevor ich etwas tue, dass Sie sicher bedauern warden," he warns him, obviously angered by the man's overfriendliness toward me, yet keeping his calm, dignified, sophisticated manner. "I believe she has made her decision. Leave her and go back to your 'boys' before I do something you will surely regret,"
The man thinks his warning over for a moment, but decides to ignore it and replace his hand on my thigh, while his other begins to brush down my cheek. I elbow him between the legs, and he hunches over, Hans stands again and grabs the back of his collar, dragging him into the bathroom after him.
I keep my head down while I hear fast, pained gasps erupting from the door, not looking up until I see Hans returning, fixing up his hair as he approaches me.
"I am very sorry about that, mein lieb," he exclaims, standing beside me and helping me to my feet. I look up at him, fear filling me as I fail to lose the image of Hans choking that man to death from my mind, and think of what Hans is actually capable of.
"Did you...kill him?" I ask, not entirely sure as to why I'm asking as I know the answer,
"He was warned, he decided to ignore it," he shrugs, and uninterested look on his face.
"You stood up for me," I mumble quietly, so that only Hans could hear, he furrows his eyebrows a bit,
"Of course, mein suesse,"
"Why?" I demand, looking him in the eye, except not out of anger, or annoyance, or hatred, or even irritation. But out of gratitude, and appreciation.
"Sie verdienen solche Behandlung nicht, mein suesse," he responds quietly, tilting my head up with a finger, "You do not deserve such treatment, my sweet,"
"Sie haben ein Feuer innerhalb Ihrer, und einer starken Meinung. Und doch heute Abend haben Sie gezeigt, dass Sie eine verwundbare Unschuld tiefer innen haben, haben Sie gezeigt, dass Sie Schutz brauchen, und dass Sie ein Verstehen haben, dass Sie mit jedem Kampf selbstständig nicht kämpfen können. Solange ich ihm helfen kann, werde ich Ihnen die Rücksicht und Schutz geben, den Sie verdienen."
"You have a fire within you, and a strong attitude. Yet tonight you have shown that you have a vulnerable innocence deeper inside, you've shown that you need protection, and that you have an understanding that you cannot fight every battle on your own. As long as I can help it, I will give you the respect and protection you deserve."
Having heard that, I can finally begin seeing a feint idea of what mother has been telling me.
I look down at my feet, and mutter a soft "Thank you."
Thank you so much for all of your reviews, I love you all! :D As for the second love interest, so far I have 2 votes for Donny and 1 for Aldo, although one for Dony was a tie between him and Aldo...oh well, keep them coming I love hearing all of your opinions
