Chapter 10 – París, Je T'aime! – Pt.1

In this chapter:

· A new identity

· A stroll

· A hotel

· Jazz

· Sex

· An undesired run-in

· Lunch

· A welcome farewell

· Strange satisfaction

Cécille Amour stood in front of a full-length mirror, observing her newly colored hair with indecision. She finally decided that it was enough, that she did in fact look different enough, as per the Basterds' plan for their stay in Paris.

They had adopted pseudonyms for the duration of their break.

Elsie had chosen to use the name of her deceased grandmother, as well as a rather simple French surname. Her decision to bleach her hair had been entirely her own and not completely necessary, but her hair was something that did tend to stand out. Going from blood-red to blonde was a huge, but after initially greeting that stranger in the mirror, she was slowly growing used to it.

She had spent most of the day shopping, using the money she had looted from the bodies of dead Nazis, which had really added up over time. She had never been overly keen on shopping, but given the opportunity, not to mention the large wad of cash, she couldn't think what girl wouldn't take that and run with it.

The hotel she was staying in sat on the waterfront, her room overlooking the River Seine, with a lovely view of the city. Elsie was glad she had gone with her own advice and opted for an obscure hotel. Whilst discussing the subject of where to stay, Hirschberg's suggestion had resulted in the following conversation:

"The Ritz!"

"Mm, good idea, Hirschberg. So we're staying in Nazi-occupied France, holidaying in the capital city, and we're going to go and stay in the most prestigious hotel that it has to offer. I wonder where all the Nazi officers will be staying?" Elsie had replied.

"Alright then, precious, what do you suggest?"

"How about a nice obscure hotel that a Nazi would probably never set foot in?"

"What's wrong with staying in a hotel full of Nazis?" Donny asked, "It makes it easier to kill them."

He smirked at the thought. Glancing at Hugo, Elsie noticed that he was also entertaining the idea with a sly smile.

"Take it easy there, tiger," she told him, "Once again, we're in the capital. We shoot or kill any of the men stationed in this city, then we may as well put up the white flag now. Our situation is basically one giant Mexican stand-off. We shoot any of them and we're as good as dead. Besides, we're on holiday now; the scalps'll wait."

And so they had.

The Basterds were spread out over three relatively random hotels. That way if they were discovered, it would be more difficult for the pursuers to find them all. Of course, Donny and Hugo had wanted to stay as close to Elsie as they could, but she wouldn't have that. She told them the name of the hotel she planned on staying in, waited until they had both checked in, and then found a separate hotel of her own, away from all the men. She needed some time to get back in touch with her old self, rather than the version of herself that the Basterds had a hand in creating.

Now looking through her new clothes, Elsie took out a simple black dress and a pair of white heels she had purchased, smiling down at the ensemble. She hadn't worn heels in a very, very long time. Putting them on, she stood in front of the mirror and smiled; she looked like a woman again. Grabbing a pair of white-rimmed sunglasses – one of the latest styles – and a warm, white scarf, she took her purse from the table by the door and left the room. She made sure that the door was locked securely before heading in the direction of the hotel that she had conned Donny and Hugo into staying at.

She hadn't seen the boys for a little over a day now, and most of them were too preoccupied with the sights and sounds of the city to even bother looking for her. However, Donny was annoyed at her for running off. Hugo, meanwhile, knew she would go to them when she was ready. But rather than go straight to them, Elsie chose to loiter out the front of the hotel. She was not quite recognizable at first glance, so when Donny came through the doors he didn't even notice her standing next to him.

"Hey kid, got a cigarette?" she asked him in a mock-smoker's voice.

Donny turned to look at the strange figure beside him and did a double take. He took a moment to look Elsie up and down, taking in her new look, and then he frowned, almost suspiciously.

"What did you do?"

She took off her sunglasses and scrunched up her face. "What do you mean, 'What did I do'?"

"You look different."

She raised an eyebrow. "You're quick on the uptake."

"You know, we just had to change our names, not, uh, everything," he told her.

Elsie gave no reply, she simply smiled.

Seeing Elsie like this made Donny want her even more. He thought she had been attractive before, even in her bloodied men's clothing, but her current attire added the final touches. She was beautiful. In the cold air, her cheeks were flushed pink and the white-blonde hair made the green of her eyes stand out. With her cocky little smile, she was simply irresistible. He had to give himself a mental shake as he realized he had been staring at her for an uncomfortable amount of time.

Elsie glanced up at the sky briefly and looked back at Donny.

"Alright, well I'll see you later," she told him, turning to leave.

"Where are you going?"

"I don't know yet. I want to check out the area a bit more."

"Don't get lost. Or fuck too many guys while you're out," he told her.

"Vas te faire, enculé!" she called back to him, the first time she'd spoken French in a while.

"Yeah, fuck you too," he replied, fighting the urge to follow her.

She turned to look at him and grinned.

Walking through the streets, Elsie came to realize that there were a lot more Germans staying in the city than she had initially thought. Nearly every third person she walked past was wearing a German uniform. She was glad she hadn't invited Donny to go with her. Many of the soldiers – at least those who weren't already arm-in-arm with a girl of their own – looked at her invitingly, but she either kept her eyes averted, or offered them a forced smile and nothing else. More than once her thoughts shot back to Hellstrom, but every time they did, she forced herself to focus on her

A small cinema, Le Gamaar, was situated a few blocks down from where she was staying, and she had already passed it once that day. The first time she had come across it, she had paused in front to see what was playing. It had been Riefenstahl film, something about the mountain Pitz Palü. She had made a mental note to drop by in the evening to watch something.

Now, stopping to glance around the front of the establishment, Elsie spotted a young woman close to her own age standing in the foyer. She had golden blonde hair and looked simultaneously bored and distracted. The girl glanced up as Elsie pushed open the door leading inside.

"Bonjour," she welcomed her customer.

"Bonjour. One for The White Hell of Pitz Palu, please," she requested in French.

The girl nodded and Elsie passed her some money.

Just as she was about to enter the theatre, Elsie looked back at the young woman, who glanced up at her and gave a small, but somewhat forced smile. There was something strange about the girl, but Elsie couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Ignoring the odd feeling, she entered the theatre and took a seat towards the back. The film was just about to start and, aside from Elsie, only a handful of people made up the audience. A young man who appeared barely out of his teens, glanced back at her as she took her seat. He gave a friendly smile, and despite the fact that he was a uniformed German soldier, Elsie couldn't help but smile back. Closing her eyes for a brief moment, she sat back in her seat and began to relax as the film started rolling.

As soon as the film finished and the lights came back on, she stood up and left the theatre, deep in thought.

"Excusez-moi!" someone called, bringing her mind back from its wander.

Turning around, she found herself looking at the young German soldier. Now that she could see his face properly, she found he looked almost familiar.

"You forgot your purse."

He handed her the small bag with another sweet smile.

"Merci," she thanked him.

"You're welcome."

They looked at each other for a second longer he glanced away. He seemed interested in the young woman in the foyer, his eyes following her as she went about her business inside.

Heading back towards the hotel, Elsie took a detour and stopped by the river. She took a seat on a park bench, closing her eyes and listening to the sound of the wind rustling through the trees around her. Someone sat down beside her. Her heart practically jumped into her throat for a moment as she whipped her head around and saw Hugo smiling back at her.

"Geeeeez." She put her head back as she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Did I scare you?"

"No," she lied, "but you're real good at sneaking up on people. I guess I'm the only person you have snuck up on who's lived to tell the tale."

He chuckled. Then Elsie remembered the little stunt she had pulled on him.

"No hard feelings about the hotel switch, right?"

"I knew what you were doing," he replied.

"So you just went along with it?"

He nodded, taking out a cigarette and lighting it. He offered her one but, for once, she declined.

It was now dark outside; the moon, not quite full, was shining above the water. In this light, Hugo looked different. As he stared off across the river, Elsie observed him and felt something unusual. For the first time she was seeing him as more than just a soldier; she was seeing him as the man he was.

"Donny's still annoyed, though, I believe," he informed her. She broke off from her thoughts.

"He always annoyed about something," she replied, in an absent-minded kind of way.

Glancing at Hugo, she saw he was smiling at her with admiration.

"Are you hungry?"

"Why?" she asked.

"I thought we could go to a restaurant."

Elsie raised her eyebrows. "You're asking me to dinner?"

He gave one of his characteristic little nods.

"Alright," she agreed, "What did you have in mind?"

He raised one brow in thought, turning his head to look at her, "There's a jazz club that I know of. Something told me you might like it."

She smiled at him.

Hugo stood up, threw his cigarette down, snubbed it out with his boot heel, and then offered her his arm to take. Such a gentleman.

Elsie took it and moved close to him. It was starting to get cold and her dress was proving an insufficient outfit for such weather. Besides, she liked being this close to him.

Cab Calloway's Minnie the Moocher was playing in the club when they entered. There were so many uniformed German soldiers sitting inside that for a moment Elsie glanced at Hugo and suddenly realized he was in civilian clothing. He squeezed her arm reassuringly and they walked toward a table at the back of the room. The club was sparingly lit and so full of the smoke of its patrons it was difficult to make out the faces of those around them. As well-known as Hugo was through the ranks of the German army, it didn't seem likely he would be recognized. Once seated, a waiter approached them and took their drink order: two whiskeys. Maybe it really was the only thing Hugo knew in French.

Even when the whiskey was placed in front of him, Hugo couldn't take his eyes off of Elsie. She was studying the other patrons currently enjoying their leisure time within the club. When her eyes finally came back to rest on him, she saw the way he was looking at her and blushed. What the hell was wrong with her? She was never like this, especially not with him. She felt strangely vulnerable at that moment. So of course, being Elsie, she had to break the moment with an off-center remark

"'Lotta Nazis here tonight," she commented.

He didn't say anything, picking up his whiskey with his eyes still trained on her, throwing back the drink like it was water. Minnie the Moocher finished and was replaced by We'll Meet Again by Vera Lynn.

Elsie picked up her own glass and was about to drink it when she spotted someone that made her freeze. She tried her best not to draw Hugo's attention to this person, who sat only four or so tables away, but it was inevitable that he would see the sudden surprise in her eyes. He turned his head and recognized Colonel Landa almost immediately. He turned back to Elsie and stared down at his empty glass as though trying to suppress an overwhelming urge to kill the German detective.

"Are you alright?" he managed to say in a gruff voice, his subtle way of asking whether or not she wanted to leave.

"It's fine," she replied, throwing back her drink in a smooth gulp.

She focused on the warm sensation of the liquor as it ran from her throat to her stomach, promising herself that she would not look in that direction again.

"Let's order some food."

Hugo looked uncertain, but went along with her anyway. Neither person wanted to cause an upset tonight; especially not one that would likely result in both of their deaths. Still, Elsie couldn't believe her luck.

"Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world..." she muttered to herself.

"He's number two," Hugo told her, but she had no idea what he was talking about, looking at him to elaborate.

"On my list of people to kill for you," he explained.

"Aw, you're so sweet," she told him with a hint of sarcasm, but she was touched by the fact he had actually kept a list.

"So how many people are on that list?"

He took a moment to think about this, and then replied, "How many people do you want to be on it?"

She grinned.

Although she had been too distracted to eat much of her meal, Elsie had still enjoyed her dinner with Hugo. She was especially pleased that Landa hadn't looked over at either of them for the entire duration of the evening. Walking back to her hotel, Elsie held Hugo's arm once more, feeling a lot calmer after a few more shots of whiskey. She found she could hold her alcohol surprisingly well for a woman of her build, a talent she had used on a number of occasions to win bets against the other Basterds when they were moving from town to town.

As they reached the doorway to Elsie's current residence, they paused. Elsie let go of his arm and turned to face him.

"Goodnight," he said with a lopsided smile.

In a moment of silence, so many thoughts raced through Elsie's mind, but she ignored them all. As the two Basterds' lips met, they felt a sudden spark that drove them on. Breathless, Elsie gave Hugo control of the situation in her sudden moment of weakness. He put his arm around her waist and very nearly lifting her of the ground, and brought her closer to his body. She broke the kiss and tilted her head back as he kissed just below her jaw. He let go of her and gave her a look that asked where she wanted to go next. Still elated from his kisses, she moved towards her room. He followed.

Hugo lay on the queen sized bed as he waited for Elsie to return from the bathroom. She had taken something out of one of her bags of shopping and quickly disappeared without a word of explanation. He was intrigued.

She slowly opened the door to reveal the black lingerie she had purchased the previous day. She hadn't bought it specifically with him in mind, because as far as she had known, this might not have happened. Hugo sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. She walked to him slowly, their eyes locked. The open lace gown she wore over the delicate lace brassiere and underwear, trailed on the floor as she did so. She stopped in front of him and he looked up at her.

He wanted to say something, but couldn't think of a word to describe how beautiful she looked to him. The glimmer in her eyes told him he didn't need to.

He grabbed her gently by the waist and brought her forward, stroking her exposed torso, then kissed just above her belly button. She shivered. Straddling him slowly, she discovered he was enjoying this as much as she was. Lifting her up, Hugo placed her on the bed and then began removing his clothes. Elsie closed her eyes and waited, but in this short moment of intermission, she began thinking back to the one moment she really didn't want to recall, especially not now.

She tried to block it out, but images kept flashing in her mind. When she opened her eyes again, Hugo was getting back onto the bed. Seeing him as he was wiped the thoughts from her mind and brought her back to that same vulnerable state as before. He picked up where he had left off, beginning at her neck and kissing slowly down to her belly. With every kiss she felt more and more blissful. When he reached a spot an inch or so below her belly button, she breathed in sharply with anticipation, but he didn't go any further, moving up instead to kiss her on the lips.

She reached up and ran her hand down the back off his head. He gazed at her for a second, and then moved backwards, removing her underwear with one hand, gently clasping each side of the garment. As he did this, Elsie's mind flashed back to the basement; to Hellstrom ripping off her dress, cutting off her undergarments. She made a very small noise of distress. It was almost indiscernible, but Hugo glanced up from what he was doing to make sure she was alright.

"Elsie?"

It really didn't help that he pronounced her name like another certain German once had, but she fought off the flashbacks and sat up, bringing him towards her for a kiss, her arm around his neck. With her bottom half now completely naked, Hugo moved over her, looking down at her glowing face. But he could see something was wrong: the glow didn't quite reach her eyes. He remained still above her, a concerned look on his face. He was only prepared to do this if she was. He knew better than anyone else the things that this girl had been through.

"Do it," she whispered.

He leant down and kissed her again, then slowly pushed into her. She drew in a shaky breath and clasped his shoulders tightly. He moved his hips back and then forward, speeding up only very slightly, testing her reaction. The problem was, she gave no reaction. Elsie had turned her head to the side, a distant look on her face. She wasn't ready for this, but she wouldn't admit it. Hugo stopped and pulled out. He lay down beside her and put an arm across her stomach, kissing her on the head.

"It's okay," he told her, stroking her hair softly.

She turned her head and he could see the tears in her eyes, but she was trying desperately to remain strong. Inside, she felt deeply ashamed.

"Elsie, look at me," he said gently.

For a moment, she kept staring up, then slowly brought her gaze down to meet his. She couldn't stop the tears now, as they slid silently down her cheeks, but still she ignored them, acting as though she was fine. She tried to force a smile, but failed miserably, covering her face with her hands. Hugo took her hands and slowly brought them away from her face. He kissed a spot just under her eye that was wet from tears and she finally looked at him steadily.

"I'm sorry," she whispered before getting off of the bed and going back to the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

Standing in front of the mirror, Elsie wiped away the tears, shaking her head, angry at herself. She was better than this. It had been months since she had been assaulted and she had thought she was coping. A flash of anger ripped through her as she thought of the man who done this to her; the man who was still out there somewhere, getting away with his horrible abuse. Hugo may have vowed to bring the men who harmed her to a horrible end, but deep down she prayed that their deaths would be brought about by her own hands.

When she finally willed herself to exit the bathroom, after splashing some water on her face and changing into a white, knee-length nightgown, she found Hugo sitting on the edge of the bed smoking, wearing his pants but still shirtless. He glanced up at her as she walked out, concerned. She gave a little sniffle and smoothed her hair back with one hand, offering a small, unconvincing smile before sitting down on the bed beside him. She took the cigarette from his hand, and took a drag, handing it back to him whilst blowing the smoke from the side of her mouth. She slid back on the bed and lay down. Hugo remained where he was before he felt arms wrap around his waist. Looking back, he saw a doe-eyed Elsie waiting for him to lay with her. He wasn't prepared to say anything to her just yet, but he was quickly falling in love with the girl.

He crushed out his cigarette on the ashtray by the bed, and lay down next to her, smiling as she rolled onto her side and laid her head on his chest, her arm spread across his bare torso. She kissed his chest and closed her eyes to go to sleep as he began to stroke her head.

"I like what you've done with your hair, by the way," he commented, as if only just noticing.

For no particular reason, Elsie laughed.

When she awoke the following morning, Elsie found that she felt more rested than she had in weeks; though this always seemed to be the case when she slept beside Hugo. She sat up and thought about what had happened the previous night, trying to determine why her mind would still be going back to those terrible moments in the prison. She knew why she hadn't responded to Hugo, even after fantasizing about that moment with him for so long – she simply hadn't been in the moment, trying instead to distance her mind completely from what was being done to her physically. She had to find a way to overcome her problem, if not for her own sake, then for Hugo's. She wanted to be with him so badly, to be able to have that truly close bond with him.

Sliding off of the bed, she went to the bathroom to have a shower. Not too many bathrooms had showers at that time, only baths, but she was glad to have found one of the few places that did. As she stepped under the water, the warmth flooding over her soothingly, she heard the bathroom door open slowly. Peeking out from behind the shower curtain, Elsie saw Hugo standing halfway in the doorway as though unsure if he should join her. Pulling back the shower curtain completely, revealing her naked, dripping body, she gestured with an outstretched arm, for him to join her. He did so without hesitation.

Standing against one another under the water, kissing, Elsie felt him hard against her and knew that she still wasn't ready. But there were other ways to please a man...

Smiling, she slid her hands down his body from his shoulders to his thighs, lowering herself to the right level. Hugo closed his eyes as he felt the pleasing sensation grip his body. When she eventually stood back up, Elsie faced a smiling Hugo, who pulled her close and kissed her again. She could have stayed there under the running water, leaning up against him forever, but a sudden knock at the hotel room door ended any possibility of that happening. Elsie hopped out of the shower, wrapped a towel around herself and went to answer it.

"Who is it?" she called through the door.

"Hotel service, would you like to have some breakfast brought up to you?"

Elsie bit her lip and turned back to the bathroom, finding Hugo naked in the bathroom doorway, arms crossed as he leant against the door frame. She smirked and turned to face the door once more, giving an order of food to the person on the other side. Around fifteen minutes later, they had continental breakfasts brought up to them with sides of bacon and eggs, complete with fresh orange juice.

"What are your plans for today?" Hugo asked as they lay on the bed together once more, bodies completely satiated.

"I was thinking of just taking a walk. Seeing where I end up," she replied, "You?"

"I need to go back to my own room first, but I think we should have lunch somewhere."

"Actually, I have an idea where we could go. I'll have to go and scout it out, but I've heard of this place that might be alright."

She sat up and slid to the edge of the bed. She had dressed in more of her new clothes, this time a white cotton dress that reached mid-calf with a light-grey cardigan over it to evade the cold weather. As she stood up, she put on a pair of similarly grey heels and waited as Hugo gathered his things to leave. He paused close to her in the doorway before he left and she kissed him quickly, but teasingly. A happy man, he walked down the hall and towards the building's exit.

Just as Hugo pulled open the door to his own hotel building, Donny had been about do the same thing from the other side. The two men stared at each other. Donny noticed Hugo was in the same clothes as the day before, and noted the direction he had come from. He did not look pleased. The men remained where they were, in a silent stand-off.

"If you laid a hand on her-" Donny began, but he was cut off by a passing German soldier, who politely asked them for the time.

Needless to say, both Basterds redirected their burning scowls at the soldier, who glanced from one man to the other and quickly made the smart decision to keep walking.
Although no further words were exchanged, their brief conflict was neither resolved, nor forgotten by either man.

Standing on a corner, Elsie stared over at the restaurant that sat across the street. Renamed after the German takeover, Das Reine Herz ('The Pure Heart'), had been recommended to Elsie by several of the residents she'd spoken to while walking the city streets. Though it was widely known to be the restaurant of choice for many Nazi officers posted in Paris, Elsie knew she was unlikely to be recognized or given any trouble were she to have lunch there. Her dining partner, however, was a different story.

Deciding that it would be safer to select a different dining establishment, Elsie turned to walk back to the hotel. She froze. The glowing smile she had been sporting dropped like a bird shot from a tree. She took a step backwards, but found herself on the edge of the walkway, and suddenly felt trapped.

"Elsie Marigold. Or, sorry, what is it you go by now? 'Cécille Amour'?" the man asked, speaking German.

Steadying her breathing, she gave no reply.

It had only been a matter of time before she ran into Major Hellstrom again.

He was dressed to the absolute Nazi-nines: hat, immaculate uniform, leather trench coat, complete with a red swastika armband.

"It's been a while since we last saw one another," he said, "We need to catch up, I think."

Elsie's expression remained void of emotion. Glancing at the Major's face, she saw mock-concern in his eyes. Two German soldiers stood behind him by his car.

"What's wrong, Elsie? Weren't expecting anyone to recognize you? Even with that hair and the more feminine clothes – both of which look very good on you, I might add – who you are is… unmistakable."

That fucking smug grin. The compliment made her stomach twist.

"I noticed you admiring Das Reine Herz. I've been there myself a number of times. It's actually quite a fine establishment, even if it was originally French owned."

He paused and observed her with a look of contemplation.

"You know, it wouldn't be right for a young woman such as yourself to dine alone. And seeing as I too have no one with which to share my lunch, why don't we solve this little conundrum with some mutual co-operation?"

Elsie wanted to run, but now that she had been discovered in the city, it was likely that Hellstrom knew that the others would be hiding out, too. She would have to endure his cruelty for a little longer, or risk putting them all in danger.

"So? What do you say? Come on, give me an answer. I like hearing your voice. It's got such an unusual sound, and although I like to think I have a very strong ear for accents, I must say, yours is very peculiar. It's not often that I'm stumped by someone, but you prove to be the exception."

He smiled at her.

"I suppose 'nein' isn't an option," she finally spoke.

"Nein," he replied, his smile becoming a little darker, then he smirked. "I hear Stiglitz is part of your 'team' now, too. I suppose he would've followed you anywhere after seeing you as you were in that basement. Any man would have."

Elsie fought the urge to leap onto him and rip out his throat with her bare hands. Keeping her eyes on him, using her gaze to distract him, her hand crept up towards her purse. It was just big enough to fit a very small gun inside, one of the reasons that she had chosen it. But as she slowly began to open it, a hand seized the bag and took it away. One of Hellstrom's men stood behind her and opened up the bag, showing his superior the item that sat inside. Hellstrom shook his head at Elsie with a condescending 'tut-tut'.

Great, she thought, disarmed in more ways than one.

"All I'm asking is that you sit with me and enjoy a meal in a restaurant that you seemed to already be planning on eating in anyway. After that, your friends live and you're free to go."

She stared at him in surprise. The phrase 'Too good to be true' popped into her head and flashed like a big neon sign.

"I can't even believe you expect me to trust you," she spat.

"Well, you don't have much of a choice. Besides, I'm a man of my word."

Her eyes narrowed at that.

"Come on, Elsie. One meal. Then you'll never see me again."

He was lying through his Nazi teeth, but what choice did she have? It was an hour or so of torture, or the execution of her nearest and dearest friends. She had no choice. She never really did when he was around.

Despising herself entirely, she gave a tiny, reluctant signal that she would comply. She had to remind herself that she would lose much more if she didn't.

"Wünderbar," he grinned, managing to look genuinely pleased.

Walking into the restaurant, the pair appeared the perfect couple; a high-ranking Nazi officer and his French love interest. At least that's how they looked to those seated inside. In reality it was a high-ranking Nazi officer and the girl he had tortured and raped.

Hellstrom acted the perfect gentleman, removing his hat and placing it on the table before pulling out Elsie's chair for her and pushing it in as she sat down.

It was absurd.

Taking off his trench coat, he placed it on the back of his chair before taking a seat across from the agitated young woman. Elsie was seated with her back towards the entrance, strategic placement on Hellstrom's behalf, as he wanted to be the one to know who was coming and going through those doors. The last thing he wanted was to have his back to any incoming threats.
Looking across at his dining partner, he realized that there was no way he was going to get a conversation out of her any time soon, but that didn't mean he wouldn't try.

"May I take your order?" a waiter asked in German, as he paused at their table.

"After you," Hellstrom said to Elsie, but she gave no reply, staring in the opposite direction. "Perhaps some apple juice? Apple strudel?" he suggested with a smirk.

So he had heard of her ordeal in the orchard.

Elsie turned to look at him, hatred burning in her eyes. She glanced at the waiter.

"Whisky," is all she told him.

"Not really a lady's drink," Hellstrom commented, "How about champagne?"

"Whisky," she repeated to the waiter, this time with a slight edge to her voice. The waiter nodded and looked over at Hellstrom, who seemed to be enjoying Elsie's defiance.

"Steak and a beer for me. Bring the young lady a salad," he told the waiter.

The waiter walked off with their order and Hellstrom attempted to capture Elsie's gaze again. She quickly averted her eyes, bringing back the Major's smug grin. He looked up to the doors of the restaurant as they opened to emit a new person. Hellstrom froze and glanced at Elsie, who was holding the knife from the table in front of her and looking at it very thoughtfully. She smiled at it and then looked at Hellstrom, but his sudden change of expression alarmed her.

"I think you should go to the bathroom," he told her. She frowned at him and had no idea what he was talking about.

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Go to the bathroom and freshen up," he ordered, emphasizing every word. There were no more traces of humor in his eyes.

It was such an unusual request that she did exactly as he told her.

Once she had reached the inside of the bathroom, she stood by the door and held it open a crack to observe Hellstrom at their table. She heard a number of chairs scrape back as their occupants stood and clicked their heels together in salute of some unknown person. She watched as Hellstrom rose obediently to salute none other than Colonel Landa. Elsie's hand flew to her mouth.

"Oberst Landa," Hellstrom greeted.

"Major Hellstrom, pleased to see you once again," came the reply. Landa observed the table the Major occupied and noticed it was set for two. "And where is your dining partner?"

"She went to visit the bathroom. I'm afraid she's not feeling well," Hellstrom replied.

"How unfortunate. I would very much like to have met her. Is she German?"

"No. French," Hellstrom told him.

Landa nodded with approval and looked around the room as though he thought the Major could be hiding her somewhere. Elsie quickly closed the bathroom door. She leant back against it, hand still over her mouth, feeling confused. Hellstrom had just protected her from being discovered by Landa. What the hell was his objective in all this?

Watching as Landa and Hellstrom said their farewells after a very brief conversation, Elsie waited until the Colonel had departed from the building and everyone had relaxed into their natural dining states once more. She walked out from the bathroom and Hellstrom glanced up at her, looking quite thoughtful.

Without him even telling her to, Elsie sat back down and found that their orders had been placed on the table already. She stared down at her whiskey, then back up to the man across from her. A silence fell between them that was strangely unaggressive.

"Elsie, I need to say something to you," Hellstrom began. He seemed to be thinking of the best way to put what he wanted to say, staring down at his beer as he used one finger to wipe at the condensation.

Elsie said nothing. She waited.

"What happened between us...I wish it had been under different circumstances."

Elsie's brow twisted in synch with her stomach.

It sounded almost like Hellstrom was attempting an apology. But it didn't matter how he decided to phrase it, Elsie would never accept any excuse for what he had done to her. Yet she felt something lifting from her mind. That heavy cloak of repressed terror was unraveling. But it had taken this moment, a face to face encounter with her attacker, to do it.

"Perhaps, if the war had not begun – though I can't say that I object to it – I may have travelled to France on other business and we could have met as two normal people. But it simply was not to be."

Elsie stared at him, speechless. Was he really saying this? Was he honestly getting at what she thought he was getting at?

He was.

"Let's start over. What do you say?"

With her fear of him quickly ebbing away, the old Elsie broke through.

"Okay, you play the big German farmer and I'll play the innocent young milkmaid."

She drank her whiskey in one go, not even grimacing at strong burn it left. Like Hugo, she had developed a tolerance.

Hellstrom didn't seem to mind the idea too much, watching Elsie while he took a mouthful of his beer.

"I'm serious," he told her, "I would take it all back if I could."

"That's what they all say."

"What all who say?"

"Murderers, rapists...German soldiers we question before we kill them. And, hell, I think you might just fit into all three categories."

His smug grin made its reappearance. He was actually finding her comments entertaining.
Neither person had touched their meals, nor were likely to so. Hellstrom couldn't care less about actually having lunch. He was more interested in the young woman sitting across from him. Unfortunately, as he caught sight of the time on the clock nearby, he found that their time together had reached its end. Landa had specified what time he needed to pick up the girl from the cinema to bring her to the meeting with Goebbels. It was reaching that time now.

"Do you have somewhere to be?" Elsie asked with mock concern.

He sighed deeply and smiled. He was actually sorry to have to leave.

"Colonel Landa gave me orders. I believe you and he have met before?"

"Mm, yeah. It was a memorable occasion," she replied her gaze still trained firmly on him.

He chuckled and stood up, taking out money for their meals and placing it on the table, before putting on his jacket and hat. Then he walked to her side of the table, took her hand and kissed it before she could object, saying, "Until next time."

He had broken his word already.

Watching Hellstrom leave, Elsie wasn't sure if she wanted to laugh or cry. The entire experience had been so absurd. But the Nazi officer had done her a favor; she no longer felt the fear she once had towards him. He wasn't the monster she had made him out to be every time she recalled the events in the basement. He was just a pathetic, twisted little man, and he could die just like any other man could. A theory she hoped she would soon put into practice.