April 9th, 1943; Friday

"I'm going to the market to get some food. Would you like me to pick up anything for you?" Hans asked Krista politely as he pulled on his long leather coat.

She shook her head and stood up from the kitchen table, the coffee cup she had been drinking from in her hand. "No thanks," she answered as he took a handful of steps toward her, effectively closing the space between them. He brushed his thumb across her cheek before dropping his hand to her shoulder and leaning into her. He pressed his lips to hers for a long few seconds before pulling away.

"I'll be back soon," he said, quickly pecking her lips one last time.

"Don't be too long, colonel," she purred, flashing him a crooked grin.

"I won't, beautiful," he said before walking out the door and closing it behind him.

She rolled her eyes, still not a fan of being called 'beautiful'. It was beginning to grow annoying. Krista crossed the room once she knew he was clear of the door and pulled the curtains back from the window just far enough for her to see clearly out of. Stealthily, she peeked through the glass, patiently waiting for the long sedan's departure.

Krista was now presented with a rare opportunity to have Landa's house all to herself. So what does she do? The thin anyone in search for answers would do. Snoop around. Especially when she had the wild assumption that Landa was Jonas's commanding officer. She didn't know for sure, but since the picture of him led her to Paris through the tree in her yard, she felt that the city was the best place to start.

There were many parts of the house that she'd never been in before, which made her hopeful that he would perhaps have a home office with something of value to her contained within it.

His bedroom was located in the rear of the house, and a short hallway ran to the left of it. There were three doors along it. The first, a spare bedroom with a nicely made bed, much nicer than the guest room in Krista's house in fact. It was fitted with many ornate paintings and expensive looking décor, just as the rest of the house was. She mentally catalogued what she saw in her brain and thought maybe she'd use some of the ideas to spice up her guest room. She sighed heavily and closed the door, and moved onto the next.

Just a second bathroom that looked like it hadn't been used in years. At least it had a spacious claw foot tub that she determined would be ideal for a relaxing bath loaded with bubbles.

Finally at the third room, she slowly opened the door in case it was booby-trapped or something. Maybe she'd just seen too many movies. Just what she was hoping to uncover. An office.

A large map of Germany hung on the wall across from the door and she found herself staring at it, all the countless, frustrating hours she spent learning the country's language on her own flooding back to her. She never really thought that she'd get any use out of learning German until she found herself in Paris during World War II. She quickly scanned the room and noticed it was relatively bare. Unlike his office in the Gestapo Headquarters, there was no large filing cabinet.

She plopped down in the plush leather chair that was tucked under the desk in the center of the small office and crossed her arms across her chest as if she were a pouting child. Krista leaned back and closed her eyes. She was feeling defeated at this point. When she leaned back forward, she noticed that the bottom left drawer was awfully large. She gave it a tug, and it refused to budge. "Goddammit," she mumbled.

The drawer didn't have a lock on it, so she found herself confused. Then she wondered if the desk was similar to the desk her father had in his office at the fire department he was employed at. She pulled the slim draw in the middle of the desk just so that it was slightly ajar, and tried the bottom drawer again.

Success.

Krista pulled the drawer open all the way, and began to look over the file folders that were contained inside it. They were arranged alphabetically by last name, and they appeared to be copies of personnel files of all men under Landa's command. She thumbed through them until she came across precisely what she was hoping to find.

Fischer, Jonas.

She quickly pulled it out of the drawer and laid it open on the desk top. She quickly skimmed through each page, searching for something that was typed rather than handwritten. When she finally came across something she could read, it was no more than his basic information. Name, height, weight, birthdate, rank held when transferred, etcetera. It wasn't much, but now she had a concrete starting point.

She ran out to the front of the house and pulled her phone from her purse which was relatively low on battery power. She'd have to slip back home and charge it soon. She snapped quick pictures of each page for future reference, and closed the file to place it back in its slot in the drawer.

She began closing the drawer when a thought crossed her mind. She pulled it open again, skipping past all the letters until she reached 'H'. She paused for a moment when her fingers finally brushed over his name. Hellstrom, Dieter. She hesitated when she felt her heart rate increase suddenly. She began to remove the file from the drawer when she could hear a knock at the front door. "Fuck," she said, shoving the file back down into the drawer and hastily closing the middle drawer. Maybe some things were better left unknown anyway. What she didn't know wouldn't hurt her.

She replaced the leather chair to its original position. Once at the door, she performed a brief onceover to assure that everything was exactly how it had been before she started going through things.

She quietly closed the door behind her, and smoothed her clothes out before answering the door. She recognized the man and woman on the other side from the gala immediately. "You must be looking for Standartenführer Landa?" she asked, smiling politely to the couple.

"Yes, is he here?" The man asked.

Krista shook her head and took a step to allow them inside the house, should they choose to enter. "He's out right now, but he shouldn't be too long. You're free to come in and wait for him if you'd like."

"Thank you, Krista, but that won't be necessary. We simply stopped by to invite the two of you to dinner tonight. " the woman said.

Krista offered her a smile. "I'm so sorry, but I seem to have forgotten your names," she said, even though it was a lie. She knew it was Kaltenbrunner, but she felt it necessary to play dumb.

"That's not a problem. I'm sure Hans introduced you to a lot of people at the gala." Krista nodded, although she really wasn't introduced to many people while they were there, but she rolled with it anyway. "I'm Ernst, and this is my wife, Elisabeth." So that's what his wife's name was.

"Oh yes. Obergruppenführer Kaltenbrunner. I'm so sorry," she apologized. "I'll let Hans know that you stopped by when he gets back."

Oh boy. Another night full of speaking German and nothing else. "That would be great. Thank you, Krista. Enjoy the rest of your day," Kaltenbrunner told her before taking his leave.

She closed the door tightly and leaned back against it.

Over the last week or so, Krista had found her staying with Hans more than by herself, which resulted in countless nice dinners which she was thankful for. French cuisine wasn't her favorite, however, it was free food, so it wasn't like she was going to say no. Paying for food was one of her least favorite things to pay for next to windshield wipers and toilet paper.

Since she was sure that Kaltenbrunner's dinner invitation would be accepted, she felt it necessary to clean herself up before she put on a fresh face of makeup. After taking her toiletries from the small suitcase she had brought with her, she made her way to the bathroom to fill up the tub with the hottest water she could stand.

With the tub finally at an acceptable water level, she climbed in and sighed at the relaxing heat of the water. For a moment, she simply lay there, allowing the warmth to fully envelop her like a warm blanket on a cold, snowy day.

She was careful to conceal her bottles of X Mondo shampoo and conditioner once she had used them so that they wouldn't be seen.

Krista leaned back fully in the tub, propping her feet up on the opposite edge. She closed her eyes and drifted off into a shallow but peaceful sleep.

She could feel his hands on her, slow but confident. He tugged her shirt over her head and pressed his bare chest into hers as their lips met. They slowly began to meld together, their tongues teasing each other's. She allowed herself to become hopelessly lost in him as one of her hands found its way into his hair. He pulled back for a second and held her striking emerald eyes in a deep gaze. Again, she found herself swimming in an endless sea of frosty blue, and she would be okay if she were to drown there. "He doesn't deserve you," Dieter breathed in flawless German, one hand moving to cup one of her flushed cheeks. He stroked her soft skin with his thumb and allowed it to graze gently over her bottom lip. "I could treat you so much better," he added. She tried to form a reply, but it was cut off by another deep kiss. His lips slowly traveled an invisible path across her jaw and down the side of her neck, stopping at her shoulder where he bit down with the perfect amount of pressure; Just enough to make her moan softly, not but enough to draw blood. Oh how she liked his ways. Maybe he really could treat her better. He pulled her close again, their bodies pressed together. They seemed to fit together like puzzle pieces, a type of perfection she'd never felt before. "Krista…" he breathed in her ear while her lips traveled up his throat, finally landing at his lips. Their kisses were intoxicating, and she couldn't get enough. "Krista…" he repeated again, kneading into her back with the tips of his fingers.

"Krista? Krista? Are you alright?" Hans asked, when he saw that she was clearly asleep in the bathtub.

She was rudely pulled from her fantastic dream, her heart beating angrily against her ribs. "Holy shit," she said, hurrying to cover her breasts with her arms. He'd seen her naked plenty of times, but it was still a habit to cover herself when startled. "Was I asleep?" She brushed her drenched hair away from her face and looked up at him.

He softly laughed, reaching out to tuck a bit of her long hair behind her ear. "Yes."

"I didn't mean to fall asleep," she said, sitting up. She realized that the water she was in was now ice cold. It reminded her vaguely of the ice baths she had taken back in her track and field days.

"How long have you been in here? This water is freezing."

She let out a breath and blinked a few times. "I honestly have no idea." She pulled the plug to let the water out as he grabbed a towel for her. She stepped out, and his fingertips immediately met her wet skin. "Do you think now is the time for this?" she asked, a devious grin tugging at her lips.

Hans walked her back into the door and pinned her wrists in one hand above her head. His lips quickly found her skin, making their way slowly up her throat. He caught her bottom lip between his teeth, and her head fell back against the door. "Don't tease me, colonel," she told him in a teasing tone.

"I enjoy teasing you," her murmured into her lips before he allowed his free hand to slide down her still damp skin and between her legs. She arched her back off of the door and into him as he began to rub slow, soft circles over her clit.

He began to add pressure as he looked up to catch her eyes, which were full of need all of a sudden. "P-please," she mumbled.

"Please what?" he teased, flashing her a devilish smirk.

"Please, Hans," she repeated, her breathing already growing ragged.

"Please what, Krista?" he growled, his face centimeters from hers.

Although she now knew what she knew about Hans because of Dieter, she couldn't help but fall under his spell every single time. She could already feel herself nearing the edge, and she wasn't sure how he could get her to that point so quickly with such little effort. Her eyebrows knitted together in desperation. "Please… Please make me come," she finally managed, struggling to get her wrists free from his grasp which only spurred him to tighten his grip. He removed his hand from between her legs and left her panting.

"Not yet," he said.

Finally he released her wrists, and made quick work of undoing his pants. With one hasty motion, he lifted her up and her legs instinctively wrapped around him in order to secure herself. He easily slid inside her with a loud moan and picked up a quick, rough rhythm of thrusting. She arched further off the door, and dug her nails into the back of his neck.

He groaned into her skin and gently bit into it before lowering her down onto the floor. He settled between her legs and did not hesitate to resume his powerful thrusts. He spread her legs more and leaned down over her, pressing one hand to the floor near her head, the other slowly sliding down her stomach. His thumb brushed over her clit, and she jerked upward, whimpering quietly. Desperately, she bucked her hips upward, craving his touch. "Do you want to come?" he asked her in a falsely innocent voice, ceasing his movements abruptly.

"Y-yes…" she forced out.

"Yes what?" He teased.

"Yes colonel…" she tried.

"I'm sorry?"

"Ja, Standartenführer!" she cried out, her breath quickening.

"That's what I thought," he said, smirking to her before beginning quick, deliberate circles on her clit. He began to grind his hips into hers again.

Stars began to close in in her peripheral, and she could feel her body beginning to tremble. Her heart felt as if it was about to beat straight out of her chest as she clamped a hand over her mouth the quiet herself. He moved her hand away from her mouth promptly. "I want to hear you," he panted.

His movements began to grow more erratic as she finally allowed herself to let go, his name falling from her lips in a loud cry. As a result, he moaned loudly, and released into her. He slowed his thrusting and collapsed atop her, his hot breath caressing her neck almost soothingly.

In a daze, she simply stared up at the white tiles on the ceiling, a stupid, pleased grin adorning her face. After about a minute of him uncomfortably lying on her, he finally rolled off of her and tucked himself back into his pants. "Wow," he mumbled, fully spent.

He reached over for her, and she moved closer, her head falling to his chest. "I agree," she giggled, her eyes fluttering shut as she felt his hand brush over her still wet blonde hair. They simply laid there for a moment while their breathing slowly returned to normal. "Oh yeah, I should probably mention that Obergruppenführer Kaltenbrunner and his wife came by earlier to invite us to dinner tonight."

"Would you like to go?" he asked her, still petting over her hair like she was a kitten.

She shrugged, adjusting her head so that the badges on his uniform jacket weren't pressing into her cheek. "Sure. As long as you don't mess with me while we're there," she teased with a soft laugh.

"I never do that," he lied, laughing as well.

She rolled her eyes. "Always. And it always works out in your favor."

Hans then stood up and offered his hand to help Krista to her feet. She grabbed the towel that had ended up discarded on the floor, and wrapped it around her body. "Well, if we're going to go out, I suppose I should give you what I got for you while I was out," he said with smile while he watched her attempt to comb through her wet hair with her fingers.

"I told you that you didn't have to get me anything," she told him, finally realizing that there was little to no hope for her hair.

"I know that, but I wanted to." She followed behind him out into the front part of the house where she saw a red bag sitting on the counter with gold writing on it. The word on the bag was too small for her to make out from a distance, but she already had a hunch as to what was contained within it.

He pulled a large red box from said bag and handed it to her. Her hunch was correct. Cartier. She sighed internally. While it was a kind gesture, she wasn't the type to wear jewelry. She never was. Hesitantly, she opened the box, and her eyes fell on likely the most beautiful necklace she'd ever seen. Her mouth fell open, her jaw nearly hitting the floor. The last remnants of daylight sun filtered through the window near the front door and made the plethora of diamonds sparkle like the stars in the night sky.

It had to be at least one hundred carats worth of diamonds and she felt that she was too clumsy to even be looking at it. "Oh wow…" she finally said, finding herself basically speechless. She thought that new Jeep parts were more beautiful than diamonds, but this just might be the exception to her mindset. She could only imagine the price tag on something like this, but she was almost scared to find out.

"What do you think?" he asked, a tone of hope in his voice.

"It's uh… It's beautiful," she stammered. "But I can't accept this. It's way too much." Although she didn't quite feel comfortable accepting such an expensive piece of jewelry, she was unable to peel her eyes from it. She repeatedly tilted the box from side to side, noting the way the sun caught each facet of each gem.

"I don't think so. I think it will look beautiful on you. May I?" Krista placed the box in his hand. "Turn around," he said, as he carefully removed the necklace from the box it was safely nestled in. She gathered all of her hair to one side which allowed him to place the cool metal around her neck. He placed of gentle kiss to the nape of her neck before fastening the clasp. She reached up to her collarbone and allowed her fingertips to graze over the mass of gemstones that now encircled her neck. It felt rather heavy, and slightly uncomfortable. She didn't fully enjoy being 'icy'. He turned her back around and smiled at what he saw. In his eyes, it looked absolutely stunning on her. "It looks great on you," he said, his eyes wandering over the diamonds on her neck.

Krista forced a small smile and agreed. "I like it. Thank you."

The restaurant they ended up at was more upscale than any restaurant Krista had ever been to. She didn't see herself as someone that was classy enough to go anywhere like this, but she was a different person here in Paris. She settled on a medium rare rib eye steak and a nice glass of the house red. As they all ate their meals, they simply carried out polite small talk, but Krista remained mostly silent. Her mind was elsewhere, to say the least.

Her thoughts kept drifting to the dream she had had earlier in the day when she fell asleep in the tub. Two weeks had elapsed since she and Dieter had run into each other in the deli, and she simply couldn't shake the feeling that she-or they- would eventually pay for the kiss they shared although she didn't initiate it. Perhaps it was his simple phrase "one day you'll come to your senses and I'll get my chance" that was getting to her. Maybe the fact that she saw his face in every person she looked at and he seemed to be the basis of all of her thoughts was her subconscious telling her that the feelings between them were mutual.

She was wrenched back to reality when she felt Landa's hand grip her thigh firmly. "Is everything okay, my dear?" Hans seemed concerned.

Krista nodded and stood up from the chair she was seated in. "I'm alright. I'm just not feeling well, so I'm going to head home."

"Would you like me to come with?" he asked her, preparing to stand as well.

She waved him off. "No no, you stay. I'll be alright." She dug out the last bit of money that she had purchased on eBay from her small clutch and placed it at her spot at the table for her portion of the meal. "Thank you for inviting me, Obergruppenführer Kaltenbrunner. It was a pleasure."

"Of course," he answered.

Krista turned to walk away when Hans grabbed her wrist and pulled her down to his level for a delicate kiss. She lingered there for a moment longer than she probably should have, savoring the subtle taste of wine that hung on his lips. "I'll see you soon," he told her before releasing her. She blushed deeply, knowing full and well that all eyes were on the two of them in that very moment, and it made her feel a touch uncomfortable.

She nodded curtly, and made her way to the exit of the restaurant. She really had no idea where she was, so she just had to try her best to remember the direction they came from Landa's house in order to figure out which way it was to the train station.

As she clicked her way down the cobblestone street, she stepped aside into a nearby alley, and pulled her phone from her clutch. She looked around to make sure that no one was watching her. With her remaining three percent of battery, she sent a quick text to her sister. "Are you by chance at my house?"

She quickly replied. "Yup."

"I'll be there soon." She answered just before her phone powered down.

Exiting the alley, she tucked her phone back away, and sighed when she felt a stray raindrop land on her skin. As if it was bad enough that hadn't the foggiest idea where she was, it was beginning to rain. Awesome. And of all times that Dieter could have just appeared out of thin air to help her out, he was nowhere in sight.

After wandering around for a half hour, she realized one thing. She was lost. "Fuck this city," she mumbled under her breath. Off in her peripherals, she saw a man walking the opposite direction. "Excuse me, sir?" she called out in German when she noticed the man was wearing an SS uniform.

The man stopped. "Yes?" He seemed surprised to see a woman done up in evening wear all alone in the Parisian streets. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the light from the streetlight overhead catch the diamonds around her neck. That shit was sparkly as hell.

"I don't mean to bother you, but I'm lost… could you tell me the way to the train station?"

He pointed down the road in the direction she was walking and gave her further directions from there.

When she finally caught them man's face, she fell into a stunned state, and her mouth fell open slightly. "Thank you," she eventually offered, finally closing her mouth and letting her lips curl upward into a polite smile.

Slowly, she began to walk slowly toward her destination, still in shock of who she had just ran into. She mumbled to herself under her breath, "holy shit, that was Jonas."