A/N: SORRY! My life the past month between work and relationships has absolutely taken a turn for the crazy! I've been sooooo busy and very preoccupied with other things, but I promise you this story was never far from my mind!
This chapter gave me so much trouble, haha. I hope it doesn't suck!
Anyways, thank you everyone for the support of this story, its certainly shaping up to be one of my favorite pieces of work. Keep on reading and I'll keep writing!
Enjoy!
It was the night of the rendezvous and she felt the familiar feelings of both excitement and anxiousness coursing through her veins. Klara fixed her hat over her hair as she stared at herself in the mirror then leaned closer to her reflection to inspect the welt lingering on the left side of her face – it had faded to an ugly yellow bruise on her cheekbone over the past two days but was still tender to the touch. Her lip wasn't as swollen anymore either, having reduced to just a cut across her lip. The injuries she'd suffered at the hand of the German soldier were ugly to look at but they also served as a glaring reminder that carelessness was not an option, and the feelings of anger that stemmed from the memories of the attack only fueled the adrenaline already pumping through her veins.
Klara turned to reach for the handgun she'd purchased half a year ago and once the weapon was loaded, she headed out of the room with determination written all over her face. The blonde-haired woman plucked a dark jacket off of the coat hanger then shrugged it on, quickly stuffing the weapon in her hand into the large pocket. It was nearly two o'clock in the morning but while most everyone else in that part of the hemisphere was peacefully sleeping, Klara's night was only beginning. After all, she and Remy had work to do. There were more people that needed help, their help, and she was going to make sure they would get it. Come hell or high water.
The days and hours leading up to the impending exchange had been an absolute mess for her. Her thoughts were a jumbled mess of worry over Donny's safety, anxiousness over the new family she was about to take in, and apprehension over her brother's looming stay. Part of her was glad to have people in the secret room again since it would finally pull her thoughts away from the Basterd that constantly infiltrated her mind, but the other part was terrified that Kurt would show up at the worst possible moment. Klara wasn't sure how long her brother planned to stay for but she was going to have to be very careful while he was in France, otherwise it was going to be her head on the chopping block.
Klara walked into her kitchen to fill up a glass of water and then down it all quickly when her throat suddenly became unbearable dry.
It was treacherous to journey to the abandoned bar and she knew very well that if she was ever caught wandering the streets this late at night that she would either be shot on site or arrested without questioning; no one trusted anybody in these times and she was no exception, even if she was German and a woman. So after taking a steadying breath and making sure her door was locked she headed for the window in her study, thinking it a much wiser decision to sneak out into the dark alley outside instead of waltzing out her front door. Klara slowly pushed the window up then peeked around the seemingly abandoned alleyway before silently crawling out and landing deftly on the crate below her window. She paused for a moment, listening out for any sounds or movement, and when she was satisfied that no one and nothing was moving around Klara hopped off the crate and headed towards the end of the alley, making sure to stay in the shadows as she turned right and then began making her way towards the bar.
It was also always disconcerting to walk the streets this late at night, especially when she was going to meet with Remy. Though the German soldiers patrolling the streets were usually more focused on the highways and more heavily populated areas of town, it was not uncommon to see a few straggling guards searching the quieter areas of the neighborhood out by the woods for any suspicious behavior. It was both a curse and blessing for her house to be so near the woods, since it allowed her easy access to the clearing but also required sneaking past German soldiers on a regular basis, but Klara simply made the best of the situation and tried her hardest not to make any stupid mistakes.
She crept along the sidewalk, slowly weaving in and out of errant objects littering the sidewalks as she went. She would pause every now and again whenever unexpected noises reached her ears only to continue on whenever she deemed it safe. After a nearly fifteen minute walk Klara spotted the old, dingy bar looming up ahead and quickened her pace, eager to arrive at her destination. There were a few people hanging around, most of them easily recognizable since she'd seen them wandering the square in drunken abandon many times before, but she didn't pay them much mind – they were always far too inebriated to ever be able to recognize her for a second time.
Memories from the attack came rushing back as Klara turned down the familiar alley and hurried up to the old door. The damage the old wood had sustained during the scuffle only a few nights before did not go unnoticed to her and she paused to frown at it angrily, clenching her fist. The bastard received what was coming to him, Klara reminded herself in an attempt to push away her mounting anger, And tonight is not the night to lose your head.
She was focused so intently on reigning in her temper that the secret knock she was supposed to perform was forgotten – when Klara threw the door open rougher then was necessary, she was immediately forced to come to a quick halt as the barrel of gun rose to point right in between her eyes. The German threw her hands up in surrender as the heavy door swung shut behind her and eyed the metal weapon warily before turning a glare on the person wielding it – Remy. He was a very tall man, standing at least over half a foot taller then her and though he wasn't overly built his height made him look imposing. He held the gun on her for a split second before lowering it slowly and quirking an eyebrow at her.
"Damnit, Remy." Klara hissed at him in French, dropping her hands and moving further into the room. "You should know better then that by now."
"Well pardon me, but I believe we have a specific knock to be performed so I know there is no lunatic Nazi on the other side waiting to shoot me in the face." He countered back calmly. "You forgot to knock – how was I to know it was you?"
Knowing he was right but not wanting to admit to it, Klara shook her head with a sigh and crossed her arms as she paced towards the table that had been the stage for her attack. She shivered for a moment, remembering how angry the soldier had been and how cruelly he'd treated her, but felt her momentary anxiety ease when the memory of Donny's heroic intervention pushed to the forefront of her mind.
"This place has been compromised." She heard Remy say behind her. "If the door was not evidence enough then the state of this room certainly is." He added, appearing at her side before pointing to the large stain of dried blood that still remained on the ground. It was the only lingering evidence of what had taken place in the bar. "Someone might have been killed in here. We should move positions." Remy stated matter-of-factly.
"Yes, someone was killed here." Klara confirmed after a moment of hesitation. "But no, we do not need to move positions." She added, tearing her eyes away from the gruesome sight.
Remy looked down at her curiously for a moment before turning to her fully, using his gun as though it were a cane to prop himself up and cast a very stern look in her direction. "Do you have something you need to tell me?" He asked her demandingly.
Klara sighed and rubbed her forehead underneath the bill of her hat. There was no use lying to Remy, not when they were supposed to depend on one another. "I was on my way to see if you had left anymore messages for me. I was attacked." She explained slowly. "But someone came to my aid. That is the cause of this blood." She finished.
When she cast a look up at her comrade, the Frenchman did not look pleased with what she'd just told him. "Then now whoever helped you knows about this place and knows something is happening here, which means we are still compromised." Remy countered, speaking to her as though she was a young child that didn't understand what he was saying. "We need to find a new meeting place before – "
"Remy." Klara interjected firmly, making him cut his argument short. "Trust me when I say that it will not be an issue."
He stared down at her for a few seconds before tilting his head and narrowing his eyes at her. "Who knows we use this place, Klara?" He asked accusingly.
She turned her gaze away for a second before reluctantly meeting his displeased stare again. "One of the Basterds." She admitted. In an instant Remy had let out a heavy heave and turned his eyes to the sky, shaking his head in disbelief. "There is nothing to worry about." She went on to snap at him even though she wasn't overly shocked with his poor reaction.
"Nothing to worry about?" Remy echoed irritably. "Did we not agree that if we ever met the Basterds that we would not get involved? That it would be too dangerous for them," he ranted, pointing up towards the attic of the bar to let her know he was talking about the people they were helping out, "if we were mixed up with what the Basterds are doing? Damnit, Klara! You have put this entire operation at risk!"
"I have not!" Klara retorted, furrowing her brows at him angrily. "One of them helped me when I was being beaten and on the verge of being raped." Klara growled, pointing to her injured cheek for emphasis. The revelation made some of the anger diminish from Remy's face and he snapped his lips shut. "He knows not why I was coming here and the Basterds remain unaware of our operation, alright?"
Her argument seemed to have appeased Remy because he stared at her for a moment longer as though trying to determine if she were lying to him before nodding once, clearly dropping the subject. Truthfully she hadn't been completely honest with him but she thought it best to leave out the part where she had agreed to exchange information with them for now – there was no time to argue with him any further when there were important matters to be seen to. Klara glanced at the large blood stain one last time before looking up above them towards the attic.
"How are they?" She inquired.
Remy pulled a face and shook his head, shifting his gun up to rest if over his shoulder. "The same as the others." He responded gruffly. "I hope you stocked up – they will need everything they can get."
"I did."
Remy took out a slightly worn handkerchief from his pocket and wiped at his forehead before sighing tiredly and tucking it back into his pocket. "So Landa and your brother?"
Klara nodded with a frown. "Unfortunately. Kurt will be here soon and he informed me that Landa would be along shortly after." She confirmed to him. "We will have to be more careful about these meetings when they arrive. For reasons unknown to me Landa holds some interest for me. And if I know Kurt half as well as I think I do, he will be beating down my door every chance that he gets."
Remy watched her with an unreadable expression for a long moment. "If you would rather not – "
Klara silenced him with a glare. "I swore I would do all I can to help – I would never go back on our arrangement, no matter the circumstances." She told him firmly, leaving no room for argument.
Remy nodded in understanding and an approving gleam entered his eye. "I know this well." He said proudly, grasping her shoulder for a second before slapping it with hard encouragement. Klara rubbed her shoulder with a grumble before following him up the stairs to the attic when he motioned for her to come with him.
It was easy to spot the refugees once they were standing up in the musty old attic – there were two grown women, two young girls, and a lone boy, and though the group had been standing huddled together in the corner they relaxed and took a few tentative steps towards them when she and Remy appeared. The sight of their thin frames and dirty clothes made the anger in Klara being to boil up again but she didn't outwardly show it, smiling warmly at them instead. Remy took a quick second to inform her that the family could not understand English or German, but that he had managed to find out through his broken Polish that the mother's name was Edith. Klara nodded her understanding then moved to greet Edith with an extended hand. For a long moment the Polish woman stared at her hand as though she'd never seen it but when she finally took Klara hand, she began shaking it eagerly with both of hers and saying something very quickly to her in the foreign language.
"I believe she said her family is highly grateful for what we are doing." Remy spoke up when Klara cast him a curious look. "And there may have been a mention of us being guardian angels." Remy added, looking to her with a proud smile.
She was flattered by the woman's kind words and turned to smile at her again, squeezing her hand. "Tell them they are safe with me and that I will make sure they get out of Europe as soon as possible." Klara requested of her comrade.
Remy did as she said, having to pause often to think of the right words, before finally finishing his sentence. When he did, Edith's eyes welled up with tears right before she pulled Klara into a tight hug. Klara returned the gesture, wheezing a bit as the woman's surpisingly strong grip knocked some of the wind out of her, and waved to the rest of the family that stood watching the exchange. One of the children shyly waved back.
"You should get going." Remy urged one Klara and Edith parted, switching back to French. She was not surprised to hear him say it – he had never liked to linger for too long.
Klara nodded and then motioned for the family to pick up their bags as she walked back to Remy's side. Once the family had their belongings collected Remy shifted his gun and turned to leave, calling out quick words to the family in broken-Polish. It wasn't hard to figure out what Remy had instructed them to do because in an instant they were crowding behind Klara and following them back down the stairs into the bar. Klara surpassed her comrade once they were on the bottom level and went to the door, pulling it open slowly and glancing out to the left before stepping out further to check the right.
"We are clear." She told Remy.
"Go – I will stand guard."
She didn't need to be told twice and quickly waved the Jewish family over. "Stay quiet." Klara instructed, placing a finger over her lips for emphasis. "Stay low." She added, crouching down. "And stay with me." She finished, pointing to them before pointing to herself. Despite the language barrier they all seemed to have received the message and nodded adamantly in understanding. Klara eyed them in approval for a second before turning to mock-salute Remy. "See you soon, friend."
"Yes you shall. Good luck." Remy said with a smirk as walked past her, gun at the ready.
Once he was outside he sank down onto his right knee just outside the door and pointed his gun towards the end of the alley, clearly on alert now. But he wouldn't be escorting them back to her house; he never did. She, Remy, and Dieter had all decided that the less personal information they knew about each other (such as where they lived or who they were involved with), the better. That way if any of them was ever to be caught then they could not be coerced into giving away information that would endanger anyone else – after all, one could not reveal secrets that they didn't know to begin with. So as was the usual routine, Remy would stand on guard until Klara and the escapees where out of his sight and then make himself scarce.
With Remy on guard, the family behind her, and her hand firmly wrapped around the handle of the handgun resting in her pocket, Klara began to lead the convoy through the dark and seemingly deserted streets.
As always, Klara thought her heart would leap into her throat at any given moment. She could hear the anxious breathing of the family behind her, feel the anxiety practically oozing off of them, and their tension was doing nothing to soothe the uneasiness already residing within her. Their surroundings seemed harmless enough but the constant worry that a Nazi soldier would jump out at them at any moment kept her on high alert. The anxiety she was feeling right then would have been enough to drive any person mad but Klara had to grit her teeth and muscle her way through it. The escaped family following her right then not only depended on her to get them to safety but had also laid their lives in her hands. She couldn't fail them – she refused to fail them.
Klara came to a screeching halt when the a loud clattering sound echoed out of the alleyway to their left. Klara whipped around with wide eyes when the youngest daughter let out a screech of fright, the unexpected sound having obviously taken her by surprise. But the girl was quickly silenced by her brother who clamped a hand over her mouth, looking around frightfully as the whole group pressed back against to the wall to put themselves further out of sight. Klara put a finger over her lips to remind them again to be silent before peeking anxiously into the alleyway. When a cat came darting out a second later she jumped in surprise before sighing in relief, rubbing her forehead tensely before motioning that it was safe to continue their journey.
Thankfully there were no more unexpected surprises for the rest of the journey and after what seemed like hours, her house came into view. Klara hurried her companions along and strode hastily towards the window, keeping a careful eye on the other end of the alley as she pushed it open. As soon as it was all the way up Klara turned and reached for the youngest girl, hoisting her up effortlessly into her arms before stepping up onto the crate and helping her through the window. With that the other family members quickly caught on and began helping each other up through the window, allowing Klara to step away and act as a guard.
Once the family was safely in her house she smiled in satisfaction and kicked the crate off to the side carelessly. The boy of the group seemed confused that she wasn't following them but didn't put up any form of argument as Klara shook her head and motioned for him to close the window. He followed her command, shutting the window, and she wasted no time to run to the front door and let herself in.
Klara found the family waiting for her in the study, eyeing their surroundings unsurely. "This way." She instructed, motioning for them to follow her.
They were right on her heels as she led them to the bookcase. Klara offered a reassuring smile before pushing the bookcase to the side and waving an arm forward to motion them to walk in. She trailed after them and couldn't help but to feel proud of herself when all five visibly relaxed.
"These are for you." She said, snatching up a few pieces of clothing and offering them to one of the children. "And there is food and water right here." She continued on even though they didn't understand her. When she pointed out the supplies everyone in the family immediately moved to grab some food, shooting her grateful and appreciative looks. "You are safe now." Klara finally finished with a proud smile.
Without hesitation each family member came up and wrapped her up in a tight hug, silently expressing to her how thankful they were. Klara decided to give them their space and let them settle in and waved before walking back out into the hallway – it warmed Klara's heart when she took one last look inside the room and saw that youngest girl made herself comfortable on the lone bed in the room with a happy look on her face as she devoured a few bites of bread. After calling out a quick goodnight, Klara then pushed the bookcase back into his usual place.
Now that the family was effectively concealed from sight, Klara leaned heavily against the wall with a long sigh. Relief coursed through her, both at the accomplishment of getting the family safely into her home and for having avoided trouble, and she smiled to herself before pulling off her hat to run a hand through her hair. Another successful night, she thought to herself before a wide yawn escaped. All of the tension and anxiety had definitely taken a toll on her and Klara suddenly found herself quite tired. She turned to the bookcase, resting a hand one of the shelves for a moment, before turning to head to her bedroom.
Klara flopped onto her bed, not bothering to get into her night things, and settled down to sleep. Things were going to be trickier from that moment on, that much was certain – Kurt could arrive at any moment which meant Klara was going to have to be on guard when he did. She had to make sure that her far-too-perceptive older brother remained blissfully unaware of what happened in her home, both concerning the family hiding in the secret room and the Basterd that she'd shared a bed with. Otherwise it would mean trouble for all of them.
It occurred to her before she drifted off to sleep that she should probably be more concerned at that moment then she actually was, but for once Klara couldn't bring herself to worry about her Nazi brother, what it would mean to be caught, or fret over whether Donny was still in one piece or not. Klara would worry about all of her mounting problems in the morning; she'd helped another family take a crucial step towards a better life that night. And that thought alone was enough to push out all of her troubles away and allow the German to fall asleep with a wide smile on her face.
A/N: Review!
