Annabel laid there in the darkness of Hans' master bedroom.

The wound on her shoulder had slowed down to a dull ache, and her insides burned from how he had had his way with her. Laying there, feeling sore and feeling her insides shiver and shake. She was handcuffed to the brass headboard, and her vision had adjusted to the darkness. Hans had taken her one last time before dressing in his uniform and leaving her. Before he did so he leaned over, gently kissing her forehead before gently smiling down at her.

"Good night my love, I shall some to retrieve you in the morning. I suspect there may be some trouble about you coming along, but I've been known to master up a good plan. Don't you worry, by tomorrow night we'll be back in American and you'll be Mrs. Hans Landa."

With that, he gently brushed some of her sweaty hair away, smiled and turned taking his coat before leaving. Once she heard the door click Annabel burst into fresh sobs. How could this have happened? Just a few hours earlier she was with her friends that she had grown to love as her new family. She was part of a team and had proven herself. She had been so nervous about this mission but so badly wanted to prove that she was worthy of the task. Why did she not order a whiskey like the others? Why didn't the actress? Why did that drunken fool ruin everything? Why did Wicki, Hickox, and Stiglitz have to die? Why did that officer have to sit down with them? Why did this all happen? Why did they leave her behind with this monster?

Her thoughts went back to the day so long ago that Philip her brother had been killed and how those men had raped her. Before hand, back when it was just her and him she had so many romantic ideas about finding love. To her sex wasn't sex. It was making love. But from that moment onward, the moment they had their way with her, and the moment they murdered her only family she knew she could no longer just be a little girl. Her few months with the Bastards had been good ones. She had proven herself and couldn't believe that killing didn't bother her in the slightest. In fact, she learned how to tune out all those horrible thoughts and fears. She became numb, and slowly finally found a place where she belonged. She had so many memories of learning how to fire a pistol and riffle. The time Donny showed her how to play baseball in the middle of their camp site once. How Utivich showed her some of the books he had packed with him and how well she was becoming at reading. She remembered all of them, all of those handsome men she looked at with so much love it seemed almost dangerous. How she had grown to love them so much it hurt.

How she had begun to see how much they cared about her, and how they looked after her. She had many memories back while they traveled the country side. Watching as the men scalped the officers, or murdered them in cold blood. To her, even watching Donny beat the German men to death with his baseball bat wasn't nearly disturbing as what she had seen the Germans do to the Jews. In fact, she hated to admit it but she found it almost amusing. She remembered all those nights of sitting around the camp fire, listening to Aldo's soothing voice as he told stories of the South. How she had been taught to play cards, and even had her first drink with the men who all cheered and clapped her on the back. She remembered speaking German with Wicki and Stiglitz, and how whenever she did get the chance she would wash up in a stream or river and feel a million times better. Most of the time she wore her hair braided back as she stood working on cleaning weapons, and learning on how to hide and attack. To her it became a sport, and she surprised so many of them in showing she could handle herself. She remembered Wicki's handsome calm eyes. How he was always the one to drape his jacket over her shoulders whenever the freeze rains poured down on them. Or how he would always give her half of his bread and food whenever they were eating, claiming she was just skin and bones. How the two would fall asleep night after night curled up against each other for warmth, listening to each other breath. Finally, just two months ago Annabel built up the courage to finally go to him. It was after a long day of traveling. They had just ambushed a small team of seven officers a few days before and the men had set up camp further into the forest. The weather seemed to just be warming up finally, and the men were spread out sleeping either in their small tents or around the truck under the stars. That night Wicki returned from washing up to find Annabel naked and curled up within his blankets. Freezing, he stared at her still ducking midway down as he entered the opening holding the small lantern. "Well, what's this?" Annabel could feel her heart racing within her chest.

Smiling, she let her hair fall back on her shoulders as she straightened up her neck and smiled.

"A surprise."

Wicki smirked before getting into the tent. Putting down his worn towel and razor, he set down the lantern and sighed. For a second his eyes lingered on her before they rose and met with her own eyes.

"Anna, put your clothes on darling."

He reached over and handed her the neat little pile she had stacked to the side. Feeling her stomach and heart drop, she stared at him confused. "But...I thought this is what you want..."

"What I want, and what I need are two very different things. Anna, your just a child."

Right away Annabel frowned.

"What else do I have to do to prove that I'm not a little girl!"

Wicki waved his hand. "I didn't mean it that way. What I meant was...I'm a grown man. I'm thirty-seven years old love. This could never work."

Embarrassed, Annabel used the blanket to cover herself as she sat up.

"Is it because I'm not beautiful?"

Wicki frowned before shaking his head. Reaching over, he gently cupped the side of Annabel's face with the side of his rough and much larger hand. Making her look him in the eye, his tone was serious and firm.

"Anna, you are the most beautiful creature I have ever laid eyes on. But you must see, this is war time...there's complete madness going on out there. Trust me, I would get no greater pleasure than being with you but you must understand...ever since my wife died I promised I would never make the same mistakes I did before."

"You...were married?"

Wicki nodded.

"A very long time ago, before I moved to the states. We married very young, in fact too young. I was eighteen, she was thirteen. I loved her very much but she died trying to bring our firstborn into this world. The baby...a son who would have been named Jacob died with her. Her parents were furious, and blamed me. I was the one who did that to her, I was the one who murdered her..." Annabel's own eyes filled with tears as she grasped onto Wicki's hand. "No Wicki..." "I did, and even though I have made love to women since then...I knew if I ever did meet another person I could see myself sharing my life with, I could never take that kind of risk again. Annabel, had we met maybe in a different life or time..."

Before she could finish Anna drew away. Grabbing her clothes she quickly dressed before wiping her eyes.

"Enough."

"Anna..."

Anna turned before she left the tent, her eyes now filled with tears.

"So what? You'll never make love to another woman you care about again? Wicki, I understand your pain but I don't understand. Had to kept claiming it was my age maybe I could have seen, but your own fears are making you miss out on somebody who truly loves you. Somebody who cares and would die for you. I'm sorry I was so stupid..."

"Anna!"

Before he could take her arm she slipped out of the tent, running towards the trees trying her hardest not to cry. In the distance Donny watched smoking and leaning against a tree. He wanted to go to her, but knew better. That night Annabel cried herself to sleep sitting in the forest. Never before had she felt so ashamed. The following morning Wicki acted as if nothing had happened between the two. He sat down beside her in the truck and spoke to her about the rain. Puzzled, Annabel felt a thousand different waves of emotion but decided it would be a sign of weakness to speak on it. Instead she followed his lead and continued on as if nothing had happened to them at all. The following night they laid together by side by in the darkness of their tent, and the only emotion Anna could feel at that exact moment was pure cold bitterness. That was...until she met Archie. Laying there in bed, Annabel sniffled her tears trying to summon his face before her. They had only met two days ago, and in that brief period of time she felt as if the two had loved a lifetime.

2 DAYS EARILER

Annabel felt furious. She sat Indian style on the bed in one of the many guest rooms that filled the old farm house and loaded her pistol Aldo had given her. Wicki was staying in the room across the hall and she suspected he would poke his head in before retiring and see if she was okay. At this exact moment, she didn't want to be asked that. In fact all she wanted was to be left alone. Hanging on the back of the closet was the black cocktail gown Aldo had gotten delivered to a shop just outside the village. He had sent Annabel that morning in plain clothes to pick it up and there were no questions at all. Looking at the dress, she wondered if such a plain young girl like herself could even measure up to the ladies she had heard about in the city. Instead she dropped her eyes and mumbled to herself a few swears in German and French. It made sense for her to go, she was leveled headed and besides Wicki and Stiglitz knew the most languages. She knew how to keep calm, and in case somebody did happen to see them walking the streets they wouldn't be closely questioned. In fact, a young girl on their arm would avoid anyone to think twice when they saw them or closely look at their uniforms. It would appear the men were just taking some young city girl out on the night of the town. What did they think? That she would blow their cover? Mess them up? Act stupid? She could handle herself just fine. She knew that better than anyone. Besides, she loved Wicki and Stiglitz. Thinking of them going off on their own on some dangerous mission scared her. She knew this would be a meeting between them and the German actress, after that they would find out how they could get into the German film premier. To Annabel this sounded like a death wish.

Still, if there was any way she could help she would. The last few months had been hard, and ever since that night with Wicki she noticed that he kept referring to her as the younger sister he never had. Hearing this made her blood boil. Why couldn't he see she was a woman, a strong woman who was just as good as any of them. In fact, ever since Wicki turned her away, she noticed Donny watching her almost all of the time. She cared for Donny, but knew his temper. He was always trying to find some excuse to touch her, or be around her. She hated to admit it, but not once had she ever looked at Donny the way he was looking at her.

"Maybe then you'll understand why Wicki wouldn't have you..."

She thought to herself before sighing feeling a terrible ache in her chest. Just then a soft knock came to the door. Struggling to hold her tears back, she tried to blink them away as she roughly wiped at eyes.

"Go away Wicki! I'm tired!"

The door then opened a crack, revealing Hickox. Right away Annabel wiped at her eyes again and cleared her throat as she quickly slid off the bed.

"Lt. Hicox..."

Hickox frowned.

"I don't mean to intrude, may I come in?"

Annabel blinked again, hoping he wouldn't see she had been crying.

"Oh course."

Closing the door behind him, he stood up straight and stared at her.

"First, I want to say I'm sorry for how I acted back there. I don't know you, nor should I have judged you so quickly for being a woman your age. That wasn't fair."

"Oh..."

"Wicki took me aside and told me what happened to you. I'm deeply sorry."

Right away Annabel stared at him.

"You don't need to take pity on me Lt. Hickox."

"I'm not, it's just...girls your age should never have to know the horrors of war like you have. From what I heard from Aldo as well you are very smart and a great fighter, very level headed which is exactly what we'll need tomorrow night."

Annabel lifted her eyes.

"You...want me to go with you?"

"Quite, you speak French and German and can pose as one of our dates for the evening. As long as you just sit there and not speak much and listen we should be perfectly fine. In fact, it may help to have a soothing presence like yourself around men like Stiglitz."

Annabel smirked.

"Stiglitz is all right..."

"I'm sure he is, but I believe you being there will avoid any suspension. You just sit back, look pretty and listen...understood?"

Annabel nodded.

"Swell."

Archie said looking at her closely.

"Um, I have a favor to ask."

Ananbel raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"Do you have a mirror, I need to shave in the morning."

Annabel nodded.

"Um, there's two bathrooms up here with mirrors above the sinks..."

"You don't have any hand held ones?" Annabel smiled, feeling color rise in her cheeks as she turned and went to her small pack, mostly filled with old worn clothes that always seemed to never feel completely dry. Digging through it, she remembered just a few weeks ago how Donny had found an old cracked metal compact in one of the ruined houses outside of one of the villages. He had given it Annabel during breakfast one morning muttering something and not looking her in the eye. He noticed Aldo watching, highly amused. Annabel was touched, this was the first present she had gotten in years. When she opened it she stared at herself. One side of the mirror had a hairline crack, but besides that it was perfectly fine. Now every once in a while she noticed herself checking herself in it whenever she threw it in one of her coat pockets. This at least made her somewhat like a woman. Smiling, she turned and handed the compact to Hickox. "Here, it's small but it might do." Hickox smiled down at it before smirking and lifting his eyes.

"Thank you Annabel, I'll return it as quickly as possible."

Annabel smiled crossing her arms.

"Sure, I mean...take your time."

Hickox smiled back at her before he motioned over his shoulder.

"Forgive me in asking...but you and Wicki..."

Annabel rolled her eyes, smiling and shaking her head. Sitting down on the edge of the bed she sighed and looked up.

"Wicki is a friend, nothing more...nothing less."

Staring off she took a second before adding...

"More like a brother." Hickox nodded.

"Right." Holding onto the mirror, he continued staring before he smiled and leaned down. Quickly and without warning, he leaned down and gave Annabel a peck on her cheek. Withdrawing and standing up straight, he saw her stunned expression before smiling and dropping his eyes.

"Right, I'll see you in the morning."

Hurrying out, Hickox didn't know if he had been too forward, or made a stupid mistake on his first mission here. This was a young girl, a child in fact. She was part of this team that he couldn't exactly put his finger on, and all ready they were planning on putting her in a very dangerous place tomorrow night. He had only met her less than an hour ago. Why did he kiss her? Shaking his head, he kicked himself before walking to his room. Annabel on the other hand was over the room. Sitting there on her bed she felt her heart race in her chest. Smiling she truly couldn't believe it. Turning, she cupped the side of her face where Hickox had kissed her, still smelling whatever sweet cologne he wore drifting through the air. Laughing to herself she couldn't believe it. For the first time ever, she felt truly wanted.

Present

Annabel looked down at the pillow right beside her. Laying there was one of her hair pins. When Landa had brushed her hair before leaving, he had accidentally knocked the forgotten pill out of her hair. Here it laid beside her. Blinking, she stared at it. Slowly she wiggled, opening her lips before she slid it in her mouth. Grasping, she strained to lift her head before spitting and catching it with her fingers. Praying, and swearing she took a second before slowly starting to work on the lock of the handcuffs. She prayed those few times Aldo taught her to pick locks she had mastered enough to save her. Shutting her eyes, she laid back hoping to God she could get out.

"Please Hickox, please help me..."