1944 Present

Annabel grabbed one of Landa's button down shirts from the first closet she pulled open. Throwing it over herself, her fingers shook and fumbled with the buttons until finally she covered herself. The shirt went down nearly to her knees. Smelling his rich cologne she wanted to gag, but looked inside for anything she could cover herself with. Grabbing an over sized vest, she shrugged it on before grabbing a pair of over sized large black boots. When she bent down to lace when the most overwhelming feeling of dizziness took her. Trying to steady herself, she braced her hand against the wall before her head seemed to clear. She knew of all placed she couldn't pass out here. Leaning down again she laced the boots as tight as she could and still saw how big they were on her. Knowing it would have to do, she held onto the pistol she had found and quickly ran out praying to God nobody would stop her. Lucky for her there wasn't anybody in the hallway. She hurried herself down it towards the end window and lifted it up, stepping out onto the back alley fire escape.

Her shoulder screamed in pain, but she quickly braced herself as she worked her way down the shaking rusting ladder down onto the street below. Looking around, she honestly had no idea where she was. Taking a deep breath, she walked as fast as her body would allow it into the darkness of the city.

Two days earlier.

Hickox insisted on taking a look at her head where she had bumped it. It was sore, but wasn't bleeding and didn't even seem to be swelling underneath her thick dark hair. Hickox carefully looked it over with his slender fingers as he sat behind her. Finally she turned looking over her shoulder back at him.

"I feel fine, honest." Hickox's brow wrinkled. "You were knocked out cold, you could have drowned. I shouldn't have ever frightened you like that." Smiling faintly Anna turned towards him and laced her hands into his.

"Did...you really mean it about me going back to England with you?"

She prepared for him to laugh in her face. To tell her he was just joking, that he would never dream about taking such a plain looking child with him away. She waited for him to push her away, and for the hurt to begin like it did the night with Wicki. Instead, a small smile curved on his lips as he gently brushed her bangs out of her face.

"I was serious, as long as you'll have me." Anna felt herself blush.

"You can't be. You're so cultured, so handsome...I'm so plain and ugly..."

Hickox reached, pulling her close. "Anna, you are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen..."

Annabel dropped her eyes and gave a humorless laugh. "Yeah right..." Hickox then grasped her face, forcing her to look at him as he stared her direct in the eye.

"I'm serious. I don't know what's over came me...but I'm smitten. I know I could ruin my military career for doing something so reckless but I don't care."

"There must be a dozen women back home, older more beautiful woman waiting for you..."

Hickox shook his head. "You would be surprised. Women find me odd...I've never been popular with them."

"You can't be serious..." "I am..." He then squeezed her hands tight.

"Anna...I..." Before he could say another word Annabel leaned forward eyes shut as she kissed him. Both of their mouths slowly opened and closed before she withdrew. Staring at him she smiled. "Make love to me again?" Hickox looked startled. "Again?" Anna then pulled off her shirt, the buttons snapping off and falling to the ground. Laying back in the grass she gave him a soft smile as she motioned for him to come over. Smiling, Hickox began to work his belt off again.

"Well darling, let's see if I'm up to the task..." Within seconds he was laying on her again, adjusting himself before he stared forward, his face becoming flush as gasped and felt her hands cling to him. Arching his back, he began to pump into her, moaning loudly as she squirmed underneath him in the soft damp grass.

The two made love again, until finally they stripped off their clothes and laid behind some thick bushes that grew berries just a few yards away from the pond. Hidden behind the thick underbrush, they laid behind it in the grass while their clothes dried on a few branches in the sun. They laid there for almost an hour, their arms around each other listening to the wind and birds overhead. Hickox dragged his finger softly across the curves of her body while Annabel snuggled in close in the crook of his arm, and placed her open palms against his bare chest. Feeling his manhood against the side of her leg, she smiled as he traced her jawbone and throat with his lips. Hickox spoke about his life back home. His family, his love of film, and being drafted into the military. Anna didn't have nearly as many fascinating stories, but simply listening she felt instantly soothed.

He spoke about his schooling, the languages he knew, and of course his plans for the future after the war. He told her his biggest dream would be to write another book and maybe teach film at a university. Staring down at her, he smiled.

"I could bring you back to England, we could marry..." Annabel felt color rise in her cheeks, the whole world seemed to be spinning around her. "You could take me to see these films you talk about...show me what I've been missing."

Kissing her forehead, Hickox smiled. "That goes without saying. I'll take you every night, we'll see all the classics. Just you and me." Tilting his head down, he kissed her before they heard voices. Turning, both heard Donny and Wicki talking together.

"She must be someplace..." They heard Donny say just a few feet away.

Both laid together, naked in each other's arms hidden by the bushes as Wicki and Donny walked away.

"She's most likely off in the fields..." Wicki mumbled, a faint trace of edge to his voice. As they kept waking away, their voices becoming more and more distant, Annabel heard Donny make some remark about how stupid he thought it was that they were letting her go with them tonight. Within no time, their voices ceased and there was silence. Sighing, Annabel laid back.

"We better get going, knowing Wicki and Donny they will send a search party after me." Hickox smirked staring down at her.

"They care a great deal about you don't they?" Annabel nodded.

"Yes, I've been very lucky."

"Will you be okay leaving them when you come with me?"

Annabel laid there for a second thinking of Wicki before looking up at his handsome gentle face. She closely studied every inch, every line, and very part of his face. Smiling, she laced her hand into his.

"Yes, I think I've paid back the debt I owed these men for saving me. I can't stay forever, I need to start thinking about my future."

Hickox smiled as he leaned down gently kissing her lips.

"Trust me, I understand..."

Giggling through the kiss, Annabel's hands traveled down his chest, past his flat stomach, and finally wrapping around his erect manhood. Feeling it pulse within her hands, she heard him moan through their kisses and gasps of passion before he rolled over again on top of her. Bracing himself above her for a moment, he stared down completely amazed before he leaned down roughly crushing his lips against hers. Slowly her hands continued slipping up and down around himself. Feeling it brush against her stomach, he laughed through their kiss as he ended up laying his weight on top of her. Staring down, breathless with passion he smiled before pressing his forehead against hers. "I love you." Staring up amazed, Annabel didn't even take her eyes off him.

Could this really be love? A stranger she had just met? Somehow in this blur of the last few hours of passion she kept getting lost in his eyes. She felt safe with him, she felt like a woman...not a child. She felt...loved. Hickox rolled her over, kissing her in a complete frenzy before both laughed in each other's arms.

"If we didn't have a mission to worry about, I could see myself making love to you all day."

"We'll have plenty of time after tonight." Grinning, Hickox rubbed the side of her face.

"When your right love, your right..."

The two dressed in their now dry clothes, both walking back to the house hand in hand. As they approached the others, mostly sitting around smoking cigarettes. Feeling comforted by Hickox holding her hand, she approached the others feeling for once in the right place. Her nerves about tonight seemed a million miles away. In fact, everything seemed gone for the moment. Right now all she knew was that she was holding hands with the man she loved. Unknown to her, Wicki and Donny noticed Hickox and Anna holding hands, both looking slightly angry, and confused the moment they saw them walk over. As they joined the others Utivich asked where she had been? Looking at Hickox she shrugged.

"Just walking the woods with Hickox."

Everyone seemed to give a strange look as Hickox cleared his throat and quickly changed the subject talking about tonight. The men began all talking while Donny and Wicki closely watched them. Feeling a fluttering deep inside her stomach, she glanced over looking at Hickox before she felt the comforting squeeze in his hand. Glancing down at her, he smiled and winked at her before going back to answering more of Aldo's questions. They all stayed out there a while longer before Omar took Aldo's attention dealing with their truck. The others began spreading out, going off to do different things as Wicki finished his cigarette and continued to stare at her and Hickox. Feeling his eyes on her, she tugged at Hickox's hand and motioned for him to come into the house with her. As they walked together, she didn't notice Donny's stare as well. Once inside, the two darted off to the side study and out of sight. Instantly Hickox's hands were all over here as he began kissing her, smiling and looking ten years younger than he was. Smiling through the kiss, Annabel held onto him before thinking...

"I'm going to spend the rest of my life with this man..."

A small fantasy of a voice said deep within Anna's heart. Smiling, she stood there not knowing that Hickox only had a few days to live.

Present

Annabel didn't know how much longer she could go on. Her shoulder wound was bleeding again, and nearly every inch of her body ached and throbbed. She kept stumbling on Landa's over sized boots, and struggled to keep from fainting. She tried sticking mostly to the alleyways, avoiding the street lamps, and people passing by. Sticking to the shadows, she held onto the cool brick walls struggling with each step. She barley made it another mile before she heard the explosions. Staring up at the night sky she saw an orange glow of smoke appear over the tall buildings and knew she was close. Holding onto the walls, she continued to limp before she made her way out onto the empty street. Staring at the burning cinema she couldn't believe it. People were running from every direction towards the burning building, the windows blown out, and glass and blood sprayed across the cobble stoned street. She saw a burning corpse just a few feet away from the curb and slowly raised her hand to her mouth as she stared. She didn't see the truck approaching in the opposite direction. Standing there, she knew instantly something terrible had happened. That they had in fact gone ahead with the mission somehow, and some of her friends were dead. Staring at the burning crumpling building she simply stared not hearing the truck stop right behind her. As she stared she suddenly felt a cold hand clasp against her shoulder as a voice filled her ears. The same voice that turned her blood to ice.

"Ah, my darling." Turning, Annabel saw Landa standing there smiling.