A/N: NaNoWriMo is over! Thank you all for being so patient with me this month. Here is the chapter I've wanted to write for over a year now. This whole story was basically written for this scene.

Chapter 15- Becoming Ada

I felt the need to duck into the shadows at the passing of every car. I'm certain I stood out in my bright yellow dress and half wondered if he had picked it on purpose. Hans Landa probably didn't experience many surprises in his life but I was over thinking. My mind raced and my adrenaline was still pumping all the way back to the house. I tried to make the journey quick.

I used my spare key to get inside. Max came around the corner to greet me and stretched. I picked him up and carried him into my bedroom while trying to undress at the same time.

I grabbed my suitcase and threw it onto the bed. I dressed in a simple shirt and slacks that were plain in colour while packing another set of clothing into my suitcase. Along with my makeup and other personal effects, I took my copy of Dante's Inferno and walked into the kitchen to stuff all of Max's belongings into the case as well. Lastly, I took the only loaf of bread we had in the house and jammed it inside. I went back into my room and set a towel on the bottom of a small leather bag and picked Max up to sit him inside. He objected a little to being zipped inside the dark bag but I left a small hole for his nose to peek through.

I stood for a moment and looked in the mirror. I was really going to do this. After all, what other choice did I have? I realized then that I had no idea where I was going or what I would do. A map would be the best thing to take with me and a weapon or two couldn't hurt.

I ran into Hans' office and frantically began to search his desk. I shuffled through the papers and drawers looking for anything. In the top center drawer was the map I had seen earlier. It was folded neatly and stuffed under a book. The Basterds appeared to be on the move again and the last place he had marked was in the country- Nancy- near where Hans had found me.

It was then that the devilish idea came to me and I decided that more than one weapon might be needed. I stuffed the map into my pocket and searched the rest of his room for a gun and some ammunition. The man had to have a stash somewhere but I could find nothing.

I was distracted suddenly by the headlights that poured in through his office window. I watched as they danced across the wall then I panicked as I heard a car door slam shut.

I ran back into my room and opened the window. The front door opened and I scolded myself for not locking it to delay him or whoever was coming to retrieve me. I grabbed the suitcase and the leather bag with Max and set them both outside then crawled through myself. I shut the window with as much force as I could without making too much noise but it became stuck at the last two inches or so and would not budge.

If Hans saw the window open he would know. His footsteps could be heard coming down the hall towards my room and I heard him calling for me. Seeing his shadow on the opposite wall, I froze. I did not realize I was holding my breath. I ducked out of sight and stayed there; squatting below the window, holding my belongings to me and hoping Max would stay quiet.

I could hear him looking around my room. His steps were slow. I'm going to get caught. I always get caught. I'll never escape him.

I let out a sigh of relief as I heard his steps retreat but I heard two other voices outside. Two men were talking and circling around the other side of the house. I did not linger a moment longer. I picked up my things and tried my best to stay low and keep to the shadows of night as I walked into our neighbor's yard then into their neighbor's yard until I hit a crossroad.

Still, with every car that drove near, my blood would freeze and my heart would stop in my chest. I did not expect him so soon at the house. I did not want any surprises. I tried to think of a place I could stay but I did not know anyone who would not place me straight back into his hands. If I was going to carry out my plan, I had to do it quickly because if he had been keeping as close of an eye on the Basterds as the map in my pocket suggested, then it would not be long before he realized it was missing.

I walked for over an hour and studied the familiar streets I found myself on. I had never gotten a good look at them at night. There were few Nazis left roaming these streets. They were quite empty and the traffic was little at this hour. I saw an empty motorcycle with a side car sitting near one curb and just behind it another empty Nazi vehicle. There were other cars on nearby side streets. A lot of them were staying here at the moment. It was a risky destination but the only one that came to mind.

I knocked lightly on the door in front of me, standing on the front mat. I did not wish to wake her but I saw the faint light in the uppermost window and thought perhaps that she was still awake. I knocked again, getting anxious as a car or two passed. The last thing I wanted was to look suspicious and draw attention to myself.

I heard the soft patter of feet against the floor and the blind that covered the door window shifted. I hoped that in the street lights she could see my face.

"Mrs. Schafer?"

She cracked the door open at my voice and peered outside. "Are you alone?" she asked.

I nodded and she waved me inside, shutting the door behind me.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I didn't know where else to go. I tried to think of a place he wouldn't."

"Good luck," she said, knowing exactly of whom I was speaking.

"I was afraid you wouldn't remember me."

"The meek, half-dressed little shrimp of a thing under the wing of the Jew Hunter? Ha. You've even been in the papers, dear," she said, while sifting through an old stack and pulling out an old issue. She handed it to me and walked further into her shop.

I looked at the front page and saw a picture of Hans. There was an article on his success out in the country but in the bottom corner was a picture of us together. It was the first night he had taken me out and a small mention of us being engaged caught my eye. "Ugh," I said slamming the paper back down on the stack. I took one more look down at that picture of us. We both looked happy. If only I knew at that moment what I knew at Ms. Schafer's that night. "The horrid rumors the media starts."

Ms. Schafer's chuckled. "Am I to believe you aren't engaged? That isn't the only article written about your dear Colonel."

"Please don't call him mine or dear," I said. "He is neither. And I do not wish to talk anymore about him. Forgive me, Ms. Schafer, but informing you on what happened would give you knowledge that he could easily use against you... should he come asking questions."

"He will," she said. "Hans Landa is a man full of questions and he never lets them escape without answers. If you have not come here to seek solace then what have you come here for at this hour?"

"Just a warm place for the night. I will leave before dawn," I said at first. "But I was wondering if perhaps I could make use of your tailoring skills again, if it is not too much to ask?" She stepped towards me hesitantly and nodded for me to continue with my request. "A Nazi uniform," I said and she seemed astonished. "And not a female one. I want to look like a man."

After little convincing, she agreed to honor my request but needed my help to have it all done by dawn. She asked me no questions and guided me on how to hem a pair of pants and take them in at the waist. That was my only task. She fitted me for shoes and a hat, handed me a tie and belt and spent the rest of the night tailoring a white dress shirt and a dark coat. I did not ask where the uniforms had come from as I imagined that she was one of the many tailors who were kept in business due to the need for Nazi uniforms.

We worked through the night and I fed Max his breakfast just as we were finishing. The poor pup had an accident on the towel in the leather bag but Ms. Schafer was kind enough to give him a new one.

Just before I left, I donned the uniform and looked in the mirror. As long as I kept the hat on, I could pass for a Gestapo and that was all I really needed. Ms. Schafer looked at my reflection from over my shoulder and smiled. I turned to hug her and thank her. "Take care, child," she said and placed a large pistol in my hands. I grabbed my things, putting a grumpy Max back into his bag and slipped through her back door into the dark alleyway.

The Nazi vehicles were still empty along the streets and I spied that motorcycle with the sidecar. I had helped work on these vehicles. I had helped build them and service them and I certainly knew how to hotwire the engines. I stuffed my suitcase in the sidecar and strapped Max's bag into the seat so he wouldn't be shifted about too much. I climbed on the other side and started the vehicle, speeding off towards Nancy so I could walk down that country road once more.

I did not have enough gas to carry me all the way to my former prison but I refused to stop somewhere and chance being seen by the wrong person. I rode until the motorcycle sputtered to a halt. I was on the country road. It hadn't taken as long as I had expected but part of me was dreading this encounter. I propped the bike behind some bushes and pulled the gun Ms. Schafer had given me out of my pocket, making sure it was loaded. I kissed Max goodbye and wondered if the poor thing would miss me.

It had only been a few days but I had grown so attached to the innocent pup. I wondered for a moment if perhaps Landa felt that way about me. I promised Max I would be back and leashed him to the motorcycle so that he could be out and about while I was away. I set his food bowl down and poured what was left of the water into a separate container for him. He would be fine in the shade. If I died in there, surely someone would find him in the search for the stolen Nazi motorcycle.

I stood and stared at the road before me. Never did I think I would travel it again, especially in this direction. There was no turning back now. I walked for hours, through the morning and evening. Just as night fell, I could see the silhouette of the tree line by the glow of the stars. As I approached the woods, a brief flashes of memory came back but nothing substantial. There were a few dim lights in the distance and I walked towards them, keeping my right hand in my pocket, gripping the gun.

The house was not as buried into the woods as I had originally thought but I got a much better picture of it now, even in the dark. It was a two story brick house. It looked rather normal other than the fact that it was in the middle of nowhere. I walked up the small set of steps and knocked on the door, lowering my head so only my hat could be seen from the peephole. The door creaked open, only a crack then the person who opened it walked away. Success.

I knew I would have to be fast. The gunfire would be loud and I wouldn't have much time to think about what I was doing. If I wanted to make it out alive, I couldn't stop once I started and not knowing the layout of the house would hinder my speed. I stared at the back of the guy's head. Knowing who and what they all were now, I had no regret in pulling my gun out and aiming steadily as I walked behind him. When I pulled the trigger, the gunfire resounded through the entire house and could have probably been heard throughout the entire forest.

This was it. 1 down.

I bent down and searched his body for any other weapons. Success. He had a pistol on him. I had never before fired a gun with my left hand but now was as good a time as any to learn.

Suddenly a nearby room lit up and I heard three distinct voices from within. I listened carefully from around the corner.

"This better not be happening again."

"If it is, I doubt this one has made it far. That last girl got away by mere luck."

"That was months ago."

"Yea and she was with Landa." The speaker sounded nervous. "If he found out what we did to his property-"

"Are you stupid? They weren't together until after she got away. She wasn't his wife."

"How can you be sure? He's a private man."

"You think he doesn't know about us? We'd be dead already if she was his wife."

"You are dead already," I said as I stepped out of the shadows.

"What the fuck?" 2. 3. 4.

It was then that I heard another pop and felt a sharp sting in my left arm. I cried out and turned. 5.

There was a scurry of heavy footsteps on the second floor. I dowsed the lights in the room and stood near the base of the steps, waiting.

They came down slowly, trying not to make any sounds as they descended. I pushed myself against the wall and stayed quiet and still. I watched two of them pass by and another two stayed on the steps, right next to me. I shot them first since they were at pointe blank but then the lights were flicked on inside the room. I lunged behind a table as they opened fire. They wasted all of their bullets and clumsily tried to reload. Bingo. 6. 7. 8. 9.

I turned the lights back off and scurried around in the darkness for new weapons and more ammo. They were making this too easy but I did not want to jinx myself. I ascended the stairs as slowly and silently as possible. If they were smart, they would have others waiting up here. I thought maybe I should simply wait them out downstairs. They would have to come down eventually but I was exhausted. It had been an emotional week and sleep had been sparse the last few days. This needed to be over whether by my end or theirs.

I tried my best to ignore the sting in my arm as I was near the top of the steps. Just as I reached the landing, the lights came on but I saw no one. I panicked. I ignorantly opened the first door I saw and slipped inside.

It was a dark cell, much like my own had been and inside was a young girl. She trembled in the corner with her knees drawn to her chest. She didn't dare look up at me. I walked towards her and put my hand on her arm.

"How many are in this house?" I asked.

She looked up at me slowly. "There are around twenty at night," she said.

"No. I meant girls. How many more of you are there?" I asked.

She shook her head. "I thought I was alone."

"No. You're not." I helped her stand and guided her towards the door. "Go straight down the steps. Don't stop for anything. The path to the front door should be clear."

She nodded and whispered, "Thank you," as I pulled her out the door after me and pushed her towards the steps. I went into the other rooms and found more girls. I released them all and just as I was beginning to feel safe, I rounded the corner and found at least six tired Nazis staring back at me.

The question of who my attackers were had been answered but more had developed. Why me? I did not react at first. I merely stared back and they lowered their weapons, looking at me with an odd expression. I had forgotten about what I was wearing and what I must look like to them. My hat created a heavy shadow that shielded half of my face. It took a moment for me to realize that they thought I was one of them. I took their confusion to my advantage because I doubted I would ever be this lucky again. I opened fire first but could not kill them all before they began to retaliate. Two went down. 10. 11. One was wounded by the time they fired back. I felt another bullet enter my left shoulder and a third graze my right ear before I ducked back into the main hall.

I made a lot of noise when I ran back down the steps, not thinking whether there could still be people down there. I waited in the dark at the bottom of the steps and killed another one 12. but I was feeling extremely weak. My left arm and shoulder were bleeding quite a bit and I had no means to even bandage them unless I could clear the house completely. I moved away from the stairs and walked towards the front door, cracking it a little farther. Then I stepped into a nearby room. One of them took the bait and descended the stairs. Thinking I had run for the door, he ran towards it. 13. The other two were smarter. I heard them come down the steps but did not hear them move elsewhere. If they were on the move, I should be too.

The coldest light of dawn could be seen through the trees when I glanced out the front door. It wouldn't be long before the front of the house was lit with sunlight, as the rest of the windows were blacked out with boards and paint.

As I made my way around the lower floor, I heard two or three more men enter the house from the front door.

"Oh my God."

"What the fuck?"

They went silent and I heard their pistols click as they readied their weapons. Part of me wondered if these newcomers had seen my motorbike or Max. I really wanted Max to be alive and well when I was able to get back… if I was able to get back.

One of the new idiots gave themselves away by opening the doors to the rooms downstairs where more girls were kept…where I had been kept. I peered down the hall and aimed my gun just as the two Nazis from upstairs must've gotten the same idea. In the dark, a person opening those doors would have seemed to them to have been me since I was doing that same thing upstairs not a moment beforehand.

There were a series of shots but I never once fired my gun that time. The five Nazis left had taken each other out. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. As far as I knew, the house was now empty. I searched the rooms and released all of the girls I could find. There were no words between us.

I looked towards the open front door. The sun was shining through the trees as it rose over the hidden horizon. I had made it through the night. I stepped outside and breathed in the fresh air, ignoring the pain from my wounds. I closed my eyes and took off my hat, letting my hair fall.

A twig snapped off to the side and my head turned quickly in the direction of the sound. To both my right and left were several men dressed in drab shades of green and brown. They carried with them heavy automatic weapons except one who seemed to be their leader. The one that stood out had a large scar across his neck and in one hand he carried my suitcase and bag. In the other, he held a squirming Max.

I smiled at him, knowing exactly who they must be. "I would have scalped them myself," I said. "But I haven't a knife."