Chapter 14: Goodbye

Basta awoke under the sheets with Anna laying across his chest. She was awake, her bright green eyes observing her partner's sleeping face.

"Good morning" she murmured, smiling sleepily.

"Good morning" his voice was rough and gravely.

"Rise and shine, Lieben" she said. He watched as she slid out from under the covers, her naked body looking pale and angelic in the dimness of the room.

"What time is it?" he asked. He felt un-rested and a bit grumpy.

"It's four in the morning" she said, pulling on fresh undergarments.

"Why so early?" he asked, rubbing his eyes. Anna looked at him with a terribly sad expression from across the room.

"You're leaving today" she murmured. She stepped into a pair of stockings, then a pretty navy blue dress. Basta made no reply. He swung his legs out of bed, and pulled on his undershorts and fatigues. He wrestled into his tee-shirt, and stole a quick kiss from Anna before walking to the kitchen. "I bought you some clothes from the store downstairs" she said, coming into the living room. She motioned to a few garments on the coffee table.

"Thank you" murmured Basta.

"I think, before you go, it's important that we change your hair." Anna's expression was apologetic. Basta figured that everything he did was at her discretion, so he nodded. Whatever you say, I'll do it.. He followed Anna to the bathroom, expecting her to take a pair of sewing shears to his already short hair. Instead, she told him to take off his shirt. He obeyed, a little too groggy to question anything. "Lean over the sink" she said, taking a bottle from the medicine cabinet. Basta raised an eyebrow, but bent over the sink. "The Nazis will be looking for a man with dark brown hair, around 5'6, with green-blue eyes. The least we can do is turn you blonde."

What? How on Earth does she plan on making me a blonde? (...?) Basta just raised an eyebrow and let Anna do her thing. She shook a bottle, then twisted off the cap. Basta smelled something terrible. He glanced up, to see what she was doing. She taking a spray nozzle from some other product, and screwing it onto the other bottle.

"Close your eyes" she said, as she passed him a wash cloth. Basta held the cloth over his eyes, and bent back over the sink. Basta felt something cold and liquid tickle his head. Anna proceeded to soak his hair with the rank smelling liquid.

"What is that?" He howled, his mouth muffled by the cloth.

"Hydrogen Peroxide" she said, keeping up the spraying. Drops were dripping down Basta's forehead, catching in the cloth. He was beginning to feel claustrophobic under the smothering cloth and the pungent smell of the peroxide. "Keep the cloth, but lift your head up, Lieben." Basta obeyed, gritting his teeth. Anna worked more liquid through his bangs.

"Are we almost done?" he asked, feeling his eyes water despite the cloth over his eyes. Anna coughed.

"Almost."

Anna had completely soaked his hair, towel dried it, then soaked it again. The whole time, Basta kept his face buried in the cloth, terrified of the fumes. After an hour in the bathroom, wreaking of peroxide, Anna towel dried his hair a second time, and instructed him to open his eyes. Basta blinked many times, and turned to see his reflection.

"OH MY GOD!" He cried, jumping in surprise. He nearly lost his shit. The wide eyed man staring back at him from the mirror was BLONDE! "Oh my God! Anna... oh my god!" He ruffled his newly dyed strands in awe. "Anna! How did you do that?"

"With peroxide" she said with a giggle. Then Basta frowned. "Will I ever be a brunette again?"

"Of course. The blonde will eventually grow out" she said. Basta continued to gawk at the pale blonde fellow in the mirror. Just when I thought this world couldn't get any more amazing... "Basta, stop staring at your reflection and come get some breakfast." Anna called from the kitchen. It was very difficult for Basta to tear his gaze away from the mirror and meet Anna for breakfast.

"How do we get to Switzerland?" He asked, chewing a piece of toast with a light scrape of marmalade on top.

"On foot" she murmured, wrapping the left over baguette in a dish cloth. Basta watched as she placed it in the army rucksack along with his new clothes. She filled a canteen with water as well. "It will be a long walk, probably a few weeks." She rummaged through the kitchen drawers until she finally found a small round object. "This is a compass" she said, explaining that is always pointed north. "Switzerland is to the north east." She tore a map from a book in the living room, packing it as well. Basta chewed slowly, stalling his time in the cozy apartment. "We should get going before it gets too bright out" she said. Basta swallowed what was left of his meal, and caught the black sweater jacket she threw at him. "The mornings are getting colder" she said. Basta nodded and tugged the cozy garment over his blonde head. Anna packed Basta's mints, matches and cigarettes in the rucksack as well before handing it to him. Basta jammed his feet into the army boots Anna had gotten for him, before shouldering the pack and exiting the apartment. The dim morning was cold and damp. Basta felt thankful for the sweater jacket, and for the red and black hounds tooth scarf she gave him.

The two crept out into the brightening morning, walking shoulder to shoulder up the sidewalk.

"Anna, when I was flipping through a document that Landa had given me, I saw these really strange objects. They were sort of long, but they got wide at the end..." he continued to describe what he'd seen, with great difficulty. Anna understood what he was talking about, though.

"They're called guns, Basta." Anna's voice was low. She looked up and down the street nervously. "They can kill a man with a single shot."

"What?" Basta was awed. A device that shot projectiles smaller than his finger could kill a man from a great distance away.

The two continued their journey in silence. Basta stared straight ahead, happy to have Anna's company, while her head swivelled from side to side, anxiously looking for the black SS cars that could be patrolling the streets.

It was 8 am when they reached the outskirts of the town. A long dirt road stretched out between yellow hay fields. The sky was grey blue, and seemed to go on forever along the flat horizon.

Anna whimpered about her sore feet (She'd walked for three hours in high heels!).

"This is it" she said. Her voice was weak and quivering.

"The road to Switzerland?" He asked, gazing up the long road.

"More or less" said Anna, shifting uncomfortably.

"Alright then, let's go." Basta scuffed the dirt with the toe of his boot. Anna took in a sharp little breath.

"Basta... I can't come with you."

"WHAT?" He spun around to face her as his stomach plummeted to his feet.

"I'm sorry! But you have to do this on your own!"

"Why?" he spat, his blonde bangs falling over his nose.

"I have a job to do here! I can't come with you!" She looked very close to tears. Basta couldn't believe what was going on. How could you?" He thought, his eyebrows shifting to a pitch that revealed such hurt. "I'm so sorry!" she repeated, her eyes growing misty.

"What is your job anyways?" Asked Basta, changing his tone. He was begging. He put his hands on Anna's shoulders, held her tight. He didn't want to let go.

"My job" she began, her voice changing as tears streamed down her cheeks. "Is to assassinate Colonel Hans Landa." Basta's hands dropped from Anna's shoulders.

"You can't do that!" He cried; a chill rose to his bones as he recalled Landa's dangerous nature. "He's too strong, too crafty! Anna, you'll get hurt!" Or killed...

"That's why I'm sleeping with him!" She screamed. Her voice was raw and terrified, and she began sobbing uncontrollably.

"Anna, I'll do it! I'll kill him for you!"

"You can't Basta! Information must be learned first." She calmed down almost instantly after her outburst. Her chest shook as recovered. "And right now, your job is to escape to Switzerland, and keep yourself a secret from the Nazis."

"Ok" he said. His voice was barely audible. Anna pressed some money into his hand, which he pocketed in silence.

"I'll find you" she said suddenly, her eyes glinting in the morning light. "I promise we'll meet again."

All Basta could do was nod.

"Good Bye, Basta" said Anna. They wrapped each other in a hug, gripping each other's clothes and squishing their eyes shut. She pulled away, and licked a tear away from the corner of her mouth. "Good bye." She was about to turn and leave, when a thought came to Basta. So many times she had asked about his arms, and Basta figured he owed her the truth.

"Wait, Anna!" His mind swam and he second guessed himself. But he pressed on, with his heart in his throat. "My arms... I... Anna, I made a mistake." His voice was frantic and he felt his heart pounding hard in his throat. "When I was sixteen my master Capricorn ordered us to lock a few families into a shack." He felt his face burning hot, and he feared that the tears rolling down his cheeks would boil. "I didn't even think" he stifled a sob, and muscled past a lob in his throat. "There were women and children" he began, unable to look Anna in the eye. His eyes flicked nervously around the dead fields, at the raw trees whose bare branches clawed at the dim sky. "We boarded them in the house. There was no way out." When he finally managed to look at her, he saw that she had tears welling in her eyes. "We set it on fire."

Tears rolled down Anna's cheeks.

"I had he last torch" he said, his voice taking on a new tone. He was utterly disgusted with himself. He rarely visited this memory on his own accord, and never thought he would mention it to Anna. "I stuck it through the window." He contorted his mouth, trying to contain the sob that wanted so badly to come out. The sob that had wanted to escape for five years. "They grabbed my arms, and pulled me in" he bit a lip, remembering how the blood had boiled on his skin. "My hands aren't burned because they were holding me so tight, trying to haul me into the burning shack." The tears leaked from his eyes, soaking his eyelashes and leaving trails down his smooth cheeks. "There was a baby, Anna!" His voice cracked. "She had eyes like forget-me-nots." He bowed his head and the tears streamed from his eyes. "I tried to kill myself..."

Basta's shoulders slumped. When he finally managed to look up at Anna, he felt sick to his stomach. The look of such sadness on her face was absolutely heart wrenching.

Anna shook her head. Slowly at first, than faster.

"I didn't want to do it!" he sobbed, growing nauseous. "I only did it because it was my job and I hate myself for it!" He wasn't even talking to Anna anymore. He was merely shouting at the world around him. Perhaps at the hay swaying in the cold breeze. Perhaps at the sleeping trees, listening ever so quietly. Or perhaps he was yelling at the three black crows sitting on the fence line. Anna just stared at his face, shaking her head very slightly. Then, suppressing tears, she spoke.

"Good Bye, Basta."

A/N:

ANGST! Poor Basta... Remember to review! :D

Went Clubbing last night... I am exhausted. I am the only freak on the planet that could ever wear a turtleneck to the club. Yeah, you heard me. A turtleneck. Mind you, it had short sleeves and was made out of spandex and rode up my belly the whole time. But yea, a turtleneck. HOORAY FOR BEING A PRUDE!

To all you Canadians out there, HAPPY THANKSGIVING (For tomorrow)!