Chapter 18: A home for Basta

Basta awoke to someone nudging him with their boot.

"Wakey-wakey" said the man's voice. Basta groaned. He opened his eyes, and found himself looking up at Robert. The man smiled a bit. He wasn't wearing his helmet, so Basta could see the man's light brown hair, which was parted down the middle and splitting into two little bangs that flipped over opposite sides of his forehead. A cowlick in his hair made a strand stick almost straight up on top. "Long night?" Asked Robert, adjusting the collar of his white tee shirt. He had his jacket draped over a strong looking arm.

"Sure, I guess" Basta rubbed his forehead. He noticed that he was slumped against a wall in a hallway... how pathetic. Oh well, at least it's not the gutter he thought. Oh, too many times he had woken up in the gutter in Ombra. Basta yawned and stumbled to his feet. Robert smirked in amusement.

"Didja get laid?" He asked. His hazel eyes danced in amusement. Basta wrinkled his brow and curled his mouth in distaste.

"Not quite" he muttered. Robert tilted his head back and let out a handsome laugh. Basta felt his cheeks turning pink. As Robert shrugged into his field jacket, Basta recovered from his embarrassment. "Did you?" He asked, hoping to take the spotlight off of himself.

"No" Robert shook his head and put a hand over his left breast pocket, where Olivia's photo was undoubtedly hidden.

"I see..." Basta felt like more of an idiot. Robert's dog tags jingled as he zipped up his green jacket. "Going somewhere?"

"Yeah. I've gotta get my squad out of here." He sighed. "I'm not technically qualified to lead this squad. I need to get to the rendezvous."

"What happened?"

"The corporal died in action." When Basta didn't reply, Robert sighed. "Along with the sergeant."

"Ah" Basta pretended he understood. Robert sighed, like there was an extremely heavy burden on his shoulders.

"So what are you doing in Switzerland anyways?" Asked Robert.

"I'm not even sure" muttered Basta. "I was just told to stay hidden from the Nazis."

"Sounds like a decent plan" chuckled Robert. "Why aren't you in the army?"

"It's really a long story"

"Alright" said Robert. He smiled his handsome lopsided grin.

"When are you leaving? What time is it anyways?" Basta rubbed his aching head with a flat hand, and yawned. In retrospect, he was ashamed of his encounter with Alessandra. What was he thinking? Basta mentally scolded himself. Even though he and Anna weren't together... even if he was probably dead to her... he still felt connected to her in some way. He wanted to slap himself for trying to sleep with Alessandra. So, with his pride in the gutter, he decided that it was best that it didn't work out between he and Alessandra.

"It's 6:45. And we're leaving at 7."

The two men walked down the stairs, back into the hotel lobby. The American soldiers were standing around, yawning and rubbing their eyes. Some looked sullen and sad, others looked completely indifferent. Basta shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. There was something about looking at all the young men that would almost certainly die that made Basta's skin crawl.

"So uh, good bye, then" Robert sighed, and held his hand out for Basta. Basta shook the young man's warm, dry hand and tried to smile.

"Good luck out there." Said Basta awkwardly. He slid his hand out of Robert's and looked into the Lieutenant's hazel eyes. An extremely awkward moment passed, then Robert seemed to squirm under Basta's gaze.

"Thank you for all you've done" said Robert, sighing. "I appreciate all you've done for my brother and I. You are a hero to my family." Basta blushed, and suppressed a smile. "Alright" Robert grit his teeth, then tapped Basta's arm.

"Don't get shot" said Basta, as the lieutenant walked away. Robert turned and laughed, as dryly as his brother had, and shook his head slightly before returning to his squad. Basta sighed, then left the hotel. He didn't want to have to look at Robert or the squad of young men.

Basta trekked up the road, not entirely sure where he was headed. He clutched the German field jacket closer around his body, as the day was damp and chilly. As he walked, Basta thought of Robert, and that photo of Olivia. Apparently, Robert had known her since he was six years old. Why wasn't she his girlfriend? He obviously loved her... did she love him back? Or was their situation the same as Basta and Anna's? Basta sighed loudly as he thought back to his beautiful not-girlfriend. His heart ached as he remembered the night they had slept together. He wanted to groan out loud at the memory of her beautiful body... Then he did groan aloud, and felt something tighten in his throat. Basta had to strain to keep the corners of his mouth from falling too low. He blinked his eyes rapidly, angry at himself for getting so emotional over a woman. But it wasn't just any woman... it was Anna. Basta swore under his breath. He quickened his pace up the path, and thought more about Robert, and his peculiar mannerisms. A mystery wrapped in a riddle thought Basta. But then again, I'm no good with people. Basta's mind wandered as he walked up the lonely road. On either of his sides were thinning trees, and eventually small farmer's fields. Up ahead, he noticed, was a small village. Exhausted and cold, Basta felt hope rise in his chest at the sight of the town. He figured it would be a good idea to hide there, as Anna would want him to do. Again, Basta wondered if she would be proud of him. Probably not he thought miserably.

When he finally made it to the small town, Basta noticed that Auleau looked like a grand city in comparison to that place. Though the Swiss village was extremely clean, the buildings weren't as tall, and there were no fancy wrought iron benches.

Basta grimaced as a light, misty rain began to fall through the cold air. The few pedestrians walking up the sidewalks cast him looks. It's probably because of the jacket he thought miserably. So he quickly stripped out of it, and folded the thick, canvas-like material and stuffed it into his rucksack.

He continued up the road, shivering bitterly, looking for a place to stay. To his right, warm orange lights were glowing behind a window. Basta peered in, and realised that it was a restaurant. A fireplace was crackling against the left wall, and the walls were painted a rich red color. Basta opened the door, bells jingled, and a head poked up from behind a counter at the far end of the room.

"Hullo?" Called the young man from behind the counter. Basta sighed in relief as the warm air caressed his chilled skin, before answering.

"Hi!"

"How can I help you?" The young man stepped around the counter, and quickly strode across the worn oak floor on long legs.

"To be honest, I was wondering if I could get a job here." Basta surprised himself. I'm looking for a job now? He asked himself. Where did that come from? He felt as though his verbal/mental filter had been shut off. So he just went along with his own story, trusting his own instinct.

"A job, huh?" The young man, Basta noticed, had such dark auburn hair that it almost appeared to be dark brown in color. He had long, narrow and angular eyebrows, and very dark brown eyes. His skin was soft and white, and he stood at around 5'11. He had a lean, wiry frame and only small amounts of muscle tone on his arms. "Well my father would be the person to talk to if you're looking for a job." He slung a white towel over his shoulder and scuffed the floor with his shiny black shoe. "What's your name?"

"Basta" he answered, eyeing the fireplace.

"Alright, Basta. You can have a seat. I'll go find my father." The young man smiled, then strode across the room once again to a backroom. Basta walked over to the fireplace, forcing himself to move slowly. Then he sat on ledge and let the fire suck all the moisture from his back. He sighed in content, closed his eyes, and let the heat embrace his cold body. The moment didn't last long, though, because the back door opened and an older, greying man came out, with the wiry redhead behind him. Basta stood up, brushed some ashes off the seat of his pants, and approached the older man.

"Hi" said Basta, slightly awkwardly. He wasn't used to using manners. "My name is Basta. I was wondering if I could possibly work for you." He tried his best to smile at the short man standing before him. The redhead stood behind the old man- his father- and looked around the room, in a sort of bored daze. He had a long-ish face, and an angular jaw. He looked quite different from the old man he stood behind, who had a round belly and a stouter build.

"That's what Daniel told me" said the old guy. Basta frowned for a moment, confused, before it clicked. Daniel was the redhead. Hearing his name, the young man's eyes stopped their journey around the room. He looked at the back of his father's head, then relaxed and let his gaze wander once again. Basta felt uncomfortable when Daniel's dark chocolate colored eyes rested on him for a moment. He felt the young man studying him, taking in the details of his scarf, his scruffy blonde hair, and of course the brown stubble growing on his jaw. "We don't have much need for extra hands in the restaurant, but we could use some help catering. I'm getting too old, and it's too much for Daniel here to do on his own." The old man rubbed the grey stubble on his sagging cheeks and he contemplated Basta's request.

"That's fine with me..." Basta nodded encouragingly. Anna would be so proud if she knew I was getting a job. Basta almost smiled in glee. And this job didn't involve plundering or murdering. Excellent.

"You look like you could carry some heavy loads" the old man frowned a moment, then his entire face relaxed. "Yeah, yeah, you've got the job." He swatted his hand away from his own face before holding it out for Basta to shake. "My name is Markus VanDosen."

"Thank you very much, Mr. VanDosen." Basta shook the man's plump, dry hand and flashed a toothy grin.

"Daniel, you show this guy what needs to be done, I'll be in the office." Markus gave Basta a quick (yet scrutinizing) once over before retreating back to his office, most likely to reconsider giving the strange British stranger a job at his restaurant. Daniel smiled, with his lips closed, and raised his sharp eyebrows.

"Alright. Let's get this show on the road!" Daniel smiled, showing off perfectly straight teeth. He lead Basta through the back of the restaurant, to a small kitchen, and explained that his father's restaurant made the best Brunsli (Swiss brownies) in the country. Basta highly doubted this, as the restaurant was completely empty.

"Why is your restaurant so empty, then?" Asked Basta. There wasn't anyone cooking in the kitchen, either.

"I guess you missed the closed sign, huh?" Daniel raised an eyebrow at Basta, who blinked stupidly.

"Oh, yeah. Guess I did." Basta shrugged and pretended that he really did miss the sign that said the restaurant was closed. They walked through an isle of counters, and copper pots and pans hanging from wooden rectangles suspended from the ceiling. Basta's Army boots clopped on the black and white diamond tile floor as the two headed for another door, to the far right of the room. As they walked, Daniel explained that his father's restaurant sometimes catered to small events. Christmas time was especially busy, because people loved to come in for the Brunsli.

"So how old are you?" Asked Daniel.

"21. How about yourself?" Basta thought the question was odd. Never in Lombrica did anyone ask how old you were. That was just an irrelevant fact.

"I'm 19." Daniel smiled a little, then motioned to a door to their right. "That's the office. It's were my dad works." Then he pointed to a door straight ahead. "That's the back room. That's where we get all the boxes ready for catering." Daniel opened the door, and Basta was pleased when the backroom was just as warm as the kitchen. Though it was darker, and the walls were painted grey. "Out that door there is our delivery truck." Daniel shrugged his narrow shoulders. "And that's that!"

"Alright." Basta shifted uncomfortably. "When do I start?"

"Well, we open tomorrow at 11. I suppose you could come at nine to help out around the restaurant. Now you can go home and wash up, or something." Daniel frowned a bit. Basta knew that he looked extremely scruffy and probably smelled bad. He bit his lip in embarrassment.

"Alright. I'll see you, then." Basta shook Daniel's hand, then left the cozy restaurant.

It was cold outside, and the grey sky seemed to be hanging down extra low. A damp mist hung in the air, chilling Basta to the bone. He would have loved to put the Nazi jacket back on, but he knew it wouldn't earn him friendly looks. So instead, he just shuffled up the sheet, shivering and clutching his sweater jacket closer to his body.

Exhausted and hungry, Basta collapsed on a bench beside an old lady. His teeth chattered loudly, and he slumped, hoping to warm himself. With the dampness in the air, and the utter chill, his army fatigues had stiffened. The material was cold against his skin.

"Are you alright, young man?" Asked the old lady. She was dressed in a heavy looking coat, trimmed with fur. She had fur ear muffs, and mittens, which were clasped around a small purse.

"I'm f-f-freezing." Basta's cheeks were cold, and he knew they were flushed pink. The old lady made a sound of pity.

"Awwe, you poor thing" The way she looked at him made Basta feel sorry about himself. "How far away do you live?" She asked.

"I'm from out of town, I don't have anywhere to stay."

"Oh dear!" The old lady sounded legitimately bad for Basta. "You poor thing! You know, my daughter has space to rent in her basement. If you don't mind living in a basement, I'm sure she wouldn't mind having someone living downstairs..."

"Done!" Basta smiled thankfully at the old lady. "Thank you so, so much!" he said.

"Alright, come with me, deary." She smiled. "My name is Adriana."

"Hi, Adriana. My name is Basta."

"I can't say I've ever heard that name before."

"Yeah, it's pretty rare."

Basta had to talk slowly to keep up with Adriana's slow pace. By the time they reached a small house, Basta was nearly frozen solid. They had been walking for half an hour, when Adriana finally walked up the stoop of a small brick house, which was side by side with a number of identical homes.

"Well, this is it!" Said the old lady, unlocking the front door. Basta hopped from foot to foot, shivering and jamming his hands into the pockets of his fatigues. When the door opened, it took everything in him to keep from shoving past the old lady and flinging himself at the nearest heat source. "Come in, come in." Adriana smiled and allowed Basta to enter the toasty house. He sighed in relief as the warmth caressed his body. The house was small, but very nice from what he could see. The walls in the entranceway were painted brick red. Further through the house, Basta could see the walls were golden yellow in color. The hardwood floor was worn and a bit uneven, but the planks were rich walnut in color. An iron fireplace burned in the middle of the house. The kitchen was straight ahead to the left, living room across to the right. Down from that, was the dining room. Before the kitchen, to Basta's left, was a stairway that looped and curved and disappeared to a second level. The entire place smelled like cinnamon. Basta thought he had died and gone to heaven.

"Mum?" A woman's voice came from the kitchen. Basta turned his attention to the sound of the voice. A middle aged woman, blonde and tired looking, came out to the foyer wearing an apron.

"Darling, I have someone who would like to rent your basement suite." Adriana smiled encouragingly as she took the earmuffs off her head. The woman looked surprised, and she glanced between Adriana and Basta with wide eyes.

"Hi, my name is Basta" he said shyly, holding out his hand to shake. The woman tentatively held out her thin hand, and shook Basta's lightly.

"Hi, I'm Julie." She eyed Basta suspiciously and took her hand away, then wiped it on her apron. Basta cringed a bit. "So you want to rent our basement suite?" She spoke with an accent that Basta didn't recognize; the same as her mother's.

"Yes, that would be wonderful. I'm from out of town and I'm hoping to stay here for a while."

"You're not a soldier?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Basta shook his head no.

"No, I'm not. But I have a job at a restaurant downtown" he said. "Mr. VanDosen's restaurant."

"Ah, yes." Julie smiled a little. "Well, I suppose you can rent. It will cost you ten Swiss Francs a month. Is this alright with you?"

"Sure, I suppose." That didn't mean much to Basta, though he had the feeling that whatever money he made at VanDosen's would pay for the rent at Julie's house.

"Alright then, I'll show you downstairs." Julie cast her mother a quick look before leading Basta past the kitchen and living room, to a small tiled section of the house. To the right was a bathroom, and straight ahead was a railing, and a stairwell leading to a roomy basement. "We don't have much need for a basement, so we figured it would be kind to rent it out to someone in need."

Julie's hair was blonde, but had a few grey streaks running through it. Several strands had come loose from her bun, and framed her aging face. Though she mustn't have been much older than forty, she looked tired, which aged her considerably. As the two walked down the stairs, Basta found that the temperature dropped a tiny bit. Though the house was still warm, and he was happy to be out from the cold. "We don't have a door leading to the basement, so you'll have to come in through the front. We're fine with this as long as you clean your shoes." She glanced quickly at Basta's army boots, which were damp, but luckily clean.

"Thank you very much" Basta said. That's all he thought to say. He didn't have much experience being polite with strangers. Especially ones that were doing something nice for him. That didn't exactly happen often in Basta's life.

"It's not a problem." Julie smiled. The floor at the bottom of the stairs was the same walnut hardwood as the main level. A few red rugs with white tassels were spread on the floor. The basement was small, and the ceiling was relatively low. Straight ahead was a sofa and a small fireplace like the one upstairs. To the right was a door. Julie walked over to the door, and pushed it open. The room was dark and small. To the right was a bed, which was more or less sandwiched between the walls. To the left was a small oak dresser, and straight ahead was a little closet. Julie went over to the dresser, and flicked on the lamp. The room was filled with a soft golden glow, and Basta smiled. The walls were painted the color of cinnamon, and the bedspread was an off white color.

"It's perfect" said Basta. He had expected his room to be more like a cellar, not that cozy little nook. He was quite happy.

"Really?" Julie smiled. "Well, I'm glad you like it." She watched as Basta placed his rucksack on the floor. "Now, we don't have a refrigerator downstairs, so you're more than welcome to store your food in our fridge upstairs. Or, you can pay an extra five Francs per month, and we can provide extra groceries for you to eat as well." Though Basta didn't know how much money he would be making a month at VanDosen's, he nodded his head.

"I'll uh, I'll pay the extra five Francs." He offered a shy smile, and made a mental note to ask Daniel how much money he would be making at work. Though Anna had given him some money before he left, Basta didn't want to use that until he absolutely had to. "Do you want to settle up now?" He asked. He wasn't used to paying board, and he wasn't sure how it was done on Earth. In Lombrica, one usually paid at the end of each month. Julie shook her head.

"No need. It's December tomorrow, and I'll just charge you at the end of each month. How long do you intend on staying?"

"I'm not sure. I'll take it month by month." He said. Julie thought about this, then nodded. "Alright. Just don't try to pull any funny business."

"No, missus. No funny business." Basta bit his lip and shifted from foot to foot.

Julie gave Basta a thorough rundown of the rules in the Asper household.

The basement bathroom was his to use, though he wasn't allowed to take showers that lasted longer than ten minutes. He was welcome to join the family at meal times if he so desired. Breakfast was at seven, lunch was at twelve, and supper was at six. He wasn't permitted to bring in many guests, which wasn't much of a problem anyways. Basta had no friends. He wasn't allowed to go upstairs, which is where the rest of the family slept. Washday was on Monday, and Basta was told that the dolly tub was kept in the basement, next to the stairwell and cellar. He was to put his dirty clothes in with the rest, and they would be washed, free of charge. Julie murmured that since her Husband had died, there was too little laundry to do. Basta didn't understand why one would complain about too little laundry, but he pushed the thought aside.

Basta was fine with all these rules. He didn't mind one bit that he wasn't allowed to go upstairs. All he wanted to do was work and sleep and dream about Anna.

Julie mentioned that she had three children: Suzanne, Martin, and Sylvia. He was reassured that they wouldn't pester him, and that they would stay out of the basement. Basta murmured that it wasn't a problem, and suppressed a yawn. He and Julie shook hands one last time, then she let him be. Once she had gone upstairs, Basta plucked clean clothes from his rucksack, peeled off his boots, and made a beeline from the bathroom. After shutting the door, Basta stripped from his stinky clothes as fast as he could. He left them in a heap on the floor, and jumped into the tub. He started the water, and let the warmth cover his chilled body. He gasped loudly in great content as the water soaked over him. He pressed his forehead against the wall, and hugged his bare skin with his arms. After scrubbing with soap and shampoo, after shaving and drying off, Basta dressed in the clean clothes and sighed in content. He liked the feeling of smooth skin on his jaw, instead of rough stubble.

Basta looked at his reflection in the mirror, and ran a hand through his blonde hair. He sighed pitifully. If it wasn't Anna who had dyed it for him, he would have hated it. It didn't match the rest of his body hair (as Alessandra had ever so blatantly pointed out), and it made him feel self conscious. It was like looking at a stranger in the mirror. But since it had been Anna that had held his head over the sink, and soaked him in Peroxide, Basta didn't hate it all too much. It was a lasting reminder of the only person he loved. At that moment, Basta wondered about his brunette lover. Was she alright? Had she killed Landa yet? Basta shivered as he remembered the Colonel's frighteningly composed nature. He shook the thoughts from his head, and gathered up his filthy clothes. He tossed them into the aluminum tub in the washing room, as he had been instructed to, then went to his room. After crawling under the covers, Basta sighed in content, and fell asleep.

A/N:

Hey guys! I hope this chapter (4,206 words) makes up for the lateness of my updates, and the shortness of the precious chapters. I hope you enjoy!

And also: thanks for the reviews! Even when I don't reply, I still REALLY appreciate your words and thoughts. Your input always helps me shape the story! Finding out what you like makes it easier for me to improve the later chapters.

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