CHAPTER 8.

I gasped and woke with a start, grasping dead leaves in my hands as my throat clenched uncomfortably and my eyes watered slightly. My entire body was drenched in a cold sweat as the leaves crumbled into dust in my palms. I was still in the forest. My heart slowed down as I brought my knees up to my chest and backed against a tree I was butted up against. I glanced around me as the moon shone down.

Wicki and Hugo guarded me, their backs barely skimming my ankles. I quieted down, watching how Hugo twitched whenever I let out a loud gust of air. Wicki looked like he was dead save for the steady rise and fall of his shoulders. I spotted the other men around the clearing we were in; some were wrapped in blankets and others were paired up, trying to share warmth. I gripped my head between my hands and squeezed tight until I saw stars in my heads.

Talking with Donny for the first time since he found me.

Hugo kissing my lips after two weeks when I woke up screaming from a nightmare.

Donny protecting me as a German tried to bash my head in.

Finally being accepted into The Basterds.

Waking up everyday next to Donny and starting the day off with a smile.

Getting up and tackling Hugo as he teased me about my hair when I cut my third Nazi scalp.

Grabbing Wicki's lighter and laughing with him.

Uti ambushing me as I lay on the ground.

Uti talking to me about his little sister's birthday as we walked through a forest.

Someone slamming me to the floor, a German man in a Gestapo uniform.

Dieter's face appearing in front of me as I sat in a prison room.

Landa's hands on me as he steered me to a barn.

Frederick looking at me, commenting on how young I was.

Strapped into a chair by leather belts as Landa sat in front of me.

Knives and ropes and chains lining a silver table in front of me.

Being strapped to a post as Dieter angrily hit me on my back with a leather whip.

Crying every night as I was strapped back to the chair.

Shooting children and burning them as the Fuhrer became my leader.

Spending everyday with Dieter, learning new things as I fell madly in love with him but knowing something felt off.

Being scared of Landa everytime I saw him.

Lunch with Geobbels and Frederick, discussing his new movie.

Fighting with Frederick as he told me the real truth.

Dieter lying to me for the first time.

Splashing my face with water as Dieter stood silently behind me.

Kissing Dieter goodbye.

Throwing a bomb over my shoulder as Buttz laughed besides me.

I opened my eyes as a tiny trickle of sweat went down my temple and over my chin. I watched the bodies around me rise and fall gently as the moon continued to beat down on us.

I could remember.

I bent forward shakily, crawling forward on all fours as bile rose in my throat, I held it in as I saw a figure move amongst the far trees with a bat. It was Thursday night, Donny's watch for three hours. I waited until he was out of my sight before I stood up shakily on two feet and threw up acid and what looked to be like mud and blood mixed together. I wiped my mouth, watching around me carefully for any other sounds of movement. I landed on Aldo's sleeping form as he leaned against a log. I tried to remember what I looked like; brown hair, brown eyes that were slightly squinty, tanned skin with small freckles around my nose and cheek. I had a slight southern accent; one that I always thought was British whenever I talked a bit to fast…even Frederick had mentioned it once.

I was American and I spoke English better than anything, I spoke German and French as well. Why would an American learn German and French if they lived in America? I thought back to my parents…I had looked nothing like them. I felt more loyalty and love to Aldo than I ever did to the fools who kidnapped me.

Hans Landa the Jew Hunter hadn't been lying. Aldo was truly my father.

I pushed forward putting one foot in front of the other as I made my way to a small creek that was twenty feet away from us, the steady trickle of water was promising. I had watched the men rinse themselves of German blood in this river earlier when we came to a stop. Wicki had pushed me to Hugo who was still vibrating with anger but paid close attention to me as I sat myself on a rock.

I collapsed on my knees and made a loud splash in the water as the ice cold water seeped in through my pants and soaked me to the bone. My hands fell to my sides and were met with knives jabbing into them as the water continued to rush past me. I stared into the sky as the water soaked me until I was shivering, I couldn't believe it. I was home.

I heard something shift behind me but I didn't care, tears were streaming down my face like the water around me. My heart twisted and lunged as I hung my head and let the soft sobs out, I couldn't…it couldn't be real…all this time I was hunting my friends, eager to taste their blood on my teeth.

"You'll catch a cold."

Hugo crouched besides me, his blue eyes steely in the midnight light, I opened my eyes and turned to him.

His hair was dirty and messy from being pillowed on his arm. His uniform was dirty as well and his outer jacket was gone, probably using it for a blanket. His shoes were scuffed and ripped in some places, telling stories of where he went. He sighed and looked up into the sky as well, muttering something in German before turning his blue eyes back to me.

"You know me…?"

I nodded and lifted up an ice cold hand, aiming to fix his jacket but he reached out instead and grasped my hand in his. He held it close to his chest, his warm, rough hand sending sparks of warmth through me. He looked over me once, his blue eyes dancing in the moonlight.

"I don't know you." I replied. His grip tightened slightly as a numb sensation went through my thigh, "…I love you."

He pulled me out of the water in one quick motion, pressing me to his chest and cradling me. I wrapped my arms around him and let the tears spill freely onto his shirt. I felt Hugo shake against me as he pressed me harder against his solid chest with those warm and comforting arms crushing me to him. There was no need to kiss, no need to say I Love You, it was just there. Hugo held me against him as I twisted my hands in his shirt until I could feel the blood draining from my hands.

I sniffled against his chest as my heart clenched and my throat tightened so much I couldn't breathe. I wanted to scream in joy, I wanted to scream in anger and pain. I was with Hugo again, I was with him again and that was all that mattered.

Hugo pulled back slightly as I shifted in my wet clothes, he grasped my chin tightly, it felt right though, and turned my face up to his. Blue eyes met brown and something sparked up again. His blue eyes were shining from tears and his eyes were a bit reddened. His lips were in a thin line and I reached up, tracing those lips with a cold finger and let my hand slide down his chest until it fell into his hand again. He sighed and looked up into the moon as I pressed myself back into him. He was muttering in German again but I didn't care what he said, I was thanking every god and man alike that led me back here. I shivered slightly as he moved and stood up, taking me with him. I nearly collapsed in on myself my legs were shaking so bad, his strong arms held me up. I shivered again.

"You need clothes."

"I'm f-f-fine." I shivered again as Hugo's warm chuckle went through me, he bent down and swiftly picked me up. I was cradled in his arms as he wandered back into the camp again easily, I frowned but didn't comment. I never wanted to let him go. I let him hold me close to his chest as I wrapped my arms around him and snuggled into his neck, he just walked on, "Hugo?"

"Ja."

"How long was I gone?"

Hugo stopped by the dead fire, carefully situating me on the log as Aldo snored peacefully on the other one across from me. Hugo dug around in a bag procuring a large black shirt and smaller pants along with some dry socks. He motioned for me to undress quickly.

"Four months." He tossed the shirt at me and then threw a towel on me. He collapsed next to me as I dried off my arms, "Seemed longer though."

"…Four months…"

"We watched you." He looked to me as I put on the new shirt and tossed the other wet shirt into the fire pit, "when you were climbing up the hill to get away from the Gestapo. We were behind a log, Aldo made us not go down and help…Donny was about to kill the man. Wicki took my gun from me for three hours."

"I remember that…Sakovitch died right?"

"Right before you ran off…idiotically." He chuckled as I slipped on the pants as well and went to dry my feet. He slid to the ground with his back propped up against the log. Aldo twitched. "We were just about ready to kill you ourselves."

"Would've made things alot easier."

"Don't say that, you being dead would kill us." I slid next to him and pressed against his side, his arm encircled around me and I found myself being cradled again in his lap. This was the most touching Hugo ever did with anybody that I knew of, then again it was nighttime and everyone was asleep. He pressed a kiss to my forehead softly, "you should've seen Donny after you left, Smithson too, like you were his sister."

I stilled as Landa's words went through my mind. Hugo sensed it and looked down to me as I looked over to Aldo.

"What?"

"Landa said that I came from America…that my true father had enlisted in the war…" I looked to him as something came over his face, he looked away quickly with his eyes shining in the moonlight, "What?"

"He mentioned you more often…after you were taken away…Rhiannon…Aldo's your father."

The world didn't stop moving, nothing went still like it had when I first found it out. The entire forest seemed to sparkle and shine as Hugo shifted me again so I was cuddled against his side with my head in the crook of his neck. I sighed and nodded as I watched Aldo sleep.

"I…figured as much, Landa was the Jew killer but I doubt he would lie about a thing like that…not when he wanted me awake and alive."

"Dieter Hellstrom had an affect on you too."

"Dieter Hellstrom manipulated me in ways I couldn't comprehend…"

"But you loved him." Hugo looked down to me, his lips curled into a slight sneer, "you have a thing for Gestapo's."

"Ex-Gestapo Stiglitz. There's a difference, you have a conscious…somewhat." I yawned and he actually smiled, "I trust you…all of you."

"Go to sleep. I'm tired of talking to you." He pulled me closer and stroked my cheek as I let my eyes drop, relaxing in his embrace.

"Gut Nacht."

"Smartass."

I smiled and drifted off to sleep. I was home with my family, my friends and the people I loved.

I was back with the Basterds for good.