Hello, my lovely readers!

Firstly, I have to thank my reviewers: bethrodrigues.77 (Oh, Jess will have better days... but not just yet :) ) and FrankieAndHerTroubledTown (Welcome to the story! :) )

I also have a small message for the others who chose this story as one of their favourites... I would really appreciate if you tell me what you think of the new chapters. So, be free to leave a review :)

Okay, that's all from me. And now, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Band of Brothers. This is purely of entertainment. It is based on the HBO miniseries and no disrespect is meant towards the real men of Easy Company.

Chapter Fourteen: My Little Habit

Before I knew it, somebody's arm wrapped tightly around me. Whoever it was, he pulled me closer to him. And then the barrel of his pistol was pressed against my forehead. It was so cold that I gasped.

That was when I saw another man, strolling out of a nearby alley. The moment he turned in my direction, relief filled me from top to bottom. He was one of the Yanks. And it was just a matter of time before he helped me.

He quickly stopped in front of me. However, he didn't take his own gun. Instead, he calmly stood there and said something to the man holding me. My heart doubled its pace when I recognised that language.

Holy smoke... he's a German. They both are.

I swallowed hard as he chuckled. I had to get out of here, before more of them came. But, I barely moved when something hard collided with the back of my head.

All of a sudden, everything vanished in the dark.

XXX

Jeez, that hurts.

I couldn't remember the last time when my head throbbed like this. I let out a groan and opened one eye. Soon after, I did the same with the other one.

Everything around me was so slurred, that I had no idea where I was. But, I was sure that I was lying on something. When my vision slowly came back, I found out that I was on the floor. And that I was staring at some sort of a stove.

What the... My eyes darted around. Actually, I was in somebody's kitchen. I could clearly see a table and chairs nearby. Different pots and frying pans were hanging on little hooks on the wall.

But, all of that became unimportant when a voice asked:

"Mal sehen... was tun wir hier?" (Let's see... what do we have here?)

Without any warning, somebody grabbed my by the shirt. I was yanked so hard, that I suddenly found myself on my knees. A second later, I was looking at a tall, dark-haired bloke.

"This is the third time I see you around, making trouble... disposing of my men as you go", he said, this time in English, "Who are you?"

"And who in bloody hell is asking...?"

I was cut off when he smacked me. I would have probably ended up on the floor again, if somebody wasn't holding me from behind.

"I'll be the one asking the questions here", he said in a lower voice.

I wanted to send that man a nasty retort. But, I winced when I felt pain under my right eye. I also felt something warm trickling down my cheek. However, I didn't dare to check what it was.

"Since the Americans came, you happen to be with them all the time", the German continued, "Who are you exactly? Their spy of some sort?"

"What?" I gave him a bewildered look. "No!"

"Then what were you doing in the company's head quarters?"

Disbelief hit me almost as hard as a brick. How on earth does he know that?

As he scrutinized me, I tried to recall how I had been looking for Nixon – and how I got inside Easy's HQ. I was completely alone in front of that door. I could have sworn. I had checked that nobody was looking before I went in...

"You were there", the man added, "And you saw all the little maps inside. So, tell me, what is your company planning to do?"

With no warning, I felt dread forming in the pit of my stomach. I had no idea what to say. I mean, he was right, I had seen the maps. But, I didn't understand a single thing on them. I assumed that the bloke in front of me wouldn't be to happy to hear that answer.

I swallowed hard, gathering every remain of my courage. Maybe Bill thought that I was a weakness and a burdain. But, he was more than wrong.

"They'll find me", I spat, "My lads will find me. And then they'll kick your sorry little..."

That was when I received a punch in the stomach. As I bent in half, the next blow met with my jaw. Before I knew it, I my head jerked to the side and I crumpled to the floor.

For a moment, I thought that my entire jaw went numb. But, then the pain kicked in, along with a horrible taste in my mouth. I groaned and spat on the floor in front of me. However, I soon found out that the pain wasn't the worst part of my beating. I blinked in bewilderment when I saw something small and white on the floorboards. Whatever it was, it was two of them. That was when it dawned on me.

Jesus Christ, are those my teeth?! My heart suddenly plummeted to my heels. I was still staring in front of me, when I heard that German's voice again.

"I wouldn't mind doing this all day, you know", he said, standing above me, "But, do you really want me to ruin that pretty face of yours? Why don't you be a smart girl and tell me what I need to know?"

I couldn't answer. He prepared to hit me again.

But, I didn't let him reach me.

Gritting my teeth, I pushed myself off the floor. I grabbed the first thing that I could reach – which was some sort of a frying pan. And then I swung with it with all my strength, aiming for the bastard's head.

However, before I managed to hit him, he grabbed my wrist and stopped me. Still holding it tightly, he slammed my hand against the stove.

It was searing hot. And it hurt.

It really, really hurt.

A moment later, I dropped the pan, screaming on the top of my voice. I could literally hear my hand and wrist sizzling on the surface of the stove. What mattered worse, I even felt it. And it was agony – my skin was killing me and I just couldn't stop shouting. That horror lasted until the German pushed me away.

I collapsed on my knees, while my screams turned into swears and cries. My hand was throbbing so much, that I could barely stand it. I had to bite my tongue hard, in order not to scream again.

When eventually looked down, I felt my stomach churning. I could hardly believe my eyes. The skin on my wrist and one side of my hand was so red, that I flinched in horror.

In the meantime, the German crouched beside me. As soon as I saw him again, I felt cold chills climbing up my spine.

Compared to this, the plane crash in Normandy was nothing. And I had a strong feeling that this was just the beginning of my troubles...

All of a sudden, he grabbed me and pulled me back to my feet.

"I'm going to ask you this just one more time", he said, "So, it would be good for you to listen. What is your company planning?"

When he had reached the last sentence, he emphasized every word from it. But, the second he finished, he pulled me again, making me lean over the stove. Grabbing my neck, he tried to push my head down to the searing hot surface.

"Jesus...!" I clutched the sides of the stove. I screamed when I pressed my injured hand against the metal. However, no matter how hard I struggled, the German kept pushing me further. "No! NO! FOR CHRISSAKE, STOP IT!"

I was shouting, but nobody was listening. I eventually bit my lip and clutched the stove harder, trying to push myself away. Unfortunately, the German was too bloody strong. Before I managed to count to five, I was already inches away from the surface of the stove.

I could already feel its heat caressing my cheek. However, that feeling would soon be replaced with something worse. Just by imagining all that pain again made me shout. But, he kept pushing me closer.

It didn't last long when I whimpered, while my heart was thumping hard against my ribs. I closed my eyes shut, waiting for the heat and the agony to return.

However, instead of that, I heard the door screeching and opening. I also heard somebody outside, saying something in German.

Huh? When my eyes flew open, I saw a silhouette standing on the doorstep. He looked a bit shocked when he saw me like this. But, he snapped out of it when the man holding me shouted back.

That was when I heard his voice in English again. This time, he was so close, that I actually felt his breath against my ear.

"You should thank the heavens. It looks like we'll have to talk later." I almost shivered when I heard his sniggering. "By the way, your company is too far to help you. And they don't have a clue where you are." He paused for a moment. And then he added: "Too bad that they won't hear you beg."

"You...!"

I was cut off when he pushed me to his co-worker. The German, who had been standing behind me, was now pulling me across the kitchen. Before I managed to get out of his grip, he tied my hands to a pipe below the sink. I tried to kick him, but all I received back was a hard kick in the stomach.

I was still groaning when both men strolled out of the room. The last thing I heard was the door slamming shut.

And then silence decided to arrive.

XXX

I had no idea how much time had passed. I mean, I still had my dad's watch, but I had no idea whether it was day or night. The only source of light in the room was a light bulb, which hung from the cracked ceiling. There were no windows – four grey walls were my only company now.

Since the Germans had left, nobody came. But, that didn't mean that I would stay alone here. Sooner or later, they would come back.

And then I would be in real merry hell.

Shit. I had never felt this awful in my life. Except my head, my hand and stomach ached like never before. I would also add my wrists on that list. The rope was binding them so tightly, that they were almost throbbing. I have to admit that I also really needed to go to the bathroom.

But, there was one thing that I needed more. And that was getting out of here.

The first idea that came to my mind was to bite through the ropes. However, after a few tries, I gave up. The only thing I had managed to do was making my teeth hurt. Well, the rest of my teeth.

I moved a bit on the floor, trying to take some pressure off my wrists. That was when I saw the pipe I was tied to. As I was moving, its top begun wobbling a bit.

Almost in the same second, I got a new plan. I soon felt my heartbeats accelerating. With some luck, this might even work...

All right, just take it easy now. As carefully as possible, I leaned back and slowly straightened my arms. And then I raised my leg and tried to reach the pipe. To my surprise, I actually touched it with the whole sole of my boot.

Aye, that plan seemed doable now. Biting my lip, I quickly went on with the plan. I moved my leg a bit more, before I kicked the pipe hard.

I let out a quiet sigh when the pipe wobbled in front of me. But, nothing else happened. Nevertheless, I didn't stop. I kept on kicking it, every time adding more strength to it – and hoping that I would soon be free.

However, the pipe wasn't planning the same. That bloody thing was definitely moving. But, it was far from becoming ripped from the sink. No matter how hard I tried, it didn't move from its usual position. As minutes lingered one after the other, one thought sneaked into my mind.

What if I don't get out of here?

I immediately brushed it aside. This couldn't be it. I would somehow get out of this place and go back home to Neve. There was no way that I was staying here. I couldn't be helpless like this. I mustn't be helpless...

Damnit... damnit... DAMNIT! While tears begun welling up in my eyes, I stopped kicking the pipe. But, I didn't give up. A moment later, I tried to wrench my hands free from the rope. I kept pulling them, again and again, until my wrists hurt as much as my burnt hand. In the end, I was struggling just to keep myself from crying.

I dug my fingernails into my uninjured palm. In only a few hours – or maybe minutes – I would be tortured. And I was sure that it would be much worse than the beating I had just had.

Bloody hell. I shivered from that thought. But, what really terrified me was what they would do after that. When I told them everything I knew, they would soon get tired of me. They would become bored. However, they wouldn't simply let me go.

I had killed one of their men on D-Day. Liebgott might have killed his friends, but I was responsible for that as well. The Germans wouldn't let me walk away from all of this.

That was too much. I was so scared, that my hands begun shaking. Biting my lip again, I leaned my cheek against my wrists.

It took me a while to find out that tears were sliding down my face.

XXX

I had probably fallen asleep, because I didn't hear any steps outside. But, then I heard the kitchen door unlocking. I cringed when they opened, revealing a German bloke.

I didn't recognise him. He wasn't one of those who had interrogated me. However, my relief didn't last for long. When he stepped inside the kitchen, I noticed an odd glimmer in his hand. He was actually holding a knife.

Oh, shit.

I scooted back, trying to get away from him. But, he was already there. He was bent in front of me, cutting through the thick rope around my wrists. I let out a groan when he grabbed me and pulled me towards the door.

It didn't last long when I swallowed hard. He was taking me somewhere. I had no idea where – but, I wasn't sure if it would be a nice place. I tried to get out of his grip, but he pulled me harder towards the door. As he was holding me tightly, his other hand slightly lowered, along with his knife.

My heart skipped a beat.

This was my chance.

Before he managed to do anything, I kicked him hard in the leg. The German yelped and let go of my arm. A second later, I landed on the floor, flat on my back. But, I didn't stop there. I raised my leg and kicked him again. This time, I hit a rather painful spot.

That was when I heard a torrent of words, probably swears. The next thing I knew was the the German also dropped on the floor. He was grinding his teeth and holding his "sensitive place".

My heart begun pounding like mad when I crawled towards the door. But, I didn't get the chance to reach it. Something grabbed my ankle and pulled me back.

Turning around, I saw that the German had stopped me. He was now looking right at me, with his face contorted with pain. However, his fingers were still wrapped around my ankle. I yelped and swung my free leg, giving him a kick in the head.

His grip vanished. He suddenly collapsed on the floor.

A second later, silence engulfed the whole room.

My breath couldn't stop hitching as I gawked at him. My chest had become so tight that I could barely breathe.

Christ... I wasn't sure if he was dead, or just knocked out cold. But, I pushed that thought away when I saw his knife. It was on the floor, just a step away from him.

That thing might be useful. Still on my hands and knees, I quickly went for it. As soon as I grabbed it, I turned around and rushed to the door. Pushing it out of my way, I crawled over the doorstep into a shady corridor.

Oh, thank goodness. Nobody was there, except me. Swallowing thickly, I got up and went to the other end of it. However, my head soon begun throbbing again. I groaned and leaned against a wall, waiting for the pain to cease – and for the room to stop spinning.

For heaven's sake, don't stop!, I muttered to myself, Don't stop, damn it! Clutching the knife in my hand, I forced myself to keep walking.

I made just a few steps, when I heard a rustle in front of me. That sound was soon followed by steps, coming from a corner. They belonged to two people, treading in my direction. I could bet that they were Germans, too.

They must have heard the noise. And they were now on their way here.

My heart almost sunk to my heels. I had somehow managed to beat one man. But, two of them? I wouldn't have a single chance there.

With horror growing in side me, I stopped at the corner. The shadows of those men had already emerged on the opposite wall. They both had long, rifle-like shapes in their hands. That was enough for me to bite my lip again.

It was too late to run now.

No, no, no...! My hand suddenly shook, along with the knife in it. I had just managed to escape on my own. I didn't want to die yet, especially not in this damn place.

Meanwhile, the shadows had become closer than ever. I could even hear their whispers nearby. They were just about to come out.

Ignoring my thumping heart, I leaned against the wall. And then I tried to take a deep breath. If it really was my time to go, I wouldn't do it without fighting back. I wouldn't just sit here and wait to be seen and caught.

As my jaw clenched, I held the knife tighter. But, I decided to stay on the floor. Perhaps I would have slightly bigger chances if I didn't stand up. They wouldn't expect something from below them, would they?

Bloody hell... this is it. I swallowed harder than ever when they approached my hiding place. That was when I made my move. Shuffling to my knees, I moved behind the corner, ready to stick my blade into one of them.

But, a second later, I froze on my spot.

I blinked a couple of times, staring at the face of George Luz.

Holy mackerel... My knife fell out of my hand. I parted my lips, but I was completely lost for words. For a moment, I thought that I was imagining things.

"Hey, Jess... Jess?"

George knelt in front of me. His brow furrowed when he saw my face. But, he didn't say anything about that. Instead, he patted my cheek a couple of times, making me snap out of it.

No, I wasn't having a hallucination. It was really him, with his radio antenna peering behind his back. What was more shocking, he wasn't alone. My eyes widened even more when I recognised Edward Tipper beside him.

Meanwhile, Edward lowered his rifle and muttered: "Holy shit..."

Hand on heart, I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. Eventually, I did both. I wrapped my arm around George and dug my head in his shoulder, letting out something between a sob and a chuckle.

"Hey, hey... it's all right." George rubbed my back for a moment. "You're safe now. You're safe, you hear me?"

I bit my lip and forced myself to nod. But, I still found it hard to believe that I was alive – and that nobody would shoot me. I was almost convinced that I was sentenced to death. I was slightly trembling when George moved and held me at arms length.

"Can you walk?", George asked. When I nodded, he grasped my forearm. "Let's go then, upsy-daisy..."

When I got back on my feet, I peered behind George's shoulder. That was when my gaze met Edward's.

"Jesus..." His eyes were wide with disbelief. "Are you okay?"

Now, that's a tough question. All I could do was shrug.

"Tip, let's get her outta here", George suggested.

The moment Edward nodded, George went down the corridor. After a few steps, he gave me a sign to follow him. I have to admit that I hesitated. But, I eventually went after him, with Edward watching our back.

As we moved through the corridor, something echoed outside. It looked like shouting, mixed with distant thunder. However, that wasn't natural thunder – I was sure of it. Whatever it was, it somehow sounded more... sinister.

What the hell is going on? I almost said that out loud. But, I didn't managed to, because we reached a door at the end of the corridor. Holding his rifle tightly, George kicked the door open. I went after him, right into a dusty blind alley.

It was so bright, that I had to narrow my eyes. It must have been early morning, or something close. But, before my sight could adjust to the day, I heard Edward shouting:

"LOOK OUT!"

All three of us pinned ourselves against a wall, when an explosion shook the ground nearby. Debris and dirt fell on us like downpour, rattling against the concrete. Luckily, we weren't hit by anything big. When everything finally settled, Tipper shouted:

"Out of all places, Jess, why are you always in a middle of a goddamn trouble?"

I frowned for a moment. "I think that's my little habit!"

The bewildered look on his face seemed almost funny, But, when gunfire boomed above our heads, all three of us hit the ground.

"What bloody place is this?", I shouted over the noise.

George was almost lost for words. "You seriously don't know?"

"No!"

He shrugged. "Well, in that case, welcome to Carentan!"