April 20th, 1943; Tuesday (Hitler's 54th birthday & 4/20)

Sometime during the night or the wee hours of the morning, the pelting rain finally subsided. Krista emerged the tent alone with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders and simply let the fresh morning air greet her face. The first signs of lights could be seen to the east, their watercolor like strokes painting the waning darkness with a vibrant palette of warm colors. A faint fog hung in the air, its silvery mist licking at every surface that it could reach.

Now that daylight was rapidly approaching, she could better observe the landscape around her. Dense, tangled vegetation lie on the other side of the water. She tugged the blanket tighter as the nipping chill of the spring air crept beneath. Walking toward the water, she could feel the soft, rain saturated earth sinking beneath her with every step. She drew her attention to the water now, noticing that it was a slow flowing babbling brook. Water lapped at the rocks, creating soothing bubbling sounds that eased her thought cluttered mind. Krista stepped to the water's edge and peered into the clear water. Her feet were already freezing, but she couldn't help but dip her toes in. It sent a cold jolt up her leg, and she shivered at the sensation.

Without hesitating, she quietly hurried back to where she remembered the car being parked, and prayed that it was unlocked. All she wanted was to smoke her last joint as the sun rose on 4/20 wherever it is that they were. Much to her surprise, her purse was exactly where she had left it. She fished out the joint from the small pocket inside the purse then dug around until she found her small book of matches. She palmed them both, and closed the heavy car door as quietly as humanly possible.

She fumbled her way down the overgrown trail, eventually making her way back to the brook. She inhaled deeply and lowered herself down to be seated on the damp ground. After a quick look behind her to make sure that Hans wasn't randomly coming outside to investigate, she raised the hemp paper rolled cannabis to her lips and lit the end of it. She took a few drags until it was burning smoothly, and the heated smoke carrying tetrahydrocannabinol (THC for short) sunk deep into her lungs. She covered her mouth with the blanket to muffle the sounds of her coughs.

The sky was beginning to brighten further, shades of bright orange coloring the landscape. Krista's thoughts were running wild already this morning. 'I should despise you'… She couldn't stop thinking about it. He should despise her wholeheartedly, and yet he was right; He couldn't keep his hands off of her. It mystified her. His kindness was beginning to feel like there was a hidden agenda lurking on the horizon.

When the THC finally made its way to her brain, she felt… strange. She felt relaxed and awake, yet the fact that her involvement with Hans Landa was likely to get her actually hurt made her uneasy and anxious.

Her hands trembled slightly, so she brought the joint to her lips and took a long drag. Smoke hovered around her, becoming one with the fog. She was too lost in thought to notice that the crunching sounds she heard behind her were footsteps. "What's that smell?" Fuck.

Play it dumb… No… be honest. It's just weed. "Uhh…" She stammered. "It's cannabis… Herbal medicine." God she hoped that would suffice.

Hans sat himself down in the damp grass beside her, his knees comfortably drawn to his chest. She noticed him close his eyes and inhale deeply, just as she had earlier, letting the cool morning air into his lungs. "Do you want to try it?" She asked him softly, holding her hand out with the joint between her index and middle fingers. "It's just like a cigarette. But better." She offered him a smile, hoping it would assist her case.

He looked over at her for a second before delicately taking it from her. Krista nervously bit into her lip as she watched him take a long drag. He held the smoke in for a while before exhaling and taking a second hit. He coughed after exhaling the second hit, and that tickled Krista. She laughed under her breath as he passed the joint back to her. "That tastes… Odd… Kind of sugary sweet."

Ah yes. He could taste the Wedding Cake terpenes. She nodded before taking another hit. "It's an acquired taste. It's not for everyone."

After about five minutes or so, his hands met the grass behind him as he unfurled his legs to extend and cross them in front of him. Damn she wished she could have that tolerance again, because she could see the medicine doing work. His features softened, tension dissolving from his shoulders. A half smile tugged at his lips. "How do you feel? Relaxed?"

He nodded lazily. "Incredibly." That was all she needed.

"Good. It's doing what it's supposed to." She ground the remainder of the cherry into the ground to extinguish it, and tugged the blanket around her in a way that fully encapsulated herself.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" he asked wistfully. Oooh yeah. The weed was working.

"It is. I came out to watch the sun rise." Her now heavy eyes peered over the water, the hypnotic, ceaseless flow over the rocks moderately soothing her mind.

This nature cluttered silence was what she was craving. She was craving this type of serenity that was typically unattainable for her. The way the rays of the sun peeked through the trees and burned through the fog was something like you'd see a photo of in a travel magazine.

"I feel like I need to ask you something." She didn't want to be the buzz kill, but she had a thought in the middle of the night that made her sweat.

Hans turned his head to face her. "Of course."

She hesitated for a moment, looking down at the blades of grass coated in morning dew and remnants of rain. She took a breath before speaking. "This may be a bad time to ask this… but how did you get me through the checkpoints? I don't have papers."

He sighed then, turning to face her fully. "I had papers made for you. You are Krista Jäger of Austria. Correct?" He was serious now, his marijuana induced relaxed state slipping slightly.

"Correct." She replied.

"Then that's that." He said before standing up and offering a hand to help her. She held the blanket around her neck like a cape with one hand while she poked the other out to take his. He glanced at his watched and yawned. "I think it's about time to head back to town. We have a busy night ahead of us."

Shit. She forgot that 4/20 was also The Führer's birthday. And it was not a day to be taken lightly. She vaguely recalled Hans mentioning something about a celebration in his honor but it was likely that she wasn't paying full attention. It was intended to only be an intimate gathering of the commanding officers and guests of their choosing, which meant that Krista was extended an invitation by default. If she were to be honest with herself, the thought of being at a gathering where she'd be rubbing shoulders with the upper echelon of the Wehrmacht made her unendingly nervous. It was also likely that her relationship (as fucked up as it was) with Landa would certainly raise some eyebrows and spur a questionnaire that she was in no mood to answer.

She had tried to get out of it. Twice.

Her reasoning: She'd like to take the night to work due to her being swept away from her shift early the previous day. To Hans, that was unacceptable. She would be in attendance come hell or high water. Basically, he just wanted to show her off and she knew it.

April 20th, 1943; Tuesday Night (Paris)

Near identical Mercedes sedans lined the street outside of the headquarters, something like a funeral procession. Thank god they were able to park close to the building, because it saved them both from having to walk too far in the chilled outside environment. Inside, swastika banners hung from the ceiling and walls, and the mood was light and celebratory. That however did not change the fact that Krista was somewhat of a goldfish in a tank full of piranhas, and the pressure was giving her a headache.

She was anxious for some peace and quiet and some place that she could simply close her eyes, but it was likely dubious that she would get the opportunity to do that for at least a few hours. They were both promptly offered flutes full of lively bubbling champagne, which they gladly accepted. "Prost?" Krista offered with a flawless red lipped smile.

"Prost," Hans replied, letting their glasses clink before taking slow swigs. His hand shifted from her hip to the small of her back and he brought her chest into his, their lips meeting gently. He stepped back and brought his glass to his lips as he drank in the sight of her slim physique wrapped in form fitting satin. He stepped back toward her, his lips teasing the shell of her ear. "Your body is made for sin," he purred in German.

Krista bit bottom lip as a wicked grin turned them upward. "I'm going to kiss every inch of you tonight," he added before taking a step backward, his eyes drawn to that very expensive and very heavy diamond necklace he had gifted her. Hans let his fingers skim over top of the precious gems, skimming over her skin in the process.

She shot him a sensuous look which earned her one in return. "I look forward to it."

For a heated moment, their gazes were locked, only to be broken by the greeting of an officer that she vaguely recognized. "Ahh, Landa, you and your beautiful lady made it," the tall and slender man said, gently grasping Krista's hand to brush a polite kiss over her knuckles. It made her skin crawl when he lifted his eyes to meet hers, but she pushed it down for now and ignored it.

"Krista, you remember Obergruppenführer Kaltenbrunner, don't you?"

"Yes I do," she replied with a just as polite smile. "It's nice to see you again, sir." She bowed her head slightly out of respect and she placed both hands securely on her glass to still her slightly trembling fingers. Now more than ever, she was dying to get away. He had a peculiar look in his eye that made her feel translucent; like he knew something was suspicious with her, but he hadn't all the facts.

"Likewise. Miss Jäger. You look marvelous tonight."

Krista felt Landa's arm slip across her back, and his hand coming to rest on her left hip. Almost protectively, he eased her closer into his side. "I agree. She's incredible." His voice was pensive and soothing and the subtle upward lilt in his beautiful German made her smile genuinely. It was almost as if he actually cared about her. Kaltenbrunner's eyes drifted to Landa's hand on Krista's hip for a second in distaste, then back up.

"Thank you. Both of you." She beamed at them both before turning slightly to Hans, her hand on his chest. "Is there somewhere quiet I can go? My head is aching," she asked him in German, obviously not stupid enough to dare to speak English at present.

Kaltenbrunner watched as they exited his view, and he couldn't help but wonder why this woman that Landa seemed to trust was always so anxious to leave the room whenever he was present. He could only assume that his sinister air made her nervous, and that was exactly how he wanted her to feel. He had no trust for outside women with 'questionable nationalities' who snake their way into his colleagues' romantic affairs.

"Of course. I can take you to my office." Hans bowed his head and raised his glass to Kaltenbrunner before leading Krista through the crowd of already inebriated people that cluttered the walkway. They traveled up three flights of stairs, took a left turn, then a right turn, and stopped at the last door on the right. After unlocking the door and flipping the light switch, he allowed her to flounce past him, her long blonde spiraled locks bouncing behind her with every step.

Krista looked around to see that everything in the office was just as it had been on her first visit except for the addition of a simple but long leather sofa on a wall that had previously been bare. "Thank you, Hans. I appreciate this."

He nodded and closed the door tightly behind him. "It's no trouble at all. You can stay in here as long as you need." Hans crossed the room and gestured to the sofa. "I do realize that this may not be the most comfortable, but it should suffice for the time being." Krista took a seat, crossing her legs at the ankles like a proper lady. "I can't stay with you, but I can stop in periodically to check on you if you'd like." He cupped her cheek and brought her eyes up to his. "Would that be alright?"

Krista nodded, a sweet and delicate smile tugging at her lips. "That's alright with me," she replied as her eyes fell closed at the gentle caress of the pad of his thumb on her cheek.

"Okay. I'll turn the light off and lock the door on my way out. No one should come in here to bother you." He dropped a casual kiss to her lips and swiftly made his way to the door to turn the light back off and exit back out the party.

She simply sat there for a little while, aimlessly looking about the minimalistic office before placing her purse on the floor and lying back. Sheer strands of light from outside streetlights crept in through the small window on the outside wall of the office, and Krista lazily draped her right arm over her eyes in an attempt to block out the light. Her left arm was placed over top her right to lock their position and she sighed deeply. Hans was right; it wasn't the most comfortable piece of furniture in the world, but it would do in a pinch.

Time seemed to be marching forward at an impossibly slow pace. Krista could have sworn that the clock on the wall read the same time twenty minutes ago. She rolled her eyes before turning her head so that she was facing the ceiling once more. When the violent pounding in her head finally ceased, she made an effort to doze off, even if only for a short time. Her breathing and heart rate eventually slowed and her eyelids grew heavy as she slowly faded into a shallow state of slumber.

Awoken by a barely audible click from the direction of the door she hesitantly peeked out from under her arms to stealthily scope out the situation. 'No one should bother you'… right. Except someone was very much so about to be bothering her. Opening one eye, she was greeted rather rudely with a brightened room, and the figure of a tall man with his back to her. The door clicked once more, and she could tell that it had been locked from inside.

With every heavy, calculated footstep in her direction, her heart rose higher into her throat. She dare not move, although keeping her breathing steady was a challenge no thanks to her wildly palpitating heart. The man stopped at her side, the overwhelming stench of tobacco smoke and too much cologne clogging her nostrils.

He stood there for a short while with crossed arms of disapproval, just watching her in amusement as she struggled to control the obvious rise and fall of her chest. "Get up," he ordered firmly in German.

Feigning grogginess, she slowly rose to a seated position facing the man. Once her blurred vision cleared, she could see that she had a bonafide reason to be on edge. Kaltenbrunner was the only officer she had met so far that she genuinely felt fearful of. His presence was incredibly imposing, and goddamn was he tall. "Papers," he demanded, extending an impatient hand.

With every word, the alcohol on his breath tickled burned her nose and made her stomach turn. "Of course, sir," she said smoothly and civilly, although her insides were quaking with panic. Without breaking eye contact, she reached down to the purse that sat lonely on the floor at her feet and pulled out the papers that Hans had just given her 'proving' her Austrian citizenship. "Here you are." She was taking extra care to be ever so precise with her German knowing full and well what this ruthless officer was capable of. If she happened to pronounce even a single syllable by mistake, she'd be made immediately.

He glared down at her for a short moment before turning his attention to her identification. She never thought it necessary to ask where said papers came from, but then again, she didn't know that she really wanted the answer. It was unusual that Hans had just given them to her without a hitch, and she was hoping that he didn't have a plan to use those forged papers against her.

Kaltenbrunner shook his head in disbelief. "Hm. Austria?"

"Yes," Krista confirmed.

"Hm," he repeated, closing the small portfolio and handing it back to her. She filed them safely away in the confines of her purse and turned her attention back to the SS general. He placed his hands behind his back, the hodgepodge of medals and awards littering his dress uniform on full display. He was far more decorated than Landa, and he wasn't reluctant to showcase it. "Very curious."

She swallowed, hoping that he didn't notice, but of course he had. "What do you mean?" She asked hesitantly.

"Your accent doesn't seem Austrian to me, nor do you look the part."

And how exactly was it that Austrian girls were supposed to look? She was caught off guard by his half assed implication. "My mother is Austrian, my father German. However, I was born and raised in Vienna." It was a boldfaced lie, but she prayed she could sell it just enough to move the conversation elsewhere.

He nodded after narrowing his eyes suspiciously to her. "I see." Krista dare not let her eyes leave as he began languidly pacing before her. "Now that I have a moment alone with you, I have something I've been intending to talk to you about."

Oh shit.

"Okay," Krista nodded politely as she continued to let her eyed follow his steps.

"It appears to me that you seem… agitated… in my presence. Twice now, you have run off abruptly during normal conversation with not much of an explanation." He stopped in front of her now, his observant eyes unwavering from her. "To me, it seems that there is something that you're hiding."

She was only hiding just about everything, including her true identity. "I haven't anything to hide."

Kaltenbrunner sighed heavily, crossing his arms across the front of his body. He wasn't buying it. She definitely had something she was hiding. "I can't help but notice that you've taken an interest in Standartenführer Landa."

Choosing her words delicately was critical… sending the wrong message would only give Kaltenbrunner more of a reason to be watchful of her. "Yes I have."

He unfolded his left arm and extended his hand until his index fingertip met the underside of her chin. His finger was ice against her skin, and it forced her anxiety level through the roof. Why did he have to be such a creep? "Such a pretty young thing…" Krista turned her head to the side to evade his touch, and he chuckled amusedly to himself. "What are your intentions?"

She was beginning to feel like a broken record having to explain and justify herself again. "Respectfully, Obergruppenführer, I believe that the nature of our relationship is a private matter best kept between the two of us."

He laughed again. "That's where you're wrong. Hans Landa may be a very vain and arrogant man, but he is a trusted colleague of mine. When you become the object of desire of one of my officers, it becomes my business. And if you insist on offering no details, I can only assume that it is wealth and notoriety you're after."

He couldn't be further from the truth. Not all women wanted to be rich and famous. "Quite the opposite, actually. Standartenführer Landa's financial status and military position make no difference to me."

He took a step back then, and let another sinister chuckle fall from his lips. "But of course. A girl as young as you… I should have known better. You are nothing but his whore." His words were dripping in venom as all signs of amusement disappeared from his face.

Krista deadpanned as the anger within her began to simmer aggressively.

"I haven't heard you attempt to defend yourself, so I will accept your silence as your answer." Krista still refused to open her mouth to speak. "That's alright. You don't need to say anything. But I will warn you, Miss Jäger, " he spat. Kaltenbrunner caught one of her loose curls around his finger and examined it as each individual strand caught the light. "Don't find yourself with a false sense of security. It may appear that he is capable of protecting you, which to an extent, he may be. But unfortnuately for you, I outrank him." They were merely four ranks difference, but when it came to the SS chain of command, they may as well have been separated by a dozen. Not to mention, there was a good chance that Kaltenbrunner was Landa's commanding officer due to his position in the Reich Security Main Office. "He can't protect you from me." He tugged at the lock of hair, and she could feel her scalp being pulled along with it when he stretched it out like a spring before letting it fall from his finger.

If Krista were being completely honest with herself, the man was utterly terrifying. Not only did he brush shoulders with the highest ranking officers in the German army, but the entirety of Hitler's inner circle. If Landa had connections in high places, he had connections at the very top. "Don't think that your association with him makes you untouchable. If it comes to my attention at any point that you are interfering with either our work in this country, or the personal lives of my officers further than you already are, I will personally guarantee that it will be the last thing you do as a free woman."

Krista remained silent and emotionless. This wasn't just a hollow threat… He had intentions of following through if need be. "Don't give me a reason to kill you." He gave Krista one last judgmental glance over and turned for the door. "I could tear you apart," he muttered under his breath before leaving her with an immoral grin.

That mysterious look of darkness in his eyes made her wonder how many people he's killed, but that grin told her all she needed to know. He'd probably lost count.

The door locked again from the outside, and when she noticed Kaltenbrunner's shadow through the covered windows that faced the hallway exit her view, she allowed her emotions to bubble to the surface. Nausea struck her like she had been drinking too much, and her mouth was so dry, it felt like it was stuffed with cotton balls. Bile rose up into her throat like hot lava, and she inhaled deeply several times, willing the sensations to end with no success.

Turning her attention to her hands now, she couldn't stop them from their uncontrollable shaking even when clasping them together tightly. Krista closed her eyes and laid back on the couch, her violent heart beat and shaky breathing made finding a comfortable position impossible. The light was still on, but once her breathing slowed and the wave of sickness passed, she had no desire to put forth the effort to get up and turn it back off.

The more she tried to escape that glint in Kaltenbrunner's eye, the more it became ingrained in her mind. Every time she opened and closed her eyes, he was there with his chilling words… 'he can't protect you from me' and 'don't give me a reason to kill you'.

Finally she sat up and dropped her face into her hands. Everything was becoming too real too quickly. It wasn't a dream that she could wake up from. It was a nightmare that she was trapped in. Then more than ever, with her head cradled in her hands, she began to contemplate if finding Jonas and getting to know him was still worth it. She'd admit it. She'd gotten too deep already, and she was in way over her head. The encounter with Kaltenbrunner was the rude wakeup call that she needed. She just needed to be more cautious than she already was.

Shakily, she brought herself to her feet to retrieve her half empty glass of champagne. The dryness in her mouth was unbearable, and the last thing she wanted to soothe that was alcohol, but it would have to do. She placed one hand firmly on Landa's desk while the other curled around the thin stem of the glass. She downed the remainder and leaned forward, pressing both palms to the cold desktop. Her eyes fell closed, her hair slipping from her shoulders to around her face. She simply mumbled "fuck," before dragging herself back to the couch, still without turning that stupid light back off.

She covered her eyes with her arm again, and tried to clear her mind in the deafening silence.

Forty minutes had then passed, and she barely noticed the click of the door unlocking again. She moved her arm from her eyes just enough to get a view of the door, and she relaxed when she saw that the back facing her was only Hans. She thought it sad that she felt relieved to see him. He was the lesser of the two evils when compared to Kaltenbrunner, and she felt oddly at ease and strangely safe and protected with him now.

Hans thought it was strange that the light was on inside the office when he explicitly remembered shutting it off. He shrugged it off and quietly locked the door again as to not disturb her, and finally turned off that damn light. "How are you feeling?" He asked her in a soothing tone as he carefully lifted her legs so he could sit with them draped across his lap. Hans slipped her heels off of her feet and dropped them to the floor before his skilled hands began a comforting massage on her sore feet.

"Better," she lied, letting her arms fall lazily to her sides. She felt much worse, if that was even possible. Hans allowed his limbs to grow relaxed, his left arm now resting comfortably over her thighs just above her knees while his right hand slid beneath the high slit in her dress. His fingers were agile and smooth as velvet on her leg, and the tender and slow massage he left there actually felt… nice. "Thank you for letting me stay in here," Krista managed, pushing herself upright with her hands behind her for stability.

When she sat up, the slit of the dress fell open and revealed her long legs to him. His eyes danced over her now exposed skin that was barely visible in the darkness before placing a hand flat on her thigh and giving her a protective squeeze. "You don't need to thank me," he told her dismissively. When his eyes finally found her face, an expression of concern replaced his lighthearted smile. "You're awfully pale… are you sure you're alright?"

It was damn near pitch black in that office... how could he tell that she was pale? His hand that was pressed to her thigh now cradled the back of her neck and his thumb inched over her jaw back and forth in such a way that made her melt. Her eyelids fell shut while she leaned the weight of her head into his touch. "Yeah, I'm alright. I just have a lot on my mind. I'm just... overwhelmed." And what she had on her mind was still freshly baked. She could almost still smell the stale smoke on Kaltenbrunner as he loomed over her with his threatening glares drilling through her.

Desperate to rid the image from her mind, she sat up further to perch herself in his lap. He held her frame close to him as his thumb shifted from her jaw to her bottom lip. "A kiss is a simple remedy for that," he breathed in German, his deep tone all but sedating her senses.

Without saying a single word, Krista unfurled her hands which were fused together in her lap and placed one flat in the middle of his chest. She understood his comment as an open invitation, and her trembling lips sought out his without a second thought. His eyes remained half opened for a moment to test her trust. He wanted to ensure that she'd be willing to make herself vulnerable by closing her eyes off to the world. He noted the way her eyelashes were fluttering nervously and the way her lips were quivering just subtly enough to be felt but not seen.

She adopted a slow, leisurely pace but something was askew; her sudden feelings of unease were presenting themselves physically. The woman that typically delivered the most indecent, lust filled kisses that made him desperate for more had somehow lost her effortless confidence. This wasn't an act. Something had to have happened to make her act in such a way. At this point in their romantic soirees, she'd be attempting to make advances by allowing her tongue to stealthily slip between her lips and mingle with his, but she was doing no such thing.

Hans separated their mouths and caught her deep green eyes. There was no primal fre setting them alight, no diamond-like glimmer making them sparkle; they expressed fear in a way that only he could pick up on. "What's going on?"

Krista shook her head and stood up, placing one hand on his knee to hold her balance while she opened the slit of her dress to free her legs. "Nothing. I promise." She cursed herself when she saw hat her fingers still refused to chill the hell out, and shuddered as she extended her hands to his shoulders. Her knees sank into the leather on either side of him as she dropped herself down into a deep straddle in his lap. Her gown pooled at her hips, nearly giving him a peek of her panties she was wearing underneath, but he acted like he hadn't noticed.

Hans came to rest his hands in the piles of bunched up fabric at her hips and watched her unstable fingers close around the War Merit Cross that was fastened around his neck. "You can tell me."

She said nothing as her thumb traced over the shape of the cross and its surrounding swords before stopping at the swastika directly at the center. Her eyelids relaxed and she released a lengthy, drawn out sigh. "I don't know that I can," she knew full and well that would raise more questions that she was prepared to answer at the moment, but she said what she said.

Truth be told, she felt some version of 'safe' when she was with Hans, but just how safe was she now that she was on the radar of the high command?