Nili heard the door slam reverberate as far away as the kitchen. It startled her terribly and she jumped along with Adele.

"Oh my, what on earth was that?" Adele asked worriedly as she set the plate she had been drying down.

"Someone leaving in quite a hurry." Nili said furrowing her brow, she knew there was only one man in this house big enough to make the very foundation shake with his departure.

She and Adele both crept into the parlor to see what had occurred. They found Hirschberg and Stiglitz tending to their weapons. Hirschberg was oiling the wood butt of his rifle and Stiglitz was running the blade of his knife over a strop on his foot.

"Stiglitz, what was that?" Adele ventured as the stern faced soldier looked up at her.

"Donowitz." His terse answer affirmed Nili's fears. He had left in a rage, a rage about something and by the way Stiglitz appraised her she knew he thought she had something to do with it.

Adele turned to her and cocked her head to the side "Why on earth would he be upset? I cannot think of a reason, why just a moment ago he was sitting so nicely with us in the kitchen.

"I heard a slam from upstairs. Sounded like he put something through a wall. Crazy fuck. He needs to check himself into a loony bin with a temper like that." Hirschberg mumbled agitated by the attention the Bear Jew's temper garnered him.

"Stop that." Nili snapped at him "He is not crazy, something must have upset him. I will say that I had no hand in it that I know of."

Just as she finished Aldo stepped into the parlor with a stern look on his face "Did I hear that Donowitz went out?"

"Yes." Hugo replied not bothering to look up from his methodical task.

"Well shit" Aldo muttered before he turned on his heel and went upstairs.

He knew Hicox must have had something to do with this. That rat bastard just had to push his luck. He couldn't just let lie and leave the woman alone. He couldn't hold his tongue in front of the Bear Jew. He wanted to wring the rat bastard's neck.

He found Hicox just where he thought he would. Crouched against the wall holding his johnson. Aldo guessed Donny must have delivered him a token of his appreciation before he left.

"What the fuck did you do?" Aldo asked moving to stand over Hicox's crumpled form.

The Limey had the nerve to look up at him with a crooked smile "I just told him the way of things." He said easily.

Aldo kicked him swiftly in the shin, hard enough to make him question if he broke it. Hicox took the blow with only a flinch. "What did you say to him?"

"I told him I fucked his girl." Hicox said flatly.

"You lying sack ah shit." Aldo muttered kicking him again in the stomach and leaving him sputtering and laughing to himself, pleased at his insurrection.

Aldo sauntered down the stairs with a grim face. "Utivich!" He called once he reached the bottom of the stairs "Stiglitz, Hirschberg, get up, we're goin' to find Donny, now."

Nili was immediately alarmed "Aldo, what happened? Where's Donny?"

Aldo gave her a stern look, but didn't answer. He brushed past her and moved to the kitchen to collect his gun.

"Plus." Donny muttered his voice rough with the burn of his whiskey. The bartender gave his slurred speech a skeptical look but refilled his glass. As far as he was concerned his francs were still good.

Donny sipped the drink slow and deep. His throat was long used to the burn and his tongue barely registered the rich flavor. It was just a means to an end for him, an end that required him to blitz himself until he couldn't remember why he was angry. Until he couldn't remember the look on Hicox's face or the sting of Nili's possible betrayal.

He sat by himself at the end of the bar, the collar of his jacket was flipped up high and his wool cap was pulled down low. He'd been there for hours already. He couldn't remember how many times he'd seen the bottom of his glass, but he'd reckon it had been over five, well over five. No one had bothered to talk to him. They could sense that he was a man to be left alone.

He could feel his mind glazing over. His vision blurring between seeing one glass of whiskey and two. He took a deep breath and slugged down the remainder of his drink. He tossed the rest of his money on the counter and gave the bartender a curt nod.

He managed to navigate himself out of the bar and onto the dark street stumbling a little as he made his way.

Aldo had returned hours ago without Donny. They searched the surrounding woods for him but found nothing. They hadn't ventured into town, but they knew Donny wouldn't have ventured there in his right mind. He wouldn't last an hour in a town swarming with Nazis with his accent. The managed to sneak about fine during the day with others, but at night one was more liable to get stopped and a stop would lead to questioning.

Nili sat on the couch wringing her hands. She couldn't sleep without knowing. Smithson sat up with her, he read in the large armchair in the corner of the room across from her. He knew they didn't need conversation, she just needed someone with her.

Her mind reeled with images of Donny hurt out and alone. She pictured him in the clutches of the SS, his body battered and beaten, tortured. She wept silently to herself, the tears running tracks down her cheeks. She crinkled a handkerchief between her hands but made no move to try to wipe her eyes, as long as he was out the tears wouldn't stop. She couldn't help but wonder what had set him off. Aldo had refused to acknowledge Donny's absence aside from a muttered "Couldn't find 'im" upon his return and the other men were just as clueless as she.

Donny would down the narrow alley way his large shoulder dragging against the side of one building for support. He rubbed at his eyes trying to free himself from the double vision that was plaguing him. He knew he had to get back to the whorehouse, he just wasn't quite sure in which direction he should go. The landmarks of the town all looked familiar but he couldn't piece them together in his current state of disrepair.

As he neared the end of the alley he noted a shadow about to cross in front of the other end. He waited in the depths until the tell tale olive drab uniform (or was it uniforms?) passed in front of him. He couldn't stall his mouth as he watched the soldier pass.

"Hey you kraut son of a bitch." he called out in a motley slur.

The soldier stopped dead and turned immediately towards him. He drew a side arm and sped quickly towards the sound of Donny's voice. Donny had the mental prowess to shield himself in shadow as the officer drew closer.

He called out in some kraut gibberish as he paused just before he reached the dark of the shadows where Donny hid. He fired off a warning shot into the dark that whizzed just passed Donny's right shoulder. He kept deadly quiet as he tried to focus his vision on the man in front of him.

The german soldier searched the dark with his eyes but couldn't pin point Donny, and then he took that fateful step. The one that brought him just within Donny's range.

Donny was on him before the man even had the chance to fire off another shot. Donny used his brute strength to shatter the man's trigger arm. He knocked the man down and started swinging wildly. His inebriation lead his blows astray quite a few times and the kraut landed a few strong blows, but the lithe well kept man was no match for the brute rage of the Bear Jew.

Donny pounded his fists in the direction his double vision led him. He felt the rush of the kill filling him as his hands felt the man's face bones crush under his blows. He heard the man's grunts turn to gargles and then the struggle stopped.

Donny's breathing was labored as he looked down on the mangled form of what had once been a man beneath him. He let out a shaking breath as he stood and looked down at the blood running from his mangled fists. The liquor in his veins dulled the pain, but his mind still registered that his current appearance was a problem. He moved to the end of the alley, the streets were empty, he was lucky. He moved quickly and quietly staying to the shadows until he reached the edge of town and the sanctuary of the woods.

It was nearly light out when a noise at the door roused her awake. The door banged open and heavy foot falls trailed in. The sight that greeted her made her breath hitch.

Donny stumbled through the doorway, his hair was disheveled and his shirt was torn under his jacket. His face held streaks of blood and his hands were brown with the dried coagulant.

"Esa!" She squeaked out as she ran to him. As soon as he heard her voice his back stiffened. His sudden rigidness made her stop in her tracks. She was feet away but she could already smell the booze on him.

"Whadda you want." He slurred out narrowing his eyes. "Hicox indisposed? Bet you didn't think I knew that word… in-dis-posed." He trailed off pushing roughly passed her She turned and her eyes widened and filled with tears.

"Esa…" She couldn't find words "What?"

Donny turned quickly and had to hold the door frame to the kitchen for support. "He told me you fucked him." He spit out "I asked you to marry me and you fucked some Limey scum." He teetered a little unsteady on his feet "Well… I don't need you, you zona" he bit down with seething rage on every word.

Nili reeled back from his verbal attack. She did not shy away though, instead she ran to him and grasped at his arms. "Esa, you know it's not true. I would never. I love you. He tried to touch me, he tried to hurt me but I didn't do anything with him, don't you see. Ask Aldo, he found me and saved me." The tears flowed freely as she tried to make her words breach the walls of his fogged mind.

His eyes tracked back and forth over the floor trying to process what she said. He felt his rage seeping away, as well as his strength. He slowly slumped against the wall to the floor and she followed down with him.

"I was so afraid…" He whispered out, his voice barely above a whisper "I thought you realized that I was no good for you. I don't deserve you."

Nili pushed herself into the circle of his arms on his lap and ran her hands through his hair as she tried to comfort him "No, no, no. Never." She whispered over and over repeating her mantra to try to soothe him.

"No" He protested, yet he pulled her closer into his lap pressing his head against her chest "Nili, you're so smart and beautiful. I'm scared one day you'll realize that. I'm scared I won't be able to make you happy, give you what you deserve." The liquor was freeing his tongue and making him honest as he needed to be.

"Oh Esa, all I need is you." She breathed out "I was so scared you were lost today, so scared you were hurt."

He took a deep shaking breath and she swore she could feel the moist warmth of tears against her breast "I left, I let that bastard get to me and I left and got drunk."

"I know." She said quietly. She wanted so badly to ask about the blood, she knew something had happened.

He took a few more breaths and then he answered her questions without her having to ask "I killed a Kraut soldier." He whispered.

Her mind froze and she was gripped with fear "You.. what?"

His eyes stared straight at something untraceable and he breathed out the same again "I killed a kraut soldier."

"How?"

"I beat him to death with my bare hands. I broke every bone in his face. He was struggling so hard, but I was stronger, and then he started gurgling, and then it all went quiet."

Her breath stopped and it was a moment before she could speak again.

"Did anyone see you?"

"No." He said flatly.

She rocked a little in his lap and let out the breath she had been holding in.

"Well, it'll all be okay then." She whispered "It'll all be fine."

"I love you." He whispered "Please don't think I'm a monster."

She sighed deeply and hugged him closer before gently trying to pull him up "I love you too Esa, come along, come to bed with me."

He nodded in docile consent and took her hand, allowing himself to surrender to his inebriation and the tenderness of her touch. He knew in that moment that he could never forsake her again, or question her love for him. This woman was his perfection, she would love him even in spite of himself, and he vowed that he would do the same.