"Go looking for the bad in people, and you will find it every time. It's those of us who have the ability to see the good in even the coldest hearts that go the furthest in life."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"What did you mean, Samantha? What on earth makes Eliza a bad woman?" I'd asked.

She stayed silent, taking the last bite of her cookie.

"I don't know." She'd replied, causing a slight anger to arise in me.

"Do not lie to me, Samantha Maxis." I barked harshly. "What did your daddy say about Miss Washington?"

Samantha hung her head, looking at the ground as we walked.

"Mr. Richtofen... you don't understand... that lady is-"

"SAMANTHA!" Suddenly, a large form rushed toward us, gripping Sam's arm firmly and jerking her little body towards it. "What the hell are you doing out here, young lady? I told you not to leave the household! You are unsafe!" He turned her swiftly and gave her a stinging smack on the arm, leaving a large red mark.

"O-Ouch..." She muttered, tears stinging her eyes. "I'm... sorry, daddy."

Maxis sighed, turning his attention toward me. "Richtofen. So you are the one who found her, good. If it were anyone else..." He shook his head. "Thank you , boy."

I nodded, still taking in the events.

Dammit, I thought. So close.

"Well then, I shall see you tomorrow." Maxis turned on his heel, dragging Samantha away with him.

"Yes, sir." I pursed my lips and turned around.

~~~

From within my house, I heard nothing as I walked up the steps and entered. Walking into the living room, I spotted my servant sitting upright on the couch, an annoyed expression on her face.

"Are you okay?" I asked, not really sure what else to say. She looked up at me, her eyes meeting mine as her lips seemed to tremble slightly.

She nodded, but I knew it was not the case. Incidentally, I walked to the couch and took a seat beside her, looking at the floor before saying something.

"What...What was the moment back there with... Samantha?" I asked courageously, sure I wasn't going to receive an answer. To my dismay, she simply shook her head.

What I said next let a little of my passion for her leak through.

"Eliza... You can tell me what's wrong... confide your trust in me."

She responded by covering her mouth with her hand, angrily, her brows drawing closer to each other.

I persisted. "Eliza, I promise, I would never tell-"

"It's not that!" She suddenly yelled, cutting me off and clenching her eyes shut. My eyes widened and I looked at her with concerned eyes. She arose, but stood at the edge of the couch for a moment longer.

"I...I can not..." her fists clenched and her whole body tensed up. "I can't!" I noticed the water begin to spill over her cheeks.

I stood from the couch instinctively and advanced toward her. I'd never seen her like this. She was so sweet by nature, so gentle. She would never act this way had something terrible not happened.

"Dammit, you don't know..." She muttered.

I ignored her use of language, understanding her anxiety.

"Tell me, then." I said quietly, having it in my right mind to reach out and pull her into my embrace.

"I... can't.... you don't understand..." She quivered, sniffling. "I'm trying to... protect you!" She yelled louder than before, leaning over the reclining chair, her hair falling over her face.

"Trying to... protect...me?" I furrowed my brows, shaking my head. "Eliza..."

She remained silent for a moment, tears staining the light fabric of the chair. "I'm a monster... And everyone knows it. Even... H-her..." She croaked weakly, her grip tightening.

I fought the urge to reach out with all my might, but I lost in a battle with my own emotions. My arm extended and touched her hand, causing her to flinch and look back at me with swollen blue eyes. I drew closer, pushing back my nervous fears, and pulled her against my chest, my arms instinctively wrapping securely around her body.

I didn't understand what she'd meant, and I didn't understand why she was upset about Samantha. But suddenly, all the questions faded into black. My only objective was stopping her tears. Stopping her pain. Making her feel better.

My grip on her tightened as her tears flowed more freely. I could feel her tense body to relax beneath my touch, and I felt the hair of my neck stand on end. I let my hand support her back, my palm resting in the small. Tracing circles with my palm, I felt as if my heart were synchronizing with hers. I could feel her stir slightly, before her body began to become suddenly limp.

"E-Eliza?" I got up the courage to say, looking down at her face, once before buried in the soft fabric of my sweater. Dried tears stained her otherwise spotless skin. The redness from her cheeks was beginning to fade, and her eyes were closed, her breaths calm, and lips parted slightly.

She was asleep. In my arms, while I held her. My eyes widened slightly, my face becoming hotter than it already was. Had she truthfully fallen asleep that quickly?

I glanced at the clock, taken aback when I noticed that it was only just nine. I looked back down at Eliza, who seemed to be completely calm. What should I do now?

I looked around. Having no choice (not that I wanted any other), I gently placed one of my hands on her upper back, and moved the other to the back of her knees, picking her off of her feet in a bridal style format. Her light head rolled back just slightly as I tread up the stairs, coming into contact with my chest once more. Her elongated warm breaths tickled my neck as they fell upon my skin. I carried her toward the attic, where I knew she slept.

To have her in my arms like so felt surreal. Her light body remained pressed against mine in the most comforting manner. False hopes began to illuminate my imagination.

What if it could be like this all the time?

If I could carry her to bed each night. But not just any bed. My bed. To have her fall asleep in my arms each night, while I protected her with everything inside of me, like I was now.

I think I'd love that. I couldn't deny it.

However, I was doomed to never experience any of these treasures. No, this was a one-time situation...

And I hated that.

I reached to attic door in a matter of seconds, surprised to see that Eliza was still passed out in my caress. I wiggled the attic doorknob, stepping into the cool space.

How does she sleep up here? It's freezing!

But that wasn't the only thing. I took in the room's appearance, ripped drapery hanging lazily from the tiny window, the only light source in the room, though the setting sun was quite vivid. Dusty boxes every which way, and a bed under the window that wasn't even propped up on a bed frame. A few covers that were ripped and torn, their filling scattered around the place.

It was deplorable. And even so, I could tell that the girl did as much as she possibly could to keep it up.

This isn't right. She's not a slave.

As gently as butterfly wings, I lay the sleeping girl onto the mattress and piled the duvet securely over her sleeping body. This was the calmest I'd ever seen her features.

Without thinking, and pushing all of the thoughts from my brain, I knelt at her bedside, my face nearly inches from hers. My hand moved to brush away a strand of blonde hair that was obstructing my view of her full visage.

Stop it! You'll wake her up!

I was met with a grounding beauty, one that probably could keep a man from going insane, under the circumstances.

I leaned subconsciously forward, until I could feel her breaths again.  My lips came into contact with her warm temple, a securing touch to ensure her safety.

What are you doing? What are you... You cannot simply go around kissing people, it's against the rules, against your very constitution... Edward, what's happened to you?

I've fallen under a spell. That's what's happened. Against everything I've ever known. Against everything but my heart.

I had to get away. I had to get out of here, before I did something that I would regret, even more than I had already.

But did I actually regret it?

I raised myself, heading towards the door, when something caught my eye. It was a small book, quite thick, that had "Eliza Washington" scribbled on the cover neatly. Curiosity ate into my mind, and I knelt down to pick up the book.

I slid down to sit on a crate, opening the first page.

This isn't right Edward. Don't do this.

For the record, she did promise to show me her drawings one day.

~

Today, I signed up to join the American army. It was a tough decision, but after Tank was drafted, I was left with no choice.

~

Immediately, my eyes widened, and I glanced at the sleeping girl. The Army? That can't be right, she was too... innocent. If she was a part of the American Army... then she was my direct and sworn enemy. Surely this was just a story... right?

And there was the name again... Tank.

~

I'd gone to sign up that day, and I knew that it would be hard to convince the highers that I was worthy of the U.S Army. But I needed to do this, I needed to take vengeance upon the Germans for what they'd done to me... for what he'd done to me.

I'd walked along the sidewalk, before a cold feeling washed over me.

And then there was complete darkness.

~

"E-Edward..." I heard a faint sleepy voice call, breaking my thoughts.

VERDAMMT!!!

My eyes snapped up to the bed, certain that I had been caught by Eliza.

However, as I looked upon her, I noticed that her eyes were still shut securely, and her breaths still shallow.

What? But...

"You... dream of me too?" I asked rhetorically and quietly. I looked at her for a moment longer, and allowed myself to blush harder than ever. What was she dreaming about? Was she talking about me, or had I imagined it all...like I had in that dream?

I waited for what seemed like eons for her to wake up, but she did not, so I returned to another entry.

~

Tank, I miss you already. Ever since he took me here, I've been waiting to wake up and figure out that this is all a nightmare. They've thrown me in this house, they've locked the door from the outside. I don't know what to do... without you here I'm scared. What do I do without my best friend to console me?

~

I narrowed my eyes at the paper. Friend? Or was this Tank something more? I flipped through the pages, reading each of the entries I found. Until a specific drawing caught my eyes.

It was a drawing of a man. He was clad in the clothes of a working person, a vest, a nice shirt, and a tie. His dark hair was slicked back and his mustache neatly groomed.

I looked down at my own body, realizing the resemblance.

Was this... me?

The man was looking downward slightly, as if there were something there. Perhaps she needed help finishing it.

I grabbed the pen that was hanging upon the cover of the book. "Hmm," I groaned, as all my marks would be permanent. Venturing downstairs as quietly as possible, I searched for a pencil, and found one after some time.

I sat upon the couch, letting Eliza rest in the comfort of her room. Without a wit about me, I began to sketch the form of a body upon the page, giving it soft curves and a dress that fell just below the knees. I was no artist, really, but I found myself smiling as I drew the face of the figure, looking up into the man's eyes. A smile sat on its face, its hair pulled into a long ponytail, its cheeks harboring a light grey blush. Finally, after all was done, I added the signature beauty mark just below the eye.

It was her.

I looked at the paper cautiously, sighing. "I've gone and done it now." I stared at the page. It did actually look like Eliza, just as the other figure looked just like me. The two were happy, happy together. It was like my conscience on one sheet of yellowing paper.

Eliza was going to see that when she opened the book... Dear god...

I shook everything off, and turned the page. I began to glance over the page, when I noticed a familiar name.

Edward.

Immediately, at the mention of my name, a color flooded into my cheeks. Oh, her handwriting was beautiful.
~~~~~
Why can't I stop my face from turning into a strawberry when he's around?! It's as if every time he speaks to me, I get all flustered, like... It's like I can't function properly. He makes me feel, like, jittery, like when there's a spider crawling up your leg.
Eww. Spiders.
But, the jittery feeling is a good one... At least I think it is.
~~~~~
I contained my laughter at Eliza's reference to her arachnophobia, and focused my attention on the previous lines.

"Every time he speaks to me, I get all flustered... He makes me feel jittery..." I cooed the words quietly, imagining her saying that.

I cupped my hand over my mouth and stared at the page.

I'm no love expert...

But i'm pretty sure that's what happens to me when she's around.