Disclaimer: Agent Carter is not mine, although I've developed the character of Anna in my head based on the few bits of information we have on her.

Historical Note: I just wanted to provide a bit of a historical backdrop on the Holocaust in Hungary for reference- be warned, I am by no means a historian (I'm actually a biologist), so this is based primarily on the research I did for this story. Through the start of 1944, Hungary was allied with the Axis powers, and thus retained some degree of "autonomy" in terms of how the Jews were treated. Early in the war, foreign Jews in Hungary were captured by the Nazis and either sent to labor camps, to the front lines to dig trenches for the German and Hungarian army, or killed. However, Hungarian Jews were relatively safe for the duration of the war. Although Jews were removed from positions of power in Hungary and were forbidden from marrying Christians, they did not have to wear the Star of David armband, and were protected from deportation. The Hungarian army was largely devastated during the Battle of Stalingrad and the invasion of Russia. As a result, in early 1944, Mikelos Horthy, the leader of Hungary, began secret negotiations with the Americans and British to end Hungary's participation in the war and prevent the Soviets from taking over their country. Had they been successful, the Hungarian Jews may have remained safe for the duration of the war. Unfortunately, this was not to be. In March of 1944, the Nazis invaded Hungary, and from March to July of 1944, half a million Hungarian Jews were deported to Auschwitz, of which 90% were killed immediately upon arrival.

Chapter 1

Fear

One, two, three…

Concentrate on the stiches.

One, two, three…

Don't let them see that you're scared.

Three per centimeter, don't lose count.

Don't lose hope.

One, two, three…

Steadying her shaking hands, Anna Zellner peered over the uniform that needed altering. The Wehrmacht soldier was chatting casually with Herr Acker, her boss and the owner of the small menswear shop on the first floor of the Grand Budapest Hotel. Nothing unusual- just another customer. But the soldier's eyes danced around the room, carefully observing for anything that might be… off.

And God, if he only took a closer look, she was done for. A Jewish girl hemming the pants of an American GI's uniform, in the middle of not-so-secret secret peace talks. She'd told Herr Acker that taking their business would only bring them trouble. He'd laughed off her fears.

"Ach, child, you worry too much. When I left Germany, after the Great War, I said to myself, 'Fritz, become a businessman. Don't throw yourself back into politics.' And so I opened my shop, and I sold my clothes to Hungarians and Germans, Russians and Americans. If I turned away every German enemy who came to my shop, who would I do business with? Don't worry your lovely head with matters of the world. Just make sure that hem is even."

It was easy to say. "Don't worry your head." But pretty words meant nothing today. Her mother was dead. Her brother, once a musician with a bright future as a concert violinist, toiled in a munitions factory on the outside of town. Alongside him was her father. Before the war, he had been foreman of the factory. Now… now he was relegated to working the line because of their religion. And her cousins in Poland- Zsofi, Itzhak, Ryka- hadn't responded to her letters in almost six months. Last she heard they were moving into Warsaw- "the Jewish section," Zsofi had cheerfully written. But darker rumors were moving through with the American and British troops, and she didn't have high hopes that their letters would resume.

Ever.

So she shifted the cloth in her hand, watching the soldier with one eye as she ensured the insignias that indicated the pants were American were hidden. Herr Acker shook the soldier's hand with a broad smile, asking him to wait a moment, and stepped into the back room. "I see the wrinkles on your forehead, Anna," he said cheerfully, patting her on the back. "Jürgen is the son of a dear friend in Munich. We'll be stepping out to lunch, and then I'm going to give him a tour of the city. Can you tend the counter while I'm gone?"

Anna nodded, forcing a smile in return. She was afraid any word, any peep might expose her. Draw the soldier's presence. Herr Acker might claim to know this man, and Jews might be safe for the time being in Hungary, but she'd learned to be more sparing with her trust and not take anything for granted.

These days anyone could betray you.

OOO

The afternoon passed slowly. She finished the GI's hems and returned the pants to the back room, hiding them well out of sight, before slowly picking her way through the rest of the mending. Just as she began to replace a cracked button on a dress shirt, the bells above the door rang. Pushing herself into the corner, she tried desperately to see the customer before they saw her. No uniform- not necessarily a good sign, but promising. Perhaps just a business man passing through? He was tall and lanky, with a hint of a frown on his face.

"Can I help you?" she asked quietly.

"I'm… I'm look… I'm need…" he stumbled over the Hungarian, his language skills atrocious.

"Wie kann ich lhnen helfen?" she asked again, in German.

"Oh thank God. Please accept my apologies for butchering your language," the man replied, a quirk of a smile passing over his lips. His German, though fluent, was not the tongue of a native speaker. "I don't think any of us realized how far from home this war would take us."

She nodded slowly, looking him over with suspicion. His suit had been well-tailored once upon a time, but showed signs of wear- fraying at the end of the sleeves, a button hanging on by its last thread. His face seemed pleasant, though a bit lost- maybe a bit over his head. The Anna of a few years ago would make conversation, smile prettily, maybe even bat her eyes a little bit. But that girl was long gone.

When he realized she wasn't going to speak again, he seemed flummoxed. "I… er… I'm looking for a tie."

"Any particular color?" she asked, hoping he'd let her chose. Things moved much quicker when the gentlemen who visited admitted they couldn't match two colors without the help of their wives.

"Well, I was hoping something that would match this?" he asked, rather than stated, pulling at her suit. It tugged at her heart a little, seeing him so lost. He couldn't have been much older than her, after all. "My mother would kill me if she saw the state of this suit. But we can't wear our uni… well, that doesn't really matter does it?"

He'd caught himself, but he had already said too much. He was one of the Brits or Americans here for the negotiations. And no matter how sweet or lost he seemed, she had only one goal: to get him out of here. Herr Acker may not care who he did business with, but that German soldier he was carousing through Budapest with certainly would. She had a family to protect.

Browsing the tie collection, she gave him a once over, taking in the khaki suit and white dress shirt underneath. She pulled a red tie with a gold stripe and a multi-hued dark green, holding them up to the sleeve of his suit. "Either would look fine."

"Which do you prefer?" he asked, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, an almost shy smile on his face.

Glancing out the lobby door, wishing the man would pick one and leave, she quickly said. "The green. The red is nice, but the green is made of better fabric. It will last longer."

"Green it is then!" he replied jubilantly, his worries seemingly disappearing now that he had a tie that matched his suit. She could feel her eyes rolling, could only wish her biggest problem was finding a tie that matched.

He picked up the tie, looking at it intensely before turning to her. "It matches your eyes."

Anna shrugged, "Perhaps. Is there anything else I could help you with?"

The man seemed taken aback by her brusque tone. "Uh… no… no. I think that will be all…"

She took the tie from his hands, wrapping it in tissue paper and placing it in a brown paper bag. "Five pengõ, please."

"Have… have I done something to offend you?" the man asked, stammering. "If so, I do apologize. Were you closing? You must have been closing. I worked in a shop as a boy, and I used to hate when customers came in when I was trying to—"

Outside the door, she saw Herr Acker return with the German soldier. They were walking slowly, but it was clear they were heading back into the shop. She held up her hands. "Stop! Just… stop apologizing. Please, just take your tie and leave," she begged desperately.

He turned slightly, following her line of vision to the German soldier. His eyes widened briefly as he put everything together. "You know?"

"Your comrades are not particularly discrete," she hissed. "Even you nearly let it slip. And while you and your friends might enjoy prancing around Budapest making your backroom deals and playing war games, some of us prefer staying alive. Things may appear fine on the surface here in Budapest, better than elsewhere, but it's a lie. Things are not good anywhere. And what you're doing right now? It's going to make things much worse for my people when you go back to your safe little homes. So I am asking you, for the last time, to please leave."

He stared at her, mouth gaping, before picking up the package and leaving, head down, trying to remain inconspicuous.

It wasn't until she reached home that she realized he never paid for the tie.

OOO

"The Soviets have made gains in the east," Anna heard her father say over the newspaper, eating his toast and the eggs she'd managed to haggle down in price from a passing farmer.

"Germany will not last much longer. Not since Stalingrad," Zoli added, plate already empty. "Their army is decimated."

Her father looked up at her, grinning broadly for what seemed to be the first time in years. "You see, Anna. It will not be much longer now. The war will end, and we will find your cousins. And once I get my job back, you can continue your education. Wouldn't that be lovely?"

She paused over the plate she was preparing for herself, in awe of her father and brother's inability to see the truth. So what if Germany lost the war? Did they think the Soviets would be that much better?

Rumors, rumors, rumors. Of rape, of death, of villages destroyed on the eastern front. The Soviets were no better than the Germans, and anyone who believed they were was in for a nasty surprise. Unless the Americans and Brits stepped in and found a way to liberate Hungary without leaving it to Stalin, there was no reason to hope.

Anna looked down at the plate, stomach churning at the site of the food.

"Here, Zoli, finish mine. I'm going to be late to work."

Wrapping her thickest jacket around her shoulders to hold off the late February chill, she rushed toward the hotel. She could not listen to anymore false optimism.

OOO

He was waiting at the door when she arrived.

"Before you say anything, I'm just here to pay the money I owe you. Nothing more."

Anna nodded, unlocking the door to the shop. The man grabbed the handle before she could, holding the door open for her. "Thank you," she said softly.

"I've talked to the others. Asked them not to bring down any more of their uniforms. We should not be putting you in any more danger that you're already in."

She nodded, ringing the tie up again on the register. "I appreciate that…"

"Edwin. Edwin Jarvis," he offered.

"Thank you, Edwin," she said, tucking the money into the register. Edwin nodded his head with a small smile, and began to walk out.

As his hand reached for the door, Anna's eyes darted to the clock. Seven in the morning- Herr Acker would not be in for another half-hour, and the lobby was normally deserted until eight. There was time. No one would see if she…

"Wait!"

She was acting on sheer impulse, but this man… Edwin. He seemed honest enough. Forthright. He'd returned to pay for the tie, despite her rudeness. Had been kind enough to warn the other soldiers off the shop. Perhaps...

Edwin turned around, seemingly surprised. "Yes?"

She stepped out from behind the counter, wringing her hands. "The peace talks… are they…" She couldn't say the words. Her father and brother had hope, but she had lost faith long ago, when the letters from Poland stopped and the rumors began. "Is there any chance…"

"It seems promising," Edwin said softly. "I work as an attaché to General Montgomery, and the chaps from America seem like good sorts. Horthy realizes its over- Mussolini's gone, Hitler's been pushed out of Russia since Stalingrad. Your government wants to get out now, be protected from the fallout."

"The Soviets," she added. He nodded in confirmation.

"I don't wish to get your hopes up…"

Anna shook her head. "No… no, that's fine. Things may not be good here, but Horthy has shielded us from the… the… unpleasantness that's been going on elsewhere."

He stared at her for a moment before it fell into place. "You're Jewish, aren't you? That's why you were so concerned about soldier yesterday."

"Just because Horthy has protected us so far, doesn't mean we are safe. We've heard rumors of what has happened elsewhere. My cousins in Poland… they disappeared months ago. Papa thinks it's just the war, but he is optimistic. He doesn't take stock in the rumors."

"Nothing has been confirmed," Edwin said firmly. "They appear to be rumors right now, but I won't lie to you. We've heard these rumors all over the continent. And if it had only been one or two people, I might believe they were just rumors-"

"But it's everywhere," she finished. "That's what I thought."

An uncomfortable tension took over the room as silence pervaded. Beyond the doors of the shop, she could hear the sounds of the lift moving up and down, delivering passengers going about their normal lives. A bellhop moved through the lobby with a cart filled to the brim with luggage, guests on their way home following close behind. It reminded her of a time before the war, when she was a normal girl, travelling with her cousins through the Polish countryside on vacation.

"Thank you, Herr Jarvis," she finally said, breaking the silence. "I appreciate your candor. You have my promise that I won't speak of this again."

"I wish I had better news," he said with a tenuous smile. "I'll come back if I hear anything."

Before she could reply, he squeezed her hand gently, slipping back into the din of the hotel lobby.

OOO

The week passed slowly, and February turned into March. Anna found her mind drifting away from the safety of the back room to the suites three, four, five floors above her, where the peace talks were grinding along. She found herself peering into the lobby every time she moved about the shop, hoping to see Edwin returning with more news. He'd lit an inkling of hope in her, though she tried to keep it at bay with a reminder that nothing was set in stone. That he hadn't returned with good news.

There is a chance, Anna. Perhaps he hasn't returned because they are finalizing the agreement.

"Head in the clouds again, Anna?" Herr Acker asked from his spot at the register, looking up from the book he read to pass the time. Glancing at his face, he saw it red from mirth, a broad smile adding to the creases on his wrinkled face. "You've been daydreaming all week, my dear girl. Any news I should know about?"

She shook her head quickly, focusing once again on dressing the window mannequins with the new suits they'd received from Munich. The fabric was rough, nothing like what they received before the war, but it was elegantly cut. These suits would find a buyer, but would be in the trash heap the minute the war ended.

"I'm sorry, Herr Acker. I'm fine," she replied, buttoning a white dress shirt on the lifeless figure. "My father and brother have been working double shifts at the factory, so I've been picking up their chores at home, on top of my own."

"Such a life for a young woman!" the man replied, shaking his head. "When my wife and I were your age, we were tearing through Berlin! Stole my father's motorcar- he was the first in our neighborhood to own one, you know- and made a dash for the countryside! You should be out and about enjoying the world, Anna. Not here passing your time with an old man at death's door."

Hiding behind the mannequin, she rolled her eyes. Herr Acker, though nearly sixty, was healthy as an ox, and they both knew it. "When the war is over, Herr Acker," she replied softly.

"That's what we all said after the last war. And where are we now? Another war. When one ends, another starts. War makes profits, and profits drive the world. Do not put your life on hold because of the war, my dear girl."

She shook her head, focusing on tying a burgundy tie around the mannequin's neck instead. Behind her the bells above the door rang.

"Jürgen! You do an old man good, stopping by to visit me again!" Herr Acker called across the room. She froze. The German soldier had returned.

Focus Anna, she thought, numb fingers struggling to pull the silk fabric into the Windsor knot.

"Now Anna, here is a young man who knows how to enjoy life. I don't think I introduced you two last time you visited. Obserschütze Jürgen Koenig, this is Anna Zellner, my seamstress. Be nice to her- your uniform looks like it has seen better days," Herr Acker joked, nudging Jürgen forward. "This woman works miracles on moth holes."

Curling her hands into her skirt so he wouldn't see her shaking, she turned to the duo, nodding her head briefly. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Obserschütze Koenig."

"And you as well, Fraulein." There was a smile on his face, but it seemed brittle. Hollow. "I may take Herr Acker up on that offer of repairs, if you'd be willing to take a look at my uniform?"

"Of course," Anna replied, plastering her own fake smile on her face. "Is there anything we can help you with today?"

With one last glance - was he studying her?- he pulled a folded newspaper clipping out of his pocket. "This man was seen just outside of Budapest within the last week. He's an American-" he spat out the words, as if it were a curse- "industrialist. He manufactures weapons, and may be trying to incite rebellion against Regent Horthy and the Führer. We believe he may be staying in Budapest, and are asking all hotels to be on the lookout for him. His name is Howard Stark."

The man in the paper was handsome, there was no denying that, with a mischievous smirk and a beautiful woman on either arm. "I'm sorry, I haven't seen him," she said.

"Are you certain, Fraulein Zellner?" he responded quickly. She could feel his eyes boring into her, not a bit of kindness behind them. A flicker of fear ran over her spine that Jürgen knew her secret.

"I am quite certain," she said softly, controlling the tremble in her voice. "I have never seen that man."

"Nor have I, but we will keep a lookout. Now, Jürgen, can I tempt you with a beer, or are you on duty? You'll mind the shop, Anna?" Before the soldier could respond, Herr Acker was leading him out the door, shooting her a look of concern. As the door shut behind them, Anna finally let out the breath she'd been holding in.

OOO

"What floor miss?" the bellhop asked, closing the gate behind them.

What floor indeed? Anna hadn't entirely thought this plan through as she flipped the sign on the shop door to "closed," pretending to have deliveries to make before she ate lunch. All she knew was that this American, Stark, was likely part of the peace talks. What other business could he have in Hungary, a country that was, until now, allied with America's enemy? No, Howard Stark had to be in this hotel. And if he was in danger, every person in the hotel was as well.

"Fourth floor, please," she replied, adjusting the pile of crisply ironed shirts in her hand. She'd grabbed them from a display, her alibi. Although normally customers returned to the shop for their clothing, it was not unheard of for her to make deliveries.

The elevator slowly rose, the occasional squeak and bump jarring the small compartment. The bellhop made polite small talk, happily jabbering through a one-sided conversation that required only the occasional "yes" or "no" from her. Another passenger joined them on the third floor, before they finally came to a stop at her destination. Thanking the boy, she stepped off into the corridor, and walked away from the elevator shaft, head held high with confidence.

At least until she turned the corner.

Shoulders sinking, she took in the corridor filled with doors, each looking exactly the same except for the number on the front. With three more floors above, how on earth was she supposed to find Edwin Jarvis? She leaned against the wall, head resting against the pristine wallpaper. Perhaps she should have just waited until he came down again. She hadn't seen him at all the past week- he had to leave his room eventually. It was safe in the shop. She could have caught his eye, led him away from the crowds to pass along the information. If she told Herr Acker it was about a date, the old man would have shoved her out the door after Edwin.

Why had this seemed like such a good idea in the first place? She didn't belong here, in the middle of a war, playing at spies and heroes. She was a Jewish shop girl, trying to keep her head down, away from the insanity that erupted around her. Who was she, to be protecting this idiot American millionaire, gallivanting around the middle of a war zone?

She had been so impulsive. It was the quickest way to get herself killed. No, she would pretend she never saw the paper, never met Edwin Jarvis. She would hide one or two of the shirts before going back downstairs, pretend they had been delivered, and then return with the rest. There was a plausible story- the other guests had stepped out, forgotten their delivery was coming.

This was not her fight. This was not worth losing her life.

Plan set, she tucked two shirts behind a potted plant to pick up later. Hands shaking, she returned to the elevator, pressed the call button, and waited for it to return.

Behind her a door closed. Two voices emerged, speaking a language that wasn't immediately clear to her. Shrinking in on herself, Anna tried to inconspicuously eavesdrop as they approached the elevator. English. She knew a bit, the very basics. Enough to understand that, when the second man addressed the other as "Mister Stark," she had bypassed finding Edwin and gone straight to the very man being hunted.

She moved against the wall, allowing them to pass her and stand in front of the elevator doors. As they stood chatting, she recognized the second man from the newspaper- an envoy from Sweden, who had once hosted a very elegant party to celebrate the arts in Budapest. She'd dressed some of the guests that night. Even if Stark didn't understand her, he would… if she went through with this.

Just go back to the shop. Pretend you never knew. You'll be safe. Safe enough…

Or you could let your only hope of a peaceful future be destroyed when Stark is caught.

The sound of the elevator approaching forced her to make her decision quickly. Anna approached the duo quietly, pushing her fears aside. She stood between the two and whispered, "Herr Stark, you are discovered. There is no time Six o'clock. The rooftop. Bring Herr Jarvis."

If I said this started out as a one-shot, would you believe me? By the time I got about half-way through writing this (it's like 3/4 done), I had hit 12,000 words. I love the idea of telling Anna's story, and trying to capture Edwin Jarvis's personality is a fun challenge. He may be a bit out of character here- on Agent Carter he often comes across as bumbling, but we know he was a soldier, or at least associated with the army, in World War II, so he must have had some training. Feedback on characterization is always appreciated. I've used a bit of German throughout here- I used to speak a bit as a kid, as my dad's German, but it's been some years since I've dragged it out. If you catch something wrong, do let me know! Feedback and con/crit is always greatly appreciated! Best- Jac