Die Hard or Live Free

Hans Gruber X Rowan Hoenhiem

Summary: Rowan Hoenhiem moved to the States with her family from Germany when she was a year old. She grows up with a normal life with her parents and learning to speak Irish and German. She grows up blissfully unaware of her grandfather's secret life and just how much it would affect her. The years pass and her grandfather dies when she is 17 leaving her everything and her parents go back to Germany to take care of her grandmother. She stays behind where she meets Holly Gennero and her children. She becomes the babysitter and a sister to Holly and an aunt to the children. She goes attends the University of California and graduates with honors by the age of 19. Holly gets her an interning job at the Nakatomi Plaza. She becomes a valuable employee as she can speak fluent German. She is happy.

Then the night of the Christmas Eve Party, she is on her way back to the elevator when she sees a dead security guard. Before she can react, she grabbed and forced into the elevator with a group of men with guns and straight into the arms of their rather attractive leader, Hans Gruber. Hans quickly learns her name and that she is the granddaughter of an old friend of his grandfather's. He gives her a choice: either she cooperates and lives as a hostage or refuse and die. She chooses hostage.

Upon arriving she is forced to witness the murder of Mr. Takagi who gives his life to save hers. She is then interrogated by Hans about her family. Confused Rowan answers his questions. She is shocked to learn that she is the heir to a hidden legacy started by her grandfather. She refuses to join Hans and remains his prisoner.

Hans and Theo managed to escape with the money in the vault and take Rowan along as well. They drive through the night and when Rowan wakes, they are in Las Vegas. To her horror, she learns that Hans plans on marrying her in order to get out of the country faster and with less problems. She only agrees to it when she learns that they are going to Germany. But after they wed, Rowan becomes despondent and dead to the world, staring out the window and hardly eating, only moving to change clothes and relieve herself. Hans becomes worried, but little does he know that is all a ruse for Rowan to trick Hans into thinking that she will be too weak to run away to find her family in Germany.

The first chance she gets, she runs, barefoot in the snow for several miles and hours until she reaches her grandmother's home. Her parents are shocked to learn what has happened and they take her in, promising to keep her from Hans.

But Rowan doesn't know that when Hans wants something, he gets it and once he has it, he never lets go. And he wants Rowan and is determined to get her back.

Will Rowan survive? Will she learn to love him or fear him? Will it become a sweet dream or a terrifying nightmare?