Title: A Hidden Past

Author: Settiai

Disclaimer: "Hogan's Heroes" and other related characters are not properties of myself. No infringement is intended. This story, such as it is, was written as a sign of respect and love for the characters, the show, and their creator. I claim no ownership of the aforementioned show and characters.

Rating: PG-13

Summary: The past of one of the Heroes comes back to haunt him, in the form of a beautiful young woman. No one could have known, however, how much trouble one nineteen-year-old girl could cause.

Feedback: Comments and helpful criticisms are always appreciated.

E-mail: lynn_foster@settiai.com

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Author's Note: If you have previously read this chapter, I highly suggest that you read it once more. In order to make events that transpire seem a little more plausible, I have chosen to change some of the facts that were previously stated. Also, I have tried to improve certain aspects of my writing, since my skills have progressed some since I started this story two years ago.

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"Push."

A cold wind blew through the cracks in the walls of the house, scarcely noticed by the people standing around the small bed in the center of the room. A young woman, no older than seventeen, lay on the bed, grinning weakly as the young man beside her tightly clutched her hand. The doctor standing beside her smiled gently as he said the words on more time.

"Push"

As sweat poured down the woman's face, her husband squeezed her hand even tighter. "

"Come on 'Lisabeth, you can do it. Just another couple of pushes, and we'll be parents."

Even with the pain of childbirth bearing down on her, Elisabeth had a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. She pushed her fingernails deep into her husband's hand, causing him to yelp in pain. Drawing out the last word, almost daring him to say something else, she smirked at him.

"If you think that this is bad, why don't you try and have this baby. I'd love to see you try, darling."

He gave an exasperated sigh as she stuck her tongue out at him, but his annoyance faded as the young woman let out a loud moan of pain. Her grip on his hand tightened considerably, and he looked at the doctor worriedly. His fears were increased when he saw how pale the doctor's face was.

"Doctor Johnson?"

The doctor quickly turned to Jack McHenry, Elisabeth's older brother, and motioned towards the door. The young man nodded, and gently steered his brother-in-law out of the room. Neither of the men noticed the worried look that the doctor and Anna, Jack's wife, shared.

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In the German POW camp, Stalag 13, one of the prisoners moaned in his sleep. He tossed and turned just enough to show that he was having some sort of nightmare, but not enough to wake up any of his fellow POW's.

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The two young men sat in the rickety chairs right outside the room, placated a great deal by the fact that there hadn't been anymore cries of pain in almost a half hour. Jack was actually starting to nod off when a sudden scream broke through the silence. He was almost forced to tackle his brother-in-law to the ground to keep him from dashing into the room.

As Jack wrestled the younger man to the ground, the loud cry of a baby cut through the air. All other thoughts flew from their minds as they looked stared at each other in astonishment. The door opened slightly, and Anna stepped through with a large smile on her face.

"It's a girl."

Without warning, another bloodcurdling shriek suddenly split the air. Eyes wide, Anna dashed back into the room, shutting the door behind her. Jack stared at the door in shock as he slowly pulled himself to his feet, while the other young man sat on the floor where he was, his face taut with worry.

A few minutes later, though it had seemed like hours, Anna slowly stepped back into the room. The expression on her face told them all they needed to know. Jack's face went pale, and his brother-in-law just sank to the floor. Tears were streaming down his face as he called out the name of his wife.

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At Stalag 13, the prisoner once again moaned; however, a single word sprang from his lips at the same time.

"'Lisabeth."

On a nearby bunk, one of his fellow POW's stirred slightly before gingerly opening his eyes and looking in the direction of his friend. An uncertain expression on his young face, the American slowly pulled himself up into a sitting position.

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Jack McHenry stared at his brother-in-law with amazement in his eyes.

"You can't be serious! Beth is your daughter, you bloody bastard! You can't just abandon her like this!"

He was met by a pair of dark, woeful eyes. The other young man looked down at the sleeping four-month-old in his arms. Then he looked back up at Jack, tears threatening to start falling any time.

"Jack, I'm only eighteen myself. If 'Lisabeth was still here, then the two of us might have been able to provide for Beth. But, as we both know, 'Lisabeth isn't here. I can't do it Jack. I'm doing this for my daughter's sake. She needs a good home, and I can't provide her with one. You and Anna can raise her much better than I can."

Jack looked at him seriously. The face he was staring into was still boyish and full of youth, but those eyes were those of a man. He sighed gently.

"I know, but it still doesn't seem right. Do you really want to do this?"

Once more, his brother-in-law looked down at his daughter. She stared back at him with utter innocence with bright green eyes.

"You know damn well that I don't, Jack, but it has to be this way. I want you to promise me something, though. I want you to tell her about me, but I don't want her to have my name. She doesn't deserve my name."

He stared into Jack's eyes.

"Tell Anna that I love her as much as my own sister, and that I hope she is a good mother."

As he slowly turned to walk away, Jack stared at him in complete surprise.

"Wait a second, what do you mean by that? She's your daughter, you bloody idiot! Are you going to just forget about her? Damn it all, Peter, answer me."

He didn't get an answer. All he saw was his brother-in-law, turning his back on his past and seemingly embracing his future. Jack didn't see the tears rolling down his face, or hear his quiet words.

"Goodbye, Beth."

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Sergeant Andrew Carter gave a slight sigh. He could tell that something was wrong with his friend. It wasn't like him to be a restless sleeper. The young American sat there for a few minutes, listening to the quiet moans coming from the other side of the room.

After a few moments pause, Carter slowly pulled himself out of bed and quietly made his over to the other bunk. He stood there for a few more seconds, silently bracing himself for the tongue-lashing his friend was sure to give him. Then, with a quiet intake of breath, he gently tapped his fellow POW on the arm.

The dark-haired Englishman woke up immediately, his eyes moving wildly around the room.

"What in the..."

His eyes finally froze on the younger man, who was still standing beside his bed with a sheepish expression on his face.

"Carter! What the bloody hell are you trying to do, give me a heart attack!"

Though his words were harsh, a tired grin played on his face. Carter let out a relieved sigh, a weak smile coming to his face.

"You were having a nightmare or something, I think. I mean, you were tossing and turning, and I could hear you moaning from my bunk."

The smile on his face slowly faded as a sudden though suddenly came to his mind.

"By the way, Newkirk, who exactly is Elisabeth?"

The other man, Corporal Peter Newkirk, felt the blood drain from his face. Memories from the past suddenly assailed his mind, and a slight tremor went up his spine. Why were all of these things coming back to him now?

Newkirk suddenly realized that the younger man was still standing there, staring at him with an anxious expression on his face.

"No one, Carter. She's no one."

Carter stared at him for a few seconds before shrugging slightly and heading back to his own bunk. He could tell that Newkirk was hiding something, but until the other man wanted him to know what that was, he wouldn't ask.

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In the dark forests of Germany, a young RAF pilot ran as fast as humanly possible. Being captured by the Nazis was not an option, not with the secret this young person was hiding. Suddenly, with a loud cry, the pilot tripped as her right leg caught in the root of a large tree.

Before she even had a chance to pull herself back to her feet, a bright light abruptly shined in her green eyes. Instinctively, she covered her eyes, grimacing in pain from the intense light. As she pulled her hands away, she found herself staring into the business end of a German's gun.

She could feel the Kraut's eyes moving over her body, and she silently prayed that the binding she wore on her chest, added to the male's uniform she was wearing, would keep her identity safe. It was bad enough being captured, but she knew very well what would happen if they discovered that she was a female.

The young woman quietly held her breath as his gaze drifted over her. When he finally let his stare drop, she let out a silent sigh of relief. As the German soldier gestured for her to stand up and start marching, however, she felt a tremor of fear shoot down her spine. What was the old saying her uncle had always said? Out of the frying pan, into the fire.