DISCLAIMER: I do not own Hogan's Heroes or the quotes included in the story. All rights go to their proper owners.
"Carter! You down here?" the Colonel said into the tunnel, looking for Carter. LeBeau had finished dinner, and tonight it was one of Carter's favourite meals.
Hogan was worried, Carter hated missing dinner. He loved his food, especially LeBeau's cooking. Where was that kid? Hogan remembers just how young Carter is, just 21, almost ten years junior to him. Carter was a great deal younger than the rest of Barracks Two, by a good few years. He really was just a kid.
"Carter?"
"I'm here Colonel" Carter said from the uniform and costume storage room. Something was wrong, Carter wasn't chirpy or upbeat like he usually was, and he didn't call the Colonel boy and stutter to sir.
"What's wrong Carter? You'll miss dinner, and Louis made one of your favourites"
"Nothing sir" Carter replied, turning away more and covering his face, his shoulders shaking ever so slightly.
Hogan slowly sat beside Carter, and put his arm around his young Sergeant. Carter started to cry and shake, leaning into the Colonel. Now the Colonel was really concerned, something was truly wrong. Carter was barely ever upset, ever.
"Carter, tell me what's wrong. Please" the Colonel said softly, quietly.
"Why do we have wars Colonel, why does everyone fight all the time, we do people get judged for being different, I just don't understand!"
"Carter, sometimes I wonder about that myself" the Colonel turned to Carter to gage his reaction. Carter was still and silent, gazing at the Colonel questioningly.
"I don't know why people judge other people for being different, maybe it's human nature, maybe it's not. We don't know, but that's how the world works Carter, however sad that is. Sometimes I think people fight to release the animal parts of us, but war is a whole other level. War is brutal and stupid, and the people that start it think it is a solution, a way to win, but ultimately it causes more destruction. War does not determine who is right, only who is left. People think that by winning the war they are correct, but that's not true, it's about who had the most power, who played the dirtiest. Why we have wars also depend, on why, on who, on how"
"Why does this all have to be so difficult?"
"I don't know Carter, I don't know"
"When will the war end Colonel, will it ever end?"
"One day, yes, the war will officially end. One day. But Plato said that only the dead have seen the end of war. The war will end, but we will deal with the aftermath of it for the rest of our lives. The world will never forget this war, just like we didn't forget the last one. We will never forget our time here, and what we've done her and are yet to do. We will never forget Carter"
"But will we be okay?"
"One day. One day we will here and the world will heal, well heal as much as it can until it breaks again. But we will be okay"
Carter wiped his eyes and took some deep breaths. He hugged the Colonel tightly.
"Thank you sir, I don't know what happened. I just don't understand all the time"
"You're just a kid Carter, a good one but still a kid. The world is confusing, even to adults. I mean look at Klink, how often is he confused. The world doesn't make sense, but its fine. Now, come upstairs and eat dinner, you know how LeBeau gets if the food gets cold"
"Yes boy, I mean sir" Carter said with a smile before rushing up the ladder.
The Colonel followed slowly with a chuckle, "War is hard, but the worst war is with yourself Carter", before climbing the ladder towards the laughing men in Barracks Two.
So this is another short little one shot I came up with. I do see Carter as a very young and innocent character, and he is very child like. Even though he built all those bombs and caused lots of explosions he still kept that innocence. I see Hogan as a father figure, a Papa Bear, to all the men, but especially Carter. So I attempted to portray that. Thanks to anyone that has reviewed or favorited my other one shots!