Title: Love Sprung From Hate
Author: Lauren (OboeCrazy)
Rating: PG
Special Thanks: My beta readers! Patti, Marg, and Elnea...you put up with tons of questions, millions of revisions, and hours of fixing commas. And for that I thank you.
Summary: This was in response to the Yankee Swap on the Hogan's Heroes list, where you submitted a bunny and got back another bunny you had to write a story to. The full bunny is posted at the end of this story, to keep one of the surprises a surprise. In short, Hogan, Carter, and the rest of the gang must stop a planned Gestapo roundup of underground agents in the area, with help from a surprising source...
"Is love a tender thing? It is too rough,
Too
rude, too boist'rous; and it pricks like thorn."
- William Shakespeare
--------
The smell struck Sergeant Andrew Carter so suddenly that he came to a halt in the middle of the woods. The musty, earthy smell of a barn mingled with sweet hay and well fed animals was so familiar, and yet so far away from home, that he found his eyes suddenly pricked with tears. Get a hold of yourself! He admonished himself silently. Colonel Hogan doesn't need me falling all to pieces now! He took a shaky breath to steady jolted nerves, and reminded himself that this wasn't a farmstead in Bullfrog but an Underground meeting location in Germany.
Just ahead of him, Colonel Robert Hogan held up one hand signaling them to stop. Carter quickly dropped into a crouch next to Corporal Peter Newkirk and glanced at his friend as he did. Newkirk was obviously still very unhappy with the whole situation, and didn't bother trying to mask the suspicious glare he directed at the barn. "So?" he whispered to Hogan.
Glancing around one more time, Hogan gave a satisfied nod. "It looks clear. Carter and I will go in for the rendezvous. Stay here and keep an eye out for trouble."
"This is already trouble," Newkirk grumbled quietly.
"I know, but we don't have a choice." Hogan replied simply. Then he nodded to Carter to follow him and headed toward the barn. Carter gave Newkirk one last tense smile and then followed his Colonel.
No one was happy going out into the woods on just a few hours' notice, but the contact from London had been short and curt. The local Underground had used its emergency code for the first time in months, a code usually reserved only the most dire of circumstances. The message only contained a location, a time, and a name. The location was not often used because it was still an active farm, and was only suggested when there was a fear the more common meeting locations had been compromised. The time was only a few hours after receiving the message. And the name, Briar Rose, was not an agent Hogan's men were very familiar with. There were a lot of reasons for everyone to be on edge.
Hogan reached for the door and slipped inside, holding it open as Carter quietly joined him. It was warmer in the barn then the chill fall air outside, and the dim light from the half moon outlined some of the animals in the darkness, but no people. His hand held tense over his gun, Carter scanned the barn looking for anyone.
After a few quiet seconds, Carter whispered to his Colonel, "Do you think we got here first?"
"Do not move," a soft, throaty voice ordered from their right side. Both men turned to find a young woman standing near the wall, half shielded by a chestnut mare. She was concealed enough in shadow to make it impossible to pick out specific features, but Carter could clearly see the large gun in her hand pointed directly at them.
Despite the warning, Carter moved slightly to his right. He was between Hogan and the gun, and the small step blocked any shot she might take. I'm not gonna to let anyone hurt Colonel Hogan!
"We're here to meet someone special," Hogan said softly, using the short code phrase to identify himself.
"Aren't we all?" the woman finished the code, then after a pause asked, "Papa Bear?"
Hogan nodded, "Briar Rose?"
The gun lowered, but was not put away. Stepping away from the mare, the woman came far enough into the light for Carter to make out her features. Her long, black hair was tied into a tight ponytail, and her pale face and dark eyes looked troubled. A tight fitting black sweater and long black skirt kept her concealed, but displayed an attractive figure. She would have been pretty, but the moment she stepped into the light she sneered at them, her face twisted into a look of disgust. "You are late," she announced, her German accent thick.
"We took the scenic route," Hogan quipped. "What's with the gun?"
Rose glanced at the guns both men had, and then back at Hogan with a condescending glare. "I do not have time for this. The underground cell in Hammelburg is in danger and must be immediately evacuated." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small piece of paper. Handing it to Hogan she continued, "Their identities have been compromised. These are the members that will be rounded up by the Gestapo tomorrow night at sundown."
Hogan unfolded the paper and scanned the names, his eyes widening, "This is half of the group!"
"Ja," Rose scowled, "So much for it being Underground."
"How did the Gestapo find out?" Carter asked, glancing at the list of names.
"Luck, mostly. Bribes sometimes." Rose shrugged. "And torture a few times."
Andrew felt the blood drain from his face. "Torture?"
Rose turned back to Hogan. "You must get them out of Germany before tomorrow night."
"This is a lot of people to move, especially with the Gestapo out looking for them," Hogan frowned.
Rose took a step towards them, her face darkening, "You have no choice! You must! These men must be saved!"
"I never said I wouldn't, just that it'd be hard!" Hogan snapped back at the woman. Folding up the piece of paper and stashing it in a pocket he asked, "How did you find this information?"
Glancing out the window above the barn door, Rose ignored the question. "I must go. You as well, you have much work to do." She turned to head out the back.
"Wait! Are you sure that is everything?" Hogan called out.
Turning with a huff, Rose snapped, "Yes! Now go before you join your friends in a Gestapo cell!" And without another word she ran off into the darkness.
"Gee, not the nicest person in Germany, is she?" Carter grumbled.
"It's a hard time to be happy," Hogan sighed.
"Yeah, but just because we're at war doesn't mean we can't be nice to each other!"
Hogan gave a small smile, "Let's find Newkirk and get back to the camp. There's a lot of work to do tonight and not enough time to do it in."
The three men made their way back to Stalag 13 as quickly as was safe, and Hogan was calling out orders even as Carter was still climbing down the ladder into the emergency tunnel. "Kinch, get on the radio to Fiedler in the Underground. Tell him to pass the word to as many of his men as possible to get packed and ready to go."
Sergeant Ivan Kinchloe's eyes widened in alarm, "Packed? What for?"
"We've got to evacuate most of the senior members of the group. They've been compromised."
Nodding, Kinch ran towards his radio, keenly knowing that this was a dire situation. Carter watched him dash off, the worry in his friends eyes was echoed in his gut. If eleven members of the Underground could be that quickly compromised, he wasn't sure what it would mean for Colonel Hogan's operation.
Moving towards a large table with several maps, Hogan studied the area surrounding Stalag 13 with a practiced eye. "Where's LeBeau?"
"I'm here, mon Colonel," Corporal Louis LeBeau called out, descending the ladder leading up to the main barracks. "What did you get from the contact?"
"Trouble." Hogan pulled out the paper Briar Rose had given him and started going down the names. As he talked he found spots on the map where each person lived and circled them. "Go to Barracks Five and get Reynolds, Amherst and Rowley. Carter, get to Barracks Thirteen and get Baker and Wickliff. Newkirk, you've got Foss and Coombs in Four and then get Olsen in Two. We've got eleven members of the Underground we have to get to safety by tonight, or else the Gestapo will be knocking on their doors at dinner tomorrow."
Carter added his "Yes, sir!" to the chorus of responses and scampered down the tunnel. They had a line right to Barracks Thirteen, but it was clear across camp so he'd need to hurry if he didn't want to be the last one back. He and Newkirk had a friendly competition going when running errands for the Colonel, both trying to see who could finish first. So far Newkirk's ahead, but maybe tonight I'll even the odds!
It took less than fifteen minutes to wake Baker and Wickliff and get them back to the radio room. Carter grinned as he trotted in to find Newkirk wasn't in sight. Finally, something I can poke fun at Newkirk for! He joined Colonel Hogan at the table, "We're back, Colonel."
"Good." Hogan nodded his head towards the anti-chamber where the dressing area was. "Newkirk's back there already. Go get into uniform."
"Oh," Carter couldn't keep the disappointment out of his voice, and tried to cover it with a stammered, "Uh, I mean, yes sir!" Then he headed back for his jacket and flight suit. As the Colonel had said, Newkirk was already there washing the last of the black paint off his face.
"Beat ya again, did I?" Newkirk grinned over at his friend. "You may go swift and sure through the forest, but I still got you beat in the tunnels!"
"I don't know how you run around here so fast!" Carter admitted as he pulled on his well-worn uniform.
"It's all the streets of London, some of the houses 'ang so far over the pavement they're like tunnels. Keeps the worst of the weather out, I guess. Though it certainly doesn't help the gloom." Newkirk grabbed both of their hats, throwing Carter's fuzzy one on his head from a few feet away. "In other words, lots and lots of practice."
Carter grinned and fixed his hat. "One of these days I'll get you in a real race over the open plain, and then you'll see how fast I can go!"
"Looking forward to it, Andrew." Newkirk said, for a moment looking a bit wistful, then he slapped Carter on the back, "Come on. Let's go see how Colonel Hogan plans to get us out of this mess."
There was quite a crowd around the main table, some men shifting back and forth on their feet trying to wake up. It was just after one in the morning, and except for those on night watch duty most of the camp was fast asleep.
Hogan saw Newkirk and Carter enter, and giving them a nod he spoke up, "Alright, listen up. We've got word that the Gestapo has pegged eleven of our top underground agents. By suppertime they'll be eating prisoner rations unless we can get them first. Each of you will be given a name and a location. Your job is to get your man and bring him back here as quickly as possible."
Olsen whistled in surprise, "Damn, they've got that many people pegged?"
"And we've got to get them out of town in less than 24 hours." Hogan said, "Briar Rose was surly but sure about that."
"Surly?" Carter exclaimed, "She was downright nasty!"
"She was probably just worried about her comrades." LeBeau reasoned.
"Well she didn't have to take it out on us!"
"The messenger isn't what I'm concerned about right now," Hogan broke in, trying to refocus his men.
"What about their families, sir?" Sergeant Richard Baker spoke up from the side of the room. "Many of them are going to have wives and children."
"Take them too, since they'll be in danger," Hogan replied, "But don't turn this into a family reunion. Let's hope at this time of night, with the curfew, the whole family is home. We don't have time to go running around Hammelburg looking for night owls. You'll all be in uniform for this one. If something goes wrong and you're caught, you give the standard escaped prisoner line. If you're caught with the family, claim they were trying to catch you, or you were holding them hostage. We'll make sure you and they get picked up safely. Get there, get them, and get back with plenty of time before roll call. Once the sun comes up there's not much more we can do except hide them here and sit tight. Understood?"
The men all murmured their affirmative, and Hogan started handing out assignments. After receiving his name, address, and the code phrase to use, Carter headed out the emergency tunnel for the second time in one night. He zipped up his jacket against the chill night air. It was much warmer than the black clothing he'd warn before, but it always made him nervous to be outside in his uniform. It was hard to blend into the darkness in a light flight suit and fuzzy jacket. Plus he had nightmares of being captured and sent to another POW camp, a real one without the tunnels and the night missions and his friends.
It wasn't far to the house he'd been assigned. He'd noticed that Colonel Hogan had given him and Newkirk locations that were close by, probably because they'd already been out once that night. Carter smiled, Colonel Hogan thinks of everything!
The house was just outside of town, hopefully far enough out that Carter wouldn't run into any traffic. He approached the door cautiously, making sure no one was in sight. He knocked twice, paused, knocked twice again, and then waited hoping the family recognized the signal.
What felt like an eternity passed as Carter hunched in the darkest part of the doorway. Finally a dim light appeared in the window and the door opened a crack. "It's quite late for visitors." The man recited the first half of the code in hoarsely whispered German.
"But never too late for a good friend." Carter replied, slipping easily into German.
Opening the door wide enough for Carter to slip in, the man said, "Hurry before we are seen."
Inside the small house Carter saw the dim light was from a single lit lamp. It was just bright enough to make out the tall, bearded man at the door. He looked to be in his early thirties and dressed in comfortable looking work clothing. His brown eyes were bright with worry, and he was quick to close and latch the door.
"Herr Schmidt?" Carter asked.
"Wolfgang." He nodded, shaking Carter's hand, "You are from Papa Bear's group?"
"Yes." Carter practically sighed in relief. He was worried that Kinch's contact with the Underground hadn't had time to relay the message to everyone, and that he would have to do a lot of fast-talking. "You got our message?"
Wolfgang nodded, "Mere moments ago. Liselle and I are just finishing our packing."
"Liselle?" Carter asked, glancing around for a young woman, "Is she you're wife?"
"No, she is my daughter." Wolfgang paused for a moment, then added simply, "My wife died many years ago."
Caught off guard, Carter could only stammer out in English "I'm so sorry!"
Wolfgang gave him a double-take, then said in halting, heavily accented English, "American, you are? Your German is very good."
"Danke." Carter grinned.
"Papa?" Both men turned to find a young girl standing in the doorway rubbing her eyes. She couldn't be more than five years old, and was dressed in a pair of oversized dark pants and shirt. Her long brown hair was in a tumbled mess, and she was looking at the two men with a mixture of worry and curiosity. "Who's that?"
Carter glanced at Wolfgang, and then knelt down in front of the young girl so they could look eye to eye. "My name is Andrew, what's yours?"
The girl grinned. "I'm Liselle Lowe Schmidt, and I'm five years old!" she announced in a tone that indicated she'd practiced that sentence many times.
Carter couldn't help but smile at the cute child. She reminded him of a few cousins he'd last seen before heading off to boot camp. "Well, Miss Liselle Lowe Schmidt who is five years old, I'm here to take you on vacation. But it's a secret, surprise vacation, so you have to promise to be very quiet when we leave. Do you think you can do that?"
"Uh-huh." Liselle nodded, and then asked in a whisper, "What's the secret?"
Carter glanced around as if making sure there weren't any spies nearby. Liselle mimicked him, and then leaned in close when Carter motioned her toward him so he could whisper, "There's chocolate there."
Liselle gave a little gasp of excitement, her eyes growing wide. Carter nodded, grinning himself. The child giggled, "Wow."
Carter pointed back toward the bedrooms, "Now get your things so we can go. It's a long trip, and I promise if you're really quiet tonight I'll have some chocolate for you before you go back to bed."
With a happy nod, Liselle practically tiptoed into the bedroom. Carter stood up and sighed. He'd get more chocolate in the next Red Cross package; she could have his last bar if it meant getting them safely back to camp.
"Danka." Wolfgang said softly behind him.
Suddenly self-conscious, Carter shuffled his feet. "I've got family about her age back home."
A few minutes later both Schmidts were ready to go, and Carter lead the duo out the door and back towards Stalag 13. It was a tense trip back to their base of operations, and Carter fretted the whole way with how they'd keep Liselle safe and quiet if they ran into a patrol. A silent mantra ran through his head the whole trip. No Krauts, no krauts, no krauts... Fortunately luck was on their side and they reached the camp without running into trouble. As they approached the tree stump entrance to the underground tunnel, Carter turned back to the Schmidts. "We're close," he whispered, and then looked down at Liselle, "Remember, this is a big secret, so we have to be really quiet, OK?"
Liselle nodded, smiling up at him with trusting eyes. Wolfgang reached down and took her hand with a small smile of his own, then nodded to Carter.
Easily timing the searchlights with months of practice, Carter darted forward and opened the hatch. He motioned to the Schmidts, and Wolfgang quickly came forward to help Liselle down the ladder. Once they were inside Carter climbed in himself and closed the lid tightly.
As he dropped to the floor Carter gave a sigh of relief, "Well I'm glad that's all over and...Wow!"
The dirt tunnel was filled with people, all huddled together in groups, all holding hastily assembled bags of clothing and items. Andrew recognized some members of the Underground, though many were strangers. Spotting LeBeau off to one side with a couple, Carter called out, "Hey, Louie? What's going on?"
LeBeau weaved his small frame through the crowd to join Carter and his charges by the ladder. "It's a busy night. We have all arrived at once!"
Carter gazed around at all the people. "It's Grand Central Station down here!"
"Colonel Hogan is trying to find places to put everyone. We are short on space." LeBeau also glanced around at the crowd. "If I am to feed them all I will need a bigger pot."
"Heck, a bigger stove!"
"Oui."
Someone pulled on his jacket, and Carter looked back down at Liselle. "Mr. Andrew, are all these people going on vacation with us too?"
"Oh, yeah! London is a very popular place this time of year." Carter nodded.
With a face full of innocence, Liselle asked, "Are you coming too?"
Carter gave a sad smile, thinking about how nice it would be to go back home. Soon, he promised himself silently, then replied out loud, "No, I can't go on vacation just yet."
"Well when we get back I'll bring you a present!" the little girl announced.
"Sweet child." LeBeau smiled.
Andrew couldn't help but laugh, "Thanks, Liselle, but you just get yourself something nice."
"Carter! LeBeau!" Both men turned as Baker called out to them, "Give us a hand clearing out tunnel three, will ya? We gotta make some more room!"
"As I said, a busy night." LeBeau sighed. "But if we are all safe and sound by the end of it, a good one." He headed off towards tunnel three.
Carter turned back to the Schmidts, "I'm sure we'll get everyone settled in as quick as pie. Won't be the most comfortable vacation, but it'll be safe."
"Right now safety is a Godsend." Wolfgang nodded.
Looking down at Liselle, Carter said, "I'll be back with that chocolate before you go to bed, I promise!"
After helping everyone find a place to sleep, making good on his promise to Liselle and giving her his last chocolate bar, and then making sure all his bomb-making supplies were well stored and secured so no curious child could play with them, Carter finally reached his bunk. He'd managed at most ten minutes of sleep before Schultz had arrived to wake them for roll call, and somehow was able to sleep walk out to the line up without even realizing it. When roll call was finally dismissed he stumbled back into the Barracks, rubbing tired eyes and yawning loudly.
"Urg, Carter. Don't do that!" Newkirk grumbled, "You'll get me yawning again!"
"When this war is over I'm gonna curl up in bed and sleep for a week." Carter said.
"Why wait for the war to end?" LeBeau moved to his own bunk, a dreamy look on his face.
"Because we've got two dozen people downstairs we gotta get to safety," Colonel Hogan reminded as he entered the main room of the Barracks. Heading for the coffee on the stove, he filled his cup to the brim.
"The good news is we got everyone," Kinch said from the table. "When the Gestapo starts busting down doors tonight they're going to find a bunch of empty houses."
Newkirk sighed, "That's good news, at least. But it ain't gonna be easy sneakin' all our guests past the army the Gestapo will park in our neighborhood."
"We'll cross that army when we come to it," Hogan said, and then turning to Kinch asked, "What did London say about the sub?"
"A few days at least." Kinch moved to the stove to join the Colonel in the coffee, "With so many people to move they're asking for at least a week."
Hogan nodded. "Fine by me. Newkirk is right, once the raids turn up empty the Gestapo are going to flood the woods looking for people trying to sneak out of the country. Since we don't have the time to move them now, it'll be best to wait a bit for the heat to die down."
"Gee, that's a long time to keep a lot of people hidden," Carter said, thinking of Liselle and some of the other children stuck down in the tunnels.
"That's why LeBeau is going to be our Guest Coordinator," Hogan announced, placing a friendly arm around his shoulders.
"Moi!" LeBeau sputtered, "Why am I nominated?"
"Who would know better than a Frenchman how to make guests feel welcome?" Holding up the cup of coffee in his hand, Hogan added, "And we all know the way to a person's happiness is through his stomach."
Newkirk snorted, "Schultz must be one happy man."
Hogan remained focused on LeBeau, "We've got some time. They were up all of the night as well, so most will sleep for a few hours. I want you to make sure they're comfortable in any way possible. Use whatever resources are necessary. They could be down there a while, and some of the women and children might not be accustomed to roughing it."
LeBeau nodded, "Oui, mon Colonel."
"As for the rest of us," Hogan turned to the others in the Barracks, "If you're not getting orders from Guest Master LeBeau, I want you scrounging up supplies. We've got twenty-eight people we have to get out of Germany, and that's going to take a lot of money, food, ID's, clothing, and ideas."
The men in Barracks Two answered with determined, if not exhausted, affirmatives.
Carter spent most of the morning helping Newkirk organize all the supplies to start making new identification cards. They were spread out in one of the larger rooms of the tunnels, using the table to assemble the new IDs. Carter was reading choices from a book of German surnames for Newkirk to use, and finding his British friend was as nitpicky about names as he was about everything else.
"Kappel?" Carter offered.
Newkirk shook his head, "Sounds too much like appel. After months here I hate that word."
"Kaufmann?"
"Too generic."
"Isn't that what we want? Something normal and inconspicuous?"
"Normal, yes, but not bloody boring!" Newkirk picked up the ID card he'd been working on, "Someone has to live with this name for a while, so why not give 'em something decent?"
"Mr. Andrew?"
Both men looked up at the new voice to see Liselle Schmidt standing a few feet away, looking apprehensive. Carter put the book down and turned to the girl, switching into German as he asked, "What's the matter, Liselle?"
"I'm worried." Liselle admitted in a soft voice, "Papa is really worried, but he won't tell me about what. And he's talking with other men who are really worried, and I don't know what to do."
"Well there's no reason to be worried!" Carter pulled over an empty chair, "Why not sit here for a bit and keep us company?"
Liselle nodded and practically ran over to take the seat. Giving a small sigh, Newkirk said, "She's a bit young to be making fake ID cards."
"I think she just needs some company, that's all," Carter replied, digging into his jacket for something to keep the little girl occupied.
Turning wide eyes to the Englishman, Liselle asked, "Who are you?"
Slipping easily into German, Newkirk grinned at the girl, "I'm Peter Newkirk, the greatest magician in the world!"
Liselle giggled, "No, you're not!"
"I'm not!" Newkirk replied with over exaggerated horror, "Well, do you know anyone else that can do this?"
Grabbing one of the finished ID cards, he held it out in the palm of his hand to the little girl. As Liselle reached out to take it, Newkirk suddenly placed his other hand over the card with a clap and then spread his now empty hands out wide, the card apparently vanishing into thin air. Carter had seen Newkirk perform the trick many times but he still had no idea how it was done, and no matter how he pleaded with his friend he never got an answer. As Newkirk reached around to Liselle's right ear, Carter shifted in his seat to try and get a better look, hoping to catch the trick, but still all he saw was the amazing act of Newkirk seemingly pulling the ID card from Liselle's ear.
Smiling and clapping with glee, the girl announced to Carter, "I like him! He's fun!"
"Never have I received such a wonderful compliment from such a lovely young woman." Newkirk grinned at the girl.
"Do it again!" the child insisted, almost bouncing in her seat in anticipation.
"I think Mr. Andrew can keep you entertained for a while," Newkirk said, glancing at Carter, "I've got to get back to making you and your family disappear."
Carter finally found some string, and it was only a few minutes before he was showing Liselle how to play Cat's Cradle. As the child was engrossed in figuring out the next strings to grab, Carter glanced over at the book they had been using. "Need some more names?"
"Keep reading, I'm still looking for something good to use." Newkirk replied.
It took him a moment to find where he'd left off, then spotting the next name Carter grinned. "Hey! How about Kaiser!"
"Very funny, Carter. Just what Germany needs, another one!" Newkirk shook his head, "At this rate it'll take us days to get everyone named!"
Carter glanced off into space, suddenly lost in his own memories of home. "My Mom always said it took her and Dad four days to figure out what they were going to name me. She had a baby book, and they rejected every name in it! She said she wanted me to have something special, something unique!"
"Oh, you're unique alright." Newkirk snickered, then he asked, "Hang on a moment. You mean to say your Mum needed four whole days to come up with Andrew?"
"Yeah. And if my Dad had his way, I'd be Bruce Carter right now!"
"Well, Bruce, get back to reading off those names so we don't make the same mistake your Mum made!"
"Hey!" LeBeau poked his head down into the tunnel from the entrance to the Barracks. "A staff car rolled in! It's Hochstetter and some girl! They're heading for Klink's office."
"We'd better get up there." Newkirk said, heading for the ladder.
Handing Liselle the string, Carter told her, "Why not show your father how to do that? I've gotta take care of something."
"Thank you, Mr. Andrew!" Liselle smiled, running off with the string.
Carter followed Newkirk up the ladder and into Colonel Hogan's room. LeBeau was repeating what he saw to the Colonel while Kinch connected the wiring to the coffee pot receiver so they could listen in on the Kommandant and his guests.
"Great, just what we need." Hogan came over to the table. "Ol' Wolfgang sniffing around."
"Do you think he knows about the Underground missing?" Carter asked, worried.
"Let's find out," Kinch said, connecting the last wire.
There was a hiss of static, and then the nasal bark of Major Wolfgang Hochstetter spilled out of the speaker, "...all the prisoners in formation immediately!"
Colonel Wilhelm Klink's voice was shaking, obviously intimidated by the Gestapo Major, "But Major, we just had noon roll call no more than an hour ago! I can assure you that..."
"I doubt you can assure me of anything! Just call the roll!"
There was a pause, and Carter could almost see Klink attempting to figure out how to deny the Gestapo request all the while not putting himself on the line. Finally Klink's strained voice came over the speaker, "But surely you would not wish to bore this lovely young lady with such a chore? You're welcome to stay until the evening roll call, and then both of you can see for yourselves that there has never been an escape from..."
Hochstetter cut Klink off. "Klink! Keep your hands to yourself! Now go call the roll, or else you will find out just how boring it is inside a Gestapo cell!"
Predictably, Klink gave in at the threat. "As you wish, Herr Major! Schultz!"
"OK gang, looks like we've gotta go look pretty for the Major." Hogan said as they disconnected the coffee pot.
"Come on, Bruce, we can't keep the lovely lady waiting!" Newkirk called from the door.
"I wonder what Hochstetter is doing with a woman." Carter mused aloud as he followed his friend.
"If she's a beauty then I might not mind seeing Hochstetter's ugly mug again!"
As they headed for their usual spots in line, Carter peered around his friends to see Klink frantically trying to keep up with the Gestapo Major. Next to the short, nasty man was a tall woman in simple black, her long, black hair tied into a tight ponytail, and her pale face and dark eyes looked troubled. It took a moment before he realized who he was seeing, and Carter gasped as he came to an abrupt halt.
The woman next to Hochstetter was Briar Rose!
"Carter!" LeBeau groused as he bumped into him. "Keep moving!"
Ignoring his friend, Carter glanced around until he locked eyes with Colonel Hogan. The officer had also just noticed Briar Rose, and his troubled face betrayed his worry. Softly he ordered, "Keep quiet, and don't look surprised." Then erasing all traces of his emotions from his face, Hogan sauntered out into the compound to take his place in line.
It took Carter a few extra moments to follow his Colonel's example, but finally he got his feet moving and his face blank. Briar Rose is with the Gestapo! No wonder she knew about the plans to capture the Underground! But why is she here, and with Major Hochstetter?
Sergeant Schultz finished his count and turned to salute his superior officers, "All present and accounted for!"
Klink was looking smug as he assumed the Gestapo agemt was trying to find missing prisoners. He turned to crow at Hochstetter but found Briar Rose whispering something in the Major's ear. Hochstetter gave a small, nasty little smile, and then turned to the soldiers he'd brought along with him. "Take Colonel Hogan to the Cooler immediately!" Then pointing at Carter he continued, "And that one too, in the fuzzy hat!"
The sudden announcement caught everyone off guard, but the prisoners reacted as the armed guards came to take Hogan and Carter away. Loud shouts of protest and profanity were quickly followed by several people moving to block access to both men. Carter felt someone tug on his sleeve, urging him to duck down out of sight. The Gestapo moved in, their rifles cocked and loaded, and began to order everyone back in formation. The whole situation was quickly getting out of hand, and for a brief moment Carter wondered if he shouldn't just make a run for it.
No, I'm not gonna turn tail and run like some coward! If they don't get me, they'll just take one of my friends!
Two quick-fired shots made almost everyone instinctively drop to the ground, including even the Gestapo men with their rifles. Only three were left standing; Major Hochstetter with his smoking handgun still pointed at the sky, a glaring Colonel Hogan, and the woman next to Hochstetter who had an unreadable expression on her face.
"That was just the warning shots!" Hochstetter announced, then leveled his gun at Hogan. "The next time I fire it will be right at you and your men!" Then glaring at his own men cowering on the ground, he screeched, "I gave you an order! Schnell!"
"Everyone, stay safe, and that's an order!" Hogan commanded, his words soft but clear. Then turning to look at Carter he called out, "Come on, Carter."
Carter got to his feet slowly, moving to Colonel Hogan's side. He couldn't stop his gut from twisting in fear as the armed guard moved in and roughly began to push them towards the solitary cells. Glancing at his commanding officer, he saw Colonel Hogan looked slightly annoyed, but continued to look confident. Carter took a deep breath and tried to follow Hogan's lead. Colonel Hogan will get us out of this. I just gotta make sure I don't mess anything up! Dimly he could hear Hochstetter announcing to Klink that the Cooler was off limits to anyone but his own staff.
As they approached the door, Carter heard Hogan order in a low voice, "Keep quiet, OK?"
Carter could only nod in fear as he was led away.
Hogan paced the small cell like a wild animal, forcing himself to focus on putting one foot in front of the other. The guard right outside the door was watching him, preventing him from heading towards the hidden tunnel entrance to contact anyone. Things had fallen apart in the space of seconds, and he hated being unable to react. He wanted to warn his men to get ready to fight or flee if Briar Rose really had sold them out, but since that couldn't happen he counted his steps and tried to keep calm.
A loud thunk announced the door being unlocked, and the rusty hinges squeaked in protest as it swung open. The guard stepped away to reveal Hochstetter and Briar Rose standing there. Hochstetter had a look of undisguised anticipation, but Briar Rose continued to be unreadable.
Hogan stopped in the center of the room and faced them, crossing his arms. "Well I assume this isn't a social call," he snapped, eyeing Hochstetter.
Briar Rose turned to the Gestapo Major. "Why don't you concentrate on his Sergeant, Uncle. After all you've told me about Colonel Hogan, it is obvious the safety of his men comes first."
Hogan's gut dropped. Uncle! he thought in surprise, but then focused on the next problem...keeping Carter safe. The last thing I want is Hochstetter laying into that boy! Hoping to goad Hochstetter into staying with him, Hogan called out, "I'm insulted! The Major comes all this way and he's going to ignore me for a Sergeant? Especially after all the times he's promised me a nice chat."
Hochstetter glared at the Colonel, but Rose placed a hand on his shoulder to recapture his attention. "Let him worry about his men while I chat with him. Maybe a female touch can help him see reason."
For a moment Wolfgang looked conflicted, but then nodded. Drawing back, he sneered at Hogan, "Think about answering her questions, Hogan. The sooner she comes to tell me she has answers, the less time I will need to...question your man."
As Hochstetter turned and headed down the hall for Carter's cell, Hogan couldn't help take a step forward, ready to protest. At the last moment he was able to stop himself from calling out. Carter would be in even more danger if Hochstetter thought his tactic would work, and Hogan trusted Carter to keep quiet. He would just have to see what game Rose was playing, and try to play along until they were all safe.
Calling out an order to assist her Uncle, Briar Rose stepped into the cell and waited as the guard closed the door and followed Hochstetter. Once she was satisfied that there was no one in earshot, she looked at Hogan, "Did you get them all out?"
"You're his niece?" Hogan countered, not willing to give up any information.
"Yes," she raised her chin proudly, "My name is Gerda Hochstetter."
"Gestapo agent." Hogan finished with a growl.
"Only recently. When I couldn't get the information I needed just from visiting my Uncle at Headquarters I feigned interest in joining the ranks. I've only officially been in the Gestapo a few months." She gave a tiny smile, "They thought a woman would have an easier time infiltrating the Underground. With Uncle Wolfie as my sponsor I was welcomed. It didn't take long to get access to the information I needed, and my contacts with Underground members was viewed as part of my assignment."
"So where are your loyalties?" Hogan demanded.
She scowled, coming to stand next to him, "As always with my countrymen! The Nazi's are a disgrace to true Germans. I only want to protect them."
"You have a funny way of doing it!" Hogan spat, forcing himself to keep his voice low even as he vent his frustration, "Coming here, putting us in danger, letting your Uncle interrogate my man..."
"I needed a distraction!" Gerda snapped, "The raid was planned for tonight, but Uncle was growing restless. I feared he was going to push back the time. When I saw you last night I recognized your face from his files." Her angry frown twisted into a smile void of humor, "He is quite obsessed with you, and his accusations would be laughable if they weren't true."
Hogan scowled. Hochstetter's quest to discover the truth about Stalag 13 was a constant source of trouble, and grown worse day by day. Sending a worried glance to the door, Hogan asked, "And Carter?"
"He was the only other one I recognized." Gerda shrugged, "I assumed anyone you trusted to work with you knew how to keep quiet even under my Uncle's interrogation. And it bought me time with you so I could find out where you took the members of the Underground."
At least now Hogan's questions were answered, though he didn't like the outcome at all. Is she telling the truth, or is this simply a double agent looking to trap my men? Hogan thought furiously as he tried to formulate a plan. I can't risk letting anything slip...if she's selling out the Underground, the only weapon I have is knowledge of where they're hiding. Summoning up his most innocent expression, the one that had quite a lot of practice with Klink, Hogan said, "Where I took who?"
"Do not play games with me. I know they are already gone!" Gerda moved to block Hogan's view of the door where he'd been glancing every few moments. Forcing eye contact she snapped, "Where are they!"
It was Hogan's turn to shrug, "Maybe they went on vacation. I hear Tahiti is nice this time of year."
Greda snarled a harsh German curse word, and for a moment looked so furious that Hogan thought she might try and hit him. While there was only a passing physical resemblance to Hochstetter, the livid woman in front of him certainly looked like she had inherited her Uncle's temper. They stood for several moments, eyes locked, as Hogan waited to see what she would do. Finally turning away in disgust, Gerda muttered something under her breath that Hogan barely caught.
"Americans are trouble!" Now it was Hogan's turn to be angry, "I'm not the one who invited a Gestapo Major over to interrogate one of my men!"
Waving a hand like she was brushing aside something unimportant, Greda said, "He cannot harm him seriously. Without proof even the Gestapo has its limits."
"I don't want him harmed at all!"
Turning back to Hogan, Gerda asked, "What are a few bumps and bruises to the lives of dozens of German patriots? He will survive."
"That's not the point!" Hogan forced himself to take a deep breath and calm down. Letting his emotions cloud his logic wouldn't help him or Carter. Finally under control again he said, "Look, you've had your little distraction. Now get your Uncle and go."
"Not until I know where you have hidden the members of the Underground."
Hogan paused for a moment to ponder his next move. Gerda, as Briar Rose, already knew he was Papa Bear and his work in the area. If she wanted him exposed she could have done it already. He thought over how upset she was over this group of rebels and wondered what there was about them that made them so special. How could she care so little for the Americans involved, and so much for the Germans? Intuition told him something else was going on, and it was worth revealing a bit to see what he could find out.
"They're safe," Hogan finally admitted, "We're waiting for the Gestapo to move out of the area before getting them back to London."
Raising her chin in conviction, Gerda announced, "I am going with them."
Hogan shook his head, "Don't you think it'll be a bit suspicious when a Gestapo agent disappears? It's going to be hard to cover your disappearance as well."
"I do not care." Gerda replied, "When you take them to London you will take me as well. Or else I will tell my Uncle about your activities in the area, and his next interrogation will be with you just before you are shot."
His eyes narrowing into angry slits, Hogan said in a low voice, "You drive a hard bargain."
"One of the few good things I learned from my Uncle." Her head still held high, Gerda didn't budge. "Well? Is it a deal?"
Letting out an exasperated breath, Hogan said, "Fine! But you could have just asked! I never said I wouldn't, just that it'd be hard."
Gerda gave a small smile, "You said the same thing back at the barn."
"Well it's nice to know our relationship is consistent!" Hogan said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He turned away from her to pace the cell again, his mind working on what would be necessary. "Make sure you're seen helping out with the raids tonight. The more loyal you look the less suspicious you become. Then in the next few days see if you can convince your Uncle that you might be able to make contact with another Underground cell. Tell him you're going deep undercover to try to find the members who escaped. That'll make your disappearance less suspicious, and buy us some time before Hochstetter starts looking for you."
Gerda nodded, "When and where should I meet you to go with you back to London?"
"We'll contact you using the emergency signal. I don't have a specific date just yet." Noticing the determined glint in Gerda's eyes, Hogan quickly added, "I can't give you something I don't know! And I'm not going to set a date until I see the Gestapo pulling out of the area."
For a moment it looked as if she would argue, but eventually Gerda snapped, "Fine. But I expect to hear from you in the week with more details."
"Fine," Hogan echoed back. "Now go call off your Uncle."
With a nod Gerta turned back to the door and pounded twice with her fist. After a brief delay the door was unlocked and the guard glanced in. "Ja?"
"We are done here," Gerta announced, brushing past the guard and out of the cell. "Where is my Uncle?"
"This way." The guard closed the door with a loud clank, then lead her down the hall and out of Hogan's sight.
With a tired sigh, Hogan sunk onto the hard cot. How did things turn so bad so quickly? He asked himself. Glancing at the stone hiding the entrance to the tunnels, Hogan was once again tempted to drop below and find out what else was going on at the camp, or sneak below the other solitary cell and check on Carter. But he had to be cautious with Hochstetter so close. Hopefully Briar Rose would get her Uncle to leave quickly, and this awful morning could end.
Time dragged on as Hogan sat waiting. Every minute spent sitting in the stark cell felt like an hour, he grew more worried as the minutes ticked by. What is taking her so long? Getting up he paced the cell again, trying to focus on plans for the future, his course of action once the Hochstetters were gone...anything but what was going on down the hall.
Finally the sound of voices outside the door made Hogan pause. He heard Hochstetter and Klink arguing loudly in German, mostly insulting each other's authority over Stalag 13 and it's prisoners. As the door opened again, he clearly heard Hochstetter sneer, "Bah! The Gestapo can do as they please with prisoners of the Third Reich!"
"Finally come for a visit, Major?" Hogan asked in a sickly sweet voice.
The Gestapo Major glared at Hogan, "You are fortunate I have other business to attend to, Colonel Hogan."
"Too busy to chat with me?" Hogan twisted his face into a look of mock horror, "I'm insulted!"
"You will be more than insulted when I have proof of your involvement with the Underground!" Hochstetter moved to stand close to Hogan, attempting to be eye to eye with the Colonel. Because of the height difference Hogan practically had to look down his nose at the Major, a position he rather enjoyed. "Next time I will not be so easy on you or your men!"
Before Hogan could answer Hochstetter whirled on his heels and stormed out, calling to Klink as he did. The Kommandant practically stumbled over his feet to follow the shorter man out of the Cooler. Gerda gave Hogan one last look, then followed both men quietly.
"Gee, if that was easy I'd hate to see hard!" Hogan whirled around at the familiar voice. Andrew Carter was half hidden behind the bulk of Sergeant Schultz, and at a quick glance he seamed unharmed.
"Carter, are you all right?" Hogan asked, unable to keep the worry out of his voice as he tried to squeeze around Schultz.
Carter kept looking down the hallway, but glanced at his commanding officer out of his right eye. "Oh, I'm fine sir! No problems! And you? You're fine, right?"
"Yeah, I just had a lovely chat with Gerda Hochstetter, that's all." Hogan replied, still trying to get a good look at his Sergeant.
"Come on, let's get out of here," Schultz whined. "I have had enough of the Gestapo and their funny business for one day."
"I've had enough for a lifetime!" Carter agreed.
As they followed Schultz out the door and hit the bright light of the afternoon, Hogan finally saw what Carter had been trying to hide. His demolitions expert had a puffy left eye, just beginning to turn an ugly shade of black and blue. Obviously Hochstetter had landed at least one blow on the young man.
Hogan grit his teeth as white hot anger flared in his gut, and called out in exasperation, "Carter!"
"What?" Glancing over in surprise, Carter realized what Hogan had noticed and shrugged sheepishly, "It's no big deal, sir. Really! Honest! I figured you had bigger things to worry about, and..."
"Come on, let's get something cold on that eye before it blows up even more." Hogan interrupted, leading him towards Barracks 2. "Did you really think you could just keep that hidden? You've got a shiner the size of North Dakota!"
Hogan's furious thoughts raced on, One of these days I'll get you payback with Hochstetter. When I'm done with him he'll have more than a black eye.
Somewhere, somehow, LeBeau and Newkirk had scrounged up a handful of ice wrapped in a towel. The fact that the towel had the monogram "WK" was a pretty big hint, but Carter hadn't had time to really press the issue. One look at his eye had sent everyone in Barracks 2 into a verbal tirade about what they'd do to Major Hochstetter the next time he showed up. And by the time Kinch calmed everyone down enough to let Hogan and Carter explain what had happened his other two friends were back with the ice and insisting he lay down.
"But I'm fine, really!" Carter complained, holding the cold pack to his sore eye. "All Hochstetter did was yell and scream and lot. And I just kept repeating my name, rank and serial number, just like Colonel Hogan always said. And I guess he just got tired of hearing me say it over and over and over..." He paused, then chuckled, "Actually, even I was getting tired of hearing it over and over and over..."
"You did just fine, Carter." Hogan interrupted. Carter couldn't help but grin at the praise. He'd been scared out of his mind while Hochstetter had been questioning him, worried about what the Major already knew about them, and what was happening to Colonel Hogan. When Major Hochstetter finally became fed up with his repetition and punched him, Carter's first thought had been how angry Colonel Hogan was going to be. The last thing he wanted was anyone making a big fuss over him, or his eye, so he'd tried to hide as best he could. Figures, I can't hide ANYTHING from Colonel Hogan! Carter thought sheepishly. But as long as I made him proud, that's all that matters.
"So what will we do about Briar Rose?" Newkirk asked.
"You mean Gerda Hochstetter." Kinch corrected.
"A lady by any other name would still smell as sour," Newkirk grumbled.
"We don't have much of a choice," Hogan admitted. "Something tells me she'll go through with her threat to expose us all if we leave her high and dry. She's been pretty clear in our few dealings that she really only cares about the German Underground, not the Allies helping them."
"Gee, when did this war get swamped with all these nasty people?" Carter grumbled, taking the ice off his eye. His skin was starting to feel prickly from the cold, and it was getting hard to focus on everyone with just one eye.
Newkirk grabbed his hand and pushed the ice back towards his face. "About the same time it started."
"Aw, come on!" Carter protested, trying to pull the freezing bundle away. "It's really not that bad!"
"It's really not that good either," Newkirk replied. "Last thing we need's a guy blowin' up bombs with just one eye!"
"What now, Colonel?" Kinch asked, turning back to Hogan.
"Same thing as this morning," Hogan shrugged. "But work on London a bit more to pick a date and time when we can drop the gang off. I think everyone downstairs will be happier with a date to look forward to, and I don't think Gerda is going to give us a moment's rest until she knows as well!"
Two days later Carter found himself once again helping keep little Liselle entertained through the long, boring days in the tunnels. She had been shocked at the black eye he was sporting, but Newkirk had launched into an outrageous tale about Mr. Andrew's brave journey to rescue a mule laden with chocolate bars. Somewhere between a rockslide, a den of raccoons, and a snowstorm, he'd tripped face first into the backside of the mule to cause the injury. Carter would have been insulted if Liselle hadn't found the whole thing hysterically funny. It had quickly become her favorite fairy tale, and when she caught them in the tunnels together insisted on a repeat performance. Carter could never say no to the child, and obliged every time. Newkirk insisted he only did it because he loved to perform, but Carter secretly believed the little child had captured his friends heart as well.
"And then the mule made a huge racket." Newkirk said, spinning the end of the story out of his imagination. Carter took the hint and did his best mule noises, thinking back to the one's on his parents farm for inspiration. Liselle loved the sound effects, but Newkirk winced at Carter's loud baying. "That sounded like a bloody freight train!"
"I'd like to see you do better!" Carter challenged.
"I'm not the Foley man, I'm just the voice talent." Newkirk scoffed, then turned back to Liselle. "Everyone came running at the sound, and there's Mr. Andrew and the mule, and he said...uh..."
Carter took over the tale from his fumbling friend, "I said, 'Hey, guys, I brought back the chocolate!'."
"And saved the mule!" Liselle added.
"That's right, and the mule!" Carter amended.
"What mule?" LeBeau asked from the doorway, looking perplexed.
"The mule with all the chocolate!" Liselle told him with such a serious expression that LeBeau looked like he might believe her.
Not wanting to retell the tall tale, Carter switched the subject. "What's going on, Louie?"
"Colonel Hogan is asking for us." LeBeau replied, still puzzling over Liselle's statement, "Looks like serious news from London."
"Blimey, when's the last time London had something other than serious news?" Newkirk groused.
Turning back to Liselle, Carter said, "Looks like Mr. Peter and I gotta go. But we'll be back later. Why don't you go find your father, OK?"
"Sure!" Liselle nodded, then hopped off the stool she'd been perched on and ran for the other end of the tunnel.
Newkirk gave Carter a look, "Mr. Peter?"
Carter grinned, "Well she's calling me 'Mr. Andrew', so it made sense!"
"She is a sweet child." LeBeau said as he lead them back towards the radio room. "I see her face and my heart fills again with resolve to fight the Borche."
"Keep her face in mind, we may need it." Kinch said as they approached the table where the radio was set up. Colonel Hogan was standing nearby, a pensive look on his face.
"What's the news, Colonel?" Carter asked.
"Looks like London has the sub set up for tomorrow night," Hogan replied. "That means we pack up everyone and ship them out tonight so they can be there on time."
"Tonight!" Newkirk repeated. "But it's only been two days!"
"Yea, I thought we were waiting at least a week!" Carter added.
Holding up a piece of scrap paper, Hogan interrupted his men. "London wasn't the only contact we received. Briar Rose managed to convince the Gestapo that she got a tip from her sources last night. The tip indicates the members of the Underground fled towards France. Hochstetter apparently trusts her, since he pulled all his men from the area and are shipping them west even as we speak."
"Then she contacted London and told them what was going on," Kinch picked up the narrative. "She's the one who got London to pick the time table, claiming she could only keep Hochstetter's forces diverted for a few days."
Newkirk frowned. "Apparently she's not keen on waiting it out."
"And she went over your head to do it!" Carter blurted out to Colonel Hogan in indignation.
"Look on the bright side." Hogan replied. "This gets her out of our hair all that much faster!"
"And good riddance to bleedin' rubbish!" Newkirk announced.
Despite the still sore eye, Carter insisted on helping out with the mission that night. Part of him was just upset over the idea of being left behind, but mostly he wanted to see Liselle Schmidt off on her journey to London. The little girl had held up surprisingly well under the strain of being trapped in sometimes dark tunnels and surrounded by strangers much of the time, and had managed to do it with a smile. So it just felt right that he finish what he'd started with her.
Once again dressed in all black, Carter waited by the ladder as the last of his group of Underground headed topside. He and Colonel Hogan were only taking six people, since it was safer for everyone if they didn't move in such large groups. They would all take different routes to the sub, and hopefully reach the shores of London in a few days. He and Colonel Hogan were also charged with picking up the troublesome Briar Rose before sending them all on their way.
The meeting point was a popular spot for young lovers, sheltered by tall trees and invisible from the main road. Before curfew the small clearing was practically teaming with couples, but by midnight the spot was abandoned. As the little group made it's way towards the clearing, Hogan motioned for everyone to stay in the woods, then waved to Carter, "Let's got make sure the coast is clear."
Carter nodded, then crept quietly towards the tree line. A small truck was parked to the side of the clearing, it's back flap open and facing them to reveal an empty interior. Leaning against the engine with her arms crossed and an impatient look on her face was Gerda Hochstetter.
"Oh boy, here we go again." Carter whispered under his breath at the sight of the sour woman. This was the part he'd been dreading all night.
"Come on, let's get this over with." Hogan replied, and then standing up he signaled for everyone to follow him into the clearing.
As the group melted out the trees, Gerda tensed and her hand reached for her gun. Seeing the group she relaxed, and looked about to speak when something caught her eye. Carter turned around, following her line of sight right to Wolfgang Schmidt, and realized the father was smiling at the sight of Briar Rose. Before he could figure out what was going on the woman was suddenly rushing across the few yards between them, and flung herself into Wolfgang's waiting arms. They embraced with all the passion of the young lovers usually found in the clearing.
Carter caught the slightly surprised, slightly amused glance Colonel Hogan sent their way. But he had a hard time seeing any amusement in the situation. Little Liselle's father was in love with HER? But she's so...so...nasty!
The couple broke apart when Liselle started jumping up and down in glee. Displaying the first genuinely happy smile any of them had seen, Gerda knelt down and gave the child a tender hug.
Hogan finally moved forward. "I hate to break up the happy reunion, but we've gotta get you going."
Gerda stood back up, a content look on her face, and motioned towards the truck. "We can take that all the way to the coastline. I have my papers identifying this truck and it's contents as secret Gestapo business, and we should have no problems with any patrols."
As the rest of their group filed into the back of the truck, Hogan turning curious eyes on Gerda. "So this explains a lot."
"You did not know?" Wolfgang said, surprised. "We have known each other for many months."
"Wolfgang was the reason I joined the resistance." Gerda said softly, all traces of her tough exterior gone for the moment. She reached out and took Wolfgang's hand. "He's the reason for a lot of things."
"You can catch up later," Hogan said, trying to get back to business. "For now let's get you on the road to London."
Liselle ran over to Carter, and the force of her hug almost knocked him over. "Bye Mr. Andrew! Thanks for helping!"
Carter smiled and returned the hug. "My pleasure Miss Liselle Lowe Schmidt who is five years old."
Liselle giggled, "Thank you for the chocolate. And the games. And letting Mr. Peter show me his magic. And the story. And I'll send you letters from London. Promise!"
"Come on, Liselle, time to go." Wolfgang called out as he headed for the back of the truck. With one last wave the little girl scampered off to join her father. Carter waved back, a sad smile on his face.
Gerda stopped in front of Hogan, lifting her chin proudly. In a soft, clear voice she simply said, "Thank you," and then without waiting for an answer she climbed behind the wheel. Hogan and Carter watched her pull the truck out of the clearing, and then head off into the night.
"Gee, who would'a though someone like her would get together with someone like him!" Carter finally blurted out, unable to contain his surprise any longer. "He and Liselle were so nice, and kind, and sweet. And Briar Rose was just so mean!"
"Love does strange things to people, Carter." Hogan chuckled, then turned and headed back into the woods towards Stalag 13. "Maybe someday you'll understand."
Carter frowned, jogging to catch up with his Colonel, "All I understand is that she'd better be nice to Liselle, or by golly I'll...I'll...swim across the channel back to England and give her a piece of my mind!"
"I don't think you'll have to worry too much, Andrew," Hogan replied. "I think love has broken all the thorns off of Briar Rose."
Glancing back down the road to where the truck had disappeared into the darkness, Carter shrugged. Colonel Hogan is right. He thought, Liselle is so loveable even Hitler couldn't be nasty around her! And now she's safe, and that's all that matters!"
And with a happy smile, Carter scampered through the woods to catch up with his CO and get home. He had letters from London to look forward to!
The End
---
The full Plot Bunny
as received through the challenge:
Hogan has orders from
London to meet with a German spy to get
information about a
planned Gestapo roundup of underground agents that
is about to
happen. However, Hogan is surprised when it turns out that
the
German spy with the information is Hochstetter's niece!