Disclaimer: In keeping with the rules of common courtesy, I must state that I do not own any characters that appear on the Hogan's Heroes TV show. I do, however, claim the plotline and any other original ideas that appear in my writing. Oh, and I claim Angel. This is my first ever fanfiction, so please be patient and excuse the clumsiness.

And They Called Her Angel

Sunlight gleamed off the barbed wire as the noonday sun beat down on Stalag 13 in Germany. The drab buildings and plain dirt yards made the scene as colorless as the war itself. And yet there was a spirit of levity as the prisoners danced in front of the commandant's office. Pair by pair stepped and twirled as one of the men from Barracks Five called time. Colonel Hogan, the senior POW, watched contentedly as the guards stared at the cavorting men in confusion. Besides keeping the Germans off balance, the camp-wide dance practice provided a cover for his radioman, Sergeant Kinchloe, who was currently doing some rewiring on the fence.

"Besides." The wily colonel thought. "Some of the boys could really use the practice." He smiled at his own line of thinking.

The smile was erased however, when a black German staff car pulled through the front gates and up to Commandant Klink's office.

"Now what might our friendly neighborhood Gestapo be doing here?" Hogan said, half to himself and half to Corporal Newkirk, who was standing beside his CO.

Newkirk's eyes widened as a second passenger got out of the car. "Better question for you colonel." His English accent grew stronger with his surprise. "Wots 'e doin' with a girl in an American uniform?"

Hogan straightened and zipped up his jacket. "Hit the coffeepot, Newkirk. And I'll go ask Klink about your question." He made his way through the dancers, stopping at one particularly unmatched pair.

"Colonel." The little Frenchman said in a complaining tone of voice. "When will Kinch be finished? This boef is the worst dancer in the entire army."

"Well, you can lead for a while if you want to." Sergeant Carter said, completely genuine in his innocence.

Corporal LeBeau glared up at him. "It does matter if I'm leading or not. You still step on my toes."

"Alright ladies, you're excused." Hogan said, still staring at the occupants of the car, who had not yet entered the office. "Go help Newkirk make coffee. We've got visitors."

LeBeau took a quick glance and nodded. "Oui, mon colonel." He tugged Carter towards Barracks Two while Hogan continued towards the office building that Major Hochstetter and the girl had disappeared into.

Rose Carven stepped out of the car and smiled to herself. She'd heard that the operation here was wild, but this was unreal. Apparently her escort thought so as well.

"What is going on here?" He asked in his normal half-shriek, half-growl tone of voice.

"I believe it's a square-dance." Rose smart-alecked.

The Gestapo turned his furious dark gaze on her. "I am well aware of that." He turned and paced towards the building, his short legs moving quickly. "Come!"

Rose sighed and followed him inside, but not before she spotted the figure that moved through the dancers. Yes, that would be Hogan. She reviewed everything she'd been told about the leader of this operation in her mind as she walked up the stairs. He should be an interesting person to meet.

Hogan stepped inside Klink's office and did what he always did. Smiled at Hilda. But for once the striking blonde didn't smile right back at him.

"Colonel Hogan," She began, her blue eyes puzzled. "Did you see the girl they just brought in here?"

Hogan was surprised, and a little disappointed, that she had been paying more attention to the mysterious woman than to him. "Yeah, I saw her. Know anything about her?"

"No." the blonde answered. "But she smiled at me." Hilda shook her head. "No one going into the commandants office ever smiles at me unless they want something."

"I smile at you." Hogan protested.

"And you always want something." Hilda's tone turned a bit flirtatious.

The colonel was tempted to follow up on that, but duty called. So did Klink, from the office. Or, more accurately, he told the guard to go find Hogan.

The senior POW officer seized the moment and opened the door just as the guard was reaching for the knob on the other side. "You sent for me, Colonel?" Hogan said, poking his head into the room.

"Yes Hogan." Klink had that superior look of satisfaction which resembled that of a dead fish on his face. "I assume you noticed the woman in the American uniform come into camp?"

"It's not exactly the latest fashion." Hogan glanced at the woman, really more of a girl in her early twenties. Short brown hair, bright blue eyes and a five foot eight stature: she was the picture of an American tomboy.

Rose, for her part, was also sizing up the American officer. He wasn't overly tall, but he carried a subtle commanding presence that was obvious when he looked at her. He had thick, black hair and keen, dark brown eyes that seemed to be always watching, assessing everything. Hogan's eyes were kind of close together, reminding Rose of a wily fox. She knew immediately that she was looking at a man of greater intelligence than he might let on.

"You'll be interested to know that she has been assigned to work in this area and will be staying right here in Stalag 13." Colonel Klink appeared to relish knowing something before Hogan, which was absurd, because he should have known many, many things before Hogan did.

Colonel Hogan was disappointed. She was a traitor, and still in uniform too. The only question was, why did they tell him right off that they were slipping a ringer into camp? He had no time to contemplate this at the moment as the major began speaking.

"Fraulein Rose is an experienced doctor and will be allowed to treat any medical conditions your men might have." Hochstetter said.

That clinched it for Hogan. The Gestapo never did anything nice for POWs. It had to be a trap. "We have our own medic, Major. We don't need any of your American deserters to help us out." Hogan said, allowing a bit of derision to enter his voice.

Unexpectedly, the girl rocketed to her feet. "I resent that statement, Colonel." She said, her eyes fiery with anger. "I was born an American in the sovereign territory of Alaska. I'm serving as an American trying to help Allied POWs. And if necessary, I'll die an American trying to do what's right."

Hogan allowed a cynical smile to appear. "Any Kraut spy can say that."

Rose tossed her hair. "I'm afraid you got the wrong picture from these two. I have no desire to be associated with the German government, their cause, or their animal leader."

Both German officers jumped up at this last inflammatory remark. The major backhanded Rose hard across the face, his ring leaving a cut on her cheekbone. "How dare you speak of our Fuhrer this way!" He screamed up at her. The scene would have humorous if it wasn't for the fact that he could have had her executed.

Hogan watched with interest, while appearing to remain totally uninterested on the outside. It was a skill he had mastered. It was totally possible that this charade was intended to convince him of the girl's American loyalties. If so, it wasn't working. He did note with some degree of surprise that the girl… what had they called her? Rose? She had shifted her feet when Major Hochstetter had stuck his blow. She had immediately gone into a basic fighting stance.

"I dare to talk of him like that because I've seen how many thousands of people he's killed." Rose answered, scowling at the little man in front of her. Kill her? Yep, he would do that. But scare her? Never. She was too angry.

"He purges the earth, leaving only the master race behind!" Hochstetter howled.

Rose realized where this argument was going. Once they got on their propaganda, there was no getting them off of it. Her face transformed and she took on a bored expression that almost mirrored Hogan's. "Let's not get into this again." She sighed and sat down.

Hochstetter knew, from experience, that continuing to lecture would only result in the girl staring at him in silence and raising an eyebrow in a most infuriating way. "May I remind you," He said acidly, barely controlling his screaming habit. "That you are here only because the glorious Third Reich has graciously allowed you to treat POWs? I suggest you do not anger us if you wish to keep your position… and your life."

The last was meant to be a threat, but it only resulted in Rose staring at him and raising an eyebrow. Hogan, while he didn't believe her story, was impressed with the way she manipulated the situation. If, of course, this wasn't a rehearsed scene. He decided it was time to reinsert himself into the conversation. "Colonel, I protest. The Geneva Convention…"

"Why are you protesting?" Klink interrupted him. "You're the one who's always complaining about your men's health problems."

"Yes sir, but Carter's toothache has gone away now and so…" Hogan began, but was interrupted, this time by Hochstetter.

"Silence!" Back to the screaming bit. "She will be housed here and you will rely on her for all your medical emergencies! Is that clear?" The Major drew a breath.

"Where will she be staying, sir?" Hogan directed the question at Klink. She obviously couldn't stay in the barracks. "The medical facilities are in ruins from that earthquake." Actually, it was a combination from an explosion of a nearby railroad and a caved in tunnel, but Hogan wasn't going to frame it like that.

"I've cleared out Barracks Nine." Klink said, happy with his own ideal of efficiency.

Hochstetter, who seemed to have calmed down, spoke again. "Good. The prisoners can help her move the medical supplies into the new quarters. Now get her out of here…" He stared vaguely at Hogan as if trying to remember something.

"Hogan." The senior POW helped him. Hogan gave up on trying to figure out what they were up to. He saluted and turned to leave with Rose right behind him. She breathed a sigh of relief when the door closed behind them.

Rose, aware that the American colonel was watching her, gave the curious secretary another friendly smile as they passed through the outer office. The movement made her remember the cut on her face and she reached up to touch the mark as they came to the door. Rose sighed as she pulled her fingers away, showing a trace of blood.

"He doesn't seem to like you very much." Hogan observed.

"That's because I've been driving him nuts for the past three days." Rose answered. A bit of training in psychology was very useful when dealing with the Gestapo.

"You made him pretty mad back there." They stepped out on the front porch. Hogan surveyed the crowds of square-dancing prisoners. So Kinch wasn't finished yet. Or maybe they were still dancing just for fun.

Rose shrugged. "I was serious about what I said. Besides, I had to convince you that I wasn't a German agent somehow."

"Who says you've convinced me?" Hogan noticed one of the prisoners edging toward the fence. That was odd.

Rose frowned. "I know I didn't convince you. I'd be a little disappointed if I did."

Just then, everything broke loose. Kinch, who was walking back from his rewiring job, came out from between the barracks and fence in view of the main yard. He was just strolling along as usual, hands pushed into his jacket pockets and shoulders hunched against the cold, when the prisoner who had been working his way toward the fence made a dash for the barrier. Knowing full well that the distraction would have the guards' attention turned away from the fence for Kinch, the man threw his coat over the barbed wired and began to climb. He was counting on the guards being distracted enough and too slow to catch on before he was over. But he made a fatal error.

A shout of "Halt!" and the sound of machine gun fire had everyone diving for the ground. The man on the fence screamed and fell at the same moment as Kinch, who had been caught in the cross fire, bit the dust. Hogan flew off the porch and ran towards the place where the two prisoners lay. The guns had stopped firing and a crowd was forming quickly. Rose was right behind the senior POW officer and she quickly pushed her way through the crowd to the man who had tried to escape. One look told her that she couldn't do anything for him. She took a few running steps over to where Hogan was kneeling beside Kinch, who was stretched out on the ground, his entire frame tense from fighting the pain that coursed through him.

"Colonel, I think it's my time to go." The African-American staff sergeant gasped as his dark eyes met Rose's. He managed a weak smile. "I'm seeing angels."

"You've been in this prison camp too long." Rose answered lightly as she assessed the wound. The front of Kinch's shirt was bloody and he seemed to be short of breath. She could guess where the damage was and pressed her fingers against the wound to stop the blood flow. Rose studied him, the second Stalag 13 POW she had met. Even with him lying on the ground, she could tell the dark-skinned man was a bit over average in stature, being both tall and solidly built. His almost black eyes were wide, but dulled by the hurt she knew he was experiencing. Yet his quip when he had seen her told of an unwavering courage and control.

The guards were pushing the crowd back now and Hogan looked up to see the concerned faces of the other three in his main group looking on fearfully. He also saw Klink and Hochstetter approaching. With a nod to Newkirk, Carter, and LeBeau, Hogan stood and met the German officers head on.

"Sir, this man needs medical attention. He has to go to a hospital."

Klink, of course, turned white at the sight of blood and was of no help at all. Hochstetter smiled evilly. "You have medical help." He said, nodding to Rose.

"Major, this man needs the hospital." Rose glared at him. "I'm a doctor, not a miracle worker."

"Set up your own hospital." Hochstetter said carelessly. "The Red Cross has given you enough supplies to do so."

Hogan could see that the Gestapo agent fully intended to refuse any transportation to the hospital. There were no kind or even remotely humane Gestapo agents. He tamped down the urge to throttle the little man. "Newkirk, Carter, carry him into my office." Hogan called forcefully as the major turned away, followed very quickly by Klink. The Englander and the lanky American hurried to their comrade. "LeBeau, get the medic, on the double." Hogan ordered.

Rose resisted the temptation to knock some sense into the officer. Disbelieving her story was one thing, but allowing one of his own men to die because of suspicion… that was another. However, if she had read the colonel right, she would make no headway with him right now. She quietly got up and hurried back to the car to grab her little pack.