Chapter Six: Denmark

Copenhagen, Denmark.

It was a beautiful place. Skipper felt lucky to have visited it. Sure, it wasn't Monte Carlo, which he and Hans had visited last year for no apparent reason other than to enjoy a vacation, but it was still quite nice. He was pleased that the agency always partnered the two of them together, but he also knew it was, in part, due to the fact that Nigel saw a bit of himself in them. Before Nigel had gone solo, he had his own partner, Buck Rockgut (a personal hero of Skipper's), and Nigel had accounted, once or twice, that he and Hans mirrored them before things 'went bad'.

Skipper didn't think things would go bad for him and Hans though. They were truly the cream of the crop… Which was why he wasn't surprised that the two of them were assigned the mission that they were. Dr. Blowhole had placed another very high ranking officer to become a double agent for the Red Squirrel, and the two of them were meeting with her on the deluxe Copenhagen cruise. Though Hans and Skipper didn't really take orders from Blowhole, Nigel assured the two of them that it was a mission they couldn't miss.

It had been very carefully planned so that nothing could be traced back to the CIA, and it was up to Skipper and Hans to procure any information with utmost delicacy. It was their first night on the cruise, so they weren't supposed to meet with her yet and were instead to retire to their bunks rather early. Skipper didn't mind; the trip there was rather exhausting, even if he did spend much of the plane trip enjoying Hans leaning against his shoulder.

The two of them tiredly pulled their bags to their designated room. It was quite lavish, something Skipper noted immediately. Cream, unsmirched carpets, deep crimson walls with salmon accented swirls curling down the sides, and two large beds with egyptian cotton sheets. Skipper set his bag by one of the chestnut colored dressers and sighed happily, before glancing to Hans. His military partner had already began to strip down to his undergarments, revealing a lavender muscle-tee and orange boxers.

Skipper felt his face flush slightly and he looked away, out of respect. The two of them had seen each other indecent before, but it still enticed Skipper every time. He too took off his suit, before putting on a pair of softer pants and a tee shirt. When he glanced back to Hans, he caught the other man seated on the bed, staring at him. Hans didn't look away, instead only smiling warmly, and Skipper sat down on his own bed to face his long-time friend.

"Some trip, eh?" Hans grinned as he stretched out. "I am so excited to return to land. All zis flying, it is tiresome, you know?"

Skipper nodded in agreement. "Don't know how birds do it all the time."

Hans chuckled softly at the comment. "Lets hope zat if we were both birdies, we'd be ze flightless ones."

"Like what, ostriches?" Skipper grinned. "I don't think I'm tall enough."

Hans laughed at that, and he leaned forth to inspect Skipper for a moment or so, before pulling back. "Mmm, I'd see you more of a penguin."

"A penguin!" Skipper exclaimed, astonished and humored.

"Ja, a penguin, Skippsy! You know. Cute and cuddly?" Hans giggled.

Skipper laughed in response, shaking his head. "A penguin, huh? I don't know. Only if you were one too."

"Maybe," Hans smiled.

To himself, Skipper decided that from that moment forth, penguins were his favorite animals in the entire world. He fiddled with his sheets, attempting to keep his eyes away from Hans' long legs that were peeking out from his boxer shorts. Hans didn't seem to mind, though, and instead cleared his throat, gathering Skipper's attention once more. Skipper looked up to see Hans staring at him, grasping the edge of his bed nervously.

"Skippar…" Hans murmured softly, his smile now bashful.

"Yeah?" Skipper found himself breathlessly whispering the response, his eyes rapidly half-blinking when Hans leaned forward.

Hans didn't pull away this time though, instead timidly moving forth so that he and Skipper were inches apart. He paused, hesitant for a moment, but it was Skipper who made the decision for him by pushing their mouths together.

Hans' lips were soft and gentle against his, smooth and sweet and very very sincere. Skipper had kissed men and women before, but never before had he kissed so chastely, so genuinely, with so much love. Never before had he kissed Hans. It only lasted for a few seconds; when Hans shifted back, he gazed at Skipper with a shy, happy smile, biting his lip.

"...Goodnight, Skippar." He murmured, and with a soft giggle, he tucked himself back into bed and shut off the lamp beside his bed.

"Sweet dreams, Hans." Skipper replied after a moment of soft grinning, and he did the same.

He fell asleep that night, knowing that he and Hans were perfect for each other.

Skipper awoke, however, to perhaps the most terrifying sounds of his life. Years of training had caused him to grow accustomed to muster drills, but when the general emergency alarm woke you while you were sleeping on an actual ship, it was pretty scary. Especially when your door was wide open and the only lights were coming from the alarm system, blinking a deep red.

"Code delta. Abandon ship. Code delta. Abandon ship…" The captain's voice rang out above the alarm system, through the speakers. It continued on like that, on repeat, and Skipper uncomfortably came to the realization that it was a recording. How long had he been out?

He shot out of bed immediately. "Hans! Hans, there's an emergency! We have to get to our muster station!"

Skipper yanked down Hans' bedsheets, only to startle himself at the realization that Hans was not in bed. He looked around fruitlessly; his CIA partner was no where to be seen. Skipper wasn't sure what to assume, but he above all knew that he had to act quick. Reluctantly, he settled on the idea that maybe Hans had already gone to their station, and fled from the room.

The moment he left, he was met with a grisly sight. There was already water gathering in the hallway floor, and he could feel the tilt of the ship. He glared dubiously at the closed door adjacent, knowing that beyond it, where his muster station lie, the ship was almost completely capsized. He instead turned on his heel and ran upwards, listening to the alarms, the automated captain's voice, and the creaking of the ship.

When Skipper broke through to the top floor, where the deck was, the raging winds and rain were plummeting down upon the yacht. He couldn't tell if weather had been the source of damage or not, but he discovered something even more disturbing - he was completely alone. The other passengers, crewmembers and captain were no where in sight. They must've already abandoned ship. But where was Hans?

Skipper tore his radio out of his front pocket, and immediately contacted Nigel's station. It was only for emergency usage, but Skipper was fairly positive that this qualified.

"Come… -gent Skipper. State… Code." Nigel's disrupted voice came through after a moment.

"Mayday mayday mayday!" Skipper practically shouted above the howling wind. "Nature of emergency: ship capsizing! Last known position, Copenhagen port, Denmark! Send help, effective immediately!"

Nigel's voice was still distorted, but it came through more urgent this time around. "Where… Hans?"

"I'm not sure," Skipper's voice dropped slightly, almost relenting against the alarms. "I don't - I don't see anyone!"

"We're on... Way. Tracking... Hold on… Skipper!" The transmission ended with a sharp click.

Skipper made his way to the top of the ship, feeling it tilt even further. He looked around frantically, still seeing that he was entirely alone. Against the endless waves of ruthless water, he saw no lifeboats, no person of any kind. He held on tightly to the sides, but he knew that he couldn't leave the vessel without Hans.

"HANS!" He screamed, looking down at the rest of the capsizing ship. "HANS!"

The only sounds that returned his voice were the winds and alarms, the captain's automated message now completely drowned out. Skipper winced, knowing that just calling his teammate's name was useless. With a resigned inhale of determination, he jumped forth, allowing himself to drop into the water that the ship had now plunged itself into.

At first, it was a slap of agony when he made contact with it, but then his eyes adjusted and he was beneath the surface of water. Around him was the sinking ship, pushing itself further beneath waves. Skipper knew that this was the opposite of what he was supposed to do when a ship was capsizing, but if Hans was still somehow down there, he needed to save him.

Avoiding the urge to panic, Skipper swam down further, looking around. It was frightening, how void of life their ship was, as though it was inhabited solely by Skipper. He looked around for a little while, before he resurfaced, needing air. Taking an enormous gulp, Skipper plunged himself back under. He was freezing and he knew that he'd probably get hypothermia after this, but what if Hans was still down there?

Assuming that everyone had already left via lifeboats, what if Hans hadn't? Why hadn't Hans woken him? There must have been something wrong. If Hans had escaped, he would have made sure that Skipper too was safe, just as Skipper was attempting to do for him at that very moment. No, Hans was most certainly in danger.

Skipper managed to swim all the way down to their muster station, but he found that it was still empty. Even the bowels of the ship turned to be completely without human life. Skipper resurfaced once more, drawing in breath hungrily. He was shuddering, a freezing soaked mess and he was horribly panicked by that point in time.

Where was Hans?

Where?

Skipper was just about to dive back under when bright, white lights and the sounds of helicopter wings interrupted him. He looked up, squinting amidst the black waters to see a ladder descending. On it was Nigel, who took hold of him, bringing him back up to the chopper.

For a moment, all was a blur, as Skipper was fretted over, covered in blankets and interrogated by his commanding officer. A resounding slap to his face brought him back to awareness, and he found himself face-to-face with Nigel, who was glowering at him with utmost seriousness.

"What were you thinking?" Nigel hissed. "You know better than to go back under!"

Skipper stared blankly, blinking slowly. "I… I had to find Hans…"

Nigel's face softened slightly at that, but he turned away, looking out the window as they flew further and further away from the capsizing yacht. "Skipper… I'm afraid that you were the only survivor."

Skipper was forced out of his stupor. "Wait, what? What do you mean?"

Nigel glanced back to him, frowning deeply and releasing a shuddering sigh. "...Anyone who made it off a lifeboat was swallowed by the sea."

"And… And Hans?" Skipper's voice broke, his hollow eyes tearing up in devastation.

Nigel shook his head.

Skipper's heart plummeted. He stood, the blankets falling from his damp shoulders as he stared at Nigel with wide, disbelieving eyes. One of the pilots glanced back to them with a firm frown, knowing they were witnessing the downfall of a great agent.

"No… No! Hans made it, I'm sure," Skipper denied. "If anyone made it, he did. People don't just disappear like that!"

Nigel raked a hand through his hair. "Sometimes they do, agent Skipper. Especially in the ocean… I… I'm sorry."

Skipper remained standing for a moment or so, trying to work it out in his head that Hans - his partner, his best friend, the man he was in love with, was gone. He fell back into his seat, thinking of all the things he could have done to have prevented this, the ways he could have fixed the situation, the things he should have said before they went to bed.

None of it brought Hans back.