Reviews are still appreciated! I was not sure of LeBeau's religion, but for the purposes of this story, I made him Catholic.

Chapter Nine:

The three German officers and Hogan began to walk towards the rec hall, the snow crunching underneath their boots. Hogan looked over to where he left LeBeau standing against one of the barracks. Hogan put two fingers to his hat, which was their commonly used "begin mission" signal. LeBeau nodded in recognition. Hogan picked up the pace of his walk a little as they passed behind the barracks.

"I am hopeful that, through this video, the whole of the Allied forces will realize the futility of fighting. However, I would be lying if I said that I didn't want you to report this to Berlin. After all, I have been asking for a promotion for seven years now and it would be the best Christmas present ever if it were given to me…" Klink babbled in time with his stride.

"Klink…shut up." Burkhalter said. Burkhalter stopped for a moment, trying to catch his breath. "Hogan…can we…please…slow down? I…can't breathe."

"But General, this is just a brisk walk across the compound, surely you cannot be tired…" Klink said, with a slight bit of humor

"I thought you said you wanted a promotion, Klink!"

"Hogan, slow the pace!"

"Ah. We're here." Hogan walked up to the door of the rec hall

"You have no need to enter the building. I shall retrieve the camera and film myself." Major Braun elbowed his way between General Burkhalter and Klink. He pushed Hogan away from the door and walked into the building. The remaining three waited outside the building in almost complete silence. The only sound that could be heard was the sound of the choir practicing O Come O Come Emmanuel from across the compound.

"So General Burkhalter, what are you doing for Christmas?" Hogan asked to break the silence.

"Avoiding my wife," Burkhalter muttered "and hopefully avoiding the rest of my family as well."

"Not a happy family reunion?" Hogan asked cheerfully

"Happy is the last word I would use to describe it. Between mother arguing with my mother-in-law and Gertrude criticizing my wife's cooking…I'd rather be transferred to the Russian front than be at my family's Christmas party."

"Maybe I could join you for Christmas this year?" Klink said hopefully

"If you did, the only thing that could cure my headache would be if I shot myself, which I don't intend to do anytime soon." As Burkhalter was saying this, Major Braun walked out of the building, carrying his large, bulky camera.

"All set then? Good. Follow me." Hogan began to walk towards the mess hall, which was conveniently located across the camp from both the Christmas tree and the rec hall.

*********

LeBeau held quickly sucked in his breath as he looked down at the ground. It would be a long fall if he let go, through thick branches and…he didn't want to think about it. Regaining his composure, he continued his ascent to the top of the tree.

"Notre Père, qui es aux cieux, Que ton nom soit sanctifié, Que ton règne vienne, Que ta volonté soit faite sur la terre comme au ciel." LeBeau muttered the Lord's prayer to himself. He stood on one of the branches for a few seconds, knowing it could break any moment. He had never liked climbing trees, especially one as small and unstable as this…he just hoped the guards couldn't see him, not that he was being particularly sly.

"I just needed to fix the star, that's it. If they see me and wonder why I'm climbing up the outside of a Christmas tree, that will be my excuse." He felt the tree sway beneath him as he reached for the antenna. Crack! The branch that he had been putting most of his weight on cracked a little with his weight. He reached for the antenna once more, his eyes almost blinded by the setting sun. His hand finally clasped metal. He had it! He slowly untied it and began to descend.

"Halt! Halt!" He heard a guard yelling beneath him. "What are you doing?" He looked down. Mon Dieu! It was only Schultz!

"I was just fixing the star, Schultz! Doesn't it look better now?"

"I can't tell the difference." Schultz said perplexedly

"Mon Dieu! I risk my neck to perfect the tree and ingrates such as you can't even tell!"

"Please come down, Cockroach, I don't want you to get hurt."

"Alright, Schultzie, I'll come down." LeBeau breathed a sigh of relief as he began to descend the tree, still clinging tightly to the antenna. By the time he had once again reached the ground, Schultz had once again left, probably for the mess hall. LeBeau scouted the area quickly, and then walked into the barracks where he quickly hid the antenna.