Chapter Ten: Darkness and Love

Back inside the barn, Sergeant Metzger woke up from his latest afternoon dream-vision with a twisted smile on his face. He was pleased that Hogan's attack on Hochstetter had come to pass, as he had foreseen, so this next dream was even better. I know that we may have been on the same side in this war, but what is one Gestapo Major when we can have the vampiric Colonel Hogan on our side? The darkness has already begun to consume him—he's having trouble controlling his bloodlust, lashing out at his two men with his conflicted emotions, and feeling true hatred for Faust is exactly what he needs to complete the transformation from hero to villain. Soon, he will become one of us, and later, he will help us to defeat the Allies once and for all, especially since his secrets as the supposed Papa Bear will help undermine from within…. Of course, if we can get one of his men to turn sides with the Colonel, so much the better. After all, no vampire can resist the call of his sire. As for his other man, well, the Colonel will take care of him, as my vision has shown.

Walking out of his bedroom, Metzger could see that another of Die Schwarzen Engel, Corporal Amsel, was preparing for his mission that night. "Are you ready for phase two of our little plan?" the sergeant asked the corporal, with a sweet, sickly smile.

"Yes, I am. I'm aware of the fact that Hogan and his men must be running low on blood, and that they'll need to visit the hospital tonight to steal more nourishment. Of course, they picked the wrong night to visit," Amsel replied sinisterly, as he draped his doctor's coat around himself. "After all, the Colonel knows what Allerton looks like, and I'm positive that at least one of his men must have picked up some of his and Nacht's brain patterns as well after that botched attack on the two flyers. But fortunately, none of them have any idea what we look like. Thus, our two-step plan should work perfectly. One: Keep him and his men away from the blood room in the hospital as long as possible."

"And the second step is where I come in," Metzger replied. "As the youngest vampire, Colonel Hogan will become desperate for blood extremely quickly after their supplies run out, which is when we let him 'accidentally' infiltrate us."

"Finally, his mind will be like putty in our hands," both men replied at the same time.

With that, the good doctor began his journey to the local hospital to take his shift, preparing to guard the blood room with his second life.

…

Back inside Klink's office, the Kommandant was busy trying to deal with his paperwork, though he found that it was almost impossible to concentrate. Even though two hours had passed since his American counterpart had gone back to his barracks, Klink found that something was still weighing heavily on his mind. It's not like Hogan to be so angry, and though we may be grown men, I can't remember the last time, if ever, he's used the word "damn." I should talk to Carter and Newkirk and see if everything's alright with him.

Putting aside his paperwork for the time being, Klink got up from his desk, walked towards and opened his office door, and began making his way to Barracks two. He still wasn't sure how he would explain to Hogan that he wanted to speak to his two men without arousing suspicion, but at the moment all he knew was that he wanted to help the Colonel. Fortunately, both men were leaning against the barracks wall right next to Hogan's window, who had decided to take another nap after he had come back from Klink's office, as he found that his emotional ordeal was beginning to make him feel exhausted. Newkirk was visibly smoking and Carter was sneaking a couple of drags every time he noticed that nobody was watching him, and both men periodically looked into Hogan's quarters to make sure that he was still sleeping soundly. Fortunately, they could see that this time he wasn't crying, but instead seemed to be sleeping peacefully for once.

However, Carter quickly extinguished his cigarette when he saw that Klink was quickly approaching them. Taking a quick glance to his right and left, Klink could see that nobody was in earshot so he began to express his concerns. "I noticed that the Colonel seemed to be rather on edge when he walked into my office earlier today. Is there something wrong with him that I should know about?"

Newkirk sighed before speaking up, "We figured you might want to speak with us, sir, which is why we're out 'ere instead of in the Gov'nor's quarters. Actually, the Colonel is behaving like 'e should, especially 'e's still adjusting to 'is new life. Most vampires find it 'ard to control their emotions in the beginning. And their bloodlust too—the Colonel told us what 'appened to 'Ochstetter." Of course, I'd rather not trouble Klink with the truth about 'is emotions Newkirk thought worriedly to himself.

"Yeah—it couldn't happen to a nicer guy," Carter mumbled, though he knew that Klink would be able to make out what he was saying.

"Normally I would throw you in the cooler for thirty days for that sort of comment, Carter," Klink glowered angrily while moving his fist in his usual frustrated manner. "But that's not what concerns me at the moment. I just want to make sure that everything's alright with Hogan and that if he or you two need any help I'm always in my office."

At first, Klink's admission of wanting to help Hogan came as a slight surprise to Newkirk, because even though all three men stood up for each other, this was the first sign that Klink had given of wanting to help Hogan as well. He knew that appearances as Kommandant had to be kept up, but at the same time, Newkirk knew that Hogan was now part of their group.

"Well, there is one thing, sir. We're running low on blood, so we were wondering if you might 'ave any more for us? After all, you 'aven't given us any since we all came back from Faust's 'ouse, and now that there's three of us the supplies are going quicker than ever," Newkirk replied matter-of-factly.

Klink told both Carter and Newkirk that he did have some in his private safe in his bedroom, and that he would try to get more from the local hospital that night. However, he always had to wonder at the slight irony of Hogan's two men coming to him for their blood, when he knew full well that they were capable of sneaking out of his Stalag and traveling to the local hospital. In a way, I actually wouldn't mind if they knew that I was Nimrod he thought to himself. Having all these secrets sometimes takes its toll on a person, and this war has been dragging on for months. The sooner it's over and the sooner I can tell Hogan, the better.

Leading the way, Klink began walking back to his quarters, knowing full well that Carter and Newkirk were following behind him. Inside his bedroom, Klink crouched down in front of his safe, and he quickly took out and gave his men what they needed.

"This should help Hogan," he replied, carefully handing Newkirk the last of the canteens. "Without arousing his suspicion, I was able to find out from Wilson that the Colonel has a B+ blood type. I don't know what kind he's been feeding from, but I remember you telling me that vampires usually prefer the same type that they had when they were human." Maybe this will keep him from killing any more Gestapo agents who show up at this Stalag Klink thought to himself in a half-worried, half-hopeful fashion.

Turning around to leave, both Carter and Newkirk stuck the blood bags inside their jackets. Looking over his shoulder, Newkirk replied with his usual smile, "Thanks Nimmy."

Newkirk could see that Klink was slightly shaken up, though he wore his usual smile on his face. "Newkirk, the name is Klink. I think you should know that by now." Inwardly, Klink was completely baffled. This isn't good—or is it? How do they know? Suddenly, Klink thought back to how Newkirk had first approached him when he had learned of Klink's secret. I never told him that I was a werewolf—he confronted me about it instead, since he read my mind. Maybe that wasn't the only thing that he picked up on? Suddenly, Klink felt that he was growing more nervous by the second. That can only mean that they've known all along—or have they?

While Klink was thinking his thoughts, he noticed that Newkirk had turned around to face him, though Carter seemed completely surprised by everything that was taking place. I thought you didn't want Klink to know that we knew he was Nimrod? Carter thought to his friend.

Well, say something! Carter thought to Newkirk, while Klink thought to himself at the same time.

After an impossibly long minute, Newkirk spoke up, "Well, you admitted it yourself sir, that you wouldn't mind if we knew your secret—Nimrod."

"So you're not only a thief of material items, you're a thief of thoughts as well!" Klink shouted, though he knew that his anger was only a way of covering up his inner relief that he was finally able to get that secret off of his chest. "Is there anybody's mind that you haven't read?" he asked angrily of them.

"Well, there's the rest of me mates, and the Colonel is still developing 'is telepathy, so there's 'im," Newkirk replied to Klink's hypothetical question. "Of course, I know better than to tell 'im until after the war, especially since 'e doesn't need any more information until 'e's adjusted to 'is new life."

Klink then turned his attention to Carter, who was still trying to make up his mind if it would be in his best interest to act surprised by Newkirk's admission. "How long have you known, Carter? I want you to be completely honest with me," Klink replied, though his expression had begun to soften from his earlier anger.

As Carter explained his worries that had crossed his mind while he was locked in Faust's cell, and how Newkirk had told him about Klink's other secret, the Kommandant retained an impassive expression. Finally, after Carter had finished telling his side of how he knew who Klink was, there was another minute of silence before the Kommandant spoke up.

"I still don't know if I like that you two know who I really am, though I see that you have enough sense at least not to tell Colonel Hogan until after the war. Of course, you realize that appearances still have to be kept up," Klink finally replied while heavily sighing.

"We understand, of course" both men replied at the same time. With that, Carter and Newkirk left Klink's quarters, and began walking back to their barracks.

I still don't understand why you would tell him that we knew his secret Carter quizzically asked of his friend.

Yes, but that was before we learned that there were bad vampires in town. Think about it—they killed both an Underground agent and a downed flier, so it's safe to assume which side they're working for in this bloody war. We still don't know 'ow many of them there are, so we might need Klink's 'elp on this one. As a Kraut 'e would probably be delighted that there are vampires working for the Axis powers. As Nimrod, 'owever, 'e would be more likely to lend us 'is support—especially now that 'e knows that we know who 'e is Newkirk replied.

I suppose that makes sense Carter admitted. But what about Kinch and LeBeau? I assume that Klink doesn't want us telling them either, which is certainly understandable. Though we may need their help in dealing with these guys, and how will Klink explain his support then? Peter, from the looks of things there's a storm coming, and this may be just the necessary calm.

Both men looked upwards, and they could see that there wasn't a single cloud in the sky. However, Newkirk knew full well what Carter was referring to, and he knew that his best friend was correct in his assessment of their problem. Plus, the Colonel's stuck in the middle of it all. I know that 'e wants to 'elp, but this could prove to be too much for 'im in 'is condition. Of course, once 'e makes up 'is mind about something, no amount of persuasion is going to convince 'im otherwise. The only thing I'm sure of at the moment is this—we still need to protect 'im, and make sure that no 'arm comes to 'im. I don't know what would 'appen to us and the operation if these vampires killed 'im, since 'e doesn't know 'ow to fight as one yet. Or worse… Newkirk replied while rubbing the back of his neck, unable to finish his worried thought.

You mean, if he was to turn to the dark side? Peter, please—we can't afford to think like that! I mean, he's certainly not a Kraut-lover, but…

But we both know that it's a possibility, especially after what 'e did to 'Ochstetter. Plus, it's been over a week—'e should 'ave learned 'ow to control 'is emotions by now, Newkirk replied, still rubbing the back of his neck while he looked over at his friend, who wasn't bothering to hide the obvious worry in his eyes. He knew that as the oldest vampire of the three, it was his job to always be the voice of reason, the one to hold everybody together. Thus, he knew that he could never tell his friend that he shared his worry—that things might actually be hopeless in keeping their commanding officer on the straight and narrow.

Suddenly, right before both men were about to walk inside their barracks, Newkirk's eyes flashed a brilliant shade of green. Oh, bloody 'ell! It's going to be over me dust that we lose the Colonel to 'is true nature. I don't care if we 'ave to go to the ends of the earth and back to protect 'im, or if I 'ave to show my "true colors" to 'im before I know that 'e's ready, but we bloody well are going to protect 'im! Newkirk swore with steadfast and fierce determination before he made his eyes return to their normal shade.

Just as Newkirk and Carter walked back inside their barracks, they could sense that their Colonel was no longer sleeping, and that Kinch and LeBeau were nowhere in sight. They figured that Hogan's two other men were down below in the tunnels, or perhaps were out enjoying the fresh air. Stepping inside Hogan's barracks, they could tell that Hogan was sitting on his lower bunk, with his legs drawn up to his chest and his arms wrapped around himself.

Before either of his men had a chance to ask him how he was feeling at the moment, Hogan took the opportunity to speak up. "There's one thing that I need to know—it's very important to me! I need to know if she'll still love me. I need to know whether I'll still have a wife." Hogan sighed before continuing, "I need to prove that damn nightmare of mine wrong!" Hogan shouted, remembering his dream where Tiger had clearly told him that she never wanted to see him again. Finishing his thoughts, Hogan told his two men, "I told Kinch to contact her. I'm going to see her tonight."

Carter could only look at Newkirk, hopeful that his Colonel knew what he was doing. Turning back to face Hogan, he asked, "Are you sure about that?...Would you like us to go with you?" Carter asked, knowing full well that the first question wouldn't change Hogan's mind since he seemed determined to follow through on his meeting.

"No, I don't need your company on this—I need to do this on my own!" Hogan angrily replied, though he instantly regretted yet another outburst of his. "I'm sorry you two, but this is a personal matter for me—for the both of us. I need to know if she'll be able to accept me the way that I am now. I'm going tonight, and you two know how stubborn I can be," Hogan replied while sighing, with only the slightest hint of the usual twinkle in his eye.

"Sir, before you go, we need to know one thing. What was the blood type that you stole from the hospital?" both men asked at the same time.

"The bag said that it was O+, but what does that have to do with anything?" he angrily asked of them.

He could see that his men responded by Carter making a visible face of disgust, while Newkirk responded, "O+? That stuff's bloody nasty! No wonder you've been drinking a lot lately."

"Well, some of us happen to bloody like it, mate!" Hogan quickly retorted, before inwardly gasping. Am I changing into a vampire or an Englander? he asked of himself, as completely confused as ever.

However, Newkirk and Carter could only respond by smiling. Reaching out to shake Hogan's hand, Newkirk replied, "Welcome to the link, sir. This is a necessary step, and we're glad to see that it's finally beginning for you." He added while giving Hogan the blood bag that Klink had given him, "But please—try this. It's your own blood type, and we think that it will better fulfill your desire."

"At this moment I'm willing to try just about anything," Hogan calmly stated, trying to keep control over his emotions. "Thanks Newkirk. But you should hold onto this for now, unless somebody besides the four of you walks in here and sees me drinking this. Save it for my dinner," he said, giving the bag back to his corporal. Hogan knew that the quicker nighttime approached the better, since he found that he was extremely apprehensive as to how Tiger would take the news.

…

Hogan sighed as he knew that nighttime had finally approached, and his arranged meeting with Tiger was about to take place. He knew that he loved her—he always had and he always would. Still, he was extremely hesitant, as he knew that she deserved to hear the truth about what he had become. Will she accept me for what I am now? he thought to himself. I barely accept what I've become—how can I possibly expect the same from her? Getting up, he found himself looking out of the window that was in his quarters, before silently making his way out of his door, through the barracks and down into the tunnels.

As he was about to leave the tunnels, he caught a quick glimpse of Newkirk and Carter out of the corner of his eyes, who were in the same private room where Newkirk kept his safe. His eyes flashed green as he saw that they were drinking from their cups, and he knew only too well what substance they were partaking of. Since he had no desire to accidentally hurt Tiger, he walked into the room to fulfill his own desire for the blood by taking his dinner. Moving quickly but silently, he filled another empty cup and drank the substance in one swallow. It's still not very easy for me he thought to himself, though he found that Newkirk's hunch had been correct and that the B+ provided an even higher dose of euphoric feeling than the other types that he had drunk. He could feel himself closing his eyes to fully enjoy the sensation of the blood rushing through his veins, and he let out a noticeably contented sigh. Opening them, he noticed that Newkirk and Carter were staring at him, but that their expressions were soft, almost sympathetic. He felt that although they still couldn't read his mind, they knew exactly how he was feeling, and that he was still as conflicted as ever about his feelings toward blood.

"Are you positive that you don't want us to go with you, sir?" Carter asked his commanding officer.

"Thank you, but this is something that I have to do for myself, on my own," Hogan replied gently to his sergeant, finding that he had to fight extremely hard to keep control over his emotions.

"We understand, Gov'nor…Best of luck," Newkirk wished his Colonel.

I still don't think it's a wise idea to let the Colonel do this on 'is own, but I 'ave to admit that when it comes to matters of love, there are some things that should remain private Newkirk quickly thought to his friend.

Sighing, Hogan poured himself another half-glass of the substance before he left the tunnels, after making sure that his eyes had returned to their normal color. I only hope that I don't hurt her—especially not after what I did to Hochstetter recently. I need to make sure that I don't cause her any harm! he thought to himself. The Colonel quickly yet carefully made his way to her apartment, always keeping a sharp eye out for any German patrols that he might encounter. Once he had reached her apartment and was safely inside her building, he made his way to her floor and gave the secret knock that he had arranged with her, to let her know that it was him. Upon hearing it, Marie went and quickly opened the door, allowing Hogan to enter her apartment.

Where on earth do I begin? he thought to himself, making sure to keep his emotions in check. How can I make her understand the truth without scaring her away?...I suppose it would be best to start with the basics. Gently taking her hands in his, he began to tell her the truth. "Marie, I have something that I need to tell you. But I think we need to sit down for this."

"Oui, mon amour? What is it?" she said as they both made her way to their couch. As he followed her, Hogan noticed that she had seemed to put on a little weight around the middle.

Sitting down, Hogan let go of her hands, and slightly turned away. "There's something that I need to tell you—something that you deserve to know. I already had Kinch tell you how Sergeant Faust had kidnapped me and two of my men…" Hogan allowed himself to sigh, as he knew what he needed to say next. Here goes nothing, he thought to himself. "But what I never told you, and I'm not even sure if you'll believe me," Hogan added, remembering how skeptical he was in the beginning about hearing what Carter and Newkirk were, "is that Faust was… a vampire. He changed me into a vampire also." Inward, Hogan found that this truth still pained him, though he would never allow Marie to see him crying.

Marie loudly gasped as Hogan turned back to face her. She saw that his eyes had turned a definite shade of green, and that his upper fangs were showing.

"A vampire? But that is impossible! Vampires simply don't exist!" she exclaimed.

"Unfortunately, they do. They're as real as I am, sitting on this couch with you." Hogan sighed again before continuing, "I still love you—I always have and I always will. I know that your decision is your own, but I'd still like to make our relationship work somehow." Please don't let her act the way that she did in my nightmare! he silently prayed to himself.

Now, it was Hogan's turn to be startled as he saw that Marie allowed a small smile to form. She gently reached for his hand, and placed it on her stomach. Hogan grew wide-eyed as he felt a small kick from within. "Do you feel that, mon amour?...I am pregnant with our children, and I have been for three months. The doctor says that I am having twins, and that one will be a boy and one will be a girl."

Hogan found himself growing even more wide-eyed at Tiger's announcement, if that was possible, and he quickly did the math in his head. "Three months? We have met each other after that—did you know that you were pregnant then?"

This time, Marie allowed herself to sigh. "Oui, I knew."

"Then why didn't you tell me? We always said that if this happened, you would let me know as soon as you found out the good news."

It was then that Hogan noticed that Marie's eyes began to mist, and a single tear rolled down her cheek. "I was afraid, mon amour. I knew that if we got married and lived together, you might discover the truth…I have not always been truthful with you, and for that I am truly sorry. But I thought that you wouldn't accept me and my secret."

Marie noticed that Hogan suddenly had a quizzical look on his face. "What secret is that? We've always been so frank with each other—why would you keep something from me?"

Tiger allowed herself to sigh as she began to inform Hogan of her own secret. "You see, my mother was attacked when she was two months pregnant with me." She noticed that Hogan's expression was suddenly one of both anger and fear. "It is not quite like that—no human laid a hand on her. Still, she passed her…condition…down to me. In a way, I am almost relieved."

"Relieved? That I'm a vampire? I'm afraid that doesn't make a lot of sense," Hogan replied quizzically. This isn't at all how I had expected her to act. She's not fearful, or angry. She's not brandishing her gun at me, or yelling at me to get out of her apartment. This just doesn't make sense he thought to himself.

Even though Marie had stopped crying, she still found herself heavily sighing. "I didn't want you to know that I was pregnant, because at one point I had even thought about returning to France and staying there, and raising our children on my own."

"I still don't understand—and now you're starting to worry me. Whatever secret you have, we can work it out together. Besides, what about your work with the Resistance?" he asked her, still as confused as ever.

"My children will need their mother, especially as they grow up to help them understand everything. I couldn't possibly do both—at least, not on my own." Taking a deep breath, Tiger told Hogan her own secret, the one that she had kept hidden from him all these months. "I know Sergeant Kinch told me that you were kidnapped by this Sergeant Faust fairly recently, so, judging by the timing, the boy will be human…but the girl will be a werewolf."

Hogan gasped upon hearing his beloved's news. "A… werewolf? Is that what attacked your mother?" Even though he knew that his own Kommandant was also a shapeshifter, he had to feign some surprise so that she wouldn't grow suspicious. "But werewolves don't exist!"

"As you said yourself, they are as real as I am sitting on this couch." She quickly added, "Would you like to meet the real Tiger?" Hogan could only nod, still completely wide-eyed. Marie excused herself and went into her bedroom, closing her door, but not all of the way. Hogan could hear her muffled screaming, which didn't surprise him since he knew that the transformation was a painful one. Still, he couldn't hide his amazement as he saw the grey wolf Tiger nudge the door open with her nose, and quickly walked up to him, her tail wagging vigorously. Slowly, Tiger began to lick Hogan's hand, who was still sitting on the couch. She seemed almost humanly relieved as Hogan slowly allowed a small smile to form on his face, before she abruptly turned away and went back into her bedroom. A couple of minutes later, Marie reappeared, and sat down next to Hogan.

"I… I don't know what to say," he managed to get out.

"You don't have to say much," she told him, gently holding onto his hand again. "Only that our children will have their father."

At this, Hogan allowed a broad smile to form on his face. "We'll work out the details later, but in the meantime, yes! Definitely yes!" They quickly fell into a passionate hug.

Suddenly, Marie whispered into his ear. "But do you think we're still…compatible?"

Breaking away from her hug, Hogan looked down at his watch. "We still have four hours until roll call." He nodded with his head towards her bedroom door. "There's only one way to find out."

They both smiled as they made their way to her bedroom, and closed the door all of the way.