When the Third Reich fell, Colonel Robert E. Hogan was in the office of the Stalag 13's Kommandant, tying up a Major of the SS. Hochstetter was frothing at the mouth, spewing out slurs, calling Klink a traitor to his race and worse. Hogan finally silenced him with a gag.
"Now, that's better," he said, faking a cheerful smile.
General Burkhalter, who had been silent throughout the arrest, just watched them with narrowed eyes and a murderous expression, though it was tinged with confusion. He had arrived two days after to the news of Hitler's suicide death, looking haunted, hunted, like his world was falling apart. He had set up camp in the guest quarters, keeping to himself, looking more frazzled as time went by, talking at length at the phone and yelling at Klink to leave him be.
"London says to arrest him should he try to leave again," Hogan had told the Kommandant when Klink had walked into the barracks one evening. It had been an 'official' visit that had worked as a cover.
That Major Hochstetter had been next to seek refuge in Germany's best-guarded Stalag, a place the Allied Forces would think of attacking, had been the icing on the cake. Everyone had been just waiting for the signal, guards and prisoners alike, and it had been almost too easy to take down both men's protection detail and fulfill the order.
"You think the Americans will let you live, Klink?" Burkhalter demanded, trying for arrogant, but the fear was plain to see. "You will be shot like a dog!"
Klink's expression was cool, guarded. He didn't answer, didn't so much at twitch at Hochstetter's gagged screeches.
"Now we wait for the cavalry," Hogan declared easily, smiling at the German officers. "Thanks for playing along, gentlemen."
"You betrayed your country for this man?" Burkhalter added, voice harder, looking at the men standing side by side. "I knew you were a coward, Klink. I didn't think you would sell out your people to Americans!"
"My people," Klink repeated as he removed the monocle, rolling the word around in his mouth like he wasn't sure what it meant. "My people died at your hands, General. My country was burned by a madman."
"What are you blabbering about, Klink?!"
"I did what I had to. If it demands my sacrifice in the end, so be it," the colonel said evenly.
Hogan's eyes snapped to him, narrowing at the words. Klink was an unreadable presence next to him, all shields firmly in place. He stood taller now, the stoop forever gone from his posture, the monocle nothing but a memory, but the pale skin and burning eyes spoke of his own fear of what had happened, what was to come, and what his fate would be.
The Sentinel nearly bared his teeth at the thought of anyone so much as trying to arrest the Guide.
"So you sold us out?" Burkhalter snarled. "Worked with Allied spies? They'll kill you, Klink! Like they'll kill us! Or do you think sleeping with the enemy will save you?"
The small smile was almost dangerous, the glint in the blue eyes triggering a surge within the Sentinel that Hogan had felt before. Like he felt the cracks in Will's tight shields, the fraction of his true empathic presence brushing over Hogan's mind and soul, calming him.
Of course Will had felt his turmoil. The man was way too good!
"Sentinel Hogan was never my enemy, General Burkhalter."
The general's eyes widened and he stared at Hogan, mouth working silently.
"Yeah, I know," the American colonel said easily. "Shock to the system and all. Not that you'd know what that feels like."
"Traitor," he just spat, staring at Klink again. "Aberration!"
Hochstetter's beady little eyes had widened, too, and he had stopped screaming into his gag. The fear was plain to see in him, only strengthened by Klink's words. He stared at Hogan as realization settled in.
"A better name than Nazi on any day," the former Kommandant replied calmly.
"I will have you in front of a firing squad for that!"
"I really doubt that," Hogan drawled. "Now, we've prepared some comfy little accommodations for you. The service is terrible, the view is hideous, but it's just for you. Really exclusive."
He nodded at the men waiting to get the two guests of honor to the holding cells. Their own men had already been stripped of anything that could be used as a weapon and locked up. It was time Burkhalter and Hochstetter joined them.
The moment they were alone, Hogan turned to Klink and clapped a steadying hand on the Guide's shoulder, squeezing gently.
"Will?"
"I'm good," was the tight reply.
"Well, the way you're feeling, you're not."
Like a door had been slammed shut, the shields went up and silenced every little empathic tremor. For a moment, Hogan felt a severe case of vertigo and he fought down a growl of annoyance.
"I didn't mean it that way," he sighed, squeezing the slender shoulder again. "As the resident Sentinel I'm probably best equipped to lend a helping hand…" He trailed off, hand sliding over the firm chest, letting it rest there, over Klink's heart. He was listening to the slightly elevated rhythm that reflected the turmoil he saw in the blue eyes.
Klink snorted softly, making no move to dislodge the hand. "Men like Hochstetter make me sick, Rob. Always have. He would have me deported and killed if he knew who I am, what I am… what we are for each other."
"He doesn't and it's not something he will ever know," he interrupted icily. "You're also not an aberration, Will. No one is!"
"He knows you're a Sentinel."
A shrug. "So what. Doesn't make you a Guide, right? Any single one of my men might be that person, but they aren't. That's you. Only you. And he will never hear it from anyone!" Hogan hadn't broken the contact at all. "This will be over soon. All of it. We won."
Dark eyes bore into lighter ones. Klink still didn't try to remove the contact, even as Hogan started to brush his thumb over the shirt. He just stood there, looking a little puzzled. Finally the intense personal connection that had formed between them, the one Hogan had been consciously aware of growing ever since Rothenburg's death, was back.
Strongly.
He smiled brightly, embracing the presence he felt, physical hand never leaving its resting place. The back and forth of empathic energy was almost heady and Hogan briefly closed his eyes with a soft sigh.
Klink unconsciously echoed it.
The brown eyes danced as he opened them again. "Good?" the Sentinel asked, amusement tinging the word.
"I'll be fine."
Hogan gently patted his chest, almost a caress. "Yeah. Me, too. When we walk out of here."
Klink felt the tension creep back. It was an unsure future for him. He hadn't dared to believe that he could survive until the Allied Forces occupied Germany and freed the wounded country from the Madman. That Hitler had committed suicide to escape capture had been rather anticlimactic.
"Hey," Hogan coaxed softly. "This will be us, together, leaving here. I'm not going without you. Anywhere."
"Colonel Hogan… Robert… I'm a German Luftwaffe officer. The Kommandant of this POW camp. I am the enemy."
"You are our ally. Our protector. The man who did everything to keep us safe. And the whole camp was our base, every single soul included. No one here is a Nazi. No one!" He leaned closer. "London gave me absolute freedom for this operation and they gave me free passes for everyone involved, inside and outside. You and every man in here can go wherever they want. No consequences. I want you with me, Wilhelm Klink. Every step of the way."
He blinked, stunned.
"My Guide," Hogan declared.
"Temporary," he argued weakly, but it sounded like the lie it was.
"No. You got me, Colonel. For good," was the playful reply. "I'm not going anywhere. Like a bad case of foot fungus," he quoted.
Will laughed, shaking his head. "Yes. Like that."
The physical connection was still there and Hogan wasn't planning on moving the hand before Klink made him.
He didn't make him.
After a while his muscles relaxed again. One hand came up and strong, slender fingers covering Hogan's. The Sentinel stood frozen, breath shallow, feeling the gentle pulses between them. There had been casual touches in the past, but this, while it looked casual, was anything but. It was more. Klink squeezed the hand, then smiled.
Hogan met the clear blue eyes, saw something in there that had his hopes rise, and he nodded once.
"There's always a plan," he said firmly.
"Even for this?"
"Even for this. I think we'll need a little get-together, your men and us."
Will closed his eyes, still holding on to the wrist like it was his lifeline. "There is a plan," he murmured. The blue eyes opened and Hogan just nodded.
Then he stepped back, the Sentinel the one to break the contact with the Guide, Klink's hand falling away.
While the physical connection was no more, the empathic one strengthened. Klink was holding on to him, needing him, and it was the first time he projected that need.
The Sentinel could only stare, mouth opening, then snapping shut again.
"We'll be fine," he promised, voice rough. "Both of us. Together. London knows we're a team and fuck whoever they send here."
**HH**HH**
They left half an hour later, both balanced and deeply settled within each other, representing a united front.
Outside, the prisoners and guards had assembled on the cold ground, some looking unsure, others frightened, the next elated. It was a wide range of emotions and Hogan unconsciously squared his shoulders, the aura of the commanding officer plain to see.
Next to him, Klink was the imposing, respect-inspiring presence he had been after Rothenburg's death.
Schultz snapped a sharp salute. "Herr Kommandant, all are accounted for," he reported.
"Thank you, Sergeant. At ease," Klink said evenly, eyes sweeping over the men.
Newkirk, LeBeau, Carter and Kinchloe joined their commanding officer, a shield and a statement in one. Hogan gave them a brisk, thankful smile.
"Sir," Newkirk said softly, smirking a little.
The Kommandant addressed his men in a calm, assertive manner, projecting his hopes and his acceptance of what had happened, offering them a choice.
Stay or leave.
The American forces would be here by tomorrow and whoever wanted to be anywhere but Stalag 13 could lay down his weapons and go.
The others would remain as civilians, among the prisoners, and not be tried.
The men would have until tomorrow morning to deliver their weapons to Schultz, who would lock the guns up, together with their IDs, their uniforms, and anything else that connected them to their old lives.
**HH**HH**
It was a busy night.
Hogan's men helped out in any and all capacity, right down to shuttling those not willing to stay until the Allied troops came in through the tunnels. The underground had been coming and going, helping with the railroad.
Hogan and Klink moved like a single unit from the moment the speech ended to the moment when the last gun was locked up. Hogan patted his Guide's shoulder, smiling tiredly.
"Part one completed."
"Yes. So many more parts of that crazy plan to go."
The American colonel leaned closer. "I love crazy plans."
Klink smiled. "I know."
**HH**HH**
Hogan was with his men not much later, Kinch giving him a quizzical look.
"Don't look at me like that," he muttered.
"Like what? Like someone who thinks a Sentinel and Guide shouldn't be apart on the eve of such a monumental change in all our lives?"
The others nodded.
Hogan glowered at them. "None of your concern."
"Actually…it is. No reason for you to be miserable."
"I'm not miserable."
There were scowls all around.
"What's with you?" he demanded.
"Just looking out for our commanding officer," Newkirk drawled. "Sir. You've been on top of your game, running full cylinder again, ever since Rothenburg. We know why. You seem to like to forget."
"Isn't that a little insubordinate?"
"We wouldn't dare. Sir," Newkirk tagged on, eyebrows raised rather insolently.
Hogan smirked. "You want me to spend the night with Klink?"
The men shrugged, not the least bit discomforted.
"Might just do both of you some good," Carter added, smiling broadly. "Has done so before."
The others shot him disbelieving looks and LeBeau just groaned.
"I mean, this is big for us, but it will be huge for every Kraut in this camp, let alone Germany."
"Go to bed. We've got a big day tomorrow," Hogan told them, shaking his head, and walked into his office.
"Colonel," Kinch said as he followed.
"Kinch, I'm good. As is Klink."
"I might not be an empath, but I've known you for three years now. It would do both of you some good. Especially the colonel." He nodded into the general direction of Klink's office. "Carter's right that you spent time with him before. We all know how close you are. You should be with your Guide now, sir."
"We're not attached by the hip!"
"Could have fooled us!" Carter called from the outside.
Of course they were listening. Hogan shot a glare at the partially closed door.
He sighed deeply. "Okay, okay, I'm going. Happy?"
"Yes," came a chorus from his men.
"What would I do without you?" he asked sarcastically as he left with a deep sigh.
"We aim to help," Newkirk called unhelpfully.
"Well, you're not."
He shut the door in their faces before anyone could add something.
**HH**HH**
Klink was in his pajamas, but he didn't look like he had already been sleeping when Hogan knocked and walked in right away. Actually, he looked tense.
"What now?" the Guide asked, sounding fatalistic, like he was expecting another catastrophe on the horizon.
"Nothing. I got kicked out of my own barracks."
Eyebrows climbed. "Kicked out?"
"The men thought it would be better for all of us if I… stayed with my Guide?" He shifted a little, the hopeful note clear to hear.
Klink rubbed one temple. "I see. Insubordination among the ranks, Colonel Hogan?"
He gave a one-sided shrug. "They gift-wrapped it as friendly advice. You get used to it. If the Guide in question doesn't mind? I mean, you have an additional room…?"
"I don't mind, Robert," was the quiet reply, which was a huge confession.
It was settled then. He gazed at the tense man, then walked over and crouched down next to where Klink was seated.
"Trust me, Will," Hogan said softly, earnest. "We'll be fine."
He reached over and curled strong fingers around a slender wrist. His Guide looked drawn between fatalism and hope.
"It's finally over and we'll be fine," Hogan reiterated.
"Eternally hopeful?"
"Yeah, kinda. If I'd let things like that get me down, I'd be in the wrong business."
Klink chuckled and shook his head.
"We need sleep, Will. Tomorrow won't be like any other day."
"No day will be any more."
He got up and pulled the other man with him, toward the bedroom.
"One last chapter in this?" Klink asked, sounding almost resigned, surrendering like his country had.
Hogan stopped abruptly, like he had been slapped. He turned to look at the other man, mouth opening, then snapping shut again.
"No," he finally managed. "No, it's not about that! This isn't about sex, Will. It never will be. It's about wanting to be close to you," Hogan said openly. "If you want me there."
The blue eyes searched his face, then the Guide nodded slowly, cautiously.
"Scout's honor," Hogan added, hand on his heart.
"I believe you," was the quiet reply. "And yes, I'd like to have you here."
**HH**HH**
They didn't sleep together. Yes, they shared a bed, but it served just one single purpose: to calm Hogan's nerves, soothe the fiercely protective nature as he watched over Will sleeping by his side. And it evened out the surges he felt from Klink.
The moment they were in the same bed, Hogan had felt the calmness settle in. In both of them. When the Sentinel had curled in close, seeking the physical contact, there had been a second of tension, then the arm around his back had drawn him in even closer.
He had been completely honest; he didn't want or expect more. First of all, he was way past the hormonal teenager stage. Second, while Robert Hogan was the last man to say no to sex, this was both complicated and very new in so many ways. Nothing about his relationship with this unique Guide was normal.
Ears on the steady heartbeat of the man next to him, Hogan had monitored the silence in the room, outside, throughout the camp as only the dogs moved around, sometimes one of the men, but otherwise it was so very different from before.
It was over and then again it wasn't.
Strong fingers carded into his hair, playing with the dark strands and he released a breath he hadn't been aware of holding. Klink's empathic presence flowed around him, calm and deep, at ease. Relaxed.
He felt a wave of protectiveness rise.
Nothing would happen to his Guide. Nothing!
Will slowly fell asleep, a warm, solid, real presence next to him. Hogan felt completely at ease.
No words were needed. As they said, talking was highly overrated.
Something inside of him seemed to relax, even out, almost hum with contentment.
tbc...
