Chapter 13:

Hogan sat on the hotel bed nearest to the window with his head down and his fingers to his forehead, while LeBeau and Schultz thought of ideas on how to get Kalina out of Captain's captivity. The colonel had just briefed them both on the happenings of his recent visit, and while LeBeau and Schultz bounced ideas off of one another, Hogan sat silently in a deep depression. He felt lost, defeated, guilt ridden, and above all like a failure. He had failed little Kalina. He had promised to protect her and keep her safe even at the cost of his own life. Then he had to go and yell at her for not doing something he had ordered her to do, when she had done the task the entire time. He never even let her finish her side of the story before going off on her. She was now trapped under Captain's command, and it was all his fault. She now had to live the rest of the war being humiliated and bullied by Nixon and his crew, and it was all his fault. He wanted to just close his eyes and turn back the clock. He wanted to wake up from this nightmare he was in and see Kalina standing over him back at Stalag 13. Sadly, he knew that was not possible and let out a heavy sigh in response. He just wanted to lie down and die at that point. It was better than living with the heavy heart he now had for the rest of eternity.

"What if I were to disguise myself as a navy sailor and slipped Kalina a note as I was being accepted into Captain's command," the French corporal suggested.

"Where would you get the uniform from?" Schultz asked, dumbfounded.

"I could make it."

"Make it. You know how?"

"I made General Burkhalter's niece that wedding dress, did I not?" (1)

"Oh, it was so beaui-ti-ful. I remember it as if it were yesterday...please, don't ever make me wear a dress again, LeBeau. The Kommandant still gives me grief about it."

"He just takes things too seriously is all."

"Colonel Klink? Serious? That is an understatement."

Before Hogan could interject, an unexpected knock came on the door. The colonel raised his eyebrow in suspicion and turned to his friends.

"LeBeau, Schultz, you two invite someone over while I was gone?" He asked.

"Non, Colonel," the French corporal answered.

Another knock came, bringing all of their attentions now to the door. Hogan slowly rose to his feet and grabbed Schultz's rifle, which was leaning against the liquor cabinet. He cocked the gun and quietly began his way to the door, looking back once more at LeBeau and Schultz.

"Stand back," he ordered. "If I fire this gun, get out through the window." Hogan looked back at the door, took in a deep breath, then quickly pulled the door open while aiming for whoever was standing there. It was Bailey and Skipper, who was jumping into the leading seaman's arms.

"God bless America!" He cried, earning an irritated glance back from Bailey.

"Oh, calm down. He's a colonel; not Gestapo." Bailey growled.

Skipper got down on his feet and brushed himself off as if nothing had happened.

"Bailey? Skipper?" Hogan asked, setting the rifle down against the desk. "What are you two doing here?"

The two seamen stepped out of the way to reveal Kalina standing from behind. The sight of her almost made Hogan's heart stop. His eyes dilated in size, his jaw dropped from its hinges, and he slowly turned his attention back to Bailey and Skipper.

"I think you two need to talk," the leading seaman said.

The colonel nodded and stepped to side.

"Come on in," he answered, with a gesture of his hand.

The two sailors and Kalina quietly made their way inside the hotel room, Hogan closing the door behind him, then joined the three plus LeBeau and Schultz near the beds. Hogan crossed his arms and looked down at the little Klink, who was staring back at him timidly. She swallowed a knot down her throat and tried to think of where to start. Her brain was a complete flatline.

The officer let out a deep, soft sigh. His facial expression was neutral, as he searched for the correct words to say. He was not messing up on this twice. Once had been more than enough. He had to apologize, but he also had to remain true to his words. What Kalina did was not acceptable in his line of work, and he wanted to emphasize that very clearly. He also had to remain cool and gentle with her. He needed to discipline her; not lampoon her. He let out another breath of air, then began to speak calmly.

"Before I begin, I just want to reiterate that what you did that night was inappropriate and not permissible. I do not approve of your actions you decided on making."

"All of that for sitting on a pair of drumsticks?" Schultz mumbled, to LeBeau. The Frenchman shook his head and waved his hand.

"You hear nothing, you know nothing," LeBeau answered, just as quietly.

Schultz nodded in response.

"I am okay with that," he said.

"Schultz," Hogan groaned.

The fluffy guard cleared his throat and fell quiet. Once certain no one was going to interrupt them anymore, the colonel turned his attention back to the little teenager in front of him. Her eyes were still locked onto his, and for the first time in a while, she seemed to actually listen to what he was saying, and he did not take that for granted.

"What we do is very dangerous. The actions we take, the decisions we make could cost us dearly when we choose wrongly," He paused for a moment, deciding how to finish his thought. "If you had got caught, it wouldn't just be you who suffered the consequences. It would be all of us. LeBeau, Newkirk, Carter, Kinch...even your father would suffer from the blow back. If you are going to do this with us, you have to follow my lead, my orders down to the letter."

"I know, and I..." she said, but Hogan held his hand up to indicate silence.

"I'm used to handling men; not sensitive, little teenage girls. I'm sorry for being harsh with you, and I'm sorry for accusing you of not getting important information when you did so all along. And if you want to, I'd like you to come back to Stalag 13. I want you on my team, hon. And we all miss you very, very much...we friends again?"

Kalina's eyes flooded with tears and sniffled.

"Colonel Hogan, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so very, very sorry. I'll never do it again, I swear I won't. Please forgive me." She whimpered.

The colonel felt a big smile creep onto his face and held his arms open.

"Come here, hon," he said.

Kalina sprinted towards Hogan, wrapped her arms tight around him, and buried her face into his belly, continuing to sniffle every now and then. Hogan held her close and gently rubbed her back while hushing her softly.

"I've got you," he spoke quietly. "I've got you...Colonel Hogan's got you."

Kalina continued to make muffled whimpers, squeezing the American with all her might. She got a soft kiss on the top of her head, then sniffled once more as she lifted her eyes back up to Hogan. He was giving her a warm, comforting smile. One that made her feel safe and loved. Protected and invincible. She gave a small smile back at him, then lay her head against him as they continued to hug.

Watching from afar, LeBeau and Bailey felt their hearts warm at the sight, and grins were on their faces from ear to ear. Schultz was wiping his wet eyes, and Skipper sniffled, trying to fight back his own crying.

"This is more moving than Judy Garland's 'Over the Rainbow' in "The Wizard of Oz"." He croaked, putting a hand over his mouth and letting out a soft cough.

"You're just ready to burst out into song and dance, aren't you, mon ami," the Frenchman remarked teasingly. The response he got was Skipper putting a fist to his hip, highly displeased.

"Well excuse me for having a heart, Mr. Humphrey Bogart." The seaman replied.

Bailey rolled his eyes, and LeBeau smirked before turning his attention back at Hogan and Kalina.

"We need a plan," Hogan said, pacing back and forth in between the beds. His hat and jacket had been taken off earlier and began to think of a way to get Kalina out of Captain's command, while the two seaman and little teenager herself sat on one of the beds watching him. LeBeau was standing against the wall, and Schultz had dismissed himself to go down to the bar wanting to know absolutely nothing.

"Ooooo!" Skipper cried, raising his hand high in the air. He got a disapproving look from Bailey in response.

"Put your hand down," he ordered.

"I haven't even said it yet!"

"You are not suggesting anything after making us dress up as mob bosses for last year's Halloween party. Put, it, down."

Skipper slapped his hand into his lap, gave his friend a quick glare, then returned his attention back to Hogan, who had ignored everything the two seamen were saying and losing himself in his own thoughts. He continued pacing back and forth and pursed his lips together. He eventually paused in his step and turned to look at Kalina, who had not said a single word so far. She was watching him quietly, waiting for him to speak. He wrapped his arms around himself.

"Kalina," he began. "You have any ideas, hon?"

The little teenager silently got to her feet, walked towards Hogan, then wrapped her arms around him and rested her head against his belly. He smiled in response and hugged her back.

"We're gonna get you out of here, hon. You'll be seeing your father and the rest of the guys before you know it," he said sincerely.

Kalina gave a small grin and continued to hug Hogan.

"London!" Skipper exclaimed.

"Yeah, yeah, you wanna write a movie called 'London'. Stay on track here, will yah?" Bailey replied, waving his friend off.

The lower ranking seaman gave Bailey an irritated glare.

"I meant Captain and the unit moving to London," he remarked, slightly snooty.

"What about it?" LeBeau asked, curious.

"We're doing this one last assignment before we leave France. We're trying to capture a German navy captain that's been the head of several operations currently crippling the United States Navy. We're taking him with us to London so he can face charges and imprisonment for all the damages and casualties that have been caused in result of his attacks. We could screw up the assignment severely, make Captain outraged at us, then the two of us and Kalina are off on our way to Germany before we know it."

The leading seaman slowly turned his attention to his friend, his facial expression both suspicious and intrigued. His eyebrow was raised and looked at Skipper oddly.

"Now that's the first thing you've said that's smart," he said.

"Oh, you think that's smart, but my million dollar movie idea is dumb to you!" Skipper retorted, taking his sailor cap and throwing it to the ground.

"Hold it there, hold it," the colonel said, putting his hand up. He looked at the two seamen with a suspicious look. "What do you mean 'we'?"

"We wanna go with you and Kalina back to Germany. Go under your command and all." Bailey clarified.

"You do realize I'm stationed in a Luftwaffe run camp; not Kriegsmarine." Hogan replied.

"We could get disguises," Bailey said. "Fake serial numbers and all that jazz. I could be a...corporal I think you call it? And Skipper could be a private."

"Now why do I have to be a private?" Skipper remarked, glaring at his friend.

"Because his work would all go to hell if we made you a sergeant."

"Alright, alright, calm down now," Hogan ordered, with the wave of his hands. "I don't need another war on my hands."

"Will you let them come with us, Colonel Hogan?" Kalina asked, turning her head up at Hogan.

"You want them to travel all the way to Germany with us to Stalag 13? How would we explain their presence to your father?" The officer questioned.

The little Klink pursed her lips together and thought long and hard about it. An idea finally came to mind and nodded.

"I know exactly how to explain their presence in camp...if you let them come back with us, that is," she said.

Hogan wrapped his arms around himself and tapped his foot on the ground as he thought about the idea. He liked Bailey and Skipper. They were good, hard working men, had taken Kalina under their care while he was searching all over the city for her, and best of all, they were nothing like Nixon and his zombies. They already had knowledge of his operation, too, which made them either very valuable or extremely dangerous to his life and the life of his team. He highly doubted they would turn him in, though. Had they done so, they probably would have killed off Kalina when first meeting her. He could not see a reason to reject them from tagging along with them, and if Kalina had an idea of how to get them inside Stalag 13, then it was alright with him. He let out a sigh, then gave a gentle smile.

"Alright, hon," he said, rubbing the little teenager's back. "They can come."

The two seamen jumped to their feet and began cheering in celebration.

"We're going to Germany!" Skipper cried, with glee.

Bailey's excitement immediately died after hearing 'Germany' and stared at his friend with slight agitation.

"Now take it down a notch there, man. We're not headed for Buckingham Palace, you know. It's a POW camp, and German commandants are not exactly very friendly to Allied soldiers," he reiterated.

"Oh, you'll love Papa. He's funny, kind, caring, and he's very intelligent. He can solve any math equation you give him in five minutes tops," Kalina answered, beaming with pride.

"To you, maybe. German officers aren't really nice to Americans, though," Bailey said.

"Ah, Klink would not hurt a fly," LeBeau scoffed off.

"His bite is about as bad as his bark." Hogan added.

"Really?" Skipper gasped. "I thought Germans did nothing but scream and holler and beat the living daylights out of you."

"If sweet little Kalina doesn't scream and holler, do you really think her father's gonna act that way?" The colonel replied.

The lower ranking sailor fell silent for a moment, pondering the thought carefully, then nodded.

"You make a good point," he answered.

"Anyways," Bailey started, turning his attention back to Hogan. "Back to this sabotage assignment. How are we gonna do it?"

Hogan pursed his lips and began to think, when a light bulb went off in his head. His expression went from thoughtful to intrigued like the flick of a light switch.

"What if we were the ones to successfully complete the assignment, yet sabotage Captain's plan on getting it instead?" He suggested, his brain beginning to turn.

"What do you mean, Colonel?" LeBeau wondered, making his way closer to the group of four.

"I'm saying that we do Captain's assignment and report the information to London ourselves, while making the CU675 look like fools. That way we not only get Kalina, Bailey, and Skipper kicked out of the organization, but we help bring the Allies another win along with it." Hogan explained.

"My God, the man's a genius." The leading seaman gasped, gaping at the officer.

"And good looking, too." Skipper added. He earned a glare from Bailey in response, who took Skipper's sailor cap and yanked it down over his eyes.

"Hey! Who turned off all the lights?" The lower ranking sailor asked.

"What do we do first, Colonel Hogan?" Kalina asked, ready to start the action. Hogan smiled at her and wrapped an arm around her.

"Kalina hon, I'm glad you asked," he said, making the little teenager giggle in response. He gestured for everyone to huddle around him and began to explain the plan for tomorrow night.

It was late when Kalina, Bailey, and Skipper returned to Headquarters. While the two sailors went off to their assigned barracks for the night, the little Klink started making her way towards hers, when she was stopped in the hallway by Nixon and his crew, who were blocking the other half of the building off from her. She tried to weave her tiny self around them all, but they were too burly and masculine for her to get by. There was no way she could fight off four grown men without any type of weapon on her. Unfortunately, her only pistol had been confiscated by Captain the night she was admitted entrance into his unit as her test of loyalty to the Allies. It was moments like these where she hated her native background. It was moments like these where she hated identifying as German nationality.

"Where have you been?" Nixon interrogated her, glaring her down with an icy stare.

Kalina frowned and looked at the ensign repugnantly.

"None of your business that's where. Last time I checked, your name wasn't Captain," she remarked, trying to channel her father's occasional snobbishness.

"You better had not been with that sleazy Air Force Man of yours," Nixon warned.

"I was with Bailey and Skipper. We went out to dinner at a cafe, and they let me try a croissant," she returned, hasty. "And don't you ever call Colonel Hogan that word! He's nice and kind and accepting, warm and friendly and smart! You'd be darn right lucky to have him for a commanding officer!"

"You better have been with just them," Nixon snarled. He then drew a pistol from its holster and cocked it in front of Kalina. "Or I will liquidate your little colonel permanently."

"I said I wasn't with him. And if you don't mind, I'm tired. I'd like to go to bed."

"Are you back talking me, Kraut?"

"I certainly wasn't talking to you respectfully."

The ensign suddenly grabbed Kalina roughly by the collar, making the little teenager gulp. Her eyes read pure terror, but her face remained stone cold and fierce.

"Don't try treading water in my territory, you little German brat," he threatened, through gritted teeth. "I know about 74 ways to make your kind squeal and beg for mercy. I made a Gestapo officer cry and plea before I did off with him. You're little, I could have you dead within minutes. Got it?"

"Let me go," she demanded, clawing at his arm until he finally released her.

"And if you try saying a word of this to that Colonel Hogan of yours...I will do many, many, many things to him before I finally put him out of his misery...right in front of you I'll do it."

He stepped out of her way, and she slipped passed him. Once in her barracks, she slammed the door shut, locked the door, and turned her lamp light on with the only light switch in her room. Certain that she was completely alone, she collapsed onto her bed and let out a heaving breath of air. Her heart was pounding, her mind was racing, her stomach was churning with nausea, her lungs collapsing in on each other. Hogan was coming tomorrow night to bust her out and take her home after she blew Captain's assignment. She had to warn him, but how? If he found out she had squealed, Nixon would do unspeakable things to Hogan before killing him in some horrific, inexplicit manner. But if she said nothing and Hogan appeared tomorrow night, he was still going to die. Would Nixon really kill an Allied officer? Would Captain allow him to kill a fellow officer? She had to think, and she had to come up with a plan fast. Only she had one issue: what?

(1) Reference to the episode "Gowns by Yvette" in season five.