Two days later…

Jout sat on the cot and waited for the change of guards which would mean finally being released from the cooler. After seven days of being in a cold cell without any contact to other people (besides Carter coming two times a day with his food and sometimes talking to Langenscheidt), the prospect of simply being able to walk across the compound, even though it was surrounded by barbed wire, felt like freedom. Suddenly, Jout heard a key turning in the iron door and he jumped up from the cot.

He was greeted by Corporal Langenscheidt, his second-favourite guard after Schultz, who said, "Time to leave this place, Lieutenant Hogan"

"Thank God for that!" exclaimed Jout as he walked past Langenscheidt. "I was going stir-crazy in there"

"Then don't be involved in any more fights, Lieutenant Hogan. I don't want to see you in here again, ja?" said Langenscheidt while they were walking out of the building.

Jout laughed. "Don't worry, Langenscheidt, you won't. But thanks for keeping me company and talking with me in there. You really made my stay endurable"

Langenscheidt smiled sheepishly. "No need to thank me, Lieutenant Hogan. But I do want to thank you for your advices on Fräulein Hilda" Before they stepped out of the building, Langenscheidt turned to Jout. "But please don't say anything about me talking about private things with you. If word comes out that I fraternise with a prisoner…"

"Again, don't worry. I would never put you in danger," Jout said.

Langenscheidt smiled and led Jout of the building where he was greeted by Hogan waiting for him. Jout walked over to him and Hogan asked, "Well, how do you like the cooler?"

The two brothers began to stroll back to their barracks. "I wouldn't recommend it, but there are worse places to be. I had long and interesting conversations with Langenscheidt to pass the time," Jout said. "By the way, you should look out for him. He asked me for my advice on how to make a move on Fräulein Hilda"

"Well, that's something I definitely don't have to worry about," answered Hogan.

"Why? Because you're an officer?"

Hogan grinned mischievously. "You've got it, little brother"

They quickly made their way across the compound, and when Jout entered the barracks, he was greeted with the sight of an empty barracks except for Carter, Newkirk, and LeBeau who sat at the main table and Kinch who poured himself a cup of coffee by the stove.

"Hey, guys!" greeted Jout. "Did you miss me?"

"Sure," said Carter. "The week was really boring because no one wanted to listen to my stories"

"Well, you've got me back now, Carter"

Jout went to his footlocker to retrieve his shaving kit. But he stopped when he noticed how everyone was watching him. He turned his head to his friends and saw Kinch lingering in front of the door. Hogan had settled himself at the head of the table by the stove, looking as if he was thinking of something, and Carter somehow seemed nervous as he was playing with his hands. He knew that something was wrong when he noticed that LeBeau did not glare at him.

Jout closed his footlocker again and rose to his feet. "All right, what's wrong?"

"I don't know what you mean," answered Hogan, taking a sip from his cup.

"I'm not blind, Rob," said Jout. "You look as if you try to think of a way to ask something and it seems like Kinch deliberately stands in front of the door to prevent someone to leave the barracks. And I have not seen Carter this nervous since he got the message about his brother being MIA. So, I'm asking again, what's wrong?"

Hogan sighed. "Sit down. I think we should talk"

"About what?" Jout questioned suspiciously as he sat down across from Hogan with Carter on his left side and LeBeau and Newkirk on his right.

"About your situation with Brawley, Fanbrick, and Leach"

"There is nothing to talk about," answered Jout sternly. "I already told you, I'm dealing with them on my own"

"Yeah, and we see how amazing that works," replied Hogan. He glanced down to his mug and said, "We know about the night Sergeant Kisro died"

Jout was caught completely by surprise. His heart started to beat faster and sweat was forming on his forehead. His brother must have been bluffing. There was no way he could know about George's death, unless someone from his old squadron had arrived during the week and was willing to risk a court-martial. Jout scanned the room for an opportunity to quickly leave the barracks. He had to get away from this place or else his relationship with all his friends was in danger. But there was no way out. Kinch was blocking the door and his friends would have pinned him down until the tunnel entrance had opened.

Jout glanced back at Hogan and asked, "That should be impossible, Rob. You know that the person who told you about it is risking a court-martial, do you?"

"I know. That's why Sergeant O'Neal was very reluctant to tell us about it. But that's one of the things I would like to know more about"

"Ah, so you don't know everything," concluded Jout. When Hogan nodded, Jout stood up. "Well, then we should keep it that way. He's dead, and talking about his death doesn't bring him back to life"

As he took a step forward to leave, everyone jumped up and everyone except Newkirk blocked his way to the door while Newkirk had quickly positioned himself in front of the tunnel entrance.

"Josh, I don't know what exactly happened between you and Brawley, but I do know that it frightened you enough to not talk with me. And it frightened you enough that you don't want to take action against him even though Brawley is only a sergeant," Hogan explained. "And I won't let you leave this barracks until you tell me why you are so afraid of him"

Jout looked his brother in the eyes and saw the determination in them to get him to talk. When he glanced around the room and his eyes fell on Newkirk, his mind began to think back to the night in Hogan's quarters and how his heart skipped a beat when Newkirk had kissed him. It was the first time since Henri's death that Jout had felt happy and safe in the arms of another man and it was something he never wanted to live without ever again. He sighed and sat down at the desk, his head in his hands.

The others settled back down again and Jout said with his head still in his hands, "It's a long and complicated story"

Hogan smiled. Finally, he had succeeded in getting his brother to talk. "Just take your time. Whatever it is, we won't let you down"

"I'm not so sure about that" Jout looked up at Hogan. "What would you say if I tell you that I killed George?"

Hogan's jaw dropped. "What do you mean, you killed him? I thought he killed himself?"

"Technically, yes. But just because he was the one who pulled the trigger does not meant that I am not responsible for his death"

Hogan looked at his younger brother, confusion spread all over his face. "I think it's best if you start at the beginning"

"Well, I suppose you could say Brawley and his friends trying to blackmail me into giving them half of my pay was the beginning of the end," Jout started explaining. "You already know that I took matters into my own hand since nothing happened through the official channels. I told the enlisted men to not pay them anymore and then I made up reasons to give Brawley, Fanbrick, and Leach any kind of additional duty I could think of, which made them furious. Of course I knew that it would not stop them from going on with their blackmailing, but at least it helped a majority of the enlisted men and that was all that mattered. However, I did not really make myself popular among Brawley. But they could not do anything about it since it would have meant to admit to their blackmailing"

"But what has you giving them duty sentences to do with you being responsible for Sergeant Kisro's death?" interjected Hogan.

Jout looked around the room, biting his lip. Now the moment of truth had come. Now he would see how many of his friends he was going to lose. "Nothing. It's simply the reason for Brawley's revenge. The underlying reason of my feud with Brawley is that…" Jout took a deep breath and said, "…I'm gay"

Once again, Jout looked around the room to see the other men's reactions. His brother looked at him, completely shocked, but it looked like he was not revolted by him. For now. Carter seemed a bit more confused but also shocked. LeBeau and Newkirk looked like they were not surprised; they had probably already figured that out. Then Jout's eyes fell on Kinch, and he was greeted with a look of disgust; exactly the kind of reaction he had feared from his brother. He quickly looked away from Kinch and back at Hogan.

"You're gay?" asked Hogan when the wave of initial shock had faded.

Jout nodded. "Yes, and let's put it that way, Brawley and his friends are not really fond of men like me. Especially in the military. For quite some time, Brawley and his friends were only hating me because I prevented them from having more money. But that changed after Henri's death"

"Henri? You mean Pilot Officer Dupont?" Hogan questioned. "You once told us you two had been close friends"

"Well, we were a little more than close friends if you know what I mean," Jout admitted. "After his death, I backed away from the other squadron members and mostly stayed in my room, trying to cope with his death. One day, a young sergeant visited my room, asking how I was doing. It was George, with whom I had not much to do until then. For me, he was only the kid who had a crush on Henri"

"So he was also gay," said Hogan. "And with that a target for Brawley"

"That's right, Rob. Since I knew how he felt for Henri, I told him we could talk anytime if he wanted to. And over the time, George and I became close friends" Seeing the questioning look in Hogan's eyes, Jout added, "There was nothing between us. We were only friends. Brawley noticed that too and one day he, Fanbrick, and Leach approached me and said they knew about me being gay. I was surprised because Henri and I had always tried to keep our relationship a secret, but apparently, we had not been careful enough. I knew about their opinion on homosexuals; they suspected that George was gay and therefore had often called him names. So I told them that I didn't care about any name-calling and that they should go ahead. But Brawley only grinned cheesily and said that he would avenge my interfering with his blackmailing by hurting someone close to me"

"George," concluded Hogan.

"That's right. They started to write insults on his plane and clothing, and many other things I don't want to repeat. I tried to protect George and suggested he should ask for a transfer to get away from them, but he did not want to be seen as a coward. This bullying went on for about five months, gradually getting worse"

Hogan interjected again. "And what happened in the night of his death?"

Jout opened his mouth to talk about one of the worst days in his entire life, but then though better and closed it again. Obviously, his brother already knew some parts of the story. So Jout decided to find out what he already knew so that he only had to fill in the gaps. Not necessary to tear up old wounds more than needed. "What has O'Neal told you? As far as I can remember, he was away on a weekend leave and arrived at the base three days after George's death"

"Not much, only what Sergeant Goodwin had told him. O'Neal said Goodwin went into shock after he had found George," answered Hogan. "O'Neal told us that you searched for George and that Goodwin sent you to the workshop. Then he heard shouting and first George, then you, and after that Brawley and the others came out. Goodwin heard a shot, ran to the armoury and found you crouching over George. O'Neal said that was all Goodwin could remember"

"Well, then I only have to give you the reason for his suicide since you're already aware of the course of the night" Jout put his head in his hands again as he tried to think of how to explain the gruesome reason for George's death. Fortunately, the others did not rush him but gave him as much time as he needed. "The reason I searched for George was because it had been one of the more awful days for him. Brawley had used every chance he got to bully and embarrass him. When I entered the workshop, I was greeted with muffled cries coming from the far end of the hall. I immediately ran towards the cries and behind one of the broken planes I found George" Jout stopped and tried to calm himself down. He would never forget what he had seen in there, and George's cries sometimes haunted him in his dreams. "He was held down by Fanbrick and Leach. And Brawley…was on top of him…with his pants dropped to his knees" Jout had to stop again as his voice failed. He looked up from the table and into Hogan's eyes, who already had a faint idea of what happened. Jout closed his eyes and said, "Brawley had raped George. That's why George killed himself"

The room fell silent. No one dared to speak at Jout's horrible revelation. Newkirk looked to the ground as he tried to control his anger. Sadly, it was not the first time he heard about gay people being raped by someone who hated homosexuals. Luckily for him, up until now he had never found himself in this situation.

When Jout glanced at Hogan again, he was able to see the anger and horror in Hogan's eyes. "And Brawley and the others are still in the Air Force?"

"Of course they are," snorted Jout. "I tried to explain to Group Captain Preston what had happened in the workshop, but he did not believe me and accused me of wanting to damage their and the Air Force's reputation. I should have guessed that Preston would not do anything against Brawley and his friends. After all, Preston himself hated homosexuals too and always protected Brawley, Fanbrick, and Leach because of Fanbrick's father"

"Is that why you requested a transfer?"

"Yes, and because of Preston's stupid order of never mentioning George's death. After Lieutenant General Fanbrick's visit, I went to Preston's office and explained to him again what Brawley did. I just could not believe that Fanbrick's father still protected them. I mean, blackmailing is one thing, but rape? However, Preston only said that I had no prove and therefore nothing would happen to them. And then he threatened that if I did not stop with my accusations, he would personally make sure I lose my lieutenant's bars and be demoted to airman. I instantly asked for a transfer and threatened him myself. That's why I was assigned to another squadron already three days later. Besides, I just had to leave this squadron" Jout looked down to the table. "First Henri dies, and then George kills himself because of me"

"Why should you be responsible?" asked Hogan confused. "It seems to me you were the only one who tried to help him"

"But Brawley was only after him because he wanted to take revenge on me!" Jout exclaimed. "If I had insisted on George leaving the squadron, or if I had not done anything against their blackmailing methods in the first place, George would be still alive"

"Josh, you can't blame yourself for the sick and criminal behaviour of someone else. You did everything in your power to stop them. Group Captain Preston and Lieutenant General Fanbrick are the ones to blame, as well as Brawley, Fanbrick, and Leach. But not you," Hogan tried to comfort his younger brother. "Is that the reason for your fights with them?"

Jout shook his head. "Only for the second one. Brawley had provoked me with saying George wanted what happened in the workshop and that he was no loss to the Air Force. The first fight occurred because of something totally different" He took a deep breath. Even after revealing his most feared secret, he was still not sure about having done the right thing. "They are blackmailing me. And the beating was intended to "help my decision""

Jout looked at Newkirk when he felt the Brit's hand on his knee underneath the table. Newkirk's eyes were filled with worry for Jout, but he could also feel anger rising in him again. Right now, he would like nothing more than to beat Brawley and his friends black and blue for everything they had done to George and to Jout. Jout gave him a faint smile and Newkirk was surprised when he felt the American's hand holding his.

Hogan could not believe what he heard. But with everything his younger brother had told him, he knew that he had to get rid of Brawley. And he also needed to do something against Group Captain Preston and Lieutenant General Fanbrick. It was unbelievable to him that two officers of the US Army Air Force protected criminals. "You are getting blackmailed?"

Jout nodded. "Yes. Either I help them escape or they tell the Germans that I'm gay. I have one week left to decide"

"And have you already decided what you will do?"

Jout looked to the ground again. He could not look his brother in the eyes while saying he decided to die. Newkirk sensed that Jout had a hard time talking about it and gently squeezed his hand to encourage him. Strengthened by this simple gesture, Jout said, "I let them tell the Germans that I'm gay"

Hogan jumped off from his stool. "Are you crazy, Josh? Do you have the slightest notion of what will happen to you?"

"Of course I have! But I can't help them escape. They don't deserve to be free while others are stuck in this camp"

Hogan began to pace back and forth. "My sentiment exactly, but I won't let you sacrifice yourself" He stopped and looked at Jout. "You know what? We are going to give the Allied High Command enough evidence so that even Lieutenant General Fanbrick can't save his son. And then they will end up were they belong, in a military prison"

"Are you deaf, Rob? Fanbrick's father will protect them no matter what. And I can't just go to the Allied High Command and tell them about it because first, there are no evidence, and second, I will be court-martialled if I do so"

"I know, but we will give them the needed evidence" Hogan put a foot on the stool and propped himself up on his leg. "Say, are you only court-martialled if you talk to people who were not members of your squadron when it happened, or also if you talk, for example, with Brawley?"

"Only to strangers," answered a confused Jout. He had no idea what his brother aimed at with that question.

Hogan began to smile. "Alright, here's what we're going to do"


A/N: I'm sorry if it was too much dialogue. I had intended to write part of Jout's explanation as a flashback, but I felt like it did not quite fit in. It will get more interesting in the following chapters, but this explanation chapter was simply needed for the story.

2nd A/N: I'm also sorry if some of you do not like Kinch's reaction. But I need his negative reaction for a following story line. You will see what I mean in the next chapters.