Hi, my dear readers,
I'm absolutely happy that my dear beta-reader was able to edit the next chapter despite the lot of stress she has at the moment. But thanks to her effort, I can publish the newest update just in time for Eastern.
Like I already pronounced, it's a sweet, funny and emotional one, because our two colonels have to come to terms with the change in their relationship that was already crazy enough before they crossed the last threshold. There will be also a few references to some missions Hogan and his men did with the unwilling help of Klink – especially those in Paris. Poor Klink will be flabbergasted when he learns of the real reasons he went two times to Paris and why everything became chaotically there.
So, have fun,
Thank you so very much for the feedback of the last chapter,
Love
Yours Starflight
Chapter 35 – Getting comfortable with each other
Out of breath, Klink reached his office and stepped into the building. He had ignored the curious and even gleeful looks he had gotten from those POWs present on the compound while he had been practically racing towards the Kommandantur. Of course, the men had realized that he had overslept, just like his guards, who saluted dutifully but only poorly hid their amusement. And if he wasn't inwardly soaring on clouds like he was, he would have certainly reamed them out.
Hilda looked up as he entered and greeted him with a polite "Good morning, Herr Kommandant." Her eyes shone with laughter and there was a suppressed giggle in her voice.
"Good morning, Herr Oberst," Schultz said, too, as he was leaving Klink's office. The edges of his mouth twitched and his round eyes gave away his amusement.
"Has anything happened?" Klink asked, concerned. "Did Burkhalter call or…"
"Nnnnnothing happened, Herr Kommandant. I only have to report that one member of the camp's staff didn't start his duty in time." He couldn't help it; he had to smirk.
Klink groaned; knowing that he would be in deep water if Burkhalter ever got wind of this. "All right, all right," he groused. Hilda and Schultz thought that he would now snap at them, like he would usually do, but this morning everything was out of the ordinary, as they learned a second later. Klink lifted both hands and sighed, "Guilty as charged. I overslept. But!" He began to count on his fingers, bending one for every number "One: I am fighting with a relapse of my cold, two: I had worked into the very late evening on reports and lists Schultz here wasn't able to handle because he's no graduated officer – sorry, Schultz, but that's the truth – and three: Because of the whole chaos within the last days I forgot to wind-up my alarm-clock. So…" He lifted both arms in one helpless gesture and shrugged.
Hilda began to laugh openly now, stepped away from her desk and stopped in front of her boss. "May I?" she asked.
Confused, Klink looked at her. "What do you mean?"
She only smiled, stepped on the tops of her toes and gave him a quick peck on the right cheek. As she caught his flabbergasted gaze, she giggled, "Welcome to the world of the ordinary mortal people." Laughing, she returned to her desk, while Schultz beamed at him.
Promptly, the Oberst lifted both hands in a defensive gesture. "If you try to do the same, Schultz, you'll get transferred to the Russian Front quicker than you can cry for help."
"I've to kiss my hag at home every time I'm on vacation, Herr Kommandant, so do not fear…" Hans stopped as he realized what he had just said. "I… I'm sorry, but…" he began to stutter.
"Are you comparing me to your 'hag' at home, Schultz?" Klink only huffed and swung his right fist in his typical gesture. He saw the sheepish smile his Sergeant of the Guards gave him and grumbled, "At least I wouldn't see her well with my last monocle being done for."
A little bit surprised about Klink's extremely good and humorous mood this morning, Hilda crossed both underarms on the desk top and braced herself on them. "What happened to it?"
"Well…" Klink began, realizing that he couldn't tell them that he had lost his monocle while kissing his senior POW officer passionately only to find it the next morning after a short, intense search under the bed – the same bed said senior POW and he had done a lot more than simply 'sleep'. Clearing his throat, he said, "As I fell asleep during work I lost it and it broke on the table." He shrugged. "Very unfortunate. Fräulein Hilda, please call my optician in Hammelburg and order five new monocles. Ask him if he can provide me with some sort of replacement until he's made me new ones. If so, you, Schultz, please drive to Hammelburg and get it for me." He rubbed his temple. "Otherwise I'll have gotten a headache by midday at the latest."
Hilda nodded with a smile. "Consider it done, Herr Kommandant," she said; knowing that her boss really had a problem without a visual aid for his left eye. As far as she had learned, the visual acuity of his left eye was only at 30 percent after the incident over Spain that had forced him to quit the active flying service after his selfless deed that had saved dozens of his comrades' lives, even if the brass saw it otherwise. In her eyes, Klink had been a hero then – only to be put in charge of a POW-camp in the middle of nowhere. Life could be unfair sometimes, but, on the other hand, Berlin's decision over three years ago had certainly prevented Klink from finding an early death. There weren't many pilots left who had still fought since the beginning of the war.
"Thanks," the Oberst answered her with a short smile, before he addressed Schultz again. "One more thing. Colonel Hogan got sick last night and we had to change the linens. The used ones are in my bathroom in the shower tub. Please take care that they are brought to the wash house."
Concerned, Schultz looked at him. "How is the colonel doing now?"
"Better. We think he can't stomach the medicaments anymore, but Hogan will speak with Wilson about it, so calm down." He glanced at Hilda who sat there, rigid. "That goes for both of you. Hogan is feeling better this morning, so don't fret." He shook his head and chuckled. "If someone from the brass learned how we're worrying about the camp's senior POW officer, they would throw us in the madhouse right away."
"You only do what every honorable man would do: Take care of those you are responsible for," Schultz said softly.
"I would subscribe to this instantly, Herr Kommandant," Hilda agreed.
Klink chuckled again. "Thanks, you two are the best! And if either of you makes me some tea just right now, he or she will be enclosed in my nightly prayers." Whistling a song, he went to his office with a never-before seen skip in his steps, as if he felt like dancing.
Schultz and Hilda looked at each other. Klink wasn't just in a good mood, he seemed to be absolutely happy. What, for God's sake, was going on here?
*** HH ***
Hogan had pulled the blankets higher over himself and was lost in thoughts. He had been in that exquisite state of dozing while soaring and dreaming the minutes before Klink left – and then, the whirl of thoughts had started.
What, exactly, did he feel after everything that had happened? Well, last evening and this morning he had been… happy. For the first time in years. It hadn't been the relief after a mission going on without a hitch, or the joy of getting some news from home. It also hadn't been the content feeling he mostly had after a satisfying love-night.
This here was utterly different – and ran deeper.
He was sated, yes, and his whole body was utterly relaxed after letting off steam for real. This all was certainly a part of what he felt, but until a few minutes ago the main part had been a warm, intense, buoyant happiness, as if he could fly.
And then confusion had spread through him.
How was it possible that he, an avid lover of women, felt drawn to a man like this? How was it possible that he had been lost in fervor the way he had, all because a guy was caressing him? He was anything but an inexperienced lover, and he was aware of the passion he himself harbored, but what had happened a few hours ago had caught him by surprise. Will had more or less driven him crazy with desire. He couldn't remember when he had ever burnt like this – and it had made him hungry for more.
The latter was a part of his confusion, too. But besides the emotional matter there was something else he couldn't lose sight of: Law.
What he and Will had done was illegal – some people would even call it a crime. Even if he couldn't understand this regard anymore. Yes, the Church preached that the togetherness of people was only 'sacred' when it was done to procreate and happened between lawfully wedded couples to increase their family. Well, he had always had a problem with this point of view. Sharing a bed out of lust was, for him, one of the best spices of life, hence his disobedience of the related religious rules – after all, they weren't in the Middle Ages anymore.
And concerning the law… Why it forbid two men (or two women) from expressing their feelings to each other in a physical way was beyond him since the last evening. In his eyes, finding sexual gratification with a woman in return for payment was more of a 'sin' than sleeping with someone of the same gender if you had real feelings for him (or her).
Yet, especially, the fact that what they did was a breach of law could lead to a lot of trouble, to put it mildly. If they were caught by the wrong people, it would mean castration and maybe even death for Will – and the latter for him, too. At least here in Germany. In the US he, Hogan, would be thrown into jail and they would try to 'heal' him using 're-education' and maybe medicaments. It would also mean the end of his career despite everything he had done and endured within the last three years. Not even General Butler would be able to save his neck then.
Hogan loved not playing by the rules. This was one of the reasons he had been one of the best candidates for the mission 'Unsung Heroes'. And he had had his share of insubordination even since he became a member of the US Army. Only last year he had disobeyed orders by saving Tiger and he had afterwards an unpleasant discussion with the brass via radio.
Yet, somehow, he didn't care for all of these points which spoke against continuing his intimate relationship with Wilhelm. Not really. Of course he didn't want to be thrown into jail (or be executed in Germany; not for spying, but for having an affair with a man). He didn't want to get kicked out of the US army or lose the freedom that hopefully lay ahead for him soon. And he certainly didn't want something to happen to Will, yet this was a risk they both had to take if they wanted to continue and maybe even deepen this new kind of relationship. He, Hogan, was ready to take the risk. It was better than losing Will.
And the latter was another piece of his confusion.
He had had his casual affairs – mostly one-night-stands or only a few 'encounters' with one and the same lady. And he had had two or three liaisons that had lasted for a few months, but not more. How was it possible that one night with Wilhelm had woken such strong feelings in him?
And this after they hadn't even completely consummated their union. Robert could only assume how much stronger these feelings would get if he had the courage to walk this path further. He knew that this, what he had experienced the evening prior, was only the beginning – and even this 'beginning' had him flung over the edge with an intensity that still flabbergasted him.
He wanted to feel those long, strong fingers on his body and those soft, fierce lips on his skin again. He wanted to be pressed into the mattress and to feel his lover's weight on him, a weight that gave him a sense of safety – of being sheltered – but also gave him the chance to let himself go completely. He could embrace and cling to his lover like he wanted, without considering the possibility of hurting his partner. Wilhelm wasn't as physically fit as he, Hogan, was, but in bed running speed or weight-lifting strength did not count. Making love needed another kind of strength, and in this case Will was his equal.
Making love…
It had been nothing else than this. The hunger, the wonder at feeling each other, the craving for touch, the way Will had taken care of him during their passion and afterwards – this had been simply displaying and making love. Those minutes they had given themselves to each other had changed everything for Hogan. And he was convinced that the same went for his German counterpart. They had finally crossed an invisible threshold and had stepped into a new world that had been waiting for them to explore. A threshold they had been dancing on for some time now – sweet Lord, in Wilhelm's case even for almost three years.
Robert admired the older man for the incredible control he had displayed all that time. Hogan doubted that he could have held himself back for almost 35 months like Klink had done. Hell, he had lost control after only a few days, and he had been already bottled up with such forbidden longing that it made him literally see stars when the fire in his entire being had been set free and had taken him to the heavens. He could only imagine how it had been for Wilhelm, who had been yearning for him like this for so long. Maybe everything had been even sweeter for Will than it had been for him, Robert, because Klink had to endure an eternity before he could fulfill his strongest desire.
The warmth, the tenderness, taking care of each other – this was a crime by law?
'No, this law is the crime, not the other way around,' he thought, while he carefully straightened his legs beneath the comforter.
He could feel the peace returning. Yes, what they did was illegal and he was certainly a big fool to risk his freedom, his career and maybe even his life for an intimate relationship with another man, but he knew that there was no going back now. He had gotten a taste of the forbidden fruit and wanted more.
There was so much to explore now and his curiosity was wide awake – together with this longing to feel Will cherish him again and to return the worship.
Who had ever thought that Wilhelm Klink could be this passionate – or could take the lead this easily? 'Well, still waters run deep – even if Will isn't 'motionless' in the original sense of the word,' Hogan chuckled inwardly. Remembering how Will had kissed him good-bye this morning alone made his pulse quicken.
He groaned as he felt how, with this memory, the almost childish happiness returned, too. If he, Hogan, was still soaring on clouds and certainly grinning like an idiot, then Klink had to be likewise happy.
'If the Kommandant is happy, the camp is happy,' he thought with a touch of black humor, then he smiled into the pillow beneath him.
How happy Will had been could be clearly seen in his eyes this morning. The warmth and the love shining in those blue orbs had practically screamed 'happiness', and Robert could hardly wait to see it again.
'Jesus, Rob, this game you're playing is becoming more and more dangerous. Not only did you do forbidden things with your official enemy, no, now you're stepping onto a path that can turn into a risky via ferrata of emotions, if you aren't wary.' And, something that really should ring an alarm bell but didn't: It felt no less right than the suppressed desire had at first. He knew that it would be insane to allow more than 'only' a few more hours of passion, but the mere thought of Will sent waves of deep warmth through Hogan – a warmth he could get used to.
He wasn't aware he had already gotten used to it – and that it would deepen within the near future to an extent that would turn his whole world upside down.
*** HH ***
At the later midday, Klink returned to his quarters only to get a surprise. Hogan was already up, wore his new housecoat, sat in the kitchen and chatted with LeBeau who was preparing lunch. For the first time after his rescue, Robert's face showed an almost healthy hue; the paleness had made room for a more rosy appearance, and his eyes sparkled. Looking up as the Kommandant entered, his eyes widened at the unusual sight.
"Hey," he smirked after two seconds. "They suit you."
LeBeau turned around and whistled. "D'accord! You look… younger."
Klink grimaced and pushed the middle piece of the glasses up his nose with one finger. "They're… strange to wear, but my optician had no alternative until he has made a few new monocles for me."
Hogan rose and stepped in front of his secret lover; cocking his head. Louis was right. The glasses Klink was forced to wear for now suited him. They weren't really round, like it was currently fashionable, but more angular and were placed in a simple but elegant golden spectacle frame. He, indeed, looked younger like this.
"I have to agree with LeBeau," the colonel said softly. "The spectacles suit you nicely."
Klink felt, to his horror, heat spreading on his cheeks, and cleared his throat. "Well, I only need visual aid for my left eye, the right one is still absolutely okay. So the optician put plain glass in the right side. The monocle is more handy for me and… it also holds special meaning."
Hogan shortly pursed his lips as he heard the gentle, sad undertone. "Your father wore one, didn't he?" he guessed, and Wilhelm nodded with a sigh.
"Yes."
LeBeau had closed the short distance to the two officers and looked up at the tall German. "Your father has already passed away?" he asked as he heard that Hogan spoke of Klink's father in the past-tense. And for once Louis was really interested in learning some background information about the man he had regarded as an opponent for so long.
"He died in an accident when I was seven," Klink murmured. "I loved him dearly and… And I sometimes even miss him today."
The tiny Frenchman glanced at him with sympathy. Colonel Hogan was right when he said that even an adversarial uniform was worn by a man, and that sometimes seeing this man was worth it. For LeBeau, Klink had only been 'the enemy' – idiotic, yes, but still an enemy. Then he had started to regard him in a different light after the Oberst risked his life to save Hogan. Sweet Lord, he had entrusted the Kommandant with Hogan's life as he went to the hospital to alert Klink – and he hadn't been disappointed. Since then he couldn't help but soften towards the 'Kraut'; especially as he realized how determined but also gentle and caring Klink was in nursing Hogan back to health. Then he had learned that Klink had known about them for two years now – and the Oberst had even supported them actively during their last mission.
LeBeau sensed that he had begun to see Klink as one of them – a part of their little family here in Stalag 13. And as he heard now how lovingly the German spoke about his late father, even after all those years, he felt his heart melt. Someone who mourned his father like this and honored him in such a way couldn't be bad – no matter the nationality and uniform.
"I'm sure he knows it," Louis said quietly and smiled a little bit at Klink. "I'm a religious man, you know, and I do believe that there is something like Heaven. And if so, he certainly knows how you feel and is keeping an eye on you."
A little bit taken by surprise by this soft display of understanding and sympathy, Klink smiled back at him. "Merci, LeBeau,"he answered.
A quarter hour later the two colonels had lunch, and afterwards Wilson appeared for the second time this day. In the morning he had only checked on Hogan after learning that the colonel had been 'sick' during the night, and decided to discontinue the medicaments to spare Hogan's stomach. Then he had returned to the infirmary where more than 20 men were now lying with a cold.
Now, in the late midday, Joe arrived in the Kommandant's quarters again to remove Hogan's last stitches and then he did the same with the Oberst's graze wound at his calf. He admonished the two officers to still take it slowly, treated them with the ointment and insisted that Hogan had to bandage his upper body to prevent the healing broken ribs from shifting. Then he gave his report of the actual cases of illness within the camp. He was only glad that one of the newest arrivals among the guards, a young man named Thomas Hauser, had some basic medical knowledge and had offered to lend him a hand. His father ran a doctor's office and the boy had learned a lot from him before he went to a medical university for one semester before he had been forcibly recruited like so many other male students. Klink accepted Wilson's request to free the private from duty so that he could help more in the infirmary. Relieved, the medic finally left.
Klink extended the midday break long enough to have given Burkhalter a raging fit if the general ever learned about it. But the Kommandant couldn't help it. He enjoyed Robert's presence even more than before, and as he realized how casually Hogan reacted to everything, Wilhelm was downright happy.
He returned to his office half an hour later than usual and even ended his work earlier; sending Fräulein Hilda home to enjoy some time with her parents.
Like this he was back in his quarters one hour before evening roll call; finding Hogan sitting on the sofa and reading. Yet the American couldn't fool him. Robert was pale, which had certainly resulted due to his being up for very much longer than the days prior.
Worry rose in Wilhelm – this kind of deep affectionate concern you have for someone you love.
"You're a lot of paler than you were during the midday break," he said quietly. "So, to prevent you exacerbate your state, you'd better lie down until dinner." He raised his voice as Hogan began to protest. "Even if you feel on the top of the world because Wilson removed your last stitches this midday, we both know that you're far from being really healed. So don't risk a relapse, lie down and get some rest. You've been up long enough for today."
His American counterpart rolled his eyes and pulled the blankets closer around him, while he replied, "Just a notice for you: I'm not on top of the world just because Wilson removed my stitches." He flashed Klink a grin that couldn't be mistaken.
The Oberst flushed, yet he answered half seriously, half teasingly, "Then that is an added incentive for you to find some more rest or the other reason, which you hinted at, will be a taboo for you for the next days."
"Blackmailer!" Hogan complained, which only earned him an amused chuckle.
"A little bit of your own medicine, Hogan. That's all."
Making a face, Robert rose and indeed headed towards the bedroom. Stopping at the threshold, he looked back over his shoulder. "You coming?"
Thunderstruck, Klink blinked at him "What for?"
"Oh, I don't know. Some cuddling, maybe? We've an hour 'til roll call. You can sit here and ponder everything or you can come with me, strip off your boots and jacket, and find some rest. You look tired, too."
This was an invitation that was irresistible. And it showed Klink one more time that Robert seemed to relish the newfound version of their relationship. His heartbeat increased and a smile played around his lips without him realizing it. "Go first. I'll lock the door and follow you," he said softly.
Robert grinned and stepped into the bedroom.
A few minutes later both men lay side by side – Hogan beneath the blankets and comforter, Klink over the blankets to avoid too many crinkles in his uniform trousers, but covered by the comforter, too. He had stripped off his boots, the jacket and tie and had even loosened his collar, but this all wasn't the real reason why he felt free. Lying here with the man he loved and remembering what they had done only a few hours ago, made his mind and soul still soar.
"See, I knew you would like it," Hogan teased while looking at Will.
The Oberst chuckled, turned onto his right side, reached out with his left hand and brushed an unruly lock away from Rob's forehead. He asked himself for the utmost time how his American counterpart was usually able to keep this wild strand out of his face.
"I do like it," he whispered. "I like simply being with you – whether we talk, play chess, eat meals together or…"
"Or make out?" Robert suggested; wriggling his eyebrows again.
Klink stared, flabbergasted, at him for a moment – and Hogan began to laugh. "I think this belongs to the repertoire of the world we dared to enter last night. And I don't plan to leave this world soon again. For I like it too much." He carefully braced himself on his left elbow and bent over the older man.
Almost in awe, Wilhelm looked up at him. "You had a lot of time today to overthink everything," he whispered. "I mean, you… you said you had never been with a man before and I believe you. What happened yesterday evening was… was everything I dreamed of, but… for you it could be an one-time-thing… I… I mean… I don't take you for a flighty being, but… this is new for you and… and against everything you thought of yourself. And maybe you've second thoughts… and…"
Rob smiled as he heard his secret lover stutter. Placing one finger on those soft lips, he murmured, "Stop stammering, Will. I want this – with you. Only you." Carefully, he removed the glasses from the Oberst's nose and placed them with one hand on the nightstand. "And you know me: I never back off when I've set my mind on something." His gaze found the hickey that had been hidden beneath the stiff high collar during the day, but was now plain to see. Brushing the tips of two fingers over the mark, Hogan added softly, "And this here proves that you're mine."
He bent down and kissed the older man – gently at first, but it soon became deeper; hungrier. He couldn't help it; after he had crossed the threshold one time, he wanted more of what lay behind this door – more of Will. It wasn't only Robert's natural curiosity or his adventurous mind that loved challenges and exploring new things. Sure, these two things contributed to his eagerness, but he longed for the emotional warmth and the physical pleasure he had found with the older man far more. And the more he dared to walk the path he had stepped onto last night, the more he was driven towards his German counterpart. A border had been passed, an invisible line had been crossed and behind it lay a kind of freedom Robert had never experienced like this before.
Will groaned and wrapped his arms around his beloved; careful not to inflict any pain. He still couldn't believe that this here was real and not a dream. He was afraid of waking up and finding himself alone and cold once again. He had been lonely and rejected so often, a part of his mind was almost unable to grasp that his time of solitude was over.
He relished in every second he could feel the younger man close – and having their lips touching, while Rob's breath danced over his cheek and his hand moved in tender circles over Will's waist and hip, was pure paradise.
For long moments – minutes – they did nothing more than taste, nip and tease each other's mouths, while their hands explored and worshipped the other's face, throat, shoulders, waist and back.
A warm haze, mixed with a few sparks and a rare sense of contentment, had weaved a cocoon of security and shelter around them. Both were not used to receiving real tenderness, and to feel and see it in each other's eyes was like a little miracle for them. Outside – only a few hundred kilometers away – the war raged with unprecedented insanity, cruelty and inhumanity. But here, in this shabby little building made of wood in the middle of a POW-camp settled in the woods of nowhere, the two men were in their own small world that didn't know any fury and hate.
Cuddling like children, seeking and finding peace in each other's arms and simply enjoying being this close, they lay on the bed; the comforter covered them like an additional shield against the outer world's harshness or any other harm that could befall them.
Klink had never been happier in his whole life. Lying here, with Rob purposefully snuggled against him, and being welcomed by someone for once was more than he had ever dared to hope for. He had always been alone; more or less. The few friends he had had were mostly gone – killed in the first war or now, in the second one; their lives snuffed out during fights or fallen prey to the regime's brutality. He was tolerated by the other officers at best, most of his men disliked him and the POWs saw, naturally, an enemy in him.
But not Robert.
Oh yes, Will knew that Hogan had jeered at him in the beginning, too. The war had not only placed them on different sides (at least during the first months), Klink was aware that the American colonel had only respected him on the outside, while inwardly Hogan had laughed his head off. A few times there had been even real anger in Hogan's eyes, and Will had guessed that the 'friendship' beginning between them had been nothing but a farce – a necessity that allowed Hogan more liberties to do what he had been sent for. But then everything had changed – slowly, tentatively, carefully; week by week, month by month.
Hogan's reactions whenever Klink was in danger had been more serious; heavens, sometimes the colonel had displayed real worry for him, Klink. And it had increased until… Well, one day Wilhelm had simply realized that the bickering and bantering wasn't harsh anymore, but more a kind of real teasing. They had dared to joke when they were alone, had expressed sympathy to each other's stress, had discussed serious or less serious topics, had shared chess games and cognac – and slowly something like trust had begun to develop.
And all this had led to the bloom of a real friendship – and had peaked now into emotions which were utterly forbidden in most parts of Earth, but had been inevitable for both of them.
Although, concerning Robert, it hadn't been this inevitable. To admit the truth, Wilhelm was still almost shocked that he had been able to win the younger man like this.
"Stop thinking," Rob murmured, while nuzzling his secret lover's throat with his nose; placing tiny kisses on the tender skin and the hickey there. "I can hear all these wheels turning in your head like unoiled gears."
"Very flattering," Will grumbled, yet he was smiling, while he softly tightened his arms around his lover. "No," he whispered. "I'm still baffled that… that you put up with me like this – that you… developed some deeper feelings for me at all. You're straight and…"
Robert chuckled quietly. "At least I always thought so. I never really tried something with a guy before, but…" He lifted his head. "Somehow you caught me, Wilhelm Klink, and you caught me good. Usually I don't mix duty and private pleasure with each other, but you… You woke something in me I had never felt before." He sighed and buried his face at the older man's neck again. "Once awoken, I couldn't control it anymore. I was… helpless, and… and it feels so damn good to let go for once."
He felt how Will cupped his jaw softly with one hand, while a kiss was pressed to his temple. Then the Kommandant began to laugh quietly. "Just this morning you admonished me not to start the day with a lie, and now you're twisting the truth, too, my witty fox." He met Hogan's asking glance, as the younger man lifted his head again and looked questioningly at him. Wilhelm smirked, "So, you 'don't mix duty with private pleasure', hm? I really have lost count of how often you've flirted with the women who came to Stalag 13 – how often you kissed them, including my secretary."
"Well… You can't judge a guy. It's lonely here and…" Hogan sighed. "To say the truth, most of the times it wasn't anything serious. Fun, you know. I never let it influence my work."
"Never?" Will asked; knowing better. "I'm absolutely sure that the one or other lady who was here was a part of your reckless schemes and you also used their presence for some pleasurable moments."
"You think so?" Robert asked innocently, and Klink began to laugh quietly.
"I simply know it. What about this Russian lover of furs – this man-eater Mayra – for example? I'm absolutely certain that she fits in this register very well. She shows up in my camp whenever something very spectacular happens – of course with you in the middle of it. Thinking closer on it, you were the center of all her games while odd disasters for the regime happened at the exact same time."
Robert's eyes widened comically and he then buried his face in Will's chest. "Don't remind me of her. I swear, if I'm forced to endure this diva one more time or have to hear her 'Hogan-darling', I'll resign, escape this camp together with you and settle down somewhere in the mountains to never be heard from again!" he groaned; his voice muffled by Klink's shirt.
Wilhelm chuckled for a moment; deeply pleased that the younger man hadn't any ambitions concerning the demanding lady that seemed to cuddle and suck off the colonel's face at any given chance – even in the presence of her current lovers. The Oberst loathed her – not only because she had tried to win the man he loved for herself, but also because he knew that she had brought Robert into the most hair-raising situations. And himself, too. If he remembers this dubious, almost suicidal, 'Klink's Commandos'…
"I know what you mean," he smiled; gently massaging Rob's neck. "I get the goosebumps and the silly urge to break all sprint records running away as quickly as possible whenever I hear her voice or watch her fuss over you."
Robert lifted his head and both men shared a glance of full understanding. "Even if she did help me in the end, I still want to report myself sick with an contagious disease for at least a week whenever she bursts into the camp," Hogan groaned.
"She helped you. So… she's an Underground agent too," Klink nodded. "I thought so. She's clever, I've to give her that, yet she couldn't fool me as she declared that you had switched sides. It's more likely for the Rhine river to flow backwards than for you to support the … How do you call him sometimes? The big bubble-beard?" He caught Hogan's smirk, and not for the first time within the last days he dared to laugh about such a vilification concerning the man who held his own people more or less hostage to reach his goal. "Nice – it fits." He took a deep breath again, before he cocked his head; new curiosity shimmered in his eyes.
"How did you meet her? I mean, she came into the camp, declared that she has known you for quite a time – that you were even lovers. But I know for certain that Russia and the United States are never on the same page and that their alliance at the moment is a forced one to bring Hitler's fall. So I've problems imagining that you, an American colonel, and she, a Russian spy, have met before you were sent to Germany."
Hogan looked uncomfortable for a moment, before he lay his head back on Will's shoulder and murmured, "Well, like you said, I was sometimes out of the camp without your knowledge and I met her like this – after my arrival in Germany. And we were never lovers!" he added after a moment.
"Hm, the last thing is good to know." Klink shortly pursed his lips; swollen from the many kisses he and the younger man had shared. "But concerning how you two met: Since she came here the first time, I'd had a feeling that I had met her before, too. And after her last visit, I got an idea I want to speak with you about. You remember the week I spent in Paris in the autumn of 43?"
"You went away for a week and were very grumpy afterwards," Robert nodded, anything but serious.
"I'm never grumpy – I thought we had already covered this," the Oberst grumbled. Then he took another deep breath. "My car was stolen – officially – then I found out that it had been taken by the Gestapo. A female agent of the Gestapo was questioning a suspicious man in my car when I found it – and said female was some Russian hag. I asked myself why a Russian lady would work for the Gestapo – or why they would hire her at all, but the Gestapo always uses crazy methods to reach their goal, so I didn't pay this oddity any closer attention. And a few months later Mayra showed up in my camp for the first time, and she somehow seemed to be a little familiar. And I think I know why. I'm absolutely certain that the lady in Paris and this diva in furs are one and the same pers…" He stopped – his eyes big.
"Just one moment!" he gasped; lifting his head. "You said you met her outside of camp – and I… I thought I saw you a few times in Paris. Hell, I even thought I heard your voice and…" He caught Hogan's half sheepish, half boyish grin, and pointed one accusing finger at him. "It was YOU in Paris."
Hogan bent his neck to see Wilhelm better and smiled innocently. "You think so? Paris is a little bit far away from Hammelburg, don't you agree?"
"Don't you dare deny it!" Klink growled. "It was you – in the café, on the street, and if she was in Paris, and you too, then you met her there. And… One moment! It was you in the Gestapo-headquarters where I was held in custody because of the accusation I belonged to an Underground-cell that…" He gasped. "This was your doing too, right? It was you who gave false information to Backscheider of the Gestapo. Thanks to you I spent half of my holidays in custody." He saw Hogan flush, remembered the short visit of Backscheider and his 'business-friend' in the cellars, and added accusingly. "You were this ominous Frank Durkin, who claimed to be an escapee from my camp. You were there in the Gestapo-Headquarters and…" He stopped. "How did you travel to Paris? Why go to all this trouble and why did you raise a wrong accusation against me so that…"
Hogan placed a hand on his chest. "Will, please calm down. Yes, it was me there in Paris…"
"I knew I recognized you in the café!" Klink interrupted him half irritated, half triumphant. "You wore a bright trench-coat and dashed away as I came in." He smiled widely. "I told you I know you too well to be fooled. I know the way you move and…" His face darkened again. "Why all this, Robert? Why take care that I was arrested by the Gestapo? You know what they do to prisoners. If Himmler hadn't intervened I would have maybe been killed!" There was suddenly true hurt in his eyes – and Hogan felt bad.
"Will," he said gently while slipping his right arm around him; looking straight at the older man. "You weren't in danger. Not one moment. You were too close to my tail, so I had to do something, yet I had already had a plan how to get you out. I wouldn't have allowed any harm to befall you, yet I had to get you out of my hair."
"By delivering me to the Gestapo!" There was still pain in the Oberst's gaze.
"I kept Backscheider busy a lot. I knew he wouldn't be able to question you seriously, because he had all hands full with me and his illegal businesses. Believe me, I wouldn't have stood aside and watched you being hurt. I… I already cared for you then." He saw the doubt in the other man's gaze and he sighed; tightening his arm around him. "I did," he repeated, before he admitted, "One time I even thought about telling you the truth during our stay in France. If I had bumped into you again in Paris, I wouldn't have hidden any longer, but would have faced you. I knew you would be enraged but wouldn't shoot me – or LeBeau. So…"
"LeBeau? He was there, too?" Klink asked, thunderstruck; forgetting for a moment that he was a little bit offended.
"Yes," the American nodded. "He was there – and would have been our alibi for our presence in Paris."
"Let me guess: A heart-wrenching sob-story about a dying aunt, granny or cousin he had to see one last time," the Kommandant grumbled ironically.
"Something like that," Hogan affirmed. "The truth is we had to free a caught Underground-agent who was being held by the Gestapo in Paris. I talked to her in the cell by pretending to be…"
"Her?" Klink frowned. "Of course – Hogan, the white knight in shining armor who helps the damsel in distress." He felt a stab of jealously which he knew he hadn't any right to feel – after all it had happened before they had sort of gotten together. Yet the green monster lifted its head and growled quietly.
"You know her, too," Robert said softly. "Mademoiselle Marie Louise Monet. She…"
"She was brought into my camp by the SS last December and died afterwards in an explosion of the Berlin Express. A real waste! She was a nice girl and…" Klink stopped as he saw Hogan's impish smile, groaned, rolled his eyes, let his head fall back on the pillow and finally grimaced. "Let me guess: You saved her, erased all tracks by blowing up the train, smuggled her away and she's in London now."
"Yep," the younger man nodded. "We freed her one and a half year ago in Paris and we freed her last December. During our first meeting it was her who gave me the advice to contact Mayra – something I have regretted this since then from time to time," he added with a grimace.
Klink turned his head and watched him; a certain dread began to wake in him. "This Mademoiselle Monet – you risked a lot for her. Are you… I mean, do you love her?" He didn't want to hear the answer. He feared it. The young woman was Hogan's type, this much he was aware of. If he had feelings for her, then this here – whatever it really was – stood no chance at all.
Hogan looked at him. He saw and felt how tense the older man was all of a sudden – and he saw something else: An odd kind of anxiety lay in those blue eyes. And he knew the reason for it exactly.
"No, I don't love her," he heard himself answer, to his own surprise. And it was the truth. Yes, he admired her and he wouldn't mind having a liaison with her, but love… No, this wasn't love. Affection, maybe a little bit of desire, but not love. "I felt drawn to her, this much I can admit to you and to myself, but… it wasn't what I feel for you. We've a connection – a kind of link – I never had with anybody before. It's still new and… I'm even a little bit uneasy at how natural it is to lie here with you and to share proximity and kisses, but it also feels absolutely right. Something that didn't happen when Marie and I shared some stolen kisses and embraced." He shook his head. "It's really odd – this intensity that draws me to you," he whispered, more to himself than to Wilhelm.
Will had begun to relax and even smiled now; the fear left his eyes. Slowly he let out the breath he had held. Robert didn't love this young woman – thank the Lord! Hogan had no intentions concerning the mademoiselle and he didn't like this Russian diva. Maybe there was indeed a piece of hope for a future together – after the war and if they could keep their relationship a secret.
Driving his attention away from those dreams, he came back to the topic of his senior POW's mission in Paris one and a half year ago. Making a face he grumbled, "Hmpf, and to free this French girl you got me into custody." He shook his head. "How did you want me to get out, by the way?"
"I did get you out of it by sending Himmler – well, a phony Himmler, mind you," Robert said; relaxing.
"He was…" Klink stopped. "Of course he wasn't the correct Reichsführer. His reference to the czar, his figure…. Himmler is smaller and thinner, if I remember correctly." He glanced at Hogan again. "He ordered Backscheider to release me the next day. I'll make another guess. You would be done with your mission until then."
"And again: 100 points go to the nice gentleman with the absent monocle," Hogan smirked; feeling relieved that the hurt had left Klink's gaze. He didn't want the older man thinking badly of him – or, even worse, feeling betrayed. Yes, he had played Klink, but he would have never back-stabbed him in a way that would lead to the Oberst's demise. He had developed a soft spot for his German counterpart during the first year and somehow it had grown strong enough to let some kind of loyalty bloom in Hogan. And now – well, he would fight the devil to keep Will out of harm's way. He shook his head inwardly. Life certainly walked crazy paths sometimes.
Klink got a very good idea of Hogan's whole plan all those months ago, moaned and rubbed his face with one hand. "You and your damn schemes! And how did you and LeBeau get to Paris?"
"With your car," the colonel said bluntly. "I thought you had figured that out, too."
"With my car?"
"On the roof of it," Hogan cleared up the detail. "LeBeau and I hid among the luggage. We did the same a year later as you won this prize, and…"
"THAT was you again in Paris last year?" Klink sat up again and stared down at him. "The guy in the black leather jacket who hurled the dirty water from the bucket almost on my feet?" As he saw Hogan's very innocent expression, he growled in his throat and sent the younger man a dark glare. "What do you think my camp is? A travel agency?"
"You had a holiday, we had a holiday, everyone came back in one piece – so, no harm done," Hogan smiled while rolling half on his back. "Well, we had a mission, you got a prize and…"
"A prize that wasn't a real one, but a faked one." He pointed one finger at the younger man again. "And I bet my last shirt that this was your doing, too."
"Guilty as charged," the colonel replied; lifting both hands in mock surrender. "We had to go to Paris again, this time to get some plans, and…"
"And so you thought it a good idea to give me a phony award prize and…" His eyes became smaller. "'The Kommandant of the year', my 'anniversary party'… These were all your ideas."
"You had an enjoyable distraction and we could finish our missions. So we killed two birds with one stone." Robert's voice sounded very innocent.
For a moment Klink only stared at him; wavering between wanting to strangle or kiss the damn rascal beside him. Then he felt a chuckle rising in him he had to give in to, and asked wryly, "Do you have an excuse for everything?"
"No, sometimes I really have to think of one, but mostly I come up with an idea just in time," the American colonel explained with almost boyish pride.
The Oberst looked at him for a longer time, until he finally said, "Your teachers, neighbors and parents have my deepest sympathies. You must have driven them crazy as a boy."
"Not really," Hogan smirked; eyes sparkling. "They knew me too well – and all boys play pranks. It's nature."
"And, again, he has an excuse!" Klink groaned. 'Sweet Lord, it's no miracle that I love you damn bastard so much!'
Hogan laughed quietly, "Of course. Otherwise I would be in real deep water sometimes and…"
He didn't get further, as Will shifted to the right side and bent over him with a certain gleam in his eyes. "You are in deep water just right now, my dear Hogan," he said with a soft growl in his throat and captured the younger man's mouth in a searing, fierce kiss. Wrapping his arms around Wilhelm, Robert accepted the erotic assault and gave back as good as he got.
For a long time there was nothing else than gentle groans, hungry lips and tender fingers wandering over cotton and parachute-silk…
TBC…
Yeah, 'making out' is exactly what you get if you've a passionate, fiery, oversized churl as a boyfriend. And making up by making out is one of the oldest but also best tricks to placate your lover (*smile*).
The next chapter will be a really hot one once again. Hogan has acquired a taste for the illegal but yet so delicious love-games, and – to admit the truth – both men can't get enough from each other by now. And, for once, it's Klink who is the teacher, so you can expect another hot scene in which our 'Papa Bear' entrusts his German counterpart with teaching him more about forbidden tenderness.
I hope you liked the last chapter and, like always, I'm curious about your reactions.
I wish you all now HAPPY EASTERN,
Love
Yours Starflight