Epilogue

Major Hochstetter stumbled out of the closet he found himself in, the victim of a pounding headache and possibly broken nose. He made his way outside and the sight that greeted him made him feel worse. The storage area behind the jail was engulfed in flames and every officer was busy trying to put it out.

The major went over to one of the guards and pulled him aside. [The prisoners,] he shouted at the man in German, [you let them leave?]

[Y-Yes, sir,] the man replied. [We didn't think there was any problem. Everything seemed in order. And then the fire--]

Hochstetter growled and pushed the man away, not wanting to hear anymore. It all made sense now. The officers he encountered in the hallway were spies, sent to recover the Underground agents and, somehow, started the fire as a distraction so they could get away.

The major's nose itched. He started to rub it, and he hissed in pain. It was all that little boy's fault, he thought. That filthy, little, piece of--

I will find him, he swore to himself. I will find him, and his friends! And when I do, I will rip them apart with my bare hands!

With his hands clenched into fists, he went back inside to find a telephone. He had to make two phone calls: one to a doctor to have his nose fixed, the other to Gestapo headquarters to report the current situation.

His superiors were not going to be pleased.

"And you should've seen his face!" Sam said to his friends. "It was hilarious!"

They were back in the tunnel system, celebrating their success. Before that, they dropped the Red Hawks off a short distance from an Underground base, where they would stay with another group until they found a new base of operations. When Colonel Hogan invited them to the party, everyone except Sarah and Joseph declined, saying that all they wanted to do was get some sleep and forget all about their terrible experience.

So there they were, talking and laughing about what happened. "I still can't believe you did that!" Carter said to Sam. He was referring to the kick Sam gave Hochstetter.

"Ol'Wolfie's going to be sore for a week," Newkirk said.

"Two weeks," Sarah corrected him. "Don't forget about the nose."

"Oh, yeah! You should've seen it," Carter said, turning to Hogan, Kinch, and LeBeau. He then smacked his right fist into his left hand. "Pow! Sam really showed him!"

"I bet he did," the colonel said. Looking at Sam, he said, "Hochstetter's probably going to start looking for you, you know."

"Yeah, next time he comes around here you'd better make yourself scarce," Kinch said.

"Don't worry, I will," Sam promised. After a moment he said, "So, how'd I do?"

"Well, aside from knocking the stuffing out of Hochstetter," Hogan said--getting a laugh from everyone-- "you did pretty good. Sounds like you really kept your cool."

"I guess that I can count on being part of a couple more missions then, huh?"

"I don't know," Hogan said, turning to his men. "What do you say, guys?" Everyone--even Sarah and Joseph--responded by clapping and saying words of approval.

Sam smiled. It was then that he realized his own, personal mission was complete: he had proven himself a member of the operation and finally earned the respect of his new friends.

From his left, Joseph coughed. "I hate to interrupt," he said, "but I think it's time Sarah and I rejoined our friends. Thank you, Colonel, thank you all, for everything you've done."

"You're welcome," Hogan said as they shook hands.

After the handshakes with the others were done, Joseph looked at his sister and said, "Sarah?"

"In a minute," she told him. "I want to say goodbye to Sam myself." She then pulled Sam to the ladder that led outside. The men looked at each other and shrugged.

"I...never did thank you for helping me back at that tavern," Sarah said quietly.

"I couldn't let those creeps hurt you, could I?" Sam said.

Sarah chuckled. "No, I guess not." She looked down for a moment, then said, "I also didn't thank you for...you know."

"I do. And you're welcome."

She smiled and blushed. "I was hoping you could give me something to remember you by."

Sam touched her cheek. "I thought you'd never ask." He looked at her for a moment and then gave her another kiss. A true kiss this time, one that touched her lips.

After what seemed like an eternity, Sam stepped back and whispered, "Goodbye." He then climbed the ladder and pushed open the top of the tree stump that concealed it. He looked around the darkened woods for any signs of activity. When he was sure it was safe, he motioned for Sarah and Joseph to come up. They did, and with one final, quiet farewell, the Kaufmans disappeared into the night.

Sam barely felt himself going down the ladder. He could deny it to everyone else, but not to himself. For him, the impossible had happened.

He had fallen in love.

He sighed and started walking back to his friends. He stopped when he noticed them, looking at him with questions in their eyes.

"What?" he asked. "Haven't you ever seen a guy kiss a girl for the first time?" No need to tell them what happened at the jail, he thought. He watched as their faces went from amused to stunned.

"You're almost twenty-two, right?" Kinch asked. Sam nodded.

"And you never...?" Newkirk said. Sam shook his head.

"Not even once?" LeBeau said.

Sam grinned. This was fun. "Nope. Never been on a date, either."

Carter's jaw dropped. "You mean you're a...?"

"Sergeant," Hogan said in a don't-even-say-it tone of voice.

Carter looked down at his boots. "Sorry," he mumbled.

If they thought Sam was going to be angry, they were wrong. He had heard talk like that before, and he didn't mind it one bit. All he did was laugh, put his arm around Carter's shoulders, and swung them both to face their friends.

"You know," Sam said to them, "you guys are all right."

"Funny," Hogan said, "we were just thinking the same about you."

The End