Carter and Newkirk dragged Klostermann off to one of the offices near the end of the hall. It was a large, rectangular room with several desks, filing cabinets, and phones lining the walls of the room. A good portion of the Maybach I complex was underground, just like the tunnels back at Stalag 13. At least, Carter thought, he didn't have to spend the majority of his day underground. Spending his entire day in a place with no windows and no natural sunlight seemed nerve-wracking.

Klostermann looked around to make sure they were completely alone. "Alright. You have the documents?"

Carter and Newkirk unbuttoned their uniform jackets. The file folders were partially tucked into their belts. They pulled the folders out, then buttoned their jackets back up. "Everything's all there," Newkirk said. "Just show us where they go."

Klostermann nodded, and opened the folders to flip through them and double-check. "Are these new photographs of Captain Reiger?"

Newkirk nodded.

"I am impressed. They are almost identical to the originals." Klostermann gestured for them to follow him to a door between two of the desks. He opened the door slowly, checking to make sure they were still alone, then walked into a room much larger than the one before, filled with row after row of filing cabinets.

"Blimey, how do you keep track of everything here?" Newkirk murmured.

"If you worked here for as long as I have, it is not that hard," Klostermann said, grinning a little. "There are millions of documents here in this room alone, all on each soldier and officer currently in service with the Heer." He walked down one of the rows, talking to himself in German before taking his wand from his left sleeve and giving it a light flick in front of a lock on one of the filing cabinets. The lock popped off, and he opened the drawer. He then pulled out a manila folder, saying, "Reiger, Florian," he said, opening the folder. He took the original documents out and set them on top of the cabinet, then placed the new documents inside. "There is another room in the next hallway specifically for medical records. Come."

Carter and Newkirk "escorted" Klostermann out into the hallway, walking down a narrow passageway to another section of the complex. They entered a room that looked similar to the one they had just been in. Klostermann browsed the filing cabinets, then opened one. He glanced over at the two POWs. "You did a fantastic job copying these. The League certainly made the right decision to collaborate with the Underground."

"Think nothing of it, mate," Newkirk replied, shaking his head.

"I will keep thinking about it." Klostermann gave them both another grin. "Commandant Westheimer and the rest of the League's leadership holds Papa Bear in high regard." He closed the folder. "Alright. Everything is in place."

"Good. We'll bring you back out, tell everyone that we 'made a mistake.'"

Klostermann nodded. "Sounds good to me." He made sure the new file was secure before closing the cabinet and leading Carter and Newkirk back out to the central hallway where the rest of the personnel, plus Hogan and Veidt, were standing.

Carter noticed Veidt's face was pale, but he was inspecting the complex personnel as he would if he were being honest. As they walked down the hallway, Carter looked at Veidt, as if to tell him that everything would be okay.

"I am afraid we misjudged this one, Obersturmbannführer," Newkirk said, pushing Klostermann back in line. "He is not magic."

"We have not found one magic user here," Hogan replied, "but we will continue searching. Carry on."

They continued to pretend to exam each man in line. Carter occasionally glanced over at Veidt. His anxiety was palpable, but it also filled him with happiness to see Veidt holding himself together. You can get through this, Veidt, Carter thought. You can do this.

A very long hour went by, until Hogan called it. He told the base commanders to alert him if anything suspicious came up, then walked with Veidt, Carter, and Newkirk trailing him out of the complex.

Carter breathed a sigh of relief when they stepped out of the stuffy concrete tunnels and into the fresh air of outside. He hopped into the back of the truck, startling LeBeau, who swore at him in French.

"Next time, say something before you come in!" LeBeau hissed.

"Sorry. Mission accomplished. We're going home."

"That went smoother than I thought," Kinchloe said. "Guess it's time to send Reiger on his way."

"I will miss him, to be honest," LeBeau said, his expression sobering. "I wasn't expecting a vampire to have such good taste."

Kinchloe smiled. "He's a pretty good card player, too."

"Nonsense! He was too polite for cards," Newkirk said. "He would always let us win."

"I like that he was polite," Carter added. "He wasn't demanding, although he could be a bit too hard on himself."

"That changed after he was allowed to help Atkins," Kinchloe said. "That made him a lot more confident."

"It was good seeing him more confident."

LeBeau nodded in agreement. "I hope we can see him again."

"So do I," Kinchloe replied.

Hogan appeared at the back of the truck, grinning at the success of their mission. "Alright, enough chitchat, boys. Let's go home."

Veidt was dead silent for the entire drive back to Stalag 13. From the corner of his eye, he could see Hogan glancing at him every once in a while. He still had a nauseated, turning sensation in his stomach, and even several hours after they had left Maybach I, his heart was fluttering nervously. A lump was in his throat, and he was confused and still curious as to whether or not this whole ordeal was a bad dream that he couldn't wake up from, no matter how hard he tried.

"Veidt? Are you okay?" Hogan's voice broke the silence.

Veidt briefly glanced away from the road, noting the somewhat concerned expression in Hogan's eyes. "Y-Yes. I… I am fine."

"Are you sure? We've got at least two hours until we get home. You can talk about whatever's bothering you." Hogan was quiet while he waited for Veidt to respond, then sighed before saying, "You didn't have to actually use the bathroom, did you? You needed to think about what you were doing."

"Well, technically, I did use the bathroom. I… threw up. I was so unsure of myself that I threw up. I was still unsure of myself even after telling myself that I could do this and that you and Reiger and everyone else was counting on me."

"You did well. Made it look very convincing." Hogan fell silent again. "It helped us out, but I know it wasn't the easiest thing for you to do."

Veidt didn't respond. He tried not to think about what happened after he left the bathroom in the complex. He had tried to convince himself that he could act and it would be fine. Instead, as he pretended to inspect the men in the hallway, a horrible, disgusting feeling wormed its way through him as he asked the soldiers about their knowledge of magic and whether or not they suspected anyone on base of possessing magic. He tried not to smile, but he could picture it in his mind.

Stop. Veidt sighed. Returning his focus to driving. "No, Colonel, it was not easy, and… I do not want to talk about it. Not now."

Hogan nodded, respecting Veidt's wishes.

When they returned to Stalag 13, the POWs had minutes before evening roll call, and the remaining men in the barracks were under orders to delay roll call until they saw Hogan. Veidt had to wait for Reiger, and waited in the car anxiously after the others had left. A chill shot down his spine, and he tensed when he heard gunshots, along with the camp siren wailing.

Olsen was climbing down the bunk bed ladder into the tunnels below as he said, "I don't know what's going on. Hogan and the others aren't back yet. Roll call is soon.

"What are you telling me for?" Reiger raised an eyebrow.

Olsen shrugged. "Just figured I'd let you know. We gotta delay the guards somehow, but we've done fake riots twice this week and we can't let them think something's up."

An idea struck Reiger. "What is the moon phase tonight?"

"Tonight? I think tonight's the full moon."

"Perfect. I know what to do." Reiger headed for the room with all of the clothes and Newkirk's sewing equipment. He could see Olsen's panicked expression in the corner of his eye.

"Aw, no, no, no! Come on, Captain, that's a terrible idea! The guards'll see you!"

"That is the idea," Reiger said.

Olsen took Reiger's arm. "No, no, no, bud. Look, you don't have to do this for us. We've had to deal with worse."

"It is the least I can do to thank you for your hospitality, Sergeant." Reiger gently took Olsen's hand from his arm. "Veidt will be taking me to Stalag VII C soon anyway, and I doubt Colonel Klink will want to get the Sorcery Division involved. I will be quick."

"What exactly are you going to do?"

"I am going to dress as a civilian and 'show up' in camp. The guards will keep everyone in camp while they try to catch me. I can delay them long enough for Hogan and the others."

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes. I will be fine. Trust me."

Olsen sighed. "Alright. Go out through the colonel's window. The guards won't see you."

"Thank you." Reiger waited until Olsen turned around before getting changed.

"What if they actually manage to shoot you?" Olsen asked when Reiger buttoned up his jacket.

"I will heal rather quickly, as I have recently had blood. They would need silver bullets to actually kill me, or manage to shoot me in the head. Are the guards good shots?"

"Some are, some are not. Schultz is a really bad shot, so if you're going to chase any of them, chase him."

Reiger nodded. He followed Olsen back up the ladder into the barracks, where Atkins said, "Roll call is going to be called any minute now. What're we going to do?"

"Our German vampire friend here has a plan," Olsen replied, patting Reiger's shoulder.

"I am going to scare the pants off the guards, and give Hogan enough time to return here," Reiger said.

"Aren't you worried they'll catch you and give you to the Sorcery Division?" Atkins asked.

"Not particularly. I will be cautious, but you do not have to be worried about me, and, no, I will not actually bite anyone. Just hiss and make unpleasant noises at them."

Atkins nodded a little. "Okay. Still… good luck and be careful."

"I will."

Reiger and Olsen went into Hogan's bedroom. Olsen still looked reluctant as he unlocked the window and opened it. "If things go south, just run into the woods and hide. We don't want you getting hurt."

Reiger gave a heavy sigh. "I will be alright. Please, I do not want you fussing over me. I am not some fragile little daisy." He fell silent, and regretted his snapping. "Sorry. You are only expressing your concerns. I… have never had anyone outside my family care this much, not since I was forcibly turned into a vampire."

"No, I shouldn't have pushed so hard. I'm just worried Hogan's going to be mad about this."

"If it works, he will not be mad. All I ask is that you trust me."

"I trust you."

"Thank you, Sergeant." Reiger took Olsen's hand. "If all goes well, I will be leaving with Veidt when this is over. I doubt we will see each other for some time. It was a pleasure being here, and I am grateful for your kindness."

"Don't worry about it." Olsen shook Reiger's hand firmly. "Good luck."

Reiger swung his leg out the window. Once he was out, Olsen slowly and quietly closed the window. Reiger looked up at the sky, faintly seeing the full moon through the dark clouds. He had heard some of the prisoners saying that there was supposed to be a thunderstorm that night, and he could sense it fast approaching. Taking a breath, Reiger adjusted the felt cap that he had taken a liking to when he saw it in the collection of headwear in the tunnels.

He crept around to the side of the barracks facing the fence, trying to make it look like he had come through the barbed wire somehow. He dug into his memories, seeing the last time Steichen had teased him on a full moon. He remembered the raging bloodlust, the aching in his chest, the gnawing in his stomach, the horrible urge to sink his teeth into something that was capable of bleeding. If Hogan hadn't gotten the donated blood for him, Reiger knew all too well that no one in that camp would be safe.

He looked around, sensing the heartbeats of the guards pacing around the camp, partly shrouded by darkness. He avoided the searchlights, thinking about Olsen's advice to go after Schultz, and spotted the big guard walking in front of Colonel Klink's headquarters. Reiger kept to the darkness, baring his fangs and approaching Schultz. He stopped moving when Schultz pointed his rifle at him.

"Halt! Prisoners are not supposed to be out of their barracks!" Schultz said.

Reiger stepped into the light of a searchlight, hissing, "Perhaps you could spare a drop of blood or two, Sergeant."

Schultz stammered gibberish as he pointed and stepped away. After a moment, he managed to shout, "Vampire! Vampire!"

Every guard turned his attention to Schultz and Reiger. Gunshots rang out, followed by the camp siren. Reiger sprinted off, narrowly avoiding being shot as he raced around Klink's quarters. He climbed up to the roof using one of the posts on the porch, trying to make as erratic a path as he could, leaving no chance of any of the guards figuring out a pattern. The gunshots only stopped when Klink came running out of his quarters, demanding to know what was going on.

"Commandant! Th-There is a vampire loose in the camp!" Schultz stuttered.

"A what?!"

"A vampire, Commandant!"

"Confine the prisoners to their barracks! Get that vampire!"

Reiger leapt from the roof of Klink's quarters and started running toward the infirmary. The sounds of the siren and the guards yelling were deafening, but Reiger was confident he could keep this up as long as he needed to. He hoped.

Carter assumed that the sound of the siren was because he, Hogan, and the others were considered to have "escaped." After shedding the SS uniform in the tunnels, he climbed up into Barracks Two to find Olsen, Atkins, and several other prisoners gathered at the sink periscope.

"He's still going! He's still going! Come on, Reiger, buddy, you got this!" Olsen was saying. "No—not that way! Nice jump!"

"What is going on here, Olsen?" Hogan asked as he came up the ladder.

"Reiger's got the guards distracted for you," Olsen replied, not looking up from the periscope.

Hogan's eyes widened. "Reiger is out there? Olsen, have you lost your mind?"

"He did it for you, Colonel."

Hogan raised his voice. "Do you have any idea what will happen to him if he gets captured?!"

"He's well-aware of that, Colonel. Now that you're here, we gotta get him out." Olsen kept his focus on the periscope. "Reiger's coming back closer to the barracks."

Without thinking, Carter dashed over to one of the windows at the back of the barracks. He threw open the window when he saw Reiger dashing toward the building, frantically looking over his shoulder. "Get in here!" Carter hissed.

Reiger jumped into the window. Carter quickly closed it, and watched the guards run by. They came to a sudden stop, and Carter heard one of them say, "Where did he go? He disappeared!"

There was silence in the barracks, aside from the sirens and shouting coming in through the cracks in the window frames. Reiger looked around at the prisoners, breathing hard before saying, "Hello."

"That was stupid, Reiger," Hogan said. "It was stupid and you could have gotten yourself killed or captured."

Reiger opened his mouth to defend himself, but then Hogan added, "It worked. You bought us more than enough time for Klink not to suspect anything when he gets around to calling roll call." He gestured to the bunk bed. "Grab your stuff. Veidt's waiting for you."

Nodding, Reiger headed to the ladder. He paused while climbing down to say, "I hope it was enough to repay you for your kindness to me during my stay."

"It was more than enough. Good luck, Captain."

Carter accompanied Reiger underground to make sure he left the tree stump safely. As they gathered up Reiger's meager belongings, Carter said, "I can't believe all this happened because I had a weird feeling about you."

"Weird it may be, but I am grateful that you persisted, even when I pushed you away," Reiger said, getting changed back into his uniform. "I owe you most of all."

"It's okay. Worry about that some other time." Carter became quiet again as they headed to the tree stump. "When you're in the woods, head northwest. Veidt will be waiting in a staff car on the side of the road. Don't keep him too long."

"Thank you." Reiger slung his knapsack over his shoulder, and paused at the ladder. He held out his hand. "I wish you all the best, Sergeant."

"I wish you all the best, too, Reiger." Carter shook his hand. "We'll get your family to England, so you won't have to worry about them."

"I would appreciate that." Reiger started up the ladder, then paused to look down at Carter. "So long. Tell Hogan and the others I said 'goodbye.'"

"I will." Carter waited until Reiger was out of the tree stump. He climbed up the ladder himself to peek out and look around. Reiger was gone and the guards in Stalag 13 were starting to calm down since they couldn't find their missing vampire. With that, Carter returned to the tunnels and emerged in Barracks Two.

"Roll call with be in five minutes," Hogan said. "I convinced Klink that he has the toughest guards in all Germany for scaring that vampire off." He gave a lopsided grin. "Reiger got out okay?"

"Yeah," Carter replied. "I can't believe he did that, Colonel."

"He wouldn't have when he first came here," Kinchloe said. "He sure got his confidence back."

"Well, treating him like a man instead of a monster probably had something to do with that," Newkirk replied. "He's a good chap, even though he's a vampire."

The others nodded, then looked toward the door when they heard Schultz shouting for everyone to get outside for roll call.

Veidt didn't wait for Reiger to buckle himself in before starting the car and heading off down the road, ready for the four-hour drive to Augsburg. Reiger let out a breath of relief as they drove off. "I am glad that is over," he said.

Veidt nodded. "Did they treat you well?"

"Very well. I will miss them, to be honest, but I am glad that I am going to be able to be somewhat freer to move around at Stalag VII C. I also owe one of Hogan's men a bottle of iron supplements." Reiger grinned a little. "If I had told myself two months ago that I would come to value some of my abilities as a vampire, I would think I had gone mad."

"Hogan told me that you helped Corporal Atkins figure out his anemia."

"I did."

"He was not nice to me when I arrived to take Carter and find you."

Reiger's face fell. "Oh. Well, he was very cranky when I questioned him about his irregular heartbeat, but he warmed up once he knew what was going on."

"Like a lion that is ferocious until you pull the thorn out of its paw."

"I guess that is a good comparison."

Veidt was quiet for a moment. "I am glad you have come to value some of your abilities."

"I took it one step further tonight. When Hogan and the others were late, I left the barracks and distracted the guards, pretending I was on the hunt for blood in the full moon." Reiger smirked. "I gave them a good scare, but did not hurt them, obviously."

"You were not concerned about… about losing control?"

"Why should I have been? I had blood recently from the donations Hogan was able to acquire. I was in full control, but I had experience being desperate for blood, so I was able to make my performance feel that much more real—without the biting."

"And… you do not feel sorry for scaring them?"

"Not really. I did not actually hurt anyone." Reiger gave Veidt a confused look. "Why?"

"I had to do something similar in Maybach when Hogan and I were holding the staff in a hallway and 'checking' them for magic users. I… managed to pretend I was my old self for a little bit, but… it made me feel so horrible and disgusting and I never want to do something like that again."

"I hope you never do have to do something like that again, but at least it helped complete the mission."

"Yes. Yes, it did." Veidt sighed. "I doubt I will ever truly be able to lose the burden of my past. Something is always going to call it back."

"Perhaps, but that does not mean that you have to let it control you every time it shows up, and you have been using it for good."

"I have, but it does not feel like enough sometimes."

"Give it time, and confidence, though building that will take time as well."

"I feel like it is taking too much time."

"For you, it is just enough time, and it will grow with experience. Do not try to rush it. It will come with each challenge you face."

Veidt nodded a little.

"I do not think you, or any of us, will ever be truly free of your past. It is what shapes us, and we have to accept it. I will never be able to undo becoming a vampire, but I have a choice; I can accept it and use what I now have for good, or I can hide and never even try to see what I can do to make my or someone else's life a little better. You certainly have already done that, and it was you and Carter and the others in Stalag 13 who showed me that I do not have to be a recluse."

A weak smile tugged at the edges of Veidt's lips. "I am glad that we were able to help you in more ways than one."

The two talked about more mundane things throughout the rest of the ride, though it was a relief to get to Stalag VII C and leave the car. Veidt stayed for a little while to rest and have a cup of tea, while Reiger was made comfortable. They both had a chance to ask Commandant Westheimer how progress was faring on a potion that would prevent Reiger from turning someone into a vampire if he were to bite them, and Westheimer's response was that progress was going well. It needed a few more tests, particularly in regards to its silver content, and then it would be ready for Reiger to take. In the meantime, Reiger still had the blood given to him by Hogan, and some of the camp's personnel had volunteered to donate whenever it became necessary. He would be able to live comfortably, without fear of potentially harming anyone, and he seemed excited about being able to help a greater number of people.

Veidt left Augsburg early the next morning to return the staff car and get his motorcycle back before returning to the Augsburg SS office. The entire day was spent driving, with little rest, and Veidt hadn't even noticed until arriving in Augsburg for the second time that he hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. Despite that, he first went to the city's SS headquarters.

Steichen's office was already being packed up, and for a moment, Veidt was worried that he wouldn't be able to find what he was looking for. He found Steichen's desk, and opened the top drawer. Sure enough, a small velvet box was buried in a disorganized collection of pens, pencils, crumpled papers, and a badly wilted rose. The rose was dry and brittle. Veidt did his best to avoid touching it as he took the box out. He opened it to find a gold ring, with a small diamond set in it.

Veidt slowly closed the box, and left with it to find Odette Hauswald. She wasn't in her office, and it looked like she had already gone home for the evening. Veidt wrote out a note explaining what had happened, though at this point, it was likely Hauswald had already heard about Steichen's death. He wrote the note anyway, stating that one of Steichen's final requests was to give that ring to her. He didn't sign it, though Hauswald would probably recognize his handwriting anyway, since he was one of a few southpaws in the building and Kaschel had mentioned that Veidt's handwriting had a distinctive slant to it. Veidt sighed as he finished the note and put it on Hauswald's desk; he didn't care if she recognized his handwriting, but he wasn't sure he was ready to discuss what happened, especially since he would have to lie throughout the story anyway.

He left the office, and prepared to retire to his apartment for the night. The last couple of weeks had been an adventure. A draining one, and he hoped Reiger was right about his experiences helping him develop more confidence than he currently had.

About a week passed before a raven appeared at Hogan's window, a bottle of iron supplement tablets tied to its body, along with a note from Reiger, saying that he was happy and well, but he missed many of the residents of Barracks Two, specifically those who had kept him occupied during the day while Carter and Hogan worked outside to get the plan in motion for him.

"I'll be damned," Atkins said when he saw the bottle of tablets. "Reiger actually kept his promise."

"I never once doubted that he would," Kinchloe replied.

The tablets were given to Wilson in the infirmary, while the letter was passed around to the men of the barracks. When it got to Carter, he thought back to how all this had started because he felt something off about Reiger. In the time since Reiger was sent to Stalag VII C, Carter had a few discussions with Hogan about what his gift and connection with deer could mean for his place on the team, and he was reassured that no matter what happened, he would have a place as long as he proved he was dedicated and didn't endanger the rest of the team.

Given what happened with Steichen, Carter was worried about endangering the rest of his team, but if Reiger could use his abilities as a vampire to help others, and Veidt could continue to use his place in the SS to aid resistance parties, perhaps his connection to deer could be turned into something more beneficial as well.

Occasionally, whenever he and the others worked outside the barracks, Carter would look up and see deer wandering around outside the barbed wire. He was never really sure if they were real, or if they were visions. The buck that killed Steichen was certainly real, and one day, Carter noticed that one buck in particular had brown stains on its antlers. On one hand, it could just be mud, but something told him it was indeed the same one that killed Steichen.

Carter made his way over to the barbed wire, trying to make it look like he was just picking up litter. He made eye contact with the buck, which stared at him as he picked up old cigarette butts and shreds of paper that the wind had plucked from a trash can outside one of the barracks.

The buck lowered his head, and Carter reached through the wire to gently touch its nose. He felt something tighten inside, as if someone was pulling on a rope, making a knot as tight as it could be. He could feel a connection with the deer, and while he respected it, he could also feel the deer's respect for him. Somehow, Carter had a feeling that he would never accidentally hurt his friends using his gift, but he also knew not to put all of his faith into it. He needed faith in himself as well.

Carter slowly took his hand away from the buck, which turned and walked back into the darkness of the forest. He went back to searching for litter, but found himself lost in his mind, wondering what was ahead of him next.