Love was definitely not what Hogan was feeling. Nor was it even close to what the other members were feeling.

"Mon Dieu! How could you let a little girl like that recognize you!"

"Louis! That's enough," Cut in Hogan. Turning to Newkirk he again asked, "Are you sure, absolutely sure she recognized you? She just didn't forget the money?"

Sadly, Newkirk nodded. "You could tell by the look in her eyes, sir. She recognized me all right."

"But, she didn't tell the Gestapo officer that was right outside?"

Newkirk shook his head, "No. She apparently ran right past him."

"Maybe she won't tell anyone," Carter put in hopefully.

"Yea, right. Maybe pigs will fly," answered LeBeau.

"So, what do we do, Colonel?" asked Kinchloe.

"Don't know. Rose Red has given us this parcel, but neglected to tell us what it is." Everyone looked at the odd-shaped box with its mass of wires.

Hogan continued, "London wants it, so we still have to get it out."

Hogan was rubbing his chin as finally sat down at the table in the barracks. Finally he spread his hands in defeat, "We cut back operations, lay low, and get ready to move out at a words notice."

"Feels like we're sitting on a time bomb," remarked Kinchloe.

"Yeah, one we don't know how to disarm," Carter said sadly.

The next day, everyone was on pins and needles while trying to act normal. Every new visitor brought a new fear. Luckily not many visitors had come.

The men were outside taking advantage of another unseasonably warm day. Newkirk was trying to act like he was knitting while Carter did his best to hold for Newkirk what had become a rat's nest of yarn. LeBeau was pretending to read although he had "read" the same page for the past hour. Hogan was leaning against the wall trying to think, pretending to watch Newkirk and Carter. Suddenly something red caught his eyes in the hill next to the gate.

He straightened up to get a better look, "Well, lookee there."

LeBeau had broken out of his reverie, tried to follow where Hogan was looking. "What is it?"

"We're being watched. Up there, next to the dying spruce."

LeBeau scanned the hill and finally saw the flash of red. "Our little friend?"

Hogan nodded, "Seems like she's trying to be sure of her facts."

Newkirk had stood up and now was next to Hogan. "She seemed pretty sure of her facts yesterday."

"Then why is she here today? Ask Kinch if there been any unusual activity on the radio or in Klink's office."

Carter got up and tried to act nonchalant as he went into the barracks, a few minutes later he came out with Kinchloe.

"Kinch anything unusual?"

Kinch shook his head, "Nothing from Klink's office. I made contact with the underground and they say nothing is happening in town. Just another ordinary day. Even Fleischler said no one's contacted him nor is his shop being watched as far as he can tell. Liesl came back later with the money for the shopping and didn't mention the old lady."

"Liesl?"

Kinch nodded, "That's her name."

Hogan looked back at the hills, "So why is she here today?"

The next day was like the last. Everyone still on tenterhooks. They began scanning the hills near the camp gate looking for the flash of red. Finally, the suspense was broken as Schultz had come back through the gate from his leave in town later that day.

"Looks like you and the Englander have made a conquest from the other day, Colonel Hogan." He shoved two handmade paper roses into Hogan and Newkirk's hands. "Here, these are from one of the Mädchens from the other day."

Hogan raised an eyebrow and took the rose. Newkirk looked a bit uncomfortable.

"I promised I would deliver them myself. Now don't you go breaking any hearts." Schultz laughed as he walked away.

"Liesl?"

"Wouldn't bet the farm not to be from her."

Hogan started examining the rose he was holding; then he saw it: a small white tab near the base of the petals. Newkirk looked at his. Yes, there was a small tab on his also.

Everyone quickly went inside the barracks and Hogan dismantled the rose. The white paper was a message, scrawled in a childish hand in English. "Please, come to the Hauserhof tonight at eight o'clock, to discuss an affair of the mutual advantage."

"Mutual advantage, eh? Don't like the sound of that." Kinch cocked an eyebrow at Hogan. "Are you going?"

Hogan smiled grimly, "Well, she did say please. Might as well as get this over with, sooner the better. Newkirk, you're coming with me." As Kinch and the other began to complain, he added, "she asked for both of us. I need you guys to stay here if we don't return by midnight. You know the orders."

Reluctantly they all nodded.

Eight o'clock found both Hogan and Newkirk waiting at a table in the Hauserhof. Both were dressed in civilian clothes trying to blend into the crowd. Hogan finally called Fritz the barman, who was another underground contact, over. "Have you seen a young, blonde girl looking for two men?"

"Who, Liesl? She hasn't been in yet," replied Fritz.

"Liesl? Does everyone know this kid then?"

Fritz smiled, "she's a very popular little girl. Always doing favors and errands. She comes by here almost every night gathering scraps to feed some stray dogs on her way home." Fritz added confidentially, "sometimes I slip a little extra in for her and her mother."

Another customer had called for Fritz, so he left after promising to direct Liesl to them if she was asking.

Hogan and Newkirk looked at each other in disbelief, "Great! We're being blackmailed by Shirley Temple. And everyone knows her so it would be difficult for her to 'disappear'"

"Disappear, sir?" Newkirk shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

Equally uncomfortable, Hogan replied, "It has to be an option, Corporal. No matter how we feel about it, too many lives depend on us."

Newkirk hid his face while pretending to study his beer, "yeah I know. It still bloody well stinks."

"Yeah, it does." Hogan replied quietly.

Finally Liesl and Emile finally came racing through the door. Fritz directed them to the table where Hogan and Newkirk were.

"You waited! I was scared you wouldn't. I couldn't get out of the meeting early." Liesl began talking faster as she struggled to get out of her coat.

Emile helped her out of the coat while trying to avoid her flailing arms. "Liesl, take a breath and calm down."

Fritz had come over to serve the two who had just come in.

"Zwei Apfel-Saft bitte!" Emile called out putting Liesl's coat on the back of her chair.

Fritz smiled at the pair, "Jawohl, mein herr."

"These are the two men you told me about, Liesl?" asked Emile to the girl.

"Yes, and we should warn you we do understand German." Interjected Hogan.

Liesl smiled at both of the men, "Yes, of course you do! So much the better, as my English is very poorly. I was worried how we would communicate although now I see that was silly you have to speak German to be in town like you do. They don't teach English in the schools anymore. German is supposed to be the universal language very soon."

She looked around, "Oh, this is much too much crowded. We need to go somewhere quieter. Come with me."

Emile looked at her as Fritz had just delivered their drinks. "What about our drinks?"

Liesl grabbed her glass then drank it straight down. "There! Come on, Emile we must get going."

Fritz had again come up to Liesl, "Here this is for your strays."

With that he handed Liesl a rather largish bag. Liesl shone a bright smile on Fritz and hugged and kissed him on the cheek.

"Oh, thank you so much, this will be so good for them!"

Still smiling brightly, she shrugged herself back into her coat and started out the door. After a few steps she stopped noticing the men hadn't quite started to follow her, said, "Come on."

Emile shrugged himself back into his coat and with a flourish bowed and said, "After you, gentlemen."

After putting the money down for the drinks, he followed Hogan and Newkirk out.

Outside the door, Liesl looked around, placed two fingers to her mouth, and whistled. A whistle answered her back up the street. She smiled and looked up at Hogan, "Good, the coast is clear. Follow me, please."

Hogan and Newkirk again looked at each other, "She's not Shirley Temple, she's bloody Alice and we're going down a rabbit hole, sir."

Hogan let out an exasperated sigh, "Just follow, Newkirk."

They had followed the pair a little way out of town towards an old bombed out factory in the woods. Finally, Liesl stopped at the fence surrounding the factory and whistled again. The answering sound came back more of a raspberry than a whistle. Liesl and Emile looked at each other puzzled, and then Liesl tried again.

"BPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPTH"

Emile sighed with disgust, "They've given Jacob crackers again."

It was then Hogan heard the running steps behind them. Motioning everyone to get down, Newkirk and Hogan drew their guns. Liesl's eyes got large, but she stayed silent.

"Liesl, Emile?" whispered a voice.

Emile relaxed and put his hand over Hogan's gun. "It's all right. It's David. He was making sure we weren't followed."

Another sixteen-year old came from the woods. David was dark, with curly black hair and black eyes. Taller than Emile, he quietly walked over to the group when Emile waved him over.

"Anyone?"

David shook his head. "No, I waited to see if anyone would follow, and no one was interested. What's happened to Jacob?"

"Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee"

"Someone's given him crackers again."

"I've told Rebekah not to give him any while he's on duty, but she claims he's always hungry."

Finally a whistle answered back.

"Well, if she insists on giving him crackers, she should also make sure he has water!"

"Then he complains he always has to go to the toilet."

While Emile, Liesl and David were arguing, Hogan was getting impatient and broke in, "May I ask just what is going on?"

Liesl smiled, "This is why you've come."

Hogan puzzled, looked around, "What is?"

Seemingly disappointed, Liesl just said, "Come on, just a little further."

They followed Leisl and the boys through a hole in the fence. Twice more, Liesl had whistled and this time results were much more promising. Finally they had gotten to the blacken skeleton of the factory.

A tall, dark girl came out holding a younger child about 2 years old, followed by at least four more children of various ages. "Liesl, you're here! I thought you would only come every third day."

Liesl handed over the bag of food she had gotten from Fritz, "Here, I got more food. These gentlemen are going to help us."

"Wait a minute, we made no promises and we don't even know what you want," Hogan cut in.

Liesl sat down on an upturned crate and gestured to other crates and makeshift chairs. "Okay, now we talk business."

Hogan and Newkirk sat down on two crates near Liesl, as David and Emil gathered around on the floor. Rebekah had gone off to give the younger children some of the food Liesl and Emile had given her.

"We know you are prisoners of war in Stalag 13," began Liesl. "We also know you are very good in escaping from the Stalag. But you go back, yes?"

"The Gestapo is also looking for a group of saboteurs that operate in the area. Quite a few people have also disappeared from the Gestapo's grasp in this area," Emile continued.

Cautiously, Hogan asked, "What does this have to do with us?"

"We don't know what you're asking!" Newkirk added.

"Colonel, that is your rank, right?" Liesl asked Hogan. Hogan non-committedly raised an eyebrow.

Liesl took that as a yes, and continued, "Colonel, we need help in smuggling David, Rebekah and the rest out of Germany."

"Why not ask the underground?"

"Because we don't know how to contact them. Somehow we missed that class in school. We must have slept through it." Liesl replied sarcastically.

"I'm apologize. That was rude," she calmed down and tried to explain. "You don't know how it is. Your best friend, your brother or sister might turn you in if you even so much as mention something that is disapproved of. I have seen friends from school turn their own parents into the Gestapo for not letting them join the Hitler Youth. How do I tell strangers, I have helped eleven Jewish children escape from a train going to a work camp? I've visited the country-side near one of these so-called camps. I thought they were just work camps, until some boys showed me the graves in the woods. They told me how one day they, the boys, were playing in the woods and saw a group of prisoners led nearby. They, the prisoners, I mean, were told to dig. Once they had finished, they were told to take off all their clothes. Men, women and children! Then, they were lined up and shot. The guards kept on shooting until all were dead. I saw the grave, Colonel. I believe these boys."

Liesl took a deep breath and swallowed tears back, "I have my mother dependent on me; also the old women in my building. They are old and scared that they too might go to a camp because they are found to be useless in Hitler's society. When I saw how easily you could come and go from a prison camp, I thought you could help us. Please, Colonel, help us."

Cautiously, Hogan asked, "You said mutual benefit."

Leisl smiled tightly and her blue eyes went cold, "You help us, we don't tell the Gestapo."

"And what if we are Gestapo?"

For a moment Leisl went pale, but Emile stepped in. "No, I would know. I'm a messenger in Gestapo Headquarters in Hammelburg. That's how I knew about the sabotage and other things. They don't always notice young people. You are not Gestapo. I've seen Americans come in headquarters before. I've even talked to some before they were sent on. You consider yourselves the 'good guys': defenders from evil. We are giving you the chance to prove it. We need your help. You help our friends, we don't tell. You have our word. It's just eleven children."

"Ten. I'm hoping to join the underground."

"David, we were to go together!" Rebekah wailed. She had just finished feeding the children and was bringing some food for David and the rest.

Emile looked over to David and smiled, "I thought it was the wish of all Jews to go to the Palestine; the promised land."

David smiled back at Emile, "Yes, but when I go it will be because I wish to, not because some Scheisskopf told me I had to go!"

"But, we were to go together," again wailed Rebekah.

Leisl rolled her eyes, "Rebekah, there are other men on earth! He's not worth it! Please shut up, someone will hear!"

"Thank you very much, Leisl," David said sarcastically. He then took Rebekah aside, "But, she's right Rebekah. We need to be quiet. The children need you. This may be their only chance."

Suddenly they heard the small tinkling of a bell. "We have company, quick get the little ones into shelter."

Newkirk and Hogan looked around, and then noticed the thin wire coming from the trees into the room to the small bell. Liesl nodded towards the bell, "They usually think it's just the wind when they come. We should leave now. The hiding place isn't that large. Come this is the way."

Hogan looked around; the children had already disappeared taking the food with them. Any trace of them had vanished.

"Come, usually they aren't looking for anything in particular. We can leave through here." And Liesl and Emile led Newkirk and Hogan through a labyrinth of passage ways towards another part of the fence.

Once back at the edge of town, Liesl turned toward the two men, "So, you'll help us, yes?"

A thousand thoughts were crowding into Hogan's brain: they were children, it was dangerous, could they be trusted to keep quiet about operations during the trip to safety? How could Hogan/the underground safely move eleven (no ten, Hogan corrected himself) children? What about Emile, the"messenger," at the Gestapo? How much could he be trusted? Hogan knew the indoctrination into the Hitler Youth was very thorough. How did these two escape being perfect little German automatons? But, even with these thoughts going through Hogan's brain, his mouth said, "Yes, we will help you."