A/N: Sorry for the delay in updating. Haven't been feeling well lately with allergies. The character of Bluebird aka Gestapo Captain Fritz Fuchs, is used with the permission of his creator Jennaya.
Chapter 29
The following morning, the men slowly trudged outside the barracks grumbling after Schultz had burst into the barracks loudly announcing roll call. Their grumbling got louder as Schultz did a head count of each prisoner causing the guard to lose his place twice and have to start over. He hadn't finished before hearing a loud voice.
"Schultz, Repooooooorrrrrttttt!" Klink demanded. The Sergeant turned nervously and exchanged salutes with the Kommandant while swallowing the large lump in his throat.
"All prisoners present and accounted for, Herr Kommandant," Schultz announced hoping all the prisoners were indeed present. "And the Englander is in the cooler as well," he added discreetly keeping his opposite hand hidden in the folds of his outer coat because he secretly had his fingers crossed since he hadn't bothered to check the cooler in addition to not finishing the count.
"Excellent, Schultz," Klink replied staring at him before turning his focus onto the prisoners with a smirk on his face. "Prisoners, I have the latest news to pass onto you regarding the Third Reich." He heard groans from the men. "Silence!" he ordered.
Smirking as the groans slowly turned into grumbles, a smile slowly replaced the smirk on the German's face. "Now, regarding the Third Reich…." he began.
"You're surrendering?" asked Hogan number one looking innocent; there was laughter and chuckles among the other prisoners. Only Hogan number two forced an amused grin on his face as he studied the Kommandant.
Klink stomped his foot on the ground and glared at Hogan number one. "Hogaaaaaannnnn! Who said anything about surrendering?"
The American shrugged. "That's the only news that matters, sir," Hogan number one replied sweetly. "I mean, old Bubblehead has to realize a losing cause when he sees one."
"Hogan, you will stop referring to our beloved Fuhrer as old Bubblehead!"
"Actually, Kommandant, he's yours, not ours. Therefore, that gives me the right to call him names. Besides, he sorta looks like a Bubblehead."
Klink stomped his foot angrily this time. "Hogaaaaaannnnn!"
"Just trying to liven things up, sir," Hogan number one replied bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Now, what were you going to tell us?"
"Hrmph!" Klink uttered shaking a fist at his counterpart. "Never mind! Schultz, dismiss the men!" The Kommandant abruptly turned and stormed back in the direction of his office, more upset with himself for falling into Hogan's trap than at Hogan himself.
After Schultz dismissed the prisoners, Hogan number one was immediately surrounded by LeBeau and Kinch with Carter hanging way back gazing longingly at his commanding officer and two friends. Meanwhile, Hogan number two, heading back to the barracks, decided to remain outside and leaned against the barracks wall, arms folded across his chest and legs crossed at the ankles. He kept his eyes on Hogan, curious to see what the man was up to.
Hogan number one waved his men aside and slowly approached Schultz and draped an arm around his shoulders. He calmly led the overweight guard away out of hearing range, and kept their backs turned to Hogan number two.
"Schultz, can I talk with you for a minute?" Hogan asked the guard in his sweetest, most innocent voice. He felt the guard stop walking and look at him warily.
"Colonel Hogan, I would rather not," Schultz replied nervously. "Every time you want to talk with me I get into trouble. So, I would rather you didn't." That said, the guard gently picked up Hogan's hand, and removed it from around his shoulders. "Now if you please, Colonel Hogan…." he said starting to walk away again.
"C'mon, Schultz," Hogan said draping his arm around the guard's shoulders again. "Believe me when I say you won't get in trouble this time. I promise. In fact, you could end up being a hero to a lovely lady."
Schultz stopped again and this time looked at Hogan number one with raised eyes and a confused look on his face. "Hero? Lovely lady? What lovely lady?"
Hogan smiled. "Hilda." He noticed Schultz still looking confused. "You do think she's a lovely lady, don't you?" His smile widened as he spotted a twinkle in Schultz's eyes and the corners of his mouth turning upwards.
"Lovely? Colonel Hogan, Hilda is bea-U-tiful." He leaned his head closer to Hogan's. "What would I be doing that would make me a hero to Hilda?"
"It's like this. You know she's been dating my namesake. Well, he got a bit out-of-hand with her last night and upset her. Now I don't like seeing her upset and I know you don't either…"
Schultz's face turned serious instantly. "What did that horrible man do to her?" he asked.
"I'd rather not say. Hilda would be so humiliated. But believe me when I say he was no gentleman. But what I need you to do is to make sure that she is never left alone with him while he's here."
Schultz became puzzled. "How can I do that?"
Hogan number one exhaled through his nose. "Simple. See that guard on the porch of the Kommandantur?" he asked, pointing. Schultz followed where Hogan was pointing.
"Ja. What about him?"
"Well, all you have to do is make sure whenever my namesake enters the office to see Klink, that the guard follows him inside and stays with Hilda until the guy leaves. Then the guard can resume his post on the porch. Simple?"
"Jawohl. But what if Hilda leaves the office for some reason?"
"Again simple. You assign a guard to accompany her whenever she leaves the office and accompany her back again. Believe me when I say that you'll be a hero to Hilda and protect her from our friend. Think you can swing it?"
Schultz, now smiling broadly, nodded. "Ja. I can, how do you say, swing it, Colonel Hogan." Suddenly he frowned. "Wait a minute, what will Hilda say when she finds out her protection was your idea? She is already upset with you too."
Reaching into his jacket, Hogan removed two chocolate bars and held them up in front of Schultz's face. "But it's not my idea. It's all your idea. Understand?"
Schultz grabbed the sweet treats with a wide smile. "Ja, Colonel Hogan. I am so smart I amaze myself sometimes."
Hogan grinned deviously and rolled his eyes, both of which went unnoticed by the guard. "I know, Schultz. It's frightening to think what would happen if you really applied yourself." He patted the guard's shoulder. "Oh, two more things. One, don't ask Hilda what this guy did to upset her, and don't tell Klink anything. If he asks questions, lie to 'im and say you noticed Hilda seemed uncomfortable around the guy, so you thought you would assign protection until he's gone from camp."
Schultz's eyes narrowed. "Lie to the Kommandant? Colonel Hogan, that would not be very nice." A third candy bar appeared suddenly in front of his face. "What the Kommandant doesn't know won't hurt him," he added taking the sweet treat. "What is the other thing?"
"And two, make sure Corporal Gower is not to be one of the guards assigned to protect Hilda. This'll just be our little secret."
"Why not Corporal Gower?"
"Let's just say he's not to be trusted, okay?"
"But…but…Colonel Hogan…how do you know that?" Schultz's eyes lit up as a fourth candy bar suddenly appeared; the guard grabbed it and smiled. "I understand. No Corporal Gower, and this will be our little secret."
"Good boy," Hogan replied patting the guard's large shoulder. "Gotta go." Leaving the guard to carry out his task and enjoy his rewards as well, Hogan turned and headed back toward the barracks; ignoring Hogan number two, walked past him, and into the barracks followed by Kinch and LeBeau.
"Think Schultz will follow through, Colonel?" asked Kinch once they were inside.
"He'd better," Hogan replied. "I paid four chocolate bars for these services."
Captain Fritz Fuchs had just left his office and was heading towards the break area to get a refill of hot coffee. His pretty brunette secretary, Abigail, had offered to go get it for her boss, but Fuchs was not the typical Gestapo boss. He didn't mind from time-to-time doing menial things his staff was suppose to, such as getting coffee. And this was one such time; also, Fuchs needed to get out of his office if just for a few short minutes and stretch his legs. After all, taking over for his boss, Major Wolfgang Hochstetter, and doing his work plus his own, was exhausting even though Fuchs knew he was up to the challenge. He had relegated the mundane things he would normally do himself to others which freed him to handle the more important things. And although he would be glad when the Major recovered from his illness so the Captain could return to his own duties, the Captain inwardly smiled that while acting for Hochstetter, he had access to several things he had been able to pass onto Papa Bear who in turn passed onto London. Fuchs allowed a smile to appear on his face which wasn't unusual to those who knew him, but secretly, the Captain was smiling because he was helping the Allies to hopefully win the war and bring about the end of Hitler's reign.
Entering the small break area, Fuchs noticed Captain van Kueren seated at a table alone, checking his watch and sighing, annoyed.
Fuchs poured himself a cup of coffee and nodded at his fellow officer who merely looked at him with a look of disinterest. Leaning against another table, Fuchs took a drink of the hot liquid. "Waiting for somebody, Captain?" Fuchs asked with arched eyebrows. The two men tolerated each other, while maintaining a 'professional' courtesy although nothing else. Neither associated with the other outside of the office, nor traveled in the same circles. Fuchs had heard that van Kueren was not only jealous of his position as the Major's second-in-command, but of Fuchs having such a beautiful blond wife as Lilli, and a young son like David. And while Fuchs didn't care about the man's jealousy, there was something about the man that troubled the Captain; something that his gut was trying to tell him. Something that was going to cause trouble for a lot of innocent people. And Fuchs had learned a long time ago to always listen to his gut feeling.
Van Kueren merely glanced upward and looked Fuchs over from head-to-toe, a look of disdain on his face. "Don't concern yourself with who I may or not be waiting for, Captain," he said coolly.
Fuchs smirked. "Believe me, I really couldn't care less. Good day, Captain." He then turned and walked out of the room passing a young Sergeant who entered the room carrying a package. The two men nodded at each other. But instead of continuing back to his own office, the blond-haired, blue-eyed officer pressed himself against the wall outside the break area hoping to find out if his gut feeling about van Kueren was right.
"I see you have the package I asked for, Sergeant," van Kueren said softly, looking at the man directly.
The Sergeant nodded and slid the package across the table to the Captain, both men unaware Fuchs was cautiously peeping around the doorway while keeping himself hidden from view. "Jawohl, Captain. Just as you requested." The Sergeant watched as van Kueren examined the package carefully. "If I may ask, sir, why all the secrecy? I mean, what are the contents of this package to be used for?"
Van Kueren chuckled as he held the package in both hands and continued examining it. "Let's just say one is going on a bear hunt."
"A bear hunt? I'm afraid I don't understand, sir," the Sergeant answered looking confused.
The Captain smirked as he slowly got to his feet. "You don't have to understand, Sergeant. Just forget everything about this package. You know nothing about it."
"Jawohl, Herr Captain." The young Sergeant got to his feet. "Is there anything else I can do before I return to my duties?"
"Nein. I will take it from here. The bear hunt will begin at dinnertime this evening. Just remember, you know nothing about this."
"Jawohl." The Sergeant saluted the officer smartly. He waited as van Kueren returned the salute and then exited the room leaving the Sergeant alone with his own thoughts.
Fuchs sat back down behind his desk, the coffee cup on his desk now forgotten. Hearing van Kueren say what was in the package was for a 'bear hunt' meant only one thing to him. The only bear he knew in the area was a Papa Bear. And that meant van Kueren was possibly after Hogan. But Fuchs wondered exactly why van Kueren was suddenly interested in Hogan? The man had had no previous dealings with the Allied officer that he knew of, and in addition, the Major refused to share any information regarding Hogan and the goings on at Stalag 13 with anybody except Fuchs. And to the best of Fuchs' knowledge, van Kueren had never been out to the prison camp as he was stationed in Berlin. Then something clicked in Fuchs' mind; the Major's sudden leave-of-absence due to illness just happened to coincide with van Kueren's sudden arrival in Hammelburg from Berlin, and his interest in Stalag 13. Also, Fuchs believed something was going on, and he needed to find out what quickly, and who was involved other than van Kueren. And exactly what was in the package delivered to van Kueren?
Knowing there was a radio detector truck in Stalag 13, any contact by radio was definitely out of the question. Therefore, Fuchs' only recourse was to go to the camp, meet with Hogan, let him know what was going on, and that he and his operation were in danger. But first, he needed more information before he spoke with Hogan. So this evening, Fuchs knew van Kueren would be at the Hofbrau as that was his favorite place, and he would follow him waiting to see who the Captain was meeting, and what he could find out. And if there was any danger to Hogan and his operation, he would warn him and let him decide how best to handle it while offering whatever assistance he could. He checked his watch and found he had several hours to kill before needing to leave for the Hofbrau; he wanted to be there a good thirty minutes before van Kueren so he could see and watch the man enter without being seen himself. But until it was time to leave, he went back to the reports on his desk and returned to work.
Hilda was seated at her desk typing the Kommandant's reports when she heard the door to the outer office open. Turning slightly in her chair, she noticed Hogan number one entering with a charming smile on his face. She smiled shyly at the officer and lowered her head. From the moment Hogan number two 'upset' her, she began feeling badly about how she treated Hogan number one. She had to admit that despite how Hogan number one treated her, he never, ever, tried forcing himself on her.
"Hey, beautiful," Hogan said with an innocent look. "How are you on this beautifully, sunny day?" He stepped close to her desk and wasn't surprised when the blond shrank back from him, rolling her chair away.
"I'm fine, Colonel Hogan," she said nervously.
Hogan's eyes narrowed. "Forgive me for saying this, but you don't act like you're fine." He saw her lower lip begin to tremble; then, she leaned forward in her chair, reached out, and clung to Hogan's jacket tightly, burying her face in his shirt and cried uncontrollably. Hogan gently wrapped his arms around her rubbing circles around her back attempting to comfort her. "Shhh," he uttered softly. "It's okay. Can you tell me what happened? Did he hurt you at all?"
Hilda looked up, red eyes puffy from crying. She saw concern and compassion in his brown eyes. "It was terrible, Colonel Hogan," she stammered. "He…he tried…tried to…I'm so ashamed that I could ever think he was the real Colonel Hogan and you were a phony. Can you ever forgive me?" She watched his face, waiting for Hogan to reply.
"It's okay. If I'd been in your position, I'd probably think the same thing. And you don't have to tell me what happened. I think I have a fairly good idea what he tried to do. It's gonna be okay. Trust me." Hilda buried the side of her face against Hogan's chest while he rested his chin on top of her head, still rubbing her back. Hearing the office door open, Hogan looked around and noticed Schultz standing inside, closing the outer door behind him.
"Colonel Hogan, what did you do to Fraulein Hilda to make her cry?" the guard stated firmly trying to look serious.
"It's all right, Schultz," Hilda replied pulling away from Hogan and wiping her eyes with her fingertips. "Colonel Hogan didn't do anything. He was trying to comfort me is all."
Schultz stepped closer and eyed Hogan who gestured with his eyes at the guard. "Tell me, Fraulein, who made you upset that Colonel Hogan needed to comfort you. Did somebody upset or hurt you?" The guard noticed Hilda's hesitance. "You can tell Uncle Schultzie," he added with a wide smile and a twinkle in his eyes.
Hilda smiled. "It's really nothing, Schultz. Somebody just upset me that's all. I really don't want to talk about it. So can we just forget it."
"I can't stand to see a beautiful young lady cry," said Schultz not noticing Hogan rolling his eyes. "It's like one of my children in tears. Colonel Hogan, do you have any idea who upset Fraulein Hilda?"
Hogan glanced down at the secretary and exhaled through his mouth before turning to Schultz. "I'm not sure, but I think it might be my namesake who upset her."
"Very well. I can handle this. Until the Kommandant makes a decision about this other Colonel Hogan, whenever he comes into the office, the guard on the porch will come inside and remain inside until he leaves and then return to his post. And should you have to leave the office, I will have a guard accompany you as protection. This will start immediately."
Hogan smiled. "Schultz, that is a brilliant idea. I never would have come up with that. At least now Hilda will be protected from that so-called person."
"Yes, Schultz, Danke," Hilda replied with a smile as her face brightened.
"You are welcome, Colonel Hogan. Fraulein. Now, if you will excuse me, I must instruct the guard outside about what he is to do." Schultz then turned cheerily and exited the room. Hogan, meanwhile, approached the Kommandant's door.
"Is our fearless leader in?" he asked innocently.
"Jawohl, Colonel. Oh, and Colonel Hogan…." Hilda saw Hogan look back at her questioningly.
"What?"
"I know it was really your idea for the protection. Danke for your concern," she said smiling sweetly at the officer who returned her smile and entered Klink's office without knocking.