Hey there! My first fanfiction, mainly written to improve my English writing style. Please note that I am not a native speaker (except from the few German that will be used later), so please correct my mistakes^^

This story is inspired by a part of "The bookthief" by Markus Zusak.

And we all know it: the characters are not mine, just the idea.

And one last thing I have to say: thank you Fenton Hardy Fan for betaing this story...you are such a big help3

Chapter 1- alone

alone- being on one´s own, by oneself; having no other present; unaccompanied (source: Oxford English dictionary)

It sounded easy when Kinch received the message from London.

"A truck will cross the Düsseldorf bridge this evening at 2200 hours. It contains plans of the new German planes. We need these plans."

Hogan looked at his watch and sighed. "They don't give us much time, do they?" He sighed again.

Four hours are long enough for him, Newkirk thought. He sat on his bunk and tried to write a letter. It didn't really work because he simply didn't know how to start.

"Ok, then simple. If they couldn't use the Düsseldorf bridge, they would have to take the Hammelburg road." Hogan took the map that Carter brought. "There is an old checkpoint on this street. I think we'll reopen it."

The others looked at him, not sure what to think about this plan.

"Come on, while their papers are inspected, we can take photos of the plans."

"And how will we make them use the road instead of the bridge, mon colonel?", LeBeau asked. Hogan smiled and looked at Carter. "We'll blow it up."

Carter looked at him with shining eyes. "Really? That's brilliant. This bridge will go down like...like eh...a bridge. Just..."

"Andrew?", Newkirk interrupted, "Just hold it."

Looking disappointed, Carter turned to Hogan who explained the details.

"Kinch, contact the Underground, we need two people at the checkpoint. LeBeau and I will take the photos. Kinch, Carter, you'll blow up the bridge and meet us near the road. Then we'll go back to camp. All right?" Hogan looked his men in the eyes.

"Always", Carter confirmed.

"Sounds easy, Colonel", Kinch said while climbing down the ladder.

"All right", LeBeau agreed.

"What about me?", Newkirk asked, wondering if Hogan would leave him at the camp.

"You sit at the table and write your letter. Will work better than on your bunk, trust me. Or do you want a secretary?", Hogan answered. Everyone smiled except from Newkirk who rather was annoyed. Jumping down from his bunk, he said: "I'm fine guv'".

"Are you?", Hogan asked.

Newkirk wasn't sure himself, but he wasn't going to stay in camp. "Sure", he finally replied.

Suddenly, Hogan took Newkirk's right hand and carefully pressed the thumb down. Newkirk groaned in pain.

"Ah, I see", Hogan shook his head, "You need rest, you know?"

"I didn't move my hand for two weeks", Newkirk protested.

"You'll need at least two months. When we are out there, I want everyone fit. It is better for you and for us if you stay here. And don't tell me it's nothing. Tendinitis is not helpful on a mission."

Newkirk knew that Hogan was right, but he felt that there was more about this mission. He could always rely on his instinct, and now it warned him that something was wrong. After a moment, he gave in.

"Right, guv'"

"Fine, then we'd better start preparing", Hogan decided.

"Schultz is coming", Carter suddenly said. He was right, the German guard entered the barrack a few seconds after the warning.

"Achtung!", Schultz yelled. Then he saw the heroes standing around the table and asked: "What is going on here? Colonel Hogan, you're not planning any of your monkey business, please? "

"Ah Schultz, no no, just a little walk around the woods. To the Hammelburg road. Nothing to worry about", Hogan said, smiling when he realised the Sergeant's face looked shocked. Newkirk felt sorry for the guard. It's not easy with Hogan in the camp.

"I know nothing. Nothing.", Schultz whispered.

"Then, would you like it better when I say that we're just watching Newkirk writing a letter with his left hand?", Hogan proposed.

Schultz looked happy. "I'd like to see that", he smiled.

Forget your sympathy, Newkirk thought. "Hey, my letter is private", he complained.

"You didn't even start, mon ami. We'll just read: "Hey, how are you? I am as fine as I can be as a POW"", LeBeau said.

"Thanks for the introduction. I didn't know how to start." Newkirk took the piece of paper and the pencil from his bunk and sat down at the table. Then he wrote:

Hi Jen.

How are you? I am fine, I think. Sorry I haven't written to you yet.

He could hear the others whisper in surprise. That made him smile despite the uncomfortable feeling he still had.

"I am once more impressed by your skills", Hogan said.

And Carter added: "You can write with your left hand?"

"I can do everything with my left hand, buddy, as good as with my right one, nearly. I am out of practice, but I am ambidextrous you know?", Newkirk explained.

"Come on, don't lie. You are not", Carter said.

"Sure I am."

"Colonel Hogan, Kommandant Klink wants to see you in his office", Schultz said, apparently remembering why he was in the barrack.

"Then I'd better not let him wait. You know what to do", Hogan looked back at his men.

"Yes, sir", everyone, even Newkirk, replied.

After Hogan had left, Carter picked up the discussion again. "You're not ambitrexous. Either you are left- or right-handed. You can't be both."

"Andrew, I am. I know it."

"André, just leave him. You know him, he always tells tales", LeBeau interrupted.

"Okay, mates, here we go. My dominant leg is my left one...I think. My dominant eye is my left one, I am sure about that..."

"There is nothing like a dominant eye", Carter complained, but Newkirk went on, "...but I have no dominant hand. My mother got me tested when I was six."

"If you say so", LeBeau smiled.

"Don't you have to work?", Newkirk asked, knowing that both of them wouldn't believe him. And he needed his concentration because he still didn't know how to write his letter. He knew what to write; however, he also knew he wouldn't finish the letter tonight.

A few minutes after lights-out, Hogan, Kinch, LeBeau and Carter headed towards the ladder. Newkirk stopped them just before they reached it.

"Be careful, please", he said. The feeling that something was going to go wrong had increased during the past hour and was now more of a panic.

"Nothing to worry about, Newkirk, it's an easy mission. We'll be back at one or so.", Hogan said and then climbed down the ladder. The others followed him downstairs, only Carter hesitated for a moment and said: "Keep calm, boy. Everything is fine. Piece of pie."

Carter was in the tunnel before Newkirk had the chance to correct the saying. He sighed, then closed the entrance and jumped on his bunk, trying not to hurt his thumb.

While lying in the darkness, Newkirk couldn't sleep, so he thought of his childhood. His mother had given him a dictionary as a present on his ninth birthday. This dictionary still stood in his flat, he often used it and even read in it nearly every day. In a POW camp in Germany, he now remembered the explanation for alone. Being on one's own, by oneself; having no other present; unaccompanied. The hell he was. He was surrounded by ten other prisoners in here, but he was alone right now. He always knew that his dictionary was wrong, he just couldn't prove it until now. As it turned out, a bunk in a German POW camp was the perfect place to start his own dictionary. And of course, the word was "alone".

alone-the feeling of being left behind