~*~Operation Wild Cat~*~

OPERATION: WILDCAT

On a cold but sunny morning, Hogan and the men from his Underground unit stand around a burning barrel outside their barracks. They are all waiting patiently for Freddie to be released from the cooler after a fight with an amorous young guard four weeks earlier.

"What time is it, Colonel?" asks Carter.

Hogan looks at his watch. "Almost 1100. They'll be letting her out soon."

Just as the words leave his lips, the group sees two guards marching over to the jailhouse. One of the men stands guard outside while the other goes inside to retrieve her.

"It's not fair," says Newkirk. "She was just defendin' herself and she was the one punished."

"Dirty Bosch," grumbles LeBeau.

Carter adds, "They probably locked her up for the guard's protection. We all know what she could have done to him."

The men snicker at the thoughts of Freddie tearing that young lovesick German jailer limb from limb. They stop laughing when they spy a guard escorting her out of the cooler and back into the prison yard. As she gets closer to Hogan and his brood, they can see that she's shivering.

"Welcome home, Nanook," says Hogan.

Freddie smiles as she rubs her arms. "Thank you, sir. It was colder than a witch's tit in there." LeBeau moves closer to her and wraps his scarf around her neck before he puts his arms around her.

"Here, let me warm you up."

Newkirk objects. "Now, hold on a minute. She's my girl."

"Oh, relax," says Freddie, giggling. "He's not going to get fresh."

"I won't either," says Carter, who moves in and hugs her as well. She starts to laugh as Newkirk's face gets more red.

"Leave off," warns Newkirk as he steps in to break up the growing cluster around Freddie.

"Corporal," she says sternly. "Front and center." Newkirk quickly obeys, thinking that she's going to give him a kiss. LeBeau and Carter laugh as they back away.

"Yes, Sergeant?" She steps closer to him, almost as if she's going to hit him. "You... are such a pain." His face immediately wrinkles with confusion, causing Freddie and the others to laugh. Kinchloe comes out of the barracks with an urgent message from headquarters.

"Message from London, Colonel. Top priority." Hogan takes the note and reads it to himself.

"What's it say, sir?" Freddie asks.

"There's a new ammuntions dump being built just outside Hammelburg," he explains. "London wants us to take it out as soon as possible."

"What is so urgent about that?" asks Carter. "Sounds like a standard sabotage job."

"Another day, another ammo dump," jokes Freddie. "If anything, all this sabotage work will be great training for a salvage job after the war."

"Did they say why it was a priority, Kinch?" asks Hogan.

"No, sir."

Sgt. Schultz turns the corner and heads casually over to Hogan.

"Break it up," the colonel says, dispursing his crew. Schultz says hello to the others as they pass by. "What's up, Schultz?"

"Ah, Colonel Hogan. Just the man I wanted to see."

"What's wrong?" Schultz reaches into his coat pocket and produces three candy bars.

"Here are the three chocolate bars I owe you."

"Three?" says Hogan, accepting the candy. "You only took two."

The rotund guard smiles. "Intrest."

"Oh. Thanks, big guy." Something about this transaction seems a little fishy to Hogan. "Hey, wait a minute. You've never paid back our candy bank before. Is something wrong?"

"No," he says. "I just wanted to pay you back."

Hogan, in his patented wise-guy manner, holds a candy bar out to the guard and watches as he almost starts to drool.

"Come on, Schultz. I know you've got an ear to the ground. Is something going on?"

The stout man tries to control himself. "No. I see nothing and I know nothing." Hogan dangles two candy bars in front of his face.

"Are you absolutely sure?"

The guard's resistance starts to crack. "Well, there's a field marshall from the Fuhrer's personal staff coming this afternoon. He's making an inspection of the camp and I-"

"-don't want him to find the chocolate in your barracks. Right?"

"Ja," he says, almost drooling.

"So," says Hogan, handing the two candy bars over to him, "what's the fellow's name?"

"Field Marshall von Gertler."

Hogan pretends to be stunned. "The Field Marshall von Gertler?"

"Ja. You know him?" Hogan lays it on thick.

"Know him? I learned all about him during flight training. He's probably the greatest flying ace since Richthofen. Why is he coming here?"

Schultz almost gives him the information, but scowls. Hogan sighs as he surrenders his third candy bar.

"I'm not sure," says the stout German as he opens the chocolate, "but I overheard Kommandant Klink on the telephone, and he mentioned something about an ammunitions depot."

"An ammo dump? There's no-" All of the pieces of the puzzle finally begin to come together for Hogan. "There isn't an ammo dump around here. Is there, Schultz?"

"No. At least not yet."

"Not yet?" Hogan remembers the message that Kinch gave to him.

"I think the field marshall is planning on building one nearby. But, I am not sure."

He pats the guard on the back before he heads over to barracks #2. "Thanks for the warning, Schultz. I better tell the men to get the barracks ship-shape for inspection."

Freddie sits at the table, sipping a cup of hot coffee while wrapped up in a blanket. The last 30 days in solitary 'deep freeze' have chilled her through to the bone.

Newkirk sits behind her with his arms around her tightly. He rests his chin on her shoulder, exhaling warm air down her neck. Thankfully, the others in attendance prevent him from 'warming her up' any further.

LeBeau and Carter square off in a game of gin just as Hogan walks in.

"We're gonna have company," he announces.

"Who's dropping by, sir?" asks Freddie.

"Field Marshall von Gertler, and he happens to be the man in charge of the ammo dump we have to destroy." Everyone becomes instantly attentive.

"'Joachim der Dicke' (Joachim the Fat) is coming here?" Freddie says, surprised. "I don't know if there's enough room for him."

"Why's that?" asks Carter.

"You fellas think Goering's big? Well, wait 'til you see this guy. He's a pig of a man with a foul temper to match."

"Freddie," asks Newkirk, without moving or opening his eyes, "what's the German word for 'fatso'?"

"Fettsack. Why do you ask?"

The lazy and contented Englishman smiles. "I'm expandin' my German vocabulary."

Freddie snickers. "Lugen nicht. (Don't lie.)"

"Why do I have the feelin' you just told me off?" says Newkirk.

"I didn't." She turns her head towards him as much as she can and kisses his forehead. He squeezes her a little more and settles in for a nap.

Kinchloe asks, "Is this guy going to be trouble, Colonel?"

"Maybe," says Hogan. "Usually whenever a stuffed shirt makes his rounds, Klink doubles the guard and has an extra patrol combing the woods."

Freddie asks, "So, I guess hitting the ammo dump is out?"

"I don't know," says Hogan. "London says it was urgent, but I don't really want to risk being caught when the Nazi brass is here. Kinch, contact headquarters. Explain our situation and request further instructions."

"Right, Colonel." He writes down the message then disappears down the hatch. Freddie breaks Newkirk's hold on her, then gets up and heads for the door.

"Where are you goin'?" he asks.

"Back to my barracks," she says. "Maybe I can sleep this deep chill off. Colonel, if you need me, please send for me."

Newkirk rubs his eyes and follows her to the door. "You want me to come with you?"

She smiles and rubs his arm. "You don't have to. I can find my way home."

"It's no trouble." Freddie looks distrustingly at him, a smile curling her lips. "I promise I'll behave."

"Oh, alright." He smiles happily and grabs his coat. As they both head for the door, Kinchloe frantically climbs out of the tunnel.

"Colonel," he shouts, "our signal's been jammed. I can't get through to London." Freddie and Newkirk stop when they hear their friend's distressing news.

"What?" asks Hogan in disbelief.

"There was loads of static on the line, but I was able to get through that we would need help with the mission. I don't even know if they got that."

Hogan rubs his forehead. "Wonderful."

"What are we going to do, Colonel?" asks LeBeau. Hogan looks around at his crew.

"It looks like we're going to have to go through with the assignment. They're counting on us."

"Not really," says Kinchloe. "I never gave them a confirmation message. They don't know if we'll take the job or not."

"Oh, boy," says Freddie. "This just keeps getting better doesn't it?"

Carter asks, "What's going to happen now, sir?"

"Well," Hogan says, "they'll probably do one of two things. Either they'll send a squadron of bombers over and level the dump for us, or they'll give up on the mission all together."

"Sure, when Hell freezes over," snips Freddie.

"Colonel," asks Newkirk, "you're not gonna send us out if they're gonna raid, are you?"

"Of course not," Hogan confirms. "But I don't know if they will." He makes an executive decision that he knows will be a huge gamble. "We're going through with this assignment, but it will be strictly on a volunteer basis."

The Heroes grumble at first, but slowly understand the seriousness of their situation. They all look at one another, wondering what they'll do. Freddie, as usual, is the first one in line.

"I volunteer, sir."

"Freddie," Hogan says, "you just got out of the cooler. Sit this one out."

She sighs. "Yes sir."

"I promise you can have the next assignment." Newkirk immediately steps up to the plate.

"Sir, I'll go in her place."

"I'm in," says LeBeau.

Hogan smiles. "Fine. Carter, how about you?"

"Sure, Colonel. Count me in."

Freddie sneaks off to her barracks to take that nap she desperately needs. As Newkirk sits down at the table to start a game of cards, he realizes that his girlfriend isn't there. He abandons his game and leaves to look for her.

Just as she about ready to climb into her bunk, her barracks door opens.

"You snuck out on me," Newkirk says, looking hurt.

"Sorry, love." She crashes onto her bed and lets out a sigh of relief. "Ahhhhh... but my bed was calling to me." He takes off his hat and sits on the edge of the bunk.

"Are you still cold?"

"Yeah." She pulls the blanket up to her chin as she shivers.

"Here, shove over." He lays down and crawls under the blanket with her. "I learned this in survival trainin'. You and another chap share body heat." He takes her hands and puts them under his sweater. "There. You'll feel better in a minute."

"I hope so," she says with a yawn. "I hate being cold." She realizes that her hands are under his shirt. "Peter, I'm liable to freeze you."

"That's impossible," he says with a smile. He leans forward and kisses her quickly on the lips.

"Mmmm..." she says. "Come here and do that again." Freddie takes her hands out from under his shirt and wraps them around his neck, gently guiding his body over on top of her. Again their lips meet in warm embrace.

"Sure." That's all he can say before his mouth is silenced by her warm tongue. She moves it around in little circles as their tongues play a sensuous game of tag. One of her hands is buried in his hair while the other rests on his back.

"I think I'm starting to warm up," she says with a laugh as she pulls the blanket over them both.

"Me too." Freddie can feel his mouth press against her neck, his tongue caressing the dip just below her Adam's apple.

"Yeah, I'm definately warming up," she says. "Pretty soon, you'll have me sweating."

"Oh, yeah," he says in his smokey, seductive voice. "I'll work that cold out of your body." By now, his mouth is running wild over her neck and soon takes her mouth hostage. His body begins rocking and moving against hers, hoping that soon they can get rid of their clothes.

"The last 30 days," he utters between kisses, "have been murder without you. I couldn't see you, couldn't hear you, couldn't hold you." He begins nibbling on her earlobe, which sends her mind into a whirlwind.

"Peter," she says breathlessly, "let me take a nap, will you? I'm beat."

"Awww, come on." He licks her ear before lightly chewing on her neck.

"You're making it hard for me to remain a good girl."

"Oh, bein' good is highly over-rated," he says with a small laugh. "Be bad for a change."

"You may not like it," she whispers as she slowly licks his ear. "I can be really mean."

He's quickly becoming more aroused. "Would you torture me?"

"Maybe," she says playfully. "I might even hit you."

"Ooohh, lemme have it. I can take it," he whimpers. He can see her face beneath him in the broken light. She wears a seductive smile on her lips.

"If you think you're tough enough, meet me in the other room." Newkirk scrambles off of her and darts into the officers quarters before Freddie even sits up. "Uh oh. I think I turned the monster on." She laughs as she heads into the other room.

Newkirk meets her at the door, taking her into his arms and kissing her madly as he kicks the door shut. He backs her up against the table and sets her up on it, moving himself between her knees. Freddie pulls him to her mouth, kissing him passionately as her hands work at removing his jacket. His hands hurry to untie her ponytail before assisting with his bulky sweater.

She whispers his name repeatedly as his mouth drops to her throat again. His lips work their magic and take control of her mind.

"You sure know how to drive me wild," she says.

"Now you know what it's like to be me. All I have to do is look at you and I'm high." She groans happily.

"Your touch is like fire, but it's cool like rain." His mouth softly kisses up from her neck to her chin, lightly nibbling on her skin. Both of them quickly begin unbuttoning her shirt.

"Fredricha," he moans hoarsely, "I want you right now." With her shirt now open, his hands move upwards from her flat stomach to her covered bosoms. His fingers slowly slide underneath to tease her already excited peaks.

Freddie holds his head to her neck as he continues to kiss her, drawing pleasant sighs and moans from her. With one hand in his hair, she let the other escape down the front of his body, taking a second or so to feel the solid lump hiding behind the zipper of his tight breeches. He growls deeply and throws his head back as she slips her hand inside and rubs over his stiffening manhood.

"There are times," she says softly, "when I don't think I'll ever get enough of you. Sometimes, after we make love, I'll look at you and want to do it again, and again, and again..." Newkirk loses himself for a moment as he slips his tongue into her mouth again. His hand starts to unfasten the button on her pants.

"Yes," he hisses. "Come on-"

Unfortunately, the moment is shattered by a noise from the bunkroom. Freddie quickly turns her head towards the door, her mind obviously focused on the intrusion. Newkirk sighs with great disappointment as he rests his face against her neck.

"I'll kill whoever's out there," he says angrily.

"Shhh...." She quickly buttons his trousers back up and fixes her bra and shirt. "Here, climb up there and look like your asleep." She hands his sweater and jacket back to him as he reluctantly heads over to the bunk.

Freddie opens the door and peaks out into the bunkroom. Carter has come by looking for Newkirk.

"Hi," he says innocently. He notices her somewhat disheveled appearence. "I didn't wake you, did I?"

"I was just dozing, but it's alright," she answers with a smile. She steps out of the room and closes the door quietly behind her. "Peter's asleep. Is there something I can help you with?"

"Well," he says, "the colonel wanted to go over the mission with us again. He said he wants to do it tonight."

"Tonight?"

"Yeah. I guess he wants it done incase the bombers fly over."

"Oh. Well, I suppose it's a good idea. Can't have you chaps getting hit."

"Yeah. If you could tell Newkirk when he wakes up that the colonel wants to see him, I'd appreciate it."

She smiles. "Sure. I'll tell him." Carter grins sheepishly and shows himself out. Freddie heads back into the officers room to check on her lover.

"Who was that?" asks the brooding voice from the top bunk.

"Carter," she says. "He wanted me to tell you that Colonel Hogan wants to see you when you wake up." She can see that he's not moving, so she stands on the bottom bunk to look at him.

"Hey," she says gently. "Cheer up, corporal."

He glares at her. "Cheer up? We were interupted, and all you can say is 'cheer up'?"

"Peter, relax. I'm not happy about it either." She hops up and sits on the edge of the bed, letting her feet dangle over the side and rubbing her hand over his chest. He looks back at her and takes her hand in his, carefully easing her down beside him so he can snuggle up with her, burying his nose in the nape of her neck. Their fingers lace together as she holds them across her chest.

"Why does this always happen to us?" he asks sweetly. "It's like God is keepin' us apart."

"No, no," she corrects. "God would never stand between two people that He brought together. It's the world around us that's keeping us separate."

"Then let's leave this world. Let's escape. We'll go somewhere where nobody will find us and we can be alone. I don't care if you and I have to live in a cave, just as long as we're together."

"Peter," she sighs sadly, rolling onto her back, "I made a promise to my mother that I wouldn't rest until I destroy the vermin that killed her."

"You've done that, love. A thousand times over."

"I know, but Germany still isn't free." She fingers the mild creases in his face. "It's like my grandfather used to say, 'Erst die Arbeit, dann das Vergnugen.'"

"What's that mean?"

"Business before pleasure."

"Darlin' please," he says desperately, "can't we just call the whole war off? I don't wanna stay locked up anymore. I wanna start my life with you now, and make love to you without interuption."

"Leibling, I refuse to let up until Hitler and his Third Reich are burning in hell."

He lays there and looks at her sadly. "But that could take years."

"Or it could take months. If we keep fighting as hard as we have been, it will end sooner." She kisses him lightly on the lips and says, "Peter, we're in a prison camp. We're being held captive together. As long as we both stay here, we'll never be split up. Would you really want to risk getting recaptured if we escape? We'd be separated for sure, and I know we'd never see each other again." She drags her fingertips lightly over his lips. "If remaining a prisoner of war keeps you by my side, then I'll be a prisoner of war forever. I don't want you to leave me. Ever."

At first, he looks confused, but then his face shows that he understands. Freddie pulls Newkirk into her chest, cradling him in her arms and kisses his head as he lays across her bosom.

"If that's what it takes," he says, "then I won't move until you say so."

"Believe me, darling. I'm only thinking of us."

"I know you are." He snuggles into her chest a little more and says, "I'm sorry I sounded so foolish."

"Shhh... don't apologize. You didn't do anything wrong." Freddie tenderly strokes his hair as he lies still with her. "You were just trying to keep me safe the best way you knew how."

Her words comfort him a little. "I'd do anything to keep you out of harm's way. Even if it meant certain death for me, just as long as you're safe, it would all be worth it." He kisses her slowly.

"I can't bear havin' the enemy keep you from me anymore," he continues. "I'm tired of sneakin' around just to spend a few moments with you."

"Hang on, dearest. Only a little while longer." Freddie can't help but kiss him passionately again. Their warm tongues writhe around each other, filling their bodies with calm passion. She loves it when his anger takes control of him and his true emotions surface.

When they separate for a breath, she looks into his green, desire-filled eyes as he leans against her forhead.

"They already know they can't keep us apart," she says quietly. They embrace each other tight, trying to make this moment last just a little bit longer. "But they're stubborn, so they'll try anything to break our spirits. What they'll never understand is that as long as I can look into your eyes, the sun will shine. And when the sun shines, I'm a free woman, even if I'm trapped behind barbed wire. On the darkest and stormiest of days, you have been and always shall be my light from heaven."

Newkirk looks into her face, watching as the seriousness of her love for him hardens her features.

"What can I do to keep your heart happy?" he whispers. Freddie's face softens as he drags his fingertips lightly over her cheek.

"Don't take away my sunshine," she says, cracking a small grin and gently pulling on his sideburns.

He pulls himself up and away from her chest so that he can look down upon her, stroking her face gently as he leans in and kisses her. She welcomes his muscular half-dressed frame into her arms, returning his passionate kiss.

"Ok," starts Hogan. "Here's the skinny on this assignment." All of the Heroes, including Freddie, are assembled in Hogan's quarters.

"Everything is pretty straight forward," he says. "Newkirk, Carter, and LeBeau will sneak out of the tunnel tonight at 2000 hours, right after roll call. The three of you will proceed on foot to the ammo dump, which is located about 10 miles east of here. Stick to the woods on the east side of Hammelburg Road. If you follow the road directly, you'll come across two checkpoints, and you don't want that."

"Right, Colonel," says LeBeau.

"Carter," says Hogan, "you'll need to take at least five demo charges with you. Do you have enough supplies to make them?"

"Yes sir."

"Good."

Freddie still isn't clear about the mission. "Sir, I still don't understand why London says this is an urgent assignment. It's a standard sabotage job, just like Andrew said."

"Not quite," corrects Hogan. "Kinch was finally able to get through to headquarters just long enough to get more information. They told him that the Nazis are pulling back on one flank of the Eastern Front. Hitler told Gertler to start building this supply depot so they can ready themselves for another advance. That's why it has to go now."

It all begins to make a little bit more sense. "I get it. They want to regroup, so we take their guns away."

"You got it."

Carter asks, "So, what do we need the demo charges for? Is there heavy machinery that they want us to destroy?"

"Yeah," says Kinchloe. "London says they have a small fuel convoy, a pumping station, maybe even a few spare Panzer parts."

"So," says Hogan. "Are there any other questions?" The Heroes shake their heads. "Very well. Freddie, I know you're itching to help out, so you're in charge of equipment issue. Standard weapons and gear."

She smiles. "Yes sir."

The American colonel sighs and looks at his watch. "Ok. See you at 2000."

Freddie spends all afternoon in the tunnel making sure that all the gear is ready for later. She finds an empty equipment pack and puts it in the dynamite room for Carter. She also makes sure their black clothes are in order.

Next, she pulls three handguns off of the gun rack and begins cleaning them as LeBeau comes down to help.

"Bonjour," he says cheerfully.

Freddie smiles at her friend. "Bonjour, mon ami. Comment allez-vous? (Hello, my friend. How are you?)" The little Frenchman smiles when he hears his native language.

"Tres bien." He grabs a stool and sits down next to her. "Je n'ai pas su que vous savez le francais. (Very well. I didn't know that you know French.)"

"Je connais un peu. (I know a little.)" With a smile, she changes gears on him. "Sprechen Sie Deutsch (Do you speak German?)"

LeBeau laughs and holds his hands above his head like an escapee. "Kamerad! (Comrade!) I'm afraid that's all I know."

"That's alright," she says with a smile. "Perhaps someday I'll teach you a few phrases. Just remember, I'm a good German. I won't take you prisoner." She throws a quick look around them. "The Krauts upstairs already have."

He nods in agreement. "It must feel very strange for you. Here you are in your native land and you're a prisoner of war."

"Well," she confides, "it does feel a little awkward. If you want to know what it's like, try picturing yourself in a prison camp in Vichy France. Then you'll get a pretty good idea."

Her friend scowls at the thought of French collaborators taking him hostage. "Filthy traitors." He watches as she cleans the pistols. "I guess you and I have alot in common, no?"

"Yeah," she says without looking away from her work. "Our homelands are being turned into lifeless shadows of their former selves. The inmates took over the asylum in this country and they're spreading their disease all over the world. I feel terribly guilty because it was Germany who poisoned France."

"It is not your fault," says LeBeau. "I know that you and your father fled, and for good reason. I wish that others could have done the same."

"Yes," she says as she finishes cleaning the first gun. "My only fear is that the German people will be trying to live down this grave error in judgement for years to come."

"Germany will look back on this and cringe," he says, "but you have nothing to be ashamed about. You're trying to stop it. You're fighting against it."

For a moment, Freddie stops working and listens to her friend.

"I bet," he continues, "that your children will be proud of you for your courage and your willingness to stand up to the enemy in the name of justice. Humanity will look at all of us who fought against this evil centuries from now and say 'thank you.' I'm almost certain of it."

Slowly, a smile dances across Freddie's face. "I don't know. Do you think we'll be able to live up to the title of 'hero'?"

"We can only try," LeBeau says with a grin.

Carter calls down the hole, "Guard coming!" Freddie stops immediately and follows LeBeau up the ladder and into the barracks proper.

Newkirk and Kinchloe are starting a card game as everyone tries to act casual. Seconds later, Schultz opens the door and attempts to round up the prisoners.

"Everrrrrybody raus, raus, raus! Raus!"

"What's goin' on, Schultzie?" asks the Englishman.

"Kommandant Klink wants you all into formation. Raus!"

Hogan comes out of his quarters. "What's all this noise about?" Schultz enlightens him.

"Field Marshall von Gertler is here. He wants to inspect the prisoners." Just as he turns to go, he notices Freddie standing by the sink. "Fraulein, how many times have I told you? Females are not-"

"-allowed in the mens' barracks. I know, I know."

"Then why do you keep doing it?" asks the stout guard. Freddie pinches his fat cheek and smiles.

"Because I know it bothers you," she answers. The men laugh as they file out the door.

"Jolly joker," Schultz grumbles as he ushers Freddie outside.

As the prisoners line up into formation, Hogan watches as Field Marshall von Gertler and Klink come out of the kommandant's office and approach them.

"Achtung!" shouts Schultz. "All prisoners present and accounted for, herr Kommandant."

"Thank you, Schultz," answers Klink before he addresses the POW's. "I have the honor of presenting to you Field Marshall von Gertler of the Fuhrer's Staff." The prisoners show their respect for the corpulent officer by standing at ease.

Gertler is every bit as disgusting as Freddie said he was; he could easily outweight Hermann Goering by at least 90 lbs. He almost resembles the late Prince Otto von Bismarck; bald head, an elegant silver Prussian moustache, and a gold monocle.

His eyes scan over the prisoners as he makes his way in front of Newkirk, looking him up and down.

"Sloppy," Gertler says. "Very sloppy."

"Do me a favor," challenges the Englishman. "Drop dead." Gertler's face instantly flushes with anger.

"Achtung!"

No one moves. The field marshall's eyes survey the the prison populus.

"When a German officer gives you an order," he screams, "you will obey!"

"Alright," says Freddie. "Let us know when one gets here." The male prisoners find this contest of authority very amusing and begin to laugh and cheer. Gertler's eyes fix upon her as he swoops in to dish out discipline.

"Slience!" he shouts in Freddie's face. His loud, booming voice resonates through the entire camp and even spills over into the neighboring forest. Obviously, his throat has been seasoned from exercising swift justice.

"Hey, take it easy, Herr Lenkbar (dirigible)" she says. "Don't pop an artery."

Gertler's eyes narrow as he glowers at her, the pale blue centers almost turning red. His leather gloves squeak as he wrings his powerful hands around his field marshall's batton.

"So," he says shortly, "you think you are funny, ja?"

"Yeah," she responds sarcastically.

"You think you are a comedian?"

"I don't think. I know." Newkirk, who is standing a few spots down the line, grins happily.

Gertler snickers sadistically, "Unfortunately, I hate comedians. I loath them. They are the lowest form of life and have no place in the world."

"What a coincidence," she says. "Neither do the Nazis." Klink almost runs away with his tale between his legs as he listens to Freddie challenge the field marshall.

"Fraulein," implores Klink, "please..."

"What's the problem, Kommandant?" she asks. "I'm not afraid of this guy." Gertler surprises everyone by grabbing Freddie by the neck and pulling her out of line. Hogan steps forward to help her, but Gertler holds him off with his field marshall's stick.

"You should be. If I so choose, I could have you shot, hung, or disemboweled." With a single powerful push, he shoves her back into line where she is caught by the others.

"You bloody swine!" screams Newkirk as he charges towards the big man. Kinchloe holds him back, eventhough he knows he should let his English friend tear him apart.

Gertler challenges, "Is there anyone else who dares to disrespect me?"

Kinchloe doesn't take kindly to this harassment. "You don't have to ask." Soon the others toss their hats into the ring, but Gertler stands his ground.

"Silence! I can have you all shot for your disobedience!"

Hogan asks Klink sarcastically, "Colonel, can he do that?"

"I'm afraid he can, Hogan," Klink replies nervously. Gertler walks to one end of the line and passes each prisoner slowly, turning his nose up at their appearences.

When he gets to Freddie, he stops in front of her. "You have a vicious temper, fraulein. Perhaps some other time I could have the pleasure of... removing it." He lifts her chin with his gold and red velvet batton. His eyes are full of ice cold cruelty.

Thinking that she is an Englishwoman, he says, "Fragile, yet pathetic. That's all the British are. Still, I don't tolerate such rude behavior out of prisoners."

"Watch it, Sunny Jim," Newkirk warns. "The English aren't as weak as you think."

"No?" asks Gertler. "Then how come you weren't able to defend yourselves against our blitzkrieg?"

Freddie says, "We held you off the best we could." She continues to bore a hole into his skull with her stare. "Get off your high horse and scuffle in the mud with us, Gertler. If the Nazis had any honor at all, you would have crossed the Channel and fought us face to face. You're nothing more than a pack of cowards!"

Gertler smiles sadistically. "Lightning strikes from the sky, not from the ground."

"That's strange. Chickens usually do," she says.

Totally unamused by her remarks, Gertler snaps, "Das muss ich mir nicht von dir gefallen lassen. (I don't have to take any shit from you.)" Unbeknownst to him, Freddie understands him perfectly.

"Ebenso, herr Feldmarschall. (Likewise, Field Marshall.)" He raises his eyebrow in curious yet angry surprise. "Uberraschst? (Surprised?)"

He says nothing, but he continues to stare at her in anger.

"Maybe it's better if you and I degrade one another in German," she says. "I wouldn't want the boys here to think of me as a lady with a sailor's mouth."

Hogan warns her jokingly, "Temper, Freddie. Temper."

"Quiet!" Gertler snaps.

Freddie is now in full antagonist mode. "Tu mir den Gefallen und halt den Mund! (Do me the favor of shutting up!)" she barks.

"Kommando zuruck! (As you were!)" demands Gertler. He hastily inspects her British uniform and says, "Schame dich. (Be ashamed of yourself.)"

"Wozu? (What for?)" she asks. Suddenly, Gertler turns almost jovial and personable.

He steps back from her and paces in a small circle. "You deserted Germany to fight for the British?"

"I deserted the Reich," Freddie corrects defiantly. "I didn't want to drown in Hitler's lies. I fled for freedom."

Snickering, Gertler comes back, "It's almost funny, really. You may have left the Fatherland, but we found you. We own England now."

Newkirk shouts, "Not for long, mate!"

"You will never own England," says Freddie. "As long as her sons and daughters are willing to fight for her, she'll always be free."

Gertler snickers before he continues. "Soon, the Reich will sweep across the rest of Great Britain and crush all resistance. Then it's on to America." Hogan doesn't see any credibility in the big man's hollow proclaimations.

"If you don't mind, Field Marshall, I didn't wear my boots today, so can you keep the crap only ankle high?" Many of the men begin to laugh, but Klink covers his eyes.

"Hogaaaannnn..." he mutters.

Gertler stands in front of Hogan and glares at him. "I see insubordination runs amok in your camp, Klink."

"It is not promoted, herr Field Marshall," Klink defends, laughing nervously.

"No," says Hogan, adding more fuel to the fire, "but he doesn't stop us from practicing it." Klink removes his monocle as his eyes open wider.

"Hogaaaannnn...." he hoarsely whispers.

"You are a very opinionated man," Gertler tells Hogan. "Almost too much."

"Aw, schucks."

"And sarcastic, too. That could be the sign of a great man." The large officer steps back towards Klink. As the German officers start back for Klink's quarters, Freddie wants to leave Gertler with a final warning.

"Oh, Field Marshall," she calls. "One more thing. Gegen Leute Ihres Schlages kampfe ich schon mein ganze Leben lang. Also, mach mich nicht an. (I've been fighting all my life against your type. So, don't mess with me.)"

Extremely agitated, Gertler replies, "Zum Teufel mit dir. (Damn you.)"

With a smirk on her lips, she replies, "Nicht so hitzig. (Don't get excited.)" She steps before him and says, "Ich wurde hassen, Sie zu sehen, wie das Hindenburg unten zu gehen. (I'd hate to see you go down like the Hindenburg.)"

1905 hours. Newkirk is laying in his bunk when he gets the urge to go see Freddie. He hops out of his rack and climbs down the hatch into the tunnel.

Not wanting to be seen by the guards after 'lights out', he uses the tunnel system to wander over to barracks #4. He climbs up the ladder and knocks three times on the bottom of the stove.

Freddie, who's sitting at the table and reading by candlelight, hears the knocking and pushes the stove aside. With a smile on her face, she watches as Newkirk climbs up out of the hole and replaces the stove.

"What brings you to my neighborhood, meine Herr?" she asks jokingly.

"A sexy, voluptuous fraulein," he answers, taking her into his arms and kissing her on the lips. "And she happens to be a great kisser, especially in the dark."

"Oh," she says playfully, "I don't think she's home. Maybe you should come back later."

"I suppose I could but," he says before he kisses her warmly again, "I'm findin' myself becomin' quite fond of you."

"That's strange," she says. "I'm starting to like you, too." Newkirk starts backing her up towards an empty rack.

"Looks like we have a problem, doesn't it?"

"Yes, it does. What are we going to do about it?" Freddie lays down on the bunk and guides Newkirk down beside her.

"Why don't we kiss on it and see what happens?"

"Good idea." He lays himself across her chest and kisses her passionately. Her hands slide over his entire back, even taking time to stroke his soft hair.

"I still wanna make up for what happened earlier," he says, his lips marking her neck. "I wanna finish what we started."

"If you weren't going out tonight," she says, "I'd let you."

"We've got time," he suggests as he rolls onto his back. She throws a glance at her wristwatch.

"I don't want to rush," Freddie explains as she rolls on top of him. "You know how much I hate that. Besides, you should be concentrating on your job tonight."

"Darlin', Colonel Hogan went over everything a thousand times. I won't forget what we have to do." He lays completely still beneath her and lets her do what she pleases. "Right now, all I wanna think about is you, your beautiful body, and all the wonderful things you can do to me with it."

Freddie props herself up on her elbows and hooks her hands under his shoulders. Her fingers trace around the outsides of his ears, making him close his eyes. She lowers her mouth down to his neck and slowly begins to kiss his throat. Her lips move softly over his skin.

"Did I ever tell you," she asks, "that I could spend hours just kissing your neck?"

"No," he answers with his eyes closed, ready for his German playmate to thrill him. The sound of her dampened lips pecking at his flesh and her warm breath arouse him even more.

"Your skin is so soft." Freddie slides her hands out from under his shoulders and laces her fingers with his. She brings their hands up beside his head as she gently slips her tongue into his mouth. He makes a soft moan as she gently probes him.

As she ventures to his neck again, Newkirk says breathlessly, "Oh, this is drivin' me crazy."

"Do you like it?" she asks.

"Is Hitler insane?" Freddie firmly holds his hands by his head as she lifts her eyes to look at him.

Wearing an evil smirk, she moves her lips close to his and says, "Ja. Sehr geisteskrank. (Yeah. Very insane.)"

Newkirk whines as she teases him, wanting desperately to grab her and make passionate love to her in that instant. However, he lets her dominate him.

"Speak to me again," he asks. She watches in delight as he becomes even more hot and bothered. "Say something, anything. Tell me you hate me, I don't care. Just say it in German." Freddie begins laughing.

"Alright. Ich hassen Sie."

"Aaaahhhggnnnrrr...," he moans as she giggles.

"Geduld, mein Liebe (Patience, my love)," she says. "Wunsche werden dursh Aufschub genahrt. (Desires are nourished by delays.)"

"Ooooooohhhh," he groans. "You're drivin' me mad." She takes a few moments to look into his happily disturbed face.

"Nur Keine solche Eile (Don't be in such a hurry)," she says seductively, calmly stroking his hair.

He looks up into her face. "Love me," he says seriously. "Please."

"Oh, na gut, (Oh, very well)" she responds softly. Newkirk guides her lips back down to his, their mouths sealing themselves in a burning liplock. He breaks her hold on his wrists and begins unbuttoning her shirt with extreme urgency, his hands desperately wanting to hold her body.

Freddie straddles him as they continue to kiss wildly, his hands still unbuttoning her 'constrictive' clothing. She backs off of his mouth for a moment to help him.

As he sits up, he whispers, "Fredricha, I need you so." She takes her uniform blouse off and he begins pulling her undershirt up.

Now in her bra, she begins struggling with his jacket. He removes it haphazardly and flings it away from them just as she begins removing his sweater. Again, he grabs a hold of it and hurriedly pulls it up and over his head, tossing it on the floor with his jacket.

Just as he's about to take off his undershirt, Freddie shoves him back down. She lifts it slowly and leans in so she can kiss his rippled stomach. Newkirk grabs a handful of her hair as she teasingly moves upward.

"Let LeBeau and Carter go out tonight," he says. "I'm stayin' right here."

Freddie stops for a moment and looks at him. "Ich wunsche, du konnen. (I wish you could.)" He never looks away from her as he pulls his undershirt off. Her eyes scope his naked chest.

With her eyes focused on his body like a mother lion stalking her prey, she begins kissing it. He gasps as she reaches the small group of lightly colored hairs in the center of his chest, her nose rubbing against his skin as she licks his nipple. He growls as a warm jolt shoots through his body and tantilizes him. Freddie can't help but fall into the same pleasurable trance with him.

"Looks like the Nazis will have to wait," she says as she moves in to kiss him deeply. Newkirk sits forward and carefully lays her down on her back, feeling her soul's desire penatrate his skin as he slowly lays himself on top of her.

Klink entertains Field Marshall von Gertler in his private quarters that evening. "I hope," says Klink, returning with two glasses of schnapps, "that our meal was to the Field Marshall's liking."

"It was excellent," says Gertler as he accepts the drink.

"That is the one thing we Germans pride ourselves on here at Stalag 13. We entertain as if there is no war on at all." Both men share a brief chuckle.

"I see." Accepting a cigar from the 'Iron Colonel,' Gertler asks. "Tell me, Colonel. How many escapes have you had here?"

"None, sir," beams Klink. "Many of the prisoners have tried, but they never succeed. I'd like to think that it is because of my strict disciplinary measures that thwarts these men from even dreaming about it."

"Good," Gertler answers flatly. "I admire a man with a strong sense of discipline."

"Danke, herr Field Marshall."

"I want to make sure that the area is secure."

Klink is somewhat puzzled. "I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean, herr Field Marshall."

After a brief pause, Gertler says, "I have a very important job here in Hammelburg. I am setting up a refueling station and an ammunitions supply depot near your camp, these orders coming from the Fuhrer himself."

Klink snaps to attention. "The Fuhrer?"

"Ja. It is a top secret assignment of sorts, and I want to make sure that no one from this camp escapes. You do understand."

"Of course, herr Field Marshall. I will double the guard."

"Good. I wish to inspect the prisoners again in the morning."

"Ja, herr Field Marshall." Gertler smiles as he continues.

"I trust your female prisoner, that fake Anglo-Saxon, is treated accordingly."

"Yes sir. She is expected to work as much as the men here, and she is given no special privileges, except of course for a private shower."

"Naturally. We may be the keepers of the jails, but we are not barbarians," Gertler sadistically jokes. "I'd like to entertain the fraulein. Arrange for an informal affair tomorrow night."

"It shall be done, herr Field Marshall." Gertler pours himself another tiny glass of schnapps and sits back down.

"Good," he says as he takes a sip. "Good."

1955 hours. Newkirk stands by Freddie's bed and puts his sweater back on. He lights a cigarette as he watches her lace up her boots. He can't help but relish the thoughts of the past few minutes. Freddie's soft moans still echo through his mind and they tangle with the vivid images of her sparkling blue eyes as her body succumbed to his.

Once her boots are on, she stands up and buttons her shirt. She notices Newkirk standing in front of her with a very pleased look on his face.

"Why do you look so happy?" Freddie asks rhetorically.

"Oh, I don't know," he says. "It's not everyday that an ordinary chap like me can make love to a goddess."

Freddie smirks and says, "Make love? Making love takes alot longer than that. This was just a little baby taste." She steps in front of him as she tucks in her shirt. "You know I like taking it slow. Going too fast takes all of the fun out of being intimate."

"I don't think so," he says honestly, puffing away. "Anytime I can be intimate with you is fun."

She looks at him almost disapprovingly with her hands on her hips as he steps closer. He holds the cigarette down by his side, in between his index and middle fingers. Without lowering her eyes from his, Freddie reaches out and takes it from him, inhaling a drag off of it. She blinks slowly and lets the smoke curl out of the corner of her mouth.

"But truthfully," he says, resting his hands on her hips, "I'd like nothin' more than to make slow love to you for hours and hours. We could stop for a rest, then do it all over again-"

"Stop it," Freddie says, swallowing hard as she sets the cigarette between his lips again. "You're going to put me in the mood again."

"Good," Newkirk says with a smile. He kisses her lips and says, "Then you'll be ready to, huh... really lose your mind when I come back." He gently squeezes her firm backside as he pulls her body close to his.

Freddie smiles and kisses him again. "You're a terribly wicked man." They both head for the stove. "But for some reason I'm crazy about you."

Pleased with himself, he smiles as he opens the tunnel entrance. Once Freddie has dropped down into the hole, he climbs down, covering the hatch behind him.

They round the corner that leads into the main intersection of the tunnel system. Kinch is sitting by the radio as Hogan makes his way down from upstairs.

Carter and LeBeau have changed into their standard black outfits and await further instructions. Newkirk kisses Freddie on the cheek before he heads off to change his clothes.

"Is everything ready?" asks Hogan.

"Yes sir," answers Freddie. "I stripped and cleaned their pistols earlier today, and I loaded a sack of granades. They have a canister of extra rounds, too."

Carter adds, "Five demo charges ready to go, Colonel."

"Good. As soon as Newkirk's ready, head on out. You know what to do." He heads over to Kinchloe and asks, "Any luck?"

"None, sir. All I pick up is white noise." Hogan puts on the earphones and listens for himself. "Maybe a tower's damaged."

"It's possible. They could have a radio jammer in the area, too. Keep trying." Newkirk returns to the group and begins putting burnt cork on his face along with LeBeau and Carter.

"Has anyone tell you fellows," teases Freddie, "that minstral shows aren't as popular nowadays?" The three men laugh as LeBeau starts singing 'Mammy.' Once they have covered their faces, she hands them each a .45 pistol.

Just as Newkirk reaches for his, Freddie pulls it away. "Come back safely," she says seriously. "All of you."

"We will, love." She surrenders the handgun and he puts it in his belt. He steps closer to her and says quietly, "Remember, darlin'. We got some unfinished business to attend to when I get back."

Freddie smiles. "I'll be waiting." Newkirk gives her a wink and a warm grin before he turns to follow his two comrades up the ladder.

Jumping out into the cold night, Carter covers the area as LeBeau and Newkirk pop out of the stump. Once they have regrouped, they start off through the woods towards the ammo depot.

A short time later, Field Marshall von Gertler bids Klink farewell and summons his staff car. It quickly pulls up to the kommandant's office from the motorpool. He gets in and speeds off into the night.

Quickly yet quietly, Newkirk, Carter and LeBeau hurry through the dark woods towards the depot.

"I think we're lost," says Newkirk as he looks around him.

LeBeau pulls the map out of his backpack. "No, we're not." He examines it carefully, then shows his friends. "See? We are right about here. Once we get to the other side of the forest, we should see the depot."

A low rumbling noise can be heard in the distance.

"Uh oh," says Carter.

"What is that?" asks Newkirk. The three men look nervously around them, even throwing glances up to the sky.

LeBeau offers up a suggestion. "Let's find some cover." Newkirk leads the way across a small clearing and into another heavy thicket. He crouches down and waits for his friends to catch up.

"Come on," he whispers. When LeBeau and Carter are a few feet away, the Englishman starts walking again.

Much to their surprise, they come to an empty stretch of road.

"Is this Hammelburg Road?" Carter asks.

LeBeau consults his map. "I don't know." The rumbling noise can be heard again, only this time it's louder.

"That's not an airplane," Newkirk says.

"What is it then?" asks LeBeau. The trio looks behind them as the noise becomes even louder. Suddenly, two headlights can be seen.

"Car!" shouts Carter. LeBeau scrambles back up the embankment and into the brush. In a rush to find cover, Carter drops his satchel with the demo charges in it.

"Bloody clod," mumbles Newkirk as he hurries to help Carter pick them up.

But it's too late. The driver of the car sees the suspicious pair in the road and tromps on the accelerator. LeBeau watches helplessly from the brush.

The large Mercedes is only 30 yards away and closing fast. The men toss the last charge into the bag and try to make a run for it, but the driver of the car clips Carter's leg and pins him between the grill and the dirt hill.

Behind a tree now, LeBeau prays silently for God to spare Carter's life.

"Hang on, Andrew!" shouts Newkirk as he tries to get to his friend.

"Oooouch!" yells Carter. "The car's on my foot!"

"Halt!" The driver of the car jumps out and points his rifle at the men. "Halt!"

"Alright, chap," says Newkirk, putting his hands up. "Take it easy. Just be a good lad and back your car off of me friend." The frightened prisoners watch as Field Marshall von Gertler steps out of the car.

"Who are you?" demands Gertler.

"None of your bloody business," Newkirk answers.

LeBeau quietly gathers his things and sneaks away under the cover of darkness. He heads back to camp alone.

"Colonel! Colonel!"

Hogan hears someone calling for him from around the corner. He leaves Kinchloe at the radio bench and heads down the tunnel.

"LeBeau?" he says, surprised. "What are you doing back so soon?"

"We never made it!" the Frenchman shouts. "A car spotted us along the road, and Newkirk and Carter were caught!"

"Slow down," orders Hogan. "Tell me what happened." LeBeau sits down and tries to catch his breath.

"We heard a car approaching, so we ducked into the woods. Carter dropped his pack with the charges in it, so Newkirk stopped to help him. The car came around the curve and headed straight for them."

"Jesus. Are they alright?"

"I don't know. The driver of the car pinned Carter up against a tree, and he was yelling. Newkirk jumped in to help him, but Field Marshall von Gertler got out of the car."

"Gertler was in the car?"

"Oui, mon Colonel." Hogan begins formulating a plan of action.

"Did anyone follow you back to camp?"

"No. They never saw me."

"Alright, good." Hogan starts to pace as he tries to figure out how to get his men back. "Chances are that Gertler took the boys back to the ammo dump. If that's the case, then we-"

Kinchloe shouts from the other room, "Colonel, London just dispatched a squadron of bombers. They said they can knock out the depot from the air."

Hogan begins to panic. "Oh, no. Tell them to call the planes back!"

"Why?" asks Kinchloe.

"Gertler's got Carter and Newkirk. They're probably sitting in a holding cell at the depot."

Freddie, who's oblivious to the situation, comes around the corner from the dynamite room. She sees LeBeau standing by the ladder.

"Louis. What are you doing back? Did you run into trouble?" she asks. The Frenchman doesn't want to be the one to break the news to her, but tries to tell her as soft as possible.

"Oui. A car came from out of nowhere and-"

"Wait a second." She looks around for the other two men. "Where's Newkirk and Carter?"

LeBeau sighs. "They were captured."

Freddie can't believe it. "What?"

"A car came down the road and spotted Carter and Newkirk. The driver pinned Carter against a tree and Gertler jumped out. Before I ran back to camp, I saw him forcing them into his car. He probably took them back-"

"-to the depot," she finishes. "Damn it!"

Hogan pours more gasoline on the fire. "And just when you think things can't get worse, they do. London sent word that they've just dispatched a squadron of bombers to take out the depot."

"Well, call them back!" she yells.

"I can't," says Kinchloe, who walks away from the radio. "The signal's dead."

Freddie throws her hands up in the air. "Gottsmutter. (Mother of God.) Now what do we do?"

"There's nothing we can do," says Hogan. "We'll just have to wait."

"The hell we do!" shouts Freddie. "We can't just let them become sitting ducks, Colonel." She heads for the uniform closet. "I'm going to get them."

"No, you're not," orders Hogan. "With the bombers en route, it's just too dangerous."

"Sir," Freddie protests, "if we wait any longer, it could be too late for them!"

"I know that, but we can't risk anyone else being taken."

Freddie steps in front of Hogan, staring into his dark, authoritative brown eyes. This is the first time she's ever disagreed with him.

"Colonel," she says, "they'll die."

Hogan sighs. "Maybe. Freddie, I'm not thrilled about this either. But there is a chance they could survive the raid."

"A slim chance," she says.

"But it's better than no chance." He looks back into her scared and determined eyes and hopes he can keep a lid on this crisis. "I don't want anyone to leave camp. Is that clear?"

After a few moments of tense silence, Freddie gives in. "Yes sir."

As they sit in a make-shift holding cell at the depot, Newkirk tends to Carter's broken foot. Since they're being held captive inside of a tool shed, the resourceful Englishman uses a few pieces of wood to make a splint for his friend.

"You know," says Carter, "I wonder where LeBeau is. I didn't see him anywhere."

"He's so small, he probably avoided capture."

"Do you think he went back to camp?" For a moment, Newkirk thinks about Freddie.

"I hope so."

"I wonder if he'll return with help." Carter winces as Newkirk puts the splint in place and secures it with electrical tape.

"You know Col. Hogan," says Newkirk. "He doesn't leave anyone behind. If there's a ray of hope, he'll take it."

An hour slowly drags by, and Freddie lies restless on her rack as her mind flipflops between worry and anger. She is scared to death for Newkirk and Carter, but she doesn't want to disobey Hogan's orders.

Staring at the underside of the overhead bunk, she grumbles to herself. Either way, she'll regret the outcome, but she would rather get yelled at as opposed to recovering the dead bodies of her friends.

"Verdammter Mist! (Damn it all!)" she says. She gets out of bed and heads down to the tunnel.

Carefully and quietly, Freddie prepares a rucksack for herself. She packs an ammo can, a handful of flares, a few granades, and two medicinal canteens along with a first aid kit.

LeBeau, who is sleeping in the bunk above the hatch, stirs when he hears rustling coming from down below. He puts on his coat and opens the tunnel entrance.

He turns a corner and sees Freddie sitting at a bench putting bullets in the magazine of an MP 40.

"Mon Dieu," he whispers. "Freddie, what are you doing?" She doesn't even look at him when she speaks.

"Nothing, Louis. Go back to bed."

"You're going out to rescue Carter and Newkirk, aren't you." She locks the magazine into place and pulls the bolt back, putting one round in the chamber.

"Yeah. That's exactly what I'm doing." LeBeau shakes his head.

"But Freddie, the colonel said-"

"I know what he said," she says sternly. "I know what could happen to me if I go. But Louis, I will not sit and wait to see if they are killed."

"At least let me go with you."

"No. I can't. It's too dangerous and I don't want you to get into trouble with the colonel either." LeBeau looks worried. "Look. I'm going to level with you. I don't give a damn about myself. If I die trying to save Peter and Andrew, so be it. But I refuse to sit by and let them get licked when I am willing and able to save them." She packs a pair of gloves in her sack and looks at her scared friend. "Louis, I'm too much in love with Peter to let him die this way."

"You're commiting suicide if you go alone."

"I'm not going alone," she says with a half smile. "God's going with me." She tosses a flashlight into her sack and starts to smear burnt cork on her face. "Please Louis. Don't tell anyone that I've gone." She carefully tucks her blond hair up under her black cap. Just before she climbs up the ladder to the outside, she gives LeBeau a kiss on the cheek. "Vive la Liberte."

"Vive la Liberte," he echoes sadly. He watches carefully as she disappears up the ladder.

After hopping out of the tree stump, Freddie waits for the searchlights to pass by before scurrying down the path towards Hammelburg Road.

She stops for a moment by a small clump of bushes and pulls out a compass. In order to reach the ammo dump, she must head north. Now in full survival mode, she continues on.

"I will ask you once more," demands Gertler. "What were you doing in the middle of the road?" Both Newkirk and Carter sit silently in their chairs. "You were acting very suspicious."

"We were diggin' for worms," says Newkirk.

Gertler smiles. "How amusing. Tell me. Do you find more worms if you dig with... demolition charges?" The field marshall points to the canvas sack of dynamite on his desk.

"Yeah. We caught you, didn't we?" Newkirk snickers. Gertler isn't laughing when he stands up and paces slowly around his desk.

"Perhaps I should inform Colonel Klink of your escape, huh?"

"Colonel who?" asks Carter.

"Don't play stupid. I recognize you two from my inspection of Stalag 13 this morning. Klink informed me that he's never had a successful escape from his camp. I'm sure he would be most grateful if I turned you in." Gertler stands behind the two prisoners. "I would reconsider if you cooperate with me."

"Forget it, pal," says Carter. Gertler grins as he stomps on his broken foot, causing him to yelp in pain. The guards in the room keep Newkirk from attacking the field marshall, but he still manages to spit on him.

"Tell me who you are and I shall call for a doctor." Again, the two men say nothing. "Very well then. Take them back to their cell."

Freddie stops for a breather behind a large tree. She's been running for almost 20 minutes straight, but with each step she's approaching the ammo depot. She takes off her rucksack and rests for a moment.

"Hold on, fellas," she quietly gasps. "I'm coming." She takes her canteen from her web belt and takes a few large swallows of water before she starts out again.

As she stands up to put her pack back on, a voice comes out of the darkness.

"Halt! Stillhalten! (Don't move!)"

Freddie stands completely still as she tries desperately to keep herself calm.

"Ja. Was ist los?" she asks. She watches as a handsome young German soldier carefully creeps up the hill towards her. He looks at her cautiously.

"Zeigen mir Ihre papiere. (Show me your papers.)"

"Ich habe sie nicht. (I don't have them.)"

"Wozu nicht? (Why not?)"

Freddie motions him close enough so she can whisper in his ear, "Ich bin mit das Gestapo. (I'm with the Gestapo.)"

"Gestapo?"

"Ja. Ich bin eine Geheimagentin. Ich folge einem entgangenen Gefangenen. (I'm a secret agent. I'm following an escaped prisoner.)"

Convinced that she is telling him the truth, the soldier asks, "Sie benotigen Hilfe? (Do you need help?)"

Surprised by the young man's trust, Freddie says, "Sie brauchen nicht. Mit dem werde ich schon fertig. (It's not necessary. I can manage him.)"

"Okay (Alright.)" Just as the young man turns to leave, Freddie stops him.

"Feldwebel, Wenn jedermann bittet, haben Sie mich nicht gesehen. Verstehen? (Sergeant, if anyone asks, you have not seen me. Understand?)"

"Jawohl."

"Weg jetzt gehen. Heil Hitler. (Get going now.)"

With the fear of the Gestapo running rampant through his vains, the young German soldier retreats back down the hill and heads quickly back to his guard shack. Freddie breathes a sigh of relief and turns her attention back to her 'mission.' She waits for the guard to disappear completely from sight before she sprints down the road.

All the while she's double timing it to the ammo depot, Freddie keeps an ear open for any familiar aircraft or any other motorized disturbance.

"Please God," she prays, "keep those planes away from the dump for just a little while longer. I'm almost there!"

Fear quickly turns into determination as Freddie finds that she's within five miles of the secretive depot. She doesn't realize that her feet have picked up speed and move her closer to her next objective.

"It's been almost two hours," complains Carter. "Where's the colonel?"

"Andrew," Newkirk begins sarcastically, "if I knew that, we wouldn't be here." He scratches his head and thinks. "They're probably on their way now."

"I hope so. My foot's killing me. I think that fat bastard broke another bone."

"Do you think you could walk on it if we try to bust outta here?"

"Maybe. I don't think I could run on it, but I think I could walk a short distance." Newkirk smiles as he looks around for a screwdriver or something he can use to pry the door open with.

"Good. I'll have this door open in two shakes, so get ready to move" Carter grabs his hat and gets up.

Suddenly, an explosion rocks the foundation of the shed, knocking both Newkirk and Carter down.

"What in bloody hell was that?" shouts Newkirk. Another blast shakes the ground, but it's not close enough to topple the pair.

"You don't suppose it's the Allied bombers, do you?"

Newkirk's heart jumps into his throat then drops into his feet. "Son of a-"

SSssssssssss.......BOOOOOM!!!!

Again, both men tumble and spill onto the floor. Exercising their skills from basic training, they cover their heads in preperation of another close call.

"That was close!" yells Carter.

"Too close," answers Newkirk. Out of desperation, he begins kicking at the door. "Let's get outta here!"

Freddie's only three miles from the depot when the Allied lightshow begins. She stops dead in her tracks and watches for a moment.

"No!!!" she shouts as she bolts the rest of the way. She doesn't care if anyone sees her now.

Back inside the shed, Newkirk finally splinters a panel away from the wall and begins to pound against a second when the door flies open. Carter ducks into the corner, out of sight.

Just as the Nazi guard rushes towards Newkirk, Carter jumps the guard from behind and knocks him out with a ball peen hammer.

"Nice shot," commends the Englishman as he helps his friend out of the shed.

Running like a woman possessed, Freddie sprints the remaining 100 yards to the site's front gate, only to be spotted by the two sentries.

"Halt!"

Freddie opens fire on the two Germans, killing them swiftly. As the bombs continue to fall, she throws open the gates and dives behind a sandbag-reinforced building. She waits for a break in the action before she moves out to find her friends.

She watches as a soldier rushes into the main building, only to see him return with Field Marshall von Gertler and his adjutant a few moments later.

"Was ist los?" demands Gertler.

"Es ist ein Luftangriff, herr Feldmarschall. (It's an air raid, sir.)" The plump man becomes enraged and begins shouting orders.

"Sichern Sie den Umkreis! Bemannen Sie die Flugabwehrkanones Gewehren! (Secure the perimeter! Man the anti-aircraft guns!)"

As the Nazis scurry about in the middle of the bombardment, Freddie shouts, "Peter! Andrew! Where are you?" Her eyes strain against the firelight as she looks desperately for her Newkirk and Carter.

Across the compound, the two prisoners try to find the front gate as they weave their way through the damage. Newkirk tries his best to help Carter balance on his one good foot.

"Slow down, Newkirk! I can't move that fast!"

"We gotta hurry!" A small bomb hits a nearby building and sends the structure up in flames. Both men hug the dirt once again as the thunder of anti-aircraft guns shatters the darkness.

A guard happens to see Carter and Newkirk lying on the ground and he rushes over to them.

"Looks like we got trouble," Newkirk says.

"Stillhalten! (Don't move!)" shouts the guard.

Freddie, who has taken up a position only a few feet away, hears the Nazi shout for backup. She moves closer to the edge of the barricaded building and peeks around the corner.

"Why would he be telling someone not to move in the middle of an air raid? Unless-" Suddenly, it dawns on her. She tries to see through the flames and see who he's yelling at. "Unless he's yelling Peter and Andrew." She carefully creeps around the other corner for a closer look. "Yes, it's them."

Still on the ground, Newkirk and Carter wait for the other guards to surround them.

"Stehen Sie auf! (Get up!)" orders the German. Slowly, Newkirk stands and helps Carter to his feet.

With an angry spark in his eye and a sadistic smile on his mouth, the Nazi raises his sub-machine gun and points it at Carter's chest.

All of the sudden, someone shouts, "Aufpassen! (Watch out!)" The young German turns to see where the warning came from, only to be met with a flying shoulder tackle in the stomach that plows him into a fuel barrel.

Newkirk and Carter stand in shock as they watch the Nazi grapple with the unknown assailant.

Freddie wrestles with the stunned Nazi and manages to strip him of his weapon, tossing it to the side. Newkirk grabs it and fires into the crowd of soldiers standing around, then turns his attention back to the still unknown 'angel of mercy' who continues to struggle with the enemy.

The guard gets to his feet and tries to kick at Freddie, but she's ready for him. She rolls out of the way and stands up, ready to charge at him again.

Carter stands next to Newkirk, both of them watching as the two silhouettes continue to fiercely duke it out.

Freddie decides to end the duel once and for all. She kicks the guard in the knees until he falls to the ground. She manages to get herself behind the Nazi and begins to pound the back of his head with her fists. Then she very quickly pushes his chin to the left, then brings it violently back to the right. The Nazi makes a final gasp before he falls face first to the dirt, dead. Freddie hangs her head as she rests on her knees.

Newkirk and Carter watch in horror, but move in check on their unknown ally. The Englishman kneels next to her as she removes her watchman's cap.

"Freddie!" he says happily. He immediately takes her into his arms and hugs her. "Are you hurt?"

"No," she answers with a tired smile, shaking the pain from her hand. "How about you two? Are you guys ok?"

"I'm fine," Newkirk says, "but Carter has a broken foot." Carter hobbles over to Freddie, then breaks into a smile.

"Freddie! I didn't know that was you! Where's everyone else?" Her face slips into that familiar hardened look.

"Back at camp," she answers seriously. "LeBeau's the only one who knows I'm here."

"What?"

"Come on," she says. "Let's get out of here before we get hit." Freddie covers Newkirk as he helps balance Carter. Figuring that the Allies are aiming for the buildings, the trio has no choice but to walk out in plain view, risking a ground assult from any direction.

Gertler stands on the porch of the main office and continues to shout orders to his men. Still, he tries to look in control amidst the chaos. Freddie and the boys, meanwhile, stop for a short rest behind a pile of sandbags before they make their sprint towards the gate.

"How are you, Andrew?" she asks her friend.

"I'm alright," Carter answers, trying to mask the immense pain.

"If we were to make a break for the gate, do you think you could run?"

"Maybe. I'm not sure." Newkirk won't let his friend take that chance in his current condition.

"Forget it. I'll carry him."

"Fine," agrees Freddie. She looks around for a break in the action, only to be spotted by Gertler. The trio watches as the fat man orders his troops to take action against them.

"Schlachten sie!"

"Uh oh," Freddie groans.

Newkirk becomes worried. "What's the matter?"

"Gertler ordered his men to slaughter us." Freddie fires a few rounds at the advancing soldiers on their left flank to hold them off while Newkirk sprays the right. Carter reaches into Freddie's backpack and pulls out a granade. He pulls the pin, waits three seconds, then tosses it towards a convoy of fuel trucks.

Suddenly, a distinctive high-pitched whistling sound can be heard over the roaring fires and small explosions.

Freddie stops firing at the Nazis and looks up, as do they. Everyone, no matter what side of the war they were on, looked up towards heaven and waits. All except Gertler, who was still sputtering out his orders.

Newkirk says, "Uh oh."

The whistle begins to take on more of a shrill sound now.

"This is gonna hurt," says Freddie. The three of them huddle together against the sandbags and wait for the bomb to collide with terra firma.

Then it happens.

The bomb drops through the roof of the main building and detonates. The initial explosion of the bomb sounds like a muffled cannon blast, but quickly gives way to the loud bang. The shock waves from the blast knock a few of the sandbags onto the trio, but they're ready and braced for it. The vibration violently shakes the ground as a tidal wave of heat and flame blankets the entire area.

Then as quick as the storm came, it ceased.

Carefully lifting his head out of Freddie's shoulder, Newkirk looks around him. All he can see is twisted metal and burning wood through a foggy, smokey screen. He can hear the echo of the explosion off in the distance.

"Hey," he says gingerly. "It's over." He hears mumbling noises coming from Freddie, so he leans down to check. "Are you alright?"

"8... 7... 6... I'm fine. 5..."

"Why are you countin'?"

"3... 2... fallout. 1..." She ducks down again, pulling Newkirk with her. As soon as they cover up, a shower of dirt and sod rain down upon them and the depot.

Once the earthen shower stops, Freddie raises her head to check their surroundings, but she makes a gruesome discovery. She gasps and shirks back in horror, compelling Newkirk to look.

Laying only inches from Freddie's foot is Gertler's mangled head. The force of the blast blew him off the front steps and propelled him against a metal railing, causing his head to be violently torn from his body instead of being cleanly severed at the neck.

"Oh, God," says Newkirk. He reaches over and pulls Freddie into his chest, embracing her and covering her eyes. "Don't look."

Carter asks, "Is it over?"

"Yes," Freddie says. "It's over." Carter sits up slowly and sees the carnage all around them. Then he sees Gertler's head lying in the dirt. "Holy smokes."

"The bastard got what he deserved," says Newkirk, still holding onto Freddie. She slowly backs out of his embrace, looking at him silently. She pushes one of the toppled sandbags off of her and sits up on her knees to look around. Nothing and nobody was spared from the blast.

All around them lie the dead bodies of the soldiers who guarded the depot. Many of the poor souls didn't run fast enough and were reduced to smoking lumps of human charcoal. The ones who managed to escape fled into the surrounding woods, no doubt going for help.

Any flamable material in the dump was burning; all of the buildings destroyed, all of the fuel vaporized.

"Come on," says Freddie. "Let's get out of here." She slowly rises to her feet, as does Newkirk, who helps Carter up. The Englishman picks up his American friend and carries him across his shoulders as he follows Freddie towards the gate.

The trio head into the woods, hoping to avoid any German patrols who are more than likely on their way to the depot.

When the three of them stop for a moment's rest, Newkirk sets Carter down on a fallen log.

"Boy, I'm sure glad to see you, Freddie," says Carter.

She smiles. "I'm glad to see you, too. I'm happy that you're both still alive."

"Darlin'," asks Newkirk, "is everyone else really back at camp?"

"Yes," Freddie sighs. "I really came out alone. LeBeau wanted to come with me, but I told him no."

"Why?" asks Newkirk.

"Because of the risk."

Carter says, "I don't understand."

"You two were already captured," she explains. "If Louis and I got caught, Colonel Hogan would be missing four agents."

"So?"

"By going alone, if I were to have been captured, the colonel would only be missing three agents. He would still have LeBeau and Kinch to carry out assignments."

"On one hand," says Newkirk, "that was wise. But on the other, you're dumber than sawdust." He takes her hand and firmly says, "You could have gotten yourself killed."

"I know that," she says.

"Andrew and I would have made it back to camp eventually."

"In a box or on your feet?" she fires back. "Peter, I was hoping that you'd be a little more grateful than this."

"I am," says Carter innocently.

"Freddie darlin'," says Newkirk, "I am grateful. I guess that I'm just... well... surprised that you'd come out all by yourself."

"Peter," she says, "I know what I did was stupid. I understand that I could've got myself into some big trouble." She flips some of his brown hair off of his forehead. "Now the only thing I have to worry about is not getting my head bashed in by Colonel Hogan."

"Why?" asks Carter.

Freddie takes a deep breath and says, "He told me not to leave camp. I went against his orders, but I wasn't going to wait for you guys to die."

"You mean," Carter says, "he wasn't going to come for us?"

"Not exactly," she clarifies. "He didn't want to attempt a rescue during a bombing raid. He wanted to wait." She looks at Newkirk, then to Carter. "Look, you two know that I'd never go against Colonel Hogan without good reason. It just so happened that I had two good reasons to disobey him."

Newkirk's gaze drops from Freddie's eyes down to his feet. He's truly grateful for her sacrifice, but he worries now about what Hogan will do to her.

"Freddie," he says, "Colonel Hogan's not gonna be very happy. You do know that, right?"

"Yes, I do. But I've also got a plan so he'll never find out."

"What are you going to do?" Carter asks.

"We'll sneak into the tunnel and fix up Andrew's foot. From there, you'll sneak into your bunks. If anyone should wake up, you'll tell them that you escaped from Gertler and you've made your way back to camp."

"That's smashin'!" says Newkirk, smiling from ear to ear.

"But what about the colonel?" asks Carter. "He'll see us before morning roll call."

"Tell him the same thing," she says. "You broke out yourselves. Then I won't get into trouble for leaving, and he gets two of his men back without bullet holes."

Carter shakes his head. "I don't know, Freddie. I don't want to lie to him. It's not honest."

"I know it's not," Freddie says. "I don't want to lie to him either, but I think it'll be alright this time."

"But you saved us," he presses. "You should get credit for it."

"Look," she says. "Trust me."

Finally, after a slow 45 minute trek through the woods, Freddie and the boys reach the emergency tunnel hatch. She covers Carter as he goes down first, followed by Newkirk. Once they're inside, she slings her gun over her shoulder and begins her decent.

Towards the bottom of the ladder, she sees that Newkirk and Carter have stopped, blocking her way.

"Look out below," she says as she drops down. She turns around and looks over Carter's shoulder and sees Hogan standing before them, arms crossed in front of his chest. Freddie's heart immediately jumps in her throat.

"You mind telling me where you've been?" Hogan asks calmly. Newkirk tries to cover up.

"Who? Us?" He points to Carter and himself.

"We were captured-"

"Not you," interupts Hogan, slightly more aggravated. "I'm talking to Freddie."

Knowing that her plan has been blown, she bravely steps between Newkirk and Carter and claims full responsibility.

"I rescued Newkirk and Carter, sir," she says as she looks Hogan in the eyes.

Hogan's arms slowly unfold and hang at his sides. He takes slow strides over to her.

"I know. LeBeau told me." He stops in front of Freddie, folding his arms again. "I thought I said I didn't want anyone to leave this camp," he says a little louder.

"Yes, sir. You did."

"You disobeyed an order and took it upon yourself to rescue them."

"Yes, sir.

"Do you realize," Hogan points out, "that you could have been killed? Did you even think of that?"

"I did, sir, but I felt it was necessary."

"Necessary? Let me tell you something, sergeant. If you got killed out there, we'd have no way of knowing it. A Nazi patrol could have found your body, identified you as a prisoner from Stalag 13, and Klink would have had his first escape. Our operation would fold, and Germany could win the war. Is that what you want?"

"No, sir."

"Colonel," interjects Carter, "she knows that she-"

"Quiet, Carter." Hogan turns his attention back to Freddie. "Freddie, you're the ideal Allied soldier. Then you pull something like this. I told you. No wildcat missions."

"Sir," she says a little louder, "I apologize, but I thought it was ludicrous to leave two of your men in harm's way without at least trying to rescue them."

"That was my decision, not yours." His eyes are full of disappointment. "Newkirk and Carter are capible of thinking for themselves. Bombs falling from the sky have a tendency of not landing where you want them to. That's why I didn't want to chance sending anyone else out."

"She took a chance because we mean something to her," Newkirk says in Freddie's defense. "I resent you treatin' her like a ruddy criminal. Since when is bein' emotionally motivated a crime?"

While Newkirk and Hogan square off verbally, Freddie begins to think about what she's done. Everything Hogan said is starting to infect her thoughts, filling her mind with doubt. For a few moments, she can't even stomach herself.

"Peter," she says, "the colonel's right. What I did was wrong-"

"No," he says softly. "You did nothin' wrong. You did what you knew was right."

"Peter, I disobeyed a direct order. That's not right."

"But, you saved me and Andrew-"

"-and in doing so, I broke Colonel Hogan's trust." She sets her backpack and MP40 on the table. She looks at Hogan and says, "I'm fully aware of what I've done and of the damage that I could have caused. My actions were not becoming of a non-commissioned officer in His Majesty's Royal Army. In disobeying your orders, I have soiled my reputation and the trust that others place in me." She looks down at her feet, then up at Hogan. "All I can say is... I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?" asks Hogan. "I should make you tell every man in this stalag that you put your own personal agenda above their lives. But I won't." He straightens his posture and says, "Until further notice, you are suspended from action. Confine yourself to your barracks."

After a moment of hesitation, she says, "Yes, sir." Carter and Newkirk can't believe that she is being punished for her heroic efforts. They look at each other in utter disbelief as she heads down the tunnel towards her hut.

"Freddie," calls Carter, "wait-"

"G'dnight, Andrew," she says.

Closing the tunnel entrence behind her, Freddie can feel her temper raging within and her blood boiling over. She tosses her hat on her rack, picks up the small bench next to the table, and hurls it against the wall.

"Herrgott noch mal! (God damn it all!)" she shouts. "Ich Idiot! (What an idiot I am!)"

Her violence doesn't stop there. She retrieves the broken bench and procedes to bash it with her fist, pounding it as if it were a manifestation of herself.

She's so angry and wrapped up in self-hatred that she doesn't hear the stove move behind her. Newkirk followed her back to her barracks, knowing that she was very upset when she left. She turns around and sees him standing there with concern written all over his sweet young face.

"What!" she snarls. "What do you want?"

"Hey," he says softly, holding his hands out in front of him, "calm down. Relax."

"No!" she yells back defiantly. "I can't calm down!"

"Freddie, look at yourself. You're goin' stark-ravin' mad."

"Fine with me!" She picks up the dented and broken bench and again throws it at the wall, this time shattering it. Just as she goes back for the second bench, Newkirk grabs her by the arms and holds her back. Freddie struggles against him briefly.

"Lemme go!"

"Freddie, knock it off!" She breaks his hold, but he circles his arms around her and holds her. "Stop it!"

Freddie begins to settle down as she looks at the damage she's caused. Newkirk's grip loosens slightly, but she shirks his arms off.

"Go back to your barracks," she says quietly as she slowly heads for the officers quarters. "Leave me alone."

"Freddie-"

"I said go away," she says forcefully. She turns and faces him, glaring at him while he looks worried. They stand only a few feet from one another, but her sudden coldness makes it seem like miles. "I... I can't bear to look at you right now." She opens the door and goes inside.

"What? Why?" he asks, confused and somewhat hurt. He follows her and stops her from closing the door in his face. "What have I done?"

"I said go away," she slowly reiterates.

"Damn it, Freddie," he says angrily as he turns her towards him. "Talk to me." Freddie slugs the bed frame as hard as she can.

"I don't want to," she says coldly. She slips past him and heads back into the bunkroom, trying her best to shake him off of her heels. He follows her back out into the other room. "Just leave me alone."

"No," he protests. "I hate seein' you like this. Now, sit down and tell me what the hell's wrong."

Freddie knows that his persistance is going to pay off. No matter how hard she tries to fight it, she can't resist.

She takes a pack of cigarettes out of her coat pocket and tosses them on the table as she sits down next to him. Without looking, she pulls two cigarettes out and puts them in her mouth, lighting them both.

"Here," she says flatly, handing one to Newkirk. He takes it and begins puffing away, his eyes never leaving her face.

He leans a little closer to her and says very gently, "What's wrong?" He watches as Freddie takes a drag from her cigarette, exhaling the smoke out of her nose like an angry bull.

"Everything," she says quietly.

Newkirk snickers a little. "Can you be a little more specific?"

"Alright," she says. "Me. Ok? I am what's wrong."

"You?"

She takes another drag. "Yeah. I'm... failing." Confusion creeps across his face like a dream in the night.

"Failin'? At what?" Freddie slowly turns her head towards him, looking him right in the eye.

"At everything." She rests her chin on her fists in contemplation. Newkirk notices that her knuckles are scratched open and bleeding.

"You're cut," he says as he takes her hand. Just as he's about to wipe the blood from her fingers, she quickly pulls her hand back.

"Don't. Let 'em bleed."

"Freddie, what's wrong with you? You're not actin' like your ol' self."

"I don't want to act like my 'old self,'" she says. "That's what got me into all this trouble." She gets up from the table and slowly paces around the bunkroom.

"What trouble? You mean with Colonel Hogan?"

She sighs heavily. "Yeah." She drops her cigarette on the floor and stomps it out. "I can't go on like I am. It's got to stop."

"Fredricha," he says seriously, "stop dancin' around the question. What's really botherin' you?" She leans back against her bunk and runs her hand through her hair, sighing heavily.

"When Colonel Hogan was yelling at me, I finally realized that I had let my personal life interfere with my job as an Underground agent. I've let the two mesh together, and that's wrong." Newkirk watches in confusion as her face goes blank. "I can't be a soldier... and a lover at the same time."

"What?" he asks softly.

"You heard me. I can't do justice to both, so I have to give one of them up." She lowers her head and closes her eyes. "I'm sorry, Peter, but right now I have to be a soldier."

"You never stopped bein' one," he says. Still, he's confused. She looks him straight in the eye as he rises and slowly walks over to her.

"Don't you understand? I should not have gone to rescue you and Andrew. By going out alone, I put Colonel Hogan's entire operation in jeopardy. That was a stupid, stupid thing to do."

Newkirk can't believe what she's saying to him. She's gone out on dozens of rescue and retrieval missions before, this one shouldn't be any different.

"You're not makin' any sense," he says. "What does any of this have to do with you and I?"

"You got in my way!" she yells. She turns her back to him and leans against the bed frame, her head resting on her fist as she says softly, "My love for you got in the way."

He begins to suspect trouble. "So, what are you sayin'?"

"Peter," she says, carefully touching his hand, but not holding it. "I think it would be for the best-"

"No," he protests, suddenly realizing what she's about to say. "Don't say it. Please."

"Yes," she presses. "I think it would be for the best if we... went our separate ways." Newkirk's heart sinks into the murky depths of sadness as his eyes immediately begin to tear up.

"But why, Freddie?"

"I told you. I can't be a soldier and in love at the same time. And until this war is over, my job must come first."

"No, it doesn't," he pleads.

"Yes, it does. Look, I'm not happy about this either, but I've got to stop letting love dictate my behavior. I've got to start acting like a soldier."

"Darlin', you are a good soldier. You really are. And a good soldier never leaves a man behind. You risked your life to save mine. Andrew's too." He takes her hands and squeezes them tightly. "Please, Freddie, I'm beggin' you. Don't leave me."

Now the pain of saying goodbye is sinking in. She could never stand to see a man cry, especially one who has burrowed himself deeply in her heart. His green eyes begin taking on more tears.

"Peter," she says softly, "how can I make you understand? I was willing to sacrifice the lives of everyone here just to find you and Andrew. I took an unnecessary risk. Two lives are not worth saving if hundreds will be put in danger. You and Andrew could have got yourselves out of trouble, you didn't need my help."

"Don't say that. You're lettin' Colonel Hogan influence you."

"No, I'm not. It's the truth." She rests her head against the bedframe. "You didn't need a woman to rescue you."

"We needed someone," he says. "And it just happened to be you. Freddie, you are more than the average woman. You're tough. You're stronger in body and mind than alot of men I know." He looks into her face. "Is this your way of sayin' that you don't love me anymore?"

"Absolutely not. I'm saying that we should... put our relationship on hold." Freddie lets go of his hands. "Can't we pick up where we left off when the war is over?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because," he says, "if you leave me now, I won't be around to see the war's end. I'll die without you."

"Peter-"

"I wouldn't kill myself." He does his best to keep his emotions under control. "I'd have nothin' to live for, so me heart would just shut down."

Freddie starts to pace nervously. "Andrew is my friend," she says, "but you... well, you've become more than a friend. You're an intimate confidant. We've done alot together. We've talked, shared our deepest feelings with each other, and... other things. But Peter, a good soldier never disobeys an order. Never! And that's exactly what I did. The colonel told me not to leave this camp, but I went anyway. I refuse to let the outfit down, so I have to shape up." She turns to him and says, "But being a woman in love, I couldn't bear the thought of you being stuck in the middle of a bombing raid... so I got you out."

"But you'll stick me in the crossfire now?" he says, his voice cracking slightly with emotion. He rubs his eyes quickly and says, "You saved my life, but now you're gonna kill me? You're gonna take away the one thing that I live for? Freddie, I can't let you go. I won't."

"You have to," she says, turning away from him. "For everyone's sake, you've got to let me go."

"No," he says, pleading desperately as he turns her towards him. "You won't make the same mistake twice. I know you won't."

"How can you be so sure? Huh? If I keep acting from the heart, I'll just screw it all up again, and quite possibly cost someone their life. And that's unacceptable. Escpecially if it's Colonel Hogan's or one of the other fellows. Or worse yet, what if I got you killed?" She turns away from him again. "Love has no place in war."

Newkirk leans in over her shoulder and says very simply, "The girl I love learns from her mistakes. That's what makes her a good soldier."

Hearing him say that makes it harder for Freddie to remain stoic. Her eyes begin to blur with tears, as does his.

"Just because you came to our rescue," Newkirk says, "doesn't mean you did a bad thing."

"But I disobeyed-"

"Freddie," he says. "Don't you get it? Love is more powerful than any man's orders. It made you do what you felt had to be done." He sets his hands on her hips. "You read your Bible everyday, right?"

"Yeah."

He smiles as he makes his point. "If you truly believe in what the Bible teaches, then who is love?" She looks over her shoulder at him with a slight degree of understanding.

"God."

"Right. And God made man and woman. He made them brave and compassionate, both of which you are in abundance. But, more importantly, He wanted them to experience all the good things in life, so He made sure they could feel love towards each other."

They stand in contemplating silence for a few moments, but Newkirk turns her around towards him. They just look into each others eyes and wonder what the other is thinking.

"So," he says, "if you acted out of love, and God is love, then He was the one who told you to disobey the colonel. And doesn't that make His orders a little more important?"

Freddie hesitates, but eventually answers quietly, "Yes." Newkirk steps a little closer to her, hoping like mad that he's convinced her to change her mind.

"I seem to recall a lady tellin' me that God never stands between two people whom He brings together." He carefully sets his hands around her waist again. "If we were brought together through divine intervention, then I think it would be unwise to separate because of the stupidity and conflicts of mankind." She can't say anything, only stand there and look at him with an empty gaze.

"Darlin'," he says, "please believe me. You are the best soldier in the entire British Army."

"No, I'm not. I'm a failure." He gently takes her face in his hands.

"No, love. You are not a failure. If you were, you'd never be a sergeant." His thumbs gently caress her cheeks as he looks sadly into her eyes. "The sergeant I'm lookin' at had a way of makin' this corporal fall ass over tea kettle in love with her. She quietly came into my life and defeated the demons of sorrow." In one last attempt, he says, "If you were a failure, darlin', you wouldn't have made it into my soul because you never would have made it passed my achin' heart."

Freddie slowly lowers her eyes from his, knowing that her words have scared and saddened him.

"Oh, Freddie, I love you so much. I can't think of what my life would be like without you. I don't want to." He slowly removes his hands from her face. "And because I love you," he says, "I'd never make up your mind for you or tell you what to do. All I can do now is hope and pray that you won't leave."

After stating his heartfelt plea, Newkirk slowly heads for the tunnel. She tries to look brave, but he can see that she's having trouble saying they're through.

"Peter, we-" Her true feelings for him choke the words 'it's over' from her throat. She slowly walks over to him and says, "I... we..."

"Darlin'," he says, holding her arms. "I won't stop you from fightin'. I'll help you be an even better soldier. I promise I will."

"I can't... let go of you. You... you are my backbone." For an instant, Newkirk smiles. "Damn it, what am I going to do?"

"That, unfortunately, I can't tell you, love. You have to decide that for yourself."

Freddie knows that she can't possibly turn him away. He has become such a huge part of her life that letting him go would be like cutting out her heart. She looks at him blankly and steps into him slowly, sliding her arms around his body and squeezing him.

"I can't do it," she whispers, almost surprised at herself. "I can't let you go."

Completely relieved, Newkirk hugs her tight, burying his face in her shoulder. He wants to cry, but he wants to show her that he's just as strong.

"Then don't." He runs his hands gently over her back as small tears escape from each eye. "You're my whole life, darlin'. I can't live without you. Please say you-" Freddie backs away from him and puts one finger over his mouth to silence him.

"Shhhh..." she says calmly. After taking a moment to wipe his eyes, she says, "I'll stay."

Newkirk smiles and embraces her slowly, letting her whole body fill his arms. Freddie sets her face close to his neck as she holds him.

"I must be out of my mind," she says. "I can't believe that I actually considered letting go of you. That wouldn't have solved a goddamn thing."

"I know, but it's alright," he says softly. He backs away from her and looks her in the eyes, still holding her close.

"All that would have done," she says, "is made me even more miserable. I'd be so heartbroken and my concentration would be so scattered that I would have botched something up for sure."

"Me too, darlin'." He runs his hand through her hair, pushing the blonde strands back and off of her face. "Me too."

Freddie embraces her young lover. "I guess as long as we have each other, everything will be alright."

"Yes," Newkirk says with a laugh. He runs his thumbs gently around the outsides of her ears and says very softly, "Thanks."

"For what?"

Newkirk sighs with relief. "For not makin' this lovesick man kill himself." Freddie pulls him into her and hugs him again.

"Peter," she whispers, "I love you, my darling. Please, please, please understand that I really do."

"I know you do," he answers. "I never doubted you. I love you, too."

"This is one of those times," she says regretfully, "that I don't understand why you do. I feel as if I don't deserve it."

"You do. You deserve every bit of love and tenderness I can give you." He hugs her again and says, "Someday, I'll give you everything your heart wants. I'll make sure of that. Whatever you want, you'll have it."

"All I want," she says, resting her head comfortably on his shoulder, "is what I'm holding."

Newkirk smiles and kisses her cheek. "I'm afraid that's all you can have right now. I'm flat broke and I can't leave."

"No, Peter," she says, backing away from him, "you are all I want." The smile on his face fades into a serious, almost confused, look. "You're worth more to me than all the material possessions in the world. Your love is all I need."

They stand in silence, just looking long into each other's souls. Freddie's face is full of regret and remorse, knowing that she's hurt Newkirk. He, on the other hand, is just glad that he talked her out of leaving him.

He's a little apprehensive, but he asks, "Freddie, can I-"

She surprises him by beating him to the punch and kisses him full on the mouth. Just as she pulls back, he leans in for another kiss. Slowly the events of the past few minutes fade into the background as their mouths slowly reconcile. Their eyes crack open and gaze at one another when they separate.

"That almost felt like our first kiss," he says, somewhat turned on. "Soft and gentle, and as sweet as honey." Freddie smirks as she hugs him again.

"Peter, I'm so, so sorry that I hurt you. I don't know what happened to me. I guess I was just too angry with myself." She tries to soothe him by running her fingers down the back of his head, gently combing over his brown waves.

"Shhh..." he coos. "It's all over now. Forget it."

"I can't. I mean, I hurt you."

"Darlin', you always hurt the one you love the most. That happens in a relationship. Everyday you and I will say things that we don't mean." He leads her back towards the table. "It doesn't necessarily mean that we hate each other."

"Maybe not each other," she says, "but it makes me hate myself alot more."

"You shouldn't hate yourself either." He takes her hand in his and kisses the palm. "I certainly don't hate you."

"You don't live with me 24 hours a day."

"Not yet," he says with a grin.

"I mean you don't know what goes on inside my head. Hell, I don't even know what goes on in there."

"Maybe not all the time," he says, "but I have a pretty good idea."

"For instance?" she challenges.

"Well, for instance, I know that you are your harshest critic. You can make a simple mistake and it'll send you off the deep end."

"A simple mistake," she says, the tone of her voice suggesting that she's still mad, "can cost someone their life. And being a perfectionist doesn't make my life easier either."

"I know you are," Newkirk says as he kisses her ear, "and I think it's hurtin' you. You put way too much pressure on yourself, like you have to prove something."

"I don't want to slack off or become lax in my duties."

He asks calmly, "Has anyone ever told you that you were?"

"No."

"So why are you killin' yourself?"

She looks at him and sighs heavily. "I don't know. I guess... I guess I've become lost in this whole war. Maybe I'm too motivated or something."

"Yeah." He smiles and puts his arm around her shoulder. "I think you're too wrapped up in revenge when you should be thinkin' about me."

Freddie laughs a little. "Who said I don't think about you? I think about you all the time."

Newkirk grins. "If you have time to hate yourself, then you don't think about me enough." She looks him in the eyes and starts to laugh along with him. She lightly touches his cheek before kissing him.

When they separate, he says, "Come on. Lay down and take a nap."

"Why? I'm not tired."

"I know, but it will help cool your head." Newkirk takes her by the hand and leads her over to her rack, waiting until she lies down before he sits on the edge.

As she lays on her back, Freddie looks down towards her feet at the man she can't help but love. He leans up against the bedpost and stretches his legs out next to her.

"You're my beautiful lady," he says softly.

She smiles and answers, "And you're my handsome flyboy. My one and only." Newkirk's silly smile turns into a big teethy grin before he slips into his Edward G. Robinson impression.

"Yeeeeah. And I'm gonna stay your one and only, see? You're not gonna get away from me, see?" Freddie starts to laugh, causing him to do the same.

"That's another reason why I love you so much," she says. "You always make me laugh."

"Well," he says truthfully, "somebody's got to break the monotony around here." He rubs her leg and says, "To be completely honest, I like the sound of your laugh. It lets me know that your heart is happy, even if it's only for a moment."

Freddie looks at him lovingly. "I'm happy right now."

Newkirk smiles and says, "I'm glad."

"But," she adds, "I'd be even happier if you'd lay here with me for a while."

Without saying a word, he stretches his body out next to hers. They lay facing one another, their hearts floating in a state of contentment. Newkirk gently strokes the side of her face as she tangles her fingers in his sideburns.

"My darling airman," Freddie sighs.

He grins bashfully. "My sweet soldier girl." He leans in and kisses her softly. "I have half a mind to disobey Colonel Hogan m'self. He can't keep you locked away from me."

Freddie winces. "I don't want you to get into trouble with him, too. If I'm confined to quarters, chances are pretty good that no one will be allowed to see me. Not even Schultz."

"I don't care about anyone else. I'm talkin' about me. I'll drop in and see you when I want. Nobody's gonna tell me I can't. I won't let any man stand in the way of me and me girl."

"But the colonel said-"

"I'm not afraid of his silver eagles," Newkirk interupts. "I'll tell 'em off. Man to man. He doesn't scare me."

"What if he sends you to your room, too?" she asks humorously.

He smiles. "Then I'll use the tunnel under me bed to come over here. I'd much rather talk to you than read a book or something."

Freddie smirks at him, almost in a mean way. "Du bist ein Spinner."

"What?"

"I said you're a nutcase." Newkirk begins laughing.

"Yeah, but that's your fault." The smile slowly fades from his boyish face. He scoots himself a little closer to her, almost touching his nose to hers. "I'm serious though, love. I won't let anyone stop me from seein' you."

She sighs heavily. "Don't act out against him or be disrespectful because he punishes me."

"I have no respect for a man who punishes for the wrong reasons." He slips his hand around her waist. "You risked your life to save me an' Andrew. That's what a good soldier does. And bein' an officer, he should know that. Anyone who can't see that doesn't deserve to be in uniform."

Freddie touches the crease in his chin and sighs. "I'm not going to change your mind, am I?"

"No," he says definately. "Not when it comes to your defense."

Suddenly, the door of the hut opens, and in walks Hogan. Newkirk rolls over to see who came in, but stands up when he realizes who it is. Freddie, too, climbs out of bed and stands next to Newkirk.

"Freddie," starts Hogan, nervously. "Have you got a minute?"

"Yes sir," she answers. She tugs at Newkirk's hand and says, "Would you excuse us?"

"No," he says. The young Englishman glares at his commanding officer.

"It's alright, he can stay," says Hogan. The American takes off his cap and rubs his forehead as he sits down at the table.

"Are you going to punish me more, sir?" she asks. Hogan looks her straight in the face, then over to Newkirk, who is about ready to pounce.

"No," he answers slowly. "I know that I came down pretty hard on you back there, and... well, I shouldn't have."

Freddie's somewhat confused. "Sir?"

"The more I got to thinking about what you did, I realized that you actually did me a favor."

"How?" she asks. "I mean, you said for me to stay here and not go."

"I know," he says, "but the more I thought about it, you saved me the trouble of having to break in two new men. By going after Newkirk and Carter all by yourself, you didn't have to waste time with coming up with an escape plan. You just broke in and busted them out."

Her mouth drops open in disbelief. "Sir, I disobeyed a direct order."

"I know you did. I already read you the riot act for it." Hogan stands up and walks over to Freddie. "I'm sorry I lit into you like that. I should have known that you knew what you were doing."

"Colonel," she says, "I didn't. I had no clue what I was doing. I could have got all three of us killed. That's what happens when you act on impulse, sir."

"Look," Hogan says, "I know that you feel like you did something wrong. By the book, yes, you did disobey an order, but luckily some good came out of it. You took a chance, and you won."

"Begging the colonel's pardon," she says, "but I'm not a gambling woman. And I certainly don't gamble with human lives."

"Freddie, we're in the middle of a war. In order to make a difference, you've got to risk everything."

"No sir," she says vehemently. "Not over something so foolish." Hogan smiles at her and puts his cap back on.

"Freddie, everyone knows that you and Newkirk are inseparable. I understand why you rescued him, but what about Carter? Why did you get him out?"

"He's with your outfit, sir," she stoically replies. "He's your demolitions man and he's a hell of a soldier."

"Come on, sergeant," he says. "You didn't think of him like that. He's your friend. You'd never leave him behind." He pats her on the arms and says, "If you didn't have any kind of love for him, you wouldn't have saved him either."

Freddie sighs with defeat, but Hogan refuses to let her feel guilty. "Someday you'll understand that love is the other half of war. Without love, we would feel no sense of patriotism, no need to defend ourselves."

Slowly the truth sets into her mind. She begins to understand that maybe she wasn't a failure after all. Things didn't look so bleak anymore. Maybe she didn't have to separate her duty from her love for Newkirk. And, just maybe, Newkirk was right; maybe she was spending too much time plotting her revenge.

"Freddie," says Hogan, "you're no different than the rest of us here, so stop beating yourself up. You're human, you make mistakes. If you get knocked down, fine. Get up, dust yourself off and learn from it. If you don't learn, then you've been beaten." He sets his hands on her shoulders. "Got it?"

"Yes sir," she says softly. "I got it."

"So," interjects Newkirk, "you're not goin' to discipline her?"

"That's right. She's reinstated, effective immediately." Freddie stands humbly before him.

"Thank you, Colonel," she says. Hogan smiles warmly and gives her a chummy shot in the arm.

"Don't worry about it. Although-" He leans in closer to her and says, "-I should punish you because you're in love with Newkirk and not me, but I'll let that go." He starts to laugh while Newkirk looks a little uncomfortable.

"I appreciate your understanding, sir," she says with a smile. Hogan smiles and shows himself towards the door.

"Well, just remind yourself of what I said if you start to feel unsure again. Ok?"

"Yes sir." He smiles at them both and winks at Freddie as he leaves. She sighs heavily as the whole situation comes peacefully to a close. "Well, I guess that's that."

"Yeah." Newkirk slowly walks up behind Freddie and wraps his arms around her. He sets his chin on her shoulder and says softly into her ear, "I told you you weren't a failure."

"I guess I should have listened, huh?"

"Uh huh."

"Are you going to repremand me for doubting you?" she asks playfully. He smiles and slowly turns her around, waiting for her to circle her arms around his neck.

"If you feel as though you need to be."

"Well," she says before she gives him a gentle kiss, "I think I should be at the very least warned about what I could lose if I don't listen to you again."

"I see," he replies softly. Newkirk kisses her mouth again and says, "Well, I think for starters, I should show you the lips you'd be missin'." He gives her a slow, warm smooch.

"What else?" He begins to sway back and forth with her in his arms, almost like their dancing.

"Your ears would be missin' the most eloquent words that these lips can speak." He places a gentle kiss on her ears. "It's through these lips which my heart sings, weeps, and cries out your name. And your arms would be missin' this body, which is the mere vehicle for those vessels herein."

Freddie squeezes his thick shoulders and says, "You got that right. My arms would be so lonely without it."

"So," he says semi-seriously. "How'd you like your punishment? Quick and painless or... slow and exhaustin'?"

She starts laughing. "Which is worse?"

"The last one," he says with a twinkle in his eye.

"I'll take it." Newkirk stops moving and holds her tight as he kisses her slowly.

"Can I let your hair down?" he asks sweetly.

Freddie nods with a smile, and his hands creep into her hair, gently letting the French braid fall out. His fingers work through the braids, combing and untangling her soft blonde hair.

"I want your hair to spill all around me when we make love," he says in a voice that's barely above a whisper. His fingers continue to comb through her blonde locks. "I want it to touch my chest, my face, my whole body. I wanna wrap m'self in it."

"Yes, darling," she says before he seals her mouth with a kiss. He slowly and deeply probes her with his tongue as her hands hold his thick body near. "How can I make it all up to you?"

"Turn me into a love-sick maniac," he whispers.

"Ja," she whispers in return. He slowly pulls her towards the officer's quarters.

"Make me lose me mind."

"Ja."

"Make me lose control."

"Ja." Freddie lets herself be lead into the other room, kicking the door shut behind her. "Dein Wunsch ist mir Befehl." He inhales deeply through clenched teeth.

"Whatever you just said," he growls, "is turnin' me on."

Looking deep into his greenish eyes, she says, "I said your wish is my command."

Newkirk smiles, groans, and closes his eyes. Without uttering a sound, he conveys his intentions.

Freddie steps forward to kiss him, saying quietly before they touch, "Jawohl, mein liebe."

-Now! Life! Tell me now, in your arms.

All I really need is you by my side.

I sing this to you, all the world and all it is

I bring this to you, this gift of love.

-lyrics from the song "Endless Dream (Talk)" by Yes.

The End
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FanFic
The Richard Dawson Experience

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Last UpDated: 09 July 2002.
Site Copyright © 2000-2002. Lisa Inc., All Rights Reserved.
Story Copyright © 2001. Rhonda "StuntChick36" Inc., All Rights Reserved.

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