The bullpen was deadly quiet and all eyes were on their fellow agent as he approached the closed door of the Major's office. All knew that "Iron Klaus" was not going to be pleased with the message; therefore, the messenger was in for an unpleasant time of it.

Agent Z paused in front of the door and glanced back at his comrades in time to see Agent G grin at him and give him the thumbs-up sign. He turned back to the door, rapped softly, and took a deep breath.

"Enter!"

As Z came to stand in front of the Major's desk, he noticed the brimming ashtray and the empty paper coffee cups littering the floor around the wastebasket. The Major himself was wearing the same clothing he had been wearing when he had sent Z off on his mission more than 36 hours ago, and he looked rumpled, tired and worried. Z glanced into the corner and saw that the cot there had not been slept upon. Oh dear. Best to get it over, then.

"Sir. I regret to inform you that... I have not been able to locate him." Z waited for the inevitable explosion but, strangely, none seemed to be forthcoming.

Major Eberbach sighed heavily, reached for his cigarettes and lit one. He leaned back in his chair and asked almost resignedly, "You have been to England? You spoke with his staff?"

Agent Z answered calmly, "I did, sir. He was not in London, nor was he at his castle in the countryside. I spoke with Mr. Bonham at the castle, but he had no answers."  He paused for a moment, and then continued hesitantly, "He personally told me he could not reach the Earl to deliver a message. Not even one from you... er, from NATO, sir."

Usually, the Major would have exploded at this point - shouting his disappointment, screaming derogatory epithets about undependable, flighty perverts who should know when their skills were needed. But the Major only continued to smoke his cigarette, staring blankly across the room.

It was a relief not to fall under the assault of the Major's tongue - especially about Eroica -- yet Z was less relieved than he was concerned about the Major's out of character behavior. It disturbed him enough to venture a conjecture of his own.

"Major, it seemed very odd to me, but I believe that even Mr. James truly doesn't know where the Earl may be."

"Hmmpf. If that little parasite doesn't know where Eroica is then Eroica does not wish to be found. Not even by his staff." Klaus crushed his half smoked cigarette onto the others in the ashtray, and rose wearily. Shrugging into his rumpled suit coat, he said quietly, "And I am out of time."

As the Major rounded his desk, Agent Z asked worriedly, "Is there anything further I may do, sir? Do you require assistance?"  Blushing to the roots of his blond hair, he forged on,  "Forgive me, Major, but... well, you know sir, that I would do what I could. If you needed me."

Klaus met his agent's eyes and held them for a moment before he replied, "Thank you, Z. No, there's nothing." 

He opened the door and ushered Z out into the bullpen, where the other members of the alphabet were acting busy and disinterested. He rolled his eyes and strode toward the elevator. At the last moment he turned and said loudly, "The Chief has declared that this section is on mandatory leave until after the New Year. Leave your emergency contact information with personnel in case you are needed. You are dismissed as of five o'clock this afternoon. Happy Christmas."

The stunned faces of his subordinates were almost enough to make him smile. The elevator door closed before he could hear the joyful outburst his announcement caused. Klaus fisted his hands in his pockets and endured the silent ride to the upper floors.

So. It had finally happened.

Klaus found it more than ironic that the only time he had ever wanted Dorian's help he wasn't going to get it. He had needed that help many times -- not that he'd admit it -- but he'd never wanted it before. How many times had he ranted and raved about having to work with the idiot? He had lost count. And now when he most needed someone he could trust...

And when had that happened? The trust. Klaus was too tired to examine that too closely, so he just accepted it as given and moved on to the next disturbing thought: This was not only NATO business, it was Eberbach family business. Now he had to deal with the fact that he trusted Dorian with his family's honor.

Klaus exited the elevator and strode down the hallway to the large double doors. Invisible hands opened the doors just as he arrived and he entered the room to face the two men who sat silently waiting for him. He was itching for a cigarette.

One of the men spoke. "Well, Klaus?"

"I'm sorry, Father. The man I wanted for the job is nowhere to be found."

"Ha!" The Chief smirked knowingly at the Major. "You mean you finally pissed him off enough that he's unwilling to work with you. It was only a matter of time."

Klaus flushed angrily and ground his teeth. Baron Eberbach shot a warning look at the Chief and addressed his son. "We shall have to use someone else then. How soon can you reach your second choice?"

"There is no second choice and there is no more time to waste. I will go alone."

The silence that greeted that statement spoke volumes.

At length, the Chief spluttered, "Nonsense! We have others who can perform Eroica's task in this mission. It's quite a simple job, really. I'll have Hoerner here in two hours!"

"No, sir." Klaus met and held his father's eyes and said quietly, "There is no one else I can trust with this. If Eroica cannot do it, I must go alone."

"Really, Major, you forget yourself! You will do as I command you!"

"Not in this matter, sir," Klaus ground out from between clenched teeth.

Baron Eberbach, stunned and anxious, looked carefully at his son. So much already at stake... and now Klaus would undertake this alone. Fear for his son's life fought it's way to the front of the old man's mind, and he struggled silently with it for long minutes before he finally nodded to Klaus. He might not understand completely, but he did know that Klaus would not relent on this matter.

"Thank you, Chief, but I must agree with Klaus. If he resists the aid of another of your agents, I cannot help but question their ability and their trustworthiness. As the Secretary has guaranteed your cooperation, I feel I must ask for that at this time."

The Chief's already florid face turned positively crimson in outrage, but before he said something he might regret he pulled himself together. Be it on their heads then. The Secretary, who was aware of every nuance of this situation, could hardly blame him if Iron Klaus screwed this up. It did make him wonder again what was in those documents that had the Secretary bending over backward like this.

"Tell me then, Major Eberbach," he spit out. "If you must make the choice of saving either the documents or the children, which will you choose? Eh?"

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

A little later that afternoon, Klaus poured another cup of coffee for himself and one for his father as they sat watching the clock in Klaus' flat. Klaus had slept for an hour or so and had showered and changed into his black clothing, fully prepared for a night mission. In all that time, the two men had not spoken.

Finally, the Baron broke the heavy silence. "You must think very badly of me right now, Klaus, and nothing I can say can change that, I know."

"Sir?"

"You must understand that the Secretary and I were both hotheaded fools in those days, daring much with little care for the consequences. To set our signatures to a paper like that was incredibly stupid. But to see such a nebulous pledge now fraudulently attached to documents of such horrifying gravity as this..." The old man's voice broke. "With children's lives hanging in the balance to prevent us moving against them. Who are these people, that they do such heinous things in the name of politics?"

The Major sighed heavily. "In this instance, Father, I don't really care."

It was true. Usually, he cared a great deal about who his enemies were. Knowing them was the key to bringing them down.

But right now all he could think about was that he had let something very important slip through his fingers, and it was no enemy. It was something rare and precious that he could have had if only he had reached out to accept it.

Klaus raked his hand through his hair. Time was growing short. Klaus looked at all the possibilities and shook his head.

"I must go. My transport will be waiting at Altestrasse, so I have a bit of a trek ahead of me." 

He took a deep drag on his cigarette and raised his eyes to meet his father's. The Baron saw no fear - only resignation and what he took to be a deep sadness. Klaus crushed out his cigarette, blew out the smoke, and then spoke in a low voice.

"I need to tell you what might happen. We know that right now they have the papers in the same house where they are keeping the boys. This is, perhaps, our only chance to end both of these nightmares. We must strike with the objectives of removing both the documents and the hostages.

"If the thief Eroica had been able to assist me, both objectives would have been easily accomplished this evening. However, without him..." 

Klaus paused and closed his eyes as if in sudden pain. "Without him, I..."

Klaus took a deep breath, and rose from his chair to move to the window. From across the room, he continued in a harder tone. "If I must go alone, then I must. So. I intend to locate the documents and destroy them." 

When Baron Eberbach began to interrupt, Klaus continued quickly, "No, I cannot bring them back to you -- as much as I know that you and the Secretary need to have them. If I preserve the papers and I am caught attempting to free the children, we lose all."  He paused to let the truth of the matter sink into his father's mind.

"I will destroy the papers first. I know that I can accomplish that at the least. I wish I could say that my cousin Dieter and the others are more important, but we both know that a few lives, when weighed against the devastation those papers could cause, is small enough price to pay. The documents must be the priority." He turned to look out the window, seeing nothing.

"It will take me longer than it would take Eroica to gain access to the room and to the safe where the papers are kept. That is what places the rest of the mission in jeopardy. But if I am caught attempting the secondary objective... I swear to you that the boys will not suffer any more. I will kill all three of them myself before I let them be hurt any more by those monsters. And I will die with them rather than return without them.

"No, don't interrupt me, please, sir. If I don't say these things now... But do not ask me to discuss them."

He turned to face his father, who was looking much older than his years. "I need you to know that, although we have never been as close as either of us might have wished, I have the utmost respect for you and that I..."

The Baron nodded his understanding of what his son was trying to say. Klaus continued.

"Also, I have a favor to ask. If I do not... I fully expect to succeed, sir. But if I do not, please deliver a message from me to Dorian Red, the Earl of Gloria, in Britain. Tell him I said I was sorry. Tell him that I understood, finally, and that I was sorry. That is all."

The Major did not wait for any comment from his father. He stooped to buckle the ankle holster into place and checked his spare weapon. He adjusted the narrow belt of small tools and made certain they made no noise. He had just slipped into his lightweight jacket when the knock came.

Klaus ignored it. The Baron stood, but his son shook his head. He was not expecting anyone, and he had more important things to do than deal with whatever was behind the door.

Then both men heard a teasing voice, "Major, if you don't want anyone to know you are home you shouldn't stand by the window!"

Klaus reached the door in two long strides and jerked it open. Leaning against the doorframe in a flirtatious pose, stood Dorian - a vision in red velvet and white ermine.

"Darling! Here's Father Christmas himself come to bring you your heart's desire. Have I surprised you?"

"Dorian!" Klaus gripped the other man by the shoulders and hauled him into the room and into a fierce embrace, kicking the door closed behind them.

He crushed Dorian's slender body to him and pressed his face into Dorian's luxurious hair as he rasped out, "Christ! Dorian, where have you been?"

Dorian was momentarily stunned by this display - and in front of an audience, too! - but he quickly adapted and wound his arms around his beloved's waist. He had dreamt of this moment too many times not to take serious advantage of the situation. He pressed himself against Klaus and let his hands roam up and down the broad, muscular back.

When he was not thrown across the room, yelled at or punched in the face for his daring, Dorian became seriously concerned and tried unsuccessfully to pull back a little and look into Klaus' face. He was forced to yield to the stronger man and, with very little resistance, relaxed into the embrace.

He could feel Klaus trembling and hear him breathing in gasps. Offering comfort, Dorian rubbed little circles on his back. His concern growing by leaps and bounds, he asked,

"What is it, Klaus? Tell me what's happened."

At this moment the Baron, who had been too stunned to move, cleared his throat and asked, "You are the Earl of Gloria?"

Finding himself unable to extricate himself from Klaus' arms and quite content with it, Dorian answered brightly, "Yes, I am. And you are...?"

"My father," said the husky voice in Dorian's ear.

"Oops," said Dorian, blushing to the roots of his hair.

Klaus, his arms still wrapped tightly around Dorian, said with admirable gravity, "Father, allow me to introduce you to Dorian Red, Earl of Gloria, also known to a very few as Eroica."

The Baron goggled for a moment, taking it all in. He thrust everything else from his mind and grasped the most important detail.

"Eroica! Good God, you're just in time! You must go with Klaus at once."

"Yes?" Dorian asked, finally prying Klaus' arms loose enough to see into his face. "Tell me, Klaus. Where are we going?"

Klaus reached up an unsteady hand to smooth a few errant strands of blond glory from Dorian's beautiful face. For a moment, he allowed himself simply to look at Dorian, taking in the flushed cheeks and happily sparkling blue eyes.

His world changed. He hadn't lost this; he still could have this. How could he have ever been so utterly stupid as to push Dorian away?

Dorian had to ask again. "Where, Klaus?"

He pulled himself together and answered seriously, "To the rescue. Where are your work clothes?"

"Er... my work clothes?"

"Yes, that ridiculous cat-suit of yours and your tools. You'll get the documents from a safe on the third floor while I get the hostages out of another wing of the house. It's very important to my father and me. And NATO, of course."

"Ah, of course," Dorian said. He lowered his eyes in disappointment. "You need Eroica."

Dorian struggled to keep the hurt from his voice and said quietly, "Well, all right then. If it's that important to you, I'm in. My things are in the car downstairs."

He took a deep breath and said lightly, "Clever of you to know I'm never without them. I'll fetch them up, shall I? And you can tell me everything."

"Yes," Klaus said.

He still hadn't released his hold on Dorian and now drew him back into a gentler embrace. He reveled in the flat hardness of the male chest pressed against his and breathed in his delicious scent.

Dorian was becoming more and more confused. Klaus was holding him as if he were the most precious treasure in the world. He could barely stop touching him. And yet he merely needed him for a mission. What was happening?

As if he had heard the unasked question, Klaus very deliberately tilted Dorian's chin up and met his eyes before he lowered his head and took Dorian's mouth in a searing kiss.

Dorian gasped in wonder and his lips parted to take in the Major's questing tongue. The kiss was everything Dorian had known it would be: focused and thorough, just like Klaus. In seconds Klaus' kiss became demanding, erotic. Dorian felt claimed. He melted against Klaus and returned the kiss with all his experience and all his love.

Long minutes later they broke apart gasping for breath. Dorian gazed adoringly at his Major, and managed to whisper, "Klaus?"

Carding Dorian's long golden hair through his now steady fingers, Klaus said, "NATO and Eberbach need Eroica. I need you."

Klaus took advantage of Dorian's stupor and kissed him again. Breaking away, he passed his thumb over the other man's swollen lips before he pushed him gently toward the door.

"Go. There will be time for us after we complete the mission."

"For us? You mean..." Dorian asked a little breathlessly.

Klaus rolled his eyes in mock frustration.

"Idiot. I just kissed you -- like that -- in front of my father. Before going on a dangerous and important mission. That should tell you how serious I am. I promise you, we have much to talk about." 

His body stiffened as an unwelcome thought came to him. "That is, if you wish it."

Dorian was back in Klaus' arms in a heartbeat. "I wish it! Oh, love, I have wished it since we first met."

He placed a kiss over the Major's heart as he pulled away and headed out the door leaving a vast silence behind him.

Klaus turned to face his father for the first time since Dorian had entered the room. To his surprise, the Baron looked neither shocked nor outraged.

"That is Eroica?" the Baron asked.

Klaus nodded.

"The only one you would trust with our family secrets?"

Another nod.

"That is also Dorian? The one you left the message for?"

"Yes, sir."

"He acted as if... Was that the first time you had kissed him?"

"Yes, sir."

"And you've known him, worked with him for how long?"

"Almost ten years. It's taken me this long to work up to it."

"Work up to...?"

"To kissing a man. To knowing I wanted a man. This man."

"Oh. Oh, yes. I see."

The Baron took deep breath. "I suppose you should invite him to Eberbach for Christmas, in that case. Providing, of course, that tonight..."

Klaus grinned. "Oh, I don't fear failure now, sir. We'll have the documents and the boys back safely in just a few hours. It might be a little tricky, but between the two of us, we'll manage it."

Another silence descended for a minute or two.

Finally, Klaus cleared his throat and said quietly, "Father?"

The Baron met his son's eyes and smiled. He rose and took Klaus in his arms, as he hadn't done since his childhood. Klaus embraced his father and pulled away slowly as Dorian came back into the room, eyes sparkling.

It would be a long and nerve-wracking night for all of them, but Klaus had regained his confidence and composure. He would see it all through if he personally had to massacre a battalion to get it done. He had a lot to look forward to. Just watching his father become acquainted with Dorian should be worth it.

Dorian, meanwhile, was thinking the same thing. He had a lot riding on the success of this mission. The sooner they got this over with, the sooner he and Klaus could get down to negotiations, among other things. Oh, yes, there would be negotiations. He thought he might be able to convince the Baron to become his ally... But first things first.

The Baron watched bemusedly as the two men discussed the mission and prepared for it in a comfortingly military way. Both men felt that all would be well, and the Baron found himself relaxing a bit. As he watched, Eroica came to terms with the situation and seemed to harden. In his own way, he seemed to be just as focused and determined as Klaus. If the Baron hadn't seen all that red velvet and fur earlier, he would never have guessed that this cool, confident agent was that... fop.

He snorted under his breath. Who would have guessed that Klaus... But as he watched his son watch his soon-to-be lover he wondered just how Klaus had managed to deny his feelings for all these years. He had never seen that look in Klaus' eyes before tonight. No matter what he had hoped and wished for Klaus, at least he now knew that his son would know love.

And joy would come with the morning.

*******************************************************

"Oh you beneath life's crushing load, whose forms are bending low,

Who toil along the climbing way with painful steps and slow.

Look now, for glad and golden hours come swiftly on the wing.

O rest beside the weary road and hear the angels sing."

The End.