On a Wing and a Prayer

I Promise

October 16th 1943, Thorpe Abbott AAF base

Munster had been his 25th mission. It was an achievement he could only have dreamt of when he first set foot on English soil. He had imagined celebrating the achievement with Gale and John, not sitting alone on the wing of his plane. It hadn't felt right celebrating the evening of the Munster mission, not when they had lost so many. Hugh had arranged with Harding to push the celebration back until the weekend but his crew was becoming impatient and he couldn't deny them their chance to celebrate.
The rest of his crew were celebrating in the mess hall, he'd been there for a good portion of the evening, drowning his sorrows in the corner. His crew couldn't wait to go home to their families but Hugh... well he couldn't bear the thought of going home without Hope. How could he leave her behind?
He sat precariously on the plane's wing, his legs swinging beside one of the engines as he took a long swig from the champagne bottle he'd stolen from the officers club. The liquor was foul, but then again Hugh did only really have a taste for the VAT-69. What he wouldn't give for a glass of it right now. Hell, if only Bucky hadn't stolen his 25th mission bottle from his footlocker.
Hugh slouched back, an elongated sigh leaving his lips. What he wouldn't give to have Bucky sat beside him now. Damn, he'd give him the bottle just for some company. For some normality. Despite having bickered like an old married couple, Hugh missed Bucky more than anything, or was it the link that Bucky bought with him. Wherever Bucky was, Buck wasn't far behind, which meant Hope wouldn't be far behind him.
Hugh rubbed the single tear that slipped down his cheek, as he sucked in another mouthful of the cheap, nasty alcohol. He was surprised he had any tears left to cry, between losing Hope, then losing nearly all his friends, completing his 25th mission seemed so insignificant when no one was there to celebrate with him. Rosie had tried to reassure him, and Croz had sat with him for a long while as he cried, then again Croz had his owns demons to fight after losing Bubbles.
The sun would rise soon, a very bright, orange line appeared on the horizon, bringing the promise of a new day that Hugh couldn't wait to see the back of. 'Just fly your Goddamn plane and kill some Nazis' he'd told himself when Harding had informed him of today's mission, 'Do it for Hope.'
The rumble of an approaching jeep stirred Hugh from his thoughts and Ken Lemmons could be seen below, waving up at him.
"Good mornin', Major," Ken smiled cheerfully, but his face soon fell as Hugh waved back at him, bottle of champagne still in his hand. "Major, you been out here all night?"
"I don't know, Ken. Honestly, I don't really remember much from last night," Hugh admitted, lighting up a cigarette and taking a long drag, admiring the way the smoke wafted into the early morning sky.
"That's probably for the best," Ken laughed, climbing up beside him, taking the cigarette from his outstretched and inhaling deeply. "You had quite the night."
"Oh yeah, any good stories?" Hugh mumbled, he could barely remember reaching his plane let alone anything before that.
"Well, I can safely say that Pappy thinks you were a stripper in a former life."
Hugh cocked his head, staring at Kenny as he waited for the punchline that never came. Ken's face remained plain and stoic and Hugh realised that he was speaking the truth. He'd wondered where his jacket and shoes had gone.
"I guess I did have a good night then," he mumbled, taking another swig from the bottle. He rubbed his hand along the Forts wing in admiration. "She sure is a fine one, Ken. Hope would be proud."
Ken nodded solemnly, placing a comforting hand on Hugh's shoulder. "I really am sorry Hugh."
"Ah, it's not your fault, Kenny," Hugh turned to face the young mechanic. "Hope was always a free spirit, it was only a matter of time until her luck ran out. I guess that's what happens to us all eventually. Our luck runs out."
"Don't go thinking like that, Major. You're coming back here in one piece and you're bringing this Fort back with you. Remember you're a member of 'Hope's Heroes' now, she's looking out for you."
Hugh chuckled at the Fort's name, it had been a surprise from Croz and Rosie after he'd completed his 25th mission. They'd had Ken and his boys paint over the original pinup and replaced it with a nurse with an uncanny similarity to Hope, paired with the name... well Hugh couldn't have been more proud. He wasn't sure what crew would be flying with him, his original crew had become family and it would be strange to fly without them. It didn't matter really, as long as they did their jobs. Besides he'd be flying with his sister now so he'd never truly be alone.
"This one's for you, Hope."
He raised the bottle high, pouring the rest of the alcohol down onto the plane's wing, watching as it ran along the rivets, dripping down onto the tarmac below.
He nodded towards Ken who sent him a small smile in reply, helping him up and off the wing.
"For Hope," he mumbled under his breath, glancing back at the plane one last time before reluctantly following the mechanic to the jeep. "For Hope."

.................................................................................
October 22nd 1943, Stalag Luft III

His whole body ached, each step felt like a mammoth effort as his sharp eyes stared up at the gates before them. The track through the pine forest felt like an eternity, and yet now when stood in front of the gates that sealed his fate, Gale realised he could have walked for miles if it meant not ending up in another camp like Dulag Luft. The large gates swung back on their hinges with a clang, shaking the barb wire along the fences. Gale could feel the eyes of guards on him from every angle. Large watch towers stood high above the camp, every area under intense scrutiny from the Luftwaffe guards. Demarco mumbled something beside him but he barely registered his copilot's voice, too preoccupied by the intense feeling of dread. He prayed Hope hadn't ended up in a place like this.
The sea of prisoners moved as one, sweeping through the gates in a mass as the Kraut guards shouted at them. Everything had to be shouted, to be loud and unsettling. It was the way they worked. Gale shuffled onwards, keeping his head down and ignoring Benny's protests from beside him. He glanced up when a few unfamiliar voices began to call out to them.
His eyes trailed along the barbed wire fencing, looking into the compounds on either side of him. Multiple  wooden huts occupied each compound and people began to funnel out of them. The prisoners began flocking towards the new arrivals, moving as fast as they could in their incapacitated states. Their clothes hung loosely to their starved bodies, grime and dirt clinging to their skin. Gale winced at the smell as they enclosed around them, forming ranks against the wire fencing.
Their hands reached through the wire, grasping and shouting at the new prisoners. Some were dressed in the easily recognisable AAF uniforms, while others were RAF. Gale tried to keep his head low, moving forward one step at a time.
It wasn't until Benny's elbow dug sharply into his ribs that his head shot up. He glared at his copilot who pointed forward.
"I may be hallucinating but isn't that Hope?" Gale's heart leapt and he followed Benny's outstretched finger to a small, dark-haired figure huddled near the end of the compound.
"Hope?"
The figure raised its head and he meant the unmistakable dark eyes of his fiancée.
"HOPE!" He rushed forward, ignoring the fact that he was breaking formation and he no longer cared. It was Hope, his Hope. She was alive.
As he reached her, he squeezed his hand through the fence, grasping hers. It felt cold and frail beneath his touch. What had they done to her?
"Oh Hope," the words fell weakly from his lips, his voice cracking at the effort of containing his emotions.
"Gale?" Hope whispered, her dark eyes looking at him tearfully. She weavedher hand through the fence further to grip hold of his jacket, "Gale?"
"It's me. I'm here," he reassured her, needing her to know that this was real. He pulled her as close as he could through the fence, craning his neck so he could place his lips to hers. Despite the awkward angle, their lips met briefly. It was the faintest and briefest kiss they had ever shared, and yet Gale knew it would be a kiss he'd remember for the rest of his life.
"I can't believe I found you," he admitted, letting large tears rolled down his dirty cheeks. He didn't care who was watching, it didn't matter anymore. "I found you, just like I promised."
Hope opened her mouth but the shout of a guard behind them silenced her. Gale felt a hand gripping his back, dragging him back and inline with the other prisoners. Gale tried to stand his ground but the guard raised his weapon, prodding it into Gale's chest as he shouted.
He threw his hands into the air, backing further away but his eyes stayed on Hope's. "I'll find you, Hope. I promise I'll find you," he shouted as he was moved further away from her.  He couldn't stand to see the pain in her eyes but he couldn't bring himself to look away from her. His eyes remained trained on her small figure until she completely disappeared from view.
His heart sank and he felt Benny's arm wrapping around his shoulder, encouraging him forward.
"It will be okay, Buck. She's alive, that's all that matters."
Gale knew he was right but the image of Hope looking so distraught and broken was seared into his mind. How could someone so brave look so broken? Gale hated to think what his girl had to endure but he was here now and he wasn't about to let her suffer if he could help it.