BACK AGAIN WITH ANOTHER STORY, WONDERFUL READERS! MORE ONE-SHOTS IN THE WORKS, BUT THIS WILL OBVIOUSLY BE A MULTI. PLEASE REVIEW AND COMMENT, BECAUSE I NEED YOUR FEEDBACK... I'M UNDECIDED ON A DIRECTION FOR THIS ONE RIGHT NOW, AND I WANT TO KNOW WHAT THE READERS WANT!

** CHRISTINA POV **

"I respect you wanting to serve your country, but with all due respect young lady, how in the hell did you expect to make it into the paratroops?"

Colonel Robert Sink sat on the edge of his desk, arms crossed, staring in disbelief and mild amusement at the eighteen-year-old girl standing at attention in front of him. I didn't blame him really. I could see what he must have seen. I must have seemed like a joke that someone was playing on him. My long hair was shorn off and I'd made an attempt to disguise the presence of breasts by wrapping them in bandages. A little of my inheritance money had gotten me through the paperwork and physical examinations, and pure determination and late night showers after the others were asleep had gotten me through the first few weeks of training. Then, Sobel had shoved me as we were running Currahee. I'd rolled and hit my head, and woke up on the side of the hill with Eugene Roe staring down at me in wide-eyed shock.

Something had cut me during the fall, and when Roe had pulled open my shirt to staunch the bleeding, the bandages that had concealed my true identity were revealed. Lieutenant Sobel had exploded. He was shrieking in anger, ordering the men gathered around me to keep running, except for Roe and Denver Randleman, who he ordered to carry me and follow him to Colonel Sink's office.

For the first time, I was worried. Not about getting caught, but about Bull. We were friends, and I hoped that Sobel wasn't going to suggest guilt by association. There was no reason for him, or any of the others, to be in trouble. They'd truly had no idea of my secret. That brought me to my other concern. Now that they knew that I'd been lying to them… that I was a woman… how would they react? Would they speak to me? If I were allowed to stay, which wasn't at all likely at this point, would they accept me?

None too happy to have to lug me down the mountain, Bull obeyed the order with his jaw clenched tightly. I waited until Sobel was ahead of us, out of earshot, and made an attempt to apologize.

"Bull, I'm really sorry about this."

He cut me off quickly, his voice still angry, growling "Don't, Chris. Or whatever your real name is. Just don't."

"Christina," I managed sadly. "My name is Christina."

The rest of the walk to Sink's office was a silent one. Along the way, Sobel pulled Lieutenant Winters into the mix as well, demanding to know if he had been aware of the situation. Of course, he had not, but Sobel marched our whole procession into the Colonel's office unannounced.

"What the hell is this all about?" Sink had demanded, unhappy at having been barged in on. "Sobel? Explain yourself."

"That," Sobel squawked, pointing at me, still cradled in Bull's arms, "is a woman, sir! A woman who has been hiding out in my company, parading herself around as one of the men!"

Bull put me on my feet and, despite his anger at me, held me steady until I regained my balance. I stood at attention before the Colonel, trying to appear unruffled. He appraised me for a moment, and then looked at the others. It was not a look of understanding.

"Permission to speak, sir."

"Granted."

"Sir, none of the men in this room knew anything. Nor did any other member of the company. They've all known me as Private Chris Green since my arrival, and I have made every effort to conceal my identity until today. There was an accident on Currahee, and when Roe attempted to treat me, they discovered that I was a woman. I'll take any punishment you deem fit, sir, but please don't blame any of them."

He sighed and crossed his arms, leaning back against the desk and studying me for a moment. At last, he agreed and dismissed Gene and Bull back to the barracks. Winters, still shocked at the discovery, and Sobel, ever smug at the idea of one of us being punished, remained behind me as the Colonel finally addressed me.

"I respect you wanting to serve your country, but with all due respect young lady, how in the hell did you expect to make it into the paratroops?"

"With all due respect, Colonel, I've made it this far."

"Fair enough. But do you really think that you can make it through some of the most rigorous training in the military? You're a woman. Are these men going to respect you?"

"No!" interjected Sobel. "The men will want nothing to do with her, or she will be a distraction to them! She will wind up pregnant or…"

"Enough, Herbert. Let her explain herself."

"Sir, I should have as much chance to make it through this training as any man here. If I can't, then I'm gone. I understand that. With regard to the men, I'm not sure. I know that many of them are probably angry at having been fooled over the last few weeks, but from what I know of these men, they respect those who work hard and earn that respect. I believe that I can earn it if I am given the opportunity to do so, and I won't stop trying until I do."

"Why? Why are you here, Private Green? Surely there must be something else an attractive, intelligent young woman could be doing. What does your family think of this?"

"I have no family, sir. I'm an orphan. I received a sizeable inheritance and went to nursing school. My teachers saw potential and had me posted at a military hospital. Someone came through discussing the possibility of some of the doctors training as paratroopers, and I saw an opportunity to serve my country and, perhaps, save lives. I'm determined, a quick learner, and I grew up hunting, so I can shoot. That, in addition to my medical training, will make me an asset to this company, sir. Just give me the opportunity to prove it to you. Please. I have nothing and no one to go home to."

Behind me, Sobel snorted derisively, but the Colonel was studying me now. His eyes held mine, and as they probed my pleading stare, they seemed to soften a bit. Surprisingly, Winters voice broke the silence.

"Sir? If I may?" Sink, still looking at me, gave a small nod and Winters stepped up beside me and continued, "Thus far in the training, Private Green has proven capable and hard-working. I know it's unusual, but since she has already made it this far, couldn't we at least allow her the opportunity to prove her assertions? I see little reason to prevent her from continuing as, if she is not capable, that will soon be discovered. With regard to the men, if you are concerned, we could quarter her with the officers until such time as we feel she is accepted as one of them or she leaves training. I'll take personal responsibility for her until then."

Instantly, the weeks of pain, secrecy, and work were worth it. Winters was universally respected, and the fact that he was willingly vouching for me meant a great deal. Sobel was incredulous, but Winters' endorsement also, apparently, carried weight with the Colonel.

"You think she's worth all that trouble, Dick? You're willing to take this young woman into the officers' barracks, and to look out for her despite the fact that there is a strong possibility that the men will be reluctant to accept her? You're going to protect her from those that may try to… take liberties… with a seemingly vulnerable young woman?"

Winters nodded.

"I think she's earned the opportunity to prove her assertions in this office that she could be an asset to the paratroops. I also believe that, when all is said and done, she will earn the respect of Easy Company, such that she will no longer be in need of my protection."

"Well then, Lieutenant Winters, I will give you both the opportunity to prove me wrong. Private Christina Green, you will remain a member of Easy Company, under the direct supervision of Lieutenant Winters. You will gather your belongings and report to the officers' barracks until such time as it is deemed appropriate for you to quarter with the enlisted men. The two of you will report to me once a week, at which time Winters will provide me with reports of your progress. Mind you, I will be doing some observation of my own. Prove me wrong, Private Green. Dismissed."

Sobel stayed behind to argue, although it appeared through the window that Sink was merely humoring him rather than actually listening at this point. As the door closed, I breathed a sigh of relief and looked up at my new guardian.

"Thank you, sir. You didn't have to do that."

His face was serious, but his voice was soft.

"There was too much conviction in your voice for me not to, Private. Now all you have to do is prove me right, make it through training, and earn the respect of a bunch of young, macho men so laden with testosterone that they volunteered to jump out of planes for a living. No pressure. Come on. Let's go get your belongings and get you settled. A woman in the barracks? Nixon is going to be like a kid on Christmas morning."

No pressure indeed. When we reached the barracks I had originally been assigned to, it seemed that every single member of Easy Company was inside, and the volume of the conversation drifting out the door left little mystery as to the topic. Nor did the way that they all stopped and stared when Winters and I walked in. The roar became a silence so complete that I could hear the sand shuffling beneath the feet of a few of them as they shifted to get a look at the woman who'd been hiding amongst them for the better part of a month.

I moved to my former bunk, the weight of their gazes heavy on me as I gathered my belongings and bedclothes and folded them into my footlocker. Bull's bunk had been nearest to mine, and he stood between them now, refusing to look at me. Instead, he spoke to Lieutenant Winters.

"I hope Sobel doesn't punish us for this, sir. Maybe now that she's leaving, we can…"

"She's not leaving, Private Randleman."

"She's not?"

A rumble of disbelief went around the room, but Lieutenant Winters held up his hand.

"Private Christina Green remains a member of Easy Company. She has made it this far. Because of that, she persuaded me and, in turn, Colonel Sink, that she deserves the opportunity to continue training for the time being. If she can't keep up, she will leave, just as any man in her position would. I have every confidence that she will earn your respect, and prove to be a valuable member of this company. However, in the interest of making sure that no one is more uncomfortable than necessary, Colonel Sink has ordered her to move to the officers' barracks under my supervision until further notice. I trust that you will not purposely make her life any more difficult based on her gender."

When he had finished speaking, he lifted the other end of the footlocker I was dragging and led me out the door, the silence following us as we left. His confidence in me could result in only two things. One, their respect for him would mean that they would grudgingly give me a chance, or two, they would lose respect for him because he had stood up for me. I really hoped it would be the former, but I didn't have much time to send up prayers before we reached my new billet and walked inside.

"Well, here we are. Home, sweet home. This one next to mine is empty."

"What the hell is this?" Nixon demanded, looking between Winters and I for an explanation. "I come back from a mail run and we've got a woman in the company? You know that Sobel is furious, right? There is no way he's going to let her get through training."

Winters started to speak on my behalf, but I beat him to it, responding emphatically.

"All due respect, Lieutenant Nixon, but whether I get through training or not is the one thing that is completely within my control. I will not let that haughty brass-polisher break me."

Beside me, Winters chuckled at the surprised look on his friend's face. Nixon crossed his arms over his chest and squinted at me, trying to determine if I was serious. At last, he broke into a wide grin and shook his head.

"Future paratrooper, Private Christina Green, huh? Well, go get 'em, tiger."