For foroneandall (and anyone else who is wondering): I'm reposting this because I've COMPLETELY changed the plot, the first two chapters are the same but I've changed it from then on. I was originally going to have it Emily/Shifty, but decided against it. I'm sorry if I've confused anyone, I probably should have just changed the original one, (don't know why I didn't?). Anyways, sorry for the confusion, Enjoy :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Band of Brothers, and this story is not based on the real men, but on the actors that portrayed them.

Enjoy :D

Preparation

Emily sat on a crate, rubbing her hands together, trying to muster up a little heat for her numb fingers. A thin layer of mist covered the airstrip, and an ice cold breeze rattled through the field. She wiggled her toes in her boots, at least two sizes too big, but the smallest they came. It seemed almost everything here was too big for her. She exhaled softly, resting her chin upon her delicately folded arms.

"Fingers any better?" Emily turned round to face the young, raven-haired Cajun staring at her, a mischievous grin painted on his pale face, cheeks red from the bitter cold.

"A bit," she smiled back.

"I'm telling you," he sat down beside her on the muddy, boot-trodden ground, not bothering to look for a crate of his own, "Strange weather for June alright."

"I suppose." She shivered, half out of lack of warmth, half out of anxiousness.

"Easy Company! Listen up! Gather up around me!" Lieutenant Meehan's voice echoed from across the field. Eugene sighed, stood up and brushed himself down.

"Come on," he held out a hand for Emily, and gently pulled her to her feet.

They began to walk across the muddy ground, towards the dishevelled, cold, tired and hungry group of men that made up Easy Company. There wasn't a smile in sight.

"The Channel coast is socked in with rain and fog. High winds on the drop zone. No jump tonight!"

"Ah, Jesus…" she turned to find a very grumpy looking Bill Guarnere. "Can you believe this?"

"Guess not," Emily replied, brows creased. She'd learnt that sometimes it was just easier to agree with him.

Emily stepped through the flap of the tent that Doc Roe held open for her. He stepped in behind her and dropped the flap, blocking out the sun and plunging the room into darkness. They found two seats together near the back of the room, and sat down, the clicking of the projector behind them.

"Hey, Tip," Emily whispered to the young man sitting beside her, a warming smile slipping onto her delicate face, "What film is it?" He shrugged his shoulders, eyes not really focusing on the screen. The atmosphere mirrored that of the expression on Tipper's face: the man were fed up. Fed up of being cold, fed up of being tired, fed up of being hungry, but most of all, fed up of waiting.

Emily couldn't blame them. She just wanted it to be over too.

"You people are at the position of attention!" Lieutenant Sobel's voice rang out across the silence. Immediately, everyone stiffened up and straightened out. He marched towards Perconte.

"Private Perconte, have you been blousing your trousers over your boots like a paratrooper?"

"No, sir."

"Then explain the creases at the bottom."

Perconte paused for a split second.

"No excuse, sir." "Volunteering for the parachute infantry regiment is one thing, Perconte, but you've got a long way to prove that you belong here. Your weekend pass is revoked."

Emily glanced over at Perconte. She could see the disappointment on his face. Sobel worked the men too hard, and their only respite was their weekends away from Toccoa. She was so busy looking at Frank, that she didn't notice Sobel heading straight for her.

"Miss Wade!"

"Sir." She hated the way he did that, the way he made her stand out from the rest of Easy, as if she didn't enough already. He reached a hand up to her face, and grabbed the long braid that fell down her back.

"Your hair," he held it up in front of her face. "It's too long." He leaned in close to her and sneered, "Cut it. Tonight. Or else."

"Sir," she replied, her voice shaky. He set off in search of more days to dampen.

Eugene Roe opened and closed the sharp pair of menacing scissors in his hand.

"You're sure about this?" he asked, not sounding so sure himself.

"Yes."

"Okay then…" he lifted up her long plait, and Emily squeezed her eyes shut tight as she felt the sharp snip of the scissors cutting the waves of her flowing brown hair.

After about five minutes, Emily managed to peel her eyes open.

"Is it finished?" Gene exhaled softly.

"Yeah, it's finished." She stood up and walked towards the mirror hanging on the otherwise bare wall.

Her mouth fell open in shock.

"Dear God, Gene, what the hell did you do?"

"What, you don't like it?"

"Like it? It's… it's hideous!"

"No it's not… it's actually kinda cute."

Emily's cheeks flushed, and she stared at her feet.

"You think so?" He ruffled her newly cut, albeit short, hair and smiled.

"Yeah, I do."

"Hey Wade, nice haircut!" Emily glared at him.

"Shut up, Lieb!"

"Hey, what'd I say?"

Guarnere lent in close to Liebgott and whispered,

"Something about them broads, everything you say seems to offend them…"

Emily turned round and glared at him too. He raised his hands in surrender.

"Idiots…" Emily hissed under her breath.

"Come on, Em, it's not much further…"

Emily could barely make out what he was saying, she couldn't think straight. The sun beat down on her head, without even a hint of a breeze.

Emily hated Currahee, hated it with a passion. Almost everyday, Sobel made them traipse up and down it, three miles up, three miles down.

She struggled to put one foot in front of the other, her head swimming, her surroundings spinning. She tripped, but a rough hand gripped her arm, keeping her upright.

"You'll be okay, Em, you can do this," she heard

Gene beside her, urging her to keep going.

All of a sudden it became too much to bear and she collapsed. Doc Roe just about caught her on time. He dragged her over to a rock and propped her up on top of it.

"Em," he slapped her cheeks gently. "Em!"

She started to come round, and cracked open her eyes.

"Gene? What happened?"

"It's alright, you just fainted a little, that's all."

She rubbed her eyes.

"I'm okay now…"

"Emily, you should just sit down for a minute." He placed his hands firmly on her shoulders.

She tried to stand up in defiance anyway, but her knees buckled and she fell again. Gene propped her back up on the rock.

"Sit down, doctor's orders," he smiled.

"Hey," she smiled back. "I'm a medic too."

Lieutenant Winters came jogging over, sweat laced across his brow.

"Roe… why have you stopped?"

"It's Emily, sir, she ain't doing too good."

"Here." Winters held out his canteen. "Drink."

Emily raised the canteen to her lips, and felt the cool water slip down her throat, making her feel instantly better.

"Thank you, sir, I think I'm okay now."

She stood up, her legs shaky but holding.

"Alright," he said. "But be careful"

"Thank you, sir," she nodded, "I will be."

Emily noticed the main difference between Winters and Sobel: Winters cared about the men, Sobel, on the other hand, did not.

After what seemed like an age, they finally reached the bottom of the hill. Emily collapsed once more, and looked up to find that she wasn't the only one. George Luz and Donald Malarkey lay sprawled on the ground, gasping for air. Even Sobel looked puffed.

"Easy company…" he panted. "Fall out…" He turned on his heel and limped off.

Gene held out a hand for Emily, to help her up off the ground.

"Thanks…" she panted, still gasping for breath.

She turned, still clutching her side, and began to shakily walk back towards Toccoa. Feet aching, she slipped on an uneven rock, and was mere inches from the ground when an arm slid round her waist and caught her.

"You better watch yourself there, Wade," grinned Floyd Talbert.

"Thanks, Tab…" she smiled back gently, cheeks ablaze. He lifted her up and set her back on her feet. Tab flashed her another grin and jogged off to join up with Liebgott and Malarkey, who shot him a glare.

Emily still felt her cheeks burning, and tried to compose herself, putting weight on her foot and then wincing. She caught Gene looking at her anxiously.

"It's nothing," she started, "It's not even a sprain…"

"Here," he turned round. "Get on."

"What?" Emily's brow crinkled in confusion.

"I'll give you a piggy-back to the camp."

"Gene, you can't possibly…"

"I can, now get on," he grinned.

Reluctantly, Emily climbed on to his back.

"You're… you're sure about this?"

"Course I am, Em," he chuckled.

"Hey… Doc…" panted Joe Toye.

"Think you could give me a ride too?"

"Sorry Toye, no game."

Emily laughed and squeezed her arm's gently around Gene's neck.

"You gonna be much longer?" called Eugene.

"Just a sec!" replied Emily.

Eugene Roe sat cross-legged on the floor, reading a tattered paperback book. He had never read anything so truly uninteresting before, not that he read much anyway.

Joe Liebgott and four of the other guys walked towards Gene.

"What you doing sitting out here, Doc?"

"Emily's in the shower, she'll only be a minute."

"Jesus…" said Joe, clearly exasperated.

"What?"

"Since when has this been a female shower block?" Joe scowled.

"Look, she won't be much longer…"

At that very moment, Emily walked round the corner, a towel wrapped round her, holding her clothes in one hand and her boots in the other.

She cringed as Joe Liebgott and the other four pairs of eyes looked her up and down.

"Umm… guys?" she emphasised.

"Oh… right… sorry…" Joe swiftly turned round, clearly embarrassed, and marched off, the other four, equally embarrassed, trailing behind him.

"That scared them off," smiled Gene.

"Yeah, it sure did," she grinned back.

So... What did you think? Drop me a review if you can, and let me know how it was :)

D. V. 3