Author's note: thanks for reading my story so far, I wanted to feature a Easy Company that is more positive than hard to work with :). If any of you guys are Betas and are willing to edit my chapters, PLEASE let me know! I would love a Beta for this story!

Leave a review and thanks for reading!


"These planes are coming along quite nicely, well done." One of our heads was going over each plane in front of us to make sure we were doing a great and well enough job on our mechanic skills, though it was more nerve-wracking to say the very least in my own boots as he was looking at the planes I specifically worked on. This was going to be one of many inspections that we were going to have to go through, although they were not as big and hectic as the inspections that the army men that to go through, but it was still nerve-wracking for someone like me that wants perfecting on a project.

He walked over to my plane, Grumman F4F Wildcat, and he was going to the cockpit and then the engine with his assistant next to him as the others that were in the same lineup, looking right ahead at attention. They knew how I worked, the long hours after the regular work hours were long gone, how I took extra time on a specific piece of the plane and I hardly ever talked to anyone, yet I was civil with all of them being one of the only females there in the mechanic field at Camp Toccoa. The others that were female were kind to me, also trying to prove themselves there on the male dominated camp and workforce and we were almost a tight knit group really since we would talk together and gossip together. I kind of liked it really, since being around men was still giving me chills up and down the spine.

"Who worked on this plane?" The captain asked as he hopped down off the plane and looked at the line of us there in attention at him. 20 of us were men, and 4 were women. They all looked dead ahead as I spoke up at him.

"I did sir." I said to him in a bold tone, since that was what was required of me to do. He eyed me down and up even though I was dressed for the inspection with my hair up in a low bun and my hands behind my back. He was analyzing me, I could tell from how he was eyeing me there and a small smile on his lips. I knew the plane was beyond perfect, I combed it from the top to the bottom and there was nothing really wrong with it.

"I like what I see, well done O'Malley." He said to me finally through his thin lips. I saw the others in the lineup to my left and right smile from he remark to me and I said nothing since I had nothing else to really say about the situation. I knew it was good, beyond good to be honest, and for him to say that to me was nothing really knew.

"We're going to fly these planes for a test run, and I am hoping that when some of the pilots that we have to come and fly these tin cans, that they don't make one false move and the whole thing goes up in flames." The captain said to all of us now, almost like a sore tactic really though I really wanted to roll my eye from the notion of him trying to scare us.

"However, the pilots that we picked to test run the planes are not going to be available to fly anytime soon since there is a hold up on the scheduling to get them out here." He said to us, having me shift a bit in my boots, "So if we can find anyone here at Camp Toccoa that can fly one of these and give us a demonstration, then we can move on from where we are—"

"Sir," his assistant piped up with he clipboard in his hand. The captain looked over as he was pointing to the paper there and I saw some of the mechanics looking at each other in confusion as to what was going to happen really. Up to this point, I really kept the title of pilot under wraps, the thought of getting more attention pointed at me was going to make me want to vomit, since I was still working on the social part of this whole new job for me. But the Captain now looked up at me and his eyes were drilling into my own now, and my pals were about to sweat behind me back.

"O'Malley, you never told me that you were a licensed pilot for the air force." He said to me in almost a sly manner, the other in the lineup were not looking at me dead on with shock on their faces and no longer standing at attention. I just took a long deep breath before I knew I had to answer to my job description that happened to magically appear on his clipboard now.

"It was not part of my job description here in Camp Toccoa, Sir. I'm only here as a mechanic." I explained to him calmly, now he looked like he didn't believe anything that I was saying to him really. I knew this was going to happen, now this whole situation was going to be messy because I only wanted to be a mechanic, not to have the spotlight on me because I could fly a plane and I have wing to prove it.

"Well, would you like to fly the plane here and demonstrate how this plane can be properly used, or are you afraid of breaking a nail?" As soon as he asked that, I felt like I wanted to go over and punch him right in the throat. Some of the others in the line-up cringed from the sentence that he drew because he called me out from being a weakling there because of my role of a female. I dealt with guys like him before, being in the mechanic shop and they thought I was too damn pretty to work on a car. I have been underestimated all my life, and that was one button pushed too far. If there was one thing I was taught by my father, and I was going to teach to Beth when I had the chance, it was how to not step down when someone challenged my skills. I had to fight back, and I didn't care if he was a Captain or not.

"Fine." I replied smoothly, seeing him falter only a bit because of how I spoke up against him and the other mechanic smirked from the sudden boldness I had with the sexist Captain. I took a step forward from the lineup, already no longer wanting to be quiet and meek in front of him as I walked over to the plane and hopped up to get into the cockpit with ease and swiftly, not slipping or moving slowly. The Captain and his assistant watched as I landed in the seat easily and it made me eye them both now with a stern look. I was no real girly girl, I grew up in a working-class Irish family where I was taught to face what was thrown at me without backing down for moving away from it. I was not afraid to stand up for something I knew was good and right, yet I still had the shy exterior for others to see.

I started the plane within seconds, seeing both the Captain and his assistant moving away from one the plane as the engine was roaring in the bunker. It made a smile since I have missed flying in a plane for awhile. I was stripped of that right when I was assigned to only be a mechanic here in Georgia, it was different than it was in Texas. Moving the plane back to get it on the runway, I was just concentrating on the fact that I wanted to show that I was in indeed a pilot.

Once I took to the air, headpiece in place and my hands were on the steering wheel, it was like I was back in Texas and I was flying for the hell of it. I loved the feeling of flying, how fast I was going and how it felt like I was cutting through the water with the smoothness of the plane though the wind and the sky. I hovered over the Camp Toccoa, making smooth turns and cutting through some of the low clouds that were there as I was the only one there in the sky. It felt like I was giving myself a sense of release: no longer in fear of the judgment of others since I was alone in the plane. Being behind the wheel was almost a natural high for me to feel. It reminded me of when I would fly with my father when I was little and small enough to fit in his lap. He would make it smooth with his hands on the handle, and his eyes were determined and true. I wanted to do the same, and this might be the only chance I would get to fly because the rest of the time in the war I would be just working on parts and vehicles with my hands. Although being a mechanic felt natural to me, so did flying.

I landed the plane, slowing it down on the runway and then maneuvering the plane back over to the bunker where I started it. But when I was close enough to see, I could see the mechanics there all smiling and cheering of me, whirling their towels in the air and pumping their fists in the air. The only two who were silent about the whole thing was the Captain and the assistant since they both were in pure shock from all they saw. I made it look like a routine rapture run for a dog fight, making big and small turns and then some big scoops up in the sky. It was like I was looking more like a fighter pilot than anything, but as I stopped the plane and turned it off and opened the window to pop out, I could hear more of the cheering going on when I hopped down on the ground.

I walked over to the Captain and the assistant since they were still shell-shocked from what I did to them. Sure, I could be in more trouble than I thought I would be, but then again the Irish side of me came over because of his remark of me breaking a nail and not being able to do it myself. Never have I thought I would do something like this, but as I walked by them to head back over to the rest of the mechanics, I just grinned at them as they were eyeing me now in a new light. Being even more bold, I flashed my fingers at them to show that my nails though they weren't really spectacle to see.

"Sorry for ruining your dreams of a broken nail, sir." I said to them as they saw not one nail was broken or snapped. I walked on, a small smile on my face as they were still quiet.

No one will underestimate me again.


"Since when do you fly? That was amazing!" I was sitting on my bunk with the three other female mechanics in our cabin. I was getting to know each of them on the side since we were the only females that were on the base as mechanics, and it felt like we were on our own little club. I liked them all, and as soon as our inspection was over and we went back to the crib, they unleashed the questions on me before I could sit down on my bunk.

"I never bought it up because I was sent here as a mechanic, not a pilot." I replied to them all as they were beaming at me.

"You should have told them, we can use you here!" Betty said to me in a beamed manner with her smile showing on her face as she was sitting next to me. I shook my head at the thought.

"No, mechanic pay is good enough for me." I replied with a shrug of my shoulders.

"But you're so good at flying. You're staying a mechanic for the pay?" Delilah asked me with her soft manner. I grinned at all of them now since Beth was back in my mind now since she was the real reason that I was in the war and being invalid with where I was. I looked over to where my suitcase was, reached it since it was underneath my bunk and I pulled it out. Having it in my lap, I looked at the other girls now with my grin still on my face since I wanted to tell them all about my daughter.

"I haven't told you about why I was here in the first place, but I really need the money to provide for my daughter." I explained to them all as I found the picture of Beth that I stowed away from the journey in the war, I held it up for them all to see, having me watch as they were beaming at the picture of my two-year-old daughter. We took that picture before I went off to Texas, it was me holding her up in my arms in the park and her hair flowing in the wind and giggling at me. We both were wearing warm summer dresses and her hair was still long enough to place in braids if she wanted to.

"Oh, she is beautiful! Look at that face!" Betty cooed as she gently took the picture from my hands and held it there within her own. Delilah looked over her shoulder to see the picture as Francis then eyed me now. She was oldest one out of the four of us, and yet she was kind enough to be my age.

"You're doing this for her?" She asked me, having me nod my head and feel the lump in my throat since I was going to bring up something I wanted to bury for a bit.

"I only have her now, since I lost my husband two years old in a car accident." The mood changed when I mentioned that to the girls, all of their eyes were on me now as I looked more solemn now than before.

"Oh, Adaline…I'm so sorry to hear that." Delilah said in a painful manner, almost like she was the one who was affected by it. I just smiled at her, not wanting this whole conversation and night with the girls to be shot to hell because of my own history and woes.

"I have Beth to worry about it, her and her future. I joined up to get more money for the both of us really." I explained to her in a soft manner as the three of them were still watching me now on my bunk and having me just smile from having those three women there with support in their eyes.

"She's gorgeous, and she looks just like you." Delilah explained to me softly as she handed me the picture again. I grinned as I looked down at the very picture that got me through the months since I saw her last. I missed her beyond words, yet I only have a picture to hold in my hands, not her herself.

"I think you're doing the right thing, making a better future for the both of you." Francis said to me in a kind manner, placing a reassuring hand on my arm to both soothe and make me feel better since I looked like I was miserable in that point, holding my daughter's picture and almost on the verge of tears.

"It's hard to be away from her, but her Uncle is taking care of her and I haven nothing to worry about except for what I'm doing here." I replied to Francis, seeing her nod in agreement as she grinned at me a smile that showed she had wisdom beyond her years.

"For you to do something like this is already brave, I would doubt any mother would want to leave her child behind for the sake of trying to make a better life for them both. But you are far braver than you think, and I know Beth is proud of you." Francis explained softly in the room, the others grinning in agreement and I just stayed there in silence. I never thought of myself as brave, only as selfless when it came to my daughter and what she needed. Did Beth see me as brave? I was always scared of how she would view me and see me, though I couldn't see her as a child of judgment.

She was far too kind for something like that.


"Here you go, no more flat tire." I said to one of the officers when I hopped up from my courting position, already replacing the old tire on the jeep with a new tire. We were back at our mechanic shop in Camp Toccoa and I was back on the regular shift with my duties: oiling jeeps, fixing tires and getting engines to work properly again. That day I was working with Francis and two of the male mechanics as we were getting some of the jeeps ready to be placed on a ship to be sent out to the war. After having the talk with the girls in the cabin the night before, I felt a bit better that I had a support system with me there in Georgia instead of being all by myself. There was a better sense of peace because of it, no longer the feeling of isolation.

"Oh Jesus H. Christ, that Captain is back." One of the other mechanics said aloud in a grumble as the officer I was working with drove off with the jeep. I was with Francis as we both looked. It was the same Captain from before, but this time, he wasn't with his assistant as I thought he would be. No, he was with another person, but this time it was one of the bigger members of the army force.

Colonel Sink.

"Shit." Francis whispered under her breath near me as they approached me there. I stood at attention now, seeing the Captain eye me already and having the sense that he was not liking that he was either back here with the mechanics or with me who already took his challenge. Sink, on the other hand, was looking less pissed on being there and more interested in what he was seeing.

"You Adaline O'Malley?" He asked me with the authority in his tone. I nodded, not saying a word or two for a minute before he pointed to the Captain on his left.

"Captain Stevenson here explained to me that situation that happened yesterday, involving a mechanic flying one of my planes without my authorization." He explained to me with his gruff tone and I froze up in front of him there, the other mechanics around us looking grim at the situation since they were there to see it all happen and yet they couldn't vouch for me to tell me what happened. I knew I was going to be in trouble because of that, and now I had to answer to the freaking Colonel himself because of it.

"Sir, I apologize for flying without your authorization, I was only testing the plane to make sure it was accurate enough for use in the war—" I started to spill out word vomit in order to save my own ass from bing kicked out and head home without any money left in my pocket, but Sink held up a hand to me and I was instantly quiet.

"Now, if I wouldn't have looked out my window at that moment and saw that plane in the air, doing those precise turns and dives, I would have been angry at the pilot," Sink explained to me some more, his voice rang authority all over the place as I was confused as tow here he was going with this talk and his scolding, "However….be that as it may….I liked what I saw."

"Sir?" I asked him, shifting a bit in my stance with an uneasy manner.

"You're one hell of a pilot, not to mention a top-notch mechanic here at Camp Toccoa. I took a look the records they sent over to you: quite impressive being part of the first graduating class of female pilots in the Air Force." He complimented me with a smile on his face. I stammered a bit, not knowing what else to say to him as my fingers were tapping the sides of my coveralls.

"Uhh…thank you…sir." I said to out loud in almost a nervous way.

"I am, however, still confused as to why you were sent here as a mechanic and not as a pilot." He said to me now with a hint of suggestion in his voice.

"Sir, I took this job for that pay, along with being able to serve whenever I can." I explained to him in a careful manner, since I didn't want to offend him at all when I was going to mention that I only wanted the money and nothing else really.

"Being a pilot can give you more of a payment, O'Malley. In fact, I want to talk to you about your future with piloting and a couple of other things you can do that don't involve mechanics, if you'd like." he suggested to me, having me pause and then wonder where he was going with this conversation. Did He want to offer me something else? Was that something possible? I looked over at Francis for a moment, since I felt like I needed some kind of support out of all of this. She smiled and nodded her head at me, silently telling me to go with him and hear him out. I looked back at Sink, smiling and thinking that I had nothing else to risk really.

"I'm at your disposal, sir."


"So, he just offered you a job as one of the pilots for the army?" Delilah asked me as we both sat down in the mess hall together. She ran over to me after I talked to Sink about my new job offer, and it would happen that the rest of the mechanics were all getting the news way before I could even announce it to anyone. The news in the mechanic department would move faster than any teenagers in high school.

"Right then and there. He took me back to his office and explained to me how he wanted it to play out for me. I would still be working for the Air Force and taking orders from them, but I would help out here with the planes and the jeeps." I answered her as we sat together side by side on the bench. She grinned at me clasping her hands together and I could see she was far more excited than I was.

"Sounds better for you anyways, I couldn't picture you being this dirty the whole time while we are here in the war." She replied back to me as I looked down to see what we were eating that night.

"Well, I don't think me getting this new job would entail me eating new food." I muttered to her as I was poking what looked like a bad looking steak and mash potatoes. Delilah giggled as I looked over at her and seeing her nod in agreement.

"Never took you as a jokester anyhow." She said back to me as I grinned at her. It was nice for her to call me out in such a manner, "Besides, this is good since you're getting more money for Beth."

"That's true, and every cent of my pay is going to her back at home. I don't need it all the way out here really." I explained, and she was about to answer when we heard a commotion behind the both of us at the front of the mess hall. We both looked, having me nice and almost blink twice since it was Easy Company, and the bunch of boys that saw me with Luz the other day when we were talking on the plane that I was working on. I recognized at least 5 of them and their faces: The tall Arkansas boy, the short serious one who looked like there was a stick up his ass, The lanky boy who was buddies with the redhead who was grinning from ear to ear, and of course the Philadelphia talking guy who looked stern and like everything bothered him. Towards the middle of the group was George, laughing with two others who were grinning at something he said.

"Is that the guy you were talking to?" Delilah asked me with a grin as I looked over at her with a raised eyebrow,

"How do you know about that?" I asked her, thinking that it was already bizarre that she knew this kind of thing and that I never said a single word about it.

"Betty saw you two talking when she snuck into the bunker to get her tools," Delilah explained to me as I rolled my eyes at her and gave her a pure look of dislike.

"Am I now the hot topic around here?" I asked her with annoyance. I hated having this amount of attention on me now since they were not only talking about my new job that was basically new and unique, but the fact that I was talking to another soldier and smiling while I was doing it. What else were they thinking about at that moment when I was the hot topic?

"You basically are, and be grateful for that. Better to have good news about you than bad news." Deliah advised me as Francis and Betty sat down across from us. They looked over in hr sam direction of the Easy Company boys as they sat down at their own table and started eating themselves.

"Oh yeah, those guys are such a bunch of misfits." Betty commented as she poked at her own food.

"And yet I'm the hot topic when it comes to them?" I asked him carefully, seeing her grin at me and then look over at Francis who in return just shrugged her own shoulders, "And thank you for blabbing to the others about me talking to Luz, by the way."

"Well, what was I supposed to do?" Betty asked me with a shrug of her shoulders and looking like she was trying to defend herself. Francis chuckled to herself as Delilah only grinned while she took a long drink from her tin can, "It looked rather cute, the two of you talking. I swear, you reminded me of my teenage sister and her boyfriend, how they looked at each other and all."

"You make it sound like I enjoy talking with him." I said to her though Francis rolled her eyes.

"I think you do enjoy talking to him, Adaline. There's nothing wrong with that." Francis said to me in a reassuring manner, and I was about to answer her when I heard footsteps behind me. All four of us looked, seeing that it was of course George Luz there, standing over me with the big grin on his face and a realizing stance there. The two of us talking on the wing of the plane was the main topic of the mechanics, and it must have been because mechanics and soldiers don't really talk to one another on a regular basis. But now it had to have changed, and for some reason just seeing him watch me there, I really didn't care.

"Heya Adaline. Glad I caught ya." He said with the smile on his face and a warm tone there to be heard. I smiled at him.

"Hello, George." I said back to him, the other three girls at my table were already getting did about me talking to him. But at that moment, I really didn't want to look at them and feel a blush creeping over my skin. I just wanted to focus on George in front of me and his kindness.

"I wanted to find you earlier so you can sit with us for dinner, but you're already eating." George said to me in almost a disappointed manner as he motioned to my tray of food. I felt kind of bad for him since he was looking forward to talking to me with his friends and eating with me as his company of friends.

"She hasn't eaten yet," I whirled my head over in Francis direction, whom pointed to my plate with her fork and had a kind look on her as she looked at George now, "So she can still go with you and eat if she wants."

"I don't wanna pull her away if she's talking to you guys..." George trailed off though I was still looking at Francis who was now eyeing me and giving me one wink from her eye. She knew what she was doing, it was precise and sneaky. She was trying to get me to have more time to George. I had to give her credit, Francis was looking out for me and thinking the best of me. She knew that I was not the best at making friends because of my shyness, yet she was still going to try and find a way for me to make friends.

"She's right," I said aloud to George as I was still looking at Francis before I slowly looked up at him now, "I can still eat with you and your friends if you want me to."

George's grin was back on his face again, smiling so widely now from my answer to him.

"Excellent! Come on over!" He said in glee as I got up from my spot on my tray in hand. I stood up there with my tray and I grinned at the three girls, all who were trying so hard to not have huge smiles on their faces.

"Thank you, Francis." I said to her under her breath as she just grinned and nodded her head at me once before I walked away from the three of them and following George over to the table where his friends were at. Great, this was going to be the best thing ever for me since I was now going to meet a bunch of strangers that were in fact men. Although they were kind to me when we talked earlier at the bunker, who knew what was going to happen now really.

"Heya fellas, I found Adaline. Make room for the lady, will ya?" He said to the boys, two of whom moved out of the way for the both of us to sit together. I got onto the bench and sunk myself down gently, already seeing all of them looking at me and I could feel the judgment about to commence. It felt like I was at school when I was trying to meet new friends. it was a bad thing, and who knew it was going to be bad now. It took a good solid 10 seconds of pure silence before it was broken by someone else at the table.

"I'm Bill Guarnere." The Philadelphia man said to me, holding out his hand for me to shake. I gently shook it, though he had more of a grip one me since my hand felt so tiny in his own hand. Once we shook hands, he then looked down at our joined hands and had a smirk on his face.

"Eh, I knew it," He said in a cocky manner, having me look at him in confusion as he was still holding my hand gently now but looking at it like he was examining it as a doctor, "You have mechanic hands for sure."

"Quick being a creep, will ya?" The lanky boy said to him now announce clearly on his face as Bill reluctantly released his hand from me and I shot it back to my tray.

"I'm ain't creeping, Liebgott, just making sure that Luz was tellin' me the truth." He replied back to the lanky boy in almost a bark to him, though the lanky boy rolled his eyes and he smiled at me softly.

"I'm Joe Liebgott, nice to meet you." he said to me in a nice enough manner as I smiled back at him.

"Nice to meet you too." I replied the others were smiling then since I didn't seem too harmless for their liking.

"So where did you learn how to fix cars?" The short serious one asked me in our crusty.

"My dad taught me, he ran a shop since he was my age, maybe younger." I replied smoothly since the last thing I wanted to do was stumble over my own words and look like an idiot. They all looked rather impressed.

"Where are you from?" The Arkansas giant asked me as he was sitting on his bench that looked two sizes too small for him.

"Massachusetts, Boston area really." I replied to him, "And you're from Arkansas?"

"How could you tell?" He asked me with a grin on his own face.

"I have family who lives out there on my mother's side, I can tell from the accent." I explained with a shrug of my own shoulders now. He chuckled at me as he analyzing me up and down with his giant stature.

"I'm Denver Randleman, they call me Bull here in Easy." He said in a kind way.

"Can't imagine why." The short man joked as the others laughed at him, "I'm Johnny Martin. Nice to meet you Adaline."

"Likewise, I really didn't want to interrupt your meal with each other." I said to him, but mostly to everyone else that was at the table. But they shook their heads from what I told them.

"It's fine. It was better this way so that Luz could stop shutting up about you and how he still wants to talk to you." The redheaded soldier, whom I remembered was named Malarky, remarked with a grin on his face and the other soldier next to him chuckled and nodded in agreement. I sheepishly looked over at Luz, whom as giving the two soldiers a death glare since his own seat with his fork in hand. He too looked embarrassed by the whole thing, though I just smiled at the simple thought of him talking about me plenty of times with the men until he was blue in the face.

"Thank you very much Malarky, no more Johne Wayne impressions for you anytime soon." He said to Malarky in almost a bitter manner, though he caught my attention now with what Malarky said about him doing impersonations.

"You do impressions?" I asked him in curiosity, the others watching George now as he broke out into a small grin on his face.

"On my down days I do, makes things lighter around here than dealing with Sobel and his sorry ass of a Captain." Luz commented to me with a grin there clearly seen that made his whole skin look a bit lighter. I never thought of him doing something like that, but now it suited him too since he looked like someone who needed to bring joy to others.

"So, Adaline." I was taken away from gazing at Luz and seeing Bull talk to me now with curiosity there on his face, "What brings you to the army?"

"Yeah, I doubt being a mechanic was on the top of any girls list." Another soldier added to it with curiosity.

"Cool it, Toye. We don't wanna scare her away." The soldier next to Malarky said in an advising manner.

"I just wanna know, Muck. Jesus." Toye countered back with him with a roll of his eyes and aviation on his face.

"It's fine, don't worry about it," I said to him with kindness, the others watching me for my answer, "I really needed the money to be completely honest."

"Fair enough," Joe said in agreement with a smile on his face, "Mechanic work pays well?"

"Not well enough, but it pays." I answered him.

"But you're only doing mechanic work?" Bill asked me, having me also see Luz looking at me too in curiosity with the question there haunting the table. Were they ready to hear that I was no hired on as a pilot for Colonel Sink? I felt like I had to save that conversation for another time since I was getting used to the men and not going paranoid over it. And even though I was still hesitant with them, I felt the sense of comfort and peace with all of them since they weren't looking at me wrong. No, they were looking at me like I was one of them, one of the guys that they wanted to get to know and befriend. It was making me feel more comfortable and less on the radar and on a bridge about to fall off. Once again, I found myself locking eyes with Luz and the soothing warmth was all over my body because of how he was looking at me and smiling at me. I swear, this boy was going to have some kind of hold me and it was going to be in big trouble one of these days. But the way he smiled and was watching me like I was the only person in the world, I couldn't help but smile because of me not caring. So torn my eyes away from Luz and looked back at Bill when I answered him:

"So far, only a mechanic."