Jo noticed that there was a sudden influx of townsfolk, especially women, since she had last been outside. Sometimes they would take towns and they were abandoned, and other times they were like this. Civilians were great to play with during rest and relaxation, but Jo couldn't really relax with them around. She much preferred when it was just the soldiers.

She passed by Murder Inc. and noticed her crew was there. "How's it hanging, Binkowski?" Jo called, distracting him from negotiating with a woman.

"To the left. Wanna see?" Binkowski grabbed at the crotch of his pants. That was more information than she needed or wanted.

"No. It was rhetorical." She stated back, rolling her eyes at his comment.

"Hey, tell that cocksucker Wardaddy if he doesn't take care of you, I will." He called to her.

"In your dreams." She walked on by.

"I'm serious. I've got a hard-on with your name on it if you ever want it."

"You're still an asshole." She yelled over her shoulder, giving him the finger.

"Gladly!" He shouted after her. She laughed to herself. Some things never changed and Binkowski was one of them. Ever since he realized Jo was a girl when she served in his tank, he had been trying to woo her. Needless to say he had been unsuccessful in his endeavors.

Jo spotted Don and Norman walk into a different building. She made to follow them, walking past Fury, but Boyd stopped her.

"Jo, you okay?" He was sitting by a little fire, heating up coffee and reading his bible.

"Yeah," she paused, walking over to Boyd. "Why wouldn't I be okay?" She asked with a small smile.

"Earlier with Miles, said you found it exhilarating."

"So?" Jo was completely confused.

"You always get excited beatin' a man up?" He looked at her completely serious.

"WHAT?" Jo shot her head forward. "No. Shit." She rubbed her hand against her forehead. "No, it's nothing like that. I don't get off on hurting other people. He just wronged me in the past and I enjoyed returning the favor." She crossed her arms defensively. "Besides I'm sure I'm not the only one that wanted to wipe that smug look off his face that he had all the time."

"You sure that's all it was?"

"Yes! Holy Shit! Why are people suddenly worried about my mental wellbeing today?" She raised her arms in exasperation then squatted down in front of the fire opposite of Boyd. She clasped her hands in front of her mouth. "You have known me a good part of a year now. I think you would have noticed before today if I took pleasure out of hurting or killing someone."

"Well I ain't there looking over your shoulder when you kill someone am I?" He snapped his bible shut.

Jo gave a sigh. "Look. I get happy when someone gets their comeuppance. Far as I know, so do most people. It just so happened that I was the one to give it to him, and it felt fucking good too. If that makes me a bad person, then so be it. I don't plan on surviving this godforsaken war so it don't matter one jot." She stood up and pointed her finger at Boyd. "If you've got a problem with that, that's your problem, not mine. You and your god and Jesus Christ aren't going to make me feel guilty about something I've done and got a release from. Besides, there are men here much more deranged than you think I am. Take your bible and Jesus and go save them men's souls, they need it more than I."

Jo stalked off to the building that she saw Don and Norman enter. She was calm again by the time she went up the stairs. She heard a small commotion in German from the other side of a door. Don's voice sounded and then she heard a woman apologizing for something. She waited outside the door a few minutes and then Jo gently rapped on the door with her knuckles.

"Don? You in there? It's Jo." She tried the door, but it was locked. She heard footsteps and saw a silhouette come to the door. It was too short to be Don. The lock clicked open and Norman pulled open the door. "Thanks." She said walking in. She saw Wardaddy sitting at the table and noticed a young woman sitting on a sofa on the far side of the room. Norman took a seat in the chair next to the sofa. Jo set her things down and took a seat at the table to Don's right. Once she was settled in, she finally took a look at the girl across the room.

Don called her over and asked her name. Emma. The girl looked between Don and Jo with an angry look on her face to cover her fear, as if acting tough could save her from them. Don pulled out a small tin box and opened it. He handed it to Emma along with some coffee, tea, and cigarettes. Emma walked into the kitchen with the supplies.

"What was in the tin?" Jo asked.

"Eggs."

"Eggs?" Jo asked excitedly. "Where did you find eggs?"

"We stayed in a barn a few nights ago. There were still chickens there. So we had ourselves a chicken dinner and come morning decided to look in the coup. There were six eggs just lying there for the taking."

"Aren't you lucky? The only meat I've had in the past three months has been from a tin." Jo rested her head in her hand.

Another woman came out of the kitchen and set a bowl down in front of Don. He stood and took off his jacket. The older woman locked eyes with Jo and gasped. "Greta?" she asked.

Don looked between the two. "Du sie erkennen?" (You recognize her?) he asked the woman.

She nodded her head. "Ja. Sie sieht aus wie meine Schwester." (Yes. She looks like my sister.)

"She look familiar to you?" Don asked Jo.

"No."

"Know a Greta?" He took out his soap and shaving kit.

"My mother's name was Greta, but I highly doubt they are the same person. I mean, what are the chances?" She turned her attention to the woman. "Wie heiβt?" (What is your name?)

"Irma." She replied.

"Irma." Jo said to herself, mulling the name over. "Fuck!" Jo burst out. The woman in front of her flinched.

"I take it as you know an Irma?" Don asked.

"Well, I don't know an Irma, but my mom did have a sister named Irma. She stayed here in Germany because she was too young to come over. Her parents wouldn't let her leave." Jo rubbed a hand over her face. "Hast du Foto?" (Do you have a photo?)

Irma nodded. She made her way to a small table behind Don. Irma shuffled through papers in the drawer of the table for a few more seconds and retrieved a photo. She walked over to the dining table and held it out to Jo, Jo took it. She recognized it instantly. It was of her mother and Irma when they were young. She stood, fumbling around in the breast pocket of her coat and pulled out a worn copy of the same photo. Jo held the two up next to each other and Irma gasped in delight. She took her own copy out of Jo's hand and hugged her. Jo was taken aback at first, but eventually returned the hug. Jo gave a look to Don over Irma's shoulder. He just shrugged and gave her a small smile.

When she released Jo, Irma had tears of happiness in her eyes. Jo sat back down and Irma took the chair next to her.

"How is Greta?" Irma asked with a smile.

Jo turned to her with a sorrowful look. "She died when I was three." Slowly the smile faded from her face and the tears of joy turned to tears of sadness. "I'm sorry."

Irma shook her head and patted Jo's hand. "It's okay." She paused to wipe the tears from her eyes. "It is good to know for sure. I had suspected for years. What of your father?"

"He died along with my brothers a few years ago." Jo pulled out another photo of her, her father, and her brothers, handing it to Irma.

Irma released her hand and took the photo. "Which one is you?" Jo pointed to the shortest person in the photo. "Your hair was short then too?"

Leaning back in her chair, Jo gave a small laugh through her nose and smiled. "Yeah. Easier to keep stuff out of it that way." Irma retuned the photo.

Jo pocketed both photos and relaxed into her chair. Irma stood and put a hand on Jo's shoulder. The two women looked at each other and Irma gave Jo a smile and a gentle squeeze on her shoulder. Jo gave a nod, she knew exactly what it meant. It meant that everything was going to be okay and if she made it through the war, there was going to be somebody she could call family again.

Irma returned to the kitchen. Norman stood up and walked past Don to an upright piano Jo didn't even notice behind her. Jo watched as Don took off his undershirt. She frowned at the bruising on his ribs as he lathered his shave soap.

"What happened there?" She asked pointing to his ribs.

He looked down at the bruise. "Knocked an SS off a horse this morning. Got his shoulder in my ribs."

Norman started to play the piano and Emma came out of the kitchen. She sang along for a few lines before suddenly stopping. Norman stopped playing piano as well. Jo followed Don's gaze as he looked at a mirror behind him. She could see they were looking into it. She was confused for a moment until she remembered about Don's scars. He chided the two and Emma pulled Norman into the bedroom. Irma came back into the room with a cup of coffee. Don stopped her from interfering with Norman and Emma and she went back into the kitchen after setting the coffee down.

"They act like they've never seen scars before." Jo stated to Don who started lathering his face.

"They haven't, not like mine." Jo shrugged and put her elbows up on the table, propping up her head.

"So, I have an aunt now." She drummed the fingers of her free hand against the table.

"Mhmm, it appears so." He started on the other half of his face.

"It's strange. To go from no family to having someone related to you."

"I'll admit, it is one hell of a coincidence that you found a family member here of all places."

"Here as in Germany, or here as in this house?"

"Here as in during a war. In this house."

"I'm sure stranger things have happened."

Don gave a short laugh. "Doubt it." He turned and faced the mirror with his safety razor.

"I don't know why they give you those instead of a straight razor." Jo said sitting back in her chair again so she could see Don's face in the mirror.

"It's so we don't hack our faces off when we need to shave." He pulled the blade down his face.

"Yeah, but a straight razor is so much more practical. Say you are shaving in the field and Jerry tries to jump you. You can slice him up good with the straight razor, but a double-edged is useless against him. You'd have to drop the razor, grab your closest weapon, and by that point hope you are still alive to kill him. Straight razor for the win."

He rinsed off the blade. "But you have to have so much more equipment to keep a straight razor sharp. I can just replace my blade on this when it gets dull."

"Have the barber whet it."

"While I appreciate the merits of a straight razor, it's a waste of time. Besides, if I need to kill a Kraut with a blade, I have a bayonet."

"True." By then, Don was done shaving. There was a lull in the conversation as he rinsed his face, head, and neck off in the soapy water. A soft moan sounded from the bedroom. Jo gave a small smile. "Figure they are just starting?"

"Probably. Norman is shier than a priest."

"You missed a spot." Jo stood up and took the damp towel from Don's hands. "My turn to help." She rubbed at the grime at the nape of Don's neck and another moan sounded. They both looked at the bedroom door before returning to their tasks. "Think she is faking it, or is the kid a natural?" She asked with a smile.

"Dunno. Surprised he's lasted this long to be honest." Jo dipped the towel into the bowl and scrubbed at Don's neck some more.

"All clean." She returned the towel to him.

"Thank you." He wiped at the dirt and grease on his hands and arms with the towel. Jo took a seat on the sofa and admired Don from there.

"I must admit, I think you look more attractive with a bit of scruff and dirt."

He looked at her with an amused smile. "Well I feel better clean and shaved. Sorry to disappoint."

He put his kit back in his bag and put his undershirt and shirt back on as Irma cleared the table. He gave his hair a quick comb through and put his things near Jo's. All that was left on the table was a pack of cigarettes, the newspaper, and a teacup full of coffee. Jo noticed Irma was smoking in the kitchen and occasionally glancing at Don.

"I think she likes you. She keeps looking at you." Jo said to Don as he took his seat at the head of the table.

"Huh?" He asked picking up the paper.

Jo leaned closer to the table. "Irma. I think she likes you."

"Ah." He unfolded the paper and took a drink of the coffee. Suddenly the bedroom door opened and Emma came out and went into the bathroom. It was a few moments longer before Norman came out of the bedroom with a big smile on his face. He finished putting on his coat and sat in the seat to Don's right. Don stared at Norman, sizing him up, and Norman gave him a smirk. "You don't have to say a word."

Because we heard everything, Jo thought. Emma came out of the bathroom and Jo ducked her head as she swept past her and into the kitchen. Don gave Jo a knowing look and Jo flashed her eyebrows at him. Emma came back into the room carrying two cups of coffee and sat down next to Norman with a big grin on her face. They were giggling at each other and Irma came in with plates to set the table. Suddenly the peace was disturbed by boots coming up the stairs and Grady calling for Norman.

"Shit," Jo muttered under her breath, raking a hand through her hair. She intertwined her fingers in front of her mouth, resting her chin on her thumbs and her elbows on her knees. The tension in the room was palpable even before the apartment door burst open.

Bible, Gordo, and Grady strolled into the room. Jo looked to Don. He was pissed off and she could see it all over his face. They disturbed whatever semblance of normalcy Don had created in this apartment and he looked as if he could murder them all where they stood.

Grady and Gordo were urging Norman to come down to the square to fuck a whore. Jo wasn't really paying attention to what was said until Grady walked between Emma and Norman. Jo's eyes snapped to him.

"Did you…did you take this pretty young thing for a roll?" He squatted down between the two. "Did you do that?" Emma was visibly scared. "What's with your lip?" He grasped her lower lip in his fingers. "What's with your lip? Why it quiver?" Jo could feel anger start to bubble up inside of her. He released Emma's lip and put his arm around her chair. "Don't worry about me, I'm a friend. He fuck you, you fuck me. That how it works." Jo snapped.

"Don't you fucking touch her." She was seeing red now and there was no stopping her.

"Fuck you!" He turned his attention to Jo.

"Don't fucking touch her." Jo said again.

"Or what? What the fuck are you going to do about it?" He challenged her. He set the bottle in his hand on the table.

In one swift movement, Jo was on her feet and around the table. She yanked Grady up from his squat. "What the fuck you doing?" She shoved him back hard and he fell into the fireplace behind him. He scrambled to his feet as she advanced on him. "The fuck's wrong with you?"

"Don't fucking touch her." Jo replied pushing him against the wall. She started swinging at him and Grady put his arms up in defense.

"Shit." She clipped him in the face. "Fuck!" Jo hit him in the nose. He kept dodging her attacks, not having enough time to counter.

Jo kept whaling on him and repeating "Don't fucking touch her." Grady slowly slid down the wall and it wasn't until he was in a ball on the floor and she started to kick him that he surrendered.

"Okay! Okay! Shit! Fucking Jesus! Stop!" Jo stopped her assault. "Just stop fucking hitting me already." Jo grabbed him by the shoulders of his coat and pulled him back up to a standing position.

"If you ever fucking do that again you will wake up with your balls in your mouth. Got it?"

"Got it." He was cowering from her.

"Good." She released him and turned to the rest of the room. "The same goes for the rest of you," she raised her finger at them all. "If I so much as get an inkling that you have touched a girl without her wanting you to, I will not hesitate to castrate you and shove your balls down your throats." She looked to each of the men in front of her, even Don. "Understand?" All but Don nodded. "Consider yourselves warned."

She stalked forward towards the door. Don caught her wrist in his hand. She looked at him. "Aren't you going to stay for lunch?" He had concern in his eyes.

"I seem to have suddenly lost my appetite." She replied pulling her wrist out of his hand. "Move." She stated to Gordo. He stepped out of her way. Jo bent down and grabbed her things. She stood back up. "And Boyd."

"Yeah?"

"I didn't enjoy doing that." With that she left the apartment.

She pulled a cigarette out of her pocket and shoved it in her mouth. She searched her pockets for a lighter, but couldn't find one. She went over to the nearest fire and lit it. She took a long drag of the cigarette. She exhaled with a sigh and put her hands on her hips. Grady of all people should have known not to pull that shit in front of her. It pissed her off so damn much. "FUCK!" She yelled and kicked the flaming debris. They scattered and she drew the attention of nearby soldiers. She saw one with a bottle of booze. "Give me that." She stated storming over to him, ripping the bottle out of his hand. She took a long swig of it.

"Hey! That's mine!" The soldier protested. Jo gave him a murderous look. He visibly wilted. "Never mind. Keep it."

She was going to drink herself to oblivion and quickly smoke a pack of cigarettes, it was her only way to calm down when she was this angry. She heard the Captain's voice yelling to someone on the radio over the din of the square. What was he so angry about? She absentmindedly returned the bottle and walked over to the command center under the archways.

Captain Waggoner looked like he was going to pop a blood vessel. "The fuck do you mean you don't know?! You want me to send men in there blind?! ... What the fuck is the point in having a recon plane if he doesn't do his fucking job?! … I don't give a shit if he took fire! I've already lost half a platoon today because I don't know what my men are walking into! You want me to lose some more?! … Okay! Fine then! Where do you need them?" He grabbed a map and a grease pencil and started marking things down. "Uh huh … okay … got it … got it … yeah, hold the crossroad. Okay …" He got off the radio. "Fuck you too, you fucking asshole." He said to the radio.

"Problem, sir?" Jo asked, stomping out her finished cigarette.

He put his hands on his hips and faced her. "There's a fucking troop formation coming and all I fucking know about it is it needs to be headed off at a crossroads or else the supply chain is fucked and a bunch of innocent people are going to die."

Jo nodded in understanding.

"Hey, get the fuck over here." He yelled at one of the messengers. The messenger came over. "I want you to find me Love 1-6 and get Sgt. Collier's ass over here."

She grabbed the messenger as he passed her. "He's in that building there," she indicated to the house she came out of earlier. "Top of the stairs." The messenger nodded at her and took off. Jo leaned against one of the archways, loosely crossing her arms.

"It's good to see you're still alive, Travers."

"Thank you, sir."

He sat down in a chair with a sigh. "What the fuck happened to your pins, Lieutenant?"

She looked down at her epaulette and back to Waggoner. "In my pocket. I've found that I'm less of a target when I'm not wearing shiny pieces of metal on my uniform. Besides, it's not like I have any authority inside or outside of a medical facility."

He nodded and stood up. He walked over to a small box of drawers. He dug around in one of the drawers and threw a little packet to Jo. She caught it and saw it contained Captain's pins.

"Thank you, sir, but I'm confused. I haven't been here long enough to be a First Lieutenant, let alone a Captain."

"There's a fucking war going on. We'd all be so lucky to live as long as we need to get a promotion. But if you don't want to be a Captain, that's fine. Give me back the pins, I'll make you a First Lieutenant."

She handed the packet back to him. He threw it back in the drawer and opened a different one. He pulled another packet out. He faced Jo, holding the pins out. "Now, you've seen more shit than any of the other nurses I know of and you've saved my ass. Don't let anyone tell you that you didn't earn these." He smiled at her and set the pins in her hand.

She smiled back. "Yes, sir."

"I heard you had a mission for me, sir?" Don asked walking up to the temporary command center. Jo quickly shoved the pins into her breast pocket so she wouldn't lose them. Don gave her a curious look.

"Yes," Captain Waggoner started, getting Don's attention back. "Sorry to disturb your rest and relax Sgt., but we got some urgent intel."

Don sighed. "It's not a problem, sir."

"Good." Waggoner pulled out a cigarette and lit it. He sat down at the small table with the map and indicated for Don to join him.

"What am I walking into?" Don asked, pulling out a small notebook.

"A recon plane spotted a troop concentration moving west, here." He pointed to a spot on the map. "Battalion needs you to guard these crossroads here in this grid on the overlay."

Don started to write down the information. "How many troops did he see?"

"I don't know."

"What kind of troops?" He finished writing. "They have tanks, horses, artillery?"

"I wish I could help you. He took fire, got the fuck out of there. Enough to spook the Colonel. All the tanks are driving on Berlin. There's a couple of thousand cooks, mechanics, and doctors here. Those Krauts hit them, it'll be a slaughter. All we got is you." Don stood up straight and pocketed his notebook. Jo could tell he was annoyed by the situation. "We need you to the crossroads as fast as you can. Secure them. Don't stop for anything. You understand? Take my gas if you have to. If those troops get past you, they're gonna smash into the supply train. Then the whole division is fucked."

"All right, sir. We're on the way." Don started to walk away.

"Wait!" Jo called to stop him. "Is that it? Are you sending him alone?" she asked the Captain.

"He's got the three other tanks to go with him too."

"What about infantry?" She walked over to the table. "If they come across a Tiger and they've got Panzerfaust, they're fucked. With all due respect, sir, it's suicide and a waste of resources."

"What the fuck would you have me do? I lost half the infantry today and what's left is dead on their feet as it is. The infantry would only slow them down anyway and we don't have the time for that."

"There has to be something we can do."

"I'm sorry, Travers, my hands are tied."

Jo rubbed a hand down her face with a sigh and looked to Don. Suddenly there were shouts of "Incoming!" Jo gabbed Waggoner and pulled him to the side of the building and Don followed. Bombs started dropping all over the town, concentrated in the square. Just as fast as the bombs came, they were over. Don immediately left and disappeared into the dust. Captain Waggoner coughed at the dust and waved it away from his face. Jo grabbed his attention again.

"Send me."

"What?"

"Send me with them."

"Travers, I can't-"

"You can. I insist. I can be their fucking medic and infantry in one!"

"Travers you've been at it since before sunup."

"And I'll keep at it till the next sunup and longer if I have to." Jo turned her head to look at the damage in the square now that the dust was settling. She lost her train of thought as she saw Grady pulling Norman away from the rubble of the building she occupied not a half hour ago. She walked to the archway and looked out. She was alone again in the world, her aunt was gone. She didn't know how to feel about that. On the one hand, she hadn't really known the woman, she was a complete stranger. On the other, she was family and the woman seemed nice enough. Her determination was stronger than ever though.

"I can't let you go. I'm sorry." the Captain said from behind her.

She whipped around and faced him. "I'm going either way. Here," she dug into her pocket, "demote me for insubordination." She threw the pins to Waggoner. They hit him in the torso and fell to the ground. "Where is our confiscated Panzerfaust?" She was practically manic.

He just stared at her. "Travers-"

"Where's the Panzerfaust?!"

He heaved a sigh. "Fine. They're in the back of one of the deuce-and-a-half. Go." Jo immediately started running towards one of the trucks. "Good luck!" She heard him yell after her.

She was lucky, the first truck she came to had a Panzerfaust lying there. She grabbed it and ran towards Fury. She climbed up the side and was confronted by Don.

"What are you doing here?" He grabbed a gas can from Bible.

"I'm coming with you." Jo stated.

"No, you are not." He strapped the gas to the back of the tank.

"I am. You need me. And if you won't let me ride with you, then I'll ride with Binkowski."

"Then you best get your ass over to Murder Inc. because I'm not letting you ride with me. I won't let you get taken out with me if I get hit."

"Don't say shit like that, Don." She gave him a concerned look. She hated it when he started thinking like that, even if his job was to minimize casualties.

"You said it yourself earlier. The first tank usually gets hit in an ambush. I'm not going to risk it."

"But, Don-" She growled at him.

He turned on her. "If I can lose five men instead of six in case of an attack, then that's what I'm going to do! Got it?" He stared her down until she yielded. His tone softened. "War makes eternal pessimists of us all. Now go." She gave him a hard look. She didn't want to leave. "Go, or I'll throw you off the tank myself." He wasn't giving in.

"Fuck you." She said softly before she slid off the side of Fury and ran over to Murder Inc., Panzerfaust in tow. She quickly climbed up the front of the tank like she used to when she served Binkowski and went to the back. Jo clapped Binkowski on the shoulder as she passed him and took up her post.

"Don kicked you off Fury?" He asked.

"Yeah, he doesn't want me to come on the mission, so he doesn't want me on his tank. Plus he seems to be pissed off about something else."

"You didn't hear?" He asked looking at her.

"Hear what?"

"He was all that came back from Third Platoon this morning."

"Christ." She glanced at Don and watched as Fury passed them. He looked briefly at Murder Inc., but avoided Jo's gaze. She couldn't believe he wouldn't tell her about something like that.

"Command sent five tanks out on a mission last night. We didn't hear a damn thing. Thought he was dead for sure, then he came rolling into camp. Just one tank minus an AD. That's all that survived the battle."

Jo was shocked. "Why wouldn't he tell me that?"

"I don't know, but just because he fucks you, doesn't mean he's your boyfriend."

"I never said he was my boyfriend. And what the fuck is that supposed to mean exactly?"

"It means he doesn't even tell us all the shit he's been through, so why should he tell you? 'Sides it's not like you tell him all the shit you've been through either. Right? As long as I've known you, you've played things pretty close to the chest. I remember having to pry info out of you."

"You nagged me is more like it. I only told you shit to get you to shut up. How did you find out about Don and me anyway?"

"First off, I have these fucking things on my face called eyes, it's pretty obvious. You kind of follow him around when you two are in the same area."

"I do not."

"You do. He follows you around sometimes too. Don't worry about it. And second, I found out you two were fucking when I went to get Don for something and heard you two going at it."

"What?! How do you know it was me?" She could feel a blush creeping up her neck.

"Oh, Wardaddy! Your dick is so huge!" He said in his best falsetto. Jo's face fell with realization and then he started cracking up.

"You are such a fucking liar. You never heard us."

"No, but you should have seen your fucking face when I said I did. It was fucking priceless!" Binkowski fell into another fit of laughter. Jo cracked a smile.

"It. Wasn't. That. Fucking. Funny." Jo said, punctuating each word with a punch to Binkowski's arm.

He was still giggling. "Yes, it was!" Binkowski's laughter died down a little.

"So how did you really find out?"

"You were both missing one afternoon and I've never known Don to fuck the locals. It doesn't take much to put two and two together." Binkowski paused, listening to someone over the radio.

"Copy. We are right behind you." He pounded his hand on the top of the tank. "Alright ladies, let's get this fucking show on the road."

Murder Inc.'s engine roared to life. They started pulling out and following the convoy. As they passed the bank, Jo noticed Nancy looking out one of the windows. Nancy waved to Jo and Jo gave her a short nod back. She was going to get all the boys back safely or die trying. With that, Jo turned her attention back front and watched as they rolled out of town.