Disclaimers: all the usual apply.

Chapter 10

Amelia POV

Glancing over at Derek walking beside her, Amelia smiled sympathetically. The day had turned out to be one of the hottest the locals could remember, and while he fidgeted in his warm uniform she bounced next to him in her breezy summer dress. Never had she been more grateful for the brass not wanting her to wear a uniform when she wasn't working than at that exact moment.

She was wearing one of the dresses she'd bought just before they had deployed for Normandy. It was a light sky blue and she imagined another woman would wear it when going for a picnic in the country with her new lover. She'd done her hair in loose bouncy curls, softly pinning them back from her face, and put one some make-up to hide the dark circles that lingered under her eyes.

Hey, if I'm going to get out of bed, I may as well do it right.

Derek cussed under his breath at the heat, which brought on a fresh wave of giggles. This in turn just made him scowl more and he let out another colourful string of insults directed at the weather and the manufacturers and designers of military uniforms.

Nearing the makeshift mess hall the sounds of men's voices drifted towards her on the breeze. The thought of her friends talking and laughing close by brought a childlike smile to her face and she immediately picked up her pace, almost giddy with excitement. The yard in-front if the barn was empty, and she could make out Lipton standing alone in the barn door, his back to them.

He must have heard them approach because he peered over his shoulder. Seeing them he smiled broadly and he embraced her before shaking Derek's hand enthusiastically. Harry and Winters appeared from behind him, blocking her view of the men sitting inside.

"Well, finally I can stop listening to the men complain about how there's no one pretty for them to look at during PT," Harry said, his famous gap-tooth grin welcoming them.

"What, haven't they seen Buck in tiny shorts?" Amelia joked.

"I heard my name," Buck popped up next to Winters.

"Oh, I was saying how nice you look in those tiny PT shorts." She winked at him.

"Ah Amelia, that's why I love ya. Back a day and already dishing out the compliments." Buck pulled her into a warm embrace, kissing the top of her head for good measure.

Letting her go he passed her onto Harry who she greeted with a peck on the cheek and a blinding smile of her own.

"It's really good to have you back Amelia," Winters said, warmly pulling her into a side hug in a rare show of affection.

"It's good to be back Dick."

"C'mon, let's go tell the men you're here," Harry said happily.

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Babe POV

Babe could see the officers crowding around the barn door, talking excitedly and hugging someone, but he couldn't see exactly what was happening.

Glancing over at his friends, both Hashey and Garcia shrugged, unable to make out what the commotion was about and unwilling to ask the veterans.

All the replacements were sitting at their own tables, clearly separated from those the veterans occupied. It wasn't that they wanted to keep themselves separate from the experienced men, it was that they were far too intimidated by them to try and take the spaces left by those they'd lost in Normandy.

"Listen up!" Sergeant Lipton shouted from the door and the room fell silent, everyone turning their full attention to him.

"Lieutenant Welsh has an announcement to make."

"OK men, I've got some good news. Lieutenant Smith and Sergeant Jones finally decided to stop holidaying in France and come back to work."

The officers stepped aside and one of the most intimidating men he'd ever seen entered the barn. Around them all the veterans clapped and cheered. The man smiled and clapped Winters on the shoulder fondly.

As they turned to walk to the officers' table he saw her standing in the doorway, framed by the late afternoon sunlight, looking like something from a movie. She stepped through the door and a thunderous cheer went up from all the veterans.

She smiled ecstatically and he noticed how her wide eyes crinkled slightly in the corners and a blush crept into her cheeks. For a brief moment she met his eyes across the room, and he swore his stomach did somersaults, before George Luz picked her up and swung her around, earning a giggle from the woman. The sound of her laughter reverberated in his chest, and he knew it would haunt his dreams.

As soon as Luz put her down another man took his place, it seemed every one of the veterans was waiting to greet her personally.

Hashey turned to Sergeant Randleman, who was making his way to the woman, and asked, "Sarge, who's that?"

"That's the sniper team."

Hashey's jaw dropped and he visibly swallowed. "That's her?"

Sergeant Randleman laughed and slapped him on the shoulder. "Yip son, that's her. Good luck."

"Fuck, I think we might lose this bet boys."

They all nodded, each man glad they're not the one that has to ask the woman on a date.

Sergeant Guarnere led the woman back to his table, a hand protectively on her lower back, while she talked animatedly with the company medic, Eugene Roe. He'd never seen the medic smile before, let alone laugh, and here he was looking like a kid at Christmas.

Walking up to their table she didn't pay them any attention until Sergeant Guarnere pointed in their general direction. "These are some of the new boys beautiful."

"Bill, I'm sure they have names you know."

He simply shrugged and turned away from them, sitting down at the table he shared with some other veterans.

The woman turned to look at their table and they all just stared at her like they'd never see a woman before in their life. "So, do you all have names or am I going to have to guess?"

"I'm Miller ma'am," the man said, shooting up from his seat to shake her hand.

The corners of her lips turned up ever so slightly, taking his outstretched hand she said, "Nice to meet you Miller. Please, call me Amelia."

He smiled shyly and sat back down. After that the rest of the table introduced themselves quickly, all eager to make a good impression on the woman who was clearly close to the other veterans. When it was his turn he stood up, positive she would be able to feel his heart pounding through the pulse in his hand. Extending his hand she took it firmly, meeting his gaze, a warm smile playing across her full lips.

"I'm Edward Heffron, but my friends call me Babe," he said.

"Babe huh? Mmmm…we'll see. I may end up calling you something else." As she playfully winked and let go of his hand, his skin was left burning from her touch.

"OK, now that you've met all the new boys, how 'bout we get you something to eat eh?" George Luz asked, effectively pulling her attention away from their table.

She took the seat between Sergeant Guarnere and Joe Liebgott, which was right behind Babe. He was acutely aware of her presence, every inch of his body demanding he turn around and talk to her. He found himself wishing he was the one that had taken the bet to ask her out.

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Amelia POV

"Oh my word, Don! You and Alton did not steal a bike?" Amelia slapped the table, laughing so hard at George's story of how they'd snuck a motorcycle onto the ship back from Normandy that she was struggling to breathe and tears were forming in the corners of her eyes.

"Whoa there Em, take a breath," Joe said, rubbing small circles on her back, trying to calm her down.

All the men were laughing, whether it was from George's story or the tears now running down her face she wasn't sure.

Regaining some measure of composure she straightened out, fanning her face. "God, I missed you all so much, it's actually a joke."

"Missed you to beautiful, mostly 'cause I only had these ugly mugs to look at all day," Bill said, earning himself some colourful comebacks from the handful of men still at their table.

Glancing at her watch she was shocked to see the time, 21:00. Looking around Amelia saw the mess hall was almost empty, only a few tables still had men sitting around them talking quietly in their individual groups. She noticed Derek talking intensely with Nixon and Winters, and when she peered over her shoulder she was surprised to find some replacements still hanging around.

"I've got to go, it's getting late."

She made to leave when George exclaimed, "C'mon Em, you just got here."

Smiling at her friend she reached over and ruffled his already messy brown hair. "I've got a lot of beauty sleep to catch up on Georgie. I can't embarrass you."

George scoffed. "Please, I've seen you look half decent in a muddy foxhole."

"Half decent, wow, thanks George. That may just be the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me."

"I do try," he retorted, throwing in a wink for good measure.

"I'll walk you back," Joe said, already out of his seat.

She shrugged. "OK."

As she turned to leave one of the replacements, Hashey, get up from their table and walked towards her. He was looking around nervously and he stuffed his hands deep into his pockets.

He came to stand in front of her and she waited patiently for him to say whatever it was he'd come over here for. Amelia was aware of how quiet everyone around them had become, all her friends now staring at them, and she could feel Joe smirking at the replacement behind her back.

Finally scraping together enough courage he met her gaze and asked, "So, are you rationed?" He was trying to sound cocky, but it came out more awkward than anything else. She immediately felt bad for the guy.

Out of the corner of her eye she could see George and Muck grinning like idiots, their faces turning beet red from trying to control themselves.

Ah, so this was the bet. Have the poor replacement ask me out.

She answered politely, not wanting to hurt the man's pride. "No, I'm not seeing anyone."

He shifted his weight and ran one hand through his hair, when he looked around the room she could see him visibly swallow. She tried her best not to laugh at the poor guy, but she could feel a lopsided grin creep across her lips.

"Um, would you like to go out on a date with me then?" he asked, doing his best to sound confident.

She reached over and touched his shoulder. "Thank you. I'm flattered that you asked, however I'm going to have to decline."

She could see the disappointment as he said, "Oh, OK."

She wanted to distract him from getting shot down in front of all of his friends and the men he was no doubt trying to impress. Looking over to George, who was now grinning like the cat that got the cream, she asked, "So, what's my cut?"

This broke the men's resolve and they all packed up laughing hysterically. Looking back to Hashey she rolled her eyes and shook her head, the small gesture seemed to put him slightly at ease.

"Three packs of smokes and three chocolate bars," George said as she returned her attention to him.

"Can I have one pack now?"

The man shrugged and rummaged around in his jacket until her found the pack and threw it her way.

"Thanks," she said catching the pack one handed.

Turning back to a fiercely blushing Hashey she handed him the pack, much to the loud objections from the men around them.

Shooting a glare at her friends to silence them she said, "Hey, he had more guts than any of you ever did."

Looking away from their table she turned her attention to the table of replacements. "I don't know what they told you boys, but for the record, none of them ever even tried to ask me out."

"I'm just waiting for the right moment," George shouted, throwing his hands into the air for affect.

Amelia rolled her eyes and scoffed. Looking back at Hashey she was pleased to find the embarrassed look was now replaced by one considerably smugger.

"I'll see you around Hashey."

"See you around ma'am."

Turning to leave her eyes fell on the replacement sitting closets to her. Babe, if she remembered correctly. He was handsome, with a cheeky smile and inviting eyes. His neatly combed red hair looked almost brown in the dim light of the hall and she noticed how well his uniform fit around his lean masculine frame. He looked up to meet her gaze and her lips turned into a small shy smile of their own accord.

Pity he hadn't asked, I may have said yes. The thought popped into her head unexpectedly and she quickly turned away from him.

"OK, well, I've got a two days pass so I'll see you all in two days' time."

"We'll miss you," Don said.

"I'll keep your winnings safe Em," George added.

"You better," she joked, affectionately winking at her friend.

"Night-night," she said to the table in general, squeezing Bill's shoulder as she left.

Once outside she noticed it had cooled down considerably. She folded her arms across her chest trying to retain as much heat as possible.

"Here, take my jacket," Joe said, jacket already held out for her.

"That's not necessary Joe, I'm fine."

"Stop being stubborn would you? I can see you're cold."

She considered his offer for a moment, before giving up and slipping her arms into the jacket.

For a moment she allowed herself to enjoy the smell of him that crept up to meet her. It was all smoke, army soap and something distinctly Joe. She'd be able to pick it out in a crowd from a mile away.

Looking over to the man walking beside her all she said was, "Thanks."

"Want one?" He held out a cigarette to her. His already lit and hanging from his lips.

"No thanks."

"No one's shooting at you huh?"

"Not tonight."

They walked in silence, the smoke from Joe's cigarette circling around them. She knew he wanted to say something, why else had he insisted on walking her home when any one of her other friends would have volunteered, so she stubbornly stayed mute.

Taking one last drag he exhaled the smoke and flicked the cigarette butt to the ground. Looking at the empty street in front of them he said, "Listen Amelia, I've been thinking."

"M'hm,"she murmured in reply.

"If," he paused, quickly glancing in her direction, "when I'm sure about everything, can I ask you on a date?"

Her heart missed a beat and his jacket felt overly warm and heavy draped around her shoulders. Taking a moment to clear her head and steady her breathing, she seriously contemplated his question. She knew what her answer would be if he asked her tonight, but weeks, even months from now? She couldn't say what her answer would be with absolute certainty, too much could change.

"You can always ask Joe, I just can't guarantee you what the answer will be," she finally replied.

"Oh?"

"Joe, I meant what I said to you, every word. As utterly inconvenient as they are, I do have feelings for you. And I'm not trying to push them away or pretend they don't exists, but I'm not holding onto them either. Life's fleeting, especially for us, so as inconvenient as it may be I'll follow my heart wherever it takes me."

"So you're saying you're not gonna wait?"

"For you to make up your mind? No, I'm not going to wait, but I'm not going to run away either."

"I guess that's fair," he said, a tinge of disappointment colouring his words.

She sighed and tilted her head up to peer at the stars scattered across the night's sky. Looking back at him she said, "Besides, one way or the other I'll always be in your life, whether you like it or not. You're family now."

He chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. "You know I'm an idiot right? For not jumping at the chance to be with you."

"The heart wants what the heart wants Joe, I'll never resent you for that. Even though there were a few days where I wanted to punch you. Still do a little bit." She jokingly bumped him with her shoulder and he casually draped his arm across hers, stopping her from pulling away, not that she had any intention of trying.

"Yeah, I probably deserve it. You know George told Bill and he almost smacked me."

She looked up at him, feeling her cheeks start to turn a deep shade of crimson. Luckily it's dark. "When?"

"While you were in France?'

She groaned, the thought of all the men knowing sent a twinge of embarrassment over her. "Does everyone know?"

"Nah, Bill told George to keep it to himself." He squeezed her shoulder, trying to reassure her.

"That man is the biggest gossip I've ever met. Remind me to smack him next time I see him."

He smirked. "It'll be my pleasure."

They fell into a more comfortable silence, the tension broken for now. She could see the Whitehall's home in the distance, images of her nice soft bed taking over her thoughts.

"Hey Em?"

Glancing up she found him staring intently at her. "Yes Joe." The words were barely above a whisper.

He planted a kiss on the top of her head before continuing, "You're family too."

They came to a stop outside the small gate leading to the front door. Stepping out from under his arm a little reluctantly she took off his jacket and handed it back. Looking up at him she felt a mixture of heartache and joy.

She reached over to briefly touch his cheek. "Night Joe."

As she lifted her hand from his cheek he reached up and grabbed it, his lips turning into the faintest of smiles. "Sweet dreams beautiful."

He let go of her hand and she turned to walk to the door. Once inside she acknowledged the peaceful sadness that had settled over her heart. They'd both said what they needed to, there was nothing more she could do and there was no turning back.

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