Hello everyone. Thank you so so so much for all the lovely reviews- they mean a lot! This is just a short chapter but I promise the next ones will be a lot longer. Enjoy! And also, Happy Easter weekend!

Chapter Ten

May 30th, 1944

Easy Company were leaving Aldbourne and heading to Upottery. Wherever that was. Bill had swung by the Jones' to say goodbye and to walk with Evelyn up to the camp, where the trucks were waiting to take them to their new location.

"I've packed you a few things to eat for your journey," Mrs Jones announced. "Just some sandwiches and the like. Nothing fancy, but I didn't want you both getting hungry."

"You're an angel from heaven, aren't you Mrs J?" Bill smiled, and Evelyn rolled her eyes at his flattery. Mrs Jones, however, blushed. Evelyn took the heavy basket from her and placed it down on the floor next to their rucksacks with a small smirk. Just a few things? There was probably enough food in there to feed a small army.

Evelyn was going to miss the Jones'. Especially Lucy. Being the youngest child in her own family, Evelyn had relished having kind of adopted a younger sister for the last few months. But she had a feeling that Lucy wasn't going to miss her half as much as she was Bill. And she suspected the feeling was mutual.

"Do you promise you'll write to me?" Lucy was sobbing as she sat on his knee.

"Sweetheart, he's going to be too busy to worry about writing you letters," Mrs Jones said gently.

"I promise," Bill answered, crossing his heart. "Of course I'm gonna write my favourite little lady. But you gotta swear that you'll write me back because I'm gonna be sad if you don't."

"I swear," Lucy nodded solemnly, crossing her own heart.

"Good," Bill smiled. "And you don't let that Michael Ashford kid pick on you, you hear me? Remember what I told ya?"

"About kicking him in the goolies if he pulls my hair again?" Lucy whispered but loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Bill!"

"Lucy!"

"What?" Bill exclaimed innocently. Evelyn shook her head and Mrs Jones reluctantly grinned.

"We'd best get goin'," Evelyn said looking at the clock on the wall. The trucks were leaving in just over an hour.

Bill nodded and pulled something out of his pocket. Evelyn recognised it immediately.

"This is my lucky baseball," he told Lucy, handing her the tattered ball. "I've had this since I was your age and I've never lost it yet. Thing is, I need somewhere safe to leave it for the time bein'. So I was kinda hopin' you would look after it for me? I don't think I can trust anyone else."

Lucy held the ball as though it was the most precious thing anyone had ever given her.

"I'll take really good care of it, I promise," Lucy smiled widely.

"That's what I thought," Bill winked. He gave her a small kiss on the cheek before setting on the floor gently as he arose from his seat.

"Be good for your Mom, ok?" Evelyn said as she bent down to give Lucy a tight squeeze.

"I will," Lucy promised, and her mother snorted.

"Now, look after yourselves the pair of you," Mrs Jones smiled, and Evelyn swore she could see tears glistening in her kind eyes. "And if, when, you come back to Aldbourne, your bedroom will be here waiting for you."

"Thank you," Evelyn smiled back, giving the woman a hug. "See you all soon."

"See you around, squirt," Bill ruffled Lucy's blonde locks as they picked up their bags and opened the front door.

"Good luck both of you," Mrs Jones said as she and Lucy walked to the garden gate with them, where they waited until Evelyn and Bill were out of sight.

….

"I forgot to tell you, I got a letter from Frannie today," Bill said, as they reached camp.

"She alright?" Evelyn asked.

Ever since that day when she had caught Bill and that woman together, they hadn't really spoken of Frannie because they didn't want to row with each other again. Evelyn still maintained that Bill was in the wrong, whereas he was adamant that his actions were completely acceptable. Apparently, the only time it became unacceptable was once he and Frannie got married. Evelyn thought he was talking completely out of his ass. So they had agreed to disagree.

"Yeah, she's fine," Bill nodded. "Got herself a new job as a cashier at the bank on Main Street."

"At the bank? Wow, she's done well to get that. Not that I'm surprised, she's always been good with numbers. Evelyn was impressed nonetheless. "She could build herself a decent career there. You know, maybe work her way up the ladder?"

"Why would she wanna do that?" Bill frowned, spotting some of the guys and heading in their direction.

"Why wouldn't she wanna do that?"

"Well once we're married, she ain't gonna be workin' so what would she need to be thinkin' about a career for?" Bill looked at his sister as though she was stupid.

"Who says she ain't gonna be workin'? Did she say that?" Evelyn asked.

"No, I'm sayin' that," Bill answered matter of factly.

"You can't decide that for her."

"What do you mean I can't? Of course I can," Bill exclaimed. "No wife of mine is gonna work. It ain't right."

Evelyn sighed and shook her head, seeing that this conversation could easily lead to another argument. Usually she would have called Bill out and said he was being chauvinistic, but the thing was she didn't actually think he was trying to be. She really only knew of one or two married women who worked. It just wasn't the done thing. Men went to work and provided for their families, while their wives stayed home to look after the children and the home. That was the way of things. But times were changing. Poor Bill, and many of the other serving men. They were going to be in for a shock once this war was over, because Evelyn had a suspicion that women weren't going to allow themselves to be put back in their boxes.

Right now, though she would let Bill think he was going to get his own way with this one. It was a lot easier than another row, especially when she was going to be confined in a small truck with her brother for hours. Sometimes it was better to choose your battles wisely.

…

June 4th, 1944

The day had finally come. They were going to war. It was surreal to think that two years of training had led to this very day. Evelyn wasn't sure that she would really believe it until they were in those planes and flying over the channel.

"Hey Ev, fancy a haircut? I'll even give you a discount."

She glanced over at Liebgott who, along with Forrest Guth, was shaving mohawks into some of the guys' hair. He waved the razor in her direction and gave her a cheeky wink.

"Nah, think I'll pass," she grinned. "I might send Eugene your way though. I reckon he'd suit it."

"Yeah, always thought he was a crazy bastard really," Liebgott smirked as she sauntered past and continued with his work. Evelyn smiled to herself when she noticed the way the tip of his tongue stuck out as he concentrated. Urgh, why does he have to be so adorable?

"…Three day supply of K-rations, chocolate bars, candy, powdered coffee, sugar, matches, compass, bayonet, trenching tool, ammunition, gas mask, musette bag with ammo, my webbing, my 45, canteen, two cartons of smokes, Hawkins mine, two grenades, Gammon grenade, TNT, this bullshit and a pair of nasty skivvies."

Joe Toye is not a happy man, Evelyn thought to herself as she walked past him. Not that Joe was ever happy. Actually no, that was a lie. It wasn't that Joe was never happy, it was that he had this grumpy persona that made it always seem that he was irritated by something.

"What's your point?" Perconte asked, and Evelyn smirked, unsure whether or not he was being sarcastic or not. She doubted it. Frank Perconte was cute as a button, but he wasn't always the sharpest tool in the box.

"God! This stuff weighs as much as I do," Joe growled. "I still got my chute, my reserve chute, my Mae West and my M-1."

"Where you keeping your brass knuckles?" Perconte smirked.

"I could use some brass knuckles," Joe pondered that idea, and Evelyn shook her head in amusement as she carried on down the line of men, packing up their stuff, towards her brother, Malarkey and George. Bill was sat on the floor, looking ready to go, eating something in a bowl while Malarkey and Luz were holding the leg bags they had all just been issued.

"Why are they springing these things on us now?" Malarkey questioned.

"It's just an extra eighty pounds strapped to your leg."

"Does anyone have any idea how these things work?" George frowned, holding up the offending item as though it was contagious. Evelyn shook her head and George just shrugged in resignation. "Ev, look at the state of your face," he said suddenly.

"What's wrong with it?" Evelyn asked, touching her face subconsciously.

"Nothing a little make up won't fix," George grinned whipping out a tub of camouflage paint from his bag. Evelyn went to take it from him, but he just shook his head and unscrewed the lid.

"Uh-uh," Evelyn put up her hand. "You ain't puttin' that on me, George Luz. Give it here, I'll do it myself."

"Evelyn, do you not see how beautiful the rest of these guys look?" George motioned to the small group around him. "I can make you look just as good given half the chance."

"Get on with it then," she sighed reluctantly, knowing she would never win this battle.

George grinned triumphantly and began smearing paint all over her face with flourish like he was some kind of artist. Once Evelyn was pretty sure she had used the whole tub he stood back to admire his work.

"Meh, it's not much of an improvement but I never claimed to be a miracle worker," he shrugged.

"George, you're taking your life into your hands there," Malarkey chuckled as Evelyn shot George a death glare that could rival those of her brother's. The brother who was still happily stuffing his face, seemingly oblivious to the entire conversation.

Before any of them could say anything else, Vest appeared, handing everyone sheets of paper with something written from Colonel Sink. Luz cleared his throat and started to read it in his best Sink impersonation.

"Soldiers of the regiment, tonight is the night…" he began. He sniffed and continued reading in his own voice once he realised what the letter was about. "…of nights. Today, as you read this you are en route to the great adventure for which you have trained for over two years."

"So that's why they gave us ice cream," Bill commented, breaking the silence. Evelyn plonked herself down on the ground next to him and reached for his bowl. He rolled his eyes as he handed it over to her and she started to wolf down what was left of it. When she clasped a hand to her head and groaned in pain, he snorted.

"That's what you get for eatin' it too fast, you gannet."

"I'm comfort eatin'," she retorted, giving him the middle finger as she waited for the freezing pain in her head to subside before she carried on eating.

"Easy Company, listen up!" Lieutenant Meehan's voice suddenly rang out. "Channel coast is socked in with rain and fog. No jump tonight! The invasion has been postponed. We're on a 24-hour stand down."

"Fucks sake," Bill muttered. They had all psyched themselves up for the fact that they were going to war, only for it to be called off last minute. It was all rather anti-climactic.

"Oh well," Evelyn shrugged, offering him the bowl. "Ice cream?"

….

"Dearest Johnny?" Bill frowned as he glanced at the letter he had pulled out of the jacket pocket. He was sat alone in the make shift cinema rooting around for his cigarettes when he found the unsuspecting item. "I got the wrong damn jacket."

"Ssh," the man next to him huffed loudly.

Bill was about to put the letter back when his curiosity got the better of him. He glanced around slightly to make sure no one was watching and began eyeing the neat scrawl. What he read made his heart stop. ...Bill Guarnere's brother, Henry killed in Monte Cassino… His stomach dropped. He felt like he had just been hit with a freight train. It couldn't be true. No. Not Henry. But it was written there in black and white, plain as day.

In true Bill fashion, the only thing he could feel while processing his thoughts was anger. Anger at the Krauts who had killed his brother. Anger at Henry for letting himself be killed. Anger at his parents for not having told them. He knew his anger was unfounded. His parents had probably only just found out themselves. All he could think about was his Mom and Dad. They were going to be heartbroken. Henry was always a lot more sensitive than the rest of the Guarnere's. He kind of reminded Bill of Webster in a way.

Stumbling out of the tent, he walked. Where to he didn't know. He wasn't thinking straight. He needed to find his sister. But how the fuck was he going to tell her what had happened? How could he do it? How could he be the one to tell her something that was going to have her entire world crumble just the way his was right now? She wouldn't handle it. She wasn't strong enough. And how the hell could he tell right before they jumped? Could he do that to her knowing that if he did, her mind wouldn't be focused on what it should be when it came to the drop? Tears pricked his eyes and blinked them away, crushing the letter angrily in his fist. He was not going to cry. He had never cried a day in his life. The closest he had ever come to it was when Nonna Maria, his mother's mother, had died five years ago. He had adored that little old woman, but even then he had refused to shed so much as one single tear. Evelyn on the other hand had cried for days, it might have even been an entire week.

That settled it. He wouldn't tell her. She would be a wreck. He couldn't do it. What she didn't know couldn't hurt her and he swore to himself he would do it as soon as they returned. But while they were over there, he needed her to be strong and her mind focused. He felt like he needed to tell someone though. He couldn't keep it in. He felt like he was going to explode with the emotions seeping through every fibre of his being.

"Hey Gonorrhoea, you wanna play craps?"

Bill had walked himself to the row of pup tents that had been using to sleep in during their short time in Upottery. The guys that weren't watching the movie were all sat around smoking and chatting.

"I mean, I'm gonna beat you anyway, but it'll pass the time," Malarkey smirked.

"Uh no," Bill muttered. "You guys seen Ev?"

"Think she said something about going over supplies with Doc and Spina over at the aid station." Skip answered, taking a drag of his cigarette.

"You alright Bill?" Toye asked with a concerned frown. "You don't look so good, pal."

Bill handed him the letter and rubbed his face wearily as Joe read it.

"Shit the bed," Joe murmured, passing the letter onto Malarkey and Skip whose reactions were pretty much the same.

"Don't say it," Bill begged as Toye opened his mouth to offer his condolences. So instead he stood and patted Bill on the shoulder.

"Does Ev know?" Malarkey asked.

"No," Bill shook his head and sighed. "And she ain't gonna. Not until after the drop."

"Bill, you gotta tell her," Skip declared. "She's got a right to know just the same as you."

"Don't you think I fuckin' know that?" Bill snapped. "I ain't keepin' it from her to be a bastard, I'm doin' it because I want her in the right mind frame for this jump, and she won't be if she hears about Henry."

"Hears what about Henry?" They all froze at the sound Evelyn's chirpy voice.

"Oh nothin'," Bill said casually, hoping his face conveyed what he wanted it to. "I was just sayin' that I hadn't heard from Henry in a while, and I was gonna ask if you had."

"Me neither. I wrote him about a month ago and then the month before that, but I wouldn't worry. I should imagine the mail service isn't all that reliable in the middle of a war zone," she laughed. "We'll hear from him soon enough."

"Yeah you're right," Bill tried to smile. "Well, uh, we gotta go and do that thing I was tellin' you about Joe."

"What thing?" Toye frowned.

"You know, that thing," Bill said.

"Oh, right yeah," Joe nodded, realising what was going on.

"What thing?" Evelyn asked.

"Oh it's just something Lipton asked us to do," Joe said vaguely, looking at his watch. "In fact, we'd better go now or we'll be late. See you guys later."

Evelyn narrowed her eyes as the pair of them walked away. They were behaving rather peculiar. They were probably up to something. She shrugged, deciding she was probably better off not knowing.

"So Malark, fancy a game of craps?"

….

5th June, 1944

There was a sombreness about the airfield as, once again, they packed up their chutes and everything else. The drop was definitely going ahead this time, and everyone was subdued and pensive, a stark contrast to the eager excitement they had shown yesterday in the same circumstance. Even George wasn't his usual playful self. Evelyn knew this because he hadn't tried to attack her with the camouflage paint even once.

"You got the air sickness pills?" Eugene checked with her once he had finished helping her strap on the last of her gear.

"Right here," she smiled, patting her pocket and feeling the small package inside it. "So this is it, then?"

"Sure is," Roe nodded. He sighed. "See you when we get there?"

She nodded back. She knew that neither of them wanted to mention the possibility that they might not see each other there. Both of them were thinking it, but to voice it seemed almost like tempting fate. Completely unexpectedly, Eugene pulled Evelyn into a gentle embrace, one which she welcomed gladly.

"Bonne chance, Cherie," he mumbled into her hair.

As he headed off towards his own aircraft, he passed by Bill who had finished talking with Johnny Martin and was coming to speak to his sister. He gave Eugene a small nod.

It had been decided by Meehan that Bill and Evelyn were to go on separate aircrafts. While they both understood the decision, it didn't change the fact that they would have preferred to be together. To support each other.

As Bill approached, he took a minute to memorise every detail of Evelyn's face. If something should happen, he wanted to remember every little thing about her. She was more than just his little sister. She was his best friend too. She looked so small stood by the airplane, and he wondered how she could even stand up right with all that gear on.

"I just wanted to come and say bye," he said, and he could see her bottom lip start to wobble. She bit it and blinked back the tears threatened to spill. A stray one fell down her cheek, leaving a streak in the black paint on her face. He wiped it away and gave her a small smile. "Don't cry, kiddo."

"Sorry," she sniffed. "I told myself I wouldn't do this. It's just that I'm scared."

"I know," Bill soothed, leaning down to press his forehead against hers. This was precisely why he knew he'd done the right thing in not telling her about Henry. "It's gonna be ok. We're gonna be ok, you got that?"

She nodded and gave a small smile.

"I love you, Bill," she said.

"Love you too kiddo," Bill anwered. "More than you'll ever know."