Faye's PoV

I ambled slowly through the woods that surrounded me, briefly pressing my hand to the rough bark of the trees, and running my fingertips along smooth vines and leaves. The place seemed so familiar to me. In my head, I knew that I had never been there before, but my heart said otherwise. I knew these woods. The foliage above me thinned, resulting in a light that grew steadily brighter, and another minute later I found myself striding into freshly cut grass. The sweet smell drifted up on the warm summer air, tangling its delicate fingers around me as I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, a small smile tugging at the corners of my lips.

The peacefulness I was enveloped in, however, was broken by the shouts of a little girl, issuing from not too far from where I stood. I lazily opened my eyes to see a pair of kids not 20 feet away from me. How I didn't notice them before, I have no idea. The little girl was straining, raised up on the very tips of her toes and jumping as high as she could with her arm outstretched, trying to grab the stuffed animal that was dangled tauntingly above her head by the older boy she was with. I narrowed my eyes at the little boy and called out to him, Hey! Give the girl her toy back!"

I was ignored, so I repeated myself, louder this time. Neither of the children so much as twitched. Angrily, I strode up to them and propped my fists on my hips.

"Hey ! Look at me when I'm talking to you!"

The little girl slipped in the midst of another jump, falling to the ground with tears in her eyes. It was then that I got a good look at her, and gasped in shock. Misty violet eyes gazed up at me from behind dark brown hair. She was the little girl from the picture I had been found with when I was a child. It was only when the boy behind me called out, "What's so great about this stupid raccoon anyways?" that I realized that the little girl was not staring at me, but rather through me. Neither of these children could see, feel, nor hear me.

The girl got to her feet and cried, "Wally is not stupid!"

Another shock went through me. Wally?

Snatching up the tattered stuffed raccoon, the girl cried through her tears, "You're such a jerk, Lewis! Why do you have to be so mean?!"

I was left, dumbstruck, as she ran off with her toy. The boy passed me with his hands shoved deep in his pockets and a frown etched on his young face. Messy dark brown hair fell into his bright brown eyes. I started. I knew those eyes.

Before my frazzled mind could dig around and remember where I knew those eyes from, I suddenly found myself in another area, and the sun was slowly sinking beyond the horizon. The sound of sobs cut through the silence that I had been left in not seconds before, and I looked up into the tree beside me, startled, to see the little girl from earlier huddled in a ball in an indent between a tree branch and the weathered tree trunk.

"Hey!" I called in surprise, momentarily forgetting that I couldn't be heard. "Are you okay? How did you get up there?"

When I was answered only by her uninterrupted tears, I sighed, kicking the tree. "Of course she can't hear me," I muttered, trying to ignore the sudden throbbing of my big toe.

Before I could further injure my foot by kicking something else, I heard a worried voice call out from behind me. "Faye?"

I whirled around, only to see the boy from earlier looking around frantically. I almost replied before remembering once more that he couldn't hear or see me.

But how did he know I was here?

"Up here," came a wavering voice from above me, causing my eyes to return to the girl in the tree.

"Faye!" the boy exclaimed in relief. "What are you doing up there?! You almost gave me a heart attack!"

I frowned as my mind whirred furiously. So her name is Faye too? That's really weird... She's gotta be the first Faye I've met, other than myself, of course.

My eyes shot back up to the little girl, whose violet eyes were filled with tears as she looked down at her the older boy.

"Faye Marie Nixon, how many times have we told you not to climb up trees if you can't get down?!" the boy cried in a gentle reprimand as he reached up toward her. "Come on; Jump down. I'll catch you."

Little Faye wiped her eyes and sniffled before slowly uncurling from her huddle and sliding cautiously toward the boy . Scooting around, she clung to the branch for dear life as she swung down. The boy, Lewis, I remembered, grabbed her and held on as she slowly released her grip on the branch. Lewis slowly set her feet on the ground, where she stood on her own and wiped her eyes once more, sniffling.

Lewis kneeled down in front of little Faye and procured the stuffed raccoon from earlier, onto which the little girl promptly latched on and squeezed. She then threw her tiny arms around her brother's neck and hugged him tight (still holding onto the raccoon).

"I love you Lewis," she mumbled into his neck.

The boy slowly hugged her back. "I love you too, Faye. And I'm sorry for taking Wally away. I know you love him, even if he is a stupid raccoon."

Little Faye pulled back and stomped her foot, crying, "Wally is not stupid!" But this time, she had a smile on her face.

Lewis laughed and ruffled her hair. "C'mon, little bear. Let's go home."

By the time I was completely awake and comprehensive, the astoundingly vivid dream was slipping away from me, no matter how desperately I attempted to cling onto it. It was, I thought wryly with a disappointed grimace, like trying to hold water in cupped hands. No matter how tightly you press your fingers together, it always leaks through.

With a sigh, I rolled out of the bed I shared with Violet (Mallory slept on the little couch in our room that night) and stumbled over to the basin of water that was positioned on a dresser by the lone, shuttered window. Scooping up some of the water, I splashed it onto my face and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. Blowing water droplets off of my nose, I blindly reached for the towel nearby and proceeded to gently wipe the moisture away.

Upon opening my eyes, I was immediately greeted with the sight of myself, bed-head and all, staring back at me from the small mirror propped against the wall.

~ The little girl slipped in the midst of another jump, falling to the ground with tears in her eyes. It was then that I got a good look at her, and gasped in shock. Misty violet eyes gazed up at me from behind dark brown hair. ~

With a gasp, I stumbled back from the mirror, shaking my head and choosing to ignore the strange happening as the memory once more faded into oblivion. Trembling slightly, I made my way over to my pile of clothes that I had thrown haphazardly over a chair the night before and grabbed my pants. Distractedly, I pushed one leg through its respective hole, but my lack of concentration would be my demise once more. Foot tangled in the other pant-leg, I tumbled to the floor with a very unattractive squawk; a mess of flailing limbs and mahogany curls.

Before I could even get up, a pillow flew at me from the bed –punishment for waking her up- and successfully hit me square in the face as Violet rolled over grumpily, one pale foot hanging off the edge of the bed. Defeated, I lay back onto the floor with a loud thump, one leg still hanging out of my trousers.

"Why does life have to suck?" I groaned as Violet flipped me the bird from her position on the bed for I was making too much noise again, and she had no pillow to throw. "I love you too, cupcake," I grumbled as I stood up to attempt getting dressed once more.

Five minutes later –dressed with no further accidents- I finished lacing up my boots and stood up to stretch my tired limbs. Toes curling in pleasure as my muscles loosened, I cracked my knuckles, popping them one by one.

"Come on, sleepyheads," I called to Mallory and Violet past a yawn. "We've got things to do today."

I was answered only by groans and grumbles as my friends attempted to grasp at their fleeing sleep.

"Faye, I hate you," came the muffled moan from the couch, where Mallory's face was smooshed into her pillow.

"I love you too. Get up."

Making my way to the door, I casually called over my shoulder to the two girls who were still laying face-down on their respective sleeping areas, "By the way, there's coffee in the mess."

As I shut the door, I heard two loud thuds issuing from the room I had just vacated. Smirk in place, I made my way into the early morning sunlight, shaking my head at the predictability of my friends.

Blinking in the brightness of the early morning sunlight, I yawned once more as I made my way slowly along the dirt road that ran under my boots. Waving to soldiers as I passed, I headed toward the building used as the mess, lacing my fingers behind my head as I went. It wasn't until I was almost to the mess that I noticed Joe Liebgott walking out of CP, gun slung over his shoulder and blood leaking from a wound in his neck. Alarmed, I changed my course and hurried over to him.

"Hey, Joe," I called out in greeting, causing him to turn towards me. Waving slightly as I jogged up, I puffed, "What happened? Are you okay?"

The young soldier scratched his cheek awkwardly as he replied, "Huh? Oh, yeah, we took out two SS companies earlier this morning and Winters asked me to bring the prisoners back." The look in his eyes told me that he was displeased about the idea of leaving the Germans alive, so I patted his arm and changed the subject.

"Hey, let's take a look at your neck. I can't have one of the Army's finest passing out on me from blood loss, now can I?" Tossing a wink in at the end, I watched gleefully as he blushed slightly under the dirt and blood.

"W-well," he mumbled, looking at anything that wasn't me, "you don't need to do that. I was already going to the aid station anyways…"

I flapped a hand at him, cutting his comment short. "Oh, pish. I'm closer than the aid station, and you don't have to worry about me being rough. I'll be nice, I promise."

Before the poor boy had a chance to protest, I grabbed his hand and pulled him back the way I came. Once we reached our lodgings, I turned around, and it was only then that I realized I was still holding his hand. Heat crept up my neck as I dropped the appendage like a hot potato and stuttered, "Um, my med-kit is inside, so…uh, I'm just gonna…yeah…Don't move!"

In my haste to escape, I failed to see the stupid smile that spread across Joe's face. Leaping up the stairs two at a time, I bounded into the room I had vacated not ten minutes earlier and scooped up my medic bag. Violet and Mallory were nowhere to be found, so I assumed they were already in the mess. Pausing in front of the mirror, I patted my hair down and straightened my fatigues before I realized what I was doing. Growling in frustration, I slapped my forehead. What am I evendoing? I questioned myself miserably. Why am I trying to impress him? He's just a boy for chrissakes!

As I hurried out of the room again, however, the little annoying voice in the back of my mind spoke up. You know the one that always spouts random contradictions that always seem to be true, but you refuse to accept them? Yeah; that one.

He's a verycuteboy, Faye, darling. A very cute boy who you just so happen to be interested in. And you know what? I think he might like you toooo!

Before I even realized I was speaking out loud, I hissed, "Shut up!"

"What?"

Oh, crap! I said that out loud, didn't I?

Joe was leaning against the doorframe, looking up at me as I froze on the last stair like a deer caught in headlights. Okay, be calm. Play it cool…

"Uh…what? I didn't say anything."

I cringed mentally at how lame I sounded. Smooth move, Elvis! I saidcool! Was thatcool? I don't think so!

The soldier raised an eyebrow but didn't push the matter, for which I was extremelygrateful. I could still feel the embarrassment burning the tips of my ears.

"Um, let's take a look at your neck now!" I blurted, grateful for a subject change. Pointing to the steps in front of me, I ordered him to sit. Resting his M-1 against the wall, Joe pulled off his helmet and held it in his lap as I gently pulled the neck of his ODs away from his injury.

"It doesn't look too bad," I murmured, half to myself, as I inspected it. Picking up my canteen, I unscrewed the top and warned, "This is going to hurt a little," before pouring a small stream of water onto the wound to clean it out. If it pained him, he didn't show it. Setting the canteen down, I riffled through my bag until I came across the resealed, half empty packet of sulfa I had used on another small injury. After pouring the powder onto the wound, I pressed a bandage to it and tied it securely, trying to make my ministrations as gentle as possible. After wiping my hands on my trousers, I patted his shoulder and said, "Okay, GI-Joe, you're all set."

"What?"

"Um…nevermind!"

Chuckling slightly, my charge stood up and set his helmet back over his dark hair before grabbing his gun.

"Thanks a lot Miss Faye. I really do appreciate it."

I smiled at him. "It was no trouble at all, soldier. If you would, though, please call me Faye. There's no need for formalities, I'm just a medic."

The soldier smiled back. "You are most certainly not 'just a medic,' Miss- Faye," he replied, catching himself with a wink. My face heated up once more. "You and your friends are all one of us. All the guys say so."

Hearing that from him made my heart jump in my chest. It was the greatest honor I could think of, being accepted as a part of Easy Company. Even though we hadn't done much, I guess it was still enough for them to see that we were serious about being a part of it all. Despite my efforts to not look like a moron in front of the handsome and charming soldier, I couldn't keep the big grin off of my face.

"Thank you, Joe," I said softly. "That means a lot."

With another smile, he touched the rim of his helmet and turned on his heel. Before I could stop myself, his name spilled from my lips once more, stopping him in his tracks.

"Yeah?"

His dark eyes stared into mine.

Shit! I didn't even think! What do I say? Shit, shit, shit!

"Um…" my face probably resembled a tomato. "Do you maybe wanna, um, grab some coffee with me? I was about to head to the mess when I saw you earlier, and I would really enjoy some company?"

Why did that come out like a question? Christ, did I really just say that? Stupid, stupid, stupid! Great job, Faye. He probably thinks you're a complete and utter, desperate, moron!

"Sure."

…Say what?

"I'd love to grab some coffee with you. I think I should probably clean up a little first though, if you don't mind." He looked a little sheepish at the thought, but I couldn't have been happier.

"Oh, of course not! I need to clean up as well. How about I meet you there in ten? Is that okay?"

Joe offered me a crooked grin that made my heart flutter.

Down, girl!

"Sounds great. See you in ten, then."

I grinned stupidly as he retreated toward the makeshift barracks. Gathering up my bag, I turned back towards the door, only to come face to face with a grinning Violet and Mallory.

Uh-oh…

"Uh…hi?" I said lamely.

Violet stopped me when I tried to squeeze past her and smirked.

"So," she teased. "It looks like someone has a date today."

I felt my blush give me away as I stammered, "I-it's not a date! We're just…"

Mallory smirked. "You're just?" When I couldn't give her an answer, she raised an eyebrow and continued, "That's what I thought. Come on," she ushered me upstairs. "Let's get you prettied up for your little date."

"It's not a date!"

She rolled her eyes and forced me into a chair, where she proceeded to tug at my hair mercilessly. "Yeah, yeah, whatever."

Ten minutes -and much hair pulling- later, my older friend pushed me over to the mirror.

"What do you think?" she asked as I stared at my new hairstyle in the mirror. She had braided all of my hair into a single braid and then pinned it around my head like a sort of crown, effectively keeping it out of my face. "It looks nice, but it doesn't look too fancy, which I figured you might want so it doesn't look like you're trying too hard to impress him. Did I do good?"

I smiled broadly at her and pulled her into a hug. "It's perfect," I assured her. "Thank you."

She blushed in embarrassment and shooed me away. "Go on, now. Go meet your soldier boy."

As I bounded down the stairs, I heard her call after me, "Have fun!"

Rolling my eyes, I trotted down the dirt road to the mess, where I was pleased to see Joe waiting for me. He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and when he spotted me a smile crossed his lips, causing my own lips to mirror his subconsciously. As I neared him, I noticed that his hair was slightly damp, as if he had dumped water over his head to wash his hair and face. There wasn't much he was able to do about his ODs, but I couldn't have minded less. It was a war; I understood.

"Hey Joe," I greeted him. "Thanks for waiting."

He grinned and held the door open for me. "Don't mention it. Besides, it's not every day I'm asked to get coffee by a pretty lady," he joked. As if there was ever time. Nevertheless, I blushed.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Mr. Liebgott," I teased with a smile as I walked into the mess. The soldier chuckled and followed me inside, leading the way to one of the boys that was assigned kitchen duty. A few minutes later, coffee in hand, we mosied over to an empty table, where we sat across from each other.

"So," I finally said after a few moments of silence, "Where do you hail from?" Though I already knew the answer, it made for conversation. He cracked a small smile and took a drink of his sludge coffee before replying.

"San Francisco. Where are you from again?"

My eyes betrayed my amusement as I replied, "Very far away, but I lived in Texas pretty much my whole life. Fort Worth, actually."

My companion chuckled before resting his elbows on the table and lacing his fingers together, gazing at me from over them. "So what exactly did you do before you showed up here?" Almost everyone in Easy (and one in particular in Dog) knew of our situation, so I assumed he meant future-wise.

"Well," I began, tracing the lip of my cup with my index finger. "Mallory, Violet and I lived together in Richmond, where I went to college. Violet already lived there, and Mallory went with me when I left for school." I decided to leave out the particular details of exactly why she escaped with me. "Violet and I met in a dance class, and pretty soon, the three of us were like sisters. We bought an apartment and lived there for almost a whole year before we ended up here. I guess I spent most of my time at school, in dance class, or with my girls. Nothing very exciting, really." Not wanting to bore him with my life story, I changed the subject. "What about you?"

He cleared his throat before replying. "Me? Well, it was nothing big; lived in Frisco my whole life. I went back and forth between being a cabby and working in a little barber shop." He switched the subject back to me, much to my chagrin. "So, what did you study in college?"

Our chatter went back and forth, even when our coffee was long gone. When it finally drew to an end, I realized with a smile that it was the longest I had ever talked continually with a guy who wasn't related to me, an elder gent, or gay. I kind of liked it.

"I guess I should get going," Joe said, though he made no move to get up. "I need to check back in with Winters at CP."

Slightly disappointed, even though we had been talking for the past three hours, I agreed. "Yeah, there's probably something I could be doing at the aid station too." Standing up, I grabbed my empty cup when he did the same. Smiling softly at him, I said shyly, "Thank you for keeping me company, Joe. I had a great time."

The young soldier offered me another crooked grin before replying that he would gladly do it again. We moved toward the doors in comfortable silence after depositing our cups in the bin of dirty dishes. Entering once more into the bright sunlight, we stood for a while, neither knowing exactly what to say. Before I could change my mind, I mustered all of the courage I possessed and stood on my tiptoes to give him a light peck on the cheek.

"See you later, Joe," I mumbled, blushing furiously, before trotting off in the direction of the aid station. If I had glanced over my shoulder during my retreat, I would have seen the handsome soldier watching me as I hurried away for a moment longer with a stupid grin on his face before he finally turned and headed towards CP.

I reached the aid station just as Mallory and Violet were leaving. Before I could even open my mouth, Violet grabbed my arm and dragged me through the town to a grassy hill just behind our lodging house. Pushing me onto the ground, she plopped down in front of me and said, "Spill!"

My returning blush must have given me away. Hiding my face in my hands, I shook my head in embarrassment as Mallory laughed gleefully.

"What happened?" She inquired excitedly. "Tell me, tell me, tell me!"

Eventually, they got the whole story from me, causing me to throw myself down onto the ground, hiding my face once more when Violet busted out laughing.

"You ran away?" she gasped through peals of laughter. "You actually ran away!"

"Shut up!" I moaned. "I was embarrassed; I didn't know what to do!"

Even Mallory was giggling then and Violet only laughed harder. When she had finally calmed down enough to speak without chuckling, she pulled my hands away from my face and looked me in the eyes.

"Honey, that boy is interested. Trust me," she said sincerely. "You should've just grabbed him and kissed him senseless, and I bet he wouldn't have minded a bit! Hell, he probably would've thrown you over his shoulder and carried you away to have his wicked way with you!"

The blush returned, full force. "Any guy would," I grumbled half heartedly. "They haven't been with a woman in ages."

Mallory took my hand and squeezed it. "Oh, sweetie, that is most definitely not the case with that boy. When guys are looking for some action, it shows. They practically rape you with their eyes before you even get halfway through a conversation. That boy didn't look away from your face, not once, when you were talking to him earlier. You've got him wrapped around your finger, hun."

Looking up at her, I whispered shyly, "You really think so?"

Both she and Violet nodded. "Honey, that boy is genuinely interested in you. You should give it a shot."

I beamed stupidly, earning another round of chuckles from my blood sisters. This time though, I couldn't have cared less. After a few more minutes of lazing, I sat up with a groan and began brushing grass off of my jacket.

"I gotta get back to the aid station," I sighed. "I was supposed to finish inventory today."

Violet grabbed my arm and forced me back down. "Not so fast, chica. Mallory and I finished for you while you were on your little date. We have the rest of the day off."

Biting my lip, I threw my arms around them and cried, "I love you guys so much! I don't know what I ever did to deserve friends like you."

Malory and Violet only chuckled, returning the gesture.

"You saved my life and my future," Mallory whispered, sniffing slightly. "I owe you everything."

Violet smiled at me when she pulled away. "And you saved me from starvation," she joked. "Without your cooking, I never would have survived."

I mock glared at her, crossing my arms. "So you've just been using me for my cooking?" I demanded in mock outrage.

"Yeah, pretty much," she replied lazily, laying back and lacing her fingers behind her auburn head.

With a haughty sniff, I stuck my nose in the air and turned away from her. "Fine," I sniffed. "I see how it is. See if I ever cook for you again."

With a cry, Violet shot up and kneeled in front of me, clutching my knees as she played along. "No! Anything but that!" she sobbed. "How can you be so cruel? I'll do anything you ask; please don't deprive me of your culinary genius!"

Mallory and I snorted with laughter when Violet pretended to kiss my feet. Shaking her off, I cackled, "Yes! It's back to the mess hall with you!"

Violet clutched her chest and reached out to me. "Nooooooooooooooo!" she wailed, but the effect was ruined by her trembling voice. Finally we collapsed in a fit of giggles. For a moment, we forgot where we were and why we were there. It was as if the war didn't exist. Even though we were happy in the moment, we knew that it couldn't last. October was drawing to a close and winter was fast approaching. Time was ticking for Easy Company, and the three of us knew where we were heading, and what it would bring.

Bastogne.