A/N: Just a quick note. Thank you all for reading, following, and reaching out. I appreciate it.

Please keep in mind that this is fiction. It's not an accurate retelling of what they went through. This particular story is also a POV shift from Emmeline's Story, so it will follow that story closely. I hope you enjoy. =)

As I expected, Sink moved Dog Company to rejoin forces at the new CP. Fox and Easy were already there. When we arrived, the mood in the atmosphere had remained dark.

I was informed by Winters and Nixon how the assault took place the night before. I saw the list of wounded that would be heading back to England. One name stood out to me: Webster.

That familiar pang in my chest came back. That feeling wasn't there because Webster was leaving for a hospital in England - it was there because Nurse Banks had not just lost Charlotte, but Webster all in the same day - all of this on the heels of losing Sarah. I couldn't imagine how she must be feeling.

The other bit of news that I had been given had been that Winters had accepted a promotion which took him away from his men. Taking over Easy Company was a man named, Heyliger. He seemed like a capable man to take over the responsibilities, but I had only just met him. Time would tell if he could fill Winters's shoes or if he would be more like Easy's former COs.

I made my rounds in CP, checking up on the men. I managed to spot Randleman and approached him. "Sergeant Randleman."

He saluted, pulling his cigar stub from his mouth shortly after. "Lieutenant Speirs, sir."
"How have things been here?" I asked.

His mouth twitched, trying to suppress a smile. He knew what I was asking without having to actually say the words. "She's struggling," he told me. "Losing Charlotte really took a toll on her." He put the stub back into his mouth and said, "Add on the fact that her only other close friend was wounded and left, doesn't leave her much happiness in the days."

I nodded slowly as I listened carefully to what he was telling me. Randleman stated, "Heyliger has been checking up on her, but she's pulled away from a lot of us."

I nodded my thanks to him and started to walk away, but he asked, "Are you going to check on her, sir?" I glanced up to meet his gaze. I know understood why she told him about her past. There was just something about him that made you trust him.

Instead of giving him an answer, I just walked away.

That evening, Easy Company had headed out to help with the rescue of some British soldiers. Nurse Banks had remained behind upon Heyliger's orders. I was already approving of Heyliger in his new position, despite having just entered the role.

The mission to rescue those men didn't take near as long as Battalion had suspected it too. The men had returned and those that were not injured headed over to celebrate inside one of the abandoned buildings. Those injured had gone to the med station where Nurse Banks busied herself.

Since arriving at this post, I had yet to see her leave the med station. I questioned if it was because she needed the space to work through her emotions without interruption or if she truly was pulling away from those that cared for her as Randleman had stated. Until I laid eyes on her myself, I'd never know.

Sink approached me as I started my way towards the med station. I saluted him and he returned the gesture. "Lieutenant," he began. "We've got word on some leads."

He didn't need to continue his explanation. I knew that look he had whenever he got orders for me. I cut him off and asked, "Where are we heading?"

"Mourmelon-le-Grand," he stated. "We're hoping that Dog and Fox Companies can begin securing the roads that way. We're planning on moving CP there once it's secured."

"When are we heading out?" I asked.

"In a couple of hours, I'm afraid," he told me with a sympathetic glance.

I nodded. "Understood, sir. I'll prepare the men."

"Very good," he replied, saluting me once more before walking away from me.

Sighing, I realized that if I was going to see Nurse Banks one last time to say goodbye, I had to do it now. I marched straight to the med station.

As I stepped across the threshold, I spotted her helping one of the British troopers. They hadn't heard me enter yet, so I patiently waited, listening in on their conversation.

"What's your name, love?" he asked her.

She didn't look up from his wound. "Emmeline."

He whispered something under his breath which I couldn't make out from where I stood, but she shifted uncomfortably in her place as she worked.

She asked, "What's your name, soldier?"

"Lowe," he said. "William Lowe."

I could see her bit her lip briefly before saying, "Well, you're good to go, William Lowe. Keep it dry and have your medic change the bandage every day."

He pulled his coat on and asked, "Would you like to join me?"

"Join you?" she asked, confused.

"Across the yard," he said. "The party?"

She offered him a small smile, seemingly forced. "Thank you for the invitation, but I can't."

"I guess it would be pretty inappropriate, wouldn't it?" he replied.

She kept the same forced smile on her face. "I'm sorry, perhaps if it were under different circumstances."

"What if I stayed here?" he asked, almost too eager. "We could talk or-"

I hit the door to let them know that I was standing there. I had had about enough of this man's presence. I was running short on time. I wanted him gone.

Their eyes darted over to me as I glared back. She turned her attention back to Lowe and said, "I'm sorry, but I'm busy, as you can see."

"Never a break for a nurse," he stated. "I understand. Thank you for your kindness, Emmeline." He offered her a half bow before cautiously walking by me. Our eyes met briefly as he slinked by.

She didn't move from her place. "What brings you here, Lieutenant?"

I remained where I was too. "I came to see how you were holding up."
"In regards to?" she asked.

I narrowed my eyes at her. "You know what."

"I'm fine," she started. "I'm dealing with her death as best as I can."

I slowly made my way towards her. "And how are you handling your distance between you and Private Webster?" I asked. I didn't want to ask because I didn't care about him, but I did care about her. I stopped only a couple of feet away from her.

"Nothing goes unnoticed by you, I see," she mumbled.

I held her gaze. "Not much does," I admitted. "I also noticed that you had started biting your lip earlier when that Brit asked you to the party."

She inhaled deeply before sighing it all out. "Spying on me again?"

"Checking up on you," I corrected her.

She nodded slowly, pretending to understand. "Well then, you should have seen that I declined said invitation."

"I did," I admitted. "And I want to know why." I studied her face.

She blinked at me. "What?"

"Why didn't you go with him?" I asked, voice lowering.

She swallowed nervously. "I had stuff to do."

"Such as?" I pushed. I didn't believe anything she was saying to me at this moment.

She turned away from me. "I have to stay here in case something comes up and they need my help."

I closed the gap between us as she had her back to me. "You're a terrible liar, Miss Banks."

She whirled around, ready to retort, but smacked into my chest. She seemed surprised to see me so close and took a step backward. She bumped into the desk, trapped between us.

"Tell me something, Miss Banks," I began. "Why is it that someone like you always tries to do the right thing - the thing that usually ends up making other people happy? Why do you keep yourself so locked up behind your walls?"

She stared at me. "I don't make other people happy."

I smirked. "Of course you do," I told her. "You have since the day that I met you. Pleasing people, keeping the peace, covering up for those that want to do you harm..." I paused, examining her eyes before asking, "Need I go on?"

"What are you getting at?" she asked me, clearly confused.

"You declined that boy's invitation tonight," I reminded her. "Why?"

"I told you-" she tried to say.

I interrupted her. "You told me what you think I wanted to hear. What's the real reason for declining?"

She didn't turn away from me but held my gaze with an intensity of her own. "I didn't want to get too close."

"Too close?" I repeated. I began to wonder where she was going with this. Who had she become too close with? Me? Webster? The girls?

"Yes," she admitted. "After losing Charlotte and Webster, I-"

I cut her off. I wasn't able to stop myself. "Ah yes, Private Webster," I started. "You never did answer my question about how you're doing without him."

"What do you hate about him?" she asked me, frustrations rising.

For a moment, I felt pangs of regret for saying anything - for even coming to her before I was to head out. I realized that there was little to be done about it now and shook the feeling away. I replied softly, "I don't hate him. I envy him."

The truth of the matter came rolling passed my lips before I had a chance to stop it. I just threw my feelings down at her feet and I wondered how she would treat them.

She looked at me, somewhat confused. "Envy him?" she asked. "Why would you envy anyone, least of all him?"

I realized that she didn't understand the meaning of my words. I couldn't bring myself to delve into this matter further with her. I simply didn't have the time. I started to leave but stopped the moment I felt her hand on my arm. I glanced down at her hold before slipping away from her hold. I crossed the room, stopping at the door. I glanced over my shoulder one last time and said, "Good night, Nurse Banks. Take care of yourself. I hope to see you again."

With that said, I exited the building. Inside, I kicked myself for having handled that goodbye poorly. That was not how I wanted to say goodbye to her. I didn't mean to leave her with so much left unsaid. The last thing I had wanted to do was talk about other people - to start a fight before leaving.

That wasn't the last image of me that I wanted her to remember, yet I found myself realizing that if anything happened to either one of us, all she would remember me as was an ass who bullied her.

Several weeks had gone by. Dog Company had been in the front trying to clear the way to Bastogne. We had some success, but we had a few failures along the way. When they finally pulled us off the line, they informed us that we would be in reserve for a spell while the others headed into the frozen forests surrounding.

As Dog Company entered CP, I found myself being approached by one of Sink's Privates. He handed me a letter, saluted and walked away from me.

Upon examining the envelope, I noted the way the letters were written. It was from Darla; it had to be.

Dear Lieutenant Speirs,

I haven't had much luck in finding out much regarding the Lerners but I have been keeping a sound ear and eye open for any news. No one seems to recognize that name.

How is Emmeline doing? Is she well? I haven't heard from her in a while and I worry. I have received word from Lieutenant Nixon regarding Charlotte's death and I cannot imagine the impact her death must be having on Emmeline. I know that her death has impacted me greatly as well as Anne will most likely when she receives my next.

Please keep an eye on her for me. I worry that she might not do what is best for her. I would feel calmer knowing she has someone like you watching out for her.

I will continue to stay in touch and will notify you the moment I hear anything about the Lerners.

Take care of yourself,

Darla

I folded the letter, releasing a heavy sigh. I understood her desire for me to keep an eye on Miss Banks, but we weren't in the same Company - keeping an eye on her would be damned near impossible at this juncture and our goodbye hadn't ended on great terms.

I placed the folded letter into my breast pocket. I scanned the CP and noted how relieved the men of Dog Company had become as they settled in for the night.

My eyes drifted over to see Colonel Sink and Major Strayer returning from the edges of Bastogne's forest. Sink approached me. "Speirs," he said with a salute. I returned the gesture. "I wanted to give you the heads-up that while you and your men deserve a night of rest, depending on how the next few days unwind, you may find yourselves back on the line."

I nodded curtly. "Understood, sir."

"Easy and Fox Companies have just moved out," he told me. "They have orders to dig in deep on the lines and to hold it from the Germans."

While he was speaking to me, my attention had drifted over to the men who were returning from the lines of Bastogne. They seemed shaken to the core - almost in a daze.

Sink turned and saw what I had been so focused on. He gave a sympathetic nod as he explained, "Poor bastards... they've suffered greatly on the line. Most are what the medics are calling 'shell-shocked'. I'm worried most won't recover quickly enough to return to the lines."

I watched as the men were escorted to the infirmary. I held the same reservations Sink did at the moment. These men wouldn't be sound of mind to return. Not for some time at least. It would be all on Easy and Fox, and potentially Dog Company, to hold the line.

"Find whatever winter clothing you can muster," Sink informed me. "You'll need it." I nodded, saluting as he walked away from me.

I sighed, unsure where I wanted to be. While it was a nice break to sit comfortably behind the lines, I found myself anxious to return to them.

A few days later, I had gotten my wish. Dog Company had been ordered to help fill the gaps in the line along the front. Easy and Fox Companies had informed Sink about the struggles they were facing with the enemy walking into their lines due to the gaps.

Dog Company had dug in deep into the frozen ground and were making the best of a terrible situation. The men hadn't seen much action as we huddled in our foxholes for warmth.

I made an attempt to continue pacing the lines, making sure all was well. Often times, we could hear the men from other Companies taking the brunt of the barrages while we were far enough away to avoid much of the attention. That didn't mean that we didn't have our own set of trouble.

I ordered daily patrols into the forest. I needed to make sure that the enemy hadn't made it by the line. If we were to be flanked, our positions on the line would be compromised.

The men had returned to inform me of their findings with each patrol. Most of the time, no one had discovered much of anything. As the days turned into weeks, much of the same returned to me.

One day, the patrol returned to inform me of a battlefield they had stumbled upon. The men were completely frozen in place. I nodded as they told me the location of the scene, but I put it out of my mind. There had been zero reasons for me to think more on the matter.

The next morning, Easy Company's medic, Doc Roe had found our line. I narrowed my eyes at him as I strode across the snow towards him. "Doc?"

"Sorry to bother you, sir," he began. "I was wondering if you had any supplies I could take from you."

"Such as?" I asked.

He shook from the cold. "Medical supplies...scissors, bandages, morphine."

I nodded as he listed his needs. I turned and pointed to a couple of my guys. "Talk to them. They should have a few to spare."

"Thank you, sir," Roe said, starting to walk away.

I stopped him. "How bad is it on your line?"

His tired eyes lifted to meet mine. "It's been bad, sir."

I nodded, watching him head towards the men I had pointed out to him. I began to wonder how Miss Banks was faring.

After a few minutes, Roe began to head back to his line. I stopped him again. "How're your men faring?"

Roe shook in his place again. "We're struggling to be honest. We've lost a lot of good men."

"And Nurse Banks?" I asked. "Is she proving helpful?"

Roe nodded. "She is," he replied. "She's out right now working behind the lines."
I narrowed my eyes at him. "What do you mean by that?"

"We found a battlefield of men," he said. "She went out there with a couple of our guys to gather the tags."

I inhaled deeply, nodding as he took his leave. I had recalled the men telling me about the scene earlier in the week. I pointed to a man and stated, "We're going out on a patrol."

The man nodded and followed me into the frozen forest.

The snow fell softly to the earth. All was quiet except for the crunching of snow underneath our boots. A heavy fog started to roll in, creating a screen along the white world around us.

We paused for a moment in our walking as we heard the faint sounds of someone speaking. Quietly and quickly, we followed the voices.

As we neared, I could see Nurse Banks with three other men, one of whom stood quite close to her. I overheard one of them suggest, "What if we headed this way?"

I furrowed my brow at the suggestion. I couldn't tell if he was truly lost or not, but I knew for certain that heading in the suggested direction would be the death of them all.

We marched up to the group as I stated, "Heading that way would get you killed, soldier."

The group's eyes lifted to meet mine. I scanned the group. Out of all of them, Miss Banks seemed disturbed. I kept my face void of emotion as I stared at the group calmly.

I asked, "What are you doing this far from the lines?"

The men standing a few feet away from Nurse Banks stated, "We were ordered by Captain Winters to help Nurse Banks gather the tags of our dead from one of the nearby battles."

I turned my attention back to Nurse Banks. I could see it in her face that she wanted something from me, but seemed afraid to speak up. I approached her and the man standing next to her. I refused to look at the man's face as I kept my eyes trained on hers. "Were you successful in gathering your tags, Nurse Banks?"

I saw her shiver. She started to fumbled about her pack as she stated, "If you'd like to review the names sir, I have them here."

She removed a notebook from her bag, extending it towards me. The look on her face had said it all as I took it from her. She was an easy book to read. I didn't open the book as I held it. I turned my attention to the man standing next to her. I needed confirmation that her behavior was a result of this man - whom I didn't recognize.

"What's your name, soldier?" I asked, face calm and collected.

The man replied, "Lerner, sir." I noticed Nurse Banks bite her lip.

I nodded. "Get her back to the line, Lerner. Make sure she gets warmed up." Her mouth fell agape slightly. She looked betrayed by my order.

"Yes sir," the man replied, a small smile creeping across his lips. "Right away." He started to pull her away from us. As he walked away, I could see the exchange of words between the two of them.

I glanced at the notebook in my hands. A pair of dog tags fell out into my hands. One read, Palmer, Thomas and the other, Lerner, Murray. I had all of the information I needed at that moment to make the snap decision. I passed the book and tags over to my man and unholstered my gun.

"Sir?" one of the Easy Company men asked, shaken up by my actions.

I stated, "He's a spy." I aimed my gun and fired a single shot.

The spy's body crumpled into the snow, pulling Miss Banks with him. I started my approach towards them, the three soldiers behind me as we neared.

As I neared Nurse Banks, she had bolted upright into a seated position, crawling backward as she tried to create distance between her and the dead man that melted the snow with his blood. She backed into my legs, clawing her way to a standing position. Once she was on her shaky legs, she whirled around to embrace me. I could feel her crying into my chest. I grew rigid for a moment, unsure how best to handle this moment, but I had to comfort her. I wrapped my arms around her protectively.

"Lieutenant Speirs? Your orders?" the men beside me asked.

"Strip him," I ordered. "Take everything you can from him, then head back to your line. I'll follow behind with Nurse Banks."

"Yes sir," the men replied, moving forward to follow my orders.

Nurse Banks managed to regain her composure and we started to meander our way back to the lines. I led her towards Dog Company's line, knowing that she'd need a moment to calm down from the events prior.

She asked, breaking the silence, "How did you know? How did you figure it out?"

I glanced at her quickly. "Your notebook."

"My notebook?" she asked, stunned. "But you didn't even look at it."

"It wasn't what was written in the book, Nurse Banks," I told her. "I could see it on your face." I held the book and tags out for her.

She took them from me timidly. "Oh..."

I could tell that she seemed disappointed by my reaction. I added, "Also, the dog tag that fell out into my hand with Lerners' name on it was helpful."

She replaced the items in her bag, but still had a disappointed look on her face. I wondered what she was thinking. She sighed lightly before saying, "Thank you, Lieutenant Speirs. Once again, you've come to my aid. I owe you my life in so many ways."

I narrowed my eyes at her, wondering why she was speaking to me in such a manner. She lifted her dark eyes to meet mine. I replied, "You're welcome."

We stood there staring at one another. She finally asked, breaking the silence again, "What now?"

"I'm bringing you back to the line," I replied.

She bit her lip briefly. "Why have you taken such an interest in me?"

Her words caught me by surprise and stopped me in my tracks. I turned to look at her. I was torn on what I should say or do. Finally, I decided the best thing to do was to maintain that distance I created for her sake. I stated, "I don't have an interest, Nurse Banks." Every fiber inside my being was telling me that I was a liar - I knew I was lying.

She countered, "But you do. If you didn't have some sort of interest in my well-being, you wouldn't have come to my rescue as many times as you have." She must have seen my facial expression falter slightly because she added, "I'm not ungrateful for what you've done for me, but let's be honest here...if it were any other man in the Regiment, they wouldn't have been able to save me from that German spy...they wouldn't have come to get me in Veghel to get me to the shelter."

I turned to address her, but she continued speaking, "No one would have been able to save me from Sobel or Jefferson...none of them would have asked me about the Lerners... but you have. You've comforted me after each incident while maintaining your distance and you've been the only one to stay with me after the death of Sarah-"

She turned her gaze away from me, almost ashamed at how emotional she was becoming. Tears fell from her face. She whispered, "You've done more for me than you realize and I just don't understand-"

At that moment, I couldn't contain myself. Rules and regulations be damned. I closed the gap between us, feeling the need to sweep her up in my embrace, but I stopped in front of her. With a raspy voice, I whispered, "Emmeline." She closed her eyes at my use of her name. Even my heart fluttered at hearing me say it for the first time. I spoke softly, studying every feature of her face. "You're a mystery to me...you always have been," I stated. "Look at me." She opened her eyes to meet mine. Her dark eyes shimmered in the cold world around us. I added, "I maintain my distance for your well-being, just as I save you from situations in which you put yourself into unknowingly. Why does there have to be a reason other than just that?"

She had to know how I felt about her at that moment...I felt that any other person would have known by my actions and my words at this moment. It pained me to be unable to comfort her the way that I knew she desperately needed and craved. I wanted to be that man for her.

She turned her gaze away from me, almost in defeat. I refused to let her do that. I grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to look at me as I pulled her closer to me. I lowered my face to her ear, feeling the loose strands of her hair tickling my frozen lips as I whispered, "I will always be there for you, Emmeline. Maybe one day, you'll have the answers you are looking for but for now, just leave it be as it is now."

Before we had a chance to say or do anything more, shouts were heard nearby, "Find some cover! Find a foxhole!"

I didn't hesitate at the order. I grabbed her wrist tightly, pulling her towards the line. I could see the explosions landing along the line. The ground shook violently beneath us, causing her to fall. She pulled me down with her as she tumbled. I caught myself before landing fully on her.

The explosions became more frequent and deafening. I bolted to my feet, yanking her to hers as I pulled her towards the first foxhole we could find.

I pushed her to the bottom of the foxhole and lowered myself on top of her, shielding her from the barrage above. The bright blasts illuminated the dark world around us.

I held her terrified gaze. The tears of sadness she had earlier had transformed into ones of fear. I remained as calm and collected to keep her reassured, but I was just as scared as she was. I feared for her life.

An explosion landed close to us, spraying hot earth over us. I could feel it burning the back of my neck, but I spotted some on her face. I quickly brushed the clumps off her face before taking care of my neck.

The smoke began to overwhelm our senses. She began coughing on it. I saw the look on her face - it was one that I had become familiar with as the war continued on. It was one of those 'I don't want to die' looks. I couldn't hold it against her.

The second the barrage stopped, I didn't hesitate. I hopped out of the foxhole to assess the lines. I needed to know how bad we had been hit. I hoped that she would remain in the foxhole, but I had a job to do first and foremost.

As I ran, I stumbled upon a scene of one of the men being obliterated by the barrage. Blood soaked the snow in a mass puddle. There was nothing left. I ran by it, searching for my Sergeants.

When I found one, I asked, "What's the word?"

They filled me in. The German forces had attacked the entire line simultaneously. They believed that Easy Company had taken the brunt of the attack, but we had still taken a devastating blow.

"Are the medics back yet?" I questioned. The Sergeant shook his head. I gritted my teeth. We had been without a real medic for a while. Battalion claimed they would be sending us a replacement, but we had yet to receive one. They stated that we hadn't suffered nearly enough to need one. The men who stepped up to take on the responsibilities were managing just fine.

I headed along the line, checking the men and ordering them to stay in their foxholes. Whenever I found one of our 'medics', I asked them to head out to check the wounded. Reluctantly, they left to fulfill my orders.

Along the way, I sent the wounded to the back of the line in hopes that Nurse Banks remained and would help with the wounded. Turned out that she had stuck around.

Once the damage had been assessed, I headed to the back of the line. I paused as I witnessed Nurse Banks arguing with one of my men.

"He's dying!" the man spat at her. "You have men sitting here who need that morphine more than he does!"

She removed the wrap around the man's head who laid by her feet. She pointed to his head as she stood up. "Maybe you'd like to have a hole in your skull! Maybe then you'd like some morphine for your fucking pain! Even if he is dying, he doesn't deserve to suffer any more than he already is!"

I smirked at her strength and courage to take on a group of men, some twice her size. She had changed quite a bit over these past few months.

Before I could watch the scene unfold any more, another one of my Sergeants approached me. "Jeeps are coming to take the wounded to Bastogne."

I nodded and asked, "Any word on Easy Company?"

The man shook his head. "Not yet."

I got wrapped up in dealing with the aftermath of the barrage that I almost forgot that Nurse Banks remained on our line. When I recalled her presence, I knew that I'd have to escort her back to her own Company. They'd need her help.

I finished giving my men orders, explaining that I'd be escorting Nurse Banks back to her line before turning to find her.

To my genuine surprise, she remained at the back of the line. As I approached her, I scanned the length of her, checking for any obvious wounds. "Are you all right?"

She nodded, standing up to her feet. "I'm fine, but I need to return to my Company. If it was bad on this end of the line, I worry that it's worse back there."
I nodded in agreement. "I'll escort you back."

She hesitated. "That's not necessary," she began. "You're busy and you have a lot to do here. I can-"

I cut her off. "I have given orders to my men. They can handle things here. I'll escort you back."

She sighed, finally allowing me to escort her. She approached me, ready to head back when I stopped her. Her face had smeared smoke and blood all over it.

I removed a handkerchief from my pocket, extending it towards her. She furrowed her brows at it in confusion. I explained, "You have blood all over your face. You might startle some of your men if they see you in the state that you're in."

She took the cloth from me, wiping her face. The blood had come off, but the dirty streaks remained. She tried to hand it back to me. I shook my head. "Keep it."

"Thank you," she muttered, seemingly confused. She tucked it into her coat pocket before following me through the frozen forest.

We walked in silence for a few minutes before the faint sounds of planes could be heard overhead. The two of us paused long enough to glance up at the gray sky, hoping to catch a glimpse of them.

I spotted the faint outline of one of the planes as they broke through the heavy cloud cover. I pointed up at it. "Looks like it's our men."
"What do you think they're doing out here?" she asked, peering up at the sky next to me.

I glanced down at her. "Dropping supplies at Bastogne, I'm guessing." I studied her face as she kept her gaze to the sky. "Let's go."
She tore her dark eyes from the sky, looking at me as I started to walk away from her. I could hear her walking behind me as her footsteps crunched in the snow.

"I want to thank you for taking care of my men," I told her, keeping the silence at bay.

"I'm just doing my job as you are," she replied, almost stating facts.

I glanced over at my shoulder at her. She seemed to be withdrawing from me and I didn't like it. "I saw what happened back there."

Her eyes lifted to meet mine again. "When?"

"You stood your ground and confronted several men at once," I reminded her. "Quite angrily, I might add." A small smirk began forming on my lips, letting her know that I wasn't angry with her but amused.

She sighed heavily. "They had it coming."

I raised an eyebrow at her. I could tell by her sigh that she thought she was in trouble. "Did they now?" I asked. I stopped and turned to look her in the eyes. Surprisingly, she stood her ground, holding my gaze.

"Yes," she began. "They're all very stubborn and selfish." She blinked at me, still standing tall. "Kind of like you."

It took all of my will to keep from laughing out loud. The smirk continued to grow on my face. "I'm stubborn and selfish?" I asked.

"Yes, you are," she replied, surprisingly calm.

Once again, I was impressed by her strength. I smiled at her. "I didn't think you had it in you, Nurse Banks."

Her face faltered at my use of her title. She looked almost pained that I had said it. She asked, "Didn't think I had what?"

"A backbone," I told her. "I never thought I'd live to see the day that you would stand up for yourself. I'm impressed." I chuckled to try and ease the tension that had suddenly grown between us.

I could still see the pain behind her eyes as she stared back at me. It broke my heart a little to think that I had caused this pain by bringing this up. I turned away from her and continued walking through the forest.

She followed me in silence again.

I mused out loud, "Do you think you'll still have that backbone and courage to stand up for yourself when you run into the Lerner boys?"

Her footsteps halted. Her voice was small as she asked, "What?"

I stopped and turned to face her again. "Aside from the two you know are dead," I began. "Have you heard from any of the others?"

She shrugged. "The spy mentioned that his outfit had a Lerner who was looking for me but who's to say that it's the truth?" she started. "What about you? Have you heard anything?"

I didn't want to tell her about what I did or didn't know. I couldn't bring myself to do that just yet. Instead, I let my filters turn off and regretted my words as I asked, "Do you think you'll be able to stand up to them on your own when your paths do cross?"

"What do you know?" she begged.

I saw the fear behind her eyes. All that strength she had moments ago had vanished. My filters had completely crumbled away as I continued, "I wonder what it would be like to see you stand up to them, given what little I know about your past but I suspect that you're going to revert back into that meek mouse-"

I couldn't get the rest of my goading out before she closed the gap between us, slapping me hard across my face. The cold had amplified the blow on my cheek. I could feel the sting growing as she spat at me, "How dare you! How dare you speak to me that way! After everything I've been through! You don't know me!"

I saw her lifting her hand to strike me again but I was faster. I grabbed both of her wrists, pulling her close to me. She fell against my chest, struggling against my hold. I whispered calmly, "No one knows who you are or what you've been through because you never speak of it. But you've told Sergeant Randleman a little bit and I know that you've told Darla a little as well."

I realized that I had slipped by telling her that I knew that she had confided in them. The look on her face told me that she had heard my confession.

She glared up at me, anger washing over her features. "How do you know that I've told them?"

I ignored her and continued, "I am curious as to why you've never told Private Webster about your past. He seems quite smitten with you." Against my will, my body went rigid by the mention of Webster. I forced myself to continued, "I would have thought if anyone knew the whole story, it would be him. I wonder why you haven't mentioned anything to him."

Her eyes turned away from me as she stated, "He wouldn't understand."

"You mean that you don't think he would look at you the same way?" I asked. "Or that he'd be unable to protect you while he's sitting in that hospital? Maybe you think that once this war is all over, he'll still be there waiting for you to decide what you want."
She bit her lip. I could see the tears forming behind her eyes but she refused to let them fall. "No one understands what I've been through," she whispered.

"I do," I whispered back. I studied her face, her eyes.

"How-" she started to ask.

I cut her off. "I looked into them," I confessed. "After the ceremony we attended for the fallen, and after seeing your strong reaction to the name, I knew that something terrible had to have happened to you regarding them and when I overheard you speaking to Sergeant Randleman about your past, I knew what to expect."

"You were eavesdropping?" she asked, stunned.

"It wasn't planned," I admitted. "But yes. I heard what was said, just like I heard the conversation between you and Private Webster that day on the train."

Her eyes darted back and forth as she thought back on that day. The moment she recalled that conversation, she glanced back up to meet my gaze. "How did you hear that conversation?"

"Funny thing about trains," I started. "You sit behind people without them ever seeing your face. Close quarters and all of that."

I could see her cheeks flush. I could almost see her distancing herself from me. I couldn't bear that thought. "You say that you don't love Webster but you seem to have strong feelings for him," I pointed out.

Her sadness had grown apparent on her face as she said, "I don't love him the way he wants me to love him. He deserves more than I could ever give him."

Without hesitation, I told her, "No one could deserve better than you, Emmeline."

She blinked at me, staring deep into my eyes. My heart raced, pounding hard into my chest, almost as though it had been trying to escape my ribcage.

I lowered my gaze to her frozen lips. She had started to part them to respond, but at this moment, I had lost my ability to control myself. I released my grip on her wrists, bringing my hands up to her cheeks, cupping her face. I pulled her towards me, crashing my lips onto hers hard.

The world slowed to a stop. Nothing else mattered to me at this moment. I didn't care that we were still in occupied territory, some distance from the line. At this moment, the only thing that mattered was her.

Her lips were surprisingly warm. I felt with each brush of our lips, the more life had come back to my frozen self. That feeling of being home had become overwhelming to me and I found myself in need of more.

Somewhere deep in my mind, I had realized that I couldn't continue on. I forced myself away from her as painful as it was to do it.

I lowered my hands from her face as she blinked at me a few times. Before she had a chance to say anything, I interjected, "Let's get you back to your company."

I turned and began my walk through the snow. When I didn't hear her following me, I stopped and turned to look at her. She still stood in her place, staring at me. The confusion and mix of emotions remained on her face. I asked, "Are you coming, Nurse Banks?"

She sighed heavily as she stomped through the snow towards me. I could see the disappointment in her movements. It mirrored mine.

It wasn't much longer before we had reached her line. I turned my gaze back to her but she avoided looking at me. It felt like she had just ripped my heart out of my chest as she brushed by me without a second glance.

I stood motionless for a moment as I watched her take her leave of me. I shook my head as I turned and headed towards CP.