February 1944

"Good morning," Judy greeted all as she took her seat.

"Morning," all replied.

She took a glance at Joe and caught him looking at her smiling. She smiled back and teasingly winked at him. He then chuckled and shook his head subtly.

"Alright, lovebirds, quit flirting and finish your meal now," Lisa said as she helped Lucy with her breakfast.

"God, I'm starting to feel envy now," Sisk sighed.

It had now become a habit for Joe to walk Judy to the school before he himself went to the training. He could rarely take her out in the weekdays, so any little chance to be alone just with her seemed so precious.

"I got a letter from my mother," Joe said, looking down.

"Really?" she beamed. "Good for you."

"Not really," he shook his head. "It wasn't good news."

"What's it about?" she frowned and slowed down her pace.

"My father's sick, and turned out it's been quite a while now. They've been hiding it from me," he finally looked up. Sad and disappointment were apparent in his eyes.

Judy stopped walking. "Oh, Joe," she took his hand. "I'm really, really sorry to hear that."

"I can't believe they didn't tell me right away," he shook his head again.

"Joe," she rubbed his hand gently. "I'm sure they didn't mean to hide it; they probably just don't want you to get… I don't know, distracted?"

"But that's my dad," he argued.

"Exactly. The news would surely get you out of your head," she reasoned. "How long has he been sick?" she asked, softer this time.

"The letter says two months, but I don't know. I can't trust them anymore."

"Joe," she sighed. "Please, don't be like this. I mean, I'm not defending them, but I think I know why they're doing this. It's for the sake of you."

"For the sake of me?" he scoffed. "It's more to me like I'm not that important to be told such news about my own father."

"God, Joe, how could you even think of that? They just want you to stay focused. Of course you're important to them."

He took a deep breath and tried really hard to believe her words.

"Don't say that ever again, yeah? I'm sure they only meant good for you," she squeezed his hand.

He looked up, but his face was still rather grim.

"They probably just don't want anything to bother you and get inside your head," she kept tried to assure him. "I'm sure you'll hear from them again soon about your father."

He forced his lips to form a smile, but it just wasn't that easy. He was so upset at the moment, but he also realized that it wasn't fair if he got mad at Judy. "Yeah, you're right."

"I always am," she smiled. "Now, shall we continue 'cause I'm sure as hell we both will be kind of late."

Late February 1944

His father's health had become a major issue for Joe. Back home, he was very close with his dad. People would probably say it was because he was the eldest of all Liebgott kids, and that was probably true; though to be honest, Mr. Liebgott was also very close with each of his kid. Joe knew, just as Jude had pointed out, that his family had been keeping it to themselves because they didn't want Joe to get upset and mess with his training; he understood. However, he just couldn't shake this feeling off him, and he just really wanted to go home. Right now. He knew he shouldn't even be thinking about this, but he kept imagining the worst. Rumors had it that the whole battalion would move to another town in weeks, but no one could really confirm that. He wanted to see his old man once again before he went to the warzone. He hated thinking about this, but he was afraid that one of them will be gone without seeing each other for the last time. He hadn't received any letter from home since the last one, and once he landed on the battlefield, he knew there would be no guarantee at all regarding his safety. One of them could be dead, very soon.

Sisk didn't seem to approve this idea when Joe talked it out. "I mean, I don't know if that's even possible," he frowned.

"Me neither, but I'll try to talk to Winters."

"Winters? You know Meehan's commanding."

"I don't know, Skinny. Maybe I need a confidant first before I talk to Meehan?"

"I can be your confidant," Sisk shrugged.

"Really appreciate that, Skinny, but I'm not really sure he would listen to you the way he'll listen to Winters," he smirked.

"Thanks, man," he patted Joe's shoulder.

"Yeah, don't sweat it," Joe chuckled. "You also think that Winters would give this matter just a little bit of his attention, don't you?"

"Honestly, Joe? I don't know. But still, you might as well try."

Joe also told Judy about it. A part of her honestly didn't want him to go, and she felt like an evil for that. She knew it was a difficult time for Joe, and he needed her support.

"Is that possible?" she chose her words carefully, not wanting Joe to find her actual feeling about the matter.

"The possibility is slim to none, actually," he shrugged. "But I've got to try anyway."

"Yes, you have to," she nodded. "Try to talk to your nice CO. What's his name again? Summers?"

"Winters," he laughed a bit. "Well, he's not really the one giving the final decision, but yeah, I'll talk to him first, I guess."

"Everything's going to be okay," she smiled, reassuring not only Joe, but also herself.

"Everything's gonna be okay," he repeated, squeezing her hand.

He came back from training that day bringing the news about the decision regarding his request to get back to the States.

"Meehan said 'no'," he scoffed. "It's his final decision, and he suggested me not to think about it anymore. He said if I go, I'd be gone forever from the Army."

Judy bit her lip. She knew just how much he needed to see his father, but she didn't say anything.

"Oh, dear, I am so very to hear that," Lisa commented, feeling terrible for him.

"It's okay, Ma'am, but thank you anyway. I'll just send my father a letter."

Joe decided to take Judy outside after dinner. There was something he needed to tell her first before he broke the news to anybody else.

"What is it?" Judy asked, as they walked side by side.

Joe kept biting his lip; he didn't have any idea how she would deal with the news, but he knew he should tell her as soon as he possibly could. "Lieutenant Winters told me something today, after I talked to Meehan," he said, scratching the back of his neck.

"Yes?"

"He said, uh…" he stalled. "He said we're going to move from Aldbourne soon."

She frowned. "You're going to move out? How soon?"

"April. First day of April," he licked his lips, anticipating her reaction.

"April?" she asked, but it sounded more like a whisper.

He nodded. "April, yeah."

"Well, that's…" she didn't even know what to say. She knew, of course, that eventually his dear Joe will move and go to war, but she also knew that she would never be ready for that day to come.

"Babe, we've talked about this," he reminded in a persuasive tone.

"Yeah, yeah, we have," she nodded frantically. "I'm just… I don't know."

"Judy, please," he reached both her shoulders and rubbed squeezed them gently.

"No, I know; it's okay, I'm okay," she shrugged his hands off her shoulders. "I know—I mean, I understand. I'm just surprised," she tried to be logical.

He sadly looked at her, examining her. Of course he knew she wasn't okay because he, too, wasn't. It was confirmed when he realized her fingers reaching her cheek. "Baby, please don't cry," he quickly pulled her into his embrace. "Please, Judy."

But instead of stopping, she let it all out. Her tears soaked Joe's shirt, but none of them could really care about that. She abruptly stopped when she realized that crying her eyes out wouldn't do any of them any good. She harshly wiped both her eyes and looked up at him. "So, April?"

"Yes."

"Great, we have one more month to make Skinny even more envious," she tried to joke.

"Definitely," he smiled. "Now, I know this news is not pleasant, but we've known this coming."

"Not pleasant at all, yeah," she nodded. "But like you said, we've talked about this."

He nodded.

"So where are you going to move?"

"Winters didn't give me further details. In fact, the date itself is actually still kept secret. Not much has known about this."

"Really?" she frowned. "So it's still tentative?"

"The date, I'm sure, is not," he shrugged. "Other details will all be revealed soon. But one thing I'm kind of sure about, I don't think we're leaving England. Not yet. It's more likely that we're only moving to another town."

"Oh really?" her eyes beamed for one second. "I still can see you then."

He nodded. "Uh-huh. Let's just hope they stick to the plan."

March 1944

Joe hadn't told anyone about the news Winters had informed him a week ago. But apparently, some of his comrades had heard about that, too.

"Too bad, man. Too bad," Don Malarkey shook his head in disappointment. "I kind of like this place."

"So, what? You're just gonna sit your ass around and get warmed up 'til the war's over?" Bill Guarnere shot.

Malarkey just rolled his eyes.

"I honestly don't care where the hell we are moving to. I just want to get it over with; I'm so fucking tired with the training," Christenson said, also shaking his head.

Some other men voiced their agreement. They were tired; they felt that they already had enough of this, and it was time for them to do their duty.

"Any news from Winters?" Sisk whispered to Joe, making sure the rest couldn't hear him.

Joe frowned. "The hell you're talking about?"

"Well, he broke the news to you personally, so I expect some more elaboration on that."

"Skinny," he scoffed. "He probably told me that because Meehan just gave me his refusal regarding my leaving request. I'm not yet joining his fraternity with Nixon."

Sisk laughed hearing that. "Well, if you've got some new words, feel free to share."

It was weekend, and everyone was enjoying their weekend pass. It was no different with Joe. While some of his mates were enjoying their free time out of town, he decided to spend it in Aldbourne with Judy.

That Saturday afternoon, both of them headed to their meadow right after lunch was over. They walked and hiked in a slow pace, cherishing every second. The stopped and sat down on their usual spot.

"It's good to see the sun again," Judy mumbled.

"Yeah," Joe nodded. He suddenly brought his face close to Judy's and kissed her.

"Joe," she whispered, breaking the kiss.

But Joe refused to take notice. The kiss was passionate but not urging; the kiss showed just how he felt for Judy.

Judy decided to stop fighting it. She indeed, she must admit, enjoyed it just as much. However, she couldn't help but thinking how much she would miss this man. She slowly pulled her face. She gazed at him, and her fingers traced his jawline very gently.

"I know," he smiled.

"Know what?" she frowned, not taking her hand from his face.

"You're gonna miss us so much," he smirked.

She scoffed. "Don't be very sure."

"I'm one hundred percent sure," he leaned in forward. "Because that's exactly what I also think about right now."

She smiled widely and playfully pinched his nose. "Of course I'm going to miss you so much, but look on the bright side. You're finally going to use all the lesson you got from training."

"Yeah, that's definitely the brighter side," he chuckled. "If it's true that next month we're only moving to another town, I'll try my best to see you as much as I can."

"Me, too," she nodded. "I'll try to visit you as often as possible. Really, I don't want you getting exhausted from traveling town to town every week."

"I can sleep on the train, love," he kissed her cheek. "Me getting exhausted is the last thing you need to worry about."

She laughed. "I know how hard your training can get. Let's just agree on you visit me one weekend, and I'll visit you the next weekend. Hmm?" she tried to bargain.

He pursed his lips, thinking. "I don't know, Jude. I'm not sure it's wise to let you going alone."

She raised her eyebrows in shocked expression, but then she laughed softly. "Joe, love, I've been travelling alone since I was 14."

"Seriously?" he frowned.

"Yeah. Ever since my brother got married and moved here, I used to take the train alone and visited him. Nothing to worry about."

"But still," he murmured. "Obviously, I didn't know that. But now that I'm here, I'm not taking any chances."

"Aww, Joe," she couldn't help herself from grinning. "That is so nice and sweet of you," she pecked his lips. "But I want to protect you just as much as you want to protect me," she insisted. "I'm just afraid of you getting too tired and sick. I don't want that."

"And I don't want you to get followed or hurt by some bad people," he insisted.

"Okay, okay," she shrugged. "The more I know you, the more I know how stubborn you can get."

He smiled. "The same goes to you."

Indeed, Joe was only going to move to another town, but she felt so scared already; much more scared than she showed. She knew that day would eventually come when Joe would have to leave her to fight the war, but she didn't want to really think about that in this moment. She was just going to enjoy his presence while it lasted.