Hey lovelies! Sorry, if it have taken long with the updates but having birthday on a Sunday and then being so exhausted that you have to ask your mom to drive you to school the next day have taken a bit on me. Well, anyway, I have a bit under a month of school yet before Summer Holiday and then 8th Grade, OMG. Luckily there's something else than school coming up. Beach Handball. Absolutely fun to play since it's even more a team sport when it's on sand and you can't dribble with the ball. Well, not unless you want to lose it, that is...

Well, enough about me. How's my lovely readers?.

I really hope you enjoy this chapter. It has been a quite tough one this time but I like the result what came out of it.
As always, thanks to my readers, reviewers and the all the wonderful doing you peeps do! :) I'm one happy writer :')

Disclaimer: I do not own Band of Brothers, only Olivia Mae and her story. All credit goes to Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, Stephen E. Ambrose, and everyone who were involved in making this incredible true story about friendship, brotherhood and the bonds you make with one another while in the horrors of war.

Enjoy ;-).

Chapter 26:

February 9th, 1945 – Haguenau, France:

"Hey guys, this taken?," Web asked cheerfully as we entered the 'common room' where most of the guys were gathered most of the time.

"Go ahead," Ramirez replied from the lower bunk at that bed Web now had claimed. I greeted the men as I moved my way over to Lieb, Babe, Cobb and Chuck.

"Where have you been with the college boy?," Cobb spat in his same 'cheerful' mood when Web was around.

"Back off, Cobb," Chuck defended me," Let the sweetheart be."

Cobb shrugged and returned to his precious mug. Well, it looked like it was on the way he was holding it.

"Who's he, Livy?," Lieb smiled motioning to Jones who was standing with Don and Webby.

"Lt. Jones," I said, frowning over his behavior against me.

I didn't know why I had done to make him be like that.

"What have he done?."

I saw Babe tense as he asked me.

I shrugged," The usual as with the replacements. Questioning me being here and then being rude because Lt. Speirs defended me."

Lieb nodded," Looking like a green one too."

All of them glared daggers at the lieutenant who were busy talking to Web and Don at the window.

I heard Jones ask Don about what the situation was when Lieb called for Webby, winking him over. He approached us," What?."

"Come here. I wanna talk to you a second," Lieb said touching Web's shoulder lightly...and carefully? Like he was afraid of Web biting him or something.

"Why?," Web asked as we reached the bunks.

"You want some coffee?," Lieb asked.

I eyed him curiously and suspiciously. Since when had he become so fond of Web?

"No," Web replied.

In the meanwhile Eugene lifted me up onto his bunk and made me rest beside him. I was getting pretty tired actually and it was creeping me out the boys knew every reason of movement and behavior I did or showed. But then again, I had been living more or less two-three years with them.

I could still remember every country, area or city we had been in.

"It's scary when you guys do that," I whispered so only Eugene could hear.

"Do what?," he asked stroking my hair in a relaxing way.

"How you know what I feel. Is it what happens when you have been together with someone as long as three years?," I asked.

He shrugged," I guess."

We returned to the other's conversation after that.

"Fifteen," Lieb spoke in a somewhat bitter tone.

"Fifteen what?," Eugene asked, shifting behind me.

"Looeys since D-Day," Lieb replied wandering back and forth.

"The kid's out of high school yet?," he continued, motioning to Jones.

"He's out of West Point," Web replied.

"West Point?," Eugene questioned,"Isn't that where Ike went?."

I had heard 'Ike' before but I just couldn't remember when.

"Yeah," Web nodded," He graduated with his son."

"Shit," Eugene muttered sitting up. I rested my head on his shoulder while he held an arm around me.

"So," Lieb spoke to Web," What do you know about this patrol thing?."

"Err..Nothing," Web lied. I rolled my eyes at him.

It was clearly written all over his face that he was lying.

"Ah, come on, Web. You gotta know something," Ramirez drawled.

"I don't," Web lied again.

Lieb spat," Bullshit."

"You were there, right?," he continued," At the CP. This is a prisoner snatch, right?."

On the same time, Chuck was walking by, but Babe who sat next to McClung on the bunk beneath me and Eugene, called out for him to listen to what Web got to say.

"C'mon, Webster. Spill it," Lieb demanded.

Web's eyes found mine," What about Olivia. You can't ask her?."

"Leave the girl out of this, Webster. She has been through enough," Chuck warned in a dangerous voice.

I was sure Web hadn't meant anything with what he said but these guys were on guard and determined about protecting me, which I thought was rather foolish in this case. Come on, it was Web, not some replacement who needed to be set into his place.

Webby sighed," Capt. Speirs is to pick fifteen men. Lt. Jones wants to be of them."

Lieb smirked," I'd say, let the kid go. He could use the experience."

"Probably could find fourteen replacements to help him out," Ramirez put in, smiling.

I jumped down from the bunk," Now, don't be rude."

Everyone of them looked amused at me.

"Livy," Babe sighed," How come you're defending everyone who is questioning your place with us and on the same time treats you like trash?."

"Yeah, I think you're becoming too nice there, princess," Lieb agreed.

I furrowed my small eyebrows," Who said I was talking about him?."

At that I narrowed my eyes to Jones who still stood and talked with Don at the window.

"I was talking about the poor replacements," I continued as I saw their confused faces.

The men fought with keeping their laughter low but Jones turned to look weird at us anyway though. My intentions had succeed in trying to lighten the mood between Web and the others, for a bit at least.

When the men had managed to stop laughing, the interrogation of Web continued with Lieb as the lead.

"Why are you holding out on me? I know that you know," Lieb said once again after fifteen other times.

"Just give us the names,Web," Ramirez said.

Web's eyes glanced alternately at the different men and back at Jones and Don.

"Web, just tell them. They'll find out eventually anyway," I told wisely.

And these things I should know since I had been with them all this time. The 'secret' would slip out anyway, so why bother?

"Who?," Lieb pressed on.

Once again Web sighed in defeat," There are three men in this room that they think should be on the patrol."

"Who?," Ramirez spoke impatiently.

"If I tell you, you can't let on what you know," Web told.

"Your secret's safe, Web. Who is it?," Lieb spoke in a demanding tone.

Web looked at a pale Babe," Yeah. Heffron."

"Oh, shit!," Babe complained. McClung holding a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"McClung."

Babe slapped McClung on the leg as comfort and saying 'We're in the same boat.'

Web then turned to Ramirez," And you."

Though I already knew, I felt a lump in my throat as Web had said the names.

"He want anyone from another platoon?," Lieb questioned.

I knew why he asked. 2nd platoon was the platoon in Easy that was the hardest hit with deaths and casualties throughout the war.

"No, I don't know," Web stammered," Not that I know of. Look, that's all I know. I'm sorry."

I looked around at the men. Them who had been wearing happy smiles on their faces minutes ago now wore the grim expression I knew oh, so well. The fear of losing more friends.

I jumped as Don called out for us, telling us he had some bad news.

"There is a patrol set for tonight. Speirs wants McClung-."

"We know," McClung interrupted.

"Yeah, we just fucking heard," Babe said in frustration.

"Webster here told us," Ramirez spoke in a bitter tone.

I glared daggers at the men, almost like how Jones was looking at a clearly frustrated Web who looked away. I could tell and understood that Web felt betrayed and hurt.

"Princess, I'm-." Joe took my hand but I snapped it out of his grasp, giving him a glare. He stepped shameful back and as I looked around at the men I asked with my eyes; Are you happy now? Was it what you wanted? Web trusted you and me, idiots!.

I walked to the back when the telephone rung and Don answered it.

As the men with their backs to me, I slipped silently out of the door, overhearing Don telling 'us' we've got showers. When I was almost at the entrance, the sound of a mortar about to hit filled the air outside. I hid a few meters from the door and heard the mortar land nearby as the large 'boom' rung in my ears. I felt the building shake dangerously. I waited thirty seconds and then walked out into the streets. Suddenly the calls for a medic were heard and reacting instantly on the call I ran against the call. When I reached the place of the hit I saw Gene already kneeling down beside a lifeless body. I gulped, no one could possibly have survived that.

When I came closer, after an amount of calls from several men to not go there, I gasped and trembled silently. The dead man had been carrying a sack of potatoes. I recognized the man as Bill Kiehn, the sergeant Web, Jones and I had talked to along with Alley when we were on our way to see the others. Alley sat down beside Gene, just looking at his dead friend with sorrowful eyes.

I knelt carefully down among the ruined wall bricks, hugging Alley tightly. I hadn't known Kiehn so well but he had always been kind to me that time I had known him.

"I just left him," Alley whispered," I was on my way back."

I felt the pain in his voice as I started sobbing quietly.

I heard several boots arrive, I guessed it was the boys coming to see what had happened.

No, I said to myself. I had to be strong, I mustn't cry, I had to be strong, be strong for the boys. I gave Alley a last tight squeeze which he returned, giving me a watery smile. I stood up, wiping the tears away. In war, soldiers sometimes die in a firefight or by artillery when they're huddled in their foxholes. Bill Kiehn, a Toccoa man, was killed because he was carrying a sack of potatoes from one building to another. In the wrong place at the wrong time. I had witnessed all three situations through my time with the boys.

"Christenson, Jackson," I heard Speirs say.

I looked up to meet Gene's eyes. He held no expression but I knew that Gene was sad over any man's death. I had overheard someone call him The Angel of Death.

Bill was dead before Gene and I had heard the call for a medic.

"Get him out of here, will you?," I heard Speirs ask someone behind me. I was met by Don who nodded at me as we helped each other getting Alley up since he was frozen in his space in shock and grief. Lieb and the others tried to catch my glance but I avoided them. Normally I did this for fun but it wasn't anymore.
The more I grew I came to understand the horrors a war unfolded, even having experienced it on my own body. The men couldn't afford being mad and fighting each other. They had to be there for each other through their sorrows. They all depended on each other. I depended on them. And the world depended on them.

Leading Alley to the aid-station for a bit rest I realized all those things. As Don left and I had made sure there was being taken care of Alley by someone who knew him and with someone I meant Spina, I returned to my platoon's house. I assumed the boys had moved on and were taken showers right now. I held a strand of my hair out in front of me and smelled the scent of it. I frowned and sighed. I could really use a bath too.

I had been right in my thinking. There was not an eye seen. I just stood in the door for a while, looking at the now completely empty room. The windows had been damaged a bit after the small attack and dust were all over the floor, but else, everything was the same.

Suddenly I just broke down and fell to the floor. I have had those breakdowns before but not as violently as now. I cried, for everyone and everything we had lost. Them who were dead and those who had survived but would have scars and the painful memories their whole lives. War just wasn't fair.
I hadn't noticed anyone enter until I felt a pair of strong arms around me.

I took in the scent of his jacket and recognized him right away, alone because of his scent. I couldn't believe Tab was here. I had barely seen him though we were in the same small city.

"Tab," I croaked hugging him tightly.

"Hey there, beautiful," he whispered, stroking my hair while he rocked us both back and forth.

I didn't have to explain why I was crying with Tab. He was the one who had held me through the most of the times I had been crying.

"Webby's back," I spoke softly.

"I know. The fella's giving him a hard time I bet?."

I nodded," Why are they treating him like this, Tab?."

He looked down at me, stroking a lock of my hair behind my ear," You remember our motto?."

I nodded," Currahee."

Tab nodded," Which means, 'We Stand Alone Together'. The boys probably think that Webster has forgotten that motto."

"B—But," I stammered confused," Web's a Toccoa man, isn't he?."

"He is," Tab said," But he was originally in Fox -Company. He jumped with the Headquarters on D-Day and then he requested a transfer to Easy."

"And then he fought with you?," I questioned taking in what Tab had just told me. No one had ever told me this before.

Tab nodded," Until he was wounded in Holland, as you probably remember."

I nodded understanding the men's behavior clearly now," So the boys thinks Web don't care about them since he didn't went AWOL from the hospital as some of the others did when he was wounded?."

It all made sense now.

Tab nodded while he was smiling, ruffling my hair," That's my clever girl."

"But that's foolish, Web cares, why would he else come back to us if he didn't care?," I exclaimed.

Tab chuckled softly," I agree fully with you, princess. Why don't you go tell them then?."

I looked shyly to the ground," I can't."

Tab crouched down to my size," And why's that?."

"I sort of...I sort of is mad at them," I said.

"Because of how they're treating Web?."

I nodded.

"Blimey, Livy. It doesn't look like you backing out because of that."

I giggled at 'Blimey'.

Tab placed his hands on his hips," What? What did I say now?."

"You sounded like a Brit," I smirked.

Tab's eyes widened," Christ, you're right. Help me, Livy, please!."

I giggled as I winked at him," Sorry, Tab but I have to talk to some certain boys. See you later."

At that, Olivia was gone. Tab stood and watched at where her little figure had left. He chuckled to himself, satisfied with his attempt to make her laugh. Living in England before they jumped had sure taught him some new words who could be used to make their little fieldnurse smile. Clever she was too. Tab hadn't even been needing to say much before she figured it out herself.

He could also see what a lady she would become when she became a teenager and older. Tab and the others would always see her as their little sister no matter how much she grew, he was sure.