Disclaimer: all the usual apply.
Chapter 28
Amelia POV
She idly watched her breath condense in-front of her face, reminding of the games they'd played as children where they pretended to smoke.
Most of the Battalion was amassed on the edge of the woods overlooking Foy. The time had finally come for them to take the town and everybody knew it, including the Germans.
She glanced over her shoulder to where Winters was talking to Dike. Winters pointed emphatically at a map of the area, clearly trying his best to make a point, but Dike still looked bored out of his mind. She turned away from them, watching Dike wasn't going to make her feel better.
She looked away from the town when a firm hand rested on her shoulder. Lipton walked around to kneel down in-front of her.
"Hey Lip," she greeted him, doing her best to hide the anxiety eating away at her.
"Hey Em. You ready?"
"To finally get this over and done with? Hell yeah."
He glanced over her shoulder at the men milling about. Looking back to lock eyes with her he said, "Good. Listen, stay close to me OK?"
"OK."
She saw him steal a worried look in Dike's direction. She patted his knee, there was nothing either one of them could say or do that would help.
With one final nod he stood and moved on to the next man.
"Amelia," Speirs' deep, gravelly voice came from her left.
Looking up she greeted him with a lopsided smile. "Hey there lieutenant."
He crouched down next to her, his dark, keen eyes scanning the town.
"Jealous you boys aren't going in with us?" she asked.
"Something like that," he replied.
"Don't worry, we'll leave some Krauts for you," she teased.
He looked over to her and the smirk faded from her lips. His eyes were dark as usual, but the hardness they usually held was replaced by something that resembled concern.
"I've heard rumors about Dike," he said, as if this would explain his presence.
"Oh, that. You mean the rumors where he may or may not get us all killed today? On second thought, there may be lots of Krauts left for you in that town by the time we're done."
He clenched his jaw and stared back across the open field. "Keep moving and you'll be fine."
"I know. In the end it'll all be fine."
He turned back to her, eyebrow raised.
She shrugged. "Either we'll win, or I'll be dead and Dike's decisions, or lack thereof, won't affect me anymore."
Using her shoulder to steady himself, he pressed himself up to standing. She watched him, waiting for some reply to her comment. Instead he gave her one long look, his expression unreadable. "I'll see you on the other side," he said just before he turned and left.
"Yeah, but the other side of what?" she mumbled to herself.
She closed her eyes and took one deep breath. Opening them she pushed herself up and turned her back on Foy. Searching the faces around her, she quickly spotted Babe's where he was talking to Joe and Gene. A hint of a smile involuntarily crossed her lips at the sight of him, but it faded quickly when her eyes caught site of Dike sitting off to one side.
Shaking her head to clear it, she walked towards the three men, taking the opportunity to carefully study each of their faces, doing her best to commit this moment to memory in case this was the last time she saw them all alive and together.
"If it isn't three of my favorite men," she said, putting the depressing thought to the back of her mind.
They all smiled down at her, Babe moving to stand close by her side.
"Don't let George hear you say that," he joked.
"He'll live. Besides, I said three of my favorite, not my three favorite."
"Hey!" they all objected, doing their best to look offended.
She rolled her eyes.
"You ready chérie?" Gene asked.
"Oh, for our little morning run? Super excited, can't you tell?"
It was a terrible joke, but he smiled and that had been her aim all along.
"Lipton told me to stick close to him," she informed them. She knew they would look for her and she needed them focused on the fight, not trying to keep tabs on her.
"Good," Babe said.
"Easy Company," Lipton called, signaling that it was time for them to move out.
With a farewell smile she turned to go to Lipton's side. Babe grabbed her hand and her head shot up so her eyes met his.
"Be safe," he said, insistent in his tone.
"I'll see you in there," she replied, squeezing his hand before reluctantly pulling away from him.
Coming to stand next to Lipton he briefly glanced down at her, before turning his attention back to Dike who was standing to his other side.
She steadied herself, feeling the fear slipping out of her body to be replaced by the usual welcome numbness she felt just before a big fight.
"Move out," Dike ordered.
With that her muscles shot forward, eyes focusing on the town as she tried to anticipate where the first shots would come from.
A man dropped in her immediate path. Using her momentum to her advantage she vaulted over his prone form, never looking down to see which familiar face stared back up at her.
The initial lull which had met the start of their assault was quickly shattered when the Germans started dropping mortars and artillery rounds while snipers took aim. In the back of her mind she registered an explosion going off close behind her and she felt ground falling on her head, but her tunnel vision saved her from having time to dwell in it.
She shifted her eyes from the town to Lipton running a few strides ahead of her when he suddenly dropped to his knee. For a split second she thought he'd been shot and her mind revolted at the idea, but then she realized he'd only dropped to his one knee, signaling for the assaulting men to halt.
She slowed her run, looking around in disbelief, before dropping to her knees next to Lipton. Dike had stopped Easy in the middle of an open field while the Germans rained all kinds of hell down on them.
We're actually going to fucking die out here, the realization screamed in her ears.
"Take cover!" Lipton shouted to be heard over the thunder of the artillery and gunfire.
He rose to his feet and moved to crouch behind a large haystack. She followed his lead, skidding down next to him as a bullet ricochet on the ground where she'd just been moments earlier. Dike was sitting on the ground, his back to the hay and Foy, his eyes wide and mouth hanging slack.
She stared in horror as George frantically shoved his radio receiver in Dike's face, hollering that Winters needed to speak to him. The officers leading the other platoons all vied for Dike's attention, trying to snap him out of his shock so he could give them orders. Lipton screamed desperately to get Dike to move, knowing full well their survival depended on getting into the town fast.
She stared in abject horror as chaos descended all around them, the Germans now able to pick them off at a leisurely pace while their commanding officer just sat there, looking like a frightened child and unable to give one coherent order that would save their lives.
"OK, OK, Foley," Dike screamed, momentarily snapping out of his daze and for a brief second hope swelled in her chest, but as quickly as it came it vanished when she heard his order. "Foley, take your men…..You take your men on a flanking mission around the village and attack it from the rear!"
She was sure her jaw hit the ground when his order registered in her over-stimulated brain.
One platoon cannot flank this town on their own. What the actual fuck.
"You want 1st Platoon to go around and attack the village by itself?" Foley, the platoon's lieutenant, exclaimed.
"We will provide suppressing fire," Dike responded.
Foley hesitated, still unwilling to commit his men to certain death. "We're gonna be kind of alone out there lieutenant," he tried to reason with Dike.
"We will provide suppressing fire!" Dike insisted hysterically.
Foley shot her a desperate look, searching for a way out that didn't involve disobeying a direct order.
There was none.
With one last shake of his head Foley broke cover and ran back to his platoon.
She glanced at Dike and watched as his eyes glazed back over, his body going limp from fear.
"Shit," she breathed.
"Suppressing fire!" Lipton screamed next to her and she tore her eyes away from Dike.
She stood up and moved around the edge of the haystack, searching for a target and finding one in the form of a German manning an artillery gun.
Quickly taking aim she let loose two bullets, but before she could see if they'd hit home a mortar shell exploded a few feet ahead of her, obscuring her view and forcing her to duck back.
With her back pressed against the dried hay, she tensed her muscles to turn back to Foy when the figure of a soldier running towards then from the American line froze her. Suddenly the man disappeared behind a plume of smoke, snow and earth as a mortar shell impacted feet away from him. Her heart faltered, but then by some miracle he came hurtling through the debris, vaulting the crater in one easy stride before skidding to a halt in-front of a quivering Dike.
She watched in astonishment as Speirs grabbed Dike's arm and screamed, "I'm taking over."
Dike nodded numbly, she wasn't sure he fully understood what had just happened.
Speirs didn't spare him Dike a second thought, quickly turning his attention to Lipton. "What we got?"
"Sir, most of the company is spread out here," Lipton indicated to the area around them where she could see men crouched down, trying to avoid being hit by the constant German barrage. "1st Platoon tried an end-around. They're stretched out, pinned by a sniper. I believe he's in the building with the caved in roof."
Speirs glanced around, absorbing everything Lipton had said. His eyes briefly locked onto hers and she could see the wheels turning as he determined their way out of this mess. His eyes darted back to Lipton. "All right. I want mortars and grenade launchers on the building with the sniper till it's gone. When it's gone, I want 1st to go straight in. Forget going around. Everybody else, follow me."
With that Speirs started to move towards Foy, ready to take the men into the town to finish what Dike had started.
Before she realized what was happening she felt her lips move into a smile. George and Lipton's faces carried their own smiles.
"Thank god, huh?" George yelled and she slapped his shoulder, following in Speirs' footsteps.
With her vision locked onto Speirs she charged into the town, exhilaration coursing through her veins as they finally moved forward.
She saw a German soldier pop around a corner a few feet ahead of Speirs. The soldier lifted his rifle to shoot the American, but before it was even above his waist she'd planted a bullet in his chest, sending him sprawling backwards.
They entered the town and Speirs came to an abrupt stop behind a wall. She slammed in next to him and he shot her a grateful nod.
Seconds later George and Lipton joined them.
"What do you see, Lipton?" Speirs asked.
Lipton peered around the wall and she heard the distinct sound of bullets hitting bricks followed by a low hiss from the sergeant.
He turned back and she scanned him for signs of injury, but it seemed to be nothing more than a scratch. "Armor and infantry. A lot of infantry."
"I Company's supposed to be on the other side of town. Do you see any sign of them?" Speirs asked.
"No."
"Radio, anything?" Speirs directed the question at Luz, but before he could answer Lipton exclaimed, "Sir, I think they're gonna pull back. If we don't connect with I, they're gonna slip away!"
"That's right. Wait here," Speirs shouted as he slapped her and Lipton's shoulders before sprinting around the wall, towards the Germans.
She moved so she could see around the wall, and watched in utter disbelief as Speirs ran past German tanks and infantry before disappearing behind a low wall to link up with I Company.
"What the hell?" she heard Luz ask in disbelief next to her.
The Germans must have been just as shocked as they were, because none of them lifted a finger to stop him from linking up with I Company. But that wasn't the most shocking thing. After he'd linked up with I Company, he jumped back over the wall and ran the gauntlet back to them. This time his every footstep was followed by a bullet, but he still managed to skid to a halt between her and Lipton as if what he'd just done was the most normal thing in the world.
Lipton was beaming and Luz smiled like a school girl, but she had a firm scowl etched into her forehead. Speirs met her scowl unwavering, a defiant glint in his eyes.
"C'mon Em. Cheer up!" Luz shouted, nudging her shoulder.
"I would prefer if our new CO didn't get killed within 5-minutes of taking the job! He's the first decent one we've had in months!" she retorted, still scowling at the men.
With a rare grin, Speirs replied, "You're not getting rid of me that easily Amelia. Now come on, we have work to do."
With that they followed their new commander through the town, clearing house after house and capturing over a hundred German prisoners on the way.
At the end of the fight, she was standing off to one side, idly watching German prisoners being herded along as she smoked a cigarette absentmindedly.
She sensed Babe stopping beside her, his calloused fingers brushing the back of her hand. She glanced over to him, her eyes running over the length of his body, searching for wounds. When they finally settled on his face and met his eyes they rewarded each other with a soft smile.
She reached into her pocket, holding her cigarettes out to him. He took one and lit it smoothly as she turned back to watch the prisoners.
"At the end of every fight the first thing I do is look for you, even though it's the last thing I want to do," Babe said after a moment of silence.
She turned to him, trying her best to keep her features neutral until she understood what he was trying to tell her.
Without turning to look at her, he took a long drag and continued, "I can't help but imagine finding you bloody and broken. Beyond saving. And the thought alone tears me apart Amelia. That's why I wish you'd taken the offer to leave when you had the chance. Not for your sake but for mine. I need you to make it out of this war alive."
As she continued to stare at him, unable to reach out and touch him, the world around them faded into a hazy hum. She watched him, studied him closely as her brain searched for the right words to say and came up blank at every turn.
The snap of a rifle and men's screams sliced through the haze surrounding her. Babe's reactions were faster than hers. He grabbed her jacket and pulled her after him, heading for the cover of a tall building where Lipton and Shifty were already crouched.
The two men gestured for them to hurry up and when they were within arm's reach Lipton grabbed her hand and pulled her down next to him as Babe slammed into the wall next to her.
"Where's the sniper?" she asked, already slinging her rifle from her shoulder and checking to make sure she had a bullet in the chamber.
Lipton peered around the wall. "Shit, I can't see him."
A shot rang out and Lipton whipped back around to face her and Shifty. "Second floor, building on the right. Don't miss you two."
They both gave him one nod and brought their rifles up to their shoulders.
"Now!" Lipton shouted as he broke cover and sprinted across the open street.
She dropped to her right knee and Shifty stood over her. They both searched the windows for the flash of a muzzle that would give away the sniper's position.
As she saw the telltale spark her finger tightened around her trigger and her rifle slammed into her shoulder just as Shifty's shot rang in her ears.
She braced herself, waiting for the next shot that could kill her friend, but it never came. Her shoulders slumped forward and she dropped her rifle to the ground. Shifty patted her back as Lipton waved at them from the other side of the street.
Grabbing her rifle, she made to stand when a pair of strong hands lifted her to her feet with little effort. She turned to face Babe and grabbed his arm, pulling him so they stood a few feet away from the other men.
Still holding onto his arm she said, "I made the choice I felt was best. And if I had to do it again, I wouldn't change it. But you should know that not a day goes by that I don't think about you and me going back to Philly. And that petrifies me, because before you I didn't think about 'after the war'. And now I do, which means I have something to lose. So you need to make it out alive, because it may just break me if you don't."
They stared at each other, brown eyes locked onto green, neither one saying anything or even daring to breathe.
"Amelia," Lipton called her name and she dropped her hand from Babe's arm.
She glanced over her shoulder at the sergeant, "Yeah Lip?"
"Speirs wants to see us."
"OK," she said, turning away from Babe and walking to join Lipton.
As the two sergeants made their way to their new commander she glanced over her shoulder to find Babe watching her, his eyes tracing her every step as his lips moved, but she couldn't hear what he was saying.
XXXXXXX
Speirs POV
Taking over Easy had helped him to fulfill an ambition he'd been harboring since joining the Airborne, to lead his own company. Of course he'd hoped it would happen under better circumstances and not while the men were getting killed due to their CO's inability to function under pressure, but he got what he wanted in the end so he wasn't going to complain.
When he'd stood on the edge of the woods, watching Easy assault the town of Foy he'd presented the picture of cool indifference to his men that they had become accustomed to from their lieutenant. Never flinching or pacing, even when Easy stopped out in the open and he could see men falling victim to the constant rain of German bullets and artillery. But this composed exterior had only been a mask to cover the building rage and frustration which had swelled in his chest until it had flowed into every part of his being. His knuckles had turned white as he'd gripped his rifle, silently willing them forward.
As soon as Winters had called his name he'd felt his lungs fill with air for what felt like the first time since the assault had started. Finally, he was able to do the job he was meant for.
After the assault on Foy everyone had hoped Easy would be taken off of the line, but that never came to fruition. Instead two days later they took Noville and then Rachamps.
The company's night in Rachamps was spent in a convent. It was their first night spent with a roof over their heads in more than a month. The company occupied the pews in the candle lit chapel, as they listened to the choir the sisters had brought in to sing to them. The mood was relaxed amongst the men. They were warm and dry, listening to angelic music with the promise of being relieved and sent back to Mourmelon the next day.
He sat on the front pew, the bench he occupied empty besides for himself. He readied himself to go out into the cold. He had report to Battalion before they up and vanished again. Folding the papers he'd been writing on and tucking them into his jacket, along with his pencil, he glanced around the men. He frowned when he couldn't find the distinctive long blonde hair of Amelia. He ran his eyes over the assembled men again, making sure he hadn't missed her the first time round, but still he came up empty.
He sighed internally. The woman was capable, but she was still a woman and he didn't like the idea of her wandering around alone in the frozen dark. She'd become somewhat of a mascot for Easy, occupying a special place in all the men's hearts while eliciting a pride and protectiveness in them he'd never really fully understood until he'd joined the company. But now he understood it, and he dreaded what would happen to the men if anything were to happen to her.
Putting his worry aside he stood, catching Lipton's eyes. "What is it?"
Lipton pursed his lips and briefly broke eye contact. "Nothing."
Looking around the chapel he replied, "Well, I better get back to Battalion before they disappear."
Lipton nodded, lips still pursed as if he was biting back a question.
"You wanna ask me, don't you?"
"Ask you what, sir?"
"You wanna know if they're true or not, the stories about me."
Lipton didn't argue with him, so he knew he'd hit the nail on the head.
"You ever noticed with stories like that, everyone says they heard it from someone who was there. But when you ask that person, they say they heard it from someone who was there. It's nothing new really. I bet if you went back two thousand years, you'd hear a couple of centurions standing around and yakking about how Tertius lopped of the heads of Carthaginian prisoners."
The other man's lips twitched into a smile and a small huff of air, the start of a laugh, escaped his lips. "Well, maybe they kept talking about it because they never heard Tertius deny it."
With a mischievous grin he replied, "Well, maybe that's because Tertius knew there was some value in the men thinking he was the meanest, toughest son-of-a-bitch in the whole Roman Legion."
Lipton nodded, and he moved past him towards the door.
"Sir," Lipton said, stopping him.
He turned towards the sergeant, waiting for him to say what he needed to. "These men aren't really concerned about the stories. They're just glad to have you as our CO. They're happy to have a good leader again."
"Well, from what I've heard, they've always had one. I've been told there was always one man they could count on. Led them into the Bois Jacques, held them together when they had the crap shelled out of them in the words. Every day kept their spirits up, kept the men focused, gave them direction. All the things a good combat leader does."
He could see Lipton trying to figure out who he was referring to, stretching his fatigued mind to run through the names and faces around them.
He smiled, the man's humility really was something. "You have no idea who I'm talking about, do you?"
With a sheepish smile Lipton said, "No, sir."
"Hell, it's you First Sergeant. Ever since Winters made Battalion, you've been the leader of Easy Company." He made to leave but quickly turned back to Lipton, "Oh, and you're not gonna be a First Sergeant for much longer."
"Sir?" Lipton asked, concern and confusion on his face.
"Winters put in for a battlefield commission and Sink approved on your behalf. You should get the official nod in a few days. Congratulations lieutenant."
Lipton's eyes dropped to the ground as he smiled.
"Before I leave, have you seen Sergeant Jones?"
Lipton looked up and his eyes darted towards a small door which was hidden in a shadowy corner of the chapel. "One of the sisters fetched her earlier. They led her to their private enclave through that door. Said she should have some privacy."
He looked at the door, trying to decide if he should go and check on Amelia before heading to Battalion. He decided against it, he needed to get to Battalion and Amelia wouldn't appreciate the coddling.
"Fine. If she isn't back soon, have one of her friends go check on her," he ordered Lipton.
"Yes, sir."
He gave Lipton's shoulder one final pat before striding out of the golden lit chapel and into the blue cold evening.
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Amelia POV
Sitting alone in the small room the sisters used for their private prayers she leaned back against the smooth wood of the bench and studied the space.
Like the main room, it was lit by dozens of candles, casting a golden glow on the room while leaving the corners in obscured. There was a small altar in the front, with a small stained glass window overlooking it and the rough stone floor was worn smooth from decades of use. Everything about the room felt warm.
Her breathing slowed and she felt the exhaustion washing over her body as her muscles relaxed one at a time. Soon even her heart felt tired as the peace and quiet of the room forced her soul to acknowledge everything it had lost in the last few weeks.
She rested her elbows on her knees and dropped her head into her hands, trying to soothe the ache behind her eyes and the one steadily growing in her chest. She focused on her breathing, training her mind on the feeling of her lungs expanding and contracting with each breath as she desperately tried to steer her mind away from the dark place it was heading. But try as she might, with every breath her chest constricted more and more, her emotions demanding to be felt and taking over her body with each pounding heartbeat.
A sob tore through her lips and filled the quiet room. She slammed her hands over her mouth and looked around, afraid that someone had heard her. Breaking wasn't an option in war, especially around the men. They needed to be able to rely on her, trust implicitly that she'd be steady when they needed her. But the room was quiet expect for her ragged, muffled breathing and the low hum of the burning candles.
Dropping her head, she watched a lone tear slide down her cheek to mark a dark splash on the grey stone. There was a beat where she watched the tear with a sickening numbness she'd become accustomed to, when suddenly anguish and blinding anger combined to rip through her body and escape through her lips as an agonizing cry that bounced off the stone walls and cut back into the depths of her broken soul.
After that her tears fell freely as sob after sob wracked her. Every time she thought it was the last one another memory would flash behind her eyelids, causing her stomach to flip, heart to constrict and shoulders to shudder.
Eventually, what felt like a lifetime later, her sobs turned to small whimpers. She pulled her legs up to her chest and hid her face behind her knees, subconsciously rocking herself back and forth. Slowly, painfully, she stopped crying, her body no longer able to support the display of emotion as fatigue weighed her down, clouding her mind and forcing her sideways until she was on lying down, her burning eyes closing as she slipped away.
She woke when a calloused finger gently brushed her hair away from her face. Her eyes fluttered open, and she turned her head to find the handsome face belonging to the hand.
Babe was kneeling down in-front of her so his face was almost level with hers. His brow was creased and his lips pursed together as his strong jaw worked like he was chewing on his words.
"Lipton sent me to check up on you," he said as his hand rested lightly on her tear stained cheek.
She closed her eyes for a brief moment, mentally pulling herself together. "How long have I been gone?"
"'Bout two hours. The choir just stopped signing. Most of the guys are sleeping. Lipton wanted to make sure you were OK. Are you?"
"Yes," she whispered.
He tilted his head to the side and studied her. "No you're not."
"Maybe, but I have to be."
His chest rose and fell as he took a deep breath, before he replied. "You don't have to be with me. You can trust me."
She reached out and touched his cheek, a ghost of a smile playing at the corners of her lips. "You want to know a secret Eddy?"
His frown deepened, but he gave her a small nod.
"Every time I'm with you, it feels like coming home."
She moved her hand behind his head and pulled his face closer to hers until their lips met. The kiss was soft and tender, his thumb stroking her cheek as their lips rested against each other and she breathed him in.
He pulled their lips apart and rested his forehead against hers. In a whisper he said, "I know this isn't the right time or place. And I wish it could be perfect 'cause that's was you deserve. But you should know that I love you. I fell in love with you back in Aldbourne on the first day when you walked into the barn looking like something I'd only ever dreamt of."
He planted a soft kiss on each of her closed eyelids before brushing his lips against hers. Whispering against her lips, he continued, "And I've loved you every day since and will continue to love you until my heart stops beating."
She smiled softly against his lips and felt his lips move into a smile of their own. "This is perfect, because it's you and me which is all I'll ever need."
He planted a lingering kiss on her forehead. "We should get back to the men."
She pouted, frowning up at him.
He smiled and gave her a little chuckle. "C'mon."
She pushed herself up and groaned as her stiff muscles complained and her head started to throb to the rhythm of her heartbeat.
He frowned and slid his arms beneath her body, easily lifting her into his arms as he straightened.
He carried her into the main room where the rest of the company was sleeping or talking quietly. He gently put her down on an empty pew and slid in next to her. She lifted her head and he shifted closer so she could rest her head on his lap. He brushed his hand over her hair, and her eyes floated closed.
XXXXXXX
Hope everyone had a wonderful week. This chapter obviously started off with some action and then there was the angst that followed. The scene with her alone in the chapter wasn't originally planned, but I wanted to give her an emotional outlet to just be able to breathe and fall apart. Of course it ended with a good dose of fluff...I just couldn't help myself and I really loved the idea of Babe being there for her in such a vulnerable moment. As the story progresses from here on in there'll be loads more "soft" interactions between her and Babe as they really start to explore their relationship further and find their own balance. (This will also lead to more intimacy when the the time is right.)
Anywho, random confession over. Have a great weekend and I really hope you enjoyed the chapter!
