Set out from any point. They are all alike. They all lead to a point of departure. Antonio Porchia

When Adele made it back up to her room, she found Katherine wide awake, staring out the window.

Adele nodded towards her and Katherine leaned away from the window, embarrassedly.

Adele realized that the younger girl had been watching, and gave her a sheepish smile.

Obviously relieved, Katherine laid back in the bed, and Adele took her place beside her.

"Who is he?" Katherine asked bravely, her pale skin illuminated in the moonlight that drifted in through the window.

Adele's eyes shifted unconsciously towards the window and she sighed. "I don't know." She admitted honestly. "I don't know who he is."

Katherine gave her a confused look, and Adele continued. "And he doesn't know who I am. I haven't really talked to him."

Katherine hand Adele some more of the blanket. "But you kissed him."

Adele's blue eyes were cold again, and Katherine didn't know if she'd ever seen a gaze so icy. "I wish I hadn't." Adele
replied bitterly. "I wish I hadn't."

Lying there in the moonlight, Adele gazed out the widow, and found the stars even less bright, dulled by confusion.

The next morning, Jackie was surprised when she went to kick Adele awake and found that there was another body in the same bed.

Adele woke quickly, and explained that Katherine had just gotten in the night before.

Jackie looked at the younger girl in disdain, and ran pink lipstick over her lips. "She's never seen anything then?" She asked Adele, a red eyebrow rising, "This will be her first day?"

Adele shook her head, and raised her hands. "She trained with the Nurse Core in London."

"Oh la- te-da!" Jackie exclaimed sarcastically.

Adele scoffed, and brushed her newly shortened blonde hair. "We need the help."

Jackie turned her glare to the still sleeping Katherine. "If she screws up today- or if she gets to emotional."

Adele snorted, "Like you did yesterday?"

Jackie shook a clenched fist at the blonde, and Adele smirked at her own wit.

Smiling, Adele patted Katherine awake.

Soon after, the three made their way downstairs.

Eugene smiled happily as he saw all the nurses conjugating in the hall.

He couldn't wait to tell him the news.

When the nurses saw him enter the crowd everyone fell silent, and Eugene beamed gleefully at them. "Ladies," He
acknowledged nodding. "Today, I have some important news."

Jackie snickered, and elbowed Adele in the ribs. "Yeah sorta like every other day?"

Adele giggled, and Eugene turned to see the source of the noise.

"I heard that Mrs. Johnson!" He told her, grinning.

Jackie nodded, "I'm quite glad you did."

Eugene waved his hand dismissively at her. "Ladies, today we leave Bastogne."

Eugene could see jaws dropping, and eyes widening in disbelief. "I know. I know. About three weeks ago I told you we were gone, but then we had to endure the attack on Foy. Today, I promise all of you that we are moving out."

There was clapping and cheering, and Eugene glanced around the crowd, feeling as proud as a father.

He took a careful look at each of the nurses as they hugged and congregated each other.

He would be sad to lose mousy haired Anna Thomas, she had a gentle touch.

His eyes shifted to the fiery, redheaded Jackie, and he couldn't help thinking that her passion and her stubbornness would be a gift to the company.

His gaze flashed to Adele, tall, slender and blonde.

He knew the men adored her, and that she had an irreplaceable instinct for knowing what to do.

He knew she was here because she had no other place to go, and had decided to make the war her home.

He cleared his throat and motioned upstairs. "Pack quickly, the company moves out in a half hour."

He smiled kindly at those who would not be leaving, and embraced Anna Thomas whose eyes were clouded by tears.

It didn't take Adele any time to throw her two army uniforms and her little blue dress into her suitcase, and in less than ten minutes she was back in the foyer.

Katherine stood close to Adele, much as a younger sibling and Jackie stood away from both of them like an annoyed older sister.

She had a cigarette between her fingers, and stood indifferently with her back to the other girls.

The army transports pulled in, and through whistles and catcalls, Eugene ushered the nurses into one of the transports.

He sat beside Jackie, who continued to smoke, and Katherine and Adele took the bench opposite from them, near Private Powers.

The jostling and jolting of the road kept Adele awake.

But she wished she was asleep.

Mesmerized, she watched dumbly as the road disappeared behind them wishing only for sleep.

She wasn't tired, but she needed to shut her mind off.

She couldn't comprehend what she had done the night before, and honestly didn't know if it was worth the struggle for comprehension.

She didn't think she'd meant anything by kissing him, and she was fairly sure that he didn't mean anything by the kiss either.

She glanced over at a sleeping Shifty Powers, and watched his head bob to the rhythm of the bouncing jeep.

All the men were just sex crazed, and that's all Bill Gaurnere meant by his intrusive kiss

Jackie fixed her with an inquisitive stare, and Adele bit her lip and lowered her own gaze.

"What's going on Roux?" Jackie asked grumpily, adjusting her position in the uncomfortable seat.

Adele shook her head, and lifted her gaze up to her redheaded friend. "Nothing Johnson!"

Jackie raised an eyebrow and pulled an army blanket closer to her chest. "Alright."

Adele nodded, and her icy blue eyes flashed upward, and caught the stare of Katherine Neely's dark brown eyes.

While Katherine's gaze caught Adele's vacant stare, the blonde said nothing.

Adele shut her eyes and tried to stop the images that bombarded her mind.

She saw Bill's hands on her back and face, and could almost feel the tingling in her skin as his practiced fingers danced up her legs..

She could see him kissing her passionately as her hands intertwined with his dark black curls.

She shook her head violently to the side and tried to thrust the pictures from her mind.

But still she saw Bill's rough lips creeping up her cheek, and his hands pressing her firmly to him.

Her eyes shot downward and settled on the rattling truck floor.

She could see her dress falling to the floor, and her long blonde hair covering her newly exposed breasts.

She felt John-Pauli's lips everywhere, trailing kisses up and down her body.

And then she could feel the anger pulsing through her shaking body as she slapped his cold face.

She could see the tears falling from her eyes as the blood still leaked from his head

Again, her eyes flashed upward towards Katherine Neely, and this time, she dared to look the younger girl in the eyes.

Katherine gave Adele a tired look and slumped further down in her seat. Adele smiled grimly and watched the road disappear behind them.

She would not let anything happen between herself and William Gaurnere.

She knew that love was irrational and illogical, and that was why she couldn't love John Pauli.

She also knew that in war, rational thinking and logic were probably the two most important assets one could have.

And she also knew that she wasn't in love with William Gaurnere.