A/N:

Thank you for the review, missavc34! You liked the singing part? I was afraid it was going to be overkill, but I'm glad you enjoyed it! I'm happy you like all the subtle Malark and Marie moments, there's definitely more to come! (Maybe some not so subtle?) ;)

Thank you awkwardtori for following the story!

Wow, holy smokes! Thank you FireChild24 for the follow, favorite, and for adding me to your favorite author's list! You made my day! :D

Sorry for the last chapter being 'blah'. I had a lot on my mind and I rushed it too much to try to update before I had to leave. Hopefully this one makes up for it! More dialogue from the episode and the book – the usual stuff. Thank you all so much for reading and for your continued support! Reviews are always appreciated! ❤


"The Island", Holland

October 5th, 1944

It was early morning; the sun still hadn't come up yet when the platoons were gathered around for shelter. As Emilia said when all of them first arrived, Easy was doing all the moving around at night to avoid German contact. There was little action, even on the night patrols, but that didn't mean fighting was finished for the company. It was a slow three days, Marie found herself spending most of her time in the makeshift aide station tent, treating others and checking on supplies. It made the nights go by faster, then when the sun came up they all got a break. Everyone's sleep patterns were horribly out of whack due to having to sleep during the day and patrol at night, but they all had gotten used to it at this point. That was military life, after all.

Marie was sitting on one of the bunks, counting the morphine syrettes in her pack out of boredom. Roe was with her, trying not to doze off in the corner of the tent. It was a slow night - they only had one patient laying on one of the other bunks. He was a young replacement, maybe about 18 or 19, and had been sent to rest because of psychological stress. He was quiet, he hadn't even spoken since he was sent to the station. He murmured from his cot, stirring and causing it to creak. Marie stuffed her syrettes back in her pack and hopped off the bunk. The replacement continued to toss and turn and whimper softly. She thought he was sleeping, but she saw that his eyes were wide open and moist from either tears or irritation.

"Everything all right, kiddo?" Marie asked him softly, leaning over his cot to get a better look at him.

His baby-blue eyes shifted up toward her, red-rimmed and alert from being addressed. He didn't respond to her, he only stared, perplexed. He had his blanket tightly drawn up to his chest, his knuckles turning white from gripping it so hard. It was obvious he was hiding something. Marie took the blanket from him and pulled it down. His pants and the sheets were covered with urine, she stepped back to see it dripping on the floor from the bunk. His urine had completely soaked through the cot.

"It's been happening, and I don't even notice it 'til I look down…" The replacement muttered. "What kind of solider pisses himself?"

"It's okay, private. It looks like a simple case of enuresis." Marie stated, giving him a small smile to reassure him. "What's your name, private?"

"Robert Bryant."

"Well, Robert Bryant, all we have to do is keep you dry and well." Marie replied, glancing back at Roe. He signaled her over so they could talk. She directed her attention back to Bryant. "Excuse me a moment, we'll get you cleaned up." She went over to Roe.

"I don't think he's going to be on the line much longer. He's showing signs of developing mental disorders, and now this." Roe whispered to Marie. "We're out of clothes here, can you check if 1st or 3rd platoon has any spares? They're in the barn across the rode."

"Sure." Marie replied, already leaving the aide station. She jogged over to the doors of the barn and pulled them open. She found the soldiers sitting on haystacks. Tab was petting a German shepherd with Luz.

"This is a helluva dog, Tab." Luz commented, scratching the dog behind the ears.

"Thank you. Here you go!" Tab said as he tossed a bone for the dog to fetch.

"What you call it, Tab?" Winters asked from the other side of the barn.

"Trigger."

Luz took a bite of food, nodding his approval for the name. "That's good, I like that. Trigger."

"Marie?" Winters called, noticing her waiting patiently in the doorway.

"Sir, do you have any change of clothes? OD's or BDU's? I need some for a replacement." Marie explained, walking further into the barn. Before he could answer, the barn doors burst open from behind her.

"We got penetration!" Someone shouted. All the soldiers jumped off the haystacks and went to help the men bring in a wounded soldier. Marie scrambled over to the nearest table, and brushed everything off of it so the wounded soldier had a place to be laid down. It was Alley, and he looked like he was in bad shape. Marie had to push the men aside so she could get a better look at him. Marie realized that she forgot her pack in the aide station. She saw Lipton standing by, and tapped him hastily on the shoulder to get his attention.

"Can you get Roe and tell him to bring my equipment?"

Lip nodded. "Boyle, go find Doc Roe."He ordered. Boyle took off without hesitation out of the barn. Lipton started to assemble a squad when Roe came barging in. She noticed that he hadn't brought her medical pack.

"More, get the boots off, elevate the leg. Liebgott use the sulfa. All right, let's get this done quickly, we gotta move." Roe ordered. "Marie, I need you to go check on Bryant, there's enough help here. I'm afraid he's going to get hysterical."

"But what about Alley?"

"Go keep an eye on him!" Roe told her. "Not too much." Roe said to someone else, drawing his attention away from her and toward Liebgott, whom was frantically pouring sulfa over Alley. Marie felt stung by the dismissal, but she didn't stay and argue. She marched across the street, feeling irritated that she was being left behind, again, as the men got ready for a last minute patrol. Her only objective now was to wait behind and babysit a young soldier and prevent him from wetting himself every few hours. She kept her eyes concentrated straight ahead where she strode, not noticing that someone was heading in her direction.

"Sergeant Docherty." A voice addressed her from the dark.

Marie stopped and quickly turned her attention to where the voice was coming from. It was Easy's soon to be new CO, Fred "Moose" Heyliger. Although Marie was weary of the new lieutenant when Emilia first informed her about him, she ended up liking him. He was kind and had a natural knack for leadership. Malarkey even liked him too, he was a mortar guy just like him.

"Evening, sir." Marie greeted politely.

"What are you up to? I heard one of us made contact and got wounded." Moose questioned.

"Yes, sir, but I'm not sure what happened. I'm headed back to the aide station to keep an eye on a patient." Marie answered. She remembered that poor Bryant still didn't have a change of clothes. "Sir, would you happen to have some spare OD's or BDU's lying around? I need it for my patient."

"I'm sure there's a bunch in CP. I'll go check for you."

"That would be much appreciated, sir." Marie thanked. She watched as Moose quickly made his way through the dark. The night had been quiet, but now it was streaming with life from Easy getting ready for a patrol. Marie located the aide station away from all the chaos and opened the tent to still see Bryant lying on the bunk, wallowing in his own urine.

"I'm so sorry for the wait. Your clothes are on the way." Marie apologized, hurrying to his bedside. The urine had started to stink now, filling the aide station with its sharp, pungent odor. "Sit up, Robert. I'm going to change your sheets." He obeyed, moving off the cot like a zombie. As she began to tear off the sheets, Moose entered, crinkling his nose at the smell.

"Come in, sir." Marie said over her shoulder.

"I have your clothes." Moose announced, placing the folded up clothing on a nearby bunk. He saw Bryant, looking numb as he stared aimlessly into nowhere. Moose slowly approached him, studying the young soldier's expressionless face and frail body. Moose glanced at Marie as she busily stripped the sheets. "I have to go now, I hope everything is okay…" He watched Bryant, uncertain whether he should leave or not.

"We'll be fine, sir. Thank you again." Marie stated.

"I'll let you know what happens out there." Moose added before he left.

"I'll be here, sir." Marie answered flatly.

After Marie changed the sheets and got Bryant changed, she laid him back down on a different cot, wanting to get him away from the smell. She aired out the aide station the best she could as Bryant laid on the cot in silence. Marie's thoughts naturally drifted to Malarkey. She thought about how he had sang to her and she felt that familiar tug in her lower abdomen. Her cheeks flushed as she could feel herself swoon. Even when he wasn't present, he still had that strange hold on her.

"You aren't going with 2nd platoon?" Bryant finally spoke, shaking her from her thoughts.

"No, I'm staying behind for this one." Marie said with a forced smile.

"Is it my fault?"

Marie shook her head. "No, of course not. This isn't the first time this has happened to me before." Marie watched Bryant for a moment, but his expression remained emotionless and his movements limited. Roe was right, he was retreating into himself and showing signs of mental instability. He was being picked up in the morning by jeep and taken off the line, but sending him home probably wouldn't cure him.


Marie kept herself awake all night by keeping busy. Her muscles cramped with fatigue, and her head felt cloudy, but she had managed to stay awake and watch Bryant. She woke him up every couple of hours and made him use the bathroom so he could keep dry. She didn't mind having around-the-clock work, but as the hours passed and the platoons didn't return, she began to grow anxious. She tried to focus on her responsibilities to keep her mind off of things as she prepared Bryant for his release. Marie had made sure Bryant ate something before the jeep arrived, although he mumbled that he wasn't hungry.

Emilia came ducking into the aide station tent, looking like she was dressed and ready for combat. Judging by the dark circles under her eyes, Marie could tell that she hadn't slept either.

"The jeep is here for your patient." Emilia stated.

"Okay. Hear that, Robert? You're going home." Marie said to Bryant, but he only scanned her with those same unfeeling, damp eyes.

"You also need to get ready, Hun. Everyone else is supposed to meet up with his or her platoons as soon as possible. Grab your gear and your helmet and meet up with 2nd platoon." Emilia informed her. Marie perked up with the news. She stepped outside and waited for Marie to help transport Bryant to the jeep. The sun was already bright in the sky and there were no signs of clouds for the first time in days. Marie hoped it would stay dry the whole day, but that was a long shot. Marie caught up to Emilia and the others that were gathering to head out into the fields and away from the current station.

"At least we weren't left behind the entire time." Marie sighed, happy to be out of the aide station.

"I'm glad, I didn't want to miss what could possibly be Dick's last day in combat." Emilia added. Without much time for conversing, the two broke off to their platoons and joined them in the hedgerows. Marie had no idea what was happening or what the plan was; all she could do was follow the lead of the men around her and hope for the best. When things weren't planned it really bothered her, but she decided not to voice her crouched beside Malarkey and Guarnere, both greeting her absentmindedly, keeping their attention toward the hills. She lowered herself, not asking questions because she sensed the pre-battle jitters coming from the men around her. It felt like they were sitting hidden amongst the hedgerows forever, but what else was new?

"We're waiting for the red smoke signal." Guarnere finally said allowed.

Marie nodded, licking her chapped lips as she watched for the signal. She had been in combat many times before, but this was the first time she was running into the complete unknown, surrounded and slightly blinded by red smoke in an open field. There was no battle plan; the only option was the follow the lead of the person in front of her and be present for the wounded. Despite the lack of sleep that gripped her body, she felt the adrenaline flowing through her body, making her feel weightless.

"This is going to be quick, so be ready." Malarkey whispered to her. She felt his breath against her ear, making her flesh break out in goose bumps. Right then, the red smoke signal was let off. The men were on their feet and charging out into the field. Marie hopped up and followed them as fast as her exhausted legs could carry her. Germans started firing upon them from the hills, charging down on them from their higher position.

Marie weaved through the red smoke, trying to find some cover. There was nothing but the hedgerow behind them, but Marie knew standing still would be the most dangerous thing to do. After what happened to her in Carentan and Nuenen, she wouldn't be taking that chance again. The barrage was happening quickly, Marie could see that the Germans were already retreating. She came sliding to a stop beside a marooned fence post. She couldn't believe that the Germans were actually being pushed back, it had been awhile since that had happened. Before she got too excited, a whole other German company came pouring over the hill, replacing the lost numbers. Marie's heart sank from the sight, but Easy was pushing them back with the same amount of force. She stood up and ran to a new location before she was overrun. She sprinted down a hill to find Web and Martin surrounding some newly captured German POWs. The battle was still raging, and they had already had some enemies hostage; this had definitely become a refreshing turn of events for Easy Company. Marie went over to join them, noticing the look of disgust in Martin's eyes, and pity from Web's.

"Anything I can help with?" Marie asked, nervously fidgeting her hands due to the constant gunfire around them.

"No injured here." Martin reported, keeping his eyes narrowed on the POWs. One of them frantically started speaking in their foreign tongue, his eyes spinning in his sockets back and forth between the three of them. He reached for Marie's sleeve in desperation, but Martin swatted him off. Martin kept his rifle drawn on them, untrusting and growing annoyed fast. "What's he sayin'?" He asked briskly to Web.

Webster listened to the POW's rambling words for a moment. "He's telling me that they're Polish."

Hearing Web's answer seemed to spark a flame in Martin. "There ain't no Poles in the SS!" He retorted angrily. He inspected the POWs, as Webster watched with hesitation on his face. "Move!" Martin ordered to the POWs, and led them away from the area.

"We caught them, shouldn't we be showing them a little more mercy?" Web muttered as he watched Martin aggressively lead the POWs out of the fray.

" 'Mercy?' " Marie echoed. "You think they would do the same for us? They're just lying to you so you'll let your guard down." She scoffed, feeling unsympathetic toward the enemy. She used to question these things herself, but not when it came to SS soldiers that were firing upon them for weeks. These Fascists had made life a living hell for all of them, and for the people in Europe. "Forget them, Web, we need to keep moving."

Explosions started suddenly encircling them, causing everyone nearby to scramble for cover. The Earth kicked up from under Marie as she dove for a nearby trench, losing sight of Web in the barrage. Dirt rained down on her, choking and blinding her for a horrible few minutes that felt like an eternity. After the explosions had ended, Marie heard a familiar and worried voice being carried in the wind. She sat up, coughing and shaking the dirt off of her.

"Jesus Christ, they got me!"

It was Webster. Marie forced herself to her feet, looking around for any sign of him. She spotted Winters running in what she presumed was Web's direction, and followed him. She broke out in a fast paced sprint, almost stumbling on the now uneven filed, but she managed her balance the rest of the way. The bombs started falling again as Marie neared Winters.

"Take cover, it's German artillery!" Winters shouted to everyone in earshot. He saw Marie coming at him and extended his arm to catch her and pull her toward the protection of the trench walls. After the bombs stopped falling amongst them, the two of them stood up to see Boyle laying injured out in the open. Marie quickly rushed over to him, while Winters tried to stop her. She vaguely heard him say 'wait' and 'they could fire again', but she didn't give a damn. After taking care of Boyle, Marie found Winters having what looked like an intense conversation with Liebgott about some POWs. Marie wanted to go over and treat Lieb's neck, but she decided not to get in the middle of their pow-wow. Lieb could be a testy person, and she didn't want matters to get worse if she got involved. She decided to find Web and check to see if he was all right. She never got to see him after he yelled that he was hit during the barrage. She prayed that everyone was okay; she fearfully thought of Malarkey, Muck and Emilia being hit by one of the German artillery strikes, making her heart physically ache in pain.

She found Web slumped against a trench wall, looking alert and responsive, which was a good sign. Other men were surrounding him, attempting to patch him up. His large blue eyes spotted her, the color sticking out even more with all the dirt and grime on his face. Surprisingly he smiled at her, but it was a pained smile that took a great effort.

" 'They got me.' You believe that? You believe I said that?" Webster said, shaking his head at himself. Marie took out a tourniquet and did what she could for his leg. This was a deep wound that would definitely take him off the line. Marie helped him up as he steadied himself, almost toppling over.

"Can you make it back to CP?" Marie asked him, watching as he gingerly favored his injured leg.

"Yeah." He nodded, breathing heavily. "I'll see you someplace else." He replied before hobbling off. Marie stared at his back, puzzled by what he meant. She shrugged it off, then ventured off to find the rest of her platoon, praying that all of her friends were alive and well.


After the little scrap with the Germans, everyone thought the fighting was over for today. They had successfully captured some POWs and pushed the Germans back, but they were in for a rude awakening. A Tiger tank came for them from Opheusden, but luckily Easy had an antitank gun set up by a farm road.

Marie was back at the station talking to Malarkey. He delivered the news that one of the men had died. William Dukeman, a soldier they've all known since Toccoa had been killed during the bombs. The news left Marie feeling heavy, adding another number to the toll of deaths Easy had encountered in their short time in service. As he was bearing the news, they felt the rumble of an approaching tank beneath their feet. They both took cover and watched as the antitank gun opened fire on the Tiger tank. Marie felt her stomach tighten with anxiety and her throat become instantly dry. She was tired of tanks – if she never saw another tank again she could die happy.

"This is like a peashooter against a dinosaur. I doubt our gun is doing anything but giving the German crewmen a headache." Malarkey remarked. The fire against the tank didn't seem to faze the machine at all, it rolled up toward them with no signs of slowing down. Instincts made Marie want to turn around and flee from the tank, since it looked like it was going to come up and plow them all to bits. But she kept her feet planted next to Malarkey, as they watched with concerned eyes. After the twenty-fifth shot, the Tiger tank had finally started to appear to be retreating. The watched with relief as the tank became more and more damaged; the left-side tread slid off and forced the tank into submission.

"And that's that." Malarkey announced with a sigh. It turned out that there were no crewmen in the tank. They most likely escaped from the bottom and took off back toward the hills, but Easy wasn't going to chase them down today.

As the day was coming to a close, Easy gathered back to the station and refueled after a long and arduous day. No one had gotten sleep during the day like they expected, so most of the company was running on fumes. Nixon took care of the POWs and made sure they were sent back to battalion. Marie had her hands full in the aide station patching up wounded. October 5th had been a big, unpleasant surprise, and as the sun set in the sky, the news grew worse. Marie left the aide station tent after awhile, wiping the blood off her hands with a battered, used cloth. She saw Sink speaking with Nix, and he looked taken aback. She slowly approached the two high ranking officers, hoping to eavesdrop on their conversation and get a sense of what was going on. She only picked up on a few words, but she got the gist of the talk. Major Horton was dead, and Winters was now officially being moved up to executive officer so he could assist Strayer. Moose was now their official CO.

Marie had heard enough and proceeded to find the guys and get something to eat. She found Muck, More, Emilia, and Malarkey with the usual crew, sitting around a hill and chatting as Roe brewed some coffee and made something to eat. The smell of fresh food wafted the air, making Marie's stomach grumble and her mouth water.

"Come have a seat." Emilia motioned her over, patting the free spot next to her. Marie got her mess kit and Roe served her, spooning what looked like stew into her kit. She went over and sat with everyone else, feeling herself finally start to wind down.

"I think I'm going to check out that Tiger tank tomorrow. Maybe I could send that tread home as a souvenir." Malarkey said lightly, with a mouthful of food.

"You think that would be allowed?" Muck questioned.

"Yeah, I'm sure Moose wouldn't mind." Malarkey replied.

"You're assuming he'd be okay with that? He just got assigned as the CO, and you're already planning on giving him a headache." Emilia jeered.

"Bah, it'll be fine." Malarkey sat up. "I'm going to get some more coffee."

"I'll come too." Marie said, following him back to the line. She didn't really enjoy coffee, but it sounded lovely after today's events.

As they approached the line, Marie watched Tab as he sat beside Martin. Talbert stole glances at Emilia every once and awhile. Emilia ignored him, flipping her hair over her shoulder as she talked with Muck and More. Tab looked like he desperately wanted to speak to her again, she could see the yearning in his eyes, but Emilia was still obviously upset with him after the Eindhoven incident. Part of her pitied Tab, and wished that Em would stop being cold and talk to him again. Although she knew he was in the wrong, and would have to majorly make it up to Emilia if he wanted to be friends with her again.

"Brrrr, look at those two." Marie commented, cocking her head in their direction. Malarkey looked in their direction, but he didn't seem interested.

"I see David Webster got his million dollar wound today." He brought up while they waited in line. His lips pursed thinly together, as if he was annoyed.

Marie raised her eyebrows at him. "Yes, he was hit, and it wasn't good. He could barely walk on it, let alone put any weight on it. You don't seem to sympathetic about it."

His eyes landed on her, giving her a "you can't be serious" stare.

"What?" She pressed.

"He's going to milk that wound as much as he can. I'm sure it isn't as bad as he made it seem. You know he hates the Army." Malarkey stated with a hint of reprehend in his tone. There was more he wanted to say about Web, but he was keeping it to himself.

"Whoa, why the sudden spite?" Marie asked, confused.

Malarkey bit his lip, working his jaw in thought on whether he should tell her what's on his mind or not. She watched him, waiting for an explanation.

"I don't like the way he looks at you…" He mumbled.

Marie let out a chuckle in disbelief. She honestly had no idea what he was talking about. "Looks at me like what?" She questioned with light amusement.

Malarkey shifted in place, growing impatient from the line and from the topic. "I don't know how to explain it, it just bothers me." He grumbled, glancing away from her.

"Okay…" Marie answered, still confused. They waited in a stiff silence until they got their coffee and headed back to join the group.