I do not own Band of Brothers. This story is based on the characters in the Mini-Series, not the real men of Easy Company.

April 30th 1945- Landsburg, Germany

*JOE'S POV*

Stupid. Stupid. Fucking Stupid.

I paced back and forth across the room angrily, cursing myself for what I had said to Liz the previous night. I couldn't get the look on her face out of my mind, the way her beautiful brown eyes had darkened with sadness and her gorgeous face scrunched up in agony as I yelled at her. I had completely lost it, snapped at her for something that wasn't her fault and accused her of being something that she's not. Nothing that had happened with James had been her fault… and she had every right to feel the way that she did. It wasn't her doing that my people had been locked up and tortured, hell, she was one of the only people strong enough to nurse them back to life…

I had really fucked it up this time… Me and my big fucking mouth.

A loud knock on the door broke me out of my thoughts and I prayed to God that it was her. I just needed to see her. To know that she is okay…

"Come in!" I called out hopefully.

"Liebgott." Speirs nodded, appearing in the doorway instead. "Do you have a second to go over some things?"

"Of course Sir." My voice dropped in disappointment.

I didn't want to go over any God damn plans for the day, I wanted to see Liz.

"Hoping to see someone else?" he mused as I stared back up at him in shock, unsure of what to say.

"Liz told me what happened last night." He sighed, sitting down on the bed. "She's told me a lot of things."

I gaped back at him silently. What the hell does he mean by "things?"

"Look, I know I'm not exactly what you would call the…" he paused, raising his eyebrows humorously. "… Sentimental type. But I do care for Liz… she reminds me of my younger sister back home. She is great at putting up a front but underneath it all, she's hurting just as much as any of us."

"I care for her too, Sir." I gulped as my heart began to pound in my ears. "She's the most important person in my life…" I let out the breath I'd been holding in.

"Well, how you treated her last night made her doubt that." He replied seriously. "I can only imagine how she feels after what happened yesterday morning… she was finally starting to heal from her experiences with James and he shows up here, treating her like he owns her. And on top of all that, he nearly kills the person she cares most about right in front of her."

"And then I acted like his coming here was her fault." I shook my head angrily. "I spoke to her the same way that son of a bitch probably used to. How am I any better than him? God, I was just so frustrated Sir, with all of it… James, the camps… I just lost it."

"And Liz understands why." He replied gravely. "But she had every right to be upset about yesterday. She came to you for support and…"

"I fucked it all up." I interrupted him, clenching my fists. I was completely ashamed of myself...

"I was going to say that she wanted to support you in return… She knew that the camps were especially awful for you because of the Jewish prisoners."

"I was the one being selfish… all she wanted to do was talk." I hung my head in my hands as a wave of nausea passed through me. "Is she really angry at me?" I sighed, running my hand through my hair in frustration. "Did she say anything?"

"She's more affronted than she is angry…" he replied as I breathed a sigh of relief. "But she's also very uncomfortable with the company now knowing about her past. She's not exactly fond of the way the men are regarding her now… it makes her feel weak." He paused, glancing over at me disappointingly. "On top of it she had to tell Major Winters the whole story last night. She handled it pretty well considering but…"

"I should'a been there supporting her." I fumed. "I'm a fuckin asshole… she shouldn't have had to do that alone."

"Can I give you a word of advice, Liebgott?" he sighed, fixing his dark eyes on me. "For what it's worth."

"Yes Sir."

"Elizabeth cares deeply for you and what you said to her last night, while it hurt her feelings, isn't going to make her care any less for you." He started, sucking in a sharp breath. "That being said, I think you need to fix this now… before she overthinks herself to death. She's blaming herself for everything. You know how she is…"

"None of it's her fault." I shook my head miserably, feeling even shittier about myself. "Do you think she'll speak to me?"

"Like I said, she cares for you. You just need to prove to her that you didn't mean what you said." He nodded earnestly. "You have something really special in Liz. She's an amazing woman Liebgott, don't let her slip between the cracks… make it right, in whatever way you have to."

Speirs was right. She was one in a million… I'd be dammed if I was going to make the same mistake as James. I wasn't going to take Elizabeth Luz for granted.

I nodded absently. "I'm going to go find her now… I just hope she agrees to hear me out."

"She will." He cleared his throat, staring back at me seriously. "You need to marry that girl, Liebgott. If I had a girl like Liz I would…"

"Thank you Sir." I nodded, smiling at his comment.

"Anytime." He shot me a small smile as he turned to leave. "Hey, Liebgott…?"

"Yes Sir?"

"This stays between us... You tell the men about our little heart to heart and I'll steal Elizabeth and marry her myself."

"Yes Sir." I smirked slightly as he left the room, knowing what I had to do.

Don't let her slip between the cracks…

I spotted her right away, loading crates onto the backs of one of the trucks. She wore a solemn expression on her face as she spoke closely with Doc, nodding seriously before he jogged off towards one of the other trucks. Her lifeless eyes flickered to mine suddenly and she quickly looked away, pretending that she hadn't seen me. I had never seen her so stony-faced…

I made my way over her swiftly as my heart pounded in my ears, a result of my shattered nerves.

"Liz?"

"Liebgott." She nodded at me plainly, a hint of hurt evident in her tone.

"Look, Liz… I'm really sorry… for what I said last night." I stammered as she lifted another crate, brushing past me. "I didn't mean it… you know that."

"Save it." She snapped, ticking supplies off on her clip board. "I don't want to hear it right now."

"I really am sorry." I said quietly, seeing her head drop slightly at my words.

"I know." She whispered, pausing with her back to me. "But you can't take back what you said."

"I'm sorry." I repeated shakily. I was torn between guilt and desperation. Gazing into her tired, pale face I was overcome with a need to see her happy again, to see her break into one of those big smiles that I loved so much. "I wish I could take it all back… It's killing me to see you…so upset."

"Just go… Joe." She breathed stiffly, clutching the clipboard to her chest. "I have work to do."

"Can we just go back to the way we were before?" I asked quietly, following her around the back of the truck. "I love you Liz… what happened yesterday doesn't change that. I just… screwed up."

"I don't know." She stiffened, shaking her head as Doc and a few others started to pile onto the truck beside us. "I have to go to the women's camp… we're already late."

"I'll come with you guys. You're going to need a translator." I offered.

Maybe the truck ride over there would give me a better chance to talk to her… to convince her to listen to me. I knew Liz well... she's not going to be able to stay mad at me forever.

She tightened her lips into a straight line as she hoisted herself up onto the truck, glancing back down at me emotionlessly. "I'm taking Webster with me, I don't need you."

I don't need you… Her words stung like a thousand knives as I watched them speed away, her eyes remaining dark with hurt as she stared straight ahead.

I stood still in the street as I watched the truck round the corner. She didn't even bother to glance back at me even once. I had really fucked things up hadn't I? My chest heaved as I realized how much pain I had caused her... Realizing the effect that my senseless words were having on the woman that I cared most about.

I needed to fix this… I needed to make this right again.

*LIZ'S POV*

"Trouble in paradise?" Web asked, nudging me lightly as the truck lurched to a stop in front of the camp. "What did Joe do?"

"You could say that." I grumbled, seeing him raise his eyebrows at me questioningly. "And it's not what he did, it's what he said."

"Joe's in the doghouse?" he laughed, scratching his head. "Do I even want to know what happened?"

"He claimed that I was self-centered and selfish." I grumbled, more to myself than to him. "All I was trying to do was help."

"Selfish?" he exclaimed, scrunching his face up in disbelief. "Over what?"

"I don't really want to talk about it Web." I sighed quietly, meeting his understanding eyes. "Alright?"

"Yeah, that's alright." He nodded, walking along beside me towards the gates. "I was wondering why you asked me along as translator, with you and Lieb being attached at the hip and all… but I guess it makes sense now…" he trailed off, meeting my annoyed gaze. "Sorry… we're not talking about it… right."

"Maybe I asked you along because I just like your company Web… did you ever think of that?" I smiled sarcastically, seeing him break out into a grin.

"Yeah, I'm sure that's what it is."

The Women's camp was far worse... if that's even possible. We had been here for three hours and I had already heard four different accounts of rape and molestation and countless stories of the beatings dished out by the Nazi guards of the camp.

It was sickening to say the least.

Most of the women refused to get within thirty feet of the men when we arrived, scattering in all different directions as we entered the compound. I couldn't blame them… men in uniform had done this to them, of course they were going to be afraid. I had managed to assure most of them that the soldiers I had brought with me weren't going to cause them any harm and that they were only here to help. I suggested that the men shoulder their rifles for effect and sure enough, the small act of encouragement had managed to bring most of the women out of the huts.

Most of the women at the camp took to Eugene right away, instantly calming at his gentle touch as he treated their cuts and bruises. He murmured softly to them in French as he worked and most of the women were mesmerized by his calm voice as he worked his magic. He just had that effect on people. He always had.

"Okay sweetheart, just bend your arm like that for me… that's it." I said gently, dabbing at a deep cut on a small girl's elbow.

Webster translated for me as the young girl cringed and cried out, shooting me an alarmed look as I stopped, inspecting the open wound closely.

It was definitely infected. The discoloration around the wound was indicative of a possible septic infection. She would need antibiotics and stitches if she was going to keep the arm. We need to get her to the hospital, and fast.

"Babe! Find Gene and tell him I need him right away!" I called out as he passed by. "Tell him it's urgent!"

"Sure thing Liz." Babe called back, jogging off to find Eugene.

I turned back to the small girl anxiously, seeing her withering in agony as she stared in horror at the dirt filled cut on her arm.

"Can you ask her what her name is Web?"

"Karolin."

"Karolin… that's a pretty name." I smiled, pausing for Web to translate. "This is my friend David and I'm Liz."

"Liz." She repeated, pointing to me in question.

"Yes… I'm Liz. I'm a nurse." I pointed back to myself. "I'm going to help you okay?"

"She says it really hurts." Web translated grimly, staring sadly down at the girl. "She says it's burning."

"Can you ask her what happened?" I pursed my lips as she cradled her arm in her lap.

Web relayed my question and she replied wearily, keeping her eyes fixed on me. She was absolutely terrified of Web. She wouldn't even look directly at him.

"She says that the bad men came and took her mother away a few months ago… beat her to death and left her in the ditch outside their hut." Web swallowed thickly. "And then… uhhh… the men took her older sister Amelia. They beat and raped her… she just died just a few days ago. Then one of the guards beat Karolin with his gun, left her in this ditch about three days ago. "

"God dammit." I breathed, taking her frail hands in mine. I can't even imagine the things this poor little girl has seen and been through.

"How old are you Karolin?"

"She's only nine." Webster choked back tears as I stared back at her in shock. "Her sister was fifteen when she died."

"Fifteen." I breathed, shaking my head in disgust. Those filthy pricks had raped a fifteen year old girl?

This adorable little girl had nothing left… no family. Nothing. Just the dirty clothes on her back.

"Wait, will you ask her where her father is?" I asked shakily, watching her eyes light up at the mention of her father. Maybe there was a slight chance that he hadn't been executed yet.

"He's in the other camp." Web confirmed optimistically as I nodded in relief. "I'll ask what her his name is."

"Erich Von Austerlitz."

"Maybe he's still alive?" I breathed hopefully. "They have a list of the prisoners at the men's camp written up already."

"Liz? You called for me?" Gene crouched down beside me suddenly causing Karolin to back up in terror.

"It's alright Karolin… this is my friend Eugene." I explained, pointing to Eugene while Webster translated. "He's going to help you too. I promise he won't hurt you."

"Nein… Nein." She pleaded with me, her eyebrows scrunching together in fear.

"She's been beaten, watched them kill her mother and rape her sister…" I explained quietly to Gene, seeing a pained look spread across his face. "She's completely petrified of men."

"Mon Dieu." Gene shook his head. "What did you want me to look at?"

"She has a deep gash on her elbow. She says that one of the guards hit her in the arm with their gun a few days ago." I shook my head in sorrow. "I think it's infected from the dirt… it may be gangrene."

"Tell her to raise her arm for us Web." Gene ordered, taking a good look at the cut. "It's definitely infected… but I can't tell if it's septic." He reached out to touch her elbow but she gasped, pulling her injured arm into her chest as she curled up into a ball.

"It's alright… it's alright." Gene cooed, holding his hands up to her. "I'm not going to hurt you sweetie, I promise."

Webster relayed his words but she just shook her head, starting to cry I sunk back on my knees hopelessly.

"We need tah get her to a hospital… just in case." Gene murmured beside me. "She needs medicine, nothin we got here is going to help her."

"Alright… we need to move her then." I nodded, touching her arm lightly. "Can you walk Karolin?"

"Nein…" she pointed down to her legs, shaking her head as rambled on in German.

"She says she doesn't have the strength to walk anymore…" Web sucked in a sharp breath. "She collapsed here in this ditch two days ago and she hasn't been able to move since."

"Jesus Christ." I breathed, looking around for help. "Hey, Chuck!" I waved Grant over. "Can you radio Major Winters and see if there is anyone by the name of Erich Von Austerlitz at the men's camp? We need him over here as soon as possible if he's there."

"You got it Liz." He nodded, heading towards the trucks. "I'll be back in a second."

"Who's Erich Von Austerlitz?" Gene wondered aloud, shooting me a questioning glance.

"Her dad."

"And he's alive?"

"We're not sure." I shook my head sadly. "But I'm holding on the might."

"Okay, well, in the meantime... help me try to get her up Web." Gene ordered, moving around the back of Karolin carefully. Webster called out to her softly in German and her eyes snapped up to him in terror as he stepped closer.

As soon as Gene tried to lift her she let out a blood curdling wail, thrashing around to try to get him to let go of her.

"Nein! Nein!"

"It's alright Karolin!" I tried but it was no use, she just kept thrashing around, bumping her injured elbow off of the ground with a smack as she wailed louder.

"I'm going to get Spina…" Gene set her down carefully, biting his lip in worry. "She's just going to hurt herself more if we can't get her up calmly."

"Alright." I nodded, turning back to Karolin who was now huffing in shock, keeping her eyes fixed on Gene to make sure that he wasn't going to touch her again.

This is hopeless… there's no way we're going to be able to move her without one of the men touching her. Although she was tiny and skinny she was still going to be way too heavy for me to dead lift… I didn't want to risk hurting her even more if I were to drop her.

"Liz?" a familiar voice called down to me, making the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

Joe… This was the last thing I needed to deal with right now.

"Major Winters said that you guys could use some help over here…" he started as I kept my back turned to him, feeling my face begin to flush.

"No… we're good." I replied plainly, seeing Karolin lift her head off of her knees to see who I was talking to.

"Well, who's this gorgeous girl?" Joe cooed, waving down at Karolin as she gaped up at him in horror.

"Schlechter Mann!" (Bad man!) She pointed at him hysterically.

"That's not helping Lieb!" Webster snapped before saying something calmly to Karolin.

"What's wrong with her?" Joe asked seriously as she began to cry harder with every step he took forward. "Where's her mother?"

"We're good here Lieb." Webster insisted, meeting my panicked eyes. "Maybe they need some help over there or something…"

"No… I'm not going anywhere." Joe retorted, kneeling down beside me. "Es ist okay Liebste. (It's okay Sweetheart)"

"She's terrified of men…" I protested as he moved closer to Karolin, making her recoil in terror.

"Es ist Okay."

"She won't let us move her and I can't carry her myself… we need to get her to the hospital." I filled him in, putting aside our differences for the moment. My main focus was getting Karolin out of this disease ridden compound to somewhere clean and safe.

"Lemme see if I can get her to talk." He replied apprehensively, lowering his voice as he turned to Karolin who locked eyes with him in horror.

"Ich bin Joe" (I am Joe). He pulled his dog tags out of his jacket, showing her his Star of David pendant. "Jude… Ich bin Jude." (Jew… I am a Jew.)

Her face instantly softened as she extended a bony finger to him, touching his pendent shakily. "Jude?"

"Yes." he nodded back at her, blinking back tears. "Jude."

Karolin's eyes flashed over to me questioningly and I nodded in confirmation, watching as she gazed blearily back over at Joe. "Jude?" she repeated again as he nodded slowly.

"Oh." Her voice cracked as she placed a bony hand in his hesitantly. She glanced up at me shyly as she asked him something else.

"Yeah, I know Liz." He nodded, smiling over at me lovingly before whispering something to her that made her face light up.

"What did you say to her?" I smiled, watching as she turned bright red, looking between the two of us giddily.

"I told her that I loved you." He replied seriously, clearing his throat. "And she says you're very beautiful... and very kind."

"Danke." (Thank you). I smiled at her, watching her murmur something quietly to him that made him chuckle in agreement.

"Ja, wir sollten." (Yes, we should.)

"What?" I laughed happily as all of the fear disappeared from Karolin's face.

I completely forgot that I was even upset with Joe as I watched him interact with the little girl. He was so gentle with her... so genuine. It made my heart swell.

"What did she say?"

"She says she thinks that we should get married… and have lots of babies." He laughed, making me turn bright red. "She's very good at reading people."

I locked eyes with him earnestly, fighting the urge to throw myself into his arms as his broken eyes scanned mine. Webster clearing this throat behind us suddenly broke me out of my trance.

"Uhhh… right. Ask her…" I averted my eyes. "Ask her if she'll let you carry her to the trucks."

He repeated my question and she nodded undecidedly as he made his way to her side. She cringed slightly as he slipped his arms under her, scooping her up off the ground in one movement.

"Festhalten." (Hold tight) he smiled as she looped her arms around his neck trustfully, allowing him to carry her over to one of the jeeps that was waiting to take some of the wounded women to the hospital.

"Would ya look at that?" Web smirked, falling into step beside me. "I guess Lieb is father material after all."

"Yeah." I breathed, watching him set Karolin down on one of the stretchers gently. He kissed her on the head softly as she held his pendant in his palm, tracing the Star of David with her finger. "I guess he is."

"LIZ!" Grant called out breathlessly as he jogged up to us. "They found Erich Von Austerlitz at the men's camp."

Watching little Karolin be reunited with her father was probably one of the most tragic and beautiful things I have ever experienced. He had instantly broken down in tears at the sight of his frail daughter, scooping her up in his arms thankfully. Karolin had pointed Joe and I out and he had showered us with hugs and kisses for helping his only surviving daughter. She had told her father that Joe was Jewish too and that he was a good soldier… that he had helped her. Her father had pulled Joe into his arms tightly, murmuring to him in German as I tried my best not to break down in tears.

We had to eventually send them off to the hospital to get Karolin's wound dealt with but at least they were together. She had someone who could take care of her. I had given little Karolin a kiss on the head goodbye and ensured her that Spina was going to take good care of her at the hospital so that she wouldn't be afraid. With some more tears and hugs they were off… off to their new lives, sent away to deal with the sordid things they had experienced over the past couple of years… just the two of them.

The entire thing had been sad, beautiful and tragic all at the same time.

"Knock Knock." Joe coughed as he leaned up against my door, breaking me out of my thoughts with a start.

"Jesus Murphy." I nearly dropped the glass of water I was holding, setting it down on the bedside table firmly. "What is it Joe?"

"I heard you got promoted." He smiled, choosing to ignore the irritated look on my face. "Figured I'd come by and congratulate you personally, Sergeant."

"Thanks." I grimaced, feeling my face soften a bit as I took in his appearance. He had dark bags under his eyes and his face was shockingly pale… he looked like he hadn't slept or eaten in days.

I mentally punched myself for wanting to wrap him in my arms… I was supposed to be upset for crying out loud.

"What you did for that little girl at the camp the other day… I appreciate it." I broke the silence finally, seeing his hollow eyes brighten. "You were great with her."

"She was a sweetheart." He smiled faintly. "She really took to you."

"I'm glad that we found her dad… glad that she has someone left in the world." I trailed off painfully. "She watched her mother be beaten to death right in front of her, saw her sister raped dozens of times before she was killed too."

"Fuckin pricks." He breathed, taking a step closer to me. "She's going to be alright now though… her and her dad… they're going to be alright."

"I don't know if I can believe that." I shook my head gravely. "I mean, sure they're together and they're free again but… I don't know if they're going to be alright. The thing's they've seen, the things they've lost… I don't know how Karolin is going to be able to ever be a normal child after what she witnessed."

"Her purity was stolen by those lunatics." He shook his head angrily. "I'd like to kill every last fucking one of them."

"You and me both." I sighed, leaning up against the dresser as I desperately tried to avoid his gaze.

"Are you still mad at me Liz?" he asked quietly.

"No." I replied softly, meeting his tense eyes. "I'm not…"

"Then what's the matter? Why are you still giving me the cold shoulder like this?"

"What you said the other night... hurt." I choked out, deciding that we finally needed to talk about this. "I let myself be vulnerable again and... You know what? Never mind. It doesn't matter."

"It does matter." He protested, taking a step closer to me. "You matter Liz… you mean the world to me."

"I know what happened that first day at the camp was really hard on you…" I started, fighting back the hot tears pricking the backs of my eyes. "It killed me to see you like that Joe…"

"It doesn't give me the right to talk to ya the way I did."

"No… you're right. It doesn't." I trembled, clenching my fists as I fought the urge to reach out to him.

"So you arrrre still mad at me?" he asked carefully, glancing down at my hands.

"I'm not mad Joe… I never was" I sighed, meeting his confused eyes. "I'm hurt… there's a huge difference."

"I'm sorry Liebling." He inched towards me tensely. "Can you please forgive me?"

"Do you know what you've been doing to me?" I raised my voice defensively. "I feel selfish for even thinking about James now! It's not fair that you put that in my mind Joe!"

"You're not selfish." He protested, taking me by the shoulders lightly. "I didn't mean that… you know that Liz."

"Then what did you mean?" I snapped, looking up into his eyes defensively. "I don't want to play games anymore Joe. We need to talk about things like this… if you feel that way about me then-"

"I don't want to play games either Liz." He interrupted, shaking his head warily. "I just screwed up okay?"

"Those things you said… must be what you really think of me! Or you wouldn't have said them!" I exclaimed. Tears of frustration began to gather in my eyes as he stared back at me wordlessly.

"You know what, Joe. Just go… please."

"No!" he threw his hands up in frustration. "I can't fucking stand this anymore! I can't think… I can't sleep… I can't even look you in the eye without feeling like you hate me! God dammit, I love you Liz! What's it going to take to make you realize I'm sorry?"

"I don't hate you… I just need time." I mumbled, feeling my heart shatter as I looked up into his sorrowful eyes. "Joe, I think you should just g-"

I didn't even have time to think about what happened next. He crashed him lips to mine firmly, wrapping his arms around my waist as he pulled my body tightly to his. All of the anger and frustration disappeared from my mind as I wrapped my arms around his neck to steady myself, feeling my back hit the wall as he backed us up. I heard the bedroom door slam as he lazily kicked it shut behind us with his foot, making me smirk against his lips.

"I'm sorry." He whispered as he began to trail kisses down my neck, making me arch my back against the wall. "God, I'm so sorry."

I was too captivated to form a response as he returned his lips to mine roughly, tangling his fingers in my hair as I wrapped a leg up around his waist, allowing him to lift me up against the wall. He held me up with his body, running his tongue along my bottom lip as I suppressed a moan, feeling him break the kiss.

"What about this Liebling, do you forgive me now?" he brushed his lips against my ear, sending tingles through my body.

"I can't stand it anymore." I replied shakily, pulling his face back to mine. "I love you..."

I meant it. I couldn't stand being away from him anymore. The past couple of days had been awful, avoiding him, falling asleep alone… nothing had felt right. Having him back in my arms was all that I needed.

"I love you too." He breathed, smiling into the kiss. "You have no fucking idea."

A Few Hours Later

After I had finally managed to muster up the will power to untangle myself from Joe before things went a little too far, we'd settled into bed together, eager to spend the night together after sleeping separate for the past few nights. Something about Joe's arms wrapped tightly around me kept the nightmares away, made me feel safe.

Sleeping next to him was like a sleeping pill to me. I needed him there.

"When do you think it will end?" Joe sighed out of the blue, pulling me in tighter to his chest as he shifted behind me.

"What?" I asked him, turning over so that we were chest to chest. "When will what end?"

"The pain." He mumbled as a distressed look spread across his face. "All of it… the camps, Bastogne… When will it end?"

"I don't know." I replied honestly. "I still dream about Muck and Penkala…even now, I still find myself turning to say something funny to Muck and then I remember… he's not there."

"I'm the same with Hoob… he hated Krauts just about as much as I do. We were always comin up with rude names." The corner of his lip curled up in a smile briefly before his eyes darkened with sadness. "Do you think we'll ever be able to forget it?"

"I don't think I ever can." I shivered absentmindedly. "I just hope that the memories won't replay in our minds as frequently as time passes."

"Those people in the camps and knowing that it could have as easily been my family and I in there…" he said quietly. "I don't think I'm ever going to just forget it."

"We won't ever be able to forget what we've been through over here." I replied softly. "We're just going to make room for it… and learn to not let it consume us. We're going to be expected to go on with life back home and it honestly scares me… should we even try to explain the camps to our parents or should we just pretend that it didn't happen?"

"I don't know… I see them every time I close my eyes. I can't explain it to my family though… they'd be devastated."

"I know it's hard to think about." I stroked his hair lovingly, wishing I could just take all of his pain away. "But, we saved all of those people from those camps… we helped them. What would have happened to them had we not shown up?"

"But how many people lost their lives in camps like Landsburg? How many people died pointlessly before we started discovering these places?" he grumbled, his body shuddering against mine.

"All those men, women and children from Landsburg… we saved them from it." I tried to reassure him. "You helped make that possible Joe… you have to know that. You're a good person."

"I'm a killer, Liz... a heartless piece of shit." He swallowed thickly. "I find it hard to call myself a good person considering how many people I've killed."

"You're not heartless Joe." I protested as tears filled my eyes. "Every single man you've killed would have slaughtered any one of us in turn… You were just doing your job."

"It doesn't make me a good person." He stated plainly, looking at me dead pan. "Joe Liebgott died the second he jumped out of the plane over Normandy. Burying our friends, watching them be shot and blown apart while I stared down the barrel of my rifle in blood lust… that's not me." He trailed off as I listened wearily.

I had no idea that he felt this way about himself.

"The excitement that would surge through me as I killed another Kraut… with no regard for the fact that they have families and friends as well. God, I'm a fucking piece of shit, Liz. I'm already dead... This isn't living."

"You're not dead Joe… you're right here." I croaked as tears began to slide down my face. "You have friends who care about you… and me. You have me and I love you. You're the same man I met at Toccoa."

"The same frame, yeah." He met my eyes sadly as he brushed some hair out of my eyes. "But I'm not the same person, Liebling."

"That's bull-shit." I sniffled, looking deeply into his agonized eyes. "We've all changed… you've just had to adjust to the world over here... it doesn't mean you're a bad person."

"I don't even know if my family will recognize me when I get home."

I gazed at him sadly, wishing that I could take this agonizing torture off his shoulders. "How long have you felt this way, Joe?"

"Since we landed at Normandy… that first battle when I killed my first Kraut." He croaked out honestly, his face flushing in embarrassment.

"You had to." I assured him. "It's what we're here for… to keep them from taking this war back home."

"You're so sweet Liz... God, I was so mean to you after James." He cried, squeezing me tightly to his chest. "I was so cold… I was the one being selfish. I pushed you away because I didn't want you seeing what I really feel like inside."

"It's alright Joe." I whispered, burying my face into his neck. "I forgive you for everything... it's alright. I'm here..."

"I was cruel because I was afraid." He whispered into my hair. "I don't want to lose you Liebling… you're the last piece of my old self that I have left."

I remained silent, looking up into his darkened eyes as I closed off the distance between us slowly, touching my lips to his tenderly in an unspoken promise that I would never leave his side.

I didn't care how broken he was, I had bound myself to Joe the second I told him that I loved him. I wasn't going anywhere. I would help him through his pain… even if it took a lifetime.

We were going to make it through this hell together. We aren't dead.