"Sergeant Wilson?" a young unfamiliar voice called to me.

I quickly patted my damp eyes, turned around and gazed up out of the foxhole where I had sat alone for a few hours. A young baby faced private was stood towered over me. He looked like he'd never shaved in his life. His forehead was creased with uncertainty.

"Yes, Private?" I snapped. I turned abruptly around so he wouldn't see his Sergeant looking weak.

"Miss, Sergeant Lipton would like to see you"

"And where is Sergeant Lipton?" I drawled.

"I'll show you, Miss" he replied cautiously, he could probably sense his annoyance to me.

"Did I ask you to show-" I cut myself off, climbed out of the foxhole and smiled falsely at him "Thank you, Private"

I trudged behind him with my hands firmly dug into the discrete warmth of my pockets. The woods were still a total shambles after the barrage that killed Skip and Penkala only around six or so hours prior. Many of the men were in a terrible state but the young replacements looked the worse. Their faces screamed fear. We were all scared but those of us who had been at war since Normandy or Holland knew we couldn't show it. Especially since the majority of us were now Sergeants or Corporals.

The Private led me to Lipton who we found leaning against an intact tree with his arms folded against his chest. His face chirped up at the sight of my incredibly false and sardonic smile.

"How are you doing, Wilson?" he asked and rubbed my shoulder gently, inviting me to walk with him.

"Doing fine, Lip, just fine" I lied. It must have been obvious because he gave me a second glance but he didn't press for the truth.

"I was wondering if you wanted to give Malarkey this" he rustled about under his garments and pulled out a Luger.

He picked up my obeying hand like a puppeteer and offered me the handgun.

"This was Hoobs?" I asked.

"Yeah...I didn't know what to do with it"

My eyes examined the weapon that had killed a good friend. I wanted to drop it. I didn't like touching the thing.

I swallowed hard and forced the Luger back into Lipton's hand "I can't...you give it to him" I gave him another reassuring smile "It'll be better coming from you"

Lipton didn't protest. We found Malarkey hugging his knees in a foxhole, staring mournfully at Skip's rosary beads. We carefully knelt down outside the foxhole either side of his quaking head. He didn't turn around straight away; he just kept staring at the memorabilia in his gloved hands. I forced myself not to look at it for risk of cracking.

"Hey, Malark" Lipton said and he turned his head to acknowledge our arrival before turning back.

I rubbed Malarkey's shoulder "How you doing, buddy?"

I felt his shoulders shrug underneath my hands.

"Hey uh didn't I hear you say you wanted to uh bring a Luger home for your kid brother?" Lipton asked.

Malarkey looked up at Lipton and nodded "Yeah" he said.

Lipton smiled comfortingly before rummaging under his clothes and presenting Malarkey with the Luger.

"Well, why don't you give him that"

Malarkey glanced up at Lipton, just to make sure it was he who was being offered the handgun before accepting into his hands.

"It's Hoob's, right?" Malarkey cried and examined it.

"Yeah, yeah..." Lipton nodded "I was uh gonna get rid of it, but I...I don't know" Lipton glanced at me as Malarkey took a sudden intake of breath and cracked a smile.

"Your brother will love that, Malarkey" I cried and rubbed his shoulder again.

"Listen uh, Captain Winters was wondering if you wanted to go back to Battalion and uh work as his runner for a few days" Lipton announced the thing that none of us ever wanted to really hear. It meant that our weakness was visible and no one wanted that.

Malarkey wrinkled his nose and shook his head "Tell him thanks. I'm gonna stay here" he said and retreated back into himself.

Lipton sighed quietly and nodded "Well look why don't you at least come back for an hour or so, say goodbye to Buck?" he paused "I'm sure it'll mean a lot to him"

Malarkey turned his head and nodded slightly "Alright" and raised the Luger in thanks.

Lipton acknowledged the gesture and said "You be careful with that"

Lip tapped me on the shoulder and we stood up.

"Say goodbye to Buck for me?" I asked Malarkey before leaving.

He gave me a false smile and nodded. God I knew it was fake. I had been spending hours abusing the same expression.

Lipton and I walked away in silence for a while. I was wrapped up in my own thoughts. The Luger triggered a whole wave of emotions related to Hoobler's death. I stared down at my hand that held Hoob's as he faded away.

"Maybe you should go back..." Lipton said suddenly and he watched my face cautiously for my reaction.

I creased my forehead and played the fool "Why's that?"

"The reason is written all over your face, Shorty" Lipton said quietly and glanced around to make sure no one was listening.

I checked around too and made eye contact with the Private that had taken me to Lip. He quickly looked away the moment our gazes met and I shook my head as the same happened with ever Private I set my eyes on.

"But, Lip, I'm fine" I protested and scowled at my feet.

"It would help you" Lipton cried.

"I don't need help"

He sighed and shook his head "Okay, well if you change your mind, I'll be sending Malarkey out in about 30 minutes so you have until then to find me"

I nodded slowly "Ok, I will if I change my mind" Lip nodded and turned to walk away. "Hey Lip! Thanks for what you did for Malarkey"

He smiled before walking away.

I wondered back to my foxhole as the snow started to fall. The snowflakes landed on the end of my nose and lightly dusted my dark eyelashes.

"Hey" I called to Lieb who was snuggled up in our foxhole.

He smiled behind his collar. I climbed down next to him and he gently invited my head down onto his chest. He wrapped his arms around me and our fingers entwined.

"How are you?" he asked and sighed.

"Why does everyone keep asking me that?" I grumbled "Sorry..."

"Don't be sorry" he cried and kissed my head "How is Malarkey?"

"Lipton gave him Hoobler's Luger and told him to go back and say goodbye to Buck...so he'll be fine. He's coping. He's a brave man our Malarkey"

"Yeah" Lieb said thoughtfully.

"Lipton thinks I should go back for an hour or two..." I said and waited anxiously for his reply.

"That sounds like a good idea, Shorty, why don't you go?" he cried.

I got up and sat opposite him.

"Fuck sake, Lieb!" I cried and folded my arms.

He furrowed his brow "What?!"

"You don't believe in me either do you?" I snapped harshly and sighed.

"What the hell are you talking about?!"

"I'm supposed to be your girlfriend...in fact...I don't actually know what I'm supposed to be"

"What's your problem!?" he shouted "It's not that we don't have faith in you Rose it's because we care about you..." he sighed and shook his head angrily "and yes you are my fucking girlfriend actually!"

I was a little taken a back. I stared cautiously at him. I had seen that side to him before but never with me. I felt sickened with guilt. There I was, trying to make everyone assume I was ok so they wouldn't worry and all I'd done was throw it back in their faces. Lieb and Lipton.

"I'm so sorry, Lieb" I said quietly and stared at my feet "I'm not as strong as everyone likes to think and Skip and Penkala's..." I gulped "Skip and Penkala's death has really damaged me and...It's scaring me, Joe, it's really scaring me"

"I know" he shook his head "I'm sorry for shouting at you but I hate seeing you like this so please for me will you go with Malarkey and take some time out"

I nodded, defeated "Okay, Joe, for you"

I did what Lieb asked. I knew it would do me good to go back for a while; I just didn't want to admit defeat. Everyone was the same. I guess I just put that little bit more pressure on myself because I was a girl and because I was a girl I thought everyone was expecting me to crack. But it was then that I realised even the bravest of soldiers could crack. We saw Buck. He was a lot better but you could still see the pain in his eyes. I couldn't imagine seeing what he saw. I may have seen Guarnere and Toye but I didn't see it happen. Buck did. Buck wore the brightest fake smile out of the three of us. He was staying strong for Malarkey. I could tell. They were good friends and Buck didn't want to inflict anymore pain on him. He managed to cheer Malarkey up a bit. He managed to cheer me up and all. I already had so much respect for Buck but after seeing him my respect sky rocketed. I didn't know how he could keep smiling, but he did and it was honestly the most comforting thing. It was so hard to say goodbye to our good friend Buck Compton but he deserved to go.

Malarkey and I returned to the line new 'men'. Malarkey opened up to me about his grief. It was a relief to talk to him about it. It gave us both some closure.

The night before the attack on Foy

The night was young, freezing and deadly quiet. The moon was completely hidden behind dense clouds and heavy smog like fog. Luz, Lieb, Malarkey, Babe and I were gathered in a close circle, clinging to the warmth of our food tins.

Babe chucked his empty tin onto the ground, the warmth had already subsided "How are we going to survive the attack tomorrow?" he said and drew up his knees, defeated by the cold.

"We've lost so many great officers" Luz said thoughtfully and nibbled the edge of his tin.

"Come on guys" I cried "we may have lost some amazing Non Coms but we have Lipton who is arguably the best guy in the company at the moment" I looked at Luz, half expecting him to protest that he was in fact the best guy in the company but half knowing it wasn't the time for jokes.

"Yeah, cause one guy is gonna save our sorry asses" Babe grunted sardonically "he ain't even our CO" he widened his eyes for a brief moment then dropped his head "we got good for nothing Foxhole Norman"

"Lipton is a good guy" I cried "Babe, he is a great guy. I know he isn't our CO, yeah, I know but it doesn't mean we're alone out there. Foxhole Norman is bound to...slip up. We're all prepared for that and when he does someone like Lipton can step in"

They all nodded even if they weren't 100% sure I was right. The truth is I wasn't really sure. I had formed a positive mentality to fighting ever since I became a sergeant. It was my job.

"You're probably right" Lieb said. He was staring into space with a scornful grin "Foxhole Norman might, I dunno, run into a grenade or something"

Luz sniggered "Or accidentally get shot by one of us"

"Hey, this guy ain't Sobel" I chuckled.

Babe snorted and his laugh turned into a hacking cough. He may not have had the pleasure of knowing Sobel but he sure had heard a hell of a lot about him. The whole damn division new about Captain Shithead.

"Don't go wasting our rounds on him" Malarkey cried and smirked "that Norman might be a total waist of a uniform but I'd rather kill some Krauts than that sorry idiot. A dead Co isn't much better than a live one, even if he is completely useless"

"He's right lads" I said "we can do this with or without Foxhole Norman. We have Lipton and us tough son of a bitches...we'll make Guarnere and Toye proud"

Everyone nodded thoughtfully.

Babe lifted his head and smiled sadly "Yeah" he croaked "we'll make them proud"

"And when we all survive the attack on Foy tomorrow, we'll drink to our best friends Skip and Penkala" Malarkey said and thumbed Skip's rosary beads in his pocket.

"Yeah" Lieb said "we'll do that"

That night, Lieb and I hardly slept a wink. I had spent all evening pretending to be confident and acting like everything was fine that I had completely forgot how anxious I actually was about the looming attack on Foy.

The day was very grey and white. The snow was a brilliant white, for now, and the sky was a grotesque grey. We prepared for the attack, all lined up along the tree line locking out on Foy. We loaded our weapons and scavenged as much extra ammo as we could get our hands on. Ammo was still tight. Winters was briefing Lieutenant Dike or should I say commanding. I could just about make out what Winters was telling him. He was very harsh and straight to the point. Winters cared about us, anyone could see that. We all wanted it to be him out there with us and he wanted it too. Winters would never have admitted it but he doubted Lieutenant Norman Dike just as much as the rest of us.

"I'm relying on you" Winters said with integrity "get it done"

I heard Winter's boots marching away. I turned just in time to see our wonderful CO yawning as per-fucking-usual. Lieb followed my gaze and shook his head. I was transfixed on Dike. He rubbed his gloved hands together, rocked back and forth slightly and stared out at the town. You're clueless aren't you?

Our attack was so obvious. We were there, clearly exposed in the tree line and the Krauts were across a field littered with giant hay stacks and various wheel barrows waiting with their artillery. I fidgeted restlessly from one foot to the other while we waited for our machine guns to provide us with covering fire. I stared helplessly at our no man's land. I thought of my Papa and the last war. I thumbed his trusty revolver in my pocket. Is this kind of what it was like, waiting in the trenches for the whistle to sound and charge out into an almost inevitable death?

Our machine guns rattled either side of me and kick started my adrenaline. We all charged as quickly as possible.

"Keep it moving!" Lipton shouted.

"Suppressing fire!"

I slowed down and held my rifle up and stared down the sight. Still moving, I fired at the Germans in the town rapidly. They fired back, showering the exposed land with bullets that picked a few men off from either side of me. The bullets churned up the dirt and splattered it all over our ankles as we kept advancing. Then they started firing their artillery. The guns launch powerful explosions that catapulted some of our men into the air.

"Keep moving!" Lipton yelled "Keep moving!"

We finally reached the outskirts of the town which were littered with small sheds, tractors, hay stacks and wheel barrows to finally offer some cover.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute where's Foley?!" Dike shouted frantically to no one in particular.

A group of us were positioned with Dike...completely out in the open. He didn't order us to do anything.

He looked around in a panic and yelled "Where the hell is 1st Platoon?"

"Sir!" I said sternly "we need to find some cover!"

"Keep moving!" Lipton shouted from nearby.

"Hold up!" Dike yelled.

"What?!" I exclaimed.

"Easy Company hold up!" he bellowed to everyone and waved his hand.

I crouched submissively next to Luz and he rolled his eyes.

"Will you move!?" I heard Winters yell faintly from the tree line.

I turned me head and managed to spot him waving his hand frantically. He seemed to catch my sight but I couldn't be one hundred percent sure. I couldn't see his eyes. I shook my head in his direction. We all knew he'd fuck up, Sir.

"Get me Foley on the radio" Dike ordered Luz.

"Get out of there! Move!" Winters continued to yell.

"Sir, I think we should take cover" Luz said calmly as if he was talking to a startled child.

"Find some cover! Find some cover!" Lipton cried.

Finally, someone knows what they're doing.

I couldn't have moved faster if I tried. We all scrambled behind an enormous hay stack trying to avoid the vast amount of bullets and artillery fire.

Luz shouted down his radio. Various explosions went off nearby and knocked a few of us of our haunches, me including.

"What are we doing, Sir?!" I asked impatiently as Dike scuttled to the floor knocking off his helmet.

Dike grabbed the radio off Luz and shouted down it in a flustered panic "Foley! Foley, you get back here where I can see you godammit!"

I could only imagine what Foley must have been thinking at the other end because I knew what all of us where thinking. Stupid idiot!

The German artillery was firing harder on us. Not to anyone's surprise, Dike started to panic and yelled for us to "Fall back! Fall back!"

"Go forward!" Winters yelled.

We didn't know what to do. Do we retreat like Dike says or go forward? So we just stayed put and looked to that yawning idiot for answers.

Lipton charged over to the hay stack and sat up beside Dike who was shaking and staring into space.

"Why are we stopped?!" Lipton shouted.

"Fall back!" Dike yelled.

"Geezus Christ!" I accidently said out loud but no one protested. They were all thinking the same thing.

More and more of Easy Company crammed themselves behind the hay stack in desperation for some clear orders.

"Lieutenant what's the plan?"

"I dunno, I dunno!" he yelled back frantically.

"Captain, Winters, Sir!" Luz held out the radio to Dike.

Everyone shouted over the top of each other.

"Give us a plan!"

"What's going on?"

"Okay!" Dike cried "Foley, you take your men...you take your men on a flanking mission around the village and attack it from the rear!" he flinched in response to a nearby explosion.

"WE CANNOT STAY HERE!" Lipton shouted. He was losing his damn patience. We all were losing our damn patience.

"Sir!" I yelled "Sir, you can't send 1st Platoon out there alone"

"You want 1st Platoon to go round and attack the village by itself?!" Foley shouted in disbelief.

"We will provide suppressing fire"

"We're gonna be kind of alone out there Lieutenant..."

"WE WILL PROVIDE SUPRESSING FIRE!" Dike screamed in frustration. What have you got to be frustrated about?

"Lieb's up with 1st Platoon!" I cried to Luz. I had to bite my lip damn hard to stop myself from shouting abuse at Foxhole Fucking Norman. I swear to god if you get Joe killed...

Luz scowled at Dike and swallowed hard.

Foley shook his head and ordered his men to move. I watched helplessly as 1st Platooners gathered behind the hay stack charged off alone.

"GET GOING FORWARD!" Winters yelled.

"Maybe we should listen to him, Sir..." Luz said to Dike.

All the flustered colour drained from Dike's face. His face was as pale as the snow around him. His eyes danced vacantly about the floor and he fidgeted sporadically. He drew into himself. He became an introvert, just like that.

"Luz, I think he's going mad..."I whispered into Luz's ear.

"You need to talk to Captain Winters, Sir!" Luz said sternly and waved the radio piece in Dike's blank face.

"Sir!" I shouted "Take it! We're all gonna die out here just sitting on our asses"

Lipton gave me a look. The look said you shouldn't talk to a Lieutenant like that but I totally agree with you.

"Suppressing fire now!" Lipton yelled.

I sprung out from behind the hay stack, hit the floor and started shooting the shit at the town. I was going to protect Lieb if it was the last thing I did. My bullets found their way into three Germans. Two of them were killed instantly. The other rolled around on the floor before someone else finished him off.

"Sir, we are sitting ducks here" Lipton said angrily at Dike who was cowering behind the hay stack "We have to keep moving!"

"Amen!" I shouted then gritted my teeth as the Kraut bullets churned up the snow in front of me.

"You've got to keep moving!" I heard Winters shouting in desperation.

I looked over my shoulder to see Winters running out of the tree line with his rifle in his hands. Yes! He suddenly halted and stared helplessly. He was ordered to turn back. Battalion Commanders weren't allowed to fight with us. No! He is our only chance! Godammit!

I had had enough of staying back and covering while there were our men out there. I rolled back behind the hay stack and persuade Dike. I crouched in front of him and stared him down but our eyes never met. He was either avoiding my gaze or going crazy.

"Sir..." I said calmly but with scorn "We cannot stay here, we cannot let our guys die out there alone"

I looked at Lipton and the other guys behind the hay stack. They were transfixed on something behind me. Before I even had the chance to turn around Lieutenant Speirs skidded to a halt beside me and crouched in front of the cowering Dike.

We all looked at Speirs with a raised eyebrow. It wasn't Dog Company's fight. Why is he here?

"I'm taking over" Speirs explained.

"Thank god" I praised the heavens under my breath.

I was fascinated by Speirs. He was incredible tough and hard core. But he still terrified me. He terrified all of us. I watched him glare at Dike with his hands cuffed firmly around his collar. I stared anxiously half expecting him to launch his fist into him and half expecting him to...well...end him...

Speirs dragged his eyes from Dike's and shouted "1st Sergeant Lipton, Staff Sergeant Wilson!?"

"Here!" Lipton replied.

"Yes, Sir" I cried. Speirs turned on me. He turned his nose up at me just like he did that day in Carentan. Oh boy. I gulped awkwardly.

Speirs stood up and we rose with him.

"What do we got?" he asked us.

"The company is spread out here" Lipton cried "1St Platoon tried and end-around but they're stretched out. They're pinned by a sniper. I believe he is in that building there with the caved in roof"

"What's everyone else doing?" Speirs asked impatiently.

"Providing suppressing fire" I said mimicking Dike. Speirs glowered at me as if I made that order "Lieutenant Dike's decision..." I said just to clarify and Speirs nodded.

"I want mortars and grenade launchers on that building until it's gone. When that's gone I want 1st to go straight in" Speirs said so fast that I could barely keep up.

I couldn't help but smirk as he gave us orders because I was so damn pleased to have someone who at least knew what he was doing even if his orders were sometimes a little...shall I say...adventurous.

"Everyone else, follow me!" Speirs cried and charged forwards towards the town.

"Yes, Sir!" I cried enthusiastically, perhaps a little too enthusiastically. But who cares. We had a chance to live.

"Thank God!" Luz shouted.

We moved quickly through the snow, dodging all the various obstacles that had provided us with cover. The rest of Easy Company emerged from cover and charged forwards behind us.

"2nd Platoon on the CO!" Lipton yelled.

Mortars were fired on the building. The sniper was eliminated and 1st Platoon could press on. Staying close to Speirs, Luz, Lipton and I made it into the town and to the safety behind a wall of a building. Lipton poked his head around the wall just as a bullet chipped stone into his face.

"Are you ok?!" I asked.

He nodded and peered back round. Lipton told Speirs what he could see. Armoured infantry. Armoured infantry everywhere. Shit.

"I company's supposed to be the other side of the town do you see any sign of them?" Speirs hollered.

"No, Sir"

I turned to Luz who was shouting frantically down his radio. He gave me a quick reassuring glance before continuing.

"Wait here!" Speirs cried.

"What?!" I shouted in disbelief and turned my head just in time to see him disappear "What the hell is he doing?!"

"I think..." Lipton began then quickly peeped around the wall. His eyes were wide "I think he is going to hook up with I company..."

"Holy Christ on a cracker..." I said. I was so surprised that my surprised curse came out wrong.

Typically, Luz would have laughed but it wasn't the time for laughing. If Speirs got hit...that would be the end... the end for all of us. I monitored Lipton's face as he watched Speirs. I wasn't waiting for his face to drop or his eyes to avert when Speirs was shot. But Lipton's eyes remained wide as a bush babies. His smile grew wider and wider. Speirs returned. In one piece. There wasn't a bullet hole on him.

"Holy shit, Sir" I blurted out without really thinking. My heart pulsed sporadically as he glowered down at me. Then the corners of his mouth began to pick up and he smirked.

Thanks to Lieutenant Ronald Speirs, Easy Company took Foy. We were victorious. That day was the last we saw of Lieutenant Norman Dike. He was replaced by Speirs. Speirs' reputation didn't get in the way of our respect that he earned that day. He was a tough son of a bitch but he was Easy's tough son of a bitch.

A/N

Thank you for reading! So sososoooo sorry its been a while. I made it extra long to make up for it.

FallynAshe- thank you for reviewing :) means a lot!

AvrilFrings- you're too kind! Thank you

Drvirtue- Thank you so much! I'm so glad you like my writing style

As always thanks for reviews/favs/follows

Keep reviewing