It's Been A Good Run Boss.

I'd been thinking about what Roy had asked me about a month ago. Easy and Alpha, had been on the line for about a month and a half and the date was now January 2nd 1945. We'd been ordered to push the Germans through the Bulge. We had to clear the woods near Foy.. God damn the place was blown to shit. Bodies, frozen bodies, were strewn everywhere, soldiers; theirs, ours, civilians... animals too.

There was sporadic machine gun fire, as we made our way through the woods, but there was really little resistance. I mean, the most eventful thing that happened all day was Hoob's run in with the German. Hoob had been on about this damn Luger since Normandy, and when he got it, he was prouder than a parent at a Christmas play with their kids in the lead roles. He showed the damn thing off to every one.

"Down he goes out of his saddle, like a sack of potatoes. Outstanding accuracy on my part if I do say so myself." Hoob grinned.

"Which you do." Lip chuckled. I looked with dread at the thing that would take my brother away from me.

"Which I do... hell Shifty I think I could have even given you a run for your money."

"No, no, I'm not a good shot." said the sweet, modest Virginian. "Now dad, he was an excellent shot, excellent shot I do declare. He could shoot the wings off a fly."

"Hey Lip. That German, whadda ya think he was doing?"

"Probably on a recon. Must have figured no body would hear a horse."

"Poor thing.. wonder what's happened to it.." I wondered aloud, rubbing my bigger than expected bump.

"Cal, you should have seen it!" Hoob grinned at me. I frowned at the gun once again, as he loaded it and shoved it into his pocket.

"Corporal Hoobler, come here." I ordered, with a glare as icy as the weather. He looked at me, really worried.

"Ma'am."

"Are you insane?! Get that goddamn gun, out of your fucking pocket, right now! It's loaded and those things have a tendency to go off on their own."

Hoob shrunk back into his coat, terrified. Pulling his Luger out of his pocket, he handed it to me, looking concerned as well as terrified. I unloaded it, took every bullet out of it, and handed the empty gun back to him.

"I find out you put ammo in this, you'll never get this back." I told him waving it in front of his face.

"Yes ma'am."

"Good. Glad we cleared that up." I sighed, grabbing my bump, as I felt a wave of nauseousness. I groaned, rubbing my stomach. Now, I couldn't wait to be a mum. But I couldn't stand the morning sickness.

"You okay?" Lip asked kindly, wheezing as he helped Shifty dig his hole, as Malarkey and Buck came over. I smiled, biting back the vomit.

"Ugh, I guess... I just can't wait to get out here..."

"Yeah?"

"I know everyone else feels the same... you know I wish I could be a sergeant again. It'd be so much easier... Oh.. have you seen Gene or Con?"

Lip nodded along with what I was saying, and then pointed in the general direction of one of the two. I thanked Lip, and gave Hoob one last warning, before I moved off to find one of the boys.

I found Gene, on his own, sat by his usual tree.

"Hey there Gene." I greeted warmly. He looked up, his lips tugging upward.

"Major D'Amore."

"It's still Cally, Eugene."

"Calandra, then."

I rolled my eyes. He never calls anyone by their nicknames.

"How are you... and where's Con?"

"I'm fine... and he's uh.. with Perconte.."

"With him how?"

"Talking to him..."

"Ah... I'm sorry, I haven't spoken to Con, I've been at HQ.."

"It's fine..."

Gene had it rough. Everyday, he had to run out amidst shells and torrents of bullets, to get to the screaming wounded, many of whom, didn't make it. He was left, feeling like he hadn't done enough, when in reality, he couldn't have done more. We all felt the losses of our friends, but it hit Gene the hardest, especially in a place like this. This was the worst place to get wounded, in the freezing cold, with shrapnel and sharp shards of wood flying around everywhere. It was a miracle Gene and Spina hadn't been dinged yet.

"Has he... talked to you yet?"

"No.. he uh.. he won't talk to me about it..."

I groaned, shaking my head.

"What a pain in the arse." I moaned, looking around. I'm not sure what I was looking for, but I had a strange feeling. I stood up, telling Gene I'd be back later and then left, checking on everyone as I came past. As I mooched around, taking occasional looks at the town of Foy, I came across Pink, Bill, Skip, Lip and Lark.

Lip was in the middle of one of his wonderful moral boosting, encouragement speeches. However, seeing as I wasn't paying too much attention, I only heard 'Hitler's moustache'.

"What was that about Hitler's moustache?" I grinned, shivering in the dreadful cold, as I took some space up on the edge of the fox-hole.

"Just saying how Dike would have to come back with ol' Adolf's 'tache if he wanted some proper respect." Bill told me, looking out to the town too, in his usual 'Bill' manner. I shrugged. I knew that's something like what Lip had said, but doubted it had meant to sound like that.

"Ehy, Cal, you sure you're okay out here? I mean you look like hell... and in your condition..." Bill questioned.

"What are you talking about?" Lark asked, very confused, looking from me to Bill, to Lip.

"Thanks Bill for reminding me I look as bad as I feel.. and FYI, this," I added, pointing to my small, concealed bump, "is not a condition.. Frannie will be like this one day too ya know."

Wild Bill, the toughest son of a bitch in the 101st, melted at the mention of his beloved Frannie. Seriously, anyone could mention her and he'd just stare off into space, like a lovelorn teen-aged boy.

"Hohoho, see! Thinking about it already." Lip grinned, getting up to finish his rounds. I was just about to leave too, when Jack, who'd been made a runner, ran up to me.

"Cal, a letter from up top." he panted, handing me a piece of paper. Ripping it open, expecting another ridiculous order, I was stunned to read the words typed onto the paper.

To Major D'Amore and Alpha company.

As you know, you and your company, have been forced to stay in the present time, as a result of a breakage on the gate in which your arrival and leaving depend on. It is with great pleasure and relief, that I inform you that the gate has now been mended, allowing you and your men to return home to familiarity.

Regards,

Allen Edgar, Time Relations.

"The fuck..." my whole life I'd planned out had suddenly been up-rooted. I felt sick to the pit of my stomach, and it wasn't because of the life I was carrying.. for a change.

"What is it?"

"Jack, I want you to pass the word on that the gate has been fixed. Alpha will be returning home after all."

Jack left in awe, and the four soldiers behind me just stared too. I didn't know what to think, so I walked off, to clear my head.

An hour later, I stumbled upon George Luz, Pink, Jen and Sip, huddled in Pink and Skip's fox-hole. Greeting them, and sitting in with them, we got into a long conversation, just as Buck came over to us.

"I'm serious, nothing stupid alright."

"They've got it Buck." I told him, patting his arm.

"Yeah, we got it, right?" Pink nodded, nudging Skip. We all knew Buck wasn't the same since he'd been hit in Holland. He was more.. serious and to me, he looked a little frightened when he heard what people had done, especially when Hoob had the Luger in is pocket.

"George."

George looked up at him weakly. Poor guy looked like he'd had the life sapped right out of him.

"Nothing stupid."

Buck nodded, looked at me for a moment or two and then left. I shook my head sadly.

"Don't do anything stupid. Who's he think he's talking to? A bunch of guys, who volunteer to jump out of perfectly good aeroplanes." Pink jested, pointing out the stupidity of our job. We laughed and then listened to Muck's tale of stupidity.

"I swam across the Niagara once." Skip smirked.

"Yeah." Pink nodded, nudging his best friend. Jen and I, sat on either side of the two, exchanged glances and looked at the two in awe. George furrowed his brow.

"What, like, in a barrel?"

"No," Skip shook his head and looked at me as if to say 'is he stupid?', "I swam across it. Current took me 10 miles down stream. Now, I didn't think it was very stupid at the time, but my ma and my sister Ruth, well they went mad. So did Faye..."

"Ah the beautiful Faye Tanner." George grinned, teasing Skip. He kicked his leg, and told him to shut up.

It went quiet for a moment, before Pink spoke up, "They're right. You're an idiot."

The frankness in how he said it, just had us. Jen chocked a little and I giggled. Soon enough the whole fox-hole was filled with laughter. Every time we settled down, Jen and I would look at each other, and we just cracked up all over again.

"What the hell are you laughing at?" Pink asked with a small grin.

"Nothing... it's just the way you said it." Jen gasped.

"If he's an idiot, I've got no hope." I chuckled, trying to stop grinning.

"Yeah, she once let a ram head-butt her."

"Well know we know what's wrong with you." George smiled.

"Hey, I had my helmet on!"

"Well, that clearly didn't work." Jen snorted.

"Well Miss Alberta, Canada! Nothing happened to your head and look what you did! You and Charlie chucking yourselves down the sand dunes."

"You can't talk!"

"Neither of us can talk. We used to hide, and then jump out and hit each other with metal poles or something."

"The time Frosty put icy hot on his nuts."

"The time me and you got in a fight cause someone threw a paper ball at me, and you were the closest person there at the time."

We sat and smiled at each other, lost in memories of old. The two of us sighed sadly, knowing things would never be the same again. Jen heaved herself to her feet, as did I. She got out of the fox-hole first, and then pulled me up, insisting that 'in my condition' I needed help.

"This isn't a condition. Jeeze."

"Well... anyway... we'll see you around." Jen gave them a small wave, as did I and we headed back to CP.

"So, we get to go home."

"Yeah..."

"What's Roy gunna do?"

"I dunno. I haven't spoken to him about it yet."

She nodded and we carried on walking, in the freezing cold. Dike came strolling past, probably on his way to the line you going to do about Pink and Skip Jen?"

"What do you.. oh.. yeah.."

She sighed forlornly.

"I don't know what to say or do... we can only hope..."

"Hope for what? That an 88 shell doesn't kill them?"

"Jen... You're not the only one who's going to lose them!" I snapped, turning to face my best friend.

"Malarkey will lose them too! Those are his best friends, he loves them as much as you do. Think what's going to happen to him, huh?"

She looked at me, desperately. I sighed, trying to remember when the shelling that would end the life of part of the heart and soul of Easy company would be, to no avail.

"We can't save them all..."

"So what... I have to let Pink die, while you and Lars have your husbands and children?"

"Jenny, you know I don't want that to happen.. we'll try our best."

Jen hugged me tight and walked away, to talk to someone other than me or Pink. If I could, I'd save them all, but I couldn't. We'd lose some of them, and that wasn't up for debate.

Later that day, we got shelled again. I was talking to Malarkey, Jack and Bill, when Lip started screaming to get into fox-holes and shells started exploding all around us. Jack dragged me into the fox-hole by my arm, and I was squashed in between Lark and Bill. After a while, the explosions stopped and everything went quiet, save for Lip and Buck shouting for people to stay in their holes. In the background, Babe was yelling out for help, and somewhere in the far off distance, Joe Toye was crying out in pain. We could just make out what he was saying, we knew he'd been hurt.

"You lot stay here, I'll go get Joe." Jack told Lark and Bill.

"Jack!" I hissed, just missing his winter coat.

"Sorry ma'am. Someone's got to get him... It's been a good run." He saluted me, before running off in to the distance. I slumped back into the fox hole, between the two sergeants.

"What did he mean?"

I didn't answer them. I waited and I waited. And then the second barrage came. And I waited and waited, until the second barrage stopped, and the three of us went to Buck's call for medic.

I dropped to my knees when I saw my two friends sprawled out on the snow. Joey was missing his leg, and Jack was badly wounded. The blast had taken his leg off, below the knee, just like Joey's, but it had taken his left foot off too.

"Guess I didn't run fast enough." Jack joked, in complete shock. There had never been anyone more loyal to Alpha, than Jack and Frosty. And now we'd lost them both.

"Oh Jack..." I mumbled, crawling over to him, as he propped himself up by a tree. He grabbed his knees, just staring, the pain so bad, he couldn't feel it any more.

"Least one of 'em's okay."

"I don't care about that at the moment." I told him. His eyes clouded with salty tears, as I held my arms out to him. Cradling his head like a child, he gripped on to my arms that were wrapped around him and began to sob.

"It's been a good run boss..."

"Shh, don't think about it Jack.." I soothed, my heart shattered into a million microscopic shards. I rubbed his back, as Jen and Con approached with the medics.

"I guess I'll get home before you now Bill." I heard Joey tell his friend. Bill was almost in tears and Buck... Buck had gone. Buck, Joe, Bill and Jack were almost always together, and to see two of them laying mangled on the floor just snapped something inside of him. Babe was right, he was different.

I didn't really say anything for the rest of the day. Neither did the rest of Alpha company for that matter. Buck was taken off the line. A case of 'severe trench foot'. I didn't think he'd ever be the same.