Chapter 12: A Hero's Sacrifice

Summary:

fighting between the germans and allies in the ardennes forest is fully underway. resolved tension and heartbreak.

Notes:

death in fairly gruesome ways here. sorry for these next two chapters in advance. they hurt me to write, not gonna lie. a lot of the heart to hearts in the stories are based off talks ive had and different books, video games and movies ive seen. with this story just go in knowing ive made up sooo many things for this.

"This place is a shit hole James, a real shit hole. My feet are freezing, our food is shit, and the Germans pick us off when they get bored. To top it all off, someone shit in my foxhole! my fucking foxhole James!" Mike yelled, his arms flailing about. Some of the Easy men sat around the campfire, sharing in their woes.

Oliver, who had been helping in the mess leaned forward "I'd watch it Mike, wouldn't want a surprise in your food just like your foxhole, would ya?" Easy broke out in laughter, Mike simply taking a sip from his mess cup more aggressively.

Kara stood off to the side, looking out toward the front line. The mission never seemed more important. A hand appeared on his shoulder. Turning around, it was Clark. "Major Kent, sir" Kara saulted. Clark reached forward and put his hand down for him. "No need cousin, no need"

Kara nodded then turned back. Clark stepped into his line of sight.

"What is it Kara, nerves? Home sick?" Kara shook his head.

"We're in the Ardennes"

"and? " Clark asked

"My father was killed here in the Great War. Now i'm here. I'm tired Clark. I have a job to finish here but Lenas pregnant and i have a duty to them too. I can't die here Clark. I just can't. And that is messing with my head"

Clark nodded, then stood next to Kara, looking out at the Germans he knew were in the distance.

''Take a breath Kara. I have the same worries, believe me. What if i never see Lois again? Or my parents? What if we lose? But in the end, if i don't fight this war, if we don't, it will come for them eventually. And if i die, it would be for a world that they can all live in peace. A fight this important breeds sacrifice. We may die here, but for a world where your child and Lena would live without the war, isn't it worth giving everything?"

Clark patted his shoulder, then turned and walked back to his tent.

"Hey Kara, they don't believe me when I said we streaked at high school graduation!" Winn yelled from the campfire

Kara smiled "you didn't. You got tackled. And i was dressed!"

Must be a sacrifice I'm willing to make

As the days went on, it only got colder and the battle getting harsher. Both sides had been picking each other off slowly followed by heavy artillery and shooting from their sides of no-man's land. Artillery was ripping the forest apart, not only the ground, but the trees were exploding into sharp pieces, even stabbing a guy from dog company.

Kara sat with Winn, freezing. Barry ran over, a pair of boots in hand.

Winn looked up "where'd you get those?" he asked

Barry began to take his boots off, pulling on a pair of socks from his pocket.

"Some poor guy from A company. Believe me, he wasn't going to be needing anything anymore"

Things like this were a harsh reality that they faced every day. So far, there had only been a few injured in Easy, but the battles just begun and there was no telling how bad it could get.

Days passed with much of the same. Firing at each other, then artillery and repeat. Though a story was now spreading throughout the 101st.

Easy sat together in their foxholes. Winn was telling James and Kara the rumor.

"The Germans took the 7th armored prisoner then killed them. Every single one." Winn sat back, staring at the floor.

It was quiet, till James spoke up."if they killed everyone, how'd the story get out?"

Winn pondered the question for a few, then shrugged "who knows. But if it's true, it's pretty brutal isn't it?"

Kara nodded "i think we already figures out how brutal the Nazis are Winn. This is just a reminder."

James nodded, staring hard at Kara. Their relationship had gotten better but James still had something on his chest that he couldn't seem to get passed.

Kara decided at the next meal, they would confront James

Kara and James stood on the outskirts of the mess area. They sat in silence for a long while though for the first time in months it didn't feel awkward.

Kara broke the silence first "James, you're one of my best friends you know. And to get through this we need to have each others backs. We can't turn on each other now."

James nodded his head, his face unreadable.

Kara reached into his pocket, pulling out Lena's letter from a few weeks before.

"Lenas pregnant. We're having a baby and im most likely going to miss their birth. I know that drive to go home now. I want nothing more than to hold them in my arms and spend every living moment with them. I understand James. I really do."

James stared at Kara for the first time the whole conversation.

"My daughters almost 3. I missed her birth. I missed her first steps. Her first word. I didn't get to see her first christmas or her birthday. I just wanted something to show for it, to have a good reason for being absent for so long you know?" James looked out over everyone eating their meals.

"I think now i realize i can't have your responsibilities. Your job is dangerous and I can't risk that for my family. There's no one whos as qualified as you Kara, I know you'll get us through this mess." James put his hand out to Kara.

The two clasped their hands together and smiled.

"I've got your back. No matter what Kara" James gripped his hand harder with that.

As they finished their moment, yelling could be heard. Shells went off not far from the mess area. The men grabbed their guns and ran.

James and Kara ran together, back to the foxhole, with Winn not far behind. "Take cover!" was shouted out over the booming of shells.

Trees were being shattered left and right, and men from different companies were being thrown and blown apart everywhere. Just as Kara made it to a foxhole, the hole beside them was hit, showering them in snow. Brushing the snow from his eyes, Kara spotted Oliver and Barry running forward.

They were a few feet from their foxhole,when a shell came down. A direct hit, the massive explosion blocking them from view.

"Flash, Arrow, no!" Winn shouted. The shelling began to slow down then stopped immediately. The 101st began to scramble, looking for dead and wounded. Kara, Winn and James ran out, looking for their two friends. Kara spotted Barry clutching his thighs, his legs gone from the knee down.

Beside him was Oliver, face down in the snow, his left arm a few feet away and his helmet gone. Kara crouched down as James and Winn helped a panicking Barry, who was desperately calling for a medic for Oliver.

Kara flipped Oliver onto his back. His eyes were open but they were not blinking. It was immediately clear what was wrong. Kara put his hand out and closed his eyes. Then reached into his coat and grabbed one of his tags. Kara put his head down.

This was the first death that was closer to home. Kara had not lost a friend yet and was apparently naively hoping that it wouldn't happen. As Kara stared at Oliver, Winn came over and put a hand on their shoulder.

A medic rushed to Barry and with James' help carried him away. In between cries of pain, Barry could be heard asking why they weren't getting a stretcher for Oliver. No one had the courage yet to answer. Kara was sure there would only be more like the two of them, more friends who wouldn't see an end to the violence.