After doing manoeuvres in Kentucky and Tennessee, Easy packed up once again.

Sitting on a platform, the men waited to board a train.

Mazel was sitting on her duffel bag, ignoring whatever was poking her tailbone.

It had just been Mazel and Jackson sitting down by the train, mostly discussing 1st Platoons new officer, Lieutenant Harry Welsh. The men had taken an immediate liking into their new officer. He was short, Irish and full of good humour.

Mazel lit two cigarettes and handed one to Jackson.

"Thanks, Mazey".

"You two good?" Toye asked.

He had come over with Liebgott and Popeye.

The three of them sat down next to them.

"Yeah…just waiting". Jackson replied, "any idea where we're going?"

"Nope". Liebgott said, "chances are, this is it".

"You think?"

He nodded;

"yeah…we're probably heading to Europe or some other shitshow now".

Mazel frowned a little.

She deeply regretted not seeing her mother during that furlough now.

Licking her bottom lip, she then asked;

"anyone seen doc? Need some pills for travelling".

Jackson sighed;

"shit…I ain't sitting next to you".

"Yes, you fucking are". Mazel told him, with a tiny smirk. "Won't be a problem if Gene's got those anti-sickness tablets, will it?"

"And if he don't?"

She shrugged;

"then I'll feel like shit".

Men walked by the five sitting troopers. They were getting ready to board the train while trying to locate a buddy to sit with for the long journey ahead. It was a gloriously sunny day in mid-August. The weather was warm, and the Red Cross Girls were there to wave the men off and give them coffee and doughnuts.

Roy Cobb and Shifty soon stopped in front of them.

"The hell are you five doing?" Cobb asked.

"Sitting…relaxing". Jackson commented.

He sighed;

"I can't relax". He muttered, "not when we've got a damn duck leading us into combat".

Toye raised his eyebrow and looked at him;

"Sobel?"

Nodding, Cobb and Shift soon took a seat with them.

"Don't talk shit, Roy". Popeye mumbled, "we don't 'wanna hear it".

"Well, if you ain't hearing it from me, you're hearing it from someone else". Cobb pointed out.

Shrugging, Popeye took the last bite from his doughnut.

And he decided to keep out of it.

Mazel gave Shifty a tiny smile;

"how're you doing, Shift?"

Like he usually would, Shifty smiled kindly back at her;

"we're doing good, Mazey-"

"we're all fucking screwed". Cobb cut him off, "no one's good".

Toye sent him a glare;

"shut up, Cobb". He muttered.

Slightly pissed off that he cut off Mazel and Shifty.

"You 'gotta admit". Cobb said, "he's got no chance. Either the Krauts will get him, or one of us".

Shifty shook his head;

"he screwed up one manoeuvre".

"Ah, you know, I'm always fumbling with grenades…". Liebgott pointed out.

Mazel frowned at him.

Liebgott shrugged;

"would be easy if one went off by accident, you know…".

Shifty then said;

"well, they must have put him in charge for a reason".

Liebgott snorted;

"yeah, cause the army wouldn't make a mistake, right, Shift?"

"Leave him alone, Liebgott". Mazel mumbled, "it's no good talking like that".

Liebgott looked at her;

"like what? I'm just saying what we're all thinking".

At that point, Lipton, who was standing close by, looked away from them.

Mazel sighed and glared between Liebgott and Cobb;

"you two are damn stupid".

Toye looked at her;

"Mazey…don't get involved in their bullshit".

"Joe, Lieb's in our squad". She said, "it's our bullshit now. And it's 'gotta stop".

"You're sticking up for Sobel?" Cobb asked her, "cause you're both Jews?"

"Hey!" Liebgott snapped at him, "shut up, Cobb".

Rubbing her lips together, Mazel gave Jackson's arm a nudge;

"come on, Jack…let's go find a seat".

Mazel and Jackson walked further up the train and found themselves inside a quiet part of the train. The carriage was almost empty, save Welsh, who was already sleeping lightly against the window. With a grin, Jackson sat down behind their new Lieutenant and Mazel sat opposite him. It seemed they had gotten lucky in getting on the train quickly, for Mazel and Jackson had found the best set of seats. Away from Sobel and away from the gambling.

Winters soon walked over and sat himself down next to Welsh.

When their Lieutenant sat down, the Irishman woke up;

"what'd I miss?"

Winters huffed;

"me sitting down, Harry".

Mazel grinned at Jackson who chuckled quietly back.

Jackson then leaned forwards and said;

"what 'bout doc?"

Mazel shrugged;

"if he had some, he'd had found me by now, Jack".

Jackson sighed;

"shit, Mazey…don't you got a bag or something?"

"Don't think so". She said, "look don't worry, alright? I'll try and not puke".

Jackson smiled, a little sadly;

"don't worry 'bout me, Mazey…look, we'll just keep you distracted".

"Good plan, man". She agreed, "how we 'gonna do that?"

"I got a book full of stories".

Mazel groaned;

"Jack…I don't like hearing your damn ghost stories".

Jackson chuckled;

"it's all I know, Mazey".

A few others walked into their carriage.

Lipton and Ranney were two of them.

They sat across from them, finding a seat across the small strip.

Mazel sent their Sargent a tight smile, aware Lipton had heard their conversation on the platform. And while taking his seat, Lipton sent her a nod in response. Very quickly, Ranney began to speak to Lipton, in a hushed voice. Mazel frowned a little and looked back at Jackson;

"is he pissed at us?"

Jackson frowned;

"why? We didn't say nothing 'bout it, Mazey".

"I know". She said through a sigh, "but we were there, huh?"

Rolling his eyes, he then grinned;

"shit – don't go grey over this, alright? Sarge ain't pissed at us, Mazey".

"I'll try".

A few hours into the trip and Jackson had failed to keep Mazel distracted.

He ended up falling asleep.

Because the journey was so long, the men expected a short break every four to six hours. Mazel was already looking forward to their first stop. The constant rocking of the train and the heat was turning her stomach.

She looked up, when Nixon sat down next to Jackson, so he was directly behind Winters and Welsh.

"Going my way?" He asked the two officers.

"Wherever the train takes me…". Winters replied.

"Where do you suppose that might be?"

"I haven't a clue".

Nixon smirked;

"yeah, come on, take a guess. Atlantic? Pacific? Atlantic?"

Shaking his head, Winters said;

"I'm not the intelligence officer".

"Well as such, I of course know". Nixon said.

The newly-promoted 2nd Battalion intelligence officer got up and sat across from Winters and Welsh, who was still sleeping soundly.

"But if I told you, I'd have to kill you".

Winters raised his eyebrow;

"so, don't tell me".

Nixon leaned forwards;

"New York City. Troopship. England". He told him, "we're invading Europe, my friend. Fortress Europa".

With that said, Nixon offered Winters his flask.

"Since when do I drink?" Winters asked.

"Well, if I thought you'd drink, I wouldn't offer it to you".

"Nix, what are you 'gonna do when you get into combat?"

Licking her bottom lip, Mazel decided to shut herself off from the conversation.

It felt like a private discussion between two close friends.

Instead, she looked out of the window.

And thought about Europe.

They were leaving America sooner than she thought.

Mazel hoped they were given one more furlough before they left.

She already felt an ache by her heart at the thought of not seeing her mother again for a while. Emma was Mazel's mother and her best friend. It was hard getting homesick in another State, but Mazel feared how she'd feel moving across the Atlantic.

However, she held onto the fact that her father was somewhere in Europe.

"Private".

Mazel looked away from the window.

Nixon gave her a nod;

"you heard that?"

With a tiny shrug, she asked;

"you 'gonna kill me, sir?"

He smirked;

"I'll let you live, Gorski".

Rubbing her lips together, she asked quietly;

"you heard anything else, sir?"

Nixon squinted his eyes slightly;

"what'd you say, kid? I didn't hear you?"

Clearing her throat, she leaned forwards a little;

"uh – heard anything-"

"come here". Nixon said to her, while moving up on the seat to make room.

Softly biting down on her lip, Mazel got up and moved towards the three officers.

Feeling slightly nervous, she sat down next to Nixon.

He smiled;

"what were you asking, kiddo?"

Mazel's eyes looked up towards Winters, who was staring at the pair of them.

Swallowing, she asked Nixon;

"what's…what's happening over there, sir?"

"What'd you mean?" He asked, "wars happening in Europe, Gorski".

She nodded;

"yeah, sir but…uh – Liebgott said something".

Winters invited himself into the conversation;

"what did he say, Gorski?"

Rubbing the back of her neck, she said;

"Hitler hates the Jews, sir". Mazel whispered, "my Abba…he moved back to Poland before Germany invaded the country".

Nixon nodded slowly, with a tiny frown;

"and you 'wanna know if I know anything about that?"

Looking back up at him, she nodded;

"yeah, sir".

With a sigh, Nixon said;

"sorry, kiddo…I don't know anything about that".

She tried not to look too disappointed.

And instead, gave him the smallest of smiles;

"that's – that's fine, sir".

"You'll get answers one day". He told her, "just…maybe not yet".

Mazel gave him another tiny smile and nod;

"yeah, sir…just 'gotta wait a bit longer, huh?"

Nixon gave her a soft smile back and nodded;

"that's right".

Mazel pushed her worries about her dad to the back of her mind.

And once those worries left, it made space for her current worry.

The ship.

Mazel grimaced and looked up at Winters;

"Lieutenant Winters?"

"Yeah?" He asked, looking up from his journal. "What is it?"

"Will the docs have pills for the journey across the Atlantic?"

He frowned a little;

"I'll see about that, Gorski".

Mazel didn't want to spend ten days feeling sick and miserable.

Clearing his throat, Winters added his own worry;

"stick with the men, alright? The whole Regiments 'gonna be on that ship".

She thought back to the night at the pub.

And then seeing him again.

"Until next time, baby-doll".

Mazel felt a shiver roll down her spine.

Her stomach rolled with nausea.

Both from the journey and that guy.

Nixon shot Winters a slightly worried look, when Mazel went quiet.

Frowning at her, Winters said;

"just…let me know if something happens, trooper".

Mazel gave him a tiny nod;

"okay, sir". She whispered.

They arrived at camp Shanks in New York on the 22nd of August.

No weekend passes or furloughs were handed out.

The men were now going to war.

It hurt her heart, knowing she wouldn't be seeing her mother again.

And she felt guilty for going home with Jackson instead of Washington.

At camp Shanks, the Sargent's were handed out books to study from. While the Privates cleaned and took apart their rifles. They had many inspections and target practice lessons. PT still went on in the morning, followed by drills. But training at Shanks wasn't as intense as Toccoa or the previous camps. However, for some, it was mentally intense.

War was just around the corner for them.

While out doing field manoeuvres in Tennessee, the 506th attached itself to the 101st Airborne Division, the "Screaming Eagles". With that, they had a new patch on their uniforms. Now, the Regiment was a part of something a lot larger than jus five thousand men.

After spending two weeks in camp Shanks, the 506th was informed of a troopship, which would take them over to England. They had one more night left in America and most of the Company decided to get drunk off whiskey. In the morning, they'd board the S.S Samaria.

While bottles of whiskey were shared out between the men, Mazel decided to pass on the offer. A lot of the guys had never had whiskey before, and their bodies couldn't handle it. By ten, some of them were either making out with the toilet or passed out. Jackson was fast asleep, resting against Hoobler's leg. With a tiny smile, Mazel covered her friends with a blanket. They had both fallen asleep on the floor but looked comfortable enough.

Leaving the barrack, she spotted Winters and Nixon.

The pair of them were laughing.

"You look so damn relieved, Dick".

"Nix, I searched the whole of Philly for whiskey".

"I wonder why they gave you the job".

Winters shrugged;

"well, if they picked you, you wouldn't have brought any whiskey back".

Nixon laughed again;

"true".

Smiling, Winters said;

"what matters is, I followed the order and got the whiskey in New York. Now, everybody's happy, men included".

"You gave them some?"

"Of course, Lew". Winters said, "just don't tell the Colonel".

She watched the two Lieutenant's walk into the officer barrack, with a smile on her face. Mazel felt thankful for have guys like Winters and Nixon leading them. At least they cared about the men.

The barrack door closed and a new one opened.

Stepping out into the night, was Roe.

Following the sound of a door opening, Mazel spotted their medic.

Smiling small, she walked over to him;

"hello". Mazel greeted softly.

Roe looked at her;

"hi". He greeted back quietly, "you're not drinking?"

Mazel shook her head;

"not tonight…I want a clear head".

Before he could ask, Mazel asked him first;

"how're you feeling 'bout tomorrow?"

Roe shrugged;

"fine". He replied, "ain't so worried 'bout me…more 'bout you".

Mazel frowned a little.

He cleared his throat;

"Winters told me to hoard all the anti-sickness tablets like crazy".

A tiny smile lifted her face.

Roe smiled back;

"I couldn't get much…so, only take 'um when you need 'um most".

Mazel felt her smile widen.

"You always look different when you smile, Gene".

Roe looked slightly confused;

"worse?"

Shaking her head, Mazel was soon grinning;

"no…maybe it's 'cause you really mean it, huh? My Abba never used to smile with his mouth, just his eyes, you know? That way, you could tell he really meant it. You can't fake those types of smiles".

Roe broke eye contact with her.

And looked at his boots instead;

"you always say nice stuff to me". He mumbled.

Mazel's smile softened.

And her head tilted to the side;

"guess I do, huh?" She said, "well…maybe 'cause there's only ever nice things 'bout you".

Rubbing his lips together for a few seconds, Roe soon looked back at her.

"No one's ever completely good, Mazey".

Mazel shrugged;

"I feel like…I know you from back home, Gene".

He frowned;

"pardon me?"

She smiled small;

"cause you're so like her, Gene…you're so like Esther".

His expression softened;

"oh". He mumbled.

"Yeah". She whispered, "only difference is, she could be too headstrong, you know? But you're both…weirdly similar".

Mazel gave him a nod;

"mom would like you". She said, "so would Abba".

Roe found himself smiling again;

"well…you ain't like any other girl I've ever met, that's for sure".

Mazel snorted;

"no?"

He shook his head;

"it ain't a bad thing, Mazey. It's just different".

With a tiny smile still on her face, she said;

"I never wanted to be a soldier, Gene. Don't think anyone here thought they'd be soldiers. I just wanted to do something worth living for, you know?"

He nodded slowly;

"I know". Roe whispered.

"But now". Mazel continued, "we're doing something worth dying for too".

"You think 'bout that?"

She shook her head;

"not 'bout my chances of surviving this war. But I know that…well, if I'm 'gonna die, then it's 'cause I was trying to save a friend. And I'm taking a few Krauts down along the way".

Roe huffed;

"those Krauts better watch out, huh?"

"They'd best watch out for Easy, that's for sure".