The rain had let up for their morning attack. But by one in the afternoon, 1st and 3rd Battalion had been halted by stiff resistance. Tucked in on the side of the road, Easy waited, while Hester called for 2nd Battalion officers. The firing could be heard from their position. The Germans were bringing out heavy weapons to push the Regiment back. Which meant 2nd Battalion wouldn't be in reserve for long.

Captain Hester wanted Easy to take point with two Brit tanks around the left flank.

They were deployed in a tree line, that only lasted for three hundred and fifty yards. Beyond the line of trees, was an open field. Easy was standing at the start of the open field, spread out with no bunching. Dallin kept her eyes on Buck's replacement, who started leading 2nd Platoon across the field. Guarnere was at the rear with the mortars, ready to start barking out ranges when the Germans attacked. And when the Germans did attack, the men had nowhere else to go but down.

A burst of MG-42 bullets whooshed across their heads. Staying slow, Dallin moved up to Toye, hoping to catch sight of the nest. The Germans were tucked in near the end of the field, by the highway.

"We pulling back?!" Toye asked her above the firing.

She shook her head;

"Bill and Donnie will take care of nest!"

Bringing up her rifle, Dallin looked through her sight and fired.

Toye looked behind him;

"Heffron, Eddie! Get that MG working!"

Their 60mm mortar was put to work and soon, the round left the tube and headed straight for the highway. It landed on target perfectly. With the machine nest destroyed, they could move up the field. Dallin, relieved, gladly moved forward with Toye and the squad. However, they soon ran into a new problem – a giant problem. Toye held up his hand, halting the formation. Dallin frowned and looked at him;

"what?"

Shaking his head, he whistled lowly and muttered;

"we're 'bout to run into the biggest fucking tank I've ever seen, kid".

Following his stare, Dallin squinted her eyes. Only the tanks thick turret was visible above the road embankment. But it was just that, a massive turret. She looked behind her, eyes drawn to the Brits in the American tanks, waiting for orders to start moving and shooting. Dallin faced the front again and sighed;

"will it be…too big for our Fireflies?"

"It's 'gonna take a lot of shells to bring that fucking monster down". He mumbled, "tell Jim to head back to the forest, let's let the boss know".

Nodding, Dallin crawled backwards and reached Campbell.

After giving him the order, she moved back to Toye's side.

"Let's take care of the fellas beside the tank". Toye said, "we can't hit the tank, but we can do some clean up".

Nodding, Dallin held up her rifle;

"and if the tank finds us?"

Toye sighed;

"well…it was nice knowing you, kid".

She snorted;

"that's very…cynical, Joe".

"It's a fucking monster tank, kid". He reminded her, "we don't stand a damn chance".

Sighing, she turned to Toye and almost demanded;

"why…is it always us?"

He didn't have a good answer for that question.

Still, they fired and moved forward. When the Germans cracked open another machine-gun, Easy was forced to stay low once again. From the corner of her eye, she spotted Buck's replacement bury his head in the mud, refusing to move. Knowing he had to lead them through the field, Dallin gritted her teeth and quickly crawled over to him.

"Lieutenant!" She yelled, voice cracking, "we need a plan!"

He either heard her and ignored her or couldn't hear her.

Dallin shook his shoulder;

"Lieutenant!" She yelled again, "what do we do?!"

It was then when the monster tank let out his fierce roar and blasted out a shell. Dallin's eyes widened, she ducked, and the shell flew over Easy and slammed harshly into the trees behind them. She cursed loudly into the field, before raising her head a little. Staring at the officer, she snapped;

"you are meant to lead us!" Dallin raged, "you are supposed to lead! So, lead! Do your job!"

"BACK! PULL BACK!" Someone yelled, "PULL BACK!"

She recognized that voice belonging to 1st Lieutenant Perkins.

Easy were pulling back to the trees.

And Buck's replacement wasn't moving.

Men crawled on all fours, rushing to safety. But for those who were married, they crawled on their bellies. The only two people who weren't moving was Dallin and the officer. With a sigh, she grabbed his arm and tried to yank him;

"come on, sir!" She yelled, "come with me…come on! I get you to safety!"

Easy's machine-guns blazed to life, offering the retreating men covering fire.

Dallin sat up on her knees and pulled on his arm, trying hard to yank him out of the mud and onto his back at least. He was a lot taller and bigger than Dallin and his body was stiff, frozen and heavy with fear. But she wouldn't leave him because he was another Meth and he needed help. So, she stopped getting angry.

Letting go of his arm, Dallin fell onto her belly beside him.

Hand going on his back, she gave him a pat and said;

"I am here, sir!"

She continued to pat his back;

"we leave together, yes?!"

Another shell from the tank whooshed overhead.

Only this time, it hit close to their line.

Dallin tried hard not to flinch, but the impact sent her body shaking. She thought all her teeth had cracked and she thought her brain was rattling inside her skull. Blinking away dust and dirt from her eyes, she turned to look at the officer. His head was still buried in the earth. Dallin frowned, she could feel herself getting desperate now and thought about leaving him but if something happened to the officer because she left, Dallin couldn't live with the guilt.

Suddenly, she heard a familiar rumbling.

Looking behind her, she saw the two Fireflies making their way out of the trees and onto the field. For a moment, she felt sheer relief. Winters had obviously ordered them to take care of the monster German tank, but she wasn't sure if Winters would have ordered them to cross the field right out in the open. Dallin estimated the tanks were roughly twenty or thirty meters to the left of them. Before the Firefly could aim its turret towards the Tiger, the German tank opened fire.

Dallin ducked, her arm going around the officer's back.

The Firefly got hit.

The young tank commander was blown out of the turret like a champagne cork, he was dead before he hit the ground. With the tank in flames, the men inside struggled to get out. They were being cooked alive inside the tank. And shortly after, the Tiger hit the other tank.

Dallin lifted her head and turned to her left.

Her eyes widened.

Both tanks were now on fire.

"DILL! GET BACK-"

"LEAVE HIM!"

She thought about it.

But Dallin grabbed the officer's helmet and forced his head out of the earth.

He let out a long breath.

Shaking her head, she told him firmly;

"we have to leave…now!"

After seeing the two burning tanks, the officer rolled onto his stomach and crawled towards the trees, Dallin quickly followed after him. Reaching the tree line, Dallin was glad to be back with her Company. Machine-gun fire was soon covering the road, while Malarkey cranked up the mortars. They raked the road with everything they had. Thankfully, Nixon arrived with a heavy 81mm mortar and a squad from HQ Company, which added weight to the barrage.

Getting that monster tank down took a lot of effort.

And by nightfall, the firing stopped.

The two Fireflies continued to burn; the roar of flames punctured by the occasional crack from an exploding machine-gun bullet. Heavy rain soon followed, adding to the misery. They huddled along the tree line, too alert to sleep and too cold to relax.

"That guy…was an idiot". Jackson mumbled, "sticking his head in the sand…not moving".

Shaking her head, Dallin admitted;

"I almost leave him".

"We wouldn't have blamed you, Dill". He said, "I hope he's fucking thankful you didn't leave".

"He has not said much…maybe he is embarrassed".

Jackson huffed;

"yeah…probably".

Looking at her, he asked;

"so…why didn't you leave?"

With a tiny shrug, Dallin mumbled;

"he reminds me of…Meth".

Jackson's eyes softened;

"I see".

"Maybe if…there were no Meths, we would not feel human". She whispered, "because Meth's remind me that…that fear is very alive, even for Paratroopers. They just want to see home. That is…fine…completely fine, Gene".

Giving her arm a nudge with his elbow, Jackson said quietly;

"if my heads ever in the sand…would you pull me out?"

When she looked at him, Dallin looked serious;

"yes…I will pull…anyone out of sand, Gene".

By the next morning, the Germans had gone.

Walking through the rain and cold, they headed back to Uden. It was a tiring four-mile journey back to the hamlet but waiting for them there, were letters from home. With a huge increase in morale, the men sat in their foxholes and read familiar words, feeling comforted by what was said on paper. She didn't receive any letters of her own but felt lighter because her friends were happy. They were safe. Tucked inside their foxholes, smoking cigarettes and reading letters from their loved ones in America. It was hard for some not to show emotion. As she walked by foxholes, she saw smiles, heard laughter and saw tears. Dallin wanted to stop and ask what each letter said but Winters had called for her.

Stepping into the familiar Oer family home, she entered the sitting area.

Nixon was on the couch, drinking a bottle of Schnapps to himself. And Welsh was at the table, cleaning his rifle. Winters was standing by the fireplace, waiting for her. Before he could greet the Private, Nixon hiccupped. And soon apologized. Dallin pulled a slightly amused face;

"it is…fine, sir".

"You want some?" He offered.

"No…thank you, sir".

Shrugging, he mumbled into the bottle;

"suit yourself, kiddo".

Winters wanted to speak with her privately.

"Follow me, Dill".

Leaving the sitting room, Dallin found herself standing in a small kitchen. Pots and pans were left unwashed by the sink and the table was only half-set. She leaned against the wall, legs feeling too tired to hold herself up without any help. Winters was standing a few feet in front of her, hands against the top of an old wooden chair.

Only a few moments of silence went by before he said;

"I'm sorry".

Her eyebrows twitched;

"sir?"

Winters cleared his throat;

"two days ago…you didn't abandon the men, Dill. I was angry and maybe a little hurt that you disobeyed my orders but…you didn't mean to anger anyone. You were only looking out for your buddies". His voice softened a little, "yesterday proved that. You didn't need to stay with that officer, trooper. We would have understood completely if you left him".

Head tilting to the side, Dallin whispered;

"oh…I stay because he was scared…not because I was afraid of disappointing, sir".

He nodded;

"I know". Winters said quietly, "if I could eat my words, I would".

Dallin shook her head;

"no…I understand your feelings, sir". She mumbled softly, "I would have same feelings".

When he smiled, the lines around his eyes crinkled.

Winters gave her a nod;

"thank you for understanding, Dill".

"It's…okay, sir".

With a tiny sigh, Winters stared over the top of her head and said quietly;

"only been in Holland for ten days…we've lost three wounded officers, fifteen enlisted are wounded and four are dead". Shaking his head, he added, "I wonder what the rest of Holland will bring to us".

Dallin felt her eyes sting.

Leaning against the wall didn't stop her knees from buckling. Her boot slipped from under her and she fell to the ground, landing on her bum with a soft thud. Winters snapped out of his trance and looked down at her. Confused and worried, he walked over to his fallen soldier.

"You okay?" He asked, now crouched in front of her.

Blinking a few times, she took in a shaky breath and met his concerned stare.

Nodding, Dallin mumbled thickly;

"yes…I am not hurt".

"You just…wanted to sit?"

Dallin nodded again;

"yes…my body wants to sit, sir".

Winters's hand fell on her shoulder.

A sad smile reached his lips;

"been some ride so far, huh?"

A breathless sound left her lips.

Caught between a laugh and a sob.

Nodding, she croaked;

"yes…but it doesn't end yet, sir".

"No". Winters whispered, "no…Easy's part in the war isn't over".

Rubbing the spot between her eyebrows, Dallin let out a tiny sigh;

"and I thought…war was over by Christmas".

Winters chuckled.

Because her sarcasm was still bad.

"I know, trooper". He said, "I guess they were hopeful at the start".

"But they put hope…into us". She mumbled, shaking her head, "and now…replacements will not be home for Christmas. They will be…very sad".

Winters shrugged one shoulder;

"I think they had a feeling after Nuenen that the war wouldn't end by Christmas, trooper".

When her bottom lip quivered and tears re-filled her eyes, she muttered;

"I do not even like Christmas…".

He chuckled softly;

"maybe you feel bad for them, Dill".

She used the back of her hand to wipe her eyes;

"yes…because I don't feel sad towards Christmas, sir".

He squeezed her shoulder;

"you want a hand up?"

Dallin sniffed and nodded;

"yes…thank you, sir".

Letting go of her shoulder, Winters grabbed her hand and helped her up.

Dallin gave him a tiny smile and a nod;

"I never stopped being your friend, sir".

He smiled;

"we're not supposed to be friends, Private".

She sighed, with a little shrugged;

"you are all…my friend".

Eyebrow raised, he asked;

"even Lieutenant Peacock?"

Dallin shifted.

His right eye twinkled;

"he's under the impression that you're quite fond of sweeping, Private Gorski. Now, if that were the case…your old barrack would look immaculate".

Clearing her throat, she mumbled;

"yes…he is right, sir".

Winters smiled and shook his head;

"no, you were looking out for your friend".

He clapped her shoulder;

"keep that up, Dill…you might earn yourself a promotion".

With that comment stuck in her head, Dallin left the house and joined Easy. They were dug in, settled down and having a bite to eat. The rain continued to pour but it didn't seem to bother anyone. The highway belonged to the allies now and the road was clear. It was another objective Easy and the 506th had completed.

"You're insane".

Frowning, Dallin turned around.

Liebgott jumped off a wall and walked over to her;

"sticking around to help that useless Lieutenant? Could've gotten yourself killed".

"Yes…but you already know I am insane". Dallin reminded him, "I go to Veghel…to see you. I stay in Nuenen with Meth…I do stupid things, Joey".

"Why?" He asked, "no ones asking you to do any of that".

She licked her bottom lip, searching for an answer.

But Dallin couldn't find one.

"I…don't have answer to question, Joey". She whispered, "I just…do it".

"I know why you do it". He said, "cause you couldn't save that Polish guy, you killed him instead. And you've 'gotta live with that guilt…so, you try and save people".

Liebgott was never one to sugarcoat something.

And Dallin appreciated that about him.

But sometimes, she didn't want to hear it.

Shaking her head, she argued quietly;

"you are…wrong, Joey".

"No, I'm right". Liebgott whispered firmly, "you do it…out of love, Dill. And there ain't nothing wrong with that. Cause I was wrong before…there ain't a demon inside of you, Dill. You're good. You're stupid sometimes but…shit, you try so hard to be good, Dill".

She tried to argue with him again, but he cut her off;

"I know how you see yourself, Dill…you think you're this broken girl, who killed one of her own people. But we don't see you as that, sweetheart". Liebgott said softly, "cause you ain't broken. Maybe at the start but…you ain't broken no more. You might still dream 'bout it, Dill but that don't mean you're broken. You're whole. And you're full".

Tears were in his eyes.

And they were in her eyes.

Dallin took a step forward and took in a deep breath.

Arms going around his waist, her face pressed against his chest.

They embraced each other tightly, while rain tapped on their helmets.

No one knew what was next for Easy Company. But Dallin knew that whatever it was, they could all face it together.

And no matter how hard it got, they'd always find their way out of hell and back into the light.