Disclaimer: the usual apply.

Chapter 8

Arlene POV

She was able to avoid Joe for three weeks after their run in at the pub. Three weeks to lick her wounds and pull herself back together was all she got until they had to train with Easy Company.

In those three weeks she hardly spoke about what had happened and only Jessica knew the full story. Well the bits she could remember through the whiskey induced haze. They trained hard, making sure their new recruits were as ready as they could be and then they started training with a select few Companies.

Most of their training consisted of field exercises or close quarter combat drills. Here and there, when Clark or Jessica really felt like having some fun, they'd organise a jump. She didn't mind jumping, but it wasn't her favourite thing in the world to do, but those two, they loved it.

After every training session they all had to give detailed feedback to the trainers, and Clark kept meticulous notes, because by the end they'd have to share their feedback with Colonel Sink and more importantly, choose the Company, or Companies, they'd be willing to work with.

As the day of their first session with Easy rolled around she'd steeled herself for the worst, which is probably why it ended up being bearable. She and Joe hardly saw each other, she only ever glimpsed him from a safe distance, and Sobel got chewed out so badly by Clark even she felt bad for the guy. For a minute and then she got over it.

They had five sessions with Easy over a two week period and they all played out in a similar fashion. She didn't know whether it was by luck or design, but she didn't complain or ask. What she did find out though was, of all the Companies they trained with, she unfortunately liked Easy the most. Of course they were all excellent, but Easy just had that little something extra. She liked the men, for the most part, and with the exception of their CO, the officers were all pretty good with Winters being exceptional.

She understood why Jessica liked him, he was handsome and strong, not easily shaken or swayed. She also understood why her friend wasn't sure what his intentions were or weren't. She'd often catch him steeling a glance at Jessica, or smile at a comment her friend made to someone else, but he never allowed himself to be alone with her, or approach her outright unless it was for work. At least she knew Joe hated her guts, Jessica either had a man that was falling in love with her or one that couldn't remember her name.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, putting all thoughts of Joe or Jessica out of her mind. Slowly opening them back up she focused on the targets set at various intervals on the furthest end of the shooting range. She was lying flat on her stomach, her rifle wedged against her shoulder, the cold ground steadying her. Whenever she was distracted she found coming to the shooting range helped her to work through her thoughts and feelings, mostly because she couldn't over analyse them while hitting a target yards out.

Closing her one eyes she levelled the sights of the rifle over the centre of a target set just over 500 yards out.

Breath in, breath out, pull.

The gun slammed into her shoulder with a satisfying thud and a pin prick of light appeared in the centre of her target.

"Holy shit! What a shot!" someone yelled from behind her.

She glanced over her shoulder, annoyed at the intrusion, only to have her stomach sink. Standing there in the soft winter sunlight were Bill, Luz and Joe.

Fantastic. Now we get to talk with an audience and firearms. This should end well.

As she got to her feet the three men walked closer, Joe hanging back a little bit from the other two men. She liked Luz and Bill, a lot, it was Joe that was making her fight or flight instinct kick in.

Doing her best to hide her rapidly increasing heart rate she said, "Hey boys. How are you doing? We haven't seen you in a few days."

"Yeah, heard you all were busy training with Dog. Be honest, you missed us?" Bill replied, shooting her a wink.

Charmer.

"A little bit. Maybe," she teased him, a lopsided smile on her lips.

"Knew it!" Luz exclaimed.

Smiling at the two men her eyes drifted to Joe. He was staring intently at her, with his hands shoved deep inside his pockets and his strong jaw set. She felt her smile falter so she consciously turned away from him, focusing instead on the other two soldiers.

"Where are your guns?" she asked, only now noticing none of them had one with them.

"Oh, we didn't come here to shoot," Bill replied.

"You do realise this is the shooting range right? It's kinda in the name."

"Yeah-yeah, wise ass." Bill said, lighting a cigarette before offering her one.

"No thanks," she replied, watching from the corner of her eye as Joe took a step closer so he was standing next to Bill.

"Why don't you offer me one?" Luz asked Bill.

"'Coz you ain't a beautiful broad," Bill retorted, rolling his eyes.

"Awww, thanks Bill. That just made my day."

Bill's smile broadened and he stood a little straighter. For a second she thought she saw Joe's posture stiffen even more that it already was, but she brushed it off. He probably just hated being close to her and the fact that his friends were being nice to her.

"So, if you didn't come here to shoot, why are you here?" she asked, eyeing the three men suspiciously.

Bill cleared his throat and glanced at the two men at his side. "Well, some of the fellas were arguing about what the war was going to be like. And whenever we trained with your unit you'd all give us useful, practical advice, so we were hoping you could tell us some of your first-hand experience."

"Oh, I see," she replied, trying to rack her brain for the right words.

Before she could say anything more though Luz interrupted her. "Yeah, we've seen you coming here to shoot on your own, so we figured we'd catch you and ask."

"You could have asked any of us. The men and Jess will be happy to talk. They've got a lot of good stories," she said, unsure why they chose her.

"We know. But to be honest the three men are kinda intimidating," Luz said.

"Speak for yourself," Bill mumbled under his breath, but loud enough for all of them to hear.

Shooting Bill a glare Luz continued, "And Jessica always has someone with her."

She smiled softly. "I see. Well, what do you wanna know?"

Taking a drag from his cigarette and blowing out the smoke Bill asked, "What's it like, really? Not the bullshit stories the recruiters tell you."

She took a moment to choose her words. She wanted to be honest, they deserved to know the truth and needed to be prepared, but at the same time she didn't want to be to brutal and crush the naïve hope they had. "Well, for starters those stories are probably all true. Glammed up a little bit no doubt, but true none the less. People do incredible things when they have to. The recruiters just avoid telling the entire story. The beginning and the end bits where people are dying, and screaming. That often soldiers to remarkable things not for country or glory, but for the man in the foxhole next to them. Their brothers."

The three men stared at her, not moving and barely breathing.

"Most of the things that happen never make it into a newsreel. Like a solider running into enemy fire to drag his buddy to safety, or the man willing to stay behind and pin down an entire enemy Company so his friends can get away. The soldier that gives his last smoke to his dying friend or the guy that shares the one K-ration he has with his squad because they don't have any food left."

"It's bad isn't it?" Joe asked.

She turned to him and his eyes weren't dark and hooded anymore. They were reaching out to hers, trying to connect, and for a blissful moment she forget they were fighting. Looking only at him she answered, "Yes, because people are willing to do terrible things to one another. But, and this is the important part, people are also the reason why you keep fighting even when you no longer have the energy to. You never stop fighting for the people you care about."

He held her gaze and the seconds of silence that followed dragged on for an eternity. An eternity she wished would never end, but it did when Luz asked, "Any advice?"

Tearing her eyes away from Joe she replied, "Trust your training and the man next to you. Also, don't get shot."

Luz rolled his eyes at her last comment, but she saw the smile on the corner of his lips, although in all fairness that seemed to be one of his permanent features.

"We'll try our best doll. Now listen, onto a not entirely unrelated topic," Bill said.

"Okay?" she asked, worried where this was going.

"You lot gonna choose Easy to work with or what? 'Coz you know we're the best."

"Easy's definitely in the running. There are just a few factors to consider."

Bill snorted. "Let me guess, they're all called Sobel?"

"He doesn't help your cause."

"Man, the highlight of my day was every time Clark chewed him out, or Jessica would give him a look that would make Hitler squirm," Luz said, a fond look in his eyes.

"Yeah, it's not very professional, but neither one of them is really the type to keep quiet when they don't like something. And they're not patient. I think they use it all up on missions so they don't have anything left for their day-to-day lives."

The three men chuckled. When it came to their CO it was a case of either laughing or crying because there wasn't much else they could do at the moment.

"Anyway," Bill said, looking to Luz, "we gotta head back for chow. Thanks for talking to us."

"Anytime. And if you want to hear some really colourful stories I'll take you to Johnny or Alex. Now those two can spin a tale."

"The next time we see you at the local pub we'll keep you to that. C'mon Luz," Bill said, slapping Luz on the chest.

"See ya round doll," Luz said as he followed Bill back to the Easy mess.

Realising Joe wasn't following them she felt her pulse quicken again. Man, being around him is like a cardio workout.

"How's your girl?" she asked the first thing that came to mind. She kicked herself for asking, she didn't really want to know.

"Who?" he asked, scrunching up his face.

So adorable. Why must he be adorable? And why are we talking about his girlfriend?

"The pretty nurse with blonde hair," she answered despite herself.

"Oh, yeah, her. She ain't my girl."

Her heart soared, but she shrugged and answered casually, "Oh, I see."

An awkward silence fell between them but she'd be damned if she was going to break it, besides Joe had stayed behind for a reason and she wanted to know why.

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other and ran a hand through his neatly combed hair. "Listen, ummm - I. Jeez. How much fighting have you seen?"

"A lot. It's been a few years so it all starts to add up."

"I suppose it does."

More silence.

She sighed and asked, "Joe, is there anything else you want to ask, or say?"

He looked at her and his eyes hardened again. "Nah, I've got nothing more to say."

She nodded, ignoring the sinking feeling in her stomach. "I see."

"See ya round," he said, turning and walking away from her before she had a chance to reply.

"Yeah, see you around," she said to herself.

What the hell was that?

Jessica POV

Walking through the streets of Aldbourne after a long day of training she lifted her face to the late afternoon sun.

"You should watch where you're going instead of sunning yourself," a gruff voice said next to her.

Barely turning her head she glanced sideways to see Ron walking beside her.

Where the hell did he come from?

"This isn't exactly London. I'm sure I won't get run over."

"Pretty confident of yourself aren't you?"

"No more so than you."

He smirked and she couldn't help herself but she smiled back at him. Since their little run in weeks earlier they'd spoken on a handful of occasions, mostly when her unit trained with his Company. He always seemed to find a way to get a few moments alone with her, even when they were surrounded by soldiers.

"How did the training go? Heard you had combat drills with I Company," he asked.

"Fine I suppose. I accidently broke a private's nose."

He raised an eyebrow. "Accidently?"

"Accidently on purpose. If I'm being honest it's a bit of an improvement to his stupid face."

"What did he do?"

"Insinuated in an incredibly unimaginative way that I should go to bed with him. I mean I've heard worse, but at least those men all tried to be smart about it."

He looked away from her, staring ahead of him at something she couldn't see. Steeling a glance at him she had to admit to herself he was strikingly handsome. She also understood why the men were all a little afraid of him. He could easily come across as hard and ruthless, and she had no doubt he had it in him to be both, she just wasn't one to flinch.

"You don't seem too upset," he finally said.

She shrugged. "If I got my panties in a twist every time a man made an inappropriate comment about me I would never get anything done. Besides, after a few months on the job you learn to pick your fights."

"And today was one of those days?"

"A fight suggests there was a chance the other man could win."

He looked over to her. "With you, does the other guy ever stand a chance?"

She replied with a crooked little smile.

They rounded a corner and she saw Nixon and Richard leaning against low wall, talking amongst themselves as a group of Easy soldiers played basketball in the street. A jeep sped past them and she thought she recognised Sobel's little side-kick sitting in the passenger seat.

That can't be good, she thought.

"You know what the problem is?" Ron asked, drawing her attention back to him.

"What?"

"Most men just can't keep up with you, so they can't win a fight against you."

She stopped and turned to face him. With her hands on her hips and her face tilted slightly to one side she asked, "And you think you can keep up?"

He smirked. "I think it'll be one hell of a challenge, but I could handle you."

"Well then, what are you waiting for?" she replied, not able to help herself.

"I'm not going to fight you in the street."

"Who said anything about a fight?" she replied, a mischievous glint to her eyes.

Ron swallowed hard.

She smiled victoriously.

"This isn't over yet," he replied.

"If you say so," she teased him, knowing well enough he wasn't the type to shy away from a challenge.

"I'll see you soon King," he said as he popped a cigarette between his lips.

"I'll be looking forward to it Speirs. Oh, and do try and keep up next time," she greeted him with a wink.

Walking away from him she could feel his dark eyes on her back. As much as she hated to admit it she got a thrill out of their interactions. There was always a push and a pull, and even though she wasn't sure what his intentions were she knew he had some. With Richard on the other hand it felt like a one way street at times. But no matter how hard she tried she couldn't keep her mind from returning to him again and again.

Why can't they all just be ugly and terribly boring?

Speirs POV

He watched Jessica saunter off. Watching her had become an annoying habit of his, one he wasn't trying very hard to break if he was being honest.

When she reached Winters and Nixon he turned and left, having no intention of being caught staring.

The walk to his billet was a short one which he knew well, so he allowed his mind to wander back to her.

What is it about this damn woman?

He'd asked himself that question countless times since meeting her on the trip over from the States. Of course she was beautiful, but many other women were and he knew that wasn't the answer. Her fearlessness perhaps, or the blue hot fire that burned in her eyes when faced with a challenge? God knows she was stubborn and wilful, he didn't know her well but he knew that much just by watching her interact with her unit.

He sighed and rubbed his hand over his eyes.

He'd never been unsure, he wasn't known for hesitating, so why was he unsure now?

Damn woman.

Then of course there was the added complication of Winters. He could see that the man was interested in her even if she couldn't. The Easy lieutenant would steal looks and whenever Nixon brought her up in conversation he'd hang on every word, and Nixon brought her up often.

They shared a billet and it seems they'd become fast friends, often staying up late talking over a glass or two of whiskey.

He stomped out the butt of his cigarette with more force than necessary. He was jealous of the time Nixon got to spend with her, the things she shared with him.

You can't be jealous if you're a coward and not doing anything about it.

Reaching his billet he cursed, frustrated with his own indecisiveness and with her for causing it.

Damn woman.

Richard POV

He'd been so preoccupied with Sobel's letter that he hadn't noticed Jessica approach, a rare occurrence considering how painfully aware he was of her every move.

"Nix, Richard. How are you doing?" she greeted as she stopped in-front of them.

"Oh just peachy," Nixon replied.

She looked from Nixon to him, waiting for someone to elaborate.

He sighed and handed her the letter he'd been holding. Nixon was going to tell her anyway.

Their fingers brushed as she took the letter and he worried she could feel his pulse racing.

"A love letter?" she asked him, eyeing the piece of paper like it was a live grenade.

He smirked. "Sobel's version of one."

"I thought I saw his lapdog speed away."

He watched her closely as she read the short letter. Her brow furrowed and her full lips pursed into a thin line as he posture stiffened. When she looked up her eyes held the same controlled anger they had that day in the woods. He hoped he was never on the receiving end of that look.

"He misspelled court-martial," was the first thing she said.

Despite the situation he found himself in he smiled just as Nixon exclaimed, "That's what I said!"

"I cannot believe he's threatening to court-martial you for failure to inspect latrines."

"He's saying I failed to follow orders," he corrected her.

"Oh, please. That's just a thinly-veiled excuse. He wants to put you in your place because he's threatened by you."

Nixon reached over and took the letter from her hand. "Yeah well, if you can't do, nail the ones who can."

Jessica locked eyes with him and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't look away. She sighed. "You're going to request trial by court-martial aren't you?"

"No he isn't!" Nixon exclaimed, but he didn't say anything, just kept his eyes on hers.

He could sense Nixon looking between the two of them.

Throwing his hands in the air his friend said, "Oh, great! This is just fantastic!"

"Nix, calm down," Jessica replied, finally pulling her eyes away from his.

Feeling like he could think straight again he asked, "How did you know?"

"You have a terrible poker face. And I would have done the same thing."

The corner of his lips turned up into a lopsided grin. Why was he not surprised. "I don't want to leave the men. But if this keeps going on, he'll find a reason to keep me from jumping anyway."

She bit her lower lip and a frown appeared between her eyes. He'd seen that look a handful of times when she'd been faced with a problem, and every time he had the same gut instinct. Pull her flush against him and kiss her.

He cleared his throat and folded his arms across his chest. He was facing the end of his career, this was not the time to think about kissing Jessica King.

"Listen, we're leaving town for a few nights, we have a meeting in London. Please promise me you won't do anything stupid until I get back?"

"Stupid? Him?" Nixon said, jerking his thumb in his direction, a truly confused look on his face.

Jessica rolled her eyes. "Yes-yes, I realise he's perfect and has no vices and therefore doesn't do anything stupid. But just in case, I'd feel better if he promised."

"Jessica," he started but she stopped him.

"Please Richard, for me?" she asked as she looked up at him from under her impossibly long lashes.

He sighed, he knew what he had to do and he couldn't lie to her, but he was willing to promise her anything if she'd save that look only for him. "I have to see him tomorrow morning. I'll give him my answer then. Other than that, I won't do anything until you get back. Promise."

She didn't look happy, but she seemed to accept his answer. "Okay. Listen I have to run. I have dinner plans with Arlene and then we're catching the last train to London. I'll find you when I get back and we'll figure something out. You're a good soldier and you're men need you. I'll be damned if Sobel keeps you away from them."

He ignored the way his heart sped up when she said she'd find him, instead he nodded coolly and replied, "I'll be looking forward to you getting back then. Be safe."

She smiled. "Who, me? Safety is my middle name."

"I doubt that," he replied.

"Hey, why aren't you gonna find me when you get back? I feel a little left out here," Nixon said.

Jessica turned to him and smiled fondly. "Nix, I live next door to you. I don't have to find you." She stepped forward and placed a soft kiss on his friend's cheek. "There, feeling better now?"

His friend smiled and he resisted the urge to punch him. It could have been him getting a kiss from Jessica if hadn't been such a fool.

"I'll see you both when I get back."

"See you roomie," Nixon said.

"Be safe Jessica."

"Always," she said with a wink.

As she turned to leave the basketball from the game some of his men were playing landed at her feet. In one smooth movement she picked it up and tossed it gracefully into the hoop.

The men all cheered and she blew them a dramatic kiss. Glancing over her shoulder, her dazzling smile stretching across her face, she winked at him and he felt his heart explode in his chest.

Nixon waited until she disappeared around the corner before he said, "Please tell me you're going to make a move soon? I'm getting tired of watching you watch her and then pretending like you don't. 'Coz if you don't do something a certain Lieutenant from Dog will."

He grabbed the letter from Nixon's hand and stuffed in into his breast pocket. "I have to deal with this first Lew."

"Goddamnit Dick, there'll always be something else to deal with. Sobel, a war, death. Seriously, just make your move already or someone else will. It ain't that complicated."

He didn't reply immediately, instead leaning back against the wall and watching the men play. "Christmas," he said after a while.

"What about it?"

"If we can make it to Christmas I'll make a move."

"Great, so all I have to do is keep her single until Christmas. That shouldn't be difficult at all," his friend said, sarcasm dripping on his every word.

"Nix," he replied, hoping to end the pestering for now.

"Fine-fine. Christmas it is then."

XXXXXXX

Hello! It's been a while I know. I still write most days, but things have been busy at work and home so it's slower going than I would like.

I know I sound like a broken record, or that annoying song that keeps playing on the radio, but I just want to thank everyone that added the story to their alerts and of course to the amazingly supportive reviewers for their feedback. I know you're all busy so the fact that you keep coming back to read my little story means the world to me.

Hope everyone is going to have an amazing week further. Chat soon.