Disclaimers: all the usual apply.

Chapter 15

Arlene POV

6 June 1944

She sucked in her breath and dug her finger into the soft, moist dirt as if to hold onto the earth itself. Thousands of tracer rounds marked the paths of the German gunfire aimed at the Allied airplanes and the men floating to the ground underneath their white parachute canopies. The deep rumble of German artillery reverberated inside her head, and after every thunderous strike she anxiously waited to see if a shell had found a target. When a plane high above her head burst into flames and violently careened towards the ground she swallowed down the bile rising in her throat as she thought of the men trapped inside.

The invasion of Europe had truly begun, and from where she was crouched in the mud it was a terrifying sight.

For just over a week they'd known the exact date of the invasion, well that was before it had been pushed out by one night due to bad weather. She could still remember the relief that had washed over her as Jessica had told her the news. Finally they would be able to stop skulking around in the shadows and be reunited with their friends.

Jessica had smiled at her, clearly she didn't hide her feelings well when it wasn't part of her immediate survival.

"We get to see our boys again. I really didn't think I'd miss them as much as I did," she'd mused.

Jessica shrugged. "They do make things more exciting."

She'd raised an eyebrow, they'd been working behind enemy lines for months and her friend felt she'd missed out on excitement.

"Shut up," Jessica had retorted, busying herself by sharpening the knife she'd been gifted by Ron.

"So, which one's it going to be?" she'd asked, casually pointing between the knife in her hand and the compass around her neck.

Without stopping what she was doing Jessica had simply replied, "Whoever can keep up with me."

She'd rolled her eyes and smirked. Leave it to her friend to come up with a witty one liner instead of answering a simple question.

"Are you going to talk to Joe when you see him?" Jessica had asked, effectively turning the tables on her.

When she hadn't replied after a few heartbeats her friend had sighed dramatically and put her knife down. She'd turned in her chair so she was fully facing her and said, "This isn't the same as Michael."

She'd flinched and crossed her arms over her chest, but Jessica had simply pressed on. "The way I see it you have three options. One, you ask me to kill Joe for you and make it look like an accident. Now I'm not fully against this idea, but I'd prefer not to."

She'd simply shaken her head, but the smile on the corner of her lips had urged Jessica on.

"Option two, you completely forget about the man and when you see him again, if both of you are able to stay alive long enough that is, you are able to function as if nothing ever happened. Now, I know this seems like a good option, but you and I both know it's not feasible. If it all meant nothing to you, we wouldn't be having this conversation to begin with."

"And the third option?"

"You call him out on his bullshit and give him a chance to explain. And then you give him a chance to call you out on yours, and you give him an honest answer in return."

"Excuse me?"

"Arlene, I love you, I would seriously help you dispose of a body."

"Wait, I thought you'd kill Joe for me?"

"Same-same," Jessica had replied, waving her off with a casual flick of her wrist, "Now as I was saying. You can be stubborn as all hell, and I get the feeling Joe may be your equal in that regard. Now he ditched you and you left him in a hotel room, so from my perspective you both seem kinda even."

She'd tried to speak but Jessica had simply continued as if she wasn't even there. "I know Michael broke your heart and destroyed your faith and trust, and maybe things don't go any further with Joe, but he means something to you, so you need to talk to him."

She'd stayed quiet for a while after that, arms still crossed over her chest as she'd mulled over Jessica's words.

"If we both survive long enough," she'd finally said, repeating Jessica's earlier sentiment.

Her friend had leaned back in her chair and started sharpening her knife again. "And that is one hell of an if."

As she waited for their signal to move she remembered that earlier conversation in painstaking detail. She knew Jessica was right, she'd known it for months, but as her friend had pointed out she was stubborn and her pride had been badly bruised by Joe, not to mention the bruising her heart had taken.

She was so deep in thought that when Jessica whispered, "You ready?" in her ear she nearly jumped out of her skin.

She shot her friend a dirty look which the blonde simply pretended not to see in the dark.

Their assignment for the evening was relatively straightforward. Wait for the pathfinder team they'd been assigned to. Help them prepare their allocated drop zones and then wait for their team to drop in along with the rest of Easy.

The first part of their assignment had gone down without any major drama, but she couldn't shake the unsettled feeling in her stomach that that was going to be the only easy part. And as she watched thousands of men falling from the sky, none of them near their drop zone, her stomach sank even further.

Joe POV

"Jesus Christ," he swore under his breath as another artillery round went off near their plane, flinging him into the man in-front of him.

He felt someone grab his chute and yank him upright, but in the confusion he didn't know who it was, so he just shot a "thanks" in the general direction of the men behind him.

"We get any lower, we ain't gonna need any frigging parachutes!" Skip shouted over the deafening noise.

Skip was right, they were going too fast and were lower than usual. But standing inside that plane, waiting for the order to jump, he couldn't think of a better plan than getting the hell out of the flying death-trap.

Fuck, fuck, fuck!

He shut his eyes and took a deep breath to try and push the fear and nausea down that were slowly threatening to overwhelm him.

Out of nowhere Arlene's emerald green eyes danced before him. Two dark pools that were steady and calm. The sounds of men cursing and shouting, gunfire going off all around them as shell after shell exploded nearby faded away as more of her face came into focus.

She smiled at him, the smallest curve of her ruby red lips that twinkled in her eyes. "Time to go," she said, her voice sounding far away.

"Let's go!" Winters' shout shattered the spell and suddenly Arlene was gone and the world around him came rushing back.

His eyes snapped open in time to see their Lieutenant disappear out the door. He shuffled forward quickly and when his turn came he simply stepped into the air, his years of training taking over in that moment where thinking too much probably wasn't a good idea.

The sight that met him outside the plane was as awesome and terrifying as it had sounded. Thousands of white parachutes dotted the night's sky as tracers zipped between them. A plane that had taken a hit from an artillery round and burst into flames was plummeting to earth, a trail of fire and men following its path.

He was so transfixed by the horrific sight that he didn't see the tracer rounds coming right for him until they were whizzing past his ears. He snapped to and tried frantically to steer his chute away from the bullets, but he was too late. The sound of fabric tearing stopped his heart in his chest. Looking up he saw a gaping hole in the chute, wind rushing through the gap as the fabric strained against the pressure.

He could feel his descent speeding up alarmingly, and looking down he found the ground fast approaching, but by some miracle he'd stumble upon a small clearing in the surrounding forests.

Bracing his body for impact he landed hard, but rolled through his ankles and onto his side to try and absorb the impact. He huffed and moaned as the landing drove the wind out of his lungs and his white chute tangled around him.

As he lay on the ground, gasping for air, his brain screamed at him to move. He knew that whomever had shot at him would come looking for him sooner or later, and he was in no position at the moment to fend off an attack.

Even covered in the chute he was able to pull is knees up, pumping them back and forth a few times until he could breathe again. He scanned his body, but either by sheer luck or due to the surge of adrenaline he couldn't find any major concerns.

Happy that nothing was broken, or at least not badly enough to incapacitate him at that moment he scrambled to free himself of his white cocoon. Staying in a low crouch he gripped his rifle in his hands, the familiar weight settling his nerves a fraction. He listened intently and scanned the surrounding trees for signs of the enemy. Sporadic gunfire erupted to his left and he could see tracer rounds racing into the sky.

He searched the immediate area leading away from the gunfire. He couldn't make out any landmarks to indicate where he was, but he also couldn't see enemy soldiers, so he decided that for the moment at least, that was his best bet.

Staying as low to the ground as possible he jogged over to the cover the forest provided. Reaching the edge he paused and scanned the darker interior, eyes straining for any signs of friends or foe, but coming up empty on all counts.

Of its own accord his brain reminded him that Arlene was, more likely than not, somewhere out in the dark, in the same mess he was. He clenched his jaw at the thought, his hands tightening their hold on the rifle.

God, please let her be alive.

Jessica POV

Well, this has turned into a royal fucking nightmare, she thought.

Their assignment had sounded so easy, but it had quickly become painfully clear the plan had to change. The Allied invasion was sustaining heavy German resistance and therefore most of the men jumping into France had missed their drop zones. This meant their assignment to hook-up with their men at theirs was now officially null-and-void.

"We need a new plan," Arlene whispered next to her.

They were in a small group consisting of a two French resistance members and a handful of American pathfinders. In an ideal world they would all stay together, but the pathfinders had their own mission to fulfil and she knew the resistance members weren't interested in following two American women into combat.

They were well hidden at the foot of a large hedgerow, peering through the thick branches at the Germans moving about a hundred or so yards from them.

She nodded, making up her mind. She pushed herself away from the hedge so she could see most of their party.

"Right," she whispered and everyone turned their attention to her, even if they kept one eyes fixed on the enemy.

"We're no longer going to hook-up with our men at their DZ," she started, Arlene softly translating her words into French, "therefore we're going to have to split up."

Some of the men shifted their weight uncomfortably, glancing at one another. She ignored them, now wasn't the time for indecisiveness. "The two of us are going to Brecourt Manor a few miles from here. That was our alternative rendezvous point with our unit. I assume you," she glanced at the lieutenant in-charge of the pathfinders, "have your own mission?"

"Yes ma'am," the burly lieutenant replied. He'd been briefed on her rank beforehand, addressing her as Captain when they'd first met. It had been a relief, one less thing to worry about on a night that already had enough to deal with.

"Then this is where our paths split," she turned to look at Pierre, "Do you wish to come with us?"

He exchanged a quick look with his compatriot before answering, "No, we have somewhere else we need to be."

She nodded, but still felt disappointed. Pierre had been one of the few constants during their time in France and she'd hoped for a chance to properly say goodbye to him. "Right, then this is where we leave you."

Pierre grabbed her forearm and pinned her down with his dark brown eyes. "You are a true daughter of the resistance. Be safe."

The corner of her lips turned up into the start of a smile. "Fight bravely my friend, but not foolishly. Thank you for everything."

After one firm nod and squeeze of her arm he let go, proceeding to say farewell to Arlene.

"Right lieutenant. Good luck," she said as a way of goodbye to the pathfinders.

"The same to you two, ma'am."

Staying on her stomach she pushed herself further away from the hedge until she felt comfortable enough to rise onto her knees. Sitting upright she adjusted her hold on her rifle and waited for Arlene.

All their gear was supposed to be coming with their men, but the French had been kind enough to give them each a rifle they'd hidden from the Germans along with a few rounds. Together with the sidearm they'd snuck into France and their knives they were reasonably well armed all things considered. Of course she'd feel a lot better once she had a uniform back on again, there was something quite unnerving about being a civilian in the middle of a warzone.

Arlene shuffled backwards until she was next to her. Her friend quickly rose onto her haunches and tapped her on the shoulder to show she was ready to move out. Silently they crept through the surrounding darkness, melting into the shadows as they made their way to Brecourt, where she hoped and prayed her friends would be waiting for them.

Arlene POV

It had been a good few hours since they'd left the men and so far they'd been able to dodge Germans as well as miss all the Americans. The last part made her increasingly nervous, the horrible thought that only a small handful had survived the drops refusing to go away.

She once again pushed the thought aside and focused on Jessica's hunched over form in-front of her. After years of working and fighting alongside one another they'd found an easy routine that played to both their strengths. Jessica would lead the way, her sense of direction freakishly accurate, while she scanned their surroundings, her senses tuned in to every movement and sound. This was the easiest way for them to make good time while staying alive.

Suddenly Jessica dropped to one knee, rifle raised. Her body followed before her mind could process the change. For a second there was an unnatural silence, but then she heard it. A whispered conversation being carried over to them by the evening breeze. She strained to make out the words.

"German" she whispered in Jessica's ear who simply nodded her agreement.

From what she could hear the voices, three or four of them, were coming right from the path they were taking. She searched for an alternative route when she heard other voices coming from their right. They were possibly further away, but she could clearly distinguish the rough German dialect now that her brain was attuned to it.

She tapped Jessica's shoulder and pointed in the direction of the second set of voices. Her friend quirked her head to that side and nodded when she heard them.

The distinctive sound of a twig snapping under a heavy boot only a few feet from them made them both snap their heads forward.

"Arrogant bastards," Jessica hissed.

They had seconds to come up with a plan and she didn't like any of them.

They could retrace their steps and try to find a way around the enemy soldiers, but there was no guarantee they'd find a path and dawn had to be close, moving around during the day would be considerably more difficult and dangerous.

Going left was out of the question, a German held town lay that way and they'd already heard heavy gunfire coming from that direction.

So only right or straight ahead remained. Fan-frikken-tastic.

"Come," Jessica whispered, pointing her rifle in the direction of a thick hedge ahead and to the left.

She followed and soon they were lying flat on the ground, bodies pressed into the damp ground, as they peered through the thick brush waiting for the Germans to come into view.

Her heart pounded in her ears, each beat almost in time with the passing seconds, each one brining the enemy voices closer and closer.

"If they spot us, shoot and move. We're going for quick, not quiet," Jessica instructed.

She gave one nod to show she'd heard and understood, the steely quality to her friend's voice further strengthen her resolve.

It felt like hours passed as they lay there, but in fact it was probably only a few second before the first German boots came into view. She counted three pairs initially, but they were quickly joined by two more.

From her position under the hedge it was difficult to see the men's faces unless she shifted her body, and there was no chance she was going to do that. So she settled for watching them from the waist down, waiting for any signs that they'd been discovered.

The conversation was familiar but formal at the same time. The men, despite their apparent confidence that no enemy soldiers were close by, relayed intelligence quickly and efficiently.

They were part of the company holding the nearby town and had been sent on patrols. The good news was, despite their current predicament, these seemed to be the only Germans nearby. Also, they were only three miles or so away from Brecourt which had already been secured by the Allied army.

The bad news was that all six men were heading straight for their hiding place. Her muscles tightened, wounding themselves into cords ready to react. She felt Jessica tense next to her, neither one daring to breathe. The enemy soldiers were relaxed, far more than they should be considering the invasion of Europe had begun. They casually ambled closer and closer to them, sharing a few cigarettes between them, the smoke irritating her nose.

She pushed her tongue into the roof of her mouth, hoping the pressure would stop the sneeze that was slowly building up in her nose.

Not now, not now. You are not going to sneeze you hear me. You will not sneeze.

A heavy boot fell right next to her head, the earth making a sickly squelching sound as the soldier transferred his weight through his foot. The group of men were passing right past their hedge on their way back to town, mere inches from their hiding place. If any one of them looked down and into the hedge, even a casual glance, their position would be given away.

One of the men barked a laugh and her breath hitched. She swore she felt Jessica flinch next to her.

She counted the boots that passed her face, unable to turn her head to follow the men least the movement catch their attention.

One set, two sets, three and four. C'mon, what the hell is taking the others so long?

She couldn't hear any of the voices clearly anymore. The voices of the four men that had passed were fading into hum she could barely make out over the constant gunfire. She tried, and failed to locate the voices of the other two soldiers, and from her position on the ground she could no longer see their feet.

With one sharp tap on her shoulder Jessica caught her attention. She turned her head in time to see her friend indicate to her other side and a little ahead.

The two men were scanning the area, turning in a slow circle back to back, their rifles raised and ready.

She did her best to steady her breathing and bring her heart rate down, but the adrenaline coursing through her veins made her muscles vibrate from all the pent-up energy.

One of the men paused just as his turn brought him facing their hiding spot. He turned his head to the side and stared right at her. She was sure he could see her, or the glint from her rifle. He took one small step forward and peered deeper into the darkness that enveloped her and Jessica.

Her finger tightened around the trigger of her rifle as she mentally prepared herself to shoot and run.

The soldier paused as a shout rose up behind them from the directing of the town. Both men straightened and hesitated for a moment until another frantic shout for help shocked them into action. The two men sprinted past them, whatever the one had seen in the shadows forgotten.

They stayed still for a number of minutes, every sense straining to make out some logic from the sounds of battle raging all around them.

"C'mon," Jessica finally said, tapping her shoulder as she pushed herself upright.

Staying as low as possible for the first few yards they slowly made their way to Brecourt. Once well clear of the their hiding place and the Germans, they straightened out and broke into a jog, throwing caution to the wind in a bid to reach some friendly faces.

Richard POV

He'd never been so glad to see American soldiers as he was when they finally reached Bercourt. It had been a harrowing night and the uncertainly of what, or who, they would find weighed heavily on his shoulders.

He'd been fortunate enough to land with a paratrooper from Able Company, Hall, and soon they'd linked up with Sergeant Lipton and two men from the 82nd. Everyone it seemed had missed their drop zones, and that was the best case scenario. Before dawn they'd met Bill Guarnere, Toye and Malarkey.

Their evening had become even more eventful when they'd ambushed a German supply cart and a handful of enemy soldiers. It had been an easy ambush, but Guarnere had disobeyed a direct order and fired at the enemy before he'd given the signal.

He'd reprimanded the sergeant, but he didn't miss the look the other man had shot his way. He was all too aware of the fact that some of the men thought the fact that he didn't drink made him somehow unable to lead them in battle. They'd hated Sobel and distrusted him, but they didn't necessarily think he was hard enough to get them through the war.

Bill Guarnere was one of those men. He tried to push the thought aside, if he was going to prove the popular sergeant wrong he had to maintain his focus and project a certain air of confidence. He was also aware of the fact that Bill's brother had died fighting in Italy, and he'd received the news just before they'd jumped.

A perfect storm, he'd thought as they'd left the dead German's behind them and continued on their way.

"Morning, sir. Battalion sure will be happy to see you guys," a soldier guarding a dozen or so prisoners greeted them.

"Where?" he asked.

"At the farm, sir," the young man replied, jerking his rifle down the road they were on.

He picked up his pace, a sudden wave of anxious anticipation washing over him. After hours spent wondering what had happened to his men he was finally about to find out. And he didn't know which one was worse.

"Richard?" the voice stopped him dead in his tracks and his heart stopped beating.

He slowly turned in its direction and when he saw Jessica standing on the side of the road, surrounded by some of her own men, his heart sprang back to life, straining against his ribcage.

She was covered in mud, and her brown civilian clothing had taken on a very natural hue. Her blonde hair was hidden underneath a men's cap and she had a rifle casually slung over her shoulder. Her blue eyes sparkled in the early morning sun as she almost skipped over to him.

God she's beautiful.

"Richard, are you okay?" she asked, coming to stand so close to him she had to look up at him through her impossibly long lashes.

"What are you doing here?" were the first words his dazed brain was able to articulate and as soon as he saw her frown he mentally kicked herself.

"I mean, I just….it's good to see you. Not now, or I mean not here. I'm going to shut-up now," he finally gave up, looking around to see who had witnessed the way he'd just put his foot in his mouth.

Luckily the men had either continued on their way into town or stopped to talk to the rest of Jessica's team, he was particularly surprised to see how Malarkey and Guarnere were embracing Arlene.

A small hand settled on his forearm, pulling his eyes back to Jessica's. She was smiling up at him, a soft smile that wiped years from her tired face. "I hate seeing you here, but it's very good to see you too Richard."

He felt his lips move up into a smile and his shoulders relaxed for the first time since they'd boarded the planes in England. "Sorry, it's been a long night and I didn't expect to see you here. Don't tell Nix?"

She giggled. "Oh, you mean don't tell him how you weren't happy to see me?"

He cleared his throat as a blush warmed his cheeks. "That's not what I meant."

She softly pushed his shoulder. "I know. It's been one hell of a night. I won't tell Nix. Not immediately at least."

"Fair enough. He'll probably figure it out anyway once he gets here."

"He's coming in with the landings, right?"

He nodded.

"Well, I need to get to the farm so we can change and meet up with Battalion. You heading my way?"

"Why yes I am."

"Arlene," Jessica called to her friend.

The brunette held up her hand to still the men around her. "Let's move. We need to change and get our orders. John, show us where we need to go."

The very young lieutenant nodded and said something to those around him. "Who's missing?" he asked as they walked side-by-side down the muddy road.

"Clark, Alex and three replacements. Considering how your jumps went I'm surprised so many of them are here already."

He caught the implications behind her words and looked over to her. "How our jumps went? How long have you been in France?"

She scrunched up her face as she looked up at him. "Shit, I need sleep. You're not going to pretend you didn't catch that, are you?"

"No," he replied.

"Damn, oh well, I suppose it can't do much harm now. Just promise not to tell anyone. Even Nix."

"Trust me, he's probably already figured most of it out. He was like a bloodhound when you two suddenly up and left."

She smirked. "Sounds 'bout right."

"So?" he asked, curiosity making him drum his fingers against the butt of his rifle.

"You know, for a man that hasn't slept, you are far too perceptive."

He chuckled.

"You know the SOE?"

"The British Intelligence?"

"Mmm…part of it. Over the years we've worked with them. They had a shortage of female agents in the field and asked us to temporarily assist. The day we left Aldbourne? We dropped into France that evening."

His stomach did a somersault, but he kept his features passive. "We guessed as much by the way Clark and the men looked after you'd left."

She was quiet for a moment. "The next time I'm playing poker against those men, I'm taking them for all they're worth."

The closer they got to the very large farm house the stronger the stench of rotting meat got. He glanced down at Jessica to see her scrunching up her nose. He was about to comment on the smell when the origin came into view. The main road leading into the large farm complex had been blocked with dead horses.

A sadness momentarily clouded Jessica's eyes as her steps slowed. "I hate it when the animals suffer. I know it's war and all but, they just seem so helpless and it always makes me sad."

He stared at her, both fighting the urge to wrap her up in his arms and amazed at how innocent and she sounded. This woman who had spent months in occupied France risking her life every day, who was covered in mud and carrying a rifle managed to be soft in a hard place.

"I'm sorry," he said, unsure what to do but needing to do something for her.

She sighed. "War is such a waste."

"It is," he replied solemnly.

They'd just passed the horses when Jessica suddenly stopped. "Our things are over there," she explained, glancing to a small stone building where her men were waiting. "As luck would have it, John was in-charge of making sure it all got to France."

"That worked out well."

"What can I say, I'm a lucky girl."

He glanced down the road to where soldiers were lying against a grass embankment and he swore he spotted Buck's white blond hair. "I should go," he said without moving.

"Me to," she replied.

He reached for her hand and clasped two fingers between his own. "I really am happy to see you."

She stepped closer to him. "Me to," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

With the faintest of smiles she pulled away and walked to her men. He watched her for a moment before continuing on his way. As always Jessica King had found a way to get under his skin, and if he was honest with himself, he was happier for it.

XXXXXXX

Hello! Gosh, another week and another chapter down. Where is this year going? I just realized it's almost October...crazy!

Anywho! I hope you all had a great week and a relaxing weekend. For all the continued support thanks you, thank you, thank you! To all my amazing reviewers, you make my day! And for everyone that keeps coming back to the story, adding it to alerts and favorites, you rock!