6th November 1942 - Camp Toccoa, Georgia

I've been with Easy Company for two months, and I'm getting along better and better with the men. Well, with almost all of them, at least. Liebgott, my bed neighbor, still acts cold and dismissive towards me. But I have found a real friend in Don Malarkey. As for Sobel... Well, he keeps his word and treats me like any other soldier. This means that he also regularly revokes my weekend passes and yells at me.

I point to the sky as we lay exhausted on the grass after another Currahee run. "Someday... Someday I'm going to kill that bastard, I promise you," I say, and Don grins at me. "I think you'd have a lot of support here, sweetheart." I smile at him as well. "I think so." "Liv?" We hear a voice, and Lip walks up to us. "Lip?" "Can I talk to you for a second?" I nod and stand up. "See you later, Don."

I follow Lip, who pulls me aside for a moment. "How are you?" he asks, and I look at him in surprise. "What do you mean?" "Exactly that, Liv. I want to know how you're doing. And how it's going with the men." "You know you don't have to watch me, Lip, right? I'm fine. I'm getting along great with Don and Muck and Penky and the others. Except maybe Liebgott, but he's just him." Lip nods. "Thanks, Lip... You kind of remind me of my brother Damon." Lip smirks. "Oh yeah?" "Yeah, he was always so protective of me too." "Where is he now?" "Somewhere in the pacific, as far as I know. He's a lieutenant in the Marines." Lip nods, and together we walk toward the mess hall. "I guess your family's into the military, huh?" Lip grins as we grab food. "Well... My dad is a Colonel with the 2nd Ranger Battalion, my other brother Tommy is also a Lieutenant, and as far as I can tell from my mom's last letter, my little sister Cindy enlisted. Only my mom and my older sister Lily are not in the military."

Lip and I sit down with our food. Not a minute later, Don and Muck join us. "And your mom just supports that? That she lets almost all of her kids go to war?", Lip asks, and Don looks up. "Well, we all went to military school. Somehow it wasn't a discussion at all. We were all active soldiers, so it wasn't even an issue that we weren't fighting. We were drafted." "How come you ended up with paratroopers?" then asks Muck. "Well, I didn't want to be under my father. That would have been a pre-programmed issue. When I was in OCS, I heard about the Airborne and enlisted, so they sent me to the 82nd. The men there were not very open to me and made my life hell. Except for one soldier. He was always nice and acknowledged whether I had tits or a dick." The guys laugh, and Don puts a hand on my shoulder. "Just like us."

It's Friday night, and I'm lying on my cot reading a book. Next to me, George and Don are playing a game, and on my other side lies Liebgott, engrossed in his comics as usual. I sit up and take a smoke from the pack, but I can't find a lighter. "Can I have your lighter real quick?" I ask Liebgott, and he looks up at me, annoyed. "Get your own," he grumbles, and I roll my eyes. "I have one, but I can't find it, so get your head out of your ass and give me yours." Now Liebgott is looking at me. He snorts, shakes his head, and then tosses me his lighter before turning back to his comic. I take it and light the cigarette. "You guys are like an old married couple," Don says, grinning at us, which earns him a dirty look from Liebgott and me. "Shut up, Malarkey!" then says Liebgott. I throw his lighter back at him, but he doesn't see it, and it lands right in his crotch, causing him to groan.

"Jesus Christ, Stark! What the fuck?!" he curses, giving me a nasty look. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," I say quickly, but I can't suppress a laugh. Liebgott holds his soft parts and writhes in pain. "At least you had some female interaction in your crotch for once now, Joe," George grins, making us laugh even harder. Liebgott stands up angrily. "Oh, fuck all of you!" he says and walks outside. Amused, we watch him go. "Isn't he a ray of sunshine?" I ask, addressing Don and George, who grin at me.

Suddenly Winters enters the barracks, and we quickly stand up. "Second Platoon, we're moving out. Full dress and ready for the night march. Canteens filled. You have ten minutes." He leaves the barracks again. I glance at Don before looking briefly at Liebgott's empty bed. If he misses the march, he's screwed. I quickly change and am already on my way out. "Where are you going?" George asks me. "I'm going to find Private Sunshine. Someone should probably tell him he has to be outside in five minutes." "You're too nice, Liv. If someone treated me like that, I'd ditch him." "I'm a platoon Sergeant Don. I have responsibilities." With those words, I leave the barracks and look around outside.

I find Liebgott near the latrines. "Hey," I call out to him, and he groans in annoyance. "What do you want, Stark? You want to kick some more?" he asks, looking at me. "No, actually, I don't. Whereas, if you keep talking to me like that, then maybe. I just wanted to inform you that in..." I glance at my watch for a moment. "...Three and a half minutes, we have to be ready to march in full gear. But do what you want." I turn away from him and go back to the others. "Why are you telling me this?" "Because, unlike you, I'm not an asshole."

Once again, Easy Company is on their Friday night march. Fully loaded and ready, they march their 20 kilometers. I walk silently beside Don. "I'm going to say something now," Bull whispers to George, as he's getting really tired of it. "To who?" he asks back, and Bull looks to Winters. "Lieutenant Winters?" "What is it?" the latter asks back. "Permission to speak, sir." "Permission granted." "Sir, we have nine companies, sir," he notes, and I can only imagine what he's getting at. "We do," Winters says. "Then how come we're the only company that marches 12 miles in full dress in the dark every Friday night?" "What do you think, Private Randleman?" "Lieutenant Sobel hates us, sir." I can't help but smirk in amusement. "Oh, I don't think Lieutenant Sobel hates Easy Company, Private Randleman. He just hates you," Winters returns, and I never imagined such cold humor from him. Many of the men start laughing. "Thank you, sir." "But he still hates you the most, Liv," Don says next to me, making George laugh in front of us. "What do you want me to do?" I grin. "Leaving would be an option," she then hears Liebgott behind her, and she looks at him briefly. "And make it so easy for you? Forget it, Liebgott! It's too much fun to piss you off," I say sarcastically, seeing Don smirking beside me.

After we have completed the march, I fall into my bed, exhausted. Poor Christenson. He has to repeat the whole march. "Hey, you know what?" Don then says, looking at me. "What?" "Tomorrow, we can finally go out. I think this is one of the first weekends when we all still have our passes. What do you think, Liv? Have a little fun?" I sit up on my bed and beam at Don. "You don't have to ask twice, Malarkey! Penky, you in?" I ask Alex, who shakes his head at his nickname, but then agrees. "You guys aren't going without me, though! I've made it my mission to get this little bird here bottled up." "You're welcome to try, Luz, but I'm telling you... I'm pretty hard drinking!" "We'll see about that, Stark," George grins, and I wink at him. "Will you guys shut up already? Some people would like to sleep." "Oh, stop being such a baby Liebgott. You can sleep plenty when you're old and shriveled! Tomorrow, it's time to celebrate!"

7th November 1942 - Camp Toccoa, GA

After a few quiet lessons on Saturday morning, we finally have free time. We put on our starting uniforms and gather. We're a sizable group and off to Toccoa for a bit of a shindig. Don, George, Muck, Penkala, Toye, Guarnere, Christenson, Webster, Popeye, Skinny, and a few others join us. Even Lip comes along. What amazes me is that when I leave the barracks, Liebgott is standing next to Don, waiting. "Well, look at that," Don laughs when he sees me. "What, never seen a woman before?" I ask, punching him in the shoulder. "Yes, I have, but I've never seen you in a skirt and high heels before." "And you won't often, Don, so memorize that image well." I've made myself pretty for the day. My hair is down and slightly wavy, and I've painted my lips with dark red lipstick.

Behind me, I hear a whistle, and when I turn around, Muck is standing in front of me. "Oh la la, what do we have here?" he grins and comes toward us. "Shut up, Skip. Remember... Faye is waiting for you at home." "Yeah yeah, but you're still allowed to look, right?" "Ah, shut it, Muck."

Don grins and puts an arm around my shoulders. "Shall we?" he asks, and I nod with a smile. Then I notice Liebgott's gaze, eyeing me. "See something you like, Liebgott?" I ask, and he looks me in the eye. He bites his lips briefly and twitches an eyebrow. "Seen better." "Of course you have." I shake my head, and Don grins at me. "Well, let's go."

When we finally get to the pub, Don orders a round of beers for us. The bar is packed with soldiers. "Wow, pretty crowded in here, huh?" I say to no one in particular, but Muck agrees with me anyway. Our group quickly disperses, and we sit, laugh, and smoke comfortably. "I'll get the next round," I say and stand up before heading to the bar. I place the order and wait patiently, but then I feel something on my butt. I turn around and look into the eyes of a soldier who smiles at me insinuatingly. "Well, darling? Can I buy you a drink?" he asks, and I look at him incredulously. "Does that usually work? You grope a lady, and then she lets you have it?" I ask, but his grin doesn't disappear. "Come on. I'll be happy to show you a real man." "No thanks. And I doubt you'll be able to show me. And now, if you don't mind..." I turn away from him again, but he grabs my arm. It seems he hasn't seen my badges on my sleeve either.

"You're pretty cheeky; you know that? But I like cheeky!" he says and pulls me towards him. As I want to tell him off, he is yanked away from me. "I think she told you to fuck off," Liebgott says, holding the man by the collar. Now other soldiers take notice, including Don and the others, who immediately come over. "Stay out of this, asshole!" grumbles the soldier, glaring at Liebgott. "This is between the pretty lady and me." "Yeah, and the pretty lady told you to fuck off. So accept it and fuck off!" "What's going on?" Don asks me, but my attention is on Liebgott and the other soldier. "I didn't hear it from her, though." The soldier looks at me, and I raise an eyebrow. Liebgott lets go of him and steps aside. "Well, then, please..." The soldier looks at me promptly. "What he said," I say perkily and wave him off. "That your man? Is that it? You should tell your slut that maybe she should send less lewd signals when..." But that's as far as he gets because Liebgott punches him.

The soldier goes down, holding his bloody nose. "You son of a bitch!" "She's our fucking platoon sergeant, in case you overlooked that. So shut the fuck up and stay away from her." In disbelief, I look at Liebgott. He just punched a man for me. I walk up to the soldier on the ground and take his name tag in my hand. "Private Stretton, is it? Maybe I should have a word with your CO. You should probably re-learn the rank insignia. And if I see you coming near anyone again who doesn't want it, I'll personally make sure you get your punishment. Understood?" The soldier snorts but then nods.

Don and Muck grin behind me. "Come on, I'll take care of this," Don says, pointing to the beers that are now ready and taking them to the table with Muck. At our table, I turn to Liebgott. "Thank you," I say, smiling gently. "I didn't do this for you," he returns, and I look at him, confused. "That was for Easy Company. And whether I like it or not, you're part of it. No one disrespects us. To make that clear, you were just a means to an end." Liebgott walks away from me, and I look after him, perplexed. I sit down and look at the table in front of me. "What a prick..." I grumble. "Yeah, part men really don't know how it works..." Muck says, but Don shakes his head. "I don't think she meant him." Liv is still looking at Liebgott, standing with Talbert and the others.

"Forget about him, Liv. I don't think anyone understands the complex thing in Joe's head," Don says, drawing my attention back to himself. "I just don't understand it. Did I do anything to him?" Don and Muck exchange a look, but Liv can't interpret it. "Not that I know of," Muck then says with a shrug. "But it doesn't matter, anyway. Let Liebgott think what he wants. We like you, and I think most people in Easy do." "Thanks, Muck," I say with a smile and take a sip of my beer. "Soon, we'll be off to Fort Benning. Are you nervous yet?" asks Don, then looking at me. "No, not really. It's just jump training, right?" Don starts to laugh. "Yeah, I'll tell you again when we get to the plane door."

Still thinking about Liebgott, I sit at the table with Don a little later. Muck has disappeared somewhere, and Penkala is dancing with a girl. "Come on, Liv... Just forget it," Don says, looking at me. "I know, Don. But..." "No buts," Don interrupts me. He stands up and holds out his hand to me. I look at him questioningly. "Come on. A dance will take your mind off things." For a moment, I eye my friend and then take his hand. "There you go." Don leads me onto the dance floor, taking my left hand in his and placing his other on the small of my back before he begins to move and lead me.

For a while, we dance without speaking. My gaze keeps automatically wandering to Liebgott without me being able to stop it. "Hey. Stop", Don says, and I look at him. His dark eyes search mine. "Just look at me, will you? It's not worth you letting him ruin your night. What was it like yesterday? It's time to party today," he grins, infecting me. I smirk and look down at the floor for a moment. "No, look at me, Liv. Just me." I lift my eyes again and then laugh as Don grimaces. "You really are unbelievable, Don." "But it works, right?" I nod and focus on him and our dance.

When the song ends, Don pulls me into his arms, and I laugh. I don't notice his gaze shift to Liebgott, who is watching us closely. "Come, let's take a break," Don says, leading me back to our table. "I didn't know you could dance like that, Malarkey. You never cease to amaze me." "That's what I'm here for, right?" I smile at him and nod. "Seems so." I look down at my glass and take a sip. "Thanks, Don. For everything." "No need to thank me, sweetheart." "Sweetheart?" I ask with amusement. "It is what it is, Liv. You can't deny it," he laughs, raising his glass. "Here's to Liv. Easy Company's sweetheart." "Oh, come on," I laugh out now. "You're going to regret those words someday." "I don't think so. Even though it's only been two months, I think I know you better than you think." "Is that so?" "Yep. And as your newly appointed best friend, it's my job to look out for you, sweetheart." I raise my glass as well and bump it against his. "To best friends." "To best friends," he repeats.

"Hey, what are you doing?" then shouts George, pulling up a chair to our table. "I thought I was your best friend, Liv?" "Sorry, Luz, that post has just been taken," Don grins, and I shake my head laughing. "Don't worry, George, I'll find another post for you," I laugh, and he looks at me with mock indignation. "I can't accept that, Sergeant Stark." We all three laugh and call it a night.

13th November 1942 - Camp Toccoa, GA

The following week, after Sobel is promoted to Captain and Winters to 1st Lieutenant, Don and I are in line for food. It's a quiet afternoon with lessons, and as a small celebration of the promotions, we have spaghetti today. At least, if you can call it that. Rumor has it that Sobel requested this single-handedly from Winters after he sentenced him to two weeks as Mess Officer.

"I can't believe we're actually getting some real food for once," says Don, standing behind me in line. "You call that something real, Malarkey?" asks Bill, standing in front of me and turning to look at us. "I'll make you something real someday, Don, but this? I don't know what to call it," I grin. When we get to the front, the kitchen soldier turns away from us with the pan. "Hold on, more coming. These guys are packing it away," he says, pointing to the soldiers who already have some food. We wait, and when we have our portions, we sit at a table. "This stuff's orange. Spaghetti ain't supposed to be orange," Penkala grumbles, poking at his food. "This ain't spaghetti. This is army noodles with ketchup," interjects Perconte, sitting diagonally across from me. "You ain't gotta eat it," Bill now asks, and Perconte looks at him incredulously. "Oh, come on, Gonorrhoea, as a fellow Italian, you should know that calling this crap spaghetti is a mortal sin."

Suddenly a hand reaches forward from the table behind us. "You don't want it? I'll have it," Hoobler says, and I laugh. "No, no, no, I'm eating here," Perconte returns, reaching for his plate. "Hey, get outta here," now chides Bill, whose plate was also nearly stolen.

I just shake my head and look down at my plate. "Aren't you going to eat?" Don asks me with his mouth full, pointing at my plate. "I don't know, Don. Something's not right here somehow. This is so not Sobel. The weather's not too bad. So why would he give us a quiet afternoon AND spaghetti?" Don shrugs. "Best not to question it at all, kid," Bill says, shoveling in his pasta. I look at the men at my table, all stuffing their food down. As I'm about to put my fork in my mouth, the door is yanked open.

"Orders changed. Get up. Lectures are canceled - Easy Company is running up Currahee," Sobel shouts, and we all quickly stand up. "Move, move. Three miles up, three miles down. Hi yo silver. Let's go, let's go," he continues to call, and I look at Don. "Fuck," I huff and follow the others into the barracks. "It's like you have a sixth sense, Liv," Don grumbles beside me as we change clothes. "It's called female intuition, Don."

A short time later, we run Currahee. I'm happy I haven't eaten anything, but the other men suffer quite a bit. Many of them are throwing up and not in good shape, which spurs Sobel to bring them down even more. "You're a washout, Private Hoobler. You should pack up those ears and go home," he shouts into the neck of Hoobs, who is visibly struggling. But Hoobs is not the only one. "Looks like Gordon's done, aren't you, Gordon? You finished? You do not deserve to get your wings," he shouts to Smokey, running beside me. As Sobel turns away again, I reach out my arm and give Smokey's hand a quick squeeze. "Don't listen to him," I hiss as I hear Sobel taking on Bull. "Thanks, Liv, but that's easier said than done," he whispers back. "I know, but you're just as good as any of us, okay? We can do this. All of us!"

Suddenly, in front of me, I hear George start to sing a song. "We pull upon the risers." Of course, it doesn't take long for all the soldiers to join. "We pull upon the grass. We never land upon our feet; we always hit our ass. Hi dee, hi dee, Christ Almighty, who the hell are we? Zim, zam, goddamn, we're Airborne infantry. We pull upon the risers; we pull upon the grass. We never land upon our feet; we always hit our ass. Hi dee, hi dee, Christ Almighty, who the hell are we? Zim, zam, goddamn, we're Airborne infantry."

It seems Sobel doesn't like this at all because I can see him slow down and then stop in the corner of my eye.