Later that afternoon, we're still sitting by the fountain, and George suddenly stands up. "Well, look who decided to show up, Floyd," he says, and I look up. Tab and some of the other guys who were still missing are coming toward us. We all stand up to greet our new arrivals. "Hi there, Luz. We thought we'd never find you guys," Tab says, then looks at me. "Liv, good to see you," he says, and I give him a quick hug. "Likewise, Tab." Now Liebgott pushes past me. "Hey, Tab, get a load of this. You like that? It's the real stuff," he says, unwrapping his flag with the swastika. "Yeah, of course. You like this?" asks Tab in return, pulling out a German raincoat. "Oh, nice. That's a beauty, Sarge," Liebgott replies, and now Don pushes through as well. "My Luger's gonna put you all to shame when I get it," he says, and I have to laugh. "Yeah yeah, Don. You almost got yourself shot for one. So let's hope you're still alive when you finally get your hands on one." Don nudges me from the side and laughs.

"So, have we lost anybody?" asks Tab, looking at each of us in turn. "Tommy Burgess took one in the face. Popeye Wynn got pinked in the behind. But they're gonna be okay," George replies. "That's good." "You run into Lt. Meehan on your travels?" I ask, and Tab looks at me quizzically. "No, why?" "Company HQ's still missing. They think the plane crashed," I reply, lowering my eyes. "They say he's gonna turn up," Liebgott now interjects, and I look at him with raised eyebrows. "Yeah, I ain't holding my breath," I reply, "Why, they just showed up now, too; why not Meehan?" "Because his whole plane is missing, smartass. You think that's a fucking coincidence?" Liebgott glares at me. "Looks like cuddle time is over," George grins, and Liebgott and I look right at him. "Shut up, Luz!" "How nice that this hasn't changed, huh?" grins Tab sarcastically, looking at both of us before turning back to me. "Who's in command, then?" "Winters for now. Lieutenant Welsh is 1st Platoon," I reply, and he nods.

Then Don puts his arm around my shoulder and pulls me to the side. "It's funny, you two. In the morning, you're cuddling with each other, and now you're the bickering couple again. Unbelievable." "Can't you just stop that? Liebgott and I are nothing! If possible, I'll stay away from him, okay?" "Yeah, right, because that works out so well," Don laughs.

Up ahead, I see Harry clearing his throat. "Let's go, 1st Platoon! Easy's moving out! On your feet!" he calls, and I exchange a glance with Don. We are in 2nd. Platoon. "I'll see you guys later," Muck says, walking past us toward George. "Stand up, lift up. Let's go," Boyle calls out, the 1st Platoon Sergeant. Buck now stands up next to me. "Listen up! It'll be dark soon. I want light and noise discipline from here on. No talking, no smoking. No playing grab-fanny with the man in front of you, Luz," Harry calls out, and we all laugh. "So, where we headed to, Lieutenant?" "We're taking Carentan." "That sounds like fun," Don says next to me, looking at me. "It's the only place where armor from Omaha and Utah Beach can link up and head inland. Until we take it, they're stuck on the sand. General Taylor's sending the whole division," Harry still explains and looks around.

"Remember, boys, give me three days and three nights of hard fighting, and you will be relieved," George says, imitating General Taylor, which makes us all laugh. "1st Platoon, fall in behind Fox Company. You people from 2nd and 3rd Platoon, follow us. Let's shake a leg." I look at Don for a moment, then nod at him. "Come on, Liv. Let's get these guys on their feet," Buck says beside me, and I nod. "Another thing to remember boys flies spread disease. So, keep yours closed," I hear George still saying in General Taylor's voice. "Okay, come on. Joe, Bill, on your feet. We're moving out." Bill nods to me, and our platoon gets ready to move out.

June 12, 1944 - Carentan, France

When we finally take on Carentan, a few days have passed. It is now D-Day plus 6. This morning, Winters informed us that it is our turn to intervene as support. Behind a small hill leading into town, we hunker down behind the 1st Platoon. "You guys ready?" Buck asks Don and me as we crouch next to him. Winters and Harry are upfront as he gives the order for the first platoon to move out. "Fuck," I curse as I watch Harry run off, closely followed by George. We make out the first shots and duck a little more.

"Okay, Buck, let's go! Get those men out of the trench and start clearing the buildings!" Winters then calls out to us, and Buck looks at me. We both nod at each other. "You heard the lieutenant, boys! Let's go!" I shout and run off with Buck and Don. We are immediately fired upon. "You better not die!" I call to Don, who winks at me. "Come on, get out of the ditch! We have to go!" I shout to the soldiers who are entrenched in the trench. "Jesus Christ! Move!" I shout, grabbing a soldier and pulling him to his feet.

Then I run into town and take cover next to Buck. He looks at me. "Liv, take Tipper and Liebgott. Start clearing these buildings. Right. Let's go! Second two, go, go!" Buck calls out to me, and I nod. "Tip, Liebgott! Come on. We're clearing those houses!" The two nod and follow me. From a distance, I see Don looking after me. I nod to him again before running on. "Ready?" I ask the two, and they nod. "All right, let's go!" I shout, and we run into the house.

After we clear a few houses, I suddenly hear Lip's voice. "They got us zeroed! Spread it out, spread it out! Go! Get the hell out of there!" he shouts, trying to get his men off the street. "They got us zeroed! Get out of there! Go, go! Get the hell out of the street!" he shouts again as I see him get hit. "Lip!" I shout and immediately want to run to him, but Liebgott holds me back. "No! Liv, we have a job to do! Tab takes care of him!" I look up again, and Liebgott is right. Tab is already with Lip, helping him.

I nod and follow Joe and Tipper into the house. "Okay, quick now," I say. We search everything and then run back out before the house goes up. I quickly look around. "Dammit, where's Tip?" I ask, looking at Liebgott. Startled, I wheel around to the house, and then I can see Tipper coming out of the house. With my mouth open, I stare at him, and Liebgott's eyes have also widened. "Tipper," I breathe. Joe slowly puts his gun on the ground and then walks toward Tip. He puts an arm around him. "Joe?" asks Tip back. "Looking good, Tip." "Is that you?" "Looking real good. Come here; you gotta sit down. Come here, come on. Easy, easy. There you go, there you go," Liebgott says, helping him sit down. He hugs Tip to him and has his arm around him. I swallow hard and slowly kneel. Tip is bleeding all over. His legs are torn open, and one side of his face is also ripped open and bloody. "Jesus," I breathe, looking Liebgott in the eye.

"Ah, Jesus. You hang in there, buddy. Okay, we're gonna get you fixed up. All right?" he says then, and I've never seen Liebgott so caring as he is right now with Tipper. "Okay. Guys, you wanna give me a hand here?" he then asks, addressing me, and only now do I realize that two more soldiers are standing behind me.

"Fuck!" I then curse. "Medic!" I look around briefly before turning back to Tip. "Hey Tip... It's going to be all right yeah? As Joe said, we'll get you fixed up." Liebgott and I exchange another look. "Where's the goddamn Medic?!" I yell, then look back at Liebgott. "We need to get him out of here, Joe," I say to Liebgott, and he nods. I reach under Tip's other arm and try to lift him. Carefully, we both stand up and carry Tipper away. The bullet fire has fortunately died down, and we can get Tip to the aid station without further incident.

"What happened?" asks Doc immediately as we put Tip down. "I'll take it from here, Liebgott," Gene says. He nods and heads back outside. "Mortar. We thought he was right behind us, but he was in the house too long. Then it went up." "Did you give him anything?" continues Doc, and I shake my head. "Fine, thanks, Liv. We'll take care of him." "Thanks, Doc."

On the way out, I notice my hands are full of blood. I try to wipe it away a little, step outside and take a deep breath while still rubbing my hands. "You can't get it off without water," I hear a voice and look up. Next to me, leaning against the house is Liebgott, smoking. "Ah yeah, thanks!" I say wryly, rolling my eyes. "Ah, come on, Stark, I only meant well," he says, and I look up in surprise. "Really?" "Really." I rub my face with the back of my hand. "Jesus, I'm done for the day," I mutter. Suddenly Liebgott holds out an already-lit smoke to me. "Thanks," I say, still slightly confused.

For a while, we stand silently at the entrance to the house, smoking. "Joe," he says suddenly, and I look up. "What?" "You called me Joe today. You never did before." I think about it for a moment. "Just like you never called me Liv. Seems like it takes all of this to do that." "Seems so."

Silence falls between us again. "Liv!" someone suddenly calls out, and I look up. Don is coming hurrying toward us. "Here you are! Are you okay?" he asks as he pulls me into his arms. "Yes, Don, I'm fine," I reply. "Jesus Christ, I didn't see you at the rally point, so I was already thinking the worst," he says quickly, and I raise my eyebrows. "Tip got hit. We had to bring him in," I explain, pointing to Liebgott and me. "Is he okay?" "Not really... Well, he should survive, I guess, but... They'll probably send him back to England."

Don exchanges a glance between Liebgott and me, then smiles briefly at me. "Come on now! We found something to drink and a place to crash," he then says, pointing his head in a direction. Don leads the way, and I exchange another glance with Liebgott before we follow him.

Comfortably we sit in the evening at the town border of Carentan. "Have you ever heard from your brothers?" Don asks me as we eat something. "No, unfortunately, I haven't. All my mother wrote in her last letter was about Damon bouncing from island to island in the Pacific and Tommysomewhere in Europe. But exactly where, I don't know." Don presses his lips together and looks at me. "And your sister?" "She's in the pacific as well." "I hear the Pacific must be pretty bad," now interjects Frank, who immediately catches a blow to the back from George. "Shut up, Frank!" "What?" the latter asks, confused, and I hang my head.

"Cheer up, Sweetheart. They'll get through it!" Don tries to cheer me up. "I hope so. We all took a risk when we decided to go to war. As long as I don't hear from them, I'm confident. It's better than hearing that they've been killed." There is silence for a while, and I stare at my boots. I miss my family very much. It's been several years now since I've seen them. But so has every single person here.

I take out my cigarettes and light one. I keep thinking about Tipper or the others we lost today. It could happen to any one of us at any time. I briefly let my gaze glide over the faces of my friends. Don, Muck, Penkala, George, Buck, Bill, Joe Toye, Lip, Harry, Tab, Chuck, Web, and yes, to hell, even Liebgott. It would hurt.

"Okay, enough moping," George says, pulling out a bottle of whatever. "Here's to the day finally being over," he shouts, and we cheer. The bottle is passed around until it's Liebgott's turn, and then he holds it out to me. I accept it and smile at him. Maybe today was a turning point between us. "Oh wow, I didn't think I'd live to see this," Buck laughs, looking at Liebgott and me. "You two, without fighting?" The guys around us laugh, and I take a sip, shaking my head. "Don't get used to it, Buck," Liebgott retorts. "Figures," I grumble, rolling my eyes.

"What, Stark? Would be boring otherwise, wouldn't it?", Liebgott challenges me, and now I'm looking at him. "I don't know, Liebgott. It would be quite nice if you would just shut the fuck up now and then," I return, and the men around us groan. "Why did you say something, Buck?" Don asks our lieutenant, who grins. "Well, I didn't know they were about to start again, Malarkey." "Sorry to disappoint you, Buck, but I'm afraid Liebgott can't help it. Always the tough guy, aren't you? I'm really starting to wonder if you're trying to compensate for something with that," I say to Liebgott and stand up. "You're one to talk, Stark. Or what else is why you're here but to prove yourself?"

My eyes turn to slits, and I take a step toward Liebgott. "I've told you a thousand times, Liebgott. Don't fucking talk about things you don't understand!" "I'll talk about what I want, Love. Get used to it," he now says, standing up as well. "But if I don't understand it, why don't you explain it to me, huh? Why are you here?" Anger spreads through me. "That's enough, Lieb," Don interjects, but Liebgott is still glaring at me, as am I at him. "I don't need this, Liebgott, because I could give a shit what you think." "But you do give a shit, Stark, don't you? I wonder why...?" By now, we're standing so close to each other that the others can barely hear us. Liebgott scrutinizes my face, and his gaze flits briefly to my lips. "I hope you're not starting to fall for me, Stark," he whispers huskily, and I tear up. I push him off me. "You're such a fucking asshole, Liebgott!" I curse and stomp away.

Settling against a tree not too far from the others, I bury my face in my hands for a moment. Why do I let him get to me? What is it about Joseph Liebgott that can get me so worked up? I exhale in annoyance and light a smoke. "Sergeant? What did I say about you not wandering around by yourself?" I suddenly hear Winter's voice next to me. "I'm sorry, sir; sometimes I just need to escape from all the testosterone for a minute." Winters chuckles. "I can imagine that. But still, I'm not comfortable with you being out on your own..." "Well, you're here now, sir," I grin, and he smiles at me. "May I?" he asks, pointing to the seat next to me. "Sure, sir."

He sits down next to me, and we sit there silently for a moment. "How's your leg, sir?" I then ask. "Oh, so far, so good. It hurts a little, but it should get better quickly." "I'm glad to hear that, sir." "What was the reason for you to sit here now and not with the other men?" he asks, and I look at him for a moment. "Oh, nothing crazy." "Can I guess?" "Go ahead." "Liebgott?" I let out a sigh and grin. "Liebgott," is all I say, "I don't know what it is, but he somehow always manages to drive me up the wall." "Maybe that's what he wants?" "What do you mean, sir?" "Well, first of all, Liv, please call me Dick, at least when it's just the two of us. After all, you would be an officer. And secondly... Maybe he's trying to drive you up the wall because you're letting him?" "But what does he get out of it?" Dick shrugs. "I'm afraid I can't answer that for you. There could be several reasons for that." I hang my head and prop my arms on my knees. "I saw him differently today, you know? When Tipper was hit... He was so caring and kind. Even afterward, when we handed him over to Doc. And then he morphs into that asshole again." I see a slight smile creep onto Dick's face. "I'm telling you: several reasons, Liv."

"Sir? Liv?" we then hear a voice in front of us and look up. It's Don. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to interrupt. I just wanted to see if everything was okay, Liv?" "Yep, everything's fine," I say, and Dick and I stand up. "Are you coming back? Don't worry; I've put Liebgott in his place. He won't make another sound for today," Don grins. "It's okay, Don." I turn to Dick. "Thank you, Sir. For talking to me." "Always, Liv. Enjoy your evening." "You too, sir."

Don and I make our way back to the others. "What did Winters want from you?" Don asks me. "Oh, he just wanted to remind me of his orders not to wander around alone. Nothing more..." Don leaves it at that and leads me back to the boys, toward George and Skip. We sit down, and my gaze meets Liebgott's as he studies my face. There's something strange about his look, but I avert my eyes and turn my attention to George and Don.

June 14, 1944 - Carentan, France

Two days later, I sit on a staircase with Don, More, Muck, Penkala, and Albert. Once again, we gathered different food and enjoy a bit of the sun. Albert is lying on the floor next to us, and we are sitting on the steps. I have my eyes closed and hold my face to the sun. Don and More are discussing what the next course will be. "Berlin by Christmas. That's how I see it," More says, looking at all of us. "Yeah, you're full of it," Don replies. "Oh, God. This Kraut cheese tastes like... It stinks. Bread's stale, too," Penkala then says, chewing on the bread. "Give me that," Muck shouts, taking it from Penkala's hand.

"You mark my words, Mal, Berlin by Christmas," More repeats. Then suddenly, we hear a foreign voice. "Enjoy it while it lasts. We'll be moving out soon." I open my eyes now and see Speirs standing in front of us. "Out of town, Lieutenant? Already?" asks Don, and we all look at the lieutenant. "That's right," Speirs replies, turning away. "Don't they know we're just getting settled here?" More says, and we all look at him in shock. Speirs turns to us again and glares at More before disappearing. "Nice, Groucho," Muck says, looking at More in disbelief. "What?" "Real smart. You know, you're taking your life into your own hands. Ain't that right?" Muck asks, addressing Don and me. I look at Don for a moment and shrug. "We didn't see anything, Muck; we already told you that." "What, Speirs shooting the prisoners or the sergeant in his platoon?" then asks Penkala, and we look at him in surprise. "Sergeant?" "I didn't hear that one." "He shot one of his own guys?" asks Don in shock, and I raise an eyebrow. "Well, supposedly, the guy was drunk and refused to go on a patrol. Who knows if it's true?" then tells Penk as Speirs reappears in front of us. "Sergeant Stark? Can I talk to you for a minute?" he asks, and I look at him in surprise. "Uh, yes, sure, sir," I reply and stand up hesitantly. I put on my helmet and briefly look at Don, who looks at me with concern.

I follow Speirs a few steps when he stops and turns to me. "How are you, Sergeant?" he asks, and I look at him in surprise. "Quite well, sir, thank you. Why do you ask?" "Just because. After what happened after D-Day, I wanted to ask." "I'm fine, sir. I've got my boys, and they're looking out for me." "Not that you couldn't do it yourself, right?" "Right." "Lieutenant Winters told me you graduated from OCS? How come you're not an officer?" "I guess it's because I'm a woman, sir." "But you're an assistant leader anyway." I nod. "Yes, they decided this would be my position." "Well, as far as I can tell from what I saw, I think they're right to do so. You got your men under control." "Thank you, Sir." Speirs is eyeing me, and I genuinely can't tell what's happening in his head. "Very well. Stand by, Sergeant. We'll be moving out soon." I salute him quickly and then turn away before returning to my friends.

Narrator POV:

Don, Muck, More, and Penkala watch Liv as she follows Speirs. "I wonder what he wants with her," Muck wonders, looking at his friends. "Do you think it could be that Speirs is interested in Liv? Luz told me he saw them together on D-Day." "That would suit you, Muck! Only because you deny that there's anything between her and Liebgott," Don interjects, and Penkala rolls his eyes. "You saw them together the day before yesterday, too, didn't you, Don? I agree with Muck. These two hate each other." "Love and hate are known to be very close, Penk. I'll tease it out of her, and then you can pay up." "You bet on that?" asks More now, looking briefly at Liv, who is still talking to Speirs. "You got it." "But that's just because Don is too sure of himself." "But yeah... Have you guys ever studied Joe? I mean, really study him? The way he looks at her sometimes? The case is just so obvious." "Then why is he being so... assy to her?" "That's clear, too, because he can't have her. Or at least because he thinks he can't. Joe's too proud to even deal with the thought that she might reject him." The conversation falls silent as Liv rejoins them. Don looks up but notices Speirs watching her until she sits with them again, and only then continues.

Liv POV:

"What are you guys talking about?" I ask as I sit back down with the boys. "Still about the same thing as before," Don grumbles, rolling his eyes. "Well, I know a guy who said an eyewitness told him that Speirs hosed those prisoners," Skip says, throwing food at Don. "Why? What for?" now Albert asks out of nowhere, and we look at him. "On D-Day. Speirs comes across a group of German prisoners digging a hole under guard and so on. He pulls out a pack of smokes... hands them out. He even gives them a light. Then, all of a sudden... he swings up his Thompson... and hoses them down. I mean, for fuck's sake, he gives them smokes first? See, that's why I don't think he really did it," Muck tells us. "I can't imagine him doing it, to be honest." "You don't believe it?" asks Don. "You were there too, Liv, weren't you?" "Yeah, but we didn't see that he did it." "I heard he didn't," Penk now interjects again. "See!" "Someone else did it."

"Oh, no, no, it was him, all right. But it was more than eight guys. It was more like 20", Alton now says. "Hell of a shot!" "All except one guy... who he left alone." "I still think that's bullshit," I say, and Skip eyes me. "Ah well, could it be that you like a certain lieutenant Liv?" he asks, shrugging his eyebrows. "What? What are you talking about? How many more men are you going to pin on me? First Liebgott, then Winters, and now Speirs?" "Anyway... Well, all I know, from what I heard he took that last 105 on D-day practically by himself. Running through MG fire like a maniac," Penk then says. "Yeah, that I did see," Don says immediately, and I nod. "Yep, me too." "On his own?" asks Alton. "I don't care if any of the other stuff's true," Penk says. Suddenly, however, Harry speaks up. "Let's go, first platoon, weapons on me."

"Here we go..." I grumble and stand up. "Come on, Don, let's find the others," I say, pulling him to his feet.