Last Time: Easy learns they will be moving out from England; Rebecca wants to spend as much time in civilization as she can.

"Until you have real compassion, you cannot recognize love." - Bob Thurman

Now: Easy Company and Rebecca learn of their new mission.


Chapter 18 - Moving Out

With the realization that Easy's time in Aldbourne was coming to a close, Rebecca decided to take advantage of any free time she may have had and spend it with Dick and Lewis.

The three were practically inseparable at Toccoa, but now that they were actually in combat, having different ranks and duties restricted the time they spent with one another. Dick was the company CO, Lewis was always discussing intelligence with command, and Rebecca was stretched at all fours being tasked with the health of the men on and off the field.

Understanding that they would be moving out again prompted the three to have an "original officers of Toccoa", plus Harry, get-together before their jump. The four all decided to meet at the local pub, coincidentally the same one that the men of Easy usually spent most of their free time at.

The two drinkers of the four, Harry and Lewis, sat next to each other at the bar, desperately trying to intoxicate themselves one last time, while Rebecca and Dick, the two who abstained from the bottled heat, sat at a table in conversation.

"...All I'm saying is that the men don't treat me like a Captain. They don't say half the stuff to you that they say to me. At this point I feel like more like an enlisted man than a ranking officer," Rebecca said with a sigh.

As of late, she had become more bothered by the unprofessional attitudes the enlisted men had taken with her. Oftentimes, if anyone had a problem - be it one pertaining to their duties or not - they went to her. If such interactions were between friends then it might've been acceptable, but this was different; between an officer and an enlistee was wide of the mark.

Unfortunately, Dick didn't really seem to understand this.

"Becca, you should be proud that the men are able to be so open with you," he told her around the lip of his mug. "Just as long as they're not blatantly undermining your authority, I think you're doing just fine."

He paused, gave Rebecca a good, long look. "I know being an officer is a huge responsibility, but you're doing a fine job. You care for the men and they clearly care for you. They also listen and look up to you. That's something I wish I had in my men."

"Yeah, but just the other day they were trying to protect me from some wise-ass replacements like I was some fragile little girl. We both know that I'm far from fragile."

Dick took in a deep breath. "I think you're overreacting."

Rebecca rolled her eyes at Dick's lack of empathy. Overreacting? Pah. If you were in my position, she thought, then this would be a completely different story.

"I think you're also judging their behavior based on how they act when they aren't getting shot at. See what they're like in combat, then judge."

Rebecca held her chin with one hand and had the other around her glass, pondering.

"I'm pretty sure if you tell them to jump they'll ask how high," Dick added with a partial smile on his face.

Before Rebecca could get another complaint in, a rather drunk Nixon and Harry stumbled over to their table.

"C'mon you two," Harry slurred, gesturing for them to get up. "It's our last few moments of civilization and you're both here drinking sodas and talking like a bunch of schoolgirls."

Rebecca and Dick couldn't help but laugh at the sloshed state their comrade was in.

"Yeah, Becca, C'mon, have yourself some good ole Vat 69," Nixon burbled, trying to hand the bottle to Rebecca.

"No thanks, Nix," Rebecca said, pushing the bottle away. "I think we've had enough of your version of civilization for one night." She stood, pushed in her chair, and headed to the bar's exit.

"Aw, you two are a bunch of old ladies!"

Rebecca and Dick both ignored the comment as they walked out the door and back to their billets.

She snorted. "They'll be sorry tomorrow when they have to wake up early for the briefing."

"Yeah, they will."

As the two continued walking in silence, Rebecca felt a pang of dread hit her as she thought of the briefing tomorrow - the same one that would effectively end their stay in England.

"Do you know what the gist of the meeting is tomorrow, so maybe I could play hooky?" she joked, trying to lighten the atmosphere a little.

"Yeah, I do. Nothing that I can tell you though."

"Oh, I see how it is."

Dick smirked. "Yeah, that's how it is, and you know it too."

Rebecca turned her gaze to the ground beneath her feet. It's nice to have this again, she thought with a small smile.

They then arrived at their billets, and bid each other farewell and goodnight.

XXX

The next morning arrived quickly. Soon enough, Easy Company was gathered in a large green tent where the officers like Nixon and Dick were briefing the men on the latest mission. Rebecca stood with the other officers at the front of the room paying attention but also watching her men curiously. As he was the company CO, Dick was the first to begin explaining. He was pointing toward a map of the area that was being taken and was distinctly labeled in big black bold letters: OPERATION MARKET GARDEN.

"As you can see, this is called Operation Market Garden," he began. "In terms of Airborne Divisions involved, this one's even bigger than Normandy."

Buck and Rebecca glanced at each other as Dick went over the mission objective. It couldn't possibly be as large scale as Normandy, and judging by the look that Buck and Rebecca exchanged, they both knew it too.

"We're dropping deep into occupied Holland. The Allied objective is to take this road here, between Eindhoven and Arnhem, so that two British Armoured Divisions can move up in toward Arnhem."

As Dick continued his briefing, Rebecca couldn't help but notice the faces of all the men. They all seemed to be sharing the same look of dread as her. Even the replacements, who were always so eager to go into combat and prove themselves, looked nervous.

"...Our job is to liberate Eindhoven - stay there, wait for the tanks..."

Rebecca was pulled out of her thoughts as Dick continued. She needed to pay attention and knew that Dick hated when people zoned out during briefings. She didn't want to agitate him more than he already was.

When he finished, he gave the floor over to Nixon - who, surprisingly enough, didn't seem the least bit bothered by the previous night's festivities.

"The entire European advance has been put on hold to allocate resources for this operation. It's Montgomery's personal plan and we'll be under British command."

Rebecca chuckled to herself when groans circled around the tent. Clearly, they weren't too pleased about being under British command. Their hatred towards the notion, however, wasn't completely unjustified.

The British were well-known strategists, but when it came time to actually lead their men into battle, they often fell short. The disdain the men felt for them came from the undeniable fact that while under their command, the British had no problem in leading American men into slaughter or letting them do all the heavy lifting.

"The good news is, if this works, these tanks will be over the Rhine and into Germany. It could end the war and get us home by Christmas."

It took all of Rebecca's strength not to snort out loud. She was definitely calling bullshit on that, and she told Buck so, who laughed silently.

Apparently, this statement also evoked some groans and comments of doubt that weren't exclusive to Rebecca and Buck. The thought of being home by Christmas was a notion used during the first world war as a morale boost, and everyone knew how that panned out.

"...It'll be a day-time jump. Intelligence doesn't expect much opposition. They think the Krauts in Holland are mostly kids and old men and we should take 'em by surprise."

As much as Rebecca wanted to believe the "home by Christmas" vitriol and additional perks this mission seemed to offer, it just seemed too good to be true. If this mission was bigger than D-Day, it would mean a lot more fighting and unexpected surprises. It seemed almost sinful to compare the bonuses that seemed to be going along with Market Garden with the large scale and scrappy nature of Normandy.

"In any case, say goodbye to England. I don't think they're calling this one off."

This made it much more imperative for Rebecca to enjoy whatever commodities England had left to offer her. That included stockpiling extra feminine needs that were never distributed on supply runs, taking one last shower, enjoying some hot grub, and writing to Michelle and her father, which she had neglected to do since their first drop.

Rebecca's mind was distracted as it raced with last-minute tasks she wanted to accomplish before their permanent departure from England. Good god, what a mess.

XXX

Easy Company made it to Upottery where they spent their time in green pup tents. It was almost like D-Day, except the warm weather that came with June was replaced with the raw cold and rain of September.

Most of the men were playing cards, drinking, or shooting the shit, but Rebecca was holed up in her tent, catching up on the writing she had neglected for the longest time now. She had been receiving frequent letters from Michelle, mentioning she was in France and working in a hospital that housed all the men that were injured on the front lines. She wrote about getting promoted to First Lieutenant and all the officers she deemed cute she met while in France. Reading about all of Michelle's adventures and experiences in France made her absence that much more painful for Rebecca.

Now that she had time to kill before their jump, though, she suddenly found herself without an excuse to write Michelle back. So, she picked up a pen and a sheet of paper, and began to write.

Dear Michelle,

Please, forgive me for not writing in so long! My first month in Normandy left me no time to as I was constantly in combat and patching up my men. You should know that I have been promoted to Captain. As much as I should be celebrating this promotion, the heat of combat and the lunacy my company has been subjected to has left me in a constant blur. As often as I wish you were here so I could tell you about all my adventures and all my comrades, I find myself glad that you're not. Combat can truly paralyze to the soul. I've never questioned the value of one life over another, until now. The atrocities men can do to each other is unspeakable. I have lost so many good soldiers already. Don't you worry about me, however; I have found good company in many of the men in my unit. I miss you very much and I hope we can see each other soon! If there's anything I want more in the world right now, it's for this God awful war to end so I can see you soon. Best of luck!

Love,

Becca

She folded the letter and stuffed it into an envelope, addressing it to the return that was on the letter. She looked at the stack of letters from her father, John, and debated reading them, perhaps even writing him back. Rebecca always told herself she would, but she sometimes didn't want to know what was going on in her father's life.

He could be over the eight making his liver worse. Or he could be dead, and those where issues Rebecca couldn't bring herself to read about.

She glanced over at the letters again and picked them up. Rebecca felt them in her hand and dragged her fingers along her father's scribbled writing. She took the oldest letter and put the rest down on her rack.

Taking a deep breath, Rebecca slowly began tearing the seal of the envelope. When it was open, she took out the piece of paper and braced herself for its contents.

Dear Rebecca,

I hope you are well and that this letter finds you okay. You should know how proud I am of you. I know your decision to join the Airborne was because of my problem, but that doesn't make it any less honorable. Recently, I've quit drinking and John has moved in with me to help pay for bills. I have also managed to find a job at the local hardware store to occupy myself from alcohol.

I went to Dr. De Luca last week and he told me that because of the money you have been sending home, I am able to pay for the medicine. I am so glad to be receiving this second chance, but I also feel like I have failed you in so many ways. The things I put you through are unforgivable by any stretch of the imagination. Yet, you are selfless in your sacrifice to me and to your country. You still managed to make yourself into a remarkable young woman and you did that all by yourself. Your mother would be incredibly proud of you. I love you very much.

Love,

Daddy

Rebecca folded the letter and placed it beside her on the bed. Reflexively, she put her hand to her heart, clenching her shirt because the overabundance of emotion was just too much. She felt sorrow, happiness, and anger all at once, making it seem like her heart was going to explode.

It had taken years and her father finally stopped drinking. All the misery and suffering the alcohol had put her family through for so many years was finally over.

One by one, she opened the letters that remained from her father and John. Rebecca was pleasantly surprised to find out from John that her father hadn't had one drop of liquor since he quit, and that he had been genuinely trying to turn his life around. He had kept the same job, was taking care of the house, and was even meeting with Alcoholics Anonymous.

Reading all the wonderful news made Rebecca long for the war to be over so she could repair her relationship with her father.

I can't believe it, she thought. I have my dad back.

With a still-growing grin spreading across her face, Rebecca quickly took out a piece of paper and began jotting down down her response to her father.

XXX

The day of the jump greeted Rebecca and Easy Company with a stunning blue sky uncustomary to England, littered with puffy white clouds.

The airfield was swarmed with Airborne men strapping on their equipment, packing ammo and supplies, and helping each other pile on the enormous amounts of gear.

Rebecca was with Dick and Lewis, getting her gear strapped on with Lewis' help.

"How do I look?" she asked him once he'd finished, jostling her gear around in an attempt to stay balanced.

"Like you're gonna keel over," he laughed, slapping her playfully on the back.

Rebecca rolled her eyes as she carefully bent down and pulled a pistol out from her med bag. Lewis and Dick eyed her as she did so.

"Since when do medics pack heat?"

"Since this medic almost died because she was alone and unarmed," Rebecca retorted as she pointed a thumb towards herself. She loaded the magazine of the pistol, cocked it, and examined the bullet chambered in the top. "I had Toye snag me one from the weapons depot."

Lewis' eyebrows furrowed. "You do know you're technically not allowed to carry arms as a medic, right?"

"And you're technically not supposed to carry hooch into combat, but I won't tell if you won't."

"She's got you there, Nix," Dick chuckled.

Rebecca rolled her eyes. "If the interrogation is over, I'm gonna check on the men."

She began heading over to where she saw familiar faces. The first face she met was Malarkey's; surprisingly, a frown accompanied his usual cheery Irish face.

As she made her way over to him, she quickly mirrored his unpleasantness. A Jeep was heading their way, and sure enough, sitting in the passenger seat was none other than Sobel, the man who made her life a living hell for two years. Judging from the truck groaning with supplies that were tailing his Jeep, he must've been here to drop them off.

When he hopped out of his seat, he quickly caught Malarkey eyeing the motorcycle he and More had taken on a joyride. He immediately reamed Malarkey for commandeering it and reminded him that it was "United States Army property"; when he'd finished with that, he turned his attention to Rebecca.

"Captain Clark," Sobel said, saluting.

"Yes, sir?"

"I need you to sign off on these supplies." He then handed over a clipboard with the list of materials attached and stepped off to the side to wait.

Sobel was acting polite for a change. It was strange. Normally, the well-disliked Captain had an attitude of complete disdain when referring to the lone female in the company.

He never hesitated to make Rebecca feel like she didn't belong, but today it seemed different. Rebecca, however, wasn't fooled by his courteous behavior for one second. It wasn't like Sobel to all of the sudden express some newfound respect for any of the members of the company, especially her.

She gave it a quick once-over, making sure everything was in order, then handed it back to Sobel.

"I see you've managed to slither your way to a promotion, Clark."

Ah, there it was. There was the condescension that seemed to be missing from before. Rebecca had had it with Sobel and his bullshit, and since they were technically the same rank, she could verbally show him just how much she'd had it.

"I earned this promotion by protecting my men on D-Day. I'm afraid I can't say the same thing about you."

Sobel's face dropped at her witty retort. It was completely unfamiliar to see Sobel's face with such a reaction.

Before he could reply, Rebecca cast the clipboard at Sobel's chest, quickly turned on her heels making her way back to where Dick was and continued to prepare for the jump, smug pride filling her to the brim.

XXX

Rebecca and the rest of Easy Company were completely taken aback at how smoothly the jump went. The weather was textbook perfect for jumping, and there was no artillery or resistance of any kind. They all descended from the sky and stripped away their jumping gear almost effortlessly. The only resistance they faced was trying to get off the QRF on their harnesses. Dare anyone say it, but it was a perfect jump.

The men and Rebecca began to move from the DZ to a road with a culvert that made for perfect cover. They would use that culvert to move towards Eindhoven.

After waiting for a little while with First Platoon, Lieutenant Peacock informed Bull and Rebecca that there was some kind of hold up, and they would be traveling through the field up ahead.

Easy Company walked through the field with grass that rose to their waists. For once, it was quiet; the only thing that could be heard were the bugs, the birds chirping in the air, and the sound of Easy moving through the tall stalks.

Eventually, they made it to the outskirts of a town and the hold signal was given as two replacements ran for cover. Rebecca and most of First Platoon crouched over by a wooden fence. However, the enemy from which they were hiding wasn't one at all. Out of the second story window of a nearby building, a middle-aged woman tied a bright orange cloth to the frame.

The all-clear was called and the soldiers continued on. As they journeyed towards the town, it morphed more and more in a parade rather than the living environment it actually was. Civilians crowded the streets, singing their national anthem, waving their flags, and practically attacking the American soldiers with kisses and hugs of joy and gratitude.

It soon became harder and harder to stick together as more women approached men to show their appreciation. Within minutes, Easy Company was completely dispersed. Some were taking photos with children, some were eating local food, and others were quenching their deep seeded thirst of loneliness by fraternizing with the local women.

Rebecca, meanwhile, tried her hardest not to succumb to the barrage of affection that was hurtling itself towards her. Unfortunately, every now and then, a civilian would pull her in for an oxygen restricting hug or a kiss. The citizens didn't seem to mind she was a woman or were too happy to notice. However, the very few who did recognize her as a female gave her a stare until she pointed towards her medic badge; that made the concerned stares turn into acceptance.

She quickly spotted Dick, Nixon, and Welsh in the crowd, and made a beeline for the two. By the time she arrived, Dick was looking through his binoculars, searching for signs of enemy activity.

"Good to see you guys," Rebecca said cheerfully.

Nixon nodded in agreement before turning to Dick. "Clocks ticking," he said, glancing to a nearby clock tower.

"Yeah," Winters replied as he continued scoping the area with his binoculars. Seeing nothing, though, he lowered them and made to stow them.

As soon as he'd put them away, any and all women in the vicinity descended upon him and began to attack his face with kisses. Nixon, of course, wasn't forgotten; ladies left and right were throwing themselves at him, as well.

The two of them, rather than engage in fraternization like their men were, tried to ward the women off with "thank yous" in their native tongue, but to no avail. Rebecca looked at the faces of the two bewildered captains and burst out laughing. It was hilarious to see the two normally composed officers completely disheveled.

"Don't think I'm gonna throw myself at you and start kissing you too," Rebecca snickered.

Welsh laughed and the two desperately tried to wipe off the lipstick that stained their faces.

Buck, meanwhile, made his way over to the group with a woman on his arm, obviously thrilled by the female attention.

"What's up Welshy?" he asked.

The reply was quick and to the point. "Snipers."

Rebecca quickly did an overview of the town's rooftops but was met with nothing of the sort. Being a higher ranking officer put targets on all their heads, so it was better to be extra cautious.

"We've gotta get to these bridges," Dick murmured.

The group of officers began to make their way to the center of the town, elbowing and shoving citizens to get through, when suddenly two men pushing along a screaming woman by the arms nearly knocked Rebecca to the ground. Luckily, Dick caught her before she had the chance to fall.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," Rebecca said with a nod. "What the hell was that?"

Dick only shrugged his shoulders and continued to move through the congested town.

As the group moved closer to the center of town, joyful celebration slowly transitioned into a ring of persecution, betraying the jubilance the rest of the town was experiencing. A select few Dutch women had been forced onto their knees, stripped down to their undergarments, and had their hair cut right to the scalp. The woman in pink who had nearly knocked Rebecca over was ripped out of her dress, screaming and crying, while the woman above her coldly, mercilessly sheared her hair. Some of the other women's scalps were bleeding from being recklessly cut, while others had swastikas painted on their foreheads as they were being hauled out from the circle and exiled from town.

Most were screaming, crying, and begging for mercy as they were being tossed about and humiliated. The remaining few simply knelt there, enduring their punishment in silence, their faces blank and hollow-like. The people circling them were chanting and screaming "whores", "traitors", and spitting on them.

Rebecca watched in horror. Without question, she swung her med bag around from her back and began to elbow her way into the circle. Before she had a chance to get there, she was stopped by Dick.

"Becca, don't."

Rebecca turned to face Dick with a tortured look.

"We have to keep moving," he said quietly. It wasn't that hard to tell from the way he sounded when he spoke that he was just as disturbed by the scene before him as she was.

She closed her eyes and sighed heavily, swinging her bag back over her shoulder.

She watched as the women were being publicly shamed and the same woman in pink made eye contact with her. Recognizing Rebecca as a woman, she cried out to her and raised her arms out asking for help.

Rebecca turned away, ashamed of her inadequacy to help. What could they have possibly done to deserve this? She thought. NO ONE deserves this humiliation.

"What did they do?" Welsh asked, almost reading Rebecca's mind.

An unexpected reply came from behind them, Jan van Kooijk of the Dutch resistance answered.

"They slept with the Germans," Van Kooijk answered casually as if the brutal treatment was normal.

His eyes scanned over the group of officers and made contact with Rebecca, almost like he could sense her defiance to the situation.

"They are lucky. The men who collaborated are being shot."

Oh, that pissed her off.

She stalked up to him, invading his personal space, and jabbed a finger into his chest.

"You call that lucky?" she hissed. "I call that barbaric!"

Before she could further bitch Van Kooijk out, Nixon placed both hands on Rebecca's shoulders, trying to drag her away from him.

"Easy there, tiger, he's a friend of ours," Nixon murmured. Rebecca shoved his hands from her shoulders in defiance. "Mr. Van Kooijk here is with the Dutch resistance."

Rebecca only shoved his hands away in defiance. To hell with who he was. All that mattered to her was that he was allowing those poor women to suffer; as far as she was concerned, the man was a bastard, and nothing but.

While she seethed, the men conversed amongst themselves.

"We have been waiting and hoping for this day for almost five years," Van Kooijk began.

As much as she currently despised the man, Rebecca couldn't help the little twinge of pity she felt when he mentioned that. Living under the oppression of the Germans must have been awful; she certainly wouldn't have blamed anyone for trying to ease its severity in any way possible, even if that meant sleeping with the enemy. Perhaps that's why she disliked Van Kooijk so much. She watched him with a close eye as he talked with Nixon and Dick.

"...Says he can help us secure the bridges here…"

"Yes." Van Kooijk began walking the group away from the shameful scene. "Together, we can push the remaining Germans out of Eindhoven. And that's just the beginning."

Rebecca stayed put as Dick and the others walked off to the sidewalk. She watched as the poor women continued to be submitted to their cruel punishment. Sadness and anger washed over her in a great tidal wave. Watching it unfold was poisonous to her spirit. The shame circle was the one dark spot on an almost gleeful event.

She snapped back to reality after a moment and quickly scanned the crowd for Dick and Nixon. She quickly found them right at the end of the conversation between Van Kooijk and Winters.

"Anything we can do to help you, we will do," Van Kooijk said, his voice bordering on desperate. "Anything."

The group was interrupted by a sudden wave of loud cheering as the tanks came rolling down the streets of Eindhoven.

Van Kooijk smiled. "Right on time."

Dick and Rebecca moved to the side of the street and climbed on top of a lamp post to get a better view of the commotion. All the tanks that were moving through Eindhoven had townspeople and smiling soldiers, all of whom were decorated with kisses from their thankful audience.

"Captain," Van Kooijk began, "I'll be happy to show you the quickest route to the bridges." He then looked back at the tanks, almost like he was making absolutely sure the liberation was real and not just a figment of his imagination.

"I'd be happy to have your help," Dick said, shaking hands with him before turning to Buck. "Get scouts at the edge of town in case we're here for the night."

Rebecca looked at the jubilant crowd once again before being intercepted by Lipton. When she heard her name and rank, she turned her head to face the voice that was calling out to her.

"What's up, Lip?"

Rebecca was glad that Lipton took her rank a little more seriously than the other NCO's did. She noticed she always referred to her as captain or ma'am and always saluted her except for this time around because of the fear of snipers. It felt nice to have her ego stroked every now and then.

"Captain Winters wants you to stay with First Platoon through the night until we get to Nuenen, ma'am."

Rebecca knew that it was all due to the commotion that took place in the crowd that day. She sighed at the news but gladly walked with Lipton as they found their way to First Platoon.

Easy Company stayed that night in the outskirts of town in an orchard. Being the CO of First Platoon, she made routine checks during the night to make sure that everyone was okay.

Tomorrow, they would be headed to Nuenen, into battle. She dreaded going back but mentally prepared herself for the battle to come.

Finally, after making sure everything was just so and prepared, Rebecca too fell asleep, propped up against a tree under a blanket of stars.

- End Chapter -


A/N: Hello, all! I am so sorry for being MIA these few months. School has been driving me up a wall, some personal issues, as well as actively trying to find a beta well versed in BoB history to help me, has kept me from writing for such a long time. I am trying to get back into it, though. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. If you did leave a review to let me know. More is to come! :3