Thank you all for your reviews and your patience! My job's still driving me nuts and I was pretty busy with the preparation of my wedding last weekend, but I hope that I'm now able to update a little more often.

I hope you'll all like Chapter 11 and I'm looking forward for your feedback.

Finally arrived at the mess, Maggie took a short overview and decided to sit down at a table with Liebgott, Guarnere, Lip, Bull, Malarkey and Doc Roe. Before she could say "Currahee", the boys all held a glass of beer in hand and were cheering. Maggie felt a little excluded because she didn't even have a drink to clink glasses with the guys. But Lew saved her with a glass of Coke. "Hey boys! You don't want to exclude our little Misses-Winters-to-be here, just because she's – like demanded by her role – free from any flaws and vices, do you?" Maggie appreciated the drink but at the same moment hated Lew for his commentary and went beet red because she was afraid that Dick might have heard what Lew had said.

"Don't worry, Mag. He went outside with Sobel."

"Thank you, Lip."

When she had clinked glasses with the boys, Maggie couldn't avoid the thought that Lew might know something about Dick's feelings for her she didn't know. Why should Dicks best friend talk about her as Dick's wife-to-be if Dick didn't have at least a little crush on her? But on the other side she was thinking about Lew who loved to bring people up and kid them. She couldn't finish her thoughts because Lip asked her if she liked to dance.

"Oh Lip, I'd love to!" Later she had to admit that she was right: Lip was a great dancer and she enjoyed being near him. She could just be herself and had a great time.

They were interrupted by Col. Sink's arrival. He congratulated them and wished them the best for their future. After he had talked about the Paratroopers being a totally new concept, he asked Maggie for a Dance.

The Colonel was a good dancer but still Maggie felt a little uncomfortable being so close to him.

"Thank you for the dance. What do you think about a dance with your CO?"

Before Maggie could say a word, Sobel stood beside her and said: "A great idea, Colonel. Miss Fox, may I have the pleasure of the next dance?"

Maggie wanted to tell him to go to hell, but she knew that she couldn't do that in front of the Colonel. So she forced a smile on her face and nodded. Later she had to admit that dancing with Sobel wasn't that bad. Apparently he had had a good education. Nonetheless Maggie felt uncomfortable being so close to him.

The next person to dance with Maggie was her platoon-leader. When she stood in front of Dick he gave her a small smile. Before they had the chance to start dancing, the music changed into a very slow composition. Maggie cursed whoever was responsible for the music change because she didn't know what to do. When she looked around she saw a silly smile on Lew's face and knew that he was the cause of their dilemma.

When Dick realised that they still stood in front of each other thunderstruck, he took Maggie's hand and waist and pulled her closer to him. He started to sway them and Maggie grew more courageous and stepped closer to Dick until she could lay her head against his shoulder. She decided to enjoy this dance and not to think about the others. She realised that she had been very successful in ignoring the others, because she didn't notice them until she heard Guarnere chant: "Kiss, kiss, kiss!" She looked up into Dick's face and noticed that he had turned beet red as well.

"Oh, I'm feeling a little dizzy. I'm afraid I have to sit down…" Dick escorted her to her seat and Lip came up with a glass of water. He knew that the situation was pretty awkward for Dick and Maggie and he wanted to do anything necessary to make Maggie's story about circulatory troubles believable.

"Come on, Mag. We get you some fresh air." and with that Lip pulled her out of her seat and went outside with her.

"Thanks, Lip. I don't know what I'd do without you! Oh my good, that was so embarrassing! I don't want to know what Col. Sink thinks about us now! Did you see that wicked smirk? I don't know if I should cry or laugh…"

"Presumably he thinks about you as two people who love each other and suppress their feelings because of their sense of duty."

"Since when are you so poetical, Lip?"

"Oh, I'm a real artist by heart. When the war's over, I'll write a piece about your love story and it'll be a great success on Broadway. Care to take the role of the female protagonist?"

"You're a good one! But it's very kind of you to keep me in mind, nonetheless I'm afraid, I have to say no. My singing is horrible…"

"I can't believe it. Anything you can't do? I have to tell the others!"

"Very funny, Clifford Carwood Lipton!"

Lip pouted because of the use of his full name and Maggie went soft. She hugged him and together they went to the mess.

By then Dick had finally realised who was responsible for their misery and took Lew by his tie and dragged him outside.

"Lew, are you crazy?! What were you thinking to put Maggie and me into such a position?! I don't want to know what the men and especially the Colonel are thinking about us now…"

"Haven't you seen the smirk on the Colonels face?" asked Lew and couldn't mask his own smirk. He still thought that the change of music was a great idea because it forced Dick and Maggie to show their true colours regarding their feelings. And now Lew knew for sure that Mag and Dick were on the same side.

"Perhaps he smirked because he was curious about how we're going to get out of this situation. I'm glad that Maggie had an idea."

"Yes, not very unusual, but thanks to Lip relatively believable."

"I don't want to know what the Colonel thinks about us now. We must have looked ridiculous."

"No, you looked more like two people who love each other but permit their feelings because of their sense of duty."

"Grmpf."

"And the next time I see him, I'll kill Guarnere!"

"Oh, come on, Dick. You don't try to seriously tell me that you didn't want to kiss Mag."

"Yes… No… I'm her superior officer and I'm responsible for her. So firstly it's forbidden and secondly what should we do if it doesn't work out? Shall we sit in a foxhole somewhere in the Japan or in Germany and yell at each other while our comrades are getting killed? No, thank you."

"That was an excellent answer as Lt. Winters, but what do you think as Dick?"

"I'd love to kiss her senseless. But I'm sure she doesn't want that anyway."

"Oh, my god, Dick. Even you can't be so blind! Maggie returns your affections. The problem is just that she's as compliant as you are. But I guess apart from you the whole Company has already figured it out that you're sweet on each other. Perhaps even the whole 101st."

"Lew!"

"Are you trying to denial that you're sweet on her?"

"No. She's the first woman I've ever met that gave me the feeling that I want to spend the rest of my life with her. But she's no option at this point of the war and I've already explained to you why we can't be a couple, even if Maggie returns my feelings."

"Yeah and you might be right. But you're my best friend and I don't want you to be in a blue funk."

"Better in a blue funk than actually dead, hm? Let's go back inside. I'm having this discussion with myself for months and I'm not smarter by now" said Dick a little resignation in his voice.