** ROSE POV **

I waded through the jubilant streets of Eindhoven, laughing as the men accepted food and kisses from the excited residents. Captain Winters was gracious, but clearly embarrassed by all of the attention and concerned about the possibility of snipers. He and Captain Nixon were trying to get everyone moving, but with the streets full of people, it was easier said than done. I was certainly having trouble swimming against the tide.

I could see our company gathering ahead of me, talking with several of the officers as they determined what to do next and I was trying desperately, and unsuccessfully, to push through a group of men moving in the opposite direction. Suddenly, a hand slid into mine, pulling me confidently through the crowd. My red-haired Captain. Electricity flowed between us, and I knew he could feel it too because he swallowed hard, looking down at our intertwined fingers and back up at me. I expected him to let go, but his eyes met mine and he gave me a reassuring smile.

Even when we reached the meeting point, he kept me close, slipping his hand to the small of my back as he spoke to the other officers about setting guards and checking bridges. When he finished the impromptu briefing, Lt. Compton indicated that they had arranged a place for the officers to stay for the night. Captain Winters moved to follow, and then stopped and turned to me. I didn't miss the grin on Nixon's face as his friend spoke.

"Rose, you can come with us. Some of the men here are drunk and angry, as you saw from the public shaming earlier. I'm not sure I feel comfortable with the way they were looking at you either."

"I'll stay close to some of the men, sir. I won't go off alone."

"If the men think you might be in danger, some of them will stay up all night to keep an eye on you. I'd much rather that everyone be well-rested, especially since we don't know what we may be facing. You'll be safe with us. We'll find a place for you in the officer's quarters."

Captain Nixon threw his arm around me and agreed, "Yeah, Rose. We'll find a place for you. I can make sure that you are more than comfortable."

"Excuse him. He left his manners and discretion at Yale," Welsh joked.

"Yes, sir. Thank you."

I did sleep comfortably that night, safely tucked into a cot that Captain Winters had foregone so that I could have it. Despite all protests to the contrary, he made a palette on the floor.

"Dick, you can have one of our beds," Welsh insisted, and Nixon and Compton nodded. "Or Rose can."

"No. Absolutely not. I'll be fine. I told her to join us, so I'm responsible for finding her a spot."

As he spread a blanket on the floor, I sat on the edge of the cot, looking down at him.

"Sir, I really don't mind sleeping on the floor. If it weren't for your kindness, I'd probably be sleeping on the ground anyway."

"And if it weren't for you, I wouldn't be sleeping anywhere." He stretched out on his makeshift bed and glanced up at me with a gentle smile, joking, "Rose, you've spent the last two years gracefully enduring the most unladylike of atmospheres and, I'd venture to say, you still have a while to go yet. Accepting a small show of chivalry now and then won't kill you. Besides, my parents would not be pleased with me if I allowed you to sleep on the floor… and it makes me feel better. I could never sleep if I knew you were down here."

** DICK POV **

It was still dark outside when I woke up with an unsettled feeling in my gut. We were pushing forward into Nuenen today, and after the jubilation of yesterday, it was hard to think we would run into much trouble. Something just didn't feel right. I sat up and looked over at the cot next to me.

She was facing me, still sleeping, with one arm curled around a rolled up blanket, holding it as a child would hold a teddy bear. Without thinking, I reached up and brushed a strand of hair back from her face, running my thumb across her flushed cheek. She unconsciously moved into my touch and I suddenly understood that my respect, which had grown into admiration over the last few months, had somehow bloomed into affection.

The realization brought me up short. I couldn't afford such thoughts, especially about one of my troopers. I certainly couldn't act upon them, even as Welsh's words about kissing her ran through my mind causing me to look down at her lips. I drew back my fingers and her eyes fluttered open.

"Are you okay, sir? You look as though you're worried about something."

That was the other thing. Sometimes I wondered if she could actually see into my brain. She seemed to read my eyes even when my face remained passive, and she always knew exactly the question to ask or the words to say. She picked up on my expressions as well as Nix. Sometimes better.

"How do you do that?"

"What?"

"How do you always know?"

She laughed quietly and propped herself up on her elbow.

"I don't know really. Sixth sense about you, I guess. So, what is it? You have a bad feeling about today, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do. I just don't know why."

"Because this is a war. Because taking Eindhoven was too easy. Because you're our leader, and it's your job to worry about what comes next. You don't trust this plan any more than I do, because it sounds too good to be true. We all know how that usually turns out."

"You're amazing. Do you know that?"

I couldn't tell for sure in the dim light, but it looked like she blushed.

"Not really. We just think a lot alike. Look, sir. I know that you have a bad feeling about this. So do I. We're going to lose some people. It's not going to be as simple as they made it out to be, and more people are going to get wounded. Maybe killed. But Easy will keep going just like it always has, because you'll lead us through like you always do."

"You sound so sure about me."

"I am," she answered confidently, and then she smiled at me.

If we were anywhere but here, it would be so easy to fall in love with that smile. I wished later that I could have stayed there in those pre-dawn hours with her. Instead, I found myself taking cover behind a truck as it seemed that half the German military were in Nuenen and shooting back at us. I had at least one Lieutenant and a medic badly wounded at the start of the surprise attack, and no idea how many we had lost as I urged everyone to get back on the trucks so that we could pull back. I'd seen a tank explode and people being thrown, but I had no idea who they were. A bullet pinged off of Nix's helmet as he stood next to me, and he fell to the ground.

"I'm alright! I'm alright! Am I alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, you're okay. You feel okay?"

"Yeah! Stop looking at me like that!"

We crawled over the wheel of the truck, and I thought back to my premonition that morning, wishing that I had been wrong. Lipton crouched beside me to give me a rundown of the losses, and I gave him a nod as we started to move.

"Oh, and sir? Randleman and James are missing."

My mouth went dry and the world spun for a moment, but I nodded and we climbed into the trucks. As we pulled away, I stared out the back of the truck in stunned silence, hoping to see my two lost troopers… hoping to see Rose running behind a truck, yelling for us to pick her up. They didn't come. Nix patted me on the shoulder.

"Dick, they'll be okay. We'll find them. They're both strong. Just focus on what you can do, okay?"

He was right. As much as it wrenched my stomach, I had an entire company to think about. Losing Randleman and Rose in addition to a retreat would be a severe blow to morale. We needed a safe place to spend the night, and I needed to get Easy regrouped and ready for whatever lay ahead. Still, I couldn't shake the image of her smile and her words from that morning.

"But Easy will keep going just like it always has, because you'll lead us through like you always do."

She believed in me. I couldn't let her down. I just had to hope she was as strong as I thought she was.