**ROSE POV**

Denver Randleman became my refuge. My confidante. Of course, all of my Easy boys were amazing, but Bull was the only one who knew the truth. Eventually, in the twilight outside of our makeshift Mourmelon movie theater, I told him everything that had happened in Paris and that I of course understood that nothing could happen between us. He let me finish, chewing thoughtfully on his cigar as he leaned against the side of the building. Then he reached out and pulled my into his chest, pressing a kiss into my hair.

"Sweetheart, I can't tell you what is going to happen if we ever get through with this damned war, but I can tell you that I have every reason to believe that he has feelings for you too. Regardless, I can promise you that everything will be okay. You have a whole company full of guys who think you're a beautiful, incredible woman."

I laughed a bit and leaned into his broad chest.

"Oh, somehow I doubt that, Bull. No one has ever said that except for him, and…"

"Me. I said it. You're a beautiful, incredible woman, and any man would be lucky to have you on his arm. Things are going to work out for you, sweetheart. You're going to wind up with a man who loves you more than breathing. You'll see."

Captain Winters seemed to be avoiding me at all costs after we returned and Bull, determined to keep me from dwelling on something that was beyond my control, became my constant companion. He was my pillow, my sense of humor, and my shoulder to cry on. When the lights flipped on and the announcement was made that we were being sent to Belgium, he was there to reassure me again.

"The Ardennes Forest in the dead of winter. Looks like we have some cuddling in our future, sweetheart."

And cuddle we did. The trucks rumbled north, the temperature dropping with every mile, and he pulled me underneath his jacket, doing everything he could to warm my already-shivering body. Finally, we rolled to a stop. Somewhere in front of me, Skip Muck quipped that this was too cold to be Hell, but as I looked at the foreboding stand of trees before me, I wasn't so sure. The ragged men retreating from the forest we were gearing up to head into certainly looked as though they had faced the devil himself.

Some warned us to get out while we still could. Others said nothing, staring blankly as they moved forward on instinct alone, desperate to get away from whatever they had seen. Words like "slaughter" were floating around. Desperate for the supplies that we were not afforded before we loaded up, we began to scrounge what supplies we could from the retreating infantry and from a young lieutenant who brought a jeep full of salvaged supplies from a nearby ammo dump.

I caught Captain Winters' eyes across a box I was unloading just as the young officer mentioned that the Germans were about to cut the road south. We were going to be cut off, and it was clear that the weather would prevent further supply drops for the time being. I could recognize the concern on his face even as he joked that, as paratroopers, we were supposed to be surrounded.

As the jeep pulled away leaving nothing but air between us, he hesitated a moment as though he wanted to say something to me. Then he sighed and turned back to Nixon, leaving me standing alone with handful of ammunition and a sinking feeling in my chest. I ignored the pricking of the tears behind my eyelids as I tucked the ammo into my pockets, not realizing the Bull had seen the brief exchange. His strong arm dropped around my shoulder, pulling me in close and kissing my head like he always did when he was trying to make me feel better.

"I have the worst feeling about this place, Bull."

"I know. Me too. Just stay close, okay? I'm not gonna let anything happen to you, baby girl."

**DICK POV**

Nix's estimation of a mid-March action and a quick jump into Berlin turned out to be about as accurate as the British estimation that Operation Market Garden would find us facing mostly old men and kids. In the frigid December snow, the Germans launched an offensive against our weakest front in the woods of Belgium, wiping out much of the infantry there in what turned out to be one of the deadliest actions of the war. The 101st was unceremoniously yanked from training and rest back into the action, loaded up into trucks and dropped off in the Bois Jacques with no cold weather gear, little food and less ammunition. Easy Company, which still held my heart despite my leading the entire battalion now, was under the charge of an inexperienced, brass-polishing lieutenant named Norman Dike. Needless to say, I was concerned, particularly once we reached our destination and learned that the Germans had cut the road south of our position. We were now surrounded, charged with protecting Bastogne, an area that the Germans were desperate to control because of the road network. The infantry, or what was left of them, was making their way out of the woods just as we were going in, and they looked like broken men. For a moment, I worried that seeing them would break the spirit of my battalion, but they just started salvaging whatever ammunition they could from the retreating soldiers. I was incredibly proud to see the determination in their eyes as they marched into the trees.

My gaze fell on Rose, and on Bull Randleman's arm draped protectively around her shoulders, and my stomach lurched a bit. We hadn't spoken much since we returned from Paris, and what little we did say was strained and business-like. The air was always thick between us. It felt like there were a million things we needed to say but couldn't, so I just didn't say anything. I tried not to notice the growing closeness between her and Randleman. Watching them now though, it was harder to ignore. I couldn't fault her. Denver Randleman was just about as good a man as she could wind up with, and at least I could take solace in the knowledge that she would be well-protected, just as she had been the night they went missing in Holland. He leaned in to kiss her on top of her head and I looked away, only to come face to face with Nix.

"You okay, Dick?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I lied.

He followed where my gaze had been and looked back at me, shaking his head sympathetically.

"If it helps, as far as I know, they are just friends."

"You sure about that?" I asked without thinking, and then, "I mean, what difference does it make to me?"

He smirked at my poor attempt at a cover.

"You know, Dick, you can't have it both ways. Either let her go or tell her."

"Tell her what? There is nothing to tell, Lew."

"If you say so."

"I say so."