DISCLAIMER: I only own Maggie and Emily, no disrespect is meant toward the real men of Easy Company.

Chapter 4

Ever since the dance, Maggie had avoided Nixon mainly because she really didn't want to admit her feelings. Dancing with him had just opened old wounds and seeing him didn't make it better. So instead, she had thrown herself into work even volunteered to take duties from Emily so she could spend time with Speirs. The one good thing about supporting Easy and Dog both is it left little time to think.

She had gone out a few more times with Buck until they both realized that they were better off as friends, she had felt terrible about it, but Buck laughed at her and told her that she would be his first ever female friend. Buck also told her that he knew he couldn't compete with whatever she felt about Nixon. That had earned him a smack and a 'keep that info to yourself.'

Maggie had a good laugh though when Speirs had tried to get Emily pulled off the jump into Holland, but that had been months ago and everything had worked out with Ron apologizing. Yet now that they were standing on the road out of Bastogne watching retreating Soldiers walk past her, she almost wished Ron had been successful.

"Emily when we get into Bastogne I want you to go to the aid station and see what help you can be."

"What you want me to leave you to go into the woods, what you think I can handle it?" The hurt was evident in Emily's voice and right then Maggie didn't have the time or energy to placate her.

"Look, do what I tell you. I'm not in the mood to watch over you and the men, just for once do what I tell you."

Maggie sighed when she saw the tears well up in her friend's eyes. Softening her tone, she tried again. "Em, it's going to be hard enough out there and Ron will just worry, so please do this for me. Okay?"

Sniffling, "Okay Maggie, you'll take care of them right?"

"You know I will, it will be okay, I'll see you in a few days."

She watched as Emily loaded up into a truck with the other Regimental medics and doctors. She had such a bad feeling.

"Maggie, ready to go?"

Maggie grabbed her pack and fell in beside Doc. "Ready, as I'll ever be."

Easy company marched into the woods around Bastogne with no winter gear, little food, and little ammunition.

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"Dick, what the hell is she doing out here, shouldn't you send her to Bastogne, couldn't she be more helpful there?"

Nixon had been pacing the confines of the CP every day since he found out Maggie was sharing a foxhole with Roe.

"Nix, she is in charge of all the nurses, she made the decision to stay out. She's fine. Why does this have you so upset?"

Nixon sat down on his cot. "I just worry about her is all and let's face it we're all freezing out butts off out here and well it doesn't look like she has much more she could freeze off."

Dick tried to hide his smile. "I wouldn't let her hear you talk about her butt, don't think she would appreciate. Look I know she is a little on the thin side…"

"Dick, if the wind blows hard she'll blow away, have you not noticed how much weight she's lost?"

Before Dick could respond, a voice cut over all the discussion. "Gee Nix, I see you still know how to win a girls heart. Just remember you have no right to say anything about how thin I am. Second if I hear ever try to get me shipped of the line…you just don't want to know what I'll do."

Dick had never seen Maggie mad, but he suspected she was beyond just angry. He'd seen her light green eyes darken to almost emerald. However, when he looked at Nix, he saw that his jaw was set. Oh yeah they were about to fight, so time to intervene.

"Maggie, did you have something for me?

Turning to face Dick and ignoring the idiot sitting on the cot behind her, "Yeah we're all running low on morphine and Foxhole Norman can't be found so I thought it would be a good idea if we sent someone back to try to pick up some. I was going to ask if its okay, I really need to check on Emily too before Ron makes me crazy."

"Besides, Buck is shipping out today and I'd really like to say good-bye to him before he goes. I'll take Don along for the ride as well; I know he'd like to see Buck again as well."

"Sure Maggie, I'll have someone come and get you when the jeep arrives."

Nodding she turned to leave when Nixon grabbed her arm. "Come on brat, we're going to talk."

After dragging her back to his foxhole, Nixon finally stopped and faced her. "Look I don't mean anything by what I said. I'm just worried about you, we've been out here almost a month and well you're too thin."

"Nixon do I tell you not to drink…do I tell you not to walk the line at two in the morning, no I don't say those things because it wouldn't do any good and I accept you the way you are, so why do you picking fights with me."

Sighing he released her arm. "Damn it I love you that's why, I thought you would have figured it out by now, but I guess you just had to make me say here of all places. Maggie, I truly love you, I just wish I'd realized it sooner. That's why I'm trying to get you shipped back."

Maggie didn't respond, not because she didn't want to, but just couldn't find the words. She was finally hearing the words she'd longed to hear from the only man who she'd ever cared about and now she found she couldn't say anything. As she was turning to face him, Doc called out to tell her the jeep was here.

"Lew, I'll be back in a few hours and we'll talk then."

Nixon watched her run to join Roe and Malarkey at the jeep not realizing this would be the last time he'd see her.

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"Emily catch the other end of this stretcher, we need to move the dead out to make more room and right now Renee has her hands full."

Maggie had stayed in Bastogne instead of going back to the line. She'd tried to write a letter to send back with Doc, but could never seem to find the right words, so she'd just given up. Yeah she was hiding, but after waiting on him all these years…he could wait on her for a change.

They had just finished a mass casualty rush with another shelling of the woods and now she was just too tired and cold to care. Sitting down on the back steps of the church she lit a cigarette, she really needed to stop smoking, but lately it was the only thing that helped calm her down.

"Can I get one Maggie?"

Emily took the cigarette and sat next to her friend. Maggie had been quieter since she came off the line and whatever had happened out there wasn't being talked about.

"Maggie you ever going to tell me what's bothering you."

Maggie stared at the ground for a moment. "Nope, there is nothing wrong; I just decided to take some of my own advice and come off the line is all. Why do you thing something's wrong."

"Oh I don't know. You won't talk to Doc and I know he keeps trying to get you alone, you won't go back to the line and I guess the biggest thing…you are crying yourself to sleep. So what's wrong?"

Taking another pull from her cigarette, "Okay, well you see there was this guy…"

It took Maggie an hour but she told the whole story of her and Nixon and how it had come to this point and the fact he'd finally told her he loved her.

Emily shook her head, "Okay, so what's the problem, I would have thought you would be head over heels about the fact he finally said it, yet here you are hiding."

"The problem is he has only been divorced for a few months and oh, I don't know maybe I just don't trust what he says."

"Maggie, maybe you should hop a ride out to the line tomorrow, just to see him, because you're miserable when you are away from him. Come on, tomorrow is another day."

Maggie smiled and followed her friend back into the abandoned church. Maybe Emily was right, she did she need to see him and then maybe should could tell him what was in her heart.

It was dusk when the shelling stopped. Dick and Nixon traded looks, grateful that is was over but very conscious of what they had lost. Doc had gone back to Bastogne with the wounded and hadn't returned yet and both men were starting to worry.

"Nix you think he's okay?"

"Yeah Doc's fine, he probably just stayed and grabbed a hot meal or something. Don't worry; he'll probably be back any minute."

Almost as if Nixon could conjure the man by saying his name, Doc Roe walked out of the shadows and into the CP.

"Doc we were getting worried how are things going in Bastogne?"

Doc didn't speak for a moment instead just stared at the ground. "Sir, I've some bad news and I'm not sure where to begin."

Dick pulled him over to a chair and forced him down. When he finally could see Roe in the light he realized there were tear tracks on his face.

"Doc what's happened?"

Doc cast a quick glance in Nixon's direction then met Dick's eyes. "Sir, maybe its better if it's just you and me had this conversation."

Dick gave the nod to Nixon who grabbed his helmet and left. Saying he was going to do a walk of the line.

"Eugene, it's just you and me now, what's happened."

"Sir the aid station is gone. When the Germans shelled Bastogne it took a direct hit, no one made it out."

It took Dick a minute to process what Doc was saying then it hit him like a lead weight. "Maggie and Emily didn't make it did they."

Doc shook his head. "No one got out sir, I just couldn't say it with Lt Nixon here, I know he and Maggie were close and well, someone's going to have to tell Lt Speirs."

Dick had been sitting alone since Roe left. He was waiting for Nixon to return and trying to figure out some way to tell his friend. He still wasn't sure of the words when Nixon finally returned.

"Here you go Dick, I found some coffee the guys were making, not the best, but hey, better than nothing at least it's hot. Everything okay now with Doc?"

Dick decided that the direct approach was probably the best. "Lew, Maggie's gone."

Nixon looked at him puzzled, "What do you mean gone, like gone out of Bastogne."

Dick shook his head, "No the aid station took a direct hit from a shell, no one made it out, and Maggie and Emily are dead. Nix, I'm so sorry."

Nixon sat down hard on the cot, at first he didn't say anything then finally managed to find his voice. "Yeah, her father's going to take it real hard when he gets the news. I think I'll go walk the line again, I'll see you later."

"Lew, don't do anything stupid."

Giving Dick a sad smile, "Don't worry, I'll be back, somebody has to make sure you find your way home now don't they?"

The next day Patton's Third Army made it into Bastogne and the Easy Company moved into the woods overlooking Foy.

This is a short chapter but needed to get past the writer's block.