Author's Note: Another small snippet of Marley and Joe together. Leave a review and let me know how I'm doing!


I woke up to the sound of a jeep going by the building in the wee hours of the morning, having me look around to see that I was still in the bed from where I was last. My dreams were plagued from the prisoners, looking at me as if they were needing more help. They were reaching for me, calling out for help. But it was just a dream, a cold dream that made me wake up in a cold sweat. But once I woke up, seeing the wall ahead of me, I realized that I was lying in a compromising position: Joe was in my arms.

His head was on top of mine, having me realize that I was tucked into his arms under his chin. His hand was on my arm as the other was in my hair weaved into the locks there, our legs intertwined and our breathing was soothing. My own head was against his shoulder, having me hear him breathe in and out smoothly. There was also a blanket over the both of us, an army blanket that was thick and wool that we would use in cold harsh nights and at Bastogne. I didn't know how draped it over us, but I was not going to complain. There was no more pain in Joe's breathing, and no more crying was involved as well. I didn't want to wake him from this position since he was too peaceful and too much in a content space. He needed this rest, as much as he wanted to be strong in front of the group, he needed to sleep. I would too since I saw dead bodies everywhere and a mass amount of people on the brink of death.

Joe was, in fact, proud of being a Jew, there was no ounce of shame in him when it came to what he was. Although he was a practicing Catholic, he still saw himself as Jew and wore it like armor on his stature when he walked and talked. But this, seeing all that we saw and having no real position reaction from it, I knew that was the breaking point for him. To see him in tears as he told them to go back to the camp in order for them to get food and water, that must of killed him from the inside out.

I snuggled closer to him, I felt him stir in his sleep and I rested my cheek on his chest, hearing his heartbeat through his army jacket and shirt. It sounded so strong and so demanding, though he was gentle and so kind. His fingers on my arm moved slightly, having me stay still and watch the window on the other side that showed the moonlight shining into the small room we were in.

"You awake?" He asked in a groggy tone, having me keep my eyes on the window as his fingers in my hair raked through the red locks gently and with a soothing motion to it.

"Yeah," I replied, hearing nothing from him at first as I blinked again, "You okay, Joe?"

"I'm better." He replied. His voice wasn't short or in pain. It was a simple reply from his end, having me hear the vibrations of his voice as he spoke.

"How many do you think we saved?" Joe asked suddenly, having me think about it for a moment before answering him since he was clearly still thinking about the poor souls back at the camp.

"I don't know, maybe a hundred or two," I replied in a light tone, really thinking about it since it felt like a sea of them were there, "And others were a saved too, in other camps. This wasn't the only one."

"I still don't understand….why Jews?" He asked, having the question hang in the air as we were lying there in the cool early morning. That question was still the question for our entire company. I didn't think they would be seen as a threat at all, but for some reason they were. It pained me on the inside, have me realize that there was more to this war than I imagined.

"Who knows, Joe." I merely replied to him, feeling him hold my tighter to him as I saw a light drizzle come down from the sky onto the town, having me hear the rain lightly tap the window sill and the ground below.

"I just…I just want to forget…" Joe trailed off, having me look up at me and see him close his eyes on me. I scoot up to lay next to him, same eye level as I then had him turn to face me on the mattress. He stared at me then, having me see the tear streaks on his face and the coolness of his lips from the cold night.

"I don't want to forget," I said to him, having me see him watch me, "If I forget what I saw, then I would know that this war was meant for nothing. What we saw today, that made me realize why we're here and why we are doing what we're doing." I paused, going over what I just said to him in my head as it sounded crazy enough for me to word it out, "Even it means having nightmares about it for the rest of my life. It's a reminder of what was real about this war." After I told him this, I saw him watch me carefully, his eyes were still dark from the sheer horror of what we saw, but they were getting warmer none the less.

"Would you ever want to forget anything about this war, Marley?" he asked me, curiosity was in his eyes.

"Not one thing." I replied back, seeing him watch me carefully.

"Not even Sobel calling you out?" He asked me, having me pause him and watch him as he swallowed something down before going on, "Being lost that one night with Bull? Our fight even? Or almost being killed from that damn grenade?" It still pained him, remembering the incident with me and the grenade. I rested one hand on his cheek, feeling his warmth as I kept it there in an intimate fashion.

"Not one thing." I repeated to him, seeing his shake his head slowly.

"But why?" he asked, still in disbelief that I would want to have those nightmares haunt me.

"Because it's who I am now, Joe. If those things didn't happen, then I wouldn't be who I am right now in front of you. Things happen for a reason, and I don't want to take any of them back." I explained, thinking of how true it was. If I didn't go MIA with Bull, or almost get killed by a German solider on my first night in Normandy, and even the grenade incident, I would not of been as strong as I am now. Those things, those bad moments in my life, made me want to be stronger and better as a human and a Medic.

"I like what I see in front of me, even though I almost lost you so many times," Joe explained, having me watch him as he kept talking, "If there is one thing about this whole shithole of a war that I want to keep and never loose, it's the fact that I met you. You make me want to be a better person, no one has ever done that with me." I smiled at him widely, having me see him grin at me for the first time that night. It brought color to his face when he smiled, something that he needed since we saw the camp.

He then leaned in carefully, brushing his lips against my own and having me kiss him back carefully. We were needing comfort, not a lustful moment between the both us. Our kisses this time were intimate, having me feel his fingers against my neck and on my collarbone as my own hands were in his hair. He needed something to help him forgot about the pain, but I needed something to remember the reality of what this was. These kisses he was giving me though, they felt different. They felt more real and less of a fantasy. They way he pressed into me and kissed me was so intimate and so real that it made me know for a fact that this was no dream. This was happening and it was beyond real, and I was still getting the high from his lips on my own.

In some kind of change of tides my, hands were on his waist now, ghosting under his jacket and shirt and touching his skin, having me feel the hot skin against my cold fingers. He gasped against my lips, having me pull back from him to see that he was staring at me with big eyes and a small look of wonder on them. It was if an idea struck his head, a wondrous idea that took over his whole body. I waited, thinking I did something wrong. But it was I that was wrong, since he uttered three words to me that changed everything in the room.

"I love you." He said to me, as if it was too simple and so easy for him to say. He loved me: Joseph Liegbott from San Francisco loved me. He made it sound so casual, but it made me finally see him for all his worth. How long was he going to wait to tell me this? Why didn't I tell him before? He beat me to the punch, having me only stare at him back and give him a soft smile

"I love you too." I replied back to him, no longer afraid of saying it aloud to him. We both loved each other, and we had to say it to each other at the brink of war. It was funny, how we said it to each other as if it was easy like breathing, but we went through so much together to come to this point. There were points that had me doubt if we were going to fit together, since we both were so hotheaded and emotional for what we believed was right. Our hearts were too big to overlook and work on our flaws, and it must have been why we were drawn to one another. So I melted back in his arms, resting my head on his chest and feeling him pull me close to his body, the both of us looking at the ceiling once and hearing the rain getting a bit louder on the roof.

"Tell me something about you that you never told me yet." Joe said to me, breaking the moment of silence between us.

"My brother, Owen, he wanted to be in the army but he failed the test because he was deaf," I explained to him softly, tracing circles on Joe's chest with his thin shirt with my finger, "He was happy that I passed though I could tell it bothered him. You'd like him, my brother. He loves cars and he goes to car shows all the time."

"Sounds like a swell kind of guy." Joe replied, having me feel his hand was slowly lowering to my lower back as I went on, though I tried to hide the blush and shiver that was threatening to come through me, "What about your old man and mom?"

"My dad's a fisherman, born and raised on the waters." I explained some more, raking my fingers against his thin shirt to have him feel it against his skin, "My mother was a nurse, she was the best at the hospital. Some say I look like my mother, but I have my father's nose and his laugh." HIs hand was on my waist now, touching my bare skin under my jacket and having me feel that chill again.

"What about your mom and dad?" I asked him wrapping my fingers around his side to feel his ribs against the shirt.

"My dad's a real hardass, but a softie for the girls I brought home in the past. He loves to fish, takes me out every once in awhile and we can try to catch whatever is out there. He also plays the accordion, something he picked up from his dad, it's mostly polka stuff and other songs from Austria. But my mom, man would she adore you. She loves to bake and pours her heart into all the cakes and pastries she makes for me and the old man. She's always askin' me when I'm gonna find a Jewish girl." I grinned against his shirt, feeling him make circles with his finger against my skin on my lower waist as I looked up at him, seeing him grin down at me.

"You think she'll approve of a redhead from Louisiana?" I asked him, sitting up slightly so I was looking down at him with one arm resting underneath me. His hand was still on my waist, holding me close as I ran my fingers in his hair.

"I think you'd be something out of left field for her, but she'd like ya. Hell, she'd like anyone who's whipping me into shape and not putting up with my shit." He replied to me, having me smile down at him as he watched me from his spot on the mattress. His face then went soft, having me see then take my hand in his to intertwined the fingers, holding me there with his other hand still on my waist and his fingers gripping my hip.

"Would you ever think of marrying me?" He asked me, his voice was sounding so curious as I watched him. It made me think: Me marrying Joe. I would be Mrs. Liegbott, having me call him husband and him call me wife. It sounded so simple, yet we were from different parts of life and have seen different demons and sins. He wanted to know if I thought of marriage with him. I merely smiled at him.

"I don't know, Joe. I've been told I'm too much to handle since I'm such a hothead." I teased him, seeing him grin a toothy grin. But I saw that he was also serious about the thought of marriage, making me wonder why he thought of it now while we were till in Germany. He then rolled us over, having me squeal now as I was underneath him and he was looking down at me. His dog tags touched my chest as he watched me from above now, having me feel both trapped and exposed at the same time. I rested one hand on his hip still and the other on his neck, rubbing his skin with my thumb as his hands were on either side of my head.

"When we get home, away from this war, I wanna marry you. Honest to God, Marley, I wanna marry you." Joe explained to me as I watched him with admiration in my eyes and my heart swelling, "Only if you don't mind marry a Jew." The last part of what he said sounded strained, having me look at me with determined eyes now as I leaned up to be so close to his face.

"I'm not in love with you because you're Jewish, Joe." I reminded him, "I am in love with you because you take everything that I have done and you accept it, both the good and bad." Joe smiled at me as I whispered to him the last part that made this whole conversation official, "And yes, I do wanna marry you."

I was his, and he was mine.