A/N: No cliffhangers for this chapter. I give you permission to rejoice now. Enjoy!
Don't own Band of Brothers.
Music/Lyrics by: Interpol (and Rodgers & Hammerstein)

XVII. No I in Threesome

Through the storms and the light
Baby, you stood by my side
And life is wine
But there are days in this life
When you see the teeth marks of time
Two lovers divide

Dick knew that it would be wrong to read another person's mail. It wasn't the way his mother raised him and she would be horrified if she knew. Cora, too, would probably kill him., but she had also never been a light sleeper. No! What are you even thinking? Dick folded the letter and placed it on the table. Whatever the bastard had to say to her was her business. He refused to be overprotective of her… clearly, it wasn't how to keep her out of harm's way. He took the crocheted blanket off of the back of the sofa and covered her with it carefully, not wanting to wake her up.

Cora, though, would have preferred to be awoken, since her slumber was far from peaceful. She dreamt of that letter… that damn letter. She could hear him saying it, hear the infliction in his voice and picture the mouth that was forming the words. The dream-Cora was sobbing, just as real-Cora had been.

Cora Leigh,

It's been a long time, but for me, lately, you seem to be everywhere. I've heard our song eleven times this week and I constantly smell cinnamon. I always turn around to see if you're there, but you never are and I feel so disappointed. I tried coming up with reasons for writing this that made it look like I don't miss you half as much as I do. But, really, I'm writing to apologize. What I said back in England was untrue. One day, I promise, I'll grow up enough for you to see that…

He had signed it with his usual flourish: Love always, Your Herbert. Cora felt as though her chest had been ripped open again, and when she looked down, she saw a gaping hole. Sobel stood just opposite her, holding her heart in the palm of his hand. The organ pumped as he gripped it tighter, bringing it toward his face. His mouth opened wide and he shoved the heart in, sinking his teeth deep into it. Cora fell to her knees, horrified, as the blood covered his face. Sobel's eyes went black and his mouth had twisted into a sadistic grin.

"What's wrong, baby?"

Cora shot up, drenched in a cold sweat. Her hands flew to her chest, checking to see if everything was intact. It was only a dream… She pinched the bridge of her nose and inhaled sharply. The image of Sobel covered in her blood still lingered. She drew her knees to her chest and began rocking back and forth, humming softly with the rhythm of her motions.

Finally, she noticed the blanket that had been draped over her and that the letter sat, perfectly folded, on the coffee table. Cora looked around the room and saw Dick, asleep, in the adjoining armchair, which was much too small for his lengthy frame. In repose, Cora discovered, he was even more innocent. It took all of her willpower not to get up and settle onto his lap, to fall back to sleep in his arms. Instead, she removed the blanket from her body and covered him with it instead before heading into the tiny bedroom in the back of the flat.

"As you wished, Major," she mumbled sleepily. "Anything you say."

&&&&&

They all knew that a large number of German soldiers had surrendered, but seeing them was a different matter. The sound of their footsteps echoed over the roadways, each movement in perfect unison with the others. It was stood out to Cora most, even over the rumbling of carriages and the Allied vehicles. The Krauts held their heads high as they struggled along, the pride and dignity still evident in each movement.

Cora, unlike Webster, couldn't be bothered with the Germans. She stared slightly downward and out from the back of the truck, allowing her to observe Dick from the corner of her eye. She dissected him, analyzed and calculated… it was if he were apart of some lab in school. He was looking around, watching the Krauts pass on one side and the German countryside on the other. Cora wished she knew what he was thinking, wondering if he had read Sobel's letter. It had been folded up on the table and she was positive that she hadn't moved it before falling asleep. Of course he read it. He was too quiet… Dick's head turned back to look ahead of him and his eyes flicked up to hers. Cora could feel her stomach flutter.

Over the years, Cora, you've become an addiction for me. I'm not sure if I know how to quit you. I remember you saying that you were a hard habit to break. I'm feeling sort of silly now, since I always thought you were joking. You were right. I was wrong. And I do love you, Cora. I think I always will. Until the end of my days.

I just figured you ought to know that…

A year had gone by since Sobel had left her. It had been seven months since she had seen him. Dick had been there for her, and allowed her to be there for him, since the beginning. Sobel, Cora was sure, loved her, but in the only way he knew how to love… but it wasn't enough for her. She had never cried in front of him, never showed any emotions beyond desire, amusement, and anger. Dick, though, had seen her at her worst… and he still remained by her side. He let her run wild, let her drink and swear and smoke without a single word about how it would probably affect her health. What I want is for one fucking person to accept me for who I am… A light bulb went off above Cora's head.

He already did.

&&&&&

"We found something," Perconte said, out of breath from running.

Cora raised an eyebrow at him. She tucked the clipboard of medical supply papers under her arm and gave him her full attention. "Frank, what the hell are you talking about? Found what?"

"Cora, I don't know what it is, but you should probably come take a look at this. It's just… I don't know."

She nodded quickly and scanned the crowd of men, most of them flirting with young German women, for Winters. Finally, he rushed out of a building, also preoccupied with papers. "Dick, Frank says we have a situation. Don't bother asking me what it is because he's speaking 'panic' and I don't have a clue."

Dick quickly instructed all of the men to load into the trucks. Frank rode in the passenger seat of the jeep and Cora was told to hop in the back with Nixon and Speirs. For the first time in months, she did just as he told her. He was just as taken aback by her response as he was grateful for it.

As they rounded a corner through the forest, a long row of tall wooden posts and fierce metal fencing came into view. Dozens of scrawny, striped figures clung to the wires as if it were the only thing supporting them. Their bones protruded from sickly pale skin and each of their faces expressed fear. Cora instantly thought of caged animals, dogs that had been beaten into submission by their masters. Smoke rose from various spots across the earth and rickety wooden shacks dotted the barren landscape. A stench filled the air, a smell that Cora had become accustomed to. It had been in Holland, in Bastogne, in Germany, in every aid station and field hospital she had ever stepped foot in. It was the smell of death… and it hung over the unknown place like a black cloud.

As the thick metal chain was cut and the gates were pushed open, Cora moved forward to stand beside Dick. Her pulse thudded in her ears and suddenly, everything seemed too bright and too loud. Her arm began to move, almost involuntarily, until she felt her fingers tighten around a familiar, freckled hand. Dick looked down at Cora just as she gazed up at him, her eyes glassy with shock. He nodded and gave her icy hand a light squeeze before leading her, and the rest of Easy Company, through a sea of skeletons and six-pointed stars.

&&&&&

Cora wasn't sure where to begin. They were all starving and dehydrated, cold and dying. She couldn't decide how to help them. What made matters worse was that those were her people. They were Jews, mostly, with a few Poles and gypsies. The stars on their shirts had been the first clue… those damn goldenrod stars. From that moment on, the Star of David would only remind her of that day, instead of being a beautiful symbol of her faith.

The second clue came in the form of a phrase she had heard one of them repeat to any soldier that he passed: Ich hob dir lieb.

Ich hob dir lieb. Ich hob dir lieb. Ich hob dir lieb.

It wasn't German, of that she was sure. It was Yiddish… the only other language Cora understood. She began to hear it more as she milled about, and before long, she felt as though she had been kicked in the stomach.

They were her people…

&&&&&

"He said that there was a women's camp at the next railroad stop," Liebgott told Cora as she checked the vitals of a young man, who couldn't have been any older than twenty.

"Jesus… alright, I'll go over there as soon as the others get back with the extra food and water. I've radioed for other medics to get here and bring plenty of supplies."

Joe nodded and handed her a canteen for the boy. "Cora, did you… d-did you see the train… the train c-car."

"Yes," she said curtly, trying so hard to rid the image of limp limbs and leathery faces from her mind.

Cora turned away from the memory and smiled gently at the boy, who had tears streaming down his gaunt face. She reached her hand up and wiped away the moisture.

"Gitte neshomah," he said, nodding weakly. Good soul.

"Gut gezugt." Well said.

He laughed for the first time in years and found himself amazed at the sound of it. Cora wrapped a blanket around his shoulders and ferried him to the front of the line as the men arrived with truckloads of cheese and bread.

&&&&&

By the time Colonel Sink had arrived at the camp, chaos had ensued with the food distribution. They had crowded around the vehicles, shouting and reaching, and were quickly eating and drinking. Cora had encouraged it, hoping that even just the slightest bit of food and water would help sustain some of them until the next day. Sink, though, had brought along the regimental surgeon, Doctor Kent, who had a far different idea.

"Now, Doc, you tell Major Winters, Cap'n Nixon, and Cap'n Larson what you just told me," Sink said with his heavy Southern drawl.

"Yes, sir," Kent said, giving Cora a sharp look. "We need to stop giving these men food right now. They're starving. If we give them too much to eat too quickly, they'll eat themselves to death. We need to keep them in the camp until we can find a place for them in town."

Nixon was horrified. "You want us to lock these people back up?"

"Or else they might scatter," Kent continued. "We need to keep them centralized so we can supervise their food intake and medical treatment. So, until we can find some place better—"

"You've got to be fucking kidding me!" Cora said, interrupting.

"Captain Larson, you know as well as I do—"

"Then I obviously don't know a damn thing, buddy. Now, I'm all for keeping them centralized. That I understand, but to take away the food now is just… so damn evil. You think that's what's best for them? If we stop feeding them, more will probably die before the sun sets, got it?" Her hands clenched into fists and her eyes narrowed. "You know, men like you are all the same. They get into the medical field because they realize that being a doctor means having control over people's lives. They start playing God and watch people suffer just to feel that control. They're the same men that beat their wives and abuse animals. Tell me something, do you hit your wife, Doctor Kent?"

"Cora…" Colonel Sink warned. "It's a crying ass shame, but let's get it done."

"I don't like it anymore than you guys…"

Without warning, the last screw that was holding her together that day finally came loose, and Cora saw red. "Then why the fuck aren't you fixing it, you stupid bastard?!"

She came at the man with full force, charging like a bull at a matador. Dick swung his arm out in front of Kent, catching Cora by the waist. She kicked and clawed at the air, trying desperately to escape Dick's grasp. He pulled her tight against his chest, even as she pounded her fists against him.

"Why aren't you helping them?" she sobbed wildly, clinging tightly to Dick. She sagged against him, her knees weak from her plight, and he easily cradled her in his arms.

It was obvious then, more than ever before, that it was indeed Fate that had brought Dick and Cora together that summer of '42. And as the other paratroopers looked on at their surgeon and their former CO, they were forced to agree.

&&&&&

"Dick, I'm going to need to borrow one of these jeeps," Cora said when she finally regained her composure.

"Why?" he asked, worried. "You're not going to run over Doctor Kent, are you?"

Cora smiled. She tucked a stray curl behind her ear and sighed heavily. Breathing was starting to become difficult, between the smell and the ache in her chest, but she struggled through the motions. "No, no. I just, uh… well, I was hoping to go to the women's camp. I'm sure they could use my help there."

Dick nodded and reached his hand out to give her the keys. Starlight looks swell on us. Cora paused, slightly bewildered by the further proof of her realization. Let the stars beam from above. The man that stood before her did accept her. The man that stood before her did love her. The man that stood before her was not Sobel. And he wouldn't hurt her. Who cares if they tell on us?

"Dick… would you come with me? I…" She paused. Admitting it, she knew, was the first step. "I need you."

Let people say we're in love.

&&&&&

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Dick set his pen down alongside the pile of paperwork he still had to finish and turned to look at the closed window. He felt a sudden wave of déjà vu as he listened to the persistent patter from the other side of the curtains.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

He crossed the room and pulled the drapes apart, revealing Cora's face. The moonlight danced in her curls and made her silvering scars gleam. I've never seen anything like you before. Dick sighed and pushed the glass up before leaning out to talk to her.

"You haven't done this in a while."

"No, I haven't, and I figured there's no time like the present so, here I am."

Dick smirked at her. "I'm glad. I've missed these conversations."

"Well, then I'm glad you're glad. In fact, I'm so glad, I want to apologize," she said, before raising her hands up to show a small, cone-shaped bundle of light purple flowers. "It's for you."

"Where did you find this?" Dick asked, taking it from her.

"From someone's yard. It's a purple hyacinth. It means, 'I'm sorry.'"

Dick smiled and nodded. He looked down at the plant in his hand and admired it, then his gaze turned back to Cora's. Just ask her. You know you want to. "Do you want to come in?"

Cora's eyes grew wide for a moment and then squinted as she grinned at him. "Really?"

"Yes, really. I'll just go around and let you in," he said over his shoulder as he went toward the door.

She laughed. "No need."

Cora jumped up, gripped the ledge of the windowsill, and hoisted herself off the ground as far as she could. She swung her legs up one at a time, until she was through the window, her boots making a loud 'thud' as her feet came down upon the wooden floor. She stood erect, hands on hips, as the wind blew through from behind her. Dick shook his head.

"Clearly," she said, "you forgot that little talent of mine. I've really become an ace at it by now. Between climbing out of my bedroom in New York and into Sobel's back in…" Her voice faded until silence filled the thick air and they were both left struggling for oxygen.

"You know, Dick, that isn't just to say sorry about being a first-class schmuck these past few months, but also because I lied to you… about that letter. It wasn't from back home. It was from—"

"Sobel. Yeah, I know. I didn't read it, but I can't think of anyone else that calls you Cora Leigh."

A heavy layer of sorrow hung over the room, which left Cora aching from the pressure. Her chin dropped to her chest and her arms twisted around her stomach, as if she were holding her organs in. Beads of sweat appeared along her upper lip and her face tightened. Dick instantly felt a need to rush to her, to gather her in his arms and tell her that everything was going to be okay, but he wasn't so sure that that was true.

"What did the letter say?" he asked, wishing suddenly that he hadn't.

She took a long, shuddering breath. "He said that he misses me and that he still loves me. And I can't help but think that he's still living in some fantasy world. I mean, we haven't even seen each other in God only knows how long, but he just 'figured' I ought to know that he's still in love with me. I just don't understand him. Well, actually, I never did. Really never really wanted to, I guess."

"Why not?" He spun the flower between his fingers, knowing that the motion would keep him from losing his mind.

"Why would anyone want to comprehend a man like that? Plus, I thought that if I ever figured him out, I might be too much like him and then I'd really hate myself. I was already disgusted by how weak he made me, how pathetic I was. If he said 'Jump,' I usually asked, 'How high?' It was like I died a little everyday… until I was with you."

Dick stopped the hyacinth mid-spin. "What?"

"You always had a way of making me feel more like myself again. I'm not sure how, but you did. Still do. I swear, if I put a bowl of soup in front of you and gave you a stick, you'd pull a tiger out of it."

Dick laughed and drew Cora to him. He wrapped his long arms around her, pressing her close to his chest. She could hear his heart pounding as he pressed his lips affectionately to her forehead and he could feel the heat radiating from her skin.

"Thank you," she whispered into his shirt.

"For what?" he asked, his fingers trailing softly up and down her back.

"For existing."

Dick moved back from her to let his eyes travel over her face, discovering that she was even more attractive to him when she was sincere. He cupped her chin gently in his hand and brushed his lips against hers. The simplicity of it brought about, for Cora, thoughts of candles; of slow burns and melting. Their lips moved, waltzed, slowly, moving in perfect rhythm with the subtle throbbing of their pulses.

It was official… Herbert Sobel was a thing of the past.