A/N - Dear God, this is the longest chapter so far. It's almost ten thousand words and like twenty pages long. Have fun with this one.

Disclaimer - Read the first chapter's.

Chuck awoke when the fire started. I felt him jerk next to me, but I didn't look over at him, I just sat there silently, waiting for what was going to happen next. I didn't have to wait long, because the next thing I knew the red light had come on and Lieutenant Winters was standing up, fastening his helmet and making sure it was secure. He looked out at all of us and then he put out his hands, shouting, "Get ready!"

We all grabbed our hook, holding it out as we watched Winters order us around. We were all stiff with our movements, almost robotic. We knew how this went down, we've done it what seems like a dozen times, but really has only been five. We could also be so stiff because of what was really going on though. We had never jumped into combat before, every time we jumped it was into a field in America, and we knew we'd be safe and sound when we touched the ground, but not this time. This time, we could be facing the end of our lives.

"Stand up!" I stood, along with everyone else, and I ended up with Bill behind me and Chuck in front of me, "Hook up!" We all did as we were told, and then he shouted, "Equipment check!"

We all made sure the man in front of us was good, made sure everything was tied or hooked up like it should be, then came, "Sound off for equipment check!"

Everybody started sounding off, and then it got to me, "Seven okay!' Then Chuck went, and so on and so on. Eugene was towards the front, right behind Winters. Winters was looking out the door, waiting for the green light, and then the plane swerved and we were all stumbling around.

"Jesus Christ!" Somebody in front of me yelled as I kept a tight hold on my hook and held my helmet in place on my head as I tried regaining my footing.

The booming around us was so loud and I caught a glimpse out of the door, and what I saw scared the shit out of me. I saw a plane in flames spinning like a top and heading towards the grassy fields beneath us.

"We have to jump, sir!" Somebody in front of me yelled, but Winters shook his head, "We have to wait for the go!"

"We're gunna fuckin' die up here!" The same man said, and the man in front of Chuck was praying quietly.

I swallowed thickly as we waited and I heard another loud boom and after that the green light came on and Winters looked at us, but only for a moment, before he started shouting, "Go! Go! Go! Go!"

He jumped first, then Gene, and then so on and so on. Chuck looked back at me as the guy in front of him jumped, and he nodded curtly at me before he jumped. I released a tense breath before I sucked it right back in and jumped out of the door and into the line of fire. My chute opened four seconds later and I was falling swiftly.

I can remember my first jump. I couldn't remember the moment I left the door, but I remember the split second I was free falling, and then I remember my parachute opening and me swiftly gliding to the ground. I remember the joy I felt, the exhilarating experience it was. This was different. I don't remember leaving the door, that was the same, but I didn't like gliding this time. I wanted to be on the ground now, I didn't want to be up here anymore. I was terrified, I wasn't smiling, not like the first time.

I was actually surprised when my feet hit the ground and I was surrounded by tall grass. I grabbed my parachute and wrapped it up quickly before I took it off of me to stop the wind from taking it. I reached for my rifle, then realized I didn't have it. I lost in the damn jump, as well as that heavy ass leg bag.

I reached down and grabbed the knife in my boot, and at the moment I realized I was screwed. The only thing I had to defend myself was this six inch blade. It could do some damage, sure, but I'd have to be right up on the German's if I wanted to kill them. They'd get me before I even stepped one foot near them.

I kept low though, trying to stay out of sight as I began walking, then I realized another thing. I didn't know where the hell I was. I was so wrapped up in panic that I didn't even hear somebody drop behind me, I jerked and almost yelped when I heard the voice say, "Flash!"

I spun around and looked at who it was, and then I quickly said, "Thunder!" Then I took a closer look, "Liebgott?"

He looked at me, almost in distaste, but that was soon replaced with a scowl, "Tauscher," He said, nodding curtly as he took off his parachute and pulled his rifle off his back, "Do you know where the hell we are?"

I shook my head, "No idea. They scattered us all over the damn place."

Liebgott nodded in agreement as he looked around, "You any good with directions?"

I shrugged, "I don't know. You got a map?"

He looked at me and glared, "I ain't no fuckin' intelligence officer. No, I ain't got a map."

"Just asking," I said, looking around, then I said, "Let's just start walking, maybe we'll find a checkpoint."

"Yeah, alright," Liebgott said, then we started walking through the fields of Normandy.
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We'd been walking for almost an hour at this point, and neither one of us had said a word to each other. Liebgott was walking ahead of me because he had the more effective weapon, while I just had this shitty knife. He had lost his leg bag, too. Quite a use that was, huh?

We were creeping through the woods quietly, the only sounds to be heard was distant gunfire and the crunching of the tree branches, grass, and leaves underneath our feet. The time was passing at a horribly slow pace, probably because Liebgott had refused to talk to me. I had to at least try to talk to him.

"So..." I started, trying to come up with something to say, "What'd you do before all this started?"

He cast a glance back at me, as if annoyed by that question, "What?"

"You heard me," I said with as much bite as he did.

He glared at me for a moment more before he turned his attention back in front of him before he answered my question, "I drove a cab in Frisco."

I nodded, taking that in. Then I asked, "Did you like it?"

"I liked it better than this," He told me as we continued walking, then it was silent for a moment, "What about you? What did you do?"

"I was in college," I said honestly, checking my surroundings as we walked, "I was working toward a bachelors degree. I was going to be a teacher."

"A teacher?" Liebgott asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Yeah, a teacher," I said, nodding, "An English teacher, actually. Middle school, probably."

"You like kids?" Liebgott asked, and I nodded.

"It's part of the reason I wanted to become a teacher," I told him, then we were quiet again.

I had been wanting to ask him something for a long time, probably since Toccoa, but I didn't know how to ask it. How was I supposed to bring it up? He'd probably just hate me more for it, honestly.

We continued to walk in silence, nothing was happening. There was no enemy fire anymore, no weird sounds around us. We were just walking now, very quietly. It was starting to annoy me.

"Joe?" I suddenly spoke without my own permission, it just sort of slipped out.

"Yeah?" He said, continuing his pace ahead of me.

I was silent for a minute, releasing an anxious breath, but then I just said, "Why do you hate me?"

He stopped and I almost ran into his back. I looked up at him, waiting for him to say something, turn around and look at me, something. Then he did, "I don't know."

That surprised me. I was expecting him to deny it, tell me he didn't hate me, or something like that, but he answered me honestly and he continued walking. I furrowed my brow, a little bit in annoyance, "You don't know? Joe, you've hated me since I met you! There's got to be a reason!" I whispered harshly as I went to walking beside him instead of behind him.

"Well, there's not, okay?" Joe said, refusing to look at me, "I just don't like you. Some people just don't like others, it's not that big of a deal."

"Well, it is to me!" I snapped, glaring at him, "I've never done anything to you, and everyone else seems to like me okay, I just don't understand why you hate me."

"Just leave it be, Tauscher," Joe said, sounding a bit annoyed himself now.

"But-"

"Flash!" Somebody suddenly said, and me and Joe turned towards the voice in alarm and at the ready.

"Thunder!" We both said back, and the person came out from behind a tree.

I recognized him. The pale skin, the dark eyes, "Gene?" I said, raising one eyebrow.

"Tauscher. Liebgott," He said, looking at the both of us.

"You alright, Doc?" Joe asked, looking over our newest companion, making sure he was unscathed, which he seemed to be.

Gene nodded, and looked around the area we were in, "Yeah, I'm okay. What 'bout you two? Everythin' okay?"

Me and Joe both nodded and Joe said, "Yeah, we're fine. You know where the hell we are?"

Gene jutted a thumb over his shoulder before he spoke, "I was jus' headin' this way. I saw a bridge up through the trees, I think it might be our checkpoint."

Joe nodded and started walking that way, "Alright then, this way we go."

And so we went, another man in tow this time around.
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There were dead German's all around when we got to the bridge, and a couple of dead horses. Some of us had been through here, and I searched long and hard for a weapon there, but came up with nothing. Looks like whoever killed them had taken what they could.

It was early morning now and we were all tired, but we thought we were on the right path. Everywhere we went, we knew somebody had been here before us. We came across a small area a little while later and found some dead paratroopers, and there weapons and ammo had also been taken.

It was about noon before I almost collapsed, my legs becoming weak from all the walking I've done in the past nearly twelve hours. My eyes were half closed and I was so tired I was lightheaded, I didn't even feel my knees buckle. I didn't realize what had happened until I felt an arm around me. I snapped open my eyes and shook my head, trying to figure out where I was as I straightened myself out.

"You alright, Colonel?" I heard Eugene's thick accent ask me.

I looked over at him and realized he was the one who had steadied me. I nodded and quickly jerked out of his grasp, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired," I said, yawning as I continued walking behind Liebgott, "Where the fuck are we?"

I heard Joe sigh and then I saw him look at me over his shoulder, his dark eyes narrowed, "Would ya stop askin' that? Jesus... Yer startin' ta annoy me."

"Starting to?" I chuckled quietly, "Joe, I've been annoying you since the day I sat down at the mess hall table, remember?"

Joe just grumbled to himself as he went on walking, trying his best to ignore me. I frowned a moment later and sighed, trying my best to ignore him. We continued onward, all of us yawning every now and again. I wish I could find myself a weapon. It was weird being so empty handed. Joe was the only one who could defend us, since Eugene was a medic and medic's didn't carry weapons. He was probably scared shitless out there all alone before he found us.

We only walked for a few more seconds before Joe threw up a hand over his shoulder, silently telling us to stop, which we both did. I heard what Joe heard, it sounded like an engine. I furrowed my brow and swallowed thickly as Joe held up his weapon, ready to fire.

The sound got closer, and closer, and closer. I was tense, as was Eugene behind me, even Joe looked tense, but he was concentrated, he was at the ready. He steadied his weapon as the sound got louder, but after the sound presented itself a face, he slumped his shoulders and lowered his weapon, "Well shit."

The car stopped in front of us and we looked up to see who it was. The trooper in the seat smiled and looked down at us, his familiar black hair peeking out from underneath his helmet, "You boys need a ride?"

"Bill, are you insane?!" Joe cried, slinging his weapon over his shoulder by the strap, "Drivin' a jeep around on enemy lines, are ya tryin' ta get yourself killed?!"

"Oh, come on, Joe," Bill said with a cocky grin, "Nobody can get 'ol Wild Bill Guarnere," He looked over at the three of us, and he smiled at me for a brief moment before he looked back to Joe, "Hop in, I'll take ya ta CP."

We did as we were told.
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"Hey! Easy!" I heard Popeye's call as Bill stopped the jeep and we all hopped out, "Where the hell have you guys been?"

"All over fuckin' Normandy, Popeye," I replied as he shook my hand in greeting.

"Well, how about that," Popeye smiled, "Us too."

I smiled and looked around, then I saw Malarkey, "What's with the long face, Malark?"

He just looked up at me for a moment and shook his head before he averted my eyes and continued smoking his cigarette. I raised an eyebrow and looked back up at Popeye, "What's the matter with him?"

Popeye shrugged, "I don't know, he's been like that since he finished talking to that Kraut prisoner."

I just hummed, giving Malarkey a weird look, but I brushed his odd behavior aside, "Well, I'll see you around, Popeye. I've got some catching up to do."

"Alright, see you later," He said as I then walked back over to Bill as Joe began talking to Popeye.

"Where is everyone, Bill?" I asked in concern now, frowning as I barely saw any Easy men.

Bill frowned now, too, which made my heart drop, "This is it, Maddie. No one else has showed up yet."

"What about Ralph?" I asked, then, a bit louder and with more alarm, "Chuck?"

"Ralph's fixin' up a little aid station over there," Bill told me, then he shook his head and slumped his shoulders, "Chuck hasn't showed up either. I'm real sorry, Maddie."

I frowned deeply now, feeling my heart stop. He was okay, he had to be okay.

"He's fine, I'm sure of it," Bill tried comforting me, "Chuck's one tough son of a bitch, he'll show up."

"I hope you're right," I said, avoiding his eyes as I looked down at my boots and then I went silent.

I heard Bill sigh next to me, then he spoke, "I'm glad yer a'right, Maddie. I can't tell ya how worried I was about ya'."

I forced a smile then, looking up into his dark, yet sympathetic eyes, "I was worried about you, too. I'm glad you're alright."

"Me too," Bill smiled, then he said, "Ralph's over in that buildin' there, I'm sure he'd be glad ta see ya'."

I smiled and nodded curtly, "Alright, thanks Bill."

"No problem, Maddie," He said back to me as he reached into his breast pocket for his cigarettes, "I'll see ya later, okay?"

I nodded and waved him off before I turned and went over to the makeshift Aid Station. I saw that Ralph had painted a red cross on the pillar outside the building, so that everyone would know what this was. I smiled at that for some reason, then I went inside the busted up doors. I walked into the Aid Station that looked like it used to be a bar or restaurant or something, and I saw it was mostly empty, except for Ralph, standing off to the side and going through his medical supplies.

I smiled as I walked in, looking around, mocking the expression of awe, "I like what you've done with the place, Ralph," I said, making him look up at me and I immediately saw the smile spread across his face, "You clean up nice."

My face broke out into a smile as well as he approached me, his arms open for a hug. Just a moment later I was laughing happily as I was enveloped in his arms tightly, so tightly I could hardly breathe. I patted his back a little and giggled into his shoulder, "Jeez, Ralph, did you miss me?"

He pulled away and held me at arms length, searching my face, making sure I was okay, "I was worried about ya," Then he hugged me again, "I'm so glad yer a'right."

I giggled into his shoulder again as he hugged me tight again, but this embrace didn't last as long as the last one. He pulled away from me a moment later, but his smile remained, "Ya look good. How was yer jump?"

"Well, I was dropped in the wrong DZ," I said, shrugging and Ralph scoffed.

"Yeah, you along with everyone else," Ralph said, "Was anybody with ya?"

I nodded, "Yeah, Liebgott and I found each other right away, and then a little while later, Gene found us."

"Where is he?" Ralph asked, seeming concerned for his friend.

"He's around here somewhere," I said, looking around curiously, "He'll show up eventually, this is where he'll be working for a bit, I'm assuming."

Ralph nodded and looked around the Aid Station, "Yeah, well... I tried my best with what I had. I hope it's good nuf."

"Hey, at least it has a roof," I said, patting him on the arm reassuringly.

"Yeah..." He said, looking around, then he said, "Hey, could ya help me with these boxes?"

"Sure," I said, going over to the counter with him and picking up one of the five boxes. I looked down in the one I held and furrowed my brow, "Is this all?"

Ralph nodded as he led me over to a shelf he was going to put all of this on, "I went 'round gettin' what I could from any man I could find. This was all I got."

"Well, when more of the men show up you'll get some more," I told him confidently.

"I sure hope so," Ralph said, "If more even show up, that is."

I went silent then, biting my lip hard. I swallowed thickly and tried to keep my strong front up. Ralph noticed my sudden silence, and when he was finished putting his box up on the shelf he turned to me and furrowed his brow curiously, "Maddie?"

Then he seemed to realize what he had just said and he knew what I was thinking, because his expression faltered and he went from curious to fearful and regretful in a split second, "Oh, Maddie..." He grabbed the box out of my hands and put it on top of a bookshelf to his left before he took a step towards me, "Don't worry, he's fine. He'll show up."

"Will he?" I asked, my voice wavering, "I mean, we were dropped all over the damn place, does he even know where to go? He could be on the other side of the damn peninsula for all we know!"

"Maddie-" But I didn't let him finish.

"I keep telling myself that he's okay and he'll be here, but... But who knows where he is or if he's even alive! He could be dead, lying in a ditch somewhere! The German's could've took all his stuff, and-"

"Maddie! Stop!" Ralph cried suddenly, grabbing my shoulders. I've never heard him raise his voice before. I stopped my long rant and sucked in a sharp breath as I looked into Ralph's dark eyes, "Breathe. Calm down. He's fine. Chuck is fine."

"But-"

"Chuck is always fine," Ralph said reassuringly, though his eyes held unknowing, "He will be here, I promise you," He searched my eyes for a moment and then offered me the tiniest smile, "Okay?"

I nodded, finally catching my breath, "Okay."

"Alright, good," Ralph said, "Now come on, let's get your mind off of all that. Help me with these boxes."

I nodded and Ralph squeezed my shoulders one last time before he released me and turned back to the box he took from me, taking it off the low shelf and setting it up on the high one that was bolted to the wall. He then turned back to me and we both went back to the front of the bar to get the rest of the boxes. As we entered the main room, the bell on the door jingled and me and Ralph both looked up and saw Eugene standing in the doorway, looking around.

Ralph smiled and stepped towards him a little bit, "Doc! How've ya been?"

"I was dropped in the wrong DZ," He replied, putting his medic bag down on the shelf by the door.

Ralph scoffed, "Yeah, tell me 'bout it. Ya wanna help with these boxes?"

Eugene adjusted his shoulder, but he furrowed his brow before he said, "Actually, I came to get Colonel Tauscher. Winters needs us."

I sighed and looked back to Ralph, "Sorry Ralph."

"Oh, it's fine," Ralph said as I grabbed my helmet and placed it back on my head before I started towards the door with Eugene, "I'll get it! Just leave me all alone to fix everything! I understand!"

I rolled my eyes and looked back him from the doorway, "Stop your bitching and get back to work."

Then I left, but I saw Ralph flash me a quick smile before I did.
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This was it, my first real action. Me, Malarkey, Bill, Toye, Winters, and Hall were making the main assault, I finally got my hands on a weapon, too. Hallelujah. Medics stayed behind, we needed as many as we could at the Aid Station, and so far we only had four medics. Two from Easy, one from Dog, and one from Able.

Winters was running through the plan right now and we all eagerly sat there, waiting for his order to go. My hands were shaking slightly as they held the rifle, I was so nervous, everybody else probably was, too. None of us had ever shot a man before, well, I heard Bill killed a bunch of German's by the bridge, so that explains all of that since me, Liebgott, and Eugene walked through there.

"Alright, let's go," I heard Winters say and the main assault team followed him through some bushes as Liebgott and Petty stayed behind to set up their machine guns.

All hell broke loose a few moments later. Me, Bill, and Malarkey followed Buck as Winters went with Hall and a couple of the others. We were on our bellies a moment later, crawling through the tall grass as I heard machine gun rounds starting to go off and the cries of the German's.

We all stopped behind some bushes and Buck peered through, trying to see what was going on, then he turned to us and started flashing some signals. We all nodded in understanding before we suddenly stood and grabbed a grenade off our jacket. We looked to Buck, waiting for him to give us the signal, then he nodded and we threw the grenades, and they went off as soon as they touched the ground it seemed.

We grabbed our weapons from over our shoulders and ran down into the trench, ready to fire. Buck's weapon jammed, and he cursed as he tried getting it fixed, but thank God Don jumped up beside him and shot the German who was readying to fire at Buck.

We were then being fired at. I cried out in fear and cursed as I followed Don into the trench, ducking for cover from the spraying machine gun fire. I ran after as we tried reconnecting with Dick and the others, and we found them quickly. They were firing out at the field and the German's on the other side. I sat up and propped my weapon up, readying to fire.

In that moment, everything around me went quiet. I couldn't hear a thing but muffled gunfire and my own heartbeat and breathing. It was as if everything were in slow motion, this was it. I was about to fire my weapon for the first time. I saw a German, he was shooting at us, a determined look in his eye. He released a tense breath and aimed my weapon, ready to fire. I watched the man for a moment, realizing what I was about to do. This was war, I could have no sympathy for the enemy. I put a little pressure on the trigger, trying to work up the nerve to fire, and when I did, I flinched.

I pulled away from my weapon and stared out into the field, almost blankly as I panted, trying to find my breath, my heart beating quicker than it ever has before. The German dropped his weapon, his shoulders slacked, his knees buckled, and he fell to the ground, landing on his side. The expression on his face showing no emotion, his eyes open wide.

I had killed him. I had killed him with one shot right to the center of his chest, where his heart was. The noise around me got louder and I was soon back in reality, the men were screaming, both us and them. The guns were going off, bullets were flying, the smell of gun powder was in the air, everything was hazy.

I huffed and tightened my grip on my weapon, holding it up and ready to fire again. This was for you, Henry. I shot off round after round, nothing could stop me now. One German dropped, then another, then another. Then I heard Harry Welsh, "Good aim, Colonel!"

I was dropping more than they could count, they almost couldn't believe their eyes. But it turns out something can stop me. There was sudden pain in my left shoulder, and I cried out as soon as it made itself aware. I fell back into the trench, and I heard Don cry out.

"Tauscher!" He ran over to me, sliding to his knees next to me as he checked to see if I was okay, "Where're you hit?!"

"Shoulder!" I cried, writhing in pain, then I looked down and saw a small stain of red coating my jacket, "God! It fucking hurts!"

Don grabbed the collar of my jacket and he quickly ripped it open to see my wound, then I saw his eyes go wide and he looked at me with alarm. I looked up at him, pain in my blue eyes, "What?! What is it?!"

"U-um... You... Uh..." He said and then I looked down to see how bad it was, but then I saw what had shocked him. He knew.

"How bad is it, Malarkey?!" Welsh yelled, still firing off rounds at the German's on the other side of the field.

Don looked down into my eyes again, swallowed thickly, then he called back to Welsh, "It's a deep graze, sir!"

"Shit," I heard Welsh say as he looked over our way, ducking for cover a little bit, but he couldn't see me as Don was blocking his view, "You think you can get back, Colonel?"

I nodded, "Yes sir!"

"Alright, go!" He said, pointing up at the field behind us, "Go! Follow Popeye!"

I quickly covered myself back up and then, with much pain and hard work, pushed myself up and crawled up the hill after Popeye. As I crawled through the bushes and disappeared from sight, I could feel Don's gaze on me. I couldn't tell his feelings about this. Was he disappointed? Upset? Angry? Just surprised? I guess I'll find out later, right now I had other things to worry about. Like Eugene finding me out when I got to the Aid Station.
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"Alright, you got your first wounded here," A soldier from Able company said as he led me and Popeye into the Aid Station.

Eugene was busy rifling through supplies when he heard the voice, and when he heard the word 'wounded' he stopped what he was doing immediately and turned around to face us. He looked at me and Popeye and quickly and quietly assessed what he was dealing with here.

He saw Popeye was limping and needed heavy support from the Able man, and he saw me wincing and favoring my left arm, my left shoulder slumped as my face was contorted in pain. He saw the blood seeping through my jacket and all over my shoulder and down my arm and chest. He seemed alarmed by this and quickly rushed over to me, calling over his shoulder, "Spina! I need some help out here!"

He grabbed me from the Able man and directed me to a makeshift cot, AKA, a table with a blanket on it. I sat down on it as the Able man led Popeye to another cot, helping lie down on his belly.

"What happened?" Eugene asked me as he began tearing my jacket, but I didn't have time to answer him, because Ralph suddenly showed up.

"What's wrong?" Ralph asked as he stepped into the room, then he saw me and Popeye, "Shit."

He went over to Popeye, since Eugene was dealing with me. He looked to the Able man and said, "Thanks Private, we can handle it from here," Then he looked down at Popeye, trying to find the wound, then I heard him groan, "Really, Popeye? A bullet in the ass is going to be my first wound to patch up?"

"Sorry, Doc," Popeye said, his voice layered thick with pain.

Ralph grumbled something as he grabbed some supplies off the counter next to the table, then he tore the back of Popeye's pants so he could assess the wound. Gene quickly pulled my jacket off of me and saw that the blood had soaked my undershirt, and he'd have to remove that, too. He ripped it open down the middle before I had time to say anything to him, but he only got it about half way when his eyes went wide and then a moment later his entire face turned beet red, and so did mine, but you couldn't tell because it was masked by pain.

"You're a- A- Woman?!" He was so shocked and embarrassed, he just blurt it right out.

Ralph flinched and turned to look over his shoulder at us, and I was giving him a pained gaze. He was giving me a reassuring look as Popeye then said, "What did you just say, Doc?"

Eugene swallowed thickly, not really sure what to do now. But I was in so much pain, I'd have to deal with my embarrassment later, "Doc! The shoulder!" I reminded him.

He jerked out of his shocked stupor and caught eyes with me, then he shook his head to clear his thoughts and he said, "R-right. Okay..."

Eugene grabbed a towel and cleaned the blood around my wound quickly so he could get a better look at it, he did this after he pulled my undershirt off my shoulder a little bit, his face turning a deeper shade of red, which I didn't think was possible, but he proved me wrong.

I winced when he wiped the blood away from my tender wound, and I watched him when he grabbed a bottle of something off the table next to me. He cleared his throat and shakily told me, "Don't worry. It ain't that bad."

"It ain't that bad? What do you mean it ain't that bad?" I asked, surprised at what he said, "It hurts like a son of a bitch!"

"It's just a graze, Colonel Tauscher," Eugene told me as he dumped the liquid in the bottle onto the towel and started cleaning my wound.

I cried out in pain as it stung my flesh, "Jesus!"

"Sorry," Eugene said, his brow furrowed in concentration, but his face still as red as a tomato.

I kept seeing Ralph look over his shoulder at me, a look of what looked like fear on his face, mixed with worry. Was he afraid for me? I could get kicked out of the Army and sent back home if any of the higher ups found out about this, I better make sure I'm careful with who's getting this information.

It took a little while, but Eugene finally got me stitched up and bandaged up. It didn't hurt as much now as it did before, but I could still feel the stinging around the area. Ralph was finishing up on Popeye as Eugene put his medical supplies down and then awkwardly wiped off his hands with the towel, avoiding my eyes. I was avoiding his, too.

Ralph looked back at us briefly, a sort of annoyed look on his face. He seemed annoyed by the awkward tension that suddenly hung thick in the air.

"You guys alright back there?" Ralph asked as he grabbed some scissors and trimmed the stitches on Popeye's wound before he set them down and grabbed a bandage.

Eugene was silent for a moment, looking down at his boots awkwardly. I was quiet, too. I was just sitting there, awkwardly prodding at my wounded shoulder, trying to see if I could still move around and fight with it. It seemed okay, it was just a little sore. There was a dark bruise around the area now, that was probably where most of the soreness came from.

"Did you know about this?" Eugene suddenly asked Ralph, causing me to jerk my head up towards him.

Eugene didn't look angry or upset, he just had that same expression on his face, the one he always had. Calm.

"Know about what?" Ralph asked, as if he were oblivious to the whole thing.

Eugene was suspicious of him though, and his brow sort of furrowed as he looked at the back of Ralph's head, he almost looked annoyed now, which surprised me. Ralph finished bandaging Popeye and he could still tell there was tension in the air, so he sighed and cut the bandage, tying it off and then setting the scissors back down.

"Alright Popeye, just stay here, alright? Yer goin' ta be fine," Ralph said, "We'll get ya outta here."

"Out of here? I just got here," Popeye said, seeming disappointed.

Ralph smiled and clapped Popeye on the shoulder, "Don't worry, Popeye. You can come back when yer all healed up."

Popeye offered a small, but still disappointed smile, "Thanks, Doc."

"Jus' doin' my job," Ralph said, then he walked away from the wounded man and over to me and Gene.

Gene was gazing at Ralph hard, like he was slightly annoyed by the man, "Well?"

"Well what?" Ralph asked, furrowing his brow in confusion as he threw up his arms.

Man, he was a good actor.

Eugene sighed, "Follow me."

Eugene walked towards the back of the bar where all the supplies were, and Ralph sent me a worried, but slightly annoyed look as he followed after Eugene. I sighed tiredly and, with much discomfort, slid off the table and onto my feet, following after the two medic's.

When I went around the corner, the first thing I saw was Eugene pointing a finger at Ralph sternly, his dark eyes narrowed, "How long have you known?" He asked Ralph, and Ralph threw up his hands again.

"Known what?!" Ralph asked, his voice higher than normal.

"That Colonel Tauscher's a woman!" Eugene said, but he lowered his voice so no one else heard this little conversation. Thank you, Gene.

"What?! I- No! Really?" Ralph cried, his voice still higher pitched than normal, "I-I had no idea! Honest!"

I revoke my previous statement of him being a good actor.

"So you did know," Eugene said, his annoyed front faltering. Eugene couldn't stay angry or annoyed for too long, it just wasn't like him.

"Was it that obvious?" Ralph asked, raising a dark eyebrow curiously and slumping his shoulders.

Eugene ignored him and just went on, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"She can't tell anybody, she could get caught and get kicked out," Ralph explained.

"Then why'd she tell you?" Eugene asked, seeming a bit confused.

"She didn't. I just sort of figured it out," Ralph said, shrugging his shoulders loosely.

Eugene sighed and ran a hand down his face. He seemed a little stressed out by all of this, "Does anybody else know?"

"Just Bill and Chuck," I finally spoke, my arms crossed over my chest, almost self-consciously as I stepped over to the two. Ralph and Gene looked up at me, and Gene's face suddenly turned red again, but I went on, "Bill knew before I joined the paratroopers, obviously, and Chuck walked in on me in the shower."

Ralph's eyes widened at that, "What? He did?"

I blushed a little at the memory of that, and now because Ralph had the image of me in the shower in his head. He didn't blush though, he just sort of smiled and winked at me, making me blush more as he said, "Lucky Grant."

"Shut up, Spina," I snapped, glaring at him.

"Ooh, feisty. I like that in my women," Ralph teased, and that's when I realized how uncomfortable Gene had become.

I looked over at him and saw his face was still red, and his expression had changed. He was no longer looking annoyed, he just seemed uncomfortable now. I cleared my throat awkwardly and said, "Look Gene, it's not that big of a deal. I'm a woman, yeah, but I can hold my own just like the rest of you. I think I've proved that."

"Yeah, I mean..." Ralph started, taking a small step towards Gene, "If she can survive Sobel, she can survive anything."

I looked to Gene, who was peering up at me slightly, "Come on, Doc. I'm no different than before. I'm still the same 'ol Matthew Tauscher, er well, Matilda Tauscher, actually," I watched him for a minute, trying to figure out what he was thinking. I gazed at him nervously, "You're not going to tell on me, are you?"

Gene looked up at me then, his face starting to go back to it's natural pale color. His blue-grey eyes looked me over for a moment, as if he were thinking about his answer. I was becoming nervous now. What was he thinking? I never knew what he was thinking.

"No," Gene said, shaking his head, "No, I'm not goin' to tell on you."

I smiled then as relief washed over me. I slumped my shoulders and said, "Thank you! Thank you, so much!"

I saw a hint of a smile grace his thin lips, but he soon spoke again, "Jus'... Jus' let me know if ya need anythin', okay? Anythin' at all, just ask."

Awe. How sweet.

I smiled giddily and nodded, "I will. Thanks, Gene."

I then stepped towards him and wrapped my arms around him, hugging him loosely because of my wounded shoulder. Gene didn't react at all, he seemed uncomfortable with this. I would be too, if I were in his position, but I really didn't care right now.

Ralph sighed and smiled at us, "Yeah... She's a hugger."

"Yeah," Gene said, patting my back awkwardly, "I can see that."
0-0-0-0-0
It was later that evening and I was alone in one of the houses in the small town we had occupied. Everybody was out either socializing, on patrol, or making plans for where to go next.

I was currently sitting at a table, shuffling a deck of cards I had found. I had nothing better to do, and the guys hadn't come back yet, so I've been sitting here for a few hours by myself.

So far a few of the others had found out about me being, well, a woman. Of course Bill, Ralph, and Chuck knew, and now Eugene, Don, and Popeye. Popeye told me he wouldn't tell anyone, and I trusted Popeye, he was a good guy.

I sat there at the small table by myself for a few more minutes, shuffling the deck of cards over and over and over again, about to fall asleep. All I had thought about all day was the boys. Was Bill okay? What about Don? Even Liebgott? But mostly I thought about Chuck. At least I knew where the others were, but with Chuck. I hadn't seen him in almost twenty-four hours, and I was becoming beyond worried now.

I was half asleep when the door to the building slammed open and I jerked awake, dropping my cards and grabbing my weapon in alarm, then I heard the familiar Philly accent, "Whoa, whoa! No need for a warm welcomin'!"

I slumped my shoulders and released a tense breath as I set my weapon back down beside me, then I smiled, "Bill."

He smiled and came over to me, setting his weapon down beside him and pulling out a chair, sitting beside me, "How've you been?"

"I got shot, but other than that I've been okay," I replied sarcastically.

"I heard," Bill said, looking down at my shoulder that had a blood stained patch over it, but it was dried into my jacket now, "How bad was it?"

I shrugged, wincing a little at the tightness in my arm, "It was just a graze, Doc said I would be fine in a couple of days and just to keep an eye on it."

Bill nodded, "Well, I'm glad yer okay."

I nodded too and then asked, "What about you? What happened out there?"

"It went well, I think," Bill said, pulling his cigarettes out of his breast pocket, "We only lost one guy. Don almost got himself killed though, stupid bastard."

"Who?" I asked, my voice low and holding barely any emotion. I was so drained from the past day.

"Who what?" Bill asked, his brow furrowed as he stuck a cigarette in between his teeth and shoved his cigarettes back into his pocket.

"Who was killed?" I asked, looking him in the eye now.

"Oh, Hall, from Able Company," Bill said, shaking his head, "Poor kid. Stepped on a land mine."

I swallowed and looked down at my feet. Bill lit up his cigarette and took a long, well deserved drag before he relaxed back in his seat. That's when he looked back over at me and furrowed his brow curiously, "What's wrong?"

I looked up at him briefly and forced a smile, shaking my head as I looked back down at my hands in my lap, "It's nothing."

"No, c'mon," Bill urged, leaning forward towards me, resting his elbows on his knees, "Tell me."

I shook my head again, then frowned. I was quiet for a moment, but I had gone completely stiff, "They know," I said blankly.

"'They' know what?" Bill asked snappily, furrowing his brow further.

"They know about, well... Y'know," I said, gesturing to myself.

"Oh," Bill said, then he was quiet for a split second before he asked, "Who knows?"

"Don, Popeye..." I trailed off, then I said, "Eugene."

"Shit," Bill said, slumping his shoulders, "How'd they find out?"

He was trying so hard to catch my eyes, but I refused to look up at him, "Well, when I got shot, Don ripped open my shirt to check the wound, and-"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it," Bill said, not wanting to hear the further details, "I'm assumin' that's how Doc found out, too?"

I nodded, "Yeah."

"What 'bout Popeye? How'd he find out?" Bill asked curiously.

"He was in the Aid Station the same time as me," I replied, still avoiding his dark eyes.

Bill just nodded and took another inhale of his cigarette, blowing out a long line of smoke a moment later as he exhaled. Then it was quiet for a moment and I could feel his gaze on me again, "Maybe ya should lie down for a bit, yeah? Ya look like shit."

I chuckled stiffly, "Thanks, Bill."

"Don't mention it," He said, taking yet another puff from his smoke.

We sat there in silence for a few more minutes and eventually I gathered up my cards that I had thrown down when Bill scared the shit out of me minutes before. I rearranged them and made sure they were neat before I stuffed them back into their pack and then stuffed them into my breast pocket where most of the men stored their cigarettes.

I was about to just lean back and shut my eyes, maybe listen to Bill for once when the door suddenly opened, but not with as much force as Bill had opened it with. I jerked up again at the sound of it squeaking and Bill cautiously reached for his weapon, but he didn't grab it.

The person who had opened the door suddenly came around the corner, a smile on their face as they said, arms out for emphasis, "Well, well, what do we have here?"

I suddenly beamed, becoming wide awake automatically as I laid eyes on his smiling face. I jumped up from my seat, my chair nearly falling over and squeaking against the wood floor as I burst into a run, "Chuck!"

He braced himself, for he knew what was coming. I slammed my body into him, burying the side of my head in his chest as my arms wound tightly around him, happy tears pricking at my eyes. I heard Chuck laugh, which made me smile bigger. I've never been so glad to hear his laughter.

"Did you miss me?" Chuck joked and I felt his hands on my back.

"I thought you were dead," I suddenly sniffled, hugging him tighter.

Chuck frowned then, and I felt his arms go around me now, "I'm okay."

My hands grasped at the fabric of his jacket, and I felt a few warm tears fall down my cheeks. Chuck looked up at Bill curiously and he sent Chuck a look then he shrugged. Chuck looked back down at me, choking back sobs into his chest. I felt his arms grab my shoulders and pull me back away from him, and I looked up and caught eyes with him. He had such beautiful eyes.

"I'm alright, Maddie," Chuck said, using his thumb to wipe the tears from my face, "I'm here now. I'm okay."

I looked up into his eyes and then brought my hands up, wrapping my arms around his neck and running my fingers through his thick hair, then I placed my hands on either side of his face, as if I were making sure he were really standing here in front of me, alive.

"I'm glad," I said to him quietly, then I stood on my tip toes, planted a kiss on the corner of his mouth, and then hugged him again.

His face went a little pink with my previous action, and I could just tell Bill was smiling at him, teasingly. Chuck just ignored him though, and his arms went around me again, pulling me closer as he closed his eyes and leaned his head against mine.
0-0-0-0-0
I woke up just a few hours later, it was still dark out, that's how I knew. Bill had left a little while ago, complaining of being hungry, and me and Chuck just stayed in and caught a few hours of sleep. We had leaned back against a wall and used each other as pillows, our heads resting against each other.

I woke up with a cramping feeling in my shoulder, the muscle there feeling tight. I got up slowly, careful not to wake Chuck. I stood and stretched, trying to get that tightness in my shoulder to loosen. I looked down at Chuck as he slept and smiled sweetly at him. He had looked tired when he walked through that door, but I couldn't imagine what it felt like walking all day and night to find CP. I was tired and I only walked half a day, the rest of it I spent basically relaxing because of my wound.

I reached into my breast pocket, trying to find my little journal. I pulled out my pack of cards and threw them on the table, then I pulled out my journal and tore a piece of paper out of it, grabbing my pen as well as I began to write. I had to leave Chuck a note. If he woke up and I wasn't there, he might become alarmed.

I wrote a short note, telling him I'd see him later, then I left it on the table. I put my journal back in my pocket, grabbed my weapon, and then went towards the door. I stepped outside and I immediately heard the sounds of other men in distance joking around and laughing, some of them talking. I smiled at how peaceful it was right now, because I knew all hell was about to break loose.

I stood there for only a moment before I turned and started walking down the road, to nowhere in particular. I stuffed my hands in my pockets after I slung my rifle over my shoulder as I walked at a steady pace. I looked down at my feet as I went, getting lost in my thoughts.

Chuck showing up okay really just lifted my spirits. I had been depressed all day, all I had thought about was him and his wellbeing. And then I got shot, and that really scared me, and- My God, I've been shot. That's really just sunk in. I got shot today. I didn't know what to think about that. How do you deal with that? What was I supposed to think?

My thoughts were suddenly interrupted when I ran right into somebody, my head colliding with there chest. I stumbled back and made a small sound of distress when I ran into them, then I heard the soft, familiar voice, "I'm sorry, Colonel, I didn't see ya there."

I looked up at saw Eugene standing in front of me, the usual calm expression plastered across his face. I just offered him a small, tired smile and said, "It's alright, Gene."

He watched me for a moment, seeming concerned all of the sudden before he spoke, "Are you alright, Tauscher?"

I blinked and caught his dark eyes, "Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

"You're a little pale," He said, "How's your shoulder?"

"Fine," I said with a shrug, then I winced and rubbed at it, "It's a little sore."

"I could give ya somethin' for that," Eugene said, pointing to my wounded arm, but I held up my hand and shook my head.

"Save all the good stuff for the real wounds, Doc," I said with a small smile.

Gene was then silent for a moment, looking me over again. He did that a lot, to everybody. It was as if he was making sure we were all okay. Physically and mentally.

"Chuck showed up," I suddenly said, and he caught my eyes again.

"Sorry?" He said.

"Chuck. He finally showed up," I said, smiling warmly.

"That's good," Gene said, avoiding my eyes again, "I know how close you two are."

I smiled at that and looked down at my feet. His next question made me look up though, "How'd you do it?"

I dropped my smile and eyed the gentle man curiously, "Do what?"

"Join the paratroopers," Gene said, trying to explain, "How'd ya even get through the physical? Surely they would've figured it out."

I shook my head and smiled cheekily, "I knew the guy doing my physical."

Gene's eyes widened a little at that, "What?"

I nodded, "He's my cousin."

I saw Gene smile at that, which made me smile a little wider. A smile looked good on him, I wished he did it a little more often.

"I'm sorry about, well... Earlier..." Gene suddenly said, and I looked up at him curiously. What was he going on about? His face was a little pink though, and he was averting my eyes again.

"Sorry? For what?" I asked, my brow furrowed as I tried to think of what he was apologizing for. He hasn't done anything that's worth apologizing for.

"For... Y'know... Rippin' your shirt earlier, and seein'..." He cleared his throat then, and now his face was beet red again.

I was blushing now, too, but I said to him, "Eugene, you don't have to apologize for that, you had no idea. You had to help me, anyway, it's kind of your job."

Gene smiled at that and briefly cast a glance up at me, and I flashed a smile back. I sighed through my nose before I spoke up, trying to clear the awkwardness in the air, "You want to... Walk with me?"

Gene looked up at me finally, his bluish grey eyes latching onto mine, and he smiled that soft smile of his and nodded, "Sure."

I smiled at him and began walking beside him, and on that walk was the most I've ever heard Eugene Roe speak in the two years I've known him.

A/N - We'll be getting into some Roe and Maddie business soon now, stay tuned. ;)