Disclaimer: I do not own the Band of Brothers mini-series or book, not do I intend any disrespect to the real men of Easy Company or their families. I only own the original characters.

This story is based on the mini-series and I have done some additional research to try and keep is as historically accurate as possible. However since this is a fiction there are some interpretations of and changes to actual events in order to make the story work.

Chapter 3

Amelia POV

Running to take cover behind some trees with Easy, Amelia swore under her breath. The day had started terribly and it didn't look like it was going to improve any time soon.

She had woken up, late, in a cold sweat from dreams of her time spent in Africa. Sobel had split her and Derek up for the field exercise, for no apparent strategic reason. They were a team after all, operative word being team. They were only supposed to be split up if it made strategic sense. She was also pretty damn sure the man was lost. Again.

Reaching the trees she saw the frustration written on all the men's faces. Yip, we're lost. Damnit.

"Hey Luz, can you do Major Horton?" Frank asked George.

Luz, imitating the major, replied. "Well, does a wild bear crap in the woods son?"

"Maybe the good Major can goose this schmuck, get us moving?" Frank asked excitedly.

Luz was slightly hesitant, however a little bit of encouragement from the rest of the men quickly changed his mind. She knew this was childish and probably a bad idea, however right now she really didn't care.

"Amelia, can you keep lookout?" George asked her.

"Sure. Just give me a sec to get into position." She dropped down onto her stomach and inched forward until she could just see Sobel and Ed Tipper, knowing they wouldn't be able to see her from their vantage point. She gave Luz a thumps-up.

Imitating Major Horton, Luz shouted from behind her. "Is there a problem, Captain Sobel?"

Sobel turned around to face them, face scrunched up in irritation and anger. "Who said that? Who broke silence?"

All the men were laughing and leaning on each other for support and she could make out the faint smile on Tipper's face as he tried his best not to give the game away. She thought she heard him say, "I think it's Major Horton, sir." Bless you Eddyshe thought, trying to stifle her own laughter. She gave Luz the signal to continue.

"What is the god-damn holdup, Mr. Sobel?"

She could hear the panic in Sobel's voice when he replied, "A fence, sir! Uh, God… barb wire fence."

By this stage all the men were in hysterics and it was proving incredibly difficult to remain focused on the scene in-front of her. Glancing over her shoulder she shot them a dirty look and Frank rattled her helmet playfully in response.

George took a breath before continuing."Oh, that dog just ain't gonna hunt! Now, you cut that fence and get this goddamn platoon on the move!"

Moments later they were on the move again and her mood had improved remarkably. As they approached the intersection, which had been their objective, she saw Winters and his men had already captured it.

Derek stepped out to meet her, his eyebrows knitted together and mouth set in a firm line. To say he did not look pleased would be an understatement. She lightly shook her head, indicating this wasn't the time nor the place for this conversation. He was having a hard time keeping his temper in check when it came to Sobel and she couldn't have him lose it in front of the entire company.

Over the course of the weeks they'd spent with Easy a few things had become very apparent. Sobel was a great drill instructor and would push his men hard for their own benefit. They had a great record, in large part because of him. However he was a lousy military commander and would often make bad judgment calls, get jumpy in the field or simply get lost. He's going to get them killed, she'd thought to herself on more than one occasion.

Amelia knew she would have to speak to Derek and come up with a plan. They could still walk away, however the men couldn't. They had grown close to Easy and it wouldn't be right to just leave them to the wolves. It would be tricky though, military protocol being what it was, to not cause more harm than good.

When they got back to the Easy barracks a runner was waiting for her and Derek with orders. "With compliments from Colonel Sink. He says he looks forward to meeting with you when you return."

Thanking the man she took the orders from him and started reading, knowing Derek was doing the same over her shoulder.

"Thank you Private. Tell the Colonel we'll see him as soon as we return." Amelia addressed the runner. As soon as he was out of earshot she continued, "Seems like we'll be spending a few days in London."

"If the Brits want to see us in London tomorrow we'll need to leave today. Right away," Derek said.

She turned around to face him. "We should tell Sobel, let the Whitehall's know and then get a jeep to take us to the station."

Derek peered over her head to find Sobel. "I'll go and tell him. Will you arrange the jeep for us?"

"Sure thing, I see Nix. I'll just ask him."

As Derek walked off to speak to Sobel, Amelia strode towards Nixon where he was standing with Dick and Harry.

"Hi Nix. To what to we owe the pleasure?" Amelia greeted him with a quick hug and a cheeky smile.

Even though he was with Battalion Nixon spent most of his free time with Dick and Easy Company. During the past few weeks she had shared a few glasses of his beloved Vat 69 with him, talking late into the night.

"I heard you had an interesting training exercise. Thought I'd come over and find out the truth. Being the Intelligence officer and all." He winked and gave her a mischievous smile.

Harry groaned and Dick looked worried. He looked around to make sure none of the men were within earshot before speaking. "Amelia, what happened out there?"

"Oh you know, the usual. Sobel got lost," she replied with a shrug.

The three officers shared a concerned look. Everybody knew a captain who couldn't read a map was bad news, but there's nothing anyone could do.

"I also heard a rumor that Major Horton was out in the field with you. Which is odd considering that he is in London attending a wedding." Nixon was trying his best not to smile, he was also failing.

Amelia widened her eyes to look as innocent as possible before replying. "Oh now sir, all I know is that a man, who sounded exactly like the good major, joined us during the training exercise." She was really struggling to keep a straight face. She was sure the officers could guess the truth, and she didn't think they would do anything if she confirmed their suspicions, however she wasn't going to snitch on her friends.

Quickly changing the subject, before they could continue their line of questioning, she turned her attention to Nixon. "Actually Nix I have a favor to ask. We received an order from Colonel Sink." This caught their attention and they all looked at her intently.

"The Brits need us to join them in London for a few days, with our first meeting scheduled for tomorrow morning. We need to get to the station quickly in order to catch the last train. Since you're Battalion, I was hoping you could swing us a jeep and a driver?"

Before Nixon could reply Harry interrupted. "You think they want you to make your decision now?"

All she could to was shrug. "I think that's part of the reason for the visit. Not sure though. The order didn't provide any details."

Dick gave her a look she couldn't quite place. If she had to guess she would say he was worried. He didn't say anything though so she let it go.

"Sure, I'll organize a jeep to pick you up at your house in an hour? Figure you'd want to shower and change first." Nixon said.

"What Nix, are you saying I don't look presentable and that I need a shower?" She feigned shock.

Nix crinkled up his nose. "Mmmmm, you've smelled better."

Amelia playfully slapped him on the arm. "I'll go tell Derek. Thanks so much Nix. See you all when we get back."

She turned around and jogged towards Derek where he was talking to Don and Johnny Martin.

Smiling at them in greeting she spoke to Derek, "Nix will send a jeep to pick is up in an hour. So we'll have time to quickly clean-up and pack."

"Perfect. Sobel knows we're gonna be gone, so everything's arranged," Derek replied.

She noticed both Don and Johnny looked uneasy, like something was eating at them. "What's wrong boys?"

"Oh nothing, just singing Sobel's praises," Don replied sarcastically.

"Do you think the Brits are going to make you choose?" Johnny blurted out the question, looking between her and Derek for an answer.

"I really don't know John. They want to see us for a few days so I guess there are a few reasons for the visit." She did her best to give him a reassuring smile.

"Take care of yourselves while I'm gone. See you in a few days," she said, touching both of their shoulders in farewell.

Amelia and Derek turned around and jogged to the Whitehall's home. They had a few things to do and little time before the jeep arrived.

XXXXXXX

They'd spent their days in London sitting in on back-to-back meetings with various members of the Allied military command and their evenings making polite conversation at official dinners. It was all part of the game and she knew that these networks could stand them in good stead one day if they needed a favor.

It was during one of these official dinner parties that they had met the officer responsible for manning the training camp at Chilton Foliat. Apparently the base was being used to provide jump training to all non-infantry personnel who would be critical to the coming invasion. After a few too many glasses of wine, and some skillful flirting on Amelia's part, the man had finally told her what she was hoping to hear. The army was looking for someone to take command of the training facility.

Walking alongside the River Thames with Derek she thought back to that conversation and smiled. She knew this was their best and maybe only chance of helping Easy.

It was their last night in London and they had decided to spend the evening alone. Derek had asked her to go for a walk along the river to watch the sunset and she had gladly accepted. The air was cold but clear and she interlinked her arm with his, pressing her body lightly against his for warmth. To the casual passersby they looked like any other young couple enjoying each other's company.

Derek looked down at her and smiled softly, "Do you remember the last time we walked here?"

She smiled at the fond memory. "I do. It was the night before we deployed for Africa." She took a long breath before continuing, "You, Mr. Smith, tried to kiss me that night." She nudged him playfully.

"Only because you looked at me like you wanted me to," he retorted with a slight smirk.

She quirked her head so she good look up at him. "That's because I did."

Looking down at her Derek kissed the top of her head before saying, "In the end, it was best that we didn't."

"I agree. We were just so scared at what lay ahead, we wanted to find some comfort in each other. It would have made things a tad awkward. Especially when I walked in on you and that nurse at the staging area." She laughed at the memory of her friend's cheeky smile and the nurse's embarrassment at being caught.

"Ah yes, what a lovely lady that was. Giving me such a warm send off."

Amelia just rolled her eyes and shook her head. Boys.

They were quiet for a few moments and Amelia's thoughts wandered to a place she very rarely allowed them to go.

"You know, Sammy always loved walking next the river at sunset, especially when it became cooler. She said it made her feel clean after the day inside the hospital," Amelia spoke softly, as if saying the words out loud would cause her pain.

Once upon a time, Amelia had had an older sister. Her name was Samantha. She had been truly gorgeous, both inside and out, and bubbling over with a joy which Amelia had never fully understood. Sammy had been a nurse working in London, and then one night she was just gone. The Luftwaffe had bombed London and wiped her sister from the face of the earth. Amelia had been training with the military in Scotland at the time so she only received the news a few days later.

A tear threatened to spill from her eye and she quickly wiped it away with her free hand. She hadn't thought about her sister in such a long time, that the sudden memory of her had caught Amelia off guard.

"I miss her too Em. She was a wonderful woman." Derek had been there when she had received the news, he had held her as she cried herself to sleep and long after that. Now he pulled her closer, trying to comfort her with his presence and closeness.

She rested her head against his arm as they continued to walk in silence. They had both lost so much due to the war. Loved ones, innocence… a good deal of hope. They tried not to dwell on it and they rarely spoke of it. However, it was always there, in the shadows of their hearts, waiting to catch them off-guard and overwhelm them.

Derek finally broke the silence as they neared their hotel. "You ready to meet Sink tomorrow when we get back to Aldbourne?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." She stopped walking and he turned his full attention to her.

"You sure about your answer?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm one hundred percent sure. You?" she asked him in return.

They had discussed their answer, as to whether or not they wanted to stay with Easy, at length over the course of the last few days. In the end they quite easily came to the same conclusion.

"I'm sure." He smiled down at her.

They walked into their hotel and Derek pulled her into a tight hug, bidding her goodnight.

XXXXXXX

Arriving back in Aldbourne, Colonel Sink's driver met them at the train station. They quickly dropped of their bags at the Whitehall's home and then went straight to HQ. Stopping outside the building, they thanked the driver and hopped out. Amelia smoothed over the creases in her uniform skirt as she walked towards the door, composing herself for the conversation ahead.

Before they reached the steps leading into the building Nixon intercepted them looking anxious. Considering the fact that the man almost always looked like he was in on some joke, seeing him this serious made them stop dead in their tracks.

"Hi Nix, what's wrong?" Amelia asked tentatively.

He looked around, as if to make sure they wouldn't be overheard, before answering. "Some things happened while you two were in London, which you should know before going in there."

Derek's eyebrows were knitted together and he replied simply, "Ok".

"C'mon, let's talk over here where it's it a bit more private." Nixon started for a spot behind a tree. They followed, waiting for him to continue.

"Sobel is court-martialing Dick and…" before he could continue Amelia cut him off. "Are you kidding me? This must be some kind of a joke, right?"

Nixon shook his head and continued as if she had never spoken. "And he's be reassigned to Battalion Mess until the trial's finalised."

They just stared at him in disbelief. He let out a deep sigh and continued. "That isn't all. The NCO's all handed in their letters of resignation, stating they didn't wish to serve under Sobel. Sink chewed them out, but they were lucky. No one was lined up against a wall and shot." He run his hand through his dark hair.

They continued to stare at him, trying to decide if this was some kind of elaborate prank. Once they realised it wasn't, Amelia could feel the anger bubble up in her chest. "What the god damn hell were those men thinking? That's mutiny. They could've been shot!" She exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. Nixon looked a bit taken aback at hearing her swear, but in the end he just shrugged.

Derek looked down at his feet, trying to regain his composure before asking, "Anything else?'

"Rumor has it that Sink is trying to find a way to move Sobel without causing any fall out. So far he hasn't had any luck," Nixon replied.

Amelia and Derek shared a side-ways glance. We may just be in luck.

Amelia cleared her throat and met Nixon's gaze. "We may have a way."

Nixon raised his eyebrow and tilted his head, indicating she should elaborate.

"When we were in London, I had a long chat with the officer responsible for manning the jump school at Chilton Foliat. They're looking for someone to run the school and based on Easy's record, Sobel would be a shoe-in."

Nixon looked confused and shook his head, as if to somehow make all the puzzle pieces fall into place. "When you were in London? You didn't even know about any of this, which means this was your plan all along?"

"Nix, we want to work with Easy, but we don't want to take any unnecessary risks and we definitely don't want to see our friends get killed. The Germans are quite good at their job; they don't need any more help." Amelia's voice was desperate and angry at the thought of her friends dying from something that could be avoided.

Nixon let out a low whistle. "You two could get into a hell of a lot of trouble for this. Going over Sink's head."

"Something has to be done. Besides, the risk we're taking is a lot smaller than the one the NCO's took." Derek's voice was level and serious.

Nixon flashed them a truly genuine smile. "Well, don't let me keep you from your meeting. Come and find me afterwards, to let me know how it went."

"Sure think Nix," she replied.

"See you around." Derek added before turning around to walk into the building.

Amelia gave Nixon a small smile and patted him on the shoulder before turning to follow her friend.

Walking into HQ they headed straight for Sink's office. His orderly indicated they should wait, while he checked whether or not the Colonel was ready for them.

Amelia took the short pause to calm her nerves and steel herself. She knew what had to be done.

The orderly walked out of the Sink's office and indicated they could enter.

Amelia entered first, followed by Derek. They both stood at attention in front of the Sink's desk, saluting crisply. Sink stood and returned their salute. He took his seat and indicated they should do the same.

"I assume your trip to London went well?" Sink asked them. Something in the way he said it made Amelia think there was more to it than meets the eye. He wants to know what we told them about our future plans.

Amelia smiled politely and gave the most politically correct answer she could. "It was a very productive visit, thank you for asking sir."

He frowned, looking slightly put out by her vague response. "Hmm, I see. Well that's good. Now, let's get down to business. Have you come to a decision?"

Both Derek and Amelia kept their faces neutral, not wanting to give any indication of the anxiety that lay just under the surface.

"Permission to speak freely sir?" Derek asked from beside her.

Sink looked skeptical, but nodded. "Granted."

"Sir, we have had the opportunity to work with some of the very best soldiers the Allied forces have. When we met Easy we had hoped that they would come close the standards set by those men," Derek paused to emphasize the words that followed. "To say they exceeded those expectations would be an understatement."

The Colonel visibly relaxed, however when he took in their serious faces he stiffened slightly.

Amelia continued where Derek had left off, "Sir, we believe that a significant reason for their excellent performance is to the exacting training Captain Sobel puts them through. It is my personal belief that his high standards will save many lives when the men enter combat."

The Colonel's face was neutral, however Amelia thought she saw a look of confusion behind his eyes. This wasn't what he had expected to hear.

Taking a deep breath, she took the plunge and continued, "However sir, based on our experience to date, we also believe that if Captain Sobel is allowed to lead these men into combat, he will cost many of them their lives. He doesn't have the correct temperament for the field and we fear he will make incorrect judgment calls when the men need him most."

"Sir, our decision is therefore the following. We would greatly appreciate the honor of serving with Easy Company, under the condition that Captain Sobel does not lead them into combat," Derek said.

Sink looked both of them over slowly. Taking his time to digest what had just been said. Amelia waited for him to tell them to get out of his office and never return. Here was a junior officer and a sergeant, making demands of a Colonel. Well, at least it's not mutiny. Her stomach turned thinking about what could have happened to her friends.

"I see. So in short, either I remove one of my own captains or you two go back to the Brits?" Sink asked them. His tone was level, not giving anything away.

"Yes sir," they replied in unison. Their voices calm, never faltering.

Before Sink could say anything Amelia spoke up, "However sir, we understand that Captain Sobel needs to be acknowledged for the outstanding work he has done to date. As you know there is a jump school at Chilton Foliat. We had the opportunity to speak with the officer responsible for appointing the commander of the jump school and he indicated they have yet to find the best candidate."

"We spoke very highly of Captain Sobel to him sir," Derek added.

Sink leveled them with his stare. He then looked to a piece of paper in-front of him and held it up. "I received this letter a few days ago from the same officer, saying he had heard great things about one of my captains and asking if I would consider reassigning him to run the jump school."

They waited for him to continue, not daring to move a muscle.

"I signed the transfer papers before you entered and will be informing Captain Sobel of his reassignment today." Sink looked at them and she was sure she saw a faint smile tug at the corners of his mouth.

"Who will be taking over Easy sir?" Amelia asked.

"Lieutenant Meehan is most senior," Sink answered her question.

Amelia bit back a smile and she could feel Derek relax in his chair.

"So then, welcome to Easy Company," Sink said, his face finally breaking into a slight grin.

He stood up and they both followed. He shook their hands warmly. "I look forward to hearing great things about both of you."

"Thank you sir," they said in unison.

"My orderly will put through the paperwork and from tomorrow morning you will officially be part of Easy."

They both snapped to attention and saluted. He returned their salute quickly and they left his office quickly before he had a chance to change his mind.

Once they exited the building Amelia let out a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding. She started to giggle and Derek squeezed her hand, giving her one of his award winning smiles.

"I'll go find Nix and Dick. Tell them the good news. You coming?" he asked her.

"No, I need to find Bill and the others. Give them an earful for almost getting killed before we even jumped." Amelia's tried to sound angry, but she was too relieved their gamble had paid off.

"Thought as much. Give them a smack for me."

"Will do. I'll meet you at the Whitehall's at 17:00? If I don't see you before then."

"Ok," Derek replied, before walking off in Nixon's direction.

Amelia flagged down a jeep and asked the driver to lift her to Easy's mess hall. The corporal gladly obliged.

Hopping out of the jeep she thanked him again, then turned to find her friends.

She spotted Bill, Talbert, Grant and Johnny sitting outside, smoking and talking quietly.

Walking up to them, she couldn't help but bite the inside of her cheek nervously. The thought of how close she had come to losing them pinched her stomach into a tight knot.

Bill spotted her first. He got up, but seeing the look on her face, placed his hands on her arms, stopping her at arm's length. He held onto her and searched her eyes for some explanation. Amelia pushed his hands away, wound her arms around his waist and pulled him into a tight hug. She buried her face into his shoulder, trying her best to commit to memory the way he felt and smelled. Relief washing over her.

He held her for a few heart beats before pulling away slightly. Looking down at her he asked softly, "So when do you leave?"

She frowned. It took her a moment to realise that, based on her reaction, he must have assumed they were leaving Easy. She laughed softly. "Nope, you're not getting rid of me that easily."

"No?" Bill asked, drawing out each letter, still a bit unsure.

"As of tomorrow morning, Derek and I become official members of Easy Company." As she said the words her face split into a ridiculous grin.

"What? No shit!" Bill exclaimed. He pulled her into another hug, lifting off of the ground.

The other men quickly joined them, all wanting a hug and picking her up like a rag doll.

Once Grant had put her down she didn't hesitate to give each of them a smack across the head.

"Hey, what the hell was that for?" Tab asked, rubbing his head.

"That is for almost getting yourselves killed while I was away. I literally just get back and the first thing I hear is how you lot decided to resign from Easy. Which gentlemen, you all knew bloody well know is be considered an act of mutiny." She crossed her arms and let out a huff, practically stamping her feet, and glared at each man. Damnit, I love them all so much. This was not part of the plan.

Grant and Tab looked at their feet, shifting their weight uncomfortably. She almost smiled watching them. They looked exactly like kids who got caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Bill took a long drag of his cigarette, shrugged and raised his one eyebrow in the most nonchalant manner. She nearly reached over and smacked him again.

Johnny cleared his throat and spoke up, "Em, what were we supposed to do? We can't follow that man into combat."

"I know John. Truth be told I would have done the exact same thing," she said, lightly squeezing his shoulder.

"Who told you?" Tab asked.

She smirked. "Nix. As soon as we stopped outside HQ he cornered us. He wanted to tell us the whole story before we went in to see Sink."

"Can't believe you decided to stay, even though you have to take orders from Sobel now," Tab said, tugging at his lower lip.

"Well, about that…" She wasn't sure how much to tell them. She didn't want to get anyone into trouble. What the hell, it isn't worse than what I know about them.

"About that what? Spit it out already." Bill looked like he was about to jump out of his skin.

"We told Sink that we want to work with Easy, but only if Sobel wasn't in command. Then we simply gave him a viable alternative solution." She tried her best to sound casual and shrugged her shoulders to add to the effect.

"Are you out of your god damn mind?" Bill exclaimed.

"Amelia that could have gone side-ways fast," Grant spoke up for first time. He had the most precious concerned look on his face.

"I know, but it was the only option. The worst that could have happened, is Sink telling us to get out of his office and never return. And even then he would have at least known about our concerns. It was worth the risk." She paused for a moment, trying to regain her composure. "You all, Easy, was worth the risk."

She was pretty sure she saw them all blush at her very public display of affection. It just made her adore them more.

Johnny spoke up first. "So what did Sink say?"

"After everything that had happened while we were away, he'd already decided to reassign Sobel. Our alternative solution turned out to be a good fit for everyone, so they've reassigned him. Sink's telling Sobel this afternoon." She let the words hang in the air, waiting for each man to digest them.

All four men just stood there, cigarettes hanging from lips and fingers, all but forgotten. One after the other they started to smile as the the implication of what she'd told them fell into place.

Johnny placed his arm around her shoulder, leading her into the mess hall. "Let's get you something to eat beautiful."

"How do you know I'm hungry?" She looked up at him.

They all laughed. "Coz' you're always hungry," Bill said from her other side.

"Fair enough." No point in arguing with the facts.

The rest of the men followed them inside the mess hall.

By the time she left for the Whitehall's later that afternoon she couldn't help but think that those men, well, they had started to feel like home and family.

XXXXXXX

I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. To everyone who added the story to their alerts, it really means the world to me and it's a great motivator to keep posting. Can't wait to hear from you guys, have a great weekend.