All the usual disclaimers apply.
Chapter 8
Amelia POV
Walking at a leisurely pace through the field she was half listening to the conversations of the men around her. Frank was bitching about their position in the advance, not understanding why Easy had to be at end of the line, and Hoobler was trying his best to explain it to the short Italian. There really wasn't a good reason, it just was one of those things.
Suddenly her ears picked up another sound, a high pitched whistle heading straight for them. She was shouting a warning before her brain even had time to fully register what was happening. "Mortar, get down!"
A split second later the ground to her immediate right exploded as the first mortar hit home. Men ducked down, some falling onto their stomachs, as they started to move towards the nearest hedgerow for cover.
Amelia hit the ground and leopard crawled a few feet, not daring to lift her head lest she make an easy target for the enemy firing at them. Finally nearing the hedgerow she lifted herself into a half crouch and ran the last few feet. Slamming into the hard earth she instinctively lifter her rifle and started shooting in the direction of the enemy.
The fight stopped as abruptly as it had begun, each side waiting for the other to make the first move. When the order came for them to dig in for the night she got up and moved down their line, looking for Derek, and to find out what her orders were.
Finding him talking to the other officers she straightened and approached slowly, not wanting to interrupt their conversation or overhear anything she shouldn't. Coming to stand between Derek and Harry she listened to Winters handing out orders.
"Do we know what we're facing?" Buck asked.
"Not sure. We think a few companies of German paratroopers were holding Carentan before they pulled out some time last night, so it's probably them. They want that town back."
They all nodded.
"If they don't come before then, we're going at first light, 05:30." Dick paused, glancing across the short stretch of field separating the two enemy lines.
"Dig in for the night. I want officers and NCO's walking the line at regular intervals checking on the men. Amelia," he turned his full attention to her, "that goes for you too."
She was a sergeant, but since she was a woman she hadn't been put directly in charge of any men. Dick telling her to walk the line, just like any other NCO, meant he saw her as an equal to the men, that he trusted her just as much as he trusted them. In a different setting she would have thanked him, but all she did was give him a half smile and say, "Yes sir."
He returned the smile for a fraction of a second before saying to the group, "OK. That's it."
Harry lightly slapped her shoulder, congratulating her on the unspoken vote of confidence, before he left to relay the orders to his platoon.
Derek started to walk away and she followed him. Coming to a stop a few feet down the line he took out his small shovel while saying, "Let's dig in here for the night."
XXXXXXX
"I'm going to walk the line. I'll be back a bit later," Amelia said as she grabbed her rifle and climbed out of the foxhole she was sharing with Derek.
He mumbled something she couldn't make out over the sound of the rain and the annoying signing coming from the German line.
She pulled her collar up around her neck, trying in vain to keep some of the rain out of her clothing. Honestly, she was already soaked all the way through, but the gesture made her feel dryer, even it was all in her mind.
"Flash," someone said from the shadows.
"Thunder," she replied casually, not too worried about encountering Germans this far behind their own line.
As the soldier stepped out of the shadows she regretted her casual attitude, her rifle was half raised by the time she recognised the man by the way he moved.
"Damnit Tab, with that poncho you look just like a Kraut. I almost took your head off."
Talbert chuckled. "Nah Em, you'd never shoot me. Besides, I'm a hell of a lot dryer than you are."
"That wouldn't take much Tab."
"Yeah, 'spose not. Well I'm heading back to my hole, see you in the morning Em."
"Sweet dreams Tab."
He walked past her and was quickly swallowed by the dark. She watched him leave before turning to continue her walk down the line.
She passed a few foxholes, stopping at each one to check in with the men, making sure they all had something to eat and knew the time of the planned attack. Stopping at Bill's foxhole, she shared a smoke with him and Toye, while he entertained them with a hilarious story about some crazy character called Joe McCloskey from South Philly.
Their laughter was cut short when they heard the distant call for a medic. Amelia contemplated going to see what had happened but decided against it. The call had come from some distance down the line, whatever had happened there wasn't anything she could do to help.
Turing back to the two men she handed Bill her half smoked cigarette and said, "Good night boys."
"Night beautiful," they said in unison.
She reached the end of their line a while later. As she turned back she found Johnny alone in the foxhole he was sharing with Blithe and she briefly wondered where the scared private had gotten to. Letting the thought go she smiled down at the sleeping man and turned to continue the walk back to her own foxhole.
When she heard men's voices she stopped dead and raised her rifle. Hearing the one man speaking perfect English she lowered her weapon and audibly exhaled. Starting to walk in their direction she recognised the one voice belonged to Speirs. What's he doing here?
The two men walked right past her without even looking in her direction and that's when she saw the man Speirs was talking to, Blithe. Even in the bad light she could see how pale he looked, fear radiating off of him in waves. Blithe stepped into his foxhole and turned to watch Speirs, who now had his back to her.
Curious as to what Speirs would have to say to Blithe she couldn't help but eavesdrop on their conversation. Sneaking closer, still hiding in the shadows, she heard Speirs say, "You hid in that ditch because you think there's still hope. But, Blithe, the only hope you have is to accept the fact that you're already dead. And the sooner you'll accept that, the sooner you'll be able to function as a soldier's supposed to function. Without mercy. Without compassion. Without remorse. All war depends on it."
He stood up slowly, never taking his eyes from Blithe, before turning and walking back in her direction.
She stepped out into his path, deliberately making as much noise as possible, not wanting to startle the man. He never raised his weapon or missed a beat, coming to a stop only a few inches from her.
"I heard what you said to Blithe," she said, her voice hushed.
"You disagree?"
"No. Well, not with most of it anyway."
She turned, continuing the walk to her foxhole. Speirs fell into step beside her and he was quiet for a moments, the only sounds she could hear coming from the falling rain and the mud squelching underneath their feet.
"Which part?" he finally asked.
"How you should act without compassion."
He put out a hand to stop her and she turned to face him.
"Why?"
"Compassion, friendship, love. Those are all the things that remind me of a life away from this hell, where good people still do good things."
"So it gives you a something to fight for?"
She smiled sadly. "No Ron, it gives me a something to die for."
Speirs' dark eyes widened and his usually hard exterior was gone. What was left looked a lot like shock and disbelief to her.
"I'll see you around Ron." With that she turned and walked away.
Her feet instinctively went to Joe's foxhole. She hadn't seen him since their short interaction in Carentan and she wanted to make sure he was in a better frame of mind before turning in for the night, or what was left of it.
Jumping into his foxhole Amelia was all too aware of Joe watching her intently as she sat down and shifted around self-consciously, trying to find a semi-comfortable position before talking. "How are you Joe?"
"Fine." His voice was low, heavy.
"Yeah, aren't we all." She tried her best to sound casual.
She reached into her jacket pocket and took out a small slab of chocolate she'd been saving. Breaking of a piece she handed it to Joe, her fingertips tingling where they brushed against his, before breaking off another for herself. Leaning her head back and closing her eyes she placed the piece of chocolate into her mouth, savouring the sensation of the melting chocolate.
When she opened her eyes she found Joe had moved to her side of the foxhole, their bodies painfully close to touching. He didn't say anything, but it looked like he was biting back the words. She held her breath, not daring to move an inch, waiting to see what he would do next.
Moving closer he reached over and lifted her helmet from her head, placing it on the ground at her feet, his dark eyes never leaving hers.
Her heart was racing, the entire world had faded into nothingness, there was only him. There was no war, no rain, no enemy. All she could see was Joe.
She wanted so badly to reach out and run her fingers through his hair. Throw herself into his arms and have him kiss her deeply. Instead she held her breath, clasping her hands tightly in her lap to try and physically restrain herself from reaching for him.
He reached over and ran his thumb gently across her cheek, his strong hand coming to rest on the side of her face. Her breath hitched in her throat, she held his darkening gaze, her eyes begging him to pull her closer.
Joe leaned in and she felt his warm breath flutter across the delicate skin of her lips. Looking into his eyes she finally recognised the emotion she'd been unable to place before. He needed her. In this place, at this moment, he didn't simply want her, he needed her.
And she finally knew she needed him. She needed him to help her forget where she was and all the things she'd seen and done. She needed him to remind her of the woman she was outside of this war, away from this place. But most of all she knew that, as much as she needed him now, she could still want him if they both, somehow made it through this war alive.
The realisation made her pause. She needed to be sure that he felt the same, that if they broke the rules and took this risk it would be worth it.
Placing a hand gently on his broad chest she stopped him, biting her lower lip, trying to steal her resolve.
He looked confused, but didn't pull away from her or drop his hand from her face.
XXXXXXX
Joe POV
Sitting alone in his foxhole in the damn rain he tried to clean Tab's blood from his hands. When he'd heard the unmistakeable cry of pain he'd run towards it, thinking he'd find a German had somehow snuck behind their lines.
He'd seen Amelia walk the line earlier and he couldn't help but imagine her lying in a pool of her own blood, some Kraut son-of-a-bitch standing over her with a bloody bayonet.
What he found instead was Smith stabbing Talbert. The relief that washed over him was quickly replaced by a sense of guilt. Pulling Smith from Tab he turned to his friend, screaming for a medic. He was vaguely aware of Smith blubbering that Tab looked like a Kraut, but he hadn't focused on that, he just tried to keep Tab calm until Doc got there.
When Doc had arrived he quickly looked Tab over and, once he was happy they could move him, they got him the off of the line.
"He should be fine," Doc had said, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
Now, alone in his foxhole, trying to get his friend's blood off of his hands, he kept going back to the moment when he'd realised it wasn't Amelia that had been wounded, the relief that had washed over him.
He'd been attracted to her from the start, she was an attractive woman after all and he wasn't blind. But since that night in Aldbourne when they'd pretended to be a couple he'd started to notice little details. Like how she would bite her lip whenever George was telling a rude story to stop herself from laughing and the fact that she would always sway to whatever music was playing in the background. When they touched his heart would speed up and every time he entered a room he'd look for her first and then spend the rest of the time deeply aware of her every move.
He'd found that he would become jealous if she sat close to Bill or spent the entire night talking in hushed tones with Gene, sharing her secrets with the medic rather than him.
She was the most wilful, fearless woman he'd ever met, and he would get furious every time she put herself in danger. Which based on the last few days was pretty damn often.
Still mulling over his feelings he saw her approach his foxhole, her eyes focused on the ground in-front of her, never meeting his. Raptly watching her every move as she jumped in and shifted about, all he could do was imagine reaching over and pulling her to him, pressing her body against his.
"How are you Joe?" she asked.
"Fine," he didn't dare say anything else, worried she would hear his unspoken thoughts.
"Yeah, aren't we all."
She took out a slab of chocolate and handed him a piece before leaning back and placing a small block into her own mouth. That small action, and the look of pure satisfaction washing over her face broke what little resolve he had left.
Moving closer to her he waited for her to open her eyes, enjoying the sensation of being this close to her with no one else around.
When she looked up at him through her long lashes he forget how to breathe. Her eyes were so dark he swore they had turned black. Her full lips parted slightly and he heard her breath hitch.
He reached out and removed her helmet before gently caressing her cheek with his thumb, relishing the feeling of her soft skin under his touch. He cupped her face with his hand, something he'd imagined doing countless times, trying to steady his breathing. He pulled her closer and her body responded willingly, allowing herself to be pulled to him. His eyes darted to her lips and back to her eyes. He was losing the little control he still possessed with each passing moment.
She reached up and placed a hand on his chest, stopping him but not pushing him away. The way she bit her bottom lip almost made him push her hand aside. For a moment he was worried he'd misread the signs, but he was sure this was what she wanted. What they both needed.
"Joe, are you sure?" Her voice came out a low whisper.
He smirked, in what world did a beautiful woman ask him if she was what he wanted?
He tried to speak but she reached up and placed a delicate finger across his lips. He shivered at the sensation of her touch.
"Joe, I want this, but more than that I want you." She moved her hand to the side of his neck, her touch light and tentative. "But, there's a lot at stake, we would be risking a lot. I'm more than willing to take that risk. I'd do it in a heartbeat and never look back, because I know that as much as I want this right now, I'll still want you if, by some miracle, we both make it out of this war alive."
Her eye searched his for an answer to a questions she hadn't yet asked. "Joe, I need to know that you feel the same. I don't want you to promise me forever, I just need to know that there's a part of you that will still want to be with me if we're ever away from the war."
He wanted to say yes, wanted to promise her forever, but he hesitated. He knew he wanted her, more than he'd ever wanted any other woman, maybe more than he ever would. And he knew he had genuine feelings for her, deep rooted ones he'd only barely started to admit to himself.
He just couldn't help but think that she wasn't the girl he'd always imagined himself with and he cared to deeply for her, respected her far too much to put that thought aside. No matter how badly he wanted to, and god did he want to.
She must have seen the answer written all over his face because her hand dropped from his neck and she started to draw away from him, her eyes clouding over, becoming distant.
His brain screamed at him to stop her. He couldn't allow her to walk away not knowing how he felt, why he hesitated.
Refusing to let go of her face he used his free hand to grab hold of hers, pinning her with his gaze. He had to make sure she heard every word he had to say.
"Amelia, you are everything I never knew I wanted. And I wish, god how I wish, I could promise you forever. But I can't. I'm just not sure if the man I am away from all if this, will want the same things that I do now." He hated himself for saying those words.
She didn't move, he wasn't even sure she was still breathing she was so still. Finally she leaned forwards and placed a soft lingering kiss on his cheek. His heart jumped and he closed his eyes, relishing the feeling of her full lips on his skin, her unmistakable scent of flowers, smoke and gunpowder filling his senses.
She pulled away slightly and whispered, "I understand Joe. I'm not the woman you see yourself with back in the real world."
Amelia pulled away from him and pushed herself up, quickly gathered her things, not looking his way once. He wanted to reach out to her, tell her he was wrong and she was all he ever wanted. Instead he just sat there and watched her get ready to leave.
She was starting to climb out of the foxhole when she stopped and turned to look down at him. He thought he saw tears behind her eyes and his heart clenched painfully. "Joe, we'll always be friends. You and me, we'll be just fine."
With that she turned and clambered out of the hole, disappearing into the darkness.
He sat back into the mud, painfully aware of how cold and empty the foxhole felt without her there next to him. A part of him, the part he wasn't yet ready to acknowledge, knew he would live to regret this moment.
He kicked the ground hard in frustration. "Fuck."
XXXXXXX
Amelia POV
Almost jogging to her foxhole Amelia crossed her arms protectively over her chest, trying to hold herself together and keep the tears at bay, but as soon as Joe was out of sight they spilled from her eyes. She refused to cry out loud, not here with all the men so close, with Joe so close. Instead she allowed them to fall in silence, the flood of emotions she'd been holding back since landing in Normandy overwhelming her.
Jumping into their foxhole she was relieved to find Derek alone, trying and failing to light a cigarette. He took one look at the silent tears running down her cheeks and stopped what he was doing. Putting away the lighter he shuffled closer to her and reached out to touch her knee.
"Amelia, what's wrong?"
"Nothing, I'm fine," she said, roughly brushing away the traitorous tears and willing her emotions to come back under her control.
"Amelia…" He looked into her eyes, searching for an answer she couldn't give him.
What could she say? That when she looks back at her time in Normandy, Joseph Liebgott rejecting her and shattering a piece of her heart will actually be considered a good memory when compared to so many others.
How she saw Lawson's face every time she looked at a dead solider, be he friend or foe, and how every time she closed her eyes she was back in that dark forest with the German crushing the life from her. That she could still feel his life blood soaking into her clothes and his dead weight pinning her to the cold hard ground. How, despite her speech to Speirs on compassion, she could no longer bring herself to regret taking a life and she was petrified she was losing a part of herself. One that she may never be able to find again.
She couldn't say any of those things, not even to him. So she looked down at the wet earth and buried her feeling there, to be dug up and dealt with later when she was far away from the fighting, so that when they broke her, she wouldn't get any of her friends killed.
Taking a long ragged breath she looked up and met his eyes. They held genuine concern, but hers were dark and hard, the emotions that had threatened to overwhelm her all but gone.
"I'm fine Derek." The tone of her voice effectively closing the subject.
He nodded, he knew her well enough not to push when she had that look. Taking out two cigarettes he was able to magically light both. Holding one out to her she took it and they both ignored the way her hand trembled slightly.
He wrapped a strong arm around her shoulder and she closed her eyes, praying her sleep would be dreamless.
XXXXXXX
Amelia stretched her arms above her head and yawned. Squinting into the bright morning light she looked around. Derek was sitting opposite her, drinking what smelled like coffee, watching her closely. She saw the concern and curiosity written all over his face for all the world to see. This early in the morning, it just reminded her of last night, which instantly embarrassed and pissed her off.
"Stop looking at me like that," she snapped.
Derek held out the coffee to her and she reached over, taking it from his hands.
"What happened last night?" He was trying to keep his tone light, but she knew him better than that. He was worried and she understood why. He'd only ever seen her cry on a handful of occasions, which was a handful more than any other man, so he knew something really bad must have happened.
Peering at him over the rim of the tin mug she shrugged. "What can I say, it's just that time of the month."
He rolled his eyes and scoffed. She would have to try harder than that to get him to back-off. Shit, we really have spent way too much time together.
"I was wet, tired and hungry. It was just a small moment of weakness, that's all."
"You know I don't believe you right?" He lit a cigarette, and after taking a drag he passed it to her.
She took it from him, handing him back the coffee in turn. Taking a long drag she closed her eyes, images of the previous night with Joe flashing before her. Quickly snapping her eyes back open she let out a sharp breath.
"OK, if I tell you, you have to promise you won't do anything. I know how you can get."
He raised an eyebrow as if to say 'please, I can control myself.'
She stared at him, waiting for him to promise her he would restrain himself.
"Fine, I promise."
"OK, I have feelings for Joe and last night I found myself alone with him." To his credit Derek's expression didn't change at the revelation, he just reached the coffee over and she exchanged it for the cigarette.
"I was there and we almost," she trailed off, not sure exactly what they had almost done, "almost kissed I suppose."
Blowing out the smoke he asked, "Almost?"
"I stopped him. I know the risks. We work together, it's frowned upon, blah-blah-blah. So I needed to be sure that he would still have wanted me, even if we'd met away from the war. You know, that I wasn't just an escape from all of this." She gestured to the foxhole they were sitting in.
"Turns out he doesn't, or at least he isn't sure. So in short, I have feelings for Joe, I put myself right there for him and he rejected me. I know he was being a good guy, but it still stings like a son-of-a-bitch." She ran her hand through her hair as if the act itself could wipe the embarrassing memory from her brain.
Derek's eyes narrowed and she saw him clench and unclench his jaw. Stubbing out the cigarette with more force than was really necessary he said, "He's a god damn idiot."
"Derek," she started to say but he cut her off with a fierce look that shut her right up.
"No Amelia, I'm not just saying it to make you feel better. He's an idiot and trust me, he's gonna regret that decision. As for those rules and blah-blah-blah. If you ever feel it's worth it to break them, tell me, it's easier to get away with if you have someone watching your back. God only knows you've done it for me before."
She smiled gratefully and reached over to touch his arm, the embarrassment starting to lose its sharp sting. "Thanks darling. Now please focus on killing Germans, not one of our own." She gave him a wink and he smirked.
She got up and groaned as her cramped muscles objected to the movement. "I'm going to see what the latest news is. I'll be back before we move."
"'K, just hurry up."
Grabbing her rifle and helmet Amelia crawled out of the foxhole and walked towards Harry's foxhole. She'd seen some of the NCO's go that way so figured it would be the best place to get the latest news before they moved out.
Nearing a group of men she saw Harry, Bill, Johnny, Hoobler, Frank and some other guys all huddled together. Looking over their heads she waved and smiled at George who in turn smiled back at her, a cigarette still dangling from his lips.
Looking around she thought she saw Joe, but she turned away quickly to avoid having to face him this early in the morning. The events of the previous evening were still too fresh in her mind.
"Hi Em, you get any sleep?" Perconte asked as she got close to the group of men.
"Yip, you?"
"I've had better."
She sat down next to Bill, giving him a wink and a smile in greeting. He pulled her in for a brief side hug before they turned their attention to Harry.
Looking between them and a map he was holding Harry said, "We don't know what they've got. We may be attacking a weaker force. Possibly more paratroopers."
"And you know how they can be," Hoobler chipped in.
She cracked a smile.
Harry smirked. "Fire and manoeuvre. That's the name of the game, fire and manoeuvre." He closed the map and added, "Dog and Fox Companies will be on our left flank moving with us. Any questions?"
They all shook their heads.
"Let's make them holler," Harry added for good measure.
As she stood to head back to Derek, Perconte said, "It's 9:30 in the evening back home. Must be…"
Whatever he was going to say was abruptly cut off by the unmistakable sound of mortar fire coming their way.
"Mortar!" she yelled, as all hell broke loose.
Bill pulled her back to the ground as the shell hit, half covering her body with his. Pushing himself off of her a second later he started to crawl towards the line where the men had laid down a base of fire. She followed him, already scanning the horizon for the silhouettes of enemy soldiers.
The sounds of gun fire and mortar explosions mingled with the shouts of the men around her and her own heart pounding in her ears.
A bullet passed over her head hitting the man running beside her, before she could check on him George had already pulled him into a foxhole.
Returning her attention to the enemy line she started to pick off targets, shooting as quickly as she could. She heard the familiar sound of her clip emptying and reached over to get a new one, feeling extremely vulnerable now that she wasn't shooting.
Slamming the new clip into the chamber she opened fire again. A mortar blast hit close by, raining earth and splintered wood down on her. In an instant her mouth was filled with the taste of mud, gunpowder and smoke.
"Amelia, pick off your targets. Keep them down!" Winters shouted from somewhere behind her, she didn't take her eyes off the enemy.
PING! Another clip was finished. Reaching into her jacket her hand came out empty.
Shit, the others are in my foxhole.
"Harry, throw me a clip!"
"Here!" he tossed three in her direction.
Slamming the first one in she opened fire again, aiming for the muzzle flashes coming from the opposite hedgerow.
"Where did they come from?" Harry shouted next to her.
Following his line of sight she saw the distinct barrel of a tank moving behind the enemy line. Her heart stopped beating and her mouth went dry.
"Shit," she swore under her breath.
The tanks fired in the direction of Dog and Fox and she knew their left flank had crumbled without having to see it.
Harry tapped her helmet and pointed towards a discarded bazooka lying next to her, "Let's go Amelia!"
Without sparing it a moment's thought she slung her rifle over her shoulder and grabbed the bazooka, following Harry onto the open field.
Dropping to her right knee she lifted the bazooka onto her shoulder. Waiting for Harry to load it and give her the order to fire.
"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon," she said under her breath, aiming at the tank nearest them.
Harry slapped her shoulder and she fired. The shell bounced off of the side of the tank and he immediately started to reload the bazooka.
"You're gonna get me killed Harry!"
The tank started to turn towards them, lowering its muzzle and it felt like it was aiming right at their heads.
"Hold your fire. Wait until I give the order," Harry shouted in her ear, struggling to be heard over the noise of the fire fight and the rumble of the tank.
Suddenly white smoke billowed from the muzzle of the tank and the trees behind them exploded. The force of the blast flattened her to the ground and all her senses were overwhelmed by the ringing her in ears.
Harry grabbed her collar and pulled her back up, placing a hand on her back to steady her. She picked up the bazooka and lifted it back to her shoulder.
The tank crested a small hill in the field, exposing its vulnerable underbelly. Harry slapped her arm and screamed in her ear, "Fire Amelia, fire!"
She pulled the trigger and heard the distinct sound of metal piercing metal, followed by a deep rumble.
"Let's go!" Harry shouted, grabbing her shoulder.
Stumbling to her feet she turned to run back to their line. The tank exploded behind them and rained earth and shrapnel down on them.
She jumped over Bill, landing in a half crouch right next to him. In one swift movement she pulled her rifle from her back and swung herself around to face the enemy line, opening fire at the German infantry walking beside the advancing tanks.
"We're gonna talk about that stupid stunt later!" Bill shouted, not looking at her.
She ignored him, her focus solely on the enemy soldier she had in her sights. Pulling the trigger she saw him shudder. She turned to find her next target without waiting to see where he fell.
Fire, fire, fire. She kept repeating the words in her head with each shot, like a mantra, something to block out the screams of the wounded and the hail of bullets coming from all sides.
The man she was aiming at suddenly vanished in a cloud of black smoke as the tank he'd been walking next to exploded. Glancing over her shoulder she saw their Sherman tanks break into the clearing.
All around her shouts of elation went up as the men saw them, suddenly reenergized at the sight of the German tanks being blown to smithereens.
"Krauts in the open," she heard someone yell.
The Germans were retreating haphazardly, making themselves easy targets to pick off. She lost count of how many men she killed, not sparing them a second thought beyond the moment she saw them go down.
As the Germans fled, and they no longer had targets to shoot at, the fighting slowly tapered off until she could hear only sporadic firing. Looking around for another target and coming up empty handed she laid her rifle down. Blinking, the tunnel vision of the fight dissipated and the world around her started to creep back into focus.
Rolling onto her back she laid there, staring up at the blue sky she could just make out through the broken trees, waiting for the adrenaline to wear off. She reached into her jacket and took out her pack of smokes. Bill leaned over and took two cigarettes out from the pack in her hand. He lit both and handed her one as he took a long drag from the other before passing it onto the man on the other side of him.
"That was a stupid stunt you pulled," Bill said, glancing at her sideways.
"I know."
"You got some death wish or something?"
"Just doing my job Bill. Besides, you're called Wild Bill, you're not really in a position to lecture me." She nudged him and winked.
He let out a cackling laugh and said, "You and me doll. Two peas in pod."
Amelia smiled at her friend.
"I'm gonna go find Derek," she said.
""K," he replied absentmindedly.
Standing up a small cascade of dirt fell off of her. She took off her helmet and tipped her head over, shaking it from side to side to get rid of some of the dirt that was stuck in her hair.
Happy that this was as dirt-free as she was going to get she tipped her head back and replaced her helmet. Walking past Harry she patted him on the shoulder and shot him a lopsided grin. He returned her smile with a gap-toothed grin of his own and affectionately slapped her helmet.
She was so busy looking at Harry that she didn't notice the soldier standing next to him until she hit something solid. Whipping her head around she started to apologise when the words caught in her throat. Joe was holding onto her shoulders, steadying her and looking her over for any signs that she was wounded.
She froze, her brain temporarily blank, not knowing what to say or do. When he finally met her eyes her world came rushing back and she stepped away from him and he dropped his hands to his sides.
"Sorry Joe, I wasn't looking where I was going," she did, doing her best to sound nonchalant.
"Nah, no worries." He sounded calm, but she saw he was clenching his fists at his sides.
"I've got to go find Derek. He'll be looking for me."
"Sure. Umm….let me walk with you, I'm going that way already."
"Oh, OK."
They started to walk in the direction she'd left Derek, both staring at the ground, the silence hanging thick between them.
This is stupid Amelia, you just ran onto a field with a bazooka, you can talk to one man.
She cleared her throat self-consciously. "Listen Joe, about last night. I meant what I said. All of it, but especially the part about us being fine."
He stopped walking and softly grabbed her arm, bringing her to a halt and forcing her to meet his gaze.
"When I saw you out there, it took all my self-restraint not to run onto that damn field and drag you back. I can't see you get hurt." His eyes were fierce, boring into hers and his grip tightened around her arm.
"I'm not going anywhere Joe. The Germans will have to do better than a tank to get rid of me."
He nodded and dropped his hand heavily from her arm.
"Amelia, Liebgott." Winters called their names, as he, Derek and Nixon came to stand next to them.
"Sir," Joe said.
"So, shooting tanks with bazookas is your thing huh?" Nixon asked, a cheeky smile playing across his face.
"For the record it wasn't my idea, it was Lieutenant Welsh's."
"And if he hadn't had the idea?" Nixon teased.
"Yeah, fair enough. I probably still would have done it."
Nixon and Winters chuckled while Derek stared at her with an annoyed expression and Joe clenched his jaw so tight she swore he would never be able to speak again.
Amelia shrugged and took out her canteen, taking a long drink and swirling the water around she tried to wash the taste of dirt and gunpowder out.
Replacing her canteen she was caught off guard by Derek stepping forward and pulling her into a tight one arm embrace. Smiling up at her friend she lifted onto her toes and gave him a small peck on the cheek. "I'm glad you're OK too."
He let her go and rolled his eyes.
"You did well Amelia, you and Harry both." Winters said.
"Thank you sir."
"You should make sure you have all your gear, we'll be moving out soon."
"Yes sir."
Winters nodded and moved on down the line, Nixon following him.
Watching them go she missed the dark look Derek shot Joe, or the way the other man backed down slightly, shifting his weight uncomfortably.
Finally turning her attention to the two men she frowned, confused as to the reason for the suddenly tense atmosphere.
She considered asking them what was going on, but decided against it. She was too tired and filthy to really care.
"OK boys, you heard the boss," she said, clapping her hands together. "I'll go grab my stuff and meet up with you," she said to Derek.
He finally looked away from Joe, meeting her eyes he nodded.
"See you around Joe," she said in the lightest tone she could manage, trying her best to show Derek that everything was fine.
He looked at her and smiled, "See you around beautiful."
XXXXXXX
I hope everyone enjoys this chapter. To my lovely guest reviewer(s), thank you for the great encouragement and feedback. Love to hear what you all think of the story twist and turns (lots more to come)