Disclaimers: all the usual apply.
Chapter 12
Amelia POV
Amelia walked towards the firing range, flanked on either side by Bill and Toye, while half listening to George telling a story from somewhere close behind her. She'd returned to Easy a few days ago and had eagerly thrown herself into her old routine, being around her friends doing wonders for her mood.
Entering the range they found a group of Dog Company men still busy with their target drills, Speirs watching over them, his hard eyes coolly assessing their performance.
"Wait here, I'll find out how long they're going to be," Winters ordered.
Glancing around she noticed how the veterans stood slightly apart from the replacements, just like they had on every other occasion. She understood the reasoning behind it, there was no point in getting close to a man who may just end up getting himself killed the first action they saw, or worse still, get one of your friends killed.
With the exception of her first night back she'd only spoken to the new men when they were training and her job necessitated it. It was nothing personal, they all seemed pleasant enough, but this was about self-preservation. She didn't have the emotional energy to invest in more men if they were just going to die. So she kept them all at a comfortable distance, the only annoying glitch being Babe Heffron. She'd caught herself stealing glances at him, and every time she'd found him doing the same. She tried not to make much of it, brushing it off as a silly curiosity on both their parts.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw some Dog men nudge each other and point in her direction, probably replacements, she thought. She was used to the curious stares and whispers that followed her so she didn't pay them any attention.
"Hey sugar, what brings you here?" Turning deliberately slowly in the direction of the comment her eyes fell onto a cocky looking blond private, his whole attitude screaming wannabe prom king and grade A jack-ass.
Toye took one look at the kid and said, "Just keep on walking buddy."
The private smirked and took a step closer to Toye, bringing him within arm's reach of the man. "Oh, I see how it is. You don't want anyone else talking to your girl." He peered over Toye's shoulder to leer at her. "When you're tired of keeping his bed warm, hop over to mine. I'll show you a good time."
She saw Toye's fist tighten and his jaw clench. As much as she wanted to deck the man for his comment and lack of respect she knew she had to try and defuse the situation quickly, before this turned into an all-out brawl.
"Excuse me, private? I'm your superior, I suggest you remember that."
"C'mon doll, we all know how you got those sergeant's stripes." The way he said it and how he was undressing her with his eyes made her skin crawl.
"What the fuck did you just say to her?" Joe said, stepping up to the man, his face only a few inches away from the private's.
Bill came to stand on the other side of the man, the threat of violence radiating off of him. "Show some god damn respect, or you'll regret it."
By this stage there was an entire audience enjoying the show. The man's friends were hovering close by, ready to jump in if it really came to a fight but unwilling to go toe-to-toe with the Easy men unless they had to. She was grateful that all the Dog veterans seemed to be keeping a safe distance from the altercation, not wanting any part in it. By the looks they were shooting the insolent private she figured they'd teach him some discipline once this was all over and they could get him alone.
"What is the meaning of this?" Speirs's voice cut through the mounting tension with lethal precision. In the middle of all the commotion no one had noticed Speirs and Winters approach the group. The men reluctantly stepped away from the private making room for the two officers, but she could still see their muscles tense, ready to jump into a fight.
Still trying to defuse the situation Amelia said, "Nothing sir. The private was just engaging in some friendly banter with some of the men."
"Really? That isn't what I heard. Winters?" He never took his eyes from the young private.
If looks could kill that boy would be dead and buried by now.
"No, I heard a private disrespecting a decorated sergeant. An Easy sergeant." She'd never seen Winters truly angry before, and she wasn't sure this was it, but the dark look on his face and the way his jaw was set made her a little worried for the man's safety.
"Right, sergeant what punishment do you suggest for this infringement?" Speirs asked her, his tone completely level, making it all the more menacing.
"Latrine duty at the Easy barracks for two weeks seems fair sir," Amelia responded.
His one eyebrow quirked up. "Fair huh? I would have made it a month, you're lucky Clark."
Finally looking away from the man he turned his attention to the soldiers standing closests to them. "Let this be a warning to everyone else, Sergeant Jones will have no issues with any man from Dog Company going forward."
They all nodded, Speirs wasn't the type of man that told you twice.
He turned his attention to her and said, "Sergeant Jones, the shooting range is all yours."
"Thank you sir."
As the private slinked past her she heard him mumble angrily, "Bitch."
She stepped into his path, planting her feet and steeling her eyes. He stumbled but caught himself and came to stand at attention before her, not wanting to draw any more wrath from Speirs.
"Private, I suggest you remember I did you a favour today. I could have done nothing and allowed my friends here to give you a beating so bad you'd need to run back to your mommy to kiss it better." Sizing him up and down she spat the word, "Dismissed."
He saluted and walked around her with his tail firmly tucked between his legs. When she saw Speirs watching him go she knew the latrine duty would be the least of his punishment.
Winters patted her shoulder before turning to instruct the men where to set up for the shooting drills.
"You OK beautiful?" Bill asked. Looking past him she saw all her friends were loitering around, doing little to hide the fact that they were listening in on their conversation.
She smiled reassuringly and said, "I'm fine Bill. I've heard worse. Besides, now I'll imagine his face on every target and be just that little bit extra motivated."
Bill pulled her into a hug with the one hand and ruffled her hair with the other. "You warned him against us, but someone should warn him against you."
She pushed him away and poked his ribs, extracting a small yelp followed by a long cackling laugh.
She saw Shifty Powers walking towards the far end of the range where the furthest targets were set up and jogged after him. She enjoyed shooting next to him, not just because he was an incredible shot, but because he had the most relaxing way about him.
Catching up with him she asked, "Hey Shifty, would you mind taking the target next to mine? Then we can spot each other?"
"That would be great Em."He smiled sweetly at her.
The feeling of someone watching her made her glance over her shoulder. When her eyes met Babe's she saw the naked anger they held. She couldn't be sure what had brought it on, but assumed it had something to do with the earlier altercation. She held his gaze and gave him a lopsided smile, turning around before she saw his reaction.
XXXXXXX
Babe POV
That afternoon was the best he'd ever shot in his life. Of course it had helped that he'd imagined that Dog private's face in every target.
When he'd heard what the guy had said to Amelia he had to physically restrain himself from walking over there and breaking his jaw. The only thing stopping him was the fact that the guy was already surrounded by all of her friends, completely outnumbered.
The anger that had coursed through his veins had emboldened him, so when she caught him staring at her he didn't look away, he needed to be sure that she was fine before he could focus on anything else. The lopsided smile and steady gaze she gave him took the sharp edge off of the anger, but it had lingered with him throughout the rest of the day.
"Hey man, you coming out with us tonight?" Garcia asked as they made their way back to the barracks.
"Sure," he replied.
He figured a few beers with his mates would help to take his mind off of not only the events of the day but also his growing feelings for Amelia. He knew he didn't stand a chance with her, a woman like that would never go for a regular guy from South Philly. Not like he'd ever even have the chance to find out, she was always surrounded by one of her friends and they'd made it crystal clear that they wouldn't tolerate any funny business when it came to her. It was like he had to gain the acceptance of an entire company of over protective older brothers.
Not that it mattered, because she isn't interested anyway.
"I heard that girl Doris is going to be at the pub tonight," Hashey said, shooting him a sly smile.
On their first night in Aldbourne he'd met this nurse named Doris. She was friendly and real pretty, and right now she would be perfect to help him forget his feelings for Amelia Jones.
XXXXXXX
Amelia POV
"Where did Malarkey and More get a motorcycle?" Derek asked her as they watched the two men come tearing into the grounds outside the Easy mess.
She'd been on her way in with Gene when Derek had called her aside, the familiar look on his face making her stomach clench uncomfortably.
"Oh, not sure," she shrugged. She wasn't going to rat on her friends.
She knew he didn't believe her, but he didn't pursue the subject, only shaking his head before turning his attention back to her.
"Listen, there's going to be an announcement soon, but I want to you hear it from me. You can't tell any of the men though."
"I understand."
"We're moving out soon, back to France."
"It was going to happen sooner or later. I'd hoped for the later, but it is what it is."
"Yeah." He patted her shoulder and she reached up to squeeze his hand. They could have an entire conversation through shared looks and quick touches, they didn't really need words anymore.
"Let's go get some food," she said, dropping her hand from his.
"You and food," he jokingly shook his head.
"I've got to eat as much as I can. Fatten myself up before we deploy again." She gave him a wide smile which elicited a dramatic eye roll from him.
Entering the barn she heard Smokey say, "Since you weren't wounded by the enemy and thus didn't qualify for a Purple Heart, we've taken matters into our own hands, Tab this is for you." He held up one of his own Purple Hearts and the men all cheered.
Walking up behind him she took the Purple Heart from his hand with a wink and walked over to Tab. Placing a kiss on his cheek, which brought on a fresh round of cheers, she said, "I told you that poncho was a bad idea. You ever to something stupid like that again and I'll kill you."
Tab blushed and briefly looked down at the table before meeting her eyes. "Promise Em, from here on in you won't have to worry about me."
"Tab, I love you all far too much. I'll always worry about each of you." She gave him another quick peck on the cheek for good measure.
Looking around she saw George waving her over to their table. Coming closer she was surprised to find Babe sitting across from Bill.
When had this happened?
Taking a seat next to Bill he nudged her hard, too excited to notice the scowl she shot him. "Em, did you know this guy's from South Philly," he pointed to Babe sitting across from him, "We grew up in the same neighbourhood."
"I thought the accent sounded familiar. So I guess this means you're gonna be taking him under your wing? Since you Philly boys stick together and all."
"Yip, so you play nice now."
"Who me? I always play nice."
She looked over to Babe and smiled at him, he was clearly excited at getting the Bill seal of approval, effectively making him instant friends with all the veterans. "Welcome to the group Eddy. And don't listen to them. I'm very nice."
"Yeah, as long as you're not a Kraut," George remarked.
"Or an asshole private from Dog," she added for good measure.
"There's our girl!" Bill exclaimed.
She picked up Bill's fork and stole a mouthful of his food from his plate. He shot her a sideways look, but he still pushed the plate towards her, shaking his head and smirking through the cigarette stuck between his lips.
Sitting back she observed how Babe interacted with the men, happy to see how easily he was integrating, like he'd always been one of them.
"First, listen up." Lipton shouted from the door and the room fell into a hush and she turned in her seat so she could see him. "First, the training exercise scheduled for 22:00 had been cancelled."
All the men cheered, but she didn't, she knew what was coming. Turning back around her eyes caught Gene's as Lipton said, "Secondly. All passes are hereby revoked. We're heading back to France, so pack your gear. We will not be returning to England, boys."
She didn't hear the rest of the announcement, for that moment her entire world consisted only of Eugene Roe's soulful eyes and their silent conversation. As the men around her began to shift the corners of her lips twitched upwards just a fraction and he gave her a nod.
XXXXXXX
The pub was noisy, filled to the brim with paratroopers and the few local girls brave enough to venture out. Glancing down she counted the empty glasses littering the table she was sharing with David Webster. Four, of which two belonged to her, not counting the one she was busy nursing.
They'd been on stand-by for far too long, each time they got ready to jump Patton would overrun their drop zone and their mission would get cancelled. As grateful as she was for the reprieve, the hurry-up-and-wait was working on her last nerve.
Looking over to Webster she tried to make out what he was reading. Only Webster would read in a pub, she thought. He'd studied literature before the war and she'd found herself debating the merits of different poets and poetic styles with him on the odd occasion. Her mother and farther had shared a deep love of poetry, so she'd spent her early years surrounded by it. When they died she'd found that, although she didn't love poetry as deeply as her parents had, reading it always made her feel closer to them.
"Hey Amelia," Webster spoke, looking up from his book.
"Yip."
"You said you like poetry. What's your favourite one?"
"Ummmm….I don't really have a favourite one. It depends on my mood."
"Makes sense. So right now what would you say is your favourite?"
She thought about her answer for a moment. She was happy, surrounded by her friends, a little drunk and feeling quite bold and a little mischievous. "I suppose I Love You, by Ella Wheeler."
He closed his book and frowned like he was trying to recall every poem he'd ever seen. Finally he said, "Don't know it."
"A poem about love, you're such a broad Em," Bill chipped in as he stole a chair from a nearby table and sat down next to her.
"Bill darling, this isn't a normal love poem written by a broad."
He didn't look convinced. "It's a poem, written by a broad about love, sounds pretty normal to me."
She felt someone behind her and glancing over her shoulder she saw Babe leaning against the wooden beam which was right by her. She suddenly had the urge to be a little bit wild and reckless.
Looking back to Bill with a wicked smile on her face she said, "I'll make you deal. If I recite the poem and you like it, then you owe me a month's ration of chocolate."
"Deal."
She turned in her chair so she could easily see all three men and closing her eyes she started to recite the poem, her voice naturally dropping an octave, taking on a smoky quality it didn't usually have.
"I love your lips when they're wet with wine
And red with a wild desire;
I love your eyes when the love-light lies
Lit with a passionate fire.
I love your arms when the warm white flesh
Touches mine in a fond embrace;
I love your hair when the strands enmesh
Your kisses against my face."
She opened her eyes slowly to find all three men staring at her, cigarettes and drinks forgotten. Her lips turned into a sultry smile and she continued.
"Not for me the cold, calm kiss
Of a virgin's bloodless love;
Not for me the saint's white bliss,
Nor the heart of a spotless dove.
But give me the love that so freely gives
And laughs at the whole world's blame,
With your body so young and warm in my arms,
It sets my poor heart aflame."
George and Toye had joined the group. They were listening in rapt attention, for once all of them speechless. Taking a deep breath, she finished the poem.
"So kiss me sweet with your warm wet mouth,
Still fragrant with ruby wine,
And say with a fervor born of the South
That your body and soul are mine.
Clasp me close in your warm young arms,
While the pale stars shine above,
And we'll live our whole young lives away
In the joys of a living love."
When she was done you could have heard a pin drop they were all so quiet. She leaned back, feeling rather smug at their reactions.
"Well shit," Webster finally said, downing his beer.
"I'll have your first ration tomorrow," Bill added.
"You sure that was written by broad?" George asked her, taking a very long drag from his cigarette.
She smirked. Feeling both generous and a little rebellious she decided to give the men some sage advice.
"Yes, and I'll give you boys some free advice. Women, have the same desires as men. We're just better at hiding it and more discreet at handling it."
George and Bill both packed up laughing while Toye nearly choked on his beer as Webster smiled shyly at her, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink. Looking up at Babe she saw he was blushing, but he held her eyes with his and his lips turned into a mischievous grin.
"Who wants to play some darts?" George asked once he regained control.
Toye nodded, "I'm in. Babe?"
He finally tore his eyes away from her, answering Toye's question he said, "Why not, who are we playing against?"
"Me and Lieutenant Compton," George responded, pointing in the direction of the dartboard where Buck was already getting ready.
"You wanna join us Em?" he asked her.
"Oh, no thanks Luz, I'll just play cheerleader tonight."
"Great, which team you cheering for?"
"Mmmmm….Toye and Eddy."
He feigned shock and hurt. "What? I feel so betrayed."
"Awww…Luz, you know you'll always have a special place in my heart," she stood and kissed him on the cheek. "I'll be there in a bit, you boys can start without me."
"Web, another?" she asked.
"Sure, thanks," he said without looking up from his book.
Walking over to the bar she spotted Joe standing very close to a pretty brunette, clearly telling her some hysterically funny story by the way she threw her head back and laughed.
Amelia felt the familiar pang of jealousy, but it was duller than before, less acute, not the sharp stab she'd become accustomed to.
Turning her attention to the woman behind the bar she put money down on the counter and placed her order. "One beer and one Scotch please."
As the woman left to fetch her order Joe came to stand next to her, money in hand, clearly enough for two drinks. "You look really pretty tonight Amelia."
"Thank you Joe. As always you looked dapper in you dress greens. That pretty brunette over there seems to agree." She tilted her head in the direction of the brunette who was now staring daggers at her
"Oh yeah." He ran his hand through his hair self-consciously, avoiding her eyes.
"Hey Em, we need you to come cheer us on while we beat George and Buck," Toye called over to her.
She was grateful for the excuse to leave, and grabbing her drinks from the counter she smiled at Joe. "That's my cue."
Placing Webster's drink down in-front of him she joined her friends, seeing the game had attracted a small audience in the form of Bull and Johnny.
"What do you need to win?" she asked Toye.
"Double seven. It's Babe's throw," Toye responded.
"Good luck Eddy." She reached over and touched his arm, resting her hand there for a second more than strictly necessary.
"Thanks Em."
He looked away from her and took aim. A second later the dart found its intended target.
Babe looked in her direction with a cocky smile on his face. She laughed and winked at him.
Bill came up behind them and said to Babe, "You're embarrassing the lieutenant. Here, have a drink."
"Don't mind if I do Sarge." Babe took the offered beer.
Looking over to the other replacements sitting at their own table, talking quietly amongst themselves, Bill said, "Better start winning money soon, I think your buddies are starting to miss you."
"Yeah, they do look kinda sad, don't they?"
Could he look any more pleased with himself, she thought, rolling her eyes at the men's antics.
"Well, I think I'm gonna go and introduce myself and Em." Bill placed a hand on her back to steer her towards the table.
Bull put a hand out to stop them, playfully saying, "Be careful what you say now. Don't take much to set my guys off."
She shot him an amused look and heard Johnny say, "Yeah, you got some wide-eyed killers right there, Bull."
"Em, you're leaving us?" Toye asked as she was about to make her way to the table.
"You two seem to be doing just fine. Just uh, keep an eye on that one." She pointed to George who smiled innocently at her. She instantly knew something was up.
As they reached the table all the replacements looked up at them, visibly surprised that the two sergeants were joining them and a little unsure of what to do next.
Pulling out a chair for her Bill spoke. "Hey fellas. What do you hear? What do you say?"
Hashey looked at her uncomfortably. "Uh, actually that's Babes seat. Private Heffron's."
"Is that right? I don't care if it's fucking Eisenhower's," Bill said.
Amelia felt bad when all of their faces dropped. Nudging Bill under the table she leaned over and said, "What was that you told me about playing nice Bill?"
He rolled his eyes and tilted his glass in her direction. "This is Sergeant Jones. Finest broad in England and Europe."
"I've already met them Bill, that first night."
"Oh yeah, when one of 'em tried to ask you on a date."
"That would be the one."
He clearly had a plan for this conversation because he just shrugged and continued as if she'd never said anything. "Who are you?"
"Private Miller. James Miller. I'm in Sergeant Randleman's squad."
"Us too. I'm Les Hashey."
"Tony," the last man started to say when Bill interrupted him, "Garcia. I know who you are. Old Gonorrhea don't miss nothing."
The sounds of men celebrating loudly distracted her and looking towards the dartboard she smiled when she saw George collect his winnings. And they call me a hustler.
"So, Heffron tell you about Doris yet?" Her ears perked up at the mention of Babe's name. Returning her attention to the table she found Bill leaning forward, getting ready to tell his story.
"No," Hashey said while the other two men shook their heads.
"No? Well, then I'm gonna educate you. We're getting ready to get on the plane for that first Frog town we never jumped into. All of a sudden, Heffron stops dead in his tracks. Bing and a bang and a boom, everybody's banging into each other and everything." Glancing over her shoulder she saw Babe standing between Bull and Johnny, all three men now listening in on the story.
She looked back to Bill as he continued, "Heffron's just staring up at the nose of the plane, because on it, is painted this beautiful pin-up. Written underneath, 'Darling Doris'. Doris just so happens to be the name of the skirt, who just that day sent Babe one of them letters. You know the…Em, what do you call them letters that the broads send?"
"Dear John letter," she answered far more coolly than she felt.
"That's it. A Dear Babe letter." Bill laughed at his own joke and she rolled her eyes.
"Anyway, lucky for Babe, Patton overruns our drop zone. Mission canceled. In other words, Babe don't have to risk getting inside old Doris again."
Bill cackled while the three replacements smiled politely, still a bit unsure as to how they should act in-front of them.
Lighting his smoke Bill turned to Bull and said, "Hey Bull, your squad listens up real good."
"Yeah, they're being polite, like whenever Bull opens his mouth," Johnny retorted.
For some reason she felt unsettled after Bill's story, wanting some peace and quiet to collect herself she decided to head to the ladies' room.
"Keep my seat safe, I'll be back soon," she said to Bill before making her way into the back.
The bathroom was empty, not that she was surprised considering the few women she'd seen that night.
Reapplying her lipstick she tried to shake off the unwanted feeling. Looking into the mirror she told herself to stop being stupid. Eddy can do what he wants with whoever he wants.
Shaking her shoulders and taking a nice long breath she headed back out but as soon as she stepped into the main area she knew something was off. The raucous atmosphere she'd left had become subdued and she could see men starting to file out the door.
Spotting Lipton standing near the entrance she walked over to him. "What happened?"
"We're moving again." He clearly hated being the bearer of bad news
"I see. Congrats on the promotion, First Sergeant. Derek told me this afternoon." She patted his shoulder.
"Thanks Em." He smiled shyly and slightly dipped his head. She always found his embarrassment at a compliment utterly adorable.
With the mood now dead she knew it was time to head home. She was tempted to just slip out, but knew she'd never hear the end of it from her friends, so decided against it.
Leaving Lipton she walked over to the group she'd left, when she got close George asked her, "You heard?"
"Yip, I heard. I'm gonna head back."
"I'll walk you," he offered.
"George don't worry, you just got that beer." She gestured to the full beer in his hand.
He was about to protest when Babe stepped in. "I'm heading back to barracks anyway. I can walk you?"
"See, Eddy will get me home safe."
"Yeah OK. Hey, Babe, no funny business," George warned him.
Once outside she wrapped the shawl she'd brought with her around her shoulders. Looking over to Babe she recognized the look of apprehension and doubt on his face. She'd seen it before a thousand times. Hell, she'd worn it more than she'd like to admit.
"You'll be fine Eddy."
"What?"
"That look, I've seen it before. Trust your training and the paratrooper next to you and you'll be fine."
He frowned, mulling over her words. "How do you know?"
"A feeling. I learnt to trust my gut a long time ago. Winters calls it my women's intuition."
"How do you do that?"
"Do what?"
"Not be scared."
She let out small laugh. "Oh, I'm petrified. I'm also an excellent actress."
He shot her a sideways glance, like he didn't believe a word she'd just said. "C'mon, I've heard the stories the guys tell. How you killed two Germans with a trench knife or ran across an open street to pull MG fire and then there's that crazy story about you shooting a tank with a bazooka."
"Oh, in those moments I don't think about where I am or the possible consequences of what I'm doing. I just go on instinct. If I had to actually stop and think, I'd never be able to my job. I'd freeze."
"So all I gotta do is trust my training and act on instinct."
"Pretty much. Oh also, don't do anything stupid."
This time it was his turn to chuckle softly. "I'll try my best."
Looking over at him all the humor disappeared from her voice. "Good, I really don't want to see you getting hurt."
He met her eyes and his were clear, the sincerity visible from a mile away. "I don't even want to think about you wounded. I can't deal with the thought."
He moved closer to her and she could feel his body heat against the exposed skin of her arms. She felt her heart start to race and for a moment she considered interlinking her arm with his. Quickly dismissing the thought she averted her eyes from his by looking at the ground, trying to block out the feelings his closeness was brining to the surface.
She swore she saw his arm twitch and for a moment she thought he was going to reach for her, but instead he shoved his hands into his pockets and said, "Amelia, umm….Bill told me about your family."
"Oh," she was surprised by the revelation and a little unsure as to where he was going with this.
"I'm sure they're proud of you."
She sighed. "I hope so. I really do."
"You're pretty damn incredible, so I'm sure they are."
She was glad it was dark so that he couldn't see her blush. Stopping outside the Whitehall's home she said, "This is me."
Looking up at him she felt a pang of regret that their time alone together had ended so quickly. "I'll see you Eddy." The words came out low, barely more than a whisper.
"I'll see you Amelia."
Moments later when she finally closed her bedroom door behind her she looked around the dark room as if the answer to what the hell had just happened was waiting there for her.
Do I have actual feelings for Eddy? Well this sucks.
XXXXXXX
Hope everyone has a great weekend ahead of them. I found the Ella Weelher Wilcox poem a few months ago by accident and just fell in love with it. I hope you all enjoyed it as well. Thanks for all the great reviews and to everyone who keeps coming back for more :)