Disclaimers: all the usual apply

Chapter 18

Babe POV

Walking into the barn Easy was using as their makeshift base, he searched the faces of the soldiers sitting and standing around for Amelia's. He hadn't really seen her since Nuenen as she was consistently out on the line with one of the other men and he was anxious to speak to her after the action they'd seen.

He spotted her sitting on a table, which was shoved up against the wall of the barn, her long blonde hair undone and running down her back to the middle of her waist. Her back was to him and he saw Doc working on her leg. His stomach flinched at the sight. He'd heard she'd been injured that morning during the shelling at the Crossroads and he'd had to mentally restrain himself from dropping everything and running over here to find her. Instead he waited for his patrol to end and then he walked back to the barn with Bill, trying and failing, to look cool and unhurried.

"Doll!" Bill exclaimed next to him.

Amelia peered over her shoulder and smiled broadly.

Bill walked purposefully over to her and he followed his lead.

"Hey there boys. Haven't seen you in a few days. How are you?"

She smiled at them but this morphed into a scowl a split second later when Gene fastened the bandage around her leg.

"Ouch! Jeez Gene, I know you're upset that I got hit, but really?"

The medic looked up from his work, his mouth set in a firm line. "We talked 'bout this. You need to be more careful."

"I was being careful."

"M'hm." Doc didn't look convinced.

She smiled sweetly at him and reached over to ruffle his hair. He half-smiled and half-scowled up at her before shaking his head at her antics.

"K, I'm done. You need to stay off it for a few days."

She looked over to them and said with a wink, "He's so bossy this one."

They smiled as Doc started to collect his things. Once he was ready to leave, he and Amelia shared a long look and their own private unspoken conversation. She smiled softly at Doc and he quickly kissed the top of her head before leaving to go back to the aid station where he was needed.

Bill moved to take the space Doc had vacated and Babe leaned against the table next to her. The sides of their bodies touching made his pulse quicken and he hoped no one would notice the way he was stealing glances at her.

She leaned ever so slightly into him and he suppressed the urge to drape an arm around her shoulder and pull her against him.

Bill shot him a knowing smirk but quickly turned his attention to Amelia. "Heard you all saw some action?"

"Two companies of Germans snuck through our line. We were lucky to have caught them before they could do any real damage."

"And you? Heard you got hit." Bill was frowning now, his face mirroring Doc's.

"Oh, it's not that bad. Three-inch laceration to the calf. Got caught in the open when the Krauts started shelling us. Doc stitched me up so I won't have to go to the aid station. You heard the rest. I'm counting this as day one of my ordered rest."

"You know, I heard some nurses say there are cute doctors at the aid station."

"None of them are as cute as you Bill. You've set the bar so high, they all pale in comparison."

He grinned foolishly and Babe could see his shoulders relax for the first time since they'd heard Amelia had been hit. "Charmer."

"Takes one to know one," she replied with a crooked smile.

"I'm gonna get something to eat. You want?" Bill asked both of them.

Amelia shook her head and Babe said, "Nah. Thanks though."

Bill swaggered away from them and they both watched him walk across the room before saying anything.

He nudged her lightly and she looked over to him. Her face was smudged with grime and gunpowder and her eyes were red-rimmed from the lack of sleep. "You sure you're alright?"

"Yes, I'm sure." She took a deep breath and added, "I need some fresh air. Wanna join me?"

"Anytime."

She smiled and glanced down before meeting his gaze again through her long lashes.

He stepped slightly away from the table and held out his hand to her. She quirked an eyebrow up and he said, "You need to stay off of your leg. Let me help."

She took his hand and he placed her arm around his shoulder as he reached around her waist and took the majority of her weight onto him. She hopped on one leg next to him for a few steps before he heard her sigh in exasperation.

He chuckled and heard George shout from across the barn. "Just pick her up Babe. She won't bite!"

He glanced down at her and she nodded. He scooped her into his arms and carried her outside.

"The sun should be hitting that wall," she pointed to the right of the barn.

He walked them around the corner where the late afternoon sun was warming the wooden wall. By some miracle they were the only ones out there and he smiled at the prospect of having her all to himself for a few moments. Someone had stacked some crates against the wall and walking over to them he carefully sat her down on-top of one before joining her.

She took out her pack of smokes and held them out to him. He took two and using his lighter he lit both before handing her one.

"Have you heard from Derek?" he asked after his first drag.

"An ambulance driver from the hospital brought me a note. He tried to go AWOL but some nurse caught him. They threatened to court-martial him when he refused to go back to bed. Now he's just going to be unbearable until they beg him to leave."

"Seems like a solid plan."

"Oh, trust me. That man can be completely insufferable when he puts his mind to it. He'll be lucky if one of the nurses doesn't stab him accidently-on-purpose."

She giggled and a smile spread across his face at both the sound and the idea of the tough lieutenant acting like petulant kid.

"I'd pay good money to see that," he said.

"Well, I can scrounge us some Kraut cheese and stale crackers and then you got yourself dinner and a show."

"It's a date." The words slipped out before he could stop them. He waited for her to tell him he'd never stand a chance or simply ignore the comment and change the subject.

Instead he saw the corners of her lips turn-up ever so slightly in a teasing little smile. "Who said anything about a date?"

He decided to play along. This was as good a time as any to see if he really stood a chance with her. "Yeah, fair enough. I wouldn't want watching Derek piss-off a nurse to be our first date anyway."

"Our first date?" Now she was smiling fully at him.

"That's what I said."

"Bold statement Mr. Heffron. So, what would your first date be then?"

"We'd have dinner at my favorite joint. Then I'd take you dancing where we'd meet up with some of my friends so that I could show you off."

"Well you are in luck. I enjoy dancing and I do love food. As for showing me off to your friends. I'd try my best not to disappoint."

"Are you kidding me? They'd take one look at you and try to steal you away."

She laughed and touched his arm, her hand resting there for a few heartbeats before she slowly removed it. "Some real great friends you got there."

"They're good guys. Most of them are serving now." He turned away from her and stared into the distance. He replayed the last moments he'd had with his friends before they'd all left for the war.

She read the change in his mood and rested her hand on his arm. "If they're your friends, I'm sure they're great guys Eddy."

Turning back to face her, he said, "Maybe you can meet them one day."

"I'd love to meet them."

"Would you come to Philly if I asked you?"

"That depends. Are you asking me?"

"Maybe," he teased her.

She narrowed her eyes for a moment and them smiled at him devilishly. "Then I'd maybe say yes."

"Good to know," he replied with a smirk.

She playfully slapped him on the chest and said, "You know; you were never this cocky when I met you? Bill's rubbing off on you."

He laughed. "Nah, it's your fault."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"You should."

"So, what about at the end of the date?" she asked holding his gaze as her eyes darkened.

His eyes flicked to her slightly parted pink lips and when they returned to her eyes he found them daring him to make a move.

They held each other's gaze and the air crackled around them as they both leaned in closer.

"Hey Babe, we gotta go," Bill's voice shattered the moment.

"Duty calls," he mumbled.

"Unfortunately," she whispered in a husky voice that made his heart pound in anticipation.

Leaning back, she smiled up at him. "I'll see you around Mr. Heffron."

He got up and said, "Looking forward to it beautiful."

As he rounded the corner he glanced back to where she was sitting, face tilted up to the sun and a coy smile playing across her lips.

He swore at Bill who was impenitently waiting for him at the door to the barn. "Bill, you got shit timing."

"Whatever, I'll make it up to you. C'mon, we have orders."

As they left to man another portion of the Easy line images of Amelia and what he would love to do to her at the end of their fictitious date kept intruding on reality.

"What are you smiling about?" Bill asked him.

"Nothing, just a girl."

"Some broad by the looks of things."

"One hell of a broad."

Bill smiled and winked at him, knowing exactly who he was referring to.

XXXXXXX

Amelia POV

After two full days of sitting around the barn she'd exhausted all the things she could do to keep busy. She'd helped Winters with his mounting paper work now that he'd been promoted to Battalion Executive Officer, organized patrols, cleaned all her gear and some of the men's and she'd slept more than she had in weeks.

Once cabin fever set in she started to irritate the men so much they practically shoved her out the door.

Joe had joined her as he'd said he would and they'd spent most of the night laying down on the lip of a dike overlooking an open stretch of field where German movement had been spotted by one of their patrols.

Just as the first rays of sun started to lighten the horizon Joe cleared his throat and asked, "Who do you think is gonna take over Easy?"

"Don't know. But Winters will make sure he's decent."

"Hope so."

"The sun's going to come up soon. We should dig in at the foot of the dike where the Kraut artillery won't be able to spot us."

"You stay here. I'll dig the foxhole and call you when it's done."

"Thanks Joe."

He patted her shoulder before skidding down the embankment.

The sun had risen well above the horizon when she heard Joe call out to her. She crawled backwards, making sure to keep as close to the ground as possible until she was safely over the lip of the dike and then slid down the embankment on her rear.

When she hit the bottom of the dike she walked over to the small foxhole Joe had dug and hopped in, gladly accepting the mug of coffee he held out to her.

She closed her eyes and focused on the path the warm, bitter coffee was making down her throat before settling in her empty stomach.

"So…" she heard Joe say, but it sounded more like a question.

She opened her eyes and raised one eyebrow. "So?"

He was playing with his lighter and she saw him hesitate. Snapping it shut abruptly and putting it away he asked her, "What's going on with you and Babe?"

Here we go. Fuck, why do men insist on having these conversations after I've been up all night and before I've had anything to eat. Don't they know they're taking their lives into their own hands.

"That really isn't any of your business."

Now it was his turn to raise an eyebrow.

She sighed and decided to take the path of least resistance. "I don't know. Maybe something, maybe nothing. Why do you ask?"

"So I still have a chance?"

"Honestly, I don't know."

She saw the rejection and anger dance behind his eyes for a moment before he replaced it with his usual mask of cool indifference, but she knew him better than that. She'd learned to read his poker face a long time ago.

"A lot's happened Joe. Things changed."

"So whatever you said you felt is just gone?"

The anger and resentment in his voice was only thinly vailed and it made her blood boil. Taking a deep breath to calm herself down before she said something she would regret she finally replied, "Don't do that."

"You didn't answer the question Amelia."

"I'll always have feelings for you Joe. But that doesn't change what happened. Why are you asking me this now anyway?"

"You said I should tell you when I know what I want."

She eyes him suspiciously. "And do you? Know what you want."

He paused and looked away from her for the first time since they'd started down this path.

"Damnit Joe!" she exclaimed, her frustration at their constant tug of war finally winning over her common sense. "You can't do this! What, because you think there may be someone else you panic thinking you've lost your chance?"

He was startled by her sudden outburst and where his voice had been harsh it now softened, almost pleading in its insistence. "Em," she cut him off before he could even begin to explain. "No, you willingly gave up your chance long before Babe came into the picture. You gave it up that night in Normandy and then again when you slept with that random brunette in Aldbourne."

She knew he was trying to keep his temper in check, he was taking deep breaths, his chest visibly rising and falling.

"The men talk Joe. I had to hear it from a few of them. So don't you dare accuse me of anything."

He threw his hands in the air. "Fuck Amelia, I'm sorry!" he was screaming as well now. Everything they'd tried to be so polite about finally coming to a head. "But with you," he ran one hand through his hair forcibly, looking for the words, "you're not the woman I ever imagined my life with, ever. God maybe your still not. But the idea of you with someone else is killing me!"

His words felt like a slap across the face and she visibly recoiled. "Oh, wow! Thanks for the compliment! I do hope that isn't the line you use on all the women to get them into bed with you!"

"Damnit Amelia! What do you want from me? You only want me if I can promise you something after this hell and I can't!"

"Then just leave it at that. We were fine until you decided to ask me about my personal life."

He just stared at her, jaw clenched, eyebrows knitted together.

She didn't know what else to say. They had hit a wall and she didn't know how to get over it. She needed space and time to think, so deciding she'd take her chances with the German artillery she got to her feet. "I can't do this."

As she turned to leave Joe sprang to his feet and grabbed her arm, his fingers digging into her. She jerked her arm out of his grasp and swung around to face him. He was standing almost on-top of her in the small foxhole and she was startled by the intense mixture of anger and lust pulling at his features.

"You can't have it both ways Joseph. I would say you have to choose, but it's not up to you anymore!"

"Fuck it," he said under his breath and with his one hand he grabbed her waist and pulled her body flush against his while the other cupped her face and brought his lips to hers.

She was so shocked she didn't move for a couple of heartbeats, but his lips never faltered from hers and her body responded to his insistence. She pressed her hands against his broad chest as her mouth molded to his.

She'd wanted this for so long. She'd spent sleepless nights imagining this moment and now that it was here the edges were duller than she'd anticipant.

She pulled away from him and looked up into his eyes. "Joe," the word came out a whisper.

"I...fuck, I'm sorry. I just," he trailed off and his wild eyes pleaded with hers to understand. "I had to know how it would feel."

She didn't know what to say to him. She hated him for kissing her now, months too late and only after she'd started to let go of him. Ruining everything.

The stiffness in her leg and the discomfort from standing for so long on her injured calf finally got through to her brain and she came back to reality with a hard thud.

The heat of the fight had left her and now she was just tired, cold and angry. Sitting back down into the muddy ground she wrapped her arms around herself and glared at his feet. He sat back down and for a moment she thought he was going to reach for her. Instead he took out a K-ration from his pack and said, "I'll take first watch."

She nodded and resting her head against the side of the foxhole she closed her eyes and waited for the exhaustion to kick in.

XXXXXXX

"Amelia, wake up." She heard Joe's voice coming from far away and felt someone lightly shaking her shoulder.

Cracking open her eyes there was a brief moment of peace before the memory of their fight and kiss rushed back to her.

"I'm awake. You can sleep now," she growled at him.

To her surprise his hand didn't drop from her arm. Instead he grabbed both her shoulders and hauled her to her feet. She was about to tear into him when she saw Toye standing on the side of their foxhole.

She frowned and looked from the one man to the other in confusion as her brain tried to play catch up.

"Toye, what are you doing here? And get down will you! The Krauts can see you from a mile away."

"Amelia, you have to come with me now," Toye said without moving. His tone was forceful and urgent, making her heart pick up pace and her muscles tense.

"What's wrong?"

"Bill got hit. He's refusing to go to the hospital until he sees you," Joe answered before Toye had a chance and her eyes snapped to his face.

"Shit," was all she could think of saying.

Joe finally let go of her shoulders and he started to collect his few belongings. She grabbed her kit and Toye pulled her out of the foxhole with Joe close behind.

Normally they'd move cautiously during the day for fear of the German's taking potshots at them with their artillery. This was forgotten now and they opted rather for speed than stealth. Running across the field, keeping as close to the cover the dike provided as possible, they made their way back to the aid station.

Her leg screamed in agony and she thought she could feel her stiches pulling and tearing. She pushed the thought aside and focused on the image of Bill wounded and bleeding. Her panic and anger dulled the pain and she was able to run the last mile to the aid station.

Entering the small gravel courtyard of the aid station she saw a waiting ambulance and four men standing over a gurney. Gene was bent over, his face pinched in concentration, and she could see Winters speaking. She recognized the back of one of the men as Babe's, but she frowned at the back of a tall, dark haired man standing next to him. He must have felt her stare because he turned around and her breath hitched.

Derek.

The joy of seeing her best friend after weeks apart was quickly dashed by the sight of a pale Bill lying on a gurney.

She sprinted towards them and she heard Joe and Toye directly behind her.

Derek and Babe moved aside so that she could come to stand next to Bill's head. She looked down and grimaced when she saw his bloody, broken leg.

She reached for his head, smoothing down his hair in a soothing motion. He opened his eyes and his lips twitched into a crooked little smile.

"Hey'ya doll."

"Hey Bill. What did you do?"

"Sniper got me in the leg."

"Where?"

"Our line."

She glanced back down at his injured lower half and frowned.

"Bill, this doesn't look like a clean shot?"

He smiled and reverted his eyes and she swore she saw him blush.

"William Guarnere, what happened?"

"You sound like my ma," he replied, only just meeting her eyes.

"Answer the question?"

"I was on a motorcycle."

"What?"

"Our lines spread out, it's the quickest way to get to our guys."

"Damnit Bill," she whispered.

"Amelia, we need to get him to the hospital," Winters said and she nodded without taking her eyes off of Bill's pale face.

"You just focus on getting better quickly so you can get back to us. We need you. I need you."

"You take care of yourself beautiful. You're our heart. You gotta stay in one piece."

She leaned down and placed a kiss on his cheek. "I'll write you," she spoke softly.

She felt his head move in a small nod but his eyes were closed and he mumbled something incoherent as the morphine finally took hold.

She looked up to Gene who gave her a reassuring nod before he moved the gurney into the back of the waiting ambulance and they sped off.

Everyone watched it leave and as the dust settled they turned to look at each other. Winters wore a grim look as he held her gaze, silently giving his approval for what he knew was coming.

She turned to Babe and asked, "Where did it happen?"

"About two miles from here. The stretch of road runs along some hedgerows on one side and a forest on the other."

"I know it."

"Kraut must have snuck in behind our lines and waited. Bill made an easy target," Toye added.

"Seems they're making a habit of that," she replied.

Derek touched her shoulder. "He'll still be in that area. He can't move during the day."

"I know. That's why I'm going to hunt him down and kill him." Her voice was cool and cutting, her hatred for the man that had nearly killed one of her closest brothers chilling her blood.

"Not alone. I'm coming with you," Derek replied.

She nodded and felt as the weight of her pack lifted from her shoulders. Glancing over her shoulder she met Joe's eyes. They were dark and hard as always, but somewhere deep down she could still see the fragments of their fight and the kiss they'd shared.

She allowed him to take her pack and said, "Thanks. You can drop it in the barn. I'll fetch it there."

"OK."

She glanced at Babe, Bill was after all one of his closest friends and she knew seeing him like that would be killing him. He reached over and squeezed her shoulder and she squeezed his upper arm before turning and leaving with Derek.

"When this is done you have to tell me how you got here," she said to him.

"Sure."

They reached the edge of the courtyard and Derek grabbed her arm. She stopped but he held onto her.

"It's good to be back Em."

She stepped forward and pulled him into a tight hug, standing on her tippy toes. "I missed you every day."

She felt his lips twitch upwards and for a moment they held each other, savoring their little family reunion.

She pulled away from him and he let her go. She took a deep breath and letting it out she turned her mind to the German hiding somewhere in the woods.

"Let's go hunting," she said and this time his smile was cold and deadly.

XXXXXXX

Derek POV

They moved through the gloom of the forest like two deadly shadows. Their years of working and living side-by-side meant they could move as one without having to say a word. Reaching the edge of the small wood they'd been able to easily find the sniper's nest where he'd been lying in wait for the first target to come his way. It was unfortunate that, that target had been Bill. The man was lucky to have survived the shot and the motorcycle accident. He knew the same would not be said for the German by the time they were done with him.

From the moment she'd spoken in the courtyard about finding the German, Amelia had a deadly look in her eyes he'd only seen on a small handful of occasions. Usually they did their job with a detached proficiency, but this was personal. The last time it was personal they'd spent two days tracking down a German squad of five over some African wasteland. When they'd finally found the men sleeping they'd killed them without giving them the option to surrender.

Judging by the path the German had left he was either very arrogant or very stupid. He'd snapped twigs and crushed leaves which would have made it easy for a novice to track him down. Almost instantly the sounds of the forest died down until he could only hear his own breathing.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Amelia drop to one knee just as he did the same. He scanned the area ahead and the trees above for the German, but the leaves of the large trees were so thickly packed together he couldn't see anything.

He looked over to Amelia and she quietly moved over to his side. She crouched down next to him and whispered into his ear, "He's close, but I can't see him. You set up and I'll draw him out."

He thought about arguing that he should be the one to draw out the German, but he decided against it when he glimpsed the way her mouth was set.

He got up and jogged to a nearby tree which had a few low hanging branches he could easily use to hall himself up. Climbing as high as he could go he had a perfect view of the forest floor and the nearby trees. He scanned each one carefully but still couldn't find the enemy. He needed to see a muzzle flash. He needed Amelia to make herself an easy target.

Bracing his back against the tree trunk and placing his feet as wide as he could he waited. The silence was deafening but he was completely separated from it. His entire being was focused on finding the unmistakable flash of muzzle and the man behind it.

His ears picked up the sound of Amelia walking beneath him. Snapping twigs and treading loudly. She was making herself an easy target and he knew any German sniper that was willing to risk shooting at a guy on a bike would take this shot.

He saw the distinctive spark of a muzzle flash almost three hundred yards away and heard the clap of the shot. Looking through his scope he could now make out the outline of a man sitting in a tree, his camouflage helping him to blend into the background seamlessly.

He let out his breath and pulled the trigger. The German doubled over and fell from the branch to the ground.

"Amelia," he said, suddenly anxious that the German's shot had hit home.

He was met with a deadly silence.

His heart sped up and the panic started to rise in the back of his throat.

"Amelia!" he screamed as he climbing down the tree.

Still nothing.

Dropping to the ground her looked around but couldn't find her.

He ran in the direction of the German's tree, franticly searching the area for signs of life or blood.

"Amelia!"

Nothing.

XXXXXXX

Amelia POV

She was vaguely aware of someone calling her name from some far off distance, but her mind was solely focused on the young, blond German lying at her feet.

He was laying perfectly still, his ice blue eyes holding her dark black ones without blinking. If it wasn't for his ragged breathing or the fear she saw him trying to hide she would have thought he was already dead.

She unclipped her sidearm and raised it eloquently. Still he didn't flinch away.

The click of the safety being switched off sounded as loud as a gunshot in her ears and the German blinked once. This one small gesture broke whatever spell had been there and her finger curled around the cool metal of the trigger.

A single gunshot reverberated inside her skull and her soul. She stood there, gun still raised, and looked at him as she wondered who he had been before the war. If he had loved ones waiting for him, some girl in some small town writing him a love letter at this exact moment, or if he had no one to go back to like her.

Her ears picked up the sound of leaves cracking underfoot and the heavy breathing of a running man invaded her senses, but it was as if her body and mind were still frozen in the moment she'd shared with the young German just before she'd taken his life.

XXXXXXX

Derek POV

The sound of a single shot cut through the quiet of the woods and he sprinted in the direction of the sound.

Stepping out from behind a large tree he saw Amelia standing over the prone figure of the German soldier with her sidearm casually raised.

He slowed to a jog and took deep breaths trying to push the panic back down. Coming to stand next to her she put her gun away and looked over to him. He glanced at her and then down at the dead German. Blood seeped from a head wound, staining the ground at their feet, while the red stain around his torso grew by the second. Beneath the dirt, soot and camouflage Derek guessed he was no older than twenty. A kid.

At least the intelligence got something right, he thought bitterly.

"You got him in the gut. I finished him," she said matter-of-factly.

"I called your name," he said.

"I heard. I'm sorry."

He watched her as she bent down, running her hands across the dead man's body and turning out any pockets she could find. He bent down and started his own search.

They found some family photos but tossed those aside before continuing their search. In the end they walked away with one German map, marked with the sights of various guns and troop units, one aid kit, a ration and a half empty pack of German smokes.

He lit two German cigarettes and handed her one as they walked back to Easy in silence. When he took his last drag he said, "Was he conscious when you found him?"

"Yes. He didn't say anything. Just laid there looking at me."

"How do you feel?"

"About the German?"

"Yeah."

"Nothing. I don't feel a thing."

"Me too."

The edge of the woods approached and they stepped into the grey afternoon sunlight. It was only now that he noticed the slight limp she was walking with. He glanced down at her legs and her red soaked calf made him grab her arm.

"What?" she asked as she raised her rifle, looking for whatever danger had caused his alarm.

"He got you," he said as he bent down to inspect her leg.

"Oh that."

"Oh that?"

"A gift from the Kraut artillery. Got it a few days ago. I must have pulled some stitches."

"What the hell have you been up to while I was gone?"

"We have some serious catching up to do. Let's get back to the barn so Gene can stitch me up and you can tell me how you finally managed to escape from the hospital."

He rose and said, "That's a short story. I pissed them off until they begged me to leave."

She let out a long laugh and he stared at her like she'd finally lost it. She patted his shoulder and once she calmed down she said, "I told Eddy that would be your plan. Didn't think it would actually work. You're usually so very charming." She teased him.

He chuckled. "Yeah-yeah, look who's talking. C'mon, give me your arm and let's get you to Doc before you get blood all over my nice new uniform."

She threw her arm around his shoulder and he helped her walk all the way back to Easy while she filled him in on everything he'd missed.

XXXXXXX

Happy weekend everyone! Thank you to everyone that takes the time out of their busy lives to read the story, I really do appreciate it! See you all soon :)