Disclaimer: all the usual apply.

Chapter 19

Amelia POV

Derek and Amelia walked towards Battalion HQ in an easy silence while sharing a morning cigarette. Winters had sent a runner last night with orders for them to join him first thing in the morning. Derek had only been back with them for a few days, most of which they'd spent with Easy, either on patrol or at the barn they were still using. She hadn't noticed how much she'd missed him until he was back by her side, but now that he was back they were practically inseparable.

"What's going on with you and Joe?" Derek asked out of the blue.

She was so startled by the sudden question her head whipped in his direction causing her long ponytail to smack her in the face. "What do you mean?"

They'd discussed, in great detail, everything that had happened since he'd been shot. Everything besides Joe. She'd carefully steered him away from that subject whenever their conversation had veered in that direction. She thought she was doing a pretty bang-up job. Apparently she was wrong.

"You've been avoiding him," Derek replied matter-of-factly.

"No I haven't."

Her voice sounded a tad high pitched even to her and the side-eye Derek threw her way confirmed her suspicion.

"Fine, maybe a little," she relented.

"Why? Avoidance isn't like you."

"We fought….and then we kissed."

"Wait. What?" Derek exclaimed and she glanced around to see who had overheard his outburst.

"Oh, say that a bit louder. I don't think they heard you in London."

He rolled his eyes and said, "You didn't answer the question."

"You heard me the first time."

"Man, looks like I can learn a thing or two from the guy. When I fight with a woman I get slapped, he gets kissed."

"You had to be there to understand."

"And yet, I'm glad I wasn't."

She shot him a glare which he returned with a cheeky grin.

When she didn't continue he put on a neutral mask and said, "OK, so what's the issue then. Didn't you want that?"

"He told me, in no uncertain terms, that I wasn't the woman for him. I mean back in the real world."

"And you still kissed him?" He looked genuinely confused now.

She was becoming increasingly exasperated with his confusion so she replied tersely, "Yes, Derek. I still kissed him. Can we move on from the sequence of events?"

"Just trying to wrap my head around it," he said, holding his hands up in mock surrender.

She rolled her eyes but a small smile still pulled at her mouth.

Dropping his hands, he added, "So, then you have your answer don't you?"

"To life's great questions? You gotta be more specific."

"Now you know what he can give you. If you want more then you have to walk away."

Taking a deep breath and letting it out sharply she said, "I know. I know."

"You're usually more decisive about things like this."

"I guess a part of me just doesn't want to let go yet, but I know I should. And most of me wants to."

"You'll get there. So is that why you're avoiding Babe as well," he asked her.

"What the hell? Have you been keeping tabs on all my movements?"

"Like I said, you're not the avoiding type beautiful."

"You know you're very annoying right?"

"You still love me," he retorted, looking rather smug.

"Unfortunately."

She couldn't stop the small smile from forming and he beamed down at her.

"So?" Derek asked, still not dropping his line of questioning.

"I really like him."

"More than Joe?"

She'd asked herself that same question hundreds times before and still couldn't come up with the answer. So she shrugged and gave the best one she could. "Maybe. Joe makes me feel like my world is upside down in the very best way. Eddy makes me feel like I'm the center of his world, or at least could be."

"Well shit. That's a pretty obvious choice."

"It's complicated Derek."

"No, it's not. You're making it complicated."

"Probably," she said with a small shrug. "I hate it when you're right."

"Then you must hate me all the time."

She snorted but her humor quickly turned to apprehension. "What if he finds out? About the kiss."

Derek suddenly came to a stop in-front of her and she nearly collided with him. "You're not his girl Amelia. You can do what you want. If he can't get over it then you know where you stand with him as well."

She smiled up at him fondly. "When did you become so wise? Did they do something to you in the hospital?"

"Ha-ha….wise-ass," he said with a lopsided grin and a quick one-arm hug.

"You know it!" she replied, her voice slightly muffled by his jacket.

He let go of her and they continued their stroll towards HQ. Entering the building they found a handful of officers, including Colonel Sink, standing around a large table covered in a map of the area with various color pins attached to it designating their positions and those of the German's they knew about. The air was thick with tension and cigarette smoke and she scanned each man's face for some clue as to what was going on. Moose Heyliger, the new Easy Company CO that had replaced Winters when he got promoted, and Winters himself were talking quietly off to one side. Amelia liked Moose well enough. He wasn't Winters, but he seemed steady in the field and they got along well.

Sink looked up from the map and his own hushed conversation with Nixon. They made to salute him but he waved it off with a flick of his wrist. One of his orderlies offered them each a mug of coffee which they gladly accepted.

"Amelia, Derek, come and have a look here," Sink said, calling them over to the table.

They stepped closer and she scanned the map, trying to decipher exactly what the Colonel wanted to show them. Her forehead scrunched up when she saw a red pin indicating the position of the British 1st Airborne far behind enemy lines on the other side of the river separating the two sides. They'd served with the 1st during Operation Husky and even though their time with them was relatively short, the bond they'd formed during battle with those men was as strong as ever. As badly as Operation Market Garden was going for them, she knew the British had a far worse time of it.

She glanced up and met Nixon's eyes. He was studying her more than the map and she quirked her head at him in confusion. He gave her a tense, close lipped smile before he glanced over to Sink who gave him a firm nod.

Odd, even for him.

Nixon cleared his throat and said, "As you know the British 1st Airborne were cut-off far behind German lines when Operation Market Garden went belly-up. We received reliable intelligence that they have congregated here," he pointed to the red pin. "Well, those of them still alive."

Derek shifted next to her and when she glanced over to him she saw the dark look he was shooting Nixon. Something was going on which she wasn't privy to and the uncertainty made her lose her appetite. Placing the coffee down on the table she waited for someone to tell her what was going on.

Sink picked up where Nixon had left off. "The British have asked for our help to get their men back across the river to our side of the line. We're going to help them any way we can. Captain Nixon has come up with a feasible plan which I support." He glanced over to Derek before his eyes came to rest on her. Fixing her with his gaze he said, "I know you'll get it done."

"Yes sir," she said, without knowing what she was signing up for.

Nixon took a deep breath. "Before we send Easy over the river we need to be sure the British are there. We also need to know how many of them there are and which area would make for a safe landing. Well, relatively safe."

She nodded and waited for him to continue.

"Amelia, we're going to send you across the river to confirm the intelligence and liaise with the British."

Before Nixon could continue setting out his plan Derek practically slammed his mug of coffee down onto the table. "You mean we're going to go across the river. Not just Amelia."

There was a tense silence and she knew the answer before Nixon spoke.

Holding Derek's fierce stare Nixon said, "No, just Amelia. We cannot risk losing both of you in one mission."

"Fine, then I'll go."

Nixon took in a sharp breath and Winters took a step forward to intervene before the two officers started a screaming match in-front of Sink.

She placed a hand on Derek's arm and spoke in a matter-of-fact tone. "Derek, if they only want to send one person then I am the logical choice. I know the British 1st and I know the area on our side of the river better than anyone else. And if things go side-ways, a man of fighting age walking around behind German lines is far more suspicious than a woman."

He stared down at her and she saw his jaw working as if he was chewing on her words. Finally, he sighed loudly and she knew she'd won.

She dropped her hand from his arm and looked back to Nixon. "So, what's the plan?"

"The Dutch Resistance are harboring a British officer, Colonel Dobie."

"I know him."

"Good. They'll get the details of the plan to him. You two will meet at a designated point along the German side of the river. From there you can decide on the best landing area on the German side for our men. You two will then cross back across the river and mark the best position on our side of the river where we can set off from. The Canadian engineers have volunteered to give you a boat."

She shook her head. "No, a boat will attract too much attention. I can swim it there and back. Dobie's a good swimmer, he'll be fine."

Nixon's forehead was etched in a frown as he considered her suggestion, but he nodded his agreement in the end.

"When do you need me to go?"

"Tonight."

She took a deep breath and let it out quickly as she tried to bring her heart back under her control. "OK."

"Nixon, how good is the intelligence on this? Are we sending her across the river into the hands of a waiting company of Germans?" Derek asked and she felt the side of his arm brush hers as he subconsciously shifted his weight so that he could stand closer to her.

Nixon looked from Derek to Amelia and then back to Derek. It looked like he'd struggled with that exact same question before dozens of times and he still wasn't sure of the answer. Finally, he straightened out and said, "We're as sure as we can be."

Derek didn't add anything, but just stared at the map as if it would provide him with all the confirmation he needed.

"I'll need civilian clothing and one of those waterproof bags the engineers have. I can put my clothing and sidearm in it and swim it across with me," she said.

"I'll send someone to get it for you and bring it to the barn Easy's using. You'll leave our side of the river at 23:00. This will give you enough time to get there and back under the cover of darkness," Nixon said.

"If Dobie gets the message and he's where he should be," she said and no one argued with her.

Moose took a small step forward. "We'll be waiting for you on our side Amelia."

She cracked a small smile. "Thank you sir."

"We look forward to getting your report in the morning Sergeant. Make us proud," Sink added.

"Yes sir," she said as he turned to leave the room. Everyone shot him quick salute which he returned casually, before they all turned their full attention back to the map.

Let's find the spot where I'm least likely to get my head blown off by the Krauts.

XXXXXXX

They spent the entire morning going over the maps and various intelligence reports. Finally satisfied that they were as prepared as they could be she excused herself and started the short walk back to the Easy barn.

The sound of footsteps on gravel fast approaching her from behind made her glance over her shoulder to find George jogging towards her.

She stopped and turned to greet him with an overly chipper smile. "Hey Georgie."

He stopped in-front of her and his forehead creased together as he looked her over. "Hey beautiful. So what's the story?"

"What do you mean?"

"You've been with the officers all morning and some Canadian engineer dropped of a bag and some clothes for you."

"Oh, that. You heading to the barn?" she asked him.

"If you are."

They turned and continued the walk to the Easy barn as she spoke. "I need to go across the river tonight to link up with the British stuck on the other side. The bag's waterproof so it'll keep my civilian clothing and sidearm dry."

"What?" he asked as he ran a hand through his messy brown hair.

"That really is the whole story. We need to confirm the intelligence ourselves so I get to swim across the river tonight."

"Why do you need civilian clothing?"

"In case the Germans are there. If I change into civilian clothing they'll hopefully just figure I'm a local girl."

"Do you speak Dutch that I don't know of?"

"I'll smile real pretty and bat my eyelashes at them."

From the corner of her eye she could see him roll his eyes as he lit a cigarette. She reached over and stole it from his lips. He scowled at her but after taking a long drag she handed it back to him.

He took a drag of his own. "You know," he said as he exhaled the smoke, "the guys are gonna flip when they find out."

"It's just another mission George. Any one of you could have been chosen."

"Maybe, but we promised we wouldn't leave you alone again." The words came out just above a whisper and her stomach twisted at the memory of that night in the attic.

"George, I have to do my job. And I know the Brits waiting on the other side of the river. I'll be just fine."

"Just be careful. And come find me as soon as you can."

Most days George acted as if Eindhoven had never happened, but it was times like these when she could sense the guilt he still carried around with him and it pained her. She cared deeply for him and the idea of him in any kind of pain made her heart feel like it was breaking just a little bit.

"As soon as I report to the higher-ups you'll be my first stop. Promise."

She linked her arm with his and laid her head down on his shoulder as they walked the last few yards to the barn. When they stopped outside the door he gave her a quick kiss on the top of her head before she let go of his arm and stepped inside.

"Em!" Hoobler shouted from across the barn, "This came for you. Why are the Canadians dropping things off for you huh?"

"It's a secret Hoobs. If I told you I'd have to kill you," she replied with a lopsided smile.

She walked over to him and he handed her the small brown bag with his usual crooked smile. The waterproof material the bag was made of made it heavier than it looked and she lifted it a few times trying to gauge whether or not she'd be able to swim across the river with it. Finally satisfied that she'd be able to do it she dropped it to the ground unceremoniously. Sitting down cross-legged on the floor she rummaged through the content. Inside she found a brown dress and a worn brown jacket along with a pair of old worn in shoes. Nothing remarkable. The type of clothing a woman in the middle of a war zone would wear to draw as little attention as possible. She nodded approvingly to herself.

She could feel Hoobler, Don and Tab staring over her shoulder but she ignored their prying eyes.

"What are you lot looking at?" she heard Johnny ask the men standing around her as he walked over to join them.

"Em got a present and she doesn't want to tell us why," Tab replied on behalf of the group.

"Pretty shit present if you ask me," George mumbled loudly.

She looked up and saw him standing with Bull and Joe a foot or two away from her.

"You know what's in there?" Hoobler asked, looking almost offended that George knew when he didn't.

George hesitated and she shrugged. The men were going to find out sooner or later, George may as well tell them now.

"Amelia got ordered to swim to the Kraut side of the river tonight to hook-up with the Brits stuck over there. The bag is for her gun and civilian clothing. You know, in case she runs into a company of Krauts, at least they won't know she's American just by looking at her. Oh no, they'll just think she's a single Dutch girl who can't speak a word of Dutch," his words were dripping sarcasm by the end.

"George, you're making it sound worse than it actually is. I can speak a little Dutch."

He shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"Is that true Em?" Johnny asked her on behalf of all the men now staring at her. Whatever they'd been busy with before she'd arrived was momentarily forgotten.

"Yes, it's true. We need to help get them back to our side of the river, but HQ doesn't want to take the Dutch intelligence at face value so they're sending me to confirm it."

"And what the fuck are you going to do if you run into a company of SS?" Joe asked. They hadn't spoken since the day in the foxhole and hearing his voice now sent a shiver running up her spine as the memory of their kiss flashed before her eyes.

"Like I told George. I'll smile real pretty and bat my eyelashes at them."

"Goddamnit Amelia! I'm being serious," he exclaimed.

"So am I! If I run into some Germans, and I can't get away from them or hide then my best bet is to play nice and innocent. But if the intelligence is decent I won't be seeing any Krauts."

He threw his half smoked cigarette to the ground and stormed out of the barn without looking in her direction. She followed him with her eyes and clenched her jaw tightly to stop herself from calling out to him. She had to concentrate on surviving this mission. Running after him to try and calm him down wouldn't help that.

Johnny and Bull crouched down in-front of her and she looked away from the door Joe had just stormed out of and back to their concerned stares.

"It's not that dangerous. I'll be just fine."

Johnny nodded and Bull said, "You better be."

With that they stood and shot the men pointed looks over her head, silently ordering them to get back to whatever they'd been doing a few minutes ago and leave her be.

She reached up and grabbed Hoobler's hand. He glanced down at her and she asked, "Hoobs, would you mind seeing if Gene could come and see me before I leave? I'm heading out at 22:00."

"Sure thing Em. He'll never forgive you if you leave without speaking to him."

XXXXXXX

Gene POV

He found Amelia standing outside the barn, alone in the dark, smoking a cigarette and staring up at the cloudless sky. He watched her for a moment as he tried to quell the panic that had his chest in a vice grip. Hoobler had told him what her orders were when they made their way over to the barn. He'd cussed in English and French and smoked two cigarettes in the short walk from the aid station to the Easy barn.

She looked over in his direction and her dark eyes held his as he searched hers for any signs of fear or panic. He found none. All he could see was cool determination. It was a look he'd seen before from her and somehow it comforted him ever so slightly.

He closed the distance between them in a few easy strides and came to stand right in-front of her. "Hoobler told me 'bout the mission. Said you wanted to see me."

"I wanted to speak to you before I left. I can't take my tags with me, in case I get caught. Will you keep them safe for me?" she asked as she reached into her pocket and took out her dog tags.

He looked from the glinting metal to her dark eyes and finally held out his hand. She dropped the tags into his palms and his fingers curled around the cool metal.

"Gene, if I," he knew where she was going and he didn't want to hear it so he cut her off mid-sentence. "No Amelia. There is no if."

She smiled gently and wrapped her small hands around his fist which was clenching the dog tags. "Gene, I don't have family away from Easy. So you can do with the tags what you think best."

He swallowed hard and nodded, not trusting his voice to remain level if he dared to answer.

"Will you do me a favor?" she asked.

"H'mh," was all he could manage.

"Eddy, Babe, has been out on the line all day so I won't see him before I go. Will you just tell him…." she trailed off as she searched for the right words. Finally, she said, "Just tell him I wanted to see him before I left. Also, Joe was pretty upset at my assignment. We had a fight the other day. Just keep an eye on him please."

"Sure thing ch rie."

He reached out and pulled her into a warm embrace. She rested her head against his chest and he took a moment to say a silent prayer than she would come back to them.

"I have to go Gene," she mumbled against his chest.

Reluctantly letting her go he squeezed her shoulders one last time before she picked up a bag lying at her feet and walked off into the dark.

He looked down at the dog tags he was still clutching and he thought of all the soldiers he'd been unable to save, who's tags he'd had to send home to waiting families. He closed his fist tightly around the metal discs as if he was holding onto her hand.

XXXXXXX

Amelia POV

"Well, aren't I lucky. You didn't all have to see me off. I'm just going for a little swim," she joked as she joined the officers standing in a semi-circle close to the riverbank behind a low dike.

Derek, Winters, Moose and Harry all cracked feint smiles at her attempt to lighten the mood but Nixon just started at her with his mouth set in a firm line and eyebrows knitted together.

She met Winters' gaze and looked back to Nixon. Clearing her throat, she said, "Captain Nixon, sir. Could I have a quick word please?"

He nodded and they took a few steps away from the rest of the group in order to get some measure of privacy.

"Nix, this is a good plan. I know the area and the British. It'll work."

"The intelligence could be faulty."

"Could be, but that's why you're sending me."

"If anything happens to you the men will never forgive me. I won't forgive me."

She grabbed his arm and said with utter conviction, "Nothing is going to happen to me. I'll see you all right here before sunrise."

"If anything looks off, get out."

She gave him one firm nod.

They joined the other men and they went over the plan one last time. Get to Dobie, get a landing area and get the hell back here. Sounds easy enough.

Glancing down at her watch she saw it was time to get a move on. Looking to each man she said, "I'll see you all in the morning."

They each whispered a good luck and a farewell while Derek held her hand for a heartbeat before letting it go with a small squeeze.

She climbed up and over the dike and ran the short distance to the shoreline. She'd left her jacket and all her belongings under George's watchful eye and as the wind picked up her skin prickled through the thin material of her standard issue shirt.

Halting at the water's edge she reached down and quickly undid her shoelaces and slipped out of her jump boots. She tied the shoes together and slung them around her neck. Doing one final check to ensure the coast was clear she waded into the freezing water. At first the water stung where it touched her skin, but when it reached her stomach her breath caught in her throat and her chest constricted from the cold. She pushed on and when she stepped on a sharp stone that cut into her foot she bit down hard on her lip to stop herself from cursing out loud.

Chest deep in the freezing water it felt like someone was pressing down on her ribcage making it difficult to breathe. Her breathing was coming in shallow gasps and she had to consciously steady it. There was no way she'd make it across the river if she was hyperventilating.

Taking one final deep breath she plunged her head underneath the icy water and started to swim across the river. They'd picked the crossing carefully. The river was at its narrowest point along the hundred yard stretch she was using. It hadn't rained in a few days so the current was sluggish and even though the water was freezing it was calm. The shoreline on the American side was flat, with a low dike only a few yards away from the water, behind which an entire company could hide and the German artillery would never see them. The German side of the river was lined with a forest where a few hundred men could easily wait and there had been limited German patrols in the area that they knew of.

As she reached the far bank she crouched down in the water so only her face from the nose up was above water. She scanned the shoreline and dark forest, carefully searching for any signs of enemy movements. Satisfied that she was alone she carefully waded out of the freezing water and onto the rough stone shore. Silently she was thankful for the fact that her feet were numb from the cold because she knew the pebbles were digging into the soles of her feet.

They'd sent a message through the Dutch Resistance network to Dobie. He was supposed to meet her a few feet inside the tree line and he would indicate his position by flashing his torch in three quick bursts. She scanned the tree line intently looking for the agreed upon signal, but after five minutes there was still nothing. As the wind picked up and the adrenaline from the swim started to fade she could feel her muscles start to seize from the cold and being crouched down for an extended period.

She knew there was a good chance their message had never gotten to Dobie, but worse still would be if it had been intercepted. As soon as the thought crossed her mind every shadow started to look like a German soldier and she instinctively reached for the rifle which wasn't there. She thought about reaching into the bag for her sidearm, but then she would have to look away from the forest and risk missing the signal. So instead she steeled her nerves and took deep purposeful breaths.

A faint glimmer coming from the dark forest to her right caught her eye and her head snapped in the direction. Holding her breath, she waited and when it didn't happen again she was sure it had been a figment of her imagination. Just as she was about to turn her head away she saw it again. Three short bursts of light.

Getting up from the crouch her stiff joints complained at the movement but she pushed on, focusing on moving as quickly and quietly as possible. Entering the dense forest, she let out a little sigh of relief. Out on the shoreline she'd felt naked and exposed, at least here she had some form of cover.

She took her boots off of her neck and undid the laces with trembling fingers, cursing her fingers a few times when they struggled to untie the knots. Slipping on the boots she loosely tied them without looking down, her eyes and ears fully focused on the sights and sounds coming from the surrounding trees.

Taking a deep breath, she carefully walked further into the dark forest, her ears straining for any unnatural sounds that would give away the position of an enemy soldier. A twig snapped to her right and she dropped to her knee as she reached for the trench knife she'd strapped to her thigh, her every muscle tense as her heart seemed to stop beating.

"Piccadilly," a male voice with a distinctly British accent came from the dark.

"Circus," she replied in a hoarse whisper.

Two tall shadows stood up from the brush and approached her cautiously. When they stepped into a small break in the canopy the moonlight fell on their faces and a faint smile crossed her lips.

Colonel Dobie was an attractive man with dark brown hair and a strong jaw. During her time with the 1st Airborne she'd only spoken to him on a handful of occasions but they were always pleasant. He'd been one of the first officers to fully accept her presence and it had gone a long way in helping the junior men accept her as well. Next to him was Lieutenant Roger James. She and Derek had worked directly with him and they'd become quick friends. He was tall with dark blond hair and those piercing blue eyes women swooned over. He was quick with a joke and almost always walked around with a mischievous smile on his face like he'd just done something naughty and gotten away with it.

"Fancy meeting you boys here," she said as she stood to meet them.

Their steps faltered and for a moment no one said anything. Then just as suddenly as they had faltered they picked up their pace and strode towards her.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't her royal highness," Roger said and she could make out the devilish smirk running across his lips even in the dark.

"Nice to see you to Roger darling," she replied with a smirk of her own.

"Princess, what are you doing here?" he asked her.

Now that both men were standing close to her she could see how badly worn their uniforms were, covered in mud and what she assumed was blood, and the gaunt look of their faces made her inwardly grimace.

"I'm your liaison."

She could see he was about to make some rude remark so she quickly changed the subject before he got them into trouble in-front of the superior officer. "How are you, sir?" she asked Dobie.

"Better now that you're here. And Amelia, you swam across a river into German held territory for us. You don't ever have to call me sir again."

"Where are the rest of you?" She looked around as if the other men were going to appear out of thin air at any moment.

"They're waiting in the wings so to speak. They'll be here tomorrow night if this landing works," Dobie replied.

"The crossing is easy enough and it's the best point on our line to set off from. What about this side? Dutch intelligence indicated it's a good spot, but I don' trust that much these days."

Roger scoffed and Dobie said, "Understandable that. But it's the best position for us. I think this is it."

"OK then. So are both of you coming back with me?"

"No, Roger will stay here to co-ordinate the men while I go with you to help co-ordinate the rescue party."

She didn't like the idea of leaving a friend behind in the German held woods but she saw the logic in their plan.

"We should get going then," she said. "We'll see you tomorrow night then Roger. Do try and stay out of trouble until then."

"Anything for you princess."

Dobie grabbed Roger's forearm and the other man returned the gesture in a silent farewell before Roger slipped back into the shadows.

"Let's go," she said and he followed her lead to the edge of the tree line.

"Take off your shoes," she said as she bent down to undo her laces.

Dobie quickly did as he was told and seconds later they were both standing barefoot scanning the shoreline for any German patrols.

"Clear," he whispered.

"Clear," she confirmed.

Like two thieves they ran to the edge of the water and waded in. She heard Dobie suck in a sharp breath as the freezing water reached up his thighs and she took long deliberate breaths bracing herself for the waiting plunge. The cold water rushed up to meet her as they swam the short distance to the American held shore and she could feel a headache start to take shape. As soon as her feet touched ground she sprinted the short distance to the foot of the dike and there she waited for Dobie to catch up with her.

"We need to climb over the dike. The Germans won't be able to see us from there."

He nodded and soon they found themselves safely on the other side of the dike where the officers of Easy and Winters were anxiously waiting for them.

"Dobie, it's good to see you again," Derek said as he warmly shook the man's hand.

"Likewise old chap."

"This is Captain Nixon. The plan was his idea," Derek said, pointing towards Nixon who was standing beside him.

"Good man," Dobie said as he shook Nixon's hand.

Nixon quickly introduced Dobie to Winters, Moose and Harry while she pulled her boots back on with trembling hands. Once all the introductions were done they made their way back to Battalion HQ. She clenched her teeth together to stop them from chattering and she kept her eyes firmly fixed on the ground in-front of her as she did her best to block out the feeling of the wind tearing through her soaked clothing.

"Amelia," she heard her name and looked up to find Winters walking beside her.

"S-sir," she said and the sound of her teeth hitting each other made her cringe.

"I arranged dry uniforms for you and Dobie at HQ and there are lukewarm showers which I ordered be made available as soon as we get there. Before we debrief you need to warm up and change. No point in you getting sick on us."

She just nodded vigorously and spent the rest of the dark walk dreaming of the lukewarm shower and dry clothing.

XXXXXXX

Roe POV

"Hey Liebgott, wait up," Gene said as he jogged after the other man.

Joe stopped when Gene called his name but he could see the scowl etched into his face and the dark look in his eyes. When Amelia had asked him to look out for Joe he'd decided to go in search of the man. He told himself it was because she'd asked him to, but in truth it was something to do to keep his mind from wandering to thoughts of her alone in the dark on the German side of the river.

"What is Doc?" Joe asked as he hurriedly lit a cigarette.

"Amelia asked me to check up on you," he said and he nodded his head in thanks at the smoke Joe offered him.

Lighting another one for himself Joe took a few drags before saying anything. "So you heard about the suicide mission they sent her on?"

"Yeah, I heard. Of all the people they could choose it had to be her. Fuck."

He didn't often swear in-front of the men and he saw Joe's lips twist into the start of a smirk.

"How was she? She nervous?"

"You know Em, she could be facing an entire German firing squad and she'd still tell you she was fine. Most stubborn woman I've ever met that one."

"Tell me 'bout it. God, sometimes I wish she was a bit more scared. At least then she'd be more careful with her own life."

"H'mh. She told me you two had a fight. Everything OK?"

Joe shifted his weight around and didn't meet his eyes for a long time.

Still staring at his feet he said, "Yeah, we had fight. I was a jerk and we haven't really talked since. And then when I heard about the mission all I could think was that she's gonna die in that damn Kraut forest without knowing how I feel."

"How do you feel?" Gene asked bluntly, his concern for Amelia winning out over his usual caution.

Joe took a long drag of his cigarette before replying. "I want her to be happy Doc. And I wish I was the guy that would give her that, but I don't think I can and it fucking kills me."

"When she gets back you should tell her that."

"Yeah," Joe said but he didn't sound very convincing.

"I'll see you around," Gene said as he threw his cigarette butt to the ground.

"See you round Doc."

XXXXXXX

Amelia POV

The warm water of the shower burned her skin wherever it touched her. Winters had warned her that the water would only be lukewarm but it felt scolding hot to her and she loved every moment of it.

Once feeling had returned to her toes and fingers she turned off the water and quickly dried off before putting on the clean, dry uniform. She dried her long hair as best she could with the damp towel and then plaited it into a messy plat. Exiting the bathroom, she was surprised to find an orderly waiting for her.

"Captain Winters sent me ma'am. He said I should take your wet clothes and give you this." Her eyes flicked to the steaming mug of, what smelled like, burned coffee and her face split into a huge smile.

Dick, I could kiss you.

"Thank you," she said as she exchanged her old, wet uniform for the hot mug.

"The officers are waiting for you in the main room ma'am."

"Thank you private."

Entering the same room she'd stood in that morning, she smiled fondly for a moment at the men standing around.

Derek, Harry and Dobie were laughing at some joke Harry had told, while Nixon and Winters shared their own private conversation with Moose. She'd noticed that Moose often went to Winters for advice on how best to run Easy and it was one of the traits that endeared him most to her. She could see that Winters struggled with being away from the men and whenever she had a moment she would give him a personal update on Easy, but Moose valuing his opinion helped him to still feel connected to the men.

Dobie was the first one to notice her standing in the doorway. He smiled broadly and said, "If it isn't my hero. I've been grilling these Yanks to make sure they're treating you right. They assure me you are. I told them if I heard anything to the contrary they'd have a lot of angry Red Devils to deal with."

"They are perfect gentlemen, so there's no need for an international incident."

"Good," Dobie said with a sly smile.

"Amelia, Colonel Sink sent a runner," Derek said and she turned her attention to him. "He wants Colonel Dobie to get some rest and then we'll all meet back here at 06:00 to finalize the mission."

"In short the Canadian engineers will provide us with six boats to get the Red Devils stranded on the other side of the river back on friendly soil. Moose will pick a team of men from Easy who will train with the engineers tomorrow so they're ready for the mission tomorrow night," Nixon filled in the gaps.

"I volunteer to go with the men sir," she said to Moose without thinking.

Derek shook his head but she saw the proud little smile that crossed his face and the other men all mirrored his look.

"I would expect nothing less. Besides, you know the lay of the land better than anyone else and Colonel Dobie has insisted you and Derek form part of the rescue party," Moose said.

"What can I say. It's always nice to have few familiar faces around. Even if some are prettier than others," Dobie said as he shot Derek a cheeky smile who in turn rolled his eyes.

"You get some rest and then meet us back here tomorrow morning," Moose ordered her.

"Yes sir."

She downed the last bit of her coffee and nodded to the officers before she left the building. As tired as she was she almost ran all the way to the Easy barn. On the one hand she wanted to get as much sleep as possible before she had to be back at HQ in a few hours, but more importantly she desperately wanted to see all her friends.

When she got to the barn door she found Gene, George and Johnny standing outside smoking and talking quietly amongst themselves. She slowed and frowned. It wasn't like the three of them to stand around smoking together and for a moment she thought something terrible must have happened while she was gone.

"Gene, is everything OK?" she asked.

All their heads shot in her direction and before she could do or say anything else Gene had enveloped her in a tight hug. She smiled into his chest and returned his hug with as much force as she could muster.

He let her go and George quickly took his place as he wrapped her in another bear hug. When he finally let her go Johnny reached over and ruffled her hair saying, "It's good to have you back kid. Now everyone can relax. They're impossible when you're gone."

"It's good to be back. Everything quiet?"

"Not a peep so far," George replied.

"That's good news. You three had me worried there for a second."

"Nah, we were just waiting for you to get back. Now I know how my folks felt whenever I snuck out of the house to spend the night with friends. Remind me to write to them an apology," George said.

Johnny rolled his eyes at George and asked, "How did it go?"

"Well. I found the Brits and there'll be a mission tomorrow night it seems. I have to report to HQ first thing in the morning to help plan it."

The three men nodded as they absorbed the information and Gene said, "You should get some sleep then."

"That's the plan. You coming in?" she asked all three of them.

"In a little while. You head on in so long," George said.

Gene held out his hand and she saw the glint of metal. "These belong to you."

He dropped her dog tags into the palm of her outstretched hand and she stared at the cool metal. "Thank you for keeping these safe for me Gene."

"Sure thing chérie."

She hung the tags round her neck and felt the familiar metal settle against the delicate skin of her chest.

"Good night gentleman."

"Night Em," they said in a chorus.

She squeezed George's shoulder as she walked past him and he gave her an appreciative smile.

Sneaking into the dark barn she tried to find an open space against a wall where she could lay down, but all she could make out were the forms of sleeping men. She walked further into the room and was about to just crawl underneath the table standing in the middle of the room when someone touched her right hand. Her head snapped in the direction of the hand and she found Babe staring intently at her. His dark brown eyes bore into hers and she could see the worry slowly melt away from his features.

He gently pulled on her hand and she allowed him to lead her to the furthest corner of the barn where he'd obviously been sleeping moments earlier.

He sat down with his back against the wall and she nudged his legs open so she could fit in-between them and rest her head against his chest. He wrapped his strong arms around her and pulled her even closer to him. She relaxed as the heat from his body and his distinct smell of army soap, gun oil, cigarettes, sweat and aftershave encircled her. He kissed the top of her head and a content smile crossed her lips.

"Sweet dreams beautiful," he whispered into her ear and her heart fluttered at the feeling of his lips so close to her.

She lifted her chin and placed a soft, lingering kiss on his cheek. "Goodnight Eddy."

Her heavy eyelids closed of their own accord and the last thing she remembered was the erratic beat of his heart.

XXXXXXX

I got quite a bit of writing done this weekend (insert happy dance) so decided to post this chapter a bit early. Thank you to all my wonderful reviewers and those of you that have added the story to your alerts. It's really wonderful knowing people enjoy reading my little project. Have a great week everyone.