Disclaimers: all the usual apply.
Chapter 23
Amelia POV
The early morning light reflecting off their white surroundings stung her raw eyes. Winters and Nixon walked beside her, both men insisting on escorting her back to Easy even after she'd objected several times.
Her body ached and all her limbs felt heavy. She couldn't remember ever being this tired. There had been a blissful moment when she'd just woken, her eyes still closed, where she'd forgotten Derek was gone. Then it came back to her as a sharp stab to her chest which made it difficult to breathe and suddenly she'd felt claustrophobic in the covered foxhole, wedged in between the two large officers.
Nixon had tried to cheer her up with small talk while Winters comforted her with his signature stoic, reliable presence, but she still felt like she was running on instinct alone as she had no energy to spare for actual intelligent thoughts.
Approaching the Easy foxholes, she saw men standing around in small groups, talking quietly amongst themselves.
Gene was the first one to spot them and the relief that washed over his worried features made her instantly feel guilty. She should have tried to get back to them sooner. She should have known he would note her absence and be worried.
One after the other, the men turned to look at them and the same reaction repeated on all their faces, quickly followed by confusion as they searched the fog for her usual companion.
Dike broke away from the men he was talking to and purposefully strode over to them, his features a mixture of irritation and discomfort.
Her hand tightened around her rifle and she clenched her jaw so hard she swore her teeth were going to crack.
Winter glanced down at her just as Dike stopped in-front of them in a huff. The lieutenant was about to say something when Winters held up his hand to stop him dead in his tracks. "Sergeant Jones was at HQ last night. We required her presence."
Dike shuffled uncomfortably under the scrutiny of the senior officer but he managed to squeak out an, "Of course sir. We were all just concerned when she and Lieutenant Smith didn't return."
She scoffed out loud but quickly covered it with a cough when Winters shot her a pointed look.
Looking back to the shorter man he dropped his voice so the men wouldn't be able to overhear what he was about to say, "Lieutenant Smith was killed in action. Since Sergeant Jones is now the Battalion's only sniper, I've ordered her to remain with the men and only patrol with them. Understood?"
"Yes sir."
Turning his attention to her for the first time since they'd arrived Dike continued, "Sergeant, get some rest today. Tonight you can take a watch at the OP."
Nixon shifted next to her and Winters stiffened. A night out in the outpost, watching the line, probably wasn't what they'd had in mind for her first day back.
"Yes sir," she replied.
As much as she appreciated their protectiveness, she wanted to get this over and done with as quickly as possible to get as far away from Dike as possible, before she 'accidentally' shot him.
"Walk with me Lieutenant. I want an update on Easy," Winters ordered Dike.
She silently thanked Dick. He already knew everything he needed to about Easy, and everyone except the oblivious officer standing opposite her knew it.
"Sergeant," Dick greeted her with squeeze of her shoulder as they turned to leave.
She noted that the men were all hanging back, watching her closely and waiting for their opportunity.
Taking a deep breath, she braced herself and she was about to make a move towards them when a strong hand placed gently on her arm stopped her.
She looked up into the big brown eyes of Nixon, his forehead deeply creased. "Don't do anything foolish. Those men still need you. Easy still needs you."
Her lips turned up into a soft half-smile. Gently resting her hand against the rough material of his uniformed arm she said, "You're a good man Lewis Nixon."
He hesitated for a moment, but finally he let go of her and turned back in the direction of HQ.
He was barely out of arm's reach when she heard a few pairs of heavy boots approaching her. Taking a deep breath, she steeled her face and turned around to see Babe, Gene, George, Joe and Bill standing close to her, their faces a mixture of anger, anxiety and confusion.
They looked at her expectantly, but for some reason she couldn't get the words over her lips. As long as they didn't know, maybe it wasn't real.
Gene was the first one to make a move, clearing his throat before asking, "Chérie, what happened?"
"Derek's dead." The words were blurted out just above a whisper and hung in the fog around them.
They took a collective inhale, but no one made a move. It was as if they were scared to say or do anything.
Deciding the best thing to do was to get it all out in the open as quickly as possible, she stomped her feet, avoided their eyes and ploughed on, "We were on our way back from patrol when we came across six Krauts. We were able to kill them, but Derek was shot. Two guys from Dog found us. I went back to their part of the line and Speirs took me to Winters."
"Fuck," Joe swore and finally someone made a move. He reached forward and pulled her into a protective embrace. Over his shoulder she saw the other men looking over at their little group, whispering and waiting to hear what had happened.
Joe let her go and his place was immediately taken by Gene who placed a protective arm around her shoulders. "Bill, you got a foxhole close by right?"
"Yeah Doc."
"Good. I'm gonna take Em there. Luz, will you bring her pack over?"
"Sure thing Doc," he replied and a split second later he turned to jog away from her.
"Luz," she called after him and he stopped. "Give these to Toye please," she held out the pair of men's boots.
He gave her a quizzical look but didn't ask, just took the boots, turned and jogged away from them.
"I'll get Derek's," Joe volunteered before leaving to talk to Buck.
"Heffron, will you take her to the foxhole?" Gene asked Babe as a courtesy, but everyone knew it was an order.
She scowled up at him. "I can walk by myself."
All three men simply ignored her.
"I'm gonna find you something to eat," Gene told her, finally letting her go.
He shot Babe and Bill a look that threatened them with hell if they didn't take good care of her while he was gone.
Bill took Gene's place and guided her to their foxhole, keeping her away from the other men. Everyone would know soon enough anyway; she didn't have to be the one to tell them.
Babe walked on her other side and his fingertips brushed against the back of her glove-covered hand. She looked over to him and suddenly it took all her self-restraint not to melt into him.
Babe jumped into a foxhole and Bill let go of her shoulder and followed.
Bill turned and held out his hand for her. She took it and allowed him to guide her into the foxhole and towards Babe who was sitting against one side.
She sat down cross-legged next to him and pressed her body against his as he put a strong arm around her shoulder. Bill sat down on the ground opposite her and his eyes flicked from the one to the other.
Reaching inside her breast pocket she touched two packs of smokes. Taking out the one pack of Lucky Strikes she turned it around and around in her hands. It had been Derek's; he'd offered her one the previous day when they were making their way back to Easy and she'd declined, saying they should save it for that night when they got back.
"He was going to go fishing," she said out loud to herself.
Babe's grasp on her shoulder tightened while Bill reached over and touched her knee.
George and Joe appeared out of nowhere, each with a pack in hand. They dropped the packs to one side and she eyed Derek's like it was going to bite her.
George took the empty spot to her other side and Joe sat down on the edge of the foxhole next to Bill.
She kept playing with the pack of smokes, turning them around and around. No one said anything.
When she heard footsteps approaching from behind she knew who it was without looking over her shoulder.
Gene took a spot on the edge of the foxhole to Bill's other side and he handed her half a K-ration he'd stolen from somewhere.
"Thanks," she said, taking it and placing it in her lap.
She held out the pack of smokes to the group of men and they each took one cigarette. Babe lit hers and she followed the winding trial of the smoke that appeared when he took a drag until it disappeared above their heads.
Taking the lit cigarette from him she held it out in-front of her. "To Derek."
All the men mimicked her gesture, raising cigarettes like they were glasses, "To Derek," they repeated the toast.
She alternated between taking a drag and chewing the rock hard K-ration.
One by one the guys left as they were called away, but not before they each arranged to share their foxhole with her whenever the others were away on patrol out at the OP.
Finally, only Gene and Babe were left.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
Gene climbed down into the foxhole. "For what?" he asked.
"When I arrived. I thought, I don't know. You were all standing around, I thought maybe…I'm sorry if I worried anyone."
Gene's dark eyes held hers. "You don't have to say sorry. The men were just worried when we couldn't find you. You or Derek."
"We were ready to go and find you. Well, that or kick Dike's ass," Babe said next to her.
"Both of those would have been stupid," she said.
"Maybe, but it's nothing you wouldn't do," Babe retorted which earned him nudge in the ribs from her and a rare smirk from Gene.
"Yeah-yeah, but I'm a stubborn fool."
Gene's lips started to form a reply when a loud shriek cut through the quiet of the forest, instantly followed by the deafening bang of an artillery shell hitting the trees above them.
She instinctively curled into a small ball and pressed herself into the ground. Babe threw his body over hers, shielding her as best he could from the falling debris and the next shell.
"Medic!" she heard the cry come from somewhere down the line and seconds later Gene's boots disappeared from view.
Another explosion hit nearby and she felt the earth reverberate underneath her body.
"Medic!" came the desperate cry again. Suddenly the sickening image of Gene lying on the ground, desperately trying to hold onto his life as his blood stained the snow invaded her brain.
She shoved Babe off and pushed herself up, but before she could reach the edge of the foxhole another blast went off and Babe grabbed her hand and pulled her against his chest as he enveloped her with his arms.
"What are you thinking?" he screamed into her ear to be heard over the deafening noise.
"Someone needs help!" she screamed and her mouth was filled with the taste of dirt, trees and gunpowder as a shell landed nearby, raining all kinds of debris down on them.
Babe tightened his grip on her, almost crushing her ribs as she struggled against him. "You're not a medic!"
The last shell exploded in the distance and then an earie silence fell. It was so quiet you could have heard the snow fall if your ears weren't ringing.
Babe kept his grip on her, she could feel his chest rising and falling beneath her. When no more screams could be heard she finally relaxed against him, her head dropping back against his chest.
"God, don't ever do that again," he breathed into the air above her head.
She tilted her head back so she could peer up at him, but she didn't say anything. She couldn't make a promise she had no intention of keeping.
He relaxed his grip on her and her lungs filled with all the air they could fit after being constricted for so long.
Reluctantly, she braced herself and lifted her body off of his. For a split second his arms tightened around her waist, but then just like that they fell away.
Crawling over to the opposite side of the foxhole she pulled out a pack of smokes with shaking fingers. She took out one cigarette and held it out to Babe. "I don't know where my lighter is."
Nodding, he took the smoke and lit it for them. She watched him closely as his eyelids fluttered closed for a brief moment as he took a long drag. Slowly exhaling the smoke, he handed the cigarette over to her. She took it and savored the feeling of the warm smoke running down her lungs as he took his turn to study her.
She reached over to hand the smoke back to him and as he took it he said. "You're the most stubborn woman I've ever met you know?"
"Yeah, guess I'm not like the girls you know back home."
"I don't think you're like the girls anybody knows back home," he said through two short puffs.
He held the cigarette back out to her but she waved him off. He shrugged and placed the stick between his lips, his eyes still watching her intently, making her fidget nervously.
Finally, unable to take it anymore, she asked, "What?"
"You shouldn't be here. You should be somewhere warm and safe. Far away from all of this shit."
She lifted her helmet off of her head and placed it by her side. Meeting his piercing gaze, she said, "None of us should be here Eddy."
"Yeah, 'spose so."
She turned her head to look at Derek's pack. "Let's get this over with."
"You want to do this alone?" he asked.
She appreciated the gesture of offering her some measure of privacy to go through her best friend's worldly belongings, but if she was honest with herself she wanted him close, maybe even needed it at that moment. "Maybe you could stay. Just in case."
He settled back into his side of the foxhole. "I'll be right here if you need me."
XXXXXXX
The following afternoon she stood to one side, leaning against a tree, watching the army chaplain say a prayer for a group of men. Battalion wanted a reconnaissance patrol, Kraut hunting so to speak. It was foolish of course, they all knew where the Germans were, behind their own damn line.
She'd offered to go so one less man had to risk his life, but Johnny has vetoed this and told her to stay behind. She'd tried to argue with him, but the fierce sergeant just held his ground until she gave up in a huff.
So now the chaplain was praying for the men who were going on the senseless patrol while she stood off to one side and watched. She studied the faces of the men who were knelt down in the snow, heads bowed as the father spoke. In her adult life she'd never been particularly religious. Maybe she'd been through too much or it reminded her of happier days with her family, but she always kept a slight distance. She wondered if it would be easier to deal with this war and all the death that came with it if she were closer to God.
When he finished the sermon the men rose and Muck joked, "That's it guys. Nothing more to worry about. We gonna die now, we gonna die in a state of grace. Isn't that right Babe?"
Babe smirked before shooting her a knowing look which she returned with a half-hearted smile. He turned away from her and hugged the chaplain quickly before he followed the other men and disappeared into the dense fog.
As soon as he was out of sight she reached for the two sets of dog tags that hung heavily around her neck. She'd laced Derek's tags onto her own steel chain, waiting for their lines to open so she could get them to his family. Holding onto them tightly now she said her own version of a prayer that her friends would make it back alive this time.
Gene came jogging past her, following the combat patrol and all her muscles tensed. If he was going, she was going.
She watched as Johnny stopped him with a firm palm to the chest, saying something she couldn't hear, before he shot her a warning look and followed the men.
Gene pursed his lips and his eyebrows knitted together as he watched them leave. Evidently he didn't like being told to stay behind any more than she did.
She pushed herself away from the tree and walked over to Gene, coming to stand next to him. He didn't glance her way, instead he leaned his body closer to hers so their arms touched.
"I should be out there," she said as she stared into the empty, white abyss her friends had disappeared into.
"So should I."
"Maybe you won't be needed. No one will get hurt."
"You believe that?"
"Do I sound like I believe that?"
"No."
"Yeah, that's what I thought."
He glanced her way and she met his dark eyes for a second.
"You gonna wait?" he asked her.
"It's not like I got anything better to do."
He looked up at the steadily falling snow before walking over to a nearby tree and crouching down in-front of it, his back resting against the rough trunk.
She paced up and down, stopping intermittently to glare in the direction the men had gone, like somehow it was the snow and the forest's fault that they were out there.
"They shouldn't be out there," she mumbled.
"They'll be back soon," Gene tried to comfort her, but his words were hollow and they both knew it.
"No Gene, they shouldn't be out there. I should be. If Derek was here, it would have been the two of us out there."
"Those missions were just as dangerous and you know it."
"Well obviously, he is dead after all," she shot back and Gene flinched at the acid in her voice.
She stopped pacing and her shoulders slumped forward. "Sorry Gene. I didn't mean to snap at you. But I should be out there, it's my job."
"Theirs too," he replied.
As he studied her, his eyes filled with pity and she straightened out. "Don't you look at me like that."
He looked down at his hands, where he was playing with a bandage. "I'm sorry that you lost him. I know how deeply you loved him."
"Love," she replied and he looked away from his hands to lock eyes with her. "Love him. The feeling didn't die with the man. It never will."
He stared at her for a long time with those eyes that saw right into your soul, not saying anything. At last he nodded as if he'd made up his mind on something.
Muffled gunfire interrupted their solitude and her head whipped around as her hands automatically swung her rifle from her shoulder.
She sensed Gene moving to stand next to her, but her eyes remained fixed in the direction of the gunfire.
The form of a soldier running towards them appeared out of the haze and she leveled her rifle at him until he was close enough for her to recognize him.
Lieutenant Peacock barely slowed when he got close to them. His eyes were brimming with shock and fear and in her head she let off a string of curses that would make any of the men blush.
He's the senior officer on the patrol, he shouldn't be here without his men.
She could still hear gunfire going off in the distance, which meant his men were still fighting, without him.
"What's happening, sir?" Gene asked.
"We're pulling back. We made contact. I gotta get to the CP," the lieutenant said as he moved past them, further away from the fighting.
"Fuck," she cursed under her breath. Her eyes flicked to Gene's for a split second, but long enough to see the shocked and appalled look he had on his face.
What felt like an eternity later men started to pour out of the fog; running headlong in their direction. She braced herself, ready to move if they needed her.
Shots followed their footsteps and when she heard the wet thud of a bullet making contact she sprinted forward before the man had even hit the ground.
Luz and Hoobler grabbed the soldier under each arm and dragged him forward. Gene smacked into Hoobler and the second man let the soldier go, turning to provide covering fire while Gene tried to stabilize him to move out.
She took one look and decided she wouldn't be of any help to either Gene or the wounded man, so she ran forward and fell down to her one knee next to a tree and pointed her rifle in the general direction of the Kraut fire.
Spotting a hazy form in the fog she fired one of her precious bullets and immediately three more hit the tree trunk next to her head in retaliation.
From behind her she heard Nixon's voice calling to Martin and then seconds later, as the Germans kept firing at them without hesitation, she heard the order to fall back.
"Amelia c'mon!" Nixon screamed.
She got to her feet and just as she turned a sharp pain run up her arm and into her shoulder. She hissed and nearly lost her hold on her gun and her footing.
"Hurry up!" Martin yelled.
Shaking her head to clear it of the pain she darted forward with her head dropped and shoulders hunched over.
Once they were clear of the German fire she slowed down to a jog and then a walk. As the adrenaline faded she became increasingly aware of her right arm throbbing with each heartbeat.
Quickly glancing around to see if anyone was looking her way, and finding that for the moment at least everyone was occupied, she shouldered her rifle and tentatively touched her right arm.
She looked down and saw a red line running down the inside of her upper-arm. Pressing down on the area she sucked air in sharply as a stab of white-hot pain shot up her arm and into her chest. Thankfully she couldn't feel anything moving underneath her skin so there wasn't a bullet stuck in there. One thing to be grateful for, she thought.
There also wasn't a hell of a lot of blood seeping through all her layers either, so she decided it was probably just a graze. Nothing worth worrying Gene over or wasting any of their dwindling supplies on.
"Hey Em, you coming or what?" she heard George calling and her head shot up to see if she'd been caught.
If any of the men found out she'd been hurt, they would coddle her even more than they already did. Thankfully he was only casually glancing in her direction as he stood talking to Don and Babe.
"I'll be there now! You guys go ahead."
Probably assuming that she needed some privacy for some mysterious female reason, all three men turned and slowly walked further into their line.
Once she was alone she stripped off her outer jacket, the large one Derek had given her before they'd moved out, quickly followed by her second one.
She took out her trench knife, lifted her next two layers of clothing and held them in her mouth, as she cut a long strip of fabric from her worn undershirt.
Trying her best to roll up her sleeves to get too the laceration, she grimaced when she felt the warm blood run down her arm to drip onto the white snow. The cut was probably three inches long and not even a quarter of an inch deep from her best guess.
She took out her canteen and poured some of the freezing water over the open wound, trying her best to clean it. Using her teeth, she tied the piece of cloth around her arm as tightly as possible, before rolling down her sleeves and pulling on both jackets.
Taking a deep breath, and a long swig of her canteen she pulled herself together.
"Why aren't you filled with liquor?" she asked the canteen and when it didn't respond she shoved it back onto her belt.
That afternoon, when they gathered for their paltry excuse of a dinner, the mood was somber and dark.
It was only after she'd caught up with the men that Martin had whispered in her ear what had happened.
They'd hit the German line and Julian, a new replacement who often shared Babe's foxhole, had been shot, his throat laid bare by the passing bullet. She'd only ever spoken a handful of words to the boy, but he was sweet and eager and Babe had taken him somewhat under his wing just as Bill had done for him all those months ago.
They'd tried to get to him, especially Babe, but in the end the German's had them pinned down and they had to leave him behind. They couldn't even go back for the body, so no doubt the Krauts were searching him at that very moment for any valuables or scraps of intelligence.
She took a seat between Babe and Bull, but kept very close to the former, making sure their legs touched.
He briefly glanced at her, but his eyes were filled with so much guilt, sorrow and anger she barely recognized him. She understood, he'd had to leave his friend out there, they wouldn't even have dog tags to send back to his folks. She knew that if you looked closely enough you'd find the same look in her eyes, she just knew how to hide it well.
Winters joined them. He must have heard about the failed patrol so decided to come over and check on them. He didn't have to anymore, he was with Battalion now, but it was little gestures like these that made him such a respected leader. He really cared for his men, and he endured the same hardships they did every day.
She followed Babe's gaze and found him watching Gene. Her friend looked older, like he'd aged years since they'd arrived in this frozen hell. He was pale, even for him, and his eyes were more distant than usual.
Squeezing Babe's shoulder, she pushed herself up and walked over to Gene. She sat down next to him and lightly nudged him.
He briefly glanced over at her before taking out a wrapped bar of chocolate from his medical satchel and sniffing it.
She quirked an eyebrow up at him and a slight blush crept up his cheeks at being caught.
"Where did that come from?" she asked.
"A friend," he replied, but the smile that tugged at the corners of his lips didn't escape her.
"Do I know this friend?"
"No."
"You know I'm not going to let this go. You may as well tell me now and save us both the time and effort," she teased him.
He furrowed his eyebrows and looked at her, measuring the truth of her threat. Turning away from her he gently unwrapped the slab and broke of a piece of the dark chocolate. Handing it to her he said, "A nurse in Bastogne. Her name's Renée."
Popping the piece of heaven into her mouth she said, "I like her already."
She closed her eyes and enjoyed the sensation of the slowly melting chocolate filling her mouth.
"Me too," Gene whispered softly, not to her but too himself.
XXXXXXX
Roe POV
Lifting the tarp of the covered foxhole he nearly sighed in relief when he found the two people he'd been looking for all night. Babe and Amelia were tucked in next to each other, sharing a thin army blanket, while she had him tucked in underneath her right arm.
She briefly glanced up as he dropped in on the other side of Babe and the worry etched on her pale face didn't escape his notice.
He'd been raised by strong woman, but it still amazed him how they could care and nurture others when they themselves were experiencing loss and pain. She'd lost Derek, a man that was for all intents and purposes her family, and here she was taking care of another friend.
He reached into his satchel and took out the slab of chocolate Renée had given him earlier that day. Meeting the pretty nurse that morning had been the closest thing to a miracle he'd experienced in a long time. The slab of chocolate she'd given him the closest thing to heaven he'd seen in what felt like a lifetime.
He broke of a large piece of the chocolate and held it out to Babe. At first he didn't react, but when he placed the chocolate into his hand Babe finally placed the food between his lips and broke of a piece.
It was as if that one bite brought him back from wherever he'd been, because suddenly he said, "I promised him, if he got hit, I'd get his stuff and bring it back to his mom. You know?"
Amelia shot him a concerned look over Babe's head.
"Now the fucking Krauts'll strip him."
"Hey, no, it's OK…." he tried to reassure Babe.
"It's not! It's not OK. I should have gotten to him," Babe objected desperately.
In a soothing voice that was almost musical in its tone, Amelia said, "You did what you could Eddy."
Babe turned his head away from him as he gave a deep, ragged cough and Amelia pulled him even closer to her. "Ssshhhh…..I got you. I'm right here," she whispered.
Babe's eyes fluttered closed and Gene and Amelia shared a long look over the man's head.
Minutes, maybe hours later, he felt the blanket move as Amelia stirred.
"You should sleep," he said without turning his head to look at her.
"So should you," she retorted, her voice thick and husky.
He glanced in her direction without turning his head and he swore he saw her lips turn into a smirk.
"Tell me 'bout Renée," Amelia whispered, not wanting to wake a sleeping Babe.
"She's beautiful and strong. Her touch soothes people, calms them."
"I wish you could see your face. It's adorable."
He rolled his eyes.
"I'd like to meet her," she continued.
"It's nothing," he insisted.
"Maybe, but anyone that can make you smile in this hell is worth meeting."
"When was the last time you smiled? I mean really smiled." he asked her. He was constantly worried about all the men under his care, but Amelia hid her feelings and her injuries better than most which made treating her exponentially harder.
"The night before Derek died. For a moment I was just happy. Grateful."
"What happened?"
"Nothing much. I was curled up against Eddy, wrapped up in his arms and Derek was sitting opposite us. They were both asleep, and they looked so peaceful."
He turned his head to look at her and he saw a melancholy pull at her features he'd never seen there before.
"I don't know. I was still cold, hungry and tired, but for that moment I was also happy. Hell, maybe I'm finally going crazy."
He looked away from her to stare over the edge of the foxhole into the dark forest. He wanted to give her some small measure of comfort, but all he could think of saying was, "You were with him in the end. He wasn't alone."
"I know, that's what I keep telling myself. The sad thing is though, there's now this part of me that feels alone, all the time."
He heard her voice waver and when he looked over to her, he a traced the trail of a lone tear down her pale cheek.
"You know I'm always here. Whether you need me or not."
She turned to look at him, her eyes shining from the unshed tears. "I know Gene. And I'll always be here for you."
Her eyes drifted to Babe's peaceful face and he watched as her features softened for a moment, all sadness and grief lifting, to be replaced by something that reminded him of love.
"Get some rest darling," she whispered as she rested her head back and closed her eyes.
"Sweet dreams chérie."
XXXXXXX
When I was writing this chapter I actually felt really sad all the way through. It's almost the "aftermath" of Derek's death (although this is obviously something that will keep coming up for Amelia). I do promise there's some more romance coming up in the next few chapters so it won't all be doom and gloom going forward, even though we all know how terrible the time in Bastogne will still get. I hope everyone is having a good week so far.
I have to give a special thank you to everyone that left me a wonderful review, it always means a lot and I love reading them and interacting with you all. Thank you to everyone who added the story to your alerts and that you guys all keep coming back each week is amazing to say the least.