Thanks again for your reviews! :)

And now, here comes chapter 9... I hope that you'll enjoy this one, too.

Disclaimer: I do not own Band of Brothers. This is purely of entertainment. It is based on the HBO miniseries and no disrespect is meant towards the real men of Easy Company.

Chapter Nine: Right Above Them

I had no idea how much time had passed. Everything I knew was that I was walking through a forest for ages and glancing over my shoulder every few seconds. Maybe the reason was that almost every bloody tree reminded me of a human silhouette. Every crack of a branch or a dash of wind would make me almost jump out of my skin.

That happened when a real human silhouette appeared, as well.

Whoever he was, he was holding a rifle in his hands. If that wasn't concerning enough, he was aiming straight at me. Something in my chest clenched and I froze on my spot, staring at the man.

"Flash?", he asked, almost in a whisper.

My eyes widened in disbelief. I could recognize that voice almost anywhere.

"Joe?"

Joseph Liebgott gawked at me, as if I had an extra pair of arms.

Nurse? Jeez..." His brow furrowed when he came closer. "What happened to ya?"

"I..." I couldn't help but shudder. "My plane crashed."

He frowned even more. "What?"

"My plane... it was shot down." I was surprised by the sound of my own voice. It was trembling so much, that I barely recognised it. "I think I was knocked out. When I woke up, I saw Germans nearby. And I ran away."

If Joe wasn't taken aback before, he definitely was now. With a bewildered look on his face, he pointed at the trees around us.

"You crashed here? You're jokin'."

"Does this look like a joke to you?", I retorted.

Even if Joe wanted to say something in return, he didn't have a chance for that. Somewhere among the trees, I heard rustling, mixed with the sound of gunfire. I bit my lip hard as they echoed in the night.

"We should get outta here", Joe said, suddenly dead-serious.

He couldn't be more right. Cradling his rifle in his arms, he went back towards the shadows. However, after only a few steps, he spoke again.

"You okay?"

I swallow thickly. "No."

He pursed his lips into a line. Not letting go of his weapon, he made a few steps back and stood beside me.

"Everything's gonna be fine", he said in his strange accent, "Come on. Let's go."

I wasn't so sure about that. However, I didn't have a choice but to listen to him. With a slow nod, I went after him among the tall trees and trod deeper into the forest.

"Rob is dead", I muttered.

He looked at me in surprise. "Who the fuck's Rob?"

"I was his co-pilot."

"Oh."

Truth be told, I hadn't wanted to tell him that. But, I needed to get those words out. The memories of that were making a horrible, almost sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach – and Joe was the closest who cold hear me.

"He... died when we crashed. And then..." I swallowed a lump in my throat. "When the Germans approached the plane, I had to get out, so... I just left him."

Joe didn't say anything. He just glanced at me, while we made our way through the forest. And then he continued looking around, searching for any signs of danger.

"I didn't like him", I added.

He shrugged under his gear. "I didn't like some people."

"But, I feel sorry for his family."

"He had wife and kids, huh?"

"Aye, he had. And now, his children will never see their father."

Joe sent me a long, serious look. "That ain't your fault, Jess."

A corner of my lips curved in a bitter way. But, I didn't say anything.

XXX

After God knows how long, we found ourselves underneath thicker treetops. Because of the dense leaves, the moonlight found it hard to reach the ground. In a matter of minutes, everything around Joe and me became much darker than usual. Surrounded by shadow, the entire forest seemed almost eerie. And that included the trees. Their long and thin branches started to remind me of fingers, which were just waiting to grab something... or someone.

I was kneeling by a stream, trying to have a few sips of water, when Liebgott decided to break the silence.

"You know, this is the worst place for you right now", he said.

"I know, I know... I told the same thing to myself." I frowned when I untangled some weed out of my hair. "So, are we going to that assembly area that Winters mentioned?"

"Well, you can't just sit here, can ya? Not with all the Krauts walkin' around." Joe strolled to me and knelt on the ground. "For now, Easy's the only safe place you can go to."

"Oh, that sounds really comforting", I muttered sarcastically.

"Speakin' of Krauts... you should probably take this. Just in case."

What? I blinked in surprise when he took out his sidearm and handed it to me. I tried to move away. But, he grabbed my hand and placed the gun in it.

"This is called a .45", he said, slowly closing my fingers around it, "I hope that you ain't gonna have to use it. But, still, ya need protection."

I stared at the weapon in my hand. "With this?"

Joe rolled his eyes. "I know, it looks kinda hard. But, it ain't. You just gotta raise your hand, close one eye, aim and..."

"Absolutely not, Joe!"

"And why not, damnit?!"

"If you really want to protect me, give me something bigger than this!"

At first, Joe was more than surprised. But, then he furrowed his brow at me.

"What do I look like? A damn gun store?"

"Flash?"

I almost jumped out of my skin when I heard that voice. It was coming somewhere from the nearby bushes. My heart jumped almost in my mouth as Joe turned around.

"Thunder", he answered quietly.

I had no idea what that meant. But, the other person knew that. With a short rustle, it came out of hiding. In the next moment, I was looking at another Yank. But, this one was a bit different than Joe. He was wearing a white band on his arm, with a bright red cross...

My lips parted in surprise. "Eugene? Gene, is that you?"

He looked at me in complete disbelief. "Jess?"

I couldn't help but smile. It really was him. And he was all right, in spite of my mistake in the plane. However, for some reason, he didn't smile back. Instead, he said:

"I was runnin' from sum Germans, somewhere east." He turned around to look at Liebgott. "I think they're still after me."

Oh, damn it... I bit my lip hard. That definitely wasn't good news.

"How many?", Joe asked, getting up to his feet.

Eugene shrugged. "Too many."

Joe's face became a bit ashen underneath all the paint. "Let's move, then. Go. Go!"

He didn't have to say that twice. I stood up and went after Eugene and him. Soon after, we were almost running among the shadows and ducking under the low branches. I didn't dare to say a single word as we moved on.

However, something broke the veil of silence. But, it wasn't us. The noise had come somewhere among the tree trunks. If I wasn't mistaking, it was some sort of a vehicle. Eugene made one step back, when a pair of lights burst through the night.

A jeep was heading towards us. And I wasn't sure if the driver and his passengers would be kind to us...

A drop of sweat slid down my back. Holy smoke...

If those were Germans, they definitely wouldn't be happy to see two Yanks and a Geordie sneaking here. I turned around, ready to make a run for it. However, I didn't make a single step, because Eugene grabbed my hand. That was when he muttered:

"Wait."

Liebgott blinked in surprise. "What?"

Eugene swallowed a bit. And then he added:

"You just gotta trust me on this."

XXX

With a loud screech, the jeep stopped in the middle of the forest. Three men jumped out of the vehicle and glanced around. Although they had turned off the engine, the forest didn't become silent. Dozens of different sounds kept echoing in the distance – from shouting to muffled gunfire. However, those blokes didn't pay too much attention to that.

Soon after, one of them raised his hand. He waved at two more Germans, who were coming out of the dark. The one who waved back chuckled and shouldered his rifle.

They had no idea that we were right above them.

Eugene, Joe and I were sitting in a tree, just a few meters above their heads. Sitting on a wedge made out of two branches, Gene glanced at me and pressed his finger over his lips. In the meantime, Joe was motionless on his branch, with surprisingly wide eyes.

Letting out a quiet sigh, I looked down. The five men were now greeting each other, talking about who knows what. Eventually, one man laughed and went towards the jeep. I watched as he stopped and reached out for something in the back.

Just two feet away from me, Joe muttered something under his breath. Although I was close, I barely heard what he had said.

"Ah... hell, no!", he whispered, "They're having a lunch break?"

I blinked a couple of times. The man below me had taken out a loaf of bread and a few bottles of something... I could guess that it was beer.

"It looks like it", I said quietly.

With no clue that they weren't alone, the Germans sat under the tree, opened their bottles and begun chatting. I didn't understand what they were talking about. However, when they burst into laughter, I assumed that somebody had told a joke. One of them took out a knife and cut the bread into small pieces.

The sight of food made my stomach almost growl. I quickly pressed it with my hand, praying that it wouldn't give us all away.

"I can't take this anymore, goddamnit", Joe whispered.

Without making a sound, he moved on his branch and lowered the tip of his rifle. Closing one eye, he aimed at the smiling blokes below his feet.

Bloody hell! I grabbed his arm, trying to stop him. That was when he looked at me.

My jaw suddenly clenched. His eyes seemed to have gone darker with fury and hatred. It was clear that he urged for shooting all of those men, here and now. But, I couldn't let him go.

"Joe... don't."

I didn't have to say anything else. I just pointed at the Germans, who were now sniggering again. There were five of them and just three of us. While they were all armed, Joe was the only one on our side who could shoot. If he pulled the trigger... well, by the next minute, all three of us would be pushing up the daisies.

"Jess, you're crazy", he whispered, "What if they sit here all goddamn night?"

Holding firmly on my branch, I leaned closer and replied:

"I would rather wait all night than get killed."

He sent a long glare in my direction. At that moment, I was certain that he would pull the trigger anyway – and send us all upstairs.

However, he didn't. Still glaring at me, he slowly lifted his weapon and placed it back on his lap. Letting out a quiet sigh of relief, I leaned my back against the hard tree trunk. And then I begun watching the men below.

XXX

An hour passed. And another one.

And then two more.

And then... I lost count in the end. In all that time, the Germans didn't move at all. They kept talking and sniggering under the tree. In the meantime, Joe, Eugene and I were still sitting above their heads, like some weird birds in olive drab.

However, waiting wasn't the worst thing. It was the cold.

At first, the night had been quite warm. But, as minutes and hours passed, the air around us became freezing. For me, who was still wet, that wasn't good. My fingers were now almost stiff with cold. I huddled on my branch and blew a few times in them, trying to warm them up a little.

Waiting for a miracle to happen – or just for the Germans to leave – I checked what Eugene and Liebgott were doing. It seemed as if Joe was having the same problems with the cold. He had pulled his collar all the way to his chin and stuffed his hands into his pockets. Meanwhile, Eugene embraced himself, trying to keep his body heat from running away. When he noticed that I was looking at him, he timidly smiled.

Smiling back, I blew in my hands one more time. That was when Joe suddenly sat up straight, with a strange look on his face.

"Joe?", I whispered.

He ignored me and stared somewhere down. He was gripping his branch so hard, that his knuckles became almost white. At that second, I knew something was wrong.

"Joe, what is it?"

He hesitated a bit. And then, in the lowest possible voice, he answered:

"They're talkin' about somethin'..." He swallowed. "They're plannin' an ambush."

Eugene leaned forward, with shock written all over his face. "What?"

I gawked at Joe, not believing my ears. Did he actually say that?

"You speak German?", I asked. He quickly nodded. "Well, what are they saying?"

"They're mentioning some Americans. Paratroopers."

He frowned as he tried to hear the men below. However, with noise all around us, that was far from simple. He looked down, while his black eyebrows almost touched each other.

"They... they know where they'll go. They're gonna kill 'em all."

"Wait a second, Joe... who are they talking about?"

"The ones..." He pursed his lips in a line, concentrating on the voices. "The ones led by a..." Eventually, he swallowed hard. "A red-haired lieutenant."

My mouth fell open. Horror started flooding every inch of me like a cold tide. We all knew exactly who that lieutenant was.

Eugene looked at us in disbelief. "They're goin' after Winters?"

I quietly sighed, trying to understand what I had just heard. That was when a loud noise came from the ground. Actually, that sound came from the jeep. A second later, Gene, Joe and I looked down.

It seemed as if the Germans had decided to move. They were already on their feet and getting into the jeep. As soon as everybody climbed in, the driver shifted the gear and the vehicle disappeared among the trees.

For a moment, nobody moved. The three of us held our ground – or our branches – and waited, in case that they came back. However, as time trickled, nobody approached our tree. We were completely alone... for now.

"Fuck...", Joe muttered under his breath, "Let's get down."

Tightening my grip on my branch, I hung from it. And then I let myself go. A moment later, my feet landed on the ground.

Biting my lip, I looked at the direction where the Germans had gone. If Joe was telling the truth, then Winters and the other were about to get into serious trouble.

And that included Bill – if he was with Winters now.

"Holy mackerel..." Swallowing hard, I turned around and faced Joe and Eugene. "We have to warn the men!"

Eugene's question had only one word: "How?"

I scoffed. Hand on heart, I had no idea, either. However, all of this was happening because I had led them miles away from their drop zone. I really needed to fix that mistake somehow. If Bill – or anyone from my plane – got killed out there, it would be my fault. And I would never forgive myself for that.

"There has to be a way!"

"Jess, we have no idea where Winters is", Joe said, furrowing his brow again, "He might be on the other side of the peninsula, if you ask me!"

"You can't be serious! There must be away we can tell them about the..." I suddenly trailed off, with an idea on my mind. "Hey, we can send Winters a message or something!"

Joe stared at me. "On what? A fuckin' pigeon?"

I clenched my fists, with a load of nasty comments on my lips. However, before I managed to say anything, Eugene slowly stepped between us. Still holding the strap of his medic bag, he quietly said:

"There must be a radioman with 'im."

"Or maybe not", Joe muttered.

One of my red eyebrows raised. "Who's the radioman of your company?"

"You know him. That's George Luz."

I blinked in surprise. For a part of a second, I could clearly see him in Aldbourne. I recalled how he played basketball, trying to avoid Bill's defense. In this cold night, that man was now my only hope.

"Wait a minute, Jess." Joe's serious voice pulled me back to reality. "If he still has his radio in one goddamn piece – and I doubt it – we need a radio, too. And where can we find one in this fuckin' hellhole?"

I thought for a moment. "We can scavenge the fallen planes and find one."

"And become sittin' ducks for the Krauts? Hell, no, Jessica, that ain't gonna happen!"

"Do you want Winters six feet under", I asked, "Or Guarnere? Or anyone else?"

Joe's eyes suddenly became darker. "What kind of question is that?"

Eugene raised his hand, warning me to stop. But, I didn't listen. Instead of that, I looked straight at Joe and shouted:

"Well, do you? Answer me, Liebgott!"

His glare made me almost regret for being so harsh. Jeez, if glares could kill...

I swallowed, glaring back at him. After a long moment of silence, he eventually shook his head.

"Of course not." I clenched my fists tighter, while my fingernails dug into my palms. My heart begun picking up speed and I was struggling to ignore it. "You don't want just to sit and do nothing. And neither do I."

Eugene sent me a bewildered look. "Jessica, you ain't a paratrooper. Doin' this ain't yo job!"

I glanced at him. "Well, I don't have much choice now, do I?"

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