Hello again! I have to admit, I still can't believe that we're already at chapter 20 :)

Special thanks to my reviewers: bethrodrigues.77, ScarletLeon and Amanda. I couldn't stop smiling when I read your reviews! I hope the romance between Jess and Doc was worth waiting for :)

Enjoy!

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.

Guess who just got back today?

Those wild-eyed boys that had been away

Haven't changed, haven't much to say

But, man, I still think those cats are great...

Thin Lizzy, "The Boys Are Back In Town"

Chapter Twenty: Guess Who Just Got Back

Crouching on the ground was hardly comfortable, I can tell you that. It was really hot, not to mention that my legs were slowly becoming numb. But, on the bright side, the bushes were hiding me from view. And so I had to stay where I was.

Picking up my binoculars, I looked through them and saw a farmhouse, far in front. I have to admit, that building seemed almost ancient in the sunlight. My eyes soon darted to Dukeman and sergeant Martin, who were near the door, preparing to take a look inside.

"So, what's goin' on out there?", a voice asked.

I didn't need to turn around and see who it was. Eugene was crouching next to me, with one hand on his medic bag, ready to run and help if trouble occurred.

"There's nobody outside, that's certain." I turned my head and looked at him. He was more than just serious, with his lips pursed into a thin line. "I checked the whole field from the air. If there are any Germans around, they must be hiding in that barn."

"Well, let's hope that they ain't there. I'm gettin' a bit tired of surprises..."

I smiled and looked back through the binoculars. My smile got accompanied with blushing when Gene moved and kissed me on the cheek.

The past days had been really hard. Twenty-three days, if you want me to be more accurate. We had spent them on all sorts of missions, from attaching German positions, to avoiding their ambushes. But, we had slightly different tasks.

While the lads were manoeuvring their way among abandoned farms and villages, I was flying above them, observing the ground ahead. That way, I discovered many hidden traps and warned the lads in time. Soon after, I officially became Easy's eye in the sky – as Toye said one day.

To tell you the truth, we progressed well, along with the other companies. Everything was happening in such a fast pace, that I barely managed to get some sleep. But, in spite of that, a spark of hope begun glowing inside me. Perhaps, if we continued moving like this, the war would be finished very soon.

And then I would go home.

I couldn't help but grin at that thought. I was still watching what were Dukeman and Martin doing, when Eugene broke the silence again.

"Jess, somebody's comin'", he muttered under his breath.

As soon as I turned around, I saw a man approaching our hiding place. He had short, dark hair and a disgusting smirk... and a rather high rank.

It was Denham.

Holy shit... My heart almost tripled its pace. I clenched the binoculars in my lap, begging my hands not to shake now. However, as he was coming nearer, that was almost an impossible task.

"Prichard." Denham crouched in the grass beside me. Soon after, he glanced at Eugene and gave him a short nod. "Roe."

I felt sick just by looking at that bastard. However, I did my best not to show that.

"Well, Prichard, I haven't seen you in a while. You've been really busy, have you?" He tilted his head slightly. "To be honest, I was surprised when Winters assigned you as Easy's air support. I knew you're a pilot, but I didn't know that you're that good."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Why are you here?"

"I just want to say that I appreciate Easy holding the line... and you, for helping the men. I'm very pleased."

"That's why I came to France, colonel", I said, making my voice drip with sarcasm, "To please someone who's keeping his backside out of harm's way and letting others dodge all the bullets."

Denham's smirk disappeared in an instant. He shot me a glare that could even put Lieb to shame. However, I didn't step back. I didn't even flinch. I just kept looking at him.

"I hope that you remember our little deal, Miss", he said, in a bit lower voice, "And that you'll stick to it. I won't be happy to hear that you tried something... smart when we move out of here."

"Well, I can't just say 'no' to your orders, can I?" That was when my eyebrow raised. "And what do you mean by moving out of here?"

"I mean that HQ has just received a message", Denham replied, "It's straight from the top. They're pulling us off the front line."

My mouth flew half-open. Did I actually hear that?

Meanwhile, Eugene kept gawking at Denham. "Wha...? Now, suh?"

"That's right." Denham nodded only once. "Our next destination is a field camp, north of Utah Beach. While we're there, we'll have hot food and showers."

His gaze slowly shifted to Eugene to me. It didn't last long, when he added:

"And then we'll return to England."

XXX

Compared to France, Aldbourne looked like a completely different world.

Children were running past the shop windows, which were more shiny than I could remember. Flowers bloomed almost everywhere in blue, yellow and pink shades, while their scents floated in the air. Meanwhile, the sun was shining brighter than ever. Its warm rays were caressing the fields, old roofs and treetops.

"Hey, Shakespeare, you can stop here."

With a quick nod, Bill stopped the Jeep on the nearby corner. The engine was still running when I picked up my bag and hopped on the pavement.

"Seeya later." Bill winked at me.

"Hey, Jess, tell me something." Toye placed his elbow on the Jeep door and leaned closer. "Rumour has it that you have a sister... is that right?"

"Aye, you are."

He grinned in his cheeky way. "You think she might date a paratrooper?"

Hand on heart, I had to frown a bit. "I'm not so sure about that."

"Why? Does she already have a boyfriend?"

"She's twelve years old, Joe."

The bewildered look on his face almost made me chuckle. But, Bill was the one who burst into laughter. Joe had to send him a long glare before he finally stopped.

"Well, you're still comin' to the Oak and Stag tonight, right?", Bill asked, still sniggering from time to time.

"You can count on that." I waved him off. "I'll see you there."

Joe waved back, while Bill turned the steering wheel. With a long, ear-shattering screech, the Jeep jerked away from the corner. And then it stormed down the street, earning a few swears from passers-by.

When the lads disappeared, I slowly turned around and looked at my home.

It was just as I remembered – with the Prichard sign hanging loosely from the door, and the cracked window waiting to be repaired. The birch that Neve and I had planted was in its old place, rustling in the breeze.

I had left all of this four weeks ago. That hot June day, when I climbed inside that C-47, now seemed like a lifetime away.

I stood for some time, just gazing at the house. That was when I saw a tall, familiar figure coming from behind the corner. The second he spotted me, he became rooted to his spot. His ice-blue eyes widened in shock. Meanwhile, my heart leapt to the clouds.

He looked at me in disbelief. "Jess?"

"Mike!"

Dropping my bag, I ran towards him. I almost knocked him over when I ran into him and wrapped him into a tight hug. Before I knew it, tears had broken through my dams and I begun crying on his shoulder.

"Hey... hey..." His hand gently rubbed my back. "It's all right. You're home, Flygirl."

Taking deep breaths to calm down, I let him go. And then I scolded myself in my thoughts. I shouldn't be acting like this, especially not on this day. As I was wiping my cheeks with my hand, Mike smiled.

"Olive drab, huh?" He glanced at the OD's I was wearing. "Is that a new fashion?"

I somehow smiled in return. I was so relieved to be back in Aldbourne, that I couldn't even describe it. Just a couple of weeks ago, I had been convinced that I would never see this place again.

"Mike, is... is she here?", I asked.

He knew exactly whom I had in mind.

"She's at her friend's. She should be back soon." Mike's smile suddenly turned into a grin. "Hey, you know what? Let's wait for her there. I bet that will surprise her!"

My heart started dancing an Irish jig in my chest. The thought of seeing my Neve filled me up with excitement. I reached to pick up my bag, but Mike got to it first.

"Oh, no you don't." He smirked. "I'll carry this."

He didn't even give me a chance to retort. Wrapping an arm around my shoulders, he led me down the street. We soon turned left at the crossroads and passed the old bakery. When the smell of fresh, warm bread reached my nose, I couldn't help but smile again. Oh, God, how much I missed this place...

"You know, you scared me almost stiff when you didn't fly back", Mike admitted.

I tried not to snigger when I remembered Neve's letter.

"But, I'm back now", I said, "You can sleep peacefully again, Wingman... and not nibble on your fingernails."

Hues of pink emerged on his cheeks. "Neve wrote to you, didn't she?"

Instead of answering, I just grinned.

"Well..." He eventually shrugged. "You're right. But, I'll get rid of that habit. I promise you that." He let out a short, quiet sigh, before he said: "Thank goodness we won't be flying back to that hellish place..."

I could feel my smile fading away. With no warning, my stomach begun tying itself into a painful knot. Mike looked at me, slightly confused.

"Are you okay, Flygirl?"

"I'm fine." I tried to muster another smile. "Really."

However, he didn't by it. Instead of that, his brow furrowed. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Mike. Everything is fine."

I kept walking. But, after a few steps, I felt Mike's arm slipping from my shoulders. He soon stopped in the street. However, he was still looking into my eyes.

"Jess..." His good old boyish smile appeared on his lips. "You know that you can tell me everything. Did somebody upset you?"

Damnit. I swallowed hard. I had no idea how to answer him. How could I tell him about France and Denham... and everything? He had nothing to do with what had happened across the Channel. I didn't need to burden him with that now.

However, Mike had no intention of letting me go. I didn't know how, but he had a strong feeling that something was wrong. I bit my lip when his hand slowly grasped mine.

"Jessica, if there is a problem, I'm sure that we can solve it together."

A corner of my lips curved. "I don't think it's that simple, Mike."

"What do you mean?"

Biting my lip again, I sat on the nearby bench. Mike sat next to me, with concern spreading all over his face. Maybe the best idea right now was to bite the bullet – and hope for the best. Swallowing another lump in my throat, I asked:

"Have you heard of a town called Carentan?"

Mike nodded. "Aye. What about it?"

"Well..."

I decided to skip the part where I had been beaten up and locked for two days. The rest would be more than enough for him.

As I was telling him what was going on there, a long furrow emerged on his forehead. And then, as I came to the part involving Denham, his worried expression turned into a threatening glare. By the time I finished, the look on his face was promising pain – and a lot of it.

For a moment, everything was quiet. And then he asked:

"Where is he?"

His tone made me almost shiver. It was filled with such rage that it scared me.

"I... I don't know."

He suddenly stood up. "We have to report this."

I blinked in bewilderment. "To whom? His superiors are an ocean away. Who will you complain to? The police? The Prime Minister?"

"Jessica, he has to be stopped!"

"You don't get it, do you?" I looked at him, as my stomach tied itself into another knot. "I mean, look at us! I'm a girl who happens to fly a plane, while he's a Yank with a rank and a spot-on reputation. Do you really thing that somebody will listen to me?"

"There must be something that can be done about Denham."

"And what will you do? Chop him up with your propeller?"

"Good idea."

"Michael!"

He pursed his lips into the thinnest possible line. I could clearly see how his face was becoming ashen.

"You can't die out there, Jess." He gave me a long, almost solemn look. "Maybe... maybe you and Neve could run away. Far away, where nobody would search for you."

"Mike, he knew how Neve looks like. Do you know that?" As soon as I recalled that, I swallowed hard. "He even knew how my parents looked like!"

"How the hell did he know that?"

"I don't know, damn it! I don't know..." I ran my fingers through my hair. "I guess that he knows... people. And even if Neve and I dash somewhere, he'll find us sooner or later. And then..." I swallowed thickly again. "And then he'll hurt her, Mike."

He shook his head. "He won't..."

"He'll kill her. He'll do it. But, that's not going to happen! I would rather fly back to Normandy than risk everything by running away!"

"Jessica, you just fly a plane. You weren't training with the Yanks for years." Mike's brow soon furrowed again. "I don't have a clue how you got out alive, but you should be bloody happy that you're back. Do you really want to push your luck again?"

I scoffed. "Do I have any choice?"

"I won't let you get killed! I..."

He gazed at me, almost dead-serious. But, before he continued, he was cut off by a loud scream of joy. It was so familiar, that I sprung up from the bench.

"Oh, my God! JESS!"

I turned around and saw a brown-haired girl, standing at the nearby corner. As her face beamed, she sprinted towards me.

"NEVE!", I screamed, spreading my arms.

She jumped into my embrace. I hugged her tightly, wishing to never let her go again.

I had missed her so much that it almost hurt. But, now, as I heard her chuckle, all that pain and fear faded away in an instant. After six long weeks, I was finally home, with my family. And nothing could ruin this moment – not even that bastard Denham.

"Holy smoke...!" Neve looked at me in surprise. "What happened to your neck?"

"You mean this?" I touched my neck, feeling a familiar pink scar under my fingertips. "Oh, that's a long story."

As I ruffled her hair, I glanced over her shoulder.

Mike was still there, in the same spot. He was standing just steps away, watching me with worry. To be honest, I was worried, too – especially about the days to come. However, I gave him an encouraging smile, before I pecked Neve on the cheek.

XXX

The "Oak and Stag" was more crowded than last time. Men from various companies were there, drinking beer, cracking jokes or playing darts in the corner. Some of them even brought their girlfriends along. They were now sitting in the far end of the pub, whispering something with their lasses and smiling.

The smell of Lucky Strike cigarettes hung in the air, making my nose twitch. But, the music was nice. A lovely duet was coming from the record player in the corner.

"All right, it's time for a toast", Joe suddenly said, "Listen up! Listen up!"

Everyone at our "table" chuckled when he raised his glass. That included Bill, George, Lieb, Don – and me.

"I wanna thank Jess for crashing in France on that faithful day." Grinning almost from ear to ear, Joe looked at my corner of the table. I started blushing again when he added: "So, thanks, Jess, for saving our sorry arses!"

"Oh, you're a true poet, Toye." Don raised his glass. "I couldn't have said it better!"

"Don, wait." Careful not to spill my drink, I lifted my glass from the table. "Let's drink to all of us, as a team. If even one of us were missing out there, we wouldn't be here now." I glanced at the five faces sitting with me. And then I managed a smile. "So... to us."

"Good idea." Bill picked up his bottle. "To us, then. Come on, on your feet!"

With the screeching of chairs, all of us stood up. We clinked our glasses and bottles, as the duet sang somewhere behind us. If it wasn't summer and if we weren't all dressed in olive drab, this would have looked like a lovely New Year party.

The duet came to an end when we sat down. But, after a silent moment, it was replaced by a quick and cheery music. Leaving his beer bottle on the table, Bill smiled.

"Ya know what, Jess?" He glanced at the direction the music was coming from. "The last time we were inna pub, I didn't got the chance to dance with ya."

I shrugged. "So?"

"So, let's do somethin' about that."

"Shakespeare, the pub is packed. There isn't any room for a toothpick."

To my surprise, Bill smirked. "Well, ya know what Winters usually says – look for higher ground."

My mouth half-opened when he stood on his chair. And then he stepped right on the long table. The other lads loudly protested, pulling their bottles and glasses out of Bill's way. But, he didn't care about that. He reached out towards me and said:

"Come on, Jess. Let's dance!"

I pursed my lips into a line. What the bloody hell is he doing? I wished to grab him and pull him down, before he made a fool out of himself. But, then I just shrugged. Parties like this didn't happen every day.

Bill grinned when I took his hand. He pulled me up on the table, before he placed one hand on the small of my back. Just a moment later, he spun me around following the quick rhythm of the record player.

I silently thanked the heaves that I was wearing trousers. Otherwise, the company would have had a good reason to whistle.

"First, he got a Silver Star. And now, he's dancin' with our air support!" I glanced over my shoulder and saw George talking to the others. That was when he looked up and exclaimed: "Bill, you're one lucky bastard!"

Everyone at the table chuckled. And that included Bill. His hold was gentle, but firm, while he danced along the tune. He soon raised my hand in his and made me spin again. I sniggered as my hair fluttered in the smoke filled air.

While he prepared to make his next move, something behind me caught his attention. It didn't last long when he raised his eyebrows and said:

"Well, Jessie, guess who just got back..."

"Mind if I cut in, Guarnere?", a familiar voice asked.

"Sure thing. Get up here, Doc."

Doc?!

I became gob-smacked when Eugene climbed on the table. He smiled, making my heart do a barrel-roll in my chest. I could already feel my cheeks becoming beetroot red. Not knowing what was going on with me, Bill winked at me and hopped off.

All of a sudden, I was alone with Gene.

For the next few seconds, everything was happening in slow motion – or maybe it was just my imagination. I wasn't quite sure. I watched as Eugene gently took my hands, interlocking my thin fingers with his. That was when our dance begun.

Following the beat, we moved and swayed. And we also tried not to slip on beer puddles and ashtrays nearby. Hand on heart, I hadn't expected that Gene was such a good dancer. I quietly gasped when he moved his arm and made me lean backwards, just like in the movies.

When he smiled at me again, an usual feeling found its way inside me. Just by being here, with him, made my orders look like a distant, bad dream.

I wasn't afraid anymore. Actually, I couldn't be more happy.

That was when Gene caught me, lifted me in the air and spun me around, which was followed with the lads' cheers.

I couldn't help but smile. However, something was a bit odd here. The shy medic I was so fond of was more than cheerful tonight. It didn't last long when it hit me.

"Eugene, have you been drinking?"

"Me? Drinkin'" He grinned as he put me down and caught my hands again. "Well, maybe a little... but you have ta admit that I..."

Trailing off, he made another step to the left. But, he had forgotten that he reached the end of the table – so he fell straight over the edge.

And, of course, he pulled me with him.

Reviews will be really appreciated! :)