Author's Note:

Thank you HappyNinjaBitch for the favorite on the story!

Updated early again! Sorry for the overly quick updates. I'm just really excited that the story is starting to really progress :)

Camp Shanks, New York

September 1943

August had been a strange and busy month for everyone. It was the last month before the companies were to be shipped to England, so the preparation was unbelievable. August was also a month that the soldiers got leave to go visit their families to say goodbye before they were officially sent off to war. It felt strange for Marie going home to Georgia after a year of being away. The familiar look of her house, the smell of her Dad cooking burgers on the grill, the sounds of her sister practicing her cello, her brother working on the car in the garage, and of the wind chimes on the front porch clinking together… it all felt so strange; distant. She felt like she was in a memory from a dream. She had so many stories to tell them, but she didn't know where to begin. It almost felt like she didn't fit in with her family anymore, like the roles were reversed and now Easy Company was her real family. Of course she didn't tell any of them that, but that is what she truly felt.

Marie was counting down the days until her furlough ended. She was so anxious to get to Shanks. Her father was worried that she was getting "too obsessed with war"; she tried to explain to him that the bond she's made with these men and women was so strong that it felt painful to be apart. As cheesy as it sounded, Easy had become an essential necessity of her daily life. His tanned face only smiled at her in understanding. He placed his calloused and overworked hands on his daughter's shoulders and just stared at her for a moment, taking in her image with a mute affection. He couldn't find the words to say to his child before she was shipped overseas, but Marie didn't mind, they had a silent understanding that he was telling her goodbye just in case she didn't make it. She'd rather not hear him say those words out loud, anyway.

Marie returned to Fort Bragg and met up with Muck whom had also gotten there around the same time she did. They would soon be boarding a train that would take them to New York, then on September 5 they would board the SS Samaria and would sail to Aldbourne. Muck and Marie sat outside one late August summer night, just looking up at the stars and pondering the days to come. He was smoking a cigarette while Marie was pointing out constellations to herself.

"Going back home felt weird." Marie pondered aloud.

"Yeah, I thought so too." Muck agreed, taking a drag of his cigarette. "It felt wonderful to see my family again, and Faye… but I also felt very out of place. And the goodbyes were the worst part."

"Same." Marie sighed. Marie could imagine her friends going home and their mothers and fathers crying about them leaving, wrapping them into tight hugs, begging them not to leave. Only Marie's father wasn't an emotional person and Marie's mother was God knows where.

"Don is having a hard time getting back. His flight was cancelled and it's delaying him from returning to Bragg. I think he's stuck in Chicago or somethin'." Muck informed her.

"I hope he doesn't miss the train." Marie replied, feeling worried that he'd be late.

"Sergeant Evans threatened him with a court-martial for going AWOL." Muck chuckled, shaking his head.

"It's not like it was his fault." Marie answered, flatly.

Muck shrugged, taking another drag of cigarette. "Hey, he also went to New York to visit his girl. She moved there to be a singer, you know. Apparently she'd gained weight or something and Malarkey broke up with her."

Marie gasped at Muck. She couldn't believe that Malarkey would be that shallow. "He broke up with her because she gained weight? That's so stupid."

Muck shrugged again. "They've always been off and on, and the breakups are usually for dumb reasons like that. He called me and told me that she'd lost her 'athletic figure' or something. I'm pretty sure they're going to get back together again soon."

Marie huffed. Why did most men have to have that mind set? Malarkey is a fantastic guy but things like this irked Marie to no end. "Remind me to smack him when he gets back."

Muck laughed. "Will do!"

The SS Samaria was not as big of a ship as Marie thought it would be. It was some old British ship that didn't look like it could fit everyone boarding. Marie was hoping that they'd get more time to stay at Shanks before they'd leave. Marie had never been to New York before and wanted to see more of it. 5000 men and women were going to be crammed on this ship, and it was designed to hold only about half of that. Marie boarded the ship and waited at the upper deck with Emilia, Malarkey, and Muck. The ship waited at the New York Harbor for what felt like hours until everything was in place and ready. Marie looked off into the harbor, wishing that there were a ton of people sending them off and waving at them with handkerchiefs as they got ready to sail. But this wasn't like the movies, this was real life.

As the ship passed the Statue of Liberty, a lot of people began to get emotional. It did feel strange; it was like saying goodbye to a person that you had a feeling you'd never run into again. This had been Marie's first time ever seeing Lady Liberty as she marveled at the grand statue from a distance.

"It's official now, isn't it?" Emilia said aloud to no one in particular. The feeling of homesickness was already starting to set in, and they were still in US territory.

"Yeah…" Malarkey mumbled. Marie could hear a lump in his throat. She was afraid that he'd start crying, but he didn't. He looked over at his three friends and pulled out a letter. "Did you guys read the letter that Sobel sent home to all of our families?"

"No." Muck answered, looking at the letter Malarkey was holding in curiosity.

"Reading it, you'd think Sobel actually had a heart." Malarkey chuckled. He held it up to them and cleared his throat to read it aloud.

'Dear Madam,

Soon your son/daughter [individual names here] will drop from the sky to engage and defeat the enemy. He/she will have the best of weapons, and equipment, and have had months of hard, and strenuous training to prepare him/her for success on the battlefield.

Your frequent letters of love, and encouragement, will arm him/her with a fighting heart. With that, he cannot fail, but will win glory for himself/herself, make you proud of him/her, and his/her country ever grateful for his/her service in its hour of need.

Signed,

Captain Herbert Sobel'

Malarkey finished and shoved the letter back into wherever he pulled it out from. Everyone went over the letter in their heads for a moment, replaying Sobel's written words. Muck nodded, giving Malarkey a "not bad" look.

"Are all the letters addressed 'Dear Madam'?" Marie asked Malarkey.

"Yeah, as far as I know." Malarkey nodded.

Marie groaned then turned to rest her head on her arms that were propped up on the ship's guardrail. She stared out into the ocean and the churning water. Dear Madam. Didn't Sobel realize that not everyone had a mother back home waiting for their return?

"Is something wrong?" Muck asked, peering over Marie's shoulder.

Emilia waved her hand in a "cut it out" motion so they'd drop the subject. Emilia was one of the few people that knew about Marie's mother, but even she didn't know the whole story. There were some things that Marie just had to keep private about herself.

"I think I'm going to go settle in." Marie turned around and told them. She began to walk away when she realized she forgot something. "Oh, yeah." She said to herself. She turned around then gave Malarkey a quick open-handed smack upside his head. He hunched over from the impact, then whirled around and looked at her with bewildered eyes, grabbing the back of his head as it throbbed in pain.

"What the hell was that for?" He exclaimed. Muck had instantly started laughing, while Emilia looked just as confused as Malarkey was.

"For Bernice." Marie said with an impish smile. She spun on her heels then waltzed off to where all the women were staying on the ship.

"Skip! You told her?" She heard Malarkey shout before she was out of earshot.

There were more women going to England than Marie thought. Not all of them were going to be fighting on the front lines, most of them were going to be nurses stationed in England. There wasn't a lot of room on the ship, yet the Army still managed to keep the men and women separated. Marie climbed up to her bunk and settled in. It wasn't that comfortable, but it was bearable enough that she'd know she'd sleep. Florence was a few bunks from her, reading a magazine along with Diana. Marie didn't see Barbara anywhere in the room, she guessed she was in the bathroom or something. Florence's face had healed from being punched, much to her excitement. She'd slaved trying to cover it up with makeup day in and day out, Marie felt bad for her. She must've felt a lot of shame walking around with a big bruise on her face that didn't go away for weeks.

"Hey, Marie." Diana greeted.

"Hi." Marie replied, peeking over her bunk.

"Well, I'm bored." Florence declared, throwing the magazine off to the side.

"I was still reading that!" Diana complained, bending over her bunk so she could pick it up.

"You girls can sit here all you like, I'm going to have some fun." Florence announced, standing up to leave.

"Where are you going?" Marie asked her.

"To visit some friends." Florence said with a sly grin. Marie knew that she was going to sneak into where some of the men were staying.

"Be careful." Marie warned. She didn't want her to end up like Jane or to be hurt again.

Emilia came into the room, passing Florence and giving her a strange look. Emilia asked her where she was going and Florence just laughed in response. Emilia looked over at the girls, whom only shrugged. Emilia glanced up at Marie and smiled at her with that knowing grin that made Marie know that she was going to tease her. Why did she always have to taunt her?

"Hey, Marie, your boyfriend is single now. You have a chance." Emilia badgered. "Although I must say, hitting him wasn't a good way to start out the relationship."

"For the last time Em, he's not my boyfriend. Besides, they're going to get back together." Marie replied, annoyed.

"Then you should seize the opportunity before that happens." Emilia grinned.

Marie rolled her eyes then lay back down in her bunk. She continued to deny everything that Emilia had told her.

"Don't shut me out, Hun. You should live a little, give into your feelings." Emilia called up to her.

"You're starting to sound like Florence." Marie replied in an irritated singsong. She heard Emilia mumble something to Diana but it wasn't audible enough for her to understand.

The first few days sailing for Marie had been horrible. She had gotten seasick and had terrible menstrual cramps that had brought her to her knees from the sheer pain. She spent days on in inside the infirmary, clutching her lower stomach in pain and throwing up from nauseous feeling of the rocking ship. Emilia came to visit her everyday, sympathizing with how she felt. Malarkey and Muck on the other hand were told about her condition and decided they should keep their distance. Some men just got really uncomfortable when it came to things like this, but Marie didn't mind. She'd rather them not see her like this.

"You look like hell." Emilia told her as she sat on Marie's bed. Marie was lying down on her side, sweating profusely. She looked extra pale and was running a fever, but this happened sometimes during her monthly cycle. The sickening swaying of the ship wasn't helping her make any speedy recoveries though.

"I feel like hell." Marie muttered weakly.

"Better not let Sobel see you like this. He'll make it an excuse to get you kicked out." Emilia whispered to her, making sure no one was in earshot.

"That makes me feel so much better." Marie groaned sarcastically.

Emilia moved some strands of Marie's hair out of her face. She was so sweaty that her messy blonde hair was sticking to her skin. Emilia frowned, starting to feel seriously concerned for her friend.

"Have the nurses given you anything yet?" Emilia asked.

Marie shook her head. "They're too busy. You know I'd treat myself if I could."

Emilia pursed her lips in frustration. "I'll be right back." She told Marie. She sat up and dashed off to find someone that would help her. She was furious that they'd leave Marie sitting on the bed without so much as acknowledging her existence. This had made Marie smile to herself. Emilia was such a dear friend and Marie appreciated her efforts to help her in more ways than she could express.

Emilia returned with a cup of water, motion sickness pills, and painkillers for Marie. Marie propped herself up on her elbow so she could take them. She swallowed them hastily, then lay back down on her pillow, shutting her eyes slowly in exhaustion. Emilia felt her forehead with her hand.

"You're burning up." Emilia announced, frowning at her friend's condition. "You sure you don't have the flu, too?"

"I'm positive. Just give me a few more hours and I'll be right as rain." Marie answered.

"I hope you get better soon. I'll keep Florence away from nestling into the Easy crowd. Lord knows she's really trying. We've got the best company of men, after all." Emilia said, joking with Marie. "I know how protective you are of them."

"Florence can do whatever she pleases." Marie mumbled, turning over in her bed sleepily, her back now facing Emilia. Honestly she didn't give a damn what Florence did with herself, she was raised to mind her own business and that's how she liked to keep it.

"Yeah? What if she starts flirting with Malark? And he accepts her out of some strange post break up loneliness-" Emilia started. Marie turned over on her bed to give Emilia an annoyed look. Emilia saw the rise she got out of her friend and laughed. "Yo lo sabía, estás loca por él." Emilia added in Spanish, still laughing.

"What? I hate it when you do that." Marie grumbled. "What did you say?"

"Nothing, dear." Emilia said innocently. Marie turned back around in her bed, knowing that Emilia would never tell her what she said.

Emilia stayed at her bedside until she was able to drift off to sleep. Marie dreamed of jumping out of planes and what she imagined Europe would be like. She had mixed feelings about going overseas. She was excited for the adventure of traveling to new places, but she was afraid of what the war would bring, especially being led by Sobel. She barely saw Sobel during the whole trip, but that was fine with her. Easy needed a break from his overbearing drills and presence.

All Marie knew was that she hated ships and she wanted to get the hell off of this one.