A/N:

Thank you missavc34 for the review! I know, Marie needs to go ahead and tell Malarkey, but she's so stubborn and nervous when it comes to those kind of things :p we'll see what'll happen between them. Also, I'm glad you enjoyed the bit with Muck, Luz and Penkala. It was a fun scene to write :)

This was such a hard chapter to write! I don't know why combat scenes are so hard for me to put down on paper, but I hope it came out all right! Thank you to everyone who takes time out of the day to read this story! ❤

Nuenen, Holland

September 20th, 1944

Easy Company all piled onto tanks and trucks, did a U-turn, and headed down a dirt road toward Nuenen. Some soldiers hiked, carrying all their equipment and keeping the pace slow and calm. No one was rushing to get there, they had been battling nonstop for days, and now with October quickly approaching, everyone wanted to have a break. Marie sat beside Emilia on the tank, silently taking in the sights. Marie hadn't gotten much sleep because of Muck and Luz chatting, and thinking about her fight with Malarkey. She hadn't talked to him since last night, but honestly she didn't know how she'd strike up a conversation with him. Truth was she woke up in a crummy mood and she really didn't feel like speaking with anyone. Marie's lower abdomen throbbed in a familiar and achy pain that spread to her lower back.

Period cramps. Great. Marie thought angrily. Of all the times for Mother Nature to intervene. The pain made Marie irritable and temperamental, which was most likely one reason why she was so short with Malarkey the night before. Although she knew that they've been frustrated with each other lately, her PMS symptoms were just adding fuel to the fire. She shifted herself on the tank, unable to get comfortable. She grumbled to herself as she continued to struggle to find a comfortable position. She had put on a Kotex sanitary napkin just in case, but now it was moving around uncomfortably in her pants.

"Hey." Emilia nudged Marie softly, interrupting her thoughts.

"What." Marie grunted, annoyed.

Emilia smirked knowingly at Marie's attitude. Marie jutted her bottom lip out, not amused by the look on Em's face. As usual, Emilia knew exactly what was going on with her.

"So, TOM came to visit you, did he?" Emilia asked. TOM was what Marie and Emilia referred to as "time of month." They came up with the nickname because so many of the guys grew uncomfortable when they even mentioned the word "period" around them, so they had no choice but to be discreet about it. The Army urged them to be modest and private when it came to their "womanly functions." Sometimes serving in a company of mostly men was really a pain in the ass.

"Unfortunately, yes." Marie clipped.

"I thought so. It was either that or you were thinking about Malarkey."

Marie rolled her eyes at Emilia's statement.

"Skip told me you two have been having some issues lately." Emilia added.

Marie shot her a look. Muck told her? Did everyone know about the little argument she and Malarkey had?

"Freakin' Skip… he's such a loud mouth." Marie muttered.

Emilia chuckled lightly. "What is up with you two?"

Marie shrugged, not wanting to explain everything all over again like she did with Muck and Luz. Especially since the entire situation was so trivial compared to Operation Market Garden. She wished that Emilia would drop the subject so she could focus on the objective ahead.

"Nothing. But what I want to know is what happened between you and Tab." Marie recoiled.

Emilia sighed, resting her eyes down at her lap. She didn't speak right away, trying to form the right words to explain. "I thought everything was going okay, but you know how men are. Sometimes it's hard for them to focus on one woman at a time. So I dumped him. There's plenty of fish in the sea."

"I had no idea that Talbert and you were in a legitimate relationship." Marie replied.

Emilia nodded, and shrugged like it was no big deal. Emilia didn't seem to care much about the whole ordeal. Marie was sure Tab was hurting, but it was his fault that she dumped him.

"I'm sorry…" Marie mumbled, not knowing how to apologize and make it sound genuine.

"What about you and Malark?" Emilia said, changing the subject.

Marie felt her face grow hot just hearing his name mentioned. Marie crossed her arms as the memory replayed fresh in her mind. "Luz and Skip said that he has feelings for me, but he spends his free time flirting with other girls. He has a girlfriend, too! I think they're just messing with me. There's no way the entire company wants us together."

Emilia laughed. She had the same expression on her face as Muck and Luz did when Marie had joined them in their foxhole. It was like Marie was being left out of some big Easy Company secret. Marie wasn't in the mood to be kept in the dark.

"What's so funny?" Marie snapped.

"You two are so adorable. Eventually you and Malark will see." Emilia replied, flashing her a stunning smile. Marie frowned, frustrated that Em wasn't taking her seriously. Marie was about to retort, but she saw Emilia's smile fade. Marie followed her gaze to see a woman standing on the side of the road.

Marie's heart sank, it was one of the women that she watched get shaved and humiliated in Eindhoven. The woman was holding a baby bundled up in a blanket. She looked miserable as she watched the company roll by. Marie knew that she had been exiled from the city and now was homeless. Marie couldn't imagine being banished from home with an infant. How was she going to care for the baby, especially in the middle of the war?

Lester Hashey, one of the replacements that had joined Bull's squad, broke free from Easy. He walked over to the woman, and handed her a rationed case of food. Marie watched as the woman took the food, a grateful expression on her face. Some other soldiers followed his lead, giving the poor woman everything she could carry when it came to food. The kind gesture made Marie feel proud of her company, but she wished that there was more they could do.

Marie stared at the woman until she was out of sight. Emilia patted Marie on the back, but she didn't feel very reassured from it. Marie thought Holland was going to be a "cakewalk" as Malarkey put it, but instead it was brewing into something worse than Marie could explain. Lieutenant Bob Brewer was shot in the neck on a patrol earlier that day. He died of blood loss, there was no medic around to patch him up. Marie wasn't called on that patrol so she couldn't assist. The day had already started on a bad note.

The trip to Nuenen was taking longer than Marie thought it would. The rumbling of the tanks was giving her a headache. Her menstrual pain came back in repeated waves, making her feel even more on edge. Marie continued to shift around, feeling restless.

"We're almost there, Hun." Emilia told her, as if she was reading her mind.

The rest of the way had to be done on foot as they hiked through a field and up to a wooden fence on the outside on Nuenen. Marie had made her way back to 2nd platoon, and was now huddled up with them. She watched for any movement in the small town, but it was dead like a ghost town other than one person shaking out a blanket out a window. It was eerily quiet, not even the birds were chirping, and the wind wasn't blowing. It was the type of calm that was unsettling.

Marie glanced back and her eyes met Malarkey's. They both averted their eyes from each other, not saying a word. She cursed herself, wishing that they would stop being so distant and cold with each other. A sharp menstrual pain suddenly erupted from inside her, causing her to grip her stomach and slouch toward the ground. It was the worst one yet and lasted until it was a dull throb. She prayed she wouldn't have cramps this bad if a battle were t break out in Nuenen. She didn't need this kind of distraction if there were Germans nearby.

"We're movin' up." Guarnere told them as he climbed the wooden fence. Marie reluctantly followed, grinding her teeth and ignoring the persistent pain that took over her gut. Every inch of her body told her to stay out of this town, but she had knew she had to follow orders.

Marie could see Bull's squad in her line of vision as they headed into Nuenen. Everyone was so spread out as they entered the town. A big building sat in the middle of it all, it was some kind of hotel that looked mostly abandoned. It reminded Marie of the café that was in the middle of Carentan. All continued to be peaceful as they stepped into Nuenen, but right then German fire started to reign down on them. As if appearing out of nowhere, a German panzer unit started firing at both their flanks.

"Kraut tanks! Kraut tanks!" Marie heard someone scream, but she couldn't tell who it was amongst the chaos. Marie's brain had already gone muddy, not knowing which way to turn and run. 2nd platoon had taken off without her, and she hadn't even realized it. Marie saw a 1st and 3rd platoon scatter in the town, taking cover behind anything that was high enough to protect their heads. Marie stayed crouched in the opening of the town, not knowing where to go.

Marie felt someone grab her from behind and pull her off the path. Marie turned to see Malarkey, looking fierce as he led them out of the fray and into cover. He ran her past a few buildings and by a unit of British tanks. The two of them came sliding to a stop, catching their breath behind a building. Marie's head buzzed with activity and disorientation. So many people were shouting, along with the citizens that still inhabited Nuenen. It was too hard for her to focus on one element.

"What were you thinking!" Malarkey suddenly burst.

Marie had never heard him speak in such a sharp tone before. Even when they were fighting he still held back, but this was different. She shrunk back a little, too stunned to respond to him. Malarkey gripped her shoulders tightly, making her wince at his intensity.

"Don't ever just stand out in the open like that again! What if something happened to you? There's panzer's out there! You would've been decimated in seconds!" He scolded. "If something were to happen to you, I…" He stopped, unable to finish his sentence.

Marie only stared at him, stunned. Her golden-brown eyes were about the size of dinner plates as she looked at him; shocked by everything going on around them and at his harshness. He sighed, calming down and relaxing his tight grip on her shoulders. The panzer's were rolling in and firing, but Easy wasn't even putting a dent in their defense. Everyone was scattered all over the place just like Carentan. There was no order, just the Germans firing and the Army taking cover and trying to stay alive.

"You're right. I'm sorry." Marie replied, snapping herself out of it. Malarkey nodded at her and glanced around, looking for a place where they could go. He took her hand and they ran to the corner of the building, and carefully peeked their heads out from behind. They could see some of 1st platoon waiting in a huddle and a British tank sitting idly in the middle of all the chaos. Marie and Malarkey ran up to join them, they both came skidding to a stop and almost knocked Muck over in the process. Marie watched as Babe and Martin talked to the British soldier driving the tank.

"What's going on?" Malarkey asked Muck.

"Stupid Limey won't shoot the panzers hiding out behind the building! They don't want to cause any collateral damage!" Muck answered. "Johnny's trying to stop them from going ahead, but they're not listening. They're going to get themselves killed!"

Marie watched with dread as the British tank rolled ahead, not paying any heed to Martin's warning. Right when they were in the sight of the hidden German tank, it fired on them and exploded. After the tank blew up, the artillery against Easy Company and the Allies had increased. It turned out that the German tanks were originally stationed in Helmond, and now had come to Nuenen fifty tanks strong. Explosions were erupting all over the place, even in the sky. Marie covered her head as debris fell down all around them. Some tanks were rolling forward, trying to run over some of Easy's men. The scene was too awful; Marie averted her eyes from the gruesome nature of this battle. This was like Brécourt Manor all over again.

Buck had run up to join them, Guarnere right behind him. Buck's frantic light blue eyes darted back and forth between them. The rest of 2nd platoon was nowhere to be seen.

"Sir, are we holding the line here?" Malarkey asked, ready to set up his mortar equipment.

"Easy's retreating! We have to fall back!" Buck yelled. Without another word Malarkey, Marie, and Muck all sat up and started to follow Buck and Guarnere out of Nuenen. Easy Company had never retreated before. Running away from the enemy felt unnatural, but staying here and getting the entire company killed wasn't going to be an option.

"Medic!" Someone's voice pierced the air. Marie skidded to a stop, almost slipping as her boots slid against the debris and gravel. The voice was unrecognizable in all this noise, but Marie darted toward it anyway. She wasn't about to let someone die and be left in this horror.

"Marie!" Malarkey shouted. He reached out to snatch her, but he missed.

"Docherty! Get your ass back here!" Buck roared, but Marie kept looking straight ahead, trying to locate the person who needed help. Dust and debris kicked up all around her. She shielded her eyes with her forearm as she ran through the cloud of dust. As Marie was blindly running through the crumbling streets of Nuenen, she felt someone collide with her, catching her by her shoulders. She spun around from the impact for a moment, dizzy and confused. She saw that it was Lipton.

"What the hell are you doing? We're falling back!" Lipton barked. He started to drag her in the opposite direction, but she struggled against him. That person still needed her help, she couldn't leave him unattended out there.

"Someone is wounded!" Marie shouted, but Lipton was a lot stronger than she was. He easily pulled her along, avoiding panzers and bullets from the MG 42s. Germans started to fire upon them from the hotel they had passed when they entered the town. The Germans had been hiding out here all along.

"He's already dead! One of the replacements got hit by a barn and a hedgerow. It was a mortar round. We have to move!" Lipton informed her as he continued to pull her along.

Marie's heart sank with the news. She felt guilty for never getting to know any of the replacements well, other than Babe. Now she'd never have a chance to get to know whoever had been killed. Lipton and Marie caught up with Buck, Guarnere, Muck and Malarkey. They had stayed and waited for her, despite the fact that they could be hit at any moment. Marie was touched by their sentiment, but she didn't have time to express it to them. Lipton finally let go of her, and they took off back out of town. The MG 42s' bullets were whizzing past them, getting closer and closer as they retreated. The bullets were practically licking their heels as they ran, followed by the occasional sound of a tank round going off.

"For God sakes, Marie! Do I have to keep you on a leash?!" Malarkey snapped.

Marie didn't answer. She was just doing her duty as a medic. The path between the hills narrowed, causing Malarkey to speed up as Marie kept her pace going beside Buck. As they were running next to each other, Marie heard a sudden sound that made her heart leap to her throat.

WHACK!

Buck toppled over, taking Marie down with him by accident. He landed with a heavy thud in the middle of the path as Marie did the same. She scrambled up to see Buck lying on his stomach. Marie crawled over to him, trying to shield his body from the bullets that were flying beside them.

"Were you hit, Buck?" Marie asked.

"Right in the ass…" Buck winced. Marie started to rummage through her pack to get out her scissors and bandages.

"No! Don't waste your time! Just go!" Buck demanded.

"Buck! Buck! What happened?" Malarkey came running up to them. Guarnere and Muck were waiting up by a shed, taking cover from the bullets. Men were going down all around them. Marie knew they were sitting ducks in this position, they needed to get Buck out of here fast.

"Get the hell out of here!" Buck ordered again. Roe made his way down the path and came then to help patch him up, but Buck refused again. A mortar round went off, and hit close to them. Dirt rained down on them, making them all jump at the close call.

"Malarkey, get them out of here. Go!" Buck said, referring to the medics, grunting from the pain. Despite Buck's orders, Marie and Roe started to patch him up. Malarkey wasn't budging either.

"What?" Malarkey asked, bewildered. He couldn't believe that one of his friends was ordering him to abandon him.

"Just go. Leave me here for the Germans."

"Buck!" Marie remarked.

"What? You nuts?" Malarkey crouched beside the injured lieutenant, and started to prepare himself to lift him up.

"We'll carry you!" Roe told him, following Malarkey's lead.

"You kiddin' me. I weigh more than the three of you combined." Buck retorted. Buck weighed 220 pounds, and with the way the Germans were pounding down on them, it might've been a good idea to leave him there and retreat. But this was Easy Company. They were closer than family.

"C'mon!" Malarkey shouted, jumping up. He sprinted toward the shed where Muck and Guarnere were waiting anxiously by. Marie and Roe remained by Buck's side, watching over him. Marie watched Malarkey kick down the door to the shed. She hoped that Malarkey's quick thinking would be able to save Buck.

A sudden pain surged through Marie's arm, knocking her for a loop.

"Ahh!" She yelped. She clutched her arm; it felt like it had been struck with a baseball bat. She glanced down to see her BDU sleeve torn and soaking with blood. She'd been hit. She gritted her teeth through the discomfort, knowing that she didn't have time to patch herself up.

Malarkey, Muck, and Guarnere brought the door over. They all hoisted him onto the door and started to drag him away from the fire. Toye and Babe had joined them in escorting Buck back as they darted toward safety. Marie held onto her arm, feeling the warm blood seep from in between her fingers. She could still move it, knowing that it hadn't hit the bone much to her relief. She saw Roe give her a worried side-glance, but he knew not to say anything about it in front of Buck. The last thing she wanted was for him to feel guilty about it.

They finally made it to the outskirts of the town. Trucks were waiting for the wounded as soldiers continued to run away in fear. All of them helped lift Buck onto the truck. Lipton was there to lend a hand as well.

"You're the only guy I saw who got hit with one bullet and got four holes in him." Lipton joked. Buck didn't find it that funny, but he retorted with a joking threat to Lip as they quickly finished loading him onto the truck. Despite everything, they were still able to find humor in the middle of it all. They watched as Buck took off, then they all piled onto another truck to retreat. Everyone was pretty shaken from the battle; most were trembling and panting from the adrenaline and anxiety that had built up. Easy Company had never witnessed an assault like that before.

Marie was still holding onto her arm, trying to keep pressure on the wound. She still wasn't sure how bad it was yet. Lipton noticed her and immediately said something. She wished he didn't, she didn't want anyone to worry about her.

"Marie, your arm!" Lipton said.

"It's fine." Marie replied. Roe sat beside her and gestured for her to let him have a look. Marie had no choice but to remove her uniform top. She looked down at her white tank top and was glad to see it wasn't covered in blood like her sleeve.

"You all right?" Malarkey asked, his face full of worry.

Marie nodded, looking at the skin of her bicep. It was split down the middle from the bullet. She was fortunate that it had just skidded her and didn't fully penetrate her. The last thing she wanted was to be taken off the line.

"Four dead, and now twelve injured." Lipton sighed, acknowledging Marie's wound.

Four dead. Marie felt guilt overcome her. She should've saved them, she didn't even see anyone get hit, but when they did it was too late. They had watched soldiers become jelly from the amount of fire that had reigned down on them, the graphic image forever burned into her memory. Marie prayed that Emilia had made it out in one piece, she didn't see her in Nuenen. Emilia was most likely with Winters, Nixon, or Welsh, and she knew they wouldn't let Em get hurt.

"Where's Bull?" Guarnere asked Martin. Martin looked upset; he didn't even look Guarnere in the eye when he spoke to him.

"Don't know…" Martin answered in a pained whisper.

They had retreated without Bull. He was still trapped in Nuenen. Marie felt sick to her stomach, for a moment she thought she was going to vomit from worry for Bull, and from all the bad news that had come out of the battle of Nuenen. She wanted to head back and search for Bull. He was their dear friend, and he had saved her in Eindhoven. The least she could do was search for him. But no matter what she said, the trucks would continue to move forward and away from the German infested town.

Roe had finished fixing up her wound. He fastened a tourniquet on it and gave her a forced smile. She couldn't bring herself to return it. In a few hours, everything about Operation Market Garden had turned to hell, and the worst part was that it wasn't even finished. This run in would only make things harder for them. Marie pulled her dirty BDU top back on. Everyone sat in silence for the rest of the ride.

Malarkey stood up and sat down next to Marie. He gently wrapped his arm around her, being careful not to touch her injured left arm. She took off her helmet and rested her head under his chin, nuzzling herself above his chest. He rested his cheek on the top of her head. She accepted his comfort; her frustration with him over the past few days evaporated in an instant. There were too many things going on for them to remain mad at each other any longer.