A/N:

Thank you kEs-2717 for another review! :) It makes me really happy to see you so excited for the updates!

Thank you Lucifer-and the-SkyofDemons for the story follow!

Thank you missavc34 for the review! I know, I'm sure all of you are frustrated with me and the whole Malark and Marie situation. Sometimes keeping things realistic is tough and annoying. I've already got this story all planned out and what happens between them, so there'll be more to come :) I know! I loved how much Malark wrote the guys in the book, and I wanted it to be included in the story (there'll be more to come) Thank you for your continued encouragement! ❤

Sorry for not updating at my usual pace! I've been extremely busy lately, and haven't had a lot of time to write! Some dialogue from Malarkey's book, sorry for it being a filler-ish chapter - it's setting pace for the next one! I hope you all enjoy! Thank you all for your constant support :)

Mourmelon, France

December 10th, 1944

Marie sat on one of the aide station bunks, twirling the cross on her necklace in between her fingers. She felt guilty not wearing the jewelry Malarkey had given her, so out of weakness and guilt she put them back on. It had been two weeks and Marie was still keeping her distance from her dear friend. Marie was desperately missing her best friend, but she still felt too afraid to approach him and talk about the kiss. She was so frustrated with herself and her cowardice, but she couldn't face the humiliation or rejection, not like this anyway. She swung her legs back and forth with nervous energy as they dangled off the bunk, like an impatient child. She moved her concentration away from her necklace; she twisted the ring around her middle finger, feeling the diamond studs with her fingertips. Marie was still adjusting to all the free time Easy Company had. She spent so much time doing nothing in the aide station that she'd deliberately find something challenging to do before she went crazy from boredom. If there was anything Marie couldn't stand, it was staying still and doing nothing. And with her and Malarkey being distant with each other, it only made the last couple weeks drag on.

The tarp to the aide station suddenly flapped open, making Marie jump, almost falling off the bunk. To her immense surprise, Bill Guarnere strode in with his usual confident gait. Marie's face lit up as she hopped off the bunk and went over to pull him into a tight, 'welcome back' hug. She hadn't seen Guarnere since the motorcycle accident back in Holland, which was over a month.

"Bill!" She exalted. "You're finally back! How's the leg?" She questioned, pulling back to get a good look at the squad leader.

"Still sore, but it's good." Guarnere said with a grin. "I ain't the only one who's back. Lieb, Thomas McCreary and Buck are back. Couldn't stand bein' in that damned hospital any longer."

Marie smiled happily, overjoyed to hear that her friends had returned to the company. She felt as if everything had started to piece together again and the recovery from Holland was finally sinking in. She was so lost in her thoughts that Guarnere had to tap her cheek to get her attention.

"Hey, I asked ya a question." He barked, his Philly drawl coming out thick.

Marie blinked. "Oh! Sorry, I dazed off for a moment. What'd you ask?" She answered apologetically.

"I said: what happened between you and Malark this time?" He repeated. Marie's face fell, realizing that he knew. She averted his questioning stare, feeling her face grow hot. She bit her lip as Guarnere waited for an explanation. She finally met his eyes, sheepishly.

"It's complicated." She mumbled, knowing it was a pathetic answer.

He arched an incredulous brow at her, not buying her vague reply. "Malark said you've been avoiding him like the plague, but he had that same guilty look on his face that you do now. What the hell happened?"

Marie's shoulders sagged in sadness. She felt horrible for how she was treating Malarkey; after all it was her fault that there was now awkward wall between them. She knew Guarnere was far too stubborn to leave without getting a proper answer from her.

"I screwed up everything, Bill." Marie sighed. "I don't know what to do or what to say to him."

"I'm sure he'd like to hear anything from you at this point." Guarnere interjected.

"How would you know?" Marie asked, a little defensive.

"I don't. Why don't you ask him yerself." Guarnere replied curtly. Marie was about to open her mouth when Malarkey entered the aide station. Guarnere gave him a quick glance, which Malark exchanged like some kind of silent conversation. They had planned this.

Marie leaned close to Guarnere's ear. "You set me up!" She whispered harshly to him. Guarnere winked at her, clearly rapturous that Malarkey had taken his cue to enter. Marie peered over Guarnere's broad shoulder, noticing how anxious Malarkey's cherub face was. He didn't seem too thrilled with this plan, either.

"See you later." Guarnere smirked, giving her a playful slap near the shoulder. She glared openly at him as he left the aide station. It was just her and Malarkey now, fidgeting awkwardly in each other's presence. After what seemed like an eternity, Malarkey took a step forward, wringing his hands together like he'd done that day in Holland when he wanted to tell her something. Marie kept her eyes focused on the ground, her face fully blushing as she felt his eyes on her. She swore she'd get Guarnere for this later.

"Hey." Malarkey greeted in a low voice.

"Hey." Marie repeated, still keeping her eyes on the floor.

"How are you doing?" Malarkey asked, trying to make small talk.

Marie nervously wiped her forehead with the sleeve of her OD. "I'm fine. You?" She replied, knowing that this conversation was going nowhere.

"Good, good." Malarkey said with a nod, glancing around the room. He finally let out a tense sigh, closing the distance between the two of them. She felt herself flinch with how close he was getting. "Listen, you don't have to run from me. I know that sounds cliché, but I'm being honest."

Marie snapped her gaze up to him. "What?"

"You heard me." He added, softly. "Don't feel ashamed for what you did. I'm just sorry that I didn't react to it better." Marie tore her eyes away again, looking off to the side as she felt the blush on her face creeping back. She didn't know what to say, afraid she'd say something wrong that would send him off. Shooting off her mouth without thinking has gotten her into predicaments like this before, and had made Malarkey frustrated with her in the past.

"I'm sorry. It was stupid." She whispered so softly that he had to strain to hear here.

"It wasn't stupid." Malarkey retorted soothingly.

"It was stupid, I should've known better." Marie muttered, clenching her eyes shut.

Malarkey was silent for a moment, working his jaw as he watched Marie. "It did take me by surprise, that's for sure. And, you know… fraternizing isn't allowed."

Marie felt like she was physically jabbed. She only nodded, turning away from him to find something to pretend to keep busy with. She wished this wasn't so hard for her; she knew getting into a romantic relationship in war would never work, and now she was feeling the brunt of her mistakes. It would only bring ruin and distraction from what was really important, and that was something they could not afford.

"Hey." She heard him say so gently that she felt her heart lurch. He paused a moment, stepping closer to Marie, sensing her distress. He reached out and slowly placed his hands on her hips. She jumped, startled by his sudden touch. She sucked in her breath sharply as his fingers pressed gently into the sides of her waist. "You don't have to feel guilty for how you feel." He added.

Marie could feel her entire body buzzing with excitement from his touch. She longed for him to the point where it physically ached. She could feel blush spreading around the nape of her neck as he remained behind her, transfixed. Marie was afraid to move; she felt that if she did she'd wake up. She had to be dreaming, Malarkey wouldn't act like this in reality; at least she didn't think he would. She slowly turned around to face him, noticing how close he was. He gave her a small smile, tucking a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. She was frozen, staring at him intently, not knowing what she should do. She could see that he also stilled, glancing from her eyes to her mouth. Malarkey licked his lips, his breathing growing heavier the longer they stayed in the same position. Marie's heart leapt to her throat as he started to lean in. A rustling sound from the aide station tarps made both of them jolt, forcing Malarkey back halfway. The two of them fully pulled away from each other slightly, staring wide-eyed at the entrance. The shadow of someone's figure was standing just outside, followed by the sound of masculine voices being carried through the wind. Some Easy Company men were having a conversation right outside the aide station. Marie noticed that she had her hands pressed on Malarkey's chest, while his hands were still on her hips. Both of them fully backed away from each other awkwardly, flustered from their actions. Marie couldn't back up any further; her body was already pushing up against a bunk. Malarkey continued to step back, wringing his hands again. It was like the two of them were possessed for a moment, and had now snapped back into reality.

"I um… I should go, so uh…" Malarkey stuttered, pointing to the aide station entrance with his thumb. He started to walk toward it, almost running into a tray stand full of clamps and syringes. "I'll… talk to you later, Marie." He muttered before disappearing behind the tarp.

Marie brought her hand up to her chest, hoping that just feeling her rapid heartbeat would control it. She slid to the ground, letting out a shaky breath as she sat. She felt like her body was going to burst from the passion, even though nothing monumental really happened between the two sergeants. Her fingers started to massage her temples as she replayed the moment again and again in her head. They were in the middle of a war, he was already in a relationship, fraternizing was illegal – the odds were against them and so were the chances of a stable relationship even working out. Malarkey was far too hesitant with the consequences to further make a move; Marie knew that, not that she was upset about it. She knew his reasons were justified, as were hers. She'd denied anything was between them for years, and now here she was trying to convince herself of those lies again. Processing all of this was too much. Marie sighed, running her hands through her hair, gripping the sides of her head like a madman. How was she going to fix this?

After composing herself, Marie stepped outside of the aide station. The sun flooded her face, causing her to squint and shield the rays with her forearm. She'd been secluded in that aide station far too long, longer than she'd like to estimate. Camp Mourmelon looked eerily similar to Camp Toccoa, she felt like she stepped into a time machine for a moment. As her eyes came into focus, she spotted a familiar tall frame off in the distance; a tall man with light blue eyes and platinum blond hair. A grin spread across her face as she recognized Buck Compton's burly figure. She hadn't seen the Lieutenant since September, not since he'd been shot in the ass in Holland. She broke out into a sprint toward him, not even realizing that Malarkey was standing right beside him. Marie was far too joyous to see Buck alive and well to worry about the Malarkey situation. The two men heard combat boots thumping against the dirt. They turned in Marie's direction just in time to see her spring at Buck.

"Buck!" Marie exclaimed in delight, flinging herself at him. She wrapped him in a tight hug. "I'm so glad you're back!" She beamed, stepping back after the warm embrace.

Buck chuckled lightly. "Hey, thanks for the barn-door ride back in Holland." He said, looking back and forth between Malarkey and Marie.

"Don't thank me, that was all Malark." She replied, placing a hand tenderly on Malarkey's shoulder. He gave her a small smile, which she returned, trying not to blush too deeply in front of Buck.

"Now, aren't you glad we didn't leave you?" Malarkey teased, raising his eyebrows at Buck. Buck only rolled his eyes at him. "That's not all, there's talk of New Year's Eve in Paris." He added, glancing at both Marie and Buck's faces to see their reactions. Marie saw Buck's exhausted face light up, which made her heart warm. New Year's Eve in Paris - that did sound perfect.

"Do you know where Bill wandered off to?" Buck asked with a sigh, not wanting to change the subject.

"He said something about a place called Lulu's." Malarkey replied with a shrug. "I guess he wants to celebrate his return in style."

"Any of the other guys going?" Buck questioned, his eyebrows shooting up at Malarkey's response.

"I sure hope not." Marie mumbled, her face contorting with the unpleasant thought of the men hanging around a stripper joint, or a whorehouse - Marie wasn't sure exactly what it was. She regarded the men of Easy Company as a little classier than most soldiers, so the thought of them slumming around those kind of places made her inwardly cringe. "I don't want to be the one that the boys come to in the middle of the night, crying to me about problems urinating."

Malarkey snickered, failing at suppressing it. He didn't expect her to be so candid.

"Oh, don't be so bitter, Hun. I'm sure we can find a nice little dive that fits your expectations." Buck jeered. Marie shot him an unamused. "Well, maybe not you, you're much too conservative for that kind of fun." He cackled, patting Marie's head and messing up her hair in the process. "I've got to go find Winters. See you kids later."

"New Year's in Paris!" Malarkey repeated, calling to Buck whom was now walking away toward CP. Without turning around Buck waved to signal that he heard him. Marie watched his back, feeling a little strange. Something about Buck seemed distant, like there was a look in his eyes that seemed almost absent.

"Well, I've gotta go find Liebgott. I'm due for a trim, plus I need to check on his neck to make sure it's healing all right." Marie piped up, awkwardly shuffling her feet in place. She wished Buck didn't leave her alone with Malarkey, not after the last meeting they'd had just an hour or so before.

"Okay." Malarkey replied with a brisk nod. Marie swallowed hard, turning rapidly on her boot heel to leave. Before she could leave, Malarkey shot out his hand and grabbed her sleeve. "Hey, I'll make it all up to you in Paris, I promise." He said in a soft voice.

Despite the blush crossing her face, Marie gave him a cheeky grin, hoping humor would deflect the tension. "Oh yeah? How so, Malark?" She asked playfully.

"It's a surprise. I can't have my best girl feeling down now can I?" He answered with an equally playful smile.

Marie's smile became genuine. She felt butterflies flutter in her stomach at the words 'my best girl.'

"I'm holding you to that, Don."