It had been two weeks since Easy Company had first jumped into Holland. Two weeks since they had left the safety, comfort and cleanliness of England behind. Ever since that fateful day at Nuenen they had been slowly advancing towards Nijmegen through a stretch of highway, nicknamed affectionately by both the Allies and the Germans as Hell's Highway. And hell it was. Their nights were spent sleeping in woods and orchards, waiting for the next bout of German gunfire and artillery to start shooting at them before they would climb out of their foxholes to push them back. Then they would advance forward a little more until it was safe enough to rest again for the remainder of the night. And so this scenario repeated itself; night after night after night. As if that wasn't bad enough in itself, there were the endless daily downpourings of rain to contend with that saturated the ground creating muddy bogs that they were somehow supposed to sleep in. Evelyn, Gene and Spina spent much of their time checking that everyone was managing to keep their feet and themselves as dry as they could. At one point, Lieutenant Welsh had complained to her that it was too much effort to have to keep taking off his socks every few hours to replace them with dry ones. Plus he hated having to dry his wet socks around his neck. Evelyn had told him curtly that if he would prefer to lose his feet to gangrene from trench foot that he could be her guest, and then he really would have something to complain about.

"You know that's quite the bedside manner you have, Corporal," Welsh had smirked. "Is that how you talk to all of your patients?"

"Only the ones that don't do as they're told, and especially the ones who ought to know better," she had answered with a grin. As a medic she felt like she had the right to tell anyone what to do when it came to their health, no matter what their rank was. Hell, she would tell Colonel Sink if she thought she needed to. Anyway, she knew Welshie wouldn't take her manner personally. He was far too easy going to take offence. Luckily the rest of the men seemed to be behaving and doing as they were told, but nevertheless she made sure to keep a watchful eye on them all.

There wasn't much food around to eat. In fact, there were pretty much two choices; k-rations or apples. Most of the men had one in the morning and the other later in the evening. Sometimes if she was feeling particularly frivolous, Evelyn would have both for breakfast and then scrounge a little of whatever Bill was eating later on. He always complained but shared with her nonetheless. She craved a hot meal. Or actually any meal that didn't come out of a packet or a tin nor had fallen from a tree.

… … …

October 1st, 1944

They had finally reached Nijmegen. The Island. A long area of land that was nestled in between the Waal river and the Lower Rhine. The 82nd had successfully captured one of the main bridges that would not only enable the British tanks to cross into Arnhem but would allow Easy to secure the line at Nijmegen as well. And there was even more good news. Portable showers had been set up by the bridge meaning that when they crossed they could all finally have a much needed and longed for shower.

Evelyn was beyond ecstatic. Not only was she filthy, but her monthly had arrived with a vengeance, leaving her feeling even more unclean than usual. A shower was just what she needed to make herself feel better.

"I vote we let Evie have the first shower," George decided as they marched across the bridge. "The poor girl absolutely reeks."

"You know what George? I'm just too friggin happy to be having a shower so I'm gonna ignore that comment," she smiled giddily, a jaunty little hop in her step. "However, make the most of this moment because it'll probably never happen the next time you decide to insult my bodily hygiene. Or anything else about me actually."

"Duly noted," George grinned, with a small bob of his head. "Quick question? If you're still so excited about having a shower, does that mean I can make any comments from now until after said shower and you still won't smack me in the mouth?"

The narrowed look she gave him answered his own question, and he shrugged in resignation. It was worth a try.

Sadly their joy was short lived. Unluckily for them, it seemed that when the Germans had tried to bomb the bridge the previous night, they had managed to blow up the showers. Goodbye cleanliness. Evelyn could have killed someone such was her annoyance. Wasn't it just their luck? Stupid fucking Germans. And now she wished that she had smacked George in the mouth.

"I mean I get why they wanted to blow up the bridge," Evelyn huffed to Bill. "But what do they have against being clean? Do they think that we're gonna lose the war if we aren't all clean? Because let me tell you something, I feel more ready and raring than ever to go after them now that they've ruined this for me. So they've actually done themselves out of whatever it is they were trying to achieve in the first place."

"I don't think they were intentionally aiming for the showers, kiddo," Bill smirked at her annoyance.

"Hmm that's what they want you to think," she muttered bitterly.

Winters had them dig in along one of the dikes by the river. Great. More mud. Just what they wanted.

"Hey, you know in some countries people take mud baths on purpose. Meant to be great for the skin," Malarkey tried to console her as they dug their foxholes.

"Here, why don't you try it and let me know?" she decided, picking up a handful of mud and smearing it all over Malarkey's face before standing back to admire her work with a grin. "Wow I think you look ten years younger already."

"Very funny," Malarkey answered drolly, trying to wipe the mud away but just smearing it around his face more. "Don't think I won't get you back for this when you least expect it."

"Yeah yeah," Evelyn waved him off. "I'm terrified. Not."

Malarkey looked at Skip who just shrugged and carried on digging, a cigarette dangling from his mouth. After three years, he had a pretty good grasp of when Evelyn was feeling 'delicate' and he was not going to get on the wrong side of her. No way. Malarkey could deal with her on his own.

"I got just the thing to cheer you sad saps up," Perconte announced waving a bag with a happy little grin like he was Santa Claus reincarnated.

Mail. There was nothing for Ev or Bill, but strangely it didn't matter. Mail time was an odd feeling. Even if someone didn't receive a letter, the joy of those around them that did seemed to be infectious. Just hearing about what was going on at home whether it was from someone you knew personally or didn't was a wonderful feeling. It was news and contact with home all the same.

"Hey Ev," Liebgott waved her over, letter in hand. He was beaming from ear to ear and she wondered what on earth had him so happy. Sitting down beside him in the squelchy mud, he all but thrust his letter into her face. She read it hurriedly, a smile breaking out on her own face. Apparently Joe's sister had given birth over a month early to a very tiny but otherwise healthy baby girl that had been named Miriam in a poignant tribute to the sister they had lost as an infant.

"Uncle Lieb," she clapped. "Congratulations. That's wonderful news. I wonder what the baby looks like?"

"Hopefully nothing like my brother in law," he joked as she handed him the letter back. He reread it again and again, as though he just couldn't believe the words he was seeing were real. He couldn't believe that he was actually an Uncle. He wished he could be there to meet his niece, but he knew that in being here he was trying to help make the world a safer place for her and it made him feel even more proud to be serving his country. He knew it would help to ease the pang of homesickness he felt whenever he thought about his family.

"I wonder how your dad's taken the news?" The letter made no mention of whether or not his dad had come around to the idea of having a grandchild who had been conceived out of wedlock. "I'll bet he's the proudest grandad in the whole of San Francisco."

"I hope so," Lieb nodded. "Although knowing my dad the way I do, he's probably acting all annoyed about the situation just because he's a stubborn old fool. He's the most stubborn man you'll ever meet. My mom on the other hand is the total opposite. It's lucky that we all take after her in that regard."

"Oh yeah, so lucky," Evelyn smirked.

"Did I just sense a hint of sarcasm then, Miss Guarnere?"

"From me?" Evelyn opened her mouth indignantly. "What an absurd suggestion. Almost as absurd as you trying to make out that you're not stubborn when in fact, you're one of the most stubborn people I know."

"Takes one to know one," Lieb snorted. "If you wanna see someone who's truly stubborn, take a look in a mirror. In fact, no, don't do that. The mirror would probably smash into a thousand pieces."

"Hey," she frowned, punching the top of his arm. "That was harsh. Now stop picking on me or I'm gonna find someone else to sit with."

Liebgott chuckled as he started rifling around in his rucksack for something. With a triumphant smile he whipped out a small package and waved it in front of her face. "Peace offering?"

"I suppose," she mumbled, snatching the bar of chocolate from his hand. "I guess I have to share this right?"

"Well yeah," he snorted. "I've managed to save that since we jumped. I'm not just gonna sit and watch you inhale the whole bar without me having some."

"For a start, I wouldn't inhale the bar," she said, snapping it in half and handing one half over to Lieb. "You make it sound like I'm a pig."

"No, because that would be offensive to pigs," Lieb's lips twitched as she glared at him. He loved how easy it was to make her mad. "But even you have to admit you eat your food like it's gonna jump off your plate and run away any second."

Evelyn laughed reluctantly at the image in her head of bread rolls or potatoes with little faces running away while she chewed on one of their friends. The more she thought about it, the funnier it seemed to become until she was howling hysterically, holding onto her stomach which was beginning to ache. Liebgott meanwhile was looking at her like she had gone mad and when he met Spina and Babe's bemused expressions he simply shrugged. Every so often she would snort which seemed to just send her into even more fits of giggles. Eventually the laughter subsided and she let out a deep breath; her cheeks rosy red.

"I have no idea where that came from," she said, feeling more than a little embarrassed.

"I would have said that maybe the sugar sent you funny, but you haven't even had a single piece of that chocolate yet," Liebgott answered. "In fact, I think I might confiscate it now so we don't have another outburst like that one."

"Take this chocolate away, Lieb, and I'm gonna…I'm gonna… well, I'm gonna do something and it won't be very nice."

"If you weren't the size of a small child, I might actually be worried about that threat," Liebgott snorted, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "But don't worry, if you promise to behave you can keep your chocolate."

"Scouts honour," she grinned, breaking off a piece and eating it. She closed her eyes and groaned as the sweet sugary taste hit her tongue, completely unaware of the man in front of her watching her as a predator would watch its prey. Clenching his hands into fists, it took every inch of self control he possessed to stop himself from reaching out and touching her. Kissing her. Suddenly he jumped, unable to take it any longer.

"I, uh, I need to take a piss," he mumbled, leaving Evelyn alone slightly bemused by his sudden desperate need to urinate. I suppose when you gotta go, you gotta go?

She had things to do anyway. There wasn't time to sit around, chattering and chomping on chocolate. As much as she wished there was.

… … …

"Evie, wake up. Evelyn. Ev. Come on. Wake up."

Evelyn awoke with a start, almost headbutting her brother who was peering into her face, his brows furrowed in concern. Evelyn was sweating and she couldn't seem to catch her breath. Her heart was thudding so hard in her chest, it felt like it was going to burst out at any minute. She unscrewed the lid from her canteen and with shaking hands brought it to her lips, trying to keep it steady enough to drink from. All the while, Bill never took his eyes from her face.

"You ok?" Bill asked her.

She nodded and gave him a shaky smile. She wasn't alright at all, but she knew he would only worry if she told him that. Ever since she and Bill had made up after losing Henry, the nightmares had become less frequent, but when they did come they were worse than ever. Even more graphic and real.

"Sorry for waking you up," she apologised, leaning back against the side of the dike. She didn't even care about the cold, wet mud sinking through her clothes at this point. In fact, she was glad of it. It reminded her that the nightmare wasn't real and that it had all just been in her mind. She glanced around quickly to see if she had woken anyone else up, but those closest to them were still fast asleep. Miraculously.

"I wasn't asleep anyway," Bill answered, lighting up a cigarette. "I got patrol duty in half an hour so I couldn't nod off. You should try and get some more sleep though while you can."

"Will you tell me a story?"

"What?" Bill frowned at her like she had gone crazy. "A story?"

"Yeah," she nodded, deadly serious. "Remember when I was little and I couldn't sleep, Henry used to tell me stories sometimes."

"But I aint Henry. And I sure as hell don't know any of his stories," Bill answered. "I mean I could try I guess if you really want me to?"

"I do."

"Uh right, ok. Once upon a time there was a…" Bill began feeling slightly awkward. God knew how much he loved his sister, but he felt like a chump sitting in a muddy foxhole in the middle of a company of hardened men, telling her a fairy tale. Evelyn obviously sensed his unease because she put a hand on his arm.

"You can just tell a different story if you want? You know, like a story from back home?"

Bill nodded. That was a better idea.

"Ok, I got a good one," Bill decided as Evelyn wriggled to get herself more comfortable. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the sound of Bill's voice, trying to block out any other thoughts. "It was a rainy September evening…"

The rain hadn't stopped all day. The pitter patter on the windows almost soothing in a house that was fraught with worry and waiting. Augusta Guarnere had gone into labour early that morning, and almost an entire day had passed until they finally heard the lusty cry of a newborn baby. Sometime later, Bill reluctantly trailed his older siblings up the creaky wooden staircase and into their parents' room where their mother was sitting up in bed waiting for them with a weary smile on her face. As his brothers and sisters crowded around the head of the bed eagerly trying to catch a glimpse of the tiny bundle nestled in their mother's arms, Bill hung back in the doorway. He had spent the last few months in joyous anticipation for the very day when he would cease to be the youngest but now it was here, his four-year-old mind was suddenly very confused. What if his parents wouldn't love him as much now the new baby was here? What if his mother didn't have time to make pancakes for breakfast anymore, or sing him songs before bedtime? Hot tears spilled onto his cheeks and he hastily wiped them away before anyone could see. As though sensing his thoughts, his mother glanced over towards him and patted the empty space beside her on the bed.

"Bill? Won't you come here and meet your new sister?"

Feeling everyone's eyes on him, he hesitantly walked over and climbed up onto the bed. His mother smiled warmly and put her free arm around him, cuddling him tightly against her. He closed his eyes and savoured her comforting scent.

"What do you think of her?" his mother asked him.

He opened his eyes. The baby was wrapped in a brown woollen blanket and only her face was visible. She had lots of dark hair, just like the rest of them and her pert little nose was scrunched up. She lifted a tiny wrinkled fist to her pouting mouth and began to make a little mewling sound that reminded Bill of his Aunt Lydia's kittens when they had first been born in the summer.

"She's so small," he whispered, slightly in awe. He reached out and gently stroked the baby's hand and laughed in surprise when she grasped his finger tightly.

"She likes you," his mother chuckled. "She knows you're her big brother and that you're gonna keep her safe."

Bill felt a warm feeling in his chest and grinned to himself. He was a big brother now, which meant he was going to do everything he could to help his mother look after the new baby. He was going to teach her how to play cowboys and Indians and show her how to draw pictures of trains. Because nobody knew how to draw trains as good as he did. He was going to be the best big brother in the world.

… … …

5th October, 1944

It was very late in the evening and a number of the men were on patrol, checking the line which stretched over a mile long. Easy had managed to advance further towards Arnhem, but the Island was still their home for the time being. Evelyn was enjoying the relative comfort and warmth of the barn that was their shelter until further notice. It was dry and fairly warm. She sat at a table with George and Lieutenant Winters. George was messing about with his radio; George was always messing about with his radio. To be fair, it did require constant maintenance. Winters was safety taping grenades while Evelyn was rifling through crates of medical supplies that had gotten soaking wet, trying to salvage whatever she could. Some of the bandages and other such items could be dried out, but the packets of sulfa had literally deteriorated into something that she could only describe as gloop.

She was momentarily distracted from her task when Talbert headed their way with the German Shepherd he had found. It was the fluffiest and most placid dog that had probably ever existed. As Evelyn gave the dog a good rub, it licked at her face and she giggled happily.

"You never let me do that," George muttered, obviously forgetting he was in the presence of his commanding officer. "And I'm just putting it out there that you've got the dog licking your face with the same tongue that's washed its' you know what."

"I'm still fairly certain I've got less of a risk of catching something from the dog than I have you, George," Evelyn answered as the dog all but climbed into her lap in an attempt to get closer.

"This is a hell of a dog, Tab," George decided, scratching the dog's ears affectionately and feeding it a cracker.

"It's an awesome dog Tab, but it's obviously got no loyalty," Evelyn said as the dog began lathering the same attention on George as it had on her only a few moments before. Seeing that the dog was almost knocking over all the screws on the table from George's radio, Talbert threw a stick across the other side of the barn which sent the dog scampering away happily in pursuit of it.

"What did you call it Tab?" Winters asked.

"Trigger."

"That's good, I like that," George said, the cracker he had just stuffed into his mouth spraying out as he spoke. "Trigger."

Sneaking her hand close to George's secret stash of saltines, Evelyn had almost reached one when George caught sight of her and smacked her hand away.

"Get your own," he reprimanded her.

"Well I would if I had any, wouldn't I?" Evelyn huffed. "Christ George, I only wanted a cracker, I'm not asking for much."

"Hmm," George seemed to ponder that and stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I'll give you a cracker but in return you have to give me one kiss."

"Hah," Evelyn snorted. "No chance."

"Listen, despite your denials I know that you've not been able to stop thinking about the amazing kiss we shared at Christmas, and now is your chance to repeat it."

"This is not how it sounds, Sir," Evelyn turned to Winters, who was watching them with an amused expression. "There was mistletoe and about ten or more witnesses to prove that I was pretty much forced into it."

"Uh huh," Winters nodded, his blue eyes twinkling with mirth.

"See Ev," George winked. "You haven't got anyone fooled. Not even the Lieutenant here."

"You got anything on that yet?" Tab motioned to the radio as Evelyn just shook her head at George and muttered something ineligible under her breath.

"It's all quiet," George shook his head. Although no sooner were the words out of his mouth then the barn door burst open with a crash.

"We got penetration!" Liebgott shouted as he and Lesniewski dumped Alley onto the table in the middle of the barn.

"Get Doc Roe!" someone shouted as Evelyn and the others rushed over.

"Where was it?" Winters asked, his brow furrowed in concern.

"Crossroads. Where the road crosses the dike." Liebgott answered, unravelling a bandage and putting it to his bleeding neck. Evelyn didn't notice that he was wounded too. Her attention was focused solely on Alley. He had grenade burns and cuts all over his neck, face and arms, and she was trying to decide which wounds needed seeing to first.

"They wouldn't have heard us if it wasn't for your loud mouth," Lesniewski berated Liebgott.

"You know what Joe? Back off?" Liebgott scowled, feeling guilty enough already that his speaking had alerted the Germans to them. He didn't need someone else to make him feel worse about it.

"The pair of you stop arguing," she admonished, giving Alley a small smile as his eyes struggled to focus on her face. "They're worse than kids eh, Alley?"

Eugene burst through the door and all but shoved Evelyn out of the way. Not that she took offence. As head medic, Eugene often took it upon himself to take charge whenever he could.

"Get the boots off and elevate the leg," he ordered as Lipton assembled a squad to accompany Winters. "Ev, get Liebgott to use the sulfa."

Seeing that Alley was in good hands, she turned her attention to Liebgott and noticed for the first time the wound on his neck bleeding furiously. She ripped open a packet of sulfa and motioned for him to tilt his head to the side so she had access to the wound. As she sprinkled the sulfa, Liebgott hissed.

"Don't be a baby," she tutted at him. "You're lucky. A few millimetres to the left and it would have hit the artery."

"Real lucky," Liebgott muttered snarkily, yanking the bandage from her hand and tying it around his neck before grabbing his weapon from the floor.

"Just where are you going?" Evelyn frowned. "You're still bleeding. You need to stay here and let me clean you up."

"I'm a big boy, I'll be fine," Liebgott answered, marching off before she could say so much as another word to him. She shook her head and sighed. Men. Stubborn fools all of them.

"Corporal Guarnere, you'll come with us," Winters peeked his head back through the door. "I'm hoping we won't need you, but just in case I think it's best we bring you along."

"Yes Sir," she nodded, gathering her bag and helmet. "Are you gonna be alright with Alley, Gene?" It was a stupid question. Of course he was going to be alright. This was Eugene Roe, after all. He could do literally anything. Evelyn did have a suspicion sometimes that he was God in human form. Sorry Nonna if you can hear me, she cringed thinking about her overly religious Grandmother who was probably glaring at her right now from whichever cloud she was sitting on in heaven.

"Sure," Gene answered, not taking his eyes from Alley. "Be safe."

… … …

Liebgott, the sneaky little weasel, managed to keep himself far away enough from Evelyn that she couldn't even try and patch up his neck. In complete silence, they meandered along the dike, ever on the lookout for Germans. Suddenly they dropped to the ground as they heard the distinct sound of MG-42's up ahead in the distance. After a short discussion with Winters, Talbert told them by way of hand signals passed on by George that they were to stay put and wait for Winters' to give them a signal. It couldn't have been more than a minute or two until Winters' head peeked over the top of the dike and he signalled for them to follow him. Sliding down the side, they stopped at the bottom and waited, ensuring the coast was clear before they hurried across to the other side and down into the ditch opposite.

"Corporal, you'll stay here at the fall back position with the mortars," Winters ordered Evelyn before leading the rest of the men forward.

The Germans in the ever nearing distance were still firing, but nobody had the slightest clue as to who or what they were firing at. Evelyn watched with bated breath as Winters got everyone into position. Suddenly shots rang out and the guys were falling back, German bullets flying and whizzing towards them all. Evelyn could do nothing but try to stay low and pray that they missed her. It was a horrible feeling, knowing that any moment could be your last. At least if she had some kind of weapon to defend herself with, she wouldn't have felt so exposed. In a strange way, it reminded her of playing dodgeball at school. Only if you couldn't dodge quickly enough here, you would be killed. Winters was on George's radio yelling to Lieutenant Welsh to bring the rest of first platoon and more machine gunners as reinforcements. The Germans outnumbered them and reinforcements were desperately needed.

"Dukeman's down," she heard George yell and immediately she was up and running towards him.

He was bleeding out badly. She tried her best to stop the bloody flow, but it was pointless. There was nothing she could do. Within minutes, Dukeman was dead. It was only later when the sun had come up and the shooting had stopped that she allowed herself to shed a few tears. Tears of sadness but also tears of guilt. Deep down she knew that anyone else in her shoes wouldn't have been able to save Dukeman either, but it didn't ease the gnawing in her gut when she thought about it.

It became apparent that the Germans were behind a solid embankment and once they realised that their enemy were in a ditch, they would be able to easily outflank them along the dike. Easy would be helpless to stop them. According to Lieutenant Peacock, who had arrived with the rest of the reinforcements, there was a ferry crossing close by and there could be as much as a whole battalion of Germans for them to face. Winters split the platoon up into three squads led by himself, Talbert and Peacock and had the men fix their bayonets. Evelyn felt sick. This was either going to work or it was going to fail horrendously, and they were all going to die.

Once everyone had their weapons ready, Winters threw a canister of red smoke and then leapt up out of the ditch and started running. Everyone waited. And waited. Until finally a wall of thick red smoke swirled around blocking their view of Winters and they all leapt up and began running after him. Evelyn could do nothing but watch them all go, hoping that it wouldn't be the last time she would see them all alive.

… … …

The battle was over. Winters' initiative had paid off. Not only had they managed to defeat two entire companies of Germans, but they had been SS as well. Twenty two men were wounded, including Webster who had gotten shot in the leg and would be sent back to England to recuperate. And of course they had suffered the sad loss of Dukeman. But in the grand scheme of things, to lose only one man against so many Germans was almost a miracle.

Later, they would discover that another company of German SS had attacked second battalion's CP during the battle and had managed to kill Major Horton. Winters would be promoted to Captain and Lieutenant Fredrick 'Moose' Heyliger would be taking over as commander of Easy. Winters was an exemplary leader; they had all witnessed it first hand not only on this occasion but on numerous others before. His promotion was well deserved, but Easy was going to be sad to lose him.

Evelyn had finished loading up Sergeant Boyle into one of the jeeps for transportation back to England outside Battalion HQ when she saw Liebgott leading German prisoners in her direction. He did not look happy. In fact, that was an understatement. He looked downright livid. They all knew how much he hated the Germans, probably more so than anyone else in the entire company so she couldn't say she was entirely surprised to see such venom in his dark eyes.

"When you're done with them, you're gonna come back here and let me take a look at that neck of yours," she told him in her sternest voice as the jeep drove off. She could see blood seeping through the now filthy bandage and dribbling down his neck. It needed cleaning and stitching before it got infected.

He stopped momentarily and was about to make a snarky retort when one of the Germans said something causing the rest of them to laugh. Liebgott grabbed the German by the scruff of his jacket and snarled angrily at him. Johnny Martin came running over upon seeing what was happening and pulled Liebgott off of the prisoner.

"Calm yourself down Liebgott," he ordered, his eyes narrowed warningly.

The German said something else and his comrades laughed again.

"You wouldn't be so calm Johnny if you knew what they were saying about her," he glared at the German, his fists clenched at his sides.

"About who? Evelyn?" Johnny clarified. When Liebgott nodded, Johnny suddenly looked just as furious. "What are they saying about her?"

Judging by the leering looks cast in her direction from the Germans and Liebgott's reaction, Evelyn was willing to bet that it wasn't anything particularly pleasant. Liebgott glanced hesitantly at Johnny and she could tell that he didn't want to say it in front of her, which actually kind of annoyed her. She was a grown woman for crying out loud, and she had a right to know what was being said about her whether it was awful or not.

"If you don't want to tell your friend, I'll be happy to," the German smirked in perfect English, before letting his gaze drift slowly along the entire length of Evelyn's body. She crossed her arms subconsciously, trying to shield herself somewhat from the cold and callous look in his grey eyes.

"You'll shut your mouth and say nothing else unless you want a bullet through your fucking head," Liebgott growled.

The German merely grinned. He didn't care. The Americans only wanted him for information anyway. And he wasn't going to give them any. He was resigned to his fate, whether it came sooner or later.

"So tell me? Does she let all of you fuck her, or just those that are willing to pay for it?" the German sneered in Liebgott's face. That was enough to tip Liebgott over the edge. He punched the German square in the face, knocking him to the ground and sending two of his teeth flying out of his mouth. He kicked him once, and then again for good measure. This time, Johnny didn't try to stop him. Instead he aimed his weapon at the others, silently warning them not to try and defend their comrade. By now a small crowd was gathering.

"Joe, leave him," Evelyn begged. "He's not worth it."

The German's words had bothered her, but that's all they were. Just words. He was obviously trying to get a rise out of his captor and it was working. But ultimately Liebgott was going to get himself into trouble for assaulting a prisoner when Winters found out. She grabbed at Liebgott's arm, pulling him away. He was so enraged that he was shaking.

"Joe, come on," she said softly. The German continued to grin despite the blood pouring down his face, and Evelyn had never wanted to hit someone so much herself in her entire life. The man was a disgusting animal. But she refused to give him the satisfaction of showing that his words had bothered her. Liebgott allowed himself to be pulled away from the scene as Bull yanked the German to his feet and dragged him into Battalion HQ as the other prisoners followed.

"Are you gonna let me have a look at that wound of yours now?" she asked.

Liebgott looked down at her and she smiled, trying to act as though nothing had happened. He was still shaking and she just wanted him to calm down and forget about it. He wasn't doing himself or anyone else any favours getting all riled up like that. She put a hand on his arm, squeezing it gently. Letting out a deep breath, all of the pent up tension left his body and his shoulders slumped. He nodded reluctantly as she took his sleeve and started to pull him towards the barn, taking in her face and her messy hair. If she hadn't stopped him, he probably would have killed that Kraut. He had heard women being spoken about in all kinds of ways. Hell, he had spoken about women in all kinds of ways. But the things that fucking Kraut had been saying about Evelyn were worse than anything he had heard before. Or were they? Maybe it was just because the words were about her that they sounded worse. Either way he knew that he would never again let anyone say or do anything to hurt her when he was around. Ever.

… … …

17th October, 1944

Evelyn was doing another inventory of supplies for Lieutenant Heyliger when she heard commotion coming from outside the building. She liked Moose, both as a person and as a commanding officer, but the man was almost obsessive about inventories. Even worse than Winters if that was possible. Setting down her paper and pencil, she opened the door at the same time as Babe pushed it open, sending him almost sprawling onto the floor. She grabbed him by the elbow to keep him upright. He was red in the face and almost wheezing. She looked at him in concern as he opened his mouth to try and say something to her.

"…Bill…" was the only word he managed to get out. "…leg…hospital…"

"Babe, I can't understand you," she frowned. "Take a deep breath and explain again? Bill hurt his leg?" Babe nodded. "Well is he ok?"

"…Shot…"

"What?" she exclaimed, feeling panic arise in her chest. "Where is he?"

Babe motioned for her to follow him, and as fast as their legs could carry them, they ran and ran until they were met by a truck carrying Eugene and Bill. Bill was grimacing and cursing while Eugene looked as calm as ever. Evelyn all but leapt into the back of the truck before it had even come to a complete standstill, desperate to see if her brother was alright or not.

"Is he ok Gene?" she asked, taking in Bill's pained expression and the blood pooling in his thigh. Oh god. The artery. No. Not the artery. Please.

"He's fine Ev," Gene reassured as he cleaned at the wound while Bill gritted his teeth together. "Bullet to his right thigh. Looks like it's gone right through the bone."

Ok, calm down Ev. That's not so bad. He'll survive. But still he was her brother so of course she was worried sick.

"He had any morphine?" she asked Gene as she took hold of Bill's hand. Unable to talk with his jaw clenched so tightly, Bill patted her hand to try and reassure her that he was fine. Well, as fine as one could be with a gaping hole in their leg. Not to mention the shrapnel digging into his ass.

"Uh huh," Gene nodded, concentrating on his work.

"Give him a little more, Gene," Evelyn said. Usually Eugene didn't like to be told how to look after someone, but he knew that Evelyn was just worried about her brother. Truth be told, Bill had only had one syrette, and his wound wasn't bleeding too much. Another wouldn't affect him.

"You ok Bill?" she stroked his head soothingly as more of a gesture of comfort for herself than him. His face relaxed somewhat as the second syrette of morphine took effect.

"Will be," he groaned as Gene tied a bandage tightly around the wound. "Serves me right for stealing, eh?"

"What?" Evelyn frowned, thinking the morphine was making him behave a little strangely. "Stealin'? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Stole a motorcycle from one of the farmers," Bill laughed shortly. "The line's over a mile long and last time it took me forever to check on everyone, so I found a motorcycle on one of the farms and decided to use it. It was all going great until I had the stupid idea to whizz across an open field. I didn't even think twice about it, just sped across it feeling untouchable. Well guess what? Apparently I aint. So, I'm zooming along when the next thing I know I'm on the floor and the motorcycle lands on top of me. It took me a few moments to even realise I had been shot. Good thing the fucking Kraut sniper didn't have an aim like our Shifty, eh? Otherwise he might have actually managed to kill me."

"And what part of that is amusing to you?" Evelyn asked, feeling completely and utterly enraged, not only at her brother's stupidity but also at his amusement about the whole situation.

Was the man deranged? He could have been killed. When Babe had first told her about Bill being shot, the panic she had felt was unreal. All that played over and over in her thoughts was the awful nightmare she had. But once she had laid her eyes on him and seen that the wound was nowhere near as serious as she had first thought, she had felt so much relief. Now, her emotions had changed again as she watched him grinning as though he had done something to be proud of. She wanted to punch him in his wounded leg and see if he thought it was so funny then.

"He's being shipped back to England but we've gotta get him moving right now while things are quiet. I would really prefer it if you didn't add any more injuries before he goes," Eugene smirked, sensing her mood.

She snorted before taking one of Bill's hands in both of her own. "Now you listen to me you idiot. You behave in that hospital ok? And when you come back to us, you better not try another stupid stunt like this one? Do you hear me?"

"Loud and clear," Bill nodded, accepting his telling off. Knowing that she needed it to make herself feel better. He turned momentarily to Babe. "You keep an eye on her for me, yeah? Make sure she keeps herself outta trouble."

"Sure thing," Babe answered.

"Now you," Bill turned back to her. "Be good while I'm gone 'cause I'll find out if you don't."

"You're a fine one to lecture about being good," she raised an eyebrow before bending down and kissing his cheek. "I love you, you absolute idiot."

"Love you too kiddo."

Evelyn jumped down from the jeep, and she and Babe stood and watched as it drove away.

"Are you alright?" Babe asked her.

"Yeah," she nodded, letting out a long breath. "I'm just glad that he's gonna be ok. You didn't half give me a fright when you told me he'd been shot."

"Sorry," Babe chuckled as they headed back. "All I could think about was finding you before he got shipped out."

"Well I'm glad you did, even if you almost did make me have a heart attack," she smiled. "And at least one good thing came out of it. I got out of doing inventory for half an hour."

Babe glanced at her, bemused, and shook his head. Her brother had just been shot in the leg but she was grateful that it had got her out of working for a few minutes. He frowned. She really was a strange girl at times.

… … …

October 23rd, 1944

One hundred and twenty five. That was the number of paratroopers from the British 1st Parachute Division that were hiding in German occupied Holland. The Red Devils they were known as. Colonel Dobie, their CO, was, at that very moment, leading a rescue mission with Lieutenant Heyliger known as Operation Pegasus. The Canadian army had supplied boats to transport the men back across the Rhine into Allied territory.

Fifty three was the number of minutes that had passed since the men had left for their mission. Evelyn couldn't sit still. She was too full of nervous energy.

The barn was quiet. Too quiet without everyone else. Spina was asleep in the far corner, and Eugene was hunched over the table writing a letter to Vera.

Evelyn sighed and flung herself back on the hay bale that had become her bed. She closed her eyes, deciding to try and sleep. Maybe that would pass the time and stop her worrying about the others. Spina probably had the right idea. Shuffling around on the hay bale, she wriggled and kicked her legs about, trying to get herself comfortable. Ok, so she wasn't comfy on her back, but maybe she would be on her side. She rolled onto her left side. Closing her eyes, she smiled to herself and pulled her blanket up to her neck. Yep. Snug as a bug. Well for a few seconds. The hay started digging into her, making her feel itchy. Did it always dig into her like this? She couldn't be completely sure. Sighing again, she rolled over onto her other side, facing away from Eugene. Nope. Still not comfortable. She started to roll onto her front, the hay bale rustling with each movement when Eugene threw his pen down in frustration.

"Will you just stop already?" he exclaimed. "I can't concentrate with the amount of noise you're making."

Sitting up, Evelyn opened her mouth incredulously. "Uh, is it my fault that not only is this hay bale ridiculously and annoyingly uncomfortable, but it's noisy as well?"

"If you stopped moving about on it, it wouldn't be making any noise."

"Well I'm sorry that I can't get comfortable," she huffed, sitting up and crossing her arms.

"You never usually have any trouble," Eugene commented, setting down his pen. He stood up and strode over to her. "They'll be fine, you know. They'll be back before you know it and you'll be begging for some peace and quiet again."

"I know," she nodded. "I just hate the waiting and the not knowing."

"Me too," Gene rubbed her arm comfortingly. "But getting yourself stressed isn't going to help, is it? Listen, why don't you get yourself onto one of the bunks while they're empty and try and get some sleep there?"

She nodded and smiled, kissing Eugene's cheek.

"You'll wake me up as soon as they get back?"

"I promise."

… … …

Inside the barn, a celebration was in full swing. The Red Devils and Easy Company rejoicing together at the success of their mission; consuming copious amounts of alcohol. Even Evelyn who swore that she would never ever touch a drop of alcohol again had been swept up in the merriment and allowed herself to have a few sips of wine. Even just that small amount of alcohol had been enough to make her feel a little tipsy and for her cheeks to take on a rosy red hue. And suddenly everyone around her was hilarious. Babe had her in fits of giggles over pretty much nothing. Across the other side of the barn, she wasn't aware of a pair of brooding dark eyes watching her every move like a hawk.

"Another drink?" Babe asked her, holding out a bottle towards her.

"No," she held up a hand and shook her head. She knew if she had anymore she was going to get into a drunken state.

"Just one more?"

"Honestly I'm good," she laughed.

"Oh come on," Babe tried again with a grin. She shook her head as Babe thrust the drink in her face, trying his best to persuade her to just have a little bit more despite her constant refusals. All of a sudden the bottle flew out of his hands and crashed to the floor in pieces.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Liebgott glowered in Babe's face. "She said no."

"Joe, what's wrong with you?" Evelyn was shocked as Liebgott squared off against Babe angrily. Babe, who didn't even know what the hell he had done wrong, put up his defences anyway.

"What's your fucking problem?" Babe spat.

"You're my fucking problem," Liebgott answered, jaw clenched angrily.

Evelyn wanted to break the two of them up, but she remembered what had happened the last time she tried to break up one of Liebgott's fights. It had ended up with her sprawled on the floor with a bloody nose. Not something she wished to repeat.

"Come on Lieb, break it up," Joe Toye tried pulling him away. "You're causing a fight over nothing."

"Over nothing?" Liebgott glared at him. "Someone had to do something. You were all just standing around watching him practically force the drink down her throat."

"He was doing no such thing," Toye shook his head exasperatedly.

"Is that what you think? Is that what you all think?" Liebgott glanced around at the now silent room full of men looking around at each other uncomfortably. He laughed shortly. "You know what? Fuck the lot of you."

He stormed out of the barn and everyone in the room let out a collective sigh of relief. Everyone except Evelyn.

"I'll be back in a minute," she said, waving off the concerned looks of her friends. "I'm just gonna make sure he's ok."

It didn't take her long to find Liebgott at the back of the barn, smoking a cigarette angrily.

"You wanna tell me what the hell that was all about?" she asked him.

"Nothing," he mumbled, refusing to meet her gaze.

"You almost punched Babe's face in and you say it was nothing? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Leave me alone, Ev."

"No, I won't," she shook her head. He had called her stubborn only the other day, hadn't he? Well she was going to show him just how stubborn she could be.

"I said, leave me alone," Liebgott repeated, almost through gritted teeth.

"And I said no," she spat.

Flicking the cigarette on the floor, Liebgott stepped closer and his eyes darkened hungrily. Evelyn felt her breath hitch in her throat as he cupped her face, running his thumb along her bottom lip. Her heart quickened and without any warning he swept down and kissed her. It wasn't gentle like their previous kiss. Instead it was dominating, almost punishing. His tongue forced its way into her mouth as one hand crept up and tangled itself in her hair, while the other hand reached around to the small of her back and pulled her closer until their bodies were flushed against each other. Snaking her arms around his neck, the pit in her stomach opened up and she was acutely aware of every inch of him pressing into her. He was holding her so tightly, almost squeezing her to him as he tilted her head back slightly to deepen the kiss. The hand at her back snaked up her waist, grazing dangerously close to her breast and she moaned as her heart began to thud even faster. If that was at all possible. She wanted something more, craved something more but didn't know what. As abruptly as it began, it suddenly ended. Without so much as a word, Liebgott turned and walked off leaving her feeling both confused and angry.

"Where do you think you're going?" she chased after him, having to run to catch up with his long strides. When he didn't stop, she ran in front of him forcing him to stop in his tracks. Her green eyes blazed angrily and her chest heaved as she demanded some sort of explanation from him. "What's your game Joe? You can't just kiss me and then walk off without so much as an explanation. You did that once already and I won't let you do it again. You know what? I thought we were friends, but right now I'm confused. Friends don't just kiss each other and then behave like it's nothing. Or do they?" When Liebgott said nothing, she found herself getting even more frustrated. And strangely she felt hurt. "What? Can you not even give me an answer?"

"You want me to say I'm sorry? Then fine, I'm sorry," he finally spoke, his dark eyes boring into her own.

"I'm not asking for an apology," she threw up her hands in annoyance. "I just wanna know what the hell is going on."

Liebgott sighed and rubbed his hand wearily over his face. He wanted to tell her the truth, but what if she didn't feel the same? Was it a risk he was willing to take? Then he thought back to their kiss. She hadn't tried to stop him. Instead she had kissed him back willingly, hadn't she? Taking a deep breath, he decided to bite the bullet and tell her. What did he have to lose? If he didn't tell her, there was a chance he was going to lose her anyway considering how mad she was with him.

"You wanna know why I kissed you?" he said. She nodded, waiting for his explanation. "I like you. A lot. I have for a long time. I've tried to ignore it but I can't. The more I'm with you, the harder it gets. I'm not the kind of guy who feels like this. I see a girl. I fool around with her once, maybe twice and then that's it. But with you. It's different. I want more than that. I think about you from the second I wake up until the time I manage to scrounge a few hours of sleep at night. I kissed you because I think you're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Even when you're in filthy OD's like now and your hair looks like a bird's nest. You're perfect and it's terrifying."

After the initial shock at his words, Evelyn looked at him for a moment. Really looked at him. And for the first time in three years, she saw something she had never seen in Joseph Liebgott before. Uncertainty. The man staring at her nervously wasn't the confident, self assured one she had grown used to. She smiled, finding it ridiculously sweet. She smiled, unable to believe that he felt the same way about her as she did him. Feeling brave, she stood up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips gently to his, hoping he would understand what she was trying to tell him. He smiled and brushed a loose strand of hair away from her face, before capturing her lips once more.

From inside the barn, the raucous noises of the party drifted out, but the young couple holding each other close didn't hear. For a few moments in the darkness there was nothing but them. No war, no Easy, just them.