"Hey Lip, looking a little cold there."

"Very funny," Lipton smirked, making Carys laugh; the breathy sound making his heart stop for a moment.

Even with greasy, messy hair hidden beneath a helmet that was a little too big for her head and a face covered in dirt, Carys' eyes had never looked bluer against the backdrop of the virgin white snow surrounding them. That wasn't to say that they didn't twinkle quite as much as usual. After all, no one could pretend to be happy when they were facing constant shell barrages and watching one friend after another being wounded or killed.

But, much like George who was still joking around and keeping up everyone's spirits, Carys was doing the same, flashing the guys a smile and offering out hugs and stories just to lift their mood for even a few minutes. Her unrelenting need to make others happy even when she herself wasn't was one of the many things he had grown to love about her. And not just love in the way the others loved her. No, Carwood Lipton was in love with Carys Smith. Hopelessly so.

"Don't let Luz hear you say I'm funny," she grinned. "He'll get jealous."

"True enough," Lipton conceded with a smirk before his face sobered. "You stay back tomorrow, right? Try and stay as out of sight as possible."

"What? Don't want Dike to get me killed?" she joked, but he saw the fear in her eyes. Fear that he himself had at the idea of her assaulting Foy with them in the morning, under the orders of a CO who had no idea what he was doing. Despite the fact he had expressed his concerns to Winters, he knew the man would be unable to do anything about it.

Just like Carwood himself was unable to do anything about watching Carys run out into that open field tomorrow. Just like he hadn't been able to do anything about watching her jump out of that C-47 seconds before him on D-Day, or about watching her take a bullet to the shoulder in Carentan.

"I'll be fine, Lip," she reached out a cold hand and touched his just as cold cheek, smiling softly. "Who's gonna keep you boys in line if I'm not around?"

Nodding, Lipton covered her hand and with his own, his mouth opening as the feelings in his heart walked onto his tongue ready to speak them aloud without his brain being able to stop them.

"Carys, get that cute butt in this foxhole right now. I'm freezing to death," George's voice from somewhere in the distance made Lipton take a step back instantly.

"It's alright," Lipton murmured when he saw the questioning frown on Carys' face. "I'll see you in the morning, alright."

"Yeah," she nodded, looking glancing behind her in the direction of George and her foxhole and Lipton.

"Night Carys," Lipton smiled softly.

"Night Lip."

… … …

Sitting in the vestry, Carys' face was pinched in pain as Eugene cleaned up the wound on the top of her arm; a ricochet that had torn open her uniform and embedded itself just above her bicep.

Standing in the doorway, Lipton cleared his throat quietly to announce his presence.

"You doing alright Carys?" he asked.

"I've had worse papercuts," she answered. "And I'm pretty sure I heard Doc say I'm not only his best behaved patient but I'm also the prettiest."

"Pretty sure I said neither of those things," Doc's lips twitched, even as his brow was furrowed in concentration on making the stitches pulling her skin together as neat as possible. "Do you need something, Lip?"

"No," Lipton's voice came out as a whisper. "Just came to check on things."

"Well, I'll be done in just a few moments and you'd really be doing me a favour if you make sure this one sits quietly for a while until I get back from checking on Perconte," Eugene asked, the look he gave Lipton saying what he couldn't say aloud.

Sit with her and see for yourself that she's alright; that she's not going anywhere.

"I'll give it a try, Doc," Lipton chuckled. "But no promises."

"I'll behave," Carys told them both. "But only 'cause I'd hate to see Lipton face your wrath, Gene."

"Hmm," was Eugene's reply as he carried on with the stitches, tying them off and then cleaning the area once more before standing up. "I'll be back soon."

Lipton took Doc's seat as soon as he left the vestry and his eyes fell upon Carys' wound.

"Don't suppose you fancy stitching up my sleeve for me, do you?" Carys asked, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "Too cold for holes in my clothes."

"I can do that," Lipton grinned. "Also thought you might like to know that you've been promoted to First Sergeant."

"Looks like we both got promotions then, huh, Lieutenant?" she smiled when she saw the confusion on his face. "Don't ever underestimate my knowledge to find things out before everyone else does. Congratulations Carwood. You deserve it."

"You too, Carys," he took her hand before he could stop himself, looking at their palms touching and finding such peace in that simple connection. At the same time though it wasn't enough.

"Lip?"

"Yeah?"

"You know I… care about you a lot, right?" Carys' eyes pierced his soul as they looked at him in a way no one else had ever done before. "I more than care about you, actually, but I know you and I know that we can't go beyond friendship until this war's over, which is why I can't tell you what I really wanna tell you until then. I just… I thought you should know that I'm gonna say it one day though. Been waiting to say it since I saw you up that tree at Brecourt, getting shot at."

"That's…" he paused, huffing out a laugh and shaking his head as that bashful smirk played on his lips.

Reaching into his breast pocket, he pulled out a handkerchief and carefully opened it. Carys recognised the vivid hue of the purple flower revealed as being from Holland. She would never forget the beauty of those flowers; her favourite shade of purple, and their elegance as they danced in the gentle breeze.

"This…" he held it out to her. "...Is from the moment I realised that I first wanted to say what we're going to say when this ends."

"Really?" she breathed, biting on her lip to stop it from wobbling as the thick air of emotion in that tiny, cold vestry consumed them both.

"Really," he nodded.

"Until the end then," Carys leaned forward and brushed her lips gently against his once.

"Until the end."