Band Of Brothers Request - Tumblr Posts

@iilovemusic12us​ This one’s for you ! As you asked it's OBVIOUSLY with the fantastic Chuck Grant himself! It's so fluffy and full of love like you deserve it. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it (really this one is my baby I’m so proud of it 🥺). Love you ❤️ Also sorry for the lenght, I felt really inspired 😂.

As always, there is no disrespect towards the real men of the company, there are real heros 🙏 and it’s only based on their portrayals in the mini serie.

Can't ever live without you.

(Charles "Chuck" Grant x reader)

Warning: angst, too much love, sadness, war wounds

Have been dating for a while, the reader and Chuck find themselves confronted with anguish, separation and suffering when Chuck decides to join the army and leaves to fight on the Western Front.

Los Angeles, August 1942.

 Pushing her stepladder between the shelves, Y/N set about putting away the pile of books that had been returned during the afternoon. After finishing her studies, she had found this job in a small bookstore around the corner of a street that didn't look like much. This work which only had to be temporary had finally became her permanent work. She loved being in this quiet place, surrounded by shelves full of books, a picturesque place, aisles almost too narrow to walk between the shelves, the smell of old books floating in the air, a place where she liked to spend time, where she felt out of time. There wasn’t a lot of people and most of the time there were regulars, but Y/N liked it, it gave the place a felling of warmth and familiarity.

Pushing the stepladder once again to reach another shelf, she caught a book on the pile, which had to be store there, she tiptoed up to the top of the shelf and placed the book in its place. No sooner had she had time to put it down than she felt like she lost her balance, when she should have fallen, she felt arms encircling her waist and someone put a hand over her mouth so that she didn't scream with surprise or fear. She found herself pressed against the shelf opposite the one where she had just put the book. When she saw who was facing her, she laughed silently as he laughed, what she made big eyes at, putting her index finger on his lips to signal him not to make a sound. For any answer the man in front of her put his hands on her cheeks and kissed her tenderly, when he moved his face away from hers, she gave him a pat on the arm.

“Do you want me to get fired?” She said trying to keep as serious as possible, whereas she was thrilled to see him there.

“You? Get fired? Please, you're the model employee, at worst he'll give you the big eyes.” He laughed.  

As usual Chuck had come to pick her up at the end of the day, every day for just over a year they have been dating, he would leave the metal products manufacturing where he worked and make a detour to pick up Y/N and take her home. A tiny apartment on the fourth floor of a remote downtown building for which one that they had both been saving up for months to finally afford to move in together just a few months earlier.

“I still have a few books to store before leaving, I won’t be long.” He nodded and as she was about to go back to her books, he pulled her by her hand to bring her back to him and kissed her once again.

She laughed against his lips and moved back while he was surrounding her waist with his arms, burying his face in her neck to stifle a laugh. “Stop it!” she exclaimed in a low voice so as not to attract the attention of her boss at the reception desk or any other person present.

“Alright, I’ll be waiting for you outside.” He said finally, giving her a kiss on her cheek before walked away, winking at her. She felt her cheek ignite and her heart rate tried as hard as he could to calm down.

Even after having spent so much time with him, this kind of emotional demonstration always made her get excited as if it were the first day. She took a deep breath and put her hands on her cheek as if it could cool them. As she did every evening, she hurried to finish tidying up before joining her boss behind the counter who never lifted his nose from his newspaper. Lonnie was an old man in his sixties and who have been working in this bookstore since he had opened it thirty-five years ago. He had gray hair on the sides, but nothing left on the top of his head, a perfectly well-groomed moustache, a pair of round glasses always placed on the tip of his nose, over which he read his newspaper. He looked at Y/N approaching over his glasses and smiled at her.

“Is it good for today?” He asked her while looking back on his newspaper.

“Everything is stored where it should be and shelves are in order and clean.” He nodded at her words without raising his eyes.

“Alright girl, see you tomorrow then.”

She caught her purse and her jacket, walked back across the counter throwing a "See you tomorrow Lonnie." and headed for the exit.

When she went out, she was struck by the light warm breeze of this late Californian summer day. Chuck was waiting for her leaning against the car and smiled as she approached. The declining sun was creating golden reflections on his hair that brought out his deep blue eyes. Y/N couldn't help but think that she was very lucky to have him, Chuck was a golden man, adorable, funny, affectionate, intelligent and handsome.

That evening while he was driving, he didn’t say a word. He had lost the smile that had brought his face in the bookstore, he seemed pensive. She would occasionally glance at him from time to time trying to decipher his tune. A frown wrinkled his forehead, and she couldn't help but ask him if something was wrong.

“Is everything alright? You seem reflective.”

He turned his head towards her and gave her a smile which has to be reassuring, realising the steering-wheel with his right hand to take hers placed on her knee.

She didn’t search to know more, she knew that he would tell her in due time, there probably was no reason to worry about. However, Chuck's distance during all the evening and his look seeming to be far away made her start to worry. He had barely exchanged a few words during the meal and was content to play with the food on his plate with his fork. While he was doing the dishes, Y/N approached him and put her hand on his arm and finally decided to make him spill it out.

“Is everything alright? You really seem weird since earlier. What made you radically change your mood?" she asked, her voice full of sweetness.

Chuck sighed, stopped what he was doing, took a cloth with which he wiped his hands and turned to face her, leaning against the sink.  

“I .. I try to find the best way to tell you something but no matter how much I return the information in different ways, I don't know how to do it.”

Intrigued, she frowned briefly and then placed herself in front of him, taking his hands in hers.

“Just say it like it comes, then.”

He took a breath and squeezed her hands between his own, for her part Y/N was really starting to panic, she had no idea what he might want to tell her, but it was apparently something serious.

“You know I love you, right?”

Her heart raced as it did every time he said it and a slight smile stretched her lips.

“I know it. As you know I love you too.”

A weak smile stretched Chuck’s lips without going to his eyes. He didn’t have any idea how telling her something like that without breaking her heart. What if she thought that he didn’t love her enough to stay? He felt incapable to tell her, he didn’t know how to announce her he had taken a decision, and that he was doing it by duty for his country but before all, for her. So she could continue to live the free life she had.

“You have to know I love you more than everything, and that I’m doing it because I have the duty to do it.”

"Chuck, you're freaking me out right now, please tell me what's going on.”

He took a deep breath and then intertwined her fingers with his own to keep her close to him, as if to hold her.

“I’ve decided to enlist.”

Four words, how only four words could have such a destructive effect? Her heart squeezed so tightly to his words that she thought she couldn't breathe for a few seconds. It took her a while to assimilate these words, her eyes fell back on the pile of dishes behind him, what to say? What to do? How to react to this type of announcement? When they had just moved in together, as everything was going well, he decided to leave. But all was not well, war was raging on the other side of the Atlantic and in the Pacific. A war in which the United States were engaged, and Chuck was right, it was his duty as a citizen to fight for his country and for freedom. How could she blame him for that.

“Say something please…” He said softly. She opened her mouth but no sounds went out. Finally she raised her eyes at him and just snuggled against him, resting her cheek against his chest. Chuck wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him, he knew that even though she understood, this didn't stop her heart from breaking. Finally they huddled together for a moment without either of them saying anything.

 Days went by and Y/N was trying as hard as she could to accept the situation, well, to accept it was a fact, to live with it was another. For the moment accepting it while Chuck was still there was relatively easy, everything will change and become more real when he would leave.

She wasn't the least bit angry with him, how could anyone be angry with someone who decides to show so much courage, because that's what it took to get involved, courage. Although the announcement was like a bomb, it didn’t divide them in any way, perhaps even strengthening their already strong bond. They continued to live their lives, with their share of little habits, every day he would drop her off at the bookstore at 7:55 a.m. so that she could start at 8:00 a.m., kiss her tenderly before he could hardly let her go, and he would pick her up every evening at 6:00 p.m.

One night while she was sitting on their couch reading a book, Chuck suddenly entered the room and came to kneel down in front of her, making her raise her eyes towards him, with questioning gaze.

“Marry me.”

She burst out laughing, caught off guard, but stopped short when she saw that he wasn't laughing.

“Excuse me?”

He shook his head and straightened up to come and sit next to her, she pivoted to face him and he took her hands in his.  

“Marry me.” He repeated himself.

“Yes, I understood the first time Chuck, but … why? I mean, does it just take you suddenly like that? You could have taken care of the proposal.”

He realized that it might have been surprising and recognized that from an outside point of view it must have seemed strange.

"It did. Honestly, I've been thinking about it for a while now, but I didn't know how to do it. It's not the way I would have liked to propose, but things being the way they are, it's for safety." She squinted her eyes without understanding, tilting her head slightly to the side, as if that would help her neurons connect and she would understand.

“What do you mean by “safety”?”

“If we were married before I leave, it will assure you to perceive something if I .. didn’t come back..”

Struck by his words she stiffened, slowly put the book on the coffee table in front of her while she assimilated and turned towards it.

“Chuck please..” Her voice became almost begging for him not to go any further, imagining for even a second that he would never come back was unbearable for her.

“This is war .. You know it’s a possibility..”

His voice had faded, he would not have liked to talk about it either, but they had to face the reality of things, that was the problem for Y/N, it was becoming too real, she was not ready to let him go.

“I know.. But saying it out loud makes it all to .. real.”

He gently squeezed her hand and with his other, came tenderly stroke her cheek.

“I promise you that even without that I would have ask you to marry me.” He took a break and had a small laugh. “God, if you knew how much I love you, I’m not even sure that someone had already loved someone else as hard as I do.” These words had the merit of making her smile, a sad smile but a smile all the same. “But if we’re doing this now, you won’t be in need if the worst happens.” He leaned over to her to place a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I promise you that as soon as I come back we will have a real wedding, the one you want, the most beautiful wedding ever.”

“You promise me to come back?”

“I promise you.”

Both  knew very well that it was only a promise that could probably not be kept, even with all the will in the world, it would unfortunately not depend only on his good will. But they were reassured to say it and hear it anyway.

Obviously Y/N accepted, how could she have refused? Everything was done quickly, since for the moment it was only an administrative insurance. They had made an appointment at the town hall and had only done this among themselves, they had not wanted to invite even their relatives, it would have cut them off from a moment just the two of them, these precious moments that they no longer had much.

When the day of the big departure came, Y/N had the greatest difficulty in resolving herself to it, and honestly, she would not resolve herself to it once during the four years that would follow. Both knew that they were about to experience the most difficult moments of their lives. They stayed on the platform hugging each other until the last minute, Chuck sniffed one last time the floral scent that woke him up every morning and that he wouldn't smell for the next few years. Finally a whistle announced the imminent departure of the train and reluctantly they pulled away from each other. She raised her red, wet look towards him, giving him a sad smile, as if to reassure him that everything would be alright. Hands on her cheeks he came to tenderly kiss her, an ultimate, desperate kind of kiss, the kind you would give to someone you would never see again. She put her hands on his cheeks and tiptoed up to intensify it. A final call came for the last ones on the platform who could not end their goodbyes.

“Never forget that I love you.” He whispered before laying a kiss on her forehead.

“And you never forget that I love you and that I’ll still be there when you’ll come back.”

As he began to move away towards the train, she squeezed his hand she still had in hers and resigned herself to release it and letting him go so that he could board. That day Y/N felt as if her world was coming to a halt, her heart faded with the sight of the train moving away. As the train progressively pulled away, everything around her gradually turned gray. She watched helplessly at the person who had brought her so much this past year, the one who had taught her how to live, how to love and how to feel loved, went away. The one she had been closest to for a long time. A grayish, slow-motion world would become her daily life, and would only recolor itself once the other part of herself returned. Since it was indeed a part of herself that she was watching leave. 

The days and months after followed each other and became similar, everything had lost its flavour. Of course, the exchange of letters was as frequent as it could be. Y/N was only aware in Chuck's letters of what he was allowed to say. For the moment she was not worried, well, some anxiety had set in as soon as he had left but as long as he was not yet in combat it made the situation more bearable, but she knew that the moment would come and that her anxiety would increase tenfold.

Y/N continued her life to which one she had to adapt herself without Chuck. Lonnie was a great help, he would often ask her about Chuck, and apart from that, he always found a way to keep her as busy as possible so that she didn't have time to think about it and be sadder than she already was. Outside of work she continued to see her friends who had also had to say goodbye to a family member, friend or boyfriend. She kind of found comfort to be with people who understood and were going through the same thing.

Chuck too had to adapt himself, as for any other person who had enlisted and for whom life had radically changed from one day to another. He had been fortunate enough to have fallen into a good company, and the bond between the men grew stronger every day. The strenuous training, the intensive military courses, Sobel, all this was made bearable by the few letters he received. Every letter, every word on it had helped him through all the suffering, all the horrors he had seen once in Europe. 

The letters had particularly helped him during and after Bastogne, Y/N brought a semblance of breath of life and humanity through her words. Over time she had become a bit like a non-present member of the company. Chuck often talked about her, and he told her many things in his letters and talked about the men who had become first friends and then brothers. Eventually she had gotten to know them virtually through the letters and sometimes asked Chuck about them, hoping for a chance to meet some of them once all this would be over, to meet those people with whom he had created an indestructible bond and with whom he had gone through all those hardships.

So it was only natural that they decided to write her a letter the day Chuck was shot. Every day for the last few years Y/N had only one anguish, that one day someone would come and give her the letter, the one she would never get over.

On an evening of summer 1945, while she went back to their tiny apartment, she slipped the keys into the lock and opening the door, the letter she hadn’t seen, and which was stuck between it and the doorframe fell on the ground.  Y/N kneeled and picked it up, looked at the writing she didn’t recognize. Panic came over her and she closed the door before hastily tearing the envelope she dropped on the floor, unfolding the paper. She had to read it twice to be sure to understand, while she hadn’t finished her playback, her eyes blurred and filled with tears that she let roll freely on her cheeks in a macabre silence. She had learned a few days earlier in the newspapers that Germany had surrendered and that the war in Europe was over. She thought she was safe from any tragic news, and yet. With a trembling hand she leaned on the back of a chair and sat down trembling. She let her pain explode in heavy sobs that shook her.

Her face in the palm of her hands, she let herself go for long minutes, unable to evacuate the pain that pierced her heart and twisted her stomach. Feeling like a force oppressing her, she thought she was choking from not being able to breathe more calmly again. After long minutes she tried to regain the upper hand as best she could. She stood up on her shaky legs and retrieved the letter, took out paper from the console in the living room, picked up a pencil and tried to line up words to write a letter. The one she had received had been signed by Sergeant Talbert, whom Chuck had told her about several times.

Tears went back as she was writing, she felt them rolled on her cheek and crashed on the letter in which one she thanked him to having warned her. Nevertheless, he had made the decision to spare her the facts, thinking that it would probably be harder to deal with the knowledge that after having survived until then, he had been shot by a soldier from his own country and out of combat.  Just because this one had been completely drunk. But as he had suspected at the time he wrote the letter, Y/N asked him to tell her everything, but also if he would not mind keeping her informed of Chuck's state  and condition. What he did, they exchanged several times, with each letter Y/N hoped for reassuring news, unfortunately his condition didn’t seem to improve and he was still unconscious.

With every knock and ring on the door, every ring on the phone she would startle and her heart would clench at the thought of probable bad news.

As she struggled more and more to get through the day at work due to fatigue from sleep deprivation, not being able to sleep at night, anxiety attacks, and constant worry, she had no idea that Chuck had actually woken up, but that he had kept Tab from telling her anything.  

Floyd went as much as he could to the hospital where Chuck was recovering, he shared letters from Y/N and what he told her. Chuck hadn’t wanted to let Y/N know that he was awake, at the risk of breaking her heart, but he was afraid, afraid that she would push him away, knowing that he was now partially paralyzed in his left arm, that he had some difficulty expressing himself and that to top it all off there was a scar on his forehead. But he knew it wasn't fair not to tell her and let her worry because he was afraid.

“You should send her a letter, you should tell her.” Tab had told him before putting the last letter he had received on the bedside table next to the bed, patting him on the shoulder and walking out of the room.

Eyes lost in the emptiness he sighed and resigned himself to finally writing to her. He closed his eyes for a moment, thinking about what he could tell her and how to do it. With pain and grimace as he moved, he grabbed the paper and pencil that Floyd had been careful to leave beside him.

 My dear Y/N,

 First of all, forgive me. Forgive me for the suffering inflicted these last years by absence and uncertainty. Forgive me again for not telling you earlier that I was awake. I begged Floyd not to tell you for fear of your reaction. It is unfair of me, please forgive me for this unjustified suffering. On Floyd's wise advice I finally take the courage to write to you and tell you the reasons for my anguish that you are leaving me. The German surgeon did an excellent job, since I am still alive, nevertheless the injury caused irreversible physical damage. It is now difficult for me to express myself sometimes, it doesn't happen constantly but it is still embarrassing, I can't imagine being unable to tell you that I love you without being able to properly align such simple words. It also resulted in partial paralysis of my left arm, how could I properly embrace you as before with this? I'm not talking about the scar that will surely push you away. I am constantly frightened at the thought of you leaving, and I am now feeling what you have been feeling for the past few years.

Forgive me for all of this.

I recently learned that since I have recovered enough to travel, I will soon be sent home, now that the war is over there is no reason to stay so far away from you any longer. I promise to let you know as soon as I know more. If you still want me.

And above all, never forget that I love you.

Love, your Chuck.

Wet spots had gradually formed on the paper as she read his letter. Y/N wiped her tears from the back of her hand and pressed the letter to her chest, a feeling of relief taking hold of her.

She wasn’t angry towards him, perhaps she should have? But it wasn’t the case. She could understand his worry, but was he really thinking she could run away because of that? She had agreed to marry him before he left, well it was mainly to protect her financially if something happened to him, but for her it meant above all that she knew the risks, that he would come back totally changed psychologically and physically, and she accepted it.

That day it was as if the shroud that had hung over her life for four years finally began to lift. She felt a strange sensation inside her, her heart was finally starting to pick up the pieces, gently, but this was only the beginning. Soon he would be back.

She had obviously responded to his letter with as much love as possible and reassuring words, which despite everything didn’t take away the anxiety he felt. As promised, Chuck had informed her of everything that was going on, of all the information concerning his return. When the day came Y/N couldn't get rid of the ball that weighed on her stomach, for the first time in four years, since those farewells on the platform of Los Angeles train station, she was going to find the one she hadn't stopped thinking about for a single second since his departure.

What if he was the one who finally decided to leave her? No, she shook her head, it was ridiculous, why would he do that? She couldn't help wondering how much he would have changed, psychologically, of course he wouldn't be the same anymore, his return and readjustment to normal would probably take time. Maybe he would show signs of post-traumatic shock, but no matter what happened, she would be there to help him through it all.

Her hair twirling around her face in the cool New York wind in the middle of December, she walked to the dock where hundreds, maybe even thousands of people were waiting like her for the return of a loved one. She had travelled across the country to be able to welcome him directly at his destination. This port he had left for England two years earlier on board the SS Samaria.

She went into the crowd to get as close to the disembarkation area as she could, she lowered her head to protect herself from the icy wind, braving the blows of the shoulders as she advanced, she finally stopped behind a few people of the same reunited family. She looked attentively at this woman in her fifties, her hair slightly graying at the roots, her face marked by a few wrinkles, probably accentuated by constant stress, the same one she had felt every day for the last four years, had she too begun to have fine lines caused by anxiety? Unconsciously she put her fingertips on her cheek as if to reassure herself. The woman was accompanied by a young girl who was probably the same age as Y/N and who was holding the hand of a little girl, a little brunette with green eyes who was looking at her. Y/N addressed her a tender smile to which the girl responded with a smile as well.

Cries of joy made her raise her head to see the ship mooring. Her heartbeat quickened and a smile of excitement stretched her lips before evaporating. Finally her idea of waiting for him here didn't seem so good anymore, how would they find each other in this crowd? As the soldiers began to disembark to the applause of the civilians, she turned her heels to go back the other way, once again braving the jostling. She preferred to take some distance to have a better overview and not be lost in the middle of all these people. As she walked down the dock with her eyes, she could feel her heartbeat right down to her ears, it was beating so loudly it probably would have exploded. She gently shook her head as if to clear her mind and raised her face to the sky to take a deep breath of the icy breeze that did her the greatest good. Her gaze caught on a flight of birds passing over the crowd, a whole cloud of birds gathered, as the image of the reunion that took place on the dock.

She followed the flight with her eyes and pivoted on herself to continue looking at it. When she looked down again at the crowd she saw him. There he was, just a few feet away from her, the same piercing blue eyes that had haunted her nights on her.

Several times she had imagined running towards him and jumping on his neck, now that she was there she felt unable to move. Everything had stopped around her and she felt nothing but the wind whipping her cheeks. They didn't stay like this more than two or three minutes, just a few feet away from each other, but it seemed like an eternity. She finally regained the use of her limbs and advanced one leg in front of the other vigilant, as if she was ready to collapse under the shock, before finally sneaking between the people passing in front of her to come and jump at his neck. She grabbed him as hard as she could and closed her eyes to contain her tears. She felt Chuck wrap his right arm around her and put his left hand on her waist, squeezing her as hard as he could. He sniffed the floral scent he had missed so much and kissed the top of her head. Without detaching herself from him she moved her face back just a few inches to look at him, capturing every detail of his face as if she were seeing him for the very first time. Tenderly she raised her hand to come and caress his cheek with her fingertips as if to make sure he was real. Her gaze lingered on each line but she paid no attention to his scar, as if it were not there. Suddenly a laugh came out of her chest, not a mocking laugh, a relief laugh, warm tears ran down her cheeks as she was still laughing, Chuck joining her before diving to her lips and kissing her passionately and as fiercely as he could.

When the kiss ended he put his forehead against hers and she raised her eyes to plant them in his, she had dreamed of being able to lose herself in his eyes every night. Soflty she brought her hand close to his scar, gently touching it with her fingertips. Chuck lowered his eyes and closed them, perhaps to hold back tears. Reaching up on tiptoes, she kissed it gently and then raised his head by passing her index under his chin.

“Chuck look at me..” His gaze fell on her, with the look of a broken man.

She brushed his cheek with the back of her fingers and gave him a comforting smile.

“I’m so proud of you. So proud of what you’ve done for your country, for your courage and the strength that it took to you to go through all of this. You’ve bent through hell and you still standing. You’re a hero Chuck. Don’t be ashamed of anything, you know I don’t love you for what you look like but for what you are. For all those little things that made you who you are. Don’t ever doubt about it. And know that I still think you’re still as beautiful as ever.”

She kissed him tenderly before wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face in it.

Holding her close to him, he buried his face in her hair and let his tears flow. For all those years spent away from her. For all those moments in hell. For his friends who died in combat. For the one he had been and would be no more. For those years of youth stolen by war and lost innocence. For the joy he felt at seeing her again when he didn't think it would be possible. For her to have stayed and supported him, to have continued to love him despite the distance, the years and now his handicap.

For all the broken lives.

Your requests are open?! I'd love to ask for something with Babe, if you don't mind luv 🥰

Hello dear! You asked for it and here it is! Sorry it took so long. I hope you'll like it. Enjoy ! ❤️

As always, there's no disrespect towards the real men of the company. It's only based on their portrayals in the mini serie.

The scarf (Edward "Babe" Heffron x reader)

After months of trying to hide their relationship from others, Babe and the reader are finally getting busted.

Warning: coarse language

Also I’m creating a taglist, tell me in comment if you want to be added and be notified of the following ones! ☺️

Recently arrived in Germany the Company had moved to Landsberg am Lech, a town in Bavaria, and their mission had become much calmer than it had been in Bastogne and Haguenau.  Everyone was enjoying the nice weather of April and went about their business while waiting for orders. Y/N had enjoyed this morning to sit quietly in a corner and write letters to her family and friends, informing them she was still alive, that she was fine and that she was now in Germany. She had then gone to the post office where Allen Vest was in charge of the mail. 

“Morning Vest!” She sang in a cheerful voice as she approached the counter where she put down her letters and dragged them towards him.  

“Hi Y/N, hey, that's a lot of letters for one person.”

She smiled and put her both hands on the counter, tapping the varnished wood with her fingertips. Indeed, she had taken the time to write to her parents, her sister, her uncle and a general letter addressed to her group of friends who met each time to read her letters.

“Yes, I’m enjoying this time of lull, after all we don’t know where we’re going to be sent next time.”

Allen took the letters while gently smiling at her and then went to the back of the room to classify the letters to be sent and rummaging through a pile of other letters he came back to her one in his hand.

“I thought well I saw one with your name on it.”

He reached out to her and was about to add something when the door opened sharply and Speirs appeared with his arms full of objects shining in the sunlight. As he approached the counter, Allen nodded to Y/N to make her understand he had to take care of Speirs. She smiled at him and walked out of the building with her letter in her hands. She immediately recognized the fine italicized handwriting and smiled excited to know what it was about. She walked along the buildings as she read the letter, which provoked a huge smile on her lips when she was suddenly pulled into a corner between two buildings and drawn away from prying eyes.

She began to laugh as the man who had lured her there, placed behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist, came to place a kiss on her neck and put his head on her shoulder.

“I missed you so much.”

“We've literally been living together for eight months.” She laughed, placing her hands on his forearms resting on her belly.

“You know exactly what I mean.” He moaned as he put his chin on her shoulder and looked at the letter she was still holding in her hands. “What is it?”

She looked down at the letter and unfolded it to put it in front of his eyes.

“My sister announces me that she’s finally getting married! It's planned for next winter, she obviously hopes that by then it will all be over and I'll be home.” Her voice became lower and dull at the end of her sentence. Of course everyone was hoping for it, but no one really knew what tomorrow was all about and where they would be and when.

Babe tightened his clinch and kissed the top of her head.

“Are you planning to go alone?” His question caused her to pout and then she laughed.

“Are you asking me if, if all this happy mess is over, I'll ask you to come with me?” He shrugged his shoulders and had a sly smile.  “We don't even know where we'll be, and let's say we go back, we'll pick up our lives where we left it off, and they probably weren't going in the same direction.” She continued.

She fell silent and stared at the letter in her hands, for the few months she have been going out with Babe she had never thought what would happen once they got home, if they got home. Babe untied his arms around her and slid his hands over her hips to make her turn to him.

“I know that wherever yours goes, I will follow it.”

Her heart clutched to his words, she had not expected him to make this kind of announcement at all, the smile on his face made her melt and she wrapped her arms around his neck, kissed him tenderly and then came to put her head on his shoulder. They stayed hidden like that for a few minutes, taking advantage of finally being able to speak to each other with more than just distant smiles.  

Since the Company had returned to England after the D-Day and had met the replacements Y/N and Babe had become inseparable, at last, until they started dating. They had chosen not to tell the others about it so that the others wouldn’t spend their time teasing them. They had managed to keep the secret until now, which had been difficult since they were constantly surrounded by the other men. In order to prevent them from suspecting something Y/N and Babe had to stick to the friendly relationship that the others knew about them. Nevertheless, they had always managed to slip away for a moment for a hug or a kiss, all the way to Bastogne. They had never been so far away from each other when they were closer than ever physically. Being constantly surrounded by others in the middle of the woods and sharing their foxholes with different people, they could only look at each other from a distance. At best, they sat next to each other during the few moments when everyone was together, constantly living with the frustration of, at least, not being able to touch each other's hands.  

A couple of times, Babe had managed join her when she was alone, while McClung, with who she was shearing her foxhole, was going out for a ride. But it had happened only a few times, and further apart so as not to arouse suspicion. These times would had been counted on the fingers of only one hand. She too had sometimes managed to join him but unfortunately they were almost never alone. One of the only contacts they could have had without anyone questioning was when Julian was killed, she would have died of pain if she hadn't been able to comfort him, it was the only time they could hold each other without it seeming weird. After that, for several days, it had been unbearable for him not to be able to take her in his arms when it was she who started brooding. To be able to take her in his arms, to interlace her fingers with his own, to caress her cheek and whisper to her that everything would be all right. This time he had been on the verge of cracking up, because instead of his place, there was Toye. Joe was constantly near her to cheering up her moral and several times had taken her in his arms. Bill's recurring jokes about Toye flirting with Y/N were upsetting Babe, who would have wanted told his friend to shut up. Being almost always with Guarnere, he therefore constantly heard his jokes. His only comfort was the smiles and looks of Y/N to reassure him.

But now they were away from it all, they just had to take advantage of the lull that presented itself and allowed them to spend time together out of sight.  

“We'd better get to the others before they wonder where we are.” She reluctantly detached herself from him. “You're leaving first?” Obviously they weren’t to be seen coming out of a corner together, that would have been the worst thing to attract attention.  

He nodded and kissed her before taking a look at the street so he can get out. Y/N waited few minutes before being able to follow in his footsteps and reached the building where she was staying. Entering the building, she heard noises coming from one of the rooms of the first floor which was a big living-room and headed there. Liebgott was sitting on a chair, crossed legs on the table, was discussing with Popeye and Babe who had probably come here voluntarily to be in the same vicinity as her, which had the merit of making her smile, was leaning next to them against a piece of furniture. She joined them as Alley, Talbert, Janovec, and More arrived in the biggest racket they could make and took their places around the table.

Y/N remained standing on the other side of the table, leaning against the wall, while Babe in front of her was join by Skinny who had just arrived. Her eyes were drawn to something sticking out of Babe's pocket, her heart quickened and she tried to catch his attention with desperate glances, if he didn't notice then they were busted.  

A small scarf she had given him was sticking out of his jacket pocket. She had taken with her a scarf that had belonged to her grandmother and that she had recovered when she died. She had always kept it on her ever since and had always managed to hide it so that it wouldn't be taken away like the rest of their personal belongings when she arrived in Toccoa. She valued it very highly, and when she was feeling bad, she would take it out and hold it close to her, remembering happy memories of her grandmother who she missed terribly.  

The only person today for who she had been able to part with it, was someone who meant as much to her as her grandmother, Babe. She gave it to him as the most important thing for her, making him understand how much she cared for him. As they didn’t belong to the same platoon they were not always brought to be close to each other, and the scarf was like her presence to him, so that somehow they are always together. Since then he kept it preciously knowing what it meant to her.

When Babe's gaze caught hers, she tried to make him understand that the object was sticking out of his pocket by throwing looks at him and then at his pocket several times before anyone saw it, but he didn't understand and it was too late. Joe had turned his head to address him and his gaze had landed on the object of the crime. With a small laugh he gently pulled it out.

“Well, well, well, what do we have there? Isn't there something you're not telling us Babe?”

Embarrassed, he understood what she had wanted to warn him about and babbled, not knowing what to say. Y/N came to his rescue, looking surprised, she approached Joe and took the scarf of his hands.  

“Eh that’s mine! Where did you find it?”

It took Babe a split second before he realized she was saving his ass and played along.

“I found it by chance on the floor this morning and I was going to bring it back to you, it must have slipped my mind in the meantime.” He shrugged his shoulders and looked sorry.

Joe looked at them suspiciously, not at all convinced, his gaze going back and forth between Y/N and Babe who unfortunately always seemed embarrassed. Feeling Joe's insistent gaze on her, she finally dropped a “What?” He squinted his eyes as if he was trying to read her soul.  

“Throw out the crap that burns your lips, Joe.”

“Are you two fucking together?”

All heads turned to Y/N and Babe, some surprised, others giving the impression of having heard the biggest gossip of the century.

“No!” They both exclaimed.

“He’s like my baby brother!”

Babe flinched at her words, he knew she was just saying that to keep up appearances, but all the same, this false friendzoning was rather violent.

“So you're fucking your baby brother?” Joe continued with a smirk on his face, still not believing it for a second.

“Jeez, Joe!” She exclaimed in disgust.

Malarky arrived at that moment having only heard the end of the conversation.

“Who's fucking who?”

“Y/N is debauching Babe.” Laughed More.

“Jeez!” Malark exclaimed as he sat down, a more than amused look on his face.

“Stop it! All of you! Nobody fucks anybody!”

Babe was still silent next to her, completely uptight. The boys were laughing at their greatest embarrassment when Luz, who had heard only fragments of the conversation from the next room, arrived with a cigarette lit.

“Who's gonna have a baby?”

Which fueled the boys' hilarity, Y/N raised her hands and clenched them in fists and roared in frustration before going out cursing them. As for Babe, he didn't know what to do, if he stayed there he was going to be teased by his friends, but if he followed her he would agree with them and would grill himself.  

With her cheeks on fire, Y/N left the building to get some fresh air, finding a small wall in the shade and, away from the crowd, she sat down and lit a cigarette before puffed at it when a shadow came and hid the sun from her. She raised her head, squinting because of the brightness, and reached out her arm, offering her cigarette to Luz who had just joined her. He picked it up and as he held it to his lips, sat down on the wall beside her.  

“You and Babe then?” he asked with a sly smile on his lips. So her diversion hadn't worked, at least she had tried. She turned her head towards him raising an eyebrow, a slight smile on the corners of her lips as she waited for him to pull out a joke. But he didn't, instead, he took the cigarette from his lips with his right hand, and as he blew the smoke, passed his left arm around her shoulders.

“If it had been anyone else, I wouldn't have accepted it. But Heffron? I can get used to it.”

She laughed and took the cigarette from his hands and puffed at it again.

“Is this your way to give me your blessing?”

George was the person she was closest to since Toccoa. Even without the incident that had just happened, he had probably guessed what had been going on for a few months. The two had quickly went together like horse and carriage, they had found each other in their humour, and their ability to make others laugh and make jokes. George soon considered her as a little sister and she as a big brother. As soon as the replacements had arrived he saw that she and Babe had gradually grown closer and that they had probably become more than friends. He had been happy for her and continued to look after her from afar.  

“So everyone knows about it? Or did you just sniff it out?” She asked, shoving him gently, which made him giggle.

“Let's say I've seen you gradually change, especially when you're with him.”

If the others probably didn't suspect anything, after the scene that just happened, they will most likely have suspicions.Y/N bit the inside of her cheek and made a grimace that made George smile and took the cigarette out of her hand.

“What are you worried about? No one will say anything, at worst they will tease you for a while before they get bored and move on.”

“That's exactly what we wanted to avoid.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“You know it will be just joking, in all kindness.”

She turned her eyes towards him and he gently pushed her around, which made her smile. George was right, there wouldn't be anything mean about it, and she never doubted it, it would just make her embarrassed that everyone would turn to them and tease them every time they were in each other's presence. But as he said, it would only be temporary, the time they spend on something else.  

“You're right, it wouldn't be the end of the world, and we wouldn't have to hide anymore.”

He nodded his head and winked at her.

“Listen to the voice of reason.” She guffawed what made him smile, he stood up and kissed her on the forehead before returning to the building. Y/N stayed sitting on the wall for a few minutes thinking about what George had said. She had finally agreed with herself that her fear was unjustified, the Company members were so benevolent to each other, why would they go against this relationship? Other than to tease and embarrass them, what could they possibly say? They were already spending all their time making fun of each other and joking that nothing would be different. It was out of fear of being embarrassed by the mockery of others that they had chosen to hide, when they would only be mocked among so many others. She shook her head gently as she realized that this decision had been ridiculous. To have done otherwise would surely have saved them from frustration when they had found themselves far away when they needed each other the most. They had to stop hiding, and once the others knew about it, they could enjoy each other in peace. Loud noises of voices caught her attention and she turned her head towards the group of men a few yards away. She put out her cigarette and stood up to see what was going on. Two groups had formed, one playing soccer and the other surrounding them, each one cheering for the team they stood for.

She saw Babe from afar and made her way to him. As she stood next to him, she slipped her hand into his as he turned his head towards her with a questioning look. Y/N gave him a warm smile that he returned to her. To hell with what they might say.