" The most memorable moments in our life are special not because of the place or time, it's because of the person with whom we experience happiness."

- Hema

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The man didn't hesitate to launch himself into a hug around Catherine's neck.

" Oh come on, George you're scaring her." a tiny Italian said as he pulled 'George' back.

" Sorry, I got excited." 'George' said with a smile on his face, " Well I suspect you two deserve hugs as well." And George didn't hesitate to walk over and wrap his arms around Hazel and pull her close in a warm hug before doing the same to Lizzie who was equally as surprised.

" Quite the welcome." Lizzie commented as George stepped back and laughed.

" Only the best for the Easy Company Viragos." George said.

" George.....?" Lizzie asked him and he smiled as the rest of the men watched him.

" The very own George Luz from Rhode Island." George said with another smile as the girls all seemed to smile in their own ways.

" Or the annoying asshole which ever you prefer." the tiny Italian said as the girls laughed.

" Alright, alright, Frank, enough with the asshole." George said giving the tiny man an annoyed shove.

" Besides those two, these are some of the best men in the Airborne, some of the finest. But just wait until you have to start living with them, it's a shit show." another man said as he walked up to the women with a smirk on his smug face, " I'm Joe Toye."

" Like you're any better." George puffed out. Joe rolled his eyes.

" Welcome to Easy," Joe offered as the NCOs slowly made their way to their beds or leaning against posts, " you all want to close your jaws and actually introduce yourselves?" Hazel watched as there were introductions, and shaking hands as well as laughter and talking.

" This is the sniper, Shifty," a voice said and Hazel looked over her shoulder and watched as Floyd was pushing someone toward her, who was looking at Floyd, rather annoyed.

" Hi," Hazel said.

" I have 2 feet, Tab." 'Shifty' said with a soft southern accent. Floyd just chuckled and patted his shoulder.

" Snipers and their southern accents, am I right?" Floyd said as both Hazel and 'Shifty' watched him. He got no response.

" Right, ok, Shifty, Hazel, Hazel, Shifty." Floyd said quickly as Hazel looked at Shifty and shook his soft hand, where he smiled a perfect smile her way.

" Darrell Powers, ma'am, but they call me Shifty around here." Shifty said as they shook hands and her face heated. Again with the ma'am.

" She doesn't seem to like to be called that Shifty, c'mon." Floyd said nudging his shoulder as Shifty's own face turned a shade of red.

" You called me ma'am." Hazel said defending Shifty. Shifty glared up at Floyd, with innocent eyes.

" Fine, you caught me." Floyd said, " What can I say, you deserve the title." He looked at her, suggestively. Hazel just smirked at him and shook her head.

" Tab told me about the shots you were taking out there, when the NCOs showed up. Sounds amazing; whatever weapon you're using." Shifty said. Hazel smiled gently.

" It's this design that only Marines use, the M1903A4, and an attached Redfield Scope, of a Remington design. It's supposed to resemble a sniper." Hazel said and Shifty's eyes shined.

" Wow, you'll have to show me-"

" Alright, alright, enough with the weapon talk." Floyd said, as Shifty glared at him it seemed. Shifty didn't seem one to glare either.

" 'Eh! There's the sniper we've been hearing about." a voice called and Hazel watched as a trio moved.

" C'mon we're still talking to her." Floyd complained.

" We have a whole war to fight, Floyd. You'll get plenty of other chances to try out tacky pick up lines and get nowhere." the red-headed one of the group said. 
" Screw you, Don." Floyd muttered, shaking his head as 'Don' laughed.

" Warren Muck, but for friends, I go by Skip." the man who had first spoke, calling out for the sniper said, holding out his hand. Hazel shook his hand with a smile on her lips.

" Damn, you have a beautiful smile." the man 'Don' said as he walked up with a smile on his face and shook her head. Hazel blushed.

" Thanks." she said.

" Donald Malarkey." he said noticing her blushing cheeks, " You ever been told that?"

" Aw, Don, don't embarrass her." Skip complained, bringing his hands from his pockets to give his shoulder a shove, " He just prefers compliments when meeting new people." She watched Donald roll his eyes.

" Or the 'I'll buy you a drink method'." another man said with curly chocolate locks on his head and a smile on his face, " Alex Penkala."

" Are you Polish?" Hazel asked him and she watched his eyes light up.
" Yeah, actually, I am." he said.

" I'm Polish as well, my grandfather's last name was switched when he came over from Warsaw." she said. Alex's eyes widened in amazement.

" Wow, really?" he said, " My great-grandfather took a voyage with a bunch of immigrants on some tiny ship across the Atlantic. Wow, you never know who you meet." Hazel smiled as Skip and Donald smiled at her.

" Polish are the kindest and I live by that." Skip said with a nod, " Irish on the other hand." Donald rolled his eyes.

" They fight about this a lot." Alex admitted as Hazel giggled.

" Well, it was nice to meet you, but we should make sure Catherine and Elizabeth know who these two are, so they know not to share a foxhole with them." Alex said with a smirk and Hazel laughed.

" Definitely." she said and Alex smiled at her before patting Skip and Donald's backs as they bickered a bit and he slowly led them away. Hazel watched them with a small smile before looking down at her hands. She'd shaken so many hands today and hadn't suspected herself to be as comfortable as she was.

" Tiny!" a voice called, and Hazel looked over slightly confused until she watched George Luz coming over, with the short, slightly angry Italian man again.

" You could've pulled me just a bit lighter, we are in a barrack, not an airfield." the short Italian said as he rubbed his wrist.

" Shut it, Frank." George said as he glared at the man.

" So, we meet again." George said as he looked at Hazel.

" I guess so." she said, with soft eyes and a small smile.

" C'mon, George, do you gotta be like this all the time. Is there an on-off switch?" the man beside him complained.

" Frank, I'm this close," George said, showing how close his pointer and thumb were together, an angered expression upon his face.

" Oh I know." Frank said with a smirk before turning to Hazel.

" Frank Perconte," he said as Hazel shook his hand, noticing she was shorter than him even. She was short.

" Tiny?" Hazel asked Frank, hoping he could clarify for George.

" Oh, right, George gives nicknames a lot. Especially to women he likes." Frank said with a roll of his eyes, as Hazel smiled.

" I've noticed." Hazel said as George smirked at her, and then kicked Frank's foot.

" Don't worry, he's already started half the guys nicknames here." Frank said and Hazel laughed as George groaned.

" He's such an ass sometimes," George said looking at Frank who smirked at him.

" Glad I've retained the title," Frank said, " ah, Joe Liebgott finally crawls out from hiding."

" Screw you, Perco." 'Joe LIebgott' said as Hazel turned and saw the man approaching her, George and Frank. 'Joe' looked tired from her point of view. He had a few strands of dark brown hair in his eyes, and he didn't at all look entirely interested at being here right now. It looked like he had just been woken from sleep if Hazel was honest.

" Joe Liebgott," Joe said holding out his hand toward her.

" Hazel Parker," Hazel said with a small smile as she shook his hand.

" You have a nice smile, sure a sight for sore eyes." Joe said to her, and Hazel fought down another blush as she looked up at Joe gently.

" Thanks." Hazel said, as Joe smirked a bit at the pink tint on her cheeks.

" Yeah, Joe's been through it, probably needed a smile like yours." George said as he wrapped an arm over Joe's shoulder. Joe shoved him off. George just snickered.

" Got in a fight with Bill Guarnere on the boat ride over." George said as Joe stuck his tongue in his cheek and looked away. Hazel looked over at Joe slightly. She noticed his bruised knuckles.

" Do you gotta spill my life story, George?" Joe said looking at him.

" Oh come on, it wasn't that bad." George said as Joe rolled his eyes. Hazel just smiled sadly.

" Sorry to hear." Hazel said with a small smile, " Usually fights start because you believe in what you stand for. Sometimes that's ok." Both George and Joe looked at her and their eyes seemed to soften immediately. She just smiled softly at them. Joe glanced over at George and motioned his head for him to move. George got the memo. Joe watched George leave, roping Perconte under his arm.

" I saw your Star of David." Joe said quietly, nodding down to her neckline. Hazel's hand went to her neck almost immediately and she grasped it.

" The reason I was in the fight was because I'm Jewish." Joe told her. Hazel's eyes softened.

" This is actually my dziadek's, my grandfather's, he's Polish, but he was Jewish, before he became Catholic. He gave this to me before I left for the WAC, and I've just always respected my Jewish background." Hazel said looking towards Joe, who leaned up against the bed post. He smiled slightly.

" I'm sorry to hear about the fight, but I probably would've done the same." Hazel admitted, as her cheeks tinted pink again. She always believed in fighting for what you believed to be right.

" Nah, don't worry about it. It's not the only fight I've been in." Joe said and Hazel watched something flash in his eyes.

She was intrigued by this Joe character. Not only because he was, well, Jewish, but because Hazel and her observation skills were usually that of high-regard and she felt she could relate to Joe on a fairly personal level.

She met a few others after meeting Joe. Eugene Roe was the medic Lizzie introduced her to and he had to be one of the nicest people, but he was a Southern boy, from his accent, and Southern boys were always respectful, like Shifty. Eugene had a nice smile Hazel felt, and Hazel heard him even speak French; he had to be of Cajun decent Hazel concluded to herself.

There were so many others, but within the half hour, the group was sat around, chatting with each other in groups together, getting to know each other. It was so oddly peaceful that it felt unnatural, but the men were so naturally receptive.

It was so nice to be apart of it.

The introductions had been genuine, but they were needed. The men had been together for over a year by now and so had the women, but separate; they needed to be introduced and training soon together, for the fate of the company in war, whenever that was to happen. Hazel was glad the introductions had been now.

But as they were sitting around, the door suddenly slammed open and everyone jumped to attention. The men were surprised at the women's quickness, but little did they know, that was Thermes' training, at 0500 giving them silent reminders.

" Where are the 3 women?" Sobel asked, his eyes immediately finding them. He slowly stepped toward them.

" Names?" Sobel asked them.

" Hazel Parker sir, Corporal." she said.

" Catherine McCown, sir, Sergeant."

" Elizabeth Elliot, sir, Corporal. Combat medic." Sobel looked at the 3 women.

He had heard all about them.

They were virtually the talk of the military of every group of men. They were true elites in their training style and what they had been trained under to do. Sure, they were women, but a vast majority of the men gained respect from them when video evidence had been sent out to inform military men of the elite women in training. It had looked intense. It wasn't what was expected of military men in this day and age now, to respect a woman who had been put into the military like that, but most of the men respected the 250 women of Virago Company.

Herbert Sobel wasn't so sure yet, even if he did think the training was heavily intense.

" I expect the same expectations that I hold to my men, is that understood?" he said to them.

" Yes, sir." the 3 women answered him. Sobel then stared at them for a moment before stepping back and turning and stepping out of the barrack. Quite the introduction. Bill let out a low whistle.

" I'm guessing Sink forgot to mention him?" Bill asked the trio.

" He might've." Lizzie said.

" That's Captain Sobel for ya, fucking bastard." Bill muttered shaking his head. Hazel stared after where Sobel had gone. It sounded like 'Sobel's' opinions were vastly different than the men, the enlisted. He didn't seem to care. The group went to the mess hall that night, and were able to have more time to get to know each other. Hazel sat with Chuck, Shifty, Floyd and Joe Liebgott, and got to know each of them more.

" If you can't already tell, Sobel's an asshole." Joe said leaning towards her, " Biggest dick in the land."

" I'm pretty sure she figured that out." Chuck muttered. Joe rolled her eyes.

" How was training with him?" Hazel asked them. All 4 men seemed to glance at each other and sigh a bit.

" Let's just say if I died and went to hell, I'd be running that stupid fucking mountain every minute of everyday." Joe told her.

" What mountain?" she asked.

" Currahee. Down in Camp Toccoa, Sobel made us run this mountain, where it was 3 miles up and then 3 miles down." Shifty explained to her. Hazel visibly grimaced.

" Every morning," Floyd said, " and he was mean. Still is. And cold, to everyone. I don't think I ever saw an officer who volunteered to hang out with him." The group snickered.

" Who would?" Joe said shaking his head.

" You were running Currahee for the slightest thing, he made Smokey go up once because he didn't seem committed enough." Shifty said softly, " You went up for anything at that point."

" That sounds like my CO, Captain Thermes." Hazel said. Joe visibly grimaced beside her.

" The name even sounds like you'll have a shitty experience." Joe said.

" It was." Hazel said, " Standing out alone in the darkness as it rained or snowed, for the smallest thing, like a crooked pillow."

" Maybe he and Sobel were brothers in their past life." Chuck said as the group laughed.

" You ladies stumped him though it seemed. Hopefully he was pissed that Sink didn't tell his petty ass." Floyd said.

" He probably was." Hazel admitted, " Not everyone wants us here, we've broken a lot of barriers. It's why we were so surprised with the reception you all gave us."

" You kidding? We were going be excited if we got a Virago, we saw so many tapes, pretty sure there was one of you." Joe told her looking at her.

" Really?"

" Oh hell yeah, you took down about 5 of those wooden panels one after another. That's what I call badass." Joe said. Hazel smiled with a shrug of her shoulders.

" I guess." she said and Shifty smiled.

" Just like you Shift, quiet and humble, but she'll take your head off." Chuck said. Shifty smiled.

" They're the best people, right?' Shifty said and the group broke out laughing. Catherine was sitting with a few of the NCOs, Bill and Johnny as well as Joe Toye, and their mindsets were what brought Catherine to sit with them at mess that night.

" How long has Hazel been shooting that thing?" Bill had asked her. Catherine glanced over at Hazel who was laughing with a few of the guys.

" We started training back in August 1942 all together, but she joined up in the WAC in February of that year, and she's been hunting since before for at least 14 years. She's experienced and she's been scaring the shit out of some of the 82nd and BAF guys." Catherine confirmed with a nod.

" She's strong," Johnny said nodding, " I'm just glad she's on our side."

" Me too, we heard all about those German snipers they got now," Joe Toye said leaning forward, glancing toward Hazel again, " they clean you out with one bullet, then they take all your stuff. I'm just hoping now with Hazel, she takes 'em out before those fucking Krauts get a chance to do that." Catherine smiled.

" She never misses, not with the training she's had." Catherine told the trio. Bill smiled.

" Sink was going on about you all, at least about the Viragos at a briefing in March this year. Your training, all that sorta stuff. It's the reason we're actually excited to have you here." Bill told her.

" We were wondering why you didn't disown us the minute we walked in." Catherine said with a flash of sarcasm and the group laughed lightly.

" You know, for how bright the sun shines, you are truly the light of my life."

" Oh George, stop that's even worse than the last one." Lizzie said putting her hands over her face as Frank laughed from next to her.

" C'mon you gotta admit that was pretty good." George said, as Lizzie just laughed shaking her head.

" I don't know what you're definition of a good pick up line is. I've had the museum one about 5 times in my life." Lizzie said with a slight giggle.

" Really? The 'I must be in a museum because you are truly a work of art'? Nah, that's weak, I'm pretty sure mine's superior. All these British ladies are sure to love it." George said with a nod as Lizzie just giggled and shook her head.

" You know, Lizzie," Frank said looking at her, " I just have to say, you are one of the most positive people I've ever met." Lizzie smiled at him with a tiny giggle.

" I try to be, there's a lot of fear right now in the world. Positivity's usually the best method to spread some happiness." Lizzie said, as the two men smiled, " Or food." Laughs echoed around the table.

" Oh look who finally decided to show up." George called and the group watched as Donald Malarkey slid in beside George.

" Yeah, yeah, couldn't drag Skip away from Catherine exactly." Don said as the group looked over to where Skip was laughing like a lunatic beside Catherine.

" Why's that?" Frank asked.

" She's hilarious." Don said, " But I was also hungry, so." George snickered.

" Ah, don't worry, we're just trying out pick up lines, so I know what not to use and what to use." George said.

" Oh, shit, sorry about this Lizzie." Don said as Lizzie smiled.

" It's fine promise, the life of being in the military for over a year, is nothing new compared to what these two have to say." Lizzie confirmed with a nod and the group laughed.

" So, what was training like, with the Viragos. We heard all sorts of stuff, lotta secrecy." Don said. Lizzie glanced at the 3.

" Well, for starters, we didn't leave Camp Athene for 15 weeks."

" 15 weeks?!" George asked, his eyes wide, " I mean you couldn't even go out for beer? No weekend pass?"

" Weekend pass?" Lizzie asked innocently.

" Holy fuck, no wonder. You all had no distractions." George said with a grin the size of Texas. Lizzie nodded.

" And plus I wasn't old enough." Lizzie said.

" You're shitting me right, I could've sworn you were at least 24." George said. Lizzie smiled.

" I'm only 21, but by the time I joined Virago, I had just turned 20, and to say the least I'm not a rule breaker." Lizzie confirmed, " And I've been busy with training."

" You had your first drink yet?" George asked her as Don shoved his shoulder.

" What?" George said exasperated.

" Can you let her breath for a minute?" Don asked George who rolled his eyes. Lizzie smirked.

" She young?" Don asked Lizzie, pointing his fork over to Hazel who was talking to Shifty now. Lizzie looked at Don and nodded.

" We all were, Catherine was one of the oldest out of the 250 members." Lizzie said.

" Damn," Don said, " she just looks so young."

" Sorta our beckon of innocence in war." Lizzie said with a nod, " I mean, she's genuine, she always listens to what you have to say, and she doesn't judge you. And she's humble, humble for someone who shoots a sniper and can kill a man instantly."

" You said it." George said with a nod.

And it was true, but they were all so young, with their last drop of innocence slowly leaving their body with each passing second.

There was an odd moment that night in the barracks, as they weren't moving to their post until tomorrow, where the women had to change into their night time clothes, but after a while, the women just changed - they'd lived with the British Army for 9 months, were these guys any different? A little, the British had some more respect in their quarters, but by the end of the night, there was laughter in the barrack, like a bunch of college students, enjoying a night out. It was a completely calming atmosphere and Hazel couldn't be happier at how the entire thing had gone. Having gotten the chance to talk to the men, just really talk without the constraints of war or training, really settled in. That these were the men the women would finish out training with and go to war with. It was a nice feeling to finally get a sense of who they were and what Easy Company was about. As Hazel went to bed that night, between Johnny and Shifty's beds, she fell asleep to their snores, which was surprisingly a very comforting sound.

It was a peaceful sleep.

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hey! i felt i needed to update this chapter, because i kind of left it hanging it that last chapter! :)

i might upload one more today and then leave it at that, and then update tomorrow again!

thank you all for everything!!