" The Will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you."

- Billy Graham

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Later that night, a flare, a bright orb was shot into the sky and the night battle ensued.

Initially, it had woken Hazel from her dead sleep, shooting up from her foxhole, and sitting in a pile of freezing snow so she could possibly snipe out any oncoming Germans, farther back from the front line. Everyone was up most of the night, warding off the cold and the oncoming bullets, but finally the short spit fire fight ended and the group managed to get a few hours of rest. Her and Shifty were weary, side by side, weapons brought up to their eyes as they sat there, awaiting whatever else were to fly their way.

But something was different about sitting here now. It was the early hours of the morning, but you could tell dawn was on its way. Hazel could tell something was off, by just how quickly the barrage had started and ended.

And that Hazel's kill tally was racking up closer to 80 now.

80 harsh slashes that riddled her body in her sleep.

She never openly talked about her kill tally, with anyone, not even the women or Joe. She just, it was something that was stuck in the pit of her chest like acid, bubbling whenever her hands touched her Springfield. Shifty was beside her.

Hazel knew Shifty had a fairly high kill tally as well; but like her, he never talked about it and it was something mutual between the two. They both knew they had killed people in this battle and for the reasons they needed to do so.

But it was a bitter taste in her mouth, like poison.

There were a lot more bitter pills to swallow out here compared to that of the Normandy campaign which had been like waking up out of a dead sleep and running 5 miles in the freezing rain with Thermes yelling at you. This was just a weird feeling, unsettling at that. Hazel glanced over at Shifty, as the backdrop to the Ardennes forest turned from black to a dark blue, fading ever so slightly to different shades of lighter blue.

" Hey, Shifty?" Hazel said softly. The man looked towards her from under the rim of his helmet a gentle smile on his face.

" Can I tell you something?" she asked him.

Shifty Powers was a man Hazel trusted, not just because he was an Easy Company member, but because he was like the brother she never had. And Hazel knew she could tell him anything.

" Back when we were first dropped into Normandy, I started keeping a tally of my shots," she said softly, her eyes following the gaze of Lip moving around in the early morning, checking on other foxholes. Shifty softly glanced at her.

" You're the only other person I've found who has done that," Shifty said softly meeting her blue eyes.

" Really?" she asked. Shifty nodded.

" Most guys, keep a tally each battle, I write it down on a tiny sheet of paper in my front pocket, I hate looking at the number, but it's a way to cope." Shifty said and Hazel felt a small smile on her cheeks.

" That's exactly what it is." she said, and Shifty felt a bit of comfort seep into his blood stream.

" It's the only way to remind myself of the war and everything, about why we're doing this, why it needs to be done. Why we fight." she whispered softly.

" It's the only way to remind myself, of it all," Shifty said with a small sigh, as she leaned back from his weapon and pulled out the tiny slip of paper in his hands, where his loopy handwriting was, " 30." Hazel's eyes grew sad at the way Shifty spoke those words. Hazel met his gaze.

" I hate that the number just sits there in my chest, ya know?" he said, " I just sorta deal with it though."

" I hate it too," Hazel whispered as she pulled out her own tally sheet and showed Shifty, " 78." Shifty meet her gaze and watched as she sadly looked down and put it away.

" I hate that I even have a stupid tally." she muttered.

" Hey," Shifty said placing a hand on her shoulder as she sighed meeting his gaze, " if it helps you cope, keep it okay." Hazel nodded, biting back her lip.

" I've told the stars about it," she said," all about it." Shifty met her soft gaze.

" They know everything, more than anyone I know, and they're not even here on Earth." she whispered, " And yet I still respect them, but I can't respect the enemy." Shifty watched her gaze flit up to his.

" God says we need to love our enemies." Hazel whispered softly to him as his eyes watched hers, " That's hard to do, Shifty." The two sharpshooters watched each other.

" I can't love someone who has done wrong in this world when we were put here to make it bright." Hazel said, and for the first time in this war Shifty, felt a bit of tears well in his vision watching Hazel speak, " I can't love an enemy like that, and I kick myself everyday for it because I can't follow the path God wanted me to. To love that godforsaken enemy." Shifty watched Hazel let out a trembling breath. Hazel watched Shifty's eyes, the gloss that lay over them shimmering.

" For the first time in my life, I can't do what God expected me to do and I feel terrible." she whispered.

" It's because you're staying you Hazel," Shifty said, his voice shaking," it's because you know not to listen to what others tell you, even your God. It's because you're you." Hazel met his eyes, and sucked back her tears and the emotions that had been strangling her this entire war.

" Thanks, Shifty." she said softly, sniffling as Shifty reached up to wipe his cheek where a stray tear was. Hazel had never seen a man cry before. Hazel shuffled forward and gently wrapped her arms around Shifty, holding him close in the early hours of the day, in a warm hug.

Two sharpshooters, under the stars, in the quiet.

Once morning dawned, Easy Company wasn't saved from anything, as another barrage of explosions and a shelling rang through the trues. Lizzie and Gene had shot up out of the foxhole after nearly being frozen side by side and had gone off, sprinting basically through the trees.

" Medic!" the call had come, traveling through the tops of trees, and through the sounds of explosions as Lizzie's heart sunk as she realized it was Perconte's voice yelling for one.

" Medic!" the call came again, as Lizzie followed hurriedly after Gene her heart racing rapidly in her chest. She caught a gust of wind and she struggled, following after Gene, coughing the entire time. Right as an explosion shot off, Gene slipped into the foxhole and Lizzie followed, the foxhole big enough for 4 or 5 people, and Lizzie's eyes widened in horror.

" Oh, Christ," Skinny whimpered out, as she got a look at his leg and his blood covered hands. Lizzie immediately looked to Skinny, his face filled with pain as his hands touched at the shrapnel in his leg.

" Perconte, you getting a jeep?" Gene asked Perconte.

" I'm on it, Doc," Perconte said as he pulled out his radio and began calling up CP. Gene pulled out his back as Lizzie gently put Skinny's leg in her lap, Skinny crying out in pain. She held his leg gently, as Gene began cutting through the lose strands of fabric that still covered the wound.

" Look what they did to my leg!" Skinny cried out.

" Easy CP, Easy CP, this is Perconte, Sisk has been shit and I need a jeep," Lizzie heard Perconte say as she looked up and watched him frantically speaking into the phone for the radio.

" Stay with me," Gene said as Skinny cried out continually in pain. Gene had to rip open the pain leg for access and Lizzie watched as all the shrapnel that had gotten into his leg was revealed.

" Skinny, you'll be ok," she said quietly looking at Skinny, who was trying his best to be as brave as he could. Lizzie had to block out Perconte's frantic yelling into his radio to focus on Skinny's leg. Gene began picking each piece of shrapnel out of Skinny's leg, and Lizzie adjusted the leg better for Gene as she began to inspect the wounds. They needed sulfa to block up the blood from coming out.

Explosions still rang out in the background, and each time Gene pulled something from Skinny's leg, Skinny let out a weak cry of pain. Gene whipped out a sulfa packet and ripped off the top with his teeth before quickly poured it on the bloody wounds as blood from Skinny's leg slowly began to reach Lizzie's ODs which were pressed against Skinny's wounded leg.

" Okay, Sisk, it ain't that bad, ain't that bad," Gene said softly to the man.

" Ain't that bad?" Skinny asked a little breathless as Lizzie looked at him with a hopeful glance that calmed his racing heart. Another explosion ripped across the company as Gene pulled a bandage from his pocket. She watched Gene look out, his eyes alert as Lizzie continued to hear Skinny's screams. Gene bit his lip before looking back and wrapping up Skinny's leg. Lizzie helped, carefully move the leg around, as Gene wrapped the leg in the bandage securely. Then he tied it off and that was the most painful for Skinny it seemed. Then Lizzie watched as Gene whipped out the morphine.

" No, Doc, save the morphine, I can make it. I can make it, save it, okay?" Skinny said immediately stopping Gene from using it and Gene nodded pushing it away as Lizzie took a glance down at herself, the entire front of her body covered in blood.

" Okay, alright, let's get him out here," Gene said, as Lizzie quickly moved herself up and out of the foxhole, glancing around, ears listening for sounds of medic, but none came. Lizzie helped Gene out before they both grabbed ahold of Skinny's ODs and Perconte helped push Skinny out of the foxhole, as he let out a painful groan. Another explosion went off in the distance, lighting up the background and the trees in the grey morning.

" I'm running ahead to the jeep," Lizzie said, as both Perconte and Gene worked Skinny up to a sitting position to run him through. Then Lizzie took off as explosions rattled around her, forcing herself closer to where the road to CP and Bastogne would eventually go. As she heard sounds of the jeep, she heard a painful cry behnd her.

" Aaah, Jesus Christ!" she heard Skinny yell, as she turned and saw the trio collapsed together on the ground.

" Oh, Skinny, you've got blood all over my trousers." Perconte complained, as Gene rolled over to pull Skinny up. Lizzie raced up, to help Gene.

" I'm real sorry, Frank," Skinny shot back, as Lizzie helped Gene get Skinny up, as Perconte stood as well.

" Get him up!" Gene called to the two.

" Come on, Skinny, it's ok," she said, her voice soothing Skinny for the moment, as they got him up again. The jeep squealed against the snow as it found them in the chaos and stopped, engine rumbling.

" Damnit, Skinny," Perconte cursed as the trio managed to race Skinny over to the truck. The truck driver jumped out in an attempt to help them.

" Tell Spine I went in for plasma," Gene called to Perconte. Then the 4, including the driver pushed Skinny up onto the stretcher at the front of the jeep, Skinny crying out in utter pain.

" I'm coming with you," Lizzie said as she turned to Gene who looked at her.

" You're sick, you're staying here," he told her as he hopped up into the driver's side.

Lizzie narrowed her eyes.

She was merely starting and it hadn't progressed much yet.

" I'm going with you," Lizzie said, ignoring his initial order, and climbing up behind him, much to his protest. They left Perconte in the dust behind them, as they blasted away towards Bastogne. Gene turned to Lizzie, as she looked at him with sorrowful eyes.

" Gene, I'm sorry, I had to," she whispered softly, watching his eyes look at hers.

" Please, just promise me, you'll try and rest when we get back?" he asked her and Lizzie nodded. Gene then turned around to face front again and Lizzie carefully placed a hand on his shoulder to rub it gently.

She didn't know it yet but it calmed his nerves as they approached Bastogne.

The entire drive in, Lizzie watched Skinny worriedly, his facial features contorting with each bump in the road or swerve the jeep had to make. But once they entered Bastogne, her eyes widened. The city seemed to be in ruins, soldiers and people milling about amongst the rubble, snow and slush lining the streets and sides of buildings, it looked like a mess.

" All the tanks, artillery, are pulled back to here. We've got no back-up beyond Bastogne, this is it. The Krauts captured the 326th medical and they took everybody. Doctors, medics, the whole shebang. We got nothin'. They're giving the boys hooch for the pain." the driver said to them as they drove through, and Lizzie's heart sunk at the sight of it all. When they pulled up, two stretcher bearers came out of the church that seemed deemed as the aid station. Lizzie quickly got out of the jeep with Gene, and watched as Gene and the driver moved Skinny to the stretcher. She worriedly bit her lip as he cried out in utter pain.

" He took a mortar hit, watch the leg." Gene said as Skinny was comfortably situated onto the stretcher.

" Yeah, watch the leg." Skinny said as the two stretchers turned and began moving Skinny in.

" Get him in." Gene said. Lizzie was quiet as she came up on Gene's side and both medics looked towards the piles of dead bodies that lined the streets. Lizzie sucked in a nervous breath, as she looked at the sight, before glancing back at Gene, who gently put a hand on her shoulder. She nodded and followed by Gene's side into the aid station.

As they entered the aid station, the smell of blood, and snow hit her nose immediately as men in the opening, to what was the church, lined the sides, clearing a path for the wounded that entered and left.

" Coming through!" Gene called as Lizzie met the eyes of wounded men, men who had already seen a good part of the war. Lizzie gave a small, warm smile before following Gene down the stairwell. They moved down into the base of the church and Gene slowed. Lizzie slowly came up behind him and her eyes widened. The base of the church was filled with injured men. Stretchers and medics and nurses littered the inside. Someone rushed up past Lizzie and Gene and Lizzie moved to the side quickly, her heart racing, as she watched the medic disappear. He was going back to the line. And his face had seemed so sad.

" Oh, no, no, no, here, put him here." a voice called, and Lizzie and Gene watched as a French nurse came hurrying forward to where Skinny and his stretcher was.

" Yes ma'am." the two responded. Lizzie came up on Gene's side and watched, as if they were in the background, unable to help.

" Is he bad?" the nurse asked Gene.

" No, lower leg wound, no morphine." Gene said and Lizzie nodded. She felt her small hands grip the strap of the medic satchel as her eyes slowly looked out towards the other injured people. She had to turn and look back at Skinny. The nurse inspected his leg and Skinny grimaced in pain at it. Gene stepped past Lizzie.

" Nurse, have you got plasma I can-"

" Wait, please." the nurse said and stopped Gene. Lizzie met Gene's already stressed eyes, and her heart sank. She watched Gene bite back his lip, as he looked at the person in front of him. He had a neck wound, and he was unconscious. Lizzie turned and watched Gene walk in and look at the other room, just on the edge. Lizzie turned back and looked towards Skinny.

" It hurts, Doc." he said as he sat up and grabbed at his leg. Lizzie held a small, sympathetic smile on her lips as she walked forward to his side.

" I know," she said and fumbled her fingers together in front of her, glancing down at the wound on his leg," you'll heal up, though, Skinny, it's not major at all. If anything 1 or 2 months."

" Hey, what's going on here, why aren't these men evacuated?" she heard a voice say and both Skinny and Lizzie looked and saw Gene walking towards a medic working over and injured man.

" We can't evacuate, we're cut off." the medic told Gene exhaustedly, " This is as far as it goes." She watched Gene's face continue to scrunch up in confusion as he went and looked at the other half of the church of even more wounded men. Lizzie looked over when she saw the nurse coming towards her with alcohol, exactly like the jeep driver said. Gene walked back over and Lizzie met his eyes. His eyes had never looked more stressed filled. Lizzie watched him for a moment before looking back at Skinny.

The nurse next to her poured Skinny a shot of alcohol and handed it to him. She started speaking in French with the other nurse that came up to Skinny and began looking at his leg wound. Lizzie watched as Skinny slowly sipped the drink. The nurse slowly reached up and put a hand to Skinny's head, as he looked to her, as if he'd seen an angel.

" I'm in heaven, Doc." Skinny said to both Gene and Lizzie, in a daze. Lizzie smiled.

" Nurse?" Gene said firmly.

" This way," the nurse answered and Lizzie watched as both Gene and the nurse walked away and out of sight, Gene giving her a run down of the low supplies they didn't have. Lizzie looked back at Skinny who was still sipping the alcohol, as the other nurse examined the leg wound he had.

" I have to go see if I can get supplies, to keep the men and women back on the line warm. It seems they have things outside," Lizzie said to the man. He looked at her with a pained smile.

" Of course," he said, " take care of them." Lizzie nodded with a smile. She leaned forward and hugged Skinny around his neck tightly, before pulling back.

" I'll see you soon," she said with a small smile. He nodded. Lizzie slowly backed away gripping her medic satchel and then slowly went up the stairs. She went up to the area where a bunch of other wounded men, who weren't in as serious of a situation stood and she gave a tiny smile before walking outside into the snowy wasteland again. She glanced around and then saw a pile of coats that she had seen previously as they were walking in. She quickly walked over and crouched down next to it and began searching through the fabric, her eyes finding piece after piece of clothing in the pile, her eyes warming at the sight of finding some sort of warmth. She piled up as many coats as she could in her arms, and looked at another coat.

" Lizzie!" she heard a voice call. She turned and saw it was Gene, coming out of the aid station with a box of supplies. She quickly stood and hurried over to him with a bunch of coats.

" Find some stuff?" he asked her and she nodded. Then he caught sight of the driver that had brought them in.

" Can you get us back to the line?" Gene called to him.

" Sure." he said and took the box from Gene. Gene then turned and grabbed a pair of boots. For Joe Toye. She remembered Gene mentioning something about that to her. Lizzie followed the jeep driver to the jeep and got herself situated in the back, looking at the large amount of coats that sat by her side and began looking through them.

" Eugene!" Lizzie heard a voice yell and it sounded like the nurse. Lizzie slowly shifted around to watch Gene stop and look towards the French nurse. A small smile fell on her lips. The nurse threw something his way.

" Chocolat. Pour vous." she said, and Gene nodded with a rare smile. Lizzie felt her heart warm at seeing Gene smile. She hadn't seen Gene smile in so long and it was beginning to worry her. Gene jumped back up into the truck and glanced at Lizzie who was already smiling at her medic friend. He smiled back. She gently reached forward and placed her hand on his shoulder and gently rubbed it.

" Patrol?" Hazel asked Catherine as the two walked side by side toward the group that was gathered at Father Maloney's truck for prayer.

" Yeah, Battalion wanted it," Catherine said letting out a shiver, " For what? God only knows."

" What good am I going to do on a patrol?" Hazel asked her, shaking her head with s sigh.

" Oh you know, just throwing a sniper on the lost of eligible patrol members so they can see a smile on Sink's face," Catherine said a bit sarcastically, with a shrug. Hazel snickered as Catherine smirked. The two arrived at the sight and got down and entered the prayer with the rest of the men who were on patrol. Hazel softly shut her eyes, as she stayed on her knees. God willing she hoped they'd be protected. When the amen rang out, so did the entrance of a jeep.

" Fight well for your god and your country." Father Maloney told them, and Hazel looked at him with a nod, " God bless you all, and stay safe." Hazel stood and turned and saw Lizzie and Gene coming forward with supplies in their hands. Returning from the aid station.

Gene was talking softly to Lizzie, and Hazel gratefully watched a smile appear on Lizzie's face.

Leave it to Gene to take care of Lizzie and force her to be taken care of by someone other than herself.

Thank God for Eugene Roe.

" That's it, guys, nothing more to worry about. We're gonna die now, we're gonna die in a state of grace." Skip said and Catherine looked at him with a smile.

" I hear ya Skip," she said putting a helmet on her head. Skip grinned proudly at the Lieutenant.

" Isn't that right, Babe?" Skip called to Babe at Catherine's side. Hazel slowly adjusted her helmet to her head and glanced over and watched the 3 medics look at her each other and begin talking to each other. Gene had boots and a box of supplies, and Lizzie had a bunch of coats. Gene gently talked to Lizzie and she nodded with a smile before walking away with Spina by her side. Then she watched Gene began walking towards her. The two began a quick pace side by side.

" Are you coming on patrol instead?" she asked quietly.

" I'm gonna try, save Spina and Lizzie from doing so," he said quietly and Hazel quirked a smile his way. Catherine was nearby to where Peacock and Johnny were talking about the patrol in general. Even though Peacock was leading, Johnny would technically be 2nd in Command and Catherine was there for a 3rd leadership spot; she had a map.

" Tactical columns, ladies and gentlemen!" Johnny turned and called as Catherine watched Gene and Hazel came hurrying up. Catherine turned and followed with Peacock but glanced back as Johnny stopped both Gene and Hazel.

" Doc, Doc, it's a combat patrol." Johnny told Gene holding him back as he met Catherine's gaze back to him.

" Why don't you stay back and keep your ass out of trouble, huh?" Johnny told him as Hazel watched the two look at each other.

" Yes, sergeant." Gene said and Johnny nodded. Johnny turned to Hazel.

" Tiny, if you want, hang back with Doc, here, close range sniping will get you killed," Johnny said and Hazel nodded, " I don't need you killed either." His smile was genuine as she nodded.

" Of course," she said to Johnny, and stood by Gene's side with wide, anxious eyes, seeing Johnny and the rest of the patrol disappear. Her and Gene were both silent as they watched the patrol walk further away through the snow.

Hazel gripped her weapon close by to herself, as she gulped. Gene looked anxious and worried as well, his gaze unsettled as the two finally met each other's eyes. Hazel and Gene moved to sit near a tree; more like Hazel sat herself up on her stomach, with her sniper peaking through the heavy fog that blanketed the forest, and Gene sat idly beside her. She had seen enough of his worried expressions through the years to know that his worry was reaching the top of boiling point.

Between the way his face was scrunched up, and his mouth was drawn into a thin line and his eyes were dead set on whatever was going on out in front of him, the worry had never been more prominent.

Hazel was worried as well; back at The Island, whenever she did patrols, no matter if they were reconnaissance, night or day patrols, she always, no matter what went with the group, even if she was a sniper.

Hazel wasn't sure if Johnny felt something bad was to happy, but she knew he had good reason for keeping her back and behind and not bringing her on the patrol.

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hey!! thanks so much for reading this story, i know i always say it, but i just appreciate it so much!! <3