" There are some people who could hear you speak a thousand words and still not understand you. And there are others who will understand without you even speaking a word."

- Unknown

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The next morning was just like any other, waking up, Shifty by Hazel's side, the two chatting and heading to the breakfast line, and then heading back to their foxhole, chatting and cleaning their weapons. Hazel and Shifty were sitting side by side, their hands freezing as they attempted their best at cleaning their weapons when Lip came towards them. The two looked up as Lip slowly sat down on the other side of the foxhole.

" What's up, Lip?" Hazel said, as she turned back to her weapon and scrapped at it before handing the pad to Shifty to scrap with.

" OP caught movement from the German side, they're thinking that since the fog has lifted they're gonna be on the move soon," Lip said, " I wanted to make sure you two knew. In case the firing starts, Hazel, you'll move back into a position for sniping." Hazel nodded smiling at him.

" I'm surprised Dike didn't search me out to say that," Hazel said and Lip and Shifty smirked.

" Can't find Dike anywhere, been missing all morning. I figured I'd tell ya in case." Lip said and Hazel smiled.

" Thanks, Lip." she said softly and Lip nodded.

" I'll see you two around, when this starts you know what to do. Stay safe." he said and then got up and got moving, walking around the foxhole and towards the others. Hazel and Shifty turned and watched Lip leave them.



He was more of a CO than Dike will ever be.

Hazel glanced at Shifty and he sighed before looking at her. The two sharpshooters looked back towards their weapons.



" Poor Lip," Hazel said sadly.

" I know," Shifty said.

" Why can't Dike just be where he has to?" Hazel said with a slight scoff. Shifty laughed.

" What?" Hazel asked looking at him with a slight smirk on her face.

" I've never heard you scoff before." Shifty said and then laughed.

" In all the time you've known me, you've never heard me scoff?" Hazel asked with a laugh. Shifty nodded with a laugh. Hazel just shook her head with a smile on her face. Catherine sat crouched by a few foxholes, her eyes never leaving the tree line as she watched tanks slowly but surely rolling in towards the American line. Her eyes were narrowed at the rumbling of the German tanks that slowly pushed out into the open towards them.

" Hold your fire, boys." Catherine heard Lip say as he ran past them, running hunched over as he moved through the levels of the foxholes in attempt to calm them with the onslaught that was about to ensue. Catherine glanced towards where Hazel was set up.

She was alone, but Catherine had positioned herself where she could see a clear path to where Hazel was. Catherine could see Hazel on her stomach, looking through her scope, hers focused and narrowed, gaze unwavering towards the German side. She wouldn't shoot though unless told.

Catherine glanced towards Gene who sat in his foxhole, stiffly and quietly, this time with Lizzie by his side. Even though he had protested her being even involved, she told him she needed to be there for the men, even if she was sick.

So there she was, sick as a dog, pale as ghost, shivering next to Gene in the foxhole. .

" Hold your fire!" someone yelled over the group as Catherine bit her lip. And then all then sudden, explosions ripped off right in their line.

" Stay in your foxholes!" Catherine called over the group as she looked towards the German line again. She looked back just in time to see Smokey get shot. She jumped up quickly and saw Alley and More hurry towards him and lift him out of the foxhole. Catherine threw her weapon over her shoulder and hurried over to them as they began dragging Smokey back.

" Medic!" More screamed, as Catherine arrived at Smokey's head looking down on his pained expression.

" Doc!" Catherine yelled turning towards where she had seen both of them last. She looked back at Smokey, and gently placed her cold hands on the sides of his head.

" You'll be ok," she promised him as she brushed his hair from his face.

" Hi, Mack. Hi, Moe." Smokey said, eyes filled with tears.

" I got it, I'm keeping it for you." Alley said as he pulled Smokey's pistol from his jacket.

" Smoke!" a voice came and Catherine looked up to see Gene's face appearing over top of him. Lizzie wasn't anywhere in sight. Catherine looked up and saw Lizzie over by someone else who was downed, working quickly with the person as she ripped open sulfa with her teeth.

" I can't feel my legs, Gene." Smokey said.

" Take it easy. My foxhole, get the plasma, now!" Gene called to Alley who took off.

" Here they come!" came a call and the trio around Smokey looked up to see the tanks pushing through the German line and out into the open. That's when gunshots exploded and Catherine looked back down at Smokey who groaned.

" You got 'em?" More called to Gene.

" I got 'em, go!" Gene yelled to him. More jumped up and turned jumping into his foxhole.

" Machine guns open fire!" Lip yelled. Catherine looked towards Genes eyes who met hers for a brief second.

" Doc!" a voice called and Alley came running by with the plasma before placing it down and running towards the battle. Explosions ripped off as Gene did his best to get to work on Smokey and Catherine covered his head, her eyes flying through the scene a mile per minute. She saw Smokey begin to move his head and look down.

" Open fire, left!" Lip yelled and Catherine looked back up. The NCOs needed her help. Bullets continued whizzing past and explosions threw dirt and snow into the air, sprinkling down like rain.

" Gene, I gotta go!" she called over the fire fight.

" Go!" Gene yelled at her, and she forced herself up and away, racing forward and pulling her weapon from her shoulder. Catherine moved towards a tree and began shooting at the men in white she saw racing towards her, keeping her mind and gaze focused on the task at hand.

" Keep firing, men!" Catherine turned and yelled towards them as the fight picked up in the snowy wasteland. Catherine turned back to her Thompson and ripped off round after round, before standing and moving positions.

" Keep all concentrated fire on those tanks!" Catherine called as she moved behind a set of machine gunners.

" Keep firing!" she called again, noticing another tank suddenly appear.

" Sergeant Lipton!" Catherine heard a voice call and took a split second to recognize that it was Gene's voice yelling from behind her. She titled her head back to see in time as Lip collapsed at his side. She knew they'd be ok.

That's when Catherine saw Lizzie working behind a bush on another man. Catherine sprinted towards the medic and collapsed by her side making Lizzie look quickly towards her.

" Lizzie!" Catherine called as she scrambled to her knees.

" He'll be fine, I just need to drag him off the line or to a foxhole, but he'll make it!" Lizzie called to her, her voice hoarse.

" Need help?" Catherine called.

" No! You go make sure the men are alright!" Lizzie yelled and Catherine nodded. She gently squeezed Lizzie's shoulder before taking off, knowing at the moment she needed to fill in for the missing Lip who had to help Gene take Smokey off the line.

An explosion went off next to Catherine and she curled into a ball on the ground as dirt sprinkled over top of her and snow melted through her ODs. She looked up again and saw the tanks coming closer, her heart racing.

" Bill!" Catherine called, searching for the man who moved among the foxholes quickly. Her eyes looked for Buck or Peacock or Shames, but she couldn't find them. A body then suddenly flew into her side and she looked over at the person and saw it was Bill.

" What a merry friggin Christmas!" he yelled to her as he struggled to stand up again from barreling full force into him. In all the fire fight, she'd forgotten it was Christmas Eve.

" Where's Lip?" Bill yelled to her.

" He had to help Gene pull Smokey off the line!" Catherine called, and Bill grumbled to himself.

" We need to concentrate fire on the right, all the tanks are moving there!" Bill yelled to her.

" Ok, go!" she called to him and the two parted ways as Catherine moved through the left side and focused fire on the tanks and men that swarmed the right side of the foxholes and gunfire. It resulted in a cold stalemate it seemed when both sides gave up with the battle and nighttime grew near. Christmas Eve and they were fighting. They couldn't even celebrate that.

That night, the food line seemed a bit colder than normal, knowing Smokey had been hit and was paralyzed.

Lizzie had been upset about Smokey; he was part of the core four group she had been with on D-Day, she hadn't imagined Smokey, paralyzed, she couldn't comprehend it. She had all but shoved it from her mind when Gene arrived back at the foxhole and quietly told her. That's when she had all but sighed to herself, cursing this stupid war.

Gene, however, had come back from the aid station in Bastogne, completely and utterly quiet and cut off. Catherine had watched him come back and plant himself by the tree near the food line, but not get any actual food. He sat, staring off, eyes unfocused.

Catherine had a soft spot for the medics of Easy Company.

Lizzie struggling to open a door, Catherine helped her.

Gene having too much to carry, she helped him.

Spina having too many things to do, Catherine found a way to help him.

Oates couldn't get in contact with CP, she took Oates straight to Winters.

She was like that with all the medics.

Because she knew they'd risk their lives for any man of the company.

Catherine though, remained with the rest of the higher ups, beside Nixon, eyes looking at Gene's tiny figure against the tree. Hazel was behind Babe as he got his food and she heard him ask for food for Gene as well. Gene sat cold and lifeless against a tree. And Lizzie was nowhere to be seen. She was most likely resting.

After the battle today, Hazel had seen Lizzie throw up. But Lizzie stood up and walked it off. Now she was most likely sleeping in the medic foxhole and missing a meal. Hazel glanced towards a figure at her side and saw it was Winters, whose eyes were on Gene. Hazel looked over as Domingus filled her tin and watched as Babe approached Gene. Gene didn't even register Babe in front of him, as he stared blankly ahead, his eyes sad. Hazel wanted to hug him, he looked so distraught. Suddenly, the sound of a jeep approaching entered the ears, and Hazel slowly walked away towards where Shifty stood. He smiled at her before pulling up his scarf over his mouth. Colonel Sink jumped out of the jeep.

" Better than sitting down to a Christmas Eve dinner of turkey and hooch back at the Division CP. Damned if I don't like old Joe Domingus' rancid-ass beans better." Sink said as he walked into the group of men. Hazel watched him from besides Shifty, shiveirng.

" Hello, Easy Company." Sink said.

" Hello, sir." came the muddled response. Catherine looked up as Sink came towards Winters. Catherine watched as the two talked together quietly.

" I'd give anything for that turkey leg," Catherine muttered from besides Nixon watched Winters and Sink talk.

" I'd give anything for a cup of that Vat 69." Nixon said.

" How do you know it's Vat 69?" Catherine muttered.

" Oh I know," Nixon said through the cold and Catherine snorted.

" Men! Women!" Sink called as he stepped back so the group could face him.

" General McAuliffe wishes us all a Merry Christmas. What's merry about all this, you ask? Just this. We've stopped cold everything that's been thrown at us from the north, east, south and wet. Now, two days ago the German Commander demanded our honorable surrender to save the USA encircled troops from total annihilation. The German commander received the following reply. To the German Commander, nuts!" Sink said, and giggles broke out among the men. Hazel had to hold back the laugh that wanted to escape as she looked at Shifty's eyes twinkle from behind his scarf.

" We're giving our country and our loved ones at home a worthy Christmas present and being privileged to take part in this gallant feat of arms, we're truly making for ourselves...a Merry Christmas." Sink ended the note looking up at the group.

" Merry Christmas to you all and god bless you." Sink said.

" Merry Christmas, sir." the response came from the officers and a few enlisted as the word nuts sprang up through the air in excitement and hilarity. But Catherine looked at Gene, he had no emotion on his face, staring out towards nothing, his eyes blank, and worry filled.

Catherine's eye didn't tear from Gene's face. He seemed so emotionless and blank and cut off from everyone. Catherine was worried for him.

After Sink had left, and everything had died down, the group went back to receiving their meals, and eating together chattering quietly.

Tab had brought Lizzie a thing of food, which she had all but ate one tiny bite of and then had given up trying to eat, even if she knew she should. She was sick and upset and a reck, but who wasn't. It was nothing new in any sense. Lizzie looked up from where she sat cuddling into a blanket to see Gene softly sliding into the hole. Lizzie met his eyes, sadly, as Gene watched her gaze with his own hardened eyes.

" Did you eat?" she whispered. Gene watched her and then slowly shook his head, eyes never leaving hers. Lizzie bit back her lip, with exhausted eyes. She slowly scooped up a tiny bit of food on the spoon and then looked over at Gene.

" You have to eat." she whispered again, watching him. Gene barely even seemed to register the words as he stared at her. Lizzie slowly brought the spoon closer to his lips and Lizzie watched as he slowly opened his mouth up a tiny bit. He took the food with ease as she then scooped the spoon back into the cold food. She glanced towards Gene again who softly ate the food, eyes distant.



But he was eating.

And so, in the silence, Lizzie managed to get Gene to eat a portion of food, and have his belly filled.

And he took each scoopful, even if his poor, tired eyes could barely meet her own. But they were medics and if at the moment they couldn't help others, they helped each other.

With Gene and Lizzie, they didn't need to talk to understand each other. Both knew that the other was hurting and that they were going through their own mental battles. But they knew they had each other and that was enough. Lizzie slowly pulled the blanket from her and crawled in next to Gene, lying the blanket over both of them. He looked down at her, his eyes blank and unfocused, more blurred than normal.

She didn't ask him what was wrong, there was too many openings for that.

She just brought the blanket up around him, and cuddled into his side, taking his hands in hers as she encased his freezing fingers in her slightly chilled mittens. Gene gently let his head rest on top of hers as his body went slack. Lizzie sniffled from next to him, clasping his hands tightly in her hands. She just wanted him to be ok.

" Merry Christmas, Gene," she whispered softly, her voice mixing with the German's singing Silent Night, as Lizzie's head swam.

" Merry Christmas, cherie." came Gene's quiet whisper back, his voice quiet and hoarse. Lizzie simply cuddled into his side more, trying to provide as much warmth as she could.

Because he needed it more than her right now.

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