" The best leaders have a high consideration factor. The really care about their people."

- Brian Tracy

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The night after Foy was secured, Easy thought Mourmelon was their newest destination, but Sink said one more time and they were off to Noville and then to Rachamps for one more time.

Mourmleon would have to wait.

But after Rachamps there was complete and utter bliss.

When Lizzie slowly stepped into the convent, all she felt was warmth, a warmth she hadn't felt in so long, and there was a soft glow practically everywhere, lighting up people's faces in a soft hue of orange flames from candles. Lizzie's feet slowly dragged across the wooden floor of the convent as her eyes slowly settled on each man that rested in the convent in the pews. Lizzie looked up towards the roof and the ceiling of the convent, her eyes shining. It was so warm and so welcoming.

Lizzie softly glanced towards Gene, who sat, adjusting Frank who had gotten a bullet in his butt. Gene slowly turned and met her gaze, and she watched a gentle smile bloom on his face. Lizzie's heart felt warm.

She had seen Gene struggling out in Bastogne, struggling to cope, to remain oddly enough human, just like them all. Seeing Gene warm and happy made her happy for him - he deserved it.

Lizzie slowly glanced towards the softly singing choir, before slowly stepping towards Gene. She moved in beside him and she slowly rested her weary body down in the pew next to Gene, letting her sore muscles melt into the seat. Lizzie felt a small smile on her face as the choir singers sang their beautiful song. It was so peaceful, all of it.

Lizzie really wished Hazel were here now.

To see it all.

To sit with her friends in the warmth and smile. She wished Hazel could've seen the smile that was on Shifty's face right now, or the soft looks from Joe. Joe had her bracelet out again. Lizzie smiled softly. Lizzie then glanced towards Gene beside her.

His face was relaxed, his eyes shining from the way the candles that were lit seemed to shine in his eyes, and there was the faint hint of a smile on his lips. It was like he caught her looking as he glanced towards her slowly. Lizzie watched him with a soft look. He looked more relaxed than ever as he sat there. Especially for a medic.

Lizzie hoped he'd stay this gentle.

It was a nice change.

Lizzie smiled a bit wider, before she let her head rest against Gene's shoulder and stay there. His arm slowly wrapped around her shoulders as she let her tired, weary eyes shut. He was so warm, and his godly touch was what Lizzie needed.

Sometimes human touch was even more important than anything that could be said, Hazel taught her that.

Catherine stood outside, looking out towards the stars, something she would've expected to do with Hazel right now not just herself. A cigarette hung off of her lip, a gentle stream of smoke flowing from it, keeping her warm.

" Lieutenant," a voice said and Catherine looked over to see it was Lieutenant Speirs, the newly appointed CO. Catherine remembered Hazel saying back in Aldbourne in August, saying that she adored Speirs, just for the way he had approached the war in general. Catherine felt a tug at her heart that Hazel couldn't be here to witness this happen.

" Hi, sir." she said, pulling out the old and tattered box of cigarettes she carried around and held one out towards the man. She watched Speirs smile under the light glow of the lights that hung at the entrance of the convent. He gently reached forward and took it before placing it on his lip. Catherine brought out the lighter and lit up his smoke for him. She nodded as he took in a drag and then blew out the smoke, it was as if it had turned to ice.

" Thank you," Speirs said and Catherine nodded.

" I should probably be telling you that, sir." she said glancing up towards him, " For what you did for the company." Speirs watched her.

" Our sniper, Hazel Parker, she would've been happy to know it was you who took over." Catherine said, " She thought you were brave, she always said so." Speirs looked out towards the stars and Catherine could see the smile on his face.

" I heard what happened to her," Speirs said, his voice gentle, " I'm sorry. I know you 3 must've been close." Catherine smiled sadly.

" She was just always there, sir, ya know? She likes my sister." Catherine said and she watched Speirs look at her.

" Like the Amazons." Speirs said and Catherine grinned. She nodded.

" I guess you can say that, sir." Catherine said.

" I remember when I first heard about Operation Virago, I was in OCS when the news broke." Speirs told her, " Lot of guys weren't fans of it, I was." Catherine raised a brow.

" Really, sir?" she asked him. Speirs glanced towards her, a smirk on his face.

" Surprised?" Speirs asked her taking another drag of her smoke. Her eyes widened.

" No, no!" Catherine said," Maybe, I don't, we just assumed."

" It was right of you too, there were a lot of guys who went through certain extremities for it all." Speirs said, " I was sick to my stomach, but I just ignored them, stuck with myself." Catherine watched him.

" I always thought you all were brave, for what you did, risking your lives to be up on the front lines." Speirs said, and smiled at her, " No one would believe, especially coming from me, but I've always thought that." Catherine smiled, never judge a book by its cover.

" Can I tell you something, sir?" she asked him, glancing towards him in the darkness. Speirs nodded, face dropping into a serious spectrum.

" Out there, in the Ardennes, when Hazel got hit, I...I hit a breaking point and I've been too scared to admit it to any of the guys I really know. Just telling you, and I hope you take no offense sir, but someone I don't know yet completely, I just know you'll listen. Even though I know they will, they just, they've been through too much." Catherine said and Speirs watched her gaze gently with a nod.

" None taken, Lieutenant." he said and she grinned softly.

" I was just stressed, ya know? I couldn't get answers from Dike and I was trying to keep the NCOs in order and trying to make sure people were okay and I was doing reports daily on the geography, it was just a lot and I guess that hit it off." she said softly.

" I guess it was more of just needing someone to listen, someone who hasn't experienced the pain you have." Speirs said and Catherine nodded. Maybe you understood some people more than you thought you would.

" Thank you, sir...for listening." she said, taking a smoke drag. Speirs looked at her and nodded, a small smile on his face.

" I have to head up to Battalion, drop off these reports, but you get warm alright?" Speirs told her.

" Yes, sir." she answered a small smile on her face, " You too, sir." Speirs slowly glanced at her. Speirs let out a tiny chuckle as he took one final drag of the burning cigarette on his lip.

" Quite the line there, McCown, smooth if you want to call it that." Speirs said and Catherine smirked proudly.

" Would you rather I stutter?" she said and Speirs chuckled, as he put his helmet on his head.

" I think Winters would grow too concerned for that," Speirs said and Catherine grinned at him a small laugh leaving her lips.

" Probably would," she said. Speirs smiled before glancing up at the entrance to the convent.

" I'll see you around, Lieutenant, get some rest." he called as he headed out into the snow, through the darkness of Rachamps. Catherine smiled softly before turning and stomping out the cigarette to head inside.

Once she entered, she felt a warmth, that flowed through her numb body, bringing a reality back to her, one that she had been missing. She sat down alone, she needed to, and stared up at the ceiling where little candles lined against the windows near the top. She watched them glow, their bright lights providing a sense of hope even in this darkening time.

Suddenly her mind floated to Bill and her heart sank inside her chest. Bill had been the friend she had never imagined being able to get out here, out here with all this chaos. And now he was gone. Tears welled in her eyes as she softly wiped a tear from her cheek, as sniffled softly.

Catherine bit back her trembling lip just thinking of him. He would've liked to have seen the company like this, so calm, so content, so at peace even after all that wore. It was like his soul was left back in Bastogne.

And then all the memories rushed back of Joe Toye and Skip and Penkala and Hoobler and Buck.

Each one of them engraining in her mind as she sat there, with tears in her eyes.

Catherine shut her eyes and tried to rid the memories from her brain but could only let out a shaky sigh. She wished Hazel could see this. She could imagine her, there next to Liebgott probably telling him about the stars she could see through the stain glass, with a smile, unchanged by war on her face. Her heart fell. Catherine let a tear slip past her cheek as she hastily wiped it away again. She'd let her guard down in Bastogne, horribly and she'd let these men see her at her lowest, her weakest, where she physically couldn't lead like the Lieutenant she was and that hurt. That she couldn't lead them in those moments where they looked to her.

" Can I sit?" a voice asked and Catherine looked up with tear filled eyes to see Winters standing there. Catherine nodded and shifted over in the empty pew to let the Battalion leader slowly sit beside her. He was quiet. Which was odd. Usually he had a purpose when coming up to talk; now he was quiet. Catherine glanced his way.

" Sir?" she asked him. Winters looked at her and offered a smile.

" You doing okay?" he asked her. Catherine averted her eyes, looking down with a sigh and shaking her head.

" I let them down out there," she whispered softly, " the whole time. I let my damn emotions get in the way."

" You care for the men, Catherine," Winters said, " emotions are emotions, I wouldn't get to hung up on it, I mean look where we are." Catherine felt a smile touch her face.

" Right," she said.

" And I mean hey, we got rid of Dike didn't we? Who couldn't be happier about that?" Winters said and Catherine snorted even.

" We did, didn't we?" she said and Winters even had a smirk on his face. Catherine smiled softly.

" Thanks for that," she said, and Winters smiled with a small nod.

" Remember, back in Aldbourne, that conversation we had? About leadership?" she asked him softly, her eyes trailing to his. Winters nodded.

" My perspective hasn't changed much even since jumping into war," she said sadly, folding her hands together, " I thought it would. Leadership is lonely." Catherine met his eyes and Winters gave a small, curt smile before gently leaning forwards on the pew.

" Lonelier than you think, right?" he said looking over at her. Catherine nodded.

" Very much so." she said with a sad smile, " I feel like I did what I could for the men and women, I gave it my all, I just don't think it was enough, we still lost people."

" These men, they know you're a good leader, they all do and they trust you and rally around you, and they know you did what you could you tried your hardest. But people aren't perfect, leader's aren't perfect, they just make the decisions one feels they have to make it the situation that helps them come out at the best possible situation. And you lose men in war, it's inevitable with the modern war." Winters said and Catherine watched him and softly smiled with a nod.

" I just wish I could go back and changes things, the way I did them." she said.

" But look at all this," Winters said, glancing out towards the men, " you wouldn't be here now. You did what you could out there, Catherine, we all did, as leaders. As a leader yourself, you did what you could for these men. That's all they could ask, to give them your all." Catherine softly smiled and nodded.

" And you're not alone, you know, you got Nix, me, Speirs now, Harry when he returns, Lip, all of us," Winters said, " we all lead together in Easy, even if I am Company Commander, I still think of you all." Catherine smiled.

" I know you would." she said, " As a former Sergeant in the company, you never forget the men you trained for war with." Winters smiled and nodded.

" No you don't." he said and Catherine smiled.

" Thank you, Dick, really." she said and Winters smiled.

" Get some rest," Winters said as he slowly stood up and moved out of the pew slowly adjusting his helmet to his head.

" Oh, Dick," she said and he turned to her.

" Are we moving off the line?" she asked him. Winters bit back his lip and then glanced around before stepping towards her.

" We're being moved towards Alsace, but don't tell these guys, let them rest tonight without that worry." he said before leaning back with a tiny smile. Catherine nodded and smiled.

" Good night," she said as she slowly adjusted herself and Winters tipped his hat on his head before turning and stepping out. Catherine chuckled to herself.

What a dork.

A funny dork.

Yet a good friend.

A friend she needed.

Who understood leadership like she did even months later.

That night, Catherine let her eyes shut and let herself just be, just be in this silence and the warmth. And she let herself sleep, not in a cold foxhole, but in the warm pew, all alone, resting as comfortable as she had in a month.

When Catherine opened her eyes the following morning, she was warm and well rested. She hadn't felt like this in ages. She slowly sat up and rubbed her eye's and yawned. A bunch of people were still asleep, but Catherine you tell her stomach was rumbling. She figured that she didn't even get up to check on the men. She must've been so exhausted. Catherine yawned and then fully sat up. She could smell breakfast outside, the smell wafting into the church, whenever the door opened, so Catherine slowly moved out of the pew to get some. She walked outside, and immediately sat a bunch of people were awake, well replacements and some officers.

Speirs was there, talking to Winters, as Lip was talking with a few replacements. Nixon was awake, cracking jokes with the cooks that were nearby it seemed as some laughter rose. Even in the darkest times this group could find some laughter and hope. She spent her morning laughing with Nixon, at jokes he told the chef with his crude humor.

Catherine felt an ounce of warmth. If Hazel were here, she would have been laughing beside her, listening to each and every word; now, even if she's not, she's still here.

In the late morning, Easy Company was moved out of Rachamps, leaving the convent behind. Lizzie sat between Malarkey and Lieb, one of the wool caps on her head, on top of her braided hair, across from George, Christenson, Bull and Lip. She felt weary and exhausted, but better knowing that everyone had gotten some much needed rest.

" Hey, look, it's 1st Battalion." George said, and Lizzie turned her head a bit, seeing the soldiers that were walking on either said of them.

" Hey!" George called out and Lizzie smiled, " Hey!'

" What do you want?" one of the soldiers yelled back to him.

" Yeah, thanks for crapping in our foxholes, you shitheads." George said.

" hey, it's our pleasure." the soldier from 1st Battalion called back and Lizzie smiled again, a small laugh escaping her lips.

" Enjoy the walk boys." Bull called out to them. Lizzie smiled and then looked up at the sky, where the sun was shining down on them.

" There they go, Easy Company riding out again." she heard someone call. She smiled, as she looked to the light blue sky and clouds above. There was also hope in darkness, sometimes you just needed to dig further, or search harder for it.

But it's always there.

Hazel would've said that, Lizzie thought, she was like the light in the darkness.



" Beyond the wounded and killed, every man at Bastogne suffered. Men unhit by shrapnel or bullets were nevertheless casualties." - Stephen E. Ambrose

" I'm not sure that anybody who lived through that one hasn't carried with him, in some hidden ways the scars. Perhaps that is the factor that helps keep Easy men bonded so unusually close together." -Captain Richard Winters

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hello!! back with some chapters today!! after this one, they'll be in hazel's pov, until we reach the time of haguenau!! thank you sm for continuing to join me on hazel's journey through war!! i appreciate it sm! <3