Evelyn's Tale

-Twelve-

D-Day plus two

Easy Company, well what there was of Easy Company, had helped to secure the town of Culloville by very early the next morning. Lieutenant Winters had ordered them to all get some sleep wherever they could until they received orders to move out again. Everyone else seemed to be managing to do just that, apart from Evelyn. She just couldn't settle, no matter how hard she tried. She felt like she was on tenterhooks waiting for more of the guys to show up. Not to mention that sleeping on the cold ground of the town square wasn't exactly comfortable. To be fair, even when they had done countless training exercises back in Camp Mackall or in Aldbourne, she had struggled sleeping then. There was just something about sleeping in the great outdoors that bothered her. Perhaps it was because she was a born and bred city girl? Or more likely because even during training they knew that they had to be alert for possible dangers? And now this wasn't training. The dangers they were staying alert for were actually very real. She sighed. Sleep definitely wasn't going to come. She stood up, her legs numb from having been sat on the ground for so long. She stretched and began to walk across the square. She had just gotten to the edge of the square when she heard a voice in the shadows of an empty shop doorway.

"Damn it, Lieb, you frightened me half to death," she gasped, putting a hand to her chest and feeling her heart thudding wildly underneath it. Liebgott smirked, the glow from his cigarette the only light illuminating his face in the otherwise pitch dark.

"Sorry," he said, shifting over on the step to make space for her to sit down. "Why aren't you asleep?"

"Why aren't you asleep?" she asked, sitting and stretching her feet out in front of her.

"Not tired," Liebgott shrugged.

"Me neither," she said. "Actually no, that's a lie. I am tired but I just can't sleep knowing everyone else is still out there somewhere, you know?"

"I know," Liebgott looked at her, and for a moment just held her gaze until the intensity of it made her look away. He obviously sensed her unease because he changed the subject. "I got a letter from my mom just before we jumped."

"Oh yeah?"

"Uh huh," he nodded, flicking his finished cigarette on the floor. "Remember my sister, Rachel, who I told you about? The one who's fiancé ruined their engagement party and almost sent my mom into an early grave?" Evelyn nodded and chuckled, remembering the story. "Well, turns out they had to get married last month, because she's managed to get herself knocked up."

"That's great news. And such a nice way to put it by the way," Evelyn snorted. "Uncle Joe. It's got a good ring to it. Your family must be so happy."

"You reckon?" he chuckled. "My mom's overjoyed. Not that I'm surprised. She's obsessed with kids, especially babies. She's always harping on about becoming an Oma; that's Austrian for Grandma, by the way. But my Dad, on the other hand, is fuming. He's not happy that they've been doing the deed..." he wriggled his eyebrows suggestively, and smirked when he saw a faint blush creep up Evelyn's neck. He loved the way she blushed at the slightest thing. It was ridiculously endearing. "...and they're not married. Even though they got married before the secret could get past anyone other than the immediate family, my mom said he's still refusing to talk to either of them."

"My dad would probably be the same," she said. "What is it you once told me? That it's a big brother's prerogative to look out for his little sisters? Well, imagine being their dad, and that feeling is probably amplified about a hundred times. And you know what? Once the baby comes, he'll probably have gotten over it. Nobody can stay mad when there's a baby about."