"Okay, just weapons and ammo! Drop everything else!" Winters was calling out to the members of Easy Company who were preparing to attack the guns firing on Utah Beach. Asa slung her pack over her shoulder, letting it plop on the ground, and checked her pockets to make sure all of her ammunition was there. The air around the men was stiff, and you could tell there wasn't a soul there that wasn't afraid. None of them would dare admit it, but each were terrified in their own way.

"Lieutenant, sir?" A small, wide-eyed soldier wandered up next to Winters, drawing the attention of the guys around him, "I was wondering, sir," he continued, "need an extra hand?"

Asa snorted.

"Ain't you Sink's jeep driver?" Joe Toye asked, giving the kid an annoyed glance.

"So?" He asked, returning him with a look of confusion.

"What's your name, trooper?" Winters asked without looking at him.

"Lorraine, sir."

Winters turned to him and gave him a nod and a pat on the shoulder, "You're with Asa and me, Lorraine."

The kid did a double take when Asa shoved a clip into her rifle and also nodded at him. He stared at her a moment before saying, "My name's Lorraine."

"I heard." She said bluntly, brushing past him to follow Winters who called, "Compton, Second Squad!"

"Alright you heard, him let's move, let's move!"

After jogging a ways, they crept up to some bushes, Asa, Winters, and Lorraine having followed Buck and the Second Squad. The deafening boom of the heavy artillery in front of them sent vibration's through Asa's chest. Their company fanned out, running low against the bushes and through the small gardens left behind by fleeing civilians.

Asa and Lorraine followed Winters up the side of a small cabbage patch, ducking low in the weeds while he entered an abandoned car to get a better look at the gun that was in front of them. He hopped out and signaled for them to follow him, patting Buck's shoulder as he ran past him. Buck, too followed, and he and the Lieutenant crouched together to discuss a strategy. Next to Buck was a two man machine gun team, who nodded when Winters told them to concentrate their fire on the three canons that lay just behind the bush line.

Buck and Winters huddled together to peer through the bushes, and Asa heard Buck say, "MG-42's."

"We'll draw their fire to the right from the truck." Winters panted, "Take two men and hit them from the left. Okay, go." Winters hopped up and ran back over to where Lipton crouched by the abandoned car. He instructed something and yelled Lorraine's name, and the soldier went running. Asa heard Winters say sternly, "Don't give away your position until you have to, and I want that TNT as soon as you see we captured that first gun." He turned to Asa and nodded, calling back to Lipton, "Go."

In the matter of seconds, hand signals went flying and the squads were good to go. Winters waved Asa up to him and asked, "Ready?"

"Let's give 'em hell." She whispered, though her heart was pounding against her chest and she was sweating like no other. Her hands were shaking so bad she didn't even know if she'd be able to pull the trigger of her rifle.

Winters gave the signal, and the machine gun to their right opened fire on the first gun. The Germans began shouting and dove into their makeshift foxhole, returning fire. Winters, too, was firing in their direction, so Asa figured it was what she was supposed to be doing. She rose up the rifle, looking down the long barrel at the Germans ducking behind their sandbags as American bullets wumped against them. One poked his head over them, grabbing his machine gun to fire in their direction. She aimed at his head, but when she brushed her finger against the trigger, she found that she was frozen. She tried to force herself to squeeze it, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't. It was a clear shot, so why couldn't she take it?

Gradually, more and more rifles on their line started popping off rounds, the sounds of warfare echoing throughout the landscape. In her hesitation, Asa saw Buck and Guarnere moving in toward their target.

The Germans finally discovered her and Winters, and a hail of bullets tore into the ground and brush in front of them. Asa ducked further into the bushes, as did Winters, covering her head with her arms. In the moment that it had died down, she turned around and started firing in their direction with no real aim. A blast of dirt and rocks erupted from the first gun, signaling that Buck and the others had started their attack.

Winters leaped forward, waving his arm above his head, and shouted, "Let's go, let's go!" Asa jumped after him, along with the others and he called back to them, "Follow me!"

Asa kept her eyes trained on his back, while watching the surrounding area with her peripherals. Bullets whizzed past her with a terrifying hum, tearing into the ground in front of and around her. She could hear her breathing coming in ragged gasps, and feel her feet pounding into the soft earth. Someone to her right jerked to the side and fell, but she didn't have time to see who it was. A blast rocked the earth in front of her, and she grabbed onto her helmet to keep it from falling off from the impact.

Everywhere men were shouting, sprays of dirt erupting into the air, and the evil hiss of bullets whizzed past them. The only thing they could do was run across that open space and hope to God they didn't get hit.

Winters dove into the trench in front of him, Asa barely on top of him. Behind them, someone shouted in pain and fell just short of the trench. He shouted, "Fuck!" trying to drag himself in. Asa grabbed the straps of his ammunition bag and pulled him forward into the ditch. "Shit, I'm sorry, sir. I screwed up!" The man was shouting. Asa finally figured out that it was Popeye.

Joe Toye shoved Asa out of the way to attend to Popeye, his hands fumbling with something in his bag. Winters fired off a round, and Asa watched as a stick dropped down next to them. "Grenade!" Winters shouted, "Toye! Roll out!"

Joe ducked over the wounded soldier in time to miss the blast, as dirt and smoke rained down on them, clinking with their helmets. "You're one lucky bastard, Joe!" A familiar voice shouted over the mortar rounds.

Asa popped her head over Winters' shoulder to find Guarnere crouched in front of them, smiling like a devil. She couldn't help but smile and shout, "They didn't get you yet?"

"I was just about to ask you the same thing." He called.

She shook her head, "Nah, ain't that easy. I knew Capone, remember?"

Winters started forward, slapping Guarnere on the shoulder, and shouted, "Guarnere, Malarkey, Lorraine, secure that gun!" He kept running, Asa at his heels, and was shouting, "Covering fire, covering fire!"

As she ran, she couldn't help but watch him in awe. He was in complete control and command, leading the men with a confidence that she didn't think she'd be able to pull off. He hardly looked afraid, and she imagined it was because he didn't really have time to. In that moment, he was amazing.

He came to a stop just behind a corner, nearly making her run into him, and peered around the corner. Asa gripped her gun and popped her head over the trench, firing a few rounds in the direction of the enemy gunfire. She snapped her attention back to the Lieutenant, who had shot a few rounds off and then started in her direction again. She ducked around the corner to see two German soldiers lying on the dirt. She stared at them for a moment, before following him back from where they came.

They reached a still agonized Popeye, who was being attended to by Buck. Winters stopped next to him and asked, "How bad is it?"

"I'm sorry, sir, I didn't mean to fuck up." Popeye said frantically, holding himself up on his elbows, "I don't think it's too bad."

They all ducked from gunfire, before Winters asked, "Think you can make it back by yourself?"

"I think so, sir." He nodded.

Buck and Winters got on either side of him, Buck telling him to drop his weapon, and together they hoisted the wounded Popeye carefully over the side of the trench. "Keep down!" Winters shouted, while throwing him his rifle. Asa was slung over the other side of the trench, firing her gun to cover the other three. A German had popped out from behind his cover, and one of her bullets sliced into his shoulder. She watched as he dropped his gun and grabbed his shoulder, face contorted into an agonized cry.

Winters grabbed her shoulder as he ran forward, and she dropped back behind cover to follow him. Behind them, she heard Buck yell, "Grenade!" and the following explosion, but she didn't have time to look back to see if they were alright. From the pursuing footsteps, she knew that they had to be.

Confirming her relief, Buck brushed past her to duck into a culvert with Winters, the both of them eyeing the second gun. After popping out, they pulled out grenades, and Asa followed suit. She pulled the pin and threw it ahead of her, along with all of the others. It was the first time she'd used one in combat.

Before the blasts even erupted, Winters was running toward the gun. "Let's go!"

The blasts lit up in front of them, and they charged through the smoke and heat into the canopy. The Germans didn't even have time to know what was happening as the bullets from Easy Company took their lives. One of them, though, held up his hands in surrender, continually saying something in German. "Shut up!" Toye shouted, pointing his gun at him, "Shut the fuck up!" When the German still didn't stop his blubbering, Toye punched him in the face with his brass knuckles, effectively knocking him out.

Buck and Winters were again strategizing, pointing at the next gun. Asa grabbed Toye's shoulder and pointed along with them saying, "Look at that! Their machine guns are firing on their own guys!"

"Someone's getting an ass chewing later." He grinned, "How you doing?"

"Fine I think." She gripped her gun tight, "You?"

He wiped his nose, "I survived two grenades, so I'm doing pretty well."

"Toye! Cover the Lieutenant!" Buck shouted as Winters hopped down from his perch. He jerked his head forward and shouted, "This is where you come in, Asa!"

She ran next to him and asked, "What do you need, sir?"

"Keep an eye out for Lip, I need that TNT pronto!"

"Got it!"

They kept running till they were back at the first gun, and Asa threw herself against the sand bags next to Guarnere and shouted in his ear, "Where's Lipton with that TNT?"

"Don't know, doll!" He shouted back, firing his gun. A group of men, some looking to be from Abel Company, dove into the canopy, and he grinned saying, "Howdy, Cowboy!"

Asa was confused until the dirt-covered Lorraine said, "Shut your ginny trap, Gonorrhea."

Guarnere turned to Asa and motioned with his gun to Lorraine, "He's alright, that kid."

Behind her, Winters was shouting that he needed ammo and TNT, and a wide-eyed Private Hall sitting across from him pulled a bag into his lap, saying, "I've got TNT!"

"Good job, Private." Winters said.

Hall shakily put the TNT into the barrel of the cannon, turning to look back at Winters, "I don't have anything to set it off, sir!"

Asa looked to her right, at a box of grenades sitting tucked away in some sand bags. She dove forward, ducking from some gunfire, and grabbed one of them. She hurriedly made her way to where Hall and Winters were, and handed them the grenade, "Here, sir!"

Winters took it with a nod and said, "Good thinking, Private." He quickly unscrewed it and shoved it down by the TNT, pulling the string. He barreled around the gun, "Fire in the hole!" and took cover with the rest of them. A sharp ping rang in her ears, as Asa looked up at the jagged, sheered off barrel of what used to be the first gun. She couldn't help the laugh that escaped her throat, and clapped Hall on the back, "Bad ass!"

He grinned, his helmet falling over his eyes, "Oh, thanks!"

"Hall! Asa! Let's go!"

They both jumped and headed to where Winters was making his way back to the second gun, along with Lorraine and Malarkey, the machine gunners giving them covering fire. Lorraine and Malarkey held the box of grenades in between them as they ran.

Suddenly a German soldier jumped out in front of Winters, who didn't have enough room to swing his gun up. Lorraine and Malarkey had their hands full with the grenades, so that left only Asa. Before she knew what she was even doing, she brought her gun up and sent three rounds into the German's chest. His head snapped forward as he fell backwards, his back hitting the ground hard.

Malarkey and Lorraine kept running past him, on to the next gun.

Asa stared at him, at his blood soaking the ground around him. It was as if the world around her had slowed, the deafening mortar rounds and gunfire were now soft little pops in the background. She approached him slowly, and found that he was still alive, but barely. She crouched down next to him, her eyes traveling to the three torn holes in his uniform and the red that was devouring the tan fabric. His chest rose and fell spasmodically, shaking hands pressed against it to try and stop the bleeding. His wild eyes looked up at her as he coughed up a stream of blood. She stared down at him, still in shock, and covered one of his hands with hers. His eyes never left her face as he gurgled, "Shon."

His chest stopped moving, and the horrible gurgling noise he made as he tried to breath turned silent. She had killed him. She had killed someone. With her own two hands, she had ended a life.

"Asa!" She heard faintly, though her mind didn't process it at first.

"Asa!" Someone grabbed her shoulder, and she was suddenly staring at Winters' face. He was breathing heavily and sweating, the dirt sticking to his face. He glanced down at the dead German soldier, and then back at her. He gripped her shoulder tighter, staring into her eyes, "I need you right now, alright?" He said gently.

She shook her head and snapped out of her shock, the sounds of gunfire again drowning out her senses. She nodded, "I'm with you sir!"

It didn't take them long to reach the second gun, where Buck was firing over the trench.

He turned his head as Winters and Asa reached him, saying, "I'm running a little low on ammo, sir!"

"How 'bout you, Malarkey?" Winters asked.

"Okay!" Malarkey answered.

After a moment of pondering, Winters hit Buck's shoulder and shouted in his ear, "You think you've got enough to take the third gun?"

Buck grinned, "We'll soon find out! Malarkey, let's go! Toye cover!"

"Okay, Hall, keep your head down!" The Private nodded and took after Buck, hopping over the cannon's hitch. Winters grabbed Asa's sleeve before she could run after him, and said, "I need your help with the TNT!"

She nodded and scrambled to where the box of grenades was laying, taking one out and unscrewing it. Carefully placing it in the barrel where Winters had already put the TNT, she pulled the string and shouted, "Fire in the hole!"

Again, there was a sharp ping, and the familiar feeling of joy washed over her as her eyes met the broken barrel of the second gun. Winters gave her a small smile, the first one she'd seen that day, "Nice job, Private."

"My hat's off to you, Lieutenant." She said, returning his smile. They both hung over the trench, aiming their rifles at the third gun, waiting for the 'all clear' from Buck. He came running out to the entrance and waved his arms, giving the thumbs up. Winters slapped his hand against the sand bags with a grin and said, "Alright, let's go."

He and Asa took off through the trenches to the third gun, approaching a sheet metal roof over the ditch. It was narrow, so Asa was forced to run directly behind the Lieutenant, nearly running into him as he took a sudden stop. She couldn't see what was around the corner, but the look on his face told her it wasn't good. He moved further inward, allowing Asa to see what it was that made his eyes darken. Her stomach twisted sharply when she saw Hall's lifeless body lying in the dirt, with a blood-covered face and open empty eyes. Winters knelt down next to him, staring at him as if he couldn't quite believe the young Abel Company Private was lying there. He reached out to gently wave some flies off of his face, sighing.

In truth, Asa was the one who couldn't quite believe Hall was dead. Just a couple hours ago she was teaching him how to be more tough, and now he was gone. So this was war.

Winters turned back to her with a solemn look on his face, and didn't say a word, only took off toward the third gun. With her help, he stuffed the last of his TNT into the barrel, and she pulled the grenade. "Fire in the hole!" She shouted, ducking from the blast. Her feet caught on each other, though, and she stumbled down a small walkway that opened up into what looked like a base of operations. She stumbled over to a table crowded with papers and shuffled through them with shaking hands. She found a map with locations marked with X's, and decided to shove it in her pocket to show Winters.

When she came out of the room, she was surprised to find Lieutenant Ronald Speirs from Dog Company was there. He threw down a thread of ammunition from his shoulder, looking around the area as if it were just another day.

"Malarkey, Joe, Asa! Everyone!" Winters shouted, tossing her a couple clips, "Ammunition's here!"

"Mind if D-Company takes the next gun?" Speirs shouted pleasantly to Winters, who looked slightly surprised as he said, "All yours."

Speirs gave a quick nod, and shouted to his men, "Let's go Dog Company!" as he leaped over the hitch to the cannon. Asa knelt next to Winters and Buck, watching Dog Company charge the gun. Speirs jumped up out of the trench, and Asa had to wonder what he was doing. He was completely vulnerable out there. Buck had a few choice words to say before he left, and Asa watched as Speirs waved his arms triumphantly in the air. Winters gave him the thumbs up, but only after shaking his head.

"Holy hell, Lieutenant," Asa said to Winters as a huffing Lipton slammed his back against the sand bags, "look who showed up!"

"Sir," Lipton breathed, "I had a little trouble getting through that first field." He started pulling TNT out of his pocket, when Winters motioned to the broken gun. Lipton deflated as he started putting the explosives away, but Winters stopped him, "We're gonna need it at the next gun."

Winters and Asa took off again, and this time she wasn't really sure where they were headed. He barked some orders at a group of guys, and then started shouting, "Move out, move out!" He stopped next to Guarnere and someone else, saying, "Fall back to your original positions. Everyone, back to battalion, let's go, let's go!"

They all withdrew from the trenches, back across the empty field that felt like an eternity to cross, through the line of bushes and the abandoned car, and over the gardens left to rot. When they were clear from the enemy lines, they all stopped running to walk and catch their breath. Some of the men vomited, others clasped their hands together to keep them from shaking, and most lit a cigarette to calm themselves.

Asa still held her gun to her chest, trying to quell her nerves. Images of the dead German soldier she had killed flashed through her mind, and she couldn't help but wonder if he'd had a family. Did she just tear them apart? How would they react knowing he wasn't coming home?

She forced herself not to dwell on it, because she knew that was how people went insane. Besides, if she wouldn't have killed him, he would have killed Winters. Her stomach twisted, if he died, she didn't know what she'd do. She'd tried to tell herself not to grow close to anyone, because in war you never knew who would be left at the end of the day. She'd tried not to let his charm get to her, but he was so kind and gentle, and went out of his way to do the best thing for his men, even if it meant his neck was on the line. He was just a likable person, and somewhere along the lines, she found herself thinking about him late at night when she couldn't sleep. He was always her voice of reason, and she'd be damned if he got killed on her watch.

She could feel sorry about killing an enemy soldier all she wanted, but if it meant protecting her comrades, she'd do it again and again until there was no one left.

She reached a hand into her pocket to grab her handkerchief to wipe her nose, when her fingertips brushed against the thin paper she'd found in that room. She pulled it out, cursing herself for having forgotten it, and trotted up to Winters, who was discussing the debriefing with Buck.

"Excuse me, Lieutenant Winters." She said, after clearing her throat.

He looked down at her with tired eyes and smiled, "Asa."

She held out the paper, which he took and examined, "I found this at one of the guns. It looked important so I took it to show you."

His eyes scanned over the map and he nodded, "Thank you, Private. You did good today."

She shrugged, "It's in my blood." Then after he laughed, she said, "You did good too, sir. You saved a lot of lives."

He shook his head, "We all saved a lot of lives, all of Easy Company, and Abel, and Dog. We all did it, not just me, so give yourselves a pat on the back as well."

"Done and done." Guarnere said, stretching his arms over his head, earning a spout of laughter from those around him.

Asa grinned, and slung her gun over her shoulder, falling back behind Winters to throw an arm around her fellow Italian. As she and Guarnere bickered about who was more badass that day, Winters turned his head to look at Asa. She was wildly throwing her free arm in exclamation, laughing at something Joe Toye said. She had saved his life that day, and he would never forget it. He decided later on he might find her, before they moved out again, and thank her.

He turned his gaze up to the sky, at the overcast clouds hanging above him, and wondered if he would ever see the end of the war. He was reminded of his promise to Asa, to take her up Currahee to watch the sunset, and when it finally sunk below the horizon, the war would truly be over. He decided then that he had to survive the war, because Asa would never forgive him if she had to go up there alone.

Besides, you couldn't keep a girl like her waiting.

Everyone, I'm so super sorry. I know it's been like...five million years since I last updated, and I feel terrible about it. I know I always say this, but this time I mean it, hopefully I'm back up and running with this story! I was sitting in class the other day, bored out of my mind, and decided to write the final chapter to this story because I already know how it's going to end. It came out on paper better than I thought it was going to, and made me want to just share it with all of you! So here I am, updating because a fire was lit under my butt that will hopefully keep ablaze!

So read, review, do what you like!