A/N: Hello everyone! I'd like to say that this is the sequel to my other Band of Brothers story, Chasing the Sun. So you'll have to know that story before starting this one, otherwise you'll be really stinking confused. Thank you for clicking on this story and I hope you enjoy. :)

The train rumbled under my feet. I sat beside the window and stared out at the flat landscape surrounding us. Joe was stretched out beside me, his feet reaching to rest underneath the seat right across from us. I looked over at him and saw that his eyes were closed.

"Are you asleep?" I asked.

"No," He answered, opening his eyes and looking down at me. I couldn't help but smile under his gaze-and the ring on my left hand seemed to weigh a little more every time I reminded myself that this man was the one I was running away with. Joe blinked at me. "What are you thinking about?"

I turned back to the window. "We're in Oklahoma. D'you know if anyone from Easy were from here?"

Joe frowned at me, the dimple between his eyebrows making an appearance. "I have no idea." He stretched again, groaning slightly. "God, I hope we get there soon."

"We're about halfway there." I pointed out. "It shouldn't be too long now."

"Your positivity is admirable," Joe said. He threw me a grin and closed his eyes again before sighing. I smiled at his relaxed face before leaning on him. Joe shifted so that one of his arms was wrapped around me. Between the sound of his heartbeat in my ear and the rumbling of the train, I fell asleep within a few minutes.

My dreams started off as something usual; I forgot it the second it stopped. However, right after it a horrible memory from the European front settled itself into my subconscious. I was suddenly standing in the deep snow of Bastogne, trees exploding and debris falling heavily on me. I started to run, trying to get away from the falling fire, but I looked up and saw a massive tree falling down right on top of me. I woke up the moment right before it hit me.

"Di," Joe was saying, shaking me. I blinked and stared at him; I could feel myself shaking with fear. The business man in the suit sitting in the seat across the aisle from us was staring at us with a raised eyebrow. Joe followed my gaze and glared hard at the man. "You want something?" Joe asked him sharply. The business man shook his head once and turned back to his newspaper. Joe looked back at me.

"Are you okay?" Joe asked.

"Did I scream?" I asked quietly, looking at him cautiously.

"No, you just kind of twitched really violently." Joe said, one his hands rubbing the length of my back. I could feel my heartbeat pumping inside my chest, still reeling from the aftermath of the nightmare. Joe kept rubbing my back, his face relaxing again. "You want to tell me where you were this time?"

I hesitated before saying, "Bastogne." Joe nodded in understanding and sighed. I looked out of the train window; the plains we were traveling through had turned into darkness as the sun had gone down. "D'you think that this will ever get easier?" I asked Joe.

Joe looked at me, blinking once. "Maybe in a few years. I don't think we're gonna forget it, but I do think it'll take time before it's gone."

I nodded at that logic, wondering if any of my friends from Easy were having the same hard time dealing with what my brother-in-law Phillip had called "post-traumatic-stress-disorder". Right before we left for California, Phillip had reported that most of the soldiers coming back from Europe, Africa, and the Pacific were showing signs of PTSD. Nightmares, panic attacks, and the like were becoming normal occurrences with soldiers from all over the country. I didn't think I had had a panic attack yet-but I remembered first getting off the boat coming home, how I had wanted to get far away from that overwhelming crowd.

I wanted to write Malarkey and the others, to see how they were all dealing with civilian life. I had received word from Malarkey right before I left home, telling me how some jackasses at his college had made fun of him. One of them asked how to properly jump out of a plane, and Malarkey had started to demonstrate how when the group of boys started laughing at my friend.

We had helped our country in one of the most grueling ways possible. We risked our skin for people we'd never meet. And those men had repaid Malarkey with making fun of him. The second I heard, I wanted to travel to Oregon and use Toye's brass knuckles against them. Malarkey was my best friend; and I hated the fact that we were thousands of miles from each other.

Joe kept an arm around me and kept throwing glares at the businessman who had stared. I leaned against him and looked up, hoping to draw his attention from the stranger. Joe finally looked back down at me and a slow smile came across his face.

"And to think, a month ago we wouldn't be allowed to do even this." Joe said, pushing more weight against me. I smiled at him.

"I've thought about it," I said. "Sink's rule wasn't inappropriate; I can completely see why it'd be bad if I got pregnant or romantically involved with someone over there. Hell, you almost jumped into open fire for me but the men held you back." I thought back to the battle for Foy when Dike had shoved me into the gunfire. Lipton had brought me back before Joe could dash out and try to save me. I shuddered at the memory and said, "Reasonable orders, they were just hell to follow as time went on."

Joe smirked at that. "Apparently neither of us are good at following orders then."

"We were sort of good," I countered. "We didn't do anything until the war was won. You got permission from Winters." Joe smirked again and stretched out his legs. I watched his long form carefully, trying to memorize everything about him. I wasn't sure why I was suddenly in the rush to know every aspect about him: we'd have the rest of our lives to figure each other out.

My view of the Oklahoma landscape had darkened as the sun went down. The sky wasn't completely black; it was of a blend of purple and indigo. I stared at the watercolored sky from where I was leaning against Joe. I smiled to myself, not finding it easy to believe that a little over a month ago, I was living in Europe surrounded by men.