Women of War - A Band of Brothers Story

Nightmares

A/N: Hey everyone. I'm so sorry for keeping you waiting all the time. I haven't been able to get any writing done as I'm still getting used to work. I'll try my best to write on the evenings and weekends, though, but it's pretty slow progress...

Still, I'll do my best and I hope that I can upload a new chapter every two to three weeks until I get into a bit of a rhythm with work and hobbies and life.

As always, thank you all for reading, commenting and fav'ing! I love reading your thoughts and ideas about this story, they are so exciting and interesting! Keep 'em coming :)

It took a while, but after about a week, the men and women of the 506 could finally sleep deeply again. They didn't startle awake after two or three hours, thinking that it was their turn to keep watch now. Not every little creak of a bunk or hoot of an owl jerked them to full alert.

But with deep sleep came dreams. And with the dreams came the nightmares.

***

Jessica woke abruptly, heart hammering in her chest, nerves buzzing. Swallowing to dislodge the lump in her throat, she blinked several times in rapid succession to get rid of the image still haunting her mind.

A pair of pale, wide eyes staring up into the blue sky. Eyes that looked so lifeless even though the man they belonged to was still breathing.

"Bad dream?"

She nearly jumped out of her skin, whipping her head around towards the source of the whispered question. Hoobler, her muddled brain supplied eventually.

"Yeah", she whispered back, feeling her heartbeat slow down. She blew out a long breath as silently as possible. Her right hand uncurled, losing the vice grip it had on the edge of her bunk.

Bedding rustled as Hoobler shifted. "What was it about?"

Her throat felt tight again. She rolled onto her side and said: "I don't really remember."

"Hmm, hate it when that happens", he hummed sleepily, already burrowing back into the cocoon of his blanket.

Jessica closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Mm-hm."

Liar, liar, hair on fire, a voice sing-songed in her head. Elizabeth's voice.

Jessica frowned and tightly squeezed her eyes shut as if that would shut out her own mind's taunts. Can it, she sniped at herself...her conscience? Hardly, but definitely a part of herself that somehow mirrored her deceased best friend's knack for finding others' weak spots and calling them out on their bullshit.

What was I supposed to do?, she challenged when the voice just tittered in response. Tell the truth? You don't get anywhere in the world with touchy-feely stuff. 'If you show too much of your soft underbelly, you'll only get gutted', she quoted a sentence her father had used many times.

"You must be strong", her Papa had impressed on her time and again as she'd grown up. "Be strong for your brothers."

Showing weakness, he'd taught her, would only lead to pain and heart-break.

"Tears will not help you, they will not save you from your enemy."

"Don't show your fear. It makes it easier to hurt you."

"Don't grow attached, it will only cause you pain. Friends will not be there forever, only trust your family with your heart."