Hello There, Soldier

France: June 8th, 1944 (Night)

At this point getting back and forth to the farmhouse seemed easy. They made it to the property just before midnight and Joe went straight into the barn to check on his guys. He still was uneasy with the fact that the Germans had searched the place and he just needed to see with his own eyes that everyone was still there.

"Is everyone good to go?" Joe asked Davidson as he approached him. The men were all scattered around loading up their gear and getting ready to head out.

"Yeah, Murphy's ankle is still pretty bad but he just had us lace up his boot extra tight and he said he can walk on it." Joe's eyes landed on the man in question and watched as he took hesitant steps on his still injured leg.

"Keep an eye on him as we go if you see him struggling I want you to help him out." Joe ordered knowing all too well that with the distance they had to cover tonight he was probably going to need it.

"You got it, Sarge." Davidson said as he headed back to the group.

Josie entered the barn just then after talking with her people inside the house. She stood next to Joe silently as she too looked over the collection of soldiers getting ready to leave. "My guys are ready to go. How are things on your end?" Joe asked.

"Richard is getting a rundown of things from Pierre as we speak and then they'll be ready to go." She informed him.

"Crash course in resistance fighting?"

"Pretty much. I'm worried about him going. This is a lot for his first time out." Her voice got quieter as she spoke not wanting the others to hear her concern.

"Sometimes you just have to dive in. He seems like a strong kid I'm sure he'll do fine but just in case I'll keep an eye out for him just like I said." Joe told her as he took her hand in his and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

Josie looked up into his eyes and smiled. "Thanks but make sure you keep yourself safe too."

"Worried about me, Josie Girl?" Joe was getting playful as he turned to her with a knowing smirk and winked.

"You know I am."

"Any possible way I could convince you to come with us? If we can get back to the American lines, you could be taken home where you'd be safe and away from Christoph." He needed to ask the question.

"You already know the answer to that." She said with a shake of her head.

"Had to ask. We're going to keep pushing through. France will be liberated soon and your job here will be done." He took a step closer and placed his hand on her cheek, cradling it softly.

"But I'm sticking this out until the end."

"When all this is over and were both back home, I hope you realize that I still expect that second date." He told her seriously but with a playful smile.

"Joe," She began before taking a look around. She gently led Joe over to the corner of the barn so they could speak more privately. "There's something I need to tell you." Taking a deep breath she finally told him what had been weighing heavily on her since they met. "When I volunteered for this assignment it was with the knowledge that this was a one way trip."

"What are you talking about?" Joe was confused and he felt his aggravation raising as he took in her words.

"I'm staying until the end. Until either I'm discovered, which I'm shocked hasn't happened yet, or I go down in the fight. There's still a chance I'll make it home one day but it's more likely I'll get caught in the crossfire. The real battle is just beginning here. Things are getting messy fast." She didn't want him waiting around and holding out hope for a girl who was never coming home. If she died in France, he would probably never know about it. She had to make sure he knew the reality of the situation.

"So that's it, you've reserved yourself to die?" He was angry that much was obvious as he took a step back and looked at her.

"I'm being realistic about the situation. I could very possibly die just like you can at any moment and we both have to come to terms with that." Every word felt like a knife to her heart but she forced herself to keep going. She had to be strong for the both of them.

Joe closed the distance between them again. He wrapped one arm around her waist pulling her close to him while the other cupped her cheek as he placed his forehead against hers. "I want to throw you over my shoulder right now and drag you to safety kicking in screaming." He whispered and Josie couldn't help but laugh.

"I know. If we do make it back I would love to finally get that second date with you." She smiled. "But if not I need you to do me a favor."

"Anything." He whispered again as he closed his eyes never pulling away from her. Josie didn't mind. She would take every moment she could with her soldier. Slowly she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small envelope.

"Take this letter and send it to my mother when you get home." She pulled back just enough to tuck the envelope safely inside his jacket. "Everything I'm doing is classified and will probably stay that way for who knows how long. They'll make up some story to tell my family about how I died and I don't want that for them. They deserve to know the truth. They deserve to know what I've done and what I died doing. Can you do this for me, Joe?" She spoke in a rush trying to finish before the tears won out.

"I hate thinking about this." He said with a pained expression.

"I know. I'm not fond of it either. But please do this for me." Her voice cracked with emotions.

"Of course, Josie Girl." He told her pulling her in and wrapping her tightly in his arms. For that moment they were safe from everything else around them but reluctantly they began to pull apart.

"This means you actually have to make it back in one piece. So take care of yourself out there." Josie said as she wiped away a few stray tears.

"Yes, ma'am." Joe said with a smile as he stared at his girl. He wanted to freeze this moment but he knew he couldn't, so instead he tried to memorize every little feature. He took in every detail of her beautiful face. The lines that appeared when she smiled widely or the sparkle of her eyes when she was laughing. He ran his thumb over the soft skin of her hand trying to embed the memory of her touch into his mind. "I love you, Josie Girl." It was obvious what he felt for her was love and if this was the last time he was ever going to see her he was going to make sure she knew it.

Josie looked up at him with wide eyes and smiled before her face turned to sadness. "You shouldn't."

"But I do and nothing can change that." He told her as he grabbed her face in his hands.

"Je t'aime trop, soldat." She whispered and he didn't have to speak French to know what she said. She felt the same for him and he could see it clearly written in her eyes.

Joe quickly crashed his lips against hers savoring the kiss and pouring all of his love into it. If this was their goodbye, he was going to make it count. All too soon they pulled apart as they hear Richard calling the men forward. It was time to go. With one last sweet kiss, Joe grabbed his gear and lead him men out into the night. He turned back just one last time to see Josie standing in front of the barn watching him walk away into the unknown.