Shadows of the World » Band of Brothers

12: A Heart that Never Hardens

"Have a heart that never hardens, a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts." - Charles Dickens, Hard Times

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Juliette didn't see much of Eugene in the days that followed, though to be honest she didn't see much of anyone. She kept herself to herself - or rather, she kept herself to her boys, with whom any animosity had long since dissolved. Alexis was always harder on her than on the others, and though she didn't quite know why, it was something she had had to accept long ago.

William, innocent as he always was, had seemed to experience quite the shock when he had first heard of what Juliette had done in order to get her mission back on track. But, ultimately, whilst he was innocent he wasn't sheltered. He had been in the field just like all of the others, though from a much bigger distance, and had seen and experienced death in his own ways. None of them had been able to avoid it. His shock had died with the days.

Thomas hadn't reacted much, though she could tell he had struggled to understand her actions. He, however, was the only other member of the team who had truly experienced life in the field undercover, and he knew Juliette well enough to know she wouldn't have taken the risk if it wasn't entirely necessary. He had come around very fast and without much need for encouraging, though he was always like that with her.

Martin was the only one who had barely batted an eyelid when he had heard her recount the story. He generally was the fastest to resort to violence in order to complete a mission, which sometimes made him a liability and sometimes their greatest asset, for he was also deadly good at it. Juliette was grateful for his presence at that moment, and after she left she knew he would've been the first to fight her corner. She was grateful to him for that.

It was four days after first meeting Eugene that Juliette next saw her new American friend. She came across him attempting to remove crates full of medical supplies from the back of an army truck, and she immediately jogged over to him and took one of the crates from him.

"What are you doing?" he asked her, never much one for greetings. She shrugged.

"Helping."

"Well, thanks," he told her. "I can do it myself, though."

"Eugene." She turned to him when he tried to take the crate back off of her. "You don't have to do it by yourself. That's what friends are for." At this he rolled his eyes with a small smile. "Plus, it'll be quicker this way." To his credit, he didn't protest again.

Eugene Roe led the way towards what had been set up as the medical tent, which was on the other side of the village (though, admittedly, that wasn't very far).

"The sky is very blue today," she told him absentmindedly. As they walked quietly side-by-side she squinted up into the sunshine and took in the view above them. "It looks almost like a painting."

Out of nowhere the memory of the paintings in the Dancers' Foyer of the Paris Opera House flashed before her eyes, which had been a similar shade of blue, before she shook her head and looked ahead of her again.

"Yeah, it kinda does," Eugene agreed. He thought that Juliette, or Penny as he knew her, looked happier today, much more at peace than he had last seen her. He was glad for it, for she seemed to brighten when she smiled, and he could tell that she was a gentle soul. She shouldn't have to battle through whatever was bothering her alone, and he hoped she hadn't. They weren't quite there yet as friends themselves, but he hoped she had someone else to confide in. When he saw her smile suddenly once more as she noticed something, he thought she might.

"Is Aldbourne anything like your home, Eugene?" she wondered, realising she didn't even know where home was for him. She had been able to gauge that it was somewhere in the American South from his thick accent, which she enjoyed listening to very much even though he spoke very little, but she didn't know specifically. Not that it would make much difference to her, as her knowledge of the geography of America was, admittedly, shocking.

"Louisiana," he told her. She nodded in acknowledgement that that was where he called home. "And no, not at all. Aldbourne is... British."

Juliette laughed. "As opposed to what? Had you expected it to be Dutch?"

The American rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "No. I mean, it looks just like how I imagined England would look. It's nothing like home. There's a lotta nature here, though. I guess that's kinda similar."

"Do you miss it?"

He nodded but offered no words, and Juliette could understand the sentiment. She, too, missed home sorely, though he must have thought she was there that very moment. In truth, it had been longer than she cared to remember since she'd been home or seen her family, and it stung to think about so she chose not to.

As the pair turned a corner Juliette caught sight of two men dressed in the more formal attire of the American paratroopers, as opposed to the ODs Eugene was wearing. He had obviously seen the pair of officers too, for he glanced at Juliette as they drew closer.

"Sirs," Eugene addressed them when they came to stand before them. He inclined his head to them respectfully and Juliette thought he probably would've saluted if he hadn't had his hands full.

"Doc," they both replied through polite, though genuine, smiles.

In the short silence that followed all three men turned their eyes, seemingly subconsciously, to Juliette, who smiled back at the unknown duo awkwardly and offered a, "Hi."

The dark-haired man laughed easily whereas the ginger one's mouth merely twitched, the only telltale sign that he shared in his friend's amusement.

"Do we have a new recruit, doc?" the darker one said. His eyes remained on the misplaced girl whose smile broadened at the question.

"He didn't ask for my help, I offered," she jumped to reply before Eugene had the chance. "Well, forced him to let me help, really." As an afterthought, she added with genuine concern, "That won't be a problem, will it?"

The ginger man shook his head with a slight smile and muttered a soft, "No," which told her he was perhaps rather fond of Eugene. Meanwhile, the dark-haired, shorter one chucked lightly again.

"Your secret is safe with us," he told her, and she grinned.

"Great!"

Juliette turned her smiling face to look at Eugene, who shrugged and inclined his head at the two officers again before proceeding to lead Juliette in the direction they were heading before.

"You got a name, greenie?" Juliette heard from behind her. She turned to find the darker-haired man watching her expectantly, all raised eyebrows and cheeky smiles. She decided then that she rather liked him.

"Yes. Do you?"

He laughed easily and shot a glance at his ginger friend as if checking that he had heard her, too. "Lewis Nixon."

"Pleasure to meet you, Lewis Nixon," Juliette told him. When he tried to suppress his growing grin and titled his head expectantly, she cracked, a grin of her own spreading across her face. "Penny Williams."

With that, she turned on her heel and started off again in the direction they had been going, a blur of brunette hair that bounced with every step. The officers she left in her wake watched her in almost confusion before looking at each other at the same time and sharing a slight laugh.

What a whirlwind of a girl, Lewis Nixon thought. And he decided then that he rather liked her, too.