Courage Under Fire| Band of Brothers

Pre-War 1

*credit for the gif goes to google and the owner* 

One

South Philadelphia

August 1941

Olivia Stewart bounced her knee for the 100th time since the car made its way down the narrow street where her father, stepmother, and their siblings lived. It wasn't going to be a new place to them nor was it going to be a new school, they had attended South Philadelphia high school for 2 years until Olivia was asked to move back to Charleston to care for their ailing great-great-grandfather who asked for her repeatedly and had been refused, until the girl who had her heart broken by their next door neighbor Bill Guarnere who broke up with her for her best friend May.

And in turn, Robert, who had never been away from his twin for more than a few days, and Marla, who had been a troublemaker in middle school, went with her. And now a year later they were back due to the family's decision to put Fredrick in a local veterans hospital for care when he proved to be too much for Olivia, Careen, and Amelia to care for.

"Liv, stop." Bobby, her twin brother, commented, tapping a hand on her knee to stop bouncing, "Everything is going to be fine. Don't worry about May and Bill."

"Don't worry." Marla laughed on Bobby's other side, she had been staring out of the window in near silence, "Bobby, May was her best friend and Bill was her first love and you know that. How can she not worry? He dumped her for May. And you beat his ass for it, remember?"

Their great uncle Finn who was driving them home cleared his throat, usually, the language didn't bother him seeing how they had learned it from him and their family but outside of the family, they had an image to uphold and the twins and Marla were the chosen 3.

"Sorry Uncle Finn." The younger Stewart sister with a small smile, "You know we have to take care of Liv. It was great Pawpaw and Papa's orders."

"I don't need to be taken care of Marla. I am fine." Olivia shot back turning her attention back to the window and waving at one of the little kids that were standing on the corner. The little boy returned the wave and offered a tooth gaped smile, before turning to the adults that were on the corner.

"That's one of the Guarnere's grandkids." Lee, one of their older brothers, commented, he had taken the train to Charleston to help the younger three return home, and figured that he could give her a heads up, "Teresa's son. And Bill and May aren't serious, not like how you two were."

"Lee, I am okay with it really, it's been over a year." She said, her cheeks flushing in annoyance, so the last two months they had been trying to mentally prepare her for their move back to South Philly, and it always started out with the small stuff and then worked their way up to the harder stuff. Like Bill and May. "He made his choice and there's nothing I can do to stop that."

"And if anything you can just throw Lewis into his face." Bobby teased, Lewis was Lewis Nixon, the cousin of their aunt Helen who had taken a liking to Olivia, so much so that he had come in from MIT to accompany her to the debutant ball. Something that she had agreed to do on behalf of her great-great grandparents and great-grandparents. And he knew that Olivia liked him too, he had caught the man coming out of his twin's room early the morning after the ball. And now he couldn't resist teasing her.

"He is the heir to the Nixon Nitrates fortune and he is crazy for you Liv."

"Robert!" She hissed, her cheeks flushing a dark red, "shut up."

"He is right Liv," Marla agreed quickly, "it will drive Bill crazy knowing he can't have you." "You aren't even 16 yet, how do you know this?" Lee asked twisting to look in the backseat at her. "People talk and I also read Liv's letters from Annie." Annie was Lee's wife who had been in constant contact with the twins and Marla keeping them up to date on their nephews and their youngest siblings who were about the same age. Olivia managed a sad laugh, that didn't surprise her at all, up until they went to Charleston they had shared a room and in turn everything else.

So there were no secrets between the sisters. "What? I would have found out anyways." She dropped her voice and leaned across their brother, "Though I could take May out for you." That got an actual laugh out of Olivia who pressed her hand against her mouth quickly. This wasn't the Liv they grew up with, she had been taken in very quickly when they got to Charleston, she had very much become a caretaker and in turn the perfect little southern Belle. The Liv before had personality and was a spitfire, this Liv was more like Melanie Hamiton from Gone with the Wind compared to Scarlett O'Hara who she was like previously. That was their uncle Michael and Jacob's statements and they agreed to them.

"I knew Livvy was in there somewhere." She grinned throwing her hands up in the air, their uncle and brothers laughed as Finn pulled the car to a stop in front of the small double-decker house the Stewarts lived in and let it idle to a full stop. Before Olivia could comment to her younger sister, the door opened, and her brother James stood there, grinning, "It's about time! We were starting to think that Uncle Finn and Papa kept you guys in Charleston."

"No, this one just needed an extra pep talk to get going this morning." The older twin grinned, unable to stop himself, it was always better when they were all together picking another. "Bobby." She sighed this time slapping his arm in annoyance. "What? It's true." He rubbed the sore spot as James took Olivia's hand and helped her out of the car. She hadn't been on the street for long when Bill Guarnere's voice boomed from the corner, "LIV! Is that you?" "Fuck." She breathed as she tightened her grip on her brother's arm. James winced slightly and covered her hand with his free one.

"Bill, it's good to see you." She forced out, her voice soft and sweet. Wearing a smirk and with a cigarette hanging out of the corner of his mouth, Bill, with curly hair, a strong jaw, and as handsome as Olivia remembered him stepped forward and pressed a kiss against her cheek in greeting. "We heard rumors, that you three were coming back. Didn't believe them until now. Bob."

Bobby had gotten out of the car and was standing on his sister's other side, ready to jump on the boy at her word. Sure they had been friends before he broke up with Olivia but it changed when he dumped her for May. His first and only concern had been Olivia. They came into this world together and until they left it, he would do everything in his power to protect her even if it meant going against his own friends. "Bill."

"Come on kids, Mama and Daddy are waiting." Anne, Lee's wife commented from the stairs, their son Wayne, peaked out from behind her skirts, and squealed in excitement before rushing down the steps into his aunt's arms. "LIVVY!" Thankful for the distraction Olivia scooped the little boy into her arms and kissed his cheek in greeting. Ignoring Bill, she stepped around her brother and went up the stairs listening to the little boy prattle on and take off the hat she had on off and put it on his own head.

"Thought that was going to be different?" Marla questioned finally joining her older brothers and Uncle, smirking, she had been hoping to see him face to face without Liv being around. She had picked up on her older brothers' over-protectiveness of Olivia and would gladly cut that bastard for hurting her. Bill scoffed and shrugged his shoulders as if to say yes. "You are dumber than you look then."

"Mar! Come on!' Olivia called from the front door, "I am going to pick the better bed again and you are going to have to deal with it." "The hell I won't." Marla returned and shoved her way between her brothers and Bill and up the stairs to her sister's side.

"Stay away from her Bill," Bobby warned as James, Finn, and Lee started for the stair as well, "It took her months to get back to some sort of normal, and I am not going to let her go back to that shell. If I don't kill you, Marla or James will." Bill took a few steps back holding his hands up, he would try and stay away from her but who says that Olivia would be able to stay away from him?