With weekend passes guaranteed, Sobel pushed the men harder than usual. But spirits stayed high. When Saturday finally dawned, everyone seemed happier than usual. The sun shined clear in the sky, only a few clouds above them. A handful of the guys decided to head into Atlanta for the day, but Alice just wanted to go out that night. Skinny Sisk had heard some of the guys in Baker Company chatting about a great bar they'd found.

Alice decided when she woke up that morning on a single thing. She would have fun that night. Nothing was going to stop her from enjoying an evening out. She'd spoken with Colonel Sink and been granted permission to be out of dress uniform that night. All Alice wanted to do was dance. She figured she couldn't save Bernadette, but she could honor her.

Alice left the showers that morning, Ron waiting for her. Nixon and Dick had been nowhere to be found, but she'd caught sight of Ron half way through her walk around camp. He stood smoking.

"Thanks for waiting," she said with a quick smile. Using her hands, she tried to wring out the excess water as best she could. "Do you have a weekend pass?"

Ron nodded. "First platoon does. Second and third in D Company both lost theirs this week."

Together they started strolling across the camp. A few dozen men spilled from the Mess Hall as they passed it. None of them spared either lieutenant a second glance other than to salute in passing. She didn't mind. The knowledge that it didn't bother her came as a surprise to herself, and she smiled.

"You seem to be in a better mood than usual," Ron commented.

"For the first time in almost three months, I get to leave camp." Turning to him, she smiled. The warm sunlight felt good on her skin and dried her hair. "And I'm going to make the most of it."

"Who are you going with?"

"I figured I'd stick with Luz. Guarnere, Toye, Muck, Penkala, and Malarkey talked about going out as well." She shrugged.  

He nodded, breathing in the cigarette smoke. Ron stayed quiet for a bit. Then he broached another question. "So, what are you planning to do? Given you'll probably never have off again."

"Your optimism is truly inspiring." But then she smiled. "I want to dance. Bernadette used to dance, and I feel like if I can do it, I'll be honoring her in some way."

"Watch yourself. Some of the men around here would give anything to spend time with you, and when they're drunk…"

Alice agreed. "I know. I know. That's why I plan to stick with Luz and some of the other men from Second Platoon. And I can defend myself."

"Maybe. But you're not as strong as a lot of them, physically."

"Again, wonderful optimism, Ron."

He turned to her as they walked. "You don't talk to me for my optimism."

Humming in agreement, she pulled out her own cigarette and lit it. The smoke cleared her thoughts even further. Suddenly they saw Nixon and Dick coming towards them. Alice smiled.

"You two seem to be having a nice conversation," Nixon teased. 

"Ron's better company than you, that's for sure," she said. The she smirked at Ron. "Even with his beautiful optimism."

"Happy to have a weekend pass?" Dick asked her. He smiled as she grinned back.

"Beyond happy." 

"Oh, no, boys. I don't know how I feel about this version of Alice Klein. She's like a ray of sunshine." Nixon smirked at her.

"You're just jealous that you won't get a dance with me tonight." Alice smirked right back at him. "I may be a Lieutenant in rank, but for all intents and purposes I'm just an enlisted. So, they get the dances."

"But you hang out with us," Nixon pointed out.

Alice grinned as she walked backwards. They had reached her barracks. With a quick wink at the lieutenants, she smiled again. "Slim pickings."

The door shut behind her as she scurried in. The room was empty. After dropping her clothes, towel, and shower kit in her footlocker, Alice sat on her bed. As she did so, she found a letter peeking out from behind her pillow. The handwriting on the front looked different from George's but seemed equally as quick.

"Alice Klein,

"You know, your last name isn't that bad. Not your fault it sounds so German. Joe Liebgott here. When Doc told us to write these, I wasn't sure what to put. So I kinda put it off, but then George wrote his and you actually responded to it so I said why the fuck not.

"I don't think I've told you this. I haven't really told anyone. But I'm a Jew, too. Don't go shouting it around. I'm sick of being the end of fucking jokes and sneers honestly. But I guess you know what that's like.

"Sorry about your sister, and the rest of your family. It's fucking messed up that they got arrested for being Jewish. I hate that people act like we're the enemy and all. It even happens here in America, but I don't know if you've seen it. I have. 

"I don't know how much you've talked to Webster. But he speaks German too, learned it at Harvard I think. Crazy rich punks. I don't really like speaking German, it reminds me too much of home. But he might. Give it a shot.

"What was your favorite place in Paris? You talk about it like it's the fucking Garden of Eden or something. I want to know what I'm missing. Especially since you said you're gonna take us someday.

"I don't know what else to put so, I'll just end this. I'm glad we've got weekend passes. I'll probably see you on Saturday night.

"Lieb."

Alice couldn't stop grinning at his letter. He was Jewish too. That fact, no matter how quiet she had to keep it, meant the world. It also made more sense of his hostility towards Germany. As she tucked the letter into the pocket of her spare uniform jacket, Alice hummed a melody her mom had composed.

The boys were outside when she finally made her way out. Someone had found a baseball, definitely contraband, and they were throwing it around. Alice settled herself down on the step into the barracks and watched them. Their laughter made her feel warm inside. She came to the realization that these people meant more to her than the Maquis, now, and while it scared her she decided there was nothing to do but accept it.

A handful of men she rarely talked to joined Second Platoon. She thought maybe they were in third. She recognized one as Floyd Talbert, and another as David Webster. Carwood Lipton even walked over and stood with Bull Randleman and Johnny Martin, chatting away. As usual, Penkala, Muck, and Malarkey stood together, joined at the hip. Malarkey cracked up bad over something. She always loved seeing them laugh.

When lunch and dinner passed, the men split and got ready to hit the town. They changed into their dress uniforms. George kept them entertained inside the barracks, doing movie star impressions. His John Wayne exceeded expectations. Alice found herself laughing along even as she sat on her cot. But before long, she got up and slipped behind the blanket to change. She chose her second dress, a royal blue one that hugged her bust area but allowed for twirling in the bottom half. Two large, circular buttons of the same color as the dress split her upper chest, and the bell sleeves went a few inches down. With a little makeup, she nodded to herself.

"C'mon Alice!" George shouted from the main area. "We're waiting to be surprised. Women take so long." 

Alice laughed and stepped out, giving a little spin. The guys watched her. She laughed at their reaction. "I swear it's like you all forget I'm a woman sometimes until I put a dress on. Pick your jaws up off the floor." 

"Trust me there's no way to forget you're a woman, sweetheart," Bill objected. 

"Well. Good. I want to dance tonight and I'm going to need partners." 

Alice led the way out the door. Her heels clicked against the wood floor. When she stepped out into the evening air, she took a deep breath. She could almost taste freedom. 

The walk to the nearby strip of towns didn't take long. She walked next to George, taking in the sights. Though it didn't compare to the splendor of Paris or London, or the quaint beauty of the English countryside, rural Georgia had its own beauty. By the time they reached the bar they'd aimed for, both Joes, Bill, George, and the terrible trio of Skip Muck, Alex Penkala, and Don Malarkey were together. 

As soon as the door the bar opened, Liebgott holding it for her, she grinned again. Music played in the background, swing, and the smell of alcohol filled the air. A handful of locals and some army men stood around or sat at wooden tables. A few dart boards lined a far wall, and a dance space took up the majority of the large bar.

Before long she had a beer in her hands. Taking up a seat at a group of empty tables, she sipped at it. The others joined her. Joe Toye and Bill Guarnere sat watching the rest of the bar, specifically a handful of young women locals. Alice watched them in amusement. While the American bar didn't quite compare to a place on Les Champs-Élysées, she liked it more than the Cabaret of the Montmartre district.

With her beer half gone, George tapped her on the shoulder. He grinned. "First dance?"

Alice grinned right back. She turned to Muck in her right. "Watch my drink. Or you buy me a new one." Then she stood and walked with George over to the dance floor. But she found herself halting.

"You ok?"

Alice took a deep breath. "Yes. I… I need to dance for her. But it's not easy."

"For Bernadette?"

"Oui. Yes. She always wanted me to dance." But she took another deep breath, and nodded. "All right." Then she smiled and looked at George. "You better lead well. I may not remember all the steps, it's been a while."

"I swear when Maria gets old enough to dance with boys I'm going to have a heart attack. Victoria's already there and she won't listen to me." 

As the current song ended, Geroge winked at her. They moved to the dance floor with several other couples. When Glenn Miller started up on the radio, they danced. Alice felt pleasantly surprised that George Luz knew what he was doing. Swing had always been her favorite type of dance, while Bernadette had loved ballet.

By the end, Alice was laughing and they broke apart. "You're not bad. Not quite as good as Marc-"

"That's not fair!"

"C'est vrai. It's true." As they moved off to the side, she chuckled. "But Bernadette made sure he could dance perfectly. He was her favorite partner."

Before long, Bill Guarnere insisted on a turn, and she obliged. By the end of the night, she had danced with all of them and finished two beers. Liebgott declined at first, insisting he wasn't much for dancing. But after she offered up a small insult in German, he growled and agreed. To her pleasant surprise, he danced extremely well. By the end she was panting trying to keep up with him.

Around midnight, Alice felt herself crashing. Half the boys stood playing darts along the wall. Luz was losing terribly, though his Joe Toye seemed to be competing for worst as well. Skip Muck came out ahead.

George, having lost nearly fifty dollars, joined her walking back. Breathing in the night air, Alice smiled and closed her eyes for a moment. "That was fun."

George lit her cigarette and then his own. As they walked past another bar, Floyd Talbert and Carwood Lipton left as well.

"Hey, Tab, Lip, you won't believe what I did tonight." George winked back at her. As the two men in question took up a spot to his left, he gestured to Alice. "I got a dance."

She chuckled. "So did everyone else who went with us."

"How's your injury doing?" Lipton asked her. 

With a shrug, she felt the side she'd been slashed on. "It's been fine. Gene thinks by the end of this week I'll be able to get back into full training."

"Doc knows best," said George.

"Hm. I think he's been trying to keep me out of Sobel's way, honestly," Alice said with a laugh. "I haven't seen that man in almost a week."

"You're lucking out there," Talbert told her. "Yesterday's night march went the worst yet. I swear Sobel is trying to get us killed."

"His job's to make Easy the best company in the 506th. We're certainly the most fit," Lipton reminded them. "Not saying I like the man, but."

They continued chatting on the way back. When they reached the set of Easy Company barracks, she bid Lipton and Talbert a goodnight. It didn't take long for her to slip into pajamas after that. But her smile never faded.

"Bernadette, ce soir était pour toi," she murmured. 

Then for the first time in years, she prayed. She thought maybe, at last, she could move forward. With the men around her, she finally felt comfortable enough to talk to them. Definitely not about everything yet, but enough that she hoped they could trust each other. And that meant more to her than she ever expected.