This was it. Alice stood in the large hanger at Fort Benning, heart racing and body trembling. Her gear weighed heavy on her body. For the fifth and final time that week, she found herself actually thankful for the rigorous training Sobel had put them through during their Toccoa months. But before each jump from the C-47, she really did think about what she owed the Captain.

Tower Week had come and gone quickly. All time spent in training had been stuffed full of information. She found herself spending any free hours going over procedures in her head. As Tower Week came to a close, they set their sights on the final stage: Jump Week.

The first jump from the airplane had been simply sensational. By far the worst part had been standing in the plane, hooked up, waiting. It had just been so much waiting. The boys had enjoyed teasing her and each other about the quite intimate pat down required for equipment check. But when the time came in the plane, all thoughts of the fact that Bill Guarnere of all people had the job of checking her stuff did absolutely nothing to make her embarrassed. In fact, she just trusted him to make sure she didn't die, and that brought a great deal of comfort.

When the Sergeant Airborne had ordered them ready to jump, she'd all but blacked out. She didn't remember much after that first jump other than the screaming winds around her, and the sudden weightlessness as she left the body of the C-47. 

Then she'd done it three more times. By the end of the fourth jump, she'd done more smiling than sweating. Alice had spoken much to the other men the whole day. Her thoughts occupied her too much. Guarnere picked up on it at least once and made sure to point it out. And now, at 2200 hours, she would make her fifth and final jump. The Night Jump would make or break the chances at being a certified paratrooper.

Alice shuffled where she stood in the hanger. Joe Toye stood in front of her, Bill Guarnere behind. She twirled a bit of hair that had fallen out of her helmet. Chewing at her lip, Alice waited for them to get the all clear to board the airplane. 

"One more to go, sweetheart. This is it."

She turned where she stood to look at Bill. With a quick nod, she smiled at him. Her body still shook, despite having done four jumps already.

Guarnere reached up and adjusted her helmet. It had fallen a bit over her face. "Right. You might wann'a be able to see."

Alice flashed him a tight smile. She tapped him on the helmet. "Don't die out there." 

He grinned right back. "We ain't at war yet."

A commotion made them both turn. The Sergeants Airborne stood at the plane and gave them the all clear to board. Slowly but surely, the men of her group moved forward. Each step made her tremble. The thought of flying through the air again kept her smiling.

Her feet hit the ladder up. Bill kept her steady for a moment from behind as she moved up into the plane. Joe Toye hoisted her in the last bit. She moved to her seat.

It only took a few minutes before the engine roared to life for the fifth time that day. Adrenaline pulsed through her veins. As their C-47 rolled out of the hanger, she glanced out the window nearest her. Darkness fell all around them. The plane shook, rattling. Belts with metal clasps dangled around and hit the plane sides. 

Alice started counting back from one hundred. She focused her mind on only that. Her thoughts cleared.

"Hook up!"

Alice snapped to attention. She held up the small hook that would hold her to the plane. At the command, she stood and moved into the center of the plane. The light at the door glowed red. Her breathing shallowed. Her body trembled.

She hooked onto the center line. The wind outside echoed through the open body of the C-47. Alice couldn't stop shaking. When the order to check equipment came, she did so for Joe Toye quickly and carefully. Screams of their countdown sounded through the plane.

"Four okay!" 

After she'd shouted forward, Alice shuffled in place. Her eyes stayed locked on the little red light. It glowed alone in the blackness. She watched it.

It turned green. Within just a few seconds, the first man in her plane had jumped. Then another. She moved closed. Then Joe Toye. She stepped. Suddenly it was her. She grabbed onto the sides. She leapt.

Wind slammed into her yet again. It screeched and howled around her as she fell. Counting to four, the jerk of her chute deployment almost made her bite her tongue.

Alice turned off the extra chatter in her mind as best she could. She focused instead on maneuvering how she could. It didn't take long before the ground rapidly approached. 

The impact jolted her. She rolled a bit before scrambling up. The wind tried to pulled her chute. She beat it into submission, not even daring to think about the fact that she'd done it. She'd completed the fifth and final jump.

Alice stuffed the chute into her pack. Moving in the direction of the buses back to base, she tried to take several deep breaths for comfort. It didn't take long before she came across other successful troopers.

"Alice, that you?" It sounded like Malarkey.

"Yes indeed!" As she hurried over to him as best she could in full gear, Alice smiled. It was Malarkey. "Good to see you survived."

Don laughed. "Of course I did. I'm gonna have to if I want to bring home a Luger for my brother."

"What is it with soldiers and Lugers? They're really not that interesting," she scoffed.

She listened to Don Malarkey talk about what he wanted to do with a Luger as they trudged through the darkness towards the DZ rally point. They ran into Skip and Alex along the way. To her relief, this allowed Alice some time to her thoughts while the terrible trio kept themselves entertained.

When she got to the rally point, Alice looked around. Several dozen men of Easy meandered about, some sitting on the ground, others chatting. She searched the crowd. Alice caught sight of George and hurried over.

He stood chatting with Lip and Talbert, laughing over something. She joined them beneath the lights that had been set up. 

"Hey there she is," George said. He grinned and tapped her helmet. "Tab thought you'd died."

"I did not!"

"He was real sad cause you haven't danced with him yet."

Alice laughed at George's analysis. It didn't take long for the officers in charge to order them into the buses. Alice clambered towards the back, followed by George, Lipton, and Talbert. She squished herself to the corner. All through the ride back, she kept quiet. By now, fatigue threatened to over take her. She'd been on edge the entire day, nearly the entire week. With Jump Week over, her body had crashed. 

Alice undid her helmet. Putting it on her lap in what little space the bus afforded, she ran a hand through her sweaty hair. George had lit a cigarette next to her. Settling smooshed between him and the side of the bus, she sighed. The scent of the cigarette made her mouth water. She looked over at the one George had lit.

In a moment of impulse, she grabbed it from him. Floyd Talbert cackled at the incredulous look George sent her. But she put it in her mouth and took a deep breath. Then she closed her eyes and settled back.

"Christ, Alice, you smoke too much," George grumbled. He reached into one of his pockets and pulled out another cigarette. 

"George we smoke the same amount," she muttered. 

With the cigarette to calm her nerves, and the total exhaustion in her body, Alice didn't even register his response. Slowly sleep overtook her. 

When she woke up, George was pushing her off his shoulder. He grunted to her to hurry up. She realized the bus had stopped. As he climbed out of the seat, she shook herself awake and followed him. When her feet hit the ground, Alice wobbled slightly. She realized just how much she needed sleep. Her body hated her.

"Damnit, girl, you're about to fall over," George teased. 

"Is that obvious?" She sighed. "I think it's all the stress."

George hummed in agreement. He plopped her helmet back on her head and pushed her forward. They'd been ordered to gather back in the hanger.

She fell into place with Second Platoon. The Sergeants Airborne congratulated E Company for their final jump, letting them know they'd all officially passed Jump Week. They were ordered to report back to the hanger in full dress uniform at 0800, where they would officially receive their wings.

After a welcome shower, Alice crashed into her bunk. The others followed suit. No one had much energy after the day's excitement. But the exact opposite was true in the morning.

Alice changed into her dress uniform as quickly as she could. Colonel Sink had worked with her, so she had pants instead of a skirt, albeit well fitted, feminine pants. She did not mind it at all. In face, the tailored pants looked way better than the originals, in her opinion.

Fixing her hair beneath her cap, she shook with excitement. The boys in her barracks looked spiffy as she reappeared from behind the changing screen. George, Skip, Don, Alex, and Bill chatted a mile a minute. She watched them with a smile.

When she walked outside into the chill morning, she found Dick Winters and Lewis Nixon chatting with Lip, Grant, and Talbert. The three sergeants were definitely the closest to the officers after she herself. It didn't surprise her in the least.

"Good morning," Alice said. She hurried over, still playing with the small cap over her hair. 

"Hey, Lieutenant," Talbert said first. 

As she walked over, the others greeted her as well. She crossed her arms over her chest for a bit of extra warmth. Sliding in between Nixon and Lipton, she smiled again.

Before too long, all the men of Easy Company made their way to the hanger. They lined up in formation by platoon. Alice stood near the front with the rest of the officers. Her eyes followed Sobel as he entered the hanger. Their gazes met and neither looked away until they couldn't hold it anymore.

The entrance of Colonel Sink, Major Strayer, and Major Horton made them all snap to attention. Sink gave a rousing speech congratulating them on their accomplishments before they began to receive their silver jump wings.

When she felt the poke of the fabric on her uniform from the jump wings, Alice tried not to smile too much. As Sink stepped back, she saluted him. He returned it. Her heart threatened to burst. More than anything, she wanted to watch her friends receive their wings, but she couldn't. She stood still, face front, listening to the men receive their award for months of hard labor.

These would be the men who would help save her country, her home. These men, who had spent hours upon hours dealing with a rigid commander, sweltering heat, Currahee, would be there. Brash, arrogant, easy to annoy, these men nevertheless had proven to be what the war needed. Or so she hoped.

The prospect of being a small part of that, even just as a translator or guide or sniper, or whatever they seemed necessary for her, made her smile. Suddenly it didn't matter that these Americans didn't truly understand what they fought for, trained for. They had the heart to get it done either way.

Before she realized what had happened, the ceremony ended. Alice found herself standing in place. Her feet wouldn't move. The tumultuous wave of emotions crashed over her again. This time, fear for their lives and fear for the future had her ensnared. What if they weren't enough? What if Hitler won? She couldn't think about that. But what if the men of Easy never made it home? Was her returning to her home in Europe worth them never returning to their homes in America?

"Hey, sweetheart! Stop thinking!"

An unbidden smile played at her lips when Bill Guarnere threw his arm around her. She just stared at him and shook her head.

He rolled his eyes. "Ok, fine. If yah gonna think, think at the party."

"Party? At 1000 hours?"

"Obviously." He pushed her forward towards the hanger doors. She saw Lieb, Toye, and Luz waiting for her among a handful of other Easy Company men. "It's never too early for a party."

Author's Note:

Say goodbye to Georgia, 'cause we're heading to North Carolina next! I'm so excited for Camp MacKall, because Camp MacKall means we'll be getting Harry Welsh sooner rather than later!

Hope you're enjoying the fic so far. Your comments have kept me endlessly entertained. I appreciate all of them, and the votes.

See you later!

Julianne / Silz