Twenty four hours. Alice had twenty-four hours to prepare mentally for her next jump. As she stood out by the road and lamp post in front of the Bratt house, she sucked in the smoke from a Lucky Strike. Her back leaned against the small wall and fence that divided her lawn from the one housing Ron Speirs. The sun had yet to rise. Just on the horizon, light began to flood the sky casting around gold, blue, and pink hues like a watercolor painting.

Her left arm hugged her chest, and her right elbow balanced on it as she held the cigarette to her mouth. She sighed. The white smoke blew out into the air around her. Not far, she heard a rooster crow. Her thoughts wandered.

She'd been given what Intel the Allies had on the Dutch resistance in Holland. Names filled the page, all Dutch, mostly male. She knew some of them were probably fake, just code names used to protect themselves, their organizations, and their families. Most belonged to the Raad van Verzet, the Resistance Council. They were poets, sculptors, priests, citizens.

A few were female. Alice had never heard of Jacoba van Tongeren. She had, however, heard of "the girl with the red hair." Yet even in the documents provided to her, she had no name to associate with the phrase. Evidently the girl with the red hair had friends, though, as two other girls were referenced.

As Alice stood smoking in Aldbourne, she wondered what they would find in the Netherlands. She remembered fields of green, tulips and flowers abundant across the countryside. She remembered the people. She remembered how she'd heard some of the Dutch speaking out against the antisemitism coming from their neighbors in Germany.

But she also remembered being a silly little girl of sixteen, visiting her cousins in the outskirts of Arnhem. She'd complained endlessly to her mother about the way Elsa wouldn't stop following her. All she wanted to do was go explore on her own, not be followed by a five year old girl. She got enough of that from her younger sister. Why couldn't Elsa go follow Bernadette?

Alice sighed. She took the cigarette out of her mouth one last time. With the spark gone, she dropped it to the ground and crushed it beneath her heel to make sure it would stop smoking. As the sun peeked over the row of houses across the street, Alice took a deep breath. She turned away.

Staring up the path at the Bratt house, she stopped again. Millie said she'd have breakfast on the table by 0800 if Alice could make it. And she could. Or, she had the time. But she wasn't sure she wanted to. Her unease started turning into anxiety with every moment that passed.

Instead of going inside to get ready for breakfast, Alice turned away. She looked down the road into Aldbourne. After another brief moment of hesitation, Alice set off. Her feet took her through the center of town. Few people moved about, those that she did see usually being shop owners preparing for the day.

After buying an apple, she headed towards Headquarters. The sun had finally risen. Soldiers moved around in a hurry. Today they'd prepare their gear. Tomorrow they would jump. The days that would follow remained a mystery.

Moving towards the stairs of the Regimental Headquarters, she stopped as the door at the top opened. Nixon and Dick took the stairs down in surprisingly high spirits. The latter smiled as Nixon snickered around a new cigarette.

"Good morning," she said.

"Hey! Good morning to you, too!" Nixon moved to the side to let a few more officers past. He smirked. Taking out his cigarette, he stood taller. "What's different?"

"With what?"

Dick rolled his eyes, but Nixon just continued on. "With us."

As she tried to figure out what he meant, she frowned. Their hair looked the same. Liebgott clearly hadn't gotten a hold of them recently. Nixon still smoked. Dick still didn't. But then she saw what he meant.

"Captain's bars?" Alice folded her arms across her chest. She snorted a small laugh. "Congratulations on the promotions. But I'm not going to salute."

Both of them laughed. Alice joined in a moment later. With a shake of her head, the trio moved off to find the enlisted. Alice figured Nixon had other things to do, but clearly he had no intention of doing them yet. As Dick went to gather up Shames, Buck, and Harry, they meanderd more slowly to Easy's base of operations.

"Brushed up on your Dutch, yet?" Nixon asked.

With a frown, she nodded. "I've done what I can. It's been years. Hopefully when we get there, I'll be able to remember more."

"Better be careful, you're only good to the army when you can speak a foreign language."

Alice didn't laugh. The prospect of her usefulness being at an end had crossed her mind as soon as she realized her Dutch had become so rusty. Paris was theirs now, and had been for a few weeks. But the idea of being dropped back into Paris and leaving the 506th didn't bring much comfort.

"You know I'm kidding, right?"

"Yes."

Nixon looked at her more closely. "You don't sound convinced."

"I don't need a lecture, Nixon, so stop right there." Alice regretted her anger as soon as she saw him pause in his step. Berating herself, Alice pinched her nose.

"Jesus Christ, you've been getting more and more snippy for the past week. What the hell is wrong?" He folded his arms across his chest and shook his head. "You got touchy before D-Day but this is different. Now you're not scared, you're angry."

Her anger flared again. "So fucking what."

"And there it is again. If I wanted to get yelled at I'd just call my wife. So what the hell is wrong with you? I half expected you to be bouncing off the walls in excitement since Paris was liberated." He moved in front of her as they stood on the dirt road in the field. Pointing at her he continued on, "Ever since that briefing a week ago. Shouldn't you be glad to be heading back into the mainland?"

She stood in silence. After a few moments staring at Nixon, she bit her cheek and turned away. Her arms crossed over her chest. "This jump is more personal."

"Than what? D-Day?"

"Yeah."

"How is that even possible? You'd been wanting to get back to France since you had to leave it!"

She clenched her fists. Why did he have to be so nosy? Why did he have to care so much. It bothered her, not because she didn't feel touched by his concern but because every time she thought about it, it reminded her how much she wished there wasn't a wife in the way. And having that thought upset her more than anything else.

"Fine." He just shook his head, clearly annoyed. Nixon continued walking towards Easy's base.

Alice wanted to scream. But she just sighed and tried to explain. "I got some letters a week ago."

Nixon paused ahead. He turned back to her, trying to look unimpressed but failing. When she caught up to him, he took out a cigarette and passed one over to her. Offering her a light, he waited for her to continue and did his own. "Who sent them?"

"A cousin of mine, Elsa Klein. They'd been sent to me last year."

He looked confused. "Why'd you only get them now?"

"They weren't addressed to me. They were addressed to Adélaïde Klein." She sighed and shook her head. "I hadn't heard from Elsa or her family in five years. They'd lived in the Netherlands. But I hadn't heard from any extended family since then so I hadn't given them much thought in the last few years."

"What'd the letters say?"

She sighed. "I only opened three of the six. Elsa's twelve now." Her words caught in her throat. "Or, is, if she's alive."

"You think she's dead?"

"She sounded so scared. The third one I opened, my uncle had gotten them to Amsterdam and into hiding. Elsa told me the Nazis were rounding up Jews. Said something about work camps."

Nixon frowned. "Maybe the Nazis are making the Jews build weapons?"

Alice shrugged and looked down the road to Easy's base. They weren't far now. "Maybe?"

As silence fell between them again, Nixon just watched her. After half a minute, he took the cigarette out of his mouth and pointed to her with it. "You think you'll find out more when we jump."

"I don't know. And I'm not sure... I'm not sure I want to know," she admitted.

Neither said anything else. There wasn't anything else to be said. Soon they moved down the road again towards Easy. When they got there, Buck sat playing cards at a table outside with Malarkey, Guarnere, Luz, and Toye. For a moment, Alice had to just smile at their antics. After D-Day, apparently none of them got stressed over their next jump.

"Gambling, Buck? Dick won't be happy," Nixon said. He strolled over, one hand in his pocket and the other on his cigarette.

"Ey, morning Lieutenant," George said. Then he saw Alice. "And other Lieutenant."

Alice grinned, moving to stand next to Nixon. "That's Captain Nixon, now, Sergeant."

Buck also smiled. "So you got the promotion?"

As the men at the table added their congratulations, Nixon just pulled out his flask. He raised in a tiny salute before taking a drink. He told them that Dick Winters had been promoted as well. "He shown up yet?"

Buck shook his head. "Nope. George Luz, you owe the pot another dollar."

With a roll of his eyes, George tossed in another bill. The game continued on, Alice and Nixon both watching. In the end, Malarkey came out ahead. Alice couldn't stop smiling at his excitement over winning the pot of cash.

They moved inside where most of Easy Company had gathered. It was a bit tight even with the major expansions done to the structure. After a few minutes of meandering about, chatting with some of the enlisted, the doors opened again. Dick Winters came inside with Harry and two other lieutenants. Alice looked at them. She moved up towards the other officers even as the enlisted moved a bit more to attention.

"At ease," Dick said. "As of this morning, there have been some changes to Easy Company. Lieutenant Harry Welsh is now my X.O. Replacing him at First Platoon is Second Lieutenant Charles Hudson, and assisting him will be Second Lieutenant Thomas Peacock. After this briefing, I want each platoon to meet up with your Platoon Leaders for further instructions."

Alice didn't miss Johnny Martin, the Platoon Sergeant, eying the new Lieutenants closely. She didn't blame his skepticism; many changes and replacements had come to Easy since Normandy. She herself looked at them too. Her gaze met Peacock's. He offered a small nod.

As Dick went on to give orders for the day's preparations, she watched the men. Despite seeing them eagerly playing poker not ten minutes before, seemingly unstressed, a total seriousness had descended on the room. They listened closely to Dick. As he finished up the small briefing and dismissed them into their smaller platoon briefings, he pulled Hudson and Peacock to the side, over to Alice.

"First Lieutenant Alice Klein, Second Lieutenants Charles Hudson and Thomas Peacock." He gestured between them. "I'm sure you two know about her. She's one of our links with intelligence, and our liaison with the local European underground groups."

"Pleasure," Alice said to them. Peacock saluted, surprising her, but she returned the gesture immediately. Hudson followed a bit more slowly.

Dick nodded. "Right." He dismissed the two Second Lieutenants to their platoon. Turning back to Alice, he sighed. Harry walked over to them and he turned to her. "Stay with Second Platoon from now on."

"Since Harry abandoned me," she said flatly. But when the man in question just snickered, she smiled as well. "Sure you don't want me to whip these two new replacements into shape?"

Harry laughed, but Dick just smiled and shook his head. "It's not Peacock who worries me. Hudson may be a little less inclined to work with you. We'll let Lipton acclimate them."

"Sounds fine to me," Alice agreed. "Second Platoon it is."

"I don't know, Dick. Putting Bill Guarnere and Alice together? In the same Platoon?" Harry just shook his head, arms across his chest. He gestured to Second Platoon at the back of the farmhouse base. "Quite a risky move."

"Not sure anything could be worse than her and Luz," Dick said, smiling.

Harry scoffed. "Now that I agree with."

"Hey. Maybe putting me in Second is what you need to keep those crazies in line."

They both started chuckling again. Dick left them with a smile to go check in with First Platoon and the new Lieutenants. As he wandered away, Harry took out his canteen and downed a large drink.

"Congratulations on the promotion," she told him. "Seems to be a lot of that going around."

Harry agreed, thanking her. As they stood quietly again, watching and listening to all the voices around them, he just took another drink. Then he turned to her. "Ready to jump?"

"It wouldn't matter if I wasn't."

"True." Another drink, and he stood quiet. He turned back to her with a frown. "Did you ever open the rest of those letters?"

"No."

"Are you going to?"

Alice told him she didn't know. Part of her wanted to burn them. Why read them. Likely they'd ended months ago, and now had nothing she could act on. But some small part of her wanted to know. She needed to know if she could help.