Alice didn't sleep more than a few hours. She got up before the sun on the morning of the fifth, wandering in and out of the silent aircraft. Originally, she'd been set to jump in Meehan's plane, but that morning they'd shuffled the men around a bit. Instead, Sergeant Evans jumped in Meehan's stick, and Alice would go with Harry Welsh's men. It made her feel better, knowing she'd be jumping with Easy's enlisted, not its Battalion officers and staff.

But that was about the only thing she felt better about when she woke up the day they'd be jumping. In addition to the jittery fear she'd felt yesterday, now a deep despair had settled in her stomach. The slight excitement had disappeared. Instead it'd been replaced with pure anxiety.

Two members of Easy had her more worried than others: Bill Guarnere and Gene Roe. The former needed to sort his anger and sadness out on his own, but Alice had noticed Gene becoming more and more distant, even more than usual, since their move to Aldbourne and especially Upottery, and it worried her. She wanted to talk to him before the jump.

This time, when the afternoon came and the men prepared their equipment, they were met with brilliant blue skies without a single cloud, and a bright sun to light their way. Most of them got ready in silence. In contrast to the previous day, where they'd been attempting to keep the mood light with jokes and banter, they seemed to have all lost that desire now that the jump was yet again approaching.

Alice left her pack with the others in her plane, and wandered in her full gear around the 506th's staging ground. Lieb had cut her hair the day before, so it just barely peeked out from under her helmet. Moving through D company, she tried to find Ron. Finally she caught sight of him a bit away from the others, standing beneath the plane wing near the body of the C-47. He stood smoking, staring down at a letter.

"Are you ready?" Alice asked. Picking her way through a pile of Dog's Second Platoon packs, she moved next to him. "And your men?"

"Ready as they'll ever be," he muttered. Glancing up from the letter, he folded it back up and stuck it in a pocket. "You?"

She took a cigarette he offered. Pulling out her lighter, she let the flame get the smoke going before answering. "There's no going back now."

"You wouldn't go back for any reason even if it was an option, Alice."

"Yeah, yeah you're right."

Ron shrugged. He looked over his men who stood talking in hushed tones, or rifling through packs and adjusting weapons. Then he turned back to her. "And Easy?"

Alice breathed deeply through her nose. She also stared out over the airfield, over the thousands of paratroopers crowding the tarmac. "They're ready."

"Good. Then there won't be any problems."

Her frown grew at his statement. "You better not die before we meet up in Normandy, Ron, or I'll kill you myself."

"Die?" He grinned, a rare occurrence in recent months. But clearly the idea of dying had him amused. "Those bastards will all wish I'd stayed here in England, Alice."

She snorted. "Yeah, I don't doubt it. But I'm serious."

He didn't respond as she backed away to head to Easy Company. He just shrugged, still smiling. When she turned away, she felt marginally better. Ron's cocky attitude helped calm her nerves.

Alice found Skip Muck, Don Malarkey, and Alex Penkala sitting together when she reached Easy. She moved over to them. The usually rambunctious trio sat quietly.

"Your gear ready?" Alice asked them.

"Hey, Lieutenant." Skip nodded. "All packed up and ready to go on vacation." Sarcasm practically dripped from his words.

Alice forced a smile. "You three be careful, ok? I don't want to hear that you did something stupid when we land."

"Stupid? Us?" Alex asked.

"No, just you, Penk," Malarkey teased.

With a laugh, Alice left them alone. She continued through the men of Easy, saying quick hellos and sharing well wishes with anyone she considered herself close to. But she was looking for several men in particular. She found two of them together, joking around more than she expected.

"No, Lieb, I'm not letting you give me a goddamn mohawk," Talbert said, laughing. He moved away as Liebgott pointed scissors at him. Then he caught sight of Alice. "Hey! Everyone's favorite lieutenant. What are you up to?"

Alice let herself smile at his joke. "Everyone's favorite? Pretty sure that's Dick Winters."

"Ok, fine. Everyone's favorite female lieutenant."

Liebgott laughed. "You want a mohawk, Alice?"

Talbert rolled his eyes, but Alice just shook her head with a light laugh. She sighed and stood between them. Shifting her helmet off, Alice ran a hand through her hair. "No thank you! This is already short enough."

"Looks fucking fantastic if I do say so myself," Lieb said.

"Which you do."

"Damn right I do."

Alice laughed. But then she grew a bit more serious. "You two better stay safe, alright? I better see you at the rally point."

"Sir, yes sir," Talbert agreed. He saluted. "Same goes for you, though. Don't go on some stupid hero quest."

"It's a deal. Lieb?"

"Yeah, yeah. Don't worry about us," Lieb assured her.

Alice nodded. With a last, lingering look at her two friends, she sighed. "Either of you seen George, or Gene?"

"Doc went to get air sickness pills from the real docs with Spina," said Liebgott. "I don't know about George. Try looking for Toye or Lip."

"He wasn't with Joe. I'll look for Lipton," she agreed. "Right. Stay safe, ok?"

"Yeah, yeah. Get outta here, Lieutenant. We'll be fine," Talbert assured her.

With a small smile and a nod, she turned away. Alice shared a few words with Johnny and Bull, who she'd be jumping with, before weaving her way through some of Third Platoon's boys. Smokey and Shifty sat together, and she wished them well. Then she found Skinny, and checked in on him. He assured her he was fine.

Finally she found George and Lip. They stood together, the former snickering where he stood smoking, and the latter just smiling, shaking his head. When they saw her walking over, both of them waved.

"There she is," George joked. "I wondered when you'd show up. Not spending your last few hours with the brass?"

Alice smiled. "And miss spending it with Easy? Never. If I'm going to die, I'm going to die having spent time with my favorite people."

George grinned around his cigarette. He looked around dramatically. "I don't see Lieutenant Nixon around here, though."

"I have other friends," Alice said quickly. She willed her cheeks not to flush at his insinuation. That kind of joke should've been expected from him. "Though I could remove you from the list now."

Lipton laughed. "Both of you, be nice to each other."

"Yeah, yeah, Lip, sure. Whatever you say." George raised his hands in protest.

Alice smiled at them. She let her gaze take them both in, hoping beyond hope that somehow she had the power to keep them both safe. She nodded ever so slightly to herself. "Right. You two stay safe, ok. I don't want to get to the rally point in Normandy to find out you two died doing something stupid."

Before either could respond, Johnny Martin walked over and called over to Lipton. With a tiny smile at Alice, he just nodded and turned away. George and Alice both watched him walk away.

"I'm serious, George." She looked at him again, holding his gaze. "Please."

"Hey, we're gonna be fine," he assured her. "Those Krauts don't stand a chance against Easy."

Alice chuckled. "Yeah, that's true."

They stood in silence together for a bit, side by side. Alice still had her helmet in her hand at her side. The sun had started to set, casting shadows from the C-47s around them. Eventually Alice pulled out another cigarette. In just a few minutes, they'd get called to board the planes.

She turned to George. "Hey, don't die out there."

"Alice, you better be at that rally point too, you know," he added. "I'm serious. Maria's gonna meet you when we get back to the States."

Alice smiled at him. "Damn right, she is." She leaned in and gave him a quick cheek kiss. "For good luck. Don't die out there."

He winked at her. "See you in France. Hopefully I get to hear some of those gorgeous accents that you've started to lose."

Alice laughed at him, feeling happy for the first time in days. With a nod, she turned away and went to find her next few people. The officers had a meeting at 1800 hours, a time rapidly approaching. She hurried towards where she knew they needed to meet up.

When she got there, Harry and Dick already stood waiting. It didn't take long for Buck to join them. She stood quietly, gaze trained on the horizon. The other three men chatted with feigned indifference.

"Everyone ready?" Meehan asked. He strolled up with purpose, strapping on the last few pieces of his uniform. He held his helmet in his right hand. "Winters?"

"Yes, sir. Everyone's ready. Roe and Spina should be back with air sickness pills any minute now." Dick nodded back towards Easy's staging place.

He nodded. "Klein, any new word from Battalion intelligence?"

"The Pathfinders are gearing up as we speak," she told them. Alice pointed down the airfield. "They should be setting out in about half an hour, and we go after that. Last I checked in, with my sources in the Resistance, they're ready too. They know we're coming."

Meehan nodded again. "Compton, Welsh? First and Third?"

Both told him they were prepared. Tension built around them as they realized they'd be jumping in a bit over an hour. They shuffled in place.

"Alright. When you land, make your way to the rally point. And remember, the Brass were very clear: take no prisoners. Kill anyone in your way. France and maybe the whole world depends on it." He looked at them closely. "I have faith that each and every one of you is going to reach that rally point. Just see your men get there, too."

A chorus of "yes sirs" answered him. With a last nod, Meehan dismissed them. Alice looked between the other lieutenants as he walked away. She wished Buck good luck first, and he left. Then she turned to Dick.

"See you in France," she said, tears threatening to spill from her anxiety. "Despite what happens, know that France is beautiful."

He chuckled. "I'm sure it is."

After a moment of silence, Alice grabbed him in a hug. She nodded as she pulled apart a moment later. "I tell you what I told Luz. Don't die out there."

"Pretty sure Nix won't let me die until he sees me drink, so."

Alice and Harry both laughed. She stood back as Harry said his own goodbyes and good lucks. The two of them would be heading to the same place, so they didn't say much. When Dick turned and left, they looked at each other and nodded. They started their walk to First Platoon.

"Hey!"

Turning around, they found Nixon hurrying over. He waved them down. Waiting, Alice and Harry watched him take off his helmet. He stopped in front of them.

"Easy's good?" he asked quickly, slightly out of breath. "They ready?"

Harry nodded. "Everybody's ready for the game to start."

"Good. You two?"

With a shrug, Harry didn't respond at first. He just gave a small nod and looked around. "Ready to get moving. The waiting's annoying."

Alice agreed. But she didn't say anything. She just looked at the paratroopers meandering about, her anxiety increasing. When she was pulled back to reality, she saw Nixon and Harry watching her.

"Sorry, I'm just..." She sighed. "Time to go home." Shrill whistles rang through the air, shouts joining them. Time to board the planes. "Whatever home is," she murmured.

Harry gave Nixon a quick side hug before hurrying away. Then Alice turned to him. She shook her head. Alice didn't hesitate to grab him in a hug, as well. "Don't you dare die before me, Nix."

"I told you, we aren't going to die," he assured her. When they broke apart, he nodded to her. "Tout ira bien."

She hesitated, her breath catching. Everything will be okay, he said. She tried to believe it. She had to believe it. "Oui, mon ami. See you in Normandy?"

"Can't keep me away," he teased.

Alice watched him back away. Finally, he turned and hurried off, probably to find Dick. After a few seconds of watching him fade into the sea of paratroopers, she made to follow Harry. She reached First Platoon a few minutes later.

"Ey, Lieutenant, air sickness pills for yah," Spina said, coming over to her. He sidled over to her and dropped two white pills into her left palm. "One now, one in an hour, okay?"

She nodded. With a small smile, she slid one into her breast pocket and then swallowed the other. "Thanks, Spina."

"Any time."

Alice walked through the men of First Platoon. Patting Hoobler on the shoulder, she shot him a smile for encouragement. He nodded back, grinning for a moment before dropping back into nervous shuffling. She did the same for Blithe before joining Johnny and Bull near the front.

"Ready?" Alice asked them.

Bull just nodded, puffing out his cigar smoke thoughtfully. He glanced around. "Ready as they'll ever be."

"Alice, did you talk to Bill?" Johnny asked.

She nodded. "Yeah."

He didn't say anything else, just gave her a quick, thoughtful nod. They stood together watching the rest of the Platoon. Finally Harry called her over. He looked from the men to her, and nodded.

"It's time."

Her breath faltered. She glanced down the line of men, many of whom had sat down, weighed down by all their gear. She moved to the side and clipped her extra stuff on as Harry helped the men up. He gave a quick speech wishing them luck and assuring them he'd see them on the ground.

With that, they began to board. Johnny went in first, followed by his squad. Then Bull's. And from there, the rest filed in. Alice went second to last, being hoisted up by Christenson in front of her, and pushed from behind by Harry. She stumbled in, wobbling from both the weight of the gear and the drowsiness of the air sickness pill.

Harry scooted in next to her, beside the open door. The sun had just set. For an agonizing hour, they sat on the airstrip. Plane engines roared to life around them, starting in the distance until they came close. At last, theirs started up with a deafening groan.

The groan turned into a roar as the plane began to shake. Alice sat beside Harry, not talking. Instead she looked at Spina who sat across from her. They locked eyes. Both tried to nod encouragement to the other. As the C-47, the Skytrain, began to roll down the tarmac, the tension became so thick it could've been cut with a knife.

This was it. In less than five hours, Alice would be home. But what she'd find worried her. With the rattling of the straps and metal clasps around her, she tried to put herself back in their jump training days. She thought back to the ecstasy of the first Night Jump, the day they'd earned their wings. And with that, she felt the plane take off.