October 8, 1945

Everything had passed in a whirlwind after V-J Day. The world had rejoiced, lauding the triumphs of the men in the Pacific and in Europe. For Easy Company, though, it had been a whirlwind of emotions as much as activity.

The company started breaking up almost immediately. Slowly but surely, they ended up in England, though. The officers went together, arriving in early October along with a group of the enlisted from Toccoa. Many of them had been discharged, or their discharges were pending. They just needed a ship to take them home.

On the night of the 8th, the remaining members of Easy had decided to get together in a pub. Most of the last few enlisted would be leaving on a ship tomorrow, back home to New York. The officers would be going soon after.

As Nix sat at the desk in the hotel room he'd taken over with Alice, he sighed. She was still asleep behind him, covered by a white comforter and out like a light. He could see the sheets moving up and down with each slow, even breath she took. It calmed him down. He watched her for a bit, how absolutely peaceful she looked. It distracted him from the reason for his anxiety: the letters sitting on his desk.

He swiveled back around. One definitely came from Blanche. He knew her handwriting immediately; absolutely impeccable script. The other came from his father by the looks of it. Script also, but more scratchy, a bit rough probably from alcohol. Nix had worked on toning back the drinking, at least a bit, since V-E Day. Every time he thought about drinking away all his sorrows, he thought of his father, and then Alice, and knew he wouldn't do that to her.

Nix grabbed the one from his father first. A mixture of anger and anxiety filled him, causing his muscles to tense. An overwhelming desire to take a drink took over. But at the shaking cursive from his father, he resisted.

Taking his pocket knife out, he cut open the letter. He took care to remove the couple of pages. He set the knife down. Nix flipped up the front of the letter and began to read.

Most of what his father said he'd expected. A lot about disgracing the family with his divorce, deserving to be cut off, the betrayal of falling in love with someone else. He ranted about Alice being German, their enemies. Nix would've been furious over that if he hadn't found it so incredibly stupid, and expected. Stanhope went on about still being expected to carry on the family business, about how he'd not stand for this 'broad' keeping him from his duties as a Nixon. He included quite a bit of profanity, a slur or two, and ended with a threat to cut Nix off if he didn't come home and start working at the business.

Nix shook his head and placed the letter back in the envelope. It had been everything he'd expected, nothing more and nothing less. After a few moments of stewing in growing anger, he turned to Blanche's letter. This one he cared much more about.

Dear Lew,

I'm glad to hear from you. We were all very happy when the Japanese surrendered, if only because it meant you were coming home. A lot has happened since I last got word to you, but I suppose I should respond to your news first.

I must admit, I'm surprised to hear about this girl. Everything you said about her is strange. The fact that you served with her alone, I find odd. But then, she also sounds like someone I should very much like to meet, not least of all because you fell in love with her.

Mom took your news better than I expected, to be honest. I think she's gotten so tired of you being unhappy. We all knew it. I don't blame Katherine. She wasn't happy either. And I suppose that by asking for the divorce, she allowed you to fall in love for real this time. We owe her that much. Mom was quite surprised of course. I think she was more surprised about who you fell in love with than the fact that you fell in love at all, though. I think she was surprised that someone like Alice even exists!

I'll be honest, as soon as you described her to me, I knew you'd have fallen for her. You talk about her like she's the sun. Smart, kind, funny, puts up with you. I laughed a little there, just so you know. It made me smile to know she helped you think of ways to write to me, to cheer me up a bit. I assure you I'm fine, though, as always.

Father, on the other hand, went off on one of his tirades. He called mother, completely drunk. Screamed at her over the telephone. Said all sorts of horrible things. I hate him, Lew. I hate him so much! I hope he drinks too much one of these days and dies from it.

Well, needless to say, Mom found his reaction to be the last straw. She said if you're happy, she'll try to accept your choice. But Father threatened to have you cut out of the family. He said you deserved everything coming for you, whatever he meant by that. So Mom told him she was done.

She filed for divorce, Lew, and he accepted. She's leaving him at last. Whatever money she gets out of the divorce, she said she's leaving to us because the Lord knows Stanhope Nixon won't leave much to his own children. I swear those are her words, not mine. But you know she's right.

That being said, you're still expected to work at the business. But after Father said he'd rather eat a pig's foot than come meet you and your 'whore bride' on the 26th, she insisted we come. So that's good news! I can't wait to see you, Lew. I've missed you so much. And I want to see this Alice girl myself. Anyone who could keep you interested enough to make you fall in love is a girl I'd like to meet. Something tells me I'm going to like her.

I'm running out of room, now, Lew. I miss you. I miss you so much. Stay safe in your last weeks in Europe. I try to remember what it was like when we were growing up and traveled to London. Sometimes I try to imagine myself there with you, the two of us messing with my camera, terrorizing the birds. Makes me smile.

I'll see you on the 26th, Lew. I love you.

Blanche

He couldn't help but smile at her signature. She'd added a small heart next to the E. He had a lot to process though. A huge sense of relief flooded him, though, as he thought about her news. Their mom had secured a divorce, she and Blanche would meet them in New York, it was almost too good to be true. She sounded normal enough in the letter, too.

With a sigh, he slipped it back into its envelope. Overall, good news, he decided. If their Father didn't show up on the docks in New York, all the better. The last he needed was for Alice to get screamed at on day one. He knew that she'd been bracing herself for it ever since he'd drafted up letters to his three family members, but all the better if it never happened.

The bed shifted behind him. Turning in the chair, he smirked as Alice blinked against the light of the sun that streamed through the windows. She grimaced, and muttered, "Since when do I sleep later than you."

Nix couldn't help but laugh. "Since you started trying to compete with me in drinks."

"Oh yeah," she muttered again. "Well. I must be doing something right, because I don't feel hungover."

Getting up from the desk, he walked back over to the bed. He snickered at her as she rolled her shoulders and neck. The tank top she wore came from the paratroopers. Alice had insisted she preferred it to a nightgown after wearing it nonstop for bed for three years. And he had to admit, he wasn't sure anything else would've looked right on her. Not yet, anyways. His eyes fell on the almost invisible scar on her cheek; the only way to notice it was to know it existed already. To him it was a terrible, beautiful, unique reminder of D-Day.

"Nix you're staring," she teased. "What time is it?"

He glanced at his watch. "11:45."

"Great, then I can sleep another six hours before we go to the bar," she said, grinning. With all the drama she could muster, Alice let herself fall back against the pillows. After a moment with her eyes closed, she looked at him again. He sat smirking, laughing under his breath at her. So she shrugged. "You can either join me, or get the hell off this bed so I can sleep."

"You're in a terrible mood," he teased. But he wasted no more time. He was already just in shorts and the paratrooper shirt, so he eased himself back next to her and shut his eyes. "What did I do to deserve you?"

She snorted, propping herself up on her arm to face him. She smirked. "Well, I'm pretty sure it started in Toccoa. You wrote me a letter. That was a good step towards deserving me. Then in Fort Benning you gave me wine and let me hit you with a snowball. Then I think it was Mackall where you told me I could come to you after Operation Gomorrah," she said. Alice continued on, point out moments where he'd been there for her. "Then on the Samaria, you protected me when I wanted everything but that," she said quietly.

Nix fell silent. He shook his head. "I meant why did I deserve your snark this morning-"

"Shut up." She shot him a tiny smile. Continuing on, she mentioned their time in Aldbourne, and in Normandy, and all the way through Holland to Bastogne. She mentioned Sturzelberg, where his trust in her had moved her tears, and Bavaria, where she'd needed more from him than she'd ever needed from anyone. And then she told him everything he'd done in Austria to remind her that she may have been a mess, but not broken. "So the better question," she added, "is what the hell made you see all that in me before I saw it in myself, Nix."

No words formed in his mind, let alone his speech. He just shook his head. "Honestly?" He cracked a smile. "I think it was when you punched me in the face."

Alice cracked up. With tears in her eyes from laughing so hard, she lay flat against the pillows. After a minute or two, she finally got a hold of herself. But Nixon wished she hadn't. When she laughed it blocked out all the thoughts of the blood and the death and the war that they'd gone through. It sounded like gold, which he couldn't even explain to himself. Gold didn't have a sound. But if it did, it would be her laughter.

With her eyes closed, she snuggled into the pillows and sheets next to him. He tried to do the same, to relax. He reminded himself that the news from Blanche had been positive, and that at least he'd be going to New Jersey with Alice, and soon Dick after he visited home. Then they'd be going to Harry and Kitty's wedding in a couple months. He wasn't going home alone with the memories. That was enough for him, he supposed. It would have to be enough.

When Alice woke up a second time, Nixon was asleep next to her. She slowly pushed back the bedsheets. The wood floor chilled her bare feet as she padded across the room. Her watch read 16:00 hours when she looked at it. Alice gaped. She'd not actually meant to sleep another six hours. They'd slept right through lunch and nearly to dinner, when they'd be meeting up with the remainder of Easy.

"Nix, get up," she called. Alice changed into proper clothing including a simple red dress and heels. "Come on. We need to get moving."

He started to wake up. Leaving him to claw himself to consciousness, Alice started on her hair and makeup. It took awhile, but eventually Nix was in dress uniform and she was in her finest available. Alice went to the door.

"Just a second," he said. "You forgot something."

Alice turned around. "What?" Her heart stopped. Nix was on one knee, ring box in hand. She laughed.

"Will you marry me. Officially, this time?"

She laughed again and nodded, choking back tears. "Yes! Je ne regrette rien!"

He nodded and stood back up. Her hands were shaking as he put the ring on her finger. The yellow-gold band and casing around the stone, and the diamond itself, shimmered back at her, Alice grinned and kissed him.

"You scared me to death," she said, trying not to laugh. "I thought maybe I'd forgotten something important."

He scoffed. "Come on."

They took the stairs down to ground level. People bustled about on the streets and cars trudged by. The pub wasn't far. By 1730 hours, they'd reached it. The door opened as another two men stepped out, and Alice waited for them to pass. Once inside, she and Nix looked around.

They found Dick, Harry, George, and Talbert chatting at a table. Harry and Talbert were snickering while George laughed his head off. When Dick caught sight of them at the door, he flagged them down. She saw a few more men of Easy in the bar as well, including Johnny and Gene at the bar getting drinks. It made her sad that Ron wasn't there. He'd left the day before for Edinborough. That goodbye had been the hardest she'd faced so far. But Alice knew tonight would be even harder.

"There they are," Harry heckled. "Come on."

They joined the table a moment later. Alice took a chair across from George, Nix to her side. Before long, Gene and Johnny had rejoined them with a group of beers. For a moment all she could do was sit and look at them. This would, perhaps, be one of the last times she'd be able to do so.

The men around her talked, and laughed, and joked. But the more they did so, the more and more Alice feared saying goodbye. Her heart beat faster. The time dragged on. They drank and they drank, and in the end she still hadn't thought of what to say to the four enlisted at their table.

"Did Wild Bill like his forty dollars, Luz?" Harry asked, as the night drew to a close.

George choked on his beer. Wiping his mouth while the rest of the table laughed, he just shook his head. He glanced sheepishly at Nixon. But when Nixon just snickered along with the rest of the men at the table he shrugged. "I told him not to blow it all in one place. He said he was putting it towards something special."

"That's terrifying," Johnny muttered.

There were some jokes made at Alice's expense, and the ring was discussed. Everyone at the table had known about the engagement for quite a while, so no one was surprised. And yet, Alice still couldn't think of much more to do than follow their banter. At midnight, Dick left them. Half an hour later, the enlisted made to do the same.

"It was an honor, sirs," George said to Nix and Harry. "Thank you."

The other three echoed his sentiments. Soon, Talbert, Johnny, George, and Gene had shaken hands with them, Alice stuffed down her tears as best she could. She got up from the table. "I'll walk you four out," she said, voice wavering.

Harry and Nix watched her go as she joined them leaving the bar. Her heart was pounding. She didn't know what to say. The goodbyes to the other men had been painful, but these four she still couldn't figure out quite what to say. All too soon they'd left the bar and stood out in the chilly evening.

"I don't know-" She choked back a sob. Forcing it down, Alice shook her head.

George let out a short laugh. "We were talking. And uh, we had something we want to give you."

She looked at him in confusion. As one, they straightened up, raised their right hands, and gave her a salute. Her mouth dropped. When they didn't move, she raised her hand and saluted them back. Her heart beat so fast, Alice thought it was going to burst. At once, she burst into tears, and grabbed Johnny, the closest one to her, into a hug.

"Stay safe, okay?" he demanded of her.

She nodded. "Same to you. And say hello to your wife for me."

Talbert was next. She hugged him as tight as she could, trying not to cry on his uniform. She didn't want to let go. "I'm sorry you never got your dance," she choked out.

But he just laughed. "Ah, that's okay. Just dance a lot with Nixon."

She laughed and nodded, pulling apart from him. Then she turned to Gene. She grabbed him, struggling as always against his height. But then she snapped at him through her tears. "You better fucking take care of yourself, Gene. Got it?"

"Prends aussi soin de toi," he reminded her.

Alice just laughed. "Je vais. Je promets."

When she pulled back from Gene, Alice couldn't even bear to look at George. She covered her mouth, trying to stop from crying. It only took a minute for Tab, Johnny, and Gene to leave them for their hotel. She watched them go for a moment. Then she finally turned to George.

"George-"

"Jesus, you're gonna make me cry," he muttered. "At least you won't have to put up with movie quotes, eh."

Alice shook her head. She couldn't keep the tears back. Instead she grabbed him in a hug, squeezing him as tight as she could. When he returned it, she just stayed there, sobbing.

"Rhode Island ain't that far from New Jersey," he told her. "And you're gonna come meet Maria and Victoria and my parents, ok."

"George, thank you for everything," she said, choking on her tears. "Thank you."

"Yeah, well, 'We'll always have Paris'," he attempted to joke.

It did the trick. Alice started laughing through her tears, and pulled away from him. She nodded. "This is the only time I'm going to let you quote Casablanca without yelling at you."

He nodded. With a smirk, he pointed back towards the door. "Your fiance might worry about you if you stay out here too long."

Alice laughed again. "Yeah." She fell quiet and looked at him again. Her brother in every single way but blood. "George, tell Maria about me, okay?"

"Yeah, 'course. Cause she's gonna need to know a bit about you before you meet her," he replied.

With a nod, she calmed her breathing. Her tears had stopped. She didn't want to leave. But she knew she needed to. Alice just told herself it wasn't for forever. It was just for now. As she nodded and went to go back in, he offered her one last salute. She returned it. As George turned and walked away, hands in his pockets, she closed her eyes. Who knew going home would hurt so much?