Genesis: the Beginning and the End | Band of Brothers

【Ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ ９７ － Ｂａｎｇ】

Chapter 97 - Bang

Easy moved on from Landsburg, and into Thalem. The town was quite frankly a mess, but it was like a day off for Peggy. There wasn't anything to do. And so she could just be close to her friends.

She ended up on the top floor of a building, the room missing two of its walls. They just sat up there and watched.

Peggy was still feeling really tired, she'd managed to sleep on the way over - somehow, in all the noise. She figured that the noise helped keep the nightmares at bay.

Cigarettes helped, helped keep it all away from her.

She ended up sitting with her back to a wall, not watching the clean up, instead watching her smoke curl towards the ceiling. Then the violin started and she swore that she'd never heard something so beautiful in her life.

Lewis hovered in the doorway and she offered him a sleepy wave. His steps seemed too light on the knackered wooden floor, but he came over and offered his canteen.

"I'll say one thing about the Krauts, they sure do clean up good."

George had a point.

Peggy raised an eyebrow, and sniffed the canteen. But he remained insistant, and told her quietly to sip, so she did. It burned. And she cleared her throat a few times before waving the flask at Lewis.

"Yeah, all y'need's a little Mozart."

"Beethoven."

He took the flask back and smiled.

It did start making her feel a little better.

"Sorry sir?"

"That's not Mozart. That's Beethoven."

So for a little while, everyone sat and listened, and it was beautiful, and peaceful.

Peggy closed her eyes and allowed herself to feel the music and was suddenly reminded of Bill. The last time she allowed herself to just feel music, Bill had openly stared at her. It was nice. He'd like this piece.

Out of the corner of Lewis' eye, he noticed Peggy stand and come to his side. Her hand on his arm drew his gaze to her face. She looked up at him with those haunted eyes again.

"Dance with me," she whispered. It wasn't really a question. But Lewis didn't mind. If a dance was what she needed, who was he to deny her.

It was a slow half waltz, but enough to remind her of all the wonderful evenings in Aldbourne. The few twirls were slow, and she could really feel her hair flutter. Peggy almost wished she had a skirt so that she could be mesmerised by how the fabric spun.

The boards creaked a little as they pair stepped, but that was all.

"Bill would like this piece."

"What? Loud mouthed Wild Bill from South Philly?"

She smiled, and shook her head.

"Yeah. He'd like the calm slowness to it. And he'd like that I like it."

"Well he always was sweet on you."

That didn't make sense. Because no he wasn't. It wasn't until Holland that he started being nice. Before then he was hardly tolerable, and in Normandy he was a huge dick about her being there like she had a choice.

"Um, no he wasn't. In Normandy I was sure that if he thought he could get away with it he'd kill me, or at the very least get me killed."

Lewis just hummed and they continued to dance for a while longer before he stopped. Then he pulled her to his side, and made an announcement.

"Hitler's dead."

"Holy shit!"

Peggy shared Lieb's sentiment. With that news she suddenly felt dizzy, and it had taken her by surprise, making her nearly choke.

"Shot himself in Berlin."

"What the fuck?! Does anyone remember me saying Hitler should just off himself and end this shit? Why did he wait so long?"

It was a question on everyone's minds. Along with another.

"Is the war over, sir?"

Lewis shook his head, and Peggy's shoulders slumped. But why? If the war was over that meant she went home and
BANG!

she was dead. But it also meant her family could go home safe and sound to theirs. This was all very complicated.

"No, we've orders to Berchtesgaden. We move out in one hour."

The quartet were coming to the end of their piece, she felt it. And everyone stood to leave, since they needed to be ready to move.

"Why? The man's not home." A few chuckled. "Should've killed himself three years ago, save us a lot of trouble."

That comment pissed off Peggy. What about the rest of the world? What about the pain and atrocities of the Nazis happening before America got off its arse and came to help?

"Should've killed himself six years ago, and save Britain the trouble. Or even better, kill himself before he decided to lead the Nazi party to power, before he promised Germany he would make it great again, before he'd even thought about..." she didn't need to say it for them to know, the camps, "doing what he has done. Him blowing his brains out now is simply cowardice. Vile cunt. Couldn't face being held accountable. Fucking politicians."

No one hummed at that as they had with Webster's comment. That just set her more on edge. The air was tense as everyone began to go down the stairs. Lewis tried to diffuse it a little.

"Yeah, he should've. But he didn't."