Genesis: the Beginning and the End | Band of Brothers

【Ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ １１０ － Ｓｏ ｔｈｉｓ ｉｓ ｉｔ】

Chapter 110 - So this is it

With the war over, it was time for Peggy to start thinking about leaving.

She couldn't stick around forever, and now she didn't really have any excuse.

The announcement came in mid-August, with plans for the official surrender to be signed as soon as possible.

It would take a few days to leave Europe, despite Peggy having worked it out to be to be a 16-18 hour drive. Well, she guestimated.

And she couldn't drive, which meant someone else had to take her and she couldn't share the drive. Someone else would've needed to take her anyway, so that the vehicle got back to the 101st.

A footlocker was given to her for the clothes she'd acquired, and then it was posted home. But no one really said anything about it. And that made her anxious, did they know? Did they not know? Should she tell them?

In the end, she was content to ignore it for a few days.

But it really was time to go.

When she sat down in the mess for one last night of the wall of noise, she sighed.

"C'mon, let's drink tonight. And I mean really drink. One last night."

She looked up at Floyd. And into his kind eyes.

"One last night."

She nodded, and Floyd nodded back. There was a plan. Definitely a plan in play, because no sooner had she finished her tea, she was being dragged from the mess by a crowd of paratroopers.

Honestly, Peggy had no clue how they did the things they did.

They'd found a nice field, and hung bunting, and set up a bar, and somehow even got a radio? How they'd managed to get that to work all the way out here, Peggy did not know. There was a fire pit for when it got dark and it would be so lovely.

She could drink, she could dance, she could just be herself for the night.

Come morning, it would be time to be someone else. But for now?

For now she was free.

One last night of freedom and of joy before her world ended.

And oh god it was so fun.

They played stupid games, ones only drunk people could come up with, and drinking games, and someone decided at some point hide and seek was a good idea.

It wasn't.

Not when all your players are absolutely plastered and it's getting dark.

Gene was declared the winner, as none of the seekers could find him. The way they'd done it was to have five original seekers and once you're found, you become a seeker. No one could find Gene because somehow he wasn't drunk enough to be unable to climb a tree and no one was sober enough to think about looking up.

It was all good fun really.

When it got dark the big fire was lit and it was wonderful. The golden glow illuminated so much, bathing it in warm light.

"George," she dragged out the or, and he imitated that with a yes as he continued to dance with her. "Do you know how grateful I am for you?"

He nodded.

"I think I've got an idea, yeah."

"Good, 'cause in order for me to try and show you we'd have to stop dancin' and I don't wanna." Peggy cleared her throat, and then laughed as George spun her. "I'm very happy you're one of my best friends." She giggled at a thought, then looked up at George and decided to share. "Y'know I never thought I'd have best friends, let alone friend- no a family like this."