A Soldier of No Importance [ Band of Brothers ] 1

TWENTY FIVE

Waking up in an army regulation barracks cot instead of a warm, antique bed in the Nixon household almost made Alice want to cry. They'd gotten in late from the train and she'd crashed right to sleep. Alice forced her eyes open. She tried to figure out what had woken her up, because based on the low light levels, it wasn't nearly late enough in the day for her to want to be awake.

Alice sat up, rubbing her eyes. Her nose smelled cigarette smoke. Sure enough, at the other end of the room, Johnny Martin had lit a cigarette. He kept his voice low, chatting quietly with Bull Randleman and what looked like Guarnere and Toye. 

"I should have you shot for waking me up," Alice muttered. 

They all looked over at her. Guarnere had the audacity to grin. The other three at least looked a bit sheepish.

"Come on, sweetheart. Ain't you happy to see us?" He walked over, sitting next to her on her cot.

"I would've been happier if I'd been allowed to sleep for a few dozen more hours, Bill." A yawn proved her point. "What time is it?"

"0630," Johnny told her. "You the first back?"

"Yeah, we got in late last night," she said. Alice stood and slipped her fatigues over her shorts. 

Bull lit a cigar with Johnny's lighter. He walked over to her end of the room with the others. "How was New York?"

Her smile told them all they needed. Even Johnny Martin dropped his apathetic expression as she just shrugged. "I'll admit, America isn't so bad."

"Ain't so bad?" Guarnere shook his head. "Hear that boys, we ain't so bad."

"So were the Lieutenants better company than us?" Joe asked. When she looked over at him, he just winked.

"Do I have to answer that one?" She moved from her spot on the cot next to Bill, grabbing her uniform shirt and a bra. Stepping behind the curtain, Alice changed.

She heard the door to the barracks open from where she stood changing. Instantly she knew who it was. Skip Muck and Don Malarkey's laughter filled the room as they stepped inside. Changed, she ducked back into view and tossed her sleeping clothes into her footlocker.

Alice wasted no time in changing the focus of the room. "Hey Skip, how's Faye? She still hanging around with you?" 

"Perfect as usual, Alice. I know you're jealous, it's ok." 

The boys all but cackled at how quickly Skip turned the focus back on her. She pursed her lips. With a hand on her hip, she shook her head. Malarkey snickered as she stood without a response.

"Ouch," she muttered. Alice just moved past them all to head outside. "I guess I'll go find the Lieutenants. They can have the New Year's gifts instead of you."

Their protests made her smile as she stepped out the door. The chilly air didn't stop her either, and she decided to go take a walk by herself. It didn't surprise her even a bit, though, to hear footsteps. She bet it was Bill.

"Jesus Christ I've spent too much time with those guys," Bill Guarnere complained. He fell into step next to her. "Cigarette?"

Alice took the one he offered. "Need some female company?"

"You're certainly a hell of a lot nicer to look at than them, sweetheart." Then he smirked. "You smell better, too."

"Thanks. That's what I'm here for, to look and smell better than you lot."

He grinned at her laughter. They strolled along the paths of Fort Benning relatively quietly for a few minutes. The cold air hit them in the face, and every so often she shied away from a gust of wind.