Humanity of the Broken [ Band of Brothers ] 2

THIRTY

After exhausting days, they all collapsed into their beds at night without speaking to really anyone. No poker, no drinking games, no chatting. Alice had barely spoken to Nixon since he'd showed up drunk at her door, not for either's fault. Part of her was glad; it gave Nixon time and space to grieve and think in peace without the added stress of whatever was between them getting in the way. She trusted Dick to keep an eye on him.

Their trek down through Germany towards Bavaria stayed relatively uneventful until they got past Stuttgart on the way to Munich. Several times during the day, the men had come across companies of the French First Army clearing the area. No one but Alice had paid much mind until they came across several groups executing German soldiers.

Alice rode with the enlisted that day, eager to stretch her legs out of the jeep she'd been in for days. She found herself between Johnny and Liebgott. Most of the ride she stayed quiet, content to listen to the men chatting all around her. But each time a gunshot went off, Alice flinched. She understood the anger of her French countrymen. But that did not mean she liked hearing the crack of the gunshot.

"It's only a fair fight for the Frogs 'cause they're are unarmed!"

Alice opened her eyes. She couldn't tell you had said it, but the whole troop truck started laughing. Her eyes narrowed. She muttered, "Vous parlez de choses que vous ne comprenez pas."

Next to her, Liebgott shuffled in his seat, confused. "What'd you say?".

"I said, you're talking about something you don't understand," she snapped. "So I'd advise you all keep your mouths shut."

At her reaction, the men around her quieted down a bit. With a scoff, Alice shifted a cigarette out of her pocket. To her surprise, Johnny handed her his lighter. She used it, nodding in thanks.

By the time night fell, they'd reached a decently large town. To the chagrin of most of 2nd Battalion, a company of the First Army occupied the area as well. The French soldiers meandered around the streets, in and out of buildings. This resulted in quite a few companies of the 506th being forced to sleep in tents along the outskirts of the city.

Once Alice had pitched her sleeping bag near Harry, she sat on the ground for a minute. The sky above was brilliantly clear. Stars gleamed down and a full moon illuminated the area. At 2200 hours, she took a walk to check on the men.

Many of them slept, but others were unaccounted for. With a roll of her eyes, Alice decided to track them down before they got in trouble for being absent. Entering the town, she walked along the cobbles. Reveling from the various buildings distracted her.

A pub across the street cast light out through the windows, spilling it out onto the street. The most noise came from there. With a small smile, Alice walked to the window and looked in. Mostly filled with Frenchmen, she listened to her language from where she stood outside. She stood there for a while.

Her smile dropped. Alice narrowed her eyes. In the corner of the bar, she found her missing paratroopers: Lieb, George, Alley, and Skinny. She cursed under her breath. Stupid men. With a groan, Alice moved to the door. She kicked herself for caring enough about them to get them out before they got reprimanded.

Alice slipped inside. The sounds of laughter and clinking glasses hit her like a truck. One never would've known it was war, except of course for the fact that the German pub was filled with French officers. With her back as close to the wall as possible, Alice moved towards the four paratroopers in the opposite corner. No one paid any attention to her until she reached their table.

"You four aren't where you're supposed to be," Alice said, keeping her voice low. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Ah, come on Alice," Liebgott protested. "We needed a fuckin' break."