All Things Nice » Band of Brothers

18: Angel

Christmas didn't feel like Christmas this year. This was less in the way of 'growing up makes Christmas less magical' and more in the way of 'it's boiling hot in Georgia and, aside from barrack room chats, no one's acknowledging it's even December at all'. Even last year, the first Christmas Posey had ever spent away from home, had felt more Christmassy than this. She didn't know whether to believe it was because she was having to spend all of her time on a military base (still no weekend passes for them!) or whether America had just finally woken up to the fact that there was a war on and decided that Christmas was cancelled as a result. Either way, it didn't feel like Christmas, even as they all began to pack up their things ready to get on trains and head home for a few days.

For Posey, home obviously meant Boston, back to Mrs. Daniels' small but comfortable home tucked away on the outskirts, but she found herself excited nonetheless. Last year she'd been nothing but doom and gloom about having to spend Christmas there but this year she couldn't be more excited. How things could change within such a short amount of time.

"Oh, man, I can't wait to go home," Malarkey said, practically vibrating with excitement as he shoved things haphazardly into his duffle bag. "I am gonna eat so much food they'll have to make it illegal after."

Posey suppressed a sigh. It was illegal back home in England.

"I'm just excited to get to sleep in a real bed," Skip replied, practically giddy himself where he sat on the top bunk of the same set as Malarkey.

"What about sweet, sweet Faye Tanner, Skip?" Luz piped up. Posey couldn't see him and didn't even bother to try, but she could hear the grin in his voice. "Not excited to see her?"

"Shut it, Luz," Skip replied, pretending to lunge at him. "I can't wait to see her."

"I can't wait to hear all about it," Luz said.

Posey giggled. "One day you'll find a girl of your own and you won't have to live vicariously through Skip, Luz," she said. "One very, very distant day."

"I don't see you walkin' round with any dames on your arms," Luz shot back.

"You're right," Posey relented. Then she grinned. "Tragic life for the short among us, isn't it?"

"I'm not fuckin' short!" Luz exclaimed.

Posey laughed loudly. "If you're not then neither am I! You're only an inch taller than me, if that!"

"You're delusional, Duckie," Luz dismissed her. She could imagine him physically batting her away with a hand gesture, too, though he couldn't see her either.

"You're optimistic," she replied, giggling to herself at the outrage she'd been able to induce with a single comment.

"Fuck, I can't wait to get outta here just so I can hear myself think for a few days," Guarnere grumbled loudly from a few bunks along. "You two are like fuckin' children!"

"You'd know!" Posey called back.

When Luz shouted out an 'Ay!' she laughed loudly.

"Wells, you sound like a girl when you laugh," Guarnere replied, clearly disgruntled.

Posey pretended to pout where she was hanging upside down off of the side of her bed. "I'm wounded, Gonorrhoea, truly," she said with as much mock hurt as she could manage. "That was absolutely lethal. No point in having you go to the rifle range anymore, just talk to the Germans and they'll drop dead."

"Shut up," Guarnere huffed.

Posey caught Roe's eye from the bunk next to her and shot him a wink. In response he simply rolled his eyes and returned to folding up whatever he was taking with him to go home.