Summary: She was never meant to be in the war, but she'd promised her aunt she'd bring him home, going as far as she had to to get him home. She had no idea she'd learn so much along the way. Please R&R!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Saving Private Ryan, only my OC.
In This Together
-Two-
"Get me Reiben on BAR, Jackson, Wade, Beesley, Caparzo." Miller said as he and Horvath walked towards the soldiers, having received their mission to bring home a certain Private James Francis Ryan, while all of the soldiers who go on the mission getting a ticket home.
"Beesley's dead," Horvath said, "And we can't not take Stevens either, not when she's come all this way for Wade."
"Right, her and Mellish then," Miller said, "I wonder how many of them's figured out that she's a woman yet."
That's when the yelling started, Miller seeing none other than the woman herself nose to nose with Reiben who happened to be yelling insults in her face. That's when she pulled her helmet off and let her hair down, everyone gasping as the truth set into place.
"Boys, you really catch on fast, huh?" She huffed, gesturing her chest suddenly, "Didn't these give it away?"
"Forgive us, Private," Miller said, "But we've got better manners than to stare at a woman's chest...well...most of us."
He darted his gaze to Reiben who sighed and rubbed his forehead. The girl was currently being held back by Jackson and Wade, Caparzo and Mellish keeping a grip on a much calmer Reiben.
"What the fuck is a woman doing here anyway?" Reiben asked, Wade clearing his throat and looking the Brooklyn boy right in the face.
"We both made promises to our mothers we'd get each other home," He told him, "She's my cousin."
"So you got a girl covering your ass?" Reiben huffed, "Real tough guy here, fellas."
"Reiben, shut your trap." Miller said, "Now, Sergeant Horvath has orders for you. I gotta go find someone who speaks French."
With that, he turned and left, Horvath left to calm the situation and to brief the soldiers.
"Okay, listen up..."
Walking through the fields, Alex listened to the explosions of bombs and the gunfire in the distance, the sound of the grass being crushed beneath her boots and the sounds of the men striking up conversation cutting in between.
"So, Stevens," Caparzo asked, "Why does Wade need you to protect him, huh?"
"He doesn't." Alex replied, staring straight ahead of her, "This is my choice."
Caparzo huffed, Alex hearing someone jumping to her defence. It was none other that Jackson, the sniper prepared with a point that stunned Caparzo for a moment, leaving him unable to argue back.
"I think that what she's doing is crazy, but it's brave," He said, "Think about it, we're all here fighting to protect our loved ones back home. Alex is in the war to protect Wade, as he is to protect her."
Wade smiled gratefully at Jackson, the sniper nodding at him and then Alex. She was a pretty girl, rather like Wade in appearance. According to the cousins, their mothers were twins, and both looked rather like them facially. Jackson knew that she loved Wade like a brother, he could see it in her eyes. He'd picked up on the fact that she was a woman as soon as he'd laid eyes on her. It wasn't difficult to tell with her eyes and her hands. Her fingers had this delicate, feminine look about them, but they were calloused and rough through her training and fighting. She was brave, but he knew that deep down, her weakness was Wade.
Upham, the newest member of the team who quite frankly looked so meek and nervous it put the fear of God in most of the squad, made his way up to Mellish and tapped him on the shoulder, Mellish's harsh tone bringing everyone out of their thoughts.
"Hey, you want your head blown off, you fancy little fuck?" Mellish snapped, "Don't you ever fuckin' touch me with those little rat claws again. Get the fuck back in formation."
Alex bit her lip to keep from defending Upham, however she knew that breaking formation was dangerous, and plus the idiot kept saluting Miller which put him in danger.
"Just wondering where you're from." Upham said, moving towards Caparzo who just didn't look like he was in the mood for a conversation, "Caparzo?"
"Hey, drop dead, Corporal." Caparzo said, Alex rolling her eyes and shaking her head.
"Gotcha." Upham replied, scratching the back of his head.
"And another thing. Everytime you salute the captain, you make him a target for the Germans. So do us a favor, don't do it." Caparzo told him, "Especially when I'm standing next to him. Capisce?"
"Uh...capisce..." Upham replied, Wade feeling sorry enough for the guy to actually speak to him.
"Corporal, what's your book about?" He asked, Upham nearly hitting the poor guy in the face with his gun, "Hey, watch it with the assault rifles."
"Sorry," Upham breathed, "Actually, it's supposed to be about the bonds of brotherhood that develop between soldiers during war."
"What do you know about brotherhood?" Caparzo asked, "For a start, we got a sister here."
He turned around and winked at Alex who blushed a little and chuckled.
"Thanks, Carpy." She replied, Caparzo nodding before turning to Mellish.
"Get a load of this guy, Fish!" Caparzo said before turning back to Upham, "Why don't you ask the captain where he's from?"
"Yeah ask the captain." Mellish said, "He'll tell you everything you wanna know about him."
"You wanna explain the math of this to me?" Reiben piped up, "I mean where's the sense in risking the lives of the eight of us to save one guy?"
"Uh, nine, Reiben," Horvath said, "Stevens is here too."
"Thanks, Sarge!" Alex called, Miller smiling before speaking.
"Anybody wanna answer that?" He asked.
"Reiben, think about the poor bastard's mother." Wade said, Alex smiling as her cousin's caring streak shone through, as usual.
That's why he was such a good medic, prepared to lay down his life to protect and save others. She loved him so much for that caring, compassionate side of him.
"Hey doc, I've got a mother alright? I mean, you've got a mother, sarge has got a mother, I mean shit, I bet even the captain has got a mother..." Reiben replied, "Well maybe not the captain, but the rest of us got mothers."
"It's not to reason why, it's but to do and die." Upham said, earning an angry response from Mellish.
"La la la la la la la la. What the fuck's that supposed to mean, Corporal? Huh?" He asked, "We're all supposed to die? Is that it?"
"Mellish," Alex said softly, the other soldier turning to look at her, "Cool it a little, huh?"
"Upham's talking about our duties as soldiers," Miller said, "We all have orders we have to follow and that supercedes everything, including your mothers."
"Yes, sir, thank you, sir." Upham replied.
"Even if you think the mission's fubar, sir?" Reiben asked.
"Especially if you think the mission's fubar." Miller replied, Upham looking confused.
"What's fubar?" He asked Mellish who smirked to himself before answering.
"Well, it's German." Mellish replied.
"Oh..." Upham said, "Never heard of that."
"Sir?" Jackson asked, "May I have an opinion on this matter?"
Everyone listened as Jackson spoke, Alex enthralled by the elegance of his words, how well spoken he was and how certain of his point he was. He was a strong man, and a very sharp and clever man too. That's what she liked about him.
"By all means, share it with the squad." Miller told him, Jackson beginning to deliver his point.
"Well, in my way of thinking, sir," Jackson began, "This entire mission is a serious misallocation of valuable military resources."
"Ah, go on." Miller said, Jackson continuing.
"Well it seems to me, sir, that God gave me a special gift." He said, "Made me a fine instrument of warfare."
"Reiben, pay attention. Now this is the way to gripe." Miller said, "Continue Jackson."
"If you was to put me in this here sniper rifle anywhere up to and including one mile Adolf Hitler with a clear line of sight, sir," The sniper said, "Pack your bags fellas. Wars over. Amen."
"Amen." Alex breathed, Wade turning and flashing her a soft smile which she returned.
"Well that's brilliant, bumpkin." Reiben scoffed, "Hey so captain, what about you? I mean, you don't gripe at all?"
"I don't gripe to you Reiben. I'm a captain. There's a chain of command. The gripes go up, not down. Always up." Miller explained, "You gripe to me, I gripe to my superior officer so on, so on, so on. I don't gripe to you. I don't gripe in front of you. You should know that, you're the ranger."
"Well sorry sir, but...ah...let's say you weren't a captain or maybe I was a major." Reiben replied, "What would you say then?"
Alex listened with great interest, wondering how Miller would gripe.
"Well in that case, I say this is an excellent mission, sir, with an extremely valuable objective, sir, worthy of my best efforts, sir." Miller began, "Moreover I feel heart felt sorrow for the mother of private James Ryan and am willing to lay down my life and the lives of my men, especially you Reiben, to ease her suffering."
"He's good." Mellish said.
"I love him." Caparzo added, he and Mellish making kissy faces at each other.
"What about you, Stevens?" Miller asked, everyone snapping their head around to look at her, "Do you have an opinion on this matter?"
"Oh, um..." Alex began, "I believe that, yeah, we all got mothers, but this woman's already lost all her other children and there's the possibility we can get him back. Also, we're getting back to our mothers after the mission."
"If we get out alive." Reiben said.
"Well, if you watch your step and follow orders as delivered by Captain Miller, then you should get out alive." Alex replied, "Especially after his orders got us all out of the landing at Omaha alive. I believe that with his leadership and qualities as a soldier that we'll come out of this mission alive."
Reiben glared at her and she glared back, Miller looking impressed as he continued walking.
"Thank you very much, Stevens," He said, sharing a look with Horvath before returning a compliment to the soldier, "And if any of you follow orders as closely and as well as Stevens does then you'll hopefully come out unscathed too."
"Thanks, sir." Alex said quietly, trying to hide her blush from the others as they continued to walk.
Miller changed the formation, Jackson walking by Alex now and Wade on the other side of her.
"I have to say, Jackson, you impressed me." Alex said, "You're a good public speaker."
"Thank you, ma'am." Jackson replied, "How I was raised."
"You don't have to call me ma'am..." Alex blushed, "You can call me Alex."
Jackson smiled softly, huffing out a soft laugh.
"Again," He said, "How I was raised."
Alex laughed quietly while Jackson studied the rifle in her hands and then the sniper rifle on her back.
"Springfield?" He asked, Alex nodding in response.
"Call him Sharpy." She said, Jackson chuckling at the name.
"Why?"
"'Cause he's a sharp piece of equipment." Alex replied, reaching back and rubbing the gun a little, "He's never failed me."
Jackson looked across to Wade watching carefully, as though examining the two of them as they talked. The medic smiled as his cousin turned to look at him, their eyes meeting in a gentle gaze before she spoke to him. They spoke about old times, what they'd do if they got home and Jackson could see that sibling-like bond between them and he smiled, chuckling at what a tomboy the girl was.
"So you actually beat up a guy in a bar?" Mellish asked, Alex chuckling and nodding.
"Yeah." She said, "He put his hands on me so I showed him where to really shove 'em. He was only my height but he was a bulky fella."
"Nothing wrong with self defence." Wade said, "Gotta say it, girl, when I saw you on that beach my blood ran cold."
"Why?" She asked, Wade sighing in response.
"You're like my older sister, Alex," He said, "Just the thought of you being there, losing a limb or your life...getting hurt, getting shot...it scared the hell outta me."
"Hang on," Caparzo said, "Older?"
"Yeah, I'm twenty-one," Wade said, "Alex is twenty-two."
"Ah." Caparzo replied, "It's just, she doesn't look a day older than eighteen to me."
"I'm not sure whether to be happy about that compliment or a little concerned," Alex muttered, face bright red from Caparzo's words, "But...uh...thanks, Carpy...I guess."
That's when the first ping of rainfall hit the soldiers' helmets, the group continuing to walk in formation and chatting amongst themselves. They reached a town by the time the rainfall was torrential, none of them thinking that they'd lose one of their soldiers here.
-TBC-
