Ranney came in, a look on his face that could stop a thunder storm.
"We lost Winter's to batallion mess," he fumed, turning to face us.
"You're shitting me," Tab said, raising his eyebrows.
"Fucking Sobel," I seethed, banging my fist down on the table. Lip looked over at me, giving me a look, and I held my hands up to let him know I was calm. Ranney shook his head in disbelief, his features written with anger.
"No, Strayer did it. While he's tryna figure out the procedures for his court martial."
"This is fucking bullshit. Ain't no way they're gonna get rid of Winters over Sobel. They can't," I fumed, getting up abruptly, causing the wooden chair I'd been seated on to fly backwards and clatter against the stone floor. "There is no way on earth I am following that fucking man out of a plane into battle," I almost shouted. Ok, jesus, calm yourself down. Why are you making such a big deal out of this? I shook my head, clearing my thoughts. The men were looking at me, with varied expressions, whilst Lip threw me a pack of cigarettes and raised an eyebrow. I lit one up, and sat down, picking my now mildly splintered chair back up. "So what do we do?" I asked, shrugging my shoulders.
"I don't care about the consequences," Martin stated, glancing up at Lip but not moving his head. I looked over at Martin, giving him a tight smile and a nod, letting him know I felt the same way. Lip looked over at him, his eyes concerned, yet passionate.
"John, we could be lined up against a wall and shot. Now, I'm ready to face that. And every one of us had better be too," he said, glancing around the table, resting his eyes on Guarnere.
"I will not follow that man into combat," Gono said defiantly.
"Me neither," said Bull. I looked up from the table at him sitting next to me, giving him a half smile.
"Alright, then let's do it," I said, looking at each of the men and arching an eyebrow.
"T, you know you don't have to do this. We'll understand if you don't want to do it," Lip said, almost pleadingly. "Out of everyone here, and I'm sure the men will agree, you have the most to lose. Sink already watches every move you make, and Sobel acts like he wants you dead. You could be gone tomorrow if you do this," he stressed.
"Yeah? Well, so could any of you," I replied, maybe slightly harsher than I meant to. "Look, I will stand with you, with all of you, for as long as there is breath in my fucking lungs and a pulse in this thing I call a heart. So if you don't like it, suck it up, buttercup, because I ain't going anywhere soon," I said, smiling sweetly at him. Lip finally cracked a small smile, and nodded at me. Bull clapped a hand on my shoulder, laughing lightly, despite the circumstances.
"I ought to have you all shot! There's nothing less than an act of mutiny while we prepare for the goddamm invasion of Europe!" Sink said, slightly more calmly than I expected him to. None of us looked him in the eye, rather just stared straight out the window behind him. "Sgt. Harris?"
"Sir."
"Turn in your stripes, collect your gear. You are hereby transferred out of my regiment," Sink said, glaring at him.
"Sir," Harris said, saluting.
"Get out." Harris left the room, which was quieter than a mortuary. I dared not even move my eyes to see how anyone else was reacting.
"Sgt Ranney, Sgt Zhukavitch," Sink said, and a breath caught in my throat, my heart speeding up. Please don't take me away from my men, I pleaded to him silently.
"Sir," we both replied, somewhat shakily.
"You two consider yourself lucky I'm only busting you to private," he said, and I released a breath that I wasn't aware I was still holding. I wasn't paying too much attention to what else he was saying, except for when he told us to get out. I followed the other men almost mechanically, and then started laughing to myself. Just before we walked out of the doorway of the building, Lip turned to me, a smile on his face.
"You are one lucky charm, Boudicca. I'm sorry about your rank, you earned it as much as anyone else. But you'll get it back, I promise you I'll help you get it back," he said, putting a hand on my shoulder.
"Hey, Lip, I'm just glad I've still got my boys. The rank, I mean sure, it was nice to have, but it's nothing compared with getting to stay with you lot," I smiled. "Even if you do get on my last nerve sometimes," I smirked.
"Come on, you. We gotta bunch of men to inform about current events," Gono said to me, popping up behind Lip. I laughed as we left, and on the way out, we passed Winters. Giving him a salute and a wink, he smiled at me, somewhat confused as to why all of his sergeants were in the same place at the same time. It was a nice day - the sky was clear, it wasn't overly hot, nor cold, and a gentle breeze touched my hair as lightly as a spider spinning a web. I smiled to myself again, thinking about how close I could have been to losing my men. But then I really thought about it, and knew that once we got into battle, this feeling would be so much worse, because it wouldn't just be the possibility of me being taken away from the men, it would be the possibility of them dying, being gone forever. I shook the thoughts from my head as we approached the pub. It was our last couple of days in Aldbourne, and they'd decided to just let us chill out for the remainder. They knew that once we made that jump, we wouldn't have any time to ourselves. I could hear the rowdiness from outside the pub, and a few troopers who'd started too early were shuffling around outside as if they'd lost all motor control. I laughed when I recognised one of them to be Cobb.
"Good effort, Cobb. Ut evolution argumentum vos can vado in vicissim," I laughed.
"I know what your problem is. I've finally figured it out, you witch," he sneered drunkenly, failing to notice the dribble on his chin.
"Then please, do enlighten us," I drawled sarcastically.
"You're in love with me," he said, almost falling flat on his face if it weren't for the wall he was currently propped up against. The men barked with laughter.
"You know, Cobb, if I wanted to kill myself, I'd climb to the top of your ego and jump down to your IQ level," I said sweetly, before turning on my heel, leaving him to find the floor whilst the men opened the door for me amidst bounds of laughter.
"So what did the Latin mean?" asked Tab, putting an arm round my shoulder.
"That he is proof that evolution can go backwards," I laughed, whilst signalling to the bartender for enough beer for us all.
"Damn, Tab, no one ever tell you she's a taken woman?" a voice asked, and I turned round to see Lieb standing there with that all beautiful smirk upon his face.
"Hey, man, I ain't tryna cause trouble. I'll see you around mystery lady," Tab joked, kissing me on the cheek and dodging Lieb's slap, before running off. I laughed, grabbed my pint and went to sit outside with him. "You know, you shoulda told me what you were doing. You could have died for that," he said, looking into my eyes with concern. I sighed, taking a sip of beer.
"And if I'd have told you, you wouldn't have let me do it, Joe," I said softly. "Besides, I didn't die, I lost my rank."
"He took your rank away? That's bullshit, you earned that," he said, his eyes lighting up with anger. I put a hand over his.
"Hey, it doesn't matter. Ranney lost his too, and Harris got removed from regiment. I'll tell you what I told Lip - it was nice to have that rank, but being demoted doesn't take away any levels of respect or hard work. I'm still here, and that's what matters. Is that I'm still here, with the men, with you, Joe," I said, looking into his lush, brown eyes, half smiling.
"T, you could talk your way out of anything, couldn't you," he smirked, making me laugh.
"But I think the most pressing matter here is that I have some catching up to do," I said, before downing my pint. "Come on then, let's get that vodka flowing," I winked, grabbing his hand and pulling him up with me. We managed to wind through the crowds to the bar, where I ordered 6 shots of vodka.
"You got some friends round that I don't know about," a voice sounded to my left, and I looked up to see the handsome smile of Lt Speirs. I smiled back.
"Unfortunately, no, but you just became the third person in our drinking game," I laughed, wriggling my eyebrows, making him laugh.
"You know I shouldn't," he said.
"But you know you want to," I said, dangling one of the shots in front of him, knowing full well that none of the other enlisted men could get away with this way of talking to Speirs.
"Liebgott, are you in on this?" he asked Joe, raising an eyebrow.
"You bet, sir," he replied.
"Jesus, you are gonna be the death of me, girl," he said, knocking back his first shot.
Several hours and much more alcohol later, just a few remained at the bar. Lieb had taken Floyd back to his bunking, because he'd gotten beyond drunk, and turned in himself for an extra hour sleep. He winked at me as he left, making me smile and look at the floor like a school girl. Tash had finally shown up, and was now sitting opposite me for a very strange game of Never Have I Ever. It had taken a good half hour between all the laughter to explain the rules to 6 intoxicated troopers. Speirs had gone a while ago, having to take care of some Dog Company drama. And now it was just me, Tash, Roe, Muck, Bull, Gono, Toye and Perco.
"Ok, ok so I'll start," Tash said, getting the men to quieten down. "Never have I ever passed out from drinking too much," she said.
"Hey, that is so not fair," I said as I took another swig of whisky, as did the entirety of the table.
"What, like, never? You've never drank so much that you passed out?" Muck asked incredulously. I laughed at him.
"Never have I ever killed a man with my bare hands," Bull said, raising an eyebrow at me. I smirked at him, whilst taking yet another swig of whiskey.
"Ok, so now I feel like this game is out to get me," I laughed, before realising that the faces around me were most definitely spinning at an alarming rate. "I think it's time that I got my head down lads," I smiled, though simultaneously wanting to puke.
"You want me to come with you, sis?" Tash asked, beginning to stand. I waved her back.
"Don't be silly, girl. You need to uphold the Zhukavitch name in my absence," I said, swaying slightly as I stood up, and laughing at myself.
"Hey, Dicca, I'm walking you back, and there ain't nothing you can say to me that's gonna tell me otherwise," Roe said, humour written on his face, yet concern in his eyes. I nodded at him wavily.
"See you tomorrow boys, bright and early," I winked, as the men said their goodbyes. Roe put my arm around his shoulder and put his arm around my waist.
"Come on, cheri, let's get you home," he said, smiling to himself. As we left the pub, the night air was refreshing against my clammy skin, having been cooped up in a sticky, smoke ridden pub for the past few hours. I inhaled deeply, letting the freshness circulate through my body, feeling it almost exfoliate my lungs. We walked for a couple of minutes in silence, neither of us needing to say anything. I was starting to feel a little better, and had become less of a new born giraffe on my feet. But still, I didn't want to let go of Gene - he was warm, and he made me feel safe. His very aura made me calm.
"Hey, Gene? Can we sit down for a minute. I, erm, I need to ask you something," I said, stopping next to a small garden wall. I couldn't see properly in the dark, but it looked as though ivy trickled down over it's edge, almost alive and feeling it's way across the brick, like a green waterfall frozen in time.
"Of course," he said, sitting down next to me, though keeping his arm round my waist. I leaned into his shoulder, now becoming slightly chilly as a small breeze caught upon the otherwise silent night air. "What's up?" he asked, and I could hear the concern in his voice.
"I just keep thinking , you know? Can me and Joe ever have a normal relationship? If by some miracle we both survive this shit, are we gonna be the same with each other as we are now? Because I'm terrified of losing him, of any of you, but the way I feel for him, I have never felt like that for a guy before. It's...different. But nice. I feel whenever I'm with him, the parts of me I've lost along my journey in life become whole again. I feel like everything I've done, whether good or bad, doesn't matter anymore, because he's there. Everytime he looks into my eyes, I get lost, you know? It feels like everything around me becomes nothing, but at the same time intensifies. It's as if the people around me, they're making no noise, yet they're louder than ever. The birds stop singing, but at the same time they're performing the perfect chorus. And it's as if my heart stops, yet my blood rushes stronger than ever. What's gonna happen, Gene? After everything?" I finally asked, looking up at his face. He sighed, then looked out straight ahead.
"Talia, I'm not gonna say that you're both gonna survive this war for sure. You and I both know, and are much more less naive than some of the others, that none of our lives are a guarantee. Not now, not anymore. All of us could die, some of us could die, or none of us, but we'll all change. Because we'll see shit, and do shit that will change the way we think and act forever. But you and Joe? The way you two are with each other, I don't think that will change, Even if you change as people, you will still have that part of each other inside you both that reminds you of who you once were. And you won't wanna let that go." he said, kissing the top of my head. I smiled into his jacket.
"Thank you, Gene. I needed that."
The last couple of days in Aldbourne seemed to fly by, and now we found ourselves in Upottery Airfield. It was May 31st, and Easy Company were arriving in several trucks. It was overcast, and trying its hardest to rain. The ground was soggy and torn up from the sheer amount of vehicles coming and going throughout the days. The place was crawling with British Army soldiers, their laughter and shouts ringing out around the area. The truck came to a stand still, and the back swung down, as the new Lt, Buck Compton released the catch. He had piercingly blue eyes, and a smile that could charm even Sobel. He motioned to me and Tash.
"Ladies first," he said, flashing his white as fresh snow teeth.
"Off you get then, Luz," I said, raising an eyebrow at him and grinning.
"You're too kind, young man," he replied in a mock female voice, making me laugh. Each of the men were in much higher spirits than I'd imagine they would have been, considering the impending jump. But perhaps the mood had more to do with the fact that Sobel had been transferred out of Easy. Luz jumped down, then offered me his hand, which I took and followed suit.
"Lt," I nodded, smiling. He smiled back, before beginning to call out where each unit and squadron was to be positioned. As the rest of the guys jumped off the truck and began to unload gear, Luz, Tash, and I swung our packs onto our shoulders, rifles in hand, and began to head over to Easy Company's placement.
"Boudicca?" Luz asked, glancing at me innocently.
"Yeah..." I replied with caution, unsure of what was going to be the follow up.
"Can you teach me some Latin to offend Cobb without him knowing what I was saying?" he asked, making me laugh.
"Tash is a hell of a lot of a better teacher than I am, Georgie. I don't have the patience," I said, giving him a nudge.
"Anytime you want, Luz. I will be happy in assisting you to take down that boy," Tash laughed, putting her arm around Luz's shoulder. As we made our way to the tents, we saw Hoob talking to a British soldier dressed in a German uniform.
"Yeah, yeah. It's for you lads, so you can get your mince pies on some Jerry clobber, if you know what I mean," the soldier replied to something Hoob had asked.
"No, not really," he said, the confused look on his features amusing me somewhat.
"He said it's for the Americans to get their eyes on some German clothes, Hoob," I laughed. He turned around to face me, smiling.
"Hey, just in time to translate, T," he said.
"Blimey, where'd they find two English birds in the American Army?" the British soldier asked, making me smile.
"We're reapings," I explained, and he nodded like he understood only slightly.
"Hey, you got a Luger? I'm dying to get my hands on a real Luger," Hoob interjected, his excitement so childlike it made me genuinely happy.
"Yeah, go on then. Quick butchers, yeah?" the soldier said, getting it out of it's holster and setting it up for Hoob. I gave the British soldier a nod and smile before heading off to find my boys, accompanied by Tash and Luz.
Before long, we found Lieb and Toye smoking together by the entrance of a marquee.
"And on that note, I will catch you ladies later," Luz winked, before heading off to join Bull, Muck and Penkala.
"Later, Georgie," I smiled. We walked over to the two Joe's, and Lieb passed me a cigarette, lighting it for me. "Thank you," I said, smiling up at him, his thick, brown eyes as beautiful as ever.
"Anything for a beautiful lady," he smirked.
"Lemme know when you find one," I replied, laughing, earning a nudge. Tash and Toye were caught up in conversation, so me and Lieb began to walk. "How you feeling about the jump?" I asked him, looking up at him to gauge his reaction. He shrugged, his eyes not betraying the words he spoke.
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little scared. It's the thought of having to jump into the unknown I think. But at the same time, I'm excited for everything I've been training for to finally happen," he replied earnestly. "What about you?" he asked, glancing over at me. I inhaled another drag from my cigarette, mulling over my response.
"I've done this more than once. I'm not scared of the jump itself, not even what we're going into. I'm too de-sensitised to really care enough about what I throw myself into. But normally, its just me and Tash. I can keep my eye on her, guard her back. But now, now I have all of you guys to worry about," I sighed, smiling sadly at him. He looked like he was about to speak, but I wasn't finished. "The things you men have taught me, how you're helped me and Tash overcome so many deep rooted issues, how you've become our family - it terrifies me that I can lose that at any point from here on out. It terrifies me that I could lose you," I said, coming to a stand still. We'd been walking slowly, but now a few of the other Easy lads had congregated a few feet away. I stopped far enough away that they couldn't hear our conversation.
"I won't pretend to know what it's like to loose a family, T. I won't pretend I know how scared you are to re-live the events of your past. But I don't have to fake the sincerity when I say that I am petrified of losing you too. As a whole, me and you, we aren't overly emotional. But I need you to know that losing you would break me. I don't plan on going anywhere. I'm here for the long run," he said, with such integrity I just wanted to kiss him right there and then.
"Joseph Liebgott, just when I think I've made a valiant speech, you go and one up me," I laughed. He smiled at me, his eyes brightening. "Come on. Let's not keep this lot waiting," I said as we started over to the guys.
"There she is. M'lady," Muck said, bowing dramatically.
"Between you and Luz, I'm starting to think you enjoy taking the mickey out of me," I laughed, making Muck smile.
"Did I hear a queen call upon her lowly manservant," a voice piped up behind me. I turned around to see Luz smiling that 'oh so innocent' smile. I tried to give him an unimpressed look, but couldn't help the smile creeping onto my face.
"Damn you, Luz," I laughed.